Video Link: The Muppets - Fever (Rita Moreno & Animal)

 

Video Link: One More Sleep 'til Christmas (From The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992))

Video Link: Muppet Songs: Muppet Christmas Carol - Scrooge

Video Link: Jingle Bell Rock (From A Muppet Family Christmas (1987))

Video Link: It Feels Like Christmas (From The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992))

Michael's Christmas Movie Guide: It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)

 

While this made for TV movie is not a top-tier Muppet movie, it is still a good film. 

This film takes a note from Its a Wonderful Life (1946). When Fozzie loses the money needed to keep The Muppet Theater going, Kermit falls into a strong depression feeling that he ruined the other Muppets lives by making them believe in his dream as well. When an angel comes to visit him, Kermit says he wishes he had never been born and then the angel decides to use this to show him, what the world would be like if he wasn't.

One of the best things about any Muppet movie is how well they mix wacky zany humor with a warm heart and natural sentimentality. It is during the heartfelt scenes where this movie really shines. Though the story is in many ways a parody of another Christmas movie, it is still quite heartfelt. To see Kermit of all characters pushed to the point where he can no longer believe in dreams makes us simply want to give our favorite frog a big hug. No matter how silly this movie gets, it still explores this heartfelt idea to its fullest. The whole section where Kermit sees how the world would be without him is very heartfelt. One of the best scenes in this film is Kermit and Gonzo’s song together which is simply lovely. The scene with Miss Piggy if there was no Kermit is both heartfelt and funny at the same time, 

The humor in this movie can be a bit hit and miss. The comedy falls flat when it focuses too heavily on pop culture references. Parodying Moulin Rouge! (2001) and The Grinch (2000) make it feel like this film is trying too hard. It doesn’t help that these parodies aren’t really that funny. The comedy simply relies too much on simply the audience recognizing what the movie is referencing and too little on funny gags. Scenes that reference TV shows like Scrubs and Fear Factor, simply feel like NBC (which this made for TV movie originally played on) advertising itself. However I will admit a reference to The Muppet Movie did really make me laugh. The scenes involving Whoopi Goldberg as a God-like character, are also never as funny as they should be. The best comedy came from the characters and simple slapstick gags. Gonzo’s eccentricities, Piggy’s temper, Pepe’s innuendos and Fozzie’s clumsiness all ad some delightful comedic moments. Statler and Waldorf get some of the comedic lines in this movie. Also little slapstick gags like Robin getting his younger stuck on a pole definitely made me laugh. 

Even at less than an hour and a half (without commercials) this movie feels longer than it needs to be and a little stretched out at times. 

While this isn’t on par with the best Muppet movies, it is still a delightful watch around Christmas time. 

TCM Classic Film Festival: 2023

 

Hello my friends. For those of you who don't know, last weekend is one of the highlights of a film buff's year, the TCM Classic Film Festival. It was four days of classic films and movie related delights presented at historic Hollywood sights (including Grauman's Chinese Theater, The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (where the first Academy Awards were held)). There were major special guests (including film historians and big time Hollywood stars and filmmakers), the most enthusiastic audiences you have ever seen and of course lots of classic movies. Also for classic film fans it is one of the few times that we can be surrounded by people who are just as passionate about them as we are. 

There were so many highlights for me this year. One of the biggest was the wonderful 100th anniversary screening of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) with Lon Chaney. I have seen this film before in only cheap public domain prints and liked it well enough. However seeing a great print of this film and seeing it in a movie theater, made me realize just what a great movie it is. I found myself emotionally moved by the film in a way I never had been before. Another great silent film experience was seeing the delightful silent movie, Clash of the Wolves (1925) with canine star Rin Tin Tin. It may seem strange to some (who haven't seen his films) that Rin Tin Tin was one of the biggest box office draws of his day and pretty much saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy before The Jazz Singer (1927) and Al Jolson. However when you watch one of his movies, you fully understand. That are such fun movies and a pure delight to watch. Listening to the audience reaction to this film shows how these movies are still sure-fire audience pleasers. Adding to the fun was the wonderful silent film historian and composer Ben Model, accompanying the film live with a truly terrific score. Speaking about audience pleasers, there were no better audience pleasers than Harvey (1950) (which was introduced by the wonderful movie director Joe Dante) and a selection of Laurel and Hardy shorts. Speaking about shorts it was also a delight to watch a panel hosted by Jerry Beck and Randy Haberkamp about Looney Tunes shorts and the Oscars (which included some full cartoons). One of the most delightful surprises was a delightful film Warner Brothers made in Britian, Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk (1935). I had never even heard of this movie before, but I was soon completely won over by its charms. If you ever get a chance to watch this film, I highly recommend it. Leonard Maltin introduced the movie and said that he personally picked it for the festival and I am very grateful to him for picking it. To turn the attention to special guests, I got to see some great ones there. Dave Krager interviewed Richard Dreyfus and Candy Clark before American Graffiti (1973) and Ann Margert before Bye Bye Birdie (1963) and it was wonderful to watch those movies knowing the stars were in the same theater. Brain Henson (son of Muppet creator Jim Henson and the director of The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996)) introduced a screening of Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) (which was another audience pleaser). As an Alfred Hitchcock fan I was delighted to see two wonderful Alfred Hitchcock movies on the big screen, Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956). 

