THE BUG THAT CONQUERED AMERICA

February 26 . . .

On this day in 1936, automotive history took a giant leap forward with a very small car: the Volkswagon hit the roads, changing the face of American driving forever. It soon became a staple mode of transportation in Europe, and when it was imported to the U.S., the ubiquitous ‘Bug’ soon became a beloved icon and an affordable means of transport, particularly among younger people who enjoyed an alternative to the boxy sedans of the day. In the early 1960s, a series of brilliant TV commercials spotlighted its unique properties; one classic spot shows a very young and befuddled Dustin Hoffman searching in vain for the engine.

Celebrate the unveiling of a cultural icon with Woody Allen’s futuristic comedy, ‘Sleeper’ (1973). Allen plays a jazz musician who is cryogenically frozen and awakes 200 years in the future. ‘Sleeper’ may be Allen’s most out-and-out funniest film. He joins with underground rebel Diane Keaton to overthrow the fascist government, discovering the joys of the ‘orgasmatron’ along the way.

What has all this got to do with Volkswagons, you ask? Not much, really – but there is one gag that is probably the best endorsement the VW Beetle ever had. I won’t spoil it; just enjoy. And if you still can’t get enough, watch Disney’s perennial family favorite ‘The Love Bug’ (1964), about a talking VW named Herbie. It was so successful it actually spawned a series of sequels. They can drive you buggy.

Since I don't want to spoil the 'Sleeper' joke, here's a rare alternative . . click here to see Dustin Hoffman hawking a VW sedan in a TV commercial from 1966 . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3RD-hG4nbc

A REEL LADY KILLER

February 25 . . .

His real name was Henri Landru, but the public knew him as Bluebeard. He made his living in France by placing ads in the paper saying, “Widower with comfortable income desires to meet widow with a view to matrimony.” At least he believed in truth in advertising.

Over 300 well-to-do spinsters replied, and between 1915 and 1919 he murdered ten of his newly acquired wives and burned their bodies in his stove. Today is the anniversary of his execution by guillotine in 1922.

There have been many films inspired by his nasty deeds, including Edgar G. Ulmer’s masterful low-budget B-movie, ‘Bluebeard’ (1944), with an unusually subdued and effective John Carradine as the lady-killer. But the best homage came from Charlie Chaplin, of all people, in ‘Monsieur Verdoux’ (1947). This decidedly black comedy pretty much helped destroy Chaplin’s career in America. In ‘Verdoux’, fans of the Little Tramp were shocked to see Chaplin as a suave and calculating killer. It didn’t help that at the time the film was released Chaplin was in the middle of a scandalous paternity suit brought by actress Joan Barry, and under attack for his leftist political views. And his pacifist moralizing (“Mass murdering – does not the world condone it? I am an amateur by comparison. Numbers sanctify!”) stood in problematic contrast to the slapstick sequences.

‘Monsieur Verdoux’ was originally proposed to Chaplin by Orson Welles, who was slated to direct until the always autocratic Chaplin decided to handle it himself. Although the direction is stagey and cumbersome, and the script long-winded as Chicago in April, ‘Monsieur Verdoux’ is a revolutionary, truly subversive movie, daring and often brilliantly, bleakly funny. Martha Raye steals the film whenever she’s on-screen as the clutzy and brassy Annabella, a potential victim who simply refuses to die. She actually funnier than Chaplin, and that’s saying a lot.

Click here to watch a clip from ‘Monsieur Verdoux’ . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2gwvk9e_qM

MY SWEET GEORGE

February 24 . . .

When asked for the 200th time about the possibility of a Beatles reunion, George Harrison once deadpanned, “There will be no Beatles reunion so long as John Lennon remains dead.”

On the same subject – reuniting the Beatles – he observed, “You can’t reheat a soufflé.”

John Lennon was given all the credit for being clever, but George could deliver a great dry witticism himself. Happy birthday today to George Hilton Harrison, born this day in 1943 in – where else? – Liverpool.

During George’s lifetime, he received adoration but not respect – not even from his bandmates. Harrison had to fight to get his songs recorded by the Beatles, and his early efforts (‘Don’t Bother Me’, ‘Think For Yourself’) were simplistic and taciturn. But he kept plugging away, and by the time the group recorded its swansong, Abbey Road, Harrison walked off with top honors for ‘Something’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’. His solo album, All Things Must Pass, was arguably the single greatest solo project by any of the former fabs.

While not as well-known as his music, George Harrison’s cinematic contributions were substantial. He produced such iconic films as ‘Withnail and I’ and ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’ (where he contributes a nifty cameo.) And his ‘Concert for Bangla Desh’ became the gold standard for charitable music concerts.

His best moment on camera was his earliest, in the classic ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (1964). His solo scene with a stuffy marketing professional midway through the film is classic. He manages to skewer pomp and arrogance while seemingly appearing naïve and innocent – a tricky juggling act. Not to mention his coining of the phrase ‘dead grotty.’

Check out this clip from ‘The Concert for Bangla Desh’ . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tFAyZMdSXs



We miss you, George.

TAKE THAT, YANKEE DOG!!

February 23 . . .


On this date in 1942, soon after the U.S. had entered WWII, the small coastal hamlet of Santa Barbara, California, was invaded by the Japanese navy. And all because of a cactus.

