Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.11 at 22:33

Current mood: nostalgic

And no, we’re not talking about Carole Lombard facing Clark Gable on the courts (and usually beating him). Rather, this concerns an upcoming HBO movie about an event that transfixed a nation back in the day — featuring two players who both had ties to Lombard. In fact, there’s a good chance Carole saw one of them play.

In September 1973, women’s champion Billie Jean King took on 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, a one-time world number-one player, in a match that filled the Astrodome in Houston and was telecast nationally. King won in what was viewed at the time as a landmark achievement for women’s sports; certainly it was a quantum leap for women’s athletic recognition.

King was trained in her youth by Alice Marble, whose career Lombard had sponsored in the ’30s on the way to winning four consecutive U.S. Open singles titles, as well as the last pre-war Wimbledon in 1939.

But Lombard probably was no stranger to Riggs, either — he was a Los Angeles native and a regular on the West Coast circuit. In fact, Bobby and Alice teamed to win mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 1939, repeating the feat at the U.S. Open in Forest Hills the following year. (Riggs also won the singles and partnered with Elwood Cooke for men’s doubles at Wimbledon in ’39; although this was still the amateur era for tennis, Riggs won a $100,000 bet in Britain for achieving the triple.) Here’s Riggs, at right, with Marble after a match against Jack Kramer (their nationwide tour in 1947-1948 filled Madison Square Garden and other arenas):

Small among male players of his era, Riggs overcame his relative lack of power through smart play and speed. Riggs three times was named the world’s number-one player, winning four professional titles after World War II. However, in popular culture, Riggs today is best remembered for his match against King, who defeated him 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. (He later won senior titles in his 60s and 70s before his passing in 1995.)

Why are we bringing all this up? It’s been announced that HBO is planning a film about this event, with Facebook friend Elizabeth Banks playing King and Paul Giamatti (“Sideways”) as Riggs.

David Auburn (“Proof”) will write the script, and Tom Hanks will be one of the executive producers. Since I was pleased for Banks’ sake to learn the news, I sent this photo of Lombard and the following message to her Facebook site:

“Heard the news from HBO, Elizabeth — so just how is your tennis game? (smile emoticon) Anyway, congratulations…and from a fellow actress who was pretty good with a racquet (Carole Lombard, who sponsored the career of tennis champ Alice Marble, who later instructed BJK), some inspiration.”

I’m looking forward to this endeavor — and although it’s been publicized throughout the entertainment press, Banks herself has been mum on the issue, at least at Facebook andhttp://elizabethbanks.com. I suppose she’d prefer to publicize her projects coming up, such as “PitchPerfect 2.” Also, sometimes industry honchos aren’t keen when the press jumps the gun on some news.

For example, today it was learned that “Mom,” my favorite current sitcom, is coming back for its third season, and Chuck Lorre stablemate “Mike & Molly” will return for its sixth year. The news got out via Twitter from people associated with each series, not CBS or Warners TV (although the renewals for both series was expected), and while the Twitterfeeds were quickly erased, it was too late to undo.

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.10 at 17:49

Current mood: productive

Carole Lombard and Cesar Romero engage in a romantic scene from Universal’s 1936 comedy “Love Before Breakfast.” And Lombard’s enduring appeal as one of the 1930s’ most popular stars has been certified, thanks to Heritage Auctions of Dallas, which is having its latest Movie Poster Signature Auction on March 28 and 29.

This 27.5″ x 41″ one-sheet for “Love Before Breakfast” is one of the auction’s featured items:

Heritage describes this as an “incredible stone litho one sheet that is rare and features one of the best-known images of this beloved actress ever released. Only a sliver of paper loss in top border required touchup. The linen has been trimmed up to the edge of the border. Very Fine on Linen.”

Oh, and its estimated value? $20,000 to $40,000, with an opening bid of $10,000. Suffice it to say this mere mortal won’t be among the bidders. But if you think you could be (in which case we really should become friends!), then visit http://movieposters.ha.com/itm/movie-posters/comedy/love-before-breakfast-universal-1936-one-sheet-275-x-41-/a/7106-86286.s to learn more.

