Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Classic Nick Wed. – Misako Koba

Little Miss Misako and the Food of Love
By Jane Ennis

>>This article has been retyped from an British magazine from the 1970’s.<<

A Japanese girl came six thousand miles to London for a holiday. She was 18 years old, five feet talk and ask pretty as a favorite doll – but she spoke very little English. She met a young man in a café, fell in love and married. The couple settled in Blackpool and she planned to devote herself to learning the skills of an English housewife. Instead, she became a cabaret singer and ended up playing the part of a Tibetan goddess in the children’s TV series The Tomorrow People.

Tracing the tiny footsteps of Misako Koba from the Japanese Island of Goto where she grew up to the youngest of ten brothers and sisters, via a Wimpy Bar and the Blackpool Tower to star in an ITV series, is a modern Samurai-style legend where fate takes a very big hand and virtue triumphs.

The Chance Meeting
(In which their eyes meet across a crowded hamburger parlour.)

It was a dreary day in London’s Earl’s Court. Misako, the weary traveler, walked into a Wimpy Bar. She says in her now good but highly accented English: “I spoke very badly then and every time I went into a café and ordered something, it would come out differently to what I had expected. Then I discovered Wimpy. There were photos on the menu and could point to what I wanted. I sat down in a spare seat opposite a young man. I pointed to a picture, but that waitress started talking and I couldn’t understand. Then the young man came to my rescue.”

The young gallant turned out to be actor and entertainer Colin Sherwood and, as in all good legends, it was love at first sight.

Soon, the couple were married. Misako’s family gave their blessing and wrote to say that at the time of the marriage, all the relations would go to the top of the highest mountain on their island, face Britain and cheer from the bottom of their hearts for the couple’s lifelong happiness.

Settling in Blackpool
(In which Misako moves to the water margins and learns to live in a strange land.)

Colin’s work took him North. He became an entertainer and singer compering shows in the big Blackpool hotels in summer and working in repertory during the long winter.

Blackpool welcomed Misako with open arms from Day One.

“Every time I go to shop for food, it takes me half an hour for a five-minute trip because I must stop and talk with the many friendly people I meet.”

Misako worked hard at becoming a good English housewife.

“It was very difficult. I come from a quiet little country village. No one ever locks doors or windows. It would do no good as they are made of paper and there are no thieves. We have very little furniture. We sit on the cushions laid on the tatamis – rush mats. We have a big cupboard and when we eat, we take out a table with folding legs and our pots and pans and put it away again when we’re finished. When we want to sleep, we pull out a mattress and unroll it on the floor.

“The English housewife has no such dusting and polishing – so many rooms and all full of furniture. I have only just got to know the routine – to learn what to use for what. Your Brillos, Brassos, Fairy Liquids, Spring Cleaning and Jumble Sales – there is so much to learn.”

A strange English custom which Misako says she will never get use to is kissing in public. “At home, we only kiss little children in public. Kissing between adults is part of sex. I used to get very upset when I saw and when people tried to kiss me, I would back away. I accept it now but still don’t like it.”

Old Customs Prevail
(In which you can lead a girl to a fishmonger, but you can’t make her cook.)

Although Misako has adjusted remarkably well to the English way of life, some old Japanese customs still remain to delight or horrify her very British husband.

Misako treats Colin with something near to reverence. She does everything for him from serving him warm saki to changing the channels on the TV set at his command. Says Misako: “This is the Japanese way, but I am afraid it is making him fat because he never has to move.”

Colin, who laps up this sort of treatment, says his friends are very jealous of his home life. But there is one Japanese custom he doesn’t’ like and that is the habit of eating raw fish.

“When I buy cod, Colin has his cooked, but I eat mine raw,” says Misako, “I have to shut myself in the kitchen because he can’t bear to see it.”

“Neither can the cat,” says Colin. “It drives her completely crazy to see Misako eating her dinner.”

Once Colin took Misako to watch the fishermen on Blackpool’s North Pier.

“She saw an angler pull a fish out of the water and she began licking her lips. I warned him to put his fish away quick.”

