Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Have You Read the Bible Today. It is important for each of us to read our Bible each and every day. The Bible is not just some book, it is the living breathing word of God. It is easy for our faith and Christian walk to become idle and stagnant and the easiest way for this to happen is to simply not read our Bible. Taking some time each day to read the Bible is the best way for our faith and our walk with God to continue growing and maturing. This recording is the B-side of a 1955 Little Golden Record by Roy and Dale. The A-side was The Bible Tells Me So.
This is followed by Dailey and Vincent with Moes Smote the Water.
Afterwards is The Cox Family with There Will Be Singing.
Then comes Ricky Skaggs with Won't it Be Wonderful There. This song was written by James Rowe in 1930. James Rowe had written thousands of hymns including some beloved classics like Love Lifted Me and If I could Hear My Mother Pray Again. This recording comes from Ricky Skaggs' 1982 album, Friends and Family.
Next is the Sons of the Pioneers with their 1948 recording of The Touch of God's Hand. This song was written by one of the band's forming members and one of my personal favorite songwriters, Bob Nolan.
Now for Johnny Cash with These Things Shall Pass. This song comes from his incredible 1959 album, Hymns by Johnny Cash. This was Johnny's second album at Columbia records. Earlier he had worked for Sun records where the producer Sam Phillips wouldn't let Johnny make a gospel album feeling gospel music was not making money in the way that rock and roll or country could. Johnny had dreamed of being a gospel singer for a long time, so he made sure to make a gospel album not long after leaving Sun. So, it is true to say that Hymns by Johnny Cash was a true passion project for John.
Today's musical selection ends with Hank Snow with Invisible Hands. This song comes from Hank Snow's 1965 gospel album, Gloryland March.
Now for a message from S.M. Lockridge.
Now for the 12th episode of TV's The Lone Ranger.
Psalm 57
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave.
1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who vindicates me.
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me—
God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
4 I am in the midst of lions;
I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.
7 My heart, O God, is steadfast,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
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.
Today's cartoon selection begins with the Terry Toons short, If Cat's Could Sing (1950). This is a very charming and fun cartoon. However, dogs being the house owners and cats being their pets feels weird. Oh well I guess if Minnie Mouse could own a cat, why not? This short film was directed by Eddie Donnelly. Producer Paul Terry said about Eddie Donnely, "Eddie Donnelly was a very hard worker. I remember we used to wash the cels and use them over again in [the 1930's], and Ed even used to that at night so he could make a little extra money. [He Started] at Fables, and he got to be a very good director. He was on par with Connie Rasinski, and Connie was the best."
Next comes Pooch the Pup in King Klunk (1933). Pooch the Pup was one of the Walter Lantz Studio's earliest attempts at an original starring character (the studio started by making a series of cartoons with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit who was created by Walt Disney). The character didn't have the same lasting power as the later Walter Lantz character Woody Woodpecker. Pooch only lasted for 12 cartoons of which this was the 11th. This cartoon is a parody of King Kong (1933), a movie that was released the same year.
Now for a classic early black and white Silly Symphony, The Clock Store (1931). Like many of the early Silly Symphonies, this movie doesn't have much in the way of plot but instead focuses mainly as a mood piece. This allows the Disney studio to do what they did best, with wonderful animation, beautiful artwork and an incredible sense of atmosphere. No other Hollywood cartoon studio of the time could have done a cartoon like this and make it turn out so well. This film is heavily helped by a truly wonderful group of artists. Johnny Cannon animates the lamplighter. Our first peek inside the clock store is animated by Cecil Surrey. Chuck Couch, an underrated Disney animator and also a cartoon writer for Disney, Walter Lantz and Hanna-Barbera, animates the cuckoo clocks. Harry Reeves, who would work as a Disney animator and story writer into the 1950's, animates the four alarm clocks. Hardie Gramatky animates the timepieces. Frenchy de Trémaudan animates the wristwatches and the dancing alarm clocks. Dan Tattenham animates the Swiss clock with the chimes. Albert Hunter animates the wonderful scene with the minuet figures. Ben Sharpsteen, who would later be supervising director on the Disney features Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940) and Dumbo (1941), animates the grandfather and grandmother clocks. Charles Byrne animates the Dutch windmill clock. Jack King, later director for both Warner Brothers and Disney (at Disney he directed some of the finest Donald Duck cartoons), animates the Dutch dance. Rudy Zamora, who had previously been a major animator at the Fleischer Studios and would later animate on the Charlie Brown TV specials as well directing various TV cartoons for Hanna-Barbera, animates the alarm clocks fighting and the clock on the wall. Joe D'Igalo animates the crowd cheering for the fight. This film made its TV debut on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club that aired on December 1, 1955.