Well, not exactly. A Richfield Oil Company refinery was shelled by one lone Japanese submarine just offshore this night in 1942. Very little damage was done and no one injured. It turned out the commander of the submarine, Kizo Nishino, had worked at that very refinery years earlier as a tanker captain, and had slipped and fallen on a cactus plant, much to the amusement and teasing of his coworkers. Captain Nishino had a short sense of humor and a long memory. He vowed revenge one day. And on this day, he got it . . .

But the incident, amusing as it was, understandably scared nearby residents and the rest of California. Years later, Steven Spielberg ran with the incident in his box office bomb, '1941' (1979).

Spielberg took the event, tweaked it with an anything-goes script by Robert Zemeckis, moved the locale down the coast about 50 miles to Los Angeles, and hired a massive cast including Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, Warren Oates, Christopher Lee and Treat Williams.

The result was Spielberg's biggest bomb ever, so critically lambasted that few people bothered to make the trip to theaters. Seen today, it's still far from Spielberg's finest hour, but it has its clunky charms, not the least of which is Belushi's mad-dog samurai pilot.

How does it hold up? Judge for yourself . . click here to see the trailer . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YB2lrrOJgg

BUY GEORGE

February 22 . . .


The Father of Our Country, George Washington, was born this day in 1732 in Virginia.

I cannot tell a lie: For someone with such an imposing title as "Father of Our Country", and the distinction of being first President of the United States, old George wasn't the hottest of film properties. Lincoln gets the John Ford treatment, Jefferson gets the juicy sex scandals,l but Washington . . . well, aside from a wooden-toothed TV miniseries starring Barry Bostwick and a token appearance in the musical '1776', Washington's film legacy is negligible.

But don't be disuaded. Celebrate his birthday with the delightful vintage comedy "George Washington Slept Here" (1942). Jack Benny stars in one of his best film roles as a city-loving husband whose wife (Anne Sheridan) buys an old colonial home in the country. The selling point: George Washington once slept there. The bad news: Nobody's been there since, and the place is falling apart. Benny delivers his one-liners with his typical great timing, and his interplay with the eccentric locals is priceless. The movie served as the template for such future rural comedies as "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" with Cary Grant, and the TV series 'Green Acres'.

A VOICE SILENCED

"Power never takes a back step - only in the face of more power."

- Malcolm X

February 21 . . .

While standing to deliver a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem this day in 1965, African-American activist and leader Malcolm X was assasinated by several Black Muslim extremists who were angered by Malcom's recent decision to defect from the Nation of Islam. Or so the official story goes. Many, to this day, have unanswered questions surrounding the murder.

As both a man and an icon, Malcolm X remains a cultural lightning rod and an enigma of contradictions - angry militant, enlightened prophet, uptown pimp, religious radical, petty criminal, galvanizing orator and dedicated family man.

Spike Lee was the ideal director to tell his story in the impressive bio-pic 'Malcolm X' (1992). Denzel Washington delivers an incendiary performance as the charismatic Malcolm - ever evolving, compassionate, angry, self-righteous, militant. From his zoot-suited pimping days in Harlem in the 1940s to his imprisonment, where he first became converted to the Islamic faith, to his rise as a disciple of Elijah Muhammad, the Supreme Leader of the Nation of Islam, to his life-changing pilgramage to Mecca, Lee's film intelligently examines the life of one of the 20th Century's most charismatic and volatile leaders. Lee admirably restrains himself from his usually showy style, flawlessly integrating the various phases of Malcolm's often contradictory life into a cohesive whole. A magnificent accomplishment all around.

Click here to see the original trailer . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbKs766Tr88

SHOOT A LITTLE POOL WITH THE GREATEST

February 20 . . .


No less an authority than Orson Welles dubbed Jackie Gleason “The Greatest”. Whether he was talking about his talent or his appetite is anybody’s guess.

Jackie Gleason was born this day in 1916 in Brooklyn, in a tough neighborhood. He father abandoned his family when Jackie was 8, and his mother died when he was 16. Hanging out in pool halls and bars, Gleason well understood the lives of the poor working stiffs who talked big and dreamed big but would never break out of their humdrum jobs. He drew on these memories when he created one of the most endearing and enduring comedic characters in TV history: Blustery bus driver Ralph Kramden of The Honeymooners.

Gleason made his mark in television, but he had a long history with the movies. He was a contract player for Warners in the late 1940s, playing supporting roles, including a small part with Bogart in ‘All Through the Night’ (1942). But Hollywood didn’t really know what to do with his oversize, boisterous talents.

After he had established himself as a huge TV star in the 50s, he took Hollywood on his own terms and delivered fine performances in films like 'Soldier In The Rain' (1963, with Steve McQueen) ‘Requiem for a Heavyweight’ (1962), ‘Papa’s Delicate Condition’ (1963), and ‘Gigot’ (1962), which he also wrote. But Gleason was never better than in ‘The Hustler’ (1961).

Paul Newman stars as ‘Fast’ Eddie Felson, a hotshot pool hustler who is hungry to beat the best – and the best is Gleason as Minnesota Fats. Their marathon showdown midway through the film is so drenched in atmosphere you can almost smell the sweat and burnt coffee. Newman overacts (a rare occurance for him), but Gleason is magnificent and understated – elegant, confident, and every inch the champion. Gleason obviously drew from his youth in this mesmerizing portrait of a king who rules a shadowy and seedy kingdom. A masterful character study, moody, dark, and on the money. Six ball, corner pocket.