dual personalities

Tag: movies

February 26, 2024

A tisket, a tasket

by chuckofish

We had a warm, sunny weekend–quite a contrast with last weekend’s snowstorm. Everyone was out and about.

The Kirkwood Historical Society, on whose board I serve–note the official KHS quarter-zip–had their Trivia Night on Friday. It was a packed house at our old church and very festive. My team only had 5 players (compared to eight) but we managed to tie for first place. But we lost the tie breaker. Quel dommage.

Saturday I got up early to do the flowers at church. I think they turned out all right.

Then daughter #1 and I went to an estate sale and to the antique mall. We exhausted ourselves–well, I did–browsing, so we had a margarita in downtown Kirkwood and shared a quesadilla. Good times.

After watching golf/napping, the OM and I watched Night at the Museum (2006), because, after writing the Pop Quiz on U.S. Presidents in the movies last week, I wanted to see Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt again. He plays it very straight and with dignity.

I enjoyed the movie, mostly because it has no political agenda beyond emphasizing that history is, indeed, interesting. Also Mickey Rooney is truly hilarious. (“Are you crackin’ wise? I oughta punch you in the nose, Hopscotch.”) Of course, it’s ironic that since then they have removed the iconic equestrian statue of T.R. that stood for so long in front of the Museum of Natural History in NYC. I will spare you my thoughts on this.

In Sunday School we are starting a new session on the Westminster Confession of Faith, which I love. In our first class we got through one paragraph of Chapter One. Systematic theology! ❤️❤️❤️ The twins are great in church. They can say the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and most of the Corporate Confession of Sin. They know the Doxology. This makes me very happy and I know the boy is proud of them. Lottie asked if she could bring her bulletin home.

After church we headed over to daughter #1’s house for brunch with Presbyterian Souffle. It was warm enough to frolic in the back yard with Mr. Smith and then walk up to Jackson Park and play on the playground.

Mr. Smith was living his best life.

Later that evening I ventured back to church for the Westminster Christian Academy touring ensemble concert. During spring break they are taking their show on the road–to Eastern Europe!–so this was practice for them. It brought me back to those days of yore when I sang in my high school choir and the boy sang in his high school choir. They sang at daughter #1’s church Sunday morning and she warned me that everyone was reaching for their Kleenex, but, verily, by the end of the concert I was a puddle of tears. What can I say?

And here’s Ida trying to decide which of my vintage Golden Books to read…

I can tell she’s leaning toward Sal Mineo in Tonka, but I know The Brave Little Tailor is a super fun and action-packed read. I read it to Katie when she was here a few weeks ago.

Have a good week! Embrace the simple pleasures in your life and be grateful for them. The blue sky, old movies, smart kids, small dogs, music, and Golden Books.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

–Dallan Forgail (8th Century)
4 Comments
February 22, 2024

A certain natural gift for rhetoric

by chuckofish

A few nights ago I watched the movie Pygmalion (1938) which I had not seen in many years. It is based on the play by George Bernard Shaw.

It was really good! The screenplay is by Shaw himself (he won the Oscar for writing that year) and stars Leslie Howard as Henry Higgins, a part he was born to play. Wendy Hiller plays Eliza Doolittle and the wonderful Wilfrid Lawson plays her father Alfred Dolittle. Here’s a clip that shows both of Lawson’s big scenes.

It’s readily available on Youtube and I highly recommend it.

I could launch into a vent on why no one can write a screenplay like this today, one that even includes a good amount of social commentary, but I will not. What’s the point? Instead I will repeat my old mantra: watch an old movie, read an old book, look up from your phone, step into the sun, step into the light!

As for going outside, yesterday afternoon, the boy and the wee bud came over after school while Lottie was in dance class. The bud said, “Can we have some driveway sittin’ time, Mamu?” and I, of course, said YES. Since it was in the high 60s, it seemed right–the first day of driveway sittin’!

He tuned up the Raptor and drove around the yard, waving at all the neighbors and every dog that walked by. The boy and I sat on the driveway and talked. When the OM came home from work, he joined us. Lovely.

And here’s a poem for Thursday by William Blake:

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February 20, 2024

Pop quiz

by chuckofish

We haven’t had a pop quiz in a while, so I thought, it being the day after Presidents Day, we would have a quiz about U.S. Presidents in the movies.