The highlight of the auction is undoubtedly a three-sheet from the 1931 Universal classic “Frankenstein”:

It’s the only copy known to exist, with a pre-auction estimated value of more than $100,000.

And get a load of this full-bleed one-sheet promoting Marlene Dietrich’s “The Song of Songs”:

It’s estimated that it will go between $15,000 and $30,000.

Read more about the auction at http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/press/2015/03/monstrous-frankenstein-three-sheet-poster-could-bring-100000-at-heritage-auctions.phtml.

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.09 at 18:00

Current mood: cheerful

Carole Lombard’s formal education may have ended during her junior year at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, but it didn’t stop her from appearing in a number of campus comedies for Mack Sennett, playing everything from track stars (as in “Run, Girl, Run,” above, with Daphne Pollard) to the title role in “The Campus Vamp.” But in the 1920s, a degree wasn’t required for stardom in Hollywood — and you can be sure that if Carole was pursuing an acting career today, she’d get as much education as needed.

Today’s entry is, to borrow the old time, “going collegiate,” focusing on one college I know well and the other am rapidly learning about. We’ll begin with the college where I obtained my undergraduate degree back in 1977, the University of Maryland:

Much has changed in College Park since my campus days. The university has bolstered its academic programs, tightened admissions requirements (perhaps I would be admitted today, but it wouldn’t be a lead-pipe cinch!) and instituted an honors college. And in 2012, the university announced that in July 2014, it would enter the Big Ten Conference after 61 years as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

That’s the fourth-ranked Maryland women’s basketball team, which yesterday completed a 21-0 record against Big Ten foes (the Terrapins are 30-2 overall) by winning the conference tournament title to accompany their regular-season crown. But the Big Ten has meant more for Maryland than winning titles (in the fall, the Terps were B1G champs in men’s soccer and field hockey). It is unique among conferences in that it has academic initiatives — including interlibrary loans and a research consortium, the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, consisting of the 14 Big Ten members plus the University of Chicago.

I’m proud to say that as far back as February 2010, when the conference announced its intention to expand, I called for College Park officials to pursue Big Ten membership, a move few endorsed at the time (http://www.diamondbackonline.com/opinion/editorials/article_af2a5589-43a5-5f08-a6a9-287ad68c4d43.html). But as university president Wallace Loh noted Saturday, when the move was announced, 90 percent of those in the Maryland community opposed it; now, with the benefits clear to all, 90 percent are in favor.

So it’s no wonder that the university is making an effort to spread the word and revive its once-dormant alumni base in southern California. On Saturday, it hosted an event at the Sofitel Hotel on Beverly Boulevard, with Loh (above) and Hall of Fame basketball coach Gary Williams (below, now a university fundraiser) as keynote speakers.

It was wonderful meeting so many fellow Terrapins and making alumni connections, since there are many involved in the entertainment community. (Soon, I hope to be among them.)

In 1969, when Charles “Lefty” Driesell was hired as Maryland’s new basketball coach, he said he thought the school could become “the UCLA of the East.” It didn’t quite happen under his watch, but in many ways he was right. Maryland has won a pair of national basketball titles (the men under Williams in 2002, the women under Brenda Frese in 2006), and has grown into an academic powerhouse rivaling UCLA, UC Berkeley and other top state flagships. And speaking of UCLA…

…last Wednesday, I visited the Westwood campus, home of not only the famed Bruin statue but one commemorating arguably the greatest college basketball coach of all, John Wooden:

I met Wooden in December 1974, early in what would be his final season at UCLA, when the Bruins played at the Maryland Invitational tournament at Cole Field House (where Wooden had won one of his 10 NCAA titles in 1970), shook his hand and he signed the game program. A genuine man.

