Celebrate The Man In Black

The Original Outlaw

This past weekend while everyone else was standing in line to see The Dark Knight, I pulled out my Best Of Johnny Cash Show DVD and relived some of the greatest music ever made. Despite the blockbuster biopic about The Man In Black (Walk The Line starring Joaquin Phoenix), and the subsequent renewed interest in his career, few in today’s generation have witnessed his groundbreaking TV variety show which aired from 1969 to 1971.

Always the rebel, Cash wasn’t afraid to mix genres and host acts as diverse (and potentially controversial in their day) as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Louis Armstrong and Stevie Wonder in an era when homogeny reigned supreme on network TV. Not to say Cash wasn’t proud of his country roots–George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings and the inimitable June Carter Cash all graced his show as well.

This incredible DVD collection features 23 live performances including Cash singing “Walk The Line,” and “Ring Of Fire,“ many of the guest stars mentioned above, and nostalgic, unpredictable variety segments. It’s recorded bona-fide proof that Johnny Cash was a pioneer in every sense of the word!

Need more Cash? Our tribute Johnny T-shirt features a majestic image of the larger-than-life figure on the front and his faux signature on the back. It’s a salute to country music, blues, and rock and roll. Johnny Cash made all three of them his own. And the world is a better place for it!

Retro Summer Fun

Kids Cooped-Up? Games Ahoy!

Let’s face it–some summer days are just too hot to run around outdoors. In fact, I’ve heard weather men in several states recommend people stay in air conditioning more than a few times this season.

So how do you keep kids entertained during the long summer months without resorting to hours of TV or video games?

Enter Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots! When I dug this old pal out of The Attic, I thought for sure my hip kids would roll their eyes–but they didn’t! They grabbed those buttons and went to town, knocking each others’ blocks off. Little did they know they were enjoying a vintage toy from the 60s!

It was such a success that I tried Gnip Gnop (I was in my 30s before I realized that was “Ping Pong” spelled backwards). Back in the 70s, my cousin and I played this one a lot. It was another big hit with the kids! The family room rang out with ball-flying, button-smashing action!

Jumping decades, we broke out the Betty’s Attic tabletop version of Space Invaders. In the 80s, my friends and I rode our bikes to the video arcade every day after school to wield joysticks and obliterate aliens. It was awesome, dude! Totally awesome!

Finally, the kids took a break with some ice-cold drinks I served in our brand-new Kool-Aid Drink Set. I couldn’t help it–when I saw the familiar face of Kool-Aid Man (who got his name back in 1975), I screamed “Oh Yeahhh!” just like the commercials I grew up with.

And that’s when my kids decided “playtime with Mom” was over.

Goodbye, Bozo

Larry Harmon: January 2, 1925 – July 3, 2008

“Bozo is a combination of the wonderful wisdom of the adult and the childlike ways in all of us”–Larry Harmon, 1996.

My parents passed their love of Bozo on to me and I, in turn, passed him down to my own kids. It’s funny–even as a little kid I knew Bozo was from my parents’ era and not “modern,” but it never mattered. I parked myself in front of that TV every day to giggle and sing along with my friend and his thrilling games and prizes!

So when I heard that the man who kept the spirit of Bozo burning bright passed away last Thursday, I wanted to share my respects and send a salute from all of us here at Betty’s Attic.

For over fifty years Larry Harmon donned his fuzzy wig, red nose and crazy costume because he loved making people smile. He wasn’t technically the first Bozo. That distinction goes to Disney voice actor Pinto Colvig. He briefly promoted the persona created by Alan W. Livingston back in 1946 to promote a series of kid’s albums. But not long after, Harmon stepped into the big shoes when he heard bigwigs were casting a local Bozo for public appearances.

Not only did Harmon get the job, he had the incredible smarts to license the character of Bozo! This was not during the age of hyper product placement we’re in now–it was an innocent time when the mere concept of television was novel and new! Yet, this man had the foresight to license himself as a brand and train over 200 Bozos across the country to represent the image on local TV stations around America!

Did you know the Chicago Bozo Show on WGN was so popular there was a 10-year waiting list to get tickets? It became so crazy that WGN stopped taking reservations! Then, years later, when they decided to try again it took only 5 hours to book the show for the next 5 years! The phone company said there were over 27 MILLION phone calls to request tickets!

Harmon passed away from congestive heart failure Thursday, but his spirit lives on in all of us! His wife Susan said, “"He was the most optimistic man I ever met. He always saw a bright side; he always had something good to say about everybody.”

We could all learn a lesson from our old pal, Bozo.