Linda Bove on TCM

I was watching Turner Classic Movies this morning and happened to catch the last part of a promo for a series of films focusing on "A history of disability in film". Linda Bove was being interviewed in the clip! Who is Linda Bove? Sigh. I keep forgetting that not everyone has old-school Sesame Street clips running through their veins. Linda was Bob's girlfriend on Sesame Street for many years She may still be, I'm not sure! She's no longer a regular cast member, but that doesn't mean "Linda" doesn't live on the street any more. Perhaps she's now living in the same building as Roosevelt Franklin & all those other "used-to-be-on-Sesame-Street" characters. The list gets bigger every year.

Linda is also the official "owner" of Barkley, the big Muppet dog who used to be seen in Sesame Street's closing credits. Linda also had a role on "Happy Days" as one of Fonzie's many love interests. On video, she can be seen in "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" and the classic episode where Maria and Luis get married, which (I think) can be downloaded from iTunes.

Alas, I can't find any information about a full-length interview with Linda during the TCM film series (airing Tuesday nights in October), but I'm hoping that the promo will be re-shown a few more times during the month so that her fans can catch it.

Here's a YouTube clip of one of the TCM promos with Linda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CaeyReHzD8

Here's the link to the website about the series:

http://tcm.com/dif

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TCM HIGHLIGHTS FOR OCTOBER: Sigh. I'm not TRYING to become the TCM guru, here. :) It just keeps happening naturally. I like to check the monthly schedule to see what will be playing on the channel. If something catches my eye, I list it here so that hopefully others can tune in and enjoy it. So while you're keeping an eye out for Linda, you may want to watch these films as well.

This is by no means a complete list of all the “good” TCM films this month. I haven’t necessarily seen all of these yet myself. These are just the ones that stood out for me. Please check your local listings for the exact time and day in your area, and keep in mind that the schedule is subject to change.

October 5: Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
October 6: The Front
October 7: The Heart is a lonely hunter
October 8: Queen Christina
October 11: Whatever happened to Baby Jane?
October 12: On Borrowed Time
October 17: The Mummy (Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing version)
October 21: Gulliver's Travels (animated)
October 23: A guy named Joe
October 25: It happened one night; North by Northwest
October 28: Phantom of the Opera (Silent version)
October 29: Inherit the Wind; It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world

http://www.tcm.com

Snow White and the seven dwarfs

The re-release of Walt Disney's “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” on DVD (and first time on Blu-Ray) this month has served to reconfirm what many have said already - this is one of the best movies ever made. The film is every bit as moving and entertaining as it was when it debuted in the late 1930s. If you haven't seen it yet. . .it just means that you're very frugal. :) As far as I know the film has never been shown on television, so you won't find it on Disney channel or TCM or AMC or pay-per-view or anything like that. Your options are to see it in the theater or to buy the home video versions. I missed the first DVD release of Snow White, as did many other people, which quickly drove the price of the DVD up higher than most of us would like to pay for it. Thankfully, this re-release brings the film classic back down to fit our budgets. (It can be frustrating to not be able to buy a particular film just because they've decided to release it again five years from now.)

The quality of the DVD itself is excellent. It's hard to believe, but you really can't see too many flaws in the picture or hear too many flaws in the audio. It's as if the film were made this year. The only giveaway technically is that it remains in its standard “square” format that it was first shown in. Such was not always the case. When I first saw Snow White in the theater in 1987, they “cropped” the square so that we got a “widescreen” version of Snow White. This wasn't that bad to watch - everything important was in the picture. But time has brought out the “purist” in me that says, “we want to see it the way it was originally seen.” If that's the case for you too, please buy this DVD. (Look for the RKO logo at the end!)

I have to talk about the music. This is one of the best film soundtracks of them all. It not only matches the action and mood of the movie, it is beautiful. You could listen to the soundtrack by itself and enjoy it. If you're a casual fan, the official CD soundtrack will be fine. But if you're a nut like me (and who isn't?), you should also try to get the original LP or cassette of the soundtrack that was produced before CDs came out. Although there is less music, the recording contains slightly different music cues than can be found in the CD soundtrack. The violins before “Someday my prince will come” are heard without the dialogue, and the beautiful conclusion is presented with a different choral arrangement that is more faithful to the film version (but interestingly, still not the same!)

