The Shelf

hello, I must be going...

2012-01-12T16:26:00.004-05:00

Friends- I know I haven't been on The Shelf in a very long time and quite frankly the doors have been shut for quite a long time. For the past year and half, this blog became a one man dog and pony show- and I had neither dog, nor pony. So for all intents and purposes, it was closed. Not on hiatus, like I kept telling myself, nor temporarily disconnected. Closed. As in shut, ended, kaput. I tried... oh yes, I tried. But in the end life beat me on this one. I have had one of the most challenging years and a half in my entire life, and although I have risen to the challenges, it was not without stress, fatigue or distraction. SO this is where I failed YOU dear friends; for I kept pretending to come back, I kept intending- in my head- to come back and pick up and run again like we used to years ago. But alas, I wasn't able to do so, and I missed it. Everytime I heard some classic film news or saw a new classic film dvd release- I thought of you. I wanted to write about the goings on, the new discoveries and old aquainences, but I was too overwhelmed. In fact, I think overwhelmed describes myself perfectly to a "T".

But I let things stay up on the webpage. I kept visiting old friends and keeping up with their blogs and realized- "they don't need me anyway. Look at all this great stuff out there." It was few and far between when we started, kiddos, but the blogosphere has done us proud with many sources of information and discussion about classic film. So I didn't worry- I just missed it and I missed all of you. But with the start of this year, I realized now, more than ever, I have to let go. No, no "Titanic Jack and Rose" go; but simply let go of this thing that in many ways, was already gone. I've put off an official "sign-off" post, simply because I didn't want to let go...

But here is the thing I've learned in the past couple of years... sometimes letting go of what ultimately you can't control, but then holding on to what really matters is what allows us to progress. It helps us, as human beings, to be able to move on in the seasons of life. It serves no purpose to stand in the middle of winter, clutching the dried grasses of summer wondering "why?" Summer will come again- everything in life is a cycle. Who knows? Maybe one day I will be back, under my real moniker, instead of this nome-de-plume that I've come to identify with, and better than ever. Or then, I may have moved on to the new technology of the future of hologram blogging....or something. Either way, painfully, I have to let go of the Shelf. For now, I need to let go and concentrate on family and other things that need me, and not have a part of me glance backward, feeling guilty and lost.

It really doesn't matter- most of you have been long gone and figured out the obvious, but I appreciate closure. I appreciate bookends. I have plenty of fond memories and favorite posts in between those bookends, but one really needs a set to help keep them together. So that is what this is- the other bookend in the set, the final chapter, or (to be really cheesy) the official sign-off. For now I will leave this up for a while longer- not as a memorial, but so I can still have the links of my friends handy til I can make a nice little link list somewhere else, but also to communicate with any of you who might leave a note over the next little while.

I am grateful for all of you. I wish I could sit here and name all the wonderful blogging friends and readers who have supported me and nutured me over the years, but you could take a glance over at the Shelf Community list on the sidebar and go visit these wonderful people yourself. If you happen to read this- thank you. I appreciate everything. In the words of the very first post - slightly altered to fit the occasion (I told you I like bookends),: "After all these years, you've come to expect randomness, musings, reviews, and context. This was just for me to get things off my chest and out there. Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget your coat on your way out." I've got my coat. Will you get the lights? Why- hello, I must be going....

Hello, I must be going.

warner archive news

2011-05-17T13:55:00.004-05:00

We get the "new releases" news every week via email, etc., and usually there is always something that goes onto my wish list. This time there is a significant release that will be good news to many classic film fans that I know. Warner Archives is releasing the Four Daughters series of films, and for the first time, all four will be available on DVD.

From the Press release:
"Four Daughters Collection (1938-41) Never before available on home video as a complete movie series collection, the beloved and celebrated Four Daughters series of films finally finds its way to DVD. A rarity for its era – an A-list film sequence of sequels – these widely successful films boast a sparkling array of diverse talents in front and behind the screen. Long sought after, the remaining three films finally join the original, which is also returning in a new, remastered edition. Note: Titles included in the Four Daughters Collection are also individually available.

FOUR DAUGHTERS Meet professor Adam Lemp’s four daughters -- and the men who love them. This sentimental and romantic favorite launched the series and John Garfield’s career.

DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS Should a daughter marry a footloose charmer who’s a lot like Dad? Director Michael Curtiz of Four Daughters reunites with Garfield, Claude Rains, the Lane sisters (Priscilla, Rosemary, Lola) and Gale Page in a follow-up tale of a family a lot like the Lemps.

FOUR WIVES The original filmmaker and cast again return – and the Lemp sisterhood finds new bonds in marriage and motherhood.

FOUR MOTHERS Will the Lemps lose the family home? Hard times give way to jubilant triumph in the endearing film that teams the Lane sisters and Gale Page for a fourth and final sister act."

There is a collection set available that Warner Archives is currently offering during a special sale, but all titles are also availble as stand alone DVDs. I've never seen the films myself, but know many people who love them and would be very happy to know that all four are now available. Just your humble servant passing along the good word...

I wouldn't win first prize if I were the only entry in the contest.

film daily archives

2011-05-12T12:44:00.000-05:00

When Leonard Maltin announces something or gives a heads up on something new in the field of hollywood and film history or research, I tend to perk up and listen. I, like many others, have read Mr. Maltin's books and followed his website for sometime, and while the reviews are great, I'm there for the history, the interviews and the Disney stuff. So when he and fellow animation historian Jerry Beck (on his awesome site, Cartoon Brew), both featured articles about some newly digitized archival material this week, I listened (or read as the case may be) and checked it out.

You may recall last year we discussed a major conservation project and preserving historical printed material related to film, called Media History Digital Library, and is headed by archivist and film scholar David Pierce. Last year Pierce had included some issues of Motion Picture Classic, Photoplay and Moving Picture World. Now Pierce has updated the collection to include a set of issues of The Film Daily, from 1922-1929.
Why is this important? Well to classic film buffs it's interesting to browse and look at the vintage ads (like above) and read reviews. To cultural historians like myself, it is a dream come true to be able to access this printed material without having to spend the money and time to track down and visit various library holdings of these collections, some of which are a continent away. This run of the Film Daily is particularly interesting because it documents the transition from silent to sound in an interesting way. This isn't a historian giving you the story of that transition; you can read and see it as it happened. (One of many examples, this article covering RCA's historic aquisition of Victor Talking Machine Co, which resulted in RCA Victor. ) Also lots of first hand and primary source evidence: for example, there were a great deal of First Amendment and Censorship debates and court cases going on in several states during this time, as States sought to have the right to inspect and censor the sound films themselves before exhibition. And in addition to documentation and news, there are scores of film reviews from the era. The years 1928 and 1929 are really interesting as the silent and sound era co-existed in a wary stasis. It's not as clear cut a transition as we often we like to think.
The scans are wonderful and the digital presentation remarkable. They are searchable, easy to read and browse and download as well. You can read more about the Media History Digital Library here, and please consider a donation as well, or perhaps if you have a collection of vintage printed material, contacting David Pierce to see about a contribution. Preserving our cultural heritage is vastly important. We have a rare opportunity to preserve in print, sight and sound the artifacts of our culture for future generations; not just to study, but to enjoy. Thank you Mr. Maltin and Mr. Beck for the tip and thank you Mr. Pierce for your project.

We've seen growing awareness of film preservation, yet the deterioration and eventual disappearance of films have not come to an end. There's still a race against the clock to save what we can at some point.

tcm remembers jackie cooper

2011-05-10T16:06:00.007-05:00

As you all know, classic movie legend, Jackie Cooper, passed away last week. This coming Friday, May 13th, Turner Classic Movies will alter their schedule to honor Jackie Cooper by featuring several films. This is the official announcement and schedule I received from TCM in my email:

"Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will remember the life and career of actor-director Jackie Cooper on Friday, May 13, beginning at 6 a.m. (ET). The special tribute will showcase nine films from Cooper’s days as one of Hollywood’s most popular child stars. Included in the lineup are O’Shaugnessy’s Boy (1935), Treasure Island (1934) and the heart-wrenching boxing classic The Champ (1931), all three co-starring Wallace Beery. The day will also feature The Devil Is a Sissy (1936), co-starring Freddie Bartholomew and Mickey Rooney, and Tough Guy (1936), with Rin Tin Tin Jr.