The coach’s statue naturally stands in front of the arena where he had many of his greatest triumphs, one of the legendary venues of the college game…

…also home to Bruin volleyball (a big deal in this neck of the woods), gymnastics and women’s basketball. This night marked the men’s regular-season finale against archrival Southern Cal…but unlike their heated football rivalry, UCLA has dominated the Trojans in recent years, perhaps explaining why this crosstown rivalry game was not sold out. (UCLA would win 85-74.)

Wooden’s legacy is commemorated throughout the building, which will turn 50 later this year and was renovated earlier this decade:

Once the game concluded, I posed for a picture:

(An explanation to my Maryland friends: A few months ago, I donated $100 to the Wooden Athletic Fund and received that UCLA cap in return. However, I also donated $125 each to the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and the Terrapin Club. OK?)

And since we mentioned “Run, Girl, Run” at the top of this entry…

…a 400-foot Super 8 reel of “Run, Girl, Run” from legendary Blackhawk Films is up for auction at eBay, said to be in very good condition. Bidding begins at $7.95, though you don’t have much time — the auction closes at 6:55 p.m. (Eastern) Wednesday. Learn more by visiting http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-8-RUN-GIRL-RUN-1928-400-B-W-CAROLE-LOMBARD-Mack-Sennett-Comedies/311309317993?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28797%26meid%3D43c167bcbd844f518d73ed5ced8efd64%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D311309317993.

Finally, we wish to pay tribute to Sam Simon, co-creator of “The Simpsons” and philanthropist extraordinaire, who lost his long battle with colon cancer today at age 59. He gave away much of his $100 million fortune from the show to help people and animals; we should all go so gracefully.

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.08 at 20:28

Current mood: nostalgic

The photographer whose work defined Hollywood portrait glamour (such as in the above portrait of Carole Lombard) is currently being honored by a museum spotlighting the man who revolutionized animation.

George Hurrell, shown in a self-portrait…

…is the subject of an exhibit, “Lights! Camera! Glamour! The Photography of George Hurrell,” through June 29 at the Walt Disney Family Museum at the Presidio in San Francisco. And among Hurrell’s subjects was Walt Disney himself, shown in 1940:

The exhibition covers some 80 portraits, and yes, Carole is among the subjects. So are Jean Harlow, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Ramon Novarro, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Katharine Hepburn. Some of these images have not been publicly seen since the 1930s.

Most of you know by now how Hurrell was the master of light and shadow, adding a subtle sophistication to the craft of glamour portrait photography. But what you may not know is that Hurrell had ties to the Disney family. Hurrell married Disney’s niece Phyllis Bounds, who then employed her cousin Sharon, Disney’s youngest daughter, as an assistant. (Walt drove Sharon to work.) Hurrell founded a television production studio —- Hurrell Productions —- in the 1950s, which was housed on The Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank. Disney animators and staff were employed to create animated television commercials.

The Walt Disney Family Museum (which is not part of the Walt Disney Company) is at 104 Montgomery Street at the Presidio in San Francisco. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day but Tuesdays, and admission is from $12 to $20. For more information, call (415) 345-6800 or visit http://www.waltdisney.org.

Hurrell glamour is always worth checking out, so if you’ll be visiting the Bay Area over the next few months, take it in to see Crawford and Harlow, among others.

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.07 at 11:25

Current mood: contemplative

One of the many sadly unanswered questions about Carole Lombard is how she would have functioned as a mother. Given her genuinely generous nature that made her among the most popular stars within the film industry even before “Twentieth Century” showed the world beyond Hollywood what she could do, Carole probably would have been good at parenting. (She had a splendid role model in her mother, Elizabeth Peters.)

And while it tends to be overshadowed by the magnitude of Lombard’s romance with Clark Gable, Carole could very well have married noted screenwriter Robert Riskin in 1935 — but when she wanted children in their marriage and he didn’t, that ended any potential coupling. (He changed his mind in the 1940s after marrying Fay Wray — whose previous marriage had been to author-screenwriter John Monk Saunders — and they had offspring.)

