Bill Murray as the Human Torch?
Yes, it really happened! Bill Murray has portrayed a Marvel super-hero. The year was 1975 and Marvel was trying to expand from Saturday morning TV into the world of radio. So they spent $47,000 on a Fantastic Four radio series.
Murray was a struggling comic who had migrated from Chicago to New York. He was already working on The National Lampoon Radio Show, but picked up extra work when he was cast as Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch!
The shows were all adaptations of the very early issue of the Fantastic Four comic books of the early 1960’s. They were narrated by none other than Stan Lee himself. They are the cheese fest you would expect with all of Lee’s breathless, over-the-top prose and Murray faithfully shouting the Torch’s catchphrase “Flame on!” in every episode.
Sadly, the series lasted only 13 episodes and earned a paltry $22,000.
Oh, John Belushi was up for the part of the Thing, but was turned down.
A year later, Murray replaced Chevy Chase on the second season of NBC’s Saturday Night (it wouldn’t become Saturday Night Live until near the end of the second season). And the rest is show biz history!
Those Crazy Teenagers - 21st Century Style
Now that we're in the 21st Century, I'm sure we all recognize how true the view from 1952 was!
Tips for Better Sleep
As we grow older, many of us begin experiencing trouble sleeping through the night. If you find yourself waking up in the dark multiple times during the night, try these “sleep hacks” to getting a good night’s rest:
- Stay in the Dark – If you do wake up, don’t turn on a light, check your cell phone, or get up to watch TV. This can mess up your internal clock and make you more likely to wake up at the same time the next night.
- Upgrade Your Bedding – Is your pillow worn out or uncomfortable? How long has it been since you replaced your mattress? New bedding may be your ticket to dreamland!
- Stick to a Schedule – Our internal clocks are not as adjustable as they once were. Try and keep your bed time and the time you rise the same – 7 days a week. (No matter how tempting it may be to sleep in on Saturday morning.)
This Day in Rock History - September 5th
1968: John Lennon departs England for Germany, where he will begin filming his only non-Beatle related movie role, as Pvt. Gripweed in How I Won the War.
While this Richard Lester-directed comedy about World War I has been largely forgotten now, Lennon loved the old fashioned glasses worn by his character. He continued to wear them and touched off a fashion craze for wire-framed glasses that has never really gone away.
This Day in Rock History - September 4th
1952: At a birthday party for her cousin, Bubba, eight-year old singing sensation Gladys Knight forms a back-up group consisting of Bubba and two other cousins. They name themselves The Pips after another cousin (and their manager), James “Pip” Woods.
This Day in Rock History - September 3rd
1970: The very first of the phenomenon known as “bootleg” records, a set of outtakes from Bob Dylan, called The Great White Wonder, reaches a sales peak of 350,000 copies.
While most well-known bands from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin will have bootlegs of their material released through the years, it is the concert performances of The Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen that provide the highest number of bootlegs.
This Day in Rock History - September 2nd
1978: George Harrison marries Olivia Arias, a secretary at his Dark Horse Records company.
This Day in Rock History - September 1st
1956: 19-year old Jerry Lee Lewis arrives at Sun Records in Memphis to audition for a recording contract. Jerry is disappointed to discover label owner Sam Phillips in on vacation in Florida. Engineer Jack Clement has Lewis cut a demo recording anyway.
When Phillips returns from vacation, he likes what he hears and hires Jerry to work as a singer and session musician.
This Day in Rock History - August 31st
1974: John Lennon tells a U.S. court that he believes the Nixon administration is trying to get him deported because of his anti-war views. He also claims the U.S. government is tapping his phone.
He is later proved to be correct on both counts.
This Day in Rock History - August 30th
1990: Canadian born singer/composer Paul Anka finally becomes a U.S. citizen. During the ceremony in Las Vegas, Anka’s car is towed away for being parked illegally.
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