Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Glenn Erickson reviews the new 6-film Esther Williams DVD set at DVD Savant. (Click the title of this post for the link.) THRILL OF A ROMANCE (1945) has some of MGM's most spectacular color of the 1940s. And the DVD chapter selections will be very handy for skipping to the great dancing by Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse in FIESTA (1947). The set is a must for fans of Williams or MGM musicals.

...The return of UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS? Be still, my heart! Jean Marsh will once again play Rose, who is now the housekeeper at 165 Eaton Place; it will be set in 1936. Two episodes will be filmed next spring, with a complete series possibly to follow.

...I'm looking forward to seeing A BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER (1953) in the near future. Jacqueline analyzes the film at Another Old Movie Blog and offers an interesting comparison of the performances of lead actors Joseph Cotten and Jean Peters with the actors who played their parts in the Lux Radio Theater version, Dan Dailey and Dorothy McGuire.

...The Classic Hollywood Nerd pays tribute to actress Rochelle Hudson, who has turned up in the credits of a couple movies I've recorded recently, including LES MISERABLES (1935) and CONVICTED WOMAN (1940).

...Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has posted some great-looking new recipes: Pan-Fried Pork Chops and Roasted Garlic and New Potatoes. Yum! Everything you need to know about making the recipes is provided in step-by-step photos.

...Raquelle recounts a great experience at Out of the Past: last night she attended a Harvard screening of my favorite movie, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954) with director Stanley Donen in attendance.

...Ten amusement parks, including the Sea World and Busch Gardens parks, were just sold for a whopping $2.3 billion. The sale included Sea World here in San Diego, California.

...My oldest daughter, who spent several months in London earlier this year, called my attention to an ongoing mail strike in Britain. To date the strikes have been "rolling" in various areas, but there will soon be a vote on the timing for a national mail strike. Hopefully the set of Region 2 James Mason DVDs I ordered from Amazon.UK last week will arrive here without incident! I certainly feel for the British if this strike goes forward.

...My favorite newspaper, USA TODAY, is having difficulty: they just announced a 17 percent drop in circulation.

...I recently treated myself to this adorable Martha Stewart Pie Plate when I saw it on sale. (Now I just need to make a pie!) The plate would make a wonderful gift idea for this time of year.

...The blog The Footnotes of Mad Men, which describes itself as a "cultural catalogue," may be of interest to fans of the series.

...Some counter service restaurants at Disney World's Magic Kindom are testing a new table reservation system. The restaurants include Pecos Bill's and Columbia Harbour House. (Hat tip: The Disney Blog.)

Have a great weekend!

Saturday Political Roundup

This was a particularly good week for some excellent political columns. Here are a few of the best:

...Charles Krauthammer writes "Decline is a Choice" at the Weekly Standard. (Click the title of this post.) As Paul Rahe elaborates on Krauthammer's piece at Power Line, by his actions the President and his staff appear to want "the elimination of the foundations for American hegemony and the crippling of this country. They regard the role that we have thus far played in the world as shameful; they are intent on dismembering the alliances that gave us our heft in the world; and they are not only appeasing our sworn enemies but openly, publicly embracing them and their agenda."

...Also at Power Line, John Hinderaker assesses the imbecilic awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the President on the basis of hope and popularity. When I heard of the award, after I finally finished laughing, all I could think was that this event represented a complete People Magazine-ation of politics. Or maybe this was a consolation prize for Chicago not being awarded the Olympics despite the unprecedented campaigning of the President and First Lady.

...Looking back at the Olympic city selection, C. Edmund Wright postulates that "The Obamas Violated the First Three Rules of Selling."

...When he's not insulting allies and supporting dictators, the President appears to want to be just "Half a President" -- the ceremonial half -- writes Steve McCann at American Thinker.

...Did you know the Census taker who knocks on your door next year might be a convicted violent felon?

...Betsy McCaughey explains that one of the provisions in the health care bill being debated in the Senate will give the unelected Secretary of Health and Human Services "the power to define quality, cost-effective care for each medical condition and penalize doctors who spend more on their patients." Can you say "death panel"?