The photo above, showing Lombard with Paramount’s child star Baby Leroy, gives an indication of Carole’s affection for children. They had posed on other occasions, such as in this toothpaste ad (which appears to be from the same session)…

…or this Screen Book cover from June 1934:

Here’s more information on the top photo from the seller:

“Original 8×10-inch sepia-toned, glossy publicity photo/movie still was produced to promote popular actors, CAROLE LOMBARD and BABY LEROY. It was produced in 1934. According to the printed info on the back, Ms. Lombard was currently filming a movie called YOU BELONG TO ME — but as far as we can find, the actress did not appear in a film by that name. This is an original studio-issued still — NOT a copy or reproduction. Copyright information is printed on the lower border. The photo features a great portrait of the lovely actress posing beside the adorable child star,Baby Leroy. Overall condition: Solid VG/VG+….. There are some areas of surface bubbling on the reverse side, where the top layer of paper has air trapped underneath. However, this flaw in no way affects the image side. The still also has slight edge wear on the borders, and it may have lightened a bit with age. None of these flaws are very distracting, and otherwise, the photo is in very nice shape.”

While Paramount did release a film in 1934 called “You Belong To Me,” starring Lee Tracy and Helen Mack, research shows this also actually was a working title for the Lombard film titled “Now and Forever,” with Gary Cooper and Shirley Temple (http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/123078.html).

You can buy this delightful, original photo for $25 by visiting http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAROLE-LOMBARD-w-BABY-LEROY-Original-1934-Portrait-Movie-Photo-NICE-/161627599679?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25a1c1733f, while we stop and ponder what might have been.

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.06 at 15:59

Current mood: envious

Good news for the many Carole Lombard fans in the Washington, D.C. area where I once resided: Two of her cinematic classics will be shown over the next few days at the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Md., just north of the District line. “Nothing Sacred” (1937), where she’s shown above with Fredric March, will be screened at 5 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Wednesday. Her breakthrough film from three years earlier, “Twentieth Century,” is to be shown at 1 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Monday.

It’s part of AFI’s series “Leading Ladies of Hollywood’s Golden Age,” as from Saturday through next Thursday, Lombard and Paramount stablemate Marlene Dietrich will be featured.

Karina Longworth, whose fine podcast “You Must Remember This” recently focused on Lombard and second husband Clark Gable (http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/765994.html), was interviewed by the Arts Desk of the Washington City Paper (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/film/2015/03/05/the-hidden-lives-of-classic-movie-stars-a-primer-for-afi-silvers-leading-ladies-series/). Here’s what she had to say about Carole:

AFI is also showing two films starring Carole Lombard this weekend: “Twentieth Century” and “Nothing Sacred.” Your episode about her and Clark Gable is the most tragic one I’ve heard, which is ironic since she was a terrific comic actress.

“Twentieth Century” was really the film that made her. Before then, she was knocking around Hollywood a long time, starring in B-movies or playing the second lead. She hadn’t really found her identity. It was on “Twentieth Century”…that she was able to let loose and be the girl she was in real life: a wild party girl, but with a core of absolute sweetness. You see that codified, but “Nothing Sacred” is my favorite of her films because it’s really weird. It’s her first film in Technicolor, and it’s really beautiful, with this pastel painting look. The first set-piece has to do with a guy who’s presenting himself as an African dictator to New York society, and while its racial/ethnic stuff is dated, there’s a terrific screwball comedy there, too.

So the combination of dated racial material and screwball comedy is what makes the film so weird?

That’s what makes the first 10 minutes so weird, but then it continues. It’s directed in a strange way, in terms the way Lombard and her co-stars are framed in the film. They’re deliberately hidden by tree branches, or the camera will do elaborate movements in order to find the actors. The camera work is really advanced for its time.

Kudos to director William Wellman for such “strange” camera work.

