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Neil Hamburger reads Nixon’s resignation speech (and other greatest hits)
08.09.2018
08:36 am
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Richard Nixon resigned from office 44 years ago today. Many of your pundits, eggheads, critics, and other nosebreathers have never tired of kicking Nixon around. But on Independence Day 2002, one citizen had the guts to meet Dick on his own terms, in the arena: America’s $1 Funnyman, Neil Hamburger.

In the Neil Hamburger catalog, perhaps only his tribute to Princess Diana so touches the heart, and I’m not just talking about the stirring, patriotic strings in the background of “Hamburger Remembers Nixon.” No, as few others could, Neil captures the warmth of Nixon’s straight-talking 1952 speech about the joys of dog ownership; the magnanimity of his gracious concession of the ‘62 California gubernatorial race to Jerry Brown’s father; the bold vision of his remarks at the ‘68 victory party on the relative friendliness of handheld signs. Hamburger also pays tribute to the April ‘70 “pitiful helpless giant” TV address, the November ‘73 “I’m not a crook” press conference, and the August ‘74 “we don’t have a good word for it in English” farewell speech.
 

 
Listen after the jump…

READ ON
Posted by Oliver Hall
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08.09.2018
08:36 am
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Watch Neil Hamburger & Firesign Theatre streaming LIVE from the Everything Is Festival!


 
If you couldn’t make it to Los Angeles this holiday weekend for the INSANE five-day long Everything Is Festival! taking place at Cinefamily, fret not because you can watch today’s festivities live beginning at 2:30 PST.
 

 
At 2:30, America’s funnyman Neil Hamburger will be doing his special tribute to Dora Hall, the septuagenarian grandmother who turned entertainer with TV specials and record albums paid for by her rich husband, who owned the Solo cup company. Not to be missed!
 

 
Then at 4:30, there will be a special Firesign Theatre mini-film festival with Peter Bergman and Phil Proctor of the Firesign Theatre, in attendance. Films include the only film visual record of one of their legendary radio shows, Martian Space Party and a new 5.1 surround version of Everything You Know is Wrong.
 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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07.03.2011
04:28 pm
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Once upon an old lady: Neil Hamburger’s Dora Hall tribute!


 
Tonight is the opening night of the incredible five-day long Everything Is Festival! here in Los Angeles at the Cinefamily theater on Fairfax.

Getting the first night off to a great start will be the “Conan O’Brien” writers retrospective panel, featuring a live gathering of Conan writers past and present, followed by a live appearance from IFC’s Thu Tran, host of the delightfully surreal Food Party show.

One event that I’m certainly jazzed for is Neil Hamburger’s tribute to the one and only Dora Hall:

America’s Funnyman finally returns to the Cinefamily, for a program celebrating one of his all-time favorite entertainers — and one of Cinefamily’s fave found footage personalities! Long ago, a handful of enigmatic VHS tapes, adorned with watercolor illustrations of an old lady amidst a generic cast of smiling faces — and the Solo disposable cup company logo — fell into our hands. On these tapes were wonderfully cracked ‘70s variety specials starring septuagenarian starlet Dora Hall; who was this woman? A long-forgotten pop star reclaiming past glory? A wrinkled studio creation meant to appeal to the AARP set? Someone in power’s ambitious relative? WHO?!?!

Neil finally explains it all:

“The undisputed queen of vanity entertainment, Dora Hall was married to Leo Hulseman, the founder of the immensely successful Solo Cup Company — a man quite happy to delve into Solo’s apparently bottomless coffers to finance dozens of record releases by Dora, all given away free of charge with packages of plastic cups and plates during the ‘60s! Not content with her “success” in the record biz, Dora branched out in the ensuing two decades with several full-blown Solo-financed TV specials designed to make her a star — despite the fact that she was an elderly grandmother with limited show business experience!”

Sunday afternoon, Neil Hamburger will appear in person to present a psyche-shattering afternoon of vintage Dora TV variety special highlights, along with other special treats! More info and tickets here.

Below, an excerpt from Hall’s Once Upon a Tour TV special. How could you miss this?
 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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06.30.2011
03:32 pm
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Los Angeles indie rock haven Spaceland to close
11.09.2010
06:12 pm
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Fabled Silver Lake indie rock venue, Spaceland has announced on their website that they’ll be closing their doors soon. Then again, having said that, it looks like other than a change of name things won’t be all that noticeable to the joint’s hipster clientele when it reopens as The Satellite. As reported in the LA Weekly: The “new” management (i.e. one half of the old management, Jeff Wolfram, the guy who owns the real estate) at the 1717 Silver Lake Blvd. space are bringing back Jennifer Teftt, the longtime booker at Spaceland who left last year. There will be no changes in shows already scheduled at the venue, including the upcoming Melvins residency in January 2011.

Spaceland Productions’ Liz Garo confirmed to the LA Weekly that Spaceland Productions plan to open another live music venue within a “few months.” So, in the end, the place isn’t really closing, the promoters are just moving on and keep the name.

So the more things change, the more they… something something.

We just hope they keep booking Neil Hambuger. He’s the dour, non-singing “Marty and Elayne” of Spaceland, a venerable LA institution! Where else else would I take my parents when they’re in town?
 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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11.09.2010
06:12 pm
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Neil Hamburger presents A Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Jr.
01.09.2010
09:31 pm
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Sunday night at the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angles, Cinefamily has invited showbiz great Neil Hamburger to pay tribute to one of heroes. Read on:

Now that James Brown (R.I.P.) has hung up his crown, legendary stand-up comedian Neil Hamburger has surely earned the title of “The Hardest Working Man In Show Business.” For the past thirty-seven years, Hamburger has logged thousands of shows in all four corners of the world, appearing in engagements everywhere from the prestigious “Fire & Ice” room at the Doubletree Inn in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to the Phoenix Greyhound Park racetrack in Phoenix, AZ. One of Hamburger’s idols and mentors has been one of the celebrity offspring greats and an enigma in the world of popular music, Frank Sinatra Jr. Hamburger says: “Frank Jr. has an intense stage presence unlike any I have ever encountered. Like his father, there is a lifetime of regret, disappointment, and longing in every note that comes out of his mouth—but with a career shattered by unjustified critical malevolence and public indifference, Frank Jr.‘s experiences are drawn from a completely different well. To hell with today’s slovenly singer-songwriter scam-artists! If you’re looking for an amazingly gifted vocalist who puts every ounce of his experience into every word he sings, Sinatra Jr. is your man.” In honor of Frank Jr.‘s birthday, Hamburger has assembled this evening of rare, vintage Frank Jr. TV variety specials and film appearances!

 

 

 

For details visit the Cinefamily website

Posted by Richard Metzger
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01.09.2010
09:31 pm
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