Don't Fix It If It Ain't Broke...

For the last couple years our Time Warner Cable service has provided DVR service from Scientific Atlanta Passport which is intuitive and easy to use. I absolutely loved it.

Overnight Time Warner "upgraded" us to their new Navigator DVR system.

Without entirely recapitulating the two-page memo I wrote today listing the new service's deficiencies, I'll share I found that the Navigator is slower, more cumbersome, requires more clicks for many functions, has less information, is glitchy, and does not have "memory" of the last function you were working on which results in many extra clicks. The DVR menu also has the annoying habit of vanishing from the TV screen after only 15 seconds; per my previous comment about the DVR not remembering the last thing you were doing, if you were in the scheduling part of the menu, when you get the DVR menu back up you end up back on the list of saved shows.

I highly suspect the Navigator was a cost-cutting measure on the part of Time Warner, because it's certainly not providing better service.

In short, in my humble opinion the Navigator DVR is a piece of junk.

At least I found the four Stewart Granger movies I recorded from TCM last night, which overnight turned into pumpkins with "Unknown" titles which were labeled as "Adult" programming!

That is all.

September 2009 Update: After sticking out the Navigator for two months, we're switching to Verizon FiOS.

Tonight's Movie: Crash Dive (1943)

CRASH DRIVE is a grand World War II film starring Tyrone Power, U.S.M.C.R. The film costars Dana Andrews and Anne Baxter, but this is the charismatic Power's movie all the way -- his last starring role before leaving Hollywood for real-life wartime service.

Power plays Lt. Ward Stewart, whose family has a proud history of service in the U.S. Navy. Ward regrets being transferred from PT boats to submarines, until he arrives at the submarine base in New London, Connecticut, and discovers that beautiful Jean Hewlett (Anne Baxter) lives in New London; Ward had fallen for Jean when they were both traveling through Washington, D.C. Unbeknownst to Ward, his new commanding officer, Dewey Connors (Dana Andrews), plans to propose to Jean.

That's half the story. The other half is comprised of very exciting submarine action sequences set in the North Atlantic. The sub's crew members include Harry Morgan, James Gleason, and Ben Carter; Carter is black and it was nice to see a film of this era depicting an integrated crew, especially as Carter teams with Gleason for some real heroics.

Another interesting side note is that Dana Andrews' kid brother, Steve Forrest, made his film debut in CRASH DIVE, appearing in a bit part as a sailor.

I liked a comment at IMDb which succinctly summed up the Power and Andrews characters: "Whether the target is an enemy ship or their common love interest, Tyrone Power's character always goes straight for the kill, and Dana Andrews' character tries to think a couple of moves ahead. Both of them are quite believable and watchable in those roles: Power's charm is obvious, and Andrews has a way of being outwardly undemonstrative but somehow putting across the impression of a lot going on inside." They are both excellent, though Andrews is definitely second fiddle in this particular film.

Baxter, unfortunately, is a bit stiff as Jean, as the script forces her to spend most of the movie huffily fending off Power, but her role warms up a bit in the film's second half.

The film was beautifully shot by one of the great masters of Technicolor, Leon Shamroy; you can read a bit more about Shamroy here. From the opening credits, filmed in Fox's vivid blue and red, to the last shot, this is a beautiful movie to watch -- especially as the majority of the scenes feature an actor who is widely acknowledged to be one of the handsomest men ever to appear in the movies.

The movie's authenticity is greatly enhanced by location shooting. There are a few location shots of Power on a PT boat mixed in with process shots, and shooting also took place at the submarine base in New London.

CRASH DIVE was released in the spring of 1943. The last scene segues into a stirring patriotic speech by Power about the importance of the navy, and ends with one of the classic on-screen reminders to buy war bonds. The patriotism is so sincere that it brings a tear to the eye, especially when one contrasts the sentiments expressed in the film with modern-day politicians who make it all too plain they're not proud of our country.

CRASH DIVE was directed by Archie Mayo. It runs 105 minutes. The supporting cast includes Dame May Whitty and Minor Watson as Power's relatives and Florence Lake as Baxter's roommate.

CRASH DIVE is available on DVD in the Fox War Classics series. The only extra is a trailer.

This film has also been released on VHS.

Notable Passings

...Brenda Joyce, best known as Jane in TARZAN movies released between 1945 and 1949, has passed away at the age of 92. Click the title of this post for her obituary.

Joyce also appeared in THE RAINS CAME (1939) and LITTLE OLD NEW YORK (1940). After a decade of film acting she retired from the screen in 1949.

