When Ava Gardner Co-Starred With The East Side Kids ("Ghosts On The Loose", 1943) (video)

This East Side Kids comedy was Ava Gardner's first credited role.

She played "Betty", bride of Rick Vallin and sister of "Glimpy" (Huntz Hall).

Ava grew up on a North Carolina tobacco farm, the youngest of seven children.

She got her first break in Hollywood on the strength of a single portrait...
...in the window of a photographic studio.

Ava was once dubbed "The World's Most Beautiful Animal" in a publicity campaign.
A director once gushed, "She can't talk, she can't act, she's sensational!"

By 1945 she smoked three packs of cigarettes a day...
...and was known for her drinking and salty language.

She was married to Frank Sinatra, Artie Shaw, and Mickey Rooney.

She was nominated for Best Actress for "Mogambo" in 1953.
And later won critical praise for her role in "Night of the Iguana."

Ava died of pneumonia in 1990 at age 67.

Her last words were: "I'm so tired."


Factoids by IMDb
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

When Ava Gardner Co-Starred With The East Side Kids ("Ghosts On The Loose", 1943) (video)

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

 

 

 

Originally posted on 12/11/15

 

Some musicals are great comedies, others great love stories.  Some are known for their music and songs, some for the wonderful dancing.  But when a musical excels at all four of these--as does SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)--then you're looking at a prime candidate for the best and most popular musical of all time.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN comes about as close to creating a colorful explosion of pure, undiluted joy as a movie can get.  Basically a "jukebox" musical--that is, a collection of already-existing song favorites written (mostly) by producer Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown which have nothing to do with each other besides being fortuitously inserted into the same story--it's a labor of love in which co-directors Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly teamed up to make sure the music and dance numbers were intertwined seamlessly with the narrative and staged in the most artistic and gloriously cinematic style possible.

The handsome, charismatic Kelly, who shows off his robustly masculine, athletic style in a succession of wild yet precise song-and-dance workouts, plays silent film idol Don Lockwood.  We see him starting out in vaudeville along with his lifelong buddy Cosmo (Donald O'Connor) before becoming a lowly Hollywood stuntman and finally graduating to stardom along with ditzy blonde Lina Lamont, who believes the publicity about their torrid romance even though he can't stand her.  Don, meanwhile, has become smitten with a cute aspiring actress named Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), who intially feigns aloofness even though she's secretly a big fan of his.

Wildly comical self-parody abounds as this big Hollywood production pokes fun at big Hollywood productions such as Don and Lina's corny silent epics.  An early highlight is a typical gala premiere where the faux couple display their artificial "lofty artist" personas for an adoring crowd.  But with the release of the surprise smash sensation THE JAZZ SINGER, silents are out and "talkies" are suddenly all the rage, throwing the studios and their stars into a chaotic scramble to give the public what they want. 

Several real-life silent stars such as Garbo's leading man John Gilbert found their careers on the rocks when their voices proved inadequate for sound.  Such is Lina's problem when it turns out her grating accent and horrendous diction threaten to make her a laughing stock on the screen.  Oscar-nominated Jean Hagen (PANIC IN YEAR ZERO) is hilarious in the role, as in frazzled director Roscoe Dexter's (Douglas Fowley) vain attempts to master the new art of sound recording during a florid love scene in which Lina doggedly refuses to speak into the hidden microphone.  

The solution?  Hire Kathy Selden to dub both Lina's speaking and singing voices and then turn Don and Lina's latest silent picture into a musical, "The Dancing Cavalier." But while this arrangement is meant to be only temporary, Lina demands that Kathy henceforth secretly do all of her dubbing, and nothing else, thus derailing Kathy's own promising career.

 

While all this is going on--which we know will eventually work itself out in wonderful and amusing ways--Kelly, O'Connor, and Reynolds are working overtime to give us the best show that the film medium has to offer.  The results, under the direction of stern, uncompromising choreographer/taskmaster Kelly, are nothing less than incredible. 

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN bursts forth with song at the slightest provocation, yet it never seems less than spontaneous or perfectly fitting for the occasion.  Don and Cosmo's breathless vaudeville montage "Fit as a Fiddle (And Ready for Love)" is just a warm-up for their screamingly funny precision dance duet "Moses Supposes" as well as O'Connor's absolutely astounding solo sensation "Make 'Em Laugh", a whirlwind of frenetic energy which he ends by literally running up the walls.  It's one of the most astonishing physical performances in any musical, ever.

Debbie gets into the act with the delightfully breezy "Good Morning", which shows how impressive a dedicated song-and-dance novice can be with Gene Kelly as her tutor.  While the number was obviously an ordeal to get just right, these three make it seem effortless.  With "You Were Meant For Me", Kelly emphasizes the artifice of filmmaking by having Don stage an impromptu love song for Kathy in an empty studio soundstage complete with wind machine and painted backdrop.  It's an elegant moment amidst the frivolity.



Still moreso is Kelly's dazzling movie-within-a-movie, "Broadway Melody Ballet", a lengthy interlude in which he plays an ambitious young hoofer arriving in town looking for stardom, only to be seduced and then discarded by a gorgeous goodtime gal played to perfection by she of the long legs and slinky shape, Cyd Charisse.  Their dance incorporates several styles from jazz to ballet, all of it mesmerizing. 

But most memorable of all is Gene Kelly's immortal "Singin' in the Rain" sequence, in which the lovestruck Don expresses his boundless feelings for Kathy by singing and dancing gleefully down a dark city street in the middle of a downpour.  It's one of cinema's most endearing expressions of pure, uninhibited optimism, made all the more impressive by the knowledge that Kelly performed it that day with a raging fever of 103 degrees.  

One of the best things about SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is that the story of Hollywood's painful transition from silents to talkies is fun and entertaining on its own, while serving as an ideal vehicle for the seemingly unrelated songs--most already decades old, including the 1929 title tune--which are somehow perfectly incorporated into it.  It's a giddy, affectionate, super-charged celebration of song, dance, movies, romance, and sheer joy. 

