Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Breakdowns, blow-ups, and boners from the Warner Bros. vault

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/03/43107/

Television's last great gasp of inventiveness came when Kermit 'Mr. Blooper' Schaefer passed the boner baton to Dick Clark. Forget about balls dropping or kids dancing on the bandstand; Dick Clark's greatest contribution to American culture was the recycling of the TV's garbage into a weekly series.

The first blooper of record took place in 1931 when radio announcer Harry Von Zell introduced the President of the United States as "Hoobert Heever." It was around the same time Schaefer began his career as a professional boner collector.

Schaefer was a sham, a world class fraud who tampered with history. Many of the bloopers contained in his LPs went out over the air live and no audio recordings existed. What was there to prevent Schaefer from bringing a group of actors into the studio to recreate the moment?

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/03/43097/

Shhaefer began packaging audio collections of his "bloopers" in the 1960's which were later transformed into a theatrical feature, Pardon My Blooper (1974). The "film" has never been released on DVD. Big Screen lifer, Colonna, bumped up a VHS tape to DVD for me and a copy rests comfortably in my archive. Only the audio portion of the film is available on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzLmvqSlFIY

At times, Schaefer flat out lied by dramatizing incidents that never occurred. 'Uncle' Don Carney, host of a popular 1930's children's radio show, spent a good portion of his life defending himself against Schaefer's slander. In Schaefer's version 'Uncle' Don, unaware that his microphone was still hot, let slip, "We're off? Good, well, that oughta hold the little bastards!" There is no factual evidence that this incident ever took place, but that didn't stop Kermit Schaefer from cashing in.

Schafer died in 1979 and the title "Keeper of the Bloopers" went to Dick Clark. In no time, he hired Ed McMahon to co-host TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, a weekly digest of mistakes culled from movies and TV shows. As if flubs weren't enough -- and in the interest of boosting ratings with celebrity appearances -- Dick included a weekly practical joke segment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR49NSVcmbw

It was here that I was first introduced to bits and pieces of the legendary Warner Bros. blooper reels. Made only for the eyes of those whose names were on the invite list to the studio's annual Christmas party, these reels were never intended for public consumption.

Here are some of the biggest names and brightest stars in the Hollywood firmament flubbing one line after another. You'll find goofs from Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, Bette Davis as Jezebel, Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, Edward G., Gary Cooper, Cagney, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, and take after take of Ronald Reagan unable to put on his pants.

All 9 of the Breakdowns and Blow-Ups reels can be found here. Note to purists: they have all been restored and released in their entirety on Warner Home Video. Breakdowns of 1938 is contained on the Blu-Ray pressing of The Adventures of Robin Hood and Breakdowns of 1941 can be found on the 3 disc Maltese Falcon collection. The rest appear on Warner Gangsters, Vol. 2 and The Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection Vol. 2. The super-rare Termite Terrace editions of Breakdowns are available on the The Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 6.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Melissa Etheridge, The Imaginary Amazon

Events April 1-April 3, 2024

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/03/43107/

Television's last great gasp of inventiveness came when Kermit 'Mr. Blooper' Schaefer passed the boner baton to Dick Clark. Forget about balls dropping or kids dancing on the bandstand; Dick Clark's greatest contribution to American culture was the recycling of the TV's garbage into a weekly series.

The first blooper of record took place in 1931 when radio announcer Harry Von Zell introduced the President of the United States as "Hoobert Heever." It was around the same time Schaefer began his career as a professional boner collector.

Schaefer was a sham, a world class fraud who tampered with history. Many of the bloopers contained in his LPs went out over the air live and no audio recordings existed. What was there to prevent Schaefer from bringing a group of actors into the studio to recreate the moment?

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/apr/03/43097/

Shhaefer began packaging audio collections of his "bloopers" in the 1960's which were later transformed into a theatrical feature, Pardon My Blooper (1974). The "film" has never been released on DVD. Big Screen lifer, Colonna, bumped up a VHS tape to DVD for me and a copy rests comfortably in my archive. Only the audio portion of the film is available on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzLmvqSlFIY

At times, Schaefer flat out lied by dramatizing incidents that never occurred. 'Uncle' Don Carney, host of a popular 1930's children's radio show, spent a good portion of his life defending himself against Schaefer's slander. In Schaefer's version 'Uncle' Don, unaware that his microphone was still hot, let slip, "We're off? Good, well, that oughta hold the little bastards!" There is no factual evidence that this incident ever took place, but that didn't stop Kermit Schaefer from cashing in.

Schafer died in 1979 and the title "Keeper of the Bloopers" went to Dick Clark. In no time, he hired Ed McMahon to co-host TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, a weekly digest of mistakes culled from movies and TV shows. As if flubs weren't enough -- and in the interest of boosting ratings with celebrity appearances -- Dick included a weekly practical joke segment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR49NSVcmbw

It was here that I was first introduced to bits and pieces of the legendary Warner Bros. blooper reels. Made only for the eyes of those whose names were on the invite list to the studio's annual Christmas party, these reels were never intended for public consumption.

Here are some of the biggest names and brightest stars in the Hollywood firmament flubbing one line after another. You'll find goofs from Bogart in The Maltese Falcon, Bette Davis as Jezebel, Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, Edward G., Gary Cooper, Cagney, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, and take after take of Ronald Reagan unable to put on his pants.

All 9 of the Breakdowns and Blow-Ups reels can be found here. Note to purists: they have all been restored and released in their entirety on Warner Home Video. Breakdowns of 1938 is contained on the Blu-Ray pressing of The Adventures of Robin Hood and Breakdowns of 1941 can be found on the 3 disc Maltese Falcon collection. The rest appear on Warner Gangsters, Vol. 2 and The Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection Vol. 2. The super-rare Termite Terrace editions of Breakdowns are available on the The Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 6.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.