dual personalities

Well, the Oscars hoopla is over. Thank goodness. Sunday night I watched The Sand Pebbles (1966)–a movie which should have won Best Picture but did not.

It is such a good movie–and not just because Steve McQ is in it. Even though it veers from the original novel in strange ways, it still has a very strong and effective screenplay. It has great performances, great cinematography, great music. And Steve was never better. He gives a measured and sensitive performance. I really enjoyed it.

It is interesting to look back at the year 1966 and the movies that were popular:

I have also seen some lists that include The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Blow Up in the top ten. I have never seen the Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. starring Dick Van Dyke, have you?

Interestingly, there is no John Wayne movie in the top 10 (or top 20). The only movie he made that year was Cast a Giant Shadow, which coincidentally I also watched this past weekend in memory of Kirk Douglas. It is about Col. Mickey Marcus (Douglas), a former U.S. Army officer, recruited by the Jews in Israel to reorganize the Haganah in 1947, following the U.N. decision to split British Palestine into separate Jewish and Palestinian states. Not a big hit, I guess. I enjoyed it and I learned a few things.

Here are the first 15 minutes of the 1967 Oscar show, which honored the movies of 1966, including the monologue by Bob Hope. Governor Reagan, who was in the audience,

gets some good humored ribbing, but the political jokes are pretty mild. Take a look:

It was a different world, for sure. What would they have made of Joaquin Phoenix back then?

Not surprisingly the 2020 Oscar show brought in its lowest ratings ever–a decrease of 20% from last year’s show. Hollywood’s biggest night–not so much.

Well, since we are feeling a bit nostalgic, we will also note the passing of Robert Conrad, who starred on such television shows as ‘Hawaiian Eye’ and ‘ Wild Wild West’ and ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ and on the miniseries ‘Centennial.’ Back in the day we were big fans of James T. West in his short jackets and tight pants…

…and our father loved ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep.’ Conrad was also featured in those classic 1970s commercials for Eveready Batteries, with a battery on his shoulder, a menacing stare and the catchphrase, “I dare you to knock this off.”

Sunrise, sunset…