Grand Canyon Diorama
Just back from our long weekend to the “undisclosed location” — Grand Canyon. Although we’re both Arizona natives, it had been a while since we’ve visited our own landmark. My last visit was in 1995, and Christopher hadn’t been there since he was a child — so our trip was long overdue. This was my fourth time in the canyon, but I never get tired of it. The sheer size of the area never fails to catch me off guard. It’s breathtaking, and kind of scary (I could see where people could slip and fall off the edge).
For this particular trip, we entered the park via the Grand Canyon Village containing the historic El Tovar Lodge and Hopi House (designed by Mary Colter in 1905). These were both nifty, and luckily they haven’t been modernized much. Actually, the developed portion of the rim is blessedly free of distracting modern touches. We explored the visitors center and watched with a tour group as the sun set over the horizon. The air was a bit hazy from controlled burns on the afternoon we were there, but the canyon was still gorgeous. We booked a package with the Grand Canyon Railway, which allowed us to pig out on free buffet food and browse through a bunch of tacky souvenir shops in the town of Williams. I only bought one thing: a night light with a Native American-style image of a bear, for my parents. On the way back home, we detoured to a local attraction where one can feed a herd of deer (see the last pic with C. getting mobbed). The photos below are just a few highlights from the trip:
Friday Miscellany
Kind of a dull week, huh? I uploaded the Viewmaster pics and created a new Two Bunnies and a Duck solely for the one person who was looking forward to it. And designed lots of manga comics for Viz. That’s about it. We’re getting ready to go on a trip to an undisclosed locale this weekend. This meant boarding our cat Eero, who responds to unfamiliar situations by burrowing under towels and shirts in her pet taxi. She’s a feisty kitty, always nipping at us and running around the house excitedly — but on the other hand she’s also a skittish thing who jumps at the slightest noise. I hope she’s okay. (p.s. Weekly Mishmash might now show up ’til later.)
I just stumbled across Cranky Lesbian today and feel like I have a blogging kindred spirit. Apparently Ms. Cranky and myself have 22 books in common in our LibraryThing libraries, which is the third highest out of everybody on that site. Yeah, those 22 books are soooo gay …
What else … how about some more Motown funkiness with Martha Reeves and the Vandellas performing “Bless You” on Soul Train? The ebullient, Jackson 5-esque “Bless You” marks the trio’s final hit single before the ladies hung up their wigs up for good in 1972. I love the energy of the Vandellas (l-r: the gorgeous Sandra Tilley and Martha’s sister Lois), along with their stylin’ afros. But what was Martha thinking with that huge hair? Dig:
Neat Old View-Masters on Flickr
In the past few days, I’ve finally figured out how to photograph frames from old ViewMaster reels. Yay. A bunch of photos and scans from my own collection can now be seen in this flickr set. The best reels by far are the meticulously constructed 3D versions of cartoons, like the Winnie the Pooh scene below. Keep checking the set, since I’m far from done adding to it!
Weekly Mishmash: September 14-20
The Forsyte Saga (2002). The result of finishing season one of The Wire and wanting something different — from drug dealers to repressed Victorian socialites. This was a well-mounted and adequately done miniseries, well-cast (I think the leading actress got the part solely due to her close resemblance to John Singer Sargent’s Madame X) and absorbing throughout. There were two small things that bothered me. One, the director seemed to enjoy using lots of unsettling extreme closeups on faces, a technique which didn’t fit with this material. Two, having the young architect (portrayed by Fantastic Four’s Ioan Gruffudd) be visionary to an extraordinary degree was off-putting. To say the least. Although the scene takes place in the 1880s, Gruffudd builds a strikingly designed country house in the “Prairie” style — which was considered new and different 20-30 years later. It would be having a Depression-era film architect building Ranch houses. I think way too much about this stuff.
Fringe (Fox). Eh.
The Great Escape (1963). One of those classic films that I’d assumed I would get to eventually; this week was its time. Good film that really hums based on the letter-perfect cast and the script’s just-this-side of believable happenings. It certainly doesn’t feel like a three-hour movie, the ending was not as pat or happy as I feared, and Elmer Bernstein’s score was fantastic. Now I have to check out the way this film was parodied in the “Streetcar Named Marge” Simpsons episode again.
