A Show You Should Have Been Watching: "The Middleman"

(Since "The Middleman" is not on any more (hopefully just for the season), I'm making a few corrections to this post. You can still watch the cool stuff about it though.)

There's a show on ABC Family called "The Middleman" that I hope all of you saw. It's just so wonderfully wacky and quirky. And while it's gotten some great reviews, it's not doing so well in the ratings, so please PLEASE give this show a chance and see what you think. (I guess I should say I hope you did now.)

Here's what critics think of it:




And here's some Public Service Announcements produced by the cast:







On ABC Family's website you can even watch an episode (Go to Shows/The Middleman/Full Episodes). I think you can watch the season finale there. Alternate realities! Good guys gone bad! Goatees!! Unfortunately, rather than make more episodes available as streaming videos on the website, they sell past episodes on iTunes. (Thanks, ABC Family.) As I said, this is just a fun show that really deserves a chance. Maybe it'll be back next season. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Score 3 Points: The Official Robin-Doud National Political Survey Test

Let's throw another political album into the ring here. This one is done by the same people that brought you "Welcome to the LBJ Ranch" and "Lyndon Johnson's Lonely Heart's Club Band", and follows the same format of taking actual recorded interviews and putting humorous content around it. I don't think it works quite as well this time. Maybe you just need to be more aware of (what were then) current events. Hopefully you'll get some enjoyment out of it!

(By the way, this album (and the two mentioned above) have covers with art by famed artist Frank Frazetta, although in this case he only did the carving of Johnson.)

Here's the track list:

1. Opening


2. Section 1: True or False


3. Section 2: Multiple Choice


4. Section 3: Statistical Survey


5. Section 4: What Do You Hear?


6. Section 5: Sound Effects


7. Section 6: True or False


8. Section 7: What Were They Doing When They Said It?


9. Section 8: Multiple Choice


10. Section 9: What Do You Hear?


11. Section 10: Sound Effects


12. Closing

Click here or here to download!

It's Cool in the Furnace

I thought the re-release of this was the same recording as this one, but it turns out it was totally redone, so here's the original deal. A great, fun Christian musical with some catchy tunes. Enjoy!

(Note: The first song has a couple of skips in it towards the end. I tried getting them out, but I didn't have any luck. Sometimes I can edit in a similar part from earlier in the song, but this happened right after the key change, so it wouldn't have matched. The rest of it's fine though.)

Here's the track list:

1. Shadrach (has a couple of skips in it)
2. Jerusalem Town
3. It Pays to Remember
4. Tra-La
5. Show Us the Dream
6. The King's Decree
7. Know When to Say No
8. It's Cool in the Furnace
9. Let the People Praise

Click here or here to download!

OGF Zodiac for Aug. 9 - Sept. 29: Peppercorn the Sneezing Turtle

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Here's where you fall in the Prof. Otis G. Firefly Zodiac if you were born from Aug. 9th through Sept. 29th. Yeah, they're getting pretty strange here, but there you go!

Sing the Happy Romper Room Songs

Here's another album of Romper Room songs, and even though it's certified with Mister Do-Bee and Happy Jack the Jack-in-the-box, I still don't remember any of these songs. Where's the Do-Bee song ("Do-Bee a car sitter, Don't be a car stander") or the Punch-a-Ball song? I don't know. There's gotta be an album of those songs, but this one ain't it. There's still some nice kids' songs on here though. Hope you like it.

Here's the track list:

1. Exercise Song


2. Fall


3. Sleepy Time


4. Five Little Chickadees


5. I Have Two Eyes


6. Laughing Song


7. My Snowman


8. Romper Room Magic Mirror Song


9. Romper Room Prayer


10. Romper Room Safety Song


11. Spring


12. Summertime


13. Ten Little Indians


14. Ten Little Men


15. What Do They Say?

Click here or here to download!

UPDATE: For an album with more of the traditional Romper Room songs, it's available in mp3 format from Amazon.com! You can get it here.

OGF Wisdom for August

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Here's your Prof. Otis G. Firefly Wisdom for August, and only a couple of days late! Enjoy!!

Please help me find a record!!

I'm looking for a copy of a record I had many years ago.

Here's what I remember about it:

It was the size of a 45 (with the large hole in the middle) but I think it played at 78 speed.

It had a blue label (was probably an older Golden Record).

