Footlight Parade (1933) & Shanghai Lil!

Okay, the dance scene in question, from the Jimmy Cagney interview, is from Footlight Parade (1933). It’s the Shanghai Lil sequence seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUyREZ_Hcr4

His dance partner is the 3rd billed Ruby Keeler as Bea Thorn, the dancer turned secretary turned dancer, as in the brunette with glasses that shifts to teaching the new kids the dance routines later in the film.

It certainly is a Pre-Code film lol

It’s a fantastic sequence & Cagney & Keeler sang for themselves. Very cool.

In a departure from the norm, as I’ve already shared the incredibly fun dance sequence, I’m going to watch the film & comment on it afterwards. See you later!

Like Prohibition, I see the Code as an attempt to shape the morality of the nation. Neither however was the will of the majority, but rather influencers. The effects of Prohibition show this, which led to/caused the Roaring Twenties as everyone let loose in the aftermath of what, at the time, was called The Great War. It’s staggering, to see, what would be forbidden in films a year later. Things that are commonplace in films today would have been considered scandalous when the Code was enforced in late 1934.

So much for waiting! I mean, Frank McHugh dancing! This is awesome to say the least!

It’s a true musical as Cagney’s character runs a production company that puts on plays all across the country.

There however is an informer in their midst as a competitor keep stealing their ideas.

In an interesting twist, to shift their business with the onset of talkies, they put on a live performance before the film itself.

Cast:
James Cagney … Chester Kent
Joan Blondell … Nan Prescott
Ruby Keeler … Bea Thorn
Dick Powell … Scotty Blair
Frank McHugh … Francis
Guy Kibbee … Silas Gould

I think, that is the informant.

🙂

Blondell’s fantastic.

Yep. The informant has been revealed ~

What is her hold on them lol

Lol at McHugh with the giant tail pinned to the back of his belt.

She couldn’t care less lol

That’s what you get for spending so much time attempting to get dressed lol

She must be their investor. Ah. She’s married to the producer.

He however is oblivious to say the least lol She is so far down the cast, I can’t even tell who she is lol Ah, Claire Dodd, billed 9th as Vivian Rich.

He has a third interest in nothing lol

Pre-Code indeed lol

Too late….

HAHA! Right in the picture lol Blondell’s a riot.

Oh, she has found him.

There we go! She has shed the glasses and changed her style of dress. With that, Bea returns to dancing!

🙂

Ruby Keeler has just stolen the show. Some of the comments in her biography say it all https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0444528/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm Highlights include, “Received a standing ovation at the 1979 Academy Awards when she appeared to co-present the Oscar for the Best Song. She was overwhelmed with emotion.” And, “In her heyday, with carefully counted slow motion, she was declared the world’s fastest “tapper”.”

Lol at her dancing in the cat costume for the new show. This is awesome.

Oh. That’s Billy Barty. Very cool.

The big cat number is fantastic, and, that, it’s a production company putting on musicals, rather than simply musical numbers in a film, makes it quite different, not to mention very enjoyable and highly recommended.

Barty is fantastic as the mouse and Ruby Keeler is truly incredible. I am highly impressed to say the least.

It’s ironic, that they have a censor lol

Lol at the banter between Blondell and Dodd.

He didn’t pick her up at 6 lol

She truly has his best interest at heart, not to mention being our leading lady. He just doesn’t know it yet lol

Why is she sitting by the phone lol

Torqued off is how she’s doing….

She is indeed a chiseler though….

HAHHAAHAA! Burn, even kicks her in the bum.

Blondell is fantastic & Cagney of course talks a mile a minute lol

They’re all in….

She knows it/she has a new toy ~

🙂

Pinky ring.

🙂 how fun & completely unlike anything I have ever seen, which is saying a lot lol

McHugh plays yet another worrisome character lol

HAHAHAA! Burn!

Oh, oh, he begins to figure it out.

No. You’re the ex-wife. She didn’t file the papers….

Our leading lady however has an idea!

Check and mate. Very nice.

Not smart enough, smarmy though lol

No, he don’t gotta stay. You’ve been shafting him all along.

Out the door he went! She goes with though ~

Oh. Idea. Ding!

The officer comes with them lol

You owe him a pile of money.

Smack the berp lol

Busted. Get out.

HAHHAAHA! Ding!

