I also read the original book version of Molly's Pilgrim. This one is set in the early 20th century, from the outfits and Molly's mother referring to Cossacks and how they could never return to Russia. There's more references to how Molly looks different from the other girls, and Elizabeth is brunette, rather than a snobbish blonde. In other ways, the short is actually a very accurate adaptation, especially in the second half when Molly learns about Thanksgiving at school.
Watched A Looney Tunes Thanksgiving on Amazon while eating breakfast. Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet has Bugs teaching a European-accented girl bunny how to lose weight in time for the big dinner, then helping her figure out the cause of her hunger via clips from shorts. In Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special, Daffy tries to land something bigger than a Thanksgiving special by showing sequences from his cartoons.
Very disappointing. Thanksgiving Diet has a slightly stronger relationship to the holiday than Thanks-for-Giving, which is just clips from Daffy's shorts, but neither of them really have all that much to do with Thanksgiving. This is especially annoying since the Tunes did make at least one Thanksgiving short, "Tom Turk and Daffy." Only for the most ardent fans of the Toons or those looking for a way to keep Toons-loving kids occupied before the big dinner.
Headed out to work before the cartoon ended. Work was just as busy as yesterday, maybe even more. The carts were empty when I arrived again. I was shocked. I figured most people would have bought everything they needed for Thanksgiving well before this. Once again, the parking lot was a mess. Good thing there was another guy helping me, and then a third towards the end of my shift.
At least the weather behaved this time. It behaved so well, I took the long way home. It was very sunny and breezy, with a soft blue sky overhead, probably in the mid-50's. Surprisingly, considering what the Acme looked like, it wasn't that busy. Not even around the entrance to Audubon Crossings. I admired radiant scarlet and gold trees and the last of the roses in gardens as I rode into Oaklyn.
When I got home, I changed, finished Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-Giving Special, and went back out again. After working three days in a row pushing carts, I wasn't up to the Uber trip to the Empire Diner. I discovered Mulligan's Bar and Grill on the White Horse Pike was open, so I ended up there.
And I'm sure glad I did. Their Thanksgiving dinner was incredible. The meal came with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, caramelized sweet potatoes, garlic green beans, and your choice of salad or soup (I opted for the salad.) Yum. Everything was as real as could be. No boxed mixes here! The only thing that likely came from a box or can was the tiny cup of jellied cranberry sauce. I even liked the buttery gravy, and I'm not usually a fan of gravy. There was even a slice of pumpkin pie the size of a small life raft. And the young waitress was a real doll, too. I left her a big tip.
I ended up sitting by the window across from the bar, with a perfect view of the Lions-Packers game. The Packers were killing the Lions when I was there, 28-14. Apparently, they caught up after I left, but not enough to win the game. Packers won 28-22.
Since it's two blocks from Mulligan's, I stopped at WaWa next for a treat. Had their Peppermint Mocha Smoothie. Yum. Too sweet, but lots of chocolate and peppermint flavor. It was busy, but I was able to use self-checkout.
Went home after that. Spent the next few hours watching (and almost falling asleep over) Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. All Neil Page (Steve Martin) wants to do is get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Trouble is, every single vehicle he boards breaks down, is caught in a snowstorm, or doesn't get him far enough. If that wasn't enough, he keeps running into show curtain ring salesman Del Griffith (John Candy). Del is the nicest guy in the world, but he's also a chatty and occasionally annoying mass of bad habits. Neil spends most of the trip ready to throw him half-way to Chicago...until he realizes why Del is on the road, and how important it is to be thankful for our loved ones and having a home to get to.
Classic comedy from John Hughes remains a funny and fairly realistic look at holiday travel nightmares over 30 years later, even when it takes a left turn into forced sentimentality towards the end. John Candy and Steve Martin later called it one of their favorite films and their best performances, and I have to concur. Bad language and sexual references make this for teens on up who have been through a lot of what happens to these two guys, are fans of the stars, or are looking for something to watch after dinner on Thanksgiving Day.
Worked on writing for a while after the movie ended. The gentle hunchback brings Cora her favorite book as a wedding gift. Cora admits that she finds the hunchback sweet and kind despite his wretched appearance and wonders why he allows Stephen to bully him.
Put A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving next. Charlie Brown has his own holiday troubles when Peppermint Patty invites herself, Marcie, and Franklin over for Thanksgiving dinner. Chuck is going to be over his grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. He, Linus, and Snoopy make a dinner of toast, jelly beans, popcorn, sundaes, and pretzels to appease them. Peppermint Patty is furious, until Marcie and Linus remind her and Chuck about the real reason for the holiday.
The real reason for the holiday is also the subject of The Mayflower Voyagers. Here, the Peanuts kids, Snoopy, and Woodstock play pilgrim children and animals on their way to the New World. They endure a terrible trip and harsh weather when they arrive, with many of their parents dying on arrival. After the friendly natives Squanto and Massasoit help them plant crops, they share the bounty and invite them over for a feast of thanksgiving.
Tried something I hadn't done in ages after the Peanuts ended. I made cranberry sauce. The sliver of jellied cranberry sauce I had at Mulligan's was the only part of that meal I wasn't crazy about. I missed my real, home-made sauce. I think I put in too much water and too little sugar, but it still came out edible and nicely tart.
Watched The Thanksgiving Treasure during and after making the sauce. Addie Mills (Lisa Lucas) first discovers the horse of her dreams while riding her bike on the outskirts of her Nebraska town in November 1947. She's smitten, but it turns out the horse belongs to cranky Walter Rehinquist (Barnard Hughes). Her father James Mills (Jason Robards) has a long-standing feud with him, dating back to when he wouldn't pay him for building a pond. Addie tries to make friends by bringing him a Thanksgiving dinner taken from bits of her own meal with her uncle and aunt. Rehinquist calls her bossy at first, but he eventually lets her ride Treasure and comes to enjoy her visits. She's deeply upset when he gets sick, but her grandma (Mildred Natwick) reminds her that we need to be thankful for what we did share with our loved ones.
Second of four Addie holiday movies is the sweet and sad story of a horse-crazy girl who makes a friend not only with a horse, but with her lonely owner. Hughes in particular is wonderful as the cantankerous Rehnquist, who can tell wonderful stories when he gets going. Highly recommended holiday viewing, especially for families with girls Addie's age.
Did The Berenstein Bears Meet Bigpaw next. I go further into the tale of how a Thanksgiving legend in Bear Country doesn't turn out to be as scary as it seems at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Finished the night with possibly the most unusual Thanksgiving sitcom episode in existence. The swashbuckler spoof Jack of All Trades somehow shoehorned a Thanksgiving episode into their second season. Diminutive Napoleon is building a familiar statue carrying a torch, which he intends to give to the Americans. Jack convinces Emilia to hold a Thanksgiving dinner for him and Governor Croquey to figure out what they're up to. When it turns out to be more sinister than expected, Jack says "One, Two, Three, Give Me Lady Liberty" when he turns to another Thanksgiving tradition to keep them occupied - football!
And I hope you had a wonderfully weird Thanksgiving of your own, no matter what you ate or whom you celebrated it with!
No comments:
Post a Comment