TCM | dual personalities

December 23, 2025

À la recherche du temps perdu*

by chuckofish

As the year winds to a close, TCM remembers the actors, filmmakers and other film “creatives” we lost this year:

It is a good reminder. So many–from Robert Redford and Claudia Cardinale and Gene Hackman and David Lynch to our own dear “cousin” Richard Chamberlain. Sigh.

My doctor couldn’t fit me in, but I talked to a nurse on the phone. She suggested I go to urgent care to be tested and to make sure I don’t have pneumonia. Daughter #1 took me to the St Luke’s urgent care and I do have “the flu”. I got a prescription so hopefully I will be on the mend soon. Good grief.

I will hang in there and you should too.

*In Search of Lost Time

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December 22, 2023

I wonder as I wander, out under the sky

by chuckofish

It is the end of the year, so it is the time when TCM remembers all those movie people who died in the past year:

It’s not, I think, one of their better videos, but it does the job. There were no real surprises except I did not know that Frederic Forrest had died. You remember him as Blue Duck in Lonesome Dove, don’t you? He scared us silly in that one. He also was Captain Jenko in the original 21 Jump Street (1987) tv series, which I have been watching recently. He had quite a range. There was also David McCallum, my DP’s first crush in elementary school. And we’ll all miss Tina Turner and Jim Brown and Gina Lollobrigida.

All these people knew their glory days, but like everyone else,

“Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.”
–Ecclesiastes 12:7

Denny Burk discusses this here. “Our lives go by us in a flash. Our time is so short. And yet, still our hearts long for a fading glory—a glory that will be forgotten and unknown infinitely longer than it was known or acknowledged by anyone.”

Well, on that note, I wish all our readers a Merry Christmas!

And here’s a blast from the past which I found on ye olde internet, much to my delight:

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December 20, 2022

“For we in the East have seen his star, And have ridden fast, and have ridden far”*

by chuckofish

It makes me happy every year to open up our big box of Christmas ornaments that I have collected over the years and see them on a new tree.

Some were made by my aunts many years ago or by people I have worked with and some were made more recently by my daughters.

Some have been handed down from my parents and even my grandparents. Some were “store-bought” and quite a few were made by my children at school. (Do they make Christmas ornaments in elementary school any more?)

Some are part of a collection (bears).

Well, it’s nice to remember.

It’s also nice that TCM remembers all those performers/writers/directors/etc who die every year. Here is their 2022 in memoriam tribute:

They always include the little known actors who may have had just one scene in a great movie, like Mickey Kuhn who played the young Montgomery Clift in Red River (1948) and Virginia Patton who played Jimmy Stewart’s new sister-in-law in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). I must say I think James Caan deserved more than the split second inclusion he got. C’est la vie. But I like that the last snippet of Sidney Poitier is of him playing a cowboy. He played several cowboys in his career and I think he enjoyed it.

Here’s an interesting article about the Magi and why they worshiped Jesus.

I liked this article about dealing with sleeplessness. “A good night’s sleep, like so many of God’s gifts, is one of those ordinary glories you don’t quite appreciate until it’s gone.”

Do you need to be reminded of “10 Ways to Be a Christian this Christmas”? These are 10 good ones.

Enjoy the week before Christmas! Slow down. Watch a Christmas movie. Read a poem.

*”The Three Kings” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow–read it here.

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December 30, 2021

Another slice of gingerbread

by chuckofish

Did you have a merry Christmas? I hope so. Daughter #2 and Katiebelle leave today and I will get back to regular blogging shortly. Until then, here’s wishing you a happy new year and hoping that you resolve to grow in godliness in 2022. However, I agree with Anne that “the way out is not to try to baptize self-consideration. Nor to take to oneself the work of the Holy Spirit. Rather, the Christian above all people has access to the greatest gift given by God–to lose track of oneself in the worship of a holy and merciful God.”