...Then there's the new taxes on everything from mammograms to dental x-rays to dentures. Maybe I'm missing something, but how is taxing medical equipment and procedures going to improve innovation and hold down costs? It won't, of course...prices will rise and it will be that much harder to afford your next mammogram or dental checkup.

...Joseph Smith explains the sneaky tactics Democrats may use to remake a sixth of the U.S. economy with a healthcare takeover unpopular with a majority of Americans.

...A former Obama-Clinton-Edwards speechwriter discovers that insurance mandates in Massachusetts have taken insurance coverage out of her price range. I have never thought Romney could succeed as a Republican candidate chiefly because of his support for government insurance mandates; as I wrote over three years ago, his health plan in Massachusetts "is the essence of big government interference in the free market. Forcing people to buy something reduces personal freedom and leads to higher prices, as the market has less need to compete for guaranteed buyers."

...Rich Lowry writes on "The Obama Snap-Back" and says the President is "the Right's best community organizer." We can only hope.

Tonight's Movie: Confirm or Deny (1941)

CONFIRM OR DENY is a most interesting film set during the London Blitz, with a believably authentic London setting recreated on the Fox lot.

Don Ameche plays "Mitch" Mitchell, a reporter for the London office of Consolidated Press, which provides news reports for 1000 American papers. Mitch meets government teletype operator Jennifer (Joan Bennett) just before the city is bombed, and they take refuge together in a Tube station. They are attracted to one another, and Mitch soon arranges for Jennifer to work at Consolidated Press.

When the news agency's offices are bombed out, Mitch brashly requisitions the wine cellar of a steel-framed hotel as office space, but even that may not be enough protection to keep Consolidated Press publishing.

I loved the film's setting, such as the depiction of the Tube station during the Blitz. Details such as the poster in the Underground station urging mothers to evacuate their children from London -- a topic covered in detail at the Imperial War Museum -- or the litter baskets on the station walls seemed just right. The film was possibly inspired a bit by FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940), but I found the depiction of wartime London fairly unique and atmospheric for a U.S. film of the early '40s.

The film delves into some interesting issues, such as the paper getting a government censor (John Loder) to sit right in their office so they can publish more efficiently, and one of the film's main themes is the tension between publishing "breaking news" and protecting the war effort -- an issue which still resonates today.

For the most part the film is restrained and very British "stiff upper lip" in its depiction of the Blitz's toll. Indeed, when Mitch meets Jennifer she is on her way to her grandmother's, as the Germans have rendered Jennifer homeless, a fact she discloses with little emotion. The film does lay on the pathos a bit too heavily near the film's conclusion.

The hard-driving Mitch is the kind of role Ameche could play in his sleep. He's excellent, as is Bennett, who looks rather like Ruth Hussey in this; she has a good British accent, at least most of the time. The two characters share a nice rapport, with Bennett's matter-of-fact, calm Englishwoman contrasting well with Ameche's excitable Yank.

The supporting cast is excellent, particularly Arthur Shields as the news service's blind telegraph operator. (It's the blind employee, with his acute hearing, who provides a key moment in the film.) Roddy McDowell is a dedicated office boy, Queenie Leonard is the switchboard operator, and Eric Blore is the hotel employee who is befuddled to find a news service taking over the hotel basement.

Queenie Leonard, as a matter of fact, has been credited with teaching Joan Bennett her Cockney accent for Fritz Lang's MAN HUNT, also released in 1941.

CONFIRM OR DENY was directed by Archie Mayo. The story was cowritten by writer-director Samuel Fuller (PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET) and the screenplay was by Jo Swerling.

The movie runs a fast-paced 74 minutes and was shot in black and white by Leon Shamroy, who is perhaps best known for his stunning work in Technicolor.

This film has not had a DVD or VHS release. It can be seen on Fox Movie Channel, where it is next scheduled to air November 30, 2009.

CONFIRM OR DENY is one of countless relatively unsung little movies of the Golden Era which provides excellent entertainment, as well as fascinating insight into an historical era which is now decades behind us.

June 2013 Update: CONFIRM OR DENY is now available on DVD-R in the Fox Cinema Archives line.

Today at Disneyland: Halloween Time 2009

Our first visit to Disneyland during this year's Halloween Time season began with a bit of a parking adventure. We arrived about 3:45 to pull into the Mickey and Friends parking lot, just as we have on countless past Fridays...only to find ourselves routed into a verrrrry long parking detour.

