You're Going Up Against The A-Team

The Young Fresh Fellows make another witty entry with a chronicle of the classic, prime-time sitcoms.

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Television has dominated American culture more and more every year since its inception. Not only has the sitcom brought forth the levity of everyday life, it has become a staple of a well-balanced TV dinner.

On those nights when you fall asleep to syndicated reruns of "My Three Sons" and the "Andy Griffith Show," be thankful that it's not reality. It's just a TV Dream.

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There Must Be Peace And Understanding Sometime

In what has become known as the "'68 Comback Special," Elvis performed If I Can Dream in front of a wall of red lights which spelled out his first name.

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From the TV special:

Elvis, in a rare move, went against his manager's, Colonel Tom Parker, wishes and chose to perform If I Can Dream instead of "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

Elvis, who had grown dissatisfied with the direction his movies and the accompanying songs had taken, remarked at the time of the song's selection, "I'm never going to sing another song I don't believe in. I'm never going to make another picture I don't believe in."

In an attempt to avoid having to use "I'll Be Home For Christmas," the show's producers gave Walter Earl Brown the assignment to write the best song of his life, overnight. Brown came back with If I Can Dream.

Elvis had never before made a public political statement or sung a song with any particular message. Although the song is not overtly political, the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. earlier that year intensified the impact of the lyrics.

Additionally, Elvis poured such passion into his singing, the feeling that his life depended on it is strongly conveyed. At the time, the future of his career certainly did hang in the balance.

If I Can Dream peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Top 100 for 13 weeks.

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On Such A Winter's Day

John and Michelle Phillips wrote California Dreamin' in 1966 during a cold New York winter.

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Mama Cass Elliot, who weighed about as much as the other three members combined, died in 1974.

John Phillips, recognized as the key songwriting talent of the quartet, died in 2001, also of heart failure.

The Mamas And The Papas were inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 1998.

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To Reach The Unreachable Star

The Impossible Dream was the credo of Don Quixote in "Man Of La Mancha."

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Robert Goulet played the part of Don Quixote in the Broadway musical, a part originally played by Peter O'Toole.

Goulet suffered from stage fright until some coaching by Lord Laurence Olivier in the 1960 Broadway production of "Camelot," also starring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews, helped him get over it.

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You Can Make My Dreams Come True

Elvis Presley called Roy Orbison "The Greatest Singer In The World."

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Presley and Orbison entered the popular music scene around the same time and were both originally recorded on Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. It was Johnny Cash who had insisted that Orbison contact Sam Phillips, then owner of Sun Records.

Elvis had such great respect for Orbison that he died his hair black to copy the sunglassed singer and refused to have Orbison as an opening act. He cited the fact that Roy Orbison could really sing and there was no way that he could follow him.

When Orbison was inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987, Bruce Springsteen stated that when he was recording "Born To Run" he wanted "words like Bob Dylan," a sound like Phil Spector and most of all "to sing like Roy Orbison."

Well, Bruce, we can all have our dreams.

In 1988, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne formed The Traveling Wilburys.

The balladeer sang his last song on December 6, 1988, at age 51.

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