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN -- Movie Review by Porfle

Shemp Howard Meets John Wayne! ("Pittsburgh", 1942) (video)

Shemp Howard enjoyed a successful solo career in movies...

 
...before returning to the Three Stooges to replace ailing brother Curly.

Here he shares the screen with fellow Hollywood icon John Wayne...

...as well as Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott.

Shemp could hold his own with anyone on the screen.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!
 

Shemp Howard Meets John Wayne! ("Pittsburgh", 1942) (video)

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 6/8/16

 

It's one thing to "come out of the closet" nowadays, when being openly gay isn't necessarily a career killer.  But when Tab Hunter was America's number one heartthrob, it could not only end your career but land you in jail.

That's how the documentary TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (2015) begins, with the celebrated subject attending an all-male party in the Hollywood Hills (old 8mm film footage sets the stage) which was raided by the cops.  Before he knows it, he's behind bars and worrying about how to explain it all to his mother.

How a wildly popular young celebrity known for his boyish masculinity and powerful sex appeal to swooning females copes with being "queer" in a world that considers it both a crime and a mental disorder fuels this cracking good film with a consistent appeal of its own. 

Hunter states at the start that he's never been this open before, and indeed his interview segments are thoughtful, heartfelt, and candid.  In his mid-80s, he retains a hint of the young Tab Hunter who shone brightly as an acting and singing sensation before his downfall and eventual comeback as a John Waters star.

The film's narrative is not just related to his sexuality but is an interesting story about a handsome, likable young guy--who, at first, had only a modicum of actual talent--breaking into the movies and then, due to his sheer charisma and almost angelic good looks, blazing a trail like a shooting star across the Hollywood sky. 

Through it all, as we learn from interview segments by friends and fans such as John Waters, Robert Wagner, Connie Stevens, Debbie Reynolds, George Takei, Rex Reed, Darryl Hickman, Lainie Kazan, Mother Dolores Hart (the WHERE THE BOYS ARE star who became a nun), and many others, Tab never let it go to his head and remained Arthur "Art" Gelien, the humble son of a troubled German mother who raised her two sons alone. 

 

As one old friend relates, Art was already a hit with the girls before stardom, often getting mobbed in the hallways of his school.  So he seemed destined to be the stuff of countless crushes by teen girls (and boys). 

Tab's secret life is explored in stories of his covert love affairs with men, including another rising star Anthony Perkins (PSYCHO, FEAR STRIKES OUT). We learn of the studio wielding its power to protect his image from such media sharks as "Confidential" magazine, the model for L.A. CONFIDENTIAL's "Hush-Hush." 

Gossip mag queen Rona Barrett herself is on hand to add her perspective on this, as is actress Venetia Stevenson who served as a "beard" on arranged dates with Tab and Tony. "They created this persona, and that was your job--to be this persona," Tab reveals.  The film also explores his close friendship with Natalie Wood and the one time he almost married a French actress with whom he shared a brief but passionate relationship.

When he quit the studio to go out on his own, Tab lost his immunity from media scrutiny and soon became fair game in the press.  This helped sink his career, which wouldn't see a resurgence until John Waters cast him along with 300-pound transvestite Glenn "Divine" Milstead (PINK FLAMINGOS) as his leading lady in the nuclear family satire POLYESTER, which was a hit. 

Technically, the documentary is another finely-crafted work by Jeffrey Schwarz (I AM DIVINE, SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY).  The colorful montage of stills, film and television clips, and interview segments is seamless and consistently engaging, making this documentary both informative and fun from start to finish. 

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL benefits from the way the two main threads of Hunter's life--the dazzling superstardom and the constant fear of being a closeted homosexual--intertwine and affect each other in ways that are sometimes tragic, sometimes inspirational, and always fascinating. And through it all shines Hunter's winning charm, which remains undiminished.

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL -- Movie Review by Porfle

THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 1/31/16

 

With the epic outdoor action-drama THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948), based on a novel by enigmatic writer B. Traven, Humphrey Bogart once again joined with director John Huston and his father Walter (after THE MALTESE FALCON) for a grueling tale of the devastating effects of greed on average men.  And during the film's arduous shoot in the wilds of Mexico, any hint of Hollywood glamour would soon become a distant memory. 

As Fred C. Dobbs, Bogart loses himself in one of his grittiest and least sympathetic roles.  Dobbs is an American stuck in a small Mexican town with no job or money, wandering the streets and begging for pesos.  (The younger Huston has a funny cameo as a well-to-do man Dobbs keeps hitting up for change.)  Dobbs will fling his glass of water in the face of a small boy (Robert Blake) pestering him to buy a lottery ticket, yet we sense a modicum of decency somewhere beneath his gruff exterior.

This early sequence of him trudging his way through life, getting bad haircuts, chasing after prostitutes, etc. lets us sit back and watch Bogart at work creating one of his finest characters.  Dobbs hooks up with a fellow American named Curtin (Tim Holt) for a job in which they're cheated out of their pay by a crooked foreman (Barton MacLane of THE MALTESE FALCON) whom they beat senseless after he attacks them in a bar.  (This well-choreographed fight scene is brutally effective.)  Then, after meeting grizzled old prospector Howard (Walter Huston) in a flophouse, they take his advice and set out with him to find gold in the mountains of the Mexican desert. 

Walter Huston enjoyed recounting the story of how he told his son John that if he ever became a filmmaker to "write me a good part."   The old gold-hunter Howard is that part, a role the elder Huston,  sans dentures, inhabits so fully that he almost manages to steal the picture right out from under Bogart.  (He would go on to win an Oscar for it.)  Howard is a goodnatured, level-headed old man, and we believe him when he warns of the evil effects gold can have on weak-willed men.
  
Dobbs blusters against such talk, thinking himself above any negative influences.  Yet without missing a beat, he will fulfill each of Howard's admonitions one by one as the lure of gold transforms him into a paranoid,  resentful,  and ultimately dangerous man.  By the time he's gone over the deep end, he's a frightening character, convinced in his mindless desperation that everyone's out to get him and that he's justified in whatever heinous act he may commit to protect himself and his newfound fortune.