Oh, and as for the two Dietrich films, they’re both from 1932 and directed by her enigmatic lover, Josef von Sternberg — “Shanghai Express” at 11:10 a.m. Saturday and at 3 p.m. Monday, and…

“Blonde Venus” at 11:10 a.m. Sunday and at 3 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.05 at 17:53

Current mood: happy

Why are Carole Lombard and Norman Foster emulating Eskimos by rubbing noses in this promotional shot for 1931’s “Up Pops the Devil”? I don’t know the answer, either — but it is cute and charming, and you can have this 8″ x 10″ reprint for $11 (five are available) by visiting http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carole-Lombard-and-Norman-Foster-rub-noses-Up-Pops-the-Devil-8×10-rare-photo/251864410749?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28797%26meid%3D7850e7086d0e4639931162d0ed8c1351%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D191529082297.

Yeah, that Carole is a real doll, or at least a paper version — and the image above is up for auction at eBay. It’s listed as being from about 1940, but longtime Lombard fans know it’s actually derived from a mayonnaise ad in June 1933:

Want the paper doll, made in 2012 by artist Sandra Vanderpool? Bids begin at $2, with the auction ending at 6:47 p.m. (Eastern) next Thursday. Bid or learn more, by going tohttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Carole-Lombard-Paper-Doll/191529082297?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28797%26meid%3Dcf3ef63c963e4c8e866c4808725d96dc%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D251864410749.

I note the paper doll was made for the Edmonds (Wash.) Museum — and since Edmonds happens to be the former home of Carole & Co. fave Anna Faris, a reminder that her hit sitcom “Mom,” now in its new slot of 9:30/8:30c on CBS, will air shortly with Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer back in the fold as Regina, the white-collar embezzler sent up the river last season but who’s now out of jail. Faris and Spencer will hold a live chat when the show airs in the East — and you can join in at https://www.facebook.com/events/413243815523565/.

Also, Faris is the cover subject of this month’s Redbook, with a very thought-provoking interview about life with red-hot husband Chris Pratt and her son Jack. You’ll enjoy reading it as much as I did.

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.04 at 09:25

Current mood: weird

Every now and then, I wonder just how differently people in Carole Lombard’s time viewed things. By that, I’m not referring to stuff that happened later that they could not have foreseen, but merely perceptions that would seem obvious to us in 2015 but apparently didn’t register in 1935.

The dress Lombard wears above is a case in point. I’ve seen that photo before, but never have done an entry on it, perhaps because I didn’t know just what to say. A spotted dress? Yes, Carole is considered one of comedy’s great clowns, but in a literal sense? Was Lombard off to join the circus? (Cue James Darren’s “Goodbye, Cruel World.”)

A closer look at the outfit reveals what may have been the allure some 80 years ago. The “spots” are metallic, as is the sash around her waist. Perhaps back then, people didn’t see the dress (which beautifully hugs Carole’s curves) and immediately think, “Circus!” I’ll never be able to go back in time (though I’d love to be proven wrong!), but even if I were able to, there’s no way I could replicate the mindset of someone living then.

This is an 8″ x 10″ reprint on professional archival photo paper. As of this writing, five copies are available, each for $11. If interested, visit http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carole-Lombard-in-a-spotted-dress-8×10-rare-photo/391072459239?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28797%26meid%3D677a495c3e104d68a2aa6ffead6c8435%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D251864410749.

The same conditions apply to two other Lombard images, variations on more common pics — for example, this one from 1934:

It’s at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carole-Lombard-portrait-8×10-rare-photo/391072362641?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28797%26meid%3Db959301ab3594023a6c5612a42f289c6%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D251864410755.

Then there’s this one…

Learn more on this by going to http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carole-Lombard-posed-on-top-of-a-couch-rare-8×10-photo/251864410755?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28797%26meid%3D6e350cb4f01149d1a8128264de29e83b%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D391072362641.

