Here's Mud in Your Eye, Honey!

 Can You Connect These 

 Seemingly Distant Dots? 

 Denny the Dell Rat Wants to Know! 

Put On Your Thinking Cap.

Avoid the Dunce Cap.

Get Ready for

Another Shady's Place

Brain-Buster Quiz! 

That's right, dear friend, It's time to bust your brain

on Shady Del Knight's latest Mom & Pop quiz.

Try to contain your enthusiasm.

Can your noggin pass the test?

 Denny the Dell Rat Wants to Know! 

Hi, I'm Denny

the Dell Rat.

I might be a rat,

but I'm curious

as a cat. I'd like

you to play my

favorite game,

 Six Degrees...

and see if you can

connect the dots.

Tell me if you

can name the

common links

between this

unsavory film

character and

four famous

people.

You takin' a shine to my woman, boy?

Well damned if you ain't!

So that's why you come bustin'

into her room the other night

like some little old banty rooster.

You're sniffin' after her, aren't ya boy?
Answer me! ANSWER ME!

TRIVIA QUESTION:

How is this mean drunk

related to Dennis the Menace,

Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra

and The Monkees?

(SCROLL DOWN)

ANSWER TO
TRIVIA QUESTION:

Character actor Hal Hopper, who played the

despicable lowlife sot Sidney Brenshaw...

 in Russ Meyer's 1965 Southern Gothic film Mudhoney...

was the uncle of Jay North, star of the

family comedy TV series Dennis the Menace.

Jay North (1951-2025)

Sadly, Jay recently died.  He lost his battle with

cancer April 6, 2025, at the too young age of 73.

Hal Hopper and his wife

Marie served as Jay's on-set

guardians during the filming

of the show. Hal also appeared

in acting roles in four episodes

of the series in seasons 2 and 3.

Jay North was a gifted child actor with millions of fans.

He knew his lines, hit his marks and made us laugh.

Cute as can be, Jay was convincing in his portrayal of a happy kid.

But, behind the scenes, Jay was sad and withdrawn, a victim of abuse.

  He was forced to work long hours on the set in violation of child labor laws. 

On top of that, young Jay was constantly reminded that the livelihoods

of a hundred people depended on him making the show a hit and

keeping it that way. No kid needs that kind of pressure!

Jay also revealed that, during the series' four season run,

he was verbally and physically abused by his

aunt and uncle, Hal and Marie Hopper. 

In fairness to Hal, it was Jay's aunt Marie who was mainly

responsible for the abuse. Any time Marie concluded that

Jay's performance in a scene didn't measure up to her

perfectionist standards, she dragged him off to the

dressing room, gave him a tongue lashing, shook

him, grabbed him by the hair, slapped his face

and spanked him. The aunt was careful not to

leave bruises that could be detected by other

members of the cast and crew. Absence of

bruises aside, Jay's years-long ordeal left

lasting emotional and psychological scars.

He couldn't bear to watch reruns of the

show because they brought back

such painful memories.

The original Dennis the Menace TV series premiered

October 4, 1959, the same week R&B blues man

Bo Diddley was climbing the chart with

his top 3 charting hit "Say Man."

"Say Man" - Bo Diddley

(Oct. 1959, highest chart pos. #3 R&B,

#20 Hot 100/#21 Cash Box)

On May 25, 1965, when the lewd and lascivious

Russ Meyer film Mudhoney was released to theaters...

...the kid-tested, mother-approved English pop band Herman's Hermits

were enjoying their fourth week of topping the chart in the U.S. and

 in countries all over the world with their innocent puppy love

ditty-- "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter."

"Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" 
- Herman's Hermits (April/May 1965,
highest chart pos. #1, Hot 100 & Cash Box)

The Pied Pipers (Hal Hopper 2nd from left)

Hal Hopper was primarily known as a singer and songwriter.

He was a member of The Pied Pipers, a popular singing

group from the late 1930s through the 40s that worked

with Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra.