It had songs based on and sung by comic strip characters. There was a song by Beetle Bailey and Sgt. Snorkel, Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse, and Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. There may have been another one (Blondie?), but I don't remember for sure. I even know some of the words of the songs. I'll put the lyrics I know in case it rings a bell with you:

Beetle Bailey and Sgt. Snorkel - “Police It”

If it don’t walk
And it don’t talk
Police it!
Police it!
If it don’t run
When it sees you come
Police it!
Police it!

Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse – “It’s the Conk that Means He Cares”

My Ignatz is stupendous.
He just knocks me out!
<…>
And every brick
He hits me with
Just makes my love for him grow.

It’s the conk that means he cares.
It means more than flowers or candy.
It’s the conk that means he cares
So I always make sure there’s a brick
That’s handy.

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith – “Plain Folks”

Snuffy: We’re plain folks
Just plain folks
We’re happy in the mountains.
<…>
And we like our home just the way that it is.

Barney: Sorry, but I thought I’d make us rich
But I’ll be rich you’ll see
And if’n you stick with me
You won’t be a-livin’ in a shack no more
Gonna get us a house with a bell on the door!

Snuffy repeats his part.

Even if I found my copy of it it's so worn out I'd be hard pressed to get a good recording of it. If anybody knows where I could find this, please let me know. Thanks!

Rock Goes Folk - The Topsiders

Here's another unusual mash-up of sorts. The Topsiders took what were popular songs at the time and reimagined them as traditional folk songs. Does it work? I don't know. It almost sounds like they knew a few chords and were bound and determined to make each song have only those chords in it, whether they really fit or not. It's an interesting experiment though.

Here's the track list:

1. Let the Good Times Roll
2. The Wayward Wind
3. Come Go With Me
4. Ain't That a Shame
5. Tammy
6. Diana
7. Heartbreak Hotel
8. Unchained Melody
9. Bye Bye Love
10. Venus
11. Devil or Angel
12. Dream Lover

NOTES: In the comments section, Guav found a nice little article about the band here. Also, I found out that this is now available on Amazon (with a couple of songs added) under the title "The Topsiders." You can get it by clicking on the link below:

Ode to Joy

It's time once again for me to bring a little culture to the proceedings:

The Peter Pan Chorus Sings Songs from Sesame Street Vol. II

The Peter Pan Chorus takes a stab at some classic songs from Sesame Street. I think they're better off when they just sing the songs normally. When they try to do funny voices it doesn't work as well. Take a listen and see what you think!

Here's the track list:

1. Rubber Duckie
2. I Love Trash
3. J Jump
4. Up and Down
5. What Are Kids Called
6. Sesame Street
7. Somebody Come and Play
8. Number Five
9. I've Got Two
10. Green

Click here or here to download!

Alley Cat and Chicken Fat: An Album of Fun Dances- Irwin the Disco Duck and the Wibble Wabble Singers

Here's a different "Alley Cat and Chicken Fat" album, this one tied in with Irwin the Disco Duck. I have no idea why, since none of these songs come close to replicating disco! We do get Irwin's original Donald-like voice though, so it sounds like he's introducing the Wheelbarrow Polka. Another interesting thing which I've included with the file: apparently there was a comic story of sorts on the back covers of the albums. This one features the unusual conclusion to it.

Anyway, sorry for the long absence, and I hope you like the album!

Here's the track list:

1. Alley Cat
2. Chicken Fat
3. Limbo Rock
4. The Twist
5. Mashed Potatoes
6. Hully Gully
7. The Monkey
8. Beer Barrel Polka
9. Mexican Hat Dance
10. Turkey in the Straw (Square Dance)

Click here or here to download!

The Adventures of Batman & Rubin (the Jewish Boy Wonder) - Allen & Rossi

I thought this would be a good one to put up to tie in with the opening of "The Dark Knight". I went record shopping a couple of months ago and scored a sealed copy of this. Marty Allen and Steve Rossi were a popular comedy duo at the time, and this is the story of a comic book reading boy named Rubin (Allen), and his dream of joining Batman and battling the Penguin, the Catwoman, and the Riddler.

The most interesting thing about this record is listed at the top of the cover: "Created and Written by Bob Kane (Creator of Batman & Robin)". Yup, supposedly this album was written by Bob Kane himself. He even wrote the liner notes on the back cover. (However, considering how much has later been discovered about Kane's "sole" creatorship of Batman, I have some doubts about this.)

I know a lot of you are going to want to know if this album is funny. To be honest, I didn't get many laughs from it. (Maybe if you're Jewish some of the references might be funnier.) But regardless of that, I thought it would be good to put up for the historical significance of it. Enjoy!

