Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Adventures In the Rain

It was pouring again when I dragged myself out of bed this morning, and would continue showering off and on all morning. I cheered myself up with a war-related Three Stooges short. "Back From the Front" has them as seamen on Naval ship. The only survivors of a Nazi bomb, they end up on board their ship and take on the officers.

Devoted the rest of the morning and early afternoon to writing. Luke pursues Vader through the misty gardens. He's lead the boy out to a cliff, intending to capture him in much the same way he was able to snare Henry. Luke evades his first try, swinging into the trees.

He's not as lucky the second time. Vader drives him to the edge of the cliff. He not only takes off his hand, but he reveals that he knows who Luke really is - the prince of Naboo, Queen Padme's son who vanished in infancy. How does he know this? Most of Naboo assumes he's a usurper, stealing Anakin Skywalker's titles and lands, and Sir Benjamin Kenton confirmed this. Actually, they're his. He's Baron Skywalker, the consort of the Queen and Luke's father.

Luke handles this about as well as he does in the movie...which is to say, badly. He finally jumps off the cliff, landing in the arms of Langdon Croydon on the deck of the Falcon.

I got so into this intense scene, it was quarter after 1 before I broke for lunch! I had time to start another Three Stooges short while eating quickly and getting ready for work. The trio are "Higher Than a Kite" when their repairs on an officer's car make things worse and they hide in a missile. Dropped into enemy territory, the Howard brothers dress as Nazis and Larry as a lovely lady to infiltrate their headquarters.

Luke wasn't the only one who got lucky. The rain was down to the barest of sprinkles by the time I headed to work. It was quiet as can be when I arrived. I briefly checked the bathrooms, did some bagging for a while, and did half of a cart of returns, but I was mostly outside. At least I had help, an older man earlier in the day and a teenager later, plus the head bagger inside.

The sprinkles had returned as I rode home, but they weren't really much of a problem. I was hardly damp when I walked in the door. I went right into making fried egg sandwiches with green and red lettuce and green beans for dinner. Swiss Family Robinson came with the Donald Duck short that originally proceeded it in theaters, "Sea Salts." Bootle Beetle relate how he and Donald survived together while castaway on a tropical island.

The Swiss Family Robinson did even better when they escaped pirates and a storm. Washed ashore on a tropical island, they proceed to make the best of things. The father's (John Mills) sprawling tree house was so ingenious, it can be seen as an attraction at Walt Disney World to this very day. While the youngest son (Kevin Corcocan) collects every wild animal he can, from a monkey to a tiger to a baby elephant, his older brothers Fritz (James MacArthur) and Ernst (Tommy Kirk) explore the island. They once again tangle with the pirates, managing to rescue Roberta, a young lady who was kidnapped by the group with her grandfather. Roberta joins the family, causing friction between the brothers...until the pirates return, and all the Robinsons use ever method at their disposal of getting rid of them.

My sisters and I used to love this one when it turned up from time to time on the Disney Channel when we were kids. My favorite part was always the race right before the final attack by pirates - go Roberta! Some may wince at Francis' off-hand method of collecting creatures that are considered endangered today; others may find the pirate subplot unnecessary (it wasn't in the original book). For the most part, this is still a corking good adventure for families and anyone who loves action or survival tales.

No comments: