Back Home Again

You and Me - Penny & the Quarters

Title: You and Me

Artist: Penny & the Quarters

Composer: Unknown

Album: Blue Valentine Soundtrack

Label: Lakeshore

Year Released: 2011

I rented the movie Blue Valentine this week.  Trust me, don't do it.  What a depressing mess it was.  I just wanted to put the lead characters out of their misery.  Two hours later, I was just as miserable as they were.  Good thing I only paid a $1 at Redbox.

There was a song featured in the movie that was supposed to be the couple's "our song".  I had never heard it before and it stuck in my head.   I did some research and it turns out that the song was a demo recorded on the Ohio soul label Prix in the early 1970s.  The producers of the movie are trying to locate the singers on this record.  You'd think someone would recognize it.  I'm doing my part and featuring it on Friday Sock Hop.  

 

So enjoy this new, old song!  I sure did.  

 

I'm Walking Behind You - Eddie Fisher

Title: I'm Walking Behind You

Artist: Eddie Fisher

Composer: Billy Reid

Label: RCA 5293

Year Released: 1953

Highest Chart Position: 1

Eddie Fisher 1928 - 2010

Eddie Fisher died from complications of hip surgery this week.  A talented singer with a voice of an angel had his heyday in the early 1950s.  He became more famous when he left wife Debbie Reynolds for Elizabeth Taylor causing a Hollywood scandal.  Liz would dump Eddie five years later for Richard Burton.  Eddie then married actress Connie Stevens.  He wrote a scandalous auto-biography with juicy details of his ex-wives.  Upon hearing of this book, daughter Carrie Fisher said, " "That's it. I'm having my DNA fumigated."  Eddie was a great singer, but a lousy husband.  Unpredictable, but never dull. 

Here's one of his #1 hits from 1953. 

Rest in Peace, Eddie. 

Patricia Neal 1926 - 2010

Actress Patricia Neal died of cancer this week.  One of my all-time favorite movies is Hud (1963).  Glamorous Ms. Neal won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Alma, the earthy housekeeper.  She was definitely the one that got away. 

Enjoy this clip from Hud:

RIP.... 

1980s Electronics

I was quite the audio buff back in the day.  It's not that I haven't kept up.  I can fumble my way through iTunes and I have an iPod and a huge collection of MP3s.  I also have CDs, 45s, LPs, cassette tapes, 8-track tapes, DVDs, VHS and Beta videotapes.  There was one mystery box sitting in my office for seven years.  I really wasn't sure what was in it.  When I opened it, I discovered it was my old Technics turntable and my Sanyo Beta VCR.  Man, were they heavy!  They don't make them like that anymore! 

In the back of my mind, I was remembering that both of these pieces of equipment had "issues" the last time I tried them.  I first plugged in the turntable.  I moved the arm and the light came on, but the platter didn't spin.  I looked under the platter and there was what looked like a rubber band.  It was the drive belt, totally dry-rotted.  There was also the fact that it wouldn't shut off by itself.  Onto the trash heap. 

Next was the Beta VCR.  I found some old Beta tapes and hooked it all up to the TV.  I played some Rolling Stones videos and it worked just fine and then it stopped.  I took out the tape and popped in another.  I had a picture for a split second and then I heard a crunching sound.  I hit the eject button.  It didn't budge.  I had to physically pry the tape out and along came a string of videotape.  Onto the trash heap with that too.  I also burned (struck a match to, for you youngsters) about 90 Beta tapes.  They went up in smoke real fast.

Then out in the garage I found my old 8-track recorder (not just a player).  If I remember right, it needed a small black rubber band and it would work again.  The last one dry-rotted.  I'll work on that later.  Notice the 8-track tape of the B-52s.  Yeah, I had it goin' on in the '80s.

Also, was my RCA Videodisc Player.  These were manufactured in Indiana during the 1980s.  Movies were pretty easy to come by then.  The movies were about the size of an LP and you slid them in the drawer and pulled out the sleeve.  You pulled up the lever and the movie would hit the needle and start to play.  Much like an LP, you could get a movie that "skipped".  Here I am displaying The Pink Panther movie.  I have plenty of other titles like On the Waterfront and The Big Chill.  I wonder if there is any market today for these machines.  They had such a short-lived popularity.

