Bowling..A True He-Man’s Sport

 

When I was a kid, in the 70s, there used to be a show called, “Bowling For Dollars.” It was dreck…boring as dirt but it stayed on TV for years…I’m not sure who watched it, but I figured people who gave up on life. Aside from that, I like bowling but only the small balls and I can’t bowl the normal way. I’m the granny who take the ball in both hands, move my feet like Fred Flintstones, and throw the ball down the lane watching it go into the gutter. It made me think of movies with bowling  in it and I realized I saw 3 movies with bowling a big part of the movie.

1. UNCLE BUCK-1989

I love John Candy and this film stars Candy in a John Hughes film about a lazy git who lives off of horse betting and doing as little as possible. His sister in law’s father has suffered a heart attack, and they must travel back to care for her dad but they have no babysitter. Enter Uncle Buck, who is available and, with his exhaust fumed car, agrees to babysit the kids. The 2 youngest like their Uncle but the oldest kid, with a huge chip on her shoulder, does all she can to disrupt her Uncle. At one point, he takes them all bowling with some hilarious antics. This is not a great film, but it is funny and sweet plus it showed how much chemistry Candy had with a young McCauley Caulkin. I think my favourite scene is between Candy and the Principal of youngest niece’s school. The huge mole on this lady’s face gives Candy all he needs to make this scene beyond funny. I also realize I had a car similar to the one in this movie. 

2. KINGPIN-1996

Woody Harrelson plays a down and out alcoholic who once had a promising career as a professional bowler only to have been scammed by a fellow bowler which resulted in the crippling of his hand. He now uses a rubber hand but his career is over. In fact, he reaches a new low when he sleeps with his very gross landlady instead of paying his rent. He meets up with Randy Quaid, who is an Amish man who loves bowling. Woody sees that Quaid is an excellent bowler and decides to train him to enter a championship in order that Quaid can save his family’s farm from being taken over by the bank. This is one very, very funny movie that I need to see again. The one scene that stuck in my head and my ex is the gross bedroom scene between Woody and the Landlady. Funny, when my ex and I  went to Prague, in 1997, we arrived just before midnight in this skanky train station. I was lucky to get Czech money just before the money exchange closed and went to call the Taxi service. My ex needed to go to the washroom but it costs money to get into that icky bathroom. I turned around to see this very gross looking woman yelling at my ex about paying. She looked exactly like the landlady in this movie that I could not help doing a gesture, that landlady made to Woody resulting in Woody throwing up, to my ex. I thought he was going to throw up. My ex was able to use that washroom, we got a taxi that I haggled to a reasonable amount and looked like the taxi from “Planes, Train and Automobiles,” and we reached our hotel. Getting back to this movie, it is an under-rated film that is very funny.

3. THE BIG LEBOWSKI-1998

This is a cult film with Jeff Bridges as The Man! the Dude who is cooler than cool. The Coen Brothers wanted to make a film based on the Raymond Chandler films from the 40s with a convoluted plot that, in the end, you don’t care too much about. It’s all about the characters and The Dude is the cool one. He doesn’t do too much except for bowling and enjoying life doing as little as possible. I’ve tried to figure out the plot but, like “the Big Sleep,” I have to watch it many time to try and understand it. Jeff Bridges deserved an Oscar for his brilliant portrayal as the Dude who gets involved with thugs, kidnapping and other mayhem. It is worth watching and has become a cult film.

Can you think of anny other films that showcase Bowling?

Baseball

 

It’s that time again, time for Baseball season to begin. Whenever I think about baseball I can’t help but think bout my brother who loves baseball. I don’t men he loves baseball, I mean he LOVES baseball. He bought baseball cards from the time he was 5 years old and kept them! When many kids placed the cards in the spoke of the bicycle wheels to get that whirring sound, my brother was creating stats fields on paper and marking them down from the back of the cards. He started playing baseball in the late 60s and was forced to stop just last year. His knees gave out and had to give up playing, but on his terms. He had knee replacement surgery on his left knee in January and is recuperating nicely but it has not been easy. 

I’m dedicating this post to my beloved bro and would love to know his baseball song pics in the comments below. I’m going with 3 big baseball players who have had songs (and movies) made about them. Here are my 3 choices for this week’s theme from Monday Music Moves Me..

