hogwrassler

I am watching 24 Hour Alert right now on TCM. Jack Webb stars in and narrates this documentary style short film about a fictional town that wants the nearby temporary Air Force base to move. The locals don't like the noise the jets make. There are numerous 1950s jets shown in action and they are really the stars of this tribute to the Air Force and the great work it does protecting the country. Jack gets to go for a ride in a T-33 trainer with the base commander as pilot and gets to see what a jet can do. An uncredited role is the film is "2nd pilot in ready room" with Gordon Cooper as that pilot. I don't know if that is the Gordon Cooper who later became an astronaut. 24 Hour Alert is only 31 minutes long and is well worth a look, especially if you are interested in vintage aircraft.

I just watched Battle Ground (2013) on Stars Encore. I tuned in thinking that it was the classic Battleground (1951) starring Van Johnson. It's definitely not that one. This Battle Ground is also known as Forbidden Ground.

The story revolves around three World War 1 British soldiers trapped in no man's land after a failed attack. Meanwhile, back at home, the wife of one of the men has had an affair and become pregnant. She persuades a nurse, the fiancé of another of the men, to perform an abortion. How will that turn out? The Germans are seen as fanatical killers determined to spend whatever effort and ammunition it takes to wipe out these three tommies. Can any of them get back to their own lines?

The music during the tense shellfire and machine gun blasting was punctuated by a high pitched, shrill whine that made me turn the sound down.

The real problem with the movie is that it moves painfully slow and the lack or real character development makes all of the characters difficult to like of root for. It's just a downer film from start to finish. Pass on Battle Ground (2013).

Mrs. Mendlebright evicts Barney from her house for cooking chili in his room, a clear violation of house rules. Also, Barney was a light bulb with too high a voltage. She immediately moves in Oscar Fields, an older gentleman with a smooth line and suspicious intentions. Andy and Barney try to get Barney back into Mrs. Mendlebright's good graces, but Barney complicates things by getting drunk on hard cider. Can Mrs. Mendlebright ever forgive Barney? And what is this Oscar Fields really after, anyway?

J. Pat O'Malley plays Oscar Fields and is very convincing in the role. Enid Markey is great as Mrs. Mendlebright. She had a long Hollywood career, starting in silent movies in 1911. Enid will always be remembered as the first actress ever to play Jane in a Tarzan movie. "Tarzan of the Apes" was made in 1918, only four years after Edgar Rice Burroughs first published the story, and Enid was the leading lady opposite Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan.

"Up in Barney's Room" is a can't miss episode.