The following is a complete schedule of TCM’s May 13 memorial tribute to Jackie Cooper (all times Eastern):

6 a.m. – Dinky (1935), with Mary Astor and Roger Pryor.
7:15 a.m. – Divorce in the Family (1932), with Conrad Nagel, Lewis Stone and Lois Wilson.
8:45 a.m. – O’Shaughnessy’s Boy (1935), with Wallace Beery, George “Spanky” McFarland and Henry Stephenson.
10:15 a.m. – Boy of the Streets (1937), with Maureen O’Connor, Kathleen Burke and Emmett O’Connor.
11:45 a.m. – Gallant Sons (1940), with Bonita Granville, Gene Reynolds and Gail Patrick.
1:15 p.m. – Tough Guy (1936), with Joseph Calleia, Harvey Stephens and Rin Tin Tin Jr.
2:45 p.m. – The Devil Is a Sissy (1936), with Freddie Bartholomew, Mickey Rooney and Ian Hunter.
4:30 p.m. – Treasure Island (1934), with Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Otto Kruger and Lewis Stone.
6:30 p.m. – The Champ (1931), with Wallace Beery, Irene Rich and Roscoe Ates."

Cooper was one a few exceptional child stars from the classic era, of course as one of the members of "Our Gang": The Little Rascals, but he also later transitioned into television and of course is much loved and remembered by myself and others as Perry White to Christopher Reeve's Superman in the 1970s and 80s. What is really impressive to me is his service to our country during WWII and after. He served in the US Navy and remained in the reserves for many years- diligently working in the reserves training other servicemen and in public relations. In fact, other than James Stewart, he was one the higest uniform ranking hollywood stars.

TCM also posted their always exceptional short video tribute, TCM Remembers Jackie Cooper:

Also for some added memories with Jackie- doing a hilarious fake voice- here he is as the celebrity guest on one of my favorite classic game shows, What's My Line:

Now listen to me, I tell you boys and girls - whichever one of you gets it out... is going to wind up with the single most important interview since... God talked to Moses!

long time, no see

2011-05-04T10:26:00.005-05:00

...and brother, I mean that in so many ways. It has been a long "unintended" sabbatical for us here at the Shelf, but we've been itching to get back at it. There may be more breaks here and there, due to an increased teaching and work schedule and certain other constraints, but for now, bear with us and stick with us. We've missed you, missed our blogging friends, and missed being here. But let's dive into the order of the day.

Over the past few months, more and more films have been piling up on my DVR; my poor, poor DVR. I've had nary a chance to view many of them, but I take the time every now and then to check the TCM schedule and program several titles to record to watch later. It's always been the "watch later" part that has eluded me, especially of late. So I've decided to try and rectify that and make room on the old DVR for other movie goodness. Not by deleting them, but watching them (and then deleting those not worthy to be saved) and telling you about it. This will be a new feature that I have cleverly titled: "From the DVR Files". Short reviews, maybe a note or two about the film and then a final verdict: Do I save it on the DVR for additional viewing, Watch and Delete or Don't bother, Delete now. Or maybe I need to have it in my permanent library on DVD. Who knows? We'll find out today. And then you can chime in with your own opinion in the comments section.

Today's inaugural installment of "From the DVR Files" will kick off with perhaps a lesser known title from some famous stars.

Casefile #1: The Jackpot
Stars: James Stewart, Barbara Hale, James Gleason, Natalie Wood
Directed by Walter Lang
Studio: 20th Century Fox

The Film: Stewart and Hale play average suburban couple Bill and Amy Lawrence. They are the average couple- a house, two kids, a dog and neighbors to socialize with in the 'burbs. By day, Bill is an executive at a department store with a very demanding boss, trying to get the big promotion. Like everyone else, they have financial concerns, and maybe a little ambition to keep up with their neighbors. Then one evening, Bill receives a call from a radio show asking him to be home during a certain evening to take part in a contest over the phone with the chance to win a huge jackpot: $24,000. The Lawrence's friends and neighbors turn out to witness Bill answer the questions correctly and win the jackpot! Even though things are looking up, soon Bill, and eventually Amy realize that the "jackpot" isn't all it's cracked up to be; it's not $24,000- it's cash and prizes valued at $24,000. And the prizes don't always fit neatly into their average suburban home, or neighborhood for that matter. Some of the prizes are nice and useful, and some of them are downright crazy. Eventually the Lawrences figure out that this jackpot may end up costing more than they realize, as they have to sell some of the prizes to pay off the taxes. Sometimes your "lucky day" becomes a big pain!

