Though films that pay tribute to the cinematic artform are nothing new, few of them are as passionate, personal or candid as The Fabelmans. The movie starts with our main character as a small boy taking his first trip to the movies. As he watches Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), he has a look of pure fascination on his face. This is the feeling we get watching this movie. As I watched this, I felt like I was falling in love with movies all over again. Not only is the passion for movies so heartfelt and genuine that we can't help but feel it, but the filmmaking here is simply top notch. Spielberg is a master filmmaker and here he makes his filmmaking feel completely effortless. Though the filmmaking may not call attention to itself, it tells the story perfectly and the scenes with our main character editing or screening the movies he made put us right in the moment with the characters as it is happening. We feel the same movie magic that he feels, and we understand why he feels compelled to make movies. Those who know anything about Steven Spielberg's life will recognize that this film shares a lot in common with his own life growing up. Perhaps that is why this movie perfectly captures the drive, passion and joy our main character feels when doing the thing he loves.
Yet as much as this film captures this feeling of lighthearted magic, it does not sugarcoat anything. Spielberg also incorporates the less happy times in his own time growing up and the hurt he felt. These scenes feel just as real and powerful as the joyous scenes. The fact that a filmmaker could be so open and candid about these times in his life is simply amazing. Yet he never turns the movie into a way for him to vent about anything that happened in his life. (In fact not a single one of the main characters comes off as an actual antagonist in this film but instead they are simply flawed human beings.) Rather he digs into his own complex emotions and comes out with something beautifully moving from them. As this movie deals with such heavy subjects as antisemitism, choosing between art and those you love, complex relationships with your parents, infidelity, martial hardships, bullying and much more, it looks it them in thought-provoking and emotionally powerful ways. Despite this movie having moments of pure joy as well as heavier moments, these elements don't ever work against each other. Instead, they work together. Life is full of both joy and sorrow and this movie balances those two feelings in a way that makes the film feel completely real and relatable at all times. It also keeps the film from feeling either being joyless or too idealized.
This is simply put a modern classic and a must see for any movie fan.
P.S. If you are a film buff, you will love the ending of this movie.
In this film Santa has an accident on top of Fred Flintstone's roof and Fred and Barney take over for Santa, delivering presents all around the world (which is very similar to what happens in the Christmas episode of the TV show). Yet while he is busy helping the real Santa, Fred is supposed to be playing Santa at the Bedrock Orphanage.
This is a charming little film. The characters are just as likable as ever and it is always great to see The Flintstones again. This movie also has a nice, warm Christmas-y feeling to it. On the downside this film does lack the amount of laughs the TV show had, and the songs come out of nowhere and don't fit in well. Though this may not be the classic that the Christmas episode of the TV show, or A Flintstones Christmas Carol were, it is fun, and that is just what you want from The Flintstones.
The movie's director was Charles A. Nichols. My fellow Disney buffs might recognize his name because he directed a lot of Pluto cartoons. Charles A. Nichols had also worked as an animation director on the original TV show. Mel Blanc and Jean Vander Ply reprise their roles as Barney and Wilma. Jean Vander Ply even is still the voice of Pebbles, even though Pebbles is older and can talk now. However, Fred and Betty's voices have been taken over by Henry Corden, and Gay Autterson, both would voice the characters many more times in the future. This film even features some of the original Flintstones animators like Ed Barge and Hugh Fraser. The song Hope was used earlier in the Hanna-Barbera Christmas special A Christmas Story (1972) and later reused in the made for TV movie Yogi's First Christmas (1980).
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
With Christmas not being too far off, I am going to start incorporating Christmas music into these posts. First up is a favorite for me Roy Rogers singing Silent Night. This recording comes from 1940 and it is part of a session he did with The Jimmy Walley Trio where they recorded a few Christmas songs together.
Next comes Charley Pride with They Stood in Silent Prayer. This version of the song comes from Charley's 1970 Christmas album, Christmas in my Hometown.
Now for Tennessee Ernie Ford with It is Well (With My Soul). Though this is a hymn of hope and peace it was written in a time of great sadness. The song was written by Horatio G. Spafford in 1873. He had planned a European trip for himself, his wife and four daughters, however because of his work he was unable to go, and he let his family go without him and after he finished his work, he would meet them there. However, the ship was hit and quickly sank. Though his wife was saved all four of his daughters had gone down with the ship. Amazingly he wrote this hymn when approaching an area near where his daughters had sunk.
Afterwards comes Willie Nelson and his sister Bobbie Nelson (on piano) with Are You Washed in the Blood. This hymn was written by Elisha Albright Hoffman (Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, Glory to His Name) in 1878. It first appeared in his book, Spiritual Songs for Gospel Meetings and the Sunday School. Yet it was strangely dropped from later versions of this book. This version of this classic hymn comes from Willie and Bobbie's 1996 gospel album Just as I Am. This album consisted of hymns and gospel songs that the two have known and held dear to them since they were small kids.