Passion Flower (1930) and Mary Stevens M.D. (1933). All told, will September 2008 be remembered for a cataclysmic stock market plunge or an escalating presidential campaign? No, not really — it will be marked for the time Turner Classic Movies finally recognized it has Kay Francis fans! I took the opportunity to TiVo a couple of the raven-haired one’s early soapers that I’d previously never seen. Passion Flower is a creaky early talkie that Francis made on loan out to MGM. Despite the predictable storyline, the film surprisingly held my interest. It’s not often that one sees earthy Charles Bickford in a leading man role, and the forgotten Kay Johnson is solid as the pure-hearted woman who loses her husband to conniving Kay. For support, Zasu Pitts (”Oh, dear”) is on hand doing an odd dramatic role. Mary Stevens M.D. treads the same waters, but it’s much better due to its zippy pacing, Warner Bros. pizazz, and pre-Code raciness. At this point, the formula is still fresh and Kay approaches this admittedly different role with gusto. This time, she plays a lady doctor who (among many other things) gets pregnant out of wedlock from the hunky and married Lyle Talbot. The film has a lot going on in only 72 minutes, but Lloyd Bacon directs it with breathtaking efficiency. That man really was an underrated powerhouse at Warners in the ’30s (I think I know who TCM needs to focus on next).
Toy Story 2 (1999). I remember being somewhat disappointed with this when it was originally released. Most people I knew at the time thought it improved on the original Toy Story, a reaction that made me want to find new friends. It just seemed faster and dumber, and with a lot less heart than the original. Luckily the film is much improved from my perspective now. The movie plays like a smarter precursor to the avalanche of snarky DreamWorks-style animated efforts that followed. In that light, this is a fun and engaging ride — not Toy Story quality, but good nonetheless.
Norman Whitfield’s Funky Business
With the passing of legendary Motown producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield at the age of 67, now is as good a time as any to celebrate his life and music. With what else? Crappy quality video clips! Going back to the beginning, even Whitfield’s earliest Motown productions stood out for having tighter instrumentation and danceability. His work on the Marvelettes’ 1964 hit “Too Many Fish In The Sea” was an especially hot example. Here are the ladies (L-R: Wanda Young, Katherine Anderson, Gladys Horton) lip-synching that tune on Teen Town:
Next we have the culmination of Whitfield’s celebrated union with The Temptations: 1972’s “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” This is where the funk went from psychedelic to epic, with all of the Tempts (even basso Melvin Franklin) trading bravura leads. To best appreciate Whitfield’s production, you really need to hear the original LP-length version on headphones. But I suppose this Soul Train performance, with some mesmerizing dancers in the audience, would be a good second choice:
R.I.P. Norman Whitfield.
Steve and Jayne and 8K of RAM
Andy Baio of Waxy.org shares a curio from the past — Computability, in which Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows explain the concept of home computing to the layman of 1984. I think I deserve some kind of award for listening to all 35:45 of Steve and Jayne bantering over modems and monitors. The accompanying hour-long video remains to be seen, however. Hmmm, wonder where I can view episodes of their old PBS show, the one where they played famous historical figures?
The Naugahyde Nauga
A short history of the Nauga, the Naugahyde Council’s very ’60s mascot (via Coudal). Really interesting and unusual ad campaign, and 40 years on the company still uses the character (!). The Nauga used to look like something from Yellow Submarine to me, but now I see it has more of an Uglydolls appearance that seems ahead of its time.
Weekly Mishmash: September 7-13
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. I was inspired to pick this up after reading Slate’s glowing re-evaluation from a couple of months ago. Anne Shirley comes across as a grating goody-goody at times, and the book plods a bit after she matures into a bland teenager. The book is also more episodic than it needs to be, but I do believe that Montgomery has created one of the great, plucky little girls of early 20th-century fiction. It was a delightful read, and now it makes me curious for further exploration. Not for the later Anne of Avonlea books (in his spoiler-filled intro to this 100th anniversary edition, Jack Zipes dismisses all of them and Ms. Montgomery for making Anne a “conformist”), but for the various film adaptations. Coincidentally, Turner Classic Movies will be broadcasting the 1936 film starring the only actress who renamed herself after a character she played (Anne Shirley!) on my birthday, October 8th.
Audition (2000). Scary Asian movie about a middle-aged widower who decides to select a new wife by holding a cattle call audition. This particular one starts off as a rather competent but uninspiring thriller, then it devolves into ugly and misogynistic torture porn. This was another recommendation from Christopher’s Japanese co-worker, but after sitting through it I can confidently say that I’m getting tired of scary Asian movies.
Christmas In July (1940). Every time I get sucked in by a bloated modern movie, I’ll think about this Preston Sturges gem — which conveys everything it needs to say in a brisk and efficient 67 minutes. This one came across as typical Sturges for me, meaning it’s not as great as its reputation suggests. Still, it’s a breezy and enjoyable soufflé which further proves that Sturges was one of the best in using excellent supporting actors. As exhibit A I submit Franklin Pangborn as the radio announcer. One could likely have a good movie with Pangborn and no one else, but here he fits in perfectly with the zany ensemble behind appealing leads Dick Powell and Ellen Drew.
Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962). An underrated French New Wave effort follows a vain singer (Corinne Marchand, who resembles a blonde and curvy Carolyn Jones) over the course of two hours as she awaits the results of a cancer test. Over the course of the film, the heroine learns to cast away the artificial (a silly hat, a wig extension) and learns to enjoy life for the simple pleasures it gives. Languid shots of Marchand walking the streets of early ’60s Paris as city life obliviously bustles about her make for the most memorable parts. This scene was my favorite, when director Agnès Varda moves from candid rehearsal to an intense shot of Marchand against a black background, singing a lovely song. Probably not the greatest French New Wave ever, but damn cool nonetheless.
If You Could Only Cook (1935). When TCM had a Jean Arthur day, I TiVo’d this enjoyable trifle. Miss Arthur plays a woman desperately looking for a job. She convinces Herbert Marshall to apply for a maid/butler position as a couple, unaware that he’s a slumming auto magnate. This was cute, undemanding entertainment. Like Christmas In July, it’s a reminder that (pardon the cliché) they don’t make ‘em like they used to.
What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? (1969). Gothic horror produced by Robert Aldrich, who was really milking the What Ever Happened to Baby Jane association by this point. Geraldine Page plays a desperate widow who extorts money from her housekeepers before knocking them off, one by one. That is, until smart cookie Ruth Gordon comes under her employ. Although generally the movie plays like an overlong Night Gallery episode, Page’s spirited performance keeps it fun. I also like how her house was, for no apparent reason, out in the middle of the Arizona desert. The setting adds a bit of weirdness to an otherwise unremarkable story.
Your Very First Time
A.V. Club contributors answer the question: What was the first album you bought with your own money? Yes, the results are as squirm-inducing as imagined.
I can tell you my first album I bought with my own money right off the bat: the soundtrack for Nine To Five, selected from the J.C. Penney record section at Tri City Mall in Mesa, Arizona. Uh, how gay is that? In 1980, it was my favorite movie (even more than The Empire Strikes Back) and I was thrilled when I saved up enough money to get the corresponding vinyl LP. Being an ignorant twelve year old, however, my joy turned to disappointment when the album wound up being a bunch of background music (along with Dolly Parton’s immortal title track, of course). For some reason, I got it into my head that it was going to be recordings of the best scenes from the movie. Despite the initial disappointment, I ended up listening to the LP repeatedly and found the music to be very whimsical and enjoyable. Only today do I realize it was the work of Charles Fox, the man who wrote the fantastic themes for Love, American Style, Wonder Woman, Laverne & Shirley and a gazillion other TV shows. Not to mention “Zap The World” from Pufnstuf. The guy’s an unheralded genius, I tell you. Although this album hasn’t crossed my mind in years, just now I found a download of the out-of-print LP at a swell soundtrack sharing weblog. Wonder if it still holds up?
So now it’s time to turn the tables: what was the first album you bought with your own money? Don’t be shy.
Bunnies, Comic #16
New Two Bunnies And A Duck this week. Actually, this one was supposed to be ready last week, but computer problems got in the way. An observation: after six months, it’s becoming apparent that I cannot draw cartoon characters with any consistency whatsoever. The figures in comic #15 are refined to have an appealingly cuddly look, but in #16 they’re back to being all weird and elongated. So frustrating.
Rant City
Glenn Erickson goes after several of my pet peeves in one story with When DVD Menus Attack! It’s all covered here: forced previews, anti-piracy warnings, spoilers, and unnecessarily complication designs. I especially hate sitting through the ubiquitous FBI warning screen designed by some government lackey who just opened Photoshop for the first time.
Another worthwhile read can be found in Mark Morford’s column entitled Evil: It’s the New Good! One of his targets is the annoying commercial/propaganda put out by the corn lobby to make high fructose corn syrup look harmless. Well, it may be harmless in small quantities but the food industry puts it in everything. Corn was never meant to be processed into a noxious goo that imitates the taste of other foods. Blecch.
Get Back, Loretta
For myself, a memorable Muppet Show moment came when Loretta Lynn sang “One’s On The Way” to a bunch of screaming babies. According to the invaluable Muppet Wiki, this was the first of several appearances for The Babies over the course of the show’s third through fifth seasons.
p.s. We’ve been watching the Season Three DVD set lately. I think it’s the best yet, tightly paced and full of muppety goodness; C. finds it the worst.
