Would You Like Some Fievel with Your Fries?: Family Films & Holiday Fast Food Promotions of the 80s and 90s

 by Michael Lyons

November. The month that brings us the kick-off to the Holiday Season, or for the many who have already put up and decorated their Christmas tree, it is the Holiday Season.

A Hollywood tradition that began forty or so years ago, was the release of a big studio family film, usually animated, just before Thanksgiving weekend. In the 80s and 90s, these films came with a tremendous amount of marketing behind them so that no one (especially kids) would forget that they were "coming soon to a theater near you!"

A big part of this hype machine was a partnership with some of the biggest names in the fast food industry.

These once publicity props that were a "bonus" to a meal are now so fondly remembered by generations who search for these once discarded pieces of their childhood on e-Bay, garage sales, and collector shows to rekindle the flame of warm nostalgia. 

Here are just a few of these fast-food memories:

Many of these family films coinciding with the Christmas season allowed for some appropriately themed holiday offerings-

In 1985, McDonald's helped promote the super-hero-like origin story, Santa Claus: The Movie with Happy Meals that offered storybooks and reindeer ornaments that were free with the purchase of McDonald's gift certificates. The film itself also included an extended sequence that took place in a McDonald's during a not-so-subtle moment of product placement. 

One year later, Steven Spielberg and Don Bluth's hit animated film An American Tail also partnered with McDonald's for stocking featuring the film's main character, Fievel, the mouse, as a giveaway with the purchase of McDonald's gift certificates.

McDonald's gift certificates continued from 1987 through 1990, with a partnership with Disney that saw ornaments as a gift with the purchase of the certificates.  There was...

...Jaq and Gus, when Cinderella was re-issued in 1987...

...Oliver and Dodger from 1988's Oliver & Company...

...Flounder and Sebastian from 1989's The Little Mermaid...

...and Bernard and Bianca from 1990's The Rescuers Down Under.

The timing was perfect for the now holiday classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, from Disney and Tim Burton, and these watches which were offered at Burger King in 1993. 

There were also plenty of others not connected with the holiday seasons, providing creative promotions unlike any others

In 1992, Burger King offered Aladdin cups that would change the image when a cold beverage was poured into them.

Back at McDonald's in 1996, Disney offered no less than 101 Happy Meal toys to promote the live-action re-make of 101 Dalmatians...

...and "connectible" Space Jam toys in '96, as well!

There were also plenty of creative toys with meals during the 90s, thanks to Disney, such as these Burger King Beauty and the Beast Kids Meal toys from 1991.

Disney's fast-food promotional model was also followed by a number of other studios who released animated films to compete during the renaissance of the 1990's, such as...

All Dogs Go to Heaven toys at Wendy's in 1989...

...The Pagemaster at Pizza Hut in 1994...

...also in 1994, The Swan Princess at Sizzler...

...and Balto, at Hardee's in 1995 (yes, that image of the Hardee's sign like the Northern Lights on the Horizon is from the TV commercial).

And so, there is a quick "drive-thru" down fast food holiday promotion memory lane. All from a time when movies, and eating habits, were much different, but there are no calories in memories...so enjoy!

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Put on a Happy Face: Looking Back at Retro TV & Movie Halloween Costumes

 

by Michael Lyons

When it once came to Halloween costumes, they were known as "The Big Three." Ben Cooper, Collegeville, and Halco were three companies that, in the 60s,70s, and 80s, mass produced most of the Halloween masks and costumes worn by the majority of kids who were out trick-or-treating.

Many of these were inspired by hit TV shows, movies, and cartoon characters of the time, fueling the pop-culture zeitgeist.

Anyone of a certain generation remembers them - on store shelves in decorated boxes with a see-through "window" on top that provided a glimpse of the mask, leading the child pondering the costume to wonder what the rest of the mysteriously hidden outfit looked like.

