View Full Version : Grady - Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas - 1975


cloggedmind
08-29-2020, 08:25 AM
What better way to beat the end-of-summer-blues than with a bit of Shady Grady!

Yep, it's the long-lost (or long-withheld due to music clearance) episode of Grady that you've all probably seen gajillions of times in the last month or so.

If not, sit back, shut up and load up "Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas" from 1975! And don't forget that video downloader extension, because this is another Limited Time Upload and it will self-destruct real soon!

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7vuimr

Edit:

Also, just as a point of discussion, I toyed with the idea of swapping out the theme tune with that of Sanford Arms when I uploaded this. The Milt Buckner-inspired tune from SA just has more life in it, and the timings of the video match the pace of the song quite well. Gives Grady a funky, energetic vibe and sets a better tone in my opinion.

In the spinoff, Grady is a bit more brash, edgy, energetic and quick-witted (his comebacks and remarks were written in the same style as those of Redd Foxx), and the jaunty Hammond/bass interplay and squeaky sax introduce the character much more succinctly than the doddering soft-shoe patter of the original theme.

Just a bit of unnecessary revision, I know, but I think it works and is a good use of the song.

Original Milt Buckner composition that must have inspired the theme from Sanford Arms:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOoyKGmtUss

Grady opening re-tooled:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7vuizr

I, personally would prefer the Sanford Arms theme in place of the soft-shoe blandness of the Grady tune. Whatcha think?

DJM77
08-29-2020, 02:30 PM
Thank you so much for posting this!

cloggedmind
08-29-2020, 02:36 PM
Thank you so much for posting this!

You're quite welcome!

I know many folks, including myself, had been looking for this show for ages to complete the series set.

MRPITT
08-29-2020, 05:13 PM
I think the new intro sounds pretty good. I like the old one too.
Well done.

cloggedmind
08-29-2020, 11:03 PM
I think the new intro sounds pretty good. I like the old one too.
Well done.

Thank you, MRPITT! For some reason I just associate the wrong theme with this show and it seems, well, right to me now.

I'm really enjoying revisiting this series with all the episodes intact at last. Nostalgia, even when it's a little distorted, is quite a powerful thing.

AngieTribeca
08-30-2020, 08:00 AM
https://mantronixretrotv.onlineweb.shop/Grady_-_The_COMPLETE_HD_STUDIO_Collection/p6119874_20676976.aspx

cloggedmind
08-30-2020, 11:00 AM
https://mantronixretrotv.onlineweb.shop/Grady_-_The_COMPLETE_HD_STUDIO_Collection/p6119874_20676976.aspx

Yep, that's the complete series, at last!

Since Sanford and Son has been uploaded to Archive.org since 2017 without an issue, I wonder if I should upload Sanford (1980), Grady, and Sanford Arms to make it complete?

Could be a fun weekend project sometime!