We finally ended up in the Buzz Lightyear lot, which must be at least a mile or more from Mickey and Friends! They have shuttle buses there driven by non-cast members. Once we were there it was okay, but the detour to get there was crazy! Part of it was on Disney property and part was on city streets with Anaheim police and electronic signs showing the way.

Apparently they are way low on parking for busy days since the Timon lot has made way for Cars Land construction, and another guest told us they were "saving" at least one floor of Mickey and Friends for guests arriving later in the evening for the Halloween party at California Adventure.

They definitely need more cast members at the shuttle stop at the plaza between the parks, as there was much confusion about where to line up, and only one CM to answer questions.

Onward to Halloween Time!


The flowers at Town Square are in USC colors!


We paid our first visit to the Disney Gallery's new location in the former Bank of Main Street on Main Street U.S.A.:


Here's a peek at the Gallery's store inside the bank building:


I discovered a wonderful new book in the Gallery store, WINDOWS ON MAIN STREET by Chuck Snyder. It provides information on all the "dedication windows" on Main Street in Disneyland and Walt Disney World, including maps.


It does not include non-Main Street windows, such as Fess Parker's window in Anaheim's Frontierland, or the windows at Disneyland Paris. This colorful and very affordable book is a wonderful idea, the kind of thing that makes you wonder why no one thought of doing it sooner! Highly recommended for Disney theme park fans. I'd love to see an even more elaborate book on this topic one day in the future.

Here's an example of the detailed Halloween Time decorating, a balcony on Town Square:


The floral baskets are back at the Hub. Click to enlarge for a closer look -- they're beautiful!


The flowers at the Hub were exquisite.


Buzz is part of the decorations surrounding the statue of Walt and Mickey at the Hub. We hope to see the TOY STORY double feature in 3D tomorrow night.


Pluto and more lovely fall flowers:


Pumpkins fill a tree in Frontierland:


The Mark Twain in the late afternoon sun, while off to the left cast members prepare Tom Sawyer Island for the evening's performances of Fantasmic!


Diners in New Orleans Square enjoying a beautiful fall early evening:


The speck in the sky above New Orleans Square is the Goodyear Blimp arriving for the Angels' playoff game. The Angels beat the Red Sox in Game 2, 4-1, taking a 2-0 lead in Round 1 of the playoffs.


Zocalo Park in Frontierland:


It was a gorgeous evening! We plan to visit again next weekend to get our first look at the new Halloween Screams fireworks.

Previous Halloween Time Posts and Photos: September 29, 2006, September 30, 2006, October 21, 2006, September 28, 2007, October 12, 2007, and October 17, 2008.

A Great Game for Dodger Fans

The Dodgers have shown an amazing ability to come from behind and win this season, and tonight's playoff game opposite the Cardinals was no exception.

With two outs in the 9th, the Dodgers tied the game and then scored on a bases-loaded pinch hit, winning 3-2.

It was one of those exhilarating "This is why I love baseball!" moments.

The Dodgers take a 2-0 lead over St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs.

Hopefully the Angels will have similar results as they take on the Red Sox starting tonight. (Update: The Angels won Game 1, 5-0.)

Update: Here's the L.A. Times photo gallery of the Dodgers' victory tonight.

Friday Update: The L.A. Times account, and a column by Bill Plaschke. And more from the New York Times.

Changes Coming to Disneyland Paris Resort?

Something interesting has been discovered on 2010 maps of Disney's Hollywood Studios at Disneyland Paris...the addition of a Toy Story Playland.


The rides look a bit like the "off the shelf" rides that initially filled Disney's California Adventure, but the theming is nice. The Paris version of Disney's Hollywood Studios definitely needs more attractions so this should be a nice boost for the park.

The rides are said to be opening in the summer of 2010.

There's also word of a future Ratatouille attraction...

Children's Classics Back in Print

The Wall Street Journal ran a couple nice articles last week about favorite children's books which are back in print.

The first article (click the title of this post) was an overview particularly calling attention to the reissue of more books in Miroslav Sasek's THIS IS... series, THIS IS AUSTRALIA and THIS IS THE WAY TO THE MOON (formerly published under the titles THIS IS CAPE KENNEDY and THIS IS CAPE CANAVERAL).