And what it would look like beyond the mask wasn't the rest of the character's body, but instead (and oddly), it usually featured a scene from the movie or TV show, along with the logo, across the chest. The "body" was also a hospital gown-like garment with ties on the back. As comedian Jerry Seinfeld pointedly observed in his stand-up act, when he went dressed as Superman one Halloween that he felt like he was wearing Superman's pajamas.

He also joked that the mask was held on by two staples and a flimsy rubber-band that would break by the time one got to the first house.

Oh yes, all of that was true of the costumes from "The Big Three," but...weren't they wonderful? Looking back, in our age of sophisticated costumes available at our neighborhood Party City store, it's so quaint and comforting to think about the Halloween memories these simply designed costumes provided so many.

And, because they were so popular, almost every TV show and movie inspired a costumes, which made for some interesting choices for kids on Halloween night...very interesting.

What follows is a gallery of photos of just some of the many of these pop culture icons of yesteryear who inspired these Halloween costumes (and thank you to the many eBay sellers who provided some of the pictures!)

Bullwinkle, a prime-time animated star of the 60s

had his own costume from Ben Cooper. But he seems a

little blue here, particularly in his face, which was brown on the show.

Another prime-time animated star of the 60s, Fred 

Flintstone, also had a Ben Cooper costume, allowing kids to have five o'clock

shadow before they even got out of grammar school.

What kid wouldn't want to dress as Granny

From The Beverly Hillbillies?!...

...or Captain Merrill Stubing

from The Love Boat?!...

...or Laverne & Shirley?!...

...or Farrah Fawcett?!...

..or Morgan Freeman from

The Electric Company?!

Maybe you'd like to go as the giant, killer shark from Jaws?...

...or the giant killer ape from 1976's King Kong?

Fell in love with Star Wars during the summer of '77?

You could go as Darth Vader, just don't look for a replica of

his cape and costume - you get a picture

of Darth splashed across your chest!

You didn't just get a whip and fedora to dress like

Indiana Jones, you got his entire face, too!

Check out this ad from 1955

for Disney costumes ($1.98!!!).

And, yes, that's Lady and the Tramp!

Or this ad from 1989 (yes, that's Robocop!).

Thanks to Dinosaur Dracula for posting this,

and they are discussing this ad on their latest 

"Purple Stuff" podcast episode. Listen here: Purple Stuff

Just of the few of the many, random memories of when pop culture collided with Halloween. Reflections of a time when Halloween seemed (and was maybe) just a tad more innocent - when kids welcomed pennies and popcorn balls alongside their bite-size chocolate bars.

A time when dressing up as a favorite TV or movie character for Halloween came right out of a box. Thank you, "Big Three," for the memories.

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

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Freaks and Geeks: The 60th Anniversary of "The Munsters" & "The Addams Family"

 

by Michael Lyons

Two families arrived on the scene into the reserved television line-ups of the early sixties, where Leave it to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show reigned supreme. They both brought ghoulish delight, dark comedy, and year-round Halloween vibes and emerged as iconic television sitcoms.

Hard as it is to believe, but in a creepy, competing move, The Munsters and The Addams Family both debuted sixty years ago this fall.

The Addams Family was inspired by a popular cartoon by artist Charles Addams, while The Munsters was developed by the team that had given us Rocky & Bullwinkle. Both were seen as an antidote for the more sweet-natured, family-friendly fare that was such a part of television at the time.

The Munsters aired on CBS, and The Addams Family on ABC. While it may seem more of a coincidence that both similar series debuted the same year, there's no clear evidence as to which was developed first, and both seem to have been initiated at their respective networks around the same time.

The Munsters told the tale of the titular family who lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane - father and husband, Herman (Fred Gwynn), wife and mom, Lily (Yvonne DeCarlo), Grandpa (Al Lewis), their son, Eddie (Butch Patrick) and "normal" niece Marilyn (Beverly Owen, in the first season, and then Pat Priest, in the later seasons).

