Friday Afternoon Follies: The Band Again

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Melissa Kean

No surprise, I found another picture of the band acting weird. This one is dated: 1975. Big crowd, too.

Band covered 75

There are no words for how much I love those white go-go boots.

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9 Responses to Friday Afternoon Follies: The Band Again

  1. Wes Hansen says:
    June 15, 2013 at 12:24 am

    In ’75 we played Texas in Austin, so this must have been the Aggie game (to have a crowd that big). It would have been the first home game against A&M since the infamous ’73 performance where the aggie dolts showed their true colors, and a lot of people probably wanted to see what the Mob would do for an encore. I’m sure Grungy can tell us what is really happening here..

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  2. Pat Campbell says:
    June 15, 2013 at 2:42 am

    The other option would be LSU. We played them at Rice that year – hard to tell if those are cajubs in the end zone seats. I’m also depending on Grungy for this one.

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  3. Grungy says:
    June 15, 2013 at 4:03 am

    The Secret Owl Band show for A&M in ’75.
    We are sneaking onto the field from the tunnel under a cargo parachute.
    The leading edge of the ‘chute stopped at the 18 yard line and the announcer said “Drumroll, please…”, and a bass drum was rolled out from underneath.

    It was basically a reprise of the ’73 A&M show, except that Rice bore the brunt of the jabs and jibes.
    The person in the blazer on the left is Chris Counts, can’t recall the name of the one on the right.
    The drum major peering through a gap (in the white uniform) is Paul Reinhardt.
    Second person behind Chris is (the late) Dian Hardison.
    Not sure who the twirler is immediately behind Chris.
    I don’t recall any of them wearing variant outfits – usually they were dressed alike (with the white boots). I’ll check on that…

    I have some images of this show that were scanned from the 16mm film of halftime (but no place to post them for people here to see).

    Here’s the script (which may be an early version, rather than the final version (inappropriate apostrophes – gasp!)):

    Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, today the MOB pokes fun at …Rice University itself. Presenting the premier performance of the Secret Owl Band – the S.O.B.’s!
    Band comes out of tunnel under sheets or large parachutes, oozing out to center of field.
    Attendants remove wraps to reveal bandmembers wearing various Halloween masks.
    Band marches into “owl” formation.
    Announcer: Today’s show is a salute to some of the institutions which make up Rice University. The S.O.B.’s have formed a large owl, the mascot of the school. It seems that our friends and relatives always give worthless nic-nacs as gifts for all occasions. By the time he graduates, the Rice student can amass hundreds of these senseless items. Sometimes it seems that people in the real world never miss a chance to give us the bird.
    Band plays “Shaft”. Marches into “dollar sign” and “Four-leaf clover”.
    Announcer: The S.O.B.’s now pay tribute to the value of a Rice education. After four years and thousands of dollars, the hopeful graduate goes out into the job market. The band has formed a big dollar and a four-leaf clover, because in the long-run, the only way a Rice graduate gets rich is the same way as everyone else – with a little bit of luck!
    Band plays “A Little Bit of Luck”. Marches into flat football, etc.
    Announcer: The S.O.B.’s now salute athletics at Rice. The teams which we field in the Southwest Conference are typical of individuals at Rice – they have their moments of brilliance, but they sometimes tend to collapse under pressure. The band has formed a football, basketball, and baseball. Watch now as these balls lose their hot air.
    Band plays “Football Hero.” Marches into human hindside.
    Announcer: Finally, the S.O.B.’s pause to remember the Mob of years past. Even though they had good intentions, they spent more time in hot water than a teabag. The band, with tongue-in-cheek, has formed the rump of the old MOB. Watch now as they get a chunk removed by their critics. (Gnote: A rather large set of false teeth is carried onto the field by the twirlers, and it takes a bite out of the formation.)
    Music: “Those Were the Days” Band runs in circles, leaves via tunnel.
    Announcer: There you have it fans, another season down the tube. (Play recording of toilet flushing.) Thank you and good day.

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  4. Grungy says:
    June 15, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    The twirler in the variant costume is not who I thought she might be.

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  5. almadenmike says:
    June 18, 2013 at 5:12 am

    >> “After four years and thousands of dollars, …”

    LOL! Annual tuition for the class of 1970 was $1,200. I believe it was $1,500 for the next class. (What was 1975’s?)

    Those Were the Days, indeed!

    Reply
  6. grungy1973 says:
    March 25, 2017 at 10:48 am

    The person in the band blazer at the back of the band, on the left, is Jim McGinness (74/74/79).

    Reply

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