This was simply a wonderful four days and I wish it never had to end. If any of you are debating about going next year, do so. 

Michael's Christmas Movie Guide: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

 

A wonderful adaption of Charles Dickens' immortal Christmas story. 

Despite having the Muppets play major roles in this film, this is not a parody of A Christmas Carol but rather a full-on adaptation. There are many splices of Muppet humor throughout the film, but the focus always remains on the actual focus. Plenty of people even believe this to be one of the most faithful film adaptions of the book. This was not always going to be the case. In fact instead of having original puppets to play the roles of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, it was originally planned to have the classic Muppet characters, Miss Piggy, Scooter and Gonzo to play the roles. Fans of this movie can be glad that this was changed, especially since Gonzo has his best movie role in this film. He not only is the story's narrator but he plays Charles Dickens narrating his own story to his good friend Rizzo the rat. This is a perfect role for the kindhearted, whimsical and hilarious Muppet.

As an adaption of A Christmas Carol, this is top notch. Though my favorite movie version of this story the 1951 Masterpiece, this is still in my top few film versions. This movie perfectly captures the heart of the story. Michael Caine is wonderful as Scrooge. He captures all the little nuances of the character and makes the character always sympathetic, while still perfectly conveying all the darker parts of the character. The romantic scenes with Belle are probably better done here than almost any other adaption and these scenes really have the ability to pull on your heartstrings. Scrooge's character arc always feels completely believable, and we can feel the change growing in the character. This is of course the most important aspect of any adaptation of this story. Because if this doesn't work then the whole story feels pointless. This movie also does not leave out the darker aspects of the story. While it is not scary in the way a horror movie is, there is an uneasy feeling to the scenes with The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Though this is lightened up by a truly funny exchange between Gonzo (sorry I mean Charles Dickens) and Rizzo about the creepiness, it is still very effective. There is also a decent jump scare with the first appearance of the Marleys (here played by Statler & Waldorf). The Muppets are also perfectly cast in roles that suit their personalities and do not distract from the drama of the story. Kermit is perfect as Bob Cratchit, exuding all the warmth we except from the character. Miss Piggy is hilarious as Mrs. Cratchit, while also handling the dramatic scenes very well. Fozzie is perfectly cast as Fezziwig (sorry Fozzie-wig (I love that pun)). However the standout here is Kermit's nephew Robin as Tiny Tim. Never has this little guy enjoyed a better movie role and this film reminds us why he is more than just a cute kid character. 

The typical Muppet elements also work wonderfully. The humor is really funny. The exchanges between Gonzo and Rizzo are hilarious and they truly steal the show. There are also some truly delightful slapstick gags here that always put a smile on my face. There is also a wonderful number of corny puns and plays on words, that are simply delightful in their silliness. The songs (written by Paul Williams (who also wrote the songs for The Muppet Movie (1979))), are also simply wonderful. Many of them are truly beautiful and they stay in your mind well after the film is over. As well as these truly beautiful songs there are also some silly fun songs that are simply a delight. Out of all the Muppet movies this one probably has the second-best songs (after The Muppet Movie). 

What makes this movie all the more impressive is that this is the first Muppet movie made after creator and voice of Kermit, Jim Henson passed away. The loss was greatly felt by everyone involved and Kermit's speech about coming and going can be viewed as a tribute to the wonderful man. Yet this tragedy does not show itself in the quality of the movie. Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson, directed this movie and simply did a wonderful job. He would follow this with another delightful movie adaption of a book featuring the Muppets with Muppet Treasure Island (1996), as well as some episodes of the TV series Muppets Tonight. Steve Whitmore took over as the voice of Kermit and would continue to play the character until 2016. Whitmore would admit to being incredibly nervous before recording the song numbers. However he didn't need to be as he sounds simply wonderful. 

