Saturday, August 19, 2017

The Sailor Man and the Pooh Bear

Started the day with Famous Studios' color Popeye shorts from the late 40's and 50's while eating breakfast and making my grocery list. Popeye is "Out to Punch" when Olive coaches him for a boxing bout against Bluto. Bluto does everything he can to make sure he's not at his best in the ring. It's "Assault and Flattery" when Judge Wimpy has to try a case between Popeye and a battered Bluto. Bluto insists Popeye beat on him (via clips from other shorts), but Popeye has his own version of events. He's "Taxi-Turvy" when Bluto's fancy rig keeps beating his little car to fares, but he's not going to let Olive get away! "Ancient Fistory" is a riff on "Cinderella," with Popeye as the scullery sailor who wants a chance to go to the ball, Bluto as his nasty boss, Olive as the princess, and Pappy as the fairy godfather. "Aladdin and His Magic Lamp" is another fairy tale, the last of the three "featurettes" featuring Popeye. He's the title character in this take on the  Arabian Nights tale. Olive is once again the princess. (No Bluto, though. This story sticks to the original version; here, an evil wizard is the villain.)

Work was, once again, busy when I arrived, steady but not overwhelming when I left. I did round up carts in the morning, but there were two other baggers who were able to help out. I mostly gathered trash and baskets, did returns, and bagged. At least it wasn't too horrible when I was out. It was sunny, hot, and humid, but not quite as hot or as humid as yesterday.

I did get stuck in the register for a little while when they needed the cashier to do another order, which I wasn't happy about. I just get so nervous in the registers! I wish people understood introversion better. Few people at the Acme, co-workers or customers, really get why I don't like dealing with so many people at once.

I was happier doing my grocery shopping after work. Took advantage of sales and coupons to pick up laundry detergent, two catfish fillets, the Yoplait Custard Yogurt, and the Chobani Flips. The Acme's having a big "buck a bag" sale for produce this week. Along with grape tomatoes and a container of small cucumbers, I found something that was basically a baked rice-pea snack. For a dollar, I'd try it. I couldn't get to the Collingswood Farm Market today, so I bought peaches, blueberries, and raspberries. Restocked skim milk, eggs, corn meal, toilet paper, canola oil, and sugar. Bought whole wheat bread from the bakery for sandwiches this week. It's too hot to bake muffins.

Found another magazine I've been looking for. Entertainment Weekly features The Last Jedi as the cover subject in their Fall Movie Preview. I grabbed the one with Rey on it, looking tough and determined with her lightsaber.

Changed my clothes, looked over my new magazine, and put away my groceries when I got home. Ran more Popeye as I worked. "Private Eye Popeye" is supposed to be guarding a huge emerald for femme fatale Olive, but butler Bluto takes off with it. Popeye has to chase him down to get it back for his lady fair. It's a "Fright to the Finish" when Bluto uses Olive's fear of Halloween and ghosts to make her think Popeye is playing tricks on her. Popeye doesn't need spinach to show Olive who the real trickster is. The election in "Popeye For President" is nearly as charged as last year's, bringing it down to just Olive's vote. Popeye and Bluto both help her with chores, but Popeye's strength and ingenuity gives him the advantage. "Greek Mirthology" returns us to classic folklore and fantasy. Popeye relates the story of Hercules to get his nephews to eat their spinach.

Did some writing for a few hours after I finished. Went back and added a more dynamic showdown between Vader and Ahsoka when he invades her DJ tent. She confronts him about why he's attacking them. He tells her he no longer believes in friendship, having been abandoned by Ben Kenobi in the fire that destroyed the Jedi Knights' hang-out and an adjoining hotel and burned him beyond recognition. She does hit him, but he has the advantage and beats her to a pulp before the Rebel and Rogue One crew and Ahsoka's crew from the radio station drag him away.

Meanwhile, most of the others have decided it's time to get out of town for a while until the heat dies down. Hank will be taking Charlie, Leia, and Chip up to Bespin Island, a party town about a half-hour north of Ocean View, to visit a friend of his, stopping to let Chip ask for time off from Maz Kantana. Luke and Arturro head east to Dagobah.

Broke at 7 for codfish and leftover Ratatouille for dinner and Acme bakery peanut butter cookie that were on the overstock rack for dessert. Watched The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh while I ate. This anthology features the original three Pooh featurettes from the mid-late 60's, starting with "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree." Pooh will do anything to get honey, including pretending to be a cloud and using a balloon to get up to a tree filled with bees, or eat so much of it, he gets stuck in Rabbit's door.

"Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" introduces Tigger and Piglet in the tale of a very windy afternoon that is so blustery, it makes Piglet fly like a kite and blows over Owl's house. The spooky, rainy evening prompts a nightmare from Pooh...and a surprising act of heroism later.

His tiger buddy is in the spotlight in "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too." Rabbit wants Tigger to learn how to have some consideration and stop bouncing everyone, but his attempt to get Tigger lost only ends up with him lost. Tigger eventually does it to himself when he bounces so high up a tree, he can't get down. The narrator helps him down, but Rabbit won't let him bounce...until everyone figures out that, as long as you're careful, a little bouncing now and then can be a lot of fun.

A fourth Pooh short released in theaters in the early 80's, "Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore," is a bonus feature on the Many Adventures DVD. Tigger's once again bouncing carelessly, this time landing Eeyore in the river. The gloomy donkey isn't happy, even when he's rescued. It's his birthday, but no one's remembered. Piglet and Pooh try to give him gifts to show how much they care.

I've always enjoyed the Pooh movies, shorts, and specials. The stories are just so much fun, and actually quite unique for Disney, with it's simple, innocent, bittersweet world. Speaking of Disney, this would be a great "starter" Disney movie for very young kids who are still a little too small for some of the more recent films.

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