Monday Movie Classics: The Goonies (1985)

A little while back I was having a conversation with a neighbor who is around my age.  She was going on about The Goonies, and how it was one of her favorite movies.  I never heard of it, and for some reason my brain said "Gremlins."  Why did she like Gremlins so much?  That movie freaked me out as a kid.  It just didn't make any sense.  "And I really like the adventure," she said, "and the treasure hunt."  By this point I was just baffled.  We were having two different conversations, and instead of clarifying the mental mishap, I nodded my head and walked away.

A little time passed and I was reading the new American Girl Courtney books, based in 1986, and again The Goonies kept getting mentioned.  Then I started noticing memes.  Articles here and there popping up.  "Where are they now," and so forth.  Sean Astin was in it?  Wow he's young.

It just came to a point that I had to finally see it.  This apparent quintessential 1980's film I somehow missed and knew nothing about.  

The Goonies is on HBO MAX.  Convenient.  No excuse, it was time.  Last week I turned it on, opening credits roll, and the sudden realization:  Wait, this is a Steven Spielberg movie?!! Okay, how did I not know about this film?  And I just looked on IMDb... Chris Columbus wrote the screenplay, and I'm done.

The movie wasn't at all what I expected.  I thought it would just be some pie in the sky sentimental tale about a group of boys in the 1980's, kinda like The Sandlot.  Instead it was an adventure, mystery story with a little bit of everything.  

The movie starts with the general "meet all the cast doing character defining cast things," so we know what we're dealing with and get a good primer.  The story picks up when all the young characters venture into Mikey's (Sean Astin) attic, where they look through all his Dad's stuff: Pirate paraphernalia, paintings, artifices, and a treasure map.  There's a lore, a legend, of a hidden treasure near their town, that no one has found.  And since Mikey's family is about to lose their home, and he's really depressed and wants one last, good adventure, he's determined to find the lost gold and gems. 

The small group joins on the adventure, later including Mikey's brother Brand (Josh Brolin), and a couple of girls, all the while thwarting some criminals in the process, and the whole thing turns into a race against time.  Solving mysteries and avoiding booby traps. 

Through the movie I kept getting Indiana Jones/Hook vibes.

In the end I'm kinda shocked I never heard of The Goonies, and it's nice to finally know what it's all about.  It's just a fun little adventure flick.  And now I need to re-watch Gremlins, because my memories are so morphed on the subject.  How did I confuse the two?!

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: The Court Jester (1955)

Hawkins: I've got it! I've got it! The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true! Right? 

Griselda: Right. But there's been a change: they broke the chalice from the palace!

Hawkins: They *broke* the chalice from the palace?

Griselda: And replaced it with a flagon.

Hawkins: A flagon...?

Griselda: With the figure of a dragon.

Hawkins: Flagon with a dragon.

Griselda: Right.

Hawkins: But did you put the pellet with the poison in the vessel with the pestle?

Griselda: No! The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon! The vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true!

Hawkins: The pellet with the poison's in the flagon with the dragon; the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.

Griselda: Just remember that.

What a silly movie!

So many great moments and scenes and songs!

I remember watching The Court Jester as a kid, but the memory of the movie is fragmented at best, and I don't even know if I watched all of it without wondering off here and there, missing stuff.  I didn't even remember that fact that the movie is a musical.  

Melvin Frank and Norman Panama wrote, directed, and produced The Court Jester in 1955, starring Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury and Cecil Parker. It's so amazing seeing Glynis Johns (Mary Poppins and While you were Sleeping) and Angela Lansbury (She's done so much) so young, and playing such fun roles.

The movie itself centers around Hawkins (Danny Kaye), who is an entertainer turned court spy, helping to restore the rightful king to the throne.  Who is this king? A baby!  Who has the purple pimpernel tattoo to his bottom.  One of the movie's running gags is the fact that in order to prove the baby is the rightful heir, the baby's butt must be shown, quickly prompting those who see to kneel and bow their heads in respect, to a... baby's bottom.  Glynis Johns is Maid Jean, a rebel captain.  Angela Lansbury is Gwendolyn, the princess of England, so desperate for love that's she's cool with Hawkins being tricked into loving her. 