1. THE BABE(BABE RUTH) SUNG BY TERRY CASHMAN-1994

https://youtu.be/JQa8wMPyx9M?si=Vzz83yEO_-ZtnTr0

Yeah.... you have to go to youtube to play this. I couldnt find it via Blig...grrrr. Terry Cashman is a noted music producer but is also famous for the song, “Talkin’ Baseball” but I thought of some famous baseball players who must have had songs written about them. The great Babe Ruth came to mind and I found this song. I think Terry wrote in 1994, but I wonder if this song is actually earlier….

2. JOLTIN’ JOE SUNG BY BETTY BONNEY WITH THE LES BROWN ORCHESTRA-1941

Joe DiMaggio is another very famous Baseball player from the 1930s and early 40s who had a 56 game hitting streak. He is also famous for falling in love and marrying Marilyn Monroe. Even though they divorced, they started getting closer, again, shortly before her death and was devastated when she died. He made sure her funeral was perfect and he sent a red rose to her grave every day.

3. DID YOU SEE JACKIE ROBINSON HIT THAT BALL BY COUNT BASIE-1949

This song was written by Buddy Johnson and became a hit. Jackie Robinson is a noted baseball player who deserves the accolades of a player in the big leagues, but he is also known as the first man to break the colour barrier. This man deserves so much more for heroic times on and off the field dealing with the horrible racism that is ingrained in the U.S, especially the South. I  like this song and I wish it was as well known as the standard ones like, “Take Me Out To The Ball Game.”

Which songs do you think of when baseball season comes round.

Memorable Musical Numbers

 

Yesterday, I had the “Which song won the Oscar” and I have remembered to write the answer here! …Finally! So Three Coins In The Fountain”  won the Oscar…yuck. “the Man That Got Away” was nominated and “ When You’re In Love” from Seven Brides was not even nominated! This last musical won for best score so you would think it would have been  nominated for a best song, but, it wasn’t. When I think about “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers” I immediately thought of that gob-smacking barn dance sequence and it made me think of the musicals I love. I decided to think of musical numbers that just left me in awe of the dance  and chose the 3 that came into my head right away.

1. TOP HAT: THE CHEEK TO CHEEK NUMBER-1935

This is considered one of their best films from the very white Art Deco Venice to the great dance numbers culminating in this famous “Cheek To Cheek” number. Fred Astaire, along with his friend and choreographer partner, Hermes Pan, would work out all the dance moves. Enter Ginger who was taught all her dance moves by Hermes Pan before she and Fred would finally dance on screen. Fred was known as a perfectionist and a worrier about everything where his sister, Adele, and first dance partner,  called him “Moaning Minnie”. For this dance, Ginger had a certain look she wanted for her dress which included many feathers. Sadly, the dress started to shed the many feathers onto Astaire’s dapper top Hat and Tails. He wanted that dress gone and Ginger would not budge (Thank God) so the dress went back to the drawing board where each feather was individually sewed on. Thank heavens because this dress works in this highly charged, romantic scene.  In the end, Fred gave Ginger a new nickname, Feathers..lol. I was left in tears when I saw this dance number and have watched this number many times over the years. 

2. COVER GIRL:  THE ALTER EGO DANCE.-1944

This is a great musical that has gone under the radar today which should not happen to such a golden musical. It stars Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth and Phil Silvers as 3 friends in Brooklyn. Gene owns a club and Rita is a chorus girl who loves Danny McGuire( Gene), but Gene is a bit blind to the fact that this stunningly beautiful, talented girlfriend is in love with him ( um..he must be blind…deaf and beyond stupid). Enter a dashing older man who is involved in Broadway, who sees Rita and is stunned because she is the spitting image of a girl he loved and almost married. It turns out, this was her grandmom, and he wishes to make her a star on Broadway. All that Gene has to do is say, “Stay with me!” but he does not want to stay in her way, so she leaves and becomes a star. What happens next? Well, you have to see the film. I loved how wonderful the 3 leads worked together but I was stunned by an amazing dance number Gene did…with himself. Danny is frustrated and not sure what to do with his girlfriend leaving. He ends up dancing with a ghostlike image of himself. There is no A.I., Kelly had to dance this number twice and the one was superimposed onto the other film. Kelly had to match his footwork, spins, twirls etc.. to the T. This was the first musical where Kelly was given the keys to do all his own choreography and it worked out beautifully. He and Stanley Donen, an oft collaborator, worked out the dance scenes. 

3. SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS: THE BARN RAISING DANCE-1954

I know I showcased this dance ( and the Cheek to Cheek #) before, but this just thrilled me when I first saw this dance number that brought in some acrobatic wowzers that left me wondering how can they do this!? When I rented it on VHS( remember this), I re-round the tape 3 times just to watch this number. This musical is based on the Rape of the Sabine Women, but much sweeter. Howard Keel is the oldest brother who all live up in the mountains. He comes to town for supplies and to find a wife and he finds her in the feisty cook, Jane Powell. She agrees to marry him and they venture back up to the mountains. Her dreams are dashed when she sees how horrible the cabin looks and how uncouth his 6 brothers are. She cleans everything up, including the brothers. They all go to a barn raising dance and they become enamoured with 6 girls who have suitors already. As winter encroaches, the love-stricken boys decide to steal the girls and bring them up to their mountain abode. They are successful, with an avalanche blocking them from going back to town and the townsfolk unable to get the girls back. The girls are not happy that they have been forcibly brought to the men’s home, but they soon realize that they are falling in love with the men. This is a dum rollicking musical with the dance sequences choreographed by Michael Kidd. The Barn raising sequence is a tour de force of dancing, strength and acrobatic feats done by the brothers. Tommy Rall, Marc Platt, Jacques D’Ambroise, and Russ Tamblyn played brothers and Julie Newmar, Virginia Gibson and Ruta Lee were the gals. You know Julie Newmar best as Catwoman from the TV show, “Batman”. Julie is in the purple dress just so you know. 

Which musical number wowed you when you first saw it. 

FYI- “ Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” from White Christmas; “ The High and the Mighty” from the movie with the same name and “ Hold My Hand” from Susan Slept Here were the other 3 nominated songs from 1944.

Which Song Won The Oscar-1954

 

As it goes onward, I keep forgetting to let you know which song won the Oscar, which was nominated and which got 0 love. I will keep trying to remember to post, the next day, who won, etc… 1954 is at the height of many musicals before the decline of this major genre. Maybe the musical was already declining but I still like to think it was big back then. I'm joining Monday Music Moves Me  on Wednesday and hope you enjoy. Onwards to the 3 songs, let’s see if you guess which won, which was nominated and which ended up empty.

1. THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN SUNG BY FRANK SINATRA

I will be honest and say…I don’t like this song. I hate the way the tune starts up high before the singer takes the minor notes down…it just makes me cringe. This was written by Julie Stein with lyrics by Sammy Cahn who had a big hit since the majority of the people love this song which is why you can hear it still on other shows and movies( like Planes, Trains and Automobiles). This was sung by Frank Sinatra in the opening credits of the movie with the same name. It’s all about romance and this film is just that with the Trevi Fountain as the main focus in the film.

2. THE MAN THAT GOT AWAY SUNG BY JUDY GARLAND

This became a signature tune for Judy Garland, along with Over The Rainbow, which is from the film, “A Star Is Born.” This film is a remake from the same title from 1937, but done as a musical love note for Judy who should have won the best actress Oscar instead of Grace Kelly. Poor Judy was in the hospital, having just given birth to her son, Joey, surrounded by reporters, since everyone was expecting her to win. When Grace’s name was called, Judy said the reporters packed up so fast and left, she was feeling like very old news. This is one great song written by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Ira Gershwin that is one great torch song.

3. WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE SUNG BY JANE POWELL AND HOWARD KEEL

This song, written by Gene de Paul with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, was the love song that united the characters played by Jane Powell and Howard Keel as she goes to her new home with her new husband. It’s a very sweet song that works so well with the soprano voice of Jane and the baritone voice of Keel. While they sing, his brothers really know how to dance and win the eyes and eventual hearts of 6 maidens during the Barn raising scene. This is a dance like no other with acrobatics, logs, boards and axes all part of the dance. That dance is a must see even if you never watch the film. 

