Ask 411 Movies for 01.09.12: The Number 33!
Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 01.09.2012
What’s the name of the song used in a movie montage and by the MMA company DREAM? What Italian movie involves a boy falling for his older brother’s girlfriend? Why have fictional syndicated series fallen out of favor? Why do cable providers charge for HD channels? All this and more in the latest edition of Ask 411 Movies!
Today, Jan. 9, is my 33rd birthday. I share it with Richard Nixon, Bob Denver, Chad Ochocinco, AJ McLean, Joey Lauren Adams, Joely Richardson, J.K. Simmons, Crystal Gayle, David Johansen, Jimmy Page, Joan Baez, Bart Starr, Lee Van Cleef and Vic Mizzy.
YouTube Clip of the Week
This week for our YouTube clip we have the only awesome thing Skip Bayless and Tim Tebow have ever been a part of.
Leonard's Favorite Episode of I Love Lucy
Every week I highlight my favorite episode of a popular television series. There are many iconic episodes and moments from I Love Lucy. Many episodes revolved around Lucy causing havoc to random celebrities. My favorite episode is where she encounters one of my favorite stars in Orson Welles. Welles is going to perform his magic act at Rickie's club and enlists Lucy as an assistant. However, she invited her old high school drama teacher who assumes she'll be performing Shakespeare with Welles. As usual, Lucy does what she wants despite what is intended and adlibs lines from Romeo and Juliet into the magic act to Welles' horror and confusion. Since I couldn't find a clip of that, below we have a clip of Lucy talking about her favorite episode.
Mystery Actor/Actress of the Week
Every week I'll give clues to a mystery actor or actress. If you think you know who it is, post in the comments. You win nothing but a tip of the top hat from me, but isn't that enough?
Last week: I costarred with last week's mystery actress, Lindsay Wagner, in a crime drama. Another actor in the film is known for a major sci-fi franchise and I'm known for another. I almost landed the title role in a James Bond film, but it went to a more familiar actress. I'm a former beauty pageant queen and even wrote a book about the particular pageant I was in. My final role was playing an ambassador from my native country in the pilot episode of a cult favorite television series. Who am I?
The answer is Persis Khambata. She and Wagner were in Nighthawks along with Billy Dee Williams. Williams was Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi while Khambata was Lt. Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. She was up for the role of Octopussy in the James Bond movie of the same name, which went to Maud Adam, who had previously been in the Bond movie The Man With the Golden Gun. Khambata was Miss India in 1965 and wrote the coffee table book "The Pride of India" about the pageant. Her last role was as an Indian ambassador in the pilot of "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Information from IMDB.
This week: Last week's mystery actress, Persis Khambata, had a guest spot on my 1980s television series. It was one of the rare shows that were renewed with the original stars more than 10 years after original cancellation. I almost landed the lead role in an even more popular series earlier, but lost out when the main character's former vocation was changed from being a football player to another sport. I did guest star on the show as the main character's friend. I was a real NFL player and hold a very unique defensive record, which was referenced in a 2009 commercial I appeared in. My ex-wife is a former Playboy Playmate and she appeared on two of my television programs. Who am I?
Q: Hi, so I've been trying to figure out a song from a movie theater montage from probably the 90's. Remember those? I remember going into the theater as a kid and they'd show this little trailer of classic film scenes and it would randomly cut to people in the audience. I recall the t-rex roaring from Jurassic Park and people in the audience screaming/their jaws dropping. I recall Andy Defrense from the Shawshank Redemption dropping to his knees in the rain and raising his hands to the sky.
I cannot got the life of me think of the instrumental music in this montage.
One hint-if you watch MMA, the Japanese MMA promotion 'Dream' constantly uses it at their events. When a guy wins a fight, they often play it as they walk from the area or give a post-fight speech.
If you can help, I'd so appreciate it!
Take care.
-Michael
A: I searched it every which way and couldn't come up with anything. I checked with the movies and MMA staff here on 411 and one of the MMA guys suggested the below as a complete stab in the dark. It's the main theme to the movie Armageddon. It seems a bit slow for a movie montage to me, but grand enough as badass winner music. If that's not it, I would suggest finding a clip that uses the music and sending in a link so I can hear it and share it with the readers at large.
Q: Hi Leonard
Great column, great answers/info.
