Yellow Submarine: Sheffield Alarm Clock

This alarm clock isn't an item I own but it is a very nice display piece. The colors in this drawing are not product-accurate. I just felt like changing them.

Yellow Submarine: Corgi's Yellow Submarine toy

The only Beatles' collectible I had prior to the 1990s was my mother's copy of Revolver, which she kept in fantastic condition before giving it to me. Beginning twenty years ago, I earnestly started to gather Beatles' memorabilia, or at least try. The '90s marked the era of high-priced vintage collectibles, and many items were unobtainable to me due to cost. 
I grew up with Corgi toys so when I learned they had manufactured a replica of the movie's namesake it was tops on my want list. I found the die-cast mini-sub on two occasions during the decade of the '90s. The first time was at Huntington's Heckscher Park antique show in 1996 where the seller was offering it for -GULP!- $1000.00 in loose, but good condition. No sale. The second time was a year later at the Cold Spring Harbor antique show. This time the sub was in better condition and was in a very good quality original box. The price? $2000.00. Finally, in 2011, I was able to purchase an original Corgi sub (its been reissued eight times over the past twenty years in various variations) from a local dealer for well under $80. Original Beatles memorabilia is difficult to obtain, but eventually, that holds true for new merchandise as well. So, if you see something you like, buy it. Or two.

Yellow Submarine: George

and George. Young Fred tells the quartet of his plight and the group agrees to save the people of Pepperland. Climbing aboard the Yellow Submarine, they begin their quest . . .

Yellow Submarine: John

John . . .

Yellow Submarine: Ringo

Ringo . . .

Yellow Submarine: Paul

Paul...

Yellow Submarine: Young Fred

Stoic & sea-smart, Young Fred narrowly evades the Blue Meanies. Taking a haphazard trip, he arrives in a small, British, seaside town where he meets . . .

Yellow Submarine: The Lord Mayor of Pepperland

Slightly scatter-brained but still a wise ruler, the Lord Mayor realizes that Pepperland is lost due to the invading Meanie army. In a last ditch effort to save his home and people, he sends his best officer to find help to free Pepperland. . .

Yellow Submarine: The Glove

The dreaded Glove, the advance scout of the Meanie army. Seeing as he is an aggressive & negative menace throughout the course of the film, I chose to represent him as such.

Yellow Submarine: March of the Meanies

The Beatles' animated classic, Yellow Submarine, premiered in the U.S. on November 13th, 1968. This was the first movie I ever saw, though a few years later. It was New Year's Eve and my parents had decided to stay home that year. I was having my usual bath in the kitchen sink and my father was watching The Fab Four's animated antics on television. Channel 5 here in New York regularly showed the film at midnight on the beginning of a new year from the 1970s till about 1988.
I could see the T.V. from my spot in the sink and it was here that my mind was expanded without the use of drugs (I have never relied on them). The psychedelic sights and sounds had a profound effect on me from my tender age of two.
The Blue Meanies were completely frightening and did give me nightmares. For those who don't recognize the main figure in this piece, it is the ECW/WWE wrestler who goes by the same name. Beginning his career in the 1990s, his wrestling presence is the funniest I have ever seen. 
And, for you sticklers out there, yes, I know the Kinky Boot Beast (in the lower right corner next to Robin the Butterfly Stomper) is not a Blue Meanie, but he worked well in this drawing.

Twenty five years ago today . . .

Twenty five years ago today, Vincent Price passed away. That rhymes.
Rightfully considered one of the twentieth century's masters of horror, Vincent Price had a career that stretched from the mid 1940s to the early 1990s. Apart from an extremely long list of films, Price was also the host of PBS' Mystery! television program. He maintained that post admirably until ill heath forced him to abdictate to his friend, Dame Diana Rigg, with whom he starred in Theatre of Blood, one of his best films.
Vincent Price was also a star on radio, appearing as Simon Templar aka The Saint. His best films were made in the sixties and seventies, but as audiences turned their attention to slasher flicks, Price ventured into the role of pitchman. He hocked everything from children's vitamins to board games and had a memorable association with Milton Bradley's line of toys.
Televison welcomed Price's presence and he had a long association with the medium. Apart from the aforementioned Mystery!, he appeared on Batman (as Egghead), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Here's Lucy, and F-Troop to name a few.
A gourmet chef with several cookbooks to his name, Price was also an avid art collector. In an effort to bring fine art to the masses, he teamed up with Sears & Roebuck in the 60s, handpicking reproductions of the great masters work which was then sold in Sears stores across America.