Here's the track list:

1. Rubin's Dream
2. Enter Batman
3. Enter Commissioner Gordon
4. Enter the Penguin
5. At the Discotheque
6. Enter the Catwoman
7. Enter the Riddler
8. A Clue
9. Batman and Rubin Meet the Riddler
10. Rubin Awakes

Click here or here to download!

Happy 4th of July from Me and the Muppets!

I found this online and wanted to share it with you guys. This is a new video clip from the Muppets in honor of Independence Day. Enjoy!!

OGF Wisdom for July

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Here's your words of wisdom for July, courtesy of Prof. Otis G. Firefly. Enjoy!

7 Days to Better Bowling

Here's one of those self-hypnosis type records; this one is supposed to make you a better bowler. You're supposed to listen to Side 1 during the day and Side 2 at night. I was going to try it myself, but there's a big caution on the front stating that this record is "for right handed bowlers only". I'm a leftie myself, so I don't know what effect they think it'll have on me. Maybe they think it'll turn me into some sort of robotic killing machine. Or maybe it'll just make me bowl screwy. Who knows? Frankly, I'm not willing to take that chance.

Click here or here to download!

Lyndon Johnson's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Earle Doud & Alan Robin

I was going to lump the few political records I found together around November, but it really is a mixed bag. I like this one though. This is actually a sequel to "Welcome to the L.B.J. Ranch" that I have featured here put together by the same people, and the concept is the same as well. The commentators ask questions and the politicians provide answers that are actually taken from other interviews and recordings of them with humorous results. I enjoy this because you don't even have to really know much about the politicians to laugh at the jokes, but it's probably funnier if you do know about them. Anyway, I think you'll like this one!

Here's the track list:

1. Senator Everett Dirksen
2. President Lyndon B. Johnson
3. Governor Ronald Reagan
4. Senator Robert Kennedy
5. Vice President Hubert Humphrey
6. Mrs. Ladybird Johnson
7. Vice President Richard Nixon
8. Senator Barry Goldwater

Click here or here to download!

Alley Cat and Chicken Fat Plus Other Fun Dances - The Golden Orchestra and Chorus

Here's a record of games and dances for kids. I seem to remember having a pretty old 45 with this version of "Drop the Handkerchief" and "Button Button", so this could be another compilation of songs from various sources. Anyway, some neat stuff here, and I hope you like it!

Here's the track list:

1. Alley Cat
2. Chicken Fat
3. Musical Chairs
4. Button Button
5. Drop the Handkerchief
6. Skip to My Loo
7. The Farmer in the Dell
8. Bingo
9. Follow the Leader
10. Simon Says
11. My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean/Good Morning to You
12. Clap Your Hands/Springfield Mountain/The World Turned Upside Down
13. Hokey Pokey

Click here or here to download!

Hulk Cartoon Intro

I was impressed that the new "Iron Man" movie found a place for the theme song to the sixties cartoon of it. I'd be REALLY impressed if the new "Incredible Hulk" movie found a place for this:

It's About Time - The Peter Pan Orchestra and Chorus

Here's an interesting children's record talking about all aspects of time. It starts simply talking about the minute hand and the hour hand of the clock, then getting into days of the week and months of the year. By the time it's all said and done, they even get into Greenwich Mean Time and the International Date Line! Pretty heady stuff for a kid's record, don't you think?

Here's the track list:

1. About Time
2. The Clock: The Minute Hand Song
3. The Hour Hand Song
4. Every Hour Has Sixty Minutes in It
5. The Big Hand Is Up
6. The Minute Hand March
7. You Tell the Time When You Hear the Chime
8. A Clock Has Hands
9. The Days of the Week
10. (When) You Were Born
11. The Months of the Year
12. It Rotates on Its Axis
13. Spin Around the Sun
14. The Hemispheres
15. Half a World Away
16. From Pole to Pole
17. It Is Later East of Greenwich
18. The International Date Line
19. About Time Reprise

Click here or here to download!

The Pickwick Children's Chorus Sing "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and Other Fun Songs of Today

In comparison with the previous album posted here, here's some kids that just sound like they're having fun singing their lungs out! It's kind of a strange album cover though. Why is there one boy in the front driving and nine girls in the back? And why do I feel like the girl at the bottom left with the cat's eye glasses is staring into my soul? Anyhow, hope you enjoy this fun album!

Here's the track list:

1. The Alley Cat Dance


2. The Unicorn


3. Dear World


4. Happy Birthday to Me


5. Just One of Those Songs


6. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang


7. Happiness Is


8. Yellow Submarine


9. Puff the Magic Dragon


10. What's More American

Click here or here to download!