I watch a fair number of foreign language films (French, Italian, German, Japanese,etc, etc) and am trying to locate one I saw 20+ years back. I'm not sure about your knowledge of foreign films but maybe the readers or some contact of yours can help if needed. Here's what I recall (hopefully correctly): An Italian film set in the 1930's to 50's, it's the coming of age story of a teen boy spending the summer in the countryside (his uncle's house?). His older brother's girlfriend/fiance comes to stay there too and the boy develops an infatuation with her, while she initially treats him as a child but then a friend/confidant as there are few others around. The older brother may be serving in the military.
One scene that stands out in my memory- the two row a boat out in the lake and the lady has the boy turn away while she sunbathes threatening him with trouble if he peeks. (There was only implied nudity in the version I saw). The focus is on the boy fighting the urge to look. When dressed and ready to return to shore the lady confides that she had fallen asleep and the boy realizes the opportunity he missed.
I've been searching online and the closest I've found are French/Italian co productions L'iniziazione/Les exploits d'un jeune Don Juan (1987) and Tenere Cugine/Tendre Cousines (1980) though by description neither fits.
Anything you can offer is greatly appreciated, Thanks
-Craig
A: Unfortunately, I'm not too up on foreign films and picking the brains and others researching how I can online hasn't produced anything. So again, I turn to the readers for any possible help.
Q: Hey Mr. H,
As always, another great read. Thank you for your continued column. Do you think at some point in the near future that the HD access fee charged by all cable providers will be phased out? I am at the point where I call BS that an extra $10 for HD channels is a luxury.
Has, outside of the talk shows, syndicated tv shows in the vein of Hercules, Xena and the obscure Cleopatra 2525 died out since all cable channels not produce their own shows in house?
-Paul
A: Most cable and satellite providers charge an additional amount, which can vary by company, for access to high definition channels. HD channels for regular networks are usually free and if you have premium channel packages, like for HBO or Showtime, their HD channels are part of that package. However, for the HD channels of other cable networks you usually have to pay for that package. The cable and satellite providers contract with the channels for carrying them. So, as they have to pay to carry the standard and HD channels that cost is passed to the consumer. That cost should go away for the consumer when it goes away from the cable and satellite providers. That will probably happen when all channels are broadcast in HD as the norm. In June 2009, the United States converted from analog to digital broadcast signals, although some low power stations in the U.S. are still analog. Digital doesn't mean high definition as all digital televisions aren't high definition. There are no plans at this time for a shift to only high definition television and high definition stations. I wouldn't expect for that to occur for a very long time or if at all. So, until that happens or contracts between networks and providers change, you'll probably still have to pay for HD channel packages.
There are currently no first run syndicated fictional series being produced and broadcast in the United States. There are some first run Canadian series broadcast on Canadian channels that are being syndicated in the U.S., but that's different. The last first run syndicated fictional series broadcast in the U.S. was Legend of the Seeker from 2008 to 2010. The show was based on the "Sword of Truth" novels by Terry Goodkind and distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television and produced by ABC Studios. In fact it was the first first run syndicated series put out by Disney-ABC. The program was canceled after the Tribune Station Group dropped it. There were talks of moving the series to SyFy, but it didn't pan out.
The drop off in first run syndicated series has nothing to do with a lot of cable channels, even basic cable ones like AMC, FX and SyFy, producing their own original series in house, in my opinion. These channels carried little, if any at all, first run syndicated shows and they're not syndicating shows they're making in house to take over the market. First run syndicated shows were predominantly on local network affiliates and some stations like WGN and TBS. It's expensive to produce a syndicated series and there's no guarantee of how many markets you can get in and stay in. It's cheaper and easier with a greater return on your investment to produce cheaper to make shows like talk shows, reality shows and judge shows. It's also the cycle of things. First run fictional syndicated series became very popular in the late 1980s through late 1990s with such hits as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Baywatch, Xenia: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys attracting a lot of viewers and getting into a lot of markets. As these shows went off the air, the other programs didn't draw as many viewers and people fell out of watching such shows, especially as the boom in reality television began to dominate the television landscape.
Last week as filler we looked at movies with midnight in the title, this week we shift to the other half of the day with film's that have noon in the name.
Blaze of Noon (1947): The McDonald Brothers (William Holden, Sonny Tufts, Sterling Hayden and Johnny Sands) are stunt fliers in the 1920s who leave the circus to join the fledgling U.S. air mail service. The guys are all adventurer seeking bachelors, but that changes when Colin (Holden) falls for a nurse (Anne Baxter). The movie was based on a book by Ernest K. Gann, who also had his books The High and The Mighty and Island in the Sky turned into John Wayne movies.