Hit the Jack Buck, cause that’s a winner! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq2e3dlyIK0

Kent. Of course they work in a Superman reference lol

Off to our first show, with police escort no less!

🙂

Another pinky ring.

What is up with all the cigar chomping? Lol McHugh has one in almost every scene & even sings with one in his mouth lol

The Honeymoon Hotel has a Justice of the Peace in the lobby lol

Lol they all check in as Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Right. That’s Billy Barty again lol

Lol what a fun & different picture!

Pre-Code indeed lol

Barty’s in several scenes as a young boy.

🙂

On to the 2nd show! Back in the bus we go lol

A year later this would have been edited down to nothing lol

Our second leads did all of their own singing. Very cool.

Wow, I love the waterfall sequence. I had no idea 2 piece swimsuits went back that far.

The swimming scene is a huge production & I am highly impressed to say the least! This is staggering. Esther Williams eat your heart out!

Who even cares what the scene’s about lol this is, without question, the most impressive swimming/water sequence I have ever seen & I am highly, highly, highly impressed. The level of skill and coordination is, almost beyond words. I have never seen anything like this.

Oh wow. Wow. Just plain wow. Skyrocketing. This film is in a class by itself.

And that is our second leading lady being pelted by the fountains. Ah. Very cool.

🙂

Go crazy folks!!!!

Off to our 3rd show we race!

This is the Shanghai Lil scene!!!

He even finds the spy. Very nice.

Here we go, here we go!

The show must go on. Oh, oh, oh, he fell down the stairs. We however have to find our Shanghai Lil!!!!!

And, we are yet to see, there we go, there’s the reveal. It’s our lead.

🙂

🙂

Cosmic!

There she is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can truly say I have lived, for I have seen this marvelous, magnificent, incredible, outstanding, amazing, wonderful film 🙂

Red alert!

Man. If you see one movie, make it this.

The clip above is the middle of the sequence as it shifts into the finest shoulder arms I have ever seen. There are dozens and dozens of sailors with rifles. This is mind blowing to say the least. I am completely blown away.

Just. Wow.

Wow.

HAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

Oh nice. Using the back of a deck of cards, he shows their future, animated style as he flips through them. Very cool.

Cosmic.

“Whatever you say boss!” 🙂

Wow.

All I can really say is, before the Shanghai Lil sequence began, I had placed it on our list of favorite films, which once again stands at an even 10. I’ve seen thousands upon thousands of films and have never seen anything like this. Truly remarkable.

You Dirty Rat!

I know Cagney never uttered those famous words on screen, but, they most certainly are associated with him. YouTube said we might like this so let’s check it out! James Cagney interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NYqp-UblWE

I’ve mostly only ever seen his dramatic roles, which of course he was fantastic in, and I am amazed, at how incredibly talented he was. I’ve never seen his Oscar winning role in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), yet there he is dancing as well as Fred or Gene. Staggering to say the least, and, I think, that answers the question of what to watch next lol

Right. We’ve seen the war movie with Bogie.

“Chairman of the entertainment committee.” Lol

So many fantastic clips.

There he is dancing again. WOW. I had no idea.

HAHAHAA! I love it! He couldn’t dance a lick, but said, “Of course.” I’ve heard so many stories like that that led to tremendous success. That’s awesome.

With that, a star is born.

Yeah, he is without question, the best movie tough guy ever.

The clips with Bogie are all from the same film, which we saw not too long ago.

Abner Biberman appears in a long clip from the same film, which is named for us ~

Right. She married the 3rd guy, that became a lawyer & was the lone one of the 3 to not be a criminal.

Yeah, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935).

And that is Frank McHugh lol

Hunh. I’d never heard they used live rounds at the brothers Warner. I knew Hugh O’Brien insisted on using them on his Wyatt Earp show. Among other great and very interesting things, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cagney in part says, “Cagney’s first film upon returning from New York was 1932’s Taxi!. The film is notable for not only being the first time that Cagney danced on screen, but it was also the last time he allowed himself to be shot at with live ammunition (a relatively common occurrence at the time, as blank cartridges and squibs were considered too expensive and hard to find to use in most motion picture filming). He had been shot at in The Public Enemy, but during filming for Taxi!, he was almost hit.”

More dancing! I wonder who the lady is. He’s in the Navy, so that’s a clue….