...Beverly Roberts, who appeared with Humphrey Bogart in TWO AGAINST THE WORLD (1936), has passed away at the age of 95.

Roberts made roughly 20 films released between 1936 and 1939, then left the screen, after which she toured as a singer with the Dorsey Brothers.

...Singer Dee Dee Bellson, daughter of Louie Bellson and Pearl Bailey, passed away due to a heart attack at the early age of 48 or 49.

Her father's death was noted here just last February.

...Robert Cushman, the photograph curator at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, has died at the age of 62.

Cushman served as the photo curator for 37 years.

Imagineers Launch Blue Sky Cellar Website

If you can't visit the Blue Sky Cellar at Disney's California Adventure in person, you can now check out the Imagineers' plans for the Anaheim resort on the Internet. Click the title of this post for the link. It's a very nice site.

The Blue Sky Cellar at DCA has new exhibits as of last week; I'm looking forward to visiting soon.

MousePlanet also has interesting behind-the-scenes photos for the upcoming World of Color show.

Tonight's Movie: Margie (1946)

MARGIE is one of my very favorite Jeanne Crain movies, along with STATE FAIR (1945) and APARTMENT FOR PEGGY (1948). It's the charming story of an awkward teenager turning into a lovely young woman during the Roaring '20s.

Margie (Crain) lives with her maternal grandmother (Esther Dale); Margie is anxious for the attention of her widowed father (Hobart Cavanagh), who lives elsewhere in town, although she's a bit embarrassed about his profession as an undertaker. Margie is friendly with fellow student Roy (Alan Young), but she has a secret crush on her high school's new French teacher (Glenn Langan).

That's pretty much all there is to the plot of MARGIE, which is a series of vignettes somewhat in the style of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. My favorite scene, and one of the best-remembered sequences in the movie, is when Margie and her friends go ice skating. It makes the viewer wish one could step right into the scene and be a part of it.

When I was younger, I used to wish I had Margie's bedroom, with a friend next door to chat with window-to-window, and Hattie McDaniel to bring me milk and cookies as a bedtime snack. It looks so cozy!

The merest hint of a romance between teacher and student is considered scandalous today, but it's handled with restraint and seems perfectly in place for the times depicted in the film.

In his 3-1/2 star review, Steven Scheuer says the film "sustains its charm without compromising its artistry... Henry King's direction is at its best."

I think one of the things that makes MARGIE so memorable is that the pangs of awkward adolescence it depicts are at times almost painfully palpable, and those feelings transcend the time period depicted in the movie. Anyone who has ever been a teenager has probably felt like Margie at one time or another, and issues such as "fitting in" are timeless.

The film also reassures younger viewers that, for better or worse, the teenage years of joy mixed with angst are transitory and a happy future lies ahead; parents will like the way the film indirectly answers whether it's ultimately better to be the racy "popular" girl with the hot boyfriend or the shy, brainy girl who's a good student and a great debater.

The film's other strengths include the brilliant Fox color of the era, the location shooting (including at the University of Nevada at Reno) which makes the outdoor scenes look genuinely cold, and the score. While not precisely a musical, MARGIE is filled with music of the era which does a great job helping to set the mood. Louanne Hogan, who dubbed Crain's singing in the previous year's STATE FAIR, doubles again for Crain in MARGIE.

The cast includes Ann E. Todd as Margie's daughter in opening and closing scenes which frame the film. (Crain does an excellent job believably playing the older Margie.) Lynn Bari is the high school librarian, and Barbara Lawrence plays Margie's neighbor; Bari and Lawrence are always interesting actresses and they bring a little extra something to the movie. Vanessa Brown and Conrad Janis play high school students.

As noted above, MARGIE was directed by Henry King. I wrote a little more about King's career in a post on I'D CLIMB THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN (1951). The film runs 94 minutes.

The costumes are by Kay Nelson; I love Margie's sailor dress!

Unfortunately, MARGIE is very hard to obtain, but there's always a chance it will show up on Fox Movie Channel in the future. I was able to watch a copy recorded off commercial TV many years ago. This is a film which very much deserves a DVD release.

Update: Coincidentally, today I received a copy of Doug McClelland's FORTIES FILM TALK: ORAL HISTORIES OF HOLLYWOOD which includes interviews with MARGIE cast members Vanessa Brown and Alan Young. In 1985 Conrad Janis set up a 40-year reunion which was attended by most of the MARGIE cast; the party had 1928 decor, in keeping with the film's setting, and the movie was screened.