When Dobbs and Curtin finally find themselves locked in a life-or-death battle of wills in the middle of the desert, the film almost takes on the eerie inevitability of a horror movie.  The only thing that undercuts it, along with much of the rest of the film, is one of Max Steiner's worst musical themes--a loping, folksy motif that I find jarringly out of place.

In addition to being a fascinating character study,  TREASURE is a terrific action-adventure.  Alfonso Bedoya is unforgettable as the ruthless Mexican bandit Gold Hat,  whose gang attacks our heroes' train during their trip into the mountains and then later stumbles upon their mining camp, leading to a blazing gunfight.  Gold Hat may be a monster, but Bedoya manages to make him funny, especially with his immortal response to Dobbs' question "If you're federales, where are your badges?"

"Badges? We ain’t got no badges...we don’t need no badges...I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!"

Tim Holt is solid in the less flashy role  of sturdy, dependable Curtin, who shares Howard's dismay at Dobbs' growing instability.  Walter Huston is a delight in a truly wonderful performance--he even gets to break the fourth wall and give us a sly look during one sequence in which he's being given the royal treatment by a tribe of Indians after doing them a good turn.  We don't even hold it against Howard when he votes along with the others to execute another man, Cody (Bruce Bennett), who tries to horn in on their find. 

But it's Bogart, as a man susceptible to bouts of pure, wild-eyed insanity, who makes the film as truly memorable as it is.  No matter how low he sinks and what horrible things he does, we always remember the relatively decent guy he was before gold changed him, and feel some remorse for what he's become.  And just like Dobbs, I'd like to think gold wouldn't make me act that way--but who knows?

Read our review of the BEST OF BOGART COLLECTION

THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE -- Movie Review by Porfle

Three Extras Killed Filming "Noah's Ark" (1928) (video)

During the key flood sequence, safety was ignored in favor of spectacle.

Extras were not warned of the severity of the water that would engulf them.
These included a young Marion "Duke" Morrison (John Wayne).

While the stars were doing their closeups...
...the unwary extras were being deluged by deadly torrents of water.

Their fear is real as they scramble for their lives.

Several extras were seriously injured.
Three of them were killed. 

 

Originally posted on 8/31/18
I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Three Extras Killed Filming "Noah's Ark" (1928) (video)

WON TON TON: THE DOG WHO SAVED HOLLYWOOD -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 3/23/17

 

I only saw WON TON TON: THE DOG WHO SAVED HOLLYWOOD (Olive Films) once before, when me and the guys caught it during its initial run back in 1976, and we all hated it.  Why?  Because we were expecting something really wildly, wickedly funny and off-the-wall, like a Mel Brooks or Monty Python flick. 

Well, this movie isn't like that. In fact, it seems to be willfully corny and sometimes gives the impression that it actually wants to be bad just to mess with us, although it doesn't really.  And now that I'm an avowed bad movie fan, I find this irresistible and maybe even a little wonderful.

It certainly has a chipper enough attitude with its sunny early-Hollywood atmosphere, fast action, rapid-fire (and often dumb) comedy dialogue, and utter lack of seriousness even when Won is being led to the doggy gas chamber with none other than Andy Devine, as a priest, reading his last rites.

That's another thing about this movie--it is literally packed with guest star cameos.  Like, dozens of them.  The whole running time is a spot-the-stars thing where every bit part is a potential Old Hollywood has-been passing through. 

Some get a bit of business with a few lines, such as the two surviving Ritz Brothers, while others flash by so briefly and thanklessly you're not even sure who you think you just saw.  (Sadly, many of today's younger viewers will probably recognize only a small percentage of them.)

They include such Tinsel Town luminaries as Phil Silvers, Milton Berle, Johnny Weissmuller, Ann Miller, Broderick Crawford, Walter Pidgeon, Ethel Merman, Cyd Charisse, Rhonda Fleming, Fritz Feld, Georgie Jessel, Virginia Mayo, Billy Barty, Peter Lawford, Sterling Holloway, Janet Blair, Fernando Lamas, Aldo Ray, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Huntz Hall, Stepin Fetchit, and many, many more. I even spotted an unbilled Toni Basil as Dean Stockwell's date at an award show.

One of the most unusual casting choices is Ron Liebman (NORMA RAE) as Rudy Montague, a Rudolph Valentino type who dresses in drag so that he can attend his own movies without getting mobbed since he's his own biggest fan. 

The plot, if it matters, is about starving actress Estie Del Ruth (Madeline Kahn, BLAZING SADDLES, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN) and aspiring screenwriter Grayson Potchuck (Bruce Dern, THE COWBOYS, THE TRIP) both managing to break into silent pictures on the coatttails of a talented German Shepherd named Won Ton Ton, who loves Estie and does whatever she tells him to do. 

This delights unscrupulous studio boss J.J. Fromberg (Art Carney, "The Honeymooners"), who sees big, fat dollar signs when Won's first picture is a smash.  Estie has a harder time convincing him that she's actress material, however--in fact, after J.J. has her thrown off the lot, Potchuck must sneak her back in so that she can direct Won from behind the camera.

As per the usual "rise and fall and rise" Hollywood yarn which this movie spoofs, Won's success doesn't last and he eventually hits the skids.  He ends up getting drunk in an alley with a homeless John Carradine and then, in one of the film's strangest sequences, unsuccessfully attempts various methods of doggy suicide.

As for the rest of the comedy, it's a real hit-and-miss affair.  Some is just so loud and destructive that we can't help but laugh, or at least cringe, while other attempts, such as an old-fashioned piefight and various bits of traditional slapstick, simply lack the imagination, finesse, and timing of the original silent comedies they're imitating. 

This isn't helped by the fact that director Michael Winner is hardly known for his comedy skills, having helmed such films as the DEATH WISH series (along with other Charles Bronson shoot-em-ups), THE BIG SLEEP, MURDER ON THE CAMPUS, et al.

Striving for a light touch, he often achieves a level of physical and verbal humor akin to a cheap Filmation cartoon, and tends to simply aim the camera at his myriad of actors in hopes that they'll just naturally be funny and charming.