While watching The Court Jester I wondered if this was The Princess Bride of its time.  A medieval story full of clever one liners and silly tongue twisters.  There's plenty to quote.  The music is nice, too.  Comedy overflowing.  And a little Scarlet Pimpernel action from Hawkins as well.

I remember loving this movie as a kid, and now that I've seen it again I understand why.  It's just a really great movie.

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

This is the review I kept meaning to write, only couldn't after doing some research, and subsequently I've struggled doing any other review as I got it in my head that this should be written and finished first.  Only then could I move on.

"Yours, Mine and Ours," from 1968, is innocent enough.  The movie stars Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda.  A family film with all the right motifs.  Two families joining into one, and all the problems this entails.  But this wasn't just any family, these were two large families. Helen North with her eight children and Frank Beardsley with his ten.  Two more came later to make up 20 children.  There are antics between the children.  Situations between Helen and Frank as they managed dating, work (Helen as a nurse and Frank in the Navy), and family raising.  

I enjoyed watching Lucille Ball play a character quite different than her "I Love Lucy" persona.  There's still punch lines, but overall more realistic and serious at times.

While the movie progressed I thought that if this story was based on a real family, it would be courted by the likes of TLC, quickly made into reality television.

After some research it's a good thing reality television didn't exist in the 1960's.

Helen North Beardsley released a book called "Who Gets the Drumstick?" though the book stays quaint and loving.  I haven't read it, but it appears to resemble what's in the movie.  The film's Wikipedia page lists differences between book and movie.

The controversy in my head began after I read the article "A Hollywood tale of happiness rocketed a Carmel family to fame. But one son says reality was more of a horror story."  The interview is with Tom North, the 11th child, and he spells out a different scene.  He describes abuse and heartache.  Violence by Frank Beardsley, Helen marrying him to save his children.  It's a very different story, one that is hard to read.  The Beardsley children deny it, siding with their father. 

It's hard to know what to believe.  Movie's tend to not stick with facts, glorifying and exaggerating for storytelling sake.  Was Helen's sweet biography the true story?  Tom North's interview?  Or the Beardsley children protecting the memory of their father?

All that aside, "Yours, Mine and Ours" is a sweet, inspiration movie.  I'm glad to have not known the background story before seeing it, so now I fear I may have ruined it for others.  Only you can decide what you believe.

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: Guys and Dolls (1955)

Goodness... so this is a long time coming.  Classic Movie Mondays are back!!  Yippie. :P

So, I saw the stage musical on July 5th, and by the end of that week saw the movie.  Want to know what keeps circling my brain?  The stage musical.  It was so good!

That aside, for now, Guys and Dolls is a movie musical starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, and Vivian Blaine, based on the 1950's Broadway musical.  Essentially the musical is about gambling, New York, betting on horses, just making bets, period, and more gambling while battling love and romance, naturally.  

With the movie I loved Frank Sinatra's song, because he's got a sexy voice, but just about everything else I loved in the stage musical so much more.

The movie song, "Pet Me Poppa," was written for the movie, and dang it has issues.  So problematic. Women dressed like cats singing about being "petted."  Doesn't take much imagination.

Now I'm basing my comparisons with the Hale Center Theater Sandy version, so I don't know how much is scripted vs director interpretation, and how that matches with other theater performances.  But, for instance, two of the characters go to Havana, and the movie version took it so seriously, whereas the stage version I saw played up the comic timing with really great choreography.  It was just so much more enjoyable.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the movie, it was a nice watch, but if I had a choice I'd head over hills choose seeing the stage musical again over the movie.

Hope you're having a great day.  Listening to the 1992 Guys and Dolls Broadway Cast Recording.  The music is so good.