Both Brown and Young mention their experiences shooting in Reno and filming the skating scene at Sonja Henie's ice rink. The cast members received skating lessons; I noticed while watching the film that the actors weren't faking it, but were seen in full-body shots. Young recounts that he accidentally skated into a pole but didn't break character and the shot was left in the movie!

December 2011 Update: Great news, MARGIE will be shown on Turner Classic Movies this Christmas Eve as one of "Robert Osborne's Christmas Eve Picks." Be sure to watch or record it!

January 2015 Update: There's a lovely new article on MARGIE at Film Comment by Farran Smith Nehme.

Tonight's Movie: I See a Dark Stranger (1946)

I SEE A DARK STRANGER, originally shown in the United States as THE ADVENTURESS, is a very good British suspense film from the team of Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder. Later in 1946 Gilliat and Launder made GREEN FOR DANGER; like GREEN FOR DANGER, I SEE A DARK STRANGER features humor and romance along with scary chills and wartime anxiety, which all combine for an interesting, unusual film.

Beautiful young Deborah Kerr plays Bridie Quilty, an Irish lass who hates the English with a passion and -- it's a long story -- becomes mixed up with German spies on the eve of the D-Day invasion.

As Bridie meets and evades spies in Ireland and later on the Isle of Man, she is followed on her adventures by David Baynes (Trevor Howard), a British army officer on leave who is besotted -- and baffled -- by the strange but lovely girl.

As viewers follow David and Bridie on their journey, the film calls to mind Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS (1935) and SABOTEUR (1942) -- perhaps not surprisingly, as Launder and Gilliat cowrote the screenplay for Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES (1938), and Gilliat also worked with Hitchcock on JAMAICA INN (1938).

Kerr and Howard are wonderful, and -- as with THE 39 STEPS -- my only wish for this film would have been that they have even more screen time together, as they have an excellent rapport.

Kerr has the difficult task of making a girl who initially wants to aid the Germans likeable, and she succeeds, helped along by her huge, expressive eyes; she's ditzy enough to be sympathetic, yet so beautiful that it's believable that Howard's sane, mature character would be intrigued and follow her hither and yon. Howard has charisma to spare, which has made
me interested in seeing more of his films. Kerr's fiery Bridie made me think a bit of Maureen O'Hara in 1952's THE QUIET MAN.

 
Raymond Huntley has a memorably creepy scene as a German spy. Look for David Tomlinson (Mr. Banks in MARY POPPINS) among the large cast.

I SEE A DARK STRANGER was shot in black and white and runs 98 minutes; the original British print ran 112-114 minutes, depending on the reference source. I can't help wondering if the additional scenes I was wishing for between Kerr and Howard might be in the footage missing from this U.S. print.

The music score is by William Alwyn and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, which also performed Alwyn's score in GREEN FOR DANGER.

The film was directed by Frank Launder; coauthors and producers Launder and Gilliat took turns directing and Gilliat thus helmed their film GREEN FOR DANGER.

I SEE A DARK STRANGER is available on DVD and VHS.

Tonight's Movie (Revisited): The Young Victoria (2009)

Thanks to my new all-region player, today I had the opportunity to watch the outstanding film THE YOUNG VICTORIA on DVD.

I previously saw the movie thanks to British Airways; my May review is posted here, and I suggest reading it before this post if you missed it the first time around.

The film is currently only available on Region 2 DVD. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to watch the film in widescreen; this time I also picked up on some more subtle bits of dialogue which were drowned out by airplane noise on my previous viewings.

I can't emphasize enough how very much I enjoy this film, and I particularly want to call attention to it and let potentially interested audiences know of its existence, as it still does not have a United States release date. (I came across a recent blog comment by someone who attended a focus group screening in San Diego, which was conducted to help decide whether to even open the film in the U.S.) The film remained as intensely interesting to me the third time as the first, and indeed, the film is so richly detailed that I noticed many things on this viewing which were missed previously.

The DVD has excellent extras and is only lacking a commentary. There are mini-featurettes on the making of the film, a trailer, and deleted scenes.

The deleted scenes were fascinating, although after watching them I felt that the final edit made the best choices. Among other things, an entire subplot about Lady Flora Hastings was edited out of the film, leaving her strictly a background character in several scenes. I think the editing and cross-cutting in this movie is one of its great strengths, showing what was happening in two or three places at once and keeping a strong pace as well as threading the romance through historic events.

