"Little Honda" performed by "The Hondells" - 1964

I had never heard of the "Hondells" before I ran across this video on YouTube. Apparently, they were one of those fictitious groups formed by a producer (in this case, Gary Usher) using studio musicians. They recorded and released Brian Wilson's "Little Honda" in 1964, before the Beach Boys did, and it was a hit. It looks like they used four white C100's, brand-spanking-new! I would have preferred a bit less bouncing, but I guess they were trying to give the impression of youthful kinetic energy or something, within the constraints of a studio stage. Did they rehearse? Not much, apparently - they don't all seem to be together on the lip-synching or choreography. Who did the lighting? Terrible! Nice balancing, girls - sort of, well, not really. Oh, and, "CUT! Girl on bike no. 1, TAKE OFF THOSE GLASSES!"

If you'd like to read more about the Hondells - here's their Wikipedia page.

Commercial Photography - Can It Get Any Better Than This?

This is probably my favorite Super Cub advertisement of all time. What simple genius - to put the bike and riders in focus against a motion-blurred background! The photographer must have been riding on a vehicle that matched the speed of the bike. Wonderful. It creates a fascinating effect: the Super Cub seems to jump out from the page, like one of those old "3D" photos. An invisible (but visual) force anchors the viewer's eye on the graceful lines of the Cub and the attractive young couple as they happily zoom past it all.