The Blue Parrot

Out there...

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:05:56 -0800

Now that I’ve had the chance to watch the Wall-E DVD (the 3 disc set), I thought I might share some observations, “Ruminations”, about it.

Let me start by saying that while I am all for recyclable packaging, one has to wonder if this was really the way to go. Yes, I get that there was a conscious decision to eliminate the plastic - in particular the disc mounting spindle. But I can also see the potential for consumer mishandling of the discs into and out of the paper sleeves. Especially in smaller and younger hands.

Call me a AV geek if you will, but I want to be able to skip right to the start of a movie when I pop a DVD into any kind of player. Second to that is going right to a menu to make a selection. What I don’t want is to be forced to sit through a variety of self indulgent screen time. Promoting new products is all well and good, but as the consumer, I should be able to by-pass all of it as my choice. Let’s face it folks. They got our money, we should be able to take or leave the content as we see fit.

Now that out of the way... Yes, I loved Wall-E. I’m a robot geek from way back. You got me on that one.

The Robot on Lost in Space. The drones in Silent Running. Huey, Dewey and Louie. Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet. Daleks from Dr. Who and so on.

I can admit to having seen the first (and only the first) Short Circuit film first run in the theater. Even sat through Robots in a theater too, at a matinee.

But let’s go to a simple inspection of the story? Wall-E is just a guy doing his job. And he gets enjoyment out of it. Plenty of interesting items manage to find their way home with him over the years. Yet he realizes, thanks to the classic video he is fond of, that there is more to his existence. And he dreams of it, all the time.

Sounds like someone we can all identify with, doesn’t it?

Perhaps that’s the secret of the success of this film with audiences?

"Until a character becomes a personality it cannot be believed. Without personality, the character may do funny or interesting things, but unless people are able to identify themselves with the character, it's actions will seem unreal. And without personality, a story cannot ring true to the audience."

Gee... I wonder who said that? Sounds like someone who knows what he’s talking about.*

A fair number of folks have commented about this film’s lack of dialogue between characters. I won’t expound further, but let’s just remember that some of this medium’s most classic moments did not have dialogue or even sound. For example, part of the beauty of Buster Keaton was that you didn’t have to understand English to get the story in one of his performances. Or how about a Tom and Jerry cartoon?

But back to Wall-E. Sure, you can place a whole bunch of messages in the film. You can do that with plenty of movies. If that’s what you’re looking for, go for it.

Me? I’ve just enjoyed it as entertainment. Yup. A good story, told in an entertaining fashion. One that audiences enjoyed, too, and a money maker as well. And plenty of geek points for people like me to take in as well. And that’s just what I’ll be doing by watching it from time to time. Like right now as I’m typing this column up, it’s running on my desktop.

Was it worth the extra bucks for the three disc set? That’s a question you’ll have to decide for your self. I am glad to see Leslie Iwerks documentary The Pixar Story out on home video but would have preferred that it had come out as a “stand alone” title with added content. There are plenty of great Pixar stories worth hearing from all kinds of folks about each of the Pixar productions.

And with this week’s little $100, 000 “oops” during a space walk to fix a troublesome solar panel on the International Space Station, the Burn-E short subject was all the funnier. As well, Presto is a gem with plenty of laughs if you missed it in the theaters.

If you’re just buying the Wall-E DVD for the kids as another video, save the bucks and go with the single disc copy. But if you’re a fan of Pixar like me, pick up the 3 disc set or the Blu Ray release. You’ll be glad you did.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Oh, yeah... who said that?

Walt Disney.

Three Dot Journalism

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:41:16 -0800

In today's column, Roger Colton looks at a true San Francisco treasure who was always the one to remind us of the many pleasures and perils of living along the northern end of the San Andreas Fault...

Note: This column first appeared on Jim HIll Media on April 17th, 2003.

Historical note: 5:13 a.m. April 18, 1906. Lest we forget those who perished and the City along with them. Today's column looks at a true San Francisco treasure who was always the one to remind us of the many pleasures and perils of living along the northern end of the San Andreas Fault...