So, can you guess which song won the Oscar, which was nominated and which ended up empty? 

Ship Ahoy!

 

Over at Monday Music Moves Me, their theme was in dedication to Titanic that sank back on April 14, 1912. That made me think about all the Titanic films, then I went to movies involving ship disasters and finally, decided to just speak about movies that take place on a ship. I went with cruise ships and chose these 3 films…

1. ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS-1948

I now have TCM and you can tell I am loving it since my ass appears to be getting bigger. Anyways, I finally saw this film that introduces Doris Day in her first film and she does great job as a singer hired by Janis Paige to impersonate her on a cruise ship. Janis suspects that her husband is having an affair and remains in New York City to catch her husband in the act. Her husband, played by Don Defore, believes his wife is having an affair and hires a PI, played by Jack Carson, to watch over his wife. Yup, the perfect set-up for romance and, yup, Carson and Day meet up on the ship and fall in love with each believing the other is someone else. For good measure, throw in Oscar Levant for some ascerbic comedy and elegant piano playing. Doris sings her heart out and I love her fresh faced, but knowing character who you would never think would turn into a hoity-toity, business woman refusing Rock Hudson in later films. She and Carson have real chemistry( they had an affair while making this film) and she steals every scene.

2. SHIP OF FOOLS-1965

This is not a happy film with many people on this ship having to deal with death, imprisonment, loss of beauty, racism/anti-semitism and a German asshole and blowhard. Simone Signoret plays a Contessa going to jail, in Spain, for aiding the Rebel Cause and uprising in 1933 Cuba. She falls in love with the doctor, played so well by Oskar Werner, with a severe heart condition. George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley are lovers who are artists but George doesn’t take his gal’s artwork seriously. Vivien Leigh is the once beautiful socialite whose beauty is declining along with her pleasant manner who has great disdain for Lee Marvin, a British baseball player who has eyes for the Flamenco dancers. Then you have the disgusting idiot German, played to the hilt by Jose Ferrer who openly shows his racial hatred to the Jewish people and other undesirables. The undesirable in question is the dwarf, played by Michael Dunn, who is the center for everything going on in this ship. Dunn received an Oscar nomination for this role and I’m glad he did. This is an excellent film to see as a great character study all set on this ship.

3. VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED-1975

This is the true story of the over 900 Jewish passengers, on board the St. Louis cruise ship headed by the heroic Capt. Schroeder, played by Max Von Sydow, who desperately tries to save the lives of these Jewish people. They thought they were home free escaping the persecution of the Jews in 1939 Germany, but were not allowed into Cuba because their Visas are now considered invalid. The Captain  travels to Florida beseeching the American Government to take on the Jewish refugees but were turned away. When the captain wants to run the ship aground, the American ships follow the refugee ship out to opens waters. His next stop is Canada but, they are turned away as well. The Captain travels to England where, finally, a third of the passengers are taken by England with the rest taken in by the French and The Netherlands. You find out that, since the Nazis took over France and The Netherlands before being defeated in 1945, that of over the 900 Jewish people on that ship, over 600 were killed in the camps. This is a star-studded film headed by Faye Dunaway and Oskar Werner as wealthy, avant-Garde couple plus others who  are terrified for their future. James Mason, Orson Welles, Lee Grant plus so many others are on this ship with lives that we get to see. It is a film forgotten but one that should not be. It’s an excellent film that is tension filled with a splash of glamour but it is no Love Boat.

Any cruise ship movies you can think of?

Titanic Songs

 

Since I was a kid, I was enthralled by anything Titanic. I was hoping to meet any survivor and some were still around back in the 70s and even, 80s. I read books and watched any movie about it. The best film, ever made about the Titanic is, “ A Night To Remember” from 1958, which recounts what happened including the snobbery of the 1st Class ( the 1997 flick has superb special effects, but the story is stupid, it’s The LoveBoat Sinking). Over at Monday Music Moves Me, in honour of the people who lost their lives as well as survived this famous sinking, it’s about Icebergs, ships, Big Band Music etc… and I went with these 3 songs that were all part of the repertoire of the White Star Line. They were probably played during this voyage if, not in fact, while the ship was sinking, by this very brave band.