This is a neat little film that fits perfectly into the era in which it was made, the 1950s- suburbia, radio quiz shows, teenagers (Natalie Wood plays the Lawrence's teenage daughter) always on the phone: it's almost like a page right out of 1950's culture. We tend to remember Stewart now more for the Westerns or War pictures, and especially for those classics like The Philadelphia Story or It's a Wonderful Life. But he was also well known and loved by audiences in comedies were he played the slightly harassed, slightly exasperated, yet lovable and earnest family man. This is such a film. A light comedy that moviegoers of the 1950s would've readily identified with, The Jackpot is an enjoyable B film that almost seems like an extended episode of a show like Father Knows Best or even I Love Lucy. (Indeed the plot has been visited again in many a sitcom, most memoriably in The Andy Griffith Show, when Aunt Bee won a Game Show and had to sell many of the prizes to afford the taxes and fees.) Stewart is pitch perfect as Bill Lawrence and in some ways the chartacter almost seems like a typical "Jimmy Stewart" character. Barbara Hale is equally fun and shows some comic flair as Amy. Hale, of course, would go on a few years later to play her most famous role as Della Street in the Perry Mason show and movies.

The support cast is excellent as well, if perhaps, underutilized, in the film. Natalie Wood has a supporting role as the young teenage daughter, Phyllis. Fred Clark plays Bill's ill tempered boss, Mr. Woodruff. Clark was a veteran character actor from many television shows, and is better known for his role as the Burns' ill-tempered neighbor, Harry Morton in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. The always great James Gleason plays Bill's newspaper reporter friend Harry Summers. The writing can be a bit tedius at times, but the script is well done and paces well- not drawing out too many gags or scenes. The one exception would be the scene where Bill is actually on the phone trying to answer the questions. It might have been drawn out to add to the tension, but Stewart and Hale add a bit of gentle comic nervousness to light the mood. You will see familiar faces, familiar plotlines and funny scenes, and familiar formulas. In fact, perhaps it is the "familiar-ness" that has made it more of a lesser known film- just another type of 50s family comedy. But sometimes it is the familiar gentle comedic film, that becomes just the right thing to enjoy on a bad day to brighten your spirits.

Even though this is almost a forgotten film in someways today, and considered a "b" family comedy, The Jackpot has an excellent cast and very good script, with many funny moments throughout the film. It may not be worth multiple viewings, but it is definitely a film to sit back and enjoy and escape with, much like you would with a favorite and familiar episode of a best loved sitcom from the 1950s. You will enjoy it the first time, and maybe revisit it years later if you catch it on television, but probably no more than that.

The Verdict: Check it out, and delete after watching.
Case closed.

Stay tuned for more from The Shelf- meanwhile visit our Facebook page and "like" us on Facebook.

They might detatch your salary.
Then I'll quit my job and live on soup.

news and views

2011-01-05T11:01:00.010-05:00

Welcome to 2011 everyone! I trust everyone had a safe and fun end of the year celebration. We'd like to kick things off here at the Shelf with a little TCM news and some great articles from around the Shelf Community of friends that we've read in the last week or so.

TCM in January is proving to be a DVR's worst nightmare- a perfect storm of too much I want to record and save and too little space to save it. While I long for the perfect technology where I can just store infinite amounts of classic films, television and special features on small, portable safe hard drives that I can watch or recall at a moments notice, I do appreciate the somewhat trusty, if imperfect and overworked DVR. Last night proved to be a true workout for my trusty companion as TCM began it's monthly look at Hal Roach Studios with an Our Gang Marathon. I am a sucker for the Our Gang and subsequent Little Rascals shorts; I grew up watching them on early morning television and learned all about how to make scaled down working versions of firetrucks made out of junk and household items, as well as the stinky effects of Limburger cheese.