 This image is displayed on the Herb Caen web pages of the San Francisco Chronicle, recreating as it appeared atop his columns for many years.

For me, as well as many other folks here in Northern California, there is the City. And it has been called that since the Gold Rush days of 1949. It's a place you either love or hate. Usually there is no room for middle ground on the subject.
If one person could have been called the voice of San Francisco, it was and always will be Herb Caen. From humble beginnings with a first printed column on July 5, 1936, a kid from Sacramento made good.
Along the way, he bemused and amused readers six days every week for too many years. When most of his contemporaries had retired or gone to their rewards, his loyal Royal typewriter still produced columns that kept his readers coming back for more and more.
The Chronicle still maintains a page in his honor on their web site. It's a good look back at the career as seen through his own words as well as some of his colleagues and contemporaries.
I discovered his column in June of 1976. A high school program got me on as an intern at radio station KSFO (worth telling this story as well in a future effort!) in San Francisco. Along with that came a Monday through Friday commute by train from the East Bay into the City. Somewhere during one of those rides, I picked up a discarded page from the San Francisco Chronicle and chuckled my way through the column just to the left of the full-page Macys advertisement.
Another column of note appeared on the pages of the Chronicle that same summer. It correctly lampooned all that was the City, including Herb Caen. Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" brought it larger than life for the folks who actually lived it as well as those who wished they had.
Now if you've ever watched one of the mini-series adaptations, you get a good idea of what life was like back in Seventies San Francisco. A mention in one of Herb's columns was worth its weight in gold. A watering hole getting a quick nod of approval or a restaurant getting the cold shoulder could make or break a business. But this man knew of whence he wrote!
He was known by a number of nicknames, but perhaps "Mister San Francisco" put it best. Touring the City either in his white Jaguar (a.k.a. the White Rat) or on foot, you never knew where he might show up next. A smart cocktail at Trader Vic's, a quick snack at Original Joe's, catching the latest and greatest in up and coming comedians at the Holy City Zoo, enjoying jazz in any one of the small clubs, or just passing Fifth and Mission (home of the Chronicle). But you could be sure that anything or anyone he might view on one of those sojourns would be fodder for his next magnum opus.
The link above offers a whole bunch of his columns as well as an archive of his pieces from 1995 through 1997. All too few, in my humble opinion.
Newspaper columnists come and go with somewhat amazing regularity. But he was there through it all. As he put it, "Hookers are "turned out" and newspaper people are "broken in" but otherwise there isn't much difference, hence the term presstitute." Yet, he managed to capture the pulse, pleasures, follies and foibles of what he loved to call "Baghdad-By-The-Bay" in a way that no one has done since.
Thankfully, his daily except Saturday efforts (well, one does need at least a day a week to rest, right?) have been printed in book form for us to enjoy once again. Some twenty books at least have his name linked to them. Even a children's book, entitled "The Cable Car and The Dragon" told a tale of San Francisco in the Caen way.
Long before Disney coined the term "little souvenir" for it's Cruise Line ad campaign, Herb Caen considered him self the same after a visit by his parents to the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Born and raised in Sacramento, he got his first newspaper job there. In 1936 he started with the Chronicle writing a radio column, and that transmogrified into his daily oeuvre to the city he loved. A look back at his columns is as much a walk through the past as it is a look at a City that still knows how. He suffered gladly from "terminal nostalgia" and was definitely a carrier, infecting his readers at least once a week, usually in his Sunday pieces.
Among many accomplishments, he's credited with coining the term "Beatnik", in his column on April 2, 1958. Here's an excerpt with the reference:
". . . Look magazine, preparing a picture spread on S.F.'s Beat Generation (oh, no, not AGAIN!), hosted a party in a No. Beach house for 50 Beatniks, and by the time word got around the sour grapevine, over 250 bearded cats and kits were on hand, slopping up Mike Cowles' free booze. They're only Beat, y'know, when it comes to work . . . "