  1. Not surprisingly, Abraham Lincoln appears as a character in the most number of movies. Which presidents appear the second and third most times?
  2. Henry Fonda played Abraham Lincoln in Young Mr. Lincoln (1939). Which President’s son did he play in The Longest Day (1962)?
  3. What President did Harry Carey, Jr., Tom Selleck and Robin Williams all play?
  4. Character actor Sidney Blackmer played this President five times, most notably in Buffalo Bill (1944).
  5. Who played Andrew Jackson twice?
  6. In how many movies does Shirley Temple sit on President Lincoln’s lap?
  7. Did Ronald Reagan ever “play” a President before he retired from acting and went into politics?
  8. Raymond Massey played President Lincoln twice in the movies and several times on television. The photo at the top shows him in what movie?

How did you do? I’ll post the answers in the Comments section later today.

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure conduct. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom, in thy Name, we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

–BCP
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January 31, 2024

“I’m having a rhetorical conversation”

by chuckofish

Last week I watched The Producers (1967) on TCM. You know, the one about a washed-up Broadway producer who devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop–Springtime for Hitler. It was hilarious. As the producer Zero Mostel is beyond anything else ever. His comb-over is the best/worst in movie history. Gene Wilder is perfect as the overwhelmed accountant. It is silly, silly, silly. I’m not sure what today’s progressive audience would make of it, especially scenes like this:

…but I really don’t care. Everybody is insulted in this movie. Even old ladies.

Mel Brooks won the Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay–Written Directly for the Screen–for The Producers over writers Stanley Kubrick and John Cassavetes. I think he was a little surprised.

Back when the Oscars were worth watching!

Brooks is an interesting guy. It is noteworthy, I think, that Brooks graduated from high school in January 1944 and was immediately drafted into the Army. He was sent to Europe where he participated in the Battle of the Bulge, joining a battalion that was responsible for clearing booby-trapped buildings and defusing land mines as the Allies advanced into Nazi Germany. He was a real life Shecky Greene in Combat!. At the end of the war he was honorably discharged as a corporal. I bet he felt lucky to be alive. He headed to the Catskills to become a comic and the rest is history.

Sadly, the Hollywood elites of today are unable to make movies like The Producers anymore. They take themselves too seriously as artistes and produce overblown, overly-long messes. Mel Brooks never took himself too seriously and I am thankful.

So watch The Producers–It may be “shocking, outrageous, insulting”–but relax and let yourself laugh. It’s funny.

2 Comments
January 29, 2024

Postcards from the weekend

by chuckofish

Another rainy, overcast weekend filled with busy-ness. When did February become such a busy month?

Among other things, the bud had the Pinewood Derby…

He got the “Spirit of Scouting” medal…

…but his car came in 4th out of 12 in the race, so he missed out on a podium trophy by three-tenths of a second. C’es la vie.

Meanwhile the movers came to daughter #2’s house two days earlier than previously arranged, so they had a last-minute scramble to finish packing the night before.

This gives them more time to drive to Illinois, so it’ll work out.

They left on Sunday and will arrive on Monday, in plenty of time to close on their house on Tuesday.

The OM and I are poised to drive over to help them unpack as soon as we hear when the movers are actually going to arrive (probably Wednesday) with all their stuff. Prayers for traveling mercies all around.

This week our Sunday School class on the Doctrines of Grace (TULIP) focused on Irresistible Grace–“the point at which the things determined beforehand in the mind and counsel of God pass over into time.” Or to put it simply: “He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6) I love this class!

After church the OM went to the Blues hockey game and the rest of us all went to see The Wizard of Oz (1939) on the big screen. (Check out Fathom’s Big Screen Classics series here.) As you know, it is one of my top 5 favorite movies, so I jumped at the opportunity. Wow, to see this great movie as it was meant to be seen was fantastic. The art direction is A++++ and on the big screen you can see every detail. The incidental music is awesome and Judy Garland is perfection. In fact, everyone in it is great.

The bud’s favorite part was the tornado in Kansas and Lottie’s fave was Glinda. We all agreed that Toto reminded us of Mr. Smith through the whole movie. I hope we can talk about it further sometime–they had to rush off to Lacrosse practice!

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite ancestors, John Wesley Prowers, the Colorado cattle king who was an early inductee into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Hall of Fame in 1963.

I like to celebrate by watching a really good cowboy movie. This year we watched Red River (1948), one of the best and a favorite of mine. As Roger Ebert wrote, “….’Red River’ is one of the greatest of all Westerns when it stays with its central story about an older man and a younger one, and the first cattle drive down the Chisholm Trail. It is only in its few scenes involving women that it goes wrong.” I have to agree.

John Wayne and Montgomery Clift are perfect as father and (adopted) son. Every time I see it I am so impressed with both of them. And Walter Brennan gives one of his best performances.