Then comes The Carter Family with their 1932 recording of Church in the Wildwood. This hymn was written in 1857 by a music teacher named William S Pitts. On a stagecoach ride to meet his fiancé, he stopped in Bradford, Iowa. While there he took a long nature walk. Seeing an especially beautiful valley near Cedar River, he began to picture a church building here. The idea became engrained into his mind and even after he was back home in Wisconsin, he still couldn't stop thinking about it. He later stated that only after he had written this hymn, was he at peace with himself. In 1962 the songwriter and his now wife, had visited the spot and found a church right there, even the same color he mentioned in the song.
Now for Anne Wilson with O Holy Night. This hymn was written in 1847. The lyricist for the song was Placide Cappeau. Cappeau was a poet who rarely wrote about Christian subjects, however the local priest asked him to write a poem for Christmas mass. He didn't know what to write so he looked at the story of Jesus' birth in the book of Luke and tried to place himself there. He then asked his friend Adolphe Charles Adams (who had composed over 80 operas) to write some music. This hymn would gain controversy in France, when the church learned of its writers. Cappeau had left the church and joined the socialist party. Adams was not Christian, but rather Jewish. The idea that neither of the writers of a Christian hymn were in fact Christian, upset many church leaders. These church leaders denounced the song and deemed it not fit to sing in a church. Yet despite this the hymn was one of the most popular Christmas songs in France at the time.
Gene Autry continues the musical selection with his 1956 recording of Everyone's a Child at Christmas. This song was written by Johnny Marks, who also wrote Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, a song that Gene would help turn into a Christmas classic.
As today's musical selection ends, The Sons of the Pioneers ask the theological question, Will There be Sagebrush in Heaven in a classic 1947 recording.
Today's movie trailer for Hop-Along Cassidy (1935). This is the first of 66 films in which William Boyd, would play the famous cowboy character. The last of these films would be Strange Gamble (1948). To say this movie series became a major success is a huge understatement. Hop-Along Cassidy movies would become a sensation, capturing the hearts and imaginations of all red-blooded American boys. Though the character had existed since 1904 as the star of a series of books written by Clarence E. Mulford, from this point on the character would be associated mainly with William Boyd. As if playing the character in 66 movies wasn't enough Boyd also played the character in a radio show that ran from 1948 to 1952 and a TV series which ran from 1949 to 1952. Boyd's version of the character owed little to the book character. Boyd's version was much more clean living and a role model for young kids. Few of these movies, radio episodes and TV episodes borrowed anything from the books for story material.
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The International Photographer, 1937
Now for a sermon from S.M. Lockridge.
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah Psalm 3:8
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 1 Peter 1:13
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8
But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:1-2
Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.” Joshua 10:25
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
This film has a storyline that is simply hard to resist. Around Christmas time a bishop (David Niven) is spending all his time focusing on building a new church. The stress and overwork are making him increasingly unhappy and distant from his beautiful wife (Loretta Young). In a time of desperation, he says a prayer for guidance and an angel (Cary Grant) appears to help him. However, when the angel makes his wife the happiest, she has been in a while, he starts to suspect the angel is trying to steal her away from him.
This film did not come about easily. The original director was William A. Seiter, who my fellow Laurel and Hardy fans might know as the director of the classic Sons of the Desert (1933). However Samuel Goldwyn did not like how the film was progressing and replaced him with Harry Koster as the director. The angel was originally going to be played by David Niven, and the Bishop by Dana Andrews, and Tersea Wright as the wife. However Tersea Wright had to leave due to pregnancy. The wife was to be played now by Loretta Young. However she was under contract to RKO. Dana Andrews was traded to RKO in order for MGM to get Young. The Bishop part was given to Cary Grant. However it was discovered that Grant would work better as the angel, so Niven and Grant traded roles. On top of all this the preview did not go well. Goldwyn was unhappy with Leonardo Bercovici and Robert E. Sherwood's script, so Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett were hired to refine the script, both without receiving credit. The film did well with critics, but less so with an audience. Because of this the title was temporary changed to Cary and the Bishop's Wife. Adding Cary Grant's first name to the title somehow did increase the box office results somewhat.
Even with all those issues to overcome, this turned out to be a near perfect movie. Everything in this film works near perfectly. The fantasy element is wonderful and this whole movie comes off as a wonderful Christmas themed fairy tale. The film only gets more magical as the more times you watch it. The romance is simply wonderful. This may be one of the most touching romances in movie history. The chemistry between all three leads is fantastic and there is never a single scene about the romance where it is not 100% believable. The humor is delightful. While the film may not always be laugh out loud funny, it does always keep a smile firmly on your face. There are also a few really good laugh out loud moments. What really makes the movie work though is the little moments that are simply charming. There is such a sweet an irresistible charm to scenes like the ice-skating scene and the choir scene, that gives one that heartwarming Christmas feeling.
This is a film that always gives me a great feeling of joy every time I watch it.
Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with Sylvester the Cat in Tree For Two (1952). This short film introduced the two dogs, Spike and Chester. They would only appear in two classic theatrical shorts (the other being Dr. Jekyll's Hyde (1954)), but the popularity of these movies has made the characters make cameos in many post-golden age Looney Tunes projects. This short would later be edited into the feature film, Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island (1983) and be remade as The Dogfather (1974), the first short in The Dogfather series of short films.