 

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: The Muppet Movie (1979)

"I know that it's easier to portray a world that's filled with cynicism and anger, where problems are solved with violence.  That's titillating. It's an easy out. What's a whole lot tougher is to offer alternatives, to present other ways conflicts can be resolved, and to show that you can have a positive impact on your world.  To do that, you have to put yourself out on a limb, take chances, and run the risk of being called a do-gooder." ~ Jim Henson

The Muppet Movie

1979

We all have random childhood memories.  I wasn't alive when The Muppet Movie came to theaters, but my parents had a record player, and my Dad had the original soundtrack on that giant vinyl.  For hours (well, it felt like hours, time is a strange thing for a kid), I would look at the movie pictures.  Those images are blurred now, but the feelings I felt while listening to those songs have never faded.

Kermit the Frog sitting on his log playing the banjo, when all of a sudden a Hollywood agent boats across the swamp (so many questions).  The Muppet Movie is the muppets origin story, and this is Kermit's home.  He wants to make millions of people happy, but is quite content hanging in his swamp and watching movies in the theater.  It's the talent agent that encourages him to leave his comfort zone.  What would have happened if that agent hadn't appeared?  Would Kermit have ever left his swamp?  How many lives would have remained unchanged?

The Muppet Movie is a journey and coming together of the muppets as a group of performers and friends.  The movie is also a reflection of how vitally important Kermit is as a character and person.  Everyone he meets has a dream, and as Kermit leaves to follow his dream, he encourages others to follow their dreams.  A pebble in a pond rippling and bouncing everything into motion.

As an adult there's a lot that now makes a lot more sense.  Nuanced jokes are more funny, though some jokes are dated with forgotten in time cultural references.  In the scene where Kermit first meets Fozzie, one of them says, in order to clear the busy bar, "drinks are on the house!" and then everyone in the room runs to the top of the building.  I remember asking my Dad why that was funny.  He explained, though I didn't get it then, even after the explanation, but now it's silly funny.  Then there's the visual gags.  During "Moving Right Along" Kermit and Fozzie, while at a fork in the road, they see an actual giant fork in the road.  Little things like that.

Heh, and then there's the things in The Muppet Movie that would probably never make it in a current film, like Kermit being chased down to star in frog leg ads.  Creepy.  But as a child that was Terrifying!  So it worked.

It has been years since I've seen The Muppet Movie, and it was just a joy watching the movie again.  A pleasurable trip down memory lane.  All the funny cameos that fit well with the plot.  Toe tapping songs.  Dang can Frank Oz sing high!  Creative puppetry that I still marvel at, such as Kermit riding a bike.

The Original Muppet Movie really is the best.  Some of the films that follow are good, but the original is simply brilliant.

Sarah

P.S. Saw this on a meme: "Whatever you do today, do it with the confidence of a 4 year old in a Batman t-shirt". 

 

Classic Movie Monday: My Fair Lady (1964) & Pygmalion (1938)

What is Pygmalion? It's a play by George Bernard Shaw, written in 1913, and inspired by Greek Mythology where "Pygmalion fell in love with one of his sculptures, which then came to life," according to Wikipedia.  Shaw capitalized on this idea by writing a play about a linguist being challenged to teach a flower seller from Piccadilly to speak properly, and then pass her off as upper class.

 

This play was very successful and inspired a movie by its original name in 1938 starring Leslie Howard (the Scarlet Pimpernel from a previous review) and Wendy Hiller, a stage musical called My Fair Lady in 1956 starring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, and then a film version of the musical in 1964 starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison returning to the role.

 

(Julie Andrews truly wanted to be in the My Fair Lady film, but wasn't cast due to not being famous enough, and then was cast in Mary Poppins in which she earned an Oscar, the same year My Fair Lady won a bunch of Oscars).

 

The first time I watched My Fair Lady was entrancing.  Instant love.  The story was fun, loved the music, and it was the first time I saw Hepburn on film.  Oh, I loved Hepburn so much in this role, and was disappointed to learn many years later that she didn't do any of her own singing, which was done by the incredibly talented, though sadly forgotten, Marni Nixon.  That's another story.  I still love Hepburn as Eliza.