And sometimes they are.  It's hard to miss with Madeline Kahn and Bruce Dern as the leads (as unlikely as it sounds, perennial bad guy Bruce was funny when given a likably sleazy character to play) and supporting players such as Art Carney and Teri Garr (YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS). 

The setting is another plus, encompassing several Hollywood landmarks and an overall atmosphere of silent-film-era nostalgia that's vivid and colorful.  (Vintage car buffs will love seeing the classic old models, and then cringe as they crash into each other.)  Even the simulated silent movies we see during various premieres appear authentic, although much too aged-looking to have been newly filmed.

The DVD from Olive Films is in 1.78:1 widescreen with mono sound and optional English subtitles. No extras.

Those expecting excellence will be disappointed, as will those settling in for a total bad-movie bash.  But those who set their sights in between and take the good with the bad--between which extremes this film fluctuates wildly--should find WON TON TON: THE DOG WHO SAVED HOLLYWOOD a passable time-waster at worst, and, at best, a cheerfully featherbrained and delightfully screwy sort of novelty artifact.

 

 

WON TON TON: THE DOG WHO SAVED HOLLYWOOD -- DVD Review by Porfle

GET SHORTY: COLLECTOR'S EDITION -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 10/13/18

 

I haven't seen any of his more recent movies, but there was a time when John Travolta could play "Mr. Cool" better than just about anybody. That time spanned at least from GREASE to PULP FICTION, and it most definitely includes the making of Barry Sonnenfeld's 1995 Elmore Leonard adaptation GET SHORTY: COLLECTOR'S EDITION (Shout! Factory).

Travolta plays "Chili" Palmer, a Miami loanshark who loves movies and ends up getting involved in the business when he goes to Hollywood to help a Las Vegas casino owner collect on a delinquent debt.  The delinquent in question is B-movie mogul Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman), who sidesteps the debt by offering Chili a chance to co-produce his upcoming dream project.  Tired of the loansharking business, this offer is right up the fanatical film buff's alley.

Trouble is, Harry has other debtors wanting a big chunk of his future movie profits, including tough-guy enterpreneur Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo) and his strong-arm thugs Ronnie (Jon Gries) and Bear (James Gandolfini in a decidedly non-"Sopranos"-type role).  When Chili's murderous mob nemesis from Miami, Ray "Bones" Barboni (Dennis Farina), shows up to settle old scores and runs afoul of both Harry and Chili, things get wonderfully complicated.

GET SHORTY isn't really all that complicated, but the constant twists and turns of this Hollywood crime comedy make keeping up with it a giddy delight from start to finish.  Fans of both gangster pictures and self-referential satires on Tinsel Town should thoroughly enjoy watching Travolta's cool-as-a-cucumber protagonist--he isn't really a bad guy even though he worked for the mob--push people and situations to the edge and come out on top every time.

There's the delightful subplot about the weaselly dry cleaner named Leo (David Paymer) who collected his own life insurance after everyone thought he died in a plane crash and then skipped off to Vegas with the money (he's the one Chili was originally sent by Ray Bones to track down).  And I love the way Hackman's Zimm clumsily steps all over Chili's efforts to handle things for him and then tries to play tough with Ray, which ends really badly for him.

Travolta looks like he just stepped out of GQ magazine the whole time and totally sells the character like nobody else could.  He's tough and shrewd, but his love for movies is endearingly childlike (there's a great scene of him excitedly watching TOUCH OF EVIL in a dark theater and reciting all the dialogue himself) and he only gets violent in self-defense or to prove a point.

Hackman is a hoot as Zimm, the typical junk filmmaker aspiring to make his one great movie but forever getting in trouble trying to finance it.  As his actress girlfriend Karen who's tired of being in cheap horror films, Rene Russo proves she can keep up with the guys just as she did in LETHAL WEAPON 4.  Danny DeVito is a scream as her ex-husband Martin Weir, now a superstar actor with a colossal ego whom Chili and Harry covet as their lead.

The film itself reflects Chili's sense of savoir faire with a cool score (consisting mainly of Booker T. & the MGs songs) and a slick, easygoing visual style.  The story is richly satirical and filled with scintillating dialogue and situations that evoke a sense of giddiness at times, it's just so right on the money.

The Blu-ray from Shout! Factory looks and sounds great, remastered from a new 4K transfer. The fully-stocked bonus menu includes:

Audio Commentary with Director Barry Sonnenfeld
Featurettes: "Get Shorty - Look at Me," " Get Shorty - Wise Guys + Dolls," "Going Again"
Get Shorty Party Reel
Page to Screen of Get Shorty
Vignettes
The Graveyard Scene
Trailer
Reversible Box Art 

There's action, suspense, and some violence at times, but it's all in service of the overall good vibes the film radiates.  The delightufully unexpected ending alone is worth the price of admission.  And once you've seen it, you'll know just what I mean when I say that GET SHORTY is truly "the Cadillac of minivans." 

GET SHORTY: COLLECTOR'S EDITION -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

PAGAN LOVE SONG -- Movie Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 2/20/16

 

Like an exotic postcard from Tahiti come to life, PAGAN LOVE SONG (1950) is a Technicolor fantasia with Esther Williams looking gorgeous in brown body makeup and two-piece outfits as the half-Tahitian Mimi.

Bass-voiced Howard Keel is "Hap" Endicott, a teacher from the USA who just inherited some land with a bamboo shack on it and wants to kick back and become a native. Even though Mimi has plans to move to the States just as Hap is settling in, we know that they'll get together somehow.

This is easily one of Esther's prettiest yet dumbest films. Keel plays Hap like a big, grinning oaf who belts out some of the worst songs ever written (subjects include his singing bamboo house and how much fun it is to sing in the sun on a bicycle) while blundering his way around the island like a newborn giraffe.

He gets along great with the natives (one of whom is played by a very young Rita Moreno), since they're all portrayed as a bunch of addle-brained children themselves. It's enough to make one yearn for the cultural authenticity of an Elvis Presley comedy.

