See Emilys Play

Mr. D.F. Rogers of Massachusetts writes…

Hey, who played the yeoman with Dr. McCoy? The one in the ultra mini skirt who meets Don Juan on the planet where your wishes come true!

Good question, Denny! That’s Emily Banks. There’s a little something about Emily at this link. She seems to have dropped out of the TV acting scene in the mid-80’s. Emily appeared in an episode of Dragnet 1970, as an English teacher at a junior college which, thanks to Netflix Watch Instantly, I was able to watch instantly.

Emily Banks in \"Dragnet\"

And following a train of thought, the Pink Floyd song “See Emily Play” was produced by Norman “Hurricane” Smith, after he left his position as EMI recording engineer for The Beatles.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/FEB/Emily.mp3]

A school girl named Emily Young inspired the song, written in 1967 by the late Syd Barrett. Today, Emily is a noted sculptor.

Emily Young

Kudo for Roku

Does Roku mean less blogging? Less running? More time spent motionless, with remote in hand? It sure could, if I let it happen. Roku’s Netflix player is fan-tab-u-lous! It’s limited only by the content that Netflix makes available. (But note: I have 20 Mbps FiOS, so 2-5 Mbps for Netflix Watch Instantly isn’t a big deal, and WiFi reception is excellent, according to the Roku.) I see that none of the various videos on CNet, YouTube, etc., demonstrating the Roku are from a direct video capture. I’ll try to make one.

Stuck between a Roku and a soft place

My buddy Dennis and I agree that “Leave it to be Beaver” is one of the best, if not the best, TV show ever made. Years ago, I told Dennis, in a hopeful tone, that someday the entire library of “Beaver” episodes, all six seasons, would be available online for viewing anytime. Well, that day is here — well, almost. A few episodes, for reasons unknown, are available only on disc. But the funny thing about that is, only the first two seasons have been released on DVD. Anyway, thanks to the amazing Roku Netflix player, I can watch Beav’ and lots of other neat stuff while sitting on the porch couch, looking at the 32-inch Sony, instead of sitting in front of the computer.

The Roku Netflix player is, for $100 (plus shipping), the single best deal in existence — assuming you already have a Netflix subscription. It installed easily, the WiFi reception is excellent, and I could say a lot more, but I’ve got to get back to watching more of the Cleavers. Gosh… there’s Cheryl Holdridge as Wally’s sometimes girlfriend, Julie…

Cheryl Holdridge as Julie, in \

Our Gang Photo Quiz

After posting “Fly My Kite” I’d like to do more Our Gang shorts, but capturing and mastering video takes a lot of time, and I’ve got to get out the door to put 16 miles under my feet. Scanning doesn’t take long, so here are a few photos with some Jeopardy!-style hints to help you identify the people.

Fifty years before Van Halen’s video, she was the original “hot for teacher” teacher.

She was a “darling” Rascal.

He wasn’t in Our Gang with Pete, but he hung out in his own neighborhood.

Yore Gang

Jackie Cooper is still alive, but another member of the “Our Gang” cast has died. Shirley Jean Rickert, who wasn’t one of the better known players, has passed away at age 82. She’s the girl with the curly blond locks, as seen in the memorable “Fly My Kite” from 1931. Here is the complete 20-minute 2-reeler.

[MEDIA=22]

Grandma was played by Margaret Mann, who was born in Scotland in 1868. Whenever I watched this installment of The Little Rascals, as the series was called for TV syndication, I didn’t understand why there was an electric switch on the utility pole, and I knew it had to be harder than it looked for a bunch of kids to saw down the pole.

But what I really want you to notice is the unique and wonderful music by Leroy Shield. It’s quirky, catchy, original and unforgettable to anybody who heard it while growing up. Yet incredibly, Shield received no screen credit from producer Hal Roach. In the 90’s a band from the Netherlands (Holland gets mentioned a lot here, huh?) called The Beau Hunks released some fabulous CD’s of Leroy Shield’s music. Here’s a delightful rendition of “Hide and Go Seek”, which is featured prominently towards the end of “Fly My Kite”.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/FEB/HideandGoSeek.mp3]