Walt Disney World: Disney's Hollywood Studios

Some photos to share from my recent trip to Disney World...

Until recently, Disney's Hollywood Studios was Disney-MGM, or just "MGM" to WDW fans. One of the things I like best about the park is its recreation of some of L.A.'s great Art Deco buildings, such as this:


and this:


For more on the original buildings, see my post on the book LOS ANGELES ART DECO.

The Carthay Circle pays tribute to the theater where SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES premiered:


It's rumored that the changes at Disney's California Adventure will include the addition of a replica of the Carthay Circle.

Disney's Hollywood Studios has what many consider the best ride in any of the parks, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster:


I love it, although I admit that as we launched I wondered for a second why I was on it again -- it's intense!

The park also has a more elaborate Tower of Terror than Disney's California Adventure:


The Prime Time Cafe is a fun restaurant. Guests are seated in kitchens with '50s decor and TV's running black and white clips from old TV shows:


The pot roast is great!

I think this is my favorite of the Florida parks after the Magic Kingdom, simply because it's so visually appealing. It's very enjoyable simply walking around the park, and the attractions are a lot of fun too. Although I didn't visit it on this trip, our family had a good time on past trips at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater -- loved their Coca-Cola Ribs.

Previously: Walt Disney World: The Resorts; Walt Disney World: Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa; Coming Soon.

Updated: Walt Disney World: Animal Kingdom; Walt Disney World: Epcot; Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom.

Michael Barone on the Coming Democrat Battle

The battles over superdelegates, Michigan, and Florida aren't going to be pretty.

Meanwhile, Obama's votes seem to have been curiously undercounted in New York.

Let's Go Racing, Boys!

You've got to love a sport which has its biggest event at the start of the season, rather than at the end.

It's Daytona 500 weekend!

Sunday Update: Congratulations to Ryan Newman, the engineer from Purdue who won today's Daytona 500.

Primary Follies

John McCain hasn't even clinched the Republican nomination and already the AP and the New York Times are running stories about his volcanic temper and constant cursing.

What do you want to bet the AP and NYT never run any stories about Hillary Clinton's equally well-known propensity for rages and cursing? The AP goes so far as to say that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama "are not known for such outbursts," which is a complete falsehood in the case of Clinton.

On the Democrat side, in a story sure to generate reaction, longtime Clinton advisor Harold Ickes said today that Obama's wins would be "irrelevant" and that the party's superdelegates would award the nomination to Hillary Clinton.

That would cause a ruckus for the ages, but no possibilities are out of bounds when it comes to the Clintons.

Amazingly, "party elders had not yet determined whether superdelegates should be urged to cast their votes for the candidate who has the most delegates, or the one who won their state or Congressional district, or the winner of the popular vote."

Talk about a recipe for chaos. Pass the popcorn!

Lawrence Kudlow has written an excellent column on "Obama's Gloomy Big Government Vision."

Kudlow: "The Obama spend-o-meter is now up around $800 billion. And tax hikes on the rich won't pay for it. It's the middle class that will ultimately shoulder this fiscal burden in terms of higher taxes and lower growth."

It's an ugly election year, and it's not going to be any prettier after the election.

Tonight's Movie: When Ladies Meet (1933)

Jimmie (Robert Montgomery) loves Mary (Myrna Loy), who only has eyes for her married publisher Rogers (Frank Morgan). When Mary and Rogers arrange to rendezvous at the country home of a friend (Alice Brady), Jimmie arrives at the house unexpectedly with Rogers' wife, Claire (Ann Harding). The fireworks fly WHEN LADIES MEET.

WHEN LADIES MEET is a talky but amusing film in the "sophisticated people at a country home" romantic comedy genre. Loy is not especially sympathetic as the woman who repeatedly spurns the devoted Montgomery in favor of a married man, while Montgomery and Harding are charming. It's interesting to see Morgan in a stage of his career when he was still a dashing, if slightly older, ladies' man rather than a character actor. Brady is ditziness personified.

The country house set is wonderful "eye candy," as are the gowns by Adrian. The film was directed by Harry Beaumont; Robert Z. Leonard also worked on the film without credit. The movie runs 85 minutes.

Montgomery and Loy also appeared together in NIGHT FLIGHT and PETTICOAT FEVER; the latter film was reviewed here last year. Morgan and Harding costarred in ENCHANTED APRIL in 1935.