Next comes the silent era Out of the Inkwell short, Koko Smokes (1928).
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for the Mickey Mouse Works cartoon, Hansel and Gretel (1999). This short would later appear on the House of Mouse episode, House Ghosts (2003) and the direct to video movie, Mickey's House of Villains (2002). This short differs greatly from the other Mickey Mouse Works cartoons by not featuring any dialogue. The use of classical music gives it a similar feel to The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1940). The classical piece used here is theDanse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens.
Animation fans know director Friz Freleng as a master of timing and very few comedy cartoons have come close to the perfect comedy timing of his films. This can especially be seen in his cartoon, Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943). This in my mind is one of his funniest films and just a pure delight. Despite the title, this film does not have a parotitic theme or revolve around U.S. history. With the James Cagney feature, Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) having come out the year before, this pun was probably just too good for the filmmakers to pass up. As I have spoke about Friz earlier look for a portrait of him in Porky's office. A review in The Motion Picture Daily calls this film a "Pleasant little subject." The following are Exhibitor's reviews from The Motion Picture Herald. "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons—This studio's cartoons lately seem to be either exiciptionally good or exceptionally bad. This is downright terrible. - W. Verricks Nevins, III, Alfred Co-op Theatre, Alfred N.Y." "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons—Good cartoon, but where does it get its name? - Ralph Raspa, State Theatre, Rivesdale, W. Va." "YANKEE DOODLE DAFFY: Looney Tunes Cartoons - Average color cartoon. - E.M. Freiburger, Paramount Theatre, Dewey, Okla."
Up next is the Walter Lantz produced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon, Keeper of Lions (1937). By the time this film was released Oswald had undergone a massive design change and is no longer recognizable as the same charter Walt Disney created in the 1920's.
Now let us close with a song.
Thank you for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman.
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald
If you have seen any musical biopic before there is nothing about this Michael Jackson movie that will seem new to you. However, the movie can also be quite entertaining. There is no denying how great the musical moments are. The recreations of Michael Jackson's classic performances and music videos are incredibly well done. During these scenes you swear you are watching the real Michael. You have probably already heard about how great Jaafar Jackson (Michael's nephew) is here. You have heard right. He is amazing here. Not only does he look and sound like his uncle, but he is also a dang good actor. Less attention has been given to Juliano Valdi for playing Michael as a kid, but he is also very good.
Unfortunately, as great as these aspects are they are not able to make this movie stand out among the many biopics coming out. You have seen everything here before and there is little about the story that in any way is done better than the plethora of similar films. The movie also suffers from the main fault of most biopics. That is that there is simply too much story to tell in one movie, making much of the film feel rushed. Also, the CGI Bubbles is extremely distracting.
This is not a great film by any means, but Michael Jackson fans should still have a great time.
P.S. With this being a Universal movie, I was amazed at all the classic Disney posters and stuffed Mickeys seen here.
In this film, a young woman ends up being dragged along to a corporate retreat by her boyfriend. This corporate retreat ends up being very dangerous as it is being arranged by a mentally unstable former CEO.
