Jul 12 2010
Bootleg Mario Says Drugs Send You to Hell
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8M8I2SYEiA
I’m not sure who Captain Lou Albana is, but someone at Nintendo probably sued him at one point due to his clear jacking of their beloved Mario in order to tell kids to stay off drugs.
He’s got the hat and the mustache, but his hair is about three levels grimier than Mario’s. I’m a little disconcerted at his “aimed at kids” tagline of “Drugs send you to hell before you die.” That seems just a touch intense for eight year olds.
Update: I am told Lou played Mario on the old TV show, but that doesn’t make his casting any less ridiculous. I think Ron Jeremy would make a more believable Mario. But he did died recently, so RIP Lou. You have successfully kept me off drugs.
Even More Uncoachable Stuff
Captain Lou was a pro wrestler, then a pro wrestling “manager”, and he had a TON of bit roles on TV. He was a major part of the “rock ‘n wrestling” scene from the early 80′s, playing the father in Cyndi Lauper videos. He was famous for sticking rubber bands all over his face. He recently died.
Oh, and he also played Mario on the Mario TV show.
Maybe I’m missing the joke, but Lou Albano was was on the Super Mario television show in the late 80′s. This was almost certainly a legit use of the copyright, scary as that is. But he did the Mario gig during the height of the “Just Say No” and D.A.R.E. hysteria, so that might explain it.
Dude used to be Mario for the Super Mario Super Show that used to be on TV years and years ago…if I remember right.