Thursday Movie Picks:TV Efition-Rivalries

Merry Christmas and have a great New Year! So, I thought I would get back into the swing of things and ...I didn’t. It’s been crazy between working full time, and all the Christmas stuff to do on top of my pain, my friend  visiting me, blah blah blah, I am behind again. Christmas Day was a day of complete rest and I basically slept. We are not going to my hubby’s sister’s place until Friday because of her work. Saturday, I see my best friend and Sunday I am being treated to a beautiful concert at Hamilton Place with a  Full Viennese concert. I am so looking forward to this. The last post for this year on Wandering Through The Shelves is the tv edition and it is to showcase rivalries. My mind is not working on full throttle but I hope I came up with 3 that work.

1. THE BUGS BUNNY/ROAD RUNNER HOUR-1968-1978

Ok these original cartoons were actually shown with feature films for Warner Bros. MGM had Tom and Jerry, Warner’s had the great Bugs, Elmer, Daffy Wiley E Coyote, Road Runner, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety Bird, LongHorn Egg-horn (is that right??) plus so many more. Many of these cartoons are hilarious since they were actually for adults more than kids (“I Knight thee Cirrhosis of Liver”) but as a kid, I loved them and never thought of them as violent and thought it stupid when they were censored them especially since I am against censorship. Wiley E was always trying to kill and eat the Road Runner but the Road Runner always got the better of him. Actually, Bugs got the better of him as well. Sylvester always tried to eat Tweety Bird and they were both trying to win the affection of Granny along with the bulldog. I think my favourite was the new puppy and Clyde the cat..poor Clyde who loved filing his nails on a filing saw. Love these shows.

2. DYNASTY-198

What can I say about this glossy show which was all about shoulder pads, back stabbing and chewing the scenery. The Carrington Family are filthy rich headed by John Forsythe who married his secretary, Linda Evans. We meet his kids, one good and one smarmy plus their wives, girlfriends and one night stands. Season 2 brings his ex wife, Joan Collins who really knew how to bitch across the scene and bitch slap Linda. A fun and campy soap that I preferred over Dallas.

3. THE DREW CAREY SHOW-1995-2004

I wish this show was more well known because it was funny. It was about Drew Carey who worked in management at a department store who had to deal with his jerk boss and his nemesis,  Mimi, who could give it right back and was nasty. He has 3 good friends, 2 dopey guys and a girl whom he secretly loves. Thre are many antics but they always make it funny. I love that Shirley Jones plays  Carey's mom.

Which tv show can you think up? I will be commenting on my previous post to catch up and vhecki

Thursday Movie Picks-Child Actors Venturing Out of Typecasting

I’m baaack! I didn’t mean to go but I did as you can see from my last post. So, now I am back on track and will talk about child actors who wanted to venture away from their good girl image.check out Wandering Through The Shelves to check out which 3 actors/actresses the fellow film nuts have chosen. Here are my 3....

DEANNA DURBIN

1. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY-1944

Denana Durbin...who? Without her Universal Pictures would not exist because she saved them from bankruptcy when she appeared as a young, talented gal with a beautiful voice, who sings her way through many pictures along with many great conductors like Leopoldo Stokowski lending a hand. With her happy charm and amazing talent she would save the day. Well, Ms. Durbin wanted to expand her acting talents and stop playing cute little girls who save everything. This is one such film that veered away from her nice image and one that she was, apparently, proud of. I say this because she retired in the late 40s and never looked back, moving to France (by the way, she is a Canadian..Maintoba). She never granted any more interviews, except one back in the early 80's that I would love to see. She disliked talking about her film career and simply refused to look back. Oh yes, the film...She plays a young lady who falls for a real schmuck, played by Gene Kelly, who does not dance or sing in this film! He kills someone and he, along with his domineering mother, blame her. She changes her name and ends up as a "hostess" in some divey bar. It is quite a good film noir and one hard to find but, if you do, it's worth a watch.

ROBERT BLAKE

Yup that's the little rascal who appeared on quite a few Our Gang shorts with Spanky and the Gang.

2. IN COLD BLOOD-1967

Talk about a controversial person to say the least since Robert Blake is one F#^% up person who probably did have a hand in murdering his shrew of a wife-which, her murder, seemed to be right off the pages of Murder, She Wrote or Columbo. Robert Blake started out as Mickey Gubitosi who was cute as a button in the Our Gang series but he wanted more which is where this film comes in. In Cold Blood is a docudrama about the true story of 2 hoodlums who break into a home and end up killing the family all for a measly sum of money. The 2 are caught and we see real insight into the mind of these 2 killers . Robert Blake shines as a troubled hoodlum who shows some regret. Excellently acted by him and John Forsythe as the detective who captures them.