Here’s the 2021 TCM Remembers video which features film luminaries who died this past year.

I’ll be toasting the wonderful Israeli actress Haya Harareet who died this year in February.

Check out this four-minute clip of PCA minister Alistair Begg–“The Man on the middle cross said I could come.”

The full sermon is titled “The Power and Message of the Cross” and can be watched in its entirety here.

R.C. Sproul reminded us continually that “Disciples of Christ abide in His Word. Those who abide in His Word know the truth and are free.” Here is a list of Bible reading plans for 2022 from Ligonier Ministries.

So again, Happy New Year! Thank you for reading our blog.

We are happy to be welcoming a new year, but remember to celebrate responsibly. Daughter #1 is headed back to Jeff City early because the weather forecast for this weekend looks lousy. Our New Year’s Eve plans will be curtailed and low-key. C’est la vie.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
    With Thee, O Father, as my harbour,
    Thee O Son, at my helm,
    Thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
    My lamp burning,
    My ear open to thy calls,
    My heart full of love, my soul free.
Give me Thy grace to sanctify me,
    Thy comforts to cheer me,
    Thy wisdom to teach,
    Thy right hand to guide,
    Thy counsel to instruct,
    Thy law to judge,
Thy presence to stabilize.
    May Thy fear be my awe,
    Thy triumphs my joy.
–Jonathan Edwards

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December 15, 2017

Have a holly jolly weekend

by chuckofish

Another busy week gone with the wind. Good grief, where does the time go? I’m not sure, but my routine has been disrupted by holiday office parties on school nights (!) and similar activities. I’m certainly not complaining. ‘Tis the season and all that.

Our weekend should be relatively calm. I will continue at a leisurely pace to wrap presents and write cards. Daughter #1 is coming home to help us trim our big tree. Hopefully the wee babes and their parents will come over for dinner on Sunday.

Lottie is on the verge of crawling.

This time last year we were very worried about the wee babes who were only a few days old and so tiny.

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We were at the NICU every day then and on that Friday daughter #2 and I were caught going home in a freak ice storm that wrecked havoc with traffic for hours. How blessed we are to have gotten through that time and to have our darling babes happy and healthy and ready for their first real Christmas. I reminded someone yesterday that we had many people and churches of varying denominations praying for those babies back then, and we are very grateful. The power of prayer is a real thing.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (I Thess: 6:16-18)

As it is Friday, I want to point out to you that TCM is airing a lot of Christmas movies in the coming days, including tonight:

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Set your DVR for some seasonal fun. BTW, The Shop Around the Corner (1940) is the movie upon which You’ve Got Mail (1998) is based. James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan–check out the original.

Have a great weekend! Keep the faith.

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December 7, 2016

Awakening a sleeping giant

by chuckofish

Today is the 75 anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, that “date that will live in infamy.”

At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appeared out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into WWII. (History.com)

The battleships West Virginia and Tennessee burning

Wheeler Army Air Field under attack

Here are more pictures.

Our parents were, of course, deeply affected by this horrific attack. Our mother was 15 and in high school. She never quite forgave the Japanese for their part in this event and she would be shocked, I know, that we own a Japanese car. Our 19-year-old father dropped out of college and joined the army just like scores of other young men.

ANC III in 1942, Miami Beach

He served throughout the war. I have no doubt that my 41-year old grandfather Bunker would have joined up if the powers that be had let him. Our other grandfather, the newspaper man, spent a good part of the war in London during the Blitz. (My DP probably knows more about what he was actually doing there.)

It was a long and traumatizing war that left its mark on several generations of Americans. Everyone I knew growing up had a father in the war (and a few mothers). As small children we would proudly compare branches of the service in which our fathers served. And, of course, we watched Combat! on television with a certain amount of sophistication.

My favorite character was PFC Kirby who carried the BAR. Yes, I was seven.

Today TCM is honoring the anniversary with a 24-hour tribute. I plan to watch Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), which I saw with my father when it was first released.