1. THE MERRY WIDOW WALTZ BY FRANZ LEHAR

This piece came from the very famous operetta The Merry Widow from 1905 which was a huge hit and continues to be to this day. A few songs made their way on to the White Star Line list of music to play during its voyage. The original play came from 1861 but it’s the operetta that became famous with a few movies based on this musical including a silent version starring Mae Murray and John Gilbert.

2. LET ME CALL YOU SWEETHEART FROM 1910

I think we all heard this song in one version or another  and was a huge hit from this early time with music by Leo Friedman and lyrics by Beth Slater. This was played  during the voyage either during the luncheons or before the fancy dinners. I like to think they played this since so many men were saying goodbye to their wives, lovers or girlfriends helping them into the lifeboats knowing they will never see each other again. It takes on a new meaning when one thinks of this scene.

3. SONGE  D’AUTOMNE BY ARCHIBALD JOYCE FROM 1908

Archibald Joyce  was quite the prolific writer in his heyday and many of his musical pieces were part of the White Star Line and were, more than likely, played on the Titanic. In fact, some of the survivors said this song “Dream Of Autumn”  was the last song played by the musicians instead of “Nearer My God To Thee”. I still believe that it is the latter that was last played, but this song is pretty.

Bonus…NEARER MY GOD TO THEE FROM FILM A NIGHT TO REMEMBER-1958

Best Actress Oscar for 1998

 

I think 1998 is very new and, yet, it is 28 years ago….wowzers! I remember this Oscars because I thought Gwyneth Paltrow’s dress was ugly. It was a pink that seemed to wash her out and her spaghetti straps seemed so low tht I thought her boobs were at her waist. Gwyneth won the Oscar for her turn as the love interest to Shakespeare played by Josef Fiennes, yes, Ralph Fiennes’s brother. I don’t mind the movie, “Shakespeare In Love” and find it quite funny but, you know, I don’t agree with the winner….

1. CATE BLANCHETT IN ELIZABETH

Cate Blanchett wowed me as the future Elizabeth 1st also known as The Virgin Queen. You see her go from a fun loving young woman to the Queen who loses her freedom by ruling one of the greatest nations (at that time) in the known world. She loves deeply and has great intelligence knowing how to keep the ones wanting her to fail, at arm’s length. She is the supreme ruler in a world dominated by men but she rises to the occasion. Cate kept me riveted in her multi layered role as this extremely pale monarch. To me, she deserved the Oscar hands down but I still need to see Fernanda Montenegro in the film, “Central Station” which many felt she should have won. 

2. GWYNETH PALTROW IN SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

Yup, this gal won the Oscar and , I do admit that Gwyneth is quite good in the role of a lady betrothed to a jerk ( played by Colin Firth) but wishes she could be an actor. The problem is that no self respecting woman would play…in a play. At this time, other men would play the female parts ( can you imagine some hairy guy playing Juliet?) but Gwyneth decides to play a boy so she can act but she does not expect to fall for the writer and star of the show, Joseph Fiennes. Joseph’s agent is played hilariously, by Geoffrey Rush⁸ and Ben Affleck is one of the actors and he does a pretty decent job, Judi Dench played the aging Elizabeth the 1st who won the Oscar for something like 8 minutes on the screen. This film was the big winner this year but it should have gone to other films and the Oscar for best actress should have gone to Cate.

3. JANE HORROCKS IN LITTLE VOICE

If I had seen “Central Station” I might change this blog post, but I am only going with films I have seen and this tiny gem was just a wonderful watch, it is biographical because Jane Horrocks can sing just like Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, you name it, she can sing just like them which makes the Michael Caine character see dollar signs. He plays a miserable prig who is dating her mother, also not the nicest person. The only person who seems to truly love her is the geeky guy, played by Ewan McGregor. I need to see this film again because I was quite enthralled by all the leads but no one was nominated.

Just so you know, the other nominees in this Oscar year are Fernanda Montenegro for Central Station, Meryl Streep for One True Thing and Emily Watson for Hilary and Jackie. 

Would you choose the same or pick someone else?