Mick Jagger on Blogfinger
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Posts with the label television
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
January 24, 2022
Holsten's Brookdale Confectionary | Bloomfield, New Jersey
Holsten's Is A New Jersey Legend
Holsten’s ice cream parlor has been a legendary meeting spot in Bloomfield, New Jersey for over 75 years.
They are famous for their homemade ice cream and candy.
They also serve burgers and other classic American food.
It still holds old-school charm in its décor.
New Jerseyans have known about Holsten’s for many years.
Holsten's Becomes World Famous
But in 2007, Holsten’s suddenly became world famous.
The producers of the HBO classic series, The Sopranos, decided to film the very last scene of the series at Holsten’s.
This is the very table where the scene was filmed:
The Tony Soprano Table
When the star of The Sopranos, James Gandolfini, died several years ago, there was a special tribute to him.
The booth was "reserved" for "Tony Soprano" that night. No one sat at that table.
Gandolfini was from New Jersey.
It was even spoofed recently in a Trump-Russia opening skit on Saturday Night Live, since Trump and Michael Cohen have apparent mob connections:
You can check out their website here: Holstens Brookdale Confectionery
The restaurant is part of the Sopranos tours that are still going on many years after the show ended
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July 30, 2015
Positively New Jersey!
This first article from Freehold Subaru tells us why it is a good idea to live in New Jersey.
Benefits of Living Between Philadelphia and New York
After reading this first article, I had hope.
I then looked for some more positive articles about New Jersey.
April 02, 2015
WCBS-TV New York Celebrates New York and New Jersey
In the 1970s we still had local television, not just the local news. Here is WCBS-TV New York (Channel 2) in New York celebrating New York:
March 26, 2015
You Deserve A Break Today!
McDonald’s is struggling nowadays in the market. Perhaps they should drop that idiotic campaign and extremely stale “I’m lovin’ it” and go back to this classic from the 1970s, with a new cast, of course.
Oh, right they can’t, because for some stupid reason they lost the rights to the song.
Anyway, in this advertisement filled with very talented performers, I spy John Amos (appearing at the time in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and future father in Good Times), Anson Williams (future Potsie in Happy Days), John Wheeler (the manager with the operatic voice, I remember him singing operatically as part of Felix's opera club in The Odd Couple), Johnny Haymer, future actor in M*A*S*H ("Put a shine on the floor!”) and the wonderful character actor Robert Ridgely (with the clean burger machine!)
I’m trying to figure out the others, especially the actor who opens the commercial. He looks familiar.
This commercial was immensely successful and influential, and the best campaign McDonald’s ever had.
December 25, 2014
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971)
It was such a huge success that a series was created. That series, The Waltons, was expected to be a flop but ran for nine years.
November 20, 2014
Late Night Local TV and Saturday Night Discomania
I Miss Local Television
I really, really miss 1970s television.
Not just the great shows that were in prime time, but late night local TV - which simply doesn't exist anymore, except for local news.
If the local networks have room to fill late at night, they just fill it with infomercials. I used to love watching the stations sign off the air for the night, too.
This is mostly from the 1980s, but it gives you an idea of what the sign-offs were like:
I love YouTube, and I’m always trying to find interesting videos of local TV from that time period.
There isn’t that much out there, because very few people had anything to record them, so when I find them, it’s like a precious gift.
The only recording device out there at the time was the Betamax, and very few people had those. Apparently this was recorded on a Betamax, by someone – who?
I Especially Loved Late-Night Local TV
I remember longing for a Betamax although that wouldn’t have stopped my late night local TV watching!
There I was safe in the den, my parents asleep, and I had no real worries. Nothing would have changed my night owl tendencies, especially during the summer with no school!
Besides, late night television back then had a slightly surreal feel. It was like entering a dream world.
This was back in the day when there was actual LOCAL programming. Channel 2 (WCBS-TV New York) used to program old films (heck, all of the local channels did that).
What’s interesting to me is that sometimes the commercials bring back a certain time period even more than the shows do.
The First Video Is A True Time Capsule of Late 1970's New York City
The first video above is a montage of commercials and other programming from June 17, 1978. Jimmy Carter was President of the United States.