Video Link: One More Sleep Til Christmas - The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Movies to Stream on Disney+

Hello my friends. With many of you stuck at home, I feel it is a good time to recommend some movies that you can stream in your own homes. Today I recommend some films that are available on the Disney+ streaming app. In this post I am trying to avoid the most obvious options such as Frozen or Avengers: Endgame. That is not to say that these will all be obscure movies, just not obvious choices.



The Journey of Natty Gann (1985) During the 1980's Disney was experimenting to an extant they hadn't since Walt's death and that they haven't since then. While this certainly did lead to some flops, some truly great movies came out of it. One of the best is The Journey of Natty Gann. This film is not the squeaky clean image that comes to mind with Disney. There is bit of cussing as well as a rough edge here, but underneath this exterior is a truly heartwarming story and the timelessness of Disney's best work.

Pollyanna (1960) In contrast to the rough edged Natty Gann, Pollyanna is an unabashedly sentimental movie. However this film is charming enough to win over, even the most cynical movie fan. This is due to one of the best casts to ever appear in a Disney film (lead by the always charismatic Hayley Mills).

Greyfriars Bobby (1961) The Disney studio has made many live action films about dogs, but to me this is the best one. It is a slower-paced and very atmospheric movie that has such a natural charm that sneaks up on you when you least except it.

The Great Muppet Caper (1981) Following a recommendation of a slow paced and subtle movie, comes a recommendation of the complete opposite. The Great Muppet Caper is the fastest paced silliest and funniest of all the Muppet movies. This is a pure laugh fest from start to finish.  
The Three Caballeros (1945) The most pure cartoony animated feature to come from the Disney studio. This movie features wild animation, non stop energy and just pure fun. Also it stars the one and only Donald Duck, so why would you not want to watch it?

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (2020) The best of the Disney + original movies so far. This is a completely charming and often very funny tale of a kid who starts his own detective agency in an attempt at achieving greatness. This is a silly and often very funny film.

Duck Tales The Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990) I am not calling this a masterpiece by any means. However if you want an unpretentious but fun way to pass an hour and fourteen minutes, this fun animated adventure film based off of the popular TV show will do the trick nicely.

The Parent Trap (1961) The most delightful of all the live action Disney comedies, this film is pure fun from the animated opening credits to the memorable final scene. Hayley Mills is at her  most charming in a duel role. With comedy ranging from silly slapstick to very clever satire, as well as a delightfully charming story, this is a Disney classic on all levels.

Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) One of the best movies to come out of Disney after Walt's death. This is a fantasy film of the highest measure, that quickly pulls you into its imaginative world. There are so many little scenes that don't really move the story but add so much to appeal of the film's fantasy. Simply irresistible.

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) This in my mind is only second to the Errol Flynn movie for the best film version of Robin Hood. Featuring exciting action, a great cast, clever writing and a completely believable romance, this is a pure delight. Personally I think this outshines Disney's better remembered animated version.

Teacher's Pet (2004) An animated Disney movie that feels little like a Disney movie. This is a fast paced comedy that never lets up on the great jokes, and one of the few feature films based off a TV show to actually top the TV show. This is an incredible imaginative and laugh out loud funny movie and an animated film completely unashamed to be a cartoon.

Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors (2018) This may be a smaller scale movie than the big screen Marvel films, but this animated adventure is still a delight. This is due to a good sense of humor, likable characters, fun action and more. This animated movie may not be as well known as the live action Marvel films, but that is a shame as it is a pure delight.

Perri (1957) Combing Disney's nature documentary footage with a fictional story may not sound like the best idea but it works incredibly well here. This movie is the definition of charm.

The Absent Minded Professor (1961) One of Disney's best live action comedies scores hugely due to Fred MacMurray's fantastic charisma and some sure fire comedy moments.

Swiss Family Robinson (1960) About as good as fantasy adventure movies get. This classic film is timeless entertainment of the highest order.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Movie Music Monday: Ghost Riders in the Sky

With its vividly haunting lyrics and melody, Ghost Riders in the Sky is one of the all time great cowboy songs. This song was written by Stan Jones in 1948 when he was still a forest ranger writing songs on the side. He often stated that this song was based off a ghost story a cowboy had told him when he was 12. Many believe the story he was told was the story of Stampede Mesa. Here is what Texas folklorist, J. Frank Dobie wrote about the legend. 

