Mary Travers, 1936-2009

What a one-two punch of a day. First Henry Gibson, now Mary Travers. My guess is that the music of Peter, Paul & Mary in some way touched the childhood of just about anyone over the age of 25. I don’t know if “Puff the Magic Dragon” is still popular among kids today, but it was a staple of my childhood. It took on a different meaning entirely later in life, but that’s another story…

“Puff” popped up in a couple of noted movies — “Good Morning Vietnam” (1987) and “Meet the Parents” (2000) — and spawned a trio of animated made-for-TV movies, between 1978 and 1982. Of course, the best Peter, Paul & Mary movie appearance came in the 1980 Zucker/Abrahams comedy “Airplane!” It gets me every time when Maureen McGovern’s nun kicks up her rendition of “River of Jordan” a notch and knocks free a sick girl’s IV with her swaying guitar.

Go dig out that old “Puff the Magic Dragon” vinyl and give it a spin. Or pick up the song as a digital download and take a trip to the land of Honah Lee.

Share your Peter, Paul & Mary references in the comments section below or on Twitter with @mtvmoviesblog.

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