Weekly Mishmash: August 3-9
Man’s Castle (1933). Having this rarely-screened Frank Borzage gem show up on TCM recently came as an unexpected treat. In it, Spencer Tracy plays a ne’er do well who barely attempts to make things work with penniless Loretta Young in their shantytown shack. Borzage’s films are almost always about love triumphing over adverse circumstances, and this one is no exception — it’s both despairing and starry-eyed in equal parts. In the beginning, Tracy’s character comes off as an unlikeable jerk, and Young is miscast (I would have loved to have seen Barbara Stanwyck play that part). Eventually, however, both actors overcome their faults and deliver memorable performances. A brisk pace and intelligent script make this one of the best Depression-era movies I’ve ever seen, actually. Is it too “hopeless romantic” of me to wish Sony/Columbia puts this out on DVD?
Panic in the Streets (1950). When Christopher and I were at the local library to check out some DVDs this week, this Elia Kazan noir was among our choices. I don’t know if I had heard of this before, but I guess it flew under my radar before now. It’s a good, solid movie with a compelling plot about keeping a super-contagious virus bacteria under control, with New Orleans on-location filming and a lot of non-actors in smaller roles lending a gritty realism to the proceedings. The enigmatic Richard Widmark plays the hero, Jack Palance (in his first film) plays the heavy, and Zero Mostel is around to remind us of the horrible comb-over hairstyle he had.
The Puppetoons Movie (1987). Another library find. I remember hearing about this upon the film’s original release (I recall Leonard Maltin doing an Entertainment Tonight segment on it) and being intrigued by the stylized stop motion animation done by George Pal in the ’30s and ’40s. This is a basic compilation of vintage shorts, bookended with corny segments with Gumby and Pokey dealing with a timid dinosaur (the last role for legendary voice actor Paul Frees) who appears to have prefigured the Toy Story dinosaur by a few years. The shorts themselves, although dated and filled with groan-inducing stereotypes, are colorful delights brimming with amazing (and painstaking) animation. But there’s also an added weirdness about them that reminds me of the Max Fleischer Color Classics shorts — the DVD extra Jasper and the Haunted House is a good example. Overall I’d say the movie is pretty much for animation buffs only, but personally I had a ball.
Stray Dog (1949). After Scrubbles reader Tim recommended this as one of the better Akira Kurosawa films (thanks, Tim!), we snatched this DVD up from the library bins. Indeed, it does rank as one of his better films — which surprises me since it’s not as well-known as some of his other stuff. This was an unusual-for-its-time contemporary police drama starring a young and thin Toshiro Mifune as a cop who sets off on an arduous investigation after his gun gets stolen. Although overlong and slow at times, I found this interesting because of the postwar Japan setting and Kurosawa’s creative work with framing and camera angles. The acting was very good, too, and Criterion’s DVD has a good segment on the making of the film.
The Ugly Dachshund (1966). Another step in my exploration of Disney’s live action movies from the ’60s and ’70s. With Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette essaying a straightforward plot filled with contrived mishaps and such, I often forgot I was watching a Disney movie (Jones seems like a very “Disney” actor; Pleshette does not). Often the film plays like the kind of undemanding fluff comedy that one is likely to forget as soon as the end credits roll. Still, the dogs were all incredibly cute… and isn’t that what really counts here?
Comp DOA
Two nights ago, I had a little computer situation. The screen on my six year-old iMac went black, just like that.
Granted, it wasn’t completely black. I could still see a very faint impression of windows on a desktop. With some research, we found out that the bulb on the Mac’s LED screen burnt out. The rest of the computer was okay, but since the monitor is attached we had to find a way of fixing it. Turns out this problem is fairly common, but the methods of fixing it are neither easy nor cheap. While trying to figure out how to proceed, I set out to save as much data on as many writeable DVDs as I could. This involved shining a halogen lamp directly at the screen and trying hard not to lose the cursor in the murk on the screen.
Since the old iMac was getting to be a painfully slow dinosaur anyhow, we decided to truck out to Best Buy and get one of the new iMacs. These things are huge. The smallest, 20″ model just barely fits in the hole on my computer desk. To insert disks in the side, I have to drag the thing out of its cubbyhole. That aside, it’s a gorgeous and speedy machine and I’m so glad to have it. No longer will I have to endure the “rainbow pinwheel of death” just to load a web page or something. In the meantime I have to go through the laborious process of reinstalling software, fonts and (the worst part) configuring my email. I haven’t even started on rebuilding my iTunes music library. It’s going to be a long weekend.
Potty Training
This commercial for the Mickey Mouse talking phone certainly ranks as a snarkworthy artifact from the ’80s. Namely because “Mickey come over for a potty” almost became the “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” of its day:
