Another Friday, another sub-factoid to distract you from all the things you have to get accomplished...
The answer to today's quiz is the name of an American television program which premeried on this date in 1971. Its original executive producer said this about the origin of its opening music:
"In 1962 my future wife and I went to one of the Club Med villages in Italy. We were in these little straw huts and every morning we were summoned to breakfast by [the music]. It was just magic ... so, it became the [theme music for the show]. The nice little twist on that is that about five years ago someone from the New York Times went to a Club Med in Mexico and commented on what a classy joint it was because they used the music of [the show] to summon people to meals..."
What is the name of the program?
The first correct answer posted to comments wins some attractive illustrations from my old 2002 Tintin calendar (with a fun automotive theme!) Remember don't touch that search engine. One guess per comment, please, but comment as often as you like.
Posted by BT at January 10, 2003 09:57 AMMASH?
(You had a Tintin calendar in 2002 too?)
Posted by: Rory on January 10, 2003 10:00 AMNope -- although "Suicide is Painless" would have been an interesting choice to summon people to dinner with.
I bought the Tintin calendar on our last day in France way back in August 2001. We were walking around, having a Sunday stroll in absolutely beautiful weather, and we had a little too much money in our pockets to spend on coffee at the airport, and a little too little to make changing it back worthwhile (especially considering the exorbitant fee my bank charges to do it), so we were looking to get rid of it -- and it being Sunday, a lot of stores were closed. We passed, however, an open comics store in the Latin Quarter, and had about 15 minutes before we really needed to be on our way. I sort of walked in, glanced around, and picked up the calendar without thinking too hard about it. It proved a great choice -- the most colorful thing in my drab little workspace at the office, and I get comments from Tintin fans all the time. I'm cutting out and saving the December illo (the Captain, just visible at the wheel of a green auto, Tintin, mouth open in an O of concern as they speed toward some crisis or another, and Snowy with his head out the window, doglike, enjoying the breeze ruffling his ears).
Posted by: BT on January 10, 2003 10:19 AMMasterpiece Theater?
My Three Sons
Duh-nuh-nuh-nuh...
Posted by: teenidol on January 10, 2003 10:44 AMMonty Python's Flying Circus
Susa, you know.
Posted by: teenidol on January 10, 2003 10:45 AMWhat with my double-posting dropping off, I think i'll multiplely answer for a while. Gotta do sumpin to keep the Wombat punk...
60 Minutes? The Waltons? All the Family? Banana Splits?
Stirring themes, all.
Premiered in January. Huh.
And using this show's theme as breakfast-announcing music would be 'classy,' at least from a Gothamite's view.
And the guy went to Club Med with a woman he wasn't married to in 1962. SCANDALOUS!
Um, anyway. "Good Morning, America"?
Posted by: BoxJam on January 10, 2003 11:13 AMIsn't it disappointing that they don't speak Latin in the Latin Quarter?
Posted by: Gavin on January 10, 2003 11:16 AMMatch Game '71?
Posted by: BoxJam on January 10, 2003 11:16 AMMerv?
Posted by: BoxJam on January 10, 2003 11:18 AMFriends?
Posted by: BoxJam on January 10, 2003 11:22 AMAnother early victory -- Gavin takes it. "Rondeau" by Jean-Joseph Mouret (1682-1738) (from his Symphonies and Fanfares for the King's Supper) became the theme music, even though the executive producer, Christopher Sarson, balked at using such a froggified piece for a show which was to be rooted in interpretations of Brit Lit.
Let the stentorian horns sound in salutation of his mental quickness.
As for My Three Sons, composer Frank De Vol, you will be interested to know, also won a bunch of Emmys for his work poisoning our brains with the terrifying theme from The Brady Bunch. However, he can be forgiven for these crimes when you consider that he also did scores for Pillow Talk, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
The online bio I cribbed the above from has the following nearly-too-good-to-be-true fact: "DeVol made occasional on-screen appearances as an actor. During the early 1960's, he played Mr. Bannister, the nervous employer of John Astin and Marty Ingles, in the sitcom I'm Dickens, He's Fenster."
http://www.scififilmmusic.com/sfan/devol/bio1.htm
That sounds like the same calendar Jane bought for me in Brussels when she was there in October 2001.
I'm disappointed bootsy wasn't right with The Banana Splits.
Posted by: Rory on January 10, 2003 11:33 AMSpeaking of the Sainted Splits, have I ever brought up my personal obsession with the similarity between the refrains of the Banana Splits theme song and "Buffalo Soldier"?
Posted by: BT on January 10, 2003 12:07 PMDoes that explain the patty in coco bread?
Posted by: Rory on January 10, 2003 12:10 PMI wonder if Sid is related to Gore De Vol (a DC-area childhood favorite, apologies to the 99.9% of the world who could not tune in to channel 20):
http://www.countgore.com/
Posted by: teenidol on January 10, 2003 12:11 PMThere's also a Lenny Kravitz song that rips off the Banana Splits theme, although I can't think of it right now FOR HAVING THE BANANA SPLITS SONG IN MY TWO BANANA FOUR BANANA THREE BANANA ONE, FOUR BANANAS PLAYING IN THE BRIGHT BLUE SUN...
Posted by: BoxJam on January 10, 2003 12:18 PMNo, Rory, the exceptional deliciousness of the patties at Christie's would delight even my many reggae-hating college radio station pals. They transcend all such prejudices. The line out the door speaks for itself.
Posted by: BT on January 10, 2003 12:38 PM