Although those viewers who are not interested in British history may feel as though they're walking into the middle of an unfamiliar story -- which is doubtless part of what is causing a question about how to market a U.S. release -- the movie sets the stage for those unfamiliar with Victoria's story in a matter of minutes. The film has fascinating dramatic threads as the power struggle to control the teenage queen plays out alongside a developing love story. The fact that it's all true (with minor dramatic license) only makes it more interesting.

I also like the music, which I'll be purchasing from Amazon.UK at some point. (Even with shipping, it's far cheaper purchasing it there than buying it from a U.S. company as an import!)

This film has zoomed onto my list of favorite movies, which is relatively rare for films made in the last couple decades. I hope many more people here in the U.S. will have the opportunity to see it in the months to come.

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Random news and musings from the Internet...some of these items are more than a week old, but still good reading!

...Leonard Maltin calls attention to the new book SINGIN' IN THE RAIN: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN MASTERPIECE by Earl J. Hess and Pratibha A. Dabholkar. In his journal Mr. Maltin expresses some reservations about the book's research, especially too much reliance on IMDb, but his overall review is positive. Click the title of this post for the book's Amazon link. Those wanting to know more about the making of the film can't do better than THE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT, republished as MGM'S GREATEST MUSICALS, a 1975 profile of MGM's Freed Unit by Hugh Fordin.

...Carrie reports at Classic Montgomery that James Stewart will be inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame today.

...Classic film fans in Southern California may want to check out the series "Bigger Than Life: James Mason on Film" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The series began Friday night and runs through August 1st. Susan King has more.

......Scary times ahead if nationalized health care passes: read every word of this analysis by Betsy McCaughey. And then call your representatives in Congress and tell them to stop the insanity.

...Here's a good-looking cookbook coming September 1st: COOK'S COUNTRY BEST LOST SUPPERS. That one's going on my cookbook wish list!

...Moira and Jacqueline took a fresh look at the work of actor Robert Young in late May. As I've written here before, over the last couple years I've acquired an entirely new appreciation of Young and another famous "TV dad," Fred MacMurray. For those interested in trying more of Young's work, three diverse titles I've enjoyed are RICH MAN, POOR GIRL (1938), CLAUDIA (1943), and CROSSFIRE (1947).

...My faves, the Gatlin Bros., have a new single, "Johnny Cash is Dead and His House Burned Down," available from iTunes and Amazon. Johnny and June Carter Cash were instrumental in Larry Gatlin getting his start in the music business.

...Here's an interesting post at Dear Old Hollywood about the Los Angeles locations in STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET (1961), which is part of my long list of "Movies To Watch Soon." Last summer I linked to a very interesting post by Jacqueline on the same movie.

...Last summer I also posted a bit about Emma Thompson writing the screenplay for a remake of MY FAIR LADY. Looks like it should be released in 2010.

...Something Old, Nothing New has some interesting YouTube video of scenes from a Mary Martin performance in SOUTH PACIFIC, filmed at London's Drury Lane Theatre in 1952. This show will always have special meaning for me since I played the "Mary Martin role" myself back when I was a 9th grader. :)

...I've very much been wanting to watch MRS. MIKE (1949), which I've not seen since I was a teenager...probably around the time I played Nellie in SOUTH PACIFIC! It stars Dick Powell and Evelyn Keyes and was based on one of my favorite books, which remains in print decades after it was first published. As I recall, the film wasn't entirely faithful to the book but was nonetheless a good movie. Old VHS copies sell for a small fortune on Amazon. Lo and behold, Movies Unlimited is selling it on DVD! I wonder if it's in public domain and how the print looks...

...Speaking of hard-to-find movies, does anyone know how to get a copy of Ann Blyth's SALLY AND SAINT ANNE (1952)? It's a film I recall fondly, having seen it several times growing up, but it seems to have vanished. Since I'm a MAVERICK fan I really enjoyed Jack Kelly as one of Sally's very Irish brothers. The movie also stars Edmund Gwenn, John McIntire, Gregg Palmer, and Hugh O'Brian.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tonight's Movie: When Ladies Meet (1941)

MGM's WHEN LADIES MEET (1941) features an all-star quartet of actors -- Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Greer Garson, and Herbert Marshall -- in an enjoyable romantic comedy-drama.

Mary (Crawford) is an author who thinks she loves her married publisher Rogers (Marshall). Jimmy (Taylor) loves Mary and arranges for her to meet Rogers' lovely wife Clare (Garson), with interesting results.

WHEN LADIES MEET was previously filmed by MGM in 1933, during the pre-Code era. The original film starred Myrna Loy in the Crawford role, Robert Montgomery in the Taylor part, and Frank Morgan and Ann Harding as the publisher and his wife.

