 |
| Henry Winkler and Frankie Avalon on Happy Days. |
I've written about this before, but my musical education as a youth came from a collection of very worn 45 RPM singles I received from my mother, who in turn got them decades earlier from the jukebox at her parents' bar in Northern Michigan. So many weird, great '50s hits were in there, including Pat Boone's most rockin' song by far, "That's How Much I Love You." (No, really, give that song a chance.)
In addition to that deathless classic, Mom had records by Annette Funicello ("Tall Paul"), The Robins ("Cherry Lips"), Dodie Stevens ("Pink Shoe Laces"), Johnny Preston ("Running Bear'), Fats Domino ("Whole Lotta Lovin'"), Alvin and the Chipmunks ("The Chipmunk Song" and "Alvin's Harmonica"), and even Ray Anthony (the Peter Gunn theme b/w "Tango for Two"). These songs became the soundtrack to my childhood. I didn't understand why the other kids in the neighborhood didn't know them.
One of the records in my mother's collection was "Why" by Frankie Avalon, the last #1 hit of the 1950s. Mom would have been about 13 when it was a hit, exactly the right age to appreciate the swoony, squeaky clean romanticism of it. Mom and I bonded over our love of rock and pop hits from the '50s and early '60s and would frequently sing along to the oldies station on the car radio. The first compact disc I ever owned was an Art Laboe Oldies But Goodies compilation that included another Avalon classic, "Venus." (I made that purchase at my mother's suggestion and have listened to that album many hundreds of times since .)
"Why" and "Venus" have been burned into my brain for decades, and I've seen a few of Frankie Avalon's movies, like Grease (1978) and Skidoo (1968), plus a couple of those Beach Party movies he made with Annette. But I can't say I've ever given much thought to the cultural phenomenon that is Francis Thomas Avallone. Decent enough singer and actor, but why did he briefly become such a cultural sensation? Why was he a cultural touchstone for my mom's generation? What was it about this guy?
This week on the Happy Days podcast, we're reviewing "Poobah Doo Dah," a 1982 episode guest starring Frankie Avalon himself. Yes, Frankie and the Fonz are together at last! Does this make for a classic? Find out this week on These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast.