What's not to love about a movie that has lines such as "That's the hourly dong" and "You're still holding on to his titties!"? Not only that. In the first 15 minutes, we see cameo appearances from Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim. I saw GLASS ONION, the newest murder mystery starring Daniel Craig as the show tune loving, Southern detective named Benoit Blanc. If you're up for some Greek action, you must see this feature. It played in theaters and it's now on Netflix.
I will not spoil anything. I will give you a little of the set-up. We go back to the year 2020, a year that...to put it frankly,..sucked. Benoit, along with some A-list people, gets invited to a murder mystery game weekend held on a Greek island by a technology billionaire named Miles Bron. He's played by Ed Norton. As you can probably guess, during the weekend of the billionaire's planned game, someone really gets murdered.
GLASS ONION is just too much fun. It has a solid ensemble cast that includes Kate Hudson, moon-faced beefcake wrestler/actor Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn and Leslie Odom Jr. Big applause goes to Janelle Monáe who has a juicy role and really bites into it. She and Daniel Craig connect quite well.
As for Daniel Craig, he's faaaaaabulous. I loved him as James Bond. However, I totally dig him now that he can stretch himself by getting laughs and being less macho. As soon as I saw Benoit in a bathtub with a yellow rubber ducky, I was hooked by this KNIVES OUT mystery. Here's a trailer.
This would have been a great date movie had I seen it in a cinema. And if I had a date. Nonetheless, I saw it by myself on Netflix and had a delightful time. Director and screenwriter Rian Johnson gave us a smart, entertaining who-done-it with beautiful production design, a brisk pace and good acting. I hope GLASS ONION gets an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Speaking of Oscars, here's a tune from a Paramount movie starring Alan Ladd called CAPTAIN CAREY, U.S.A.
"Mona Lisa" won the Oscar for Best Song of 1950. Nat King Cole had a hit recording with it that you'll hear in GLASS ONION. Enjoy.
It is New Year's Eve and I totally wish you all the very best for 2023. I kept my resolution this year. I took time to let those who are significant in my life know that they are significant in my life. It didn't take a lot. A phone call, a note, a visit, a hug. As I wrote before, let loved ones know that they are loved -- even if they occasionally work your last good nerve. Be kind. Think about how you'd like to be treated. Take the time before there is no time.
But enough about me. Let's swing into New Year's Eve with June in December. The late, great June Christy was a cool jazz vocalist who started her celebrated career by singing with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. I hope you'll dig this trio of her tunes.
Here is "Give Me The Simple Life."
She celebrated the holiday season with "The Merriest."
Now let's wind it up with "Sorry To See You Go."
May all your sweet dreams for the new year come true. Happy New Year.
It's one of my favorite works of art. Movie-wise. The Billy Wilder classic, THE APARTMENT, touches me every time I see it. Director, co-writer and producer Wilder won Oscars for his work. The film won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1960. Stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine landed Oscar nominations.
Weekend NPR host, Scott Simon, has an online feature called OPEN BOOK that many of us follow on Twitter. On Thursday, Dec. 29th, I had the terrific opportunity to be his guest for a discussion of Billy Wilder's THE APARTMENT. I loved doing that show with Scott. We discussed things about the movie that you don't often hear discussed -- for instance, positive racial images in the movie, the British film starring Petula Clark that was the source of the music that later become known as the Theme to THE APARTMENT and how the wonderful 2000 film from Cameron Crowe, ALMOST FAMOUS, is a valentine to Billy Wilder's classic. Crowe interviewed and was inspired by Billy Wilder. He wrote a book about their conversations and Billy Wilder saw ALMOST FAMOUS.
If you've seen THE APARTMENT, I do not have to explain the plot and characters to you. If you have not seen THE APARTMENT, I urge you to find it and watch it before reading the rest of this. blog post. You can return to it after you've seen the movie.
Here's another image that warms my heart in the movie. A great image and a sublime piece of acting from Shirley MacLaine as Fran Kubelik. After being humiliated and suicidal from her affair with Mr. Sheldrake, she falls again for his phony professions of love and goes out with him on New Year's Eve. She wears a paper party hat that resembles a crown. She comes to realize that he's a philandering jerk and she's right back where she started -- until comes the other realization that someone truly does love her. He's C.C. Baxter, the man who rescued her. The camera stays on Fran as the crowd sings "Auld Lang Syne." You can see her spirit resurrect and live again. In another shot, Mr. Sheldrake sees that Fran has departed. Her crown-like paper hat is on her chair as if she's abdicated her position of being Queen of Nothing in that relationship.
The new year starts with a renewed Fran Kubelik running to the apartment of the man who loves her. The man who saved her life on Christmas Eve. He's alone. And lonely. The mensch who assumes Fran has gone back to his ex-boss, Mr. Sheldrake.
What a tender and memorable holiday movie. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
What a year. The road got rocky but the trip was worth it. One lesson I re-learned and wish to pass on is this: Make the people in your life who are significant feel significant. Let your loved ones know they are loved -- even if they occasionally work your last good nerve. Make a call, send a note, give a hug...whatever. If there are folks who don't make you feel significant or loved -- move on. Gain the strength to be kind. Now let's have some music that's perfect for this weekend.
"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" was written by Frank Loesser, the man who gave us the terrific classic Broadway score to GUYS AND DOLLS. Here, it's sung by Margaret Whiting. She was a very popular recording star of the 1940s & 50s. I've got some movie trivia. Margaret and Judy Garland were pals in the 40s. In the 60s, Judy was hired to play a veteran Broadway musical star in the film version of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. She pre-recorded a song written for her to do. Judy was fired and replaced by Susan Hayward. Margaret Whiting dubbed Hayward's singing voice doing the song originally written for Judy.
Irving Berlin won a Best Song Oscar for "White Christmas." Bing Crosby introduced it in Paramount's hit 1942 musical comedy, HOLIDAY INN, co-starring Fred Astaire. The movie is full of music by Berlin. Here's another one he wrote for Bing to sing. Fred dances with Marjorie Reynolds.
Songwriters John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote songs for Liza Minnelli to introduce in a Martin Scorsese movie. The movie was 1977's NEW YORK, NEW YORK co-starring Robert De Niro. She played a former big band singer who becomes a top Hollywood movie star. On her way to that stardom, she marries and divorces an abusive musician. Liza sings the title tune, a tune that went on to become enormously popular -- especially in New York.
Every year, when the Times Square ball drops to bring in the new year, ABC TV always plays the Frank Sinatra cover of the song which landed in many jukeboxes. However ... Frank flubbed a lyric line or two. Here's Liza in Scorsese's film introducing the song and getting all the lyrics correct.
Hard to believe this tune did not get a Best Song Oscar nomination. The Oscar winner for that year was "You Light Up My Life." Here's Liza in NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
Have you ever seen someone laugh so hard that it caused a happy tear or two to roll down the person's face? Well, I did. And the first person I saw hit with such a strong fit of laughter was my father. This was back in South Central Los Angeles when I was boy. I was sitting on the living room floor, Dad was sitting in his favorite chair and he was watching a movie on local Channel 9 -- then KHJ TV -- one Friday night. On Friday nights, independent station Channel 9 would air indie movies such as ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO, Judy Garland and Burt Lancaster in A CHILD IS WAITING and NOTHING BUT A MAN. On that particular night, the movie airing was a comedy. A Civil Rights era comedy based on a Broadway play written by and starring Ossie Davis. In the play and in the film version, he played a character inspired by his friend, Dr. Martin Luther King. The play was called PURLIE VICTORIOUS, the name of the clever preacher played by Davis. Reverend Purlie returns to his Georgia hometown to build an integrated church and preach some fresh ideas. His main obstacle is the white man who runs the local cotton plantation.
The title of the 1961 play was changed to GONE ARE THE DAYS! for the 1963 film adaptation. All the original Broadway cast members repeated their roles in the movie. The cast included Ossie's wife, Ruby Dee, plus Beah Richards, Godfrey Cambridge and Alan Alda. After one Broadway performance, the cast was visited by and photographed backstage with Dr. Martin Luther King. Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee were with Dr. King at the historic March on Washington in 1963.
My dad was a quiet, reserved guy. Not outgoing and chatty like Mom. He was kind of shy. To this day, I'm surprised our neighbors on East 124th Street and Central Avenue were not startled hearing Dad's loud bellows of laughter at some of the lines delivered by Godfrey Cambridge. Cambridge plays the resident stuck in his cotton pickin' ways which frustrates the young preacher. Ruby Dee, remarkable dramatic actress of stage and screen, proved that she could do comedy with her performance as the luscious and slightly ditzy Lutiebelle. Ossie Davis wrote the screenplay.
Ossie Davis's GONE ARE THE DAYS! should be added to the respected Criterion Collection. The fabulous Carla Hayden of the Library of Congress should have Ossie Davis's GONE ARE THE DAYS! added to the National Film Registry.
I want you to take time to watch this preview clip that runs 7 1/2 minutes. It has Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Godfrey Cambridge and Hilda Haynes in GONE ARE THE DAYS! based by the Broadway play PURLIE VICTORIOUS written by Osssie Davis. This indie movie has been an overlooked gem for too long a time. If he was alive today, my dad would agree.
PURLIE VICTORIOUS, the 1961 play written by Ossie Davis, was adapted into a hit 1970 Broadway musical called PURLIE. The late Cleavon Little won a Tony Award for his performance as Purlie. Melba Moore took on the role originated by Ruby Dee. Melba won a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award and a Theatre World Award.
In the 1960s and 70s, Hollywood was scooping up hit Broadway musicals to turn into movies. But Hollywood ignored the hits starring Black actors. Famous Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway shows such as OKLAHOMA!, SOUTH PACIFIC, FLOWER DRUM SONG and THE SOUND OF MUSIC got the Hollywood treatment. After the death of Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers scored a musical by himself. It was NO STRINGS, the 1962 musical that gave us the great song "The Sweetest Sounds." It was a sophisticated musical set in Paris with an interracial love story at its heart. A romance between a Black high fashion model from New York and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Paris, glamorous fashions, romance, music. History was made when its female lead, Diahann Carroll, became the first Black woman to win the Tony for Best Actress in.a musical. Leslie Uggams starred on Broadway in the 1967 musical HALLELUJAH, BABY! about a talented Black woman, like Lena Horne, determined to have equality in a showbiz career. The story occurs in an America that was changing in its embrace of Civil Rights. It made a star of Ms. Uggams. It won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Score. The music was by Jule Style (later of FUNNY GIRL fame) with the celebrated Betty Comden and Adolph Green (ON THE TOWN, BELLS ARE RINGING). Sammy Davis, Jr played a prizefighter from Harlem in a musical version of GOLDEN BOY, based on the classic play by Clifford Odets. The 1939 film version starred Barbara Stanwyck with William Holden as the boxer. The musical made the romance between those two characters a controversial interracial one. The score was by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. Those two also wrote the score to BYE BYE BIRDIE.
Melba Moore wowed audiences when she sang "I Got Love" in PURLIE. Did Hollywood gives us big musical screen versions of NO STRINGS, HALLELUJAH, BABY!, GOLDEN BOY and PURLIE like it did with BYE BYE BIRDIE, THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, THE MUSIC MAN, FUNNY GIRL and SWEET CHARITY? No. Hollywood ignored the Broadway musicals starring Black talent.
Here's Melba Moore singing "I Got Love" from PURLIE based on a play and film written by Ossie Davis.
Thanks for taking time to read this post and watch the clips. I truly appreciate it. And let's bring some attention to that Ossie Davis classic. Happy New Year.
This show is one of my favorite offerings on HBO. There's a lot of empathy, good will and surprise on WE'RE HERE. Three drag queens, all graduates of RuPAUL'S DRAG RACE, travel across the country, meet people, get to know neighborhoods and put on a drag show at the end of each episode. Performing with them in the drag shows are some of the folks they've met along the way, folks willing to step out of their comfort zones.
There was a long hiatus after the show premiered. I'm sure that was because of the pandemic. Also, a member of the trio --Shangela -- became the most recent winner on ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS. Shangela, Bob the Drag Queen and Eureka O'Hara are the host/queens. I knew about Shangela and Bob the Drag Queen for years when I lived in New York. They are popular drag queens and serious entertainers. Polished performers.
This show is highly entertaining. It can also break your heart. It always makes you think. It's different from other shows that highlighted openly gay men going into neighborhoods, meeting folks and introducing them to new things. I'll use QUEER EYE as an example. That show, in its first incarnation, was basically about pushing product. You had the all-white Queer Eye crew -- featuring Carson Kressley with his pre-written ad libs -- going into homes and recommending cosmetics, clothing, home furnishings, kitchenware and such to improve your life. WE'RE HERE is pushing tolerance, acceptance, compassion -- and fabulous drag performances.
This week, WE'RE HERE presented a one-hour episode, part one of a two-part presentation. That hour-long part one, airing this week, is perhaps the most moving edition of WE'RE HERE I've seen. The trio goes to Florida and immediately shows us the irony of being accepted in places of entertainment -- like DisneyWorld -- but places outside of that have residents holding up anti-LGBTQ signs, wearing Trump shirts and they have a governor pushing a "Don't Say Gay" agenda.
The trio introduces us to a schoolteacher who has a trans daughter. The teacher was always a straight ally for LGBTQ people but was never one to speak at rallies or march holding a supportive sign because, understandably, she feared for her job. But now things are different. Her little girl could be denied health care. We meet this huggable family. The brawny, working class dad broke my heart when he started to cry as he talked about how "loving" and "confident" his daughter is and how she has to face discrimination.
We meet a man (a handsome man) in his late 50s who lives alone. His longtime partner died. His mother is very Catholic and feels that her son, who once played football and dated women, made his gayness a "choice" versus him living his authentic self.
Shangela visits a young Puerto Rican fellow who survived the horrible Pulse gay nightclub shooting of 2016. I dare you not be moved by that interview. 49 people were killed in that mass shooting in Orlando. Being a survivor of that nightmare changed his attitude towards being *out* in his city.
Also, we learn more about Eureka and her personal journey that was riddled with pain.
If you can, look for that one-hour edition of WE'RE HERE on HBO. Here's a trailer for the series.
Part 2 airs this coming Friday night at 10:00. I'll be watching,.
This film moved me in a way I did nor expect. It's a coming-of-age story centered on young Sammy Fabelman who falls in love with movies when he's a little boy. The story takes us from a New Jersey suburb to Arizona to Southern California. We follow Sammy from his little boyhood to his late teens. As you probably know, this film is based on the life of its director and co-writer, Steven Spielberg. It's about the power of film and thespark that ignites a creativity within us, It's about art versus family and about myth versus reality. THE FABELMANS also shows you that, even though a movie may not be a darling with the critics, even though it may be pretty much forgotten today, there can still be something in it extremely special to somebody. It may not be significant to a high-tone film critic, but it's cherished by a movie-lover somewhere.
The story starts with little Sammy going to the movies with his parents. He's a bit scared of what the experience may be. The movie they're seeing is Cecil B. De Mille's colorful and action-packed circus epic, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. Sammy's mathematical and practical dad explains how the movie projector works. Sammy's musical and playful mother tells him, "Movies are dreams that you never forget." THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1952. Even today, critics feel that De Mille's crowdpleaser was mediocre and the Oscar should have gone to Stanley Kramer's HIGH NOON or John Ford's THE QUIET MAN.
The intense train collision scene in the circus epic, a scene full of special effects, is what ignites the artistic creativity in Sammy, a creativity that will lead to an emotional collision with his parents. We love watching him recruit his sisters to help him make his amateur home movies. We love seeing his movie interest and creativity grow. We watch how it affects his family. His mother loves it. Dad sees it as just a hobby even though Sammy gets older still telling his dad that it's not just a hobby. It's his passion. The seed for all this came from a film no one talks about today. But it was special to Sammy. His passion for the art of filmmaking will cause him to see his parents as the imperfect people they are -- loving yet making wrong choices or not making a choice at all. Little Sammy leaves THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH knowing what he wants for Hanukkah.
Sammy loved that movie. He loved John Ford's THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE. At the dinner table, with lots of chatter and laughter, his Uncle Benny says something about licorice that classic filmlovers will recognize as a line Spencer Tracy says in the George Cukor comedy, ADAM'S RIB. Uncle Benny supports Sammy's desire to make films. He's not really a relative. He's the best friend of Sammy's dad. Uncle Benny has special feelings for Sammy's mom. Sammy loves his mom yet he sees her as "selfish" and always needing to be the center of attention.
The emotional depth of this film shook me. I watched it on Christmas Eve. Certain scenes made me cry. I chalked that up to me being gripped by the sentimentality of the holiday season and being rather tired. I watched it again Christmas night. I cried more. Why? Because I saw bits of my mother in Sammy's mother and I saw some of myself in Sammy. I fully understood the pull between art and family that Sammy's wise Uncle Boris warned him about during a visit. I didn't expect that from this Steven Spielberg film.
When little Sammy went to see THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, I had become a classic film fan at that same age. I wanted to learn how films were made. I wanted to know about the actors. I wanted to be in movies or on TV talking about movies with moviemakers. Mom, however, had other plans for my life and that tension would last well into my adult years.
The TARZAN movies Johnny Weissmuller made for MGM would air on a local L.A. station on Saturday afternoons when I was a youngster. I loved those movie -- especially the ones that had Tarzan, Jane and their little boy living in sort of a jungle moderne home. In one, Jane made Tarzan breakfast. She had a treehouse kitchen and an egg the size of a volleyball.
During my school vacation before I started 3rd grade, Mom was adamant that I got to summer camp for 8 days in the San Bernardino mountains courtesy of the local Boys' Club. I said "No." I didn't want to go to camp for 8 days. I wanted to stay home in South Central L.A. where I could see old movies on TV. Mom had Dad coax me to say "Yes."
I went to camp. I disliked it the moment we boys arrived. A few days later, we campers went to a lake. I ventured into the water, got carried out by a current and also drowned, I tried to yell for help. I was going under. Did my life flash before my eyes? No. And this is the hand-to-Heaven truth. What flashed before my eyes was Johnny Weissmuller swimming, as he always did, in his TARZAN movies. I copied his moves. That kept me afloat and visible until a hand reached in, grabbed me and I was rescued.
Those old Tarzan family adventures from MGM saved my life when I did something I did not want to do just to please my mother. Old movies saved my life. Here's a trailer for THE FABLEMANS.
Michelle Williams, as Sammy's mother, left me awe-struck. She is sensational. This is the same Michelle Williams we saw as Ennis Del Mar's country wife in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, as Marilyn Monroe in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN and as Gwen Verdon in FOSSE/VERDON. His role may not be a large one but Judd Hirsch really punches through the screen as the wise Uncle Boris warning Sammy that art demands sacrifice and can lead to family turbulence. What a performance. Both Williams and Hirsch will probably be in the running for Oscars next year. David Lynch as the crusty veteran director John Ford was an inspired piece of casting. The whole cast, which includes Paul Dano and Seth Rogen, is strong. Some of the high schools scenes could've been trimmed. Nonetheless, this is a very, very good film.
My heart was deeply touched by THE FABLEMANS. I will be seeing it again before Oscar nominations are announced on January 24th.
Because of the brutal arctic blast that threw a big yuletide monkey wrench into the plans of millions scheduled to fly to see friends and/or family for Christmas, the title of this show caught my attention. Then a trailer for the show made me laugh. People having emotional meltdowns due to the flight cancellations while Michael Bublé was singing "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" in the background.
I watched the first episodes of the Norwegian TV series, A STORM AT CHRISTMAS. The shows are dubbed in English.
"What the hell? I'm Santa!" The opening scenes of the first episode made me laugh. A Black man dressed as Santa gets delayed at the airport security check-in. We follow him and see that he's an employee. He's the airport's version of a department store Santa. Kids sit on his knee and tell him what they want for Christmas. We also see a family struggling to get off a train that arrives at the airport. It's struggling with luggage and against the gusty winds and blowing snow.
Flights have been delayed or cancelled at the Oslo airport and travelers are stranded. There's that family, an ill-mannered pop music star and her polite assistant, a musician who's just received a bad review in the newspaper, two lovers who hook up in an airport restroom for the handicapped and a gregarious young man wearing a loud print shirt. We also see an airport bartender who seems to be having some personal health issue and the female airport priest who aids passengers.
You just know that, somehow, some of these stranded lives will intertwine. I thought of the movie LOVE, ACTUALLY and the even older movie, AIRPORT. The first episode is 40 minutes, the second is 30 minutes long. I liked them very much when they made me laugh. I preferred those moments to the dramatic bits, but the dramatic bits held my interest when they highlighted characters such as the airport priest. She's having her own emotional and spiritual confusion. She wonders if she's really contributing to the world around her "because life can make it hard to understand which way to go."
In Episode #2, she will encounter an elderly gentleman traveling alone who does not speak her language. She works to determine where he came from or where he's going. A STORM FOR CHRISTMAS seems like the kind of short foreign TV series that will inspire an American version for a cable channel. Here's a trailer. It's subtitled but, as I wrote, the series airing on Netflix is dubbed in English.
In the second episode, a well-dressed, foul-mouthed and absolutely slapable first class passenger butts in line at a ticket counter because she's been inconvenienced by the Norwegian snowstorm. You'll love how the counter clerk deals with her. (By the way, if you watch that episode, 8000 krona is $800 American.)
A STORM FOR CHRISTMAS now on Netflix. Try it. You may like it. Happy Holidays.
Not long after I graduated from college, a college life that transplanted me from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, I started my professional TV career at Milwaukee's ABC affiliate. This was at a time when HAPPY DAYS and LAVERNE & SHIRLEY were big hits. Both those sitcoms had action that took place in Milwaukee. So, when I was at home in my apartment, I would watch the ABC shows because I worked for an extension of the network, I have been a devoted Tom Hanks fan ever sense I saw the premiere episode of a new ABC sitcom called BOSOM BUDDIES. What a spectacular career he's had since that sitcom debuted. Like Sally Field, Robin Williams and actor/filmmaker Ron Howard, Hanks is an ABC sitcom graduate who went on to Oscar victory for dramatic work in films. Hanks won two Best Actor Oscars -- two consecutive Oscars, thank you very much -- for 1993's PHILADELPHIA and 1994's FORREST GUMP.
FORREST GUMP was a box office powerhouse. With other 90s films such as APOLLO 13, TOY STORY, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and YOU'VE GOT MAIL, Hanks was box office gold. He's older now. I'm older now. The movie business has changed and actors like Hanks have to keep it fresh opposite caped comic book heroes snatching up big money at the box office in action/fantasies.
Nonetheless, he does keep it fresh. He challenges himself and he produces films that embrace racial inclusion in casting. Tom Hanks does this all so smoothly that critics may miss it because it seems almost subliminal.
He starred in the entertaining comedy LARRY CROWNE co-starring Julia Roberts in 2011. He was producer of this tale about a middle-aged employee in Southern California who's unmarried and downsized from his job despite being good at it. He takes classes at a community college to reinvent himself. Look at who played neighbors and friends in LARRY CROWNE -- Pam Grier, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson. George Takei and Randall Park are in the cast. Look in the classroom scenes. Who has a small part as one of the other students? Future fellow Best Actor Oscar winner Rami Malek. He won for his performance as the late rock star, Freddie Mercury, in 2018's BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY.
Hanks was the perfect choice to play children's TV host, Fred Rogers, in 2019's A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. He got a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his work, work that showed the steely and often frustrated offscreen side of Mr. Rogers. In an interview, Hanks once revealed that he had a big fear of singing onstage -- or on film. Here's how he kept it fresh by challenging himself. He had to sing several TV show songs as Mr. Rogers. And, if you really listened to Mr. Rogers, those songs he sang were not nursery rhyme tunes. They had a light jazz beat. Hanks committed to singing all that jazz.
In 2020's excellent and under-seen NEWS OF THE WORLD, Hanks was strong as the Civil War veteran who is sort of a news anchor. He reads newspaper reports to audiences of people -- people who were shocked at the reports he read of an epidemic. He does this to expand their world view. He supported a freedom of the press. The film came out during the Trump administration and the same year we were hit with a pandemic. The news reader will also fight racism.
His new film is a faithful American version of a hit foreign film based on a hit foreign novel. In Hanks' new film, Otto is a man who lives alone in Pennsylvania. He's surrounded by friendly neighbors. However, a few describe him as a "grumpy old bastard" and a "nasty bitter old man."
He's no longer employed. He was pretty much forced into retirement after a company merger. He sees most people around him as being "idiots." A new neighbor, a pregnant Mexican wife and mother, tries to be cordial to Otto, but even she says "Are you always this unfriendly?" We know that they'll become friends.
To see Hanks play such a crusty, insulting character may seem like a character he's never played before, yet that might not be quite right. We learn that Otto is a widower, a widower like the man Hanks played in SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE. Both men do what they do because of rage. In SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, Sam relocates because he's full of rage that his wife died. He's heartbroken. When he moves, he starts dating at the urging of his little boy. That's how the Meg Ryan character enters the scene. Does the widower Otto start dating? No. He tries to kill himself. More than once.
Eventually, thanks to the warmth of his Mexican neighbor and her family, he slowly comes out of his rage cocoon and begins to connect and, in some cases, reconnect with neighbors. He's no longer so dead inside and feeling sorry for himself. This begins when Marisol, the neighbor, brings him a Mexican dish that she's made herself. This is an entertaining and tender film with Hanks in fine form. There's also a very sweet and smart performance from Mariana Treviño as Marisol. Here's a trailer.
A MAN CALLED OTTO was co-produced by Hanks' wife, actress/singer & songwriter Rita Wilson. She's done some stand-out acting work in two of his films -- SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and LARRY CROWNE.
A MAN CALLED OTTO is not a big, showy production. It's simple and heartfelt. I do not mean this in a snarky sense at all. It's the kind of film that makes a good in-flight movie because it's warm and not jarring.
The foreign novel was titled A MAN CALLED OVE which was translated into English and sold well here in the States. The foreign film version was also titled A MAN CALLED OVE. To show you that Hanks' film appears to be a faithful American version, here's a trailer for the original foreign film.
It kind of unnerved me somewhat to see Tom Hanks as the overbearing, manipulative and greedy Col. Tom Parker in this year's ELVIS. It was soothing to see him as A MAN CALLED OTTO.
I love the wit and wonder of actress/screenwriter Emma Thompson. She has a unique, independent voice and she makes some strong choices that provide a new view. Such is the case with the Hulu original production titled GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE. In it, we see Emma Thompson as Nancy. Nancy has just checked into a tasteful hotel room in London. She's middle-aged and her attire is rather on the ho-hum side. She's dressed as if she and a friend are catching a weekend matinee performance of a dramatic stage play. In other part of the city, we see a handsome young man leave for an appointment. In the colors of his stylish attire, there's a match with what Nancy is wearing. He arrives at Nancy's hotel room.
His name is Leo Grande and he's a sex worker that she has booked.
Nancy is nervous, awkward and chatty. Leo is charming and smooth and focused on the job he's there to do. "So what is your fantasy?," he asks. She replies that she's been a widow for two years, the only man she'd ever had sex with was her late husband and that she's never had an orgasm. Later, she will show Leo how to used to fake orgasm with her husband.
