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But, behind the scenes, Jay was sad and withdrawn, a victim of abuse.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

The AI-Team, Vol 1

"I pity the fool who don't like these songs!"

 Old School's the Rule 

 In the Battle Against 

 The Anime From Within! 

No, dear friend. That isn't a typographical error

in the title of my post at the top of the page.

 Today's post does not focus on The A-Team.

 It focuses on The AI-Team... delightful characters emerging

from the breakthrough territory of Artificial Intelligence art.

These creations are out of this world. World? I mean universe!

As you can see, the sky's the limit in this

rapidly expanding cutting-edge technology.

Above, for example, incredibly detailed and lifelike but totally unreal,

is the "charming and mischievous space adventurer" Nova Stardust.

Yessum, we're in the middle of an AI boom...

and today's post offers a mix of past and present...

...20th century boomer songs combined with

dazzling... mind-blowing...

21st century AI art renderings.

  

Shady's going Old School - playing ten of his favorite songs

that have the word "school" in the title or make reference to

School days, school days,

dear old golden rule days,

Readin' and 'ritin' and 'rithmetic

Taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick

To illustrate the theme of the post, the songs are accompanied

 by modern AI generated images of teachers...

college women...

bookworms in the school library...

 and studious schoolgirls doing homework.

 How many of these old school songs do you know or remember?

Okay, here we go with the first of our school related songs.

When we were at school, our games were simple

I played a janitor, you played a monitor

So sang the English pop rock band The Hollies in 1967. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

 Here they are on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour doing

a song that was a top 3 hit in the UK and made the top 10

in the U.S. The Hollies sing-- "Carrie Anne!"

"Carrie-Anne" - The Hollies

(July/Aug. 1967, highest chart pos. #9 Hot 100/#10 Cash Box,

#9 Canada/#3 UK, live perf. on Dec. 10, 1967, ep. of

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour)

I used to carry her satchels

She used to walk by my side

But when we got to her doorstep

Her dad wouldn't let me inside

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

The following year, The Hollies changed their tune

and their schoolgirl's name and gained a top 40

hit in the U.S. with-- "Jennifer Eccles!"

"Jennifer Eccles" - The Hollies

(July/Aug. 1968, highest chart pos. #40 Hot 100,

#54 Cash Box/#19 Canada/#7 UK)

The chicks are jealous of the new girl in school

They put her down and they treat her so cruel

But the guys are goin' out of their minds

'Cause she's the finest girl you'll ever find

Jan And Dean scored a double-sided hit single thanks to this school-

girl song on the B side of their top 10-charting "Dead Man's Curve."

From the early spring of 1964, here's "The New Girl In School!"

"The New Girl In School" - Jan And Dean

(Mar./Apr. 1964, highest chart pos. #26 Cash Box,

#37 Hot 100, B side of "Dead Man's Curve")

So kids, stay in school,

don't be no drag

Take a fool's advice and

stay out of that bag

Tell me one more time people,

looka here, what he said

Without an education

You might as well be dead

In the fall of 1966, Soul Brother #1 James Brown was riding

high on the charts with a musical public service announcement.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

The single reached the top 5 on the R&B chart and is ranked

high at #27 on my list of The Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell.

Brown's message to the kids of America: "Don't Be A Drop-Out!"

"Don't Be A Drop-Out!" - James Brown

And The Famous Flames (Oct./Nov. 1966,

highest chart pos. #4 R&B/#39 Cash Box,

#50 Hot 100/#35 Canada)

Up in the mornin' and out to school

The teacher is teachin' the golden rule

American history and practical math

You're studyin' hard and hopin' to pass

Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll, it's the merry mister Chuck Berry

with his chart-topping hit from the spring of '57--

"School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)."

"School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)" - Chuck Berry

(Apr./May 1957, highest chart pos. #1 R&B,

#3 Cash Box/#5 Hot 100/#24 UK)

After school we have to rendezvous

Gonna plan all the things that we're gonna do

Trade bookin' for cookin' and I'll quit my lookin'

When our days at the school are through

In the spring of 1960, Bobby Rydell, one of the most

popular teen idols of the pre-Beatles era, scored a top 5

hit with a song about a school that's most definitely cool. 

Enjoy this rare colorized clip as Bobby does-- "Swingin' School!"

"Swingin' School" - Bobby Rydell

(May/June 1960, highest chart pos. #5 Hot 100/#6 Cash Box)

Don't know much about history

Don't know much biology

Don't know much about science books

Don't know much about the French I took

Three music giants co-wrote this next school-related ditty:

Lou Adler, Herb Alpert and Sam Cooke. Sam was first to

wax the song, resulting in a top 10 hit in the spring of 1960.

 Fast-forward to the summer of '65 when England's Herman's Hermits

cracked the U.S. top 5 and topped the Canadian chart with their cover.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's kid tested - mother approved Peter Noone

and his Hermits' doing-- "Wonderful World!"

"Wonderful World" - Sam Cooke cover by Herman's Hermits

(June/July 1965, highest chart position #4 Hot 100,

#5 Cash Box/#1 Canada)

I used to get mad at my school

(Now, I can't complain)

The teachers who taught me weren't cool

(Now, I can't complain)

You're holding me down (Ah-ah),

turning me 'round (Ah-oh)

Filling me up with your rules

(Fool, you fool)

Released by The Beatles in 1967 on their album Sgt. Pepper's

Lonely Hearts Club Band, this song features Paul on double-

tracked lead vocals and John and George on backing vocals.

McCartney sings:

It's "Getting Better" all the time

Lennon sings:

Can't get no worse!

"Getting Better" - The Beatles (from May 1967

album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)

Everybody screamed

When I kissed the teacher

And they must have thought they dreamed

When I kissed the teacher

Now, here's the opening song on the Swedish

pop group ABBA's 1976 album Arrival.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

This rare clip captures ABBA in a live performance that fall

on Polish TV, performing-- "When I Kissed The Teacher!"

"When I Kissed the Teacher" - ABBA

(Oct. 1976 live perf. on Polish TV in Warsaw)

When the ivy walls

Are far behind

No matter where our paths may wind

We'll remember always

Graduation day

To conclude my musical essay on old school songs that are

old school cool, let's go way back to June, 1956, and listen

to the best known hit by The Four Freshmen, a male vocal

quartet from Indianapolis. The nostalgia song was a major

early influence on The Beach Boys who went on to make

it a regular part of their concert lineup. This special Y/T

hybrid took the original Four Freshmen studio recording

and remixed it to sound more like The Beach Boys.

We'll remember always-- "Graduation Day!"

"Graduation Day" - The Four Freshmen

(May/June 1956, highest chart pos. #12 Cash Box,

#27 Hot 100, remixed in the style of The Beach Boys)

I hope you learned your lesson today.

Meet more enchanting members of

 The AI-Team 

next time, and remember... 

 Old School's the Rule 

 In the Battle Against 

 The Anime From Within! 

  See you soon!