My youngest son loves the Sasek books, and we've collected over a dozen so far. (I noticed that we also need to pick up THIS IS GREECE which was republished earlier this year!) They are filled with interesting historical facts and trivia along with whimsical illustrations.

One of the things my son particularly enjoys is that the publisher puts an asterisk by any fact which has changed since the time of each book's original publication decades ago and then provides a page with a list explaining all the changes. It's fun to see which things have stayed the same and which things are long gone.

These books combine entertaining reading with broadening a child's understanding of geography and history -- a win-win!

The referenced WSJ article also briefly mentioned the reissuing of Maud Hart Lovelace's BETSY-TACY series, which have been republished in lovely new editions.

The BETSY-TACY books follow Betsy and her friends, including Tacy and Tib, from early childhood to adulthood. Like Laura Ingalls Wilder's LITTLE HOUSE books, the reading level becomes more difficult as the characters grow older, and also like the LITTLE HOUSE books, many of the characters and incidents were inspired by real life. You can read more about that in my friend Sharla Scannell Whalen's marvelous BETSY-TACY COMPANION, a meticulously researched and highly enjoyable read which was a labor of love for the author. Excerpts from the COMPANION also appear as supplemental material in the back of some editions of the books, including the new reprints.

PRINCESS DIARIES author Meg Cabot wrote a very nice article in the WSJ last Saturday explaining her love for the BETSY-TACY books. Cabot also contributed a forward to the new copy of BETSY WAS A JUNIOR and BETSY AND JOE. Anna Quindlen and Laura Lippman wrote forwards for other books in the series.

I highly recommend keeping all these titles in mind for upcoming Christmas shopping.

Disneyland Resort President Ed Grier Retires

Disneyland Resort President Ed Grier has announced his retirement.

Grier, who is only 54 years old, has been with Disney for 28 years. His retirement letter contains some of the typical resignation boilerplate about recently seeing "growth and change" in his own family -- but aren't families always growing and changing? -- and thus deciding it's time for him to move on.

This may be good news for Disneyland and California Adventure, as unlike his predecessor, the popular Matt Ouimet, Grier was said to be something of an "invisible man" inside the parks. Grier typically visited the parks for high-profile events.

Below, a rare Ed sighting at a Disneyland tribute to Julie Andrews in the spring of 2008:


(This was a low-resolution cell phone snapshot.)

Grier's successor has not yet been appointed.

Tonight's Movie: Close to My Heart (1951)

I probably should have been working tonight, as many deadlines loom, but I decided I was approaching burnout and would be more productive tomorrow if I relaxed and watched a movie instead...I'm glad I did. Tonight's movie was CLOSE TO MY HEART (1951), a solid adoption soaper with a trio of terrific actors in Gene Tierney, Ray Milland, and Fay Bainter. I enjoyed it very much.

Midge and Brad (Tierney and Milland) have been married for four years when they receive definitive word that Midge will be unable to have a child. Although they adopt an adorable puppy to liven up the house, Midge and Brad long to fill their empty nursery with a child.

Midge learns of a foundling who might be available for adoption sooner than the two years it would take to receive a baby through an agency. She becomes very attached to little Danny, visiting him frequently at his foster mother's home, and is overjoyed when she and Brad are able to take Danny home and begin the adoption process. However, Brad, a newspaper columnist, cannot resist investigating Danny's background; he learns some disturbing news which may interfere with the completion of Danny's adoption.

The film may be soap opera, but it's very well done, with sympathetic performances by the leads. If you like Milland and Tierney, you'll doubtless like the movie, simple as that. Milland is particularly good playing the more conflicted prospective father experiencing myriad emotions before he allows himself to completely commit to his new son.

Bainter's character verges on the unlikeable near the end of the film, as she perhaps unfairly rushes to judgment about Milland's ability to be a good parent, but Bainter is always a compelling actress even if I didn't agree with all of her character's actions.

Eddie Marr, who plays a critical role as a taxi driver with information on Danny's background, was a regular on Lux Radio Theater, which was hosted for many years by the director of CLOSE TO MY HEART, William Keighley. The cast also includes Mary Beth Hughes, Howard St. John, Ann Morrison, and James Seay.

