Ask 411 Movies for 12.07.09: The Column with Bologna in its Slacks!

Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 12.07.2009

Animaniacs, Let’s Go to Prison, Cabin Boy, TV theme songs, movies not on DVD, Saved by the Bell, cult scream queens, Clint Eastwood kills Uncle Leo and Desi Arnez Jr. and Ed McMahon get stuck in traffic

From YouTube this week we have my favorite Coors Light football coach commercials, featuring Dennis Green. My all-time favorite being the first one about the contest.
"Is there anything I can't win?"
"High performance helicopter."



From BigLots for $3 each I picked up Stander, Where the Truth Lies, Torture Garden and "Stan Lee's Mutant Monster Marvels" with Lee being interviewed by Kevin Smith. I also bought "Star Trek: The Animated Series." The animation is crappy, but I thought the show inventively carried on the Star Trek mythos and animation allowed for a lot more aliens and different plotlines than low budget live action.

Q: What are some of your favorite TV theme songs by established artists?
What are your favorite instrumental TV theme songs?
-Bill

A: I would take it you mean when an established artist had done a song specifically for a series and not when they've just picked a popular song by somebody to use.

Number one for me would be Al Jarreau for "Moonlighting."



Bill Medley's "Doin' it the Best I Can" for "Just the Ten of Us"



"Family Ties" theme "Without Us" by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams




"The Skrewy St. Louis Blues" by David Cassidy that served as the theme for "The John Larroquette Show"



"Good Ole' Boys," theme song to "The Dukes of Hazzard" by Waylon Jennings



For instrumentals, my number one would be Quincy Jones' theme for "Sanford and Son."



After that, I would just go with a bunch of Mike Post stuff.









Q: Good morning! Great column as always!

Question for ya:

My brother and I recently found out that one of our "guilty pleasure" films from the early nineties, Class Act (with Kid 'n' Play), is not available yet on DVD. So, my question to you is:

a.) Do you have any personal favorite movies that you would like to see on DVD that currently are not?

b.) Are there any "classic" movies that still are not available on DVD?

Entertainment Weekly did an article about seven years ago that featured their Top 30 movies that were not on DVD yet. Since then, I believe all 30 have been transferred to DVD by now.
Thanks as always,
-Steve

A: Eventually, as we will all be famous for 15 minutes, everything will be released on DVD. Then DVD will become obsolete and we'll have to move onto the next thing. I'm thinking a microchip they just insert into your brain.

Turner Classic Movies keeps a running list of the top 200 movies requested to be put out on DVD that haven't been.
Doing a bit of perusal of that list, some movies I would personally want are Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons, The African Queen, Sleuth, Wuthering Heights, Song of the South, No Time for Sergeants, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Angel in My Pocket.

Q: Hey I was wondering this may seem a bit odd but here's the synopsis. I remember watching a saved by the bell tv movie that was never shown again. OR else I don't think it was. But it was about Zack and slater having their own apartment I guess and they were going home for Christmas to meet up with the old cast. I was wondering if this was true. I know they had a Christmas special. But kelly was involved and I believe screech. I swear I'm not dreaming but I was wondering if this was a saved by the bell movie or a different movie made for tv but using different character names. and I need to point out Zack had his wavy hair like he did in college years
-Kevin

A: Well, there was "Saved by the Bell," "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" and two TV movies "Hawaiian Style" and "Wedding in Las Vegas." Lisa, Zack and Slater also made a guest appearance on "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" to help save Bayside from being torn down by a greedy land developer, but aren't all land developers greedy.

About the closest I could get to your synopsis above is an episode of "The College Years" where Zack and Slater are going to drive home for Thanksgiving, but have car trouble and stay at the college to help their new friends make Thanksgiving dinner for disadvantaged inner city children, but then again aren't all inner city children disadvantaged.



Q: Great column as usual. I've got a few new questions for you......

1. Whatever happened to Kelly Jo Minter (People Under the Stairs, Nightmare on Elm Street 5, & Popcorn) and Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather, Popcorn, & Cutting Class)? I thought both ladies would eventually become decent scream queens but it seems that their careers both just died out in the early 90s.

2. I don't know if you've answered this before but do you think there was a chance for Halloween to become a decent franchise back in the 80s without Michael Myers? I've read this was the plan beginning with part III. I've also heard they were going to have a different story every year and that the horrible reception to part III killed that. It couldn't have been that bad since, IMO, parts 5,6, & 8 are way worse than 3. That might just be because of Tom Atkins though.