Wow. Let’s run that back. The fighter he mentions is, Packey McFarland, who he says, never even got a black eye. Staggering. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packey_McFarland in part says, “The Ring Record Book and Boxing Encyclopedia suggests McFarland was the best fighter to never become a world champion.” Wow. Staggering to say the least.

HAHAA! She whacks him. That’s awesome.

There’s that sailor picture again. Unless it’s another one. I think that is from Here Comes the Navy (1934).

Right. He wants him to go kicking and screaming to scare the kids straight. As I recall, some of all of the Dead End Kids are in that film.

Rita Hayworth AND O.D., along with Jack Carson. Very cool. Right. That is The Strawberry Blonde (1941), which I am pretty sure I have seen, though it’s been quite some time to say the least lol

Lol he’s aghast that she mentions having children outside of marriage.

Right. Here’s his Oscar winning performance again.

Virginia Mayo.

Edmund O’Brien.

At about 46 minutes, the video goes back & it repeats. Great stuff & I wonder what we should watch next lol

I wonder who that lady was with him. He and his wife Frances were married for over 63 years when he left this world. Incredible to say the least. I’m pretty sure that’s her holding his hand/walking with him, on the set of Ragtime (1981).

Oh. Treat Williams was the Narrator. I had no idea lol

The Fish Whisperer

Today I’d like to begin by sharing a quote from one of The Fish Whisperer’s many outstanding videos. First though, I have to say, it is absolutely incredible to see how his channel is skyrocketing. It is growing faster than any channel I have ever seen, and it is amazing & I am super excited & happy to see him doing, and succeeding in such fantastic fashion, at something he adores & is incredibly passionate & knowledgeable about.

The quote in question is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaKohMbQKQg and I haven’t even watched the video yet myself lol

Pinned to the top, the quote is from, Catching Dinosaurs Fishing, and is as follows: “Its not everyday you can find a gar like that one, They are extremely rare, that fish is likely around 80 years old. That is the heaviest gar caught and released from my boat in 5 years and i have spent thousands of hours on the water. The most important thing is she still swims, that she still can continue her prehistoric bloodline in her river. It is my hope through landing these fish and treating them with the highest level of respect we can bring about the conservation they deserve and need by showing the world just how ancient, rare and amazing they really are through social media sources like this one.” Henry, being the aforementioned guide and friend, let’s get to the video!

Whoa!

That rates a look at the size of that thing!!!

Cosmic, and I am highly impressed to say the least. I am also really excited for the incredible future he has. Anybody that has me watching them catch fish in the storm drain in front of their house is going places lol I never imagined that I would find something like that entertaining, but his videos are awesome no matter what they’re about.

The turtles need a new ramp so let’s get to it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUwVbQDUN0M

The turtle videos are some of my favorite.

I’ve often wondered what his parents think of all of this. His dad fishes & got a new boat at one point & they were out on it. The basement appears to be packed with all manner of fishing related equipment. His mother’s never been mentioned. Anyway, let’s build that ramp!

That’s awesome. I love his videos.

What’s My Line? at 25 (May 28, 1975)

The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019) sounds quite promising! Plot: “The incredible story of a group of international agents and brave Ethiopians who in the early 80s used a deserted holiday retreat in Sudan as a front to smuggle thousands of refugees to Israel.” So let’s check out the trailer! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtwoy6V1obg

Ooh, Ben Kingsley.

Netflix. Cool.

Based on a true story and filmed in Africa, I look forward to seeing that & have added it to our to watch list.

Let’s move on to What’s My Line? at 25 (May 28, 1975) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEKlrypTcTk

Groucho shakes their hands lol

“Then it would be indoors.” Lol

Ooh, Danny Kaye’s on the panel lol

Oh Greer Garson!!!

WOW Orson’s on the panel!!!

Parr evidently hit his head lol repeatedly.

Lol at how they react to Michele Lee & her pencil waving lol

HAHHAHAHAHA! At Dick Cavett.

Wonder who he is lol

Victor Borge and his fake beard lol

With the commercials lol

There’s Elizabeth Taylor’s cosmically hysterical voice again lol

HAHHHAAA! at Joan Crawford.

Not exactly. Stewart was so thin, he was rejected for military service until he gained weight.

Barry Fitzgerald!

Keenan Wynne on the panel!

Oh, oh, Debbie Reynolds, this is epic lol

“Are you an old Buick?” Lol, then Anne Bancroft’s voice lol

Walter Brennan and his 3 Academy Awards lol at his voice.