They talk a lot before they have sex for that first meeting. The conversation is fascinating as we learn more about Nancy and start to learn something about Leo. She has hired a sex worker. However, the older woman does not come off as predatory or pathetic or a deviant. She is not like Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD or Mrs. Robinson in THE GRADUATE. Nancy has lived her life within margins and has not always gotten what she desired nor has she always been noticed.
They get together again. For Meeting #2, her attire is smarter. And she has a list of sexual practices she'd like to try with Leo. Again, the most fascinating thing about the encounter is the conversation. It continues from their first encounter and gets deeper.
We hear about sex, desires, age, motherhood and careers. There is humor. There are laughs. There will be two more meetings that will include emotional conflict and transformation. We see the humanity in both characters. You won't be bored. This is Emma Thompson in top form.
There is frank sexual talk and full frontal nudity in this 97-minute feature. There's also intelligence and empathy and surprise. It's a simple, classy production that may seem like a good original cable movie instead of a big screen feature. There's not a lot of action. It's driven by dialogue and there are sex scenes. Daryl McCormack is very good opposite Emma Thompson and puts a new spin on the "boy-toy for hire." GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE was written by Katy Brand and directed by Sophie Hyde.
"Did you ever think you'd be in a squadron with a colored aviator?" That's a casual remark from a navy pilot in DEVOTION, a movie about real-life characters who flew in the Korean War of 1950. This true story centers on the life and landmark contributions of Jesse Brown, the navy's first Black aviator, and his fellow pilot Tom Hudner. Hudner is white and devoted to Brown,. Brown is devoted to his naval career. Brown is played by the handsome Jonathan Majors who was fabulous in the 2019 anti-gentrification indie movie, THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO and in the one-season HBO series, LOVECRAFT COUNTRY. Hudner is played by the also handsome Glen Powell who scored a big success in TOP GUN: MAVERICKwith Tom Cruise.
Hudner is white and well aware of the racism Brown may face. Within his squadron, Brown is treated with friendship. It's civilians and members of other military branches who give him grief. Jesse has a good, playful marriage with a wonderful woman. They have a little girl and a nice house in Rhode Island where the story begins. He starts to dance with his little girl and wife to a record that's playing one night. The white lady next door calls the cops and complains of the noise. Hudner has been a guest in their house and has become a friend of the Jesse Brown family.
Jesse has the support of his wife, other Black navy men, Hudner and men in his squadron. He's girded his loins to be ready to face any racist crap. The squadron has to train for intense duty in Korea. The story will take us from Rhode Island to Italy to France to Korea. The aerial sequences are all excellent and exciting. All the talk and explanation of the dangerous Korean conflict gets a bit dull but the aerial sequences make up for that. The movie runs about 2 hours and 15 minutes. I feel it could've worked very well at a little under 2 hours. The devotion Tom Hudner has for Jesse Brown often feels like a love story between the two wingmen. Tom will never leave Jesse. Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell connect and the two actors work quite well together.
Majors was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel's late night ABC show. He revealed that he made Glen Powell pitch DEVOTION to him in New York City while they were naked in a Russian Turkish bathhouse. Obviously, Majors accepted the pitch.
Christina Jackson takes the small supporting role of Daisy, Jesse's wife, and does a lovely job with it. She understands his devotion to his job and loves his devotion to her. One of my favorite parts of the film is when the navy flyers are in Cannes, France. They all have the unspoken understanding that some places may not serve Jesse because he's Black. However, he takes a walk alone on the beach and meets -- a gorgeous young Hollywood star named Elizabeth Taylor. She's instantly charmed by him and invites him to her party that night in one of the deluxe clubs. "Tell them Elizabeth Taylor invited you," she wisely says. She's his ticket past discrimination at the front door.
I have no idea if that really happened. I never read the book that inspired the film. However, one does have the feeling the liberal Elizabeth definitely would have done such a thing. Jesse Brown and his wingmen do dress up and do attend the party. They were greeted warmly by the movie star. Elizabeth Taylor is played by Serinda Swan.
As for Jonathan Majors -- he is an outstanding actor and...Lord, have mercy is that man handsome. Can't Hollywood add him to one of its money-making movie franchises? Cast him a Batman? Those lips coming through that Bat-mask would carbonate a lot of moviegoer hormones. Just my opinion.
I am old enough to remember when David Letterman was the hot, new, young late night talent to watch on NBC. With his gap-toothed smile and head topped with a mop of curly hair, he was smart yet also snarky. He was not above poking fun at a guest for a laugh. A couple of guests called him an "a$$hole." I think they were Cher and Shirley MacLaine. Yet, his popularity grew. So did his paycheck. When NBC didn't continue to appreciate his talents, he went over to CBS. It was at CBS where his personality eventually took a turn towards maturity and empathy. This was highly evident in his shows done when we all gingerly stepped back into a "normal" work and home life again -- especially in New York -- after the attacks of September 11th.
David Letterman has long retired from late night CBS duties and now he's doing an interview show on Netflix. Called MY NEXT GUEST...is shows an older, grey and bearded Letterman. He still has a keen wit His maturity and empathy continue. He's not manipulating guests to get a laugh from the audience. He's really listening and his questions are good. I loved his revealing hour with actor Will Smith, taped in Hollywood when the actor was just starting to promote, KING RICHARD. That's the film that brought him the Best Actor Oscar a few minutes after he'd shocked a global TV audience by slapping the tastebuds out the mouth of comedian Chris Rock. It's interesting to hear Smith talk extensively about learning lessons of respect, integrity and forgiveness from men such as his father and Nelson Mandela, it's interesting on how we went on a soul-searching journey for inner peace and then compare that interview hour to how his disrupted the live Oscars telecast not too long after the taping of Letterman's show.
If you get Netflix, there's a current edition of Letterman's MY NEXT GUEST that I found quite strong. Letterman spent hours traveling to Ukraine to interview President Zelenskyy in an underground location before a live audience.
Two things the men have in common: Both have done stand-up comedy and both have done comic acting. Zelenskyy's 2015 Ukrainian sitcom, SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE, is on Netflix and it's hip, fast, funny and very good. Good and prophetic. If not for the pandemic, if not for the war he's fighting and if he lived in Los Angeles and had a Screen Actors Guild card, Zelenskyy would be getting lots of TV comedy and movie work. He's that talented a comedy performer.
I wrote that the two men have two things in common. Well...make that three things. Both love democracy. They talk about democracy, the war and simple things that Zelenskyy loves...simple ordinary things...like being able to talk on the phone to his wife and children. Says Zelenskyy, "Putin stole childhood from our children." Letterman also ventures out into the war-torn territory to talk to people. He even drops into a comedy club in Ukraine. We see footage of Zelenskyy doing stand-up comedy and acting in his sitcom, SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE. Take a look at this trailer.
The show runs 40 minutes and it's worth your time.
"Dead people are notoriously bad at returning calls." "You and I both know that there's a monster out there." "The truth is there are monsters everywhere." Those are statements from Wednesday Addams, the daughter in The Addams Family. A few days ago, I blogged a post about "The Addams Family's WEDNESDAY" after I watched the first episode of a groovy new series on Netflix directed by Tim Burton. It's WEDNESDAY and focuses on the daughter of Morticia and Gomez Addams as she becomes a new student at Nevermore Academy. She was expelled from Nancy Reagan High School after she sought revenge on the mean jocks who stuffed her brother, Pugsley, into a locker. What did Wednesday do to them? Well, let's just say their parents wanted Wednesday charged with attempted murder with fish.
At Nevermore, she meets other outcasts. Her overly perky blonde roommate is an aspiring werewolf. But Wednesday is perplexed by visions that she's having -- and she saw a murder in the woods. A murder committed by a monster. In the academy, she hears that her father was accused of murder years ago. Wednesday, very smart and deliciously spooky, sets out to investigate all this.
I watched Chapter 2 and 3 over the weekend and liked the series even more. First of all, actress Jenna Ortega really floats it with her fabulous deadpan expression and wonderful way with a darkly comic verbal comeback. In those 2nd and 3rd episodes, we see that Wednesday is like a goth Nancy Drew. Her investigation continues. Helping her is the slightly inept Thing that Gomez left with her when he and Morticia dropped her off at Nevermore.
Her visions are now longer and more intense. There's something strange about the academy's principal, Miss Weems. Wednesday discovers that her mother had visions when she attended Nevermore. Wednesday wants to investigate more about the murder she witnessed in the woods, the monster, and the guy the monster killed.
But she's blocked by the sheriff. So far, my favorite episode is Chapter 3. Wednesday has to contend with a conservative group at Pilgrim World in town. For a hot minute, she works at Ye Olde Fudgery so she can pump folks for information. And what's the deal with the town mayor who was the previous sheriff? Situations get creepier and Wednesday's visions grow even more unsettling. I had as much fun watching these episodes as I had watching the series THE X-FILES and GRIMM.
This production is slick -- well done, well acted, briskly paced and very funny. It's like a deluxe bag of Halloween candy.
