Had brunch while watching Match Game '77. A charming old gentleman who claimed he sold junk for a living came in for some ribbing, but he ended up doing very well. (For one thing, he did find a really nice tie.) Debralee Scott, Bill Cullen, and Fannie Flagg were among those who helped him out. Gene was the one who got the jokes in the second episode when his new western-style jacket inspired a few quips from Richard.
Let it run into Tattletales. The first episode featured Patty Duke and John Astin, Abe "Fish" Vigoda and his wife Bea, and soap star Millee Taggart and her husband Barry Kurtz. The Vigodas had been married for years, but John and Patty were always really good at this. After that, they skipped a week to the one with married dancers Bobby Van and Elaine Joyce, baby-faced Martin Milner of Adam-12 and his sweet wife Judy, and another soap star Jed Allen and his sassy wife Toby. The soap people just couldn't get it together, letting the cop and the dancers waltz off with the show.
Managed to move the knee well enough to take the laundry downstairs. After that, I relaxed and read Christmas books while watching The Shop Around the Corner. Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) is the head salesman at Mr. Matuscheck's (Frank Morgan) shop in Budapest. He's not happy when his boss hires little Klara Novak (Margaret Sullivan) after she manages to sell a musical cigarette box as a candy holder. The two fight over every single thing. Alfred is more interested in the young woman he's been corresponding with via mail, his "dear friend." They've never met, and he's too nervous to let her see him.
That's not Alfred's only problem. Matuscheck has been unusually rough on him lately. He even fires him. He thinks he has his reasons, but he's totally wrong. Meanwhile, Klara admits that she's also been corresponding with a man via mail...but Alfred's not certain what to think when he hears her letters and they seem terribly familiar...
Charming European romantic comedy features lovely performances by Sullivan and Stewart as the two people who think they hate each other, even as they send each other romantic letters. Morgan is also excellent as the shop owner who thinks his best employee has turned on him. Ernest Lubistch adds a delicate touch and gentle warmth, even when the story edges into dark-ish territory with the reason Matuscheck is angry at Alfred and what he does when he finds out the real culprit. Perfect viewing for quiet afternoons during the holiday season.
Spent the rest of the afternoon working on writing after I dropped the laundry in the dryer and brought it upstairs. Stephen is furious when the little hunchback is able to attack him. He uses his black magic to throw him against the wall. Cora runs to him, trying to help him recover. The hunchback opens his mouth to tell her what's going on...but no sound comes out. He's a mute with no voice. He tries again, but still nothing. He tries to mime it, then write it down, but his fingers won't obey him...and all the while, Stephen is growing angrier, and his eyes are getting redder...
Broke at 7 for dinner and Match Game Syndicated. Buzzr went right back to the week with Paul Williams, Gail Farrell, and a plethora of short jokes. They help that sweet little Navy officer do very well in these episodes. Gene's more interested in discussing the coming Christmas holiday in the first one. Brett gets to help the happily sobbing officer with "America __" in the second.
Moved to YouTube after dinner. All three Sinbad movies made by Ray Harryhausen are currently free there. I started with the original from 1958, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Sinbad (Kerwin Matthews) and his men know better than to hang around the island of Colassa and become food for its one-eyed monsters. Magician Sokurah (Torin Thatcher) lost his magic lamp to the monster and wants Sinbad to return and retrieve it. Sinbad won't risk any of his men, until Sokurah shrinks Sinbad's fiancee Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant). Now, Sinbad has to find the roc egg that will restore her in order to restore his fiancee and avert a war with her father. The giant one-eyed monsters aren't the only obstacles on Colassa, They'll have to face everything from the massive Roc itself to a huge dragon in order to retrieve the lamp and rescue the princess.
One of Harryhausen's earliest works, and his first revolving around the Arabian Nights sailor, this is a dashing adventure with truly frightening stop-motion monsters, gorgeous costumes, and lovely Technicolor.
Finished the night with a truly unique dive into Disney theme park history. Kevin Perjurer of Defunctland created Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History to be a documentary that's just as original as the concepts Disney came up with EPCOT itself in its early years. Kevin uses images, music, and actors portraying Disney Imagineers, architects, and workers to portray how EPCOT went from Walt's "experimental prototype community of tomorrow" to the corporate-sponsored future-and-culture-based theme park it was when it opened in 1982. It's truly awe-inspiring and like nothing else on YouTube. I especially like how he keeps everything accurate to EPCOT's developmental period of 1976 to 1982, from the headlines of the time to the laser-like recreation of early CGI.
If you want to learn more about EPCOT's early years and don't mind the lack of dialogue, you owe it to yourself to check this out.
No comments:
Post a Comment