I went down a proverbial rabbit hole while searching for this week’s featured image. I wanted something Jupiter related and wound up with this weird still from a 1909 French silent short film, A Trip To Jupiter. I dig the dude sitting on the Jupiterian rings. I’m not sure who or what the guy climbing on the ladder is. Could it be a ladder day saint? I should apologize for that rotten pun but I don’t do pun apologies.
I make no apologies for posting the whole damn short:
Let’s get right to the theme song. Jupiter Hollow was written by Robbie Robertson for The Band’s 1975 album Northern Lights-Southern Cross. It’s an unusual song in The Band canon as there aren’t any guitars. It’s all keyboards all time by Garth Hudson and Robbie who plays clavinet, not lead guitar. It was also never performed live. It’s an oddity suited for Odds & Sods.
As to the title, Jupiter Hollow could be about the Roman God, a mythical town in Northwest Canada bathing in the Northern lights, or some combination thereof. Robbie was always cagey on the subject. There’s a swell essay by Peter Viney on the manifold mysteries of Jupiter Hollow at the ultimate Band website.
Let’s depart the campfire and play some more Jupiter tunes. Did that sound hollow? Discuss amongst yourselves.
Let’s return to earth and our second act. It begins with a story about a man who hated smoking ads targeting kids so much that he did something about it.
Mandrake The Magician’s War On Big Tobacco: Mandrake The Magician was a pseudonym adopted by Chicagoan Henry Brown for his campaign against cigarette ads targeting teens. I don’t usually approve of people who paint over stuff but Joe Camel had it coming.
I’d never heard of Mr. Brown until I read Josh Levin’s great piece in Slate, The Caped Billboard Bandit Of Chicago. It’s well worth a read. Tell them I sent you and they may let you stay. Magic works like that and like this:
Things You Don’t Know About Me: I seriously considered getting an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) instead of a law degree. My art history classes in college had a huge impact on me so I thought about it but ended up at Tulane Law School. So it goes.
You’ve surely noticed that I put my art history knowledge to good use here at First Draft. What would Saturday Odds & Sods be without images by Hopper, Ernst, and Magritte?
The last word of our second act goes to The Jam:
We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.
Separated At Birth Casting Edition: I recently rewatched Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. It’s a swell movie with a fabulous Oscar winning performance by Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi:
We move from Martin Landau in our house to a song by Bauhaus. I stole that pun from Tom Wolfe. I only steal from the best.
Your Basic Basie: Let’s head back to Chicago with Count Basie and Jimmy Rushing.
Have I told you lately how much I love Count Basie?
The Best Of TCM: What’s not to love about the Hitchcock-Hermann combination? Not a damn thing as you can tell from this TCM compilation. I guess we should call this a compilation combination or some such shit.
Saturday GIF Horse: Never let it be said that Dracula isn’t a good host.
A bonus GIF from Ed Wood:
Classic Movie Trailer: Sick of hearing about Tim Burton’s Ed Wood? I hope not. This segment poses the question: can a 1994 film be a classic? I saw it on TCM, so why not? If it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for me.
Grading Time: I give Ed Wood 3 1/2 stars and an Adrastos grade of B+.
Toon Time: I never call Bobby Junior RFK Jr. I consider it an unearned acronym. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule.
A bonus reflecting pool toon:
Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.
Saturday Closer: Speaking of swamps, I give you Talking Heads from Stop Making Sense:
That’s all for this week. The last word goes to Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, and Rick Danko. Collectively known as The Band.
