Tony Rollo Blog
New Season of Shows on TLC

Cool ! The new season of show lineups are being announced for TLC ! You know TLC – “The Learning Channel” Here’s the new ad banner teaser for the new TLC season –
10 million Fords

A hundred years ago was a prolific time in history for American Industry. We had all kinds of contraptions coming out – mostly made of American Steel by American entrepreneurs, American workers and designers. This day in 1915, the 10,000,000th Model T Ford rolled off the assembly line. That’s a lot of steel !
Grand Ole Opry Goes On The Air 85 Years Ago Today

Wow – 1927 on this date was the very first broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry live from Nashville, the real center of the musical universe. 85 years – and curiously the Opry’s web site makes no mention of it … It was fun being involved with a lot of the opry folks and recording […]
Cut the Cake Tommy …

Remember the movie “Old Yeller” ? How about “Swiss Family Robinson” ? Of course “Mars Needs Women” ! Maybe not that one … Kirk was born this day in 1941 … Where is he now? I hear he’s been cleaning carpets.
Hey – Hey – Hey !

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” – Bill Cosby
Happy Birthday Coaxial Cable !

If it weren’t for coaxial (COAX) cable, radio would have never been what it is … Coaxial Cable’s creation was probably inevitable due to the needs of the day … 81 years ago it was patented, so this is basically it’s birthday … 1931 – like it was only yesterday ! (Thanks Omegatron for the […]
Ziggy Southdust and the Positrons from Texas

I was trying to stay away from this place becoming an obituary column …. I purposely omitted mentioning Zig Ziglar last week. But now I just can’t help it. If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what […]
For Sale – 1927 Ford Model T – $385

Got ya – didn’t I ? It was this date in 1927 that the last year of production of the Ford Model T went on sale. It was at the amazing price of only $385 ! But that was in 1927 dollars. Do the math … that was a tremendous bargain. And what about color […]
A Unique take on the Personality test –

Gaining employment requires an interesting, yet challenging proposition these days … I have read where companies use modern ways to decipher the abilities and potential pitfalls for applicants. Giving potential candidates a personality test is a good way to provide insights into a person’s way of thinking. Especially when there are no right or wrong […]
Sir Winston Churchill at 138 Today ~

How different would the world be if we lived twice the years we do now and age twice as slow as we do? If this were true – Winston Churchill would still be giving us all the ability of more courage and there would be a lot more reason and balance in the world today. […]
A historic day for WSIX TV Nashville

It’s Nashville Television History Day ! (I just declared it hehehe) WSIX TV 8 went on the air today back in 1953. My main question is – if it was on channel 8, why did they get the call letters W-S-I-X ??? No one seems to be able to answer that question for me. Anywho […]
Happy Birthday John Wesley Hyatt

Who the heck is John Wesley Hyatt you ask? If it wasn’t for his invention of celluloid … … we wouldn’t have – cheap billiard balls, piano keys, false teeth, etc … … and pretty much anything else made of celluloid which was an early plastic in the middle to late 1800s. Those who created […]
Goodnight Larry …

If there was ever an award for the best “straight man” in a TV comedy it would have to be Larry Hagman in “I Dream Of Jeannie” … But he was a very comical straight man. Most may remember him best for J.R. – but I have always seen him as Major Nelson. I guess […]
You’re Fired

Uncle Joe got fired from his construction job. His nephew asked him what happened. “You know what a foreman is?” Uncle Joe asked. “The one who stands around and watches the other men work?” the nephew asked. “What’s that got to do with it?” “Well, he just got jealous of me,” Uncle Joe explained. “Everyone […]
Waiting for the Bird to Cook

I had a brilliant idea – … mainly because we do not have a full, metal covered oven container like Great Granny had … which is 650 miles away … a real antique! And so we cannot do the super secret family recipe from the 1800s turkey cooking method that is absolutely the best and […]
The Lost Colony of Roanoke

American History is a favorite subject of discussion around the kitchen table. We began discussing the lost colony of Roanoke – so it is a real treat to find the old “In Search Of…” episode on this subject –
DEVO – Genius is rarely understood – Raw Footage

How to get hooked up with Brian Eno ~ Mark Mothersbaugh and warm up sound check 1982 raw footage ~ Misunderstood brilliance and positive uplifting lyrics … genius is rarely understood ~ It’s difficult to be ahead of your time and see further ahead ~
What Planet are you From ?!?