Santa's Surprise (1947) is an especially delightful Christmas cartoon from Famous Studios. This cartoon is best remembered as the first cartoon to feature the character of Little Audrey. Little Audrey was an original character for the studio and also a replacement for Little Lulu, who the studio had made a series of cartoons with, in the past. Little Lulu was not created by the studio but was the star of a comic strip by Marjorie Henderson Buell. When Paramount decided not to renew the license for Famous Studios to use that character, Little Audrey was created. The character was designed by veteran Disney animator Bill Tytla (possibly my favorite Disney animator), who was now a director at Famous. This short's lead animator was Myron Waldman, who specialized in cute animation (often shining his best in the studio's Casper series). Myron would later remember this cartoon as one he was especially happy with.
Now we join Mighty Mouse in Goons from the Moon (1951). I love that since this movie was made for Terrytoons, the town in it is called, Terrytown.
Disney cartoons have long been associated with sentimentality and cuteness. Yet this wasn't always the case. The early black and white Mickey Mouse films were mostly pretty much the opposite. They focused purely on the gags and jokes and with keeping the comic momentum going. A perfect example of this is Mickey's Orphans (1931). This movie has all the makings for a sentimental cartoon. It takes place at Christmas time and the involves Mickey adopting a bunch of orphans. Yet all of this is play strictly for laughs and some of the kids can be a little sadistic. A review in the Motion Picture Herald stated "The youngsters will get a real kick out of this short, and the oldsters will extract a bit of enjoyment." A review in The Film Daily gave the same sentiment stating "It will delight all children and get many a laugh from their elders." An issue of The Film Daily (Dated February 7, 1932) stated "In addition to El Brendel in person this week's show at the Roxy is a special treat for the kids. The presentation includes four scenes based on 'Mickey's Orphans,' the Mickey Mouse cartoon that was held over for three weeks at this house. The characters of Mickey and Minnie are portrayed by the Arnaut Brothers, popular pantomimists. Patricia Bowman, Fred Waring's orchestra in a novelty entitled 'Dancing Melodies,' and the Roxyettes also are part of the proceedings. In the Mickey scenes, the Roxyettes and ballet group are made up to represent kittens, musical notes and animated furnishings in Minnie's boudoir." This movie was reissued to theatres in 1934.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now we join our good friend Pooch the Pup in Nature's Workshop (1933). The last few moments of this movie are completely insane and I love them.
If you have trouble reading the page below click on it and use your touch screen to zoom in. The page has an extra little bonus for fans of Universal Monster movies.
Universal Weekly, 1933
Up next Donald Duck once again battles Chip and Dale in Chips Ahoy (1956). Unlike other Chip and Dale, shorts, this cartoon was directed by Jack Kinney instead of Jack Hannah. While it is not as crazy as some of Kinney's other films, this cartoon still features all the delightful slapstick you could want. This movie predates the cookies with the same name.
Now for Bugs Bunny in Prince Violent (1961). This film would later be renamed, Prince Varmint for TV airings, because I guess seeing the word violent written out would make kids want to be violent.
Today's cartoon selection ends with The Simpsons in Simpson Xmas (1988). This was one of the Simpsons shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show before the family got their own TV series.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another selection of animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Note: The reason this review is going up on Thanksgiving Day, is because it features Santa Claus taking part in a parade to tell everyone that Christmas is on its way. It is obvious to me that this is a Thanksgiving parade.
With Disney gaining the rights to the character luckily many people today now know about Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a character that was not that well know not that long ago. Many also know the basic history of his early years. He was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and starred in various silent cartoon shorts. These shorts were very popular on their release. At this time producer Charles Mintz was hiring away Walt's crew behind his back. Mintz then told Walt that he would either make these shorts on a much smaller budget or he would not be able to work with the character anymore. This was because despite creating him, Walt never owned the rights to Oswald. Walt refused and he would co-create a brand-new character again with Ub Iwerks called Mickey Mouse. This is where however the history most Disney fans hear seems to end, but Oswald's cartoon career continued for a while afterwards. At first Charles Mintz made a few cartoons with Oswald using the crew that Walt had been using. However soon Mintz would lose the rights to make Oswald when Universal (the studio distributing these shorts) would start its on cartoon studio and put Walter Lantz in charge of the character.
By 1934 when this Christmas cartoon was released, Lantz was making two different series of animated shorts. These were the Oswald shorts and the "Car-Tune" shorts. The difference between these two series was pretty much the same as the difference between Disney's Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies series. The Oswald shorts would star Oswald and the Car-Tune shorts would feature miscellaneous characters. Toyland Premiere was a tiny bit of an exception. This Car-Tune short would feature Oswald in it; however, Oswald does play a smaller role here and the real star of the film is Santa Claus.
Santa is the star attraction of the Toyland parade. After the parade is over Oswald invites Santa to a party at his department store. Also attending the party are various Hollywood stars including Al Jolson, Shirley Temple, Bing Crosby, Boris Karloff, Johnny Weissmuller and Laurel and Hardy. Oddly enough Laurel and Hardy are made the cartoon's villains, as they try to steal a chocolate cake made for the party. This ends up causing a food fight that Santa enjoys very much.