The Pied Pipers (Hal Hopper on right)

  Down Beat magazine named The Pied Pipers the best and most popular

group of the year two years in a row - 1944 and 1945. In 2001, the group

was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In this vintage clip,

you will see Hal Hopper (on the right in the light colored jacket)

and the rest of The Pied Pipers  as they sing Johnny Mercer's

1944 jazz and pop standard "Dream," a song The P-Pipers

released as a single in 1945 and one of their biggest

hits for Capitol Records. (The song was later

recorded by Frank Sinatra and Roy Orbison.) 

"Dream (When You're Feeling Blue)" - The Pied Pipers (1945) 

As a songwriter, Hal Hopper composed

the theme songs of several TV shows...

including the western adventure family series

Circus Boy which aired from 1956 to 1957.

"The Circus Is Coming" by Harold Hopper and Victor McLeod 

  Hal Hopper landed an acting role in a 1957 episode of the show.

Circus Boy featured another cute little lad named Corky.

The child actor in the title role was Mickey Braddock,

not exactly a household name nowadays.  

Mickey Braddock later changed his name and gained

worldwide fame as Mickey Dolenz, the drummer

and one of the lead vocalists of The Monkees.

"I'm A Believer" - The Monkees

(Dec. 1966/Jan & Feb. 1967, highest chart pos.

#1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Wanna feel really old, boomer friend? Mickey Dolenz is 80 years old!

Wacky fact: Mickey's real name is George Michael Dolenz. Imagine

if he had chosen George Michael as his stage name!

WHAM!

In 1970, only five years after fleshing out the character

of trash-talking bully Sidney Brenshaw in Mudhoney...

Hal Hopper (1912-1970)

Hal Hopper died as a result of emphysema a week

before he would have celebrated his 58th birthday.

 

   Did you guess

   the correct

  answers before

 scrolling down?

Denny the

Dell Rat

wants to

know!

If you got the answers... good for you.

If not, you know the drill.

Have a Shady day!

NOTE: The character Denny the Dell Rat was inspired

by my high school classmate, fellow Shady Dell regular

and good friend Denny Neiman. 

Dennis "Denny" Neiman

1949 - 2010

Spin Doctors: Along Comes Mary ( the Bloody One )

Well now you know... tonight... here on our really big shoe...

we've got a surprise for the youngsters in the studio

audience and all you little rugrats watching at home.

Right here on our stage... on our really big shoe...

is a musical group called IMY2, which stands for

"I miss you, too." They will perform their latest hit

"ILY Baby" which stands for "I Love You, Baby!"

 Here they are-- the Dave Clark Five!

(Damn... wrong cue card!  I meant

to say Hootie & The Blowfish!)

"ILY BABY!" - IMY2 (March 2023)

Kicking off our really big shoe, that was Annalise Mahanes

and her Nashville-based pop band IMY2 looking and sounding

like an act of the mid 1960s, doing their original song "ILY Baby."

I'm Taylor Kelly, TV reporter babe for Skywitness News 8 in LA.

As you might recall,  I am one of the characters on 9-1-1...

the hit TV drama about the lives and loves of first responders.

On the show, I am firefighter Buck's love interest, (See above.) 

I am also your Hostess With the Mostest on the Shady's Place radio show

The I-Team

Plays the I-Tunes

the series that features newswomen characters from TV series

playing songs that have "I" in the title, such as the one you just heard,

"I Love You Baby" by our opening act, IMY2 (I Miss You, Too.)

Now meet the emcee of today's special, a "spin doctor"

whose Kool-Aid parties are legend - Dr. Mary Harris!

COLD OPEN:

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW! 

"Sweet Mary" - Wadsworth Mansion

(Jan./Feb. 1971, highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box/#7 Hot 100)

Laying down the sound and keeping you out on the dance floor,

that was Wadsworth Mansion aka Wadsworth Family Mansion

(not to be confused with the AHS Murder House) with their

claim to fame "Sweet Mary," a single that made the top 5

winner's circle on the Cash Box chart in February, 1971.