KURT RUSSELL

How many of you knew Kurt Russell was a child actor for Disney movies? He was cute as a button...and still is. I remember him in Gilligan's Island playing "Boy"  as well as on Lost In Space. People knew him as the cute Disney kid so he wanted to break from this mold..and does he ever! We all know his more recent films with Quinton Tarantino and his relationship with Goldie Hawn but he has done many films from Comedies to some great westerns. He was also great as Elvis and won accolades playing him in the late 1970s but he chose something darker to distance himself from Disney. Here is the film I choose...

3. THE DEADLY TOWER-1975

This is a TV movie but an excellent film starring Russell as the disturbed Charles Whitman who, after killing his wife and mother, walked up the Tower at the university of Texas, barricaded himself in and started shooting people walking down below. This is a true story and it was shocking in the day because it was rare to hear of someone doing this...not like today. He gave an excellent performance and won accolades for his acting. 

which 3 would you choose?

Over at Wandering Through The Shelves, another movie week. I apologize for disappearing as I didn’t think that would happen but my friend from Vancouver came for a visit and he didn’t leave until Thursday. I actually met him in good ole Hogtown, aka, Toronto, and we had lots of fun.  This week it is super long titles and, if you can recall, I screwed up early in the year and gave my 3 way back then. I can't recall which theme I was supposed to do so I am showcasing some pics I took when in Toronto. I have also been busy with decorating as it takes me a while to get the house Christmasfied. I hope to be back now even though I am baking and still gave to so the tree. On with some pics..

This is from the distillery where the Christmas market was on and it was so nice. Finally, we are catching up to Germany and Austria who have these markets for centuries.

The lobby in the Fancy and beautiful Royal York . The 2 story facade all lit up is made from real gingerbread. 

This winter wonderland was at Ontsrio Place and it was great! We went in the last hour which worked as we saw everything without the throngs of people with their screaming kids.

Freaky fish that lives in the Great Lakes...who knew? We went to Rupkey's Aquarium and it is worth seeing! I am not a fish person but this was cool to see.

This was a huge and deep fish tank. I was gobsmacked by how large this was.

This lobster is truly this blue

You could stand on a moving walk and watch all these fish plus some sharks swimming right over you.

Ok we may look stoned but we were freezing spending a nice day in Niagara On The Lake. So I hope I didn't bore you with my picks I promise to be back in blog land. Take care and Happy 3rd week of Advent.

Thursday Movie Picks-Adaptations

Major issues at work since my work amalgamated with the Toronto office. It's been crazy and now I can't seem to get to my blog and I hope the tech girl can make my personal Google chrome separate from work. I can't remember the password so problem #15. One reason I seemed to have dropped off plus Christmas decorating in the evening. Ok. So enough frustrations,  film adaptations is one huge theme that Wandering Through The Shelves chose and I went all 1930's here so let's see what I chose..

1. LITTLE WOMEN-1933

There are so many versions of this classic book that I wonder which version to use but I went with this great version and Katherine Hepburn as Jo is excellent. We know the story about a mom with 4 daughters who all try to live during the Civil War when their dad is gone to war. The neighbour helps out and so does their son, Laurie. Who decided to get a sex change operation because of his name....oops, sorry, wrong slant to the movie. Anyway poor guy stuck with this name loves Jo, Kate Hepburn, who wants more than just marriage and is an independent soul. Tge sisters all hope to find their own path even tragic Beth. One day I will try to watch all versions. 

2. THE GOOD EARTH-1937

I love this film which won Austrian actress Luise Rainer her second Oscar. She does a brilliant portrayal of this humble wife of a farmer played by Paul Muni  a huge actor of this era, and their life together. Now, it is a huge shame that Anna May Wong, a gifted Asian actress, could not play this role which would have been perfect for her. It is the sign of the times and the prejudice of the day but one should never bkast the actors who make the most out of this role. Luise gives an understated performance and you are drawn into her strength especially when she has a baby during the starving times and her panic when she is caught up in the mob looting a mansion. This is a film worth seeing.

3. WUTHERING HEIGHTS-1939

I fell in lust...re love with Sir Larry Olivier as the tormented Heathcliffe who is an orphan living on the streets and is taken in by a kindly rich man. The man brings Heathcliffe home to meet his 2 kids, mean, nasty son and beautiful wild daughter. The daughter, Cathy, played by Merle Oberon, is a soul mate to Heathcliffe, and they galavant in the moors amongst the heather. One eve, they climb a tree to look into the stately mansion that is having a ball. Well, they are caught and Cathy is injured so is scared for by the son in this wealthy family. Poor gypsy Heathcliffe is tossed away and when Cathy decides to wed Edgar, Hesthcliffr sans her and takes off. The next time you see Heath, he is a wealthy but bitter man who takes over his former home and marries Edgar's sister Isabella. Of course Cathy is never far from his heart and vice versa. These 2 lovers are a poster for what not to do in a relationship and you do want to shake both of them. When I was a kid, I totally freaked out by the ending and my mom had to calm me down...yeah I don't know what was with me but this is true.

Sorry if there are issues with this post since I can't do all I want unless I can get on my blog from work. Anyway, what would be your 3...