memories of the ’70s – Babe by Faberge

For the girls of the late 1970s, the fragrance of choice was Babe.

Created by cosmetics giant Faberge, Babe was released in 1976 and was a unique blend of 118 different essences, including jasmine, hyacinth, lily of the valley, rose and amber.

The cosmetics company decided to make a splash and hired young Margaux Hemingway, sister to Mariel Hemingway and the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway to be the face of Babe. Hemingway was paid a record-high US$1 million for her contract with Faberge.

The cologne tapped into the world of luxury lifestyle, portraying the Babe woman as someone who was regularly wandering the streets of Europe and sipping champagne at all times of the day as she celebrated being a woman of the moment as seen here.

The success of the cologne amongst women led Babe to become the bestselling fragrance of the year and winner of two awards from the Fragrance Foundation in 1977: Most Successful Introduction of a Women’s Fragrance in Popular Distribution and Best Advertising Campaign for Woman’s Fragrance.

My Mum didn’t wear Babe, but I remember seeing it on the bathroom shelf of one of my friend’s Mums. Being curious about the glass bottle, I sprayed some of the cologne, which to me smelled so strong! It was very floral and seemed oh so adult. And for those women of the late 1970s – it was the trail of scent they left.

memories of the ’70s – Disco Duck

In the height of the disco years, a Memphis-based DJ decided to mix it up with a tribute to a former ’60s song with the creation of Disco Duck.

Written by DJ Rick Dees, Disco Duck was inspired by 1960s novelty song The Duck, which took him a day to write, but three months to convince any musicians to record the song.

The story of the song is someone who decides to dance like a duck but is embarrassed, until he realizes everyone on the dance floor is emulating his slick moves.

Dees paired “duck” vocals with orchestral and disco sounds, and did a part one and part two for the single release. Although the song’s quirky oddity caught the ears of radio stations across the US, Dees station in Memphis refused to play the single and forbid Dees from playing it on his own show.

Dees had put together Rick Dees and his Cast of Idiots, and began performing around Memphis, and as the song grew in popularity, Dees landed the group a spot on American Bandstand. In October 1976, the song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Dees was fired from his radio station after speaking about the success of his single on his radio show and hired by the competition in Memphis. Meanwhile, the song was used in the1977  film Saturday Night Fever, during a scene where senior citizens are being taught how to disco.

I remember hearing this silly song, and not paying much attention to it – years later when I saw a segment on disco, it was cited as one of the horrible consequences of disco – although its intent was always being a novelty and not a true representative of a classic disco song.

Dees is still a successful DJ, now based in Los Angeles, and for music history, created a silly song that embodied the mid 1970s.

memories of the ’70s – Kristy McNichol

For the young girls of the 1970s, she represented the teenager they wanted to become – whether it was as Buddy in the tv series Family or as the tough girl in Little Darlings.

Kristy McNichol was the teen star who climbed the ladder along with her brother, Jimmy McNichol.

Born in Los Angeles, the sister and brother grew up connected to the entertainment business thanks to their Mum, a manager and former actress. Starting with tv commercials, she graduated to guest roles on hot ’70s series such as Starsky & Hutch, The Bionic Woman and Love Boat.

In 1976, McNichol was cast as Buddy, the teen daughter in the Aaron Spelling drama Family, which during its four season run earned her two Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress. McNichol as the young ingenue of the moment – appearing on the talk show circuit, making an album with her brother Jimmy with a hit single, making appearances on Battle of the Network Stars and starring in successful tv film The Summer of My German Soldier.

McNichol benefitted from her A list status by starting to do movies – The End with Burt Reynolds, Little Darlings with Tatum O’Neal and Matt Dillon and The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia with Dennis Quaid and Mark Hamill, for which McNichol was paid an unprecedented six figure salary for her role. From The Mike Douglas Show to Dinah!, McNichol was the young celeb gracing the cover of every teen magazine.

But as the decade came to end, the young star was 21 and her fortunes started to change. She starred in The Pirate Movie with Christopher Atkins which was a huge flop and then got into trouble on the set of her next film, when she didn’t return to the set after a break during filming. Rumours started to circulate about drug use and other problems, and McNichol was soon relegated B movie and tv roles in the 1980s, pushed to the side by the new stars of the time.