The Addams Family was Gomez (John Adams), Morticia (Carolyn Jones), Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan), Lurch, the groaning butler (Ted Cassidy), Grandmama (Blossom Rock), daughter Wednesday (Lisa Loring), son Pugsley (Ken Weatherwax) and Thing, their "handy" helper.

The two shows were part of a "fantasy sitcoms" trend that aired throughout the 60s. These included Bewitched, Gilligan's Island, and My Favorite Martian. Like The Munsters and The Addams Family, these series provided a respite from turbulent times happening in the world.

Both shows also contained ghoulishly funny and iconic moments, such as Addams Family's Cousin It, who was nothing but hair, and The Munsters' pet spot, the fire-breathing dragon who lived under their stairs.

Of course, there were those iconic, earworm theme songs - The Munsters groovy, Beach Boys-Like take on classic horror movie music and The Addams Family "da-da-da-dum, snap! snap!"

In their own comedic ways, both shows also made statements about acceptance of others who may be different. This was summed up by a heartfelt speech Herman provided to Eddie in one episode:

"The lesson I want you to learn is it doesn't matter what you look like. If you're tall or short; or fat or thin; or ugly or handsome - like your father - or you can be black, or yellow, or white. It doesn't matter. What does matter is the size of your heart and the strength of your character."

After each series went off the air, they returned and continued in different ways. The Munsters had a 1966 full-length feature, Munster, Go Home, and would later return, with a new cast, in The Munsters Today, a 1988 series revival. There was also Mockingbird Lane, a 2012 short-lived revival of the series, and director Rob Zombie's 2022 big-screen version of the film.

The Addams Family, on the other hand, has seemingly had an endless run of re-boots and remakes: there was Hanna-Barbera's 1973 Saturday morning animated series, a 1977 Halloween reunion movie, 1991 and 1993's popular films, animated features in 2019 and 2022, and, most recently, 2022's popular Netflix series, Wednesday.

However, it's both original competing series that hold a "creepy and kooky" place in the hearts of many. And, with The Munsters and The Addams Family both celebrating 60 years, why choose? Binge them both this spooky season.

Top: the author and his wife, Michelle, with Butch Patrick

who played Eddie on The Munsters. Bottom: The author and

his wife, Michelle, with Christina Ricci, who played

Wednesday in The Addams Family movies.

 Looking for more pf my articles, podcasts and books? Head over to Words From Lyons

 

Saturdays, Cereal and Sleestaks: The 50th Anniversary of "Land of the Lost"

by Michael Lyons

In his book Pufnstuf & Other Stuff, author David Martindale wrote:

“Long before American pop culture transformed the mighty dinosaurs from majestic, mysterious beasts of another age into kings of kitch - before Dinos became trendy and fashionable, cute and cuddly - Sid Krofft was a die-hard dinosaur buff.”

An entire generation is thankful that he was because he brought us Land of the Lost. In a time when the computer-generated images of the Jurassic Park films were nary a glint in anyone's eyes, Sid & Marty Krofft, the ingenious, original minds behind such shows as H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters brought a one-of-a-kind prehistoric world to Saturday morning television.

Debuting on NBC on September 7, 1974, Land of the Lost, celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, is well-remembered by many who, as kids, sat cross-legged on their parents' shag carpeting eating an overly-sugared bowl of some sort of crunchy cereal, in amazement at this unique series sandwiched between the familiar cartoon fare.

In a story detailed in the show's catchy theme song, father Rick Marshall (Spencer Milligan) and his children, Will (Wesley Eure) and Holly (Kathy Coleman), are on a "routine expedition," rafting, and are plunged over a waterfall.

They arrive in what looks like a prehistoric world, filled with dinosaurs and primate-like people called Pakuni. They learn that there is more to this "Land" than just Dinos, and there are some mysterious things at work, such as power crystals and lizard-people-like creatures called Sleestaks.

Land of the Lost employed tremendous creativity in its stories, thanks to several Star Trek veterans who penned many of the show's scripts (including actor Walter Koenig, who played Chekov).