The original version was 20 minutes shorter and, as I recall, the script was somewhat more frank; however, I think on the whole I preferred the remake. Ironically, the longer version felt less "talky" and more natural to me, though I'm not certain why.

It's been over a year since I saw the original and I'd like to take another look at it for comparison's sake, but I remember finding Myrna Loy's character quite ruthless and not very sympathetic. (A few years later Loy played a similar character in MAN-PROOF, which has a plotline somewhat reminiscent of WHEN LADIES MEET.) It could be this time I was simply more familiar with the story and what to expect, but I found Crawford to be a warmer, more appealing Mary. I say this as someone who loves Myrna Loy and couldn't tolerate watching Crawford movies until recently! Crawford also looks especially beautiful in this film.

This wasn't the first time Robert Taylor played one of Robert Montgomery's pre-Code roles; Montgomery's great comedy THE MAN IN POSSESSION (1931) was remade just six years later as PERSONAL PROPERTY (1937), with Taylor in the lead. The underrated Taylor is a great asset to WHEN LADIES MEET, in a performance Cary Grant couldn't have done better; he's charming, funny, and when called for he injects just the right note of seriousness. The original film's lead, Robert Montgomery, is one of my favorite actors, but I also love Robert Taylor; I enjoyed seeing what each actor brought to the role.

Marshall is an actor I always enjoy, but it must be said his character in this is fairly thankless, playing a two-timing idiot. After all, what man would dream of leaving Greer Garson, for goodness' sake? Especially when she's as lively and charming as she appears in this film. Garson is marvelous and just about steals the movie.

Although the remake was somewhat constrained by the Production Code, I felt as though the censors must have been asleep at times, as I was a bit surprised by some of the film's innuendo, given the era. The depiction of the relationship of giddy country hostess Bridgie (Spring Byington, in a role originally played by Alice Brady) and ever-accommodating Walter (Rafael Storm) was also a bit unusual, even if the screenwriter did go to the trouble of pointing out they had separate rooms.

MGM's great costume designer Adrian, who designed the gowns for the original film, also designed the costumes for the remake. Although Crawford's first dress is rather hideous, resembling a nun's habit more than an evening gown -- no disrespect intended to nuns! -- most of the dresses are quite beautiful. As with the original film, the country house set is amazing, particularly the garden; I'd move in tomorrow if I could!

The supporting cast includes Mona Barrie and Max Willenz. A young autograph seeker at a party early in the film is played by Dorothy Morris, a charming young actress who appeared in numerous MGM films in the '40s, most notably THE HUMAN COMEDY (1943) and OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (1945).

The film was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who also did uncredited work on the original film. WHEN LADIES MEET was shot in black and white and runs 105 minutes.

WHEN LADIES MEET has been released on VHS. An unremastered copy has also been made available on DVD-R via the Warner Archive.

WHEN LADIES MEET can be seen on cable in the library of Turner Classic Movies.

Happy 54th Birthday, Disneyland!

Today marks 54 years since Disneyland's opening day.

Al Lutz provides a beautiful walk down memory lane (click title of this post).

The next couple years will be very exciting for the Disneyland Resort, as this photo tour of the updated exhibits at California Adventure's Blue Sky Cellar demonstrates.

Previous Disneyland Anniversary Posts: 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.

The Wonders of Region 2 DVDs

My all-region DVD player arrived a few days ago!

The first thing we watched was a Region 2 DVD of the 1980 Edinburgh Military Tattoo. My husband's college marching band performed in the Tattoo that summer, and he had coincidentally received the DVD as a gift the same week the player arrived. It was neat for our children to be able to watch something which was such a significant event during my husband's college years.

Today I received my package from Amazon UK containing the two items which tipped me into buying an all-region player: THE YOUNG VICTORIA (2009) and a beautiful collector's edition of Disney's SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959), which includes a hardcover 180-page collector's book.

The package shipped from the UK last Saturday -- THE YOUNG VICTORIA's official release date was Tuesday -- and arrived today.

My Dad sent me info on an Anna Neagle collection available from Amazon UK; click the title of this post for the link. I enjoyed Neagle in IRENE (1940). The titles in this set look great, including VICTORIA THE GREAT (1937) and SIXTY GLORIOUS YEARS (1938), both about Queen Victoria, and THE LADY WITH THE LAMP (1951), about Florence Nightingale. I LIVE IN GROSVENOR SQUARE (1945), costarring Rex Harrison and Dean Jagger, also sounds very interesting. The other titles are DERBY DAY (1952) and THE LADY IS A SQUARE (1959).

