Monthly Archives: August 2010

TV Sports Instant Replay. Pop. Culture. History.

August 30, 2010

From Alan H – Mr. Pop – Who came out with the first “replay” recorder for TV and when was it first used?

Mr. Pop History – Instant replay for sports began during the early 1960′s with conventional “quad” video tape recorders – but the process was cumbersome.

Seeing the problem, VTR maker Ampex came to the rescue in 1967 – with a dedicated replay device and that machine was first used by ABC Sports during the U.S. skiing championships.

These were not tape machines. Instead, they used a disc (analog) – a huge advantage when you want to call-up a replay. No rewinding. They came complete with variable speed/reverse plus stop motion. By 1971, some 100 Ampex color instant replay machines were in use by networks and larger TV stations.

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Question About Bluetooth… Pop. Culture. History.

August 28, 2010

From Dan R – When did we know that Bluetooth was going to be big?

Mr. Pop History – Bluetooth took-off in the year 2000 when a group of hi-tech companies agreed to use the wireless technology – nearly 1,600 in all. And, that’s when it came to market.

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Mystery John F. Kennedy Film. Pop. Culture. History.

August 26, 2010

From Craig V – Mr. Pop – I heard before JFK was assassinated, a rather odd home movie was made by him – showing his death.

Mr. Pop Culture – Such a movie was made on that Labor Day weekend in 1963. According to the book, “A Hero for Our Time” by Ralph Martin – the movie shows Kennedy leaving his Honey Fitz yacht and suddenly – clutches his chest then falls to the ground. Several people including his wife Jackie, are shown walking past his body like nothing happened.

Sounds more like a Frank Zappa music video.

No such film is in the archives at the JFK library – and – it is indeed a mystery.

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Mariah Carey Low Point. Pop. Culture. History.

August 24, 2010

From Jimmy H – Mariah Carey was a true superstar during the 1990′s, but hit rock bottom shortly thereafter. When?

Mr. Pop History – Due to her bizarre public behavior and sinking album sales, I’d say it was when Virgin Records dropped her. This was in 2002. She had a little comeback in 2005 with “The Emancipation of Mimi” and today – she’s there – but not really a shining star.

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Question About Nancy/Frank Sinatra… Pop. Culture. History.

August 23, 2010

From Jeneene S – Mr. Pop. Was looking at Nancy Sinatra’s greatest hits and noticed contributions by Lee Hazelwood as a producer and songwriter with Nancy on certain songs. Was that her father’s idea?

Mr. Pop History – No. Lee Hazelwood was a producer, songwriter and part-time singer, although not the best. Someone once told me he sounded like – well, what John Wayne would sounded like if he sang a song. I thought that was funny.

He was brought to Frank Sinatra’s “Reprise” label to produce Dino, Desi & Billy, then he began working with label mate Nancy Sinatra. He wrote her biggest hit, “These Boots Are Made For Walking” and continued to write and produce her songs – and even sang with her on several minor hits.

He also produced the #1 hit “Something Stupid” with Nancy and her father.

He once said of the line, “One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you” – that it came from a western movie.

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1980′s Pop Wham! Question. This Week In History. This Week In Pop Culture History.

August 20, 2010

From Michelle F – The duo “Wham!” with George Michael – when did they change their name to  “Wham U.K?”

Mr. Pop History – It was around this time of the year (July/August) – in 1983. There was a legal hassle with a stateside (U.S.) group with the same name, even though – they really did nothing on the charts.

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First Movie Director To Direct a Music Video… This Week In History. Pop. Culture. History.

August 18, 2010

From Tim P – Who was the first well-known movie director to have a go at a music video?

Mr. Pop History – The year was 1983 when movie producer Bob Rafelson (The Postman Always Rings Twice & Five Easy Pieces) did the new Lionel Richie video for “All Night Long.” Right around that time, Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist) directed a Billy Idol video.

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60 Minutes Question. This Week In History. Pop. Culture.

August 17, 2010

From James A – Before ABC’s 20/20, they had tried another news magazine-type show. What was it?

Mr. Pop History – NBC and ABC envied the ratings and financial success of CBS’ 60 Minutes. It took ABC a while. One was something called “Seven Days” – a sort of week-in-review program. The problem – you couldn’t rerun it – and the ratings weren’t that good.

Over at NBC? Some 10 magazine shows came and went before they hit the right formula and timing. More in another Q&A.

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Ben Stiller Question. Pop. Culture. History.

August 16, 2010

From CR – Ben Stiller question: wasn’t he discovered by way of comic clubs?

Mr. Pop History – Ben Stiller auditioned and won a spot on MTV. From there, he was spotted by Fox, which aired his short-lived – “The Ben Stiller Show” in 1992. Not a big ratings-grabber, it took two years to develop and showed off Stiller’s inventiveness. From there – he went into movies.

Fox-TV was a great launching pad for talented comedians such as Stiller and Jim Carey.

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Early Breakfast Cereal Question… Pop. Culture. History.

August 14, 2010

From Jenny E – Mr. Pop – A friend of mind brought up an interesting breakfast cereal. She said she was around 5-years-old (C. 1961) and the cereal in question had star-shapes. It was not Lucky Charms, but she says she remembers the big “G” on the box.

Mr. Pop History – Well, the big “G” stands for goodness (remember that?). Actually, General Mills had such a cereal, labeled “Twinkles.” It didn’t last long.

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