Who knows, I may very well have been watching this very channel at this very moment in time.
While you check out the above video, at around the 1:00 mark (after the local CBS station, WCBS Channel 2 in New York, had finished showing The Channel 2 Showcase - apparently a rerun of an old The Name of the Game episode) they ran a hilarious and rather endearing commercial for a disco record – Saturday Night Discomania!
This delightful commercial, a true time capsule, is clearly trying to cash in on the huge success of the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, complete with John Travolta wanna–be, complete with white suit, filmed in a real disco!
The record includes a booklet to teach you all the latest disco dances!
Actually the songs included in the disc are true classics, more early 70s Philly sound than Bee Gees era disco.
You can buy the vinyl record or 8-track tape! Or pay C.O.D. (cash on delivery!)
And in small print the disclaimer:
*Not affiliated with Saturday Night Fever*
Right after the commercial the local announcer (Dave Campbell) actually gives us the news radio–style - The Early Morning Report! There was unrest in New York – to be truthful, while I love the 1970s, it wasn’t a great decade for New York, which nearly defaulted, among other problems.
The highlight of those years for New Yorkers (unless you were a Mets fan) was that the New York Yankees won the World Series twice.
Speaking of the Yankees, at around the 8:16 mark in the video it is announced that the Boston Red Sox now have a 13 game lead on the New York Yankees, who were in 4th place.
The 1978 Yankees went on to have one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, while the Red Sox had an epic collapse, and the Yankees went on to crush the Red Sox win the World Series.
A Betamax Commercial!
There is an absolutely fabulous commercial for Betamax at around 9:11 which Dracula promoting late night television taping, following immediately by a classic Crazy Eddie commercial, although an uncharacteristically low key one, commercial
But my favorite moment as at the very end, with the classic Channel 2 intro to The Late Show! How many old movies did I discover watching that show?!
*Sigh* I miss local late nights, or even local TV in general. It just doesn’t exist anymore!
November 13, 2014
Robin Williams First Appearance on the Tonight Show
Robin Williams in his first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
*Sigh* I miss both of them so much.
*Sigh* I miss both of them so much.
July 17, 2014
Great Adventure Theme Park and Rolling Thunder!
Great Adventure is a theme park in Jackson Township, New Jersey that opened in 1974 and still is open today.
The ride I remember most is Rolling Thunder, a wooden rollercoaster that operated from 1979-2013. It was a sad day when it closed and was finally demolished. Rolling Thunder was so famous it even has its own Wikipedia page.
I wasn't fond of roller coasters than turned upside down which is why I preferred Rolling Thunder to Lightnin' Loops.
I do remember how Rolling Thunder would s-l-o-w-l-y climb up the tracks and poise for a breathless moment on top -- and then go racing down!
Here is a commercial for the new Rolling Thunder roller coaster in 1979!
The ride I remember most is Rolling Thunder, a wooden rollercoaster that operated from 1979-2013. It was a sad day when it closed and was finally demolished. Rolling Thunder was so famous it even has its own Wikipedia page.
I wasn't fond of roller coasters than turned upside down which is why I preferred Rolling Thunder to Lightnin' Loops.
I do remember how Rolling Thunder would s-l-o-w-l-y climb up the tracks and poise for a breathless moment on top -- and then go racing down!
Here is a commercial for the new Rolling Thunder roller coaster in 1979!
July 10, 2014
Colts Neck: Billion Dollar Block
I have written about Colts Neck Township before. One of my favorite places, Delicious Orchards, is located in that wealthy place.
June 26, 2014
Look For the Union Label TV Commercial
This commercial for IlGWU (The International Ladies Garment Workers Union) ran in various forms throughout my childhood.
December 24, 2011
Yule Log!
For many years Channel 11, WPIX in New York City (one of the oldest TV stations in the country), would present the "Yule Log" on Christmas Eve. While the Yule Log burned, Christmas carols would play. Now my childhood home did have a fireplace, but there was something about the Yule Log on Channel 11 that made us happy. It became a New York area tradition. I hope you enjoy it! This particular Yule Log was shown in 1983.
May 18, 2010
A Year Without Television
That's right. A room.
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