Actor Robert Urich gained national popularity when he starred on two network TV series -- VEGA$ and SPENSER: FOR HIRE. I was.a fan of both shows. In the late 70s/early 80s, when I was living in Milwaukee and working on the city's ABC TV affiliate, my younger brother and I were watching TV in my apartment. It was the holiday season. Robert Urich was a guest on a special and sang a classic Christmas carol. I think it was "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." My brother and I didn't know he could sing.
In December 1993, I was one of the original on-air trio for a local morning news show on WNBC TV in New York City that premiered in September 1992. The show was called Weekend TODAY in New York. One weekend, I was sent down to Florida to do remote live shots from DisneyWorld. While there, the DisneyWorld publicist arranged for me to tape a short interview of Robert Urich for broadcast that weekend. He was there to be in a DisneyWorld Christmas parade.
I'd never forgotten hearing him sing on a TV special. I found him to be a big, sweet man who had a pleasant way with a Christmas carol in person too. Watch and hear for yourself:
I loved that segment. Still do. Merry Christmas. 🎄🤶🎄🎅
"I am a general." When Viola Davis as Nanisca says that in THE WOMAN KING, you darn well better believe her. This movie, expertly directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and beautifully shot, does not lack for action. In fact, as I watched it, I thought "This is the kind of history-based epic action movie that would've made for a great Rivers Family night at the drive-in when I was a kid in L.A."
We're taken to West Africa int the 1800s. An all-female army of trained warriors protects the African kingdom of Dahomey. These warriors are fierce in battle, as we see. They have no husbands. They will bear no children. They are taught to dance. They are taught martial arts. They have a voice in their government. A foreign enemy is determined to crush their way of life. General Nanisca will train the next generation of female soldiers for the fight.
First of all, Viola Davis as fantastic. That should come as no surprise. Her accent, her vocal tone, the way she carries herself and the look in Nansica's eyes that's a mixture of leadership and war weariness are amazing. Nansica has physical and emotional wounds. Davis won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for FENCES. With her four Oscar nominations on her resumé, she is the most Oscar-nominated Black actress in Hollywood history.
Next, there is a lot of action in this film. Fight scenes, you know were rehearsed and staged. The same goes for dances that the female soldiers perform as a group. This was obviously an extremely physical and taxing shoot for the cast, a shoot that took place in Africa. However, besides the film giving us a message of Black/African history and "Representation Matters," you feel that there was a sweet, terrific overall sense of collaboration in front of and behind the camera. Everyone seems to share the same vision and works hard to bring it into focus. There's great detail in the costumes and hair styles. You get a feeling that the entire cast developed a definite affection for the film's director. Women contribute in front of and behind the camera.
My favorite scenes are the ones with Viola Davis and British actor John Boyega. He is one of the most under-appreciated and versatile young actors on the scene today. His international breakthrough came when he played Finn in our current STAR WARS franchise -- STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI and STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER. But he's much more than just Finn.
You can see Viola Davis as the conflicted New York mother of a Catholic schoolboy in DOUBT, the Southern domestic in THE HELP and the general in THE WOMAN KING and notice how distinct each character is in look sound and carriage. The same applies to John Bodega. Did you see him as Finn? Then see him in 2017's DETROIT also a history-based drama and also directed by a woman (Kathryn Bigelow). He's excellent as the security guard at work during a racial uprising in the summer of 1967. See him in the 2020 historical drama RED, WHITE AND BLUE as the officer in the London Metropolitan Police force who founded the Black Police Association to bring about reform. He also played a guy from my South Central L.A. hometown community in the 2014 film, IMPERIAL DREAMS.
Boyega, who bears a slight resemblance to the young Denzel Washington, plays King Ghezo in THE WOMAN KING. By the way, Boyega's bare torso is one of the best pieces of set decoration in the movie.
The machete is the main weapon for the female warriors. There are battle scenes with lots of killing. However, I noticed that the director shot them all the old Hollywood studio way. No a bad thing. We don't see gore and bloodletting and gashed body parts. I think Ms. Prince-Bythewood was keeping in mind the impressionable girls who'd be seeing -- and be inspired by -- her film. She spared them intense, explicit violence. The battle scenes are fine for "family viewing," if you will, like in old films such as BEN-HUR and SPARTACUS.
THE WOMAN KING runs about 2 hour 15 minutes and it's now on DVD.
As I started to watch the first episode of this new Netflix series, I thought to myself "I should not he laughing at this macabre humor," but I was laughing out loud within the first five minutes. We're all familiar with that creepy and kooky group called The Addams Family. Tim Burton has directed WEDNESDAY, a series focused on the goth unsmiling but oddly likable daughter in the family.
The episode opens with Wednesday heading into Nancy Reagan High School for another day of classes. She discovers that her brother, Pugsley, has been stuffed into a locker by some cute athletic mean boys. As Wednesday helps her helpless brother, she's surprised by visions she's suddenly having. Then, with a classic inspirational recording by Edith Piaf playing in the background, she walks off to avenge the meanness done to her brother.
It was her confrontation with the mean jocks at the pool in the gym that made me laugh out loud.
Wednesday is expelled because some of the parents of the mean jocks want her charged with attempted murder. Morticia and Gomez enroll her in Nevermore Academy, an institution that has "many flavors of outcasts.
There's a little friction between Wednesday and her mother. Morticia once attended Nevermore Academy years ago. Wednesday is enrolled and assigned a room where she is greeted enthusiastically by her perky blonde roommate who just loves vivid colors.
But something curious is happening. Wednesday keeps having strange visions and she learns that there was a scandal at Nevermore involving her parents. Gomez was accused of murder. Also, she meets a dorky guy who gets her attention as she becomes sort of a goth detective.
I was instantly hooked on this first hour-long episode because of Jenna Ortega as Wednesday. She's spunky, spooky and smart. Ortega is totally cool in the role. Christina Ricci is Miss Thornhill. Ricci played Wednesday in the two Addams Family movies in the early 90s with Anjelica Huston as Morticia and Raul Julia as Gomez. Here, Catherine Zeta-Jones is Morticia and Luis Guzmán is Gomez.
I want to check out more episodes. If you're up for some laughs from a deliciously dark new series, see this first episode of WEDNESDAY on Netflix.
He glances at himself and remarks "You are too good-looking to retire." So says Puss in Boots in the newest extension of the SHREK franchise, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH. The arrogant cat who fancies himself "...a fearless hero. A legend," is once again voiced by actor Antonio Banderas.
When I moved to New York to accept a local TV job offer, one of the films I went to see was a foreign film. It was 1987's LAW OF DESIRE, written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Antonio Banderas in the sexy comedy thriller. I instantly became an Antonio Banderas fan and have been one ever since. Almodóvar seems to crystallize the best in Banderas the way Ingmar Bergman did with Liv Ullmann, the way Vincente Minnelli did with Judy Garland and the way Martin Scorsese has done with Robert De Niro. Hollywood, in my opinion, has yet to deploy fully the talents of Banderas the way the Spanish filmmaker and Banderas' home turf have. His Puss In Boots character in the SHREK adventures is a wonderful release for his comedy talents. Banderas hails from Málaga, Spain.
In PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, the swashbuckling cat has swashed so many buckles that he's used up 8 of his 9 nine lives. He's desperate to retrieve them. To do that, he must enter the Dark Forest and find the Wishing Star.
Along the way, he'll have to deal with a bounty hunter wolf, fend off the Three Bears, and reunite with Kitty Softpaws with whom he has some romantic history. Puss will also encounter other nursery rhyme, story book and fairy tale characters.
We're at the season in which school kids will be home for Christmas vacation. If I had kids and I wanted to take them to the movies while they're home for vacation, I would definitely take them to see PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH. They'd love it -- and I'd dig it too. It's action-packed, clever, funny and the animation is fabulous. Its production design is like gourmet eye-candy. And there's some snappy music in this feature. I had fun watching Puss having to learn a lesson in humility in order to get some of his life back.
This a good, colorful family entertainment. Salma Hayek supplies the voice for Kitty Softpaws, Oscar winner Olivia Colman is the voice of Mama Bear and Da'Vine Joy Randolph is a hoot as she voices Mama Luna. Banderas is in fine form as Puss and he can be heard on the soundtrack singing "Fearless Hero." Yes, Antonio Banderas sings. In fact, he produced and starred in a production of the Stephen Sondheim musical, COMPANY, in Spain. He played Bobby (Robert). The Spanish cast recording of COMPANY, starring Banderas, is now available.
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH runs 1 hour 40 minutes and opens December 21st.
'Tis the season and I'm in the mood for some classic Christmas music. I shall begin with a tune I have loved ever since I was a little boy. "Here Comes Santa Claus" sung and co-written by Gene Autry. I totally dig the Texas swing flavor of this number.
Next is "Felix Navidad" by José Feliciano.
Here's Barbra Streisand's manic version of "Jingle Bells."
What's the holiday season without "The Christmas Song" by Nat Cole?