He, of course, found many mistakes in the film, as he always did, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. Among its stars is Jason Robards, who was a radioman, 3rd class, on the USS Northampton, which was about 100 miles off Hawaii at the time of the attack.

TCM is also showing They Were Expendable (1945) starring John Wayne, Donna Reed and Robert Montgomery, which is about American PT Boats (“those high powered canoes”) defending the Philippines in World War II. Directed by “John Ford, Captain U.S.N.R.”, it is blatantly propagandistic, but who cares?

This film is also noteworthy because John Wayne uncharacteristically wears a baseball cap through most of it (and he looks adorable.)

So pick a movie and toast the brave men and women who fought and died on December 7, 1941 and toast again for the rest who joined up shortly after.

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August 2, 2016

“The days of wine and roses”*

by chuckofish

This made me laugh.

Well, it is AUGUST! We are on the downward slide of the year.

On TCM it is Summer Under the Stars month and every day the schedule features the movies of one star. Today, for instance, they are showcasing the films of Lucille Ball. So check it out and set your DVR accordingly. Personally, I am looking forward to August 27 when it is James Garner day.

In other news, today is the birthday of Ernest Dowson (2 August 1867 – 23 February 1900), English poet.

He is famous for the phrases, “days of wine and roses” and “gone with the wind” and “faithful to thee in my fashion”. Here’s his poem Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae:

Last night, ah, yesternight, betwixt her lips and mine
There fell thy shadow, Cynara! thy breath was shed
Upon my soul between the kisses and the wine;
And I was desolate and sick of an old passion,
Yea, I was desolate and bowed my head:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.

All night upon mine heart I felt her warm heart beat,
Night-long within mine arms in love and sleep she lay;
Surely the kisses of her bought red mouth were sweet;
But I was desolate and sick of an old passion,
When I awoke and found the dawn was gray:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.

I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind,
Flung roses, roses riotously with the throng,
Dancing, to put thy pale, lost lilies out of mind;
But I was desolate and sick of an old passion,
Yea, all the time, because the dance was long:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.

I cried for madder music and for stronger wine,
But when the feast is finished and the lamps expire,
Then falls thy shadow, Cynara! the night is thine;
And I am desolate and sick of an old passion,
Yea, hungry for the lips of my desire:
I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion.

If you prefer, you can listen to Richard Burton reciting it:

Poor Ernest led a sad life (see above photo). Both his parents committed suicide and he died at age 32. After Dowson’s death, Oscar Wilde wrote: “Poor wounded wonderful fellow that he was, a tragic reproduction of all tragic poetry, like a symbol, or a scene. I hope bay leaves will be laid on his tomb and rue and myrtle too for he knew what love was.” Oh brother.

On that note, try to enjoy your Tuesday.

*Ernest Dowson, from “Vitae Summa Brevis” (1896)

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July 8, 2016

Freaky Friday

by chuckofish

It’s Friday and the end to a busy week at work.

This went viral this week and I guess we know why.

Daughter #2 commented on yesterday’s post in a way that made me realize she had never heard the phrase “Go for the gusto, or don’t go at all!” and probably did not know its derivation–unlike us oldsters who remember those old Schlitz Beer ads from the 1970s. Here is one of them to jog your memory:

And here’s a little Freddy B. to start your weekend on a positive note, especially if you are feeling a little bummed.

God created us in joy and created us for joy, and in the long run not all the darkness there is in the world and in ourselves can separate us finally from that joy, because whatever else it means to say that God created us in his image, I think it means that even when we cannot believe in him, even when we feel most spiritually bankrupt and deserted by him, his mark is deep within us. We have God’s joy in our blood.

—Frederick Buechner, “The Great Dance” in Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons, 240.

Meanwhile, tonight we can watch some good movies starring Olivia de Havilland (and Errol Flynn) on TCM.

