Ask 411 Movies for 11.13.06: Every Picture Tells a Story
Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 11.13.2006
Looney Tunes Christmas, correcting my woeful Doctor Who mistakes and Mr. Smith and many other go to Washington and a random picture of Scarlett Johansson to increase my hit count
We're going to try something new. I'm going to start incorporating pictures into the column. Maybe it's my jumping the shark, maybe it will add more color. We'll see. In the meantime, here is a gratuitous picture of Scarlett Johansson because the site is below our quota for the month.
Actor Jack Palance died on Friday at the age of 87 due to natural causes. Palance won the best supporting actor Oscar in 1992 for a humorous turn in City Slickers, but he was primarily known was a steely eyed villain. His films include Shane, The Desperados, Che!, Monte Walsh, Young Guns, Batman, Tango and Cash and a recent remake of Treasure Island.
Longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Ed Bradley also passed last week of leukemia. He was 65. Bradley had 19 Emmys for reporting to his credit interviewing everyone from Lena Horne to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. In his last piece for "60 Minutes" last month he scored the first interview with Duke lacrosse players that had been accused of rape.
Q: You've probably already gotten a ton of these, but there are a few mistakes in your Doctor Who information:
First, It is not a Tardis, but a TARDIS (all caps) which is an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Okay, that's the pedantic correction, but I just wanted to spell out what it stood for.
Second, it's Jon Pertwee, Not Rob. UNIT is an acronym for United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. They are a military group made up of forces from every country on the planet and their mission is to protect Earth from *global* dangers, whether extra-terrestrial or just "would-be world conqueror." Torchwood, on the other hand, is a non-military worldwide group assigned to study extra-terrestrial events and, if possible, incorporate any technology discovered into Earth society. Pertwee had no ring of which you speak in the description of Doctor the 3rd, unless it was a one-off story element. The yellow Roadster was "Bessie," the Whomobile was a Pertwee-designed "future" car that most fans wish was forgotten completely. His companion was Sarah Jane Smith, not Baker.
Romanna did not regenerate to look like Leela, but, rather, a character from the previous story, Princess Astra. Also, just for trivia's sake, Lalla Ward is now married to Richard Dawkins, world-renowned atheist and subject of recent South Park ridicule.
For all your Doctor Who information, bookmark: http://www.gallifreyone.com.
-Heath
A: You're the only one to write in with corrections, but I do thank you for them and especially thank you for not being a jerk about it. When you deal with cult sci-fi you have to be exact on the details or you will get called on it. I figured I would, but I need the column material.
I knew that TARDIS was an acronym, but didn't think to explain it. The name errors with Pertwee and Sarah Jane were just typos on my part. On UNIT and Torchwood I just didn't know their intricacies. The errors with the Whomobile and Bessie and Lalla Ward were simply really dumb and sloppy on my part. I used Wikipedia to double check some info and just scanned sections instead of reading thoroughly. I sincerely apologize for the poor write up. The syndication in the US was very spotty. I don't think I've seen many episode pre-Baker's tenure. I would like to check out some of the Pertwee ones, because I always thought I would like him. I preferred Mary Tamm as Romana by way. Sounds like a picture opportunity. And I'll throw K-9 in for kicks.
Now the time ring I was right on, but I had the wrong doctor. The fourth Doctor, played by Tom Baker, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan use a time ring given to them by the Time Lords to travel to Skaro in "Gensis of the Daleks." They then use the ring at the end of that story arc to travel to the Nevra Station for "Revenge of the Cybermen." The ring has popped up in other media. The tenth Doctor uses it in the novel I am a Dalek and the seventh Doctor gives time rings to Bernice Summerfield and Jason Kane as wedding presents in the novel Happy Endings and their son uses the ring in the audio play "The Grel Escape."
Q: Dr. Leonard Hayhurst:
You're the man, thanks for the insight on the Great 'Halloween 6' Debate of '06.
Moving on, there was a 1986 television Christmas special called (Jim Henson's) 'The Christmas Toy'. I remember owning recorded copy of it from when it aired on TV that has seen been lost in the sands of time. It was released in the UK on DVD a few years ago, but is out of print again.Will we ever get a Region 1 release for this classic Jim Henson production ?!
And while we're on the subject of "lost" holiday cartoons, I wish Warner Bros. would get on the ball and re-release the 'Bugs Bunny's Christmas Tales' special that included the "Bugs Bunny's Christmas Carol" and "The Fright Before Christmas" (Taz as Santa!) shorts.
-Justin
A: I am a reverend, but I didn't know I was a doctor. What is my doctorate in? Obscure junk?