In April of 1996, he was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize, only the fifth time such had been done for newspaper and magazine writers. As the Chronicle proudly reported, "In conferring the rare honor, the Pulitzer board said the prize recognizes Caen's extraordinary and continuing contribution as a voice and a conscience of his city.''
Some of my favorites from the era of his later efforts included the saga of the March 1983 visit of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Phillip, Ron and Nancy Reagan (and their entourage of lackeys, lookers-on and security minions) to Trader Vics on Cosmo Alley in San Francisco. He correctly reported on what Their Royal Majesties enjoyed in the way of a cocktail -- Tanqueray gin martinis over ice. (His competition at the Examiner or "Brand X" as frequently referred to, erroneously had reported they consumed something as pedestrian as margaritas. Really!) On more somber occasions he recalled the lives and legends of favorite sons and daughters of the City. Everyone from "Trader" Vic Bergeron to pal Benny Goodman (from his radio column days) to madame Sally Stanford to social column pariah Lucius Beebe to radio bad boy Don Sherwood all got the Caen treatment upon his or her demise. But it was his Sunday efforts that more than often ventured into the City of the past, present and future or an element of all three. Everything from cable cars to sewers to the Port to the fashionable and not so all could be and were fodder for that little space, slightly to the left of Macy's.
One particular column I have saved is all about a weekend at the Lake. It was and always will mean Tahoe, not any other one. It has been the place, winter or summer, to truly get away from the City. Favored by generations for different reasons, it was the place for my family to enjoy a more laid back and less complicated time. While our accommodations may have been somewhat plebian as compare to those enjoyed by the money crowd, we knew how to have a good time none the less. That one column hit the nail right on the head for me. The trek up I-80 or back in the day, US 40, was and is always something to be looked forward to on a Friday night, and then dreaded for the ride home on a Sunday afternoon. A dip in the 60 degree sky-blue water or a ride at speed on your boat of choice (ah, Garwood's... another column -- wooden motorized boats!) from one scenic bay to another, finishing the day at a long savored night spot for a fine meal and appropriate beverages.
His columns just caught the flavor of the topic that folks enjoyed. The people who came after him try, but don't seem to be able to capture the knack of his style and polish. He wrote columns right up to the end of a battle with cancer. His last column was on January 10, 1997, and he passed away a short time later on Saturday, February 1, 1997.
Since then, things have changed. The Chronicle's long time owners sold it to the competition (the Hearst family who owned the "Brand X" -- whose papers I once delivered -- and who sold that paper to another family, only to watch it deteriorate into oblivion. No longer does the City have separate morning and afternoon papers!) and then divested their local NBC television affiliate (only to have NBC pull their affiliation and change it to a network owned station in San Jose!). I don't doubt that the circulation of the Chronicle dropped as well, after his passing. If I pick up the paper, it's a rare day indeed, and I was once a daily subscriber.
Now, I'm sentimental about the City for my own reasons. Family history and all that not withstanding, my appreciation for the place simply wouldn't be what it is had it not been for those columns. It's a love of cable cars, streetcars (another Caen term -- "The Roar of the Four" referred to the four streetcar tracks on Market Street), ferryboats, good food and smart cocktails, local sports teams, entertainers and entertainment's, amusements and bemusements, neighborhoods and districts, downtown and the avenues...
I don't get into the City as much as I did in years gone by when my mothers parents lived in Seacliff (where the radio adventures of "One Man's Family" took place or where Robin Williams now calls home). But without too much difficulty, I'm easily taken back to summer afternoons with the blanket of fog rolling into to the soundtrack of distant foghorns from the Bay.
You've probably noted my use of these three little guys...
Hi, my name is Roger, and along with many other things, I am addicted to three-dot journalism.
It's all his fault!
So that's this weeks tale. Hope you enjoyed another glimpse into the City and the man who was it's voice for almost 60 years. The next time we get on Jim for his tardiness on a piece, just remember the Herculean efforts of Herb Caen, and realize just how hard it is to get a column out every day, let alone once in a while!