WHEN LADIES MEET can be seen from time to time on Turner Classic Movies.

WHEN LADIES MEET was remade in 1941 with Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Greer Garson, Herbert Marshall, and Spring Byington in the roles originally played on film by Loy, Montgomery, Harding, Morgan, and Brady. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who (as noted above) also worked unbilled on the original film. The remake is available on video.

2009 Update: The 1941 remake is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive.  I reviewed the movie here.

October 2015 Update: WHEN LADIES MEET (1933) is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive in Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 9.

Coming to DVD: The New Maverick (1978)

My all-time favorite TV series is MAVERICK, starring James Garner and Jack Kelly. Alas, Warners has only seen fit to release a sampler DVD of three of the show's best-known episodes, rather than releasing the season sets fans have been anxiously awaiting.

A ray of sunshine for MAVERICK fans, however, is the May 20 DVD release of 1978's THE NEW MAVERICK, once again starring James Garner and Jack Kelly. It wasn't all that good -- though the series which followed, YOUNG MAVERICK, was kind of cute -- but for MAVERICK fans any release at all is welcome news.

Deep Discount has a particularly good price.

A bit of trivia is that part of THE NEW MAVERICK was filmed on location at Old Tucson.

Obama: A Mission to "Fix Our Souls"

Quotes from Michelle Obama, asserting that our nation needs to "fix our souls" and that her husband is the only one who understands this -- and ostensibly can handle the job -- are rather unsettling.

I'm in agreement with Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters: "Government doesn't exist to save souls; it exists to ensure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defense... I'll trust God and Jesus Christ with my soul."

Tonight's Movie: The Secret Bride (1934)

I started watching THE SECRET BRIDE on Valentine's Day; the title seemed appropriate! Although it has a very short run time of just over an hour, I had to wait and watch the second half this evening.

As the movie opens, a state attorney general (Warren William) and the governor's daughter (Barbara Stanwyck) have celebrated a quiet courthouse wedding. Before they can spring the news on her father, the governor is framed for taking a bribe. As the case escalates to include a suicide and then murder, the couple decide to keep their wedding a secret while the attorney general works to clear his new father-in-law.

This is a lightning-paced movie which is quite entertaining. There's nothing especially notable about the film, but it features a seasoned cast of professionals who all do their jobs well. The excellent cast includes Glenda Farrell, Henry O'Neill, Arthur Byron, Grant Mitchell, and Douglass Dumbrille. The movie was directed by William Dieterle.

Stanwyck's costumes are by Orry-Kelly. I found the furs she wore for much of the film -- complete with heads and paws! -- distracting; they looked rather creepy! Sensibilities have certainly changed in that regard since the '30s. That "time capsule" aspect of films is one of the things that makes movies so interesting.

THE SECRET BRIDE can be seen on Turner Classic Movies. It doesn't appear to have had a video or DVD release.

Update: This film is now available from the Warner Archive.

Today at Disneyland

The College Girl is home for the long weekend, so we went over to Disneyland this afternoon. It was quite crowded for the holiday weekend so we didn't stay long, but nonetheless we had a very nice time.

As usual, the flowers were spectacular. These tulips surround the statue of Walt and Mickey at the Hub:


Disneyland is celebrating Chinese New Year ("Year of the Mouse") with a photo area on Main Street where guests can pose for pictures with Mickey and Minnie, who are decked out in Chinese regalia:


The Disney Dream Suite above Pirates of the Caribbean, in the former Disney Gallery location:


There's a new line of Shag merchandise! While previous designs were in blue and then green, the predominant color in the new merchandise line is orange:


I hope to (finally) post some of the photos I recently took at the Walt Disney World parks later in the weekend.

Coming to DVD: The Adams Chronicles (1976)

The Emmy Award winning miniseries THE ADAMS CHRONICLES comes to DVD on May 13, 2008.

I have a book which was originally published in conjunction with the miniseries, but I never saw the show itself. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to see it.

Trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The first trailer was released today for INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.

The trailer can be watched at the movie's official website (subject link).

I have no idea how good the movie will be, but that music...well, it sure conjures up some grand memories.

The movie will be released on May 22nd. I suspect it will have spectacular box office results over Memorial Day weekend.

Buying Votes

It transpires that the Democratic Party "superdelegates," who may end up deciding the nomination between Clinton and Obama, have been regularly receiving monetary donations from both campaigns for years.

How could this be construed as anything other than potential vote buying?