Digging for worms is the first step to a successful day of fishing. Grandad and his five year old granddaughter were in Granny’s garden digging for worms for fishing bait. The kid dug up a multi-legged creature and proudly dangled it before Grandad. “That won’t work, honey,” Grandad lovingly and wisely instructed. “He’s not an […]
Good Night Broadcasting Pioneer Sonny Eliot

Imagine working well into your 80s doing what you love to do. That’s what broadcasting pioneer Sonny Eliot did at WWJ-AM He is of the generation of America who saw it all. He was a prisoner of war by the nazis in World War Two. He lived in a time when Detroit was the greatest […]
Thanks to our Military and Veterans

A short film from me to honor our Veterans. This was a wonderful day in celebration.
In Memorial ~ Nova the Mantis

Rest In Peace Nova the Mantis … 2011 ~ 2012 “She had a happy life with us. She ate very well and grew really big. I was so sad. But I know the life span of a mantis is less than a year. So she lived very long.” – Misun (Nova’s trainer) ___ “She was […]
Ever Changing Face Of Business

There was a time when one got their newspaper from fellows like this – Girls sold newspapers too, not just the boys – Then came along the big, metal box and there were no more Newsboys … Is this an example of the evils of technology displacing hard working people? Was this an answer to […]
Digital Killed The Newspaper Star

As the BUGGLES once sang: “Video Killed the Radio Star” When the telephone was being first installed, office businessmen said “I don’t need one of those things – I have messenger boys!” The radio was supposed to be killed by Television … as well as the movie theaters. Radio didn’t die – it re-invented itself. […]
Enter the Smile Box

I remember when TCM was a basic cable channel showing old, obscure movies that were collecting dust in the film vault that Ted Turner bought. TODAY – TCM is a real savior for anyone who wants real movies as modern movies have no heart and soul. (of course there are always exceptions) And it’s now […]
Sing … Sing … Sing …

Aside from everything else, I am really enjoying (for lack of a better term) the excitement of this election year. The post production on the new film project is going well – and on top of all that it’s quite an exciting time to be alive. But just like any other roller coaster ride, I’d […]
Home Education Referee

We prefer to use the term “Home Education” rather than “Home School” … That said – I am often called upon to explain any possible skewed facts, disinformation or plug into my “bigger picture view” of history and education. The question was: “Canada is the leading world producer of __________” My answer: “Canadians” That one […]
Two Subjects ~ Paying Your Dues / EPIX Gets It

There is an old saying … … at least older than me because I heard it come from a lot of my mentors when they were long in tooth and I was still wet behind the ears – Paying dues … There’s a lot of frogs to kiss before finding the princess. (this alludes to […]
Happy Larry Monty Bond Fine Python Anniversary

I had planned on posting all this on Friday, but our local internet provider went offline due to a leaf falling on their tower. So I missed the window of opportunity to post anything – as my “personal” website is the last thing I have the time to get to. So I get to do […]
My Wife ~ The Jokster

I have been in the cave slaving over this latest production … I ran an errand with my daughter to return and find out my wife had made her secret recipe chicken and broccoli casserole – … which always smells like desert like a fine cake with icing. How she pulls that off – I […]
Brit Shedjooling on “BBC I Wanna Be American”

Anyone who really knows me knows I am a complete Top Gear UK fanatic… … and completely loathe the Americanized version on the “History Channel” – while I also dig the version out of Korea which I can see via the ‘net … “American” versions of British television shows lack an understanding of why the […]
Good Night Andy ….

Andy Williams was not my speed. Although my grandparents loved his show back in the day. I have found myself hearing some of the cuts he did years ago – and I can appreciate the quality and artistry. Does this mean I’m getting old ?!? Hardly … i’m just paying attention more these days to […]
Dreams VS Realities

When I am in post-production on a project something happens. Time, reality, light, dreams, sound and story seem to all blur together. What quantity of dreams are reality ? What quantity of reality are dreams ? ~ I heard from an antiquities expert that the 1950s are very much the hot era right now in […]
Who is the Modern Anne Frank ?

As TCM shows the Classic, Original motion picture from 1959, I cannot help but imagine who the modern equivalent of Anne Frank may be. Perhaps it is not a physical hiding place in today’s world, but an attic of idealism which some must hide. To me – the most powerful scenes are the moments of […]
God Speed Endeavour – She served us well

The Space Shuttle Endeavour sits atop its 747 ride about to leave Florida for the last time – It’s really cool to have the NASA Channel and watch history unfold live … Space Shuttle Endeavour is now in the air for the last time from Florida on its way to be a museum exhibit in […]
When Did the World Stop Making Sense ?

When did the world stop making sense? Why do some want to take all the joy and fun out of life for everyone in an attempt to make us all to be equally miserable? When did a principal of a public school begin to believe that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was a form […]
Attack of the Fads

Ask about anyone who’s been around in the Entertainment Industry or media for a few decades and they’ll tell you that fads and trends come back around in 15 and 30 year cycles. Fads and trends do run in cycles but a lot of it is easily explained. In radio – “oldies” station run a […]
You just can’t make this stuff up …

Remember when they said coffee would make you have heart attacks? Remember all those “coming epidemics” where the vaccine killed more people than the flu did? ATCs (3 wheel cycles) killed around 78 people over several decades so they were banned while cars kill 50,000 people a year and go on being sold. We could […]
Who was Chris Stevens ?

He is the most mentioned American in the news headlines today. Yet – he is not being mentioned by name as yet. However, the media is only mentioning him as “The US Ambassador to Libya” He died in service to America as we were mourning the 11th year after the terrible attack on our soil. […]
Captain’s Log: Stardate: 46 Years Ago

Space … the final frontier :-) Star Trek the original series. The real Star Trek … Same as saying Sean Connery is the real James Bond – The rest are just stand ins … 46 years ago Star Trek premiered on American broadcast television. It was a ritual in our house to watch. And the […]