More than anything, the Who craved success in America. Despite overwhelming success in their native England, the band had trouble selling records in the States. They had reached the American Top 10 with their singles “I Can See for Miles” and “Magic Bus,” but their album sales were abysmal with many of their early releases languishing in the cutout bins for a buck or two.

Concept albums had been all the rage since the release of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper LP. Yet the Who’s own concept album The Who Sell Out could get no higher than #48 on the Billboard LP chart. Clearly, the Who needed something more.

Then Pete Townsend had the brilliant idea to write a “rock opera.”

Yet even that needed a helping hand from fate. Townsend decided to play some of the early tracks for influential rock critic Nick Cohen. Nick was decidedly underwhelmed, telling Townsend that all that spiritual stuff was dull.

Now Townsend knew Cohen was an avid pinball player. So he asked Nick, “What if Tommy was a pinball champion?” Well, that was a different story. Cohen loved the idea. So Townsend set about writing a pinball song.

We all know the rest of the story.

“Pinball Wizard” was released in March of 1968. It was an immediate hit. When the full Tommy double album hit the stores two months, copies virtually flew off the shelves.

The success of the album drove kids to see the Who in concert. Their live shows had always been their strong point. By the time the Who released Live at Leeds a year later, their position in the upper level of rock royalty had been secured.

Ah, how soon we forget!

Gambit was an A-list caper film that starred Michael Caine as the thief and Shirley MacLaine as his initially unwitting accomplice.

Caine is out to steal a priceless statue from the world’s richest man (Herbet Lom). MacLaine bears an uncanny resemblance to Lom’s dead wife, whom he adored. (Hey, if she looked like Shirley Maclaine, what’s not to adore?)

The film’s main gimmick is that we first see the caper play out flawlessly. In the film’s first of several twists, we then find out what we’ve been seeing is merely the way Caine has described his plan to his partner, an art forger (John Abbott).

From there, we see how the caper really plays out, which of course is nothing like the way Caine thought it would go. The chief reason for this is that MacLaine is far more eccentric and resistant to his plans than Caine imagined.

The movie keeps throwing plot twists at you right through to the final shot.

While not as purely entertaining as Charade, another film in a similar vein, it is still great fun.

Gambit was nominated for 3 Academy Awards and was remade in 2012 (far less successfully) with Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz as the stars.

The original Gambit is available on home video. Give it a watch, then tell your friends about the ending, but don’t dare reveal the film’s beginning!

With all the emphasis on identity theft, the theft that’s 3 times more common is the theft of a wallet or purse. Here are 2 tips that can help minimize the damage should yours fall victim to a thief:

Remove the riskiest items – These are things that shouldn’t be in your wallet or purse to begin with including your Social Security Card, copies of your online passwords or your bank PIN number.

Make photocopies – Scan or photocopy the important things that remain in your wallet or purse. That includes your driver’s license, bank and credit cards, insurance cards, and even your library card. Make sure you copy both the front and back!

Here's some good news at last!

A recent Harvard study indicates that drinking two cups of cocoa a day may help your brain stay healthy and improve critical thinking.

Where did we put the marshmallows?

• What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye (1971)

The late 60’s and early 70’s were not good times for Marvin Gaye: tax trouble with the IRS, a failing marriage to the “boss’ daughter” (Anna Gordy), a growing dependency on cocaine, and finally, the untimely death of his performing partner Tammi Terrell, who had collapsed on stage while performing with Gaye. That last event so shook Marvin that he stopped touring or recording for 8 months.

Out of his pain, confusion, and isolation came one of the greatest albums of all time, What’s Going On, recorded from June of 1970 through May 1971.

A true concept album, most of the songs on What’s Going On flow effortlessly, one into another, all of them pulsating with an almost trancelike rhythm. None of the songs deal with romance. Instead, the album’s concerns are spiritual ranging from concerns about the environment to songs about Gaye’s deeply felt Christian faith.

The album begins with happy party chatter. The first words we can make out are “Hey, what’s happening, brother?” Then the music starts and Gaye’s lyrics immediately undercut the party atmosphere (“Mother, mother, there’s too many of you crying”). That sets the tone for the songs to follow. Gaye leads us through nine deeply personal songs only to close the album back where he started with a brief reprise of “What’s Going On.”

The album was the first to credit the legendary Motown studio band, the Funk Brothers. It was also the first time Gaye was credited as the album’s producer.