Prior to seeing the movie, we had seen “Snow White Live” broadcast on cable TV. It was a stage version of “Snow White” put on at Radio City Music Hall, and it was pretty terrific in its own right. It contained the best of the movie while adding a few new plot items here and there. Some of those plot points included the prince's search for Snow White and the Dwarfs ringing the bells at Snow White's wedding. And the cast was excellent. Even those who had to wear masks shone on stage. It's a real treat that has not been released on video in decades! The time has come, Disney! Don't make us wait another 20 years!

Sometime in late 1983 (I think), my dad, brother and I went to a drive-in theater to see “Return of the Jedi.” “Snow White” was playing at the same theater on a different screen. A couple of times during the movie, I would turn around and watch scenes from “Snow White.” It's kind of neat now to realize that two of my favorite films were playing at the same time in the same theater, and I sort of got to see a bit of both of them at the same time!

My brother and I were lucky enough to meet Snow White in person. It's one of my earliest memories. It was at Disneyland, and she said, “What a brave boy!” as I walked up to shake her hand. Dopey was with her, and we have photos. A very cool kid moment. It's actually pretty rare to see the dwarfs in the park these days. I got to shake hands with Grumpy once during the parade. That's the last time I recall seeing him in the park.

It's kind of difficult to believe today, but in its day, “Snow White” was likely the scariest film of its time. (I've heard it said that it would have been “PG” if there had been a ratings system at the time.) That scary aspect seems to run completely apart from the “cuteness” of the film, yet it is obviously an important element. The queen turns herself ugly so that she can become beautiful. Its lesson is that true ugliness is not physical, but spiritual. When the queen becomes a witch, it is frightening, but you later realize that this is who she truly was all along. When she cries out, “now I'll be the fairest in the land!” you can't help but realize how blind she is. Her obsession with beauty has only brought out ugliness. And as for that “cuteness”- it continues today in so many things that Disney is doing. Walt once said something like, “It may be corny, but I like corn.” And apparently many others do, too.

It's also frightening to realize that if “Snow White” had failed, as many people at the time said it would, we would not have the Disney company today – that's how much money had to be invested in it. But thankfully Walt knew his stuff, and the film basically became a cornerstone for all of the Disney movies and an inspiration for so many other films at the time, most notably “Wizard of Oz”, “Gulliver's Travels” and “The Blue Bird” with Shirley Temple. Both “Wizard” and “Gulliver's Travels” have some excellent songs, too.

I'd like to hope that people are beginning to realize what the first audience for “Snow White” realized back in 1937 or so. This film isn't just another cartoon. This film isn't just for kids, and in some cases can be too scary for kids. This film is a work of art. This film moves the heart. This film is more entertaining than most films with “real people.” This film breaks rules. This film creates rules. This film rules.

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THE TERRIBLE FOE: You would think that losing some relatives to cancer would make me realize how devastatingly common it is. The news that Andrew Lloyd Webber has prostrate cancer is worrisome to say the least, knowing that many have not survived it. Thankfully it is in its early stages, and can hopefully be treated with success. Our prayers and good wishes go out to him.