For being a horror-comedy, there is not one thing about this movie that is either funny or scary. Instead, this is one of the most unpleasant movies, I have seen in a long time. It simply lingers on extremely gory scenes that have no point except to be gory. This gory is too realistic and disturbing to be any fun but the story line is too silly for the gore to add any sense of realism. All that is left is pointless scenes that are simply very disturbing and hard to watch. The movie then becomes an endurance test for audiences. I wanted to get up and leave the theater many times. Story-wise this film is no better. The plot seems like it wants to make some sort of point about corporate America. However, whatever point it wants to make is completely lost in a nonsensical story and hopelessly inept dialogue. Telling this story the movie is constantly shifting tones in such a clumsy way that you are unsure how serious or not serious you are supposed to be taking anything. Regardless of how you take it, it is impossible to have any emotional connection to anything going on. The characters are all bland stereotypes that are never likable, relatable or enjoyable.
The closest thing this movie has to something making it worth watching is the performance by Alan Ruck as the villain. Alan Ruck seems to know he is in a bad movie here and just decides to ham it up. The result is the only thing that is somewhat fun to watch here.
Last month I posted an old vintage article about the making of the silent version of Beau Geste (1926). Here is another article about the same subject. I hope you enjoy it.
This comes from a 1926 issue of Exhibitors Herald. If you have any trouble reading it click on the page below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.
When I heard Leonard Maltin and his daughter Jessie Maltin put out a new book, I was not expecting anything to do with cooking or food. However, this new book is a pure delight fully up to Maltin standards.
As well as including great recipes, this book is also a survey of 25 delightful family friendly films sure to make a great movie night for the whole family. These selections stretch over eight decades from Charlie Chaplin's The Kid (1921) to Disney's Enchanted (2007). Each movie selected is a sheer delight and the variety (while all of them are still family friendly) is excellent. In true Maltin style the writing about each movie is wonderful. It is very informative and provides a great critical insight while remaining completely unpretentious. After reading Leonard and Jessie's' writings I wanted to watch all of these films, even the ones I have seen a million times.
I have not made any of the recipes yet but hopefully will (the ones without meat anyway) someday. The pictures of the food look delicious, and I got hungry just reading some of these recipes. While I have not made them yet, the instructions seem simple and easy to follow.
The movies included in this book are The Kid (1921), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Captain January (1936), The Wizard of Oz (1939), National Velvet (1944), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Singing in the Rain (1952), Calamity Jane (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), Sounder (1972), Star Wars (1977), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), A Christmas Story (1983), The Princess Bride (1987), Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989), The Addams Family (1991), The Secret Garden (1993), A Little Princess (1995), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) and Enchanted (2007).
In this film, two sisters are on a quest for revenge. They plan to kill their father who tried to kill them and their mom when they were kids.
This is a dark and tense ride that makes you feel uncomfortable in all the best ways. There have been many movies that have looked at how seeking revenge and the trail of violence it leaves can change a person. However, this film handles it especially well. You can not only feel and understand what makes them go down this dark path. You can also see how this path of revenge affects these two different characters. Though they are both twins who have lived, struggled and survived together while sharing everything, these are still two very different people. We can see the differences in their personalities from the opening scene. One has a massive chip on her shoulder and wants to take it out on the world, while the other simply wishes she could live a normal life. When you see the way that this plays out, the changes in these characters don't come out from thin air. Rather it simply expands on what was already there. The effect is something more shocking and real than many films that deal with a similar theme. This is all helped by the wonderful chemistry Kara Young and Mallori Johnson. They perfectly capture the deep sisterly bond between the two and capture how they can almost bond as one at times, while still having distinct personalities. Also excellent, if in the film for a briefer time is Sterling K. Brown as the father. How calm he is and how he outwardly appears like a nice easy-going guy makes him all the more terrifying. It also speaks to how people like this really are (toxic abusive, violent men) often feel that their terrifying acts are called for because they actually believe that being a man means they have a God given power to do whatever they want with women's lives. This not only makes him scary but provides some real social commentary without ever feeling preachy. All this leads up to a truly shocking and effective ending.