The album yielded three huge hits on the singles charts: the title track, “Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Hollar)” – all of which landed in the top 10.

The multi-tracked lead vocals used throughout the album came about by accident. Gaye had cut two versions of the lead vocal for “What’s Going On.” He couldn’t decide which to use. Session engineers Steve Smith and Kenneth Sands were instructed to provide mixdowns so Gaye could choose. They misunderstood and mixed both vocals into one track. Gaye loved the result and used double-tracking on his lead vocals for much of the rest of the album.

Motown head (and Gaye’s father-in-law), Barry Gordy hated the title track, calling it “the worst thing I ever heard in my life.” The Motown sales staff, however, believed in Gaye’s new direction and released it without Gordy’s knowledge. It became Motown’s fastest-selling single to that date, racing up both the soul and pop charts. The album quickly joined the title track in the top 10.

The years have only increased What’s Going On’s luster. The album placed #6 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All-Time” and has made virtually every music critic’s “Best Albums” list through the years.

May all your Christmas wishes come true with just a nod of your head!

1. It’s Okay to Say “No”

We all tend to get overbooked during the holidays. Remember, you don’t have to accept every invitation you receive.

2. Take Some “Me” Time

Yes, the holidays are time for family and friends. But it doesn’t have to be 24/7! This tip goes with the first one. Make sure you reserve some alone time to decompress.

3. Watch the Holiday Treats

Most of what we eat over the holidays is carbohydrates (candy, cookies, etc.). Protein not only helps with weight maintenance, but it takes longer to digest, meaning it takes a longer time to get hungry again

4. Keep Exercising

Don’t wait for New Year’s to resolve to stay fit. Make sure you’re getting plenty of exercise before that ball drops on Dec. 31!

5. Do for Others

Not only is that the real meaning Christmas, but helping others also makes us happy!

It’s a Wonderful Life turns 77 this month. Here are 10 things you probably never knew about this holiday classic:

1. It’s probably the only movie ever based on a Christmas card.

When author Philip Van Doren Stern couldn’t sell his short story “The Greatest Gift” to any publisher, he had 200 copies printed up as a 21-page Christmas Card and sent them to his friends. A copy fell into the hands of the head of RKO Studios. He liked it and bought the film rights for $10,000.

2. Cary Grant was supposed to play George Bailey.

When RKO couldn’t turn the story into a proper script for Cary, they sold the rights to Frank Capra. It was Capra who wanted Jimmy Stewart for the lead.

3. The movie lost over half a million dollars when it was first released.

Most of us know the film bombed at first, but it’s nice to put a price tag on that failure. And back in 1946, that was a considerable box office bath.

4. Donna Reed is deadly with a rock

Although they had rigged the window of the old house to break when Donna Reed tosses a rock at it, they didn’t need to. Reed broke the window with her first throw.

5. That gym that turns into a swimming pool was no set.

The “swim gym” was for real. The scene was filmed at Beverly Hills High. (Where else would you find one?)

6. Recognize the guy who actually pulls the swimming pool prank?

You should. It’s Carl Switzer, better known to us all as “Alfalfa” from the Our Gang comedies.

7. Jimmy Stewart’s sweat was no special effect.

While the film takes place around Christmas time, it was filmed in the middle of summer. Sky high temperatures accounted for much of the sweat you see on Jimmy Stewart’s face in key scenes.

8. No, Bert & Ernie of Sesame Street were not named after characters in this film.

Despite years of rumors, Sesame Street’s first producer swears he and Henson named the puppets without ever once thinking about the movie (which actually wasn’t that well-known back when Sesame Street got started.

9. Zuzu didn’t see the film until 1980!

Karolyn Grimes who played the adorable little tyke said she just never sat down and watched the thing until well after it had become an American institution.

10. The FBI hated the film.

They thought the film subversive, claiming in a memo that the movie made “rather obvious attempts to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a ‘Scrooge-type’ so that he would be the most hated man in the picture.” They were sure this was the work of some of those notorious Hollywood Communists.

(They may have had a point as blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was one of several writers, including Dorothy Parker) who worked on the script uncredited.)

Many of us do a year-end review of our finances.

Don't overlook shopping around for banks. If your bank is charging you for checking or paying barely any interest on your savings, it may be time to shop around. Many community banks and credit unions offer free checking and online banks often have better interest rates on savings accounts, frequently with no minimum blanace.

So it pays $$$ to shop around!