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has pledged, in so many words, to "put food on the table...fill up your tank...fill your prescriptions..." and do something "about that stack of bills that keeps you up at night."

Obama, she claims, only makes speeches, while she alone has the "solutions" to everyone's financial worries. Elect Hillary, and you won't have any more worries about bills! (Instead, we'll just have worries about Bill...)

I'm not sure what concerns me more, her attempt to buy votes or her desire to grow further dependence on the government as the solution to all our worries.

Writer Phyllis A. Whitney Dies, 104

Author Phyllis A. Whitney has passed away at the age of 104.

Whitney's primary genres were gothic fiction and romantic suspense. Although most of her titles were not the type of reading I like best, I was very fond of one of her historical novels, STEP TO THE MUSIC. STEP TO THE MUSIC had a Civil War setting and was written for the "Young Adult" market; I believe I first discovered it in my junior high school library. Years later, when I happened across it in a used bookstore, I bought my own copy.

More from The New York Times.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happiest wishes for a beautiful Valentine's Day!

Tonight's Movie: Special Agent (1935)

SPECIAL AGENT is a fairly entertaining Warner Bros. film in which federal agent George Brent poses as a newspaper reporter in order to gain access to mobster Ricardo Cortez. Brent is aided in his quest to send Cortez to Alcatraz by Bette Davis, who plays Cortez's reluctant bookkeeper.

Davis and Brent costarred numerous times, in classics such as JEZEBEL, THE OLD MAID, DARK VICTORY, and THE GREAT LIE. SPECIAL AGENT is part of what I think of as Brent's "pre-mustache" period (grin). He is fine as the earnest agent working for "Uncle Sam." (The film repeatedly emphasizes that while mobsters may escape local law enforcement, they will not be able to withstand the power of the federal government.) Wide-eyed Davis adds some electricity to the proceedings as the woman who wants to quit her job but knows it would likely mean her death.

Ricardo Cortez, who gained his name in the era of Hollywood's fascination with "Latin lovers," was originally Jacob Krantz of Austria. His career began in the silents and was mostly over by the end of the '40s, after which time Cortez had a successful second career at a Wall Street brokerage firm. His brother, Stanley Cortez, was a highly regarded cinematographer whose credits included THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS.

Irving Pichel, who plays the U.S. District Attorney, alternated between acting and directing for over two decades. The cast also includes Henry O'Neill, J. Carroll Naish, and Jack LaRue.

SPECIAL AGENT was directed by William Keighley. It runs 76 minutes.

SPECIAL AGENT can be seen on TCM. It's not yet available on DVD or video. (June 2015 Update: SPECIAL AGENT is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive. My review of the DVD is here.)

Time Magazine: The Rush Limbaugh Interview

Rush gave Time Magazine's Jay Carney a fairly lengthy interview today about the current state of the nomination races and the role of talk radio.

Tonight's Movie: Four Mothers (1941)

FOUR MOTHERS is the entertaining sequel to FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938) and FOUR WIVES (1939).

The entire cast is back: Priscilla, Rosemary, and Lola Lane, along with Gale Page, as the four Lemp daughters; Jeffrey Lynn, Eddie Albert, Frank McHugh, and Dick Foran as the girls' husbands; and Claude Rains as the Lemp patriarch and May Robson as his sister. The plot, concerning how the extended clan works together to handle a financial crisis, is mainly a good excuse to spend more screen time with this wonderful family.

Although I found the first film in the series a bit dark, mainly due to the presence of John Garfield's depressed character, I really love the next two films in the series. FOUR WIVES and FOUR MOTHERS are particularly good, as sequels go, because each film feels as though it's simply picking up where the last one left off, with no jarring changes in cast, sets, or tone. The use of the same "bits of business" from one film to the next, along with the recurring use of music, provides a strong sense of continuity. The final musical sequence, which builds on a scene from the second film which used the same music, provides a fitting end to the series.

I wish very much that more films had been made in the Lemp Family series, but alas, that was not to be.

The movie was directed by William Keighley. Keighley also directed Priscilla Lane and Jeffrey Lynn in YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER (1939), reviewed here last May. FOUR MOTHERS runs 86 minutes. A side note of interest is that a scene with Claude Rains appears to have been filmed on location at the Hollywood Bowl, although I suspect the shots of the family in the audience were filmed at the studio.

FOUR MOTHERS can be seen regularly on TCM.