Unfortunately, what keeps this film from being the masterpiece it should be is that it insists on mixing its dark subject matter with some quirky comedy. The comedy is only occasionally funny (often it simply tries too hard) and never meshes with the darker and more serious scenes. This can make this feel like two movies at odds with one another. Luckily one of those movies is fantastic.
Despite an uneven tone, this film is an excellent thriller and a great character study.
Hi my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today’s musical selection begins with the King of the Cowboys and The Queen of the West, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with Jesus in the Morning. This song reminds us that we are not only to leave a small part of the day with Jesus as our focus but all day long as well as everyday. We should wake up each morning with Jesus on our mind and go to bed each night the same way. While few of us will succeed with this every day, we will find that each day we do it will be an enriching day that will makes us grow as a person. This song comes from Roy and Dale’s 1973 gospel album, In the Sweet By and By.
This is followed by Skeeter Davis with Who Am I. This comes from her 1967 gospel album, Hand in Hand with Jesus.
Afterwards is Ricky Skaggs with The River of Jordon. This recording comes from his 1982 album, Family and Friends. The song was written by Hazel Houser, who wrote both Christian and secular country songs. Her other songs include Wait a Little Longer Please Jesus and My Baby's Gone.
Then comes Dailey and Vincent with The Old Rugged Cross. The song itself dates back to 1913 and was written by evangelist, George Bennard. Actually, the first verse was written in 1912. It was written while Bennard was a part of a series of revival meetings in Albion, Michigan. He was worried about the complete disregard for the gospel around him and wrote this verse as a repose. Of writing it Bennard said, "I seemed to have a vision ... I saw the Christ and the cross inseparable." The song wouldn't be completed for several months, when he was leading meetings at a local church in Pokagan, Michigan. He played it for Rev. Leroy (the sponsoring pastor) and his wife, Ruby Bostwick, both of whom found themselves moved to tears. It was then incorporated into a service at that church on June 7, 1913. The song has the same effect today as it must have back then.
Then comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Power in the Blood. Though it may be simple doctrine that we have heard since Sunday school, I hope we never forget how much power there truly is in the blood of Jesus. No matter what temptations and struggles we may face in life, Jesus' blood spilled on Calvary's cross has overcome all of it. With man something may be impossible but with God all things are possible.
Next is Ricky Van Shelton with Mansion Over the Hilltop. This recording comes from his 1992 gospel album, Don't Overlook Salvation. The hymn was written by Ira F. Stanphill in 1949. It is believed that he wrote around 550 gospel songs over his career. These songs also include Suppertime (which Johnny Cash did a wonderful version of), Room at the Cross, I Walk with His Hand in Mine, Thirty Pieces of Silver and I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.
Today's music selection ends with Jim and Jesse with Matthew 24. This comes from their 1975 gospel album, Jesus is the Key to the Kingdom.
Now for the 11th episode of The Lone Ranger TV show.
Now for a message from the Reverand Billy Graham.
Psalm 86
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God;
3 have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
they have no regard for you.
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
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.
Today's cartoon selection begins with Cubby Bear in The Last Mail (1933). If Cubby Bear reminds you of Mickey Mouse, this is no coincidence. When Mickey Mouse hit movie screens, he was a sensation, just as popular if not more popular than the live action movie stars of the time. As always great success in the film industry led to many imitations. Pretty much every American animation studio had a character that was pretty much a copy of Mickey.
Now that we saw a Mickey Mouse clone in the last cartoon, why don't we enjoy a Pluto clone in the next. Enjoy the World War 2 Columbia cartoon, Mutt 'n Bones (1944).
Up next is Pigeon Holed (1956). This was the last theatrical cartoon to star Homer Pigeon. When this film was released in 1956 Homer hadn't appeared in a cartoon since 1943.