Have fun this weekend and–

(The painting is ‘A Girl by the Table’ by Leon De Smet, 1921)

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January 28, 2016

“It’ll get a terrific laugh.”*

by chuckofish

Today is the birthday of Ernst Lubitsch (January 29, 1892 – November 30, 1947) who, you will recall, was a German-American film director, producer, writer, and actor back in the day. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood’s most elegant and sophisticated director. His movies were famous for “the Lubitsch touch.”

The story goes that, leaving Lubitsch’s funeral, Billy Wilder ruefully said, “No more Lubitsch.” William Wyler then responded, “Worse than that. No more Lubitsch pictures.”

Anyway, he made a lot of really good movies with the likes of Greta Garbo, Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Gary Cooper, Frederic March, Miriam Hopkins etc. He also knew how to use character actors like Edward Everett Horton and Zasu Pitts to their best and most hilarious advantage. Think of Iranoff, Buljanoff and Kopalski in Ninotchka (1939). Think of the acting troupe in To Be or Not to Be (1942).

And actresses like Carole Lombard and Greta Garbo were at their sexiest and funniest–Garbo laughs!–with Lubitsch.

Indeed, Ernst Lubitsch personified what is missing in Hollywood today–humor without vulgarity. His films had class. Sure, there was plenty of innuendo, but it was all done with a light touch.

Maria Tura: It’s becoming ridiculous the way you grab attention. Whenever I start to tell a story, you finish it. If I go on a diet, you lose the weight. If I have a cold, you cough. And if we should ever have a baby, I’m not so sure I’d be the mother.

Josef Tura: I’m satisfied to be the father.

Of course he never won an Oscar for directing–only a special Academy Award for his “25-year contribution to motion pictures.”

They say The Shop Around the Corner (1940) was his own favorite. FYI it is the movie You’ve Got Mail (1998) is based on.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is showing several of Lubitsch’s best comedies today, so check the schedule here and set your DVR.

I know who I’ll be toasting and what I’ll be watching tonight!

*Greenberg in To Be or Not to Be (1942)

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November 23, 2015

“Let the ‘amen’ sound from His people again”*

by chuckofish

Sometimes we get caught up in all the things that are wrong with the world. And there are plenty. Like this. Sigh.

But we must remind ourselves how blessed we really are every day.

This past weekend I spent a lot of time puttering around my house, taking stock of what I have squirreled away for Christmas and what I still need to get. I found the Christmas cards I bought after Christmas last year–that sort of thing.

I talked to my daughters and dual personality on the phone. The OM and I had dinner with some old friends. Indeed, it was a quiet weekend.

We watched The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (1966) which never ceases to amuse me.

509full-the-russians-are-coming,-the-russians-are-coming-screenshot

The OM and I in a few years

We also watched Edge of Darkness (1943) a war movie about a small Norwegian fishing village rising up and revolting against the occupying Nazis.

Partisans dig their own graves in “The Edge of Darkness”

It was surprisingly edgy and well done I thought. I mean it is blatantly propagandistic and the sets are terrible, but dreamy Errol Flynn is ably supported by a good ensemble cast and you have to love a movie where the peaceful town minister comes through in a way that would make the Sons of Anarchy proud.

Anyway, I am counting my blessings this week and always.

Some leaves are still hanging on in the ‘hood.

I am thankful for TCM and our DVR, not to mention Netflix and streaming cable television shows. I am thankful for old friends and good books and Coffee Nips and red wine. I am thankful for my laptop and online shopping and Christmas cactus and being able to turn the heat on when the temperatures go down. I am thankful for being able to go down to the basement and do my laundry when I want to and that we could just go out and buy a new refrigerator when the old one conked out last week. These are things I do not take for granted.

Have a good week–only 2 1/2 days of work–and don’t forget to count your blessings!

*Joachim Neander, hymn #390 “Praise to the Lord the Almighty”

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