Misako also eats raw eggs with rice once a week, but Colin doesn’t join in. His favorite dish is steak and kidney pudding and he is looking forward to the day when Misako learns how to cook one.

The Show Must go On
(In which a nightingale finds her voice.)

One evening, shortly after their marriage, Colin took Misako to the Blackpool Tower to watch a show presented by his friend Alex Monroe. Alex spotted Colin’s new wife and asked her up on stage. He asked her if she sand and she said yes.

Colin recalls: “I started to panic. There was sweat pouring off me as I heard the organist start to warm up and say, “What key, love?’.”

Misako said she would sing without the organ and launched into a Japanese fold song. Says Colin: “She was a knockout.” A show stopper. She was so good that Alex offered her a contract for the summer season.”

Colin, who had always treated Misako like a loveable child, began to wonder what he had married. “I couldn’t believe she had such a good voice. It was a shock.”

The Big TV Part
(In which Misako triumphs over great odds and a star is born.)

During winter while Colin was working at Oldham rep, his agent told him they were auditioning Japanese actresses for a role in The Tomorrow People.

Lots of actresses had been interviewed, but none of them could pass all of the severe conditions – namely that they had to look 16 and oriental, and speak with a genuine Japanese accent. Colin thought Misako might as well have a go.

“I gave her three audition pieces. By the end of the week I was literally banging my head on the wall because she was so awful. It was unbelievable.”

“Poor Colin, I nearly drove him mad with worry.” Misako says.

When the say came for her to go to London, Colin patted her on the head and put her on the train saying: “Do your best, love. It’ll be an experience for you, but you won’t get the part. Just enjoy yourself.”

The next morning, the producer of the show, Vic Hughes, phones and said he was sending Misako home with three scripts, that she had got the part and they were delighted with her.

“I couldn’t believe it. She is the luckiest girl alive. The Tomorrow People crowd have been wonderful to her – so nice and friendly.”

“But it’s all thanks to Colin,” says the dutiful Misako, “He goes though all the scripts. Without him I would be nobody.”

Where will the charmed life of Misako take her next? We watch to see in what further ways the gods will favour her.

>>Rather than typing this out I will just post the picture.<<




Tuesday, November 28, 2017

**NICK CON UPDATE**


This morning I met with the President of the Chamber of Commerce about this idea… and he thought it was a good idea! He said it was definitely unique and that no one has ever done anything like this before and even talked about having a Double Dare event here in Altus! He said that he was going to start scouting out locations where we could possibly have it at. And he even liked the poster I made for it. I think he even liked it b/c I said I didn’t want to do this until 2019 in order to raise any funds needed and to work out all the details.

So as of right now I need to contact Marc Summers to see about bringing Double Dare to the event, but I added him to the poster b/c I figured that there is a good chance he will say yes. Other ideas I have for guests would be Fred Newman (Livewire & Doug) along with Jeffery Weber, former executive producer of Livewire.


So that’s the word for now, I’m going to contact Marc and or his assistant and see what I can find out. I’ll keep you updated but at this point it looks pretty good. Needless to say, I am VERY excited!


>>**UPDATE ON THE UPDATE**<<
I contacted Marc (Summers) and that told me that I need the contact information for Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon. I called Nickelodeon directly and was on hold for almost an hour. It would probably be best if I call in the morning however on Wednesday s I have a standing appointment, but I’ll try when I get home. But put it this way, when I know, you guys will know. 


Saturday, November 25, 2017

Classic Nick Rocks


Idle Cure – Breakaway



The Monkees – Pleasant Valley Sunday



Dwight Yoakam – Guitars, Cadillacs



Daryl Hall & John Oates – Jingle Bell Rock



Eurythmics – Here Comes the Rain Again





Friday, November 24, 2017

Snowman Sighting In Hong Kong!

Yes, you read that right, Hong Kong. Those of you who follow this blog
and are loyal fans of '80's Nickelodeon know that the original "The Snowman," first written by Raymond Briggs first aired as an animated special in 1982 and later was shown in America on Nickelodeon in the 1980's. 
Thirty years after the original Snowman was produced and  The Snowman and The Snowdog aired on Christmas Eve 2012. And today I saw this post and knew I had to share it with all of you. Hope you enjoy it. 