Now for a black and white cartoon from the Walter Lantz studio, Nellie the Sewing Machine Girl (1938). This is the first in a series of five Nellie cartoons.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Up next is one of the post golden age Looney Tunes shorts, That (Blooper) Bunny (1991). This cartoon was made as a response to many of the specials revolving around Warner Brothers marketing of the Looney Tunes characters, especially when celebrating Bugs' 50th anniversary. Warner Brothers marketing tried to frame the characters as good friends who always stood by each other. This was of course far from who these characters were. Many of them even tried to kill each other in the classic cartoons and when the characters were friends, they would often turn on each other to protect themselves. That is why at first we see these characters all smiling and getting along as best buddies here, until we see what happened behind the scenes and the friction that took place. This cartoon was meant to originally be released theatrically with the animated feature Rover Dangerfield (1991). However, Warner Brothers took a real dislike towards it (especially with the line "Warner Brothers doesn't have an original bone in its body.") and the cartoon would not be released until six years later, this time on TV instead of movie theaters.
Next up is a very early Mickey Mouse cartoon, the fourth one in fact, The Barn Dance (1929). Unlike the previous three Mickeys (Plane Crazy (1928), The Galloping Gaucho (1928) and Steamboat Willie (1928)), Walt Disney was not able to supervise the animation very closely. This was because at this time Walt was in New York, while his main animator Ub Iwerks was in California. Though Walt asked Ub to cut corners in the animation, because of a strict deadline, when he received the first of the animation on October 22nd of 1928, he was not happy and wrote Ub a page of criticisms of the animation. However watching this film now, it is actually a very entertaining cartoon, and it is hard to see anything actually wrong with the animation. However, Walt was working to achieve a level of perfection in his cartoons and this one as good as it did not meet that requirement in his mind. There was a planned gag for this cartoon which would feature a hen and a rooster performing a lively dance number which comes to a halt when the hen lays an egg. Though that gag did not make it into this film, it would later be used in the short, Mickey's Follies (1929).
Now for the Terry Toons short, Mystery in the Moonlight (1948).
Let us close with a song.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin
Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in its Golden Age by Michael Barrier
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History by J.B. Kaufman and David Gerstein
This rather standard action flick is greatly helped by Guy Ritchie's direction. As most of us know, Guy Ritchie is simply an excellent action director. This movie lets him really show his stuff. The action scenes are pure treats. They are fun, stylish and very well paced. Putting these action scenes against such beautiful settings makes them even more visually appealing. Adding to the fun is the typically fun Guy Ritchie dialogue and a great cast (headed by Eiza González, Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhall).
However, the movie does can like Guy Ritchie is on autopilot. The storyline isn't bad, but it is one you have seen a million times before. Nothing new or particularly interesting is done with this only serviceable plot. The characters are so underdeveloped that I can't describe their personalities to you because they are unburdened by such things.
While it does have some stylish charm, there is nothing here to make it stand out. This is one of those films that you will forget about in a few weeks.
In this movie, a flock of sheep love their shepherd dearly. The shepherd reads them murder mysteries every night, so when the shepherd is murdered, they feel that they can solve the murder themselves.
While this could just simply rely on its already charming premise, it does so much more than that. This is a surprisingly heartfelt story. The movie actually has some real depth to it as it takes a look at some fairly weighty subjects such as dealing with death, the importance of remembering the bad along with the good and how what is painful can also be beautiful. Though this movie has plenty of silly sheep antics for kids watching, there is also some moments that may emotionally move adults watching it. Like many of the best family movies, there are some truly sad moments among all the silliness, and these sad moments are very effective. Of course this is heavily due to the characters themselves. Each of the sheep are very well thought out characters. There are a lot of them but each still has their own personality. These sheep feel so real to us that we form our own emotional bond to them. As well as being an emotionally effective film, the murder mystery elements are very well done with some great twists and turns. Yet the final reveal makes perfect sense. If you pay close attention to a very early scene, it perfectly foreshadows the reveal at the end.