For more on the FOUR DAUGHTERS series, see this nice post by Jacqueline at Another Old Movie Blog.

Related post here at LMM: DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS (1939).

May 2011 Update: FOUR MOTHERS is now available on DVD-R from the Warner Archive, either as a single-title release or as part of the Four Daughters Movie Series Collection.

Tonight's Movie: Taxi! (1932)

James Cagney and Loretta Young are a dynamic team in TAXI!, a pre-Code film about two rival taxi companies engaged in a violent battle for turf in New York City.

Cagney is, not surprisingly, amazing -- he fights, he dances, he romances, he even speaks Yiddish! His character is very unpolitically correct, in the manner of the day -- his characters back then thought nothing of slapping women -- but he's fascinating as a man walking the line between being a loving husband or a brute who's going to end up in jail or dead.

Young is Cagney's equal as a woman who can stand up to him, love him, and call him to account for his behavior when he crosses the line. Young's early '30s films are fascinating -- the glam, very cool Loretta (she was about 19 in this film) accompanying Cagney to a nightclub isn't the image one has of her from her later films. She's wonderful.

The movie is fast-paced and interesting. My one complaint is that Leila Burnett, as Young's friend, plays a character who talks in an endless monotone, boring those around her. Well, she also bores the audience! However, to compensate there is a fun sighting of George Raft in a bit part as the man who faces off against Cagney in a dance contest. Guy Kibbee and Dorothy Burgess are also in the cast.

TAXI! was directed by Roy Del Ruth. It runs 69 minutes.

This movie isn't yet available on DVD -- a set of Loretta Young pre-Code movies would be wonderful! -- but can be seen in the library on cable's Turner Classic Movies.

Update: This film is now available from the Warner Archive.

David Limbaugh: "GOP Rearrangement Syndrome"

Yesterday Andy McCarthy wrote about McCain Estrangement Syndrome; today David Limbaugh suggests the problem is also GOP Rearrangement Syndrome:

"...what we are witnessing is a resurrection of the historical GOP turf war between the Reagan conservatives and the disgruntled Rockefeller moderates. This neo-Rockefeller branch of the GOP sees this moment -- McCain's inevitable nomination, albeit by default, and the politically confused state of evangelicals under the tutelage of Mike Huckabee -- as an opportunity finally to retake the GOP from the Reagan conservatives. Think of it as GOP Rearrangement Syndrome.

"They want to remake the party in their image. They are the neoconservatives, the national-greatness types who profess to believe in conservative ideals but have no problem achieving them through liberal ends -- i.e., more government."

Price of Stamps Going Up (Again)

Is it just me or are stamp prices rising more frequently than ever? Today comes word the price of a first class stamp is going up to 42 cents on May 12th.

Despite my love for the Internet, I'm also a big fan of old-fashioned snail mail correspondence, so these seemingly annual stamp increases add up to a definite "ouch."

New on DVD: No Reservations (2007)

NO RESERVATIONS is being released on February 12, just in time for Valentine's Day. If you haven't seen the movie yet, it's a worthwhile film.

Extras include an episode of Food Network's UNWRAPPED about the movie.

Tuesday also sees the DVD release of BECOMING JANE.

Why Patterico is So Good

Read Patterico's post linked above and then his analysis and explanation for the original post.

It's a brilliant dissection of the fabrications that the L.A. Times continues to let Tim Rutten get away with. Too bad it will sail over the heads of those at the Times.

Previously posted here on Tim Rutten: L.A. Times' Tim Rutten Doesn't Get It.

New York Times on Disney's California Adventure Overhaul

The New York Times business section ran an interesting article yesterday on the plans to overhaul Disney's California Adventure. The article focuses particularly on the new Toy Story Mania ride opening this summer at Paradise Pier.

Interesting news out of Florida is that Disney World may reopen the Tree House Villas. They would make a unique place to stay! The pool is lovely.

"McCain Estrangement Syndrome"

An excellent essay by Andy McCarthy on the current state of the race vis-a-vis John McCain and conservatives.

Read the whole thing...

Tonight's Movie: The Secret Heart (1946)

THE SECRET HEART is a psychological melodrama about a girl (June Allyson) obsessed with her dead father's memory. Claudette Colbert is the girl's caring stepmother, and Walter Pidgeon is Colbert's old flame. The movie is the kind of glossy, solidly made film which MGM excelled at in the '40s.