“Are you a curvaceous blonde?” BWHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!! It’s Fred MacMurry lol

I have to run it back to hear what Marilyn Maxwell says. Bennett asks if the mystery guest is female & she replies, ”Last time I looked.” Lol

Rather than continue to comment, I shall simply say, no finer thing shall you find upon this land.

Enjoy!

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Again we are treated to Don raw and uncensored Don Rickles – I’ll Trade You Laughter For Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26R8YHxqtGo it’s hysterical to say the least.

On to our feature – Fantastic Voyage (1966)!

Plot: “A scientist is nearly assassinated. In order to save him, a submarine is shrunken to microscopic size and injected into his blood stream with a small crew. Problems arise almost as soon as they enter the bloodstream.”

Wow, look at the cast:
Stephen Boyd … Grant
Raquel Welch … Cora
Edmond O’Brien … General Carter
Donald Pleasence … Dr. Michaels
Arthur O’Connell … Col. Donald Reid
Arthur Kennedy … Dr. Duval

Background info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060397/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2 along those lines, this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Voyage is incredibly interesting as well.

I haven’t seen this in forever & a half so let’s get to it!

Color, widescreen & from 20th Century Fox, I remember absolutely nothing about it beyond the premise.

It’s an interesting text introduction to say the least, hinting at what is about to unfold.

So, what is going on here lol

Commercial!

Stephen Boyd, as a who or a what, with top billing.

Okay, whoever that is, is important enough to warrant a motorcade and police escort that meets them at the end for the stairs from the plane.

Okay, I’m running it back again, I am still confused lol

Plane, yes.

Landing yes.

Okay. The person landing rates scores of soldiers & guys in long coats for an escort.

Boyd steps off first, then, whoever that is goes down the ramp.

It is indeed going to be noisy on the tarmac.

Okay. The motorcade, motors along, and then – action.

We are bereft of dialogue for quite some time to say the least lol

We’re 5 minutes in & I’m still waiting to see if this version’s in English lol

At almost 6 minutes, we have dialogue & yes, this version is in English lol

Cue the mysterious goings on lol

The organization is massive, whatever it is lol

Hey, Edmund O’Brien.

Ah. He’s a super important scientist.

So we find out what he knows, hence the fantastic voyage.

Boyd is flabbergasted to say the least. Who wouldn’t be lol I’d be like, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight and run.

Enter Kennedy, as a doctor/scientist & Welch with the darkest hair I have ever seen her sport, as his assistant, both of whom are going along for the ride/journey.

There’s the mini submarine.

Our leading lady is yet to speak….

Oh. Okay. The background info mentions that no explanation is given as to why they communicate via messages rather than voice. One, they’re going to shrink, so, it would likely be garbled, secondly and far more importantly, their communication needs to be secure and thus encrypted. Hence, Boyd is along as com officer.

Ah. Okay. The Navy guy, who certainly has a name… William Redfield as Captain Bill Owens, not only was a Navy SEAL (though they call him a frogman), but, it also going to pilot the submersible.

At 22 minutes, our leading lady speaks lol

Okay, so, the controls are quite simple, as Navy guys states.

Let the shrinking begin!

The control room staff is completely comprised of Caucasian males….

Careful with the model lol

It’s still way too large though….

Into the magic solution they go.

Someone’s claustrophobic. You would think they would have checked for that lol

“Alright now.” Umm. You’re a major risk to say the least. We have an hour to do this thing and we are all going to have to work together.

Cue the ultra-shrink ray & we are super tiny now to say the least lol

Radar to track them inside him. They’ve been working on this for quite some time….

What, are they pulling 3 G’s here somehow lol

Okay. They have military style uniforms, but, insignia unique to their organization. Many of them have rank insignia, but, with the exception of Navy guy, none of them are in the military. They belong to the CMDF – Combined Miniature Deterrent Forces.

It certainly is different, I will give it that lol

Right. Boyd, as an Agent, is there to ensure nothing untoward occurs.

It’s a small craft, but you would think there would be some manner of tech type crew person on board. Okay you are still moving, get back to the helm lol this is why you would have to have a crew chief type person on board, or a second pilot. At the very least, someone would have, you know, kept an eye out lol

Right. And how did that happen? It could have been sabotage.

Right. See. There certainly is an enemy agent on board & I think I know who it is.