I remember being quite fascinated with McNichol on Family as well as her role in Little Darlings. She was not standard-issue blonde, but a pretty brunette with a warm smile and a genuine spirit. It came out later that she suffered from a mental illness and she disappeared from acting and Hollywood.

I’ll always remember the fun-loving teenager who gained the devotion of many young girls who saw someone who skillfully revealed the awkward, confusing and ever-changing life of a teenager so well on screen.

memories of the ’70s – Convoy

Breaker, breaker good buddy, do you seen any smokeys? The world of CB radio and long-distance truck driving managed to become instilled in pop culture in the mid-1970s, thanks to the novelty song, Convoy, sung by C.W. McCall.

McCall is the pseudonym for Bill Fries, a singer/songwriter who specialized in the hurtin’ country songs that talked about rural life and being on the road. He focused on using that unique style of speaking/singing, which helped him incorporate the slang of the CB (citizens band) radio users.

Released in 1976, Convoy became the first country song to hit number one on the pop charts at the same time. Its catchy CB lyrics detailed a trucker rebellion, showcasing their frustration of working endless hours as they transport goods from coast to coast. As the majority of North Americans travelled by car, the use of the CB radio grew in popularity amongst casual users, who wanted their own ‘handle’ and to share info on the highway speed traps, as the speed limit had been reduced to 55mph. It wasn’t just for the professional drivers anymore.

Fueled by the interest in the trucking genre in popular culture, director Sam Peckinpah, inspired by the hit song, produced the film Convoy, starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali McGraw and Ernest Borgnine.

The film detailed the antics of “Rubber Duck” (Kristofferson) as he drives his way through the southwest, encountering a Jaguar driven by Melissa (McGraw), his fellow driving buddies (Pig Pen and Spider Mike) and corrupt sherriff Dirty Lyle (Borgnine).  Fries recorded a new version of Convoy for the film soundtrack.

But it was the language of this world that became memorable, with its unique descriptions of the police, vehicles and cities: such as Smokey or Bear (police officer), Miss Piggy (female police officer), 18 wheelers (truck w/tractor trailer), Shakytown (Los Angeles), Chi-town (Chicago), Bullshit City (Washington DC), back door (rear), swindle sheets (driving logs), Cornfield Cadillac (John Deere tractor), and one of my favourites – Pregnant rollerskate (Volkswagen Beetle).

I never quite understood the fascination for the slang and the world of trucking. I assume its a symbol of freedom, that ability to take off and be your own boss on the open road, especially during the 1970s when cars were the most equitable mode of transport within North America. And since the profession is dominated by men, its seems like another thing that men love and women just don’t get.

Although the obsession for this world has since passed, in 2004, country singer Paul Brandt did a cover of Convoy, and had himself a hit record and video, thanks to all those fans who are still obsessed with hitting the highway, looking for a way to drive fast and far, and avoid those smokeys.

memories of the ’70s – A Star is Born

A rock musical with a country accent – this mid ’70s remake was one of the most popular films and soundtracks of the decade – A Star is Born.

Directed by Frank Pierson and produced by Jon Peters and Barbara Streisand, this was the third time this film was remade, the first time done in the 1930s with actors Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, the second version released in the 1950s with Judy Garland and James Mason.

The story of a successful up and coming female meeting and falling in love through a series of coincidences with a male whose career is in decline, the story is about ambition, self-destruction and the differences between the way men and women view careers.

The previous films focused on the film business, the 1970s’ version of A Star is Born was set in the music business.

Elvis Presley was initially considered for the title male role, but his manager Col. Tom Parker wanted too much money and didn’t want his star to be portraying someone whose career was on the downside.

Neil Diamond and Marlon Brando were also considered for the role. Before Streisand became a producer on the project, Cher had been considered for the title female role of Esther Hoffman. Kris Kristofferson was chosen to play opposite Streisand; he had a few successful films under his belt and an established career in the Nashville music scene.

