Calling Ann Risley!

Since I realized that, unlike my blogs on other sites, these ones are here for all the world to see, I wanted to transmit a message that hopefully will reach its recipient someday...

Ann Risley, where are you?

I wanted to write this for a while, because in the many years I've spent researching SNL, I've come to the conclusion that if any major castmember has been horribly overlooked, it's Ann Risley.


Hired as part of the unfortunate 1980 cast, Ann's time on "Saturday Night Live" was cut short after only twelve episodes when, during the transition to Dick Ebersol's reign as executive producer, she was replaced by then-current "SCTV" cast member Robin Duke. Sadly, as all twelve of her episodes fell under NBC's lame idea to limit the rerun exposure of episodes that fell below SNL's ever-changing quality standards, Ann's work went unnoticed by most fans who didn't see the shows when they aired live. Even her lone photo in the "SNL: The First Twenty Years" book got cropped off the page... respectful network they are, huh?

The truth is, like several other cast members from that era, Ann showed a lot of potential on the show. Not only was she easily one the best looking women in SNL's history, but she showed split-second comedic timing in the very few sketches were she was given a chance to shine. A good example is "The Toni Tennille Show," from the episode hosted by Ellen Burstyn. This was probably the only sketch were Ann herself had the floor, without being weighed down by other cast members; and her performance is like clockwork. At every cue to do or say something funny, she is right on the mark. It's unfortunate that executive producer Jean Doumanian somehow failed to notice this, often wedging Ann into miscast characters or background roles.

Well, I certainly did notice, and I hope that others reading this will be inspired to track down her episodes and appreciate her work as well. Unfortunately, after SNL, she doesn't seem to have appeared on screen many more times. She currently runs an acting school in Tucson, now going under the name of Anna Risley; and apparently, she doesn't look too fondly upon her brief stint in the late night limelight. I think it's time to change that, and finally give her the credit she deserves.

So, wherever you are, Miss Risley... thank you for brightening those twelve dreary episodes with your talent. You deserved more than what you got from that show, and I hope that fan appreciation will allow you to have a better outlook on the time you spent there.

This Old Song?

I came across this today, and couldn't believe it... the pleasant little instrumental I knew for years as the (former) theme of "This Old House" is actually a Fats Waller recording from the Thirties - AND it has lyrics!

Damn...

Andy Kaufman strikes again?

Just spotted this on Yahoo...

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=13013043&src=news

California's mysterious ex-school board member Steve Rocco faces up to six months in jail for stealing a ketchup bottle from the school. Are you aware of who they may actually be locking up?

Hint: He died 25 years ago.

For those unaware of Rocco's back story, he emerged out of the blue and ran for a California school board, managing to win despite never making a public appearance. He proved himself to be a nuisance at meetings, being loud, sarcastic, and relentlessly insulting towards his fellow board members. Oh yeah, and he also began a website - http://www.andykaufmanlives.com.

Since his strange emergence, talk began to circulate that Rocco, about whom no background information has been found to this day, was in fact an alter-ego of Andy Kaufman. Not only did online registries show Rocco as the creator of this controversial site that cryptically claimed Kaufman to be alive, but Rocco publicly admitted to its creation.

The name of the registrar was then changed to Stephen Maddox, allegedly the name of a character from an old film about a man who faked his own death. The mysterious "Maddox" began claiming that he himself was Andy Kaufman, living comfortably and privately under a pseudonym. Stephen/Andy *also* claimed that, like Foreign Man and Tony Clifton, Steve Rocco was just another of his characters. (Fans have noted Rocco's facial resemblance to Kaufman, and in a discussion about the topic on The Overnightscape, an online radio show, it was mentioned by a long-time follower of Andy's supposed death hoax that Rocco appeared sans his trademark sunglasses on public access TV in the mid-Nineties, and bore a striking resemblance to Kaufman.)

So is the jailbound Rocco in fact Andy Kaufman, alive and well and stealing ketchup? Only time will tell. If Maddox and Rocco are the same person, then surely, the often updated Andy Kaufman Lives will sit dormant throughout Rocco's up-to-six-month sentence. Then again... perhaps this ridiculous ketchup controversy is just another genius Kaufman prank??

Rocky Horror - a movie of many faces!

I just posted about this on IMDB, and thought I would elaborate on it here... unbeknownst to most viewers, there are WAY too many variations on "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", putting it on par with the ever-changing cuts of "Caligula." For you anal retentive collectors, don't worry - many of the various permutations are viewable on the DVD.

The question remains, however... which of these do you consider to be the *ultimate* version?

1a) Stereo UK version - 100 minute cut, containing "Super Heroes." Songs have been remixed/altered from their original forms. [DVD - UK version + 5.1 audio]

1b) Mono UK version - 100 minute cut, containing "Super Heroes." Songs are in their original forms, and noticeably different from the stereo version. "Time Warp" has more voices in the chorus, "Touch Me" has echo, "Floor Show" has Rocky's actual singing voice, Janet's "Floor Show" verse is a different vocal take, etc..... [DVD - UK version + mono]

2a) Stereo US version - 98 minute cut, lacking "Super Heroes." Most common version released on VHS, and also the basis for US TV edits. Songs are in their remixed/altered forms. [DVD - US version + 5.1 audio]

2b) "Mono US version" - 98 minute cut, lacking "Super Heroes." Songs are unremixed or alternate takes. Though possible to create on the DVD, I'm very doubtful that an actual mono print was ever shown in American theaters; I believe that, until the DVD, the mono soundtrack was only ever paired with the longer print. [DVD - US version + mono]

3) Bastardized US version - A sad attempt to create a 'happy ending'. Not only is "Super Heroes" missing, but "Science Fiction Reprise" has been replaced with "The Time Warp." While not included in full on the DVD, the redubbed US ending was included on disc 2 of the 25th Anniversary set.

4) Misprint version - Not sure about the origin of this version... this print mistakenly matched the audio from the US ending with the video of the UK ending, meaning that while "Super Heroes" footage is seen, the edited version is heard. This bizarre ending is also included on disc 2 of the 25th Anniversary set... sadly, without any further information detailing why it exists.

5a) Easter Egg stereo UK version
5b) Easter Egg mono UK version
5c) Easter Egg stereo US version
5d) Easter Egg mono US version
These four variations all revolve around a hidden feature on the DVD, allowing whatever variation chosen by the viewer to also include the first several scenes in black and white, switching permanently to color at the first verse of "Time Warp." This concept was originally mentioned in the screenplay... though, it should be noted, NOT exactly how it appeared on the DVD. The switch to color was originally intended for the start of "Sweet Transvestite."

Not to mention, a couple fan-created variations exist as well.

* Artificially extended versions - Though this was almost assuredly never officially compiled by Fox, fans have chosen at various times since its original release on the 20th anniversary VHS to splice "Once In A While" back into the movie. While there is no set-in-stone version like this, the various fan-created extended cuts are most likely near-identical, and most likely all use the UK version in order to contain the most content.

* Alternate "Science Fiction" versions - Again, while no official version was created by 20th Century Fox, some fans have opted to replace the lips intro with a montage of sci-fi film clips, as per the original shooting script. There is no set-in-stone version like this either, and all compilations seem to vary in some way.

Of course, there have been countless butchered versions aired on American TV, but those probably don't bear thinking about.