Wall E and some thoughts

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:52:43 -0800

So? Did you succumb? Was the temptation too great?

Yeah, me too.

I stopped off at the local Buy N Large and picked up the 3 disc DVD set. As much as I enjoyed it in the theaters, I’m looking forward to watching it again at home.

What am I babbling on about? Why, Wall E of course. Out on DVD and Blu Ray yesterday.

Here are some thoughts from one of the folks from the online world on the film that I thought you might reading:

“A lot of suspension of disbelief has to take place for this film to be enjoyed, though. Yes, it’s a cartoon, but the realism of the animation is getting to a point where it’s starting to look less like a cartoon with each passing feature (until you start seeing humans, which definitely still look like cartoons). This was one of the problems when Bambi first premiered. The realistic settings of the film were considered a bit jarring against the anthropomorphic behavior of the animals. It didn’t quite sync up for audiences back then.

Similarly, this animated feature looks perhaps too realistic, and that made me think about how unrealistic the situation was. Why were all the other robots broken down? How did this one robot develop this personality? How could this entire disaster have happened in the first place? These are silly things to think about, sure, but if it looked more cartoon-like, would I have thought about them? Who knows. Ultra-realism in animation may be a great end unto itself, but it might not always serve the story as well as other styles might.”

Check out the full read here.

As for me, I’m gonna watch it again and report back on Friday. Stay tuned...

The Sherman Brothers plus One?

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:59:18 -0800

If you’re a Disney fan, you’ve heard the music of the Sherman Brothers (Richard and Robert) many times. Of course, they’re Disney Legends, too.

But yesterday, they received another recognition. The National Medal of the Arts. Check out this press release from Redstring Entertainment, the company for who the duo is at work on music for an upcoming film.

Redstring Entertainment Congratulates Academy Award(TM) Winning Sherman Brothers for Receiving 2008 National Medal of Arts

LOS ANGELES, Nov 17, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Redstring Entertainment ("Redstring") congratulates the Academy Award winning, brother songwriting team of Robert and Richard Sherman for receiving the 2008 National Medal of Arts, the highest honor the United States government gives to artists and arts patrons. The award was presented by President George W. Bush in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC today, Monday, November 17, 2008.

President Bush has just chosen the recipients of the 2008 medals, who in his judgement, "...are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States." Other past recipients of this prestigious award have been Robert Redford-actor, B.B. King-musician, Dizzie Gillespie-jazz musician, Barbara Streisand-actress/singer, and I.M. Pei-architect.

The Sherman Brothers are world renown for film musicals including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and some of Disney's most popular and financially rewarding productions of Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and the Winnie the Pooh film franchise (6 films).

The Sherman Brothers are currently actively working with Redstring Entertainment on their next musical animated feature film, Inkas the Ramferinkas. Inkas follows in the Sherman Brothers' long tradition of producing high quality, family motion pictures. Inkas the Ramferinkas is currently in preproduction, having already fully funded a complete animation animatic (story reel) with institutional and private investors. Redstring Entertainment is currently seeking additional investment to complete the funding of the production of the animated feature film.

Redstring and the Sherman Brothers have created and developed "Inkas the Ramferinkas" which stars a loveable prehistoric dove named Inkas and his mischievous dinosaur friends. The screenplay uses the classic elements of prior successful Sherman Brothers animated feature films combined with the elements of a faster paced screenplay for today's audiences.

The songwriting Sherman Brothers pride themselves on having the most financially successful musical ever produced at the London Palladium, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG: THE STAGE MUSICAL, grossing over 100 million pounds. For the stage productions of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, they wrote all the original songs plus six new songs composed especially for the new production.

They also wrote what is perhaps their most well loved song: IT'S A SMALL WORLD (AFTER ALL). Since then, "Small World" has become the most translated and performed song on earth.

The Sherman Brothers won 2 Academy Awards for MARY POPPINS, which includes the songs FEED THE BIRDS and SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS and the Oscar winner, CHIM CHIM CHER-EE. The Sherman Brothers subsequently earned 9 Academy Award nominations, 2 Grammy Awards, 4 Grammy Award nominations and an incredible 23 gold and platinum albums and now the 2008 National Medal of Arts.