This is a very charming cartoon and a delight to watch. The animation while not up to Disney standards is quite good. This is animation above the usual standard of Lantz cartoons at this time. The early scenes at the North Pole may remind Disney fans of the 1932 Disney Silly Symphony, Santa's Workshop. I have no proof as to if they were inspired by that film, this is just an observation. The whole cartoon also moves a brisk pace and has a nice Christmas-y feeling to it.
Cartoon buffs may be interested to know Santa Claus in this film is voiced by Tex Avery. Before he became a director and revolutionized the Warner Brothers cartoons, Tex was an animator at Lantz studio, and with his boisterous laugh it was only naturally for him to voice Santa. This by the way was not the last time he would voice Santa. He would return to voicing the character for a brief gag in a 1943 cartoon he himself directed called Who Killed Who.
Ever wonder what it would be to spend Thanksgiving with Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and little baby Jamie Lee Curtis? Well wonder know more. Just read the following article from a 1960 issue of Modern Screen magazine. If you have trouble reading the following pages click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in.
In this episode an evil pirate captain, named Sinbad of course, and his crew are traveling in their flying space pirate ships and robbing various cities around the world. The Super Friends come to stop them.
I have always liked stories where superheroes are placed up against criminals without superpowers and yet those characters can come off as legitimate threats to our heroes. This episode does a very good job at providing such a story. These space pirates are not in any way typical super villains, yet the technology they have makes them completely believable as threats to our heroes. This even allows us to have some really fun action sequences. The scenes with these pirates up against Batman and Robin and with Aquaman especially stand out. The whole episode moves at a fast speed and never once loses the viewer's interest. Besides just being a non-superpowered threat, Sinbad is a great villain in quite a few ways. He has a wonderful design and a perfect voice. He is also very smart and the ways he uses his technology to stop the super friends are delightfully clever. This episode also includes some wonderful design work, both of the various cities around the world and of the space pirate ships. I also love that this episode allows us to see Superman briefly as Clark Kent. It is rare in Super Friends to see any of the superheroes in their secret identities and even if this is only for a brief moment, it is a nice little moment. However, the best thing about this episode is that Gleek the monkey is barely in it.
A wonderful film that is equal parts creepy and beautiful.
Making a love story about two cannibals is something that very few filmmakers would ever try. Luckily Luca Guadagnino is not most filmmakers. What he creates here is a very unique and powerful thing. It is brilliant how this movie turns the characters that in most horror films would be the bad guys into the most sympathetic and relatable people. You truly get to care about our two main characters and see them as human beings rather than monsters. This is done heavily with how the characters don't eat people out of malice but instead because they have an unquenching desire to devour fellow human beings Our heroine desires nothing more than to simply be normal. She constantly feels guilty about this and constantly wonders if she is in fact a good person. Yet in the scenes where we see her feeding are indeed disturbing, making her both frightening and lovable at the same time. To think about whether or not she has a right to be happy and live a normal life is a huge question this movie brings up. As the movie goes on we have many complex emotions about this and the more complex these emotions get the more it leaves us unable to answer this question. Because of this, you leave the movie theater with a lot of food of thought and genuinely both emotionally and intellectually affected by what you just saw. Despite the dark and gruesome nature of such a film, there is a surprisingly sweetness behind the main romance. Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet have wonderful chemistry and the romance between them always feels completely real and believable. Yet this is not to say that the movie does not have any real scares. Some of the scenes in this film are truly scary. Some of the scariest scenes have to do with Mark Rylance's character. Every scene with this character pushes this movie completely into the horror realm. Mark Rylance is one of my favorite current working actors, however I have never seen him play a role like this before. He plays it incredibly well and makes each scene with him simply terrifying. Even in the scenes where he is not eating other people, we feel a sense of uneasy that makes us truly shiver.
What truly makes this film wonderful is how well it can go from genre to genre. It can go from horror to romance to family drama to art film, while feeling completely natural the whole time.
This movie promises a big adventure and that is just what it delivers. This is a film that really takes you to another world. The world that our characters find themselves in is wonderfully designed. The design and artwork here is simply beautiful. There is a real attention to detail here. There are lots of little things that fill this world, that you may not notice all of them, but they still enhance your experience. Many of the scenes here are simply jaw droppingly beautiful to look at. Yet this world is also very well setup by the storytelling. Director Don Hall is a Disney veteran and has worked on Disney films as early as the late 1990's (he was a story artist on Tarzan (1999)) and has proved himself to be a wonderful director for the studio handling such movies as Winnie the Pooh (2011), Big Hero 6 (2014) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). He uses this experience to his full advantage and with the help of a clever screenplay Qui Nguyen, creates a world where the fantasy feels completely believable and is full of great atmosphere. Yet this movie has a heart underneath this. That heart is heavily present in the relationships between the Clade family, especially the men of the Clade family. These characters have a lot and common (even when they don't see it) but are still very much their own characters. You can feel just how much the three men care about each other in each scene, while at the same time understanding why there is some friction in their relationships.
