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Of "O's" and Sundays and little green men
Published: 1/16/2010 3:19 PM
Last Modified: 1/16/2010 3:19 PM

Uh-oh. In every sense of the word....

Three icons of the 1960s died last week:

Jan Gabriel, the Illinois racing promoter and pitchman who coined the phrase “Sunday Sunday Sunday!” – bellowed at the top of the lungs – in his radio adverts to make sure everyone knew what day the “hemi-charged funny cars” would be “tearing up the track!!!!!!!!”

Then Art Clokey, who created the character Gumby, the oddly shaped green fellow who ended up starring in more than 200 short films that I remember were endlessly replayed during the 1960s.

And – maybe the least known but probably the most influential – Donald Goerke, who in 1965 came up with the idea for SpaghettiOs.

Some of my formative years were spent in the Chicago area, so I heard Mr. Gabriel’s hyperactive style of ads first-hand. It sound became a cliché, with every ad having anything to do with cars featuring some over-caffeinated announcer hollering for all he was worth.

My sister was a big fan of Mr. Goerke’s invention, although from the start I thought SpaghettiOs were pretty vile-tasting.

And the gentle sweetness of the Gumby films has been co-opted to some degree by Eddie Murphy’s dressing up in a big green suit and striking a mock-defiant attitude.

It all just reinforces the fact that the things of the past always disappear.

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ARTS

James D. Watts Jr. has lived in Oklahoma for most his life, even though he still has people saying to him, "Don't sound like you're from around these parts." A University of Oklahoma Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Watts has received the Governor Arts Award, Harwelden Award and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Beth Macklin Award for his writing. Before coming to the Tulsa World, Watts worked for the Tulsa Tribune.

Contact him at (918) 581-8478.

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Past Articles By James D. Watts Jr

2/15/2013		'Concept/OK' exhibit ends Saturday
2/14/2013		Symphony to host piano soloist
2/14/2013		Broadway tours bring 'Shrek,' improv musical to Tulsa area this weekend
2/14/2013		Arts roundup: Improv reigns at several upcoming theater events
2/14/2013		'Lion King' returns to Tulsa PAC June 4
2/12/2013		Review: Signature Symphony reprises '100 Years of Oklahoma Music'
2/11/2013		Tulsa Symphony's concert salutes diverse American music
2/10/2013		Cherokee artist weaves messages into baskets
2/10/2013		Tesla Quartet set for Tulsa residency next week with variety of activities
2/10/2013		Jim Murphy wins 2013 Anne Zarrow Award
2/10/2013		LBJ chronicler Robert Caro to speak at TU on Tuesday
2/9/2013		Theater review: Playhouse makes "Barefoot in the Park" believable

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