Keel works overtime trying to force some feeling into the nonsensical songs that are shoehorned into the slim plot but he has little to work with--he was much more at home in robust musicals such as ANNIE GET YOUR GUN and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. Plus, incredible as it may seem, he and Esther have about as much romantic chemistry as a couple of cocoanuts.

After the movie has toodled along with nothing much going on until almost the end, an awkward and overly melodramatic plot twist is dropped right in the middle of it like an anvil in order to remind us that there's supposed to be a story.

The only things PAGAN LOVE SONG has going for it--besides one of those cool SPFX water fantasies that glorifies Esther Williams as a sort of aquatic goddess--are the lush scenery, a really cool Tahitian dance sequence, and the fact that the star looks so good at times that it's almost unreal. (Amazingly, a look at the musical outtakes reveals that the film's best songs aren't even in it!)

If you can turn off your critical faculties for an hour and a half and watch PAGAN LOVE SONG purely on a superficial level, you might enjoy it. Otherwise, this movie is so stupefyingly slight that it makes DONOVAN'S REEF look like a James Michener epic.

Read our review of TCM SPOTLIGHT: ESTHER WILLIAMS VOL.2

PAGAN LOVE SONG -- Movie Review by Porfle

TCM Big Screen Classics Series -- A Year of Anniversary Screenings Come to Cinemas in 2022

 

FATHOM EVENTS Presents

A Year of Anniversary Screenings Coming to Cinemas in 2022 With the TCM Big Screen Classics Series
 
Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events Bring a Dozen Beloved Films to Movie Theaters Nationwide Monthly

 
DENVER – December 9, 2021 – Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies are proud to announce the titles for the eighth annual TCM Big Screen Classics series, this year celebrating the anniversaries of 12 of Tinseltown’s most beloved motion pictures. Honoring acclaimed films, from the 40th anniversary of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, to the 80th anniversary of the lauded Casablanca, plus 10 films representing decades in between, the TCM Big Screen Classics series has something for everyone in 2022.
 
Each film is presented with pristine digital projection and movie-theater-quality sound, and in its original aspect ratio as intended by the filmmakers. The TCM Big Screen Classics series is further enhanced with fascinating pre- and post-feature insights presented by popular TCM hosts, including TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz.
 
Films in the 2022 TCM Big Screen Classics series include:
 

    Casablanca 80th Anniversary
    Lady Sings the Blues 50th Anniversary
    The Quiet Man 70th Anniversary
    Singin' In The Rain 70th Anniversary
    Smokey and the Bandit 45th Anniversary
    What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 60th Anniversary
    Cabaret 50th Anniversary
    Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 40th Anniversary
    Poltergeist 40th Anniversary
    In the Heat of the Night 55th Anniversary
    To Kill A Mockingbird 60th Anniversary
    It's A Wonderful Life - Celebrating 75 Years

 
Since its start in 2015, the TCM Big Screen Classics series has proved to be an annual fan favorite and many events in the series go on to be top performers at the box office.
 
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with TCM to bring some of the greatest films ever made back to the big screen,” said Fathom Events Vice President of Studio Relations, Tom Lucas. “We are excited to announce a line-up of anniversary titles that span five decades and cover all genres of film!”
 
“There is nothing that matches the joy of seeing a classic in the movie theater, and next year will see a slate of films celebrating anniversaries from every genre that will excite movie lovers of all kinds, in every corner of the country,” said Genevieve McGillicuddy, Vice President of Enterprises and Strategic Partnerships, TCM. “With this series, we hope fans will re-discover films they love and also experience new-to-them films for the first time.”
 
Tickets for the TCM Big Screen Classics 2022 series are on-sale now at www.FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. For a complete list of events in the series and to purchase tickets, visit the Fathom Events website. Please continue to check the Fathom Events website for updates and to sign up for alerts.

 
The TCM Big Screen Classics coming soon to select cinemas nationwide are:

 
Casablanca 80th Anniversary (1942)    
DATE: Jan. 23 & 26
CAST: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid
SCREENPLAY BY: Julius J. Epstein, Philip Epstein, and Howard Koch
DIRECTED BY:  Michael Curtiz
 
As time goes by, some movies age – but Casablanca remains timeless. Perhaps no other movie has become as beloved and as synonymous with Hollywood glamour as Casablanca. The film received the Academy Award® for Best Picture and became one of the most classic films of all time.
 
 
Lady Sings the Blues 50th Anniversary (1972)         
DATE: Feb. 20 & 23
CAST: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan, and Scatman Crothers
SCREENPLAY BY: Suzanne de Passe, Chris Clark, and Terence McCloy
DIRECTED BY:  Sidney J. Furie
 
Lady Sings the Blues was nominated for five Academy Awards®, including Diana Ross for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of the legendary Billie Holiday. The film brilliantly captures the essence of one of America’s most loved and memorable blues singers.
 
 
The Quiet Man 70th Anniversary (1952)
DATE: Mar. 13 & 17
CAST: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond, and Victor McLaglen
SCREENPLAY BY: Frank S. Nugent
DIRECTED BY: John Ford
 
John Wayne stars as an ex-boxer who retires to Ireland and searches for a wife. With this film, John Ford won his fourth Academy Award® for Best Director, a record which still stands today, and Winton Hoch took home the Oscar® for Best Cinematography.
 
           
Singin' in the Rain 70th Anniversary (1952)
DATE: Apr. 10 & 13
CAST: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, and Cyd Charisse
SCREENPLAY BY: Adolph Green and Betty Comden
DIRECTED BY: Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
           
Winner of two Oscars and responsible for people dancing around light posts worldwide, Singin' in the Rain, directed and wonderfully choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, is a humorous portrayal of Hollywood in the late 1920s, as the three stars portray performers caught up in the shift from silent films to "the talkies.”
 
 
Smokey and the Bandit 45th Anniversary (1977)    
DATE: May 29, Jun. 1 & 2
CAST: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason, and Paul Williams
SCREENPLAY BY: James Lee Barrett, Charles Shyer, and Alan Mandel
DIRECTED BY: Hal Needham
 
Burt Reynolds, Sally Field and Jackie Gleason are in high gear and hot water after a cross-country road challenge results in one of the wildest series of car chases and crashes ever filmed!
 