Unfortunately, the story line here feels very familiar and similar to many other sci-fi films and recent Disney movies. This makes it hard to approach some scene without thinking of other movies. The film can also be very predictable at times, and I figured out what the big twist was going to be earlier than I should have. One scene is both a comedic scene and a scene meant to foreshadow and lead up to this twist, was so obvious in its foreshadowing that it briefly took me out of the movie. This film also presents its message in a rather heavy-handed manner, that is often told through too obvious on the nose dialogue.
The humor here can be a bit hit and miss. Some of the jokes are really funny, while others simply fall flat.
This may not be a perfect movie, but what it does well, it does very well. This makes it easy to recommend this film to any animation or Disney fan.
A delightfully disturbing and entertaining horror comedy.
As this film starts off, it feels like a typical horror or suspense movie. A group of people are travel to an island for a few days of cooking from a brilliant but eccentric chef, but once they get to the island, the audience can immediately feel that something is off and sinister about this place. This is a wonderful setup that perfectly prepares us to feel uneasy. However, it doesn't fully prepare us for what follows. What follows is a wonderful mixture of dark comedy, suspense and horror. We never know at any second what is going to happen next. It could be something funny, disturbing or both. This honestly creates a greater sense of unease than a regular suspense film would have. Along with the scenes that make us laugh and the scenes that give us the creeps, there are also scenes that leave us unable to know whether to laugh or be repelled by what we are seeing. These scenes are often set up like a joke, but the punch line is very disturbing. It is these scenes that are frankly the most effective because they catch us completely off guard and leave us grappling with our own emotions and our understanding of what type of film this is. Because of this they were firmly stay in our minds long after the end credits roll. The humor in this movie is often very dark and over the top. Because of this, the humor is not for everybody, but for me I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit, while feeling uneasy about having laughed at such a dark moment right after I finished. Yet despite all the comedy in this film, the creepy parts are still legitimately creepy, and this could have been made as a normal horror movie, if the filmmakers so desired. Many of the characters here may be stereotypes but they actually perfectly for what type of movie this is. Even the most stereotyped characters have a reason to be that way, as that helps set much of the plot in motion. If these characters were more fleshed out and less stereotypical, many of the story points would not work as well. The exceptions to these one-dimensional characters are our heroine and our villain. However, both of them have a reason to be that way as well. The heroine offers us someone to root for and relate to. Because of her presence we can place ourselves in the story. The villain being a more complex character gives us an understanding of what would drive him this far and why he would go to such great length. Sure it is still a very over the top plan, but that is simply part of the charm of this film. Everything leads up to a simply brilliant ending that made me laugh out loud while simultaneously have shivers sent down my spine.
If I had one complait about this movie, it is that the message can often be very unsubtle and in your face. However this is a small price to pay for how great the rest of this film is.
This may not be a movie for everyone, but I simply loved it.
Even if you may not know his name if you are a fan of old movies, you will probably recognize Erik Rhodes. This is especially true if you are a fan of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, as he had very memorable roles in two of their films. In The Gay Divorcee (1934), he played the man who pretended to have an affair with Ginger Rogers to make her "husband" jealous. In Top Hat (1935), he played the dress maker, who would threaten Edward Everett Horton's life ("for the woman the kiss, for the man the sword"). Comedy fans might also know him for being in the Wheeler and Woolsey film, The Nitwits (1935). Considering these over-the-top and silly comedic characters he played, one would not exactly except him to have any athletic ambitions. However, this 1936 article from Movie Classic magazine reveals that he did have such ambitions.
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Hello, my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, today's musical selection begins with Gene Autry singing Bless This House. God has given us so many blessings, many of which we simply take for granted. This Thanksgiving, let us make sure we take the time to thank God for every blessing we have in our lives and to reflect on how blessed we truly are.
This is followed by Charlie Rich with Down by the Riverside. This recording comes from his 1976 gospel album, Silver Linings.
Next is Johnny Cash with I Won't Have to Cross Jordan Alone. This hymn was written by Charles Durham. Durham's day job was as a postman, yet he found himself often moved by God and wanted to write down what God would speak to him. He carried a paper and pencil with him on each trip, in case a hymn would come to him, while he was on his route. It is believed that he wrote over 100 hymns this way. Later in life he would publish hymn books and organize gospel quartets. His first hymn was published in 1912. This hymn was published in 1934. John's version of the hymn comes from his 1962 album, Hymns From the Heart. This was his second full gospel album.
Now for The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. This hymn began with a man named Anthony Showalter. As a fan of gospel music and an elder in a Presbyterian church, he held many "singing schools" at various churches in the south. One day he received two letters from former students who were struggling after their wives had passed. To respond to these letters, Showalter consulted scripture. He came across Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." After reading this verse lyrics for a song chorus went through his head and he wrote down, "“Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” After using this in the letters to his former students he sent this chorus to his friend hymnist, Elisha Hoffman. In the letter he also wrote, “Here is the chorus for a good hymn from Deuteronomy 33:27, but I can’t come up with the verses.” Hoffman then wrote the rest of the lyrics to which Showalter put to music. The hymn was published in 1887.