The Neagle set is definitely something I'll be looking at acquiring in the future.

If anyone has any suggestions about other American or British classic films which are only available on Region 2, please feel free to share your ideas in the comments!

Update: A couple people told me they have been able to play Region 2 DVDs on their computer; I gave it a try with THE YOUNG VICTORIA, and it did work fine for me.

The all-region player will provide more comfortable viewing for our family, on a larger screen, but especially given our widescreen computer monitor, it's great to know we have multiple viewing options for Region 2 DVDs.

Update: Here's another interesting possibility: a large Stewart Granger Collection. When I first looked at the box cover, I thought it had four titles, but on closer examination, there are a dozen! (The U.S. price is roughly $56 for the 12 films -- very reasonable.) I have videotaped three of the movies, but am curious about several of the titles including THE LAMP STILL BURNS, since I'm interested in British nursing; the costar is Rosamund John of GREEN FOR DANGER (1946).

Thanks to Ivan I have bookmarked Deanna Durbin's CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (a 1944 noir also starring Gene Kelly!) and HERS TO HOLD (1943) also starring Joseph Cotten. Neither of these titles is available in the U.S.

Disneyland Paris: Adventureland

As we near the conclusion of our photo tour of Disneyland Paris, today we visit Adventureland!

Adventureland was one of my favorite things about Disneyland Paris. It has wonderful theming.

Here's the Paris version of Pirates of the Caribbean:


I love the ride's setting:


The story in the Paris version flips the order of some of the scenes, with the "skeleton" pirates coming at the very end -- which, if you think about it, makes more sense.

The Blue Lagoon restaurant next to Pirates of the Caribbean calls to mind Anaheim's Blue Bayou:


Here's Captain Hook's Pirate Ship:


Adventure Isle has a suspension bridge similar to the bridge on Anaheim's Tom Sawyer Island:


One of my favorite things in Adventureland was Le Passage Enchante d' Aladdin, a walk-through reminiscent of Anaheim's Sleeping Beauty Castle:


I loved the details in Adventureland. This bench was tucked in a corner:


A beautiful sign:


There's a Hakuna Matata restaurant...


...and another restaurant with a great JUNGLE BOOK theme:


The restaurant has a real "jungle" theme inside; click to enlarge for a better view:


Like Orlando, Disneyland Paris is fortunate to have La Cabane des Robinson -- The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.


I keep hoping Disneyland in Anaheim will change the uninteresting Tarzan's Treehouse back to the delightfully detailed Swiss Family Treehouse.



The most noteworthy ride in Adventureland, other than Pirates, is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, a fun coaster:


This ride has a very interesting history; for a few years it ran backwards! A video can be seen here.


A Travel Channel show I saw on Disneyland Paris indicated that reducing G forces was an issue when the ride was run in reverse. It ran backwards for four and a half years, and returned to running as a forward-facing coaster in 2004.

Adventureland also includes Pirate's Beach.

Previously: Eurostar to Disneyland Paris: The Only Way to Travel!; Disneyland Paris: Walt Disney Studios Park; Disneyland Paris Resort: Sequoia Lodge; Disneyland Paris: The. Best. Castle. Ever; Disneyland Paris: The Resorts; Disneyland Paris: The Molly Brown; Disneyland Paris: Fantasyland; Disneyland Paris: Discoveryland; Disneyland Paris: Frontierland.

Coming soon: More on Disneyland Paris (Main Street USA); books on Disneyland Paris.

Obamacare Outlaws Private Insurance

Surprise!

Investors Business Daily discovered an interesting clause on Page 16 of the Obamacare healthcare legislation; as summarized by Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

"You can, as Obama promised, keep your current coverage — as long as it remains available. However, if your employer stops offering health-care benefits, or if you buy it privately and your insurer cancels your plan, you can’t just pick up another private plan. Enrollments will be closed as of the first day the bill becomes law.

"That will have the effect of forcing millions of people into the public plan whether they want it or not. Even worse, if insurers get barred from attracting new customers -- which this clause outlaws -- then they will eventually see their rolls drained, thanks to the natural flow of the market as employers drop plans and skip the expense of offering medical insurance. It won’t take long at all for insurers to exit the market and leave the field for just the public plan, which will automatically get the customers of each individual insurer as they close up shop.

"Does this bill outlaw private insurance? Literally, no, but in practical terms, it makes it an endangered species and creates an American single-payer system by default."