The film starred Streisand and Kristofferson, portraying singers who through a series of coincidental meetings eventually fall in love, affect each others careers and then make choices about how their futures may or may not become. . The film was a box office smash, costing US$6 million to make, and with worldwide sales of over US$120 million.

The soundtrack to the film did just as well, with sales of 15 million copies worldwide, with all the songs performed by Streisand and Kristofferson. The main song Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star is Born) was a number one hit around the world.

In the film, the culmination is when Esther wins a Grammy (unlike the past with the female leads winning an Oscar). In real life, the film was nominated for four Academy Awards, and won for Best Original Song, and won five Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture.

I remember renting this film, curious to see the power of a younger Barbara Streisand than I was aware of at the time. It was years since the film had been released, but the power of the storyline and the actors’ performance was amazing. I understood what on-screen chemistry was after seeing this performance.

Both stars have gone onto continue their successful careers, and this remake is an example of a universal storyline, that has been made well three times – each time contributing a unique view of the relationship of men and women and the ambition lurking within.

memories of the ’70s – Debbie Harry

This band was the epitome of New York City cool, punk and rock ‘n’ roll all in one package – with a lead singer that embodied the band’s name – Blondie and a woman to admire – Debbie Harry.

Growing up in New Jersey, Harry moved to New York City as a young adult, immersing herself in Manhattan as a waitress at Max’s Kansas City club, working as a receptionist and eventually as a Playboy Bunny.

In the 1970s, she joined the girl-group The Stilettos, where she met guitarist Chris Klein. She and Klein would leave to form Blondie in 1975, named for what Harry was often called on the streets of New York City.

Blondie became a regular fixture at the scene at Max’s Kansas City as well as punk club CBGB, where the band was well-known for belting out a unique combination of punk, rock and new wave sounds. In December 1976, Blondie issued their first self-titled album, but by late 1977, the band bought back its contract to sign with Chrysalis Records, hoping to break out. Considered an underground band in the US, Blondie’s first taste of fame was in Australia.

The second album, Plastic Letters, did well in Europe, especially in the UK, but the US market wasn’t as radio-friendly to the unique Blondie sound. It was third album lucky with the release of Parallel Lines in 1979, with the Brit charts loving the singles “Picture This” and “Hanging on a Telephone”.

The US finally woke up to the power of Blondie with the single “Heart of Glass” influenced by the disco beats of The Bee Gees. The sexy video, which showcased Debbie Harry, led the single to be played endlessly on MTV and MuchMusic and the band went from underground to mainstream. The next single “One Way or Another” was a fast-rising song,  and in June 1979, Blondie graced the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine and Debbie Harry was an apparent regular at Studio 54. To date, the album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

As the 1980s began, Blondie was riding high, with a collaboration with Giorgio Moroder for the soundtrack to the film American Gigolo, more albums and more success. But the punk/new wave girl was what first intrigued me when I first saw the video for “Heart of Glass”. I thought Debbie Harry was super cool and unique – not a pop princess nor an overblown rock god. She was strong, smart and in charge of her destiny.

Years later I got to see Debbie Harry perform in Austin with Jazz Passengers, and was impressed with her cool stage presence, her voice as well as her love for music. The young angry punk had cooled into a sophisticated woman, who still had the edge and knew how to still conjure up the magic of art, pop culture, and music with her voice.

memories of the ’70s – The Gong Show

Game shows were always popular television, but nothing was crazier than the debut of The Gong Show. Created by Chuck Barris, who was also the host of the show, The Gong Show was another showcase for the wierd and wacky common folk.

Barris had done well with the debut of The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game in the 1960s and decided he could use the public’s creativity and desire for 15 minutes of fame to create a new game show.

The show was an amateur talent contest, judged by three celebrities, who could each strike a gong if the performance had been particularly bad. Each performer was given a minimum time, but if the judge struck the gong early, Barris could overrule, in order to keep the live audience laughing as the hapless contestant continued on in defeat.

The judges were often comedians including Phyllis Diller, Artie Johnson, Rip Taylor, Jamie Farr and Jaye P. Morgan. The contestants tried their hand at everything from stand up comedy to juggling to dance. The audience loved the anticipation of the judge’s reactions. If the performance was worthy, the judges could pick a score between one and 10, with the winner of the highest point total receiving $512.36. This was reputedly the minimum wage of one day’s work from the Screen Actor’s Guild. The winner was feted with confetti and balloons on stage.

