My Life Flashing Before My Eyes-A Facebook Album

For those who would care to do so, I've created a Facebook album for my rapidly approaching 54th birthday which showcases photos from my last 5 decades including many from the seventies.

Even if you aren't on Facebook, you should be able to access it via this public link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152395290720076.946038.859435075&type=1&l=375a1069cf

Tuesday, December 31st, 1974

The very last day of the year. I slept late and when I awoke I watched THE MIRACLE WORKER where young Patty Duke gave a performance that reminded me of Linda's in THE EXORCIST. The movies are taking Paul's place for now.

Got a letter from the TREK group detailing the Convention plans. I'm really doubting now that I'll be able to go. Terry claims he's definitely going. If I don't, I hope he doesn't or I'll never hear the end of it. The letter did tell where to send story contributions as well so if I ever finish mine, I'll have that.

I saw most of Paul's funeral today live. I didn't much care for it, maybe because I'm not Catholic. It was very confusing. Afterwards, another brief obituary aired.

In just over a week, I will be sixteen years old. Big deal. I feel that fifteen has been very good to me overall. Although being sixteen, everyone's seeming "dream age," means nothing special to me, I do hope 1975 will be even better.

IT. One thing's for sure. This time, it was absolutely positively the last time this year! There's no year left!

Dad picked me up more APES cards.

I finally read a lot more of ALICE.

Cut out my last PEANUTS strip.

Saw Art Carney, Dyan Cannon and Elliott Gould on with MERV.

Thought I glimpsed a very young Linda Blair on a detergent commercial but I was probably wrong!

I'm writing this at 10 PM. Two hours away from next year. One year ago today, I was just preparing to begin this book. Tonight I'm going to stay up and see a late New Years show and then I'm going to seal this book and seal my 1974 movie lists inside it, also.

Well, it's minutes until Midnight now, nearly 365 days to the minute after I started this thing. This is almost where I came in. I've met a lot of people this year whose very existence I was unaware of a year ago. I hope next year will be just as good.

Well...like I said, this is where I came in. Time to go.

Goodbye.

THE END

NOTES: Here in 2012, I echo my younger self. I've met a lot of folks through this blog and its 1976 predecessor who went through everything I went through...even though none of us knew it at the time. We were NOT alone! And we survived. It hasn't always been easy and 2013 is looking like quite a struggle from my end. Hopefully it looks better from where you are.

In answer to a large amount of requests (and a few demands), I have decided to leave both 1974 and 1976 online, at least for the foreseeable future. If you're just discovering them, I hope you enjoy them. As I've stated before, I did not keep a journal in 1975 so there is no more. These two are all there is. 

If you like what you've read here--if you somehow relate to geeky teenage me, we hope that you'll consider a small donation via the DONATE button at top left. Thanks to the many who have already done so and helped us survive a tough couple of years.

Also, please keep in mind the other BOOKSTEVE BLOGS which will, of course, be continuing on for the pop culture aficionados amongst you. 

Happy New Year, thanks and good afternoon.

Buh-bye. 

Monday, December 30th, 1974

Mom went in to work but she didn't stay all day.

Watched a special 90 minute tribute to Paul Baby this morning hosted by Tom Atkins. It was even sadder than Jack Benny's! That was probably because it was broadcast right from Paul's studio where the show came from all those years. But no more. It was empty now when it should have been full if he was still alive. They showed a lot of film clips. As funny as they were, I really cried. Oh, it was sad. I wish these things didn't happen. Even Nick Clooney before his previously taped show did a short, live eulogy for Paul even though he was on a different station. Bob Braun did one, too. The special was repeated tonight in prime time.

Terry and I went to see THE ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD and WINNIE & TIGGER uptown. The last movies of a busy movie year!

Later at Woolworths I picked up the two DC dollar books.

Saw Chris Connelly on a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE rerun. Dad wouldn't let me stay up to see the Monkees movie.

NOTES: ISLAND was a sub-par adventure film of the type Disney had done much better two decades earlier. It starred David Hartman, soon to become the hist of GOOD MORNING AMERICA and  give up acting completely. 

I assume the reference to a Monkees movie being on was a reference to HEAD, a film I wouldn't see until a midnight showing a decade later.

As you can tell, Paul Dixon's passing, especially coming almost immediately after Benny's, affected me greatly. The end of the year and the end of people who had always been there in my life, even if I had never met them. 

Sunday, December 29th, 1974

I began reading ALICE when I got up today. Later in the morning, I watched Marlo and The Muppets on WONDERAMA.

Went over to Fountain to get THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

Watched DR WHO & THE DALEKS again. Love that movie!

At 7:30, I watched an hour long uninterrupted tribute to Jack Benny. It was live and quite marvelous. Later in the evening, I watched JUDGE DEE AND THE MONASTERY MURDERS.

IT. Twice. I've decided that next year I'm not going to try to stop cold, but gradually. Maybe I can slow down until I quit.