The movie was shot in black and white and runs 90 minutes. It has good production values, including interesting sets; a score by Max Steiner; and cinematography by Robert Burks, who worked on some of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest films. A few scenes appear to have been shot in the Southern California area. Tierney's wardrobe was supervised by her then husband, Oleg Cassini.

CLOSE TO MY HEART is one of the first couple hundred releases from the Warner Archive and is the second Archive DVD I've watched to date. Initially the print was noticeably speckled and the sound seemed very slightly muffled. However, after the first few minutes the print seemed to settle down and looked and sounded quite good. The DVD only contained the movie and did not include the trailer.

Since it's a Warner Bros. title, this film is likely to turn up on Turner Classic Movies in the future. It does not appear to have had a VHS release.

This would make a good double bill with another adoption tale, Cary Grant and Irene Dunne's classic PENNY SERENADE (1941). While watching Ray Milland's impassioned speech near the end of CLOSE TO MY HEART, I couldn't help but think back to a similar scene of Grant's in PENNY SERENADE nearly a decade previously.

CLOSE TO MY HEART is recommended as a somewhat predictable but very polished drama.

Gourmet Magazine Goes Out of Business

Oh, my...Gourmet Magazine is ceasing publication after nearly 70 years.

Of course, I just mailed in a renewal check a few weeks ago.

Although other magazines have folded in the last year, I thought Gourmet was probably secure given its long publishing history.

Gourmet is the country's oldest food magazine. I also read Bon Appetit but thought Gourmet was the better magazine of the two, with more appealing recipes and photography; I also enjoyed editor Ruth Reichl's columns. One has to wonder if Bon Appetit is long for this world if Gourmet can no longer stay in print.

Earlier this year Gourmet and other food magazines were said to be retooling to be in step with the current economy. Recent cover stories have strongly focused on "comfort foods" which can be made at home.

The magazine will cease publication by year end.

Sad news...

Update: More background from the New York Times.

Wednesday Update: The L.A. Times looks back.

Wednesday Late Update: More from the New York Times Dining & Wine section.

Tonight's Movie: San Antonio (1945)

Classic film fans know exactly what they'll get with one of Errol Flynn's '40s Westerns: sumptuous Technicolor (well, in many cases), lavish production values, a beautifully gowned leading lady, at least one big barroom brawl or gun battle, and of course, Flynn himself, fighting and romancing with his usual good humor. SAN ANTONIO delivers on all counts.

After a long weekend of work, SAN ANTONIO was just the right entertainment, cheerful and pleasantly predictable. The athletic, confident Flynn always seems completely at home in the Western genre, despite his accent.

The leading lady this time around was Flynn's frequent costar Alexis Smith, who has the opportunity to sing two songs including the Oscar-nominated "Some Sunday Morning." (Voice double expert Karine Philippot credits Bobbie Canvin with the actual vocals; ironically, decades later Smith won a Tony for the Broadway musical FOLLIES.) Smith's lovely gowns were designed by Milo Anderson. Smith had nice things to say about her experiences working with Flynn in the book THE WOMEN OF WARNER BROTHERS.

The movie meanders more than it should, taking too long to tell its story of Flynn going after cattle rustlers. (Sources vary on the run time, which is somewhere between 106-111 minutes. Update: I've reviewed the time and it clocks in at 110 minutes.) Otherwise the film delivers colorful, well-crafted light entertainment. The solid supporting cast includes John Litel, Paul Kelly, Florence Bates, S.Z. Sakall, and Victor Francen.

It's impossible to take the ultimate saloon shootout too seriously; there's a complete absence of blood, and it plays as a stuntmen's skill exhibition, as they perform one spectacular drop after another. They earned their pay filming that sequence! The film does have a somewhat spooky shootout between two of the villains which takes place in the ruins of the Alamo.

The movie was shot on location in Calabasas, California, although much of the location work was clearly done by stunt doubles. Principal actors are seen riding in front of some obvious back projections.

The score is by Max Steiner. By coincidence I was listening to a CD this afternoon which included Steiner's score for DODGE CITY (1939), which was reviewed here three years ago this week. (Has it really been that long?) I couldn't help being amused to hear the familiar strains of DODGE CITY's theme music as SAN ANTONIO opened; Alfred Newman wasn't the only film composer to recycle his work!