The marathon continues during the day today and Hal Roach studios will be the TCM Spotlight featured on Tuesdays and Wednesdays all January long. Also this month, TCM's Star of the Month is sardonic funnyman Peter Sellers. and you can expect to see Dr. Strangelove and The Pink Panther on rotation, but don't miss one of my favorites, Murder By Death, which is a funny spoof of classic film detectives and the mystery genre. I am eager to catch Sellers in After the Fox and I'm All Right Jack- both of which I've never seen. Set your DVRs appropriately. Later this month, TCM will also feature an evening of early gangster classic films: City Streets, Scarface, Little Caesar and The Mayor of Hell. The later three have been available on DVD and see some rotation on TCM, but this will be my first chance to catch City Streets, starring Gary Cooper and Sylvia Sidney (who replaced Clara Bow after she suffered a nervous breakdown). On January 12th, TCM will be celebrating Luise Rainer's 101st birthday by showing an interview with Rainer by Robert Osborne that was done at last years TCM Film Festival, as well as showing four of Rainer's films, The Good Earth, Dramatic School, The Great Waltz and The Great Ziegfled. After watching the advance screening copy of the interview, Ms. Rainer is a lively and interesting (then) 100 years old.

Coming soon to TCM:
This month TCM will roll out another edition in their ongoing TCM Vault collection from Universal. This time it will be the double feature Murder, He Says/Feudin', Fussin' And A-Fightin'. Murder, He Says stars Fred MacMurray as a pollster stranded in the Ozarks after replacing the previous public opinion recorder, who is now missing. When MacMurray find the Hillbilly family the Feagles, headed by matriarch Mother (the awesome Marjorie Main), he realizes that he just may have stumbled on why he predecessor is missing: he's dead and the Feagles killed him. Feudin', Fussin' And A-Fightin' stars Main again this time with her erstwhile Ma and Pa Kettle costar, Percy Kilbride. Also starring Donald O'Connor as a traveling salesman who is coerced into representing the small town of Rimrock in an annual race with a rival backwoods town. This Double Feature TCM Vault collection will be available on DVD January 31, 2011.

In February, TCM will be rolling out their annual 31 Days of Oscar celebration. Each year TCM has presented Oscar nominated and winning films and performances in a themed presentation. This year the films will be presented in a Trivia style format with a different trivia marathon everyday. From the press release:
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is getting trivial with its annual 31 DAYS OF OSCAR® festival in February. The 2011 edition of the month-long event will feature more than 340 Academy Award®-nominated and winning movies, scheduled in trivia-inspired marathons. In addition, each night will feature a Best Picture Oscar winner at 10 p.m. (ET).
TCM host Robert Osborne, who is also the official biographer of the Academy Awards and the Academy’s red carpet greeter, will host 31 DAYS OF OSCAR, which will mark its 17th year on Turner Classic Movies. The 2011 edition will feature several high-profile films making their debuts on TCM, including three Best Picture winners: Cavalcade (1933), Amadeus (1984) and Forrest Gump (1994). The month also includes the TCM debuts of the blockbusters Pretty Woman (1990) and Thelma & Louise (1991), as well as outstanding dramas like Hugh Hudson’s Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Hector Babenco’s Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989) and Michael Mann’s Ali (2001).
Several excellent actress showcases are planned for TCM for the first time, including Janet Gaynor in Street Angel (1928), Loretta Young in The Men in Her Life (1941), Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc (1948) and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop (1956), Julie Andrews in Star! (1968) and Cathy Burns in Last Summer (1969). Also, such international classics as Hiroshi Teshigahara’s Woman in the Dunes (1964), Constantine Costa-Gavras’ Z (1969), Jean-Charles Tacchella’s Cousin, Cousine (1975), Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) and Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colors: Red (1994) will come to TCM for the first time.

And in March, TCM's Star of the Month will be the original blonde bombshell, Jean Harlow! Some of the actresses films that will be featured will be Red-Headed Woman, Suzy, Riffraff, Libeled Lady, Wife Vs. Secretary and Dinner at Eight. I am personally looking forward to catching Reckless, Red Dust, Personal Property and her last film, Saratoga.