And take a look at the costs. High earners in New York City, for example, will find themselves approaching a 60% tax bill.

When over half -- and climbing towards two-thirds -- of someone's earnings are confiscated, I don't believe there can be any argument: that's socialism.

And it's going to continue killing the economy.

Previously: "One of the Worst Mistakes in the History of the Republic."

Update: Karl at Patterico's Pontifications writes "Obamacare: The Mask is Off."

Four-Year Bloggiversary!

Today marks the fourth anniversary of Laura's Miscellaneous Musings!

Since this blog was initially set up by my oldest daughter while she waited for HARRY POTTER Book 6 to be delivered, it seems appropriate that just last night the rest of the family went to see the latest HARRY POTTER film. (I've yet to develop a personal interest in the POTTER series...) They gave the movie a thumbs up.

The blog has evolved slightly this year, focusing more on popular culture and less on politics, though it's possible I may return to more political blogging at some point in the future. Blogging continues to be a very enjoyable enterprise, and I especially appreciate all of you who visit and are so encouraging with your comments, emails, and links.

Previously: First, second, and third Bloggiversaries.

The Big Valley Coming to the Big Screen?

Today's Los Angeles Times reports that a movie remake of the '60s Western THE BIG VALLEY is in the works.

The original series, as fans of TV Westerns are aware, starred Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Long, Peter Breck, Lee Majors, and Linda Evans.

No cast has been announced, but location filming is planned for next April.

The Times seems a bit dubious about whether the project will come to fruition; if it's not made, that may be a good thing. I saw probably every episode in reruns when I was growing up and wish the filmmakers would leave good enough alone. You've really got to wonder sometimes about the way modern Hollywood wants to reuse old material over and over, rather than coming up with new ideas.

In other '60s TV Westerns news, Ivan at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear notes the passing of Dallas McKennon, who played Cincinnatus on one of my very favorite childhood TV shows, DANIEL BOONE. He had over 160 movie and TV credits, including voicing the fox in MARY POPPINS (1964).

McKennon would have turned 90 on Sunday.

Disneyland: New Halloween Time Attractions

Disneyland has announced two new attractions for their annual Halloween Time celebration: a "Ghost Galaxy" overlay for Space Mountain, and a Halloween-themed fireworks show.

Halloween Time runs this year from September 25th to November 1, 2009.

Now if they could only get their dragon working for this summer's Fantasmic! shows...

Previously: Halloween Time 2006 (here, here, and here); 2007 (here and here); and 2008 (here).

TCM's Summer Under the Stars Posters

My older daughter came across something neat earlier today: Turner Classic Movies has released a series of 12 new movie posters advertising some of the classic films which will be shown in August as part of the annual "Summer Under the Stars" festival.

Click the title of this post to take a look.

I especially love the posters for TO CATCH A THIEF, SAFETY LAST!, and HIGH SOCIETY.

Kudos to TCM for a great ad campaign.

Update: Here is a link to the official TCM "Summer Under the Stars" page. Thanks to Missy.

Tonight's Movie: Abilene Town (1946)

I liked ABILENE TOWN from the minute the evocative opening credits began rolling. It's the quintessential old-fashioned Western, with Marshal Randolph Scott striving to keep the peace in Abilene as a range war brews between cattlemen and homesteaders. The movie is a great example of why Scott became a beloved star of the Western genre.

Laconic Marshal Dan Mitchell (Scott) is juggling a town divided down the middle, with saloons on one side of the street and churches and shops on the other; Dan is also juggling the affections of a lady from each side of the street. Angelic shopkeeper's daughter Sherry (Rhonda Fleming) adores Dan but wants him to quit his dangerous job and give up trying to civilize Abilene. Fiery saloon singer Rita (Ann Dvorak) won't admit her attraction for the Marshal, preferring to kick his shins at regular intervals but always coming through when he needs her.

Lloyd Bridges is appealing as Henry, a young homesteader leading a group of farmers against murderous cowboys who try to burn and stampede families out of their homes. (Bridges seems so young here, it's amazing to realize he already had roughly 50 film credits by this point in his career.) Henry also has his eye on beautiful Sherry, possibly complicating Dan's romantic life even further. Or maybe not...

The film runs a well-paced 89 minutes, and the lead performances are all quite enjoyable. Scott handing someone a key and telling him to go lock himself up in the jail is the kind of thing that might have possibly inspired some of James Garner's funny scenes in SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF! (1969). Dvorak has a particular chance to shine in a series of saloon performances; I don't know if Dvorak did her own singing or was dubbed, but she puts over her numbers in a very believable way which is an added plus for this film. The black and white photography of these songs is quite striking and helps set the film's mood.