I identified "The Christmas Toy" last year around Christmas. I could not find any info on it being released on DVD. I do know that some of the Muppet specials and such are still under distribution rights with HIT Entertainment and Disney is trying to bring everything back under them as the parent company of Henson Productions. I got my four year old nice Laken "Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas" on DVD last year. She does not believe the characters involved are Muppets. She also doesn't think Fraggles are Muppets, but instead just Fraggles. She was also confused to see ads for Disney Princesses on the Muppet website we checked out, so I explained to her that they are both owned by Mickey Mouse. Which made her ask where he got all the money. To which I replied making wise investments like buying the Muppets. So she now thinks that Mickey Mouse is this shrewd Donald Trump like business genius.
Warner Brothers is releasing Bah Humduck: A Looney Tunes Christmas on DVD tomorrow.
Just imagine Mickey's Christmas Carol with the Looney Tunes gang. Bugs Bunny's Christmas Tales is on out of print VHS and still pops up here and there on television during the holidays. I could find no info on a DVD release.
With this past election cycle over and many new governors, house members and senators coming to power let's take a look at films that have dealt with politics and fictional senators.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): When a senator of an unnamed state dies the governor (Guy Kibbee) is pressed by corrupt political boss Jim Taylor (Edward Albert) to select his stooge to replace him. Others in the state want him to go with a reform candidate. His children want him to choose Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart), head of the Boy Scouts like Boy Rangers. Smith gets the job because his clean-cut image will please some and his naiveté should prove him malleable to Taylor. Senator Paine (Claude Rains) takes Smith under his wing, but he is secretly in cahoots with Taylor and sets Smith up to take the fall on a crooked land deal. Aide Clarissa Saunders (Jean Arthur) urges Smith to stage a filibuster to clear himself. Taylor's control keeps Smith's statements from getting out while Paine mounts false evidence against him. However, fellow senators begin to feel for Smith and side with him. Smith finally collapses from exhaustion, but Paine is overcome with guilt and confesses the whole deal. The film was turned into a television series that ran one season in 1962-1963 starring Fess Parker and served as the inspiration for the film Billy Jack Goes to Washington in the Billy Jack film series by Tom Laughlin.
The Candidate (1972): Political consultant Marvin Lucas (Peter Boyle) has been on a losing trend and needs to make some money and improve his image. He goes to Bill McKay (Robert Redford) and asks him to run for Senate based on him being the son of a former popular governor (Melvyn Douglas). McKay assumes he's going to lose, so he starts out speaking his mind on issues, then concedes to Lucas' handling when the race pulls tight. McKay is shocked to win and at the end of the film and confesses that he has no idea how to be a Senator or what he will do in the office. The film examines and satirizes the then growing trend in American politics for image and catchy slogans to trump hard work and actual issue views.
The Man (1972): The President and Speaker of the House are killed in a building collapse and the Vice President refuses to step up due to age and bad health. This leaves the President of the Senate to take over the country. Douglass Dillman (James Earl Jones) becomes the first black US President. He battles with old racists in the highest areas of his new administration (Burgess Meredith leading them) while trying to lead the country and deciding if he will run for re-election or not. The script was by Rod Serling from a novel by Irving Wallace. It was originally made for television, but released theatrically.
The Distinguished Gentleman (1992): Conman Thomas Jefferson Johnson (Eddie Murphy) uses his similar name to dead Congressman Jeff Johnson (James Garner) to get elected to Congress. Johnson sees it as the promise land where he and his gang of cons can take bribes and live off the fat of lobbyists. However, he finds himself getting played by Congressman Dick Dodge (Lane Smith) and oil company big wig Olaf Anderson (Joe Don Baker) while falling for Celia Kirby (Victoria Rowell) and her environmentalist causes.
Bulworth (1998): California Senator Bulworth (Warren Beatty) is running for re-election, but suddenly realizes that he has betrayed his liberal beliefs to court big money lobbyists. Bulworth takes out a major insurance policy on himself and orders a mafia hit. With his death looming, Bulworth decides to go out in a blaze of glory by finally saying what he really believes, no matter how blasphemous. He even takes up with a young African American woman (Halle Berry) and delivers a speech in rap. With renewed life, Bulworth decides he doesn't want to die and now races to save his life and not just his Senate seat. Beatty and Jeremy Pikser were nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay. They did receive uncredited help from Aaron Sorkin and James Toback.
Silver City (2004): Dickie Pilager (Chris Cooper) is the dimwitted son of Senator Judson Pilager (Michael Murphy) in Colorado and is put up for governor. While filming a commercial supporting the environment he hooks a dead body in a river while fishing. Campaign manager Chuck Raven (Richard Dreyfuss) tries to keep matters quiet and hires Danny O'Brien (Danny Huston) to investigate. He tries to link the body to Pilager family enemies and finds himself deep into a web of intrigue and scandal.
Don't die.
"So vote once, vote twice, for Bill McKay... you middle class honkies."
