Pop Culture from an Alternate Dimension

  I planned on having this be my post on the 12th but my MS Paint and Microsoft Word skills took a while to make the characters. This is based on the runners-up for the roles of Batman and Robin for the sixties television series: Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell. I also found that Gig Young was considered for the Joker, Suzanne Pleshette for Catwoman and Mickey Rooney for the Penguin. I knew then I had to use it for this blog. Here are the screen tests for the leads:  Batman screen tests

  A little different blog this time. What if an album was put out of songs with the names of Batman hero and villain characters. I named it after a Beach Boys song I decided not to use. The last track I included for the punchline of the song and I thought it was amusing. BATMAN Heroes & Villains - YouTube

  Jon Peters produced the 1989 Batman movie and in the '90s he got the film rights to Superman. Peters contacted Kevin Smith to write the screenplay. Smith met with Peters and the producer told him what he wanted. Smith found the pitch meeting odd and has told the story of what happened many times.  Nicolas Cage was cast as Superman/Clark Kent and according to him it was he that brought Tim Burton on board. After Smith, Wesley Strick rewrote the script followed by a Dan Gilroy rewrite. Concept art was commissioned, Cage had fittings for various "Supersuits" and it all seemed a go but it never got off the ground. Since the script was based on the "Death of Superman" storyline I wanted to base the cover on the poly bag that covered the comic when it was first released which was black with only a red dripping Superman logo on front. It would also be reminiscent of the original VHS release of Batman  which was black with only the Batman logo extended past the edges.

  September of last year I mentioned my friend Stefan had the idea of putting popular songs into a movie that only had incidental music. I've posted my version, which was Blade Runner , and he has allowed me to share his musical choices. Of course, being me, I designed the cd booklet and tray card. Star Wars alternate soundtrack - YouTube You can find Stefan's kindle books here: Amazon.com : stefan boales

  To continue with the 1960s I present another movie from 1969. Unlike the last one that was written, produced and directed by Anthony Newley to showcase himself, this one was written, produced and directed by Carl Reiner to showcase his friend Dick Van Dyke. The Comic  is about a silent film comedian narrating his life and talking about his bad breaks, the flashbacks however show that he was the problem. The "modern day" parts are drama, but it has clips of the character's old movies where you can see Van Dyke doing classic slapstick. Michelle Lee played Billy's wife and Mickey Rooney played a fellow silent comedian. Here is a clip that shows some of "Billy Bright's" work:  Dick van Dyke - The Comic (1969) - video Dailymotion

  I've done fictional bands of '80s before and now I have thirteen fictional '60s bands. Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and Christopher appear again as Spinal Tap (before they went heavy metal) and those three are also here as The Folksmen. Eric Idle's Beatles parody, The Rutles, had to be included. Eric Idle also makes an appearance with Peter Noone as London's Bridges from an episode of "Laverne and Shirley". From the tv series "Gilligan's Island" I used their Beatles parody, The Mosquitoes. I have Frankie Avalon as Potato Bug from Bikini Beach . I chose a different Wonders song instead of the title track of That Thing You Do . From other movies about fictional musicians I used Grace Of My Heart , Eddie and the Cruisers , Walk Hard, the Dewey Cox Story and  Inside Llewyn Davis.  Peter Cook makes an appearance as Drimble Wedge singing (?) "Bedazzled" from the movie of the same name. The Singing Sixties - YouTube