Classic Movies

Me son Charlie and I exchanged a series of text messages last night talking, basically, about the classic holiday specials and movies. It reminded me that, like the many books I haven't read, there are many great movies I'd like to see.

I love what I've seen by Frank Capra of It's a Wonderful Life fame. Among my standards of what makes a film classic is that it needs to leave a lump in your throat at least once, and Wonderful Life does that several times. When George Bailey is begging for his life back and it begins to snow, signaling that he's alive again, wow. That's how you make movies. Still, Capra's made many highly regarded, even legendary, films which I have yet to see. It Happened One Night, Lost Horizon, and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town head that list.

Stanley Kubrick is one who's made some solid movies, although he tends to excess. But unless and until I see something better 2001: A Space Odyssey will be my favorite movie. Of his movies which I haven't seen, I want to see Spartacus.

After seeing Metropolis (I wrote about that here) I'm open to silent films, yet nothing comes to mind as I write. Any suggestions?

Charlie and I agreed we need to make lists of what movies we need to see. Perhaps this will serve to start.

The honeymoon is over

It's probably more sentimental than anything, and I know that. Still, watching old TV shows has become a pastime for me. Further still though, I will admit I don't understand the attraction of any and all old shows.

Take The Honeymooners, for example. It's supposed to be classic. And it does have its share of memorable of memorable catchphrases. 'Baby, you're the greatest' comes to mind. But every episode I see seems to revolve around Jackie Gleason (Ralph Kramden) screaming at everybody. Nothing more.

I don't find the character likeable, quite honestly. All. He. Does. Is. Yell. How the show became popular is beyond me.

Maybe I'm missing something. But there's a lot better old shows than The Honeymooners. Sorry, Jackie. 

Car 54, We need you!

There's a hold up in the Bronx, Brooklyn's broken out in fights.

How many of you are singing, whistling, or humming the tune by now? The theme of Car 54, Where are you?

I've watched several episodes of the classic comedy over the weekend. They were part of this past weekend's Binge watch on the Decades channel. I saw many repeats of The Newhart Show on that channel recently; the promise that the entire next weekend will feature The Fugitive is such a tease. I look forward to more such binges with more such shows.

Cable and satellite TV affords us options we could not have imagined a few short years ago. Hundreds if not thousands of channels are within our grasp. With that come prime opportunities to view old TV shows. And that is a good thing.

Car 54, Where are you? is a great example. Jokes about my age from my dear friends aside (who may not continue to be such dear friends should the jokes not subside), old TV shows demonstrate what good TV is about. TV shows then were mass produced, studio controlled, and yet alarmingly clever. You don't think so? Look for the episode about kleptomania at Christmas. It's a hoot. So too is the one about indecency on stage. I laughed out loud several times during each show.

My point is, you simply do not have to be raw to be funny. Or clever. Fart jokes aren't the best jokes there are. Indeed, they represent the laziest type of humor imaginable.