Another important battalion of the British invasion of ‘64 received much less attention. “That Was the Week That Was” (or “TW3”) with David Frost became the first primetime program to include biting political satire on a regular basis. That same fall, Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement began, just as the first Baby Boomers arrived on the college scene. Teens felt rebellious, and undoubtedly the flames had been fanned by the return of Rock & Roll. The reflection soon glowed on the silver screen, as “underground cinema” finally found a market. Boomers loved Kenneth Anger’s Scorpio Rising, which included a clip from Cecil B. DeMille’s King of Kings (1927) showing Jesus riding an ass, while the soundtrack blared the Crystal’s “He’s A Rebel”. Could it be that society actually needs a rebel or two from time to time?
In what could have been just another get-us-to-the-show schlock rocker, Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night came as quite a shock to Boomers. They grew up listening to teen idols answer, “Yes, Sir, Mr. Clark” on Bandstand, but now they heard snappy comebacks from the Beatles: An Old Man scolds, “Don’t take that tone of voice with me, Young Man. I fought the War for your lot.” Ringo answers, “I’ll bet you’re sorry you won”…A interviewer asks, “Are you a Mod or a Rocker?” Ringo answers, “I’m a mocker.”
Those sassy Brit boys tested the limits of American AM radio. Did Mick Jagger really sing “half-assed games” in “It’s All Over Now”? Turn it up!
Teenagers were getting uppity again. How would the Powers-That-Be handle the situation this time? By the end of the year, the public received a few reflections that should have given them a clue. Bob Hope entertained happy troops in Vietnam on his Christmas Special, and Santa left an amazing new toy for younger Boomer boys under the tree… GI Joe and all his Friendly Fire Accessories. Joe (like Barbie) appeared as a realistic, grown-up doll, except for the absence of reproductive gear. But, Joe’s huge guns dwarfed Wyatt Earp’s, so he, unlike Babs, found a release for his sexual frustrations. With Barbie as a role model for little girls, and GI Joe for little boys, it’s amazing that the Baby Boomer Generation turned out as well as it did.
Kennedy’s New Frontier faded away. Fess Parker returned to the old frontier, this time as Daniel Boone. Ronald Reagan also returned to the tube, as a replacement for the Old Ranger on “Death Valley Days”. Welcome back to the Great (“Gee, I really wish that it could be once again”) Society of LBJ.
Bonus: “Let’s Make a Deal” debuted on December 30, 1964.