The pop-rock quartet from Providence, Rhode Island,

took their name from the landmark Wadsworth Mansion

at Long Hill in Middletown, Connecticut. Unfortunately,

the group went into the history books as one-hit-wonders

because their two follow-up singles missed the Hot 100

and didn't even register on the Bubbling Under chart.

Hi, and welcome in!

I'm Dr. Mary Harris.

 I'm not your granddaddy's Marcus Welby. I'm a new breed of doctor.

I kill people. (Hey, it's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.)

I come to you from the aptly named Canadian TV drama

 MARY KILLS PEOPLE 

now screaming on Roku.

Just call me your

Charlie's Angel

of Mercy.

Yepper...

I kill people,

and I look

damn hot

doing it.

 

As a Shady Bunch DJ in training, I put the needle

in the groove... (and another in your arm).

Actually, that's not true. My work is not in vein (BA-DUM-BUMP).

Instead, I shoot my joy juice into a glass of champagne and you drink-it-up.

That way, there's no tell-tale mark left behind for the pesky police to find.

Here's how it works. If you're interested in my services, ring me up

and pay me $10,000. I'll make a house call and serve you my

lethal cocktail. Let's call it a Bloody Mary. 

If you're a studly looking guy, I might level up the game by

shagging you first... before sending you to meet your maker.

You'll arrive at the Pearly Gates with a smile on your kisser.

Then, it's bottoms up and lights out, and you, my friend,

are off to see the Wizard! So... when I lose a patient...

it's a good thing - mission accomplished!

"The Wind Cries Mary" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

(June 1967, B side of "Purple Haze")

Today, some of your favorite Shady Bunch personalities are presenting

a sampling of the songs you'll hear on their shows. My TV series, 

 MARY KILLS PEOPLE 

... is about the psychodramas and the traumas involved in my risky business.

Naturally, my TV series was the inspiration behind my S-P-M-M radio show

Along Comes

Mary.

I'll be back later to tell you more, but first, I'd like to bring on two of

your favorite health-care professionals, stars of the NBC-TV series ER.

 

Hello.  I'm Dr. Jing-Mei

Debra "Deb" Chen

of Chicago County General's ER. I began as a med

student and went on to attain the title of Attending. 

Now, I'm striving to fulfill an even loftier goal -

that of becoming a Shady Bunch deejay.

 I am part of a select group of women serving as

Hostesses With the Mostesses on the S-P-M-M show

 All American Girls 

and I've got a sample song for you.

There'll be no flatlining when these two electrifying

queens of rock and metal join forces.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW! 

Here are Addie Nicole and Halocene joined by Daria Zaritskaya of

S&Z, with their cover of the Mötley Crüe hit "Kickstart My Heart!"

"Kickstart My Heart" - Mötley Crüe cover by Halocene

ft. Daria from Sershen & Zaritskaya (Aug. 2020)

If you're just tuning in... we're the Shady Bunch

Spin Doctors

 exclusively on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

 We're playing the coolest sounds around...

and urging you to bop till you drop!

Hello... I'm Neela Rasgotra.

I work with Deb Chen in the ER and I am also

a member of the Shady's Place deejay team

 All American Girls 

On our long-running TV series, I went from med

student to the title of Surgical Resident Physician. 

More importantly... I am listed in Wetpaint's "10 Hottest Female Doctors

on TV" and BuzzFeed's "16 Hottest Doctors On Television"...just saying. 

A woman of Punjabi Sikh heritage,

I transferred from London and

now live and work in Chicago.

Chen and I are here to remind

you what it really means to be

"all American." We are proof

that Americans come in all

shapes, sizes and colors.

Being a good patriot

means following

the time-honored

American tradition

of welcoming people

into our country,

celebrating diversity

in our communities and

taking an interest in the

music and culture of other

nations around the world. 