Colbert and Pidgeon are their usual entertaining, polished selves as the reunited lovers. Allyson looks particularly lovely in this film, but unfortunately is saddled with a fairly unappealing character as the disturbed young girl. The story, however, is absorbing and this is a well-made film with good performances which is well worth watching.

The supporting cast includes Robert Sterling, Patricia Medina, Marshall Thompson, Lionel Barrymore, and Elizabeth Patterson. Barrymore is only in one scene, playing Allyson's psychiatrist, but he's very effective in the part.

A nice bit of trivia is that Allyson came to consider Colbert a great mentor; Allyson admired Colbert so much that she and Dick Powell later asked Colbert to be the godmother to their daughter, Pamela. Allyson wrote in her autobiography that Claudette brought the baby a christening gown from Paris.

THE SECRET HEART was directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It runs 97 minutes.

This movie is unfortunately not available on DVD or video -- a Claudette Colbert DVD set would be a fine idea! -- but it can be seen on cable on TCM.

The trailer can be seen here.

August 2014 Update: This film is now available on DVD from the Warner Archive. My review of the DVD, with more extensive thoughts on the film, may be found here.

"England's Crisis Is Ours Too"

A thought-provoking article by David Warren, originally published in the Ottawa Citizen, about the rise of Islam in Europe.

I have great respect for Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali (the current Archbishop of Canterbury, er, not so much!)...it's disturbing that Bishop Nazir-Ali has had to be placed under police protection merely for stating his opinions.

If that kind of thing can happen in England, it can also happen here...unless Americans are willing to end political correctness regarding Islam, I suspect eventually it will.

Monday Update: A couple articles following up on the above: John O'Sullivan on the Archbishop of Canterbury, and a story from London's Daily Telegraph about female Muslim medical students refusing to follow hygiene rules which they claim violate their religious beliefs. The latter article in particular makes one wonder what it's going to take to stop the Muslim accommodation insanity in Western countries...

Tonight's Movie: History is Made at Night (1937)

HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT is a remarkable film, one of those movies that you watch for the first time and wonder how you could possibly have missed something so good for so many years.

Sensitively directed by Frank Borzage, the film tells the story of Irene Vail (Jean Arthur) who leaves her insanely jealous husband Bruce (Colin Clive) and through an unexpected series of circumstances meets and falls in love with a charming Parisian head waiter, Paul Dumond (Charles Boyer). Bruce will resort to anything to keep Irene and Paul apart -- even murder. Will true love conquer all?

Arthur and Boyer are at the peak of their stardom in this film, and they share wonderful chemistry. Surely Arthur was never more beautiful and Boyer never more dashing than in this movie. This is the Golden Age of Cinema in top form.

To tell much more would be to spoil a wonderful surprise. The movie veers from romantic comedy to melodrama to disaster movie, yet somehow despite -- or because of? -- incorporating these varied styles in one film, it all works. The fog-shrouded climax is heart-stopping.

One reviewer notes: "The unique quality of History Is Made at Night is its ability to turn on a dime, flipping from one extreme to another so that the extremes intensify each other... Borzage uses the best things about several genres here in order to make us feel their properties more intensely."

Colin Clive, who is truly scary as Arthur's obsessed husband, died shortly after the film was released. He was just 37 years old.

In 1935's IF YOU COULD ONLY COOK, Leo Carrillo plays a gangster with a gourmet appetite and Arthur is his cook. This time around, Carrillo cooks for Arthur; he plays a famed gourmet chef who is also Boyer's loyal best friend.

The excellent black and white cinematography is by David Abel and (uncredited) the great Gregg Toland (CITIZEN KANE). The score is by Alfred Newman. The movie runs 97 minutes.

HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT is available on video. This is a movie that deserves to be put on DVD as soon as possible. 

More links on this film (more explicit spoilers are included in these reviews than I have posted here): Self-Styled Siren, Reverse Shot, and Hal Erickson.

Update: More good posts at Mildred Fierce and Another Old Movie Blog.

February 14, 2013 Update: Here's an account of seeing a restored print of this film in 35mm at UCLA.

January 2021 Update: At long last, HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT will be released on Blu-ray and DVD by the Criterion Collection.

Walt Disney World: The Resorts

One of the wonderful things about Walt Disney World is the individual resorts, which all have unique theming. One could have a great vacation "on property" without ever setting foot in the parks!

