Spence and Bogie…or is that Bogie and Spence?

Finally got the opportunity today to see a pair of films that have been on my “must-see” list for some time now, starting with Up the River (1930)—a John Ford prison “comedy” that is noteworthy as the only screen “teaming” of Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. Both actors were the best of friends in real life but…

Sydney Pollack passes on at age 73

Well, the first obituary courtesy of the weasels at Charter.net made its appearance on my homepage this morning. Actor-director-producer Sydney Pollack, who made a name for himself in cinema with films like The Way We Were (1973), Tootsie (1982), Out of Africa (1985; for which he won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director) and The Firm (1993), has died from cancer. He was 73…

A revoltin’ development

Bill Johnson (William Bendix), ex-baseball player and current working stiff, is such a baseball fanatic that he’s constantly on the unemployment line due to his predilection for skipping work and sneaking out to ballgames. Mrs. Johnson (Una Merkel) is ready to walk out on her hubby when her father (Ray Collins), a retired umpire, suggests…

Life is brief

Yesterday and today found me in highbrow movie mode: watching a bunch of films that I had been meaning to get around to viewing but have not been afforded the time. I suppose I should amend that slightly—the first film, John (spelled Jhon in the credits) Huston’s Wise Blood (1979), has been looked at previously…but it’s been…

Weasel while I work

Sunday night, I was enjoying (via my DVD player) the 1983 documentary Unknown Chaplin—which, if my memory hasn’t been playing tricks on me, I hadn’t seen since its appearance on PBS’ American Masters back in the 1980s. I had just finished a delicious bachelor dinner of bacon and frozen waffles…and life couldn’t possibly better be. Then came a…

Primetime all the time

So I signed up with Charter Communications for a "bundle" deal that is supposed to give me basic cable, internet and phone service for the nominal fee of $69.97 per month for a year. Upon installation, I hook up the TV to discover that instead of basic cable (which, according to the dame that I…

Barefoot in Athens

This is Thursday, May 15th…173 days until the 2008 Presidential Election, as Keith Olbermann might say. I have officially been living in Athens, Georgia for one week. A lot has happened since I last tackled a post here on the ol’ blog, and as such I regret letting the grass grow up to your kneecaps. Not only…