Redstring Entertainment is an Independent Multi-Media Entertainment Company founded in 1997 which produces and develops family oriented entertainment in animated and live action motion pictures for feature, Blu-ray, DVD, and television release, stage musicals, and print and associated entertainment mediums.”

So, would it surprise you to learn that this gift runs in the family?

And how about a chance to hear for yourself? Well if you’re going to be in New York City on Sunday, November 23rd, here’s how you can do just that!

“The SQUARE ONE SERIES proudly presents excerpts from BUMBLESCRATCH, a brand new, macabre musical-comedy with Book, Music & Lyrics by ROBERT J. SHERMAN.

BUMBLESCRATCH takes place during the Great Plague of London in 1665. The story centers around a wonderfully disgusting plague rat named Melbourne Bumblescratch and his journey to find dignity and redemption in a crumbling world. A wickedly dark comedy, the show is at once witty, poignant and sophisticated, all the while managing to be accessible. Be among the very first to hear a sample!

Sherman will be performing a selection of his own compositions with the assistance of singer, MICHAEL NIEMANN. Alongside BUMBLESCRATCH, selections from FOUR OTHER NEW MUSICALS will also be presented by their respective authors and composers.

The SQUARE ONE SERIES, now in its 20th year, presents several of these evenings each season. This is the 80th in the series which began in 1989.

Latest in a long family line of songwriters, ROBERT J. SHERMAN, is the youngest son and nephew (respectively) of the much celebrated SHERMAN BROTHERS who wrote the songs for such classics as MARY POPPINS and CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. Sherman's Grandfather, AL SHERMAN wrote many popular hits during the TIN PAN ALLEY era as well.

This coming Sunday will mark the first opportunity for many in the New York area to hear the younger Sherman's work.

GENERAL ADMISSION: $10.00. Seating is extremely limited. Call NOW for reservations (212.691.6105). Please note that RSVPs ON FACEBOOK do not guarantee you a seat, only call-in reservations do.”

Time and Place
Date: Sunday, November 23, 2008
Time: 8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Location: Studios 353
Street: 353 West 48th Street (2nd Floor) (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
City/Town: New York, NY

And if you’re among the folks on Facebook, check out the Sherman Brothers Group!

The Merriest of Holiday Celebrations

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:56:36 -0800

The Merriest Of Holiday Celebrations
Make Spirits Brighter Than Ever At Disneyland Resort

ANAHEIM, Calif. (November 11, 2008) - When it comes to celebrating the magic and sparkle of the holidays, there's no place like the Disneyland Resort, the Merriest Place on Earth. From November 21 through January 4, the annual Disneyland Resort holiday celebration will be more dazzling than ever.

Guests will enjoy the return of the holiday's most popular offerings as well as be immersed in new entertainment at both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure parks.

Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle, first introduced in 2007, will be decorated even more elaborately this holiday season with additional snowdrifts and icicles. After dark, a sensational new holiday lighting and special effects show will carry the magic of the holidays from the Castle all the way to the Christmas Tree in Town Square. And, for the first time in 53 years, the Christmas Tree will be completely artificial, which enables Disneyland to present a holiday light show like no other with more than 62,000 energy-efficient LED lights.

The Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle presentation unfolds throughout the evening in three acts, each of them featuring a touch of winter snow on Main Street, U.S.A. The finale of the show includes the legendary "Believe in Holiday Magic" fireworks show, which takes guests on a journey of sights and sounds of the season and ends with a touching rendition of "White Christmas" along with a climactic snowfall swirling down on Main Street, U.S.A., "small world mall" and New Orleans Square.

New this year, just in time for the holidays and for the first time in seven years, guests will walk through the iconic home of Sleeping Beauty. A "reawakened" Sleeping Beauty Castle show tells the story of "Sleeping Beauty" in a style reminiscent of the Disneyland Castle walkthrough of earlier years, but enhanced with 21st-century special effects.

Themed entertainment, sparkling decorations and tasty treats add festive warmth to holiday fun at both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Guests can also book guided holiday tours that provide expedited entry into the "it's a small world" holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday, VIP seating for the Disneyland "A Christmas Fantasy" parade and entertaining information about the history behind Disneyland holiday traditions. For information and reservations guests can visit Disneyland City Hall or call (714) 781-4400.

