FILMS FOR THE NEW DEPRESSION!!!
Sick of all the bad news about the economy? Distressed by the horrifying chance that the only Redgrave of the New Generation of the Legendary Acting Family (Natasha) with talent will never grace stage or screen again? Just had a colonoscopy? You DID? Then it's time to do as your grand-parents (or great-grandparents) did and escape into a world that doesn't exist!
Here are a few flix to take your mind off the Shit:
The entire TAMMY series. All these flix were produced by Homo-extraordinaire, Ross Hunter, he of Douglas Sirk pics and facilitator of comebacks for has-been actresses like Jane Wyman, Lana Turner and Susan Hayward. TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR, arguably the best of the gaggle, stars a young Debbie Reynolds and hunky Leslie Nielson. Debbie is the country gal, living on a river shanty with her corn liquor brewing grampa. When grampa gets nabbed by the feds, Tammy goes off to live with the rich folks up the river including Nielson, Faye Wray and wacky Nielson Aunt Mildred Natwick. Only Natwick sees Tammy's potential, though Wray (Neilson's mom) tries to quell Tammy's love of goin' a barefootin' and sayin' wacky misquotes from The Good Book and homilies of her dead Granny's. The hit song TAMMY'S IN LOVE originated in this first film, and Tammy Hauck was conceived to the sorrowful tune.
Moving right along: In TAMMY TELL ME TRUE Sandra Dee takes on the role as the irrepressible young-un, this time off to college where she meets Hunter stock players Virginia Grey and hunky John Gavin. In Tell Me True, Tammy decides it's high time she goes a-learnin' at college. Grey (as the college matron) takes Tammy under her wing and soon Country Gal meets growed up snotty college kids who make fun of her. But not John Gavin. He falls for her barefoot charm, hideously ash blonde hair and mismatched wiglets. Beaulah Bondi co-stars as the crusty old rich dame who misses her simple hill-billy past, and moves on board the river shanty and creaks in Granny's old a-rockin' chair. Dee sings a couple of songs. Though she had a few hits of her own (who didn't back in those days) I suspect that HELEN LAWSON dubbed her.
Beaulah Bondi and Sandra Dee are back, this time in TAMMY AND THE DOCTOR. In this outing, Bondi is ailing and checks into a hospital. Determined to be near her benefactress, Tammy takes a job as a nurse's aid, thereby mucking up operating rooms and a cleanin' bed pans. But not before Dee reprises TAMMY'S IN LOVE, this time dubbed by MARNI NIXON. I think. At any rate, formula is as formula does, and Dr. PETER FONDA, though not hunky, has longer lashes than most of the snotty nurses on the hospital staff. Naturally, he falls hook, line and sinker for river water guzzling Tammy, Bondi comes through a risky operation with flying colors, and Tammy gets her man. Co-starring hunky Adam West (Batman) as the Lothario that tries to put the moves on smarter-than-you-think Tammy.
Sandra Dee and hubby Bobby Darrin star in THAT FUNNY FEELING, a swingin' comedic sex-tire of the early sixties. Dee is a housekeeper who carries her uniform in a hat box (now that's a clever idea!), and Darrin is, unbeknownst to her, one of her clients. When Darrin takes Dee home, where does he end up? His own pad!!! Darrin doesn't let on, Dee moves in, and Donald O'Connor moves out. Of his own place. Which Darrin appropriates for himself while he courts Dee. Sound familiar? It is. But WHO CARES?! Darrin is snazzy and snappy, Dee is just her cute little virtuous self. Nita Talbot costars as Dee's wisecracking roommate, who all too easily falls into the lap of luxury along with Dee in Darrin's apartment. Cameo by Reta Shaw, she of THE GHOST AND MRS MUIR fame.