 All American Girls 

offer a diverse mix of artists and sounds, and it's my turn to play a song. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

As mentioned, I came to Chitown from the UK, and that's where we find

rock vet Royston Calder covering Robert Palmer's fever-paced nugget

 "Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)!"

"Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)"

Robert Palmer cover by Royston Calder

(July 2019)

Hi there, Neela... you cute

little thing! Honey, are you

sure you're a doctor? To me,

you look like a contestant

in the Miss India beauty

pageant. Why the dirty

look, sweets? I meant that

as a compliment! Anyways,

congrats on being named

one of the hottest doctors

on television, my dear!

When you're shift's over,

how about you and I head

over to my bachelor pad

for a nightcap?

 Oh, hello there, folks at home! You caught me lookin'.

(It's what I do best.) I'm a man after your own heart...

and a few other select body parts.

I'm heart surgeon Dr. Albert Beck...

creepy star of the bingeworthy TV movie series

 Stalked By My Doctor.

A little about me:  When there's an emergency and a

young woman's life is in jeopardy, I spring into action.

I'm happy to intervene and save her life as long as

she's a babe.  The rest get tossed back into the sea.

If everything goes according to plan, the hottie I save will

be eternally grateful, feel obligated and owe me big time.

It's my way of shopping for lovers...

and it beats the hell out of Christian Mingle. 

Recently, Shady hired me to join his DJ staff as host of the radio show

The Good Doctors:

Music is Medicine. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW:

Wanna know why they call me "Doctor Love"? Well, allow me to

Kiss and make up a story. You are listening to a hit song written by

Gene Simmons and released on the 1976 Kiss album Rock And

Roll Over. Here is the Buffalo-based tribute band KISS THIS!

featuring bassist Taylor Stursa as the tongue-wagging “Demon”

Gene Simmons with their killer cover of-- "Calling Dr. Love!"  

"Calling Dr. Love" - Kiss cover by KISS THIS!

(Sept. 2023, from album Buffalo Rock City II)

I'm Chris Griffin, the crazy mixed-up kid on Family Guy,

official rock talent scout for Shady's Place and host

of the S-P-M-M radio show

 CHRIS GRIFFIN'S 

 PSYCHOT!C  

  BREAK!  

I'm following Dr. Beck's Pick to Click with another great cover from

Buffalo Rock City, the Kiss tribute album series intended to display

the love of all things "Kiss" and to raise money for various charities.

 One of the best known Kiss hits is "Love Gun," a single from the 1977

album of the same name. The song was written by Paul Stanley who

sang lead on the record. The all-star cover I'm going to play features

Deen Castronovo, who has been playing drums and providing lead

and backing vocals for Journey off and on since 1998. On the song,

Deen does his best Paul Stanley vocal impression. He is backed by

Rafael Moreira, guitarist with Paul Stanley's band Soul Station,

 and Taylor Stursa of the Kiss tribute band KISS THIS! on bass.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW:

Take a Psychotic Break and get triggered as Deen's trio

ROCKS! RULES! & DESTROYS! with "Love Gun!"

"Love Gun" - Kiss cover by Deen Castronovo (Journey),

Rafael Moreira (Soul Station) & Taylor Stursa (KISS THIS!)

from Oct. 2023 album Buffalo Rock City II) 

If you're just tuning in... we're the Shady Bunch

Spin Doctors

 exclusively on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

 We're playing the coolest sounds around...

and urging you to bop till you drop!

"If you're becoming your parents, you should be coming to me." - Dr. Rick

 I'm Dr. Rick, the tough love mentor, success coach and

motivational guru in the Progressive Insurance commercials.

Millions have already benefitted from my life-changing

"Un-Become Your Parents" musical workshops.

Never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.

By the time you leave the conference room, you will feel relaxed

and confident. You will be bursting with energy, vigor and vitality

and feeling like a kid again, all because you took my advice

and tried listening and dancing to updated versions of old

boomer-era songs. In seminar speak, it's called getting

  Rick-Rolled. 

You met Alejandro Manzano at Shady's Place in the fall of

2023 when he covered "April Come She Will," the song by

Simon & Garfunkel used in the soundtrack of The Graduate.