Original Facebook Post
Elements 圓方 added 5 new photos.
【帶你走進經典動畫 分享聖誕喜悅】
雪人和雪狗經已抵達ELEMENTS圓方金區,帶你走進經典動畫《雪人與雪狗》的聖誕派對。由20萬張蠟筆手繪製作的經典動畫《雪人與雪狗》,全無對白,跨越語言和文化障礙,加上優美的主題曲"Light the Night" 和配樂,風靡英國,成為男女老幼聖誕必看的經典動畫。
此外,ELEMENTS圓方更以故事為藍本,悉心打造燈光表演,配上由電影中的配樂及連串聖誕歌混合而成的樂曲,令你感受到故事中的小男孩Billy與他的雪人好友及雪狗飛越天際,到達極地參加聖誕派對的濃厚節日氣氛。
聖誕裝置開放日期:即日起至12月31日(上午10時至晚上10時)
聖誕矚目禮遇換領日期: 即日起至12月26日(上午10時至晚上10時)
【Step into a beautiful snowy wonderland】
The Snowman and the Snowdog have arrived at ELEMENTS’ Metal Zone!
The film was painstakingly created from over 200,000 individual drawings with no dialogue, but the film itself is a powerful reminder that a picture speaks a thousand words. Together with the theme song "Light the Night" and other appealing soundtracks, this sequel has once again become a must-watch British Christmas classic.
An inspirational kinetic lightshow, accompanies by fabulous Christmas melodies, including a remix of music from “The Snowman and the Snowdog” movie artfully blended together; takes you through the adventure of Billy, Snowman and Snowdog as they fly across the sky to the frozen north where a beautiful snowy Christmas party awaits them!
Christmas Decoration Period: From now till 31 December (10am - 10pm)
Christmas Delights Redemption Period: From now till 26 December (10am - 10pm)
[taking you into the classic anime to share Christmas Joy]
The snowman and the snow dog have arrived in the elements round golden zone, bringing you into the classic "snowman and snow dog" Christmas party. The Classic Anime " snow and snow dogs " produced by 200 200 crayons, all without dialogue, cross language and cultural barriers, plus the beautiful theme song " Light the night " and the score, the irresistible. A Classic Anime to be seen by men, women and children.

In addition, elements of the elements are modeled on the story, with a view to making a light show, with music from a film and a medley of Christmas songs, so that you can feel the little boy Billy and his snowman friends and snow. The dog flew over the sky and reached a festive atmosphere in the polar parties.

Opening date of Christmas Installation: from now until December 31th (10 am-10 pm)
Christmas High-PROFILE COURTESY REPLACEMENT DATE: from now until December 26th (10 am-10 pm)

【Step into a beautiful snowy wonderland】
The Snowman and the Snowdog have arrived at ELEMENTS’ Metal Zone!
The film was painstakingly created from over 200,000 individual drawings with no dialogue, but the film itself is a powerful reminder that a picture speaks a thousand words. Together with the theme song "Light the Night" and other appealing soundtracks, this sequel has once again become a must-watch British Christmas classic.

An inspirational kinetic lightshow, accompanies by fabulous Christmas melodies, including a remix of music from “The Snowman and the Snowdog” movie artfully blended together; takes you through the adventure of Billy, Snowman and Snowdog as they fly across the sky to the frozen north where a beautiful snowy Christmas party awaits them!

Christmas Decoration Period: From now till 31 December (10am - 10pm)

Christmas Delights Redemption Period: From now till 26 December (10am - 10pm)








Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Special Delivery – Happy Thanksgiving


 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1981 (full, with commercials)
*special note on this parade – it features the George James & Pinwheel Puppets



Rose Bowl Parade 1-2-1982



Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade 1983



Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1984



Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1985



Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1986



Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1987



Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 1988



Love At The Thanksgiving Day Parade




Sunday, November 19, 2017

Classic Nick Rocks


Cyndi Lauper – Change Of Heart


Pseudo Echo – Listening


38 Special – Hold On Loosely




Hall & Oates – Kiss On My List




Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Special Delivery – Thanksgiving 1

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the Classics!