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THE STARS ALLIGN: When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with the Hollywood sign, we find that there is a date which stands out among sitcom fans everywhere. October 18 is the birthday of Erin Moran (Joanie of “Happy Days”), Pam Dawber (of “Mork & Mindy”) and Dawn Wells (Mary Ann of “Gilligan's Island”). I consider this too much to be a coincidence. I suggest we name October 18 as “cute sitcom girl day.” It may not become a national holiday, but it would give us a good excuse to watch “Mork & Mindy” again. For more on Gilligan's Island, enjoy my post here:

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2007/02/gingers-i-mean-gilligans-island.html

And in a post such as this, I would be amiss not to note that “Joanie” on Happy Days played “Snow White” in a Halloween-themed episode. And what a startling coincidence, but this week is Halloween as well! For us grown-ups without kids, the holiday can be more of a pain than anything else. But I still try to find the fun in it with the help of my friends – and a few pieces of extra candy here and there. You know, there's always a bit extra left over. . .especially if I happen to accidentally go out and forget about passing it out on the 31st. . .you never know. I'm a busy guy. Things happen. You know, I've often wondered. . .how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? Perhaps this year, I will finally find out. (“The answer my friend, is blowin' in the wind. . .”)

Who you callin' Yoda?

OF ALL THE MEAN names that kids called me during High School, my favorite is “Yoda.” I don’t think they knew what they were saying. Calling someone “Yoda” isn’t an insult. Yoda is cool. Yoda is so cool, in fact, that Star Wars fans voted to make him the star of his own individual stamp sheet. That means he beat out Han & Chewbacca, Luke, Darth Vader and even Boba Fett! In the G4 special where fans voted for their favorite Star Wars character, Yoda came out as number one again. Yes, Yoda is awesome, and I don’t mind being compared to him.

But why is he cool? Well, it’s partly because of his wisdom. He’s a smart dude. He’s also very cunning. He can fight with the best of them, and he can hide when he has to. Frank Oz once noted that he’s been told often by fans, “Yoda changed my life.” Some of Yoda’s statements have become legendary. “Try not - do, or do not. There is no try.” While I don’t always agree with Yoda, I always listen. When my brother wore the Yoda mask for Halloween, he was the hit of the holiday.

When you first see Yoda, you don’t realize his power. He looks like a little elf-like creature who lives in the forest. Luke, of course, was fooled as well. He didn’t think the little guy was anything other than a nuisance. But of course, we later learned that this little fellow was - in a way - the most powerful being in the galaxy. It’s an incredible thing, when you think about it. “Size matters not. Look at me! Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not! For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is! Life creates it - makes it grow. It’s energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminous beings are we - not this crude (flesh) matter! You must feel the force around you. Here- between you and me, the tree, the rock, everywhere.”

Movie-wise, Yoda is one of the greatest special-effects triumphs of all time. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a PUPPET - albeit a very complicated puppet - could pull off a performance that was every bit as moving as that of a flesh and blood actor. I recall reading somewhere that some of the people who first saw “Empire” believed that Yoda was actually a midget in a costume.

Although Yoda wasn’t a “muppet” in the strictest sense of the word, you could say that Yoda was the greatest triumph of the muppets. Yoda demonstrated what the muppets had been demonstrating for years - that puppetry isn’t just child’s play. Puppetry is an art that can be used to move and inspire people. It’s interesting to note that many of Jim Henson’s “post-Yoda” projects like “Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth” featured much more “realistic” puppet creatures - creatures similar to Yoda in the sense that they were attempting to convey realism.

Looking back, I also think that the success of E.T. had a little bit to do with Yoda. The original E.T. was, after all, just a complicated puppet in many scenes. E.T. further demonstrated how puppetry can be used to touch people - and he even did a little “tribute” to Yoda at one point in the movie!

Since the advent of computer technology, the Yoda we see in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” is actually a computer-generated image. And that’s fine, since movies are illusions to begin with. But I fear that most modern filmmakers have turned their backs on puppetry again. As a puppet fan myself, that’s kind of a shame. I’d like to think that future filmmakers will at least peek into the possibility of using a puppet-like creature as a character in their films. Plus, in some ways, it’s probably a lot cheaper. Regardless, the power of Yoda will live on. As some jerk wrote in my yearbook, “Yoda will always be with me.”

