Saturday 9: Frankie and Johnny

Saturday 9: Frankie and Johnny (1966)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) When this record was initially released in 1966, it never cracked the Top 20. Critics were harsh, saying that Elvis had not kept up the times. How about you? Do you consider yourself up-to-date on today's music?  Not really. A new song will catch my ear now and then, but I'm pretty much stuck in the 70's and 80's.

2) The song is about a woman named Frankie and Johnny, the man who does her wrong. Who is the most recent person to do you wrong? (It doesn't have to be in romance; it could be the person who cut in front of you in line at the supermarket.)  I'm sure it was something along the lines of someone cutting in line, but I really don't remember. I don't hang on to that stuff.

3) Elvis sings that Johnny cheated with "a chick named Nellie Bly." The real Nellie was an estimable woman, a pioneering 19th century journalist. Can you think of another song that mentions a real person?  Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" is about Caroline Kennedy.

4) This song was recorded for a movie by the same name. Elvis played a riverboat gambler. When did you last play a game of chance?  It's been a couple of years since I was last in a casino.

5) Actor Harry Morgan had a supporting role in the movie. He's remembered as Officer Gannon on Dragnet and Col. Potter on M*A*S*H. Gannon was a good cop but could be particular about his food and surroundings. As a career soldier, Potter didn't mind roughing it every now and again. Which character are you more like: fussy Gannon or outdoorsy Potter?  Definitely Col. Potter. I am not fussy.

6) Elvis' leading lady was Donna Douglas. She filmed her part during her summer hiatus from TV's The Beverly Hillbillies. Have you ever had a summer job?  The summer before my senior year of high school I worked for the Youth Conservation Corps in the Pocono Mountains.

7) Though not remembered as an actor, Elvis was a bona fide movie star. In 1966, he was listed (with Paul Newman, Sean Connery, John Wayne and Richard Burton) as one of the world's biggest box office draws. Who starred in the last movie you watched?  I don't know the names of the other actors, but Ben Affleck and Jason Momoa were in it. I watched "The Justice League" with my grandson today.

8) In 1966, Lauren Bacall appeared on the cover of Time with the headline: "The Pleasures and Perils of Middle Age." She was 41 years old and starring in a hit Broadway play. In the article, she explained that in middle age, she had come to understand that "character and a sense of humor are the two things that will carry you through." Tell us about something you understand better or appreciate more today than you did when you were young.  Be true to yourself and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.

9) Random question: Have you checked out Bud and Mimi's cool new meme, Monday Madness?  Yes ma'am. I joined in the fun last week.

Linking up with Crazy Sam and the gang at the Saturday 9.