In a recent episode of Scriptnotes Craig Mazin mentioned the 2001 movie Rat Race, which reminded me that I haven’t watched it in about 20 years. So I corrected that the other evening. It’s a totally wacky screwball comedy about greed, and you can’t find a subject much wackier than that—other than sex, of course. … Continue reading Rat Race
Movies
The Dink
I’ve been hearing about pickleball for several years now, though I had no idea what it was. A sport? A game? I was pretty sure it nothing to do with the culinary arts. Then a few days ago Jonathan Moya gave a positive review to the new Apple TV movie The Dink, and as it … Continue reading The Dink
November 3, 1956
In November 1956 we were living in the Great Stone House on my grandparents’ farm just outside Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, but as my mother had been brought up in Richland and my father on a farm just outside Richland, and my mother’s parents still lived in Richland, we visited that borough frequently. On November 3 Richland's … Continue reading November 3, 1956
Groucho and the Real Old Lady
There’s a quote that I remember from Walter Kerr’s Tragedy and Comedy, and I even used it in preparing a speech for a public speaking course I took at Penn State. This may account for the mysterious distinction Groucho Marx once made between an amateur and a professional. An amateur thinks it's funny, Groucho said, if … Continue reading Groucho and the Real Old Lady
The Sheep in the Meadow
I finally got around to watching The Sheep Detectives. I loved it. The movie has a fairly long genesis. A woman by the name of Leonie Swann wrote a mystery entitled Glennkill: Ein Schafskrimi that was published in Germany in 2005. It became an international best seller and is better known in English speaking lands as … Continue reading The Sheep in the Meadow
Three Edits
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
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