 A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (full)



Garfield's Thanksgiving



Turkey Television












Saturday, November 11, 2017

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Classic Nick Wed. – Adventures in Rainbow Country

Filmed in 1969 Adventures in Rainbow Country was a television series which centered around Nancy Williams (Lois Maxwell), single mother raising her children, Hannah (Susan Conway) and Billy (Stephen Cottier), in hunting and fishing lodge near a lake in rural Northern Ontario. The lodge had been built by Nancy’s husband Frank who disappeared two years earlier when his bush plane went down while he was prospecting for gold.

Only 26 episodes were produced in total but technically the show was never cancelled or axed and was very popular in Canada where it aired on CBC Television in 1970 and 1971. Reruns were later shown on the American children's cable channel Nickelodeon during the early 1980s. It has continued to air in repeats, both in Canada and internationally — in Canada, the show had been seen on DejaView, on Silver Screen Classics, in Australia the series is screened on GEM.

Locations for the show included Whitefish Falls, which is near Espanola, Ontario, Canada as well as Birch Island and Manitoulin Island. To this day The Sudbury and Manitoulin Districts are known as the Rainbow Country which are a tourist attraction as a result of this series. And in August 11-14, 2006 A cast, crew and fan reunion event took place in Whitefish Falls.

Guest Appearances
Actors who made appearances on the show included Gordon Pinsent, Margot Kidder, Len Birman, Percy Rodrigues, Duke Redbird, Jean-Louis Roux, Murray Westgate, Anthony Kramreither and Eric Christmas.

Episode List
La Chute (September 20, 1970)
The Tower (September 27, 1970)
The Frank Williams' File (October 4, 1970)
Skydiver (October 11, 1970)
The Boy from Spanish Harlem (October 18, 1970)
Panic in the Bush (October 25, 1970)
Long Tough Race (November 1, 1970)
The Town That Died (November 8, 1970)
The Eye of the Needle (November 15, 1970)
Girl on a Tightrope (November 22, 1970)
The Return of Eli Roqcue (November 29, 1970)
Roar of the Hornet (December 6, 1970)
Lac du Diable (December 13, 1970)
The Muskies Are Losing Their Teeth (December 20, 1970)
Milk Run (December 27, 1970)
A Wall of Silence (January 3, 1971)
Where the Rice Grows Wild (January 10, 1971)
Bird Watchers (January 17, 1971)
The Boy Who Loved Animals (January 24, 1971)
Mystery at Whaleback Bay (January 31, 1971)
Night Caller (February 7, 1971)
Lake on Blue Mountain (February 14, 1971)
Stolen Tugboat (March 7, 1971)
The Hermit (March 14, 1971)
Pursuit Along the Aux Sauble (March 21, 1971)
Dreamer's Rock (March 28, 1971)

Sunday, November 5, 2017

My 1st Pod Cast!



In 2012 I got an email from a lady who writes a blog called, “Old School Lane,” she had seen my ‘80’s Nickelodeon blog and asked if she could interview me about those older shows on Nickelodeon that I write about and I said yes. Well, the other day I got an email from her saying that she was doing a pod cast on Skype for Nickelodeon’s 40th anniversary. She was going to do it this weekend and post it to her YouTube channel in December and she asked me to be a part of it! So, I’m getting ready to do that here in a couple of hours and I’m so excited! Here’s the link to the interview she first did with me.

Interview with Peggy Sue Clay
http://oldschoollane.blogspot.com/2012/11/old-school-lanes-nickelodeon-tribute_29.html

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Classic Nick Rocks



Naked Eyes – Promises, Promises



Pandora – Como Una Mariposa



Trisha Yearwood – She's In Love With The Boy



Air Supply – Even the Nights Are Better



Ray Stevens – The Mississippi Squirrel Revival