I also gave a 1986 SONY Discman to a neighbor who didn't have a CD player.  It all still worked but the original headphones.  I even had a carrying case and accessories.  I have a double cassette boom box out in my garage.  I'll listen to the radio if I'm out there working.  The cassette player eats tapes though.

I found a receipt for my original stereo from 1983.  I paid almost $500 for a turntable, speakers, amp, and maybe a cassette player.  I have most of the original boxes.  I wouldn't pay that kind of money today; no way.  And I had no business spending that kind of money back then.  I was a stupid young kid.

It's a bit like going through the Smithsonian here.   

Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt

Title: Santa Baby

Artist: Eartha Kitt

Composer: Philip Springer / Tony Springer 

Label: RCA 10723

Year Released: 1953

Highest Chart Position: 4

Eartha Kitt 1927 - 2008

Eartha Kitt died yesterday of colon cancer.  She was 81.  Born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina, she would later become the toast of Broadway.

Eartha had hits in the 1950s including C'est si Bon, Let's Do It, and this Christmas classic, Santa Baby, where she does a sexy coo for gifts from Santa.  In later years, she would gain fame as the 3rd Catwoman in the Batman TV series.  She was always plotting the purrrrrrrr-fect crime. 

Rest in Peace, Eartha. 

Play - Santa Baby (3.2 MB)

Watch Video (C'est Si Bon)

Watch Video (I Want to Be Evil)

Paul Newman 1925 - 2008

 

Paul Newman passed away last week.  He was one of my favorite actors.  I'm sure gonna miss him.   

He was nominated for the Academy Award ten times.  His best known films are classics:  The Hustler, Hud, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and The Verdict.  He also starred in a lot of stinkers too.  Yet, there was always something about his presence in a film that elevated the material.  Remember Towering Inferno? 

I remember seeing one film of his when I was a kid.  It was called Sometimes a Great Notion (1971).  There was one scene that was so memorable largely because of Paul Newman's acting.  I was surprised to find the clip out in YouTube.  It's a long scene, but stick with it. 

RIP.... 

Cyd Charisse 1922 - 2008

Another Hollywood legend is gone. 

The Savages

This weekend I rented the movie The Savages.  The movie stars Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Wendy and Jon Savage, siblings who are thrust into caring for their estranged father, played by Philip Bosco.  The movie shows the effect that the abusive father has had on the children's adult lives.  But I liked the fact that there wasn't any flashbacks or long-winded explanations of what kind of abuse.  It doesn't really matter in the present time.  The story focuses on the brother and sister coming to terms with finding a proper home for their father, a man they despised, in his final hour.

One of my favorite scenes was a phone conversation between the two siblings as they are discussing options for their father.  Wendy is guilt-stricken and wants to find a "nice" home for her father.  Jon just wants to find a nursing home that is close by:

Wendy: "Does it smell?"

Jon:  "Yeah, it smells.  They all smell."

The performances were great.  I'm a big Laura Linney fan anyways.  Philip Seymour Hoffman, not so much; his roles are usually so over-the-top.  But he was very subdued in this movie.  They both were very believable as brother and sister.  Philip Bosco gave a subtle performance as the father suffering from dementia.  It's a comedy-drama.  I loved the screenplay; very realistic. 

If anyone is caring or has cared for an elderly parent and you have siblings, I think this movie will definitely hit home for you.  I know it did for me.  Still, the subject matter may be a bit depressing for some. 

It is rated R for sexuality and language. 

Movie Meme

As much as I usually hate memes, this one sounds fun.  I've played along on a couple of other blogs (Elisson, SWG, El Cap):

Here's the rules: 

Look up 15 of your favorite movies on IMDB.

Take a quote from each and post them for your readership to properly identify.

As your movie-savvy readers correctly identify the quotes’ cinematic origins in the comments, strike out the quotes and name the commenter who answered correctly.

If the commenter also identifies the name of the speaker (the character or the actor), he or she gets bonus points in the form of a link to his or her site.
Simple, huh?

OK, let’s see what kind of Movie Buff you are. Oh, and no fair using IMDB or other Internet-related sources. It’s more fun if you try to figure these out from memory:

Here we go....guess away.....

