The Duke of Doubt and Mascot nemeses

While discussing Burger King at work, I mentioned The Duke of Doubt. It was another one of those moments where a bunch of people had no idea what the hell I was talking about. 

I'm writing here to prove I didn't make this up. 

In the 1970's when McDonald's had a menagerie of Krofft-like mascots including Grimace, Mayor McCheese, the Hamburgular and Ronald McDonald, Burger King offered it's own cast of characters including the Burger King and his royal foil: the Duke of Doubt. 

Screenwriters say your movie is only as good as your villain, and the ongoing Burger King "story" features a disturbing putty-nosed bad-guy. The Duke bears a striking resemblance to the Child-catcher from CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. (A connection that would make sense to children of the 70's who grew up with such movies. Again, when I made this comparison my co-workers had no clue what I was babbling about.) 

Hamburgular was Ronald McDonald's number one foe because he stole other people's food. Even in his criminal activity, Hamburgular is reinforcing the message that McDonald's burgers are delicious; so much so that he will break the law to obtain them! 

But the Duke doesn't covet food-stuffs. His principle role is to question the King. He's like a villain in a Jacobean drama, lurking in the shadows and plotting against His Royal Highness.  (The Duke also reminds me of Grima Wormtongue from Lord of the Rings.)

What I find most surprising in this ad campaign is that skepticism is portrayed as a bad thing. Kids are inherently curious, even suspicious. Doubt is a healthy part of any free society, it shouldn't be portrayed as villainous. 

Well I hope you've enjoyed this latest installment of me taking the wrong things seriously. Maybe I'll do an entire series about advertising mascot's straw-men nemeses. 

The Price is Right!

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Join Brian Solomon and me for a Vincent Price double-feature! 

Thursday February 21st we're screening two of his best films: 

THEATRE OF BLOOD

and

THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES. 

Plus some of my favorite clips and highlights from Kevin Geeks Out about Vincent Price, including Tim Burton's short VINCENT. 

It's all taking place in Bridgeport, Connecticut's BIJOU THEATRE (of Blood!) 

Orwell presentation

 

Thanks everyone who came to see NERD NITE. 

My presentation, "I LOVE 1984: GEORGE ORWELL VS. VH1" was very well received. And fittingly, I took the stage just as the new season of Best Week Ever premiered on VH1. (How's that for counter-programming?!)

Also, in true KEVIN GEEKS OUT fashion, my 20-minute talk clocked in at 35 minutes. 

At some point I'll either post video from the presentation or I'll do it again at another show. (Let me know if you can suggest a venue for pseudo-academic memoirs.) 

GROWN-UP WORDS: Cordial Responses for Gifts You Do Not Want

Here's the GROWN-UP WORDS guide to receiving bad gifts.

GROWN-UP WORDS: Cordial Responses for Gifts You Do Not Want

from Kevin Maher on Vimeo.

Episode 5 of Kevin Maher's GROWN-UP WORDS, an original video series created for NICK MOM. Featuring Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen. 

Editor: Eric Hendricks
Director of Photography: Jeremy Carr
Additional Material: Jo Ann Kamuf Ward, Rusty Ward. 
Wardrobe Consultant: Alison Roberts.

Upcoming Show - Friday 1/18

I've been a longtime fan of the NERD NITE lecture series, so I'm excited to finally appear at one. 

Nerd Nite

Friday January 18th
9:15pm (doors at 9pm) 
                  . . . . . 

Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street, Brooklyn
A/C train to High Street or 
F-train to York Street
        ** Buy tickets here **

  



The evening consists of three 20-minute presentations. 

My talk is titled "I LOVE 1984: George Orwell Vs. VH1"

Description: People throw around the term “Orwellian”, but could it be that basic-cable pop-culture clip-shows best capture the spirit of Orwell’s dystopian future? Kevin Maher shares his personal experiences writing for talking-head clip shows, comparing the popular format to the “perversions and swindles” that George Orwell feared. The presentation includes awesomely bad double-speak and a visit to Kevin’s own version of room 101.

Photoshopped Penguin Signs

December is lovely in Carroll Gardens Brooklyn, partly because so many of my neighbors decorate their front yards. 

Every day I'd walk by this inflatable penguin and think of something else for the sign to say (i.e. "Global Warming is REAL!")

I decided to ask the Facebook community to help photoshop this image.  

GROWN-UP WORDS: The Pregnant Couple

Warning: they know everything about what to expect. 

GROWN-UP WORDS: The Pregnant Couple

from Kevin Maher on Vimeo.

Episode 4 of Kevin Maher's GROWN-UP WORDS, an original video series created for NICK MOM. Featuring: Tara Schuster, Lucas Zachary Hazlett, Sheilah Smiley, Anna Moore. 

Editor: Eric Hendricks
Director of Photography: Jeremy Carr
Additional Material: Rebecca Rogers Maher and Ritch Duncan
Wardrobe Consultant: Alison Roberts

Don Coscarelli Double-Feature

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New York's 92Y Tribeca is screening a Don Coscarelli double-feature with his new film JOHN DIES AT THE END and his cult classic PHANTASM. 