 
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 60th Anniversary (1962)
DATE: Jun. 12 & 15
CAST: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Victor Buono
SCREENPLAY BY: Lukas Heller
DIRECTED BY:  Robert Aldrich
 
A bona fide “cult classic,” What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a psychological thriller that spins a tale of an aging former child star, "Baby Jane" Hudson (Davis), as she torments her wheelchair-bound former movie star sister (Crawford) in an old Hollywood mansion.
 
 
Cabaret 50th Anniversary (1972)
DATE: Jul 17 & 20
CAST: Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Marisa Berenson, Fritz Wepper, and Joel Grey
SCREENPLAY BY: Jay Presson Allen, John Kander and Fred Ebb
DIRECTED BY: Bob Fosse
 
A winner of eight Academy Awards®, including Best Director for Bob Fosse, Best Actress for Liza Minnelli, and Best Supporting Actor for Joel Grey, the stylish musical Cabaret, set in 1930’s Weimar Republic era Berlin, has cemented its place among Hollywood’s all-time best-loved films and influential musicals to this day.  
 
 
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan 40th Anniversary (1982)   
DATE: Sept. 4, 5 & 8
CAST: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Bibi Besch, Merritt Butrick, Paul Winfield, Kirstie Alley, and Ricardo Montalbán
SCREENPLAY BY: Jack B. Sowards
DIRECTED BY: Nicholas Meyer
 
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is one of the most celebrated and essential chapters in Star Trek lore. On routine training maneuvers, Admiral James T. Kirk seems resigned that this may be the last space mission of his career. But an adversary from the past has returned with a vengeance.      
           
 
Poltergeist 40th Anniversary (1982)     
DATE: Sept. 25, 26 & 28
CAST: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Heather O'Rourke, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robins, and Zelda Rubinstein
SCREENPLAY BY: Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, and Mark Victor
DIRECTED BY: Tobe Hooper
 
“They're here!” exclaims five-year-old Carol Anne in this horror classic as ghosts appear through the static on her family’s television. While the spirits seem friendly at first, using the TV as their portal to enter the home, they kidnap her. “Don’t go into the light, Carol Anne.”
           
 
In the Heat of the Night 55th Anniversary (1967)
DATE: Oct. 16 & 19
CAST: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, and Lee Grant
SCREENPLAY BY: Stirling Silliphant
DIRECTED BY: Norman Jewison
 
“They call me Mister Tibbs.” In this five-time Academy Award® winning, including Best Picture, drama, a wealthy industrialist is found murdered in a small Mississippi town and when an African-American man is picked up at the train station with a wallet full of cash, local Police Chief Bill Gillespie immediately assumes he has caught his culprit. He’s soon embarrassed to learn that the man he has arrested is Detective Virgil Tibbs, an experienced police officer from Philadelphia. The unlikely pair are forced to work together to unravel the mystery, leading them on a line of enquiry that will challenge both of their preconceptions.
 
 
To Kill A Mockingbird 60th Anniversary (1962)       
DATE: Nov. 13 & 16
CAST: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, Ruth White, Paul Fix, Brock Peters, and Frank Overton
SCREENPLAY BY: Horton Foote
DIRECTED BY: Robert Mulligan
 
Gregory Peck won an Academy Award® for his brilliant portrayal of a Southern lawyer who compassionately defends a Black man wrongly accused of rape in this film version of the Harper Lee novel.
 
 
It's A Wonderful Life - Celebrating 75 Years (1946)
DATE: Dec. 18 & 21
CAST: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Frank Faylen, and Gloria Grahame
SCREENPLAY BY: Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, and Frank Capra
DIRECTED BY: Frank Capra
 
Take a trip to Bedford Falls to celebrate 75 years of director Frank Capra’s timeless classic It’s A Wonderful Life.   Named the #1 most inspiring film of all time by the American Film Institute, It’s A Wonderful Life has touched generations of viewers with its uplifting and life-affirming message of hope.
 

 
"Academy Award®" and/or "Oscar®" is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

 
About Fathom Events
Fathom is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as one of the top distributors of content to movie theaters in North America. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC); Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK); and Regal Cinemas, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L)., Fathom operates the largest cinema distribution network, delivering a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all of the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries. For more information, visit www.FathomEvents.com.
 
About Turner Classic Movies:
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents classic films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting “where then meets now.” TCM features the insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. With more than two decades as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through popular events such as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, the TCM Big Screen Classics screening series, and the TCM Classic Cruise. In addition, TCM produces the wildly successful podcast “The Plot Thickens,” which has had more than 2 million downloads to date. TCM hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app. Fans can also enjoy a classic movie experience on the Classics Curated by TCM hub on HBO Max.

TCM Big Screen Classics Series -- A Year of Anniversary Screenings Come to Cinemas in 2022

Jean Harlow Dies During "SARATOGA" (1937), Stand-In Completes Scenes (Video)

 

Blonde bombshell Jean Harlow died in 1937 at the youthful age of 26.

The picture she was making with Clark Gable, SARATOGA, was incomplete.

Rather than recast, the studio finished her scenes using stand-in Mary Dees.

This was used as part of the picture's publicity campaign.  

I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

 

Jean Harlow Dies During "SARATOGA" (1937), Stand-In Completes Scenes (Video)

Joe Bob's America is Back!

 

JOE BOB’S AMERICA IS BACK

After getting kicked out of every decent publication in America, I’ve found a new home at the “Lost Drive-In” Patreon (don’t worry, the column is free), where all my archived videos are being restored, digitized and preserved. This will probably be bi-weekly but I never know what fresh time-wasting hell will be thrown my way as I re-launch the “How Rednecks Saved Hollywood” live show, continue to create new specials and series for Shudder, and hit the convention circuit whenever requested. (Look for an email with my full appearance schedule soon.)

The grand plan is to continue to do the two weekly columns that I wrote for several decades—this one and “Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In”—but without any intermediaries this time. As usual, I’m dedicated to having the last non-partisan forum in America, neither left nor Right, neither Democrat nor Republican, neither conservative nor liberal, which everyone around me regards as a quaint idea doomed to failure.