Umm, why is our leading lady removing her coveralls on screen? I mean, other than the obvious lol we’re all going EVA, except for Navy guy, but, everyone else starts getting changed off screen, not that the majority of the film’s target audience would mind in the least lol

We know who secured that….

I think you did it!!!

Indeed. Keep the spy close….

We know who it wasn’t – there are 5 of them – another who I find highly unlikely, leaving us 2 suspects….

Okay. Let’s go back to see who has what role. Pleasence is in charge/Medical Chief & Kennedy is head surgeon, as O’Brien introduces them. Okay, back to where we were lol

Talk about not paying attention lol

One of you two is the spy….

No. He is truly in charge. Not you.

The tension!!!!

Oh. Here we go & I was right. The spy hath revealed themselves….

As he says, how are they going to get out lol

I knew you’d be a liability, to say the least.

Time to go!

Well that was different.

Okay, I ran it back again & they do name a suspect earlier in the film as mentioned on the Wikipedia page. Pro tip – if you watch this, pay close attention. I ran it back at least 3 times lol

First Men in the Moon (1964)

Also from Columbia & featuring Ray Harryhausen’s work, Mysterious Island (1961) is a fun adventure film based on the Jules Verne novels that continue the story of Captain Nemo. I mention this, because while I did not write a review of it, I enjoyed it & I especially enjoyed Michael Callan & Beth Rogan as the young couple that meet on the island.

Our Ray Harryhausen theme continues with First Men in the Moon (1964)!

Plot: “When a spaceship lands on the moon, it is hailed as a new accomplishment, before it becomes clear that a Victorian party completed the journey in 1899, leading investigators to that mission’s last survivor.”

Cast:
Edward Judd … Arnold Bedford
Martha Hyer … Kate Callender
Lionel Jeffries … Prof. Joseph Cavor

Background info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058100/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2

I don’t recall ever seeing it. It sounds promising and the outstanding Martha Hyer is billed second so let’s get to it!

Also from Columbia of course, I have no idea what to expect beyond the obvious lol

Oh nice, the opening credits tell us who they play. Very cool.

Okay, so, it begins as they land.

Overall, I’d say they did quite well, for 1964. The set looks great & the video quality is fantastic. This must be available on DVD. In another nice touch, the crew is multinational, though all Caucasian males. The event of course is celebrated around the world. Wait until they find out they weren’t the first lol

The Moon set looks really cool too, with real rocks and normal Earth gravity.

Union Jack, are they ever going to be surprised lol

Maybe, explore a bit lol

What is that curious sound lol

Flashback! I’m guessing this is 1899, or just before.

Lol at the antique car & enter Hyer. Interesting. I was expecting her to be in the present day.

How does this get us to the Moon & is he telling the story or remembering? He’s not in this scene, so, I’ll go with flashback.

It’s even a hand crank start. Very cool.

Our leading lady is quite intelligent and shrewd to say the least.

He (the neighbor) has a giant coal furnace in the living room lol

Right. He’s going to the Moon for peace and quiet lol

He’s invented/discovered an anti-gravity element.

He believes now lol

It’s a good thing the neighbor shouting for Gibbs wasn’t our drinking game lol

Indeed. Get him out of the chair lol

Something tells me she won’t get to Boston. You could’ve used a portion of the money to get married.

His assistants leave a great deal to be desired to say the least lol they of course think he’s a crackpot, which, we won’t comment on lol

So there it is. Oh. So the question is, do they go and come back or what? The note mentions Hyer’s character so who knows.

The unattended and about to overheat furnace….

Pinky ring.

Bye! We haven’t seen the last of her to be sure lol

For saying you were leaving, you certainly have returned quickly, with a shotgun. Hrmm….

Because it’s the adventure of a lifetime!

Forcing anyone to choose is never a good idea. That, and it’s written that way! It gives us more tension/drama/etc.

Oh, he frees the geese.

Ah. Okay. Surprise! Lol

So, how do they pilot/steer the thing, let alone what is their plan for returning?

So, it’s a magic sphere without a single control surface lol

Ah. They’re small but they can maneuver it.

There’s a single room, and no lavatory….

More chickens lol

Nice. Their sphere lands at an angle rather than magically upright lol

So they’re in low gravity.

Yes. Certainly. Climb down into the infinitely deep pit lol I’m sure it’s perfectly safe. Indeed it is. There’s a giant spiral ramp.