 To listen again, click HERE. As you might recall, Alejandro is the

lead singer, acoustic guitarist and pianist for the Sarasota, Florida-

based band Boyce Avenue. Alejandro and his supporting musicians

 are back today to cover a hit by Chicago, a song written by lead

vocalist Peter Cetera and producer David Foster. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Listen now to Alejandro Manzano and his band Boyce Avenue as they

perform Chicago's 1982 chart-topping hit-- "Hard To Say I'm Sorry!"

"Hard To Say I'm Sorry" - Chicago cover

by Boyce Avenue (Feb. 2024)

 Hey, bae... we're Chloe x Halle, sisters Chloe & Halle

Bailey aka Jazz & Sky Forster aka "The Twins."

We're the bust-out stars of the hit TV sitcom

Grown-ish, a spin-off of the series Black-ish.

 We are are also proud to be

 All American Girls 

here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

HALLE  (SKY)                             CHLOE (JAZZ)

As successful singers, we recognize vocal talent in others,

and the sister we'd like to introduce is FIRE! Her name

is Iyeoka Okoawo and she's a Boston-based Nigerian-

American singer, songwriter, award winning poet and

educator. For 20+ years, Iyeoka has been entertaining

and empowering audiences with her music, a mix

of styles that includes spoken word poetry, pop,

R&B, dance, hip hop and electronic neo soul.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Listen now to her soulful vocal and poetic lyrics, and feel her

warm spirit as she sings a song from her 2010 album Say Yes.

Here's Iyeoka in a video that has accumulated more than

240 million views on YouTube-- "Simply Falling!"

"Simply Falling" - Iyeoka

(from Nov. 2010 album Say Yes)

Hey, wait a minute!  Mary, Deb, Neela, Albert and Rick

aren't the only doctors in the house!  I've hung my

shingle and I'm ready to play a jingle.

 I'm sure you remember me - Dr. Donald D. Rose of "Quixie in Dixie" -

WQXI, Atlanta,  moonshining moonlighting on S-P-M-M... the station

with personality. I'm the Shady Buncher who fills your prescription

for fun. My show puts some corn in your morn and brings you

a bucketful of earworms, the bait that gets you hooked

on happy memories of your misspent boomer youth.

 The song I'm gonna play threatens to bomb the Women's Movement

back to the Stone Age. It was recorded by Sandy Posey, who started

out as a recording studio receptionist and session singer in Memphis.

 In 1966, Sandy scored her first hit as a solo artist, approaching the

top 10 with the song (I was) "Born A Woman." That's right, folks -

at birth, Sandy was 21 years overdue and weighed 110 pounds!

(BA-DUM-BUMP)

Born a woman? I can only imagine what her mother went through during labor!

(BA-DUM-BUMP)

  Reminds me, Mrs. Rose and I should never have left the stork

deliver our baby.  You should have seen the huge bill!

(BA-DUM-BUMP) 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Folks, I got a million of 'em.  Here's Sandy Posey on Where The Action Is!

"Born A Woman" - Sandy Posey

(Aug./Sept./Oct. 1966, highest chart pos.

#12 Hot 100 & Cash Box/#7 Canada/#2 Australia,

perf. on Sept. 1, 1966, ep. of Where The Action Is)


Dr. Mary Harris back with you.

I hope you enjoyed sampling the songs

played by me and the other "spin doctors"

on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Now for Taylor, Deb, Neela, Chris, Dr. Rick, Sky, Jazz, Don Rose

and that slimy sleazeball stalker Dr. Albert Beck, this is Dr. Mary Harris,

host of Along Comes Mary, saying take care... and we hope to see you soon!

"Along Comes Mary" - The Association

(June/July 1966, highest chart pos. #7 Hot 100/#9 Cash Box)

Mary's Love Potion Number Nyin:

One sip and you'll be dyin'...

Spin Doctors...

another Shady's Place exclusive!