Sid and Marty Krofft, known for their creative use of costumes and puppetry, employed those techniques here, which was combined with stop-motion animation on Land of the Lost to bring the dinosaurs to life (including a T-Rex nicknamed "Grumpy" and a baby Dino nicknamed "Dopey").

For kids who grew up watching the show, this was a marvel. When watching the episodes now, the effects seem quaint, maybe even threadbare, when one senses that the rock caves have a styrofoam look to them, and the green screen is evident. However, this "handmade" feel only adds to the show's charm now and was part of what made it magic in its day.

Land of the Lost was also immensely successful, running for two years on NBC, including a change to the plot when Milligan departed the show. Krofft re-booted the series in 1991 and there was the big-budget 2009 feature film starring Will Ferrell.

The original series was squarely in the pop-culture sights when it aired, appearing on numerous pieces of merchandise, including lunchboxes, coloring books, and action figures.

Now, fifty years later, Land of the Lost, the show, is like a portal in time itself. The series serves a trip back to another era, not to one of dinosaurs and Sleestak that the Marshalls discovered, but to when Saturday morning TV was a time of imagination and escapism for kids.

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The Rainbow Connection: Looking Back at Initial, Critical Reaction to "The Wizard of Oz," in Celebration of the Film's 85th Anniversary

 

by Michael Lyons

 

It's difficult to believe that The Wizard of Oz, such an iconic part of our film history, pop culture, and zeitgeist for eight and a half decades, was once simply a new movie opening at a theater near you.

On August 25, 1939, MGM's big-screen adaptation of author L. Frank Baum's novel made its debut, telling the tale of Kansas girl Dorothy (Judy Garland), making her way down the yellow brick road with the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), the Tin Man (Jack Haley), and the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) to meet the Wizard (Frank Morgan), all while trying to stay away from the Wicked Witch (Margaret Hamilton).

The film blew into everyone's lives like a twister, leaving us with indelible images ("Surrender Dorothy"), lines of dialogue ("There's no Place Like Home," and songs by Harold Arlen and Edgar "Yip" Harburg, that have been memorized by generations and ranks as one of the best musical scores in movie history.

The legacy of The Wizard of Oz is unparalleled. It is one of those rare, beloved parts of growing up passed on through generations. But what did movie critics initially think of the film?

In celebration of the 85th (wow!) anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, here are some snippets of reviews from when the film first debuted:  

John C. Flint, Sr., Variety 

"Nothing comparable has come out of Hollywood in the past few years to approximate the lavish scale of this film musical extravaganza, in the making of which the ingenuity and inventiveness of technical forces were employed without stint of effort or cost. Except for opening and closing stretches of prolog and epilog, which are visioned in a rich sepia, the greater portion of the film is in Technicolor. Some of the scenic passages are so beautiful in design and composition as to stir audiences by their sheer unfoldment."

Russell Maloney, The New Yorker

"Fantasy is still Walt Disney’s undisputed domain. Nobody else can tell a fairy tale with his clarity of imagination, his simple good taste, or his technical ingenuity. This was forcibly borne in on me as I sat cringing before M-G-M’s Technicolor production of “The Wizard of Oz,” which displays no trace of imagination, good taste, or ingenuity."

The Hollywood Reporter

The Wizard of Oz will beyond question, be accorded recognition as a milestone in motion picture history. It scintillates with artistry, yet it possesses such an abundance of qualities which predict broad audience success that there can be no question of its being headed for spectacular playing time and grosses."

Newsweek

"Produced by Mervyn LeRoy and directed by Victor Fleming, The Wizard of Oz was two busy years in the making. Magnificent sets and costumes, vivid Technicolor, and every resource of trick photography – including a realistically contrived cyclone – bolster the competent cast that strikes a happy medium between humor and make-believe. The more fanatic Ozophiles may dispute M-G-M's remodeling of the story, but the average movie-goer – adult or adolescent – will find it novel and richly satisfying to the eye."