 

My Fair Lady follows closely with Shaw's vision, though with grander settings and music.  Eliza is still the flower girl turned lady, but there's a horse race and other delightful sets, both grand and simple musical numbers ("Wouldn't It Be Loverly?", "Just You Wait", "The Rain in Spain", and "I Could Have Danced All Night", etc, are all favorites), and wonderful costuming. 

 

A couple weeks ago My Fair Lady was on TCM, and I sat for the whole of it, and it was wonderful until the end.  Eliza coming back to Higgins, and Higgins smugly asking for his slippers.  The built up left me cold, and how is it, after all these viewings, did I not realize how unhealthy this relationship was going to be?  If you've seen the movie you know how egotistical, lack of empathy, and needing to control Higgins is.  By the end you learn how dependent Higgins has become with Eliza.  He seems to want her not because he loves her, but because he needs her in a superficial way.  She seems happy to oblige, though Eliza could have ran off with Freddie.  

 

Talking about Freddie, the other guy.  When he sings "On the Street Where She Lives" is quite romantic.  Though the way he fawns and waits for her is problematic, and a little annoying.

 

I was wondering how the 1938 movie depicts the story, being closer to the original stage version, and it sadly has the same ending... with the call for slippers.  And Freddy is an absolute dolt!!!!!  Oh, he's stupid.  At least in My Fair Lady he seems to be respectable and honestly in that telling Eliza should have ended up with him instead of the demanding, take credit for everything Higgins. 

 

(If you want to watch Pygmalion it's on HBO Max.  It is enjoyable, apart from the ending.)

 

Eliza should not have ended up with Higgins, and apparently Shaw agreed!!  It is a hugely troublesome relationship, that is if Higgins never learned to truly love Eliza, which we never get to see.  It seems "Pygmalion fell in love with one of his sculptures, which then came to life," only I greatly doubt that Higgins truly loves Eliza.

 

This is from Wikipedia, though no source was given. "Shaw fought against a Higgins-Eliza happy-end pairing as late as 1938. He sent the 1938 film version's producer, Gabriel Pascal, a concluding sequence which he felt offered a fair compromise: a tender farewell scene between Higgins and Eliza, followed by one showing Freddy and Eliza happy in their greengrocery-flower shop. Only at the sneak preview did he learn that Pascal had finessed the question of Eliza's future with a slightly ambiguous final scene in which Eliza returns to the house of a sadly musing Higgins and self-mockingly quotes her previous self announcing, "I washed my face and hands before I come, I did"."

 

Oh I would love to see the My Fair Lady version of Freddy, not the super dolt version, with Eliza in a flower shop.  Wouldn't that be Marvelous??!!!  That's the ending the show should have had.  It would have been better for all the characters.

 

A girl can dream...

 

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)

AKA...

How To BS Your Way to the Top!

How did I not know this was a movie?

The first time I saw How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was at a humble community theater production as a kid.  It was fun, the music was great, and that elevator song was an instant favorite.  I've seen a couple stage productions of it since, but had no idea it was a movie until it popped up while browsing Amazon.

For those unaware, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, quite a mouthful, is a 1967 movie directed by David Swift (who also did The Parent Trap and Pollyanna), starring Robert Morse, based on the 1961 stage musical (which won both a Pulitzer and a few Tony's) and originally staged by Bob Fosse (also starring Robert Morse), which is based on the 1952 book. 

The story is about "Ponty" Finch, a sky-rise window washer who stumbles upon the book How to Succeed in Business (etc) at a newspaper stand, and immediately begins to read and follow its advice.  He joins a large corporation as a mail room worker, and soon enough the book's advice gives Finch (That's F-I-N-C-H) an incredible edge, and he literally begins climbing the corporate ladder within days. 

It's strange watching this movie as an adult with no clear memory of the changes from stage to screen, or even if the theater may have "softened" some things.  How to Succeed (etc) is PG-13.  It's definitely more adult.  It's not the family friendly My Fair Lady or Sound of Music of my youth.  This movie is a little edgy, playing up on corporate 1960 stereotypes, full of satire.  I kept thinking that there's no way this movie would be made today, as it's a product of it's time.  