The movie was directed by David Butler. IMDb indicates that Raoul Walsh and Robert Florey also did uncredited work on the movie.

SAN ANTONIO has been released on VHS and on DVD as part of the four-film Errol Flynn Westerns Collection. The DVD print is amazingly clear -- it seems that it would almost be possible to reach out and snatch the cherries right off Alexis Smith's hat.

DVD extras include the "Warner Night at the Movies" feature with the trailer, shorts, cartoons, and a newsreel.

SAN ANTONIO can also be seen periodically on Turner Classic Movies.

February 2017 Update: SAN ANTONIO was just reissued on DVD by the Warner Archive.

2025 Update: SAN ANTONIO will be released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive in December 2025.  

Update: My review of the Blu-ray may be read here.

In Disney News...

...Disney has just reissued a 1969 Haunted Mansion story album on CD.

Thurl Ravenscroft narrates a tale about two teenagers in the Haunted Mansion; one of the teens is voiced by Ron Howard. The CD also includes a full-length version of the attraction's song "Grim Grinning Ghosts." A nice "extra" is an art gallery which opens when the CD is inserted in a computer.

...Halloween Time is in full swing at Disneyland...check out these marvelous photos at MiceChat. My favorite photo is of the special Halloween balloons.

My oldest son was in the park with friends Friday night and was impressed with the new "Ghost Galaxy" overlay on Space Mountain. (Well...except for when they were stuck on the ride when it broke down on their second trip!) I expect to be in the park a couple of times this month to take in all the fall decorating.

...Disney has announced the broad outlines of a 2010 program to replace this year's birthday giveaway...prospective guests can earn a free visit to the park in return for a day of volunteer work.

I haven't yet heard if there will be an alternative for annual passholders, who were eligible to receive gift cards under the birthday program. (Update: Annual passholders will have three options, but nothing as attractive as this year's birthday gift card equating to a ticket price.)

...Buzz Lightyear flew on the last Space Shuttle Discovery trip and celebrated the successful completion of his mission with a ticker tape parade at Walt Disney World.

Buzz Aldrin was on hand to join in the fun.

Dodgers Win the West!

It was a nerve-wracking week as the Dodgers' Magic Number has been stuck at one for several days in a row.

Tonight the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies, 5-0, winning their second National League West title in a row.

Kudos also go to former Dodgers manager Jim Tracy, who has done a marvelous job managing the Colorado Rockies this season. Tracy took over managing the struggling Rockies in May; in early June the team was 15-1/2 games behind the Dodgers, and under Tracy the Rockies fought back and were in contention until the final weekend of the season.

Tracy is a class act, and it's wonderful to see him enjoy success as the Rockies take the Wild Card slot in the National League playoffs.

The USC Trojans football team beat Cal tonight, 30-3, so it was a good night all the way around for many Southern California sports fans.

On to the playoffs...Charge!

Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Ivan at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear had a very interesting post in his ongoing series on Region 2 Cinema, about STATION WEST (1948) with Dick Powell and Jane Greer. It sounds like my kind of movie! Click the title of this post for the link.

...The L.A. Times had an interesting article on the Dodgers' Japanese-Spanish translator.

...If it's October, can new Christmas music be far behind? This year's new entries include SANDI PATTY CHRISTMAS LIVE and Andrea Boccelli's MY CHRISTMAS.

...Last week I mentioned my fondness for the film THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (1992). Fans of the film may be interested in this 2006 blog essay, "'Stay alive, no matter what occurs': Sex and Survival in The Last of the Mohicans." It's a thoughtful take on the film as a "primal epic of survival."

...I also enjoyed another MOHICANS write-up calling the film "virtually flawless" and a review appreciating director Michael Mann's "keenly visual approach to storytelling -- he strips away dialogue with the instincts of a silent-era auteur" concentrating "on the poetry of movement."

...The Self-Styled Siren recently wrote an amusing critique of the Bronte Sisters biopic DEVOTION (1946). Her best line among many: "Favorite moments include [Paul] Henreid blandly explaining away his Austrian accent by saying he had spent a lot of time on the Continent, as though one could send Wallace Beery over there and he'd come back sounding like S.Z. Sakall."