3. Who do you think should play Captain America? I've heard rumors ranging from Matt Damon to Will Smith. I've also heard talk of Jeremy Renner. Renner's cool but there's been talk of him playing Hawkeye, which I think would be a much better role for him. Anyway, what would you think of Kenny Johnson (Lem from the Shield) playing Cap? He's in his mid-40s but doesn't look it and it wouldn't be a big name taking away from the rest of the movie. Also, what about Scott Caan as Hawkeye or Antman?
-Nate

A: Kelly Jo Minter, 43, is originally from Trenton, N.J. Along with the movies you mention she was also in The Lost Boys, Mask, Summer School, The Principal, House Party, New Jack City and Doc Hollywood. Her last imdb credit is an episode of "Zoey 101" last year. She runs her own handbag design company called KJO Los Angeles.



Jill Schoelen, 46, is originally from Burbank, Calif. Along with the films you mention, she was also in D.C. Cab, Hot Moves, Thunder Alley, The Phantom of the Opera with Robert Englund and a TV version of "Babes in Toyland. Her last imdb credit is She Kept Silent from 2004. She dated Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves briefly in the late eighties. She has two children by composer Anthony Marinelli. They divorced in 2002. She's now with jazz bassist Dave Carpenter and Wikipedia has the two of them working on an album together.



John Carpenter and Debra Hill didn't want to do another Halloween sequel and only agreed to do it if it had nothing to do with the first two films. The idea then became to turn the franchise into an anthology series. A new film would come out every year set at Halloween. The film had some positive reviews, but didn't do great at the box office and many fans were confused by the movie having the Halloween name, but not connected to the other two movies. If it had just been released as Season of the Witch and a follow-up of John Carpenters' in the ‘style of' Halloween or something like that then the reception might have been warmer. Michael Meyers had already been solidly established as a character in the first two movies as had the other characters and basic plotline. Now, if the second film had been Meyers-less, then maybe it would have had a chance, but by the third movie it was too late to try to go into that anthology direction.



I kind of liked the Will Smith as Captain America idea because it really opens up a whole other world and idea for the character. You would think that back then they would have experimented with a new drug on black soldiers. There was a Marvel comic out a few years ago that explored that idea.

On the podcast, we joked about trying to start a rumor that Toby Keith was going to play Captain America. He's an expert in putting a boot up people's asses.

Kenny Johnson I'm not too familiar with, but looking at pictures he would seem to have the right look, but maybe is a bit old. Channing Tatum has the right look, but he can't act his way out of a wet paper bag. My suggestion will be to bulk up Ryan Gosling.



Q: Great column, Leonard. I was wondering what is your opinion on The Animaniacs? I always thought the show was sharp, clever, incredibly written. It was often every bit as smart & funny (sometimes even more so) as The Simpsons
or Seinfeld was at the time. So there was a lot for adults to like about it too. Also it brought us Pinky & the Brain, another one of the best cartoons of that time.
-Travis

A: I loved the Animaniacs. It was probably the last animated series that appealed to kids, but had so much targeted at adults. It did this consciously so as the basic idea was to be a throwback to the classic Looney Tunes cartoons of the past in style, feel and humor. Chuck Jones and Tex Avery have been noted as direct inspirations for the series.



The show aired on Fox Kids from 1993 to 1995 and then Kids' WB from 1995 to 1999. There was a film "Wakko's Wish." My favorite character was Chicken Boo, because the joke was so stupid yet so funny. For those that don't remember, Chicken Boo was a giant chicken who wanted to assimilate into human culture and would pretend to be human with the barest disguise, like a fake beard or hat. One character would recognize that Boo was a chicken, but no one else would until the disguise came off and then people were shocked.



Q: There was a made-for-TV movie back in the early/mid 80's about a traffic jam all over Los Angeles. It had a ton of people in it, like Ed McMahon, Desi Arnez Jr....but I cannot find any info on it at all, and have never seen it since like 88 (my VCR tape I had it on broke!!)...any info on this classic??
-Mike

A: Your 1980 TV movie is Gridlock or The Great American Traffic Jam. Various characters are met and wind up stuck in traffic in Los Angeles due to several weird mishaps. Desi Arnaz Jr. plays an expectant father trying to get to his wife, Christopher Norris, who is being drive to the hospital by a tough cab driver, Vic Tayback. Shelley Fabares plays an unhappy wife who takes her kids on vacation without her husband, John Beck, and he tries to catch up to them. Abe Vigoda plays a driving instructor. Ed McMahon and Rue McClanahan are a wealthy couple. Wink Martindale is a golfer troubled by all the traffic noise. Lisa Hartman is the singer for a band. Marcia Wallace is the traffic controller secretary to Lyle Waggoner's inept traffic controller. Howard Hesseman plays Senor Smooth, a disc jockey. Many other recognizable faces have bit parts. The movie is on out of print VHS, 9 used ones can be found on Amazon, and has not bee released on DVD.