Written for her to sing in Vincente Minnelli's 1944 classic, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, here's Judy Garland as Esther Smith comforting her heartbroken little sister shortly after midnight on Christmas morning. There's frost and melancholy in the air. Their father has accepted a job offer in New York City. The rest of the family does not want to leave St. Louis. The boy next door has just proposed marriage to Esther. In the tender scene, little Tootie looks up to see if Santa Claus is coming. She wonders if he'll be able to find them if they move. Esther looks up and sees her beloved boy next door in his window. Here's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a tender, warm embrace of a film. Simple, well-told, terrifying at times, and touching. Written and directed by Sam Mendes, it stars Oscar winner Olivia Colman who gives us another strong dramatic performance.
It opens with a montage of different locations within a big, classy cinema in coastal England. Empire is the name of this movie theater. It's the Christmas season in 1980. We meet Hilary, played by Olivia Colman. She lives alone. She eats alone. She has a medical appointment. The doctor asks if she's had "Any big mood swings?" There's mention of lithium.
Hilary is the manager of the Empire. She's usually in somber colors and rather drab, shapeless attire. We see that she's having an affair with a man but we can't tell right off if he's with her out of love or because she's accessible.
Then a handsome, charming young Black man is hired as the cinema's newest ticket taker. Hilary gives Stephen a work orientation. They fall into an easy friendship. As it progresses, we see color appear in Hilary's attire and cheeks. Her clothing takes shape. Stephen wants to go to college and study architecture. Hilary tells him "No one's going to give you the life you want. You have to go out and get it." One day on the streets, she sees Stephen but he doesn't see her. She walks after him and is stunned when he sees him verbally assaulted with racist taunts from three punks.
A romance blossoms between the two co-workers on New Year's Eve and 1981 may be a good new year for Hilary and the Empire. The theater has been chosen for the premiere of CHARIOTS OF FIRE.
But we still wonder about the mentions of lithium during Hilary's medical appointment. Mood swings appear and then comes the gala for CHARIOTS OF FIRE. Hilary makes an unexpected appearance. Should Stephen be concerned?
Colman is quite good and so is newcomer Micheal Ward as Stephen. They're excellent together. Also, there's a lovely, wise performance from Toby Jones. Colin Firth stars as the boss of the theater staff.
This tale is about the power of human connection and bringing a bit of light into someone's life. EMPIRE OF LIGHT is not a great film, but it is a good one worth seeing. Director/writer Sam Mendes gave us AMERICAN BEAUTY, the James Bond thrillers SKYFALL and SPECTRE and the war film 1917. I love the simplicity of EMPIRE OF LIGHT as compared to those other films of his.
As an American, I had no idea Olivia Colman was such for formidable actress. She won the Best Actress Oscar for THE FAVOURITE the year that Glenn Close was the favorite for THE WIFE. Colman followed that with nominations for dramatic work in THE FATHER and THE LOST DAUGHTER.
I knew her from British sitcom work. Years ago, BBC America would air PEEP SHOW. She was a regular on that sitcom. She was very funny. Colman and comedian Robert Webb, one of her PEEP SHOW co-stars, played a couple of nudists out to win a free deluxe wedding ceremony in the 20th Century Fox mockumentary called CONFETTI. That 2006 comedy is a guilty pleasure of mine.
Yes, cheeky Robert Webb and Olivia Colman bared it for their art. I first saw CONFETTI at a preview screening in New York. In one office scene with the two nudists, the big screen made Webb's balls look the size of cantaloupes. And there you have it. Merry Christmas.
I've long had a deep affection for Disney's PINOCCHIO. I feel it's a major gem in the jewel case of animated Hollywood features. I love the imagination and Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. My love when I saw PAN'S LABYRINTH is 2006. Del Toro creates such beautiful monsters in complex stories. I saw Del Toro's PINOCCHIO on Netflix. I was unprepared to be as moved as I was. I was unprepared to laugh as much as I did. I was in awe of the stop-motion animation. Such remarkable craftsmanship! In regards to stop-motion and what it is -- think of Kong in the original KING KONG from the 1930s. To fully enjoy Del Toro's PINOCCHIO one must see it as his unique vision and not compare it to Disney's version, even though the two have the same characters. Del Toro's PINOCCHIO is about love and loss, fathers and sons. In the beginning of it, we hear the narrator say "The years passed. The world moved on. But Geppetto did not."
In this version, we see how happy Geppetto is with his sweet little boy, Carlo. Carlo is in a church, gazing at his father's sculpture of the Crucifixion, when the church is bombed. It's wartime. Carlo is killed. Emotionally, Geppetto is paralyzed with grief.
Del Toro is Catholic. I am Catholic. We were both taught, as Catholics, to believe in an empty tomb. To believe in the resurrection of a savior son and his ascension into heaven. The complicated themes of resurrection, redemption and the fight against fascism are also in Del Toro's PINOCCHIO. Guillermo Del Toro has directed and co-written a beautiful piece of work. It's one of the best new features I've seen this year. Another thing I was unprepared for -- songs! In Disney's PINOCCHIO, we know there will be musical numbers. The dialogue and the tone of specific scenes lead us into the songs. Not so in Del Toro's version. The songs come up -- and they're wonderful.
I had a complicated, frayed relationship with the father when I was a little boy. I was a good kid, but I always had the feeling that he was not pleased with me the way I was. He wanted me to be like other boys on our block. When Geppetto sings "My Son" to Carlo, I was moved to tears by the tenderness of the song. Geppetto sang feelings I wished my father had expressed to me.
Pinocchio, the "little wooden boy made of pine," is created by Geppetto during the drunken rage of his grief. Geppetto carves Pinocchio out of wood from a tree that grows over the grave of Carlo. We learn all this from the narrator, a funny and fabulous cricket named Sebastian.
There is totally delightful vocal work from Ewan McGregor as Sebastian J. Cricket. Over the closing credits, McGregor, as the cricket sings, another original song. It's a bright, bouncy tune called "Better Tomorrows" and I loved it. The only drawback is Netflix cuts off part of the number because it doesn't show complete closing credits. With that said, do not be surprised if director Guillermo Del Toro gets an Oscar nomination in the Best Song category. He co-wrote the new songs in PINOCCHIO. His "My Son" and "Better Tomorrows" are both worthy of Best Song Oscar nominations.
Take a look at this short feature about the artistry in Del Toro's lovely new feature.
Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett and Christoph Waltz also voice characters in Del Toro's film. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Last month, CNN had a weekend special called 'TIS THE SEASON: THE HOLIDAYS ON SCREEN. Film critics and a few non-film critics discussed their favorite holiday movies -- like HOME ALONE, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, ELF and THE PREACHER'S WIFE, to name a few. TCM host, Ben Mankiewicz appeared for the "Is DIE HARD a Christmas movie?" conversation.
Would I have liked to be in that mix to mention some holiday movies worth watching? You bet! But I wasn't. So, here, I'm recommending a few films that are rarely mentioned around this time of the year but they definitely have Christmas as a main season in the action.
WAKE IN FRIGHT: There's a kangaroo holocaust in this brutally memorable Australian film from 1971. This psychological thriller seems drenched in relentless sunshine and toxic masculinity. A well-dressed and well-educated schoolteacher dreams of getting out of the classroom duties for the Christmas holiday. He leaves for a holiday and encounters locals at a local pub. Male locals who draw him into boozing and aggressive male bonding. There's a clash of values worldviews. In this tale of "sweat, dust and beer," the most frightening character the schoolteacher seems to encounter is the bald rather barbarian man played terrifically by Donald Pleasence. What makes him so frightening is that he is not an ignorant oaf. He's smart, like the teacher. He's a barbarian with a brain in the outback. This film could make a man think twice about having a few beers with his buddies during the Christmas holiday season.
SUNDAYS AND CYBÉLE: This 1962 French gem won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Hardy Krüger, the handsome German actor who passed away early this year at age 93, plays a man suffering from PTSD after having served as a pilot in the Vietnam conflict. In this provocative tale, the war vet sees a neglected child, helps her and the two engage in an innocent friendship that begins to heal him. She is most grateful for his gentle attention but society feels there must be something dark in the relationship between the two troubled souls. There is not. He goes out of his way to make sure that the lonely girl has a lovely Christmas tree in this poignant film.
KISS KISS, BANG BANG: I thought this 2005 murder mystery/comedy was just too much fun. But I wondered why it was under-promoted. It was released by a top Hollywood studio, it had two popular male lead stars, lots of action and snappy dialogue and it was written by the guy who gave us LETHAL WEAPON which was a huge box office. Then it hit that this Christmastime L.A. murder mystery has an openly gay man as the tough, respected detective as the hero. He solves the crime with the help of an unlikely, bumbling hetero partner. Maybe moviegoers were more used to seeing the gay man as the oppressed victim instead of the out loud-and-proud tough hero that society needs in order to keep it safe. KISS KISS, BANG BANG stars Val Kilmer as the detective and Robert Downey Jr. as his unlikely partner. This was a fresh spin on the cop/buddy movie.
THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK: This brisk 1944 screwball comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges is flat-out brilliant. He lampoons America's holier-than-thou embrace of the Nativity Story at Christmas by basically seeing how small-town American responds to a similar one in modern times. Betty Hutton stars as the lively, slightly selfish girl who loves to have a good time. A dorky but sweet guy has been in love with her for years, She knows this. So does her sister and her widower dad. But Trudy (Hutton) wants to do her patriotic duty and dance with the GI's on leave at a dance. She manipulates Norval, the dorky guy declared physically unfit to serve in uniform, to drop her off at the dance and pick her up hours later. Norval is played by the wonderful Eddie Bracken. While jitterbugging with a soldier, Trudy hits her head on a rather phallic-shaped ceiling ornament and gets amnesia. Later, Trudy discovers that she's married pregnant by an unknown source of good -- one of the GI's now overseas and fighting for freedom. Because of the amnesia, she can't remember which soldier she married. Now she needs Norval's help because a pregnant young lady with no husband present at Christmastime will be the town's ultimate scandal. As usual, Eddie Bracken did his best film work under the direction of Preston Sturges at Paramount. He's excellent here as Trudy and Norval become like the Mary and Joseph of Morgan's Creek. The screenplay is witty and wise.
I loved the annual broadcast airing of A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, an animated TV special that I have watched for most of my life. I know that things change, but I am really miffed that the classic Charlie Brown special will not be aired on a major senior network this month. If there was ever a year when we all need the humor, simplicity and wisdom of the Peanuts characters as they dance to jazz in the school auditorium and help Charlie Brown understand the meaning of Christmas, it's this year.
Instead, we can see A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS for free on Apple TV+ from Thursday, December 22nd through Christmas Day.
The other day, I was scrolling through my Apple TV+ site from some festive holiday entertainment, preferably animated, and I happened to find a one-hour documentary that had plenty of animation. The animation was nice long clips from CHARLIE BROWN specials. That made perfect sense because the documentary is WHO ARE YOU, CHARLIE BROWN?
It's a 2021 documentary about the beloved Charles M. Schulz, the man who created the Peanuts characters.We see archive footage of him, hear him in interviews and see photos of him in his lonely boyhood. There are guests who comment on the artistry and impact of Schulz. It kicks off with Charlie Brown in class and the teacher gives the homework assignment to "write 500 words about who you are." Charlie, the lovable loser, panics. Of course, he does. We follow him through his scholastic drama and we're taken into the life of Charles Schulz.
I had no idea he hailed from St. Paul, Minnesota and had realized his love for cartooning before he was in the 8th grade. I had no idea that Peppermint Patty was inspired by Billie Jean King and that Franklin Armstrong, the first Black kid in the Peanuts group, came about after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. I had no idea that there really was a "sweet bamboo" in his life. It's a fascinating hour about a most creative and caring man. And the animated clips are fabulous.
So much of the heart of soul of Charles Schulz came through in the Charlie Brown character. NBC weatherman, Al Roker, is a cartoonist on the side and was impressed by the art of Mr. Schulz. Roker comments on the Franklin character, wondering how he felt being the Black kid in a White world.
Roker is one of the longtime popular veterans seen on NBC's TODAY show. In its first 50 years, TODAY had only two Black talents in its on-air host and contributor history -- Bryant Gumble and Al Roker. Only two in half a century -- 1952 to 2002. The situation is vastly different now. However, what Al wondered about Franklin, one could wonder the same about Al.
If you love PEANUTS and you get Apple TV+, I recommend watching WHO ARE YOU, CHARLIE BROWN? Our world is better because Charles M. Schulz was in it.
"This is a great love story." That's a statement from Harry, formerly Prince Harry, who goes on to describe his wife's qualities with these words: "...compassion, empathy, confidence, warmth." I got that from Episode 1 of HARRY & MEGHAN, the highly publicized documentary series now on Netflix. The first episode runs 55 minutes.
Ever since Princes Charles and Princess Diana, Harry's parents, separated and eventually divorced, we Americans have been aware that there are pockets of discord and friction within the Royal Family. Did you ever see butterflies with their beautiful wings spread out and pinned down and the butterflies are under glass in a frame to be hung on a wall for display? I've occasionally felt that Royal Family members were like that. We could look at them and be attracted to their beauty, but they were pinned down and really didn't have the freedom we do.
Harry chose freedom. He's a married man and a proud papa who gave up the royal title. He's no longer Prince Harry -- just Harry. I like him a lot. I like how he's connected to people and the real world around him. I feel he could return to London for a gala affair and fit right in -- and he could get an invitation to a cookout from a Black family in South Central L.A. and fit right in there too.
Harry and Meghan speak out about their lives in the first episode. Do they trash the monarchy and its rituals? Not at all. They tell their story. And it is a love story. One thing I loved is the two of them telling how they met and how late he was for their first date. Notice the way he looks at her. Such love. And she looks at him the same way. One element that's so cool about that part is the music played underneath them. There's a light jazz version of a Cole Porter standard and a vocal by Julie London.
Harry talks a lot about his mother and his childhood. He has very few early memories of her. We have more memories than he does because Diana was constantly photographed and followed by the press. I know this will seem an odd comparison, but stay with me. Harry is rather like Elizabeth Taylor. She was a child actress followed by the cameras from girlhood through teen years into married life -- all the time while she worked within the Hollywood studio system. He's been in the press camera eye ever since he was born. Like a child star, he's grown up in front of the cameras as a product of "the Institution."
Like Grace Kelly, Meghan Markle was an actress who married into royalty. But her situation was different. She married into an ancient monarchy called "the Institution," and apparently it is far more rigid in its customs than Princess Grace's was. Monaco press never seemed to be vicious and relentless like some of the U.K. press. Plus Meghan is, as one British journalist said, "of mixed race."
Another section of this episode I love is the footage of Harry doing conservation work in Africa. Something about that work and engaging with the people seemed to open up his spirit and heart. Meghan was able to meet him in Botswana for a few days. That's where their relationship elevated from just dating to true love.
Don't expect vitriol in this first episode. You'll find sweetness instead. Did you ever see Audrey Hepburn as the runaway princess in ROMAN HOLIDAY? The young princess, whose life is a series of royal functions and interviews, flees the palace for a few day and discovers the wonders of being able to do ordinary things with everyday people. She gets a haircut, has a beverage outside at a cafe, goes sightseeing, goes to a dance -- and gets a kiss. This incognito freedom changes her life and deepens her connection to the world around her.
In 2011, I lived in San Francisco and loved it. While I was there, a friend contacted me and told me that he'd mentioned me to a writer friend of his. His friend wanted to get together with me for a casual late afternoon date. I was thrilled at the attention, yet also a bit concerned. The writer friend, he said, was very attractive and in his early 30s. I was in my early 50s and felt I should call and tell him before we arranged a meeting place. Back in New York, some gay men saw being 40 years old as "ancient." Also, I'm not exactly a hot hunk like singer Ricky Martin. I called the writer friend.
"I'd love meet you for a drink but I must tell you that I'm in my early 50s..."
"That's fine, he said.
"And I'm a stocky, average-looking guy. I'm not a hottie."
"I don't care what you look like," he said.
"Are you sure? Back in New York..."
"I don't care what you look like," he said.
"That's comforting to hear because..."
"Listen to me. I want to get together and I don't care what you look like. Because... I'm blind."
Yes. I had a blind date in San Francisco. And it was fun. Hearing his stories about getting around and writing gave me a different perspective on gay life in the Bay Area. We had a couple of drinks, some appetizers and then his brother came to the Castro to pick him up and take him home.
Which brings me to the short documentary I saw recently. It runs only 1hour and 15 minutes. It's called I DIDN'T SEE YOU THERE and it's the work of Reid Davenport, a filmmaker with cerebral palsy. One of my favorite productions on Netflix is SPECIAL, a autobiographical sitcom starring Ryan O'Connell. In it, we followed his work and home life adventures being a young gay man with cerebral palsy out to establish his independence. I love that show.
Reid Davenport lives in Oakland, Calfornia. His camera shoots the world from his view. He's fascinated with a circus that's in town and wonders if it will have a "freak show" and what the freaks will be. He feels that people of color, the LGBTQ community, and the disabled are considered freaks by some. Freaks and outsiders. We in society see the disabled but pretend we don't see them. Reid is a tough character and can sometimes be a handful with dealing with strangers. He flies home to Bethel, Connecticut -- a place he calls "purgatory" and seems focused on researching circus master P.T. Barnum, the man who introduced "freak shows" to the circus. Personally, I wish he'd stayed on that angle. It was interesting. And some spots in his documentary are a bit show. But it's worth it to see him at ease and dealing with family, then heading back to the daily headaches of Oakland. He doesn't mention it, but we see that there needs to be more inclusion in public facilities for the disabled.
If you're up for something different and revealing, check out this documentary. He gives visibility to people we often treat as being invisible when we see them in public.
Brava, Chinonye Chukwu, Brava! You were absolutely the right person to direct TILL. Your passion, your focus, your sensitivity, your respect and your purpose fill the film. TILL is Best Picture Oscar nomination material. You are Best Director Oscar nomination material.
TILL is based on the true story of an American tragedy. It's the story of a mother's unshakeable love and how it moved her to become a civil rights activist. Today, the story of the lynching of Emmett Till, a 14 year old boy from Chicago who was visiting relatives in Mississippi, is nationally known. At age five, he was stricken with polio and overcame it. He had a bit of a stutter. He was a lively kid with a cherubic face who loved jokes and loved telling jokes. In Mississippi, he was accused of whistling flirtatiously at a white woman. Emmett was kidnapped at night by two racist men, tortured and killed. His body was found later in a river. Mamie Till, Emmet's mother made sure the country was aware of this racist crime. Emmett's kidnapping, lynching and the trial of the men charged with the murder made national news. Emmett's face was disfigured and beaten beyond recognition. Mamie Till demanded his casket be open for the press to document. The photos shocked the nation as did the story in Life magazine.