Each week Barris would also choose the Worst Act of the Week, showcasing the worst of the week’s performers every Friday. The chosen one would also receive $512.36 and a dirty tube sock.

And to add to the craziness, Barris had reoccuring performers, such as the Unknown Comic, who wore a brown paper bag over his head while doing stand-up comedy, Gene Gene the dancing machine, Scarlett & Rhett, The Worm, Larry and his Magic ….. and Chuckie’s Fables, where the host would read a ‘story’ from an oversized book, with pantomime happening behind him.

Airing for four seasons on NBC, The Gong Show always a had layer of raciness below the surface, which was encouraged by Barris.

The network cancelled the show in 1980, citing low ratings, but many believed they were tired of dealing with Barris’ consistent desire to push the envelope with the show. The Gong Show continued in syndication for another four years.

I adored this crazy game show – because it was silly, unpredictable and ridiculous. I’m sure as a kid I didn’t understand half the jokes or any of the adult nuances that were being tossed out by the judges and host, but to me it was pure fun, and I enjoyed it.

Barris did write and produce The Gong Show Movie, which was released in 1980 and was a flop. But his creation of a zany game show that relied on the audience’s lack of skill was ahead of its time – and is now copied regularly on every reality game show now on television.

memories of the ’70s – Evil Knievel

Daredevil – someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.

In the 1970s, the daredevil we watched was Robert Craig Knievel, popularly known as Evil Knievel. This motorcycle performer, who turned to the life of a daredevil to feed his family, became the one of the most watched people in the 1970s.

After a short stint in the Army, Knievel worked at a mine, played hockey and became a hunting and fishing guide. His love of the thrills led him to be arrested for reckless driving, earning him the nickname Evil by the local police. He continued to try and make money by selling insurance and selling Japanese import motorcycles.

In the 1960s, Knievel working for another motorcycle dealership met racer Jim Pomeroy and started to learn motorcycle tricks.

Deciding he could make some money by becoming a daredevil, Knievel’s first attempt was to jump a 20 foot long box of rattlesnakes and two mountain lions. Handling all promotion and marketing, Knievel succeeded in his first daredevil exhibition. Upping the stakes, Knievel planned harder and more complex jumps, attracting the attention of of festivals and fairs, and incurring several injuries along the way. Knievel broke 37 bones in his body during his career.

In January 1971, Knievel set the record by selling 100,000 tickets to back to back performances of his daring skill at the Houston Astrodome; in February he set the record for jumping 19 cars , which he held for 27 years. In 1973, Knievel set the record for jumping 50 stacked cars at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a record he held for 35 years.

Despite the constant injuries and failures, his successes encouraged him to set the stage for his premiere jump, over Idaho’s Snake Falls Canyon. One of the four most watched shows on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, Knievel almost made the jump, but the force of the propelled rocket motorcycle caused his parachute to deploy and dragged him back into the canyon.

In 1975, Knievel went to Wembley Stadium in England, and to a crowd of 90,000 fans planned to jump 13 buses. Shown on Wide World of Sports (and one of the most watched shows ever), Knievel crashed, breaking his pelvis. Despite this injury, Knievel walked off the field, telling ABC Sports host Frank Gifford “I came in walking, I went out walking.”

Although Knievel claimed to be retiring, in 1976 he set the stage to jump 14 Greyhound buses at Kings Island theme park in Ohio. Successfully completing the jump, Knievel set the world’s record which he held for 24 years and set ratings afire, with the most-watched program ever for ABC Wide World of Sports.

Knievel said he would retire, but instead did many smaller jumps, all of which he completed. In late 1976, he was to jump a shark tank, in tribute to the film Jaws, and in practise crashed, breaking his arms, but also seriously injuring a cameraman, who lost his eye. Knievel removed himself from the public eye.

I remember hearing about Evil Knievel and seeing his jumps shown over and over on television. I marvelled that someone’s desire to do something so crazy, risking life and limb, was a compulsion for him. I couldn’t quite understand it, but the circus-like quality of his performances were alluring to any tv viewer, young or old.