 Early in the fall of ’89 an old cowman named Sawyer came through with a trail herd of fifteen hundred head of steers, threes and fours. While he was driving across Dockum Flats one evening, some six or seven miles east of the mesa, about forty-odd head of nester cows came bawling into the herd. Closely flanking them, came the nester, demanding that his cattle be cut out of the herd. Old Sawyer, who was ‘as hard as nails,’ was driving short handed; he had come far; his steers were thin and he did not want them ‘ginned’ about any more. Accordingly, he bluntly told the nester to go to hell.
The nester was pretty nervy, and seeing that his little stock of cattle was being driven off, he flared up and told Sawyer that if he did not drop his cows out of the herd before dark he would stampede the whole bunch. “At this Sawyer gave a kind of dry laugh, drew out his six shooter, and squinting down it at the nester, told him to ‘vamoose.’
Nightfall found the herd straggling up the east slope of what on the morrow would be christened by some cowboy Stampede Mesa. Midnight came, and with scarcely half the usual night guard on duty, the herd settled down in peace.
But the peace was not to last. True to his threat, the nester, approaching from the north side, slipped through the watch, waved a blanket a few times, and shot his gun. He did his work well. All of the herd except about three hundred head stampeded over the bluff on the south side of the mesa, and two of the night herders, caught in front of the frantic cattle that they were trying to circle, went over with them.
“Sawyer said but little, but at sunup he gave orders to bring in the nester alive, horse and all. The orders were carried out, and when the men rode up on the mesa with their prisoner, Sawyer was waiting. He tied the nester on his horse with a rawhide lariat, blindfolded the horse, and then, seizing him by the bits, backed him off the cliff. There were plenty of hands to drive Sawyer’s remnant now. Somewhere on the hillside they buried, in their simple way, the remains of their two comrades, but they left the nester to rot with the pile of dead steers in the canyon.
And now old cowpunchers will tell you that if you chance to be about Stampede Mesa at night, you can hear the nester calling his cattle, and many assert that they have seen his murdered ghost, astride a blindfolded horse, sweeping over the headlands, behind a stampeding herd of phantom steers. Herd bosses are afraid of those phantom steers, and it is said that every herd that has been held on the mesa since that night has stampeded, always from some unaccountable cause (Dobie, J. Frank, 1924, p.282-283)Stan Jones himself was the first to record this song and did so in 1948. Here is that version. You may notice it uses a faster tempo and a stronger beat than later verisions. This was done to create a sound simular to that of stampeding cattle.

However the song would gain more fame when Burl Ives recorded it in 1949.

Also in 1949 Vaughn Monroe would take the song to number 1.

Of course this is a Movie Music Monday and thus we come to my favorite version of the song. Gene Autry recorded this song for Columbia records in 1949 as well as using it as the title song of one of his best movies, Riders in the Sky (1949). The scene where Gene sings this song is not only a great bit of music but a masterful piece of visual filmmaking, that definitely stood out compared to what audiences had come to except from B westerns. Much of this had to do with the fact that the film was directed by John English, who directed some of Autry's best movies (including my favorite, Rim of the Cannon (1949)) as well as what is considered to be the best movie serial of all time, The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941). Gene's voice is also completely perfect for this song. A review of the movie in The Showman's Trade Review stated, "'Riders in the Sky' is superior both in entertainment and technical values to the usual western in its class and is probably the best in the series. The song, Ghost Riders in the Sky, is skillfully woven into the story and the ghost riders are shown with some very capable photography and artwork displayed in this piece."

 


                                             Box Office Barometer, 1949

This song would return to the movies decades later with a truly bizarre scene in Blues Brothers 2000 (1998).

The song again returned to the movies when the alternative rock band did a version for the movie Ghost Rider (2007).



I also love Johnny Cash's version of this song. Johnny recorded it in 1979 as part of his Silver album. It went to number 2 on the charts.





In 1980 Johnny performed this song on The Muppet Show (1976-1981).

The band, Outlaws turned this into a full on rock song in 1980.

This song also inspired The Doors' 1971 song, Riders of the Strom.

 

There have been more versions of this song than I can possibly post on this blog what is your favorite.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used

https://esoterx.com/2012/12/09/ghost-riders-in-the-sky-the-wild-hunt-and-the-eternal-stampede/