This is followed by Anne Wilson with This House. This song was written by Anne herself and comes from her debut album, 2022's My Jesus.
Now for The Blue Sky Boys with their 1940 recording of I'm S-A-V-E-D. While we all are going to fall short and sin sometimes, if we are true Christians, we should not gladly or proudly live in sin, but be constantly working towards being more like Jesus and less like this world.
Now join Willie Nelson and his sister Bobbie (on piano) as they perform When We All Get to Heaven. This hymn was written by Eliza E. Hewitt. Eliza was a public schoolteacher who due to a serious spinal problem was confined to her bed for a while. During this time, she was moved to write hymns. Despite her situation, these hymns tended to be very joyous and uplifting. This sends a couple of very powerful messages. God is able to use the hard times in life for his glory. At the same time he is able to give us comfort and joy even in our most difficult times.
Today's musical selection ends with Roy Rogers singing Peace in the Valley. The hymn was written by Thomas A. Dorsey who later explained the origins of this song, “Peace in the Valley,” “It was just before Hitler sent his war chariots into Western Europe in the late 1930s. I was on a train going through southern Indiana and saw horses, cows and sheep all grazing together in this little valley. Everything seemed so peaceful. It made me question, “What’s the matter with mankind? Why can’t men live in peace?” Out of those thoughts came “Peace in the Valley.”
This week's movie trailer is for The Magnificent Seven (1960). This film was directed by John Sturges and starred Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter. This movie was a remake of Japanese director Akira Kurasawa's brilliant film, Seven Samurai (1954). Akira Kurasawa loved this remake and sent John Sturges a ceremonial sword from Japan. This film is one of the few remakes of a true classic that is also viewed as a true classic in its own right. This movie would again be remade with The Magnificent Seven (2016). Unfortunately, that version would fail to live up to either the original Japanese version or this beloved remake.
To read the article below, click on the page below and use your touch screen to zoom in.
Film Bulletin, 1960
Next comes S.M. Lockridge with his sermon, Stumbling Over Simplicity.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalms 100:4
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3:19
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, today's cartoon selection begins with a true Thanksgiving classic, Tom Turk and Daffy (1944). Unlike Christmas or Halloween, there really aren't a wide variety of Thanksgiving cartoons, which is odd once you think about how hunting a turkey is a perfect subject for a cartoon. However, the idea of hunting a turkey in a cartoon was done to perfection in this film. The cartoon was directed by Chuck Jones, who is often credited with playing a major role in turning Daffy from his early crazy self into a self-centered character bent on self-preservation-ism. While Daffy had not fully turned into that character by this point this cartoon shows that sneaking into the character. In this film Daffy is willing to sell-out his friend he vowed to protect when temptation gets the better of him (Those darn canned yams!). The idea of Daffy simply being too weak to resist temptation is fully in line with the Daffy we would see in later Jones cartoons. Yet he still has the wild energetic streak that characterized the older Daffy Duck cartoons. In an interview with film historian Joe Adamson, Chuck would state, "What you do is multiply your own weakness, I guess, in a character like Daffy. There was no problem after I began to understand what he was all about. My Daffy and Friz's [Looney Tunes director, Friz Freleng] are also a little bit different, Friz was the one you might say, who got him into that cowardly self-preservation. The minute he did it, I understood what that was; I knew how I'd feel. It's that awfulness, when you're on the battlefield, of realizing when your buddy is shot that your basic feeling is one of relief: that it wasn't you. Well Daffy says that. He says, 'I may be a mean little duck but I'm an alive little duck.' or when he gave Bugs up to the Abominable Snowman, he said, 'I'm not like other people: I can't stand pain - it hurts me.' When I'd go home, I'd tell Dorothy [Chuck's wife] a line like that, which just occurred as I was working. I'd say, 'You know what that guy Daffy did today?' and I'd repeat the line and then she'd look at me. She never got used to this, she'd say, 'Well, you were drawing it you did it.' I'd say 'That's not true! It just developed! That's what he said. It was natural for him to say it.'" Despite this cartoon being Thanksgiving themed, Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald's book, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Brothers Cartoons, lists the film release date as February 12th, 1944. The story credit for this film goes to "The Staff" and as far as I know this is the only Warner cartoon with that credit. I do not know the reason for this if any of you do please let me know.
Today's cartoon selection continues with Therapeutic Pink (1977). This short film marks the last Pink Panther cartoon to be made for movie theaters.
Now for a silent movie starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, The Ole Swimmin’ 'Ole (1928).
Our next film has become a holiday classic for many cartoon fans, who watch it every Thanksgiving. The cartoon is Jerky Turkey (1945). Directed by the one and only Tex Avery, this movie is everything anyone could want from a Tex Avery film. This movie revolves around the premise of a pilgrim chasing a Turkey and being a Tex Avery film, every crazy gag around this premise that could be used in 7 minutes appears. Out of all the “Eat at Joe’s” gags in the history of cartoons, this film has my favorite. The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "JERKY TURKEY: Technicolor Cartoons - This is the kind of cartoon that keep audiences laughing. They forget their troubles and feel glad they came to the theatre. We highly recommend this one. - Thomas di Lorenzo, New Platz Theatre, New Platz, N. Y. Small town patronage."