One of the most beautiful resorts is the Polynesian Resort. I haven't stayed there yet, but I've visited it on every trip. It's definitely on my "wish list" for a future stay.


Another view of the Poly:


One of Disney World's special traditions is the Electrical Water Pageant, which dates from 1971. Every night the pageant circles the resorts ringing Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake near the Magic Kingdom. On past trips I've viewed the Pageant from the Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary Resort; this trip I saw it for the first time from the beach at the Polynesian. The Pageant consists of floats which are reminiscent of Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade -- the Pageant is said to have been the inspiration for the Parade -- and the floats' actions are set to a jaunty musical score.

Below, the sea dragon, a turtle, and octopus (click to enlarge):


Like everything else, the Pageant has made YouTube if you'd like to take a peek. The Pageant is one of those little "extras" that makes a visit to Disney World so memorable.

One evening we watched Wishes, the Magic Kingdom's fireworks show, from the beach at the Polynesian. The soundtrack for Wishes is piped onto the grounds of the Poly, which makes it a perfect relaxed and uncrowded spot to see the show. (If you're lucky, you can even claim a hammock as a viewing spot.) The combination of the fireworks reflecting on Seven Seas Lagoon and the tiki torches lighting the grounds of the Poly produces a truly magical atmosphere. I think this might have been my favorite part of the trip.

One morning we went to eat breakfast at the Coronado Springs Resort, since I'd never been there before. Coronado Springs has a U.S. Southwest/Mexican desert theme, including a Pyramid slide in its swimming pool.


Festive Pepper Market, the resort's "quick service" food court:


The awe-inspiring Wilderness Lodge is one of my favorite resorts (see subject link). It's difficult to photograph the huge, stories-high lobby -- first-time guests generally walk in, look up, and gasp in awe. Stirring music from classic Western scores such as THE BIG COUNTRY, HOW THE WEST WAS WON, and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN plays in the lobby 24 hours a day.

This spring bubbles in the lobby and trickles through the wall into Silver Creek, over waterfalls, and into the pool:


There's a geyser on the grounds, too. :)

Just one of the lodge's beautiful details:


The Animal Kingdom Lodge is another completely original resort, transporting guests to Africa. If you stroll behind the lodge, you just might spot a giraffe.


There's an eye-catching bridge suspended from the lobby ceiling:


The Contemporary Resort is one of my favorites. The Monorail runs right through the building, with a station on the fourth floor. The fourth floor is also home to Mary Blair's Grand Canyon murals and the model of the Tower of the Four Winds from the New York World's Fair:


For more on the Tower of the Four Winds, see this post.

The Contemporary is also home to one of Walt Disney World's most beloved restaurants, Chef Mickey's. Eating at this buffet, with the monorail whizzing past in the background, is a wonderful Disney tradition which isn't to be missed.


Previously: Coming Soon and Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

Coming soon: the parks!

Update: Walt Disney World: Disney's Hollywood Studios; Walt Disney World: Animal Kingdom; Walt Disney World: Epcot; Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom.

Entertainment News Roundup

Bits and pieces of entertainment-related news to read as we head into the weekend...

Tower Records' famed store on the Sunset Strip is due to be demolished (see subject link).

I was out of town on Groundhog Day; the L.A. Times published an appreciation of the classic film of that name. The movie was just released in a new 15th anniversary edition. It was previously released in a Special Edition.

Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly (formerly Megyn Kendall) is engaged...

HIPPO IN A TUTU is the unusual name of a forthcoming book on dancing in Disney's animated films.

I've been enjoying looking in on the movie reviews at dfordoom recently. This review of MYSTERY STREET has me intrigued. I enjoyed another MGM police procedural, KID GLOVE KILLER.

Shell Kepler played hospital gossip Amy Vining on GENERAL HOSPITAL for 23 years, from 1979 to 2002. Kepler passed away recently at far too young an age. Her character, Amy, was the adoptive sister of the long-running show's most famous heroine, Laura Vining Webber Baldwin Spencer (Genie Francis). Kepler's Amy was a unique personality who provided comic relief and occasionally poignance as the unlucky-in-love nurse living in her beloved sister's shadow.

Tonight's Movie: Carnival Boat (1932)

CARNIVAL BOAT is a somewhat creaky tale starring William Boyd (aka Hopalong Cassidy) as Buck Gannon, a logger who is torn between loyalty to his logging camp manager father (Hobart Bosworth), and his girl, who works on a show boat (Ginger Rogers). The father, who wants Buck to succeed him as manager, disapproves of the show business girl distracting his son.