The humor in this film can be a bit hit and miss. There are some truly laugh out loud moments along with gags that fall completely flat.
While the sheep are very well-defined characters, the human characters (with the exception of the shepherd (though of course being played by Hugh Jackman helps)) are entertaining but lack the depth that the sheep have. They are very basic two-dimensional characters.
Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.
Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing Sweet Hour of Prayer on their 1957 album of the same name. This hymn was written by William Walford. Walford was a wood craver who had little to no formal education. However, what he did have was a very close relationship with God. Those who knew him said that he knew the bible by heart and this man was even asked to share sermons at his church. One day around 1845 Pastor Thomas Salmon visited William Walford. Walford asked Salmon to write down a poem he had in his head. Salmon was so amazed by this poem that he right away sought to get it published. After Walford's death, William Bradbury wrote music for this poem and the hymn as we know it first appeared in the 1859 hymnal, Church Melodies. Bradbury had also composed music for such hymns as Just as I Am and He Leadeth Me.
This is followed by Ricky Skaggs with Lead Me to the Rock. This comes from his 1999 gospel album, Solider of the Cross.
Then comes Merle Haggard and The Cater Family with On the Jerico Road. This comes from Merle's 1971 gospel album, The Land of Many Churches.
Afterwards is Skeeter Davis with Child of the King. This comes from her 1967 gospel album, Hand in Hand with Jesus.
Next comes Johnny Cash with God is Not Dead. This is not the Newsboys song that spawned a series of movies, but rather an original song written by John himself. This song comes from John's 1969 album, The Holy Land, an album inspired by when he and his wife, June Carter Cash, took a trip to Israel. The background vocals on this song are provided by The Carter Family and The Statler Brothers, while early rock and roll star, Carl Perkins plays guitar.
Then is Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith with His Love Takes Good Care of Me.
Today's musical selection closes with The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1948 recording of Rounded Up in Glory. In a 1972 interview Ken Griffis asked Sons of the Pioneers front man, Bob Nolan, "Well, OK. As you progressed as a group, did you use the older type songs as the basis for your programs? Or did you try to blend in more the newer things? Did you try staying with the older things?" Bob responded, "Yeah, we tried to stick strictly to the old ones and, of course, I had an idea or I felt that my songs—the ones that I was writing at the time—were authentic. I tried to keep them authentic. Western." This applied not only to the songs Bob wrote, but the songs the group recorded written by others. There was always a real cowboy feel to nearly all the songs they recorded. That is definitely true here, as this song sounds like something that would feel completely natural in an old west setting.
Now for a message from S.M. Lockridge.
Now for the 10th episode of The Lone Ranger TV show.
Psalm 85
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 You, Lord, showed favor to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins.
3 You set aside all your wrath
and turned from your fierce anger.
4 Restore us again, God our Savior,
and put away your displeasure toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your unfailing love, Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says;
he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
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.
Today's cartoon selection begins with Porky's Pooch (1941). Though all the classic Charlie Dog cartoons would be directed by Chuck Jones, this Bob Clampett short clearly sets up the template that all of those later cartoons would follow. In fact the first Charlie Dog cartoon, Little Orphan Airedale (1947), would be a remake of this film. The backgrounds in this film are live action photographs. A year later Bob would use a live action opening for Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner (1942). The following is an exhibitor's review from Motion Picture Herald, "PORKY'S POOCH: Looney Tunes Cartoons—Right up my alley for my patronage. Running time, 7 minutes. —Vic Stephano, Grove Theatre, Groveton, Tex. Small Town Patronage." A review in The Motion Picture Daily called the film, "Good for a few laughs." The Showman's Trade Review gave advice to movie theater owners on how to advertise this cartoon, "Play it up to all Porky fans and make some new fans to win over some of the dog lovers in your community by staging a pet show, prize contest for best snapshot of a pet or prize contest for a brief essay on 'why my dog is the best in town.'"
