The First Day of Spring

Began the morning with breakfast and a series of Silly Symphony shorts that took place during the spring or had spring-ish themes in honor of the first day of Spring. "Flowers and Trees," the first three-strip Technicolor animated short, won an Oscar in 1933. Two trees are in love, until a mean old tree nearly burns the forest down to get the girl. "Farmyard Symphony" gives us a mini-opera as a rooster pursues a pretty white hen and the other members of the barn yard wait for breakfast. A gingerbread man helps a pretty cookie become the queen of "The Cookie Carnival," then hopes she'll make him her king.

"Springtime" is one of the earliest black and white shorts. It's pretty much just flowers dancing and animals eating each other in time to classical music. "Birds In the Spring" is equally simple. Three baby birds fall out of the nest. Mama and Papa catch two, but a cheeky little fellow decides to start out on his own, until he's chased by a snake and bees and his parents rescue him. "The Goddess of Spring" is an operatic retelling of Persephone and Hades myth that Walt intended as a trial run for Snow White. The animation isn't quite there yet - Persephone moves like she's made of rubber - but there's some nice music, and the story itself is well done.

Headed out after "The Goddess of Spring" ended. Walked to the Westmont Plaza, since I wasn't going home afterwards. While the weather isn't warm like it was last week, it could be worse. It's windy, yes, but the sun is nice when you can get into it. At least it looks like the first day of spring. Cherry trees and magnolias are in bloom now; every garden bursts with daffodils and jonquils. 

Got into Westmont with a little under fifteen minutes left before my dental appointment. Thankfully, the lady who cleans my teeth could take me seconds after I arrived. I went in, she scraped and polished my teeth, and went out. The entire process took less than a half-hour, including making my next appointment for late June. 

Had lunch at the Westmont Bagel Shop. Apparently, the lady did really good work. An older woman complimented me on my smile while I was waiting for my spinach and feta omelet and multi-grain bagel. That made me feel even better than the delicious lunch. 

It was getting late by the time I finished, so I figured I'd take Uber to Somerdale. The chatty guy arrived in four minutes and got me to the Cinemark 16 in ten. Thankfully, there was no traffic on the way. He arrived just as the ads began.

First of all, along with the live-action comedy If (Imaginary Friends), there's some cool animated movies coming out this summer. No interest in another Despicable Me whatsoever. I liked the first three, but not enough to get me into a theater. If I see it at all, I'll stream it or rent it later in the year. Inside Out 2, on the other hand, looks genuinely intriguing. The girl the emotions are inside of is growing into her teen years, so there might actually be a story here. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire definitely isn't my thing, but the visual effects on the previous Godzilla movie did just win an Oscar. The Wild Robot gives me Iron Giant vibes and looks like it'll be beautifully animated and very sweet. 

I ended up seeing Kung Fu Panda 4. I'm not going into spoilers here while the film is in theaters, but I did enjoy it. Maybe not as much as the previous films, but I still love this franchise. Jack Black still has fun as Po the Dragon Warrior, and Awkwarfina does better than you might think as the fox thief he trains. Bryan Cranston and James Hong as Poe's two very different fathers are hilarious, and Lori Tann Chinn has a few good moments as a female boar who manages the bar where Po looks for someone who can take him across the sea. Some terrific animation too, especially near the end, when the villain is taking everyone's moves. 

The villain, however, is a lot less interesting here, and some of the action sequences seem a bit perfunctory. This also lacks a lot of the warmth of the previous films, especially the third one that emphasized Po's family. I'd say if you love this franchise like I do, come check this out too. If you haven't seen the other movies yet, please do so before you come anywhere near here.

Went straight over the hill to WalMart after the movie ended. They didn't have any interesting records, but I did find The Wild Wild West: The Complete Series for $19.99. Though Pluto TV currently has it, that was too cheap to pass on. Finally found the Listerine Gum Therapy mouthwash; Target's been out of it for ages in the smaller size. Grabbed more of those Junkless granola bars too. They had D vitamins in gummy form for a decent price. Picked up large colored pencils for the kids' Easter bags.

Got down to the Black Horse Pike in more than enough time for the bus to arrive. It was a little late, not bad for the height of rush hour. Thankfully, the traffic was going in the opposite direction. The bus made only two stops and got into Oaklyn within 20 minutes. 

Did job hunting after I got everything put away, then began another fairy tale idea. I keep stalling on the Match Game fanfics. I'm hoping I might actually be able to finish another short. This one begins with a woman who lives above a flower shop and works for a kindly older lady, though she feels awkward learning the things the woman already knows and living in her home. 

Watched I'll Cry Tomorrow while I worked. I go further into this harrowing adaptation of vaudevillian and early talkie star Lillian Roth's autobiography at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

I'll Cry Tomorrow

Broke for dinner and Match Game Syndicated at 7 PM. Rita Moreno made her first appearance on the show this week since the lost 60's series, along with Gary Crosby, Joyce Bulifant, and David Doyle. No one really had much luck with "__ Hairs" in the Audience Match. They did better in the second episode, as David helped the contestant with "__ Plaza" in the Head-to-Head.

Put on records while I worked on my I'll Cry Tomorrow review. The Ronco Get It On! collection has some of my favorite songs from 1974. Classics here include the original "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray, "Ain't No Woman Like the One I've Got" by the Four Tops, "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern, "Playground In My Mind" by Clint Holmes, and a disco-esque version of "Also Sprach Zarathrusta" by Deodato. 

The Unforgettable Fire is one of the earliest hits from Irish band U2. It's mostly known today for the massive hit singles "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)." They went far more atmospheric than their earlier records, and this may have been their biggest success yet. 

Finished the night at YouTube with more animated spring shorts. "Springtime Serenade" is one of the very few color shorts made with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit at Universal. He and his sister Fanny are eagerly cleaning their summer resort for warmer weather. They ignore a groundhog's dire prediction...until the snow arrives...

Though credited to directors Harman and Ising, the public domain Happy Harmonies short "To Spring" was some of the earliest work by William Hanna. Little men who live underground mine rainbow pillars to produce all the color for spring. They have to work overtime when Old Man Winter creates a storm to keep him around a little longer.

"Pastry Town Wedding" was the first cartoon from the RKO Van Beuren Studios. It has a lot in common with "Cookie Carnival." Two tiny pastry people who help the larger chef with his work opt to get married. Very light on plot, but there's some imaginative animation, especially when they're making the wedding cake.