Ask 411 Movies for 6.09.08: The Column that Knows More Kung Fu than a Fat Panda

Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 06.09.2008

Sideout, Norm and Cliff, Mars Attacks!, the awards grand slam, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway and I meet a celebrity nerd

I forgot to mention last week at Cinevent that Toby Radloff was there. If you have seen American Splendor, he's Harvey Pekar's friend. This was the real guy. He was wearing a nametag and I recognized him too. I told my buddy Dan and he got his autograph and a picture with him. I'm a nerd, but I kind of draw the line over being a nerd about other nerds.

Go to www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/reeltoring or www.coshocotontribune.com/reeltoring to read my blog and go to www.ligonierradio.com to listen to my latest reviews. New this week is You Don't Mess with the Zohan and Kung Fu Panda.

We had a fun podcast this week as we debated the fates of two franches, Rambo and Star Wars, in a sort of take off of "Root of All Evil."

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I was looking for stuff for my niece on YouTube this week, so enjoy all of the Scooby-Doo television show intros mashed together. I need "13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo" on DVD pronto.



Q: How in the blue hell can you call C Thomas Howell a bust? Did you not see SIDEOUT?

Good work, as usual, Leonardo.
-BFF

A: Your name as you wrote it in the comments section offended my delicate sensibilities. I also found it funnier to use the abbreviation, which also stands for "best friends forever."



In the film from 1990, Monroe Clark (C. Thomas Howell) is a law student in California for the summer looking for work. Instead of finding a job, he just hangs out at the beach and chases girls (including Courtney Thorne-Smith). He eventually meets a washed up volleyball legend (Peter Horton) and gets him back into the game as they team up to enter a major tournament. HBO used to show it like twenty times a day.

Q: I think I read somewhere recently that George Wendt and John Ratzenberger jointly hold the record for the number of different shows in which they portray the same character.
-Eric

A: According to imdb, George Wendt has appeared as Norm Peterson on "Cheers," "Frasier," "Wings," "St. Elsewhere," "Family Guy," "The Tortellis," "Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Special" and "Mickey's 60th Birthday" special. John Ratzenberger as Cliff has appeared on all the same, except he was on "The Simpsons" and not "Family Guy." So that's eight different shows each and it was stated last week that Richard Belzer as John Munch has also been on eight shows, but two of those for Norma and Cliff were one shot specials.

Q: Wouldn't Mars Attacks be considered the best cast of modern movies? Yes, the movie itself is terrible... But that's an all star cast if I ever saw one.
-Hey

A: The cast there includes Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Jim Brown, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Pam Grier, Jack Black, Paul Winfield, Joe Don Baker, Willie Garson and Rance Howard, father of Clint and Ron. It's a very eclectic list of names, I give you that.

Q:
I always thought it was half your age plus 7, BONUS!
-Scottie D

A: I stated last week that the Harvard Gentleman's Rule was never date a woman younger than half your age plus five. You might be right, but my rule is probably more fun.

Q: http://ia300111.us.archive.org/2/items/SUSPENSE/44-02-24_Sorry_Wrong_Number_3.mp3
Here is the link to sorry, wrong number and if you have the time check out the movie section as well.
http://ia300111.us.archive.org/2/items/SUSPENSE/44-02-24_Sorry_Wrong_Number_3.mp3
-Andre

A: Thanks for passing those along.

Q: Hey Leonard,

Has any actor/actress ever won the "Grand Slam" of awards? By that, I'm talking: Grammy, Golden Globe, Emmy, Oscar.

Were you as much of a fan of Harvey Korman as I was? He and Tim Conway together were a comedy powerhouse.

What do you think of Jim Carrey and his dramatic acting? I personally really enjoy The Majestic, Man in the Moon, The Truman Show and especially Eternal Sunshine. Hell, I even loved the Number 23, which I thought was a really good turn for him. What are your thoughts about him and the films I just mentioned?

Thanks
-Nix

A: Usually the grand slam of awards is considered to be an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony, not a Golden Globe. Golden Globes cover television and movies with separate movie categories for comedies and dramas, so there are more of them out there. Let's look at the "grand slam + 1." These people have won multiples in some categories, so I just listed the first.

Rita Moreno



Oscar-Best supporting actress for West Side Story in 1962
Emmy-Best performance in a variety series for hosting "The Muppet Show" in 1977
Grammy-Best recording for children for "The Electric Company" album in 1972
Tony-Best supporting actress for The Ritz in 1975
Golden Globe: Best supporting actress for West Side Story in 1962

John Gielgud



Oscar-Best supporting actor for Arthur in 1981
Emmy-Best lead actor in a miniseries or special for "Summer's Lease" in 1991
Grammy-Best spoken word documentary or drama performance for "The Ages of Man" in 1979
Tony-Best director of a drama for Big Fish, Little Fish in 1961
Golden Globe: Best supporting actor for Arthur in 1981

Marvin Hamlisch



Oscar-Best dramatic score and song for The Way We Were and best adapted score for The Sting in 1973
Emmy-Outstanding musical direction and music and lyrics for "Barbara Streisand: The Concert" in 1995
Grammy-Best song of the year and new artist of the year in 1974
Tony-Best musical score for A Chorus Line in 1976
Golden Globe: Best original song for Koch in 1971

Audrey Hepburn



Oscar-Best actress for Roman Holiday in 1953
Emmy-Outstanding individual achievement for informational programming for "Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn" in 1993
Grammy-Best spoken word album for children for "Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales" in 1993
Tony-Best actress in a drama for Ondine in 1954
Golden Globe-Best actress for Roman Holiday in 1953

Mike Nichols



Oscar-Best director for The Graduate in 1967
Emmy-Outstanding directing for a miniseries, movie or special for "Wit" in 2001
Grammy-Best comedy performance for "An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May" in 1961
Tony-Best director of a drama for The Real Thing in 1984
Golden Globe-Best director for The Graduate in 1967

Let me share my favorite scene from Blazing Saddles.



Harvey Korman was born Feb. 15, 1927 in Chicago, Ill. Her served in the Navy during World War II. After being discharged he studied acting at various schools and bounced back and forth between New York and Chicago doing theater. He landed on TV in the early sixties having guest spots on a variety of series and doing a handful of movies. During this period he was probably best known as the voice of the Great Gazoo on "The Flintstone." His career picked up in the seventies with being a featured player on "The Carol Burnett Show" and hooking up with Mel Brooks for roles in Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety and History of the World Part I. His career slowed in the eighties, but picked up again in the nineties where he returned to his roots of voice over work and TV guest spots with a handful of movie appearances. In later years he did a comedy tour with Tim Conway addressing fans directly and taking questions.

I have yet to see The Number 23. Carrey is an ok actor in my book when it comes to drama. He fares better with dramatic parts that have some comedy elements to them like The Truman Show and Man in the Moon. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is probably my favorite movie of his and what I would term one of his best performances. He's able to channel his manic energy and spastic body language into a different type of film and role. He's running around his own mind trying to figure out what's going on and holding onto scraps of memories. The Majestic I found very dry. Carrey's star text played into proceedings a bit as you kept waiting for him to be funny or breakout. Billy Murray had the same problem with The Razor's Edge and he didn't try to go super serious again for about 15 years. So maybe we'll get a solid dramatic performance from Carrey in 2016.

Don't die.

"I wouldn't know J. Edgar Hoover if he came in here wearing a dress."