From some of our friends around the blogging community I've read several excellent "end of the year" articles that I would like to direct your attention to:
Our friend Laura at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings has a wonderful post about all the films she watched this past year- sort of like a classic film fan journal if you will. She has posted many great reviews of these films throughout the year, so if you are curious about any of the titles she mentions, please check out her reviews. Laura had a goal to watch 208 movies in 2010, and ended up with 211. No doubt she has a similar goal for 2011- talk about a New Year's resolution I would love to keep! Good luck, Laura, and as always we look forward to your "Tonight's Movie" reviews throughout the coming year!

The DVD Savant, Glenn Erickson, offers his thoughts on the past year in films and DVD output and where we might be going from here, as well as his 2011 Wish List. I found his article thought provoking and agreed with so many of his positions, such as "Netflix and web streaming are terrific, but neither activity appeals to the basic motivation of collectors -- to possess one's own viewable copy of a favorite film. Specific titles can come and go at the will of the distributors -- a cool rare movie might surface, only to be withdrawn because of a rights issue or money dispute. The appearance of a remake in theaters might cue the disappearance of the original it is based on. Collectors are looking forward to the day when arrays of home-based hard drives (with backups) allow us to keep personal copies, but I haven't noticed any content providers championing that idea. As an individual inundated with disc product, having my collection stored on a digital drive, all backed-up and safe, sounds like a dream. " A dream others like myself share.... Also don't miss Glenn's Best of 2010 Disc List, a list that includes the much written about new to DVD, discovered & restored print of Metropolis.

Another one of our favorite movie bloggers and good pal, Jacqueline, had some great recent reviews of some under appreciated holiday classics over at Another Old Movie Blog. She posted wonderful reviews of Holiday Affair as well as The Shop Around the Corner (one of my favorites). The icing on the cake to me, though, was a great post on books for children about World War II that were written during the War. It seems she may be considering a possible book on the topic. Let me just say I hope she does, as I would love to read it! A great post, one well worth your time.

Lastly, John McElwee recently celebrated a five year anniversary of the always great and must read Greenbriar Picture Shows blog- congratulations John! The articles and pictures are can't miss as always, and I count myself as a fan from the very beginning of the blog! By the way- if you haven't already caught them- there have been several recent articles that are can't miss. First, an excellent three part series review of White Christmas, and this post with John's unique perspective on Frank Capra's romantic comedy, It Happened One Night.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned...

Aww,raspberries!

and wishes for a very happy 2011!

2010-12-31T13:48:00.005-05:00

From all of us here at The Shelf- we wish you a very happy New Year!
And just to kick things off just right: a festive Debbie Reynolds is just the thing to bring in the new year I think! (And yes we do know it's not 1953.)

Have a fun, but safe, New Year's Eve- but may it be a bit more lively than Nick Charles' evening with Nora's family on New Years Eve:

See you in 2011!

What a way to start a new year. Tomorrow night, millions of people will be going to parties and dressing up. Some are even ready a day ahead of time!

a very merry christmas to all...

2010-12-24T23:01:00.002-05:00

Luke 2:19 "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."
May you keep the meaning and spirit of Christmas in your heart and ponder them throughout the coming year. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Aaron's heart was filled with joy and love. And he knew at last that the hate he had carried there was wrong. As ALL hatred will ever be wrong. For more powerful, more beautiful by far than all the eons of sadness and cruelty and desolation which had come before, was that one tiny, crystalline second of laughter. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

you're a mean one...

2010-12-23T13:50:00.005-05:00

Shelfers- indulge me for a moment. This post isn't necessarily for you. You can read on, of course, but just know that the target of this post is not our readers- but really this is for "that person." Maybe you know one, hopefully you haven't run into one and your holiday season is much brighter for it. But if you have- let them read the following special message.

Times are tough for a lot of people; there is no denying that. However, I have noticed a good deal less good cheer and kindness out there this year. Usually, the collective we do a pretty good job of trying to get past all the bad stuff, but this year has been difficult to really see any of that. Perhaps that's a reflective statement, I grant you, but I have been looking. There is evil out there, and there are people who do bad things to others- but that should not dampen what this time of year should symbolize.

Don't get me started on traditions and Christmas not really being what we think it is and Roman feast days and such- I am a history teacher, I know all about that stuff. I knew it before many smart pants college freshmen eating Cheetos read about it on a website somewhere. I've read books about the holidays- remember those? Books? Anyway, I digress.... What I am getting at is that in the long run, none of that stuff matters. A holiday to foster good will to others, to bring back a little selflessness in the world, to bring some light into others lives? You could call it Starlight Day and I would still think it was an awesome idea. Some people can't handle the religious connection, and others can't get past their own ego and their own imperfections to allow something like Christmas to try and actually foster goodness in the world. Are you one of those people?