Oh. He dropped his helmet.

It’s holding my attention, so who cares beyond that lol

There’s the helmet.

The sets are quite lavish to say the least, even if everything is rock. They look quite good.

Another Harryhausen nod to King Kong (1933). This time it’s a rock over a chasm rather than a tree.

As was the norm in films of the time, their encounters with beings/creatures from another world do not go peacefully to say the least.

Well, they approached with sharp, pointy weapons extended & began herding them across a narrow, rock bridge that lowered over a chasm. Not exactly a friendly gesture….

In another nice touch, it’s people in suits rather than miniatures, though for being a rather large barreled shotgun, it is decidedly lacking in kick lol

Enter Harryhausen’s work.

You’re going to need that helmet….

Again with the pointy weapons.

Oh nice. They have an x-ray window.

They’re learning English.

They certainly are advanced, whatever they are & wherever they come from….

Oh very cool. Oxygen processing.

Whoa, not cool and definitely not the way to make friends.

Eclipse. This ought to be interesting.

Right. The energy thing/giant crystal stopped because there’s no sunlight. So, it’s not a perpetual motion machine but solar powered.

Hunh. They all froze. That’s wild.

The light’s back because the eclipse is passing, so they are waking up….

There certainly are a lot of them.

Hunh. The head man.

Vindicated at last 🙂 so what happened to Kate? We know she was married at some point, presumably to Bedford. It’s never explained. That was fun.

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

Jason and the Argonauts (1963) is up next, because it’s awesome and features the incredible work of Ray Harryhausen!

Plot: “The legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.”

Cast:
Todd Armstrong … Jason
Nancy Kovack … Medea
Gary Raymond … Acastus
Niall MacGinnis … Zeus
Honor Blackman … Hera
Nigel Green … Hercules

Background info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057197/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2

With that, let’s get to it!

Columbia, color, and in DVD quality, this far and away my favorite of the sword and sandals/mythology films that were so popular at the time.

Ominous music sounds ominous lol

I love the paintings beyond the opening credits. Great stuff and it also tells the tales we are about to embark upon, in park.

You also see a man with one sandal ~

Oh, I don’t think so lol see above.

Conquerors do what they do….

Enter the proverbial fly in the ointment – young Jason.

Wow. He does it anyway….

As she said, the one sandaled man….

That is Hera and you need to be far, far away. Go to California lol

Time has passed, and the king has spent the last 20 years looking over his shoulder to say the least lol

Surprise! Lol

Love the scenery!

Enter a grown Jason, about to lose a sandal lol

Yep.

Under Hera’s ever watchful eye ~

Whoa. Whose statue was toppled?

Right. As he says, Hermes.

I’m reminded of a line from Mystery Science Theater 3000, when they were watching a Hercules movie, “It’s ancient Greece. There are no ruins!” Lol

Ah. Hermes himself. That is not how you would figure he would react lol

Jason, in person, in Olympus.

And thus, the games/Olympics begin! We need a crew after all!

Right. The smart one, with the discus gambit lol

🙂

Never having thrown a discus before, he wins by being smart ~

The ram indeed….

She wanted to ride at the stern. The statues of Hera, both on the ship here, and at the beginning of the film, are fantastic to say the least. The one the ship certainly is her eyes and ears….

With that we are at sea!

The sunset across the statue’s face is so spectacular, I’m enjoying the shot paused. It’s also nice to see Hera depicted as being friendly rather than malevolent as she typically is.

They however literally have to row to the ends of the Earth as no one has ever been to Colchis, let alone returned from such a journey. That, and it will be some time before we see/meet our leading lady….

The close-ups of the statue however are on the set. Oh well they match the clear sky behind the ship on location.

Right. When he says only take food and water. Yeah….

Pray tell Hercules, how one hunts/catches goats with a club. You don’t lol

Cue what is without question some of Harryhausen’s finest work – the statue of Talos and the sequence that ensues.

There’s no food or water. You need to leave.

You’ve put your foot in it now to say the least….

And they got minimal food or supplies, not to mention being cosmically hosed now….

Into the water the stuntmen go!

Hold on to that statue!!!

He’s figured it out.

Problem solved, until the next one….

Of all the things to go back for….

Right. Phineas & the harpy sequence!

I wonder how they did that. The temple ruins were like 2,000 years old, if not more, and anything but safe to climb on. The clouds move across the sky in the background though. The shots are fake though.