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SESAME BLOG: Hey, wouldn't it be cool if some old-school Sesame Street fan could begin a blog about the “good-old” days (which for me is just about anything before “Elmo's World”)? Well, our dreams have come true. The new classic Sesame Street blog is up and running. It includes video clips as well as links where you can (gasp!) download several classic episodes! Those of you with a whole lot of memories – and a whole lot of computer memory! - should take advantage of the chance to watch these classic episodes again. Enjoy the blog here:

http://classicsesamestreetfans.blogspot.com/

And if you scroll down, you'll find the list of episodes to download:
http://classicsesamestreetfans.blogspot.com/search/label/episodes%20for%20trade

And keep your eye out for the next “Sesame Street old school” DVD set. And keep your eye out for “The Muppet Show” season 2 set. Dang, it isn't even Christmas yet.

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RIDE A WILD HORSE: Did you ever want to do something unusual? Something that you don't usually find yourself doing? Well, according to the Associated Press, Woody Allen is going to direct an opera.

LOS ANGELES - Woody Allen, directing an opera?
It will happen in September 2008, according to Placido Domingo, general director of the Los Angeles Opera.
The New York-based filmmaker will make his operatic directorial debut by opening up the LA Opera’s 2008-09 season.
“I have no idea what I am doing,” Allen said in a statement Thursday. “But incompetence has never prevented me from plunging in with enthusiasm.”
Allen is scheduled to direct “Gianni Schicchi,” one part of Puccini’s “Il Trittico,” a trio of one-act operas.
The two other operas, “Il Tabarro” and “Suor Angelica,” will be directed by movie director William Friedkin (“The Exorcist,” “The French Connection”).
Domingo stated that he had often pursued movie directors to try their hand at opera.
He added that his longest pursuit was Allen, who took four years to say yes.

Perhaps most interesting, I'm assuming that Woody will be directing the opera in one of his least favorite places on earth – Southern California! (Hey, you remember the classic line from “Annie Hall” as he was driving through L.A. : “They don't throw out their garbage, here. They use it to make movies.”) But you've got to love that quote. “Incompetence has never prevented me from plunging in with enthusiasm.” Let's talk about that a minute.

I've found that sometimes, making mistakes is not necessarily bad. Sometimes you need to make mistakes in order to find out what you can and can not do. Making mistakes teaches you how to do something right. So I'm all in favor of trying new things and possibly failing – then finding peace in the knowledge that you did your best, and might be able to do better later on. I don't think we need to feel too ashamed of most of the “stupid” things we did as kids. Many of those so-called “stupid” things led us to become the people we are today. There's a very cool song called “Ride a wild horse” that sums up these feelings for me. The lyrics go, in part:

You can try, you can try
Before your life goes by
Just once, before you die
Ride a wild horse, ride a wild horse
Across your sky

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MRS. C ON YOUR PC: Aaaaay, Richie! The latest update at “Justmyshow.com” has a cool interview with Marion Ross of “Happy Days” fame, along with Dan Lauria of “The Wonder Years.” You can listen to it at the link below, dig?

http://www.justmyshow.com/showfourteen.html

Damsels: Optional or not?

In order to get the full effect of this, you need to scroll down and read my April 19 “Underdog” posting, or click on the link below:

http://heroshaven.blogspot.com/2007/04/underdogs-then-and-now.html

Got it? Okay, now back to the present. . .With Spider-Man 3’s release last week came also an interesting article from the Associated Press. It’s a great article about how important damsels in distress are to the average superhero. Though they may be a bother, they keep us watching. Here are some quotes from the article, along with a link to it below:

They may be eye candy for the audience, but these women in peril certainly make for a harder day at the office for superheroes. Their jobs would be easier without such emotional ties, Howard said. “It’s true, it’s true,” Howard said. “It’s heartbreaking for that reason. He’s always having to go and save the girl, then everybody’s always kidnapping the girl. When my husband saw the movie with me a few days ago, he turned to me and said, ‘Mary Jane’s been through a lot’.”

While Harry and new villains the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and Venom (Topher Grace) exploit Spider-Man’s feelings for Mary Jane, Maguire said the hero still is better off with her in his life. “I just think they know they can get him that way. The villains would find him one way or the other. We’d have to create something for the villains to get to him. It’s kind of the most obvious way in, I guess,” Maguire said. “And it’s nice, it adds dimension to his character. I mean, I guess, if he disconnected [from] his emotions or his feelings or his sense of duty, then he would be better off, because he’d just go, ‘Oh well, people will survive this, it’s not my responsibility’.”

If Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and their superhero brethren were just invincible loners, without friends or other connections to the real world as they went about the business of rounding up bad guys, who would care about them?

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FILM_SUPERHEROES_DAMSELS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Do you remember what I said in my Underdog post about Underdog not being romantically involved with Sweet Polly? I was talking about how Underdog wasn’t quite as popular as other heroes. If this “damsel” thing is true, then it shows that the romance factor is vitally important to the popularity of a superhero today. It also helps demonstrate why Underdog remains an underdog among heroes.

When I was a kid, we did not think much about the personal lives of superheroes. It really was incidental that these guys weren’t married. Hey, so what? We weren’t married, either! And there were no rumors about some hero or other being a homosexual. First of all, what is a homosexual? Second of all, even if they were, so what? What would that matter? I’m not interested in Batman’s/Superman’s/Spider-Man’s sex life. I want to see how he’s going to escape from Doc Oc!

Do you remember the old Superman TV show from the 1950s? Superman may have liked Lois, but he certainly would never (ugh) kiss her! And what’s all this crap about Batman being gay? No way! He & Robin are way too busy to worry about stuff like that! And look at the Hulk! Hulk no want sex! Hulk want to smash! So a character like Underdog fit in well with the superhero crowd of the day. He wasn’t interested in romance either.

Sadly, since "Superman II", those times have dramatically changed. It seems that it’s not enough to rescue the girl. You have to get romantic with her. And it may create some exciting drama, but it seems to put some of us at a disadvantage. What about the heroes like Underdog, who aren’t really interested in romance?

It‘s actually a little bit insulting. Are you saying that even if I could change the course of mighty rivers and bend steel in my bare hands, it wouldn’t be enough? I would have to have a wife or girlfriend in order to get people to care about me? That stinks.

But I have to admit there is something to it. As a single guy, I often find myself doing great things that nobody else cares about. Like this blog. . . Okay, back to the subject. :) Look, a few weeks ago I wrote about how important it is for us to find strength within ourselves, whether or not we have someone there to love us. (Check out the March 2007 archives for that one). But if no one likes a superhero without a romantic partner, then what does that say for us mild-mannered folks without a romantic partner? Are we less popular for that reason?

Surely no kid would say so! I can’t imagine a seven-year-old throwing away a comic book because there’s no romance in it! I think we can take a lesson from these kids. Romance is important and good, but so is saving the world. So is doing the things that we need to do every day. So is being faithful to our cause.

Sadly, I think we live in a society that does not see chastity as heroic. We see it as strange or unnatural, or the choice of extremely devoted people. And that is sad. Because at least at the beginning of their careers, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spidey and friends were chaste. They weren’t without sexual desire, they just never had sex. And no one ever had a problem with that. Until we grew up, and began to expect everyone to want sex. Kids are right, grown-ups are stupid.

Hey, how about all this Da Vinci code crap? It’s gotten everybody talking about how Jesus might have been married to Mary. Are people having trouble believing that Jesus was chaste? Why would they want to believe that Jesus was secretly married? Could it be because so many single people in the world -- and tragically, in the church as well -- are seen as outcasts? Could it be because we don’t want to look at the idea that Jesus was an outcast, too?

Anyone who would reject Jesus because he was single is someone who obviously doesn’t really love Jesus. Anyone who would reject Superman because he is (or at least was) chaste is someone who doesn’t really like Superman. And anyone who would reject me or you because we are not romantically involved with anybody. . . You get the point.

But sadly, I think society at large is missing the point. It is not a tragedy to be alone, and there is no good reason to withhold affection from someone who is alone. But that’s what we’re doing. And I deeply regret to say that the Christian church is as guilty of this as the world. We have focused so much on love of family that we have forgotten to reach out to those who have no families.