I also watched Kevin James’ Irregardless stand-up special on Prime Video. I think he’s funny and he seems really normal. No bad language or vulgarity. No politics. Probably having an old lady like me like your comedy routine is the kiss of death, but oh well.

So it was quite a weekend. What did you do? What did you learn? There’s no place like home!

4 Comments
January 23, 2024

 Frosty wind made moan

by chuckofish

Yesterday we woke up to the world covered in a sheet of ice. The neighbor across the street got as far as the end of her driveway before she stopped and just left her car there and retreated into the house.

I had gone to the grocery store preemptively on Sunday, so I just hunkered down (once again) and stayed home. The OM worked from home as did daughter #1 and the rest of the world.

(Zoom calls at home.)

Moving along, today we remember Alexander Korda, the Hungarian–born British film director, producer, and screenwriter, who died on this day in 1956. He founded his own film production studios and film distribution company. He made a lot of good films, including some of my favorites, such as The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), The Four Feathers (1939) and The Third Man (1949). Any of them would be worth watching as we toast this notable film producer. Because of his work with Winston Churchill before and during WWII, he was the first British film producer to be knighted.

And here’s a little Shakespeare for a wintery day:

(As You Like It, Act II Scene VII)

Plus, some wise words from C.S. Lewis:

We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.” – Mere Christianity

Amen to that.

4 Comments
January 18, 2024

Tra-la-la, tra-la-la

by chuckofish

While we are in a celebratory mood, let us toast today’s birthday boys: A.A. Milne (1882), Oliver Hardy (1892), Cary Grant (1904), Danny Kaye (1911), and Kevin Costner (1955). Cupcakes all around!

I would like to watch The Fighting Kentuckian (1949) starring John Wayne and Oliver Hardy. It is an excellent movie!

We’ll see if that can be arranged.

We were remiss in not mentioning the passing of actor David Soul a few weeks ago. We loved him as the middle Bolt brother in Here Come the Brides and as Hutch in Starsky and Hutch back in the day.

I lost track of him after that but I did always think he was my husband’s doppleganger. Well, sort of.

Interestingly, his father was a Lutheran minister and a senior representative for Lutheran World Relief during the reconstruction of Germany after World War II .

I would like to indulge in some Starsky and Hutch binging, but it is not available as far as I can see.

So, as we experience a brief thaw before the arctic air returns, I am content to putter around at home, reading my Pilgrim’s Progress assignment, straightening up the house and driving cardboard boxes to the recycling center. I feel like my father “going to the post office” in order to get out of the house. While I’m at it, I suppose I should stock up on bread, milk and pretzel bites.

This seems right to me, because it is not crazy to think that demonic forces prowl about in [AI] technology. There may well be a way “for the technology to move forward in a manner aligned with the City of God, but thus far Big Tech (collectively) seems quite content to operate from a position of self-interest and self-gain, values prized by both the City of Man and the cosmic powers of darkness.”

On that note, it’s time to relax and read some A.A. Milne:

Tra-la-la, tra-la-la,
Tra-la-la, tra-la-la,
Rum-tum-tiddle-um-tum.
Tiddle-iddle, tiddle-iddle,
Tiddle-iddle, tiddle-iddle,
Rum-tum-tum-tiddle-um.

He had made up a little hum that very morning, as he was doing his Stoutness Exercises in front of the glass: Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, as he stretched up as high as he could go, and then Tra-la-la, tra-la–oh, help!–la, as he tried to reach his toes. After breakfast he had said it over and over to himself until he had learnt it off by heart, and now he was humming it right through, properly.

Have a good day! Watch a good movie starring one of the birthday celebrants, read some Winnie the Pooh, make some cupcakes, and find some excuse to get out of the house. Go with God.

3 Comments
January 15, 2024

The weekend jumble

by chuckofish

Our weekend in flyover country was very cold–indeed, frigid. I wore my (vintage) fur coat to church, it was so cold. We did have a few diversions.

The boy came over with the twins on Friday in between a birthday party at the Mini Fig store and a date at the Cat Cafe (no school that day)…

Kirkwood is such a happening place. A Mini Fig store and a cat cafe.

Continuing the ‘In Memoriam Glynis Johns’ theme, we watched Mary Poppins (1964) and were reminded what a great movie it is.

Disney really peaked with that one. It had a message for all the parents in the audience, especially the fathers.

Thankfully, Mr. Banks is redeemed.