Other returning holiday favorites at Disneyland park include:

·    Santa's Reindeer Round-up, which transforms Big Thunder Ranch into a "West Pole" getaway where Santa can unwind with Mrs. Claus and his team of reindeer. Kids and their families will chat with St. Nick, see real reindeer grazing in a corral, play some reindeer games, create take-home Yuletide souvenirs and join in holiday line dances with music from a Western trio.

·    "A Christmas Fantasy" parade will be presented November 21 through January 4 on Main Street, U.S.A. This ever-popular procession depicts an enchanting collection of holiday scenes, music and a cast of Disney characters and performers in Yuletide vignettes.

·    Haunted Mansion Holiday presents a madcap celebration as the traditions of Halloween and Christmas collide. The ghoulish but well-meaning Jack Skellington from the film Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas has come to the Haunted Mansion to transform it with his skewed vision of the holidays.

·    "it's a small world" holiday transforms "it's a small world" into a worldwide celebration of the season, boasting more than 300,000 glittering lights on its facade.


Disney's California Adventure celebrates the season with fanciful park-wide decorations and lively entertainment.

·    Guests approaching the park will immediately get in the holiday mood as they encounter the iconic "CALIFORNIA" letters transformed to appear as swirling red and white peppermint sticks.

·    "a bug's land" transforms as Flik and his bug buddies spread giant Christmas lights and oversized ornaments throughout their realm.

·    The holiday scene at Paradise Bay includes a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, hundreds of sparking lights on nearby trees, and lampposts decorated with seasonal wreaths.

The Downtown Disney District and the Disneyland Resort hotels will join in the merriment with twinkling lights and ornaments, special entertainment and holiday dining.

Just in time for the holidays, new entertainment comes to life in both parks. At Disney's California Adventure, the daily "Pixar Play Parade" is joined three times each day by performances of the energetic, traveling rock and dance concert show, "High School Musical 3: Senior Year - Right Here! Right Now!" Also new to Disney's California Adventure is the Blue Sky Cellar, a Walt Disney Imagineers' workshop that offers guests a preview of new attractions coming to the park over the next few years.

At Disneyland, in addition to the reopening of the doors to Sleeping Beauty Castle, guests have a new opportunity to explore the world of Tinker Bell inside Pixie Hollow, a magical place where visitors meet "Tink" and her pixie friends.

Expanded hours at both Disneyland Resort theme parks will extend the holiday fun. For more information about holidays at the Disneyland Resort, and to send Disneyland Resort e-card holiday greetings to friends and relatives, visit www.disneyland.com/holidays.

Disneyland Resort features two fantastic theme parks - Disneyland (the original Disney theme park) and Disney's California Adventure park - plus the Downtown Disney District comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences. The Resort's three guest-welcoming hotels are the luxurious 745-room Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the magical 988-room Disneyland Hotel and the "day-at-the-beach" fun of the 489-room Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. For information on new attractions, "What Will You Celebrate?" and vacations at Disneyland Resort visit www.disneyland.com, call (866) 60-DISNEY or contact local travel agents.

Note: Some photos accompanying today’s Mousellaneous were courtesy of the Disneyland Resort and we greatly appreciate their assistance.

Keep the change.

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:48:26 -0800

Ahh, the jingle of loose coins...

Today, a classic look at where it all went in 1944 from the Association of American Railroads.

See you back here next week for more of the usual.

Oh, and go Stanford! After last year’s upset against USC, one thing we all learned is never give up hope...

The World’s Greatest Radio Station

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:08:41 -0800

In today's column, Roger Colton turns the dial and looks back at some classic San Francisco radio.

Note: This column first appeared on Jim Hill Media on May 2nd, 2003.