Seven Days to Noon (1950): Professor John Willingdon (Barry Jones) steals a nuclear warhead from an English test facility. He sends a letter to the Prime Minister (Ronald Adams) that he will detonate the warhead in the center of London if the nation doesn't swear off the stockpiling of nuclear weapons. Scotland Yard turns to Willingdon's assistant and future son-in-law (Hugh Cross) for assistance in tracking him down. The movie won the Academy Award for best story.
High Noon (1952): The movie won four Oscars, including Gary Cooper for best actor as Marshal Will Kane. Kane has just married Amy (Grace Kelly) and retired as a lawman. However, he's told that Frank Miller (Ian McDonald) is out of jail and looking for revenge on him. Kane decides he must stay and face Miller and his gang, but the townsfolk he's protected for so long all turn their backs on him. The stellar supporting cast features Lloyd Bridge, Jack Elam, Lon Chaney Jr., Thomas Mitchell, Otto Kruger, Harry Morgan, Sheb Wooley and Lee Van Cleef in his film debut. The movie was meant as an allegory for Hollywood actors not standing up for their own during the Communist witch hunts of the early 1950s by the House Un-American Activities Committee. John Wayne, who was a HUAC supporter, said the movie was un-American in his eyes, but he did accept Cooper's Oscar for him when the actor was unavailable. Those who turned down the lead were Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Marlon Brando, Kirk Douglas and Montgomery Clift.
Purple Noon (1960): This is the American title of the French film based on the character of Tom Ripley (Alain Delon) from the novels by Patricia Highsmith. Tom Ripley is sent to Europe to retrieve the son of a millionaire. Philippe (Maurice Ronet) and Tom become friends, but Tom refuses to return to the states and leave his fiancée Marge (Marie Laforet). Philippe's father cuts money off from Ripley, so he kills Philippe and assumes his identity. The source novel was adapted again in 1999, which you could call a remake of a sort, as The Talented Mr. Ripley featuring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in the leads.
The Man Called Noon (1973): Richard Crenna plays the title character, an amnesiac gunfighter. He's befriended by an outlaw (Stephen Boyd) and a woman (Rosanna Schiaffino) living in a ghost town. Noon begins to remember some things, such as his wife and child being dead and the location of a hidden fortune. Farley Granger and Patty Shepard play the duo trying to get to the loot for themselves.
From Noon Till Three (1976): Graham Dorsey (Charles Bronson) is the leader of a gang preparing to rob a bank. His horse is injured and he stays at the ranch of widower Amanda Starbuck (Jill Ireland) while they go off to commit the crime. Graham and Amanda fall in love in the brief three hours they're together. News comes that the gang was captured and are to be hung. Amanda convinces Graham to go save them, but he'd rather stay with her. He rides out, intending to just take a nap and then return to her, but a posse finds him and chases him down. Graham switches clothes with a dentist. The dentist is shot and presumed to be Graham. However, the dentist was a quack and Graham is thrown into jail for a year for malpractice. Amanda, thinking Graham dead, writes a book that becomes popular and is even turned into a stage play. Graham goes to see her after getting out of jail and their reunion isn't exactly what he thought it would be.
The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995): Darkly Noon (Brendan Fraser) is a young man whose very religious parents have just died. He gets lost in the woods and a truck driver (Loren Dean) takes Noon to the home of Callie (Ashley Judd) and Clay (Viggo Mortensen). Noon stays with the couple and becomes obsessed with Callie while becoming jealous of her relationship with Clay.
3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998): The fourth film in the franchise about three young karate kicking brothers (Matthew Botuchis, Michael O'Laskey and James Paul Roeske) who in this installment visit the Mega Mountain amusement park. The park is overrun by Medusa (Loni Anderson), Lothar (Jim Varney) and their ninja henchmen. The kids unite with retiring television star Dave Dragon (Hulk Hogan) to reclaim the park and free the hostages. This was the last movie of Victor Wong, who plays the boys' mentor.
Shanghai Noon (2000): Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) travels to the American old west to save a kidnapped princess (Lucy Liu). Wang's only ally is a bumbling outlaw (Owen Wilson). The sequel Shanghai Knights followed in 2003. Chan's name, Chon Wang, is to be play on John Wayne. Curtis Armstrong filmed scenes as Bulldog Drummond, but they were all cut from the final print.
Ten ‘Til Noon (2006): Morgan Freeman's son Alfonso Freeman stars in his low budget crime thriller. A crime is committed between 11:50 a.m. and noon. Throughout the movie those same 10 minutes are repeated from the perspective of different characters. Each character's view reveals more and more about what really happened.