...Don't miss Leonard Maltin's report on the Gala Opening of the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco on September 29th.

...Here's a look at the cover of Sarah Palin's GOING ROGUE: AN AMERICAN LIFE, which has zoomed to the top of Amazon and Barnes & Noble's bestseller lists weeks before its November 17th release date.

..."Obama's Work Ethic" by Ed Lasky at American Thinker was one of my favorite political reads this week... It should also be carefully noted that this past week the Senate rejected amendments which would prohibit abortion funding or requiring immigration checks as part of a federal healthcare takeover.

...We just switched from Time Warner to Verizon FiOS -- if anyone at Time Warner is reading this, this explains why -- and took advantage of a discounted introductory fee to try out a movie package with the Encore channels. Having the Encore Westerns channel means I can record episodes of my favorite TV series, MAVERICK, which aren't in my collection! One of my favorites, "Plunder of Paradise" with Ruta Lee, is coming up in a few days. As far as I can tell the shows are supposed to be unedited and commercial free; the only negative is a permanent station logo in the lower right corner. (I wish the logo just faded in and out occasionally like on TCM.)

...Encore Westerns is also showing one of my favorite Westerns next week, the relatively little known A MAN ALONE (1955), starring and directed by Ray Milland. I only have a scratchy used rental videotape and am hoping Encore might show a better print; I plan to watch and review it soon.

Have a great weekend!

Today in Buena Park: The Dreger Clock Dedication

A few weeks ago I shared the story of the Dreger Clock, which stood for decades at Knott's Berry Farm in nearby Buena Park, California.

The clock was built by Andrew Dreger Sr., the great-grandfather of a family friend.

The restoration of the clock has been completed, and a few days ago it was installed in its new home at Plaza Buena Historic Park, located on Beach Boulevard across the street from the Buena Park Civic Center.

Photos of the installation were published by the Orange County Register.

Today was the formal dedication ceremony for the restored clock:


A poster was on display depicting the clock's history (click to enlarge):


Glenn Frank, the great-grandson of Andrew Dreger Sr., recounted the clock's history and how he rescued it from eBay with the help of the Buena Park Historical Society.


The ceremony was well-attended, with dignitaries including U.S. Congressman Ed Royce (R), State Senator Lou Correa (D), Buena Park Mayor Don McCay, and Buena Park Mayor Pro Tem Art Brown, who is also President of the Buena Park Historical Society.

Below, Congressman Royce shares a few words with the audience:


The Mayor of Buena Park presenting commemorative proclamations to Glenn Frank and the Buena Park Historical Society:


The Knott family was represented by Walter Knott's grandson Steven:


One side of the clock originally didn't have a face. When it was first built, that side faced Andrew Dreger's home on Anaheim Street in Long Beach, California; when the clock stood at Knott's that face contained artwork which has disappeared.

The new side of the clock was unveiled today:


The new face contains a sketch of Andrew Dreger Sr. and details the clock's history.


When the clock stood at Knott's, it said "KNOTT'S" at the top. The clock now reflects its new home at Plaza Buena.


Dignitaries including Congressman Royce posing for photos:




Reception time!


An added plus to the day was having the opportunity to speak to my representative, Congressman Royce, during the reception and express appreciation for the way he has stood firm for conservative principles in Congress; I encouraged him to keep fighting the good fight against a government takeover of health care.

It was a lovely event. My congratulations to Glenn, his family, and the Buena Park Historical Society for restoring the clock and saving a special part of Southern California and Orange County history.

38 Years Ago Today...

...Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom opened!

The "Grand Opening" celebration took place over three weeks later, on October 25, 1971.

And to add even more Disney trivia, October 1st is also the birthday of Mary Poppins herself, Julie Andrews. The lovely Miss Andrews turns 74 today.

New Music: Harry Connick Jr.

Fellow fans of Harry Connick Jr. might be interested to know he just released YOUR SONGS, an album of standards.

Tracks include "All the Way," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Some Enchanted Evening," and "Mona Lisa."

You can sample the tracks at Amazon (click the title of this post).

My copy should arrive on Saturday. :)