Time to find out what the totem does!

He figures it out there, in a roundabout way lol

Poseidon indeed….

They are indeed spent lol

Our leading lady!

Right. But he’s there to take what they need most….

The traitor is revealed at last.

So that’s Doug Robinson as the muscular Eupaemus.

Our leading lady is quite the talented healer.

Here we are at a temple dance party. Everybody dance!

They know why you’re there. Why else would anyone make the journey?

Ah, our leading lady is the priestess/head dancer, covered in golden paint as she is.

With that the die is cast. They made no such overtures….

Bit late for that now lol

You’re the one that trusted a traitor. What did you expect? Lol

The hydra. It certainly has a lot of heads lol

There you go. Now run!!!!

Hunh. Why did it stop shining?

Right. The skeletons.

As Zeus mentions, a sequel was planned to detail their further adventures, as the film ends as they begin the voyage home, but the 2nd film was never made.

The Wedding Episode – Door Monster Extras #30

Like the title says, let’s check out Kyle & Allison’s wedding/the Door Monster extras! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTE-e-JHRwc

There’s certainly enough condiments on the counter lol

Doggie! Lol at the animated dream.

Wedding stuff!

Wow, Ethan lost weight.

Jeffrey’s looking sharp.

Wow. Very cool & yes, Ian performs the ceremony.

I had no idea they got married in their yard.

Erin’s on the couch in the background lol

Let’s keep the laughs going and check out Don Rickles’ toast to Larry & Shawn King https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEsE7FQUtkI

Fun and funny stuff!

Let’s follow on to Don Rickles visits Joan Rivers “Tonight Show ” 1980’s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rat8QPjug2k

Great stuff!

I would also like to put you on to a fantastic series called Dinner with Don. In this episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krsd-9DFNcE not only does the fantastic Sarah Silverman join Don for dinner, but, we’re also treated to several pictures of not only Barbara, but also the Newharts!

🙂 timeless indeed, and to quote Mr. Jack Buck, that’s a winner!

Union Station (1950)

Our William Holden theme continues with Union Station (1950)!

Plot: “A sharp-eyed woman spots a man with a gun on a train and her alert to the railroad police helps them in their search for a ruthless gang who have kidnapped a blind heiress.”

Cast:
William Holden … Lt. William Calhoun
Nancy Olson … Joyce Willecombe
Barry Fitzgerald … Inspector Donnelly
Lyle Bettger … Joe Beacom
Jan Sterling … Marge Wrighter

With that, let’s get to it!

White and black, pre-widescreen of course, and from Paramount. Nancy Olson is one of my favorite leading ladies, and my favorite of Holden’s leading ladies.

Wally Westmore on makeup! I always get a kick out of seeing one of their bazillion credits.

Choo choo!

Right. Thus alerting her something is afoot.

Enter Bettger & she clearly saw that.

She certainly will tell Willie Calhoun about it, the head man himself! (It’s a fun and ongoing gag, him being called Willie, which he hates lol)

He’s already labeled her a crackpot….

He follows them though and notes the locker they place a case in & has them followed ~

No. She recognizes the contents of the case.

There we go.

Holden has a scar/mark below his cheekbone I never noticed before.

Look at the little doggies!

Fitzgerald is city police & Holden’s in charge of station security.

Jab lol

There’s one of them, wearing gloves again.

Suicide doors.

He took his gloves off.

Yep. He knows he’s being followed.

There’s the caaaaaaa again.

Moooooooooo!

I thought that looked like the Stockyards in Chicago. Parts of it were filmed there & that’s where it’s set, though it’s never mentioned.

Oh they’ll show alright.

Pinky ring.

There’s no one around….

There she is. Terrified to say the least.

Enter Sterling. Playing against type, though it’s an early role for her.

White bread!

Too late….

🙂

He will….

🙂 with that we begin shifting & that is Trevor Bardette in an early role!

It’s far from just a suitcase….

Allene Roberts is fantastic as Lorna.

Oh. Are those cinnamon sticks he puts in the water for their tea?

It’s also a nice, and different, way to make our leading lady a main character.

Right. The live wire she can’t see….

The underground mini train is powered by an overhead line – that she can’t see….

This is important. As I have mentioned the other times we have watched this – do, not, move!

The tension is incredibly real to say the least.

She of course moves, heightening the tension, for her and us.