This is the sort of movie that shouldn't be remade, simply because it's perfect as it is.  A 1960's satire made in the 60's.  Perfectly cast with fun songs that are well performed.  The colors bright and costuming fun.  It just works.  

So, the movie was fun, I laughed, and now I've got "Been a Long Day" stuck in my head.

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)

“They seek him here, they seek him there
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere
Is he in heaven or is he in... hell?
That demned elusive Pimpernel” 

~ Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel

In a time of Revolution the French were sending the innocent to Madame Guillotine, all while cheering and knitting.  Each death resulted in a new cheer while blood stained the streets.  Chilling.  But according to the cheerers those being killed well deserved it.  They had it coming...

The Scarlet Pimpernel, written by Baroness Orczy, was originally a play and was performed in 1903.  The play was an incredible success, and the novel was published in 1905.  The 1934 film, starring Leslie Howard, is based on the play and novel.  

Who doesn't know about The Scarlet Pimpernel!!??  There's been a series of plays, movie adaptations, a radio drama, and a musical, plus a large series of books.  The Pimpernel is a superhero, masquerading under numerous facades to carry out daring rescues.  His mission?  Save as many as he can from death, mounting crazy plans through a large network of connections and a personal league. In real life no one suspects him, including his wife, as he's foppish, disconnected, while throwing himself into fashion and portraying himself as a nincompoop.

I first fell in love with the 1982 movie starring Anthony Andrew, Jane Seymour, and Ian McKellen.  It's fabulous, and that led me to read the novel and see the Broadway travel production of the musical in LA in the late 90's, seeing Douglas Sills, who originated the role on Broadway, perform as Sir Percy Blakeney during his last week in the role.  It was a Thursday matinee, and there was actually a technical malfunction during the song Into the Fire.  The show was paused for about 10 minutes, and Douglas came out to talk to the audience.  It was just so cool and unforgettable.  Needless to say I'm a fan of the story at large.

Even though I'm a fan of the Pimpernel story, I didn't know there was a 1934 movie, but after finding it on Amazon Prime it was worth the gander.  This is a fun version, superbly acted.  Leslie Howard as the Pimpernel is perfect.  If you're a fan of the Pimpernel story or simply like swashbuckling fun, The Scarlet Pimpernel is worth the watch.  All versions are recommended.

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: The Last Starfighter (1984)

The Last Starfighter, which came out in 1984, probably wouldn't be considered by many to be a classic movie.  It's classic to me because, according to my Dad, it was the first movie I ever saw at the theater.  Granted I was only two, it was a drive in, and I kept climbing over the seats, front and back again, so I don't remember a thing.  But I do remember seeing The Last Starfighter as a kid when a little older, and it does hold a special place in childhood memory.

For those who may not be familiar with The Last Starfighter, it begins in a trailer park in California, and at a small convenient store sits an arcade game, Starfighter, which was meant for Las Vegas, but was delivered to this humble place by mistake.  Alex often plays this game, when he's not helping his Mom, helping those in the trailer park, or hanging out with friends.  He just wants to leave his home and go to a major college, instead of the city college his friends will attend.  Alex then gets a letter telling him his loan request was rejected, losing hope for the future, and simply confused.

One evening as Alex plays Starfighter he's about to beat the high score, and it becomes a community event.  Everyone from the trailer park gathers around, shouting and cheering, and when he does beat the game there's a huge celebration.  It's just amazing he was able to focus with all those people around him.  Well, turns out the game was merely a training tool to find those on Earth who can become Starfighters.  There's a galactic war about, Earth unaware, and suddenly Alex is flown to space to face his destiny.  

The Last Starfighter is campy fun.  It's silly!  Highly predictable.  There's a point where the movie seems to drag on a little.  And goodness, those special effects did not age well!!  The computer graphics, which was cutting edge in 84, looks really cheap now, but I can suspend belief.  (It's a testament to Star Wars and the use of practical effects).  There are things that are in that movie that wouldn't make it into a children's film today, such as the little bits by Alex's little brother who reads Playboy.  