One of my all time favorite lines:
"You know, you have the perfect face for radio!"
Somewhere along the way, I'm guessing we all have listened to or looked at someone on radio or television, and said, "Hey! I could do that!"
Considering the number of people who try and make a living by being a part of the Fourth estate, you would probably be right in thinking that too many of us try to bring such a dream to life. Let's face it. For everyone who thinks they should be knocking 'em dead in a major market such as LA or NYC, more folks are just getting by in places like Peoria or Stockton. More demos have probably ended up in landfills, thanks to heartless programming directors, than have ever provided employment for their benefactors. But, that's the breaks, right?
Turn back the clock to the Bicentennial summer. June of 1976 to be precise. My junior year in high school is coming to a close and I'm looking for something to keep me busy for the months before the senior year starts. A guidance counselor suggests an occupational intern program. I don't recall seeing a railroad listed among the various choices, but there was a summer intern program at a radio station in San Francisco.
So what made it interesting enough to choose something in San Francisco rather than something local? Well, I had a passing interest in radio at the time. I had helped out with our high school version of radio, the morning announcements during that last year. And it didn't hurt that this particular station was one I actually listened to from time to time. And it had a history, too. Back in the 30's and 40's, it had been one of the local stations that offered live broadcasts of all kinds of music and other programs for it's listeners. Here's a link to those days.
Back then I was somewhat stunted in my musical choices. I had only discovered the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and occasionally listened to Top 40 on another San Francisco AM station. FM was largely unexplored territory, but that would change. While I had my driver's license, the Ford station wagon I was driving had only an AM radio. Good for news, sports, top 40 and easy listening. Country was out there, but small. Jazz and big band were something of interest to me, and this particular station used to play songs from those from time to time. So, why not?
I was off to meet with the folks at the station to see what it was all about. The commute from Walnut Creek to San Francisco was no big deal, as I had been riding the train off and on since it opened a year or so earlier. The City represented more of a pleasure than a challenge. I wish I had taken more advantage of it than I did.
The radio station was KSFO, 560 on the AM dial. It had a long history in the City and was once the top station in this market. That summer it was still popular, but it's decline and fall was inevitable.
The station was located in the basement (well, close enough, if not actually) of the Fairmont Hotel, at the corner of California and Powell, where the cable car lines crossed, on Nob Hill. So after a train ride from the East Bay, it was a quick ride (at all of nine miles per hour) up California Street on a cable car from outside the Hyatt Regency (Ever seen Mel Brooks "High Anxiety"? That's the Hyatt.) to the Fairmont. A short walk and I introduced myself to the receptionist who called Bruce Hunter, (the head engineer for the station) who would be my mentor during those months.
We met and he showed me around the station and explained the various departments to me. A nicer bunch of folks you could not find, and I would get to know many of them during those next three months.
The on-air personalities of that time were:
Jim Lange of "Dating Game" fame (working the morning drive-time)
Gene Nelson (from nine to noon)
Buddy Hatton (from noon to three)
Rick Cimino (doing the evening drive until seven)
John Gilliland (doing old-time radio until midnight)
Russ "The Moose" Syracuse also known as the Prince of Darkness (he worked the graveyard shift)
The station also had a great news staff, and was the flagship of the Giants radio network. Back then, KSFO was part of Golden West Broadcasting, and was owned by former singing cowboy legend, Gene Autry. Gene also owned the Anaheim Angels baseball team as well. In Los Angeles, the sister station to KSFO was KMPC and it's own legend in Gary Owens.
My time at the station was Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. so I got a chance to work with most of the staff on and off the air. Among the engineering crew were some other talented folks, who had worked in other areas of the country before coming to KSFO. Gary Mora had come from South Lake Tahoe where he had gotten noticed by doing interviews with the talent who came to work the South Shore casinos.
This was pretty typical at that time. San Francisco was and is a major market for the media. To get a job at a radio station there meant that you had been popular somewhere else and shown a programming director that you had what it took and would be right for that station in this market. While the crew on then was fairly well established they all had come up through the ranks across the country to get where they were.