Otis Ferguson, The New Republic 

“It has dwarfs, music, technicolor, freak characters and Judy Garland. It can’t be expected to have a sense of humor as well — and as for the light touch of fantasy, it weighs like a pound of fruitcake soaking wet.”

Frank S. Nugent, The New York Times

"Not since Disney's "Snow White" has anything quite so fantastic succeeded half so well. A fairy book tale has been told in the fairy book style, with witches, goblins, pixies, and other wondrous things drawn in the brightest colors and set cavorting to a merry little score. It is all so well-intentioned, so genial, and so gay that any reviewer who would look down his nose at the fun-making should be spanked and sent off, supperless, to bed."

 

Check out more of my articles, podcasts and order signed copies of both of my books, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance and Magic Moments: Stories, Lessons and Memories from a Twenty-Year Career at Disney at my website, Words From Lyons !

 

Funny Thing About This Humidity : Comedies Set During a Heat Wave

 by Michael Lyons

The Hottest day on Earth. That's what scientists at NASA declared on July 22, 2024.

Of course, that title seems to be granted to a different date every summer recently. It's been a sweltering summer, and even though kids are starting to head back to school, and pumpkin spice flavored everything is on the horizon, this summer doesn't seem to be turning down the heat.

So, as your air conditioner chugs along and your electric bill continues to rise with the temperature, here are some movie comedies, each set during a heat wave and the perfect antidote to the exasperating weather.

 

The Seven Year Itch (1955)

Director Billy Wilder's classic film, with Marilyn Monroe's iconic scene where her dress billows up, thanks to a subway grate, all takes place during the crippling heat of a Manhattan summer.

Tom Ewell plays Richard Sherman, a publisher whose wife and son leave the city for Maine to escape the heat. As he enjoys his newfound "bachelor life," Sherman finds himself attracted to one of his neighbors (Monroe). Although a fantasy, Sherman is comically tortured about what this may mean to his marriage.

Not just a classic comedy, The Seven Year Itch captures New York City at a time when the only escape from summer was to head into an air-conditioned theater to see Creature From The Black Lagoon.

 

The Odd Couple (1968)

The film adaptation of Neil Simon's brilliant play about mismatched roommates, slovenly Oscar (Walter Matthau) and neat-freak Felix (Jack Lemmon), also takes place in New York City during the heat of the summer.

From the opening scene of a poker game, played in Oscar's stifling apartment where the air conditioner is broken, to a hilarious scene at a New York Mets game, and the couple's argument on the roof of their apartment, as the haze of the hot city stands behind them, this is a brilliant comedy against the backdrop of a hot summer.

 

The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975)

Another Neil Simon comedy, this one starring Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft, as empty nesters who find their lives at a crossroad while trying to live in their tiny New York apartment (where Lemmon's character suffers a nervous breakdown).

From wall unit air conditioners that are too cold to a garbage workers strike that's made the stifling streets even worse, the hysterical comedy boils over here like the summer heat itself.

 

Biloxi Blues  (1988)

Guess what? It is another Neil Simon comedy (he had a gift for laughter during a heat wave).

In this semi-autobiographical story (based on Simon's play), Matthew Broderick plays Eugene, a young New Yorker drafted during World War II who tangles with his Sergeant (Christopher Walken, brilliant as always) during basic training.

And that basic training is in Biloxi, Mississippi, in the middle of summer. As Eugene observes, "Man, it's hot. It's like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot."

 

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

During a heat wave during in summer of 1981, a group of counselors at Camp Firewood try to tie up loose ends on the last day of camp while preparing for their big talent show, in a send-up of the teen sex comedies of the 80s.

With an amazing ensemble cast including Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Bradley Cooper, and Elizabeth Banks, among others, director David Wain's comedy has rightly developed quite the following since its initial release twenty-three years ago, spawning a series of Netflix shows, as well as a sequel. 