Next comes the silent Out of the Inkwell short, Koko's Tattoo (1928). This has all the surreal charm and creativity that I love about these shorts.
Next comes the Terry Toons short, Sour Grapes (1950). This cartoon was directed by Mannie Davis and marks the last of five theatrical shorts to star Dingbat. Dingbat is a yellow bird who was often adversarial to Slyvester the Fox.
Next comes Donald Duck in Contrary Condor (1944). This short film was directed by Jack King, who directed most of the Donald Duck cartoons at this time. For a while in the community of cartoon and Disney lovers, the Jack King Donald Duck cartoons were rarely given the accolades they deserve because more attention was paid to the later Donald shorts that Jack Hannah directed. However luckily today many Disney fans are reevaluating this and realizes what wonderful films, the Jack King Donald cartoons are. Contrary Condor is just one of the many examples of how great of a cartoon director Jack King was. However, this film also works because of a wonderful team of animators. John McManus animates the opening moments as well as Donald tossing the dummy and the mom diving after it. Judge Whitaker animates Donald yodeling while climbing the mountain, Donald's first meeting with the mother, Duck applauding the small bird's flight, the small bird gliding and landing, Donald's landing and Donald contemplating a new plan. Nick Nichols animates Donald discovering the nest and hiding in the egg, the hatching sequence, the small bird being jealous, the little bird snaping Donald off the limb, Donald's "flight," the mother applauding, the mother missing the dummy as it falls into the water and the closing sequence. Paul Allen animates the mother pushing the small bird off the limb, the mother encouraging Donald to fly and Donald trying to escape with the egg until the small bird intercepts it. George Nicholas animates the small bird falling and trying to fly. Don Townsley animates the small bird lowering its legs like landing gear and the mother's card trick. Hal King animates the mother attempting to push Donald off the limb and Donald faking a bad wing, Marvin Woodward animates the mother trying to trick Donald with the berry. The working titles for this film were Contrary Condors, Egg Collector and The Colombian Condor. The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Donald Duck provides plenty of laughs in his attempt to swipe an egg from a condor's nest. When Donald emerges from his hiding place in an empty egg shell which a mother condor mistakes for an unhatched egg she accepts our fine feathered hero as one of her own. Her attempts to get Donald to fly are extremely humorous. The Technicolor cartoon is aces."
Now for a commercial break.
Now for the Mickey Mouse Works cartoon, Purple Pluto (1999). This cartoon would later be used in the House of Mouse episode, Ladies Night (2002).
Next is the New Three Stooges cartoon, The Littlest Martian (1965). This series of TV cartoons features the voices of the real Stooges who also appear in the opening and closing live action segments. The live action segments would often be repeated even when the cartoon was new. Curly Joe DeRita felt that this hurt the show. He thought that people would see a live action segment they had seen before and assume the show was a rerun and change the channel not knowing the cartoon was new.
Then comes Mighty Mouse in Winning the West (1946).
Let us close with a song.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
South of the Border with Disney by J.B. Kaufman.
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Warner Brothers Cartoons by Jerry Beck and Will Friedwald
Like the video game franchise, it is based on, the story is hard from this movie's focus. The storyline is as cliché as can be and feels very rushed as if the filmmakers can't wait to get to the next action scene. This can sadly lead to many character arcs feeling like they happen way too hastily.
Lucky the action scenes are fantastic. They are very well choreographed, paced and filled with delightfully over the top gore. This is the type of gore that is so over the top that instead of repulsive it comes off as fun. There is even a certain amount of creativity that goes into these violent deaths.
Adding to the fun is Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. Karl Urban gives his all to this role and he is very entertaining to watch. It of course doesn't hurt that this character is given some of the best lines and funniest moments.
Adeline Rudolph also stands out as fan favorite Kitana, even if her storyline is underdeveloped and again rushed.
This may be far from a great movie but it is fun and should delight fans of the video game franchise.