While I had a good time learning how a radio station worked, and what jobs did what, it was pretty obvious to me that these folks were not going to open the door for me there. Nothing wrong with that. They had all done what had to be done to get where they were, and they were good at it. (A few years later, I heard from a group of television folks the same thing in a more direct way. As they put it, while they were glad we had the interest in television, they were not going to step aside to give us a chance. It's nothing personal, but they would protect what they had. You would too if you were in their positions.)
Over the next few months, I got to help select songs for airplay by going through the record library on occasion. I spent my fair share of hours rewriting news wire stories to see if I could make them sound more interesting. One or two may even have made it on the air, if my memory serves correctly. I even helped produce the news by recording stories from field reporters on tape carts and then playing them back on the air.
There were four events that summer of particular note. The first was perhaps the most exciting. Seems that the station was doing a remote broadcast on a coming weekend, and they needed to rent some equipment from a supplier in the area south of Market Street. Back then, it was an industrial area, not the trendy office lofts it is today.
So over the lunch hour, they needed someone to go down and get this load of equipment. They asked me if I could drive, and indeed I could. However, driving in the City can be intimidating if you've never done it before. Not for me that day! I just drove like everyone else, and was back in less than an hour with the goods. Boy, did I feel good that afternoon! Talk about meeting the challenge!
The second event came over the Fourth of July holiday. One of the news reporters had flown out to board an aircraft carrier as it came through the Golden Gate and docked along the San Francisco waterfront. I was asked to meet him dockside and then take him back to the Alameda Naval Air Station where his car was. Again the station was pretty bold trusting a teenager to drive one of their cars (you can bet that wouldn't happen today!) through the City and over the Bay Bridge. A highlight of that was to catch the San Francisco Belt Railway moving railway equipment for a display along the waterfront for the weekend. One of the state's oldest steam locomotives was being moved by barge from Richmond and then towed by the State Belt for display. It was quite a surprise to find it travelling the rails under the Embarcadero freeway that afternoon.
The third event was a Police Athletic League softball fundraising game between a team from KSFO and a local restaurant. Both sides had their own favorites, sports stars, and politicians. My participation was to wear a large pink elephant costume and to try to shake up the players both on and off the field. (Yes, another fursuit experience!) I wasn't alone as the son of one of the station's on-air talents was doing his part in another costume. We did our job admirably, if not humorously, as the game was played in the auditorium at the Cow Palace (home of the Grand National Rodeos). My fondest memory is looking for something cold to drink after almost an hour in that costume, only to find nothing but cold beer. Only one, but boy did it go down good!
The last event was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a San Francisco Giants game from the broadcast booth at Candlestick Park. I'd been a Giants fan years before, but had switched allegiances to the Oakland A's now that I lived on the other side of the Bay. Still, that would not detract from the fine time. It was a real treat, again driving a station car down from the Sutter Stockton Garage to the game complete with special Press parking pass. That afternoon, I enjoyed the play-by-play of Lon Simmons (a true gentleman in the world of sports announcing!) and Al Michaels (who left the station after that season to go onto a great career with ABC sports (including calling the memorable US and Russia hockey upset at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics). Rich Smalley was their engineer. Another man whose name escapes me was the color announcer for the game. I can't recall the score or who won, but it was memorable none the less.
That summer came to an end, and I went back to school. The station gave me more than enough records that they had no interest in using. I shared them that fall with others as giveaways for the morning announcements.
While I enjoyed my internship, I guess I had my eyes opened when it came to radio. We never really talked what kind of money folks in the different roles were making. But it had become obvious that I wouldn't be starting a career there soon.
I kept in touch with the folks at the station off and on for a year or two. Eventually, KSFO was sold to another company, and the format changed to oldies from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Today, it's owned by Capital Cities and is an all talk radio station (a bit too far to the left for me) -- part of the Disney media empire.
Here's another link back to more of the history of KSFO as I knew and loved it.
 
Roger actually did give further thought to a career in broadcasting during the junior college years with a bunch of classes in the communications arena. Later on, he managed to do some community access video productions, do some magazine items (photo's and an op ed piece), before settling here with these weekly pages. Truth be told, "WKRP" is a lot closer to reality than anyone in radio wants to admit -- then or now!