When I took that History and Appreciation of Motion Pictures course in 1968, one of the things the prof showed us was a film that featured three different edited versions of the same raw footage. It was a short scene from the TV series Gunsmoke, and I was curious if it was available now that … Continue reading Three Edits
Movies
What’s the Name of This Country?
When I went to elementary school, I remember believing that the name of the country that I lived in was the United States of America. It was right there in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was one of several countries on the continent of North America, and as the continent was called North America, the … Continue reading What’s the Name of This Country?
Ross Bagdasarian
Having mentioned “Witch Doctor” the other day, I had to look to see what was available on YouTube, and there is a video of David Seville performing it. Well, lip-syncing to it. I remember those nonsense syllables so clearly after all these years: “Oo! Ee! Oo-ah-ahh. Ting. Tang. Walla-walla bing bang. Oo-Ee! Oo-ah-ahh. Ting tang … Continue reading Ross Bagdasarian
Do Not Forsake Me Part 3
In High Noon Sheb Wooley plays Ben Miller, one of the three gunslingers who rides into town at the start of the film. While he had a modest career as a character actor and went on to a recurring role on TV’s Rawhide, his voice has appeared in over 400 motion pictures. Wolley appeared in the … Continue reading Do Not Forsake Me Part 3
Do Not Forsake Me Part 2
The success of the movie High Noon is due to a collaborative effort of several talented people, none of whom had ever made a Western previously. As a result High Noon is often referred to as a Western for those who don’t like Westerns. Carl Foreman wrote a masterful script. While the opening titles claim the script … Continue reading Do Not Forsake Me Part 2
Do Not Forsake Me Part 1
It’s Pride Month and I’ll start off by remembering two closeted Republican gay assholes, namely Joseph McCarthy and his protégé Roy Cohn, who later became the mentor of one Donald Trump, so his vile influence continues to the present day. Of course, I don’t care what those two did behind closed doors in the bedroom, … Continue reading Do Not Forsake Me Part 1
Capsule Reviews
I’ve often mentioned going to the movies at the Neptune Theatre in Richland when I was growing up. I’ve also mentioned that my mother had a beauty shop in the rear of our house during that period. From time to time I’d peek my head into the shop to see if my mother had anything … Continue reading Capsule Reviews
Fictional Morality
I usually write a bunch of posts ahead of time and save them for those occasions when I might be working on a longer series and don’t have the time to write the daily post, or when I’m pressed for time for other reasons. Sometimes those posts get pushed down in the unwritten and half-written … Continue reading Fictional Morality
How Do You Get To Silent Night?
Of all the pointless wars ever fought The Great War, or World War I as it eventually became known, was one of the most pointless. On the first Christmas Eve, 1914, during a lull in the fighting, with German troops on one side of the trench and French and British troops on the other, the … Continue reading How Do You Get To Silent Night?
This and That
An update from my sister on yesterday’s post: Besides the, I think 50, jabs on my back, I had injections up and down both arms. I think I was 10 years old and I cried the entire time. Also, I had a sulfa allergy. I had tonsillitis a lot in winter and that was how … Continue reading This and That