Sunday morning as we drove to church in the negative-five-degree cold, I said to the OM, “I bet [our old church] is closed this morning.” But we had an (almost) full house at our new one–everyone who stayed home missed a good class on Unconditional Election. Oh well. We hunkered down in the afternoon and attempted to stay warm watching the PGA in Hawaii.

Meanwhile daughter #2 et al are busily packing up their stuff and getting ready for the big move to flyover country at the end of the month…

…as well as Ida’s first birthday this week.

And I received this text:

Of course she did.

And this is interesting. Here’s the song that started Bobby Zimmerman on the road.

You’re drifting too far from the shore
You’re drifting too far from the shore
Come to Jesus today
Let Him show you the way
You’re drifting too far from the shore

–Hank Williams
3 Comments
January 9, 2024

A spa day for the brain*

by chuckofish

This is one of those weeks where we are in the are we/aren’t we going-to-get-a-snowstorm state of unknowing. This always discombobulates us flyover residents to the point where we are rendered unable to make adult decisions. Good grief.

Luckily I am retired and do not have to worry about this. However, yesterday I did have to make a decision about whether to go to my friend’s Barbie (2023) viewing party at her house. I went, even though I did not have anything pink to wear (!)–I found an old pink Boca Grande t-shirt and some pink Snoopy socks, but this was not quite what everyone else had in mind.

I was never a Barbie person–I’m not sure I even had one growing up. I had the knock-off version by Ideal. We were doll people, but my mother would have thought Barbie was tacky and she was right. So the movie did not really speak to me. And believe me, it had a lot to say. Too much, really for a two hour movie. It was well done and there were clever moments and funny lines. I was not exactly bored, but it would be literal torture to have to sit through it again. Ryan Gosling as Ken was the only saving grace for me.

God did not create men and women to be in competition with each other, but to be complementary. Oddly enough, although they would not articulate it that way, the writers of this movie might agree with that idea.

And on an unrelated topic, this made me smile.

*Barbie

5 Comments
January 8, 2024

“Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”*

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? It snowed here on Friday evening so that slowed things down quite a bit. We watched The Court Jester (1955) in honor of Glynis Johns, who died last week at age 100.

Funnily enough, we had decided to watch it before she died, but it worked out just right and we toasted her and the rest of the cast and crew.

I don’t know where this movie has been all my life, but I just love it. It has everything–a great script by the team of Norman Panama and Melvin Frank (who both co-directed) and a sparkling cast of stars and veteran character actors. It also boasts art direction by the incomparable Hal Pereira, who, if you are a discerning movie watcher, you know was the supervising art director at Paramount and as such was responsible for the “look” of a lot of great movies–such as Shane, Double Indemnity, Rear Window, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and on and on. Nominated 23 times for an Oscar, he only won once, for The Rose Tattoo (1955). Typical. [Trivia note: Hal Pereira graduated from the University of Illinois!]

I finished putting away the last of the Christmas decorations and got things in relative order before the twins came over to wreck havoc after church to celebrate their Mom’s birthday.

At church we started on a new Sunday School unit on the 5 points of Calvinism (TULIP) starting with my favorite, Total Depravity.

T – Total depravity
U – Unconditional election
L – Limited atonement
I – Irresistible grace
P – Perseverance of the saints

Everyone is taking the same class, but we are divided up into four age groups with different leaders, i.e. 20s and 30s, 40s and 50s, 60s, and 70s and up. I was directed by my friend and style icon, Linda, to go into her room–the 70s and up. I said, “I’m not quite there yet.” She was embarrassed, but I’m like, who cares. I’m alive and breathing.

We also heard a good sermon about Bartimaeus, the blind beggar (Mark 10:46-52). Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is coming and he shouts out for Jesus, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuke him and tell him to be quiet. But he cries out all the more. And Jesus stops and calls him. Bartimaeus tells him he wants to be healed and Jesus heals him. “Your faith has made you well.” He responds to being healed by following Jesus “on the way”.

The simple cry for mercy by Bartimaeus has inspired countless prayers during the last two millennia. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” the so-called “Jesus Prayer,” which has a variety of forms, is spoken millions of times each day by believers throughout the world, myself included.

As sinners, we need to experience God’s forgiveness. And this comes, not through our efforts, but through God’s mercy. Because of his love for us and his faithfulness, God’s mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23).

Grant us grace to see you, Lord,
mirrored in your holy Word.
May our lives and all we do
imitate and honor you
that we all like you may be
at your great epiphany
and may praise you, ever blest,
God in man made manifest.

–Christopher Wordsworth, 1807-85

*Mark 10:49

5 Comments