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for a fun black and white Terry Toons cartoon, The Mayflower (1935). This film may be crude compared to what Disney was doing at this time but watched in the right mindset, it is a lot of fun.
Now for our frustrated hero, Donald Duck in Lucky Number (1951). This movie is an oddity among Donald cartoons as it depicts Huey, Dewey and Louie as older than usual (seemingly teenagers). They are at least old enough to drive a car without anybody thinking a thing of it.
Now to end today's cartoon selection is a special Thanksgiving surprise. It is the TV special, Garfield's Thanksgiving (1989).
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another selection of classic cartoons. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
Chuck Jones: Conversations Edited by Maureen Furniss
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald
If there is a movie that fully gets by on the talents and charisma of its stars, it is this one. The story is a very typical romantic comedy and if you have ever watched the Hallmark channel then you know everything that was going to happen. What gives this movie charm in spite of its familiarity is the likability of the stars and of the characters they play. The main characters in this film are played by George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, TV's Last Man Standing). These three are simply overflowing with charm and enhance any film they are in. In this movie, they are at their most likable and charming and make some of the corniest most predictable moments quite a bit of fun. I also like that this film makes their characters always very likable even when they are being selfish or being angry at each other. This makes the film feel a bit like a pleasant vacation with nice people. The movie also takes good advantage of its island setting and this makes for a very visually pleasing film. While the humor never made me laugh out loud, quite a few of the jokes made me smile a little bit and there weren't many really bad jokes here.
The problem with this film is that is extremely similar to a great number of romantic comedies and does nothing to make it stand out from the pack. As such this is one of those films that you might forget about rather quickly after watching it. Also with the movie's predictability, many of the plot points feel too painfully obvious and there are too many times when we are simply waiting for what we know is bound to happen to happen.
This film provides a pleasant trip to the movies but little more.
Though his name may not be known to a lot of you, if you are a Charlie Chaplin fan you have probably seen Loyal Underwood. He was briefly a member of Charlie Chaplin's stock company and appeared in numerous of the great comedian's silent films, including The Count (1916), Easy Street (1917), The Cure (1917), The Immigrant (1917), Shoulder Arms (1918), Sunnyside (1919), Pay Day (1922), The Pilgrim (1923). He would later return to Charlie Chaplin to play a brief role in Charlie's talkie feature film, Limelight (1952). After his original stint with Charlie Chaplin, he would work for the radio station, KNX. This following article fills in some other parts of his career. If you have any trouble reading it click on the page below and use your touch screen to zoom in. Also, his favorite movie actor in the talkies was Rin-Tin-Tin, of course. It is of course always worth noting that magazine articles like these should be taken with a grain of salt.
Radio Doings, 1930
The following article tells a love story involving Loyal Underwood. Again things you read in these articles should be taken with a grain of salt. Also I disagree heavily with the author's view that even the serious films of the silent era were laughable. Click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in, if you have trouble reading.
Radio Doings, 1931
The following article about silent film comedian Harry Langdon, mentions a Loyal Underwood from KNX. HMMMM....
Exhibitors Herald, 1926
Here is an example of Loyal Underwood in a Charlie Chaplin film. Loyal has a dual role in this picture. He plays the small father of the big brood and one of the policemen.
Though Mary Eaton appeared in only a few films, she is immortalized in movie history as the leading lady in The Marx Brothers' first feature film, The Cocoanuts (1929). Before her brief movie career, she had a much more successful career on stage. On stage she appeared with Fred and Adele Astaire and in three editions of The Ziegfeld Follies. She had what is said to be a very impressive dance number in her Ziegfeld Follies appearances.
Now to take a look at the life of this often-overlooked stage and movie star with a 1929 article from Screenland Magazine. This article mentions her getting engaged to Millard Webb, who directed her in the film, Glorifying the American Girl (1929), which featured many Ziegfeld Follies performers and was produced by Flo Ziegfeld, himself. Though they would separate Mary and Millard would remain married until his death in 1935. If you have any trouble reading the pages below, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in.
Here she is singing Irving Berlin's When My Dreams Come True in The Marx Brothers movie, The Cocoanuts (1929).
One of my favorite of The New Superfriends episodes.
When the Wonder Twins are on a nice boat ride, something pulls them down into the Earth's core. Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Robin and Aquaman all travel there to save our heroes.
This episode shows perfectly why, I really enjoy this show. Despite the corny dialogue this episode is just what I want in a superhero adventure. It is highly imaginative and a lot of fun. The design of the prehistoric world at the Earth's core is incredibly fun and atmospheric. Obviously a lot of work went into the artwork in this episode and shows. This is simply a beautiful looking episode. The artwork also gives a feeling of something truly other worldly and yet it is all based off of familiar parts of nature we have all seen, just used in very creative ways. The creatures our heroes meet down there are wonderfully designed and creative. This episode also moves at a very fast speed and the story is never boring for a second. At the same time, it doesn't feel rushed in any way. The story may be familar but it is a lot of fun with some delightful action. The episode also makes good use of all of the Super Friends and not one of them doesn't contribute someway to saving the day.