When we see a homeless man, we cruelly cry, “get a job!” When we see a man without a wife, we cruelly think, “What‘s wrong with him?” We can’t look beyond these things and realize that they don’t make up what is most important for an individual person.

There’s so much to say here, and not enough time to say it. Let’s just say that kids are smart enough to understand that you can be a hero without having a significant other. We need to be as smart as they are.

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I LOST MY THRILL? Do you remember how in the show “Happy Days,” Richie always used to sing “I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill?” Well, you may want to hold that memory very dearly. Let me explain why.

The second season of “Happy Days” has been released on DVD. It contains many classic episodes & I look forward to seeing many of them again. But it is missing something rather important: Some of the music. Most of the classic 1950s songs have been edited out of the show, replaced with other music.

Why? Well, this is the curse of DVDs. Apparently the music rights create an issue for many movies and shows that are being released on DVDs. Many of the songs were never officially cleared for DVD release, so getting permission can be quite an expensive undertaking which many distributors don’t seem interested in paying. Thus, the music gets changed or in some sad cases, the scene with the music in it is cut out completely. It’s already happened on both the “Muppet Show” and “Sesame Street” DVD releases, and now the curse has hit “Happy Days.”

The Happy Days online site has a review of the new DVD set, and someone has actually listed most of the songs that have been cut out of each episode. You’ll enjoy the review, but I warn you to brace yourself if you love 1950’s rock & roll. You may want to cry when you see how many great songs have been cut!

Be sure to read Todd Fuller’s full review at the link. It’s got much more detail:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/happydaysseason2dvdreview.html

Here are some highlights from Todd’s review:

I love Happy Days. It is my all-time favorite show. I was very excited when I heard back in December that the second season was going to be released at last. After reviewing it in detail, I'm very disappointed with the final product for a number of reasons. It just seems that CBS DVD/Paramount tried to cut the corners at every turn here. Season 1 had such a promising release. I was expecting more of the same. What are the benefits to the consumer when this set has approximately 90% of the original music (including the opening theme) replaced, the episodes look to have much poorer video quality than season 1, the packaging is cheaper, there is no disc art and no special features included? If they were going to make all these music substitutions, why wait 2 1/2 years to do them? Where are all the great artists like Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, The Platters, Bill Haley & His Comets, Doris Day and many more? These episodes are not the Happy Days I grew up watching and loving. The music was an integral part of giving the show a 1950's feel. I'm a purist. I want to hear every last note of original music as they aired on ABC over 30 years ago.

2) Do not edit any of the episodes. Music substition is bad enough. Cutting out entire scenes is much worse in my opinion. Clearing the songs that Potsie and the band performed are a must. There were a number of them that they covered in season three. Are they going to edit out a scene every time Richie sings "I found my thrill... on Blueberry Hill..."? I sure hope not.

Folks, if they dare to cut out every time Richie sings “Blueberry Hill,” it will be the worst event in the history of edited TV shows on DVD. Would you cut out every time the Fonz said “Aaaayy?” Or how about every time Arnold Horshack went “Ooo! Ooo Ooo!” Or every time Freddy Washington went “Hi, there!” Or every time that one guy went “Dy-no-miiite!” Or every time someone in Star Wars says “I have a bad feeling about this.” Or every time Mork said “Na-no, Na-no?” Or every time George Peppard said “I love it when a plan comes together?”

Catch-phrases. They’re what cheesy TV is made for. I’m all in favor of putting Happy Days on DVD, but please, let’s do it right. Don’t chop out something that everyone will notice is missing. May Richie forever find his thrill on Blueberry Hill!

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This month marks the 30th anniversary of the original “Star Wars” movie, and Todd Franklin over at the Neato Coolville blog has been paying tribute to the movie all month with some great postings. Here’s one that I wanted to share with you all. Aunt Beru lives!
http://neatocoolville.blogspot.com/2007/05/topps-star-wars-card-countdown-27.html

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