Yes, half a minute. Well, 24 seconds to be exact. You can watch "Rocky I," II, III, IV, V, and VI in under 30 seconds with this hysterical collaboration that we found on YouTube. To be honest, the video tells you all you need to know about the "Rocky" movies (we're not saying they were bad—just simple and formulaic). Watch and enjoy.
Charlie Chaplin's famous character, the "Tramp," made its big screen debut exactly 94 years ago today, on February 7, 1914 in the movie "Kid Auto Races at Venice."
The movie was produced by Keystone Studios and directed by Henry Lehrman. The "Tramp" plays a spectator who keeps getting in the way of the cameraman and interfering with the baby cart race on Venice Beach in California. The movie was shot at an actual race with actual spectators, so, in essence, it was the original "Jackass" movie. Unlike Johnny Knoxville and his group of merry pranksters, Chaplin's "Tramp" character became one of the most well known and beloved icons in the history of film.
Oh, what a classic, starring one of the greatest comedy duos to ever grace the screen; Laurel and Hardy. The 1934 Christmas classic "The March of the Wooden Soldiers" (originally released as "Babes in Toyland," and alternatively titled "Laurel and Hardy in Toyland," "Revenge is Sweet," and "Wooden Soldiers") is one of the best by the pair. Here's the story:
Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee (Laurel and Hardy, respectively) work for a toymaker and manage to screw up an order for Santa Claus. Instead of building 600 wooden soldiers one-foot tall, they build 100 soldiers six-feet tall. The two are fired, and need to find a way to pay the mortgage on the shoe that they live in with Mother Peep and Little Bo Peep, thus beginning the struggle that ensues throughout the movie. To keep it short, Mr. Barnaby and the Bogeymen seem to be their demise, that is until the wooden soldiers turn out to be the saviors, marching the villains back to Bogeyland.
Here's a clip of the final 10 minutes of the movie, including the famous march of the wooden soldiers:
Here's a clip from "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," starring Don Knotts from the "Andy Griffith Show." It was one of the first movies to combine animation with motion picture and, arguably, it's still one of the best.
Well, more bad news for classic television enthusiasts and movie buffs alike; director Ingmar Bergman has passed away. The International Herald Tribune reports that he died in his sleep on Monday, July 30.
Bergman is revered as one of Sweden's greatest directors and dramatist of all time. His movies are provocative; they pushed through cinematic norms of the time. Famous films of his include his most celebrated, "The Seventh Seal," as well as "The Wild Strawberries" and "The Silence," among many others. He directed more than 50 films, wrote more than 12 additional scripts, and totaled 168 works for television, radio and the stage. His final film, "Saraband," was released in 2003.
We here at Classic Television Blog finally finished watching our "Lucille Ball Film Collection" that was just released this past week and we were not disappointed! It features five movies starring Ball in all kinds of roles, some which broke her mold as comedy relief.
The line-up is a mix of comedies and dramas; a true testament to her incredible talents as an actress: "Dance Girl Dance," "The Big Street," "Du Barry Was a Lady," "Critic's Choice" and "Mame." She worked with huge celebrities of that era; Henry Fonda, Red Skelton, Gene Kelly and Bob Hope are just a few from this collection.
One film from the collection that left us feeling a bit unfulfilled was "Critic's Choice," in which Lucille Ball stars alongside Bob Hope. The film does no justice for either actor's comic talents as it meanders through a storyline that seems more suitable for the stage than it was the screen (it was an adaptation of a Broadway comedy). Hope plays a New York critic that enjoys writing blunt reviews about lousy plays. His wife, played by Ball, writes a play for which he insists he writes the review. In short, her play turns out to be terrible, directing the remainder of the movie into a series of shallow slapstick and burlesque routines that are expected to make us laugh. Maybe the times have changed, or maybe we just can't help but compare their performance in this movie to the rest of their successful careers.
Yes folks, we understand the purpose of this collection was to show Lucille Ball's career in film, not to remind us how funny she and Bob Hope were. We also know that another DVD box sets exist for that exact purpose! Lucille Ball's greatest performance, unarguably, was during her six years on "I Love Lucy." All six seasons are available on DVD. To that same note, "The Ultimate Bob Hope Collection" does a fantastic job of encapsulating Bob Hope's career, from "The Bob Hope TV Special" to the years he spent entertaining troops who served in World War II.
Am I the only one who still appreciates hand-drawn
animation?
I love the muted colors, the (occasional) ink blotches
and the feeling that consumes me when I am watching a film so much time, talent
and love went into.
The “Finding Nemo’s” and “Happy Feet’s” are all well and
good, and I understand that someone put a lot of time into them as well, but
I’m sorry, they are not anywhere near the same.
Growing up, I watched the classic Disney movies from
another era. While all my friends swooned
over “Aladdin” or obsessed themselves with “Beauty and the Beast,” I was all
about “101 Dalmatians.” Originally
released in 1961, this was my life in the early 90s—did I mention I was only eight? I watched it every week—no joke—and knew each puppy’s name by
sight.
It wasn’t the dogs that got me, or even the villainous
actions of Cruella DeVille. Nope, it was the background scenery. I can still vividly remember the opening credits and the scores of
Victorian town homes rushing by—that was where I wanted to live, and that was
who I wanted to be, “101 Dalmatians” was my fantasy-land.
Fast forward 15 years. I don’t live in a townhouse, and I don’t even have one dog much less 101,
but I did recently see a movie that, for the first time, brought me back to the
feeling I got when I watched “Dalmatians.”
Allow me to introduce you to “The Triplets of
Belleville”:
Yes, it’s French. But that doesn’t matter here—only the instruments do the talking in this magical, wonderful, breathtaking film.
There’s nothing like the feeling a classic movie can give you, and something even better about a modern movie that tries its hardest to pay its dues to those great classics. Its nice to see when the creators can actually pull off that nostalgic feel without making it seem too over-the-top.
Which classic movies or television shows were your favorites? Do you think any shows today successfully pay homage to yesteryear?