NOTES: Wow. As I type this up, without having read it in advance, I'm watching a DR WHO episode on Netflix. In 1974, as far as I knew, the only Doctor was Peter Cushing who starred in the two Dalek features loosely adapted from William Hartnell episodes. 

Saturday, December 28th, 1974

Things almost didn't work out but they finally did. Terry's Mom took us out to Comic Corner where I got $4.75 for the comics I sold him. I turned right around and bought 5 good mid-sixties books. Steve says the Hilton downtown doesn't have any info about a comic convention next month even though there was another mention of it in today's paper.

LAND OF THE LOST actually had an ending today!

Mom, Terry and I went to see the third showing of FREEBIE & THE BEAN. We missed about a half hour and had to sit through it again. It was real good! Very funny. Afterwards, Mom went on home and Terry and I stopped at McDonalds. When I got home, Aunt Rosie had been there to deliver our presents--another sweater and two pairs of socks.

Mom got me ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Not the version I had been wanting but still should be good.

Paul Dixon died tonight. Too bad. I've known who he was all my life but had really just begun watching his show regularly this past summer.

NOTES: I had never read ALICE but had long enjoyed the Disney version and had expressed an interest in reading it, The version she got me was an edited, illustrated children's version. In an odd twist, she bought it at the Waldenbooks location where I would be working eight years later.

If you aren't from this area, the name Paul Dixon will mean nothing to you. Beginning as a reporter, he ended up with a slightly naughty free-form, ad-libbed talk variety show that ran live 5 mornings a week and was syndicated throughout the Midwest at its peak. It was there where a young and impressionable David Letterman saw Paul. Nuff said. And yes, that's a bad wig. Paul Baby (as he was called by everyone) milked it for a million gags, too.

Friday, December 27th, 1974

Dad was real sick again today. He went to the doctor with Mom. Because of this, I reverted to my original Friday plans.

Terry and I went over the river and caught the bus there right away. We passed the Valley Cinema by at least four blocks. It was only the second time I had been to the Cine Carousel but I remembered it well.

FREEBIE & THE BEAN was there, too, but we'd gone to see EARTHQUAKE and we did. Sensurround was fun but I'm sure glad all flicks don't have it!

Afterwards we walked back to the Valley, my first time there. It seemed a bit like the old Liberty in Covington. Really! We went in in the middle. It was also good. Linda's role was a small one but I loved it. I should. I waited long enough to see her in it! Now I've seen all of her films except SARAH T...

We got back downtown about 6. I got a few things at Fountain. That cute girl was working.

Had to go straight to work when I got home.

Later I saw the very last APES show--a rerun, of course. I only missed one of the whole run. Bought some more APES cards this morning. Bet they'll be hard to come by now.

NOTES: Somewhere in here my dad developed juvenile diabetes but I don't believe this was it. Seems like that was a year or two later...although I don;t recall it from my '76 Journal. Hmmm...

I usually thought the cute girl at Fountain News was Mexican but sometimes I wondered if she was Indian...as in "from India." Her parents ran the store for many years.

I can't believe I actually planned on and saw two big movies in one day less than a week after I had done the same thing with THE TOWERING INFERNO and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. I did, though. EARTHQUAKE was the first and the unnamed second one here was AIRPORT 1975. 

Sensurround was the new process developed by Universal that made the seats shake in the theater, supposedly to enhance one's filmgoing experience. It kind of worked with EARTHQUAKE but was later used with ROLLERCOASTER, MIDWAY and the theatrical release of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA to lesser success, then retired.

I don't believe I ever returned to either the Valley or The Carousel. Too far out from downtown.

PS--Due to popular demand, I have decided I will leave both 1974 and 1976 online after the year ends. Tell your friends!

UPDATE--In the latest of many parallels between 1974 and 2012, this afternoon I unexpectedly received an early birthday gift from a friend that included AIRPORT 1975 on DVD! So here I am, exactly 38 years after I first saw AIRPORT 1975...and I'm watching AIRPORT 1975! Even weirder, my friend of 20+ years now, actor Bob Hastings, is in the film!

Thursday, December 26th, 1974

Christmas is over again.

Dad called in sick again and he was in bed most of the day. Mom wouldn't leave him to go to the show with me and Terry didn't want to see any others. I'll have to play it by ear now. I did get to pick up the new books that were out, though. I decided to skip a lot that I usually get.

I forgot but yesterday, Jeff came to me with a wishbone. He said whoever got the bigger piece would be the first to marry. I got it. I have no idea who I could marry at all but I guess it could happen. We'll see.

Everybody's favorite miser, Jack Benny, must have suffered a stroke or something and they said on the news he's been given 'til morning to live.

NOTES: Wishbones don't work. Jeff beat me in getting married by more than a few years.

Jack Benny had been a favorite since childhood and remains so today. In actuality, he was dying of pancreatic cancer, the same disease that would take my mother just a few years later. He wouldn't last 'til morning. He died on the 26th.