At his splendid blogsite today, Ken Levine discussed the importance of musical cues to both TV series and the classic era of Top 40 radio (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-most-important-ten-seconds-of-your.html), and to accompany the latter, he provided a link to a five-minute montage of jingles from some legendary Top 40 giants such as WABC and WMCA in New York, KHJ in Los Angeles, WLS in Chicago, CKLW in Detroit (it was based out of nearby Windsor, Ontario, explaining the call letters) and those in smaller markets, such as WOLF in my hometown of Syracuse. There are individual jock jingles, such as for KHJ’s the Real Don Steele and WABC’s Herb Oscar Anderson (“HOA”) and Dan Ingram, and even some news jingles near the end for WCBS-AM, the CBS network and ABC’s American Contemporary Radio Network (Howard Cosell used this intro for his daily sports report and his weekly all-purpose interview show “Speaking of Everything”). For those of you who remember this era, it’s like meeting old friends; for those who don’t, it will give you an idea of what it was all about. Indeed, “the hits just keep on comin'”:

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.03 at 19:58

Current mood: enthralled

Are you ticked off because you couldn’t make it to the Hollywood Costume exhibit at the future site of the Academy of Motion Pictures Museum (it closed yesterday), and thus missed a chance to see Carole Lombard’s gown from “My Man Godfrey” (the one she’s wearing above) up close and personal? Well, don’t fret. Even though photography was forbidden at the exhibit, someone associated with the exhibit took a pic of the “Godfrey” gown, and while it looked silver onscreen, the sepia portrait above provides a closer idea as to how the beaded silk outfit appears in real life:

Perhaps the gown drew so much attention — a tribute to Lombard’s timeless appeal — that someone associated with the exhibit put up a photo of it. I know Deborah Nadoolman Landis, curator of the exhibit (and the wife of director John Landis), is a fan of the gown (and of Carole). Many of the outfits shown at the show can be seen in her fascinating book “Hollywood Costume,” which can be purchased online at amazon.com for under $20 in softcover:

Also, today marks the 104th anniversary of the birth of someone who became a close friend of Carole’s, a woman whose career path somewhat paralleled hers in many ways, including a tragic fate…Jean Harlow.

Harlow’s fans are every bit as passionate about their star as their Carole counterparts — indeed, there’s plenty of overlap between them. Here’s a 6 1/2-minute film of stills featuring Jean in the great outdoors (swimming, with pets, playing tennis, golf, etc.) Like Jean herself, it’s seductively charming:

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Posted by vp19 on 2015.03.02 at 20:51

Current mood: accomplished

Imagine having a snapshot of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard that was part of the Gable estate! Well, imagine no more, because that’s what we have here — an original photo that’s 4 1/2″ x 3 1/2″. In fact, one side is cut and there is a small corner bend, so it actually looks like this:

The seller bought this and more than 675 other Gable pictures from the estate of Kay Gable, his last wife — and here are some of the pics that will be made available (I’ve been told they will be sold as a unit and not broken up):

The Gable-Lombard snapshot photo can be bought in two ways: You can purchase it outright for $99.99, or place a bid beginning at $49.99. The auction is scheduled to end at 5:26 p.m. (Eastern) Sunday. To bid or obtain more information, visit http://www.ebay.com/itm/1930s-CLARK-GABLE-CAROLE-LOMBARD-Movie-Stars-Picture-ORIGINAL-Photo-SNAPSHOT/261797351820?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131017132637%26meid%3D0cf637046d3f4ba8a1194b01b01a154c%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D261797351820.

Today marked what would have been the 65th birthday of Karen Carpemter, one of the great voices of American pop music in the 1970s. She and her brother Richard had a number of hits throughout the decade, and if some of us self-styled rockers in the early ’70s deemed the Carpenters a bit too square — sort of a musical equivalent of Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower — well, history and the Carpenters both proved us wrong. Here’s my favorite record of theirs, “Goodbye To Love” from mid-1972, which Karen sings beautifully, followed by a rocking instrumental fadeout (that’s Tony Peluso on fuzz guitar). It’s as if they were saying to those of us doubters, “You want heavy? We’ll give you heavy!” (Some middle-of-the-road stations faded the song out before the fuzz guitar.) I must admit, I respected the Carpenters a lot more after that.

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