It is also wonderful that there is not much of Gleek here. I have never found that space monkey either funny or charming, and he is easily my least favorite part of this show. Luckily in this episode you hardly notice that he is there and that is a wonderful thing if you ask me.
This is an episode that shows perfectly everything that makes me a fan of this show.
There is a tendency for movies about childhood to idealize this part of life. To look back on it with a wistful nostalgia. Yet if we really take a close look back at our own childhood there are parts of it, we would never wish to repeat. This is certainly true of writer and director, James Gray (Ad Astra), who turns in one of his most personal and emotion films with Armageddon Time. This film strips away all of the wistful nostalgia and instead offers brutal honesty. The movie can be very hard to watch at times, but it is one that had a very strong emotional effect on me. This film does not have a neat traditional three-act storyline, but instead revolves around various smaller plotlines that take place in our main character's life. He becomes best friends with a black kid and sees real racism play out in front of him, he develops a close relationship with his grandfather, he has conflicts with his parents who don't understand his desire to be an artist, he struggles with school and feels no desire or ambition to become what everyone seems to want him to be. While these many smaller plot lines may make this film feel jumbled to some, to me they just made it feel more real and like a portrait of a real person's childhood. James Gray has stated that he drew heavily draws from his own childhood experiences with this film. You can feel that authenticity throughout the whole movie and as we watch the film, we have no trouble putting ourselves in the main character's shoes. For nearly two hours we are living and feeling every experience this character lives through. This film also does a wonderful job of exploring themes like racism and how the school system doesn't always work for everybody. This film really gets us thinking about these subjects and leaves us with a lot going through our mind as the end credits roll.
My biggest complaint with this movie is one scene involving the Trump family. I have no problem with filmmakers inserting political commentary into their films, but here it feels completely out of place and forced. Maybe the film could have done this in a subtler way that would fit the storyline better.
This is a truly great movie that is very emotionally powerful and thought provoking.
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's music selection begins with Gene Autry's 1946 recording of When It's Round Up Time in Heaven. This song was written by Jimmie Davis, former governor of Louisiana and writer of You Are My Sunshine and I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes. Gene recorded this song on June 4, 1946. The same day he recorded another cowboy gospel number, Rounded Up in Glory.
This is followed by Merle Haggard with Softly And Tenderly. The song was written by an Ohio businessman named Will Thompson in 1880. As well as writing gospel songs Thompson also wrote quite a few secular songs and parotic songs. When the songs he wrote were rejected by publishers he created his own company, Will L. Thompson & Company. This company would not only publish music by sell musical instruments. Softly and Tenderly first appeared in 1880's Sparkling Gems, Nos. 1 and 2, a collection of songs from the company. When evangelist Dwight L. Moody was on his death bed he told the songwriter, "Will, I would rather have written ‘Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling’ than anything I have been able to do in my whole life." This was appropriate as Will decided to make songwriting his career while at a meeting held by Moody.
Next is The Charlie Daniels Band with a wonderfully country blues filled version of Just a Closer Walk With Thee. This version of the classic hymn comes from the band's 2002 album, How Sweet the Sound. Unlike their previous Christian albums, that consisted mostly of original songs, this album found the band performing old gospel songs and hymns. It is probably the band's finest album of the 21st Century.
Then comes Glen Campbell with I Love to Tell the Story. When recovering from a sickness, Arabella Katherine Hankey wrote a poem about the life of Christ. This poem was broken into two parts the first being called The Story Wanted (published in January, 1866) and the second called The Story Told (published in November, 1866). I Love to Tell the Story comes from this second part. In 1869 William G. Fisher put this text to music and that is the version we know today. Still it is worth noting that Hankey wrote her own music for these words, but her music was seldom used and is now forgotten.
Afterwards comes The Blue Sky Boys with their 1936 recording of Where the Soul of Man Never Dies.
Now for Anne Wilson with Scatter. This song comes from her 2022 debut album, My Jesus.
Now for The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Power In The Blood. I love the Sons of the Pioneers' gospel recordings of this time period. The meaning of the word gospel is "good news", and these songs perfectly match that description as the are filled with joy and fun. Being a Christian should be a joyous thing that brings us much happiness and these recordings are full of pure joy and fun.
Today's musical selection ends with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing I'll Fly Away. This version of the classic southern gospel song comes from their 1973 gospel album, In the Sweet By and By.
Today's movie trailer is for The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). This is the second feature film, released to movie theaters, based off of the Lone Ranger TV series. Like the first film, this movie is in full color and features Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels playing The Lone Ranger and Tonto. The movie was directed by Lesley Selander, who also directed the previous film and before this had a long history of B-westerns including some Hopalong Cassidy and Red Ryder movies. After this there would be no more feature length Lone Ranger films until 1981.
Now for a message from the Reverend Billy Graham.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15
"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again.