FOOTLIGHT PARADE. This flick came out during the FIRST depression. Plunk down your nickle and get ready for a Busby Berkeley directed musical comedy. James Cagney stars as a hard-boiled producer of vaudeville shows who comes on hard times as the Talkies take over. Not to be deterred, Cagney decides to produce live musical shows to be done before the talkies unspool. They have a technical term, but I can't remember what the hell they're called. Joan Blondell costars as the secretary who's just short enough to be in love with diminutive Cagney, and Ruby Keeler is the office hack, who, though hiding behind spectacles becomes an overnight tapping sensation once she takes them off! This was produced just as the Hayes Code was being enforced, and the humor is racy, and Berkeley manages to get in a few digs at the censors. A funny, tune-filled delight. Oh, BTW, there is a documentary in the special features, but somehow they asked Film Illiterati John Waters to make some un-educated guesses about the film, much as he did during the audio commentary for the 25th Anniversary Edition of Mommie Dearest.
Director Mike Leigh is known for his serious dramas such as VERA DRAKE, NAKED, and one of my personal faves, SECRETS AND LIES. Famed for his work in improvisation, creating characters WITH the actors from birth onward, HAPPY GO LUCKY is an unexpected delight. Leigh veteran Sally Hawkins stars as the ever optimistic Poppy, who in the first reel loses her bike to a thief. Quel domage! Never one to be downtrodden about ANYTHING, Poppy decides to take driving lessons and manages to get the most pessimistic teacher in the driving college as her instructor. This film meanders hither and yon through contemporary London, Poppy never letting anything get her down, not even London's perpetually grey weather because it makes nary a cameo, proving the sun always shines if you make stoopid jokes and smile broadly. I loved this little film.
If you think things just CAN'T get any worse, move into ASYLUM. This 1970's documentary about a safe-house for nutcases (as opposed to a booby-hatch) shows how a dysfunctional community functions. Men and women from around the globe come to live in this wacked-out flat in one of London's tenement buildings. There is no narration, so you just have to take it as it comes. I did. In about three sittings. A fascinating experiment in Cinema Verite.
So FUCK the Big THREE, the BANKS and AIG!!!
Take a XANAX, have a Pabst and escape into celluloid.
Sick of all the bad news about the economy? Distressed by the horrifying chance that the only Redgrave of the New Generation of the Legendary Acting Family (Natasha) with talent will never grace stage or screen again? Just had a colonoscopy? You DID? Then it's time to do as your grand-parents (or great-grandparents) did and escape into a world that doesn't exist!
Here are a few flix to take your mind off the Shit:
The entire TAMMY series. All these flix were produced by Homo-extraordinaire, Ross Hunter, he of Douglas Sirk pics and facilitator of comebacks for has-been actresses like Jane Wyman, Lana Turner and Susan Hayward. TAMMY AND THE BACHELOR, arguably the best of the gaggle, stars a young Debbie Reynolds and hunky Leslie Nielson. Debbie is the country gal, living on a river shanty with her corn liquor brewing grampa. When grampa gets nabbed by the feds, Tammy goes off to live with the rich folks up the river including Nielson, Faye Wray and wacky Nielson Aunt Mildred Natwick. Only Natwick sees Tammy's potential, though Wray (Neilson's mom) tries to quell Tammy's love of goin' a barefootin' and sayin' wacky misquotes from The Good Book and homilies of her dead Granny's. The hit song TAMMY'S IN LOVE originated in this first film, and Tammy Hauck was conceived to the sorrowful tune.
Moving right along: In TAMMY TELL ME TRUE Sandra Dee takes on the role as the irrepressible young-un, this time off to college where she meets Hunter stock players Virginia Grey and hunky John Gavin. In Tell Me True, Tammy decides it's high time she goes a-learnin' at college. Grey (as the college matron) takes Tammy under her wing and soon Country Gal meets growed up snotty college kids who make fun of her. But not John Gavin. He falls for her barefoot charm, hideously ash blonde hair and mismatched wiglets. Beaulah Bondi co-stars as the crusty old rich dame who misses her simple hill-billy past, and moves on board the river shanty and creaks in Granny's old a-rockin' chair. Dee sings a couple of songs. Though she had a few hits of her own (who didn't back in those days) I suspect that HELEN LAWSON dubbed her.