Ouch.

Here we go.

Don’t move!!!!

God the terror!!!!!!!!!!

He’s got an ouchie.

🙂

And they lived happily ever after 🙂

Outstanding seeing that again & the tension was no less real, than any of the other times we’ve seen this. Highly recommended.

Ethan Feeds The Fish!

As the title implies, from the description, “In this video the subscriber that I chose for my 200k contest, Ethan, flew down and got to go Alligator Gar fishing as well as feed the fish in the pond!” Man, was I ever shocked at the size of the Gar he caught lol

I had seen an older video where he talked about doing this. This is so cool.

On to our feature, The First Texan (1956)!

Plot: “Eastern lawyer Sam Houston moves to Texas. At the request of President Jackson, he leads the Texan independence movement and wins the decisive battle against the Mexican army to gain Texas independence.”

Cast:
Joel McCrea … Sam Houston
Felicia Farr … Katherine Delaney
Jeff Morrow … Jim Bowie
Wallace Ford … Henry Delaney
Chubby Johnson … Deaf Smith
William Hopper … William Barrett Travis
James Griffith … Davy Crockett

With that let’s get to it!

Color, widescreen & from Allied Artists, It’s been a while since we’ve seen this so I remember very little about it, other than I enjoyed it & it features the fantastic Felicia Farr as our leading lady. Like it matters beyond that lol

The river looks familiar though & not necessarily from this film. It’s in Southern California, so we have likely seen it in all kinds of things. I’m thinking it was the Mexican border with Texas in a film. Anyway, we are in Texas!

Enter Morrow.

Pushy much lol

His reputation of course precedes him.

Uh-oh.

They don’t say when it is set, but, Texas is a part of Mexico, placing us in the early-mid 1830’s.

It’s a fixer upper lol

There’s a fire going though so someone’s there.

Ah. Our leading lady.

Oh. That room’s nice and clean. The outer office was hit by a class 5 hurricane though lol

He most certainly is smitten lol

Our leading lady is quite the interested onlooker ~

🙂

Several months pass ~

Tell him, rather than standing there with such a forlorn look on your face.

Lol he figures it out.

lol

It’s enough lol

She runs off though.

It’s not her. Ah, he’s invited for dinner. There we go lol

Wallace Ford is fantastic as always.

Of course he’s right.

Copious smooching ~

Before I can mention California lol

James Griffith as Davey Crockett. Griffith was fantastic.

It’s from the President of the United States and our leading lady will be anything but happy lol

That’s a long ride on horseback – San Antonio to Washington, D.C.

Carl Benton Reid as President Jackson.

He promised. Yes he has….

Our leading lady is going to be, yeah….

They did quite well with the weapons.

You need to talk to our leading lady first….

Oh she is not happy/steam coming out of her ears….

Yeah. You promised. You gave her your word. Which is it? Don’t make promises you can’t keep. She however (it’s written that way, to give us more tension. It also, shall we say, conveniently writes our leading lady out of the story for a while lol) doesn’t see, that, if he doesn’t do this, none of you or your way of life will exist. But no pressure lol

Enter Jody McCrea.

There’s a lot of fun scenes as they meet the general lol

Myron Healey.

Not one single person in camp was awake when he arrived.

We are on the move/off to our date with destiny. Far from regular troops, they are anything but….

The war in fact will only last another 32 or so minutes ~

Chubby Johnson.

He’s merely advancing in another direction ~

🙂 It’s our leading lady lol she’s understands now ~

He dismisses her.

The glancing lol

🙂 he knows what’s up 🙂

Right. Thus initiating the pivotal Battle of San Jacinto.

He has a plan and all but 1 of you has the least grasp of tactics. It’s about choosing your battlefield. Mark of a good commander ~

Ah. The opposition.

You’ll be finished alright….

These guys however lol let’s just say, they don’t have a clue lol

Jody McCrea, as Lt. Baker, is the sharp knife in the drawer ~

Timing! That happens when you have top billing & it’s written that way lol

Haha, Jody skips over Captain & becomes Major! I thought he got promoted for that. Well deserved!

Cue the giant action sequence.

Jody’s quite the main character.

Wow. Even picks his father up.

Ah. There he is.

With that we have a Republic & here comes our leading lady!

Republic needs a leader….

🙂

That’s a winner!

Fantastic seeing that again. That is how you make a movie!