I don't "get" Boyd as a leading man, and he and Bosworth (whose career went back to early silents) tend to act at times as though they're in an old-style melodrama. The film's other drawback is that some of the action sequences rely on speeded-up film and poor back projections, which make the film look quite quaint in spots.

The film does get more interesting as it goes along, and a big plus is the evocative location shooting. Much of the film was shot outdoors, and the movie has a real fresh-air feel to it. The movie was filmed at Big Pines, California, in L.A. County (not to be confused with Big Pine on California's Highway 395). A sequence with a river log jam is particularly exciting.

Ginger Rogers is, of course, another plus for the film. As Buck's love, Honey, she doesn't have a great deal to do, but a movie is always interesting when Ginger is on the screen.

The director was Albert S. Rogell. The film runs a short 62 minutes.

CARNIVAL BOAT is not on DVD or VHS but can be seen on cable on TCM.

David Limbaugh: "Critics of McCain Critics Should Chill"

The patronizing tone, from McCain on down, of those who want conservative McCain critics to "Calm down" is most annoying.

David Limbaugh writes "Isn't it ironic that GOP moderates are harshly criticizing GOP conservatives for being harshly critical of GOP presidential frontrunner John McCain?"

He then asks "If conservatives can't hold John McCain accountable now for all his apostasies, apostasies he committed with utter delight amid mainstream-media adulation, what chance will we have of doing so later?"

Update: A list of 10 reasons conservatives don't like McCain, published by the Associated Press.

The Ace of Spades on John McCain

This is an excellent essay on John McCain, his attitude toward conservatives, and the absurdity that conservatives are supposed to "grow up" and compromise when McCain has never done so himself.

The entire piece is worth a read, especially for those who don't understand why conservatives find the prospect of a McCain nomination so troubling.

(Hat tip: Patterico's Pontifications.)

Walt Disney World: Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Over the next few days I hope to post photos covering various aspects of my whirlwind trip to Orlando last week. Tonight I'd like to share some photos of our resort, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.

There is nothing quite like the magic of staying at a Disney resort. From the minute the gate guard or desk clerk greets you with the words "Welcome home," you know you're in for a special experience. As a friend on the trip commented to me, "Disney knows how to make people happy."


This was my first stay at Saratoga Springs, having previously been a guest at Port Orleans Riverside, the Wilderness Lodge, the Contemporary Resort, and the Beach Club. Each resort is special in its own right and has unique things to recommend it. Saratoga Springs, modeled on a Victorian New York resort, is more subtly themed than some of the other resorts, but is very special in its own way.

We particularly appreciated the huge rooms -- our group had a two-room villa the size of a small apartment, including a full-sized kitchen. It was immaculate, a homey and relaxing place to return at the end of a long, fun day exploring the parks and other resorts.

Horses, racing, and art are the decorating themes of Saratoga Springs. The children's area of the lobby reflects this in whimsical fashion, with paintings of horses from Disney animated films lining the wall:


The focal point of the lobby is a carousel horse:


The "quick service" restaurant, Artist's Palette, has beautiful decorative pieces of glass hanging from the ceiling. Easels stocked with paper and crayons are available for children to amuse themselves in the dining area.


The "zero entry" pool is gorgeous.


It includes a tunnel slide and a beautiful water play area for the little ones:


I'm told this is the only resort with a poolside soda fountain to fill Disney Resorts' much-loved refillable mugs.

A view of the Artist's Palette in the distance beyond a poolside waterfall:


Saratoga Springs is in walking distance of Downtown Disney. You can take a virtual tour by clicking on the subject link.

Coming soon: other resorts, the Electrical Water Pageant, and of course, the parks!

Update: Walt Disney World: The Resorts; Walt Disney World: Disney's Hollywood Studios; Walt Disney World: Animal Kingdom; Walt Disney World: Epcot; Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom.

New Book: Home: A Memoir of My Early Years

Julie Andrews' long-awaited memoir, covering her life up to the point when Walt Disney cast her as Mary Poppins, will be released on April 1, 2008.

Given Andrews' talent as a writer, this should be a great read.

"The Strange GOP Nominating Victory"

Tony Blankley on John McCain being the likely Republican Presidential nominee: "It would be the first time in living memory that a Republican presidential nomination went to a candidate who was not merely opposed by a majority of the party but was actively despised by about half its rank-and-file voters across the country -- and by many, if not most, of its congressional officeholders... He has won fair and square, but he has driven the nomination process askew."