Beaulah Bondi and Sandra Dee are back, this time in TAMMY AND THE DOCTOR. In this outing, Bondi is ailing and checks into a hospital. Determined to be near her benefactress, Tammy takes a job as a nurse's aid, thereby mucking up operating rooms and a cleanin' bed pans. But not before Dee reprises TAMMY'S IN LOVE, this time dubbed by MARNI NIXON. I think. At any rate, formula is as formula does, and Dr. PETER FONDA, though not hunky, has longer lashes than most of the snotty nurses on the hospital staff. Naturally, he falls hook, line and sinker for river water guzzling Tammy, Bondi comes through a risky operation with flying colors, and Tammy gets her man. Co-starring hunky Adam West (Batman) as the Lothario that tries to put the moves on smarter-than-you-think Tammy.
Sandra Dee and hubby Bobby Darrin star in THAT FUNNY FEELING, a swingin' comedic sex-tire of the early sixties. Dee is a housekeeper who carries her uniform in a hat box (now that's a clever idea!), and Darrin is, unbeknownst to her, one of her clients. When Darrin takes Dee home, where does he end up? His own pad!!! Darrin doesn't let on, Dee moves in, and Donald O'Connor moves out. Of his own place. Which Darrin appropriates for himself while he courts Dee. Sound familiar? It is. But WHO CARES?! Darrin is snazzy and snappy, Dee is just her cute little virtuous self. Nita Talbot costars as Dee's wisecracking roommate, who all too easily falls into the lap of luxury along with Dee in Darrin's apartment. Cameo by Reta Shaw, she of THE GHOST AND MRS MUIR fame.
FOOTLIGHT PARADE. This flick came out during the FIRST depression. Plunk down your nickle and get ready for a Busby Berkeley directed musical comedy. James Cagney stars as a hard-boiled producer of vaudeville shows who comes on hard times as the Talkies take over. Not to be deterred, Cagney decides to produce live musical shows to be done before the talkies unspool. They have a technical term, but I can't remember what the hell they're called. Joan Blondell costars as the secretary who's just short enough to be in love with diminutive Cagney, and Ruby Keeler is the office hack, who, though hiding behind spectacles becomes an overnight tapping sensation once she takes them off! This was produced just as the Hayes Code was being enforced, and the humor is racy, and Berkeley manages to get in a few digs at the censors. A funny, tune-filled delight. Oh, BTW, there is a documentary in the special features, but somehow they asked Film Illiterati John Waters to make some un-educated guesses about the film, much as he did during the audio commentary for the 25th Anniversary Edition of Mommie Dearest.
Director Mike Leigh is known for his serious dramas such as VERA DRAKE, NAKED, and one of my personal faves, SECRETS AND LIES. Famed for his work in improvisation, creating characters WITH the actors from birth onward, HAPPY GO LUCKY is an unexpected delight. Leigh veteran Sally Hawkins stars as the ever optimistic Poppy, who in the first reel loses her bike to a thief. Quel domage! Never one to be downtrodden about ANYTHING, Poppy decides to take driving lessons and manages to get the most pessimistic teacher in the driving college as her instructor. This film meanders hither and yon through contemporary London, Poppy never letting anything get her down, not even London's perpetually grey weather because it makes nary a cameo, proving the sun always shines if you make stoopid jokes and smile broadly. I loved this little film.
If you think things just CAN'T get any worse, move into ASYLUM. This 1970's documentary about a safe-house for nutcases (as opposed to a booby-hatch) shows how a dysfunctional community functions. Men and women from around the globe come to live in this wacked-out flat in one of London's tenement buildings. There is no narration, so you just have to take it as it comes. I did. In about three sittings. A fascinating experiment in Cinema Verite.
So FUCK the Big THREE, the BANKS and AIG!!!
Take a XANAX, have a Pabst and escape into celluloid.
1 comment:
what happened to you on Facebook?! was it something I said?! xoxo Wayne *COME BACK...we miss you!!!
Post a Comment