I also enjoyed small details, such as Dan's horse faithfully following him around town, even in the movie's last shot.

The supporting cast includes Edgar Buchanan as the good-for-nothing county sheriff.

ABILENE TOWN was directed by Edwin L. Marin. Marin worked at MGM in the late '30s and early '40s, where his credits included the 1938 version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL and several entries in Ann Sothern's MAISIE series. For the last few years of his career Marin mostly directed Randolph Scott Westerns, including CANADIAN PACIFIC (1949), FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS (1949), COLT .45 (1950), THE CARIBOO TRAIL (1950), SUGARFOOT (1951), and FORT WORTH (1951). Marin, who was married to actress Ann Morriss, died at the age of 52 in 1951.

ABILENE TOWN can be seen on DVD and VHS. The VHS copy I watched from United American Video was for the most part a fine print, with a few scenes toward the end looking a bit softer than the rest of the picture.

ABILENE TOWN is a solid, well-crafted film sure to please fans of Westerns and Randolph Scott.

Amazon and Netflix?

There's an interesting rumor in the business pages today that Amazon may be interested in acquiring Netflix.

As a comment to one article points out, though, this could fly in the face of Amazon retreating from any "presence" in states which are trying to use Amazon as a new tax resource. Indeed, another article says state tax boards would benefit if the deal were to go through.

I'm not so sure I'm a fan of this idea...

Tonight's Movie: The Bride Walks Out (1936)

THE BRIDE WALKS OUT is a mildly amusing but fairly dated romantic comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Raymond, and Robert Young.

Model Carolyn (Stanwyck) weds struggling young engineer Michael (Raymond), who insists she give up her job to be a homemaker. Carolyn can't resist continuing to buy the things she wants but can no longer afford, leading to her hiding delinquent bills from Michael. When Michael finds out Carolyn has secretly been working in order to catch up their bills, he throws a fit, driving Carolyn into the waiting arms of a department store executive (Young).

Part of the film's problem is that Michael and Carolyn aren't particularly admirable. Carolyn lies to her husband time and again, and Michael is unrealistic and unreasonable; Michael also sets up one of the most unromantic weddings in movie history. Carolyn comes off somewhat the worse of the two, as she understood Michael's point of view when she agreed to marry him, but then made no serious attempt to adapt to his wishes.

I'm generally not very concerned about political incorrectness in old movies -- for good or ill, such things shine an interesting light on the past -- but this film had more "Wow, I can't believe they said that" moments than most, including complacent references to the appropriateness of wife beating and uncomfortably dated racial attitudes.

The film's most sympathetic character, once he sobers up, is played by Robert Young, who time and again does nice things for Stanwyck's Carolyn with little or no hope of her ever returning his affection.

The supporting cast includes Helen Broderick as Carolyn's best friend and Ned Sparks as her husband, who works with Michael. Broderick and her wisecracks are always welcome when I watch a movie. Sparks' deadpan, cigar-chomping demeanor was a bit tiresome but he grew on me as the movie went along.

Hattie McDaniel plays Carolyn's maid, Mamie. Robert Warwick, Charles Lane, Willie Best, and Billy Gilbert are also in the cast.

Viewers should pay close attention to a scene early in the film when Michael stops traffic in an intersection. A taxi pulls up and the driver watches Michael intently, but never speaks; the driver is Ward Bond in one of his early bit roles.

THE BRIDE WALKS OUT is one of five films Gene Raymond made for release by RKO in 1936. Two of the five films costarred Ann Sothern: SMARTEST GIRL IN TOWN and the especially good WALKING ON AIR. The other films he made that year were LOVE ON A BET with Wendy Barrie and THAT GIRL FROM PARIS with Lily Pons. Incidentally, three of Raymond's five 1936 films costarred Helen Broderick, who appeared in two other films that year herself, including a little Astaire-Rogers movie called SWING TIME.

THE BRIDE WALKS OUT was directed by Leigh Jason. It was shot in black and white and runs 81 minutes.

This film has been released on VHS. It has not had a DVD release, but can be seen on Turner Classic Movies.

THE BRIDE WALKS OUT is interesting as a social curio and a bit of diverting light entertainment, but does not represent one of the stronger efforts of its cast members.

April 2012 Update: THE BRIDE WALKS OUT has just been released on DVD-R by the Warner Archive.