The director will be there in person and I'll be moderating the Q&A. 

It's Wednesday January 9th at 7pm. Come on by, get tickets here. 

I haven't been this excited since I went to PHANTASMANIA at the Alamo Draft House. (c. 2000)

GROWN-UP WORDS: Ice Breakers for Non-Parents

How to talk to your friends with kids.

 

GROWN-UP WORDS: Ice Breakers for Non-Parents from Kevin Maher on Vimeo.

Episode 3 of Kevin Maher's GROWN-UP WORDS, an original video series created for NICK MOM. 
Featuring Kate Jones, Anna Moore, Don Hooper, Rob Kaye, Ryan Fidrick and Polly Simon. 

Editor: Eric Hendricks. 
Director of Photography: Jeremy Carr. 
Wardrobe consultant: Alison Roberts.
Additional Material: Rebecca Rogers Maher and Ritch Duncan.

 

Traumafession: my first entry at Kindertrauma

Kindertrauma is one of my favorite places on the web. While most "retro" culture sites look at movies with an air of superiority, Unkle Lancifer respects the power of old media. (In my case the traumatic power of a Saturday morning cartoon.)

It's easy to ridicule a cheap b-movie for its cheesy special effects, bad acting or implausbile plotlines. But the writers at Kindertrauma recognize that there was a time when a simple TV commercial was the stuff of nightmares. 

I'm happy to have made a contribution to the site, you can read it here. I write about a scary episode of SuperFriends where the heroes are turned into Hobbit-like trolls.

related links: 

Kevin Maher's Oddest Hobbit moments in pop culture

Awesome Trailer, Not So Awesome Movie

Sometimes even a bad movie has a good trailer. 

And then there's the bad movies with GREAT trailers. 

I put together a list of five such films for TheFW.com 

Watch them here and let me know if there are any you'd add to the list. 


Related Links: 

This podcast episode from "The Vault of Horror" blog, where Kevin chats with Brian Solomon about the "killer machine" subgenre. 

Kevin & Rusty talk "Maximum Overdrive" on this video review show.

GROWN-UP WORDS: Dodging Advice

Look out, people want to give you parenting advice!

 

GROWN-UP WORDS: Dodging Advice from Kevin Maher on Vimeo.

Episode 2 of Kevin Maher's GROWN-UP WORDS, an original video series created for NICK MOM. 

Featuring: Wendy Mays, Bill Farrow, Robert Ankers, Ramen Cromwell, Michele Carlo, Lisa Hinshaw, Shyaporn Theerakulstit. 

Editor: Eric Hendricks. 
Director of Photography: Jeremy Carr. 
Additional Material: Rusty Ward, Rebecca Rogers Maher.
Wardrobe Consultant: Alison Roberts.

GROWN-UP WORDS: Decoding Disinterest

Here's the first episode of my new video series GROWN-UP WORDS.

 

GROWN-UP WORDS: Decoding Disinterest from Kevin Maher on Vimeo.

Episode 1 of Kevin Maher's GROWN-UP WORDS, an original video series created for NICK MOM. 

Featuring: Shyaporn Theerakulstit., Eric Hendricks, Kate Jones, Polly Simon, Robert Ankers, Ramen Cromwell, Michele Carlo, Jo Ann Kamuf Ward and Sheilah Smiley. 


Editor: Eric Hendricks. 
Director of Photography: Jeremy Carr.
Wardrobe Consultant: Alison Roberts.

GROWN-UP WORDS: teaser

Here's the teaser for my new video series GROWN-UP WORDS. It's airing on NICK MOM and NickMom.com 

But you can watch all the videos here, without commercial pre-rolls. 

GROWN-UP WORDS: Teaser from Kevin Maher on Vimeo.

Hobbit Fever!

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Over at theFW.com I wrote about some of my favorite examples of Hobbits in popular culture, including the unproduced Beatles movie, a disappointing theme-restaurant and, of course, my favorite Leonard Nimoy novelty song. 

You can read the full article here.

Who Sang it Better? BATMAN edition

I just came across this odd coincidence: Both Adam West and Burt Ward performed covers of Nat King Cole's ORANGE COLORED SKY.

Here's Adam West performing as Batman in the television variety show "The Hollywood Palace" (This aired October 8, 1966.)

Now here's a recording of Burt Ward speak-singing the same ditty, recorded in June 1966. In his memoirs, Boy Wonder, My Life in Tights Ward humbly calls himself "the world's worst singer."

The Ward recording has a bit of a cult following, partly because the record was arranged by Frank Zappa. "Orange Colored Sky" was the b-side to the novelty tune "Boy Wonder I Love You" (and you can hear young Frank as one of the screaming teenage girls.) 

Given that Burt Ward had recorded it first, I really wonder what was going on with the Adam West cover. Was it a coincidence, an inside joke, a rip-off or a put-down? 

What do YOU think, dear reader? 


Related links: 

More Than Super-Friends

Fantastic Planet episode of AMC's The Sci Fi Department