In the end The Last Starfighter is endearing, good ol' nostalgic fun, and so 80's.

 Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

After all these years it's amazing how "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "Heigh Ho" are songs that are still sung, loved, and easily recognized, and they're 83 years old.  

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first movie I remember going to the theater to see.  It's not the first movie I actually saw, which I'll write about next week (it's a sci-fi 80's flick that mainly nerds know about and didn't really go mainstream ;0), but Snow White was the movie that cemented the enchantment of going to a theater.

Before the Disney vault rotated movies for home video release, they showed movies in theaters every 7-10 years.  In 1987 Snow White was fully restored for it's 50th anniversary and was shown in theaters.  My parents took me to this theater in Santa Barbara that was on State Street, fully decked out in grand theatrical fashion.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, through random fractured images, I still remember the theater and being in awe.  It was beautiful.  And I remember loving the movie.  

Walt Disney's first theatrical animated feature film is the stuff of legends, groundbreaking in every way.  If you want to read a detailed history of the film, the Fandom Disney Wiki page and Wikipedia has great articles.

It's wonderful that, even for a movie made in 1937, kids still love Snow White today, even with the modern advancements in animation technology and techniques.  The Disney parks help keep Snow White and her Seven Dwarfs alive with rides, princess meet and greets, and songs during shows.  Though, fun fact, the Disneyland ride has had a makeover.  The original "Snow White's Scary Adventure" has been remade into "Snow White's Enchanted Wish".  Some people may be sad over this, but I'm actually excited to see the changes.  The original ride really is kinda sad with an abrupt ending!  

Happy, happy memories from a beloved classic that will always be amazing.

Sarah

Classic Movie Monday: Roman Holiday (1953)

Roman Holiday (1953)

Starring: Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck

The Film

The plot of Roman Holiday comes across a little cliche in this modern era, mainly because the tropes displayed have been overplayed.  Hard working Princess dreams of common life, escapes, meets a dashing young man, and they have a grand ol' time.  The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain, published in 1881, is about identical strangers trading spaces--another now overworked plot--so the idea of royalty escaping to normality is an idea romanticized throughout time.

Roman Holiday was filmed entirely in Rome, and all the city's highlights are captured in this gem of a time capsule: A glance over Trevi Fountain, walking around the Roman Forum, stop at the Colosseum, and gelato on the Spanish Steps.  It's strange to think that this movie was filmed less than a decade after the end of the second World War, and the scene about the Wall of Wishes brings a somber reality to this time period.  Life after grand tragedy moves on, things change, but remembrances remain.

Some fun facts.  Gregory Peck was the main star when Roman Holiday started production and he was going to get top billing, but as filming took place Gregory wanted Audrey Hepburn to share top billing.  Such a rarity in those days.  In the scene with the Mouth of Truth, that wall with an open mouthed face, Gregory told the director he was going to pretend his hand was cut off after sticking it in, but he didn't tell Audrey.  Her reaction and scream was so natural because she wasn't acting in that moment, though Audrey is a wonderful actress and won an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA for this role as Princess Ann.

Personal Thoughts

Roman Holiday first came to my attention when I was 14.  After having surgery I was kept overnight for observation and looking after at the hospital, and my Mom bought the VHS.  She and the nurse watched the movie as I drifted in and out of consciousness, hardly remembering a thing.  It wasn't for another couple years until I pulled the tape out and had another go, and found it quite charming.

Having just re-watched the movie, being older and having visited Rome, Roman Holiday means so much more now.  When younger the ending bothered me, as it's more bitter sweet.  Now I see it as it is, realistic.  No nonsensical Hallmark ending.  The last several minutes of the movie intense, and I felt all the emotions, quiet love, the pain.

If you want to see a fun romantic comedy, timeless, great, Roman Holiday is worth the watch.  (Heh, after I just spoiled the ending... oops).

Sarah