An all-white, all-male jury deliberated for one hour and found the two defendants not guilty. One of the defendants was the husband of the woman who accused Emmett Till of whistling at her. Later, the two free men confessed to having murdered young Emmett. TILL, although a story that happened in 1955, is a Black Lives Matter tale that is relevant today in this age of unarmed Black males such as Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd being killed.
I was completely devastated by the stunning performance of Danielle Deadwyler as the devoted other of Emmett Till. It's an unforgettable performance, both delicate and steely. The movie opens with charm, love and light -- and the slight feeling that darkness may be approaching. Mamie Till is driving and her playful, loving son is seated beside her. It's August 1955 in Chicago. They are both well-dressed. Mamie, while shopping in a department store, is met with racism when a store employee tells her that she can find what she wants in the bargain basement.
Mamie and Emmett share a comfortable home in a middle class Black neighborhood. It's a welcoming, warm home. She is preparing him to make the trip to Mississippi to visit relatives but we sense a disturbance in her. Mamie's mother, played by Whoopi Goldberg, tells her not to worry. Emmett, played by Jalyn Hall, is full of boyish energy and cheer and not fully grasping his mother's message to "...be small down there" when he arrives in Mississippi. Emmett has really only known the joy of his Black neighborhood in Chicago and his sweet life with his single working mother. He's only 14.
We see Emmett picking cotton with his cousins in Mississippi. We see him the afternoon he enters a convenience store and attempts to pay a polite compliment to the woman behind the cash register. We see his cousins rush him out of there and drive off. We see the night the two white men storm the relatives' home and kidnap Emmett. We hear the young boy screaming in a shed at another location.
The director does not engage in "torture porn," if you will. We don't see Emmett being lynched. The camera doesn't linger on close-ups of his mutilated body. Instead, we are extremely moved by the expressions on the face of actress Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till sees, for the first time, what was done to her son.
Also strong are her scenes when Mamie leaves Chicago, goes to Mississippi and takes the stand in the murder trial. She understands her duty. She understands how America responds to images in the press and the strength she may have and making American realize this mortal sin that's been committed. Also noteworthy was a scene in which "I Love Lucy" is interrupted for a CBS News bulletin update on the Till kidnapping and murder. The camera pans from a white couple watching the news bulletin to a Black family watching the news bulletin and then to another Black family watching commentary on the case, commentary that states "White supremacy." Think of current headlines about our previous president entertaining a White supremacist at his Florida home. TILL humanizes young Emmett Till and shows us how important his mother became to the Civil Rights Movement.
I predict that Danielle Deadwyler will be a frontrunner in the Best Actress Oscar race. I'd also give TILL Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Picture. Director Chinonye Chukwu co-wrote the screenplay with Keith Beauchamp. Big blessings to them both. Whoopi Goldberg is one of the film's producers.
In TILL, we see Carolyn Bryant take the stand in the Mississippi courtroom and say how Emmett entered her store -- at night -- and sexually propositioned her. The real Carolyn Bryant is still alive and has never been indicted.
"The bagel will show you the true nature of things." That is a line from the genre-bender, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. It stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn. She was in the 2018 hit romantic comedy, CRAZY RICH ASIANS. Back in 2000, she was a huge success defying gravity as she did some martial arts fighting in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Michelle Yeoh engages in a bit of kung fu action in her current film -- but the film is more CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN LAUNDROMAT. Evelyn, a stressed out Chinese-American wife and mother in what is probably Southern California, runs a laundromat. She's frantically going through a pile of receipts at home because her business is being audited. She's also trying to cook up some noodles because her father is coming over as is her daughter. Her lesbian daughter unexpectedly brings her girlfriend along. Evelyn's sweet husband tries to help her cope with all this.
Most of us have been like middle-aged Evelyn at some point. She's a good person who feels she's no good at anything. As the story opens, I thought I was in for an urban tale of Asian-American life -- like Justin Chon's excellent L.A. story, GOOK, released in 2017. About 20 minutes later, you think Evelyn is in a sci-fi action story. It's a surreal ride and absolutely surprising. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is about Asian-American images, existentialism, family ties and dealing with the IRS. You will see a universe where people have hot dogs instead of fingers. The surreal, fast-paced looniness of this film may remind you movie goers of BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, BRAZIL or even James Thurber's THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY stories.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is blessed with a bunch of beautiful performances. First of all, there's Michelle Yeoh who goes from drab to dazzling, frayed to focused. We stay with this story to see what realizations come to Evelyn about herself. Ke Huy Quan stars as her loving, ordinary, working class husband. Quan was the child actor who starred with Harrison Ford in INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. He's excellent as the husband. Evelyn's father is played by the remarkable film & TV veteran, James Hong. His career goes back to the 1960s. He was in FLOWER DRUM SONG, THE SAND PEBBLES, CHINATOWN (as the butler to Faye Dunaway's character), the CHINATOWN sequel, THE TWO JAKES, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, AIRPLANE! and BALLS OF FURY. His extensive list of TV credits includes a favorite episode of SEINFELD. In May of this year, Hong received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He should also receive an Honorary Oscar. He's in his early 90s and totally rocked his role in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. And there's a terrific turn from Jamie Lee Curtis as a white-haired, pot-bellied and very strict IRS agent.
This movie is unpredictable, unusual, poetic and provocative. It has a giant bagel, a man with a raccoon on his head, a gala film premiere...and a butt plug.
In addition to the Asian-American images, existentialism, family ties and dealing with the IRS... EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is also about kindness. I loved this movie.
It's December. The yuletide season. The countdown to Christmas. I had a hankering to see some retro holiday entertainment and I found one of my favorites online. When I was a little boy, Mr. Magoo was a popular cartoon character on TV. He was the spunky senior citizen who needed but never wore glasses as he jauntily squinted through life.
Magoo, voiced by Jim Backus, was featured in a 1962 animated holiday one-hour special that aired on NBC. For a time, it aired annually. MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL was like a show within a show. It had an original score. The sweet, witty songs were written by Jule Style and Bob Merrill. Two years later, they'd write a score for a new Broadway show called FUNNY GIRL starring a Broadway newcomer named Barbra Streisand.
MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL opens with Mr. Magoo singing his joy at being back on Broadway. He's starring in a Broadway show based on Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL. We then go to the theater and see him onstage in the production as Ebenezer Scrooge.
This animated special was so much fun to watch that, in later years, it motivated me to read the famous Charles Dickens novella. Jule Style and Bob Merrill wrote some catchy and touching tunes for it. I loved hearing Tiny Tim sing about his love for turkey "...with razzleberry dressing" in the tune "The Lord's Bright Blessing."
The songs "Alone in the World" and "Winter Was Warm" could be done by a popular singer today like Michael Bublé and find a whole new audience. By the way, Tiny Tim looks a lot like Gerald McBoing-Boing, a classic TV cartoon character sprung from the mind of Dr. Seuss.
You can find MR. MAGOO'S CHRISTMAS CAROL on Vimeo, YouTube and Peacock. If you're in a mood for some retro holiday entertainment, I think you'll dig it.
It's December. "We need a little Christmas, right this very minute." I'm in the mood for some seasonal music and, you know me, I love show tunes. So, I'm posting a few Broadway-based tunes inspired by Hollywood movies.
Even though she had three Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations to her credit, Hollywood never really did utilize the musical comedy gifts of Angela Lansbury. Broadway did and the recognition revived her career in a dazzling way. AUNTIE MAME by Patrick Dennis was a best-selling comedy novel turned into a hit Broadway play of the same name starring Rosalind Russell and then turned into a hit Oscar-nominated movie also starring Rosalind Russell. It was turned into a smash Broadway musical called MAME starring Angela Lansbury. She became the Toast of Broadway four years after brilliantly playing the evil mother in 1962's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. Here's one of the songs Lansbury introduced as Auntie Mame.
I've heard this song played for decades during the holidays by top recording stars. I had no idea until this year that it's from a Broadway musical. Meredith Willson, of THE MUSIC MAN fame, wrote the score for a Broadway musical version of the classic 1947 movie, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET. The 1963 show was called HERE'S LOVE. A song from Willson's score is "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas." Perry Como wasn't in the show, but he recorded the song.
Billy Wilder's classic comedy, SOME LIKE IT HOT, has a new musical adaptation that's now getting raves in previews before its official Broadway opening. Wilder's classic film, THE APARTMENT, was turned into a 1968 Broadway musical called PROMISES, PROMISES with music by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The Christmas office party scene in THE APARTMENT got a production number in PROMISES, PROMISES called "Turkey Lurkey Time." Two of its chorus dancers, Baayork Lee as "Miss Wong" and Donna McKechnie as "Miss Della Hoya," were also in the original Broadway cast of the highly acclaimed 1975 Broadway musical drama, A CHORUS LINE.
"Turkey Lurkey Time" was performed on the Tony Awards.