So, in the words of Captain Edward Smith, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our maiden voyage!” . . .

Smushing People Together to Fight COVID

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Have you ever considered that maybe all the Customer Assistance reps—those perky people with headsets sitting in cubicles in Sandpoint, Idaho, the ones you talk to after listening to 45 minutes of cool-jazz vibraphone music or, for the especially cute mega-corporations, an endless loop of “Hold the Line” by Toto—are lifetime subscribers to QAnon Weekly and believe that the New World Order has regular meetings in a secret bunker underneath the Denver airport?

The reason I ask is that most of them seem to believe that COVID-19 is so powerful it can hamper the ability of trucks to run down the interstate, infect telephone lines, and turn tanning beds into weapons of mass destruction.

“This donut I’m buying—normally it has sprinkles on it.”

“Sorry, sir, COVID-19. We can’t use sprinkles during the pandemic.”

I mean, there are 794 new things every week that people say you just can’t do during a pandemic, none of them having anything to do with masking, vaxxing, hand-washing, or cramming 65,000 people into Raymond James Stadium, which is exactly what the Bucs will be doing Thursday night when they host the Cowboys.

Most hotels now refuse to clean your room while you’re staying in it—unless you need cleaning.

In other words, it’s excessively dangerous for a vaccinated hotel employee to enter a hotel room with mask and latex gloves in order to restock the mini-fridge and fluff a pillow or two—but if you call the front desk and say “I’d really like you to come clean the room today,” the danger disappears and they say, “Certainly, Mister Briggs, we’ll send someone right up!” The implications of this policy are that my personal preferences have the supernatural power to neutralize all respiratory droplets when my pillow needs fluffing. At the Hampton Inn, I become the CIA Mind-Control Section Chief.

The amazing thing is that most people think all the COVID-19 policies sound reasonable.

"Yeah, that makes sense, of course you can’t answer your phone at the Customer Service Answering-the-Phone Department—COVID-19!”

"You missed another deadline on the Cleveland Project write-up? Who could blame you? You probably have to Lysol your computer screen a hundred and fifty times a day.”

Am I the only person who thinks COVID-19 has become a giant version of a “Gone Fishing” sign?

Read The Full Column Here



©2021 Joe Bob Briggs | NY, NY 

Joe Bob's America is Back!

"SKIN: A HISTORY OF NUDITY IN THE MOVIES" -- Captivating New Documentary Available On Demand August 18 -- Watch the Official Trailer Debut HERE!

SKIN: A HISTORY OF NUDITY IN THE MOVIES

Available On Demand August 18th


A definitive documentary on the history of nudity in the movies, beginning with the silent movie era through present day, examining the changes in morality that led to the use of nudity in films while emphasizing the political, sociological and artistic changes that shaped this rich history.

Skin delves  into the gender bias concerning nudity in motion pictures and will follow the revolution that has pushed for gender equality in feature films today.

A deep discussion of pre-code Hollywood and its amoral roots, the censorship that “cleaned up” Hollywood and how the MPAA was formed leads into a discussion of how nudity changed cinematic culture through the decades.

It culminates in a discussion of “what are nude scenes like in the age of the #METOO movement?”

WATCH THE TRAILER:

Featuring:

Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, Targets, Saint Jack)
Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie, Scary Movie, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back)
Diane Franklin (The Last American Virgin, Better Off Dead, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure)
Pam Grier (The Big Doll House, Jackie Brown, Foxy Brown, Above the Law)
Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Look Who’s Talking, Clueless)
Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Caligula, Startrek: Generations, Halloween)
Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, Inherent Vice, Star 80)
Kevin Smith (Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Clerks, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back)
Sean Young (Blade Runner, Dune, No Way Out, Wall Street)
Jim McBride (creator of Mr. Skin)

Written by | Danny Wolf, Paul Fishbein
Directed by | Danny Wolf
Executive Produced by | Jim McBride, Paul Fishbein
Produced by | Paul Fishbein
Runtime | 130 minutes
Distribution | Quiver Distribution

"SKIN: A HISTORY OF NUDITY IN THE MOVIES" -- Captivating New Documentary Available On Demand August 18 -- Watch the Official Trailer Debut HERE!

"ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD": A Love Letter To Making Movies - Tune In Thursday, January 30th

Quentin Tarantino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and the filmmakers showcase the artistry that went into creating this story of an enduring friendship in a time of change. A special look at Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed ninth movie,

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD.


Catch the Special Live!

Thursday, January 30th at 7:30pm PST

CBS 2 LA
(Please check your local listings for station and timing information)
   
Thursday, January 30th at 7:00pm PST
KTLA 5
(Please check your local listings for station and timing information)


Watch the Special HERE!

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles during the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) face the challenges of an industry they hardly recognize anymore.

The film features a cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Julia Butters, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Mike Moh, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis and Al Pacino.

Written and Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Produced by: David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
Executive Producers: Georgia Kacandes, Yu Dong, Jeffrey Chan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Julia Butters, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Mike Moh, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Al Pacino

"ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD": A Love Letter To Making Movies - Tune In Thursday, January 30th

Family, Friends, and Fans of Hollywood Blvd. "Superman" Christopher Dennis Raising Funds For His Funeral

FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FANS OF HOLLYWOOD BLVD. "SUPERMAN" CHRISTOPHER DENNIS RAISING FUNDS FOR HIS FUNERAL


HOLLYWOOD, CA (November 19, 2019) – Christopher Dennis, AKA Hollywood Boulevard Superman, tragically passed away November 2 at the age of 52. Chris had been homeless, off and on, for three years prior to his passing, sometimes sleeping in shelters. Family, friends, and fans who had helped him find lodgings over the years, hope to raise funds to give him a final resting place where he can be at peace for eternity.

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to raise funds for a funeral service, cremation, grave/niche plot, and a memorial plaque at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-service-for-hollywood-superman

The GoFundMe page was created on behalf of Christopher’s widow, Bonnie Finkenthal Dennis, by Vladislav Kozlov, his long-time friend and director, who produced of a short film starring Christopher, as himself, and film legend Franco Nero, called “The Kid,” and has been filming with Christopher for the hybrid documentary feature about Christopher’s life, called "American Superman" since 2013.

