![]() These sketches birthed the Catchphrase "I'm Gumby, dammit!" According to Art Clokey's son Joe, Art loved Murphy's sketches and even allowed him to redub some of the old Gumby shorts for another sketch. ![]() Gumby's 1980s resurgence in popularity was most likely attributable to a series of sketches on Saturday Night Live depicting Gumby (played by Eddie Murphy) and Pokey (played by Joe Piscopo) as actually being old-time Jewish vaudeville stars themselves playing parts. A Gumby direct-to-video movie was released circa 1995. After the series' network run ended, Clokey bought back the rights to his characters and produced new Gumby episodes for syndication in The '60s and The '80s. The original Gumby shorts aired on NBC in 1957. He was successful enough to receive his own spin-off show. ![]() The character debuted in 1956, as a segment of Howdy Doody. Gumby's foes, the Blockheads, never spoke. His friends included Pokey, a red horse Prickle, a "prickly" yellow dragon (except for the episodes where he self-identified as a dinosaur) and Goo, a blue female character who rather resembles a small sea lion with a blond wig ( Word of God said she's a " gooey blue mermaid"). He also could walk into books and participate in the stories therein. Gumby himself was portrayed as a young boy capable of changing his shape at will. ![]() Clokey also performed some of the character voices. (Enter Charlie Brown cry after getting the football pulled from him): “AGGGGGUUHHHHHH!!!!!!” Blue Collar Survival #345 - I'm Gumby, Dammit !!!!Īh yes, friends and neighbors, the Blue Collar Guide To Music Biz Survival – no mystics, no potions, no shaman, just straight talk with a side of bacon (fruit, in my case – it’s called ‘watching-out-for-the-rock-geezer-body’….)!Įvery get to a point in life where you wonder what the hell yer doin’ and why yer doin’ it? Well, of course not, good friends – who asks THOSE philosophical questions anyhoo, huh? What’s the point, right – we just need to keep on plowin’ right thru, eyes focused on the road, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the coffee cup….Art Clokey (who would go on to create Davey and Goliath) produced this series of clay animated shorts for NBC in The '50s after screening his student film Gumbasia for Twentieth Century Fox. I know I’ve ruminated on this in previous columns, but this installment will focus on a current project – my new EP/CD! (a smattering of applause, followed by crickets chirping, then a door slamming shut, two drunks at the bar laughing uncontrollably, broken glass, then, one minute of silence……THEN… more crickets chirping) With luck and God’s good grace, I get to turn 50 years old in September of this year, 2008. So, to wit, my point is: what happens to me with my music gig at this point in life, Mr.Īnd I know I have no reason to bat an eye, because people like my mother-in-law and my Aunt Boots would roll their eyes, and just say,” Oh, honey, come on, kid….” (My favorite expression on age, next to the Satchel Paige quote, comes from my Aunt Adel, in her 90’s now: “Well, do you want the ALTERNATIVE?”).Īt one point, 50 was the ‘new 40 ‘, but know I think it could even be the ‘new 30’ given our proclivity for advanced aging. Well, a lot of good things are emerging – one, this column, which has been a lifeline for my secret journalistic fantasies, two, I still get to gig – church gigs, coffeehouse and the rare bar gig. I work on guitar and bass amps still, but after 28 years of doing contract work, I’m picking and choosing what I can work on successfully (as much for me as my customer base).
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