Knievel died in 2007, well removed from the public eye. The consequent decades weren’t kind to the daredevil, but his lasting legacy as a motorcycle performer will always be remembered, as Knievel’s nickname The Last Gladiator, so aptly describes.

memories of the ’70s – Roots

An autobiographical memoir that traced a family tree back to African continent, Roots was a story that captured the imagination of readers in the 1970s.

Written by Alex Haley, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, was first published in 1976, the year of the American bicentennial.

As everyone was busy celebrating their country’s 200th birthday, Haley proclaimed his African lineage, writing about his ancestor Kunta Kinte and how he was enslaved and brought to the US, mixing history and fiction to create a compelling story of a family’s trials and tribulations.

Haley researched African village customs, the slaving histories and the common practises of African-Americans from the 18th century until the 20th century to fuel his family’s story from Kunta Kinte to Chicken George to Haley himself. His autobiographical novel, tracing seven generations of his family history, was a hot seller, and gained him a special Pulitzer Prize in 1977.

In 1977, a 12 hour mini-series was created, based on the book. Roots became the one of the highlights of the tv season, receiving 36 Emmy nominations and its finale still has the third-highest tv ratings of any show. In 1979, Roots: The Next Generation aired. Both series starred LeVar Burton (his breakout role) and well-known actors Louis Gossett Jr., Leslie Uggams and Ben Vereen.

I remember watching the series with my parents – one of the few tv series that had ever addressed slavery on prime time television. My Dad had read the book and was studying African history as part of his master’s degree as the book and series were in the public eye. He would explain things to me as the series went on, but I was confused by so many of the things I saw. My Dad also shielded me from some of the worst things, like the whippings, rape and other torture that was a reality of slavery.

This series was part of many television and film programs that aired the dirty laundry of the past and  tried to bring things to the discussion table. I’m reminded that now in the 21st century, it would be difficult to have a 12 part series on mainstream television showing the worst of recent history.

Roots came under scrutiny and Haley admitted to plagiarism from another source and had many colleagues who didn’t believe his claims to have traced his family back to one African man from what would be present-day Gambia. But the impact of Haley’s story of his family, African-American history and the history of the US was found on everyone’s mind, bookshelf and television in the mid 1970s.

memories of the ’70s – Leif Garrett

A shaggy blonde haired boy with an aura of  being a wee bit bad – he captured the hearts of teens in the 1970s. He was the poster boy of the moment – actor/singer Leif Garrett.

Born in Los Angeles as Leif Per Nervik, this child star started acting at age five with his sister. Leif’s career started with appearances in the 1960s, with a guest star on Gunsmoke, The Odd Couple and noted roles in Walking Tall and Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice.

His star factor started to soar with his recurring role as Zack on Family as the love interest of Buddy, played by teen star Kristy McNicholl, but then the lights started to shine ever so brightly with his recording of his first album, Leif Garrett.

The single was a cover of  Runaround Sue and did modestly well. But seeing potential, the powers that be encouraged his recording of his second album, Feel the Need and its popular single I Was Made for Dancin’.

Hitting number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching #4 on the British music charts, Leif Garrett became a household discussion in 1978, with the single getting endless airplay. His face was a regular in Teen Beat Magazine, his poster in every shop around the world and his image was a fave of every teen girl.

I knew his name, but didn’t really know who he was. I heard the song, but it didn’t really make an impact on me. I remember hearing my friend’s older sister comment that someone in her class looked like Leif Garrett and how cool that was. But everywhere I went, from the music store to the grocery store, I saw pictures of Leif Garrett.

As the 1970s waned, Leif recorded three more albums, none of which made any impact. He dated Nicolette Sheridan and started to become a party boy as his career waned.  At age 18 he was involved in a car crash, with his best friend becoming a parapalegic. He admitted fault due to drug abuse, and vowed to take care of his friend.

Leif continued to act, finding bit parts and noteably appearing in The Outsiders, a Francis Ford Coppola film in 1983. But it was his combination of tv and music that made his star rise and fall, if only for a brilliant short time in the late 1970s.