1. "He's three years old, gentle as a kitten, and likes dogs.  I wonder whether Mark means that he eats dogs or is fond of them?" Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) in Bringing Up Baby (1938) - Rave.

2. "With this money I can get away from you. From you and your chickens and your pies and your kitchens and everything that smells of grease." Veda Pierce (Ann Blyth) in Mildred Pierce (1945).

3. "Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler..." Milton Waddams (Stephen Root) in Office Space (1999) - That One Guy.

4. "Because when you point a finger at somebody else, you're pointing three at yourself and a thumb at the sky." Evil (Mark Boone Junior) in Lonesome Jim (2005).

5. "You know, if everyone is as nice as you, country hospitality is gonna get an awful name."  Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) in Hoosiers (1986) - Omnibus Driver.

6. "I sure miss playing basketball. I got depressed as hell when my athlete's foot and jock itch went away." Cyril (Daniel Stern) in Breaking Away (1979) - HoosierBoy.

7. "A little advice about feelings kiddo; don't expect it always to tickle." Dr. Tyrone Berger (Judd Hirsch) in Ordinary People (1980).

8. "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." 2nd Mrs. de Winter (Joan Fontaine) in Rebecca (1940) - Walrilla

9. "I'm loud and I'm vulgar, and I wear the pants in the house because somebody's got to, but I am not a monster. I'm not." Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

10. "A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark." Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) in Annie Hall (1977) - Elisson.

11. "She always has to go to the bathroom. She must have a bladder the size of a peanut." Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal) in Paper Moon (1973) - Omnibus Driver.

12. "Some people can smell danger. Not me." Michael O'Hara (Orson Welles) in The Lady from Shanghai (1947).

13. "I'll remember you, honey. You're the one that got away." Hud Bannon (Paul Newman) in Hud (1963) - James Goodman.

14. "I've had hangovers before, but this time, even my hair hurts." Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) in Pillow Talk (1959).

15. "You won't fuck me and I always have to drive." Dianne (Kelly Lynch) in Drugstore Cowboy (1989) - Rave

Big Hints: 

2. Spoken to the 1945 Best Actress in the movie which she won the award for.

4. Obscure 2005 film set and filmed in Goshen, Indiana. 

7. 1980 movie.  Line uttered by an actor best know for starring in the TV series Taxi.

9. Spoken by the female half of Hollywood's most famous and scandalous couple of the 1960s.  Her husband also appeared in this 1966 film.  She won the Oscar for this role.

12. The actor who spoke this line in a 1947 movie acted, directed and wrote another earlier masterpiece film that was the #1 movie on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list. 

14. The actor in this 1959 movie had an alias that he used in the movie.  It was "Rex Stetson" from Texas.

I'll post the answers on Monday.

Bug

While in Houston, we rented a movie.  It was supposed to be a horror flick.  In many unintentional ways, it was.  The movie was called Bug.  It starred Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., and Michael Shannon.  The movie is based on an off-Broadway play which accounts for the one-room set where most of the action takes place. 

The first hour or so of the film, nothing happens.  Nothing.  Then finally the bug part of the movie begins.  Then it gets weird; really weird.  By the time the movie reaches its climax where Ashley Judd delivers her long, crazy, emotional monologue, I defy a viewer to keep from laughing.  By the end of the movie, you are left with your mouth hanging open, just glad that the train wreck is over. 

I think Ashley Judd's gratuitous nude scenes were included just to keep the viewer somewhat interested.  It was nice, yet it still didn't work.  She had gained quite a bit of weight, and goes without makeup for this role.  Hey, it worked for Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman who won Oscars for downplaying their looks.  Ashley better hope that this stinker hits the bargain bins and is forgotten...quickly. 

Harry Connick Jr. was the best character in the movie, playing Ashley Judd's ex-con ex-husband.  He was quite menacing and looked like he had pumped some iron for his role.  But his role was too brief. 

This was the worst movie I had seen since Eyes Wide Shut with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.  That one still holds my #1 spot for Worst Flick of All-Time.  It wasn't quite as bad as that one, but probably in the Top Ten.  If I had paid good money to see this in the theater, I'd have been pissed. 

We also watched the old Bette Davis classic Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, which was a hoot.  Also, the Denzel Washington flick Deja Vu, which I enjoyed.