 

So, there you have it, just a brief list of heat wave comedies. And don't stress about the summer weather. Before you know it, you'll be complaining about how cold it is.

Stay inside and enjoy the air conditioning with one, or both, of my books, which are available at Words From Lyons where they can be signed and personalized! 

 

Packed with Laughs: Classic Sitcoms on Vacation

by Michael Lyons

 

Summer vacations are a funny thing. We can plan and plan for a year, and still, it may never be perfect. A lot can go wrong.

 

Some of television's most famous sitcoms know that very well, and when the characters in those sitcoms have gone on vacation, funny things happen:

 

I Love Lucy, The California Episodes, 1955

 

For half the fourth season and part of the fifth season of I Love Lucy, Lucy (Lucille Ball), Ricky (Desi Arnaz), Ethel (Vivian Vance), and Fred (William Frawley) travel cross country from New York to Hollywood, California, as Ricky has been offered a part in a big studio movie.

 

There episodes focusing on the trials and tribulations of getting to California, including a stop in Tennessee where they meet cousin Ernie (played hysterically by singer Tennessee Ernie Ford).

 

Then, when they finally arrive in California, there is episode after episode featuring some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including William Holden, John Wayne, and Richard Widmark, playing themselves in some of the classic sitcom's most famous and funniest episodes.

 

The Odd Couple, Felix, The Calypso Singer, 1971

 

Oscar (Jack Klugman) books a Caribbean vacation to the island of "Hockaloma" with Nancy (Joan Hotchkis), but when she has to cancel at the last minute, he takes Felix (Tony Randall).

 

When Nancy is able to come, Oscar pushes Felix aside, and the guilt trip Felix provides Oscar is all of the fun, as is the disastrous location Oscar has booked for his vacation. "Who else would buy a package tour of Devil's Island?!" asks Felix of Oscar.

 

All ends well, including Felix singing a calypso song in the dilapidated resort that is a true earworm you'll be humming for days after. 

 

The Brady Bunch, The Hawaii Episodes, 1972

 

Talk about a classic sitcom's most famous episodes - this three-parter where Mike Brady (Robert Reed) is sent to Hawaii on business and takes the whole bunch with him is one of the best.

 

While in Hawaii, the Bradys find a tiki idol that brings them bad luck, such as Greg (Barry Williams) wiping out in a surfing contest, a tarantula crawling into the hotel room and onto Peter's (Christopher Knight) bed, and Alice (Ann B. Davis) throwing her hip out while doing the hula.

 

The boys feel they have to return the idol to a cave to break the spell and encounter a mysterious stranger, played by none other than guest star Vincent Price.

 

This is oh-so-Hawaiian, oh-so-70s, oh-so-Bradys and oh-so-rewatchable, again and again.

 

Full House, The House Meets the Mouse, 1993

 

Never has there been a more innocent, unrealistic, and, yet completely entertaining visit to Walt Disney World.

 

Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) takes the whole "House" to Disney, and things don't go right, but they're still magical in this multi-part episode. Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) is dubbed Princess of the Day at Magic Kingdom Park, DJ (Candace Cameron Bure) thinks she sees her boyfriend Steve as Aladdin in the parade at the then Disney-MGM Studios (incidentally, Scott Weinger, who played Steve, was also the voice of Aladdin in Disney's 1992 animated feature) and Jessie (John Stamos) gets to sing "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" in front of Cinderella Castle, after which Danny proposes to Gail (Vicky Larson) as the fireworks fill the sky.

 

"The House Meets the Mouse" is remembered fondly...make that beloved...by the generation who grew up with the series. And why not? It's full of such feel-good '90s Disney nostalgia. After watching it, you will immediately want to book your next Walt Disney World Vacation.

 

 

Hopefully, these episodes, and others out there, will help you prepare to enjoy your summer vacation this year. And, if all doesn't go as planned, well, as these sitcoms promise, you can always look back and laugh.

Looking for something to read or listen to on your vacation? Check out my articles, podcasts and books at Words From Lyons !