The news coverage of Chris’s untimely passing and reporting on his life and the mark he made in Hollywood have been a beautiful tribute to Christopher Dennis and his memory. The crowdfunding campaign strives to help Hollywood Superman find his final rest in the Hollywood land to which he truly belongs.

June 10, 1991 was the date Chris first stepped foot on the boulevard as Hollywood Superman, according to his Instagram profile. Chris gave smiles to the millions of tourists from all over the world for over 25 years of his Hollywood Boulevard residency and there are thousands and thousands of photographs of Chris with visitors to Hollywood Boulevard online and in photo albums around the world.

Hollywood Superman, along with the world-famous Hollywood sign, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, have been part of the Hollywood experience for millions of U.S. and international tourists in Hollywood for decades. Sadly, Hollywood Superman has taken his last bow on the boulevard.

People are invited to post their photos and videos and share good memories of Christopher on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/hollywoodsuperman/

https://www.facebook.com/Hollywood-Superman-290026524352180/

For more information about the crowdfunding campaign, please visit:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-service-for-hollywood-superman

Christopher Lloyd Dennis
Christopher Lloyd Dennis AKA Hollywood Boulevard Superman was born on June 16, 1967. When he was 6, he was put into orphanage by his father. Chris spent his childhood in shelters and group homes. At the age of 18, Chris came to Hollywood to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. When he was waiting tables, numerous people told him that he resembled Christopher Reeve who famously portrayed Superman. Chris decided to dress as Superman and go out on the Hollywood Boulevard in the hopes of being noticed by studio producers. Eventually, Chris started coming to the strip every day since he found out that he was a huge hit with the tourists who wanted to take a picture with him as Hollywood Superman.

This is how he became the first costume character on Hollywood Boulevard. Chris went on giving smiles to the millions of tourists from all over the world for over 25 years. He appeared on numerous episodes of Jimmy Kimmel show, was featured in a documentary "Confessions of a Superhero" and appeared in Jared Leto’s 30 Seconds to Mars music video “City of Angeles.”

Christopher married Bonnie, a fellow Superman fan, in 2006. They separated on 2011. In 2013 Chris began collaborating with a Los Angeles based director Vlad Kozlov on different indie projects and Chris starred as himself in Kozlov's short motion picture "The Kid" also starring the famous star Franco Nero.

Chris and Vlad became close friends and they decided to make a movie about his life adventures. Vlad started documenting the story of the real-life Hollywood Superman, trying to discover his past and his inner self, for the film which they decided to call “American Superman.”

In 2016 Chris became homeless due to a chain of unfortunate events and was fighting to get off the streets. In 2017 two fundraisers were started to help Chris get out of the streets, but by that time he was beyond accepting help due to substance abuse. Chris spent another two years in different shelters trying to eventually get into subsidized housing.

Sadly, on November 2nd, 2019 Christopher Dennis tragically passed away in Van Nuys, just 10 miles away from Hollywood Blvd. He will be remembered by those who loved him, and the countless people he met on Hollywood Blvd.

Family, Friends, and Fans of Hollywood Blvd. "Superman" Christopher Dennis Raising Funds For His Funeral

Jimmy Durante As Adam, The First Man ("Hollywood Party", 1934) (video)

"Hollywood Party" was a screwball comedy with a gaggle of guest stars...

...featuring Jimmy Durante in some downright surreal sketches.

Not the least of which being his riff on reincarnation.

This segment casts him not only as the first man, Adam...

...but also as America's most famous horse.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

Jimmy Durante As Adam, The First Man ("Hollywood Party", 1934) (video)

Want To See Joe Bob Briggs? Here's Where He'll Be...

WANT TO SEE JOE BOB? HERE'S WHERE HE'LL BE:
 

▪     July 21: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Montreal
▪     August 2: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Williamsburg
▪     August 2-4: Scares that Care Weekend, Williamsburg
▪     August 29: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Raleigh
▪     August 30-September 1: Creature Feature Weekend, Gettysburg
▪     October 4: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Phoenixville
▪     October 9: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Cleveland
▪     October 11-13: Telluride Horror Show, Telluride
▪     October 15: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Winchester
▪     October 19: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Portland
▪     November 9: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Tulsa
▪     November 10: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Oklahoma City
▪     November 13: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Austin
▪     November 22: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Providence

Read Joe Bob's latest column: "Whatever Happened To Innocent Until Proven Guilty?"

Want To See Joe Bob Briggs? Here's Where He'll Be...

John Wayne's Coolest Scenes #32: White Buffalo, "Chisum" (1970) (video)

Chisum (John Wayne) just got screwed on a cattle deal by the US Cavalry.

So he's in no mood to see his old friend White Buffalo...

...disrespected by a rude military officer. 

So he offers the man a cigar--and some strongly-worded advice.


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

John Wayne's Coolest Scenes #32: White Buffalo, "Chisum" (1970) (video)

John Wayne Meets Granny: "The Beverly Hillbillies" (video)

Some Native American businessmen are coming to Los Angeles...

...to discuss a deal with Mr. Drysdale.

But Granny gets her wires crossed and thinks they're coming to attack.

Mr. Drysdale hires some actors from central casting to humor her.

Through it all she keeps invoking the name of John Wayne.

And finally, after it's all over, who should show up but the man himself!


(From S5 E20: "The Indians Are Coming")


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!
 

John Wayne Meets Granny: "The Beverly Hillbillies" (video)

The Ross Sisters: "Jerkin' Back and Forth" (Devo) From the 1944 Film "Broadway Rhythm" (video)

This is the fabulous Ross Sisters and their mind-boggling contortion act...

...from the film BROADWAY RHYTHM (1944)...

...set to the Devo classic "Jerkin' Back and Forth."


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it.  Thanks for watching!

The Ross Sisters: "Jerkin' Back and Forth" (Devo) From the 1944 Film "Broadway Rhythm" (video)