Jamie Farr meets Red Sonja (played by the co-creator of "Elfquest") on "The Mike Douglas Show" in 1977

There's a lot going on in terms of fandom history in this clip from a July episode of "The Mike Douglas Show."  The man being interviewed is Phil Seuling, a comic book convention organizer and distributor who was responsible for the "direct market" as founder of Sea Gate Distributors in 1972, distributing comics directly to comic book specialty stores.  (He was also a voice in Ralph Bakshi's FRITZ THE CAT.)  There's Jamie Farr eagerly pointing out all of the Fawcett comics characters and discussing Wonder Woman's "mod" changes.  And there's also some early cosplay, as Wendy Pini, who would co-create "Elfquest" with her husband the next year, comes out on stage dressed as Red Sonja.  (The guy with the white hair is Jerry Lester, a regular comedian and personality who hosted one of the first late-night talk shows.)

Morning Cartoon: Isha Patel's THE BEAD GAME (1977)

Ease into the week with a more unusual work than normal, as Patel's beautifully-crafted work of bead animation is a heck of a lot more focused on having compelling images in a theme of increased aggression rather than a standard narrative.  It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. 

Birthday boys Redd Foxx and Donnie Osmond play a game of pool

Today would have marked the 92nd birthday of stand-up comedy icon Redd Foxx, who managed to be a mainstream sensation on network television after rising to fame with a series of comedy albums that were too blue for the small screen.  He could play clubs at night, indulging in the filthiest of jokes, and still warm his way into America's hearts by hanging out with the whitest of whitebread, as he does below in this 1977 clip from "The Donnie and Marie Show."

Learn geometry with 1977's CONGRUENT TRIANGLES

There honestly isn't that much to this six-minute educational film that utilizes basic computer graphics and a low-key jazz score, but it's an oddly entrancing experience that makes you feel like you're hanging out at the grooviest 5th grade classroom that ever was.



Congruent Triangles (1977) from WWM on Vimeo.

Evening Entertainment: Pilot for "I am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali" animated series

Oh, sure, Mike Tyson has a new animated series on Adult Swim, because the idea of Mike Tyson solving mysteries is zany, but he's hardly the first pugilist to make the leap into cartoons.  In 1977, the former Cassius Clay did it first, using his own voice and devoid of irony.  Of course, his floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee didn't do much for audiences, as the show was gone by the end of the year, but c'mon, he fought Superman the next year!  In the pilot, he faces off against an alligator.  Tyson couldn't even win at the board game.

Morning Cartoon: Animated life given to Cat Stevens' "Moonshadow" with narration by Spike Milligan

A man tries to follow the moon in this charming animated take on the Cat Stevens song and story "Moonshadow."  It was released on a compilation of animation called the FANTASTIC ANIMATION FESTIVAL, one of the first animation compilations released to video.  Spike Milligan serves as the narrator.

Morning Music Video: Klaatu's "A Routine Day," the first animated music video

"A Happy New Year, Planet Earth" was supposed to be an animated television special to promote sci-fi influenced Canadian rock band Klaatu's work, but the special, to be animated by Al Guest and Jean Mathieson ("The Hilarious House of Frightenstein"), never materialized.  The first work for the special, this video for "A Routine Day," was produced, and it's anything but routine, using rotoscope animation to produce the first animated rock music video.