Barring unforeseen Divine Intervention between now and next November, it seems very likely that I will not participate in a Presidential election for the first time since I have been old enough to vote. As Dan Riehl writes, "For now, we may effectively have two Blue parties in America." I voted for the lesser of two evils for California governor when I voted for Schwarzenegger, but -- especially given how poorly it's worked out in California -- I have no intention of offering a liberal Republican the support of my vote.

The insulting commentary of Beltway pundits like Fred Barnes, who asserts that conservatives need to "grow up," shows plainly that many Washingtonians just don't get it. Someone like Barnes is content for any candidate to win as long as he has an "R" next to his name. However, as John McCain will learn, he cannot spend years insulting conservatives and then expect us all to "calm down" and rally to his cause, which he probably expects if only because we have nowhere else to go.

I suspect McCain is in for another surprise, which is that as soon as he secures the nomination, the fawning media will turn on him. The long-suppressed stories about McCain's anger, profanity, and his ego will start turning up in the press regularly, along with concerns about his age and health. We'll start hearing about the Keating Five again, too.

It's going to be strange and rather sad to sit back and watch this unfold in the months to come.

One thing seems certain, whether the President is McCain, Clinton, or Obama, as of 2012 American citizens will have far less freedom and a far greater tax burden.

Flaky Flix Cookies Are Back!

Mother's Flaky Flix cookies disappeared a couple of years ago. Fudge Flaky Flix were my favorite cookies, other than the late, lamented Hydrox cookies.

When I was little, Flaky Flix were known by the name of Fiddle Flakes. I'm not sure if a different company made them then.

I was grocery shopping this afternoon and what to my wondering eyes appeared...but fudge and vanilla Flaky Flix!

The cookies are now short and wide instead of long and skinny, but they taste the same. O Happy Day!

January 2009 Update: This post continues to receive a fair amount of traffic, so I'd like to direct readers to two updates: a post on Mother's Cookies declaring bankruptcy in October 2008 and Kellogg's buying the Mother's Cookies trademarks and recipes in December 2008.

April 30, 2009 Update: Here is the latest on Mother's Cookies' comeback.

I Voted...Have You?

There are two viable Republican candidates left -- and no, I'm not including Huckabee among the two -- so at this point conservatives are left to choose the more conservative of two not-very-conservative candidates.

I didn't vote for the conservative-loathing, angry (and possibly unhinged) liberal, John McCain.

You do the math...

Fatburger Founder Dies at 96

Southern California is home to two great hamburger chains which have been around since the mid 20th century: Fatburger and the better-known In-N-Out Burger.

I love them equally; they are quite different. Fatburger, for example, has large steak fries ("Fat Fries") while In-N-Out's fries are more traditional "thin" fries. In-N-Out doesn't have onion rings, and I believe Fatburger's are the Best Ever. Ever.

Lovie Yancey, the founder of the Fatburger chain, has passed away at the age of 96.

Coming to DVD: Centennial (1978)

Great news today that CENTENNIAL, one of the classic productions from TV's "Golden Age of Miniseries" of the late '70s and '80s, is coming to DVD this summer.

CENTENNIAL has an all-star cast led by Robert Conrad and Richard Chamberlain in superb performances as a pair of frontier trappers. Conrad's performance as the fiery French-Canadian Pasquinel, in particular, was a great achievement which was unjustly ignored by the Emmy Awards.

Stephanie Zimbalist was also particularly notable as the young pioneer bride, Elly Zendt.

The huge cast also includes Barbara Carrera, Gregory Harrison, David Janssen, Dennis Weaver, Mark Harmon, Richard Crenna, Andy Griffith, and the list goes on and on.

If you'd like a preview, someone has put the series' closing cast montage, set to Merle Haggard's rendition of "I Guess He'd Rather be in Colorado," on YouTube. Watching the opening titles, with the stirring theme music, sure took me down memory lane. (Update: These clips were later removed from YouTube.)

CENTENNIAL was previously released on VHS.

Coming Soon...

Six resorts, four theme parks, and Downtown Disney...somehow we packed it all into just a few short days!


Above, the beautiful Saratoga Springs resort, our home base for a wonderful getaway.

I'll be sharing more photos once I adjust from the jet lag and the return to civilization...