Q: Didn't Joey from Full House also have a post kiss saying? I forgot what it was.
-the Great Capt. Smooth

A: The only catchphrase I remember Dave Coulier's Joey having is "Cut it out" with hand gestures accompanying. Coulier had used the line in his stand up act and it first appeared on TV with Coulier as host of the children's series "Out of Control!"



Q: 1. Regarding The Brothers Solomon, I didn't care for it as much as Let's Go To Prision. Bob Odenkirk also directs this movie and Will Arnett also stars. I actually found this movie to be quite funny. Will Arnett was far and away the funniest thing about Arrested Development and he's hilarious in this film.

2. What is your opinion of A Face in the Crowd? IMO it is by far the most underrated movie of all time. This movie is on the same level as Citizen Kane (although I personally Find A Face in the Crowd a lot more interesting story wise.) It will never get the credit it deserves due to the fact that Andy Griffith will always be more wll-known as a tv star and because the films director Elia Kazan testified to the House of Un-American Activities Committee during the blacklists and was unfairly villified afterwards.
-Dr. Mickhead

A: Let's Go to Prison is a 2006 film based on the non-fiction book "You Are Going to Prison." The movie was shot at Joliet Prison, used in the Blues Brothers and the first season of Fox's "Prison Break." John Lyshitski (Dax Shepherd) has spent most of his life in jail, always being sentenced by the same judge. When the judge dies, John decides to move his revenge plan to his son Nelson (Will Arnett). Nelson winds up going to jail and John follows in order to give him bad advice. However, Nelson winds up doing well in prison and finds love with burly Barry (Chi McBride).



A Face in the Crowd is one of my favorite movies and Andy Griffith gives one of the best lead performances I've ever seen in a film. Sadly, Griffith said he wound up taking the Lonesome Rhodes character home with him and was harsh to family and friends. He just couldn't shake it and didn't want to play such a villainous or dramatic character again. The movie was way ahead of its time in examining the influence of television and talking heads on society and politics.

Griffith stars as Lonesome Rhodes, a bum discovered by radio producer Marcia (Patricia Neal) and given his own show where he sings and plays guitar while shilling out homespun wisdom. Eventually Rhodes gets his own TV show and becomes a national success. He tries to use his series to gain political power behind the scenes, but Marcia is so tired of being hurt by Rhodes and exposes him to the populace at large. The movie was the film debut of Griifth, Lee Remick and Charles Nelson Reilly. Walter Matthau and Anthony Franciosa have early roles.



Q: What about Cabin Boy as an underrated comedy? It stars Chris Elliot (a true unsung hero of comedy) and was produced by Tim Burton. You can totally tell it has the look and the vibe of a Tim Burton movie.
-Guest1234



A: From 1994, Chris Elliot plays a dim fop who inadvertently winds up a cabin boy on a fishing boat and brings nothing except bad luck to the crew. David Letterman makes a rare acting appearance as an old salt Elliot meets in a village who tries to sell him a monkey. Letterman has made fun of his appearance in the movie, more on his acting skills than the quality of the movie, for years.

Q: I was channel surfing last night, turned on the Outlaw Josey Wales, and could have swore that I saw Clint Eastwood shoot "Uncle Leo" from Seinfeld. Was I having an acid flashback?
-BFF

A: You are correct. Len Lesser played Jerry's Uncle Leo and had the bit part of Abe in The Outlaw Josey Wales. Lesser, 87, is originally from New York. He has guest starred on numerous TV shows since the mid-fifties, most recently appearing on "Castle." He has also been in such movies as Kelly's Heroes, Cool Hand Luke, Birdman of Alcatraz, Slither, Papillon, Death Hunt and more. A biography is currently in the works for release next year.



I still have A Simple Plan to watch and I have now …And God Spoke coming. I've got a couple other questions to get to as well. It's been a busy week for me as I'm in a play that just opened. It's called "The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge" and set a year after "A Christmas Carol" with Scrooge suing the ghosts for messing with him. I play the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Don't die.

"Honey, nothing's illegal if they don't catch you."