Yes, it's way too commercial, but that isn't always the people's fault. Yes, it is based on a celebration marking the birth of Jesus Christ and people who believe and worship him are marking a religious occasion in a supposedly religiously tolerant country- which means it is a religious holiday (don't get me started on the supposed "tolerance" part). And yes there a bajillion other traditions and stories and myths associated with the holiday that have blended, changed and fused themselves into our modern day holiday. So what? No- I mean it- so what? If someone has a problem with that, or Hanukkah, or Ramadan or Kwanza or Festivus for that matter, why do they have to set out to ruin, insult and generally poop on everyone else's special time? If you are that someone and are reading this, I ask you- what is your deal? Are you really gonna be "that person"? Stop being an ass about things. There is enough crap in the world the rest of the year; lets try and bridge the gap between goodness and needing goodness in your life. If it promotes peace and goodwill- let it be. If it fosters love and hope- let it be. If it helps people understand and to try and grow into better people- for goodness sakes, let it be. In other words, get over yourself, smile and let people have this one. You have a whole other 11 months or so to be a jerk, maybe just for this one month you can restrain your self-important, smug self and allow some more hope and peace into the world. Thank you.

OK, Shelfers, we're back. Sorry about that - had to get that off of my chest. Please go on about your Yuletide doings. Whatever holiday you celebrate this season, we wish you and your families much peace and happiness.

The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!

christmas cartoon time 2010

2010-12-17T12:28:00.003-05:00

There are so many holiday specials, old and relatively new that are available on DVD or Blu-Ray, which wasn't the case even 5 years when we started the Shelf. Back then we were making the case that these shows should be available on DVD, or at least shown again on television. Other than Cartoon Network, ABC Family, and the big Nets showing the very few standards, you wouldn't find many on television either. In recent years I've discovered more being shown, newer holiday specials being created and even more cable channels getting into the act. So it almost seems somewhat difficult to find something to share with you that you couldn't easily find on DVD or television. Almost.

The Story of the First Christmas Snow is part of Rankin/Bass' holiday cannon that doesn't get much airtime, other than the occasional afternoon viewing on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. It stars the voices of Angela Landsbury and Cyril Richards. While it was available on VHS back in the day, it is not available on DVD- one of a handful of Rankin Bass Classics that aren't available for some reason or another (The Mouse and the Mayflower is another classic not available). It's a sweet story that is beautifully animated in the classic Rankin/ Bass style. Perhaps the Nets don't air it because of the overt religious tone or sentiment (imagine that- at Christmas time no less!). I don't know- but that's OK. The magic of the interwebs have saved the day. It's available in parts on YouTube. So for today's Christmas Cartoon Time we present to you The Story of the First Christmas Snow, with bonus Christmas time commercials from the 1980s (AKA the good "old" days according to my son).

Part 1:

Commercial Break:

Part 2:

Commercial Break 2:

Part 3:

Enjoy!

The most beautiful snow is the snow that falls on Christmas.

on this day in 1773...

2010-12-16T11:15:00.005-05:00

...the protest and event that became known as The Boston Tea Party occurred. Perhaps many may think the event is now insignificant, and you might be surprised by how many people know very little about it and the story behind it, if they recognize it at all. A quick overview is in order.

In the 17th century, the European market for Tea had increased greatly and in 1698 English Parliament gave a commercial Tea importer, the East India Company, a monopoly on the importation of tea. Commerce to the Colonies was also popular, but had to legally be done through middlemen. British law required that colonists buy their tea only from the Mother country. Wholesale buyers in London purchased the tea from East India Company, and then sold it to British merchants and companies who sold to merchants in the colonies.

However several circumstances caused a shift and financial problems. Dutch tea merchants could afford to undercut prices, because of no such restrictions in their country. Therefore the smuggling of Dutch tea to the colonies became a growing venture. Also the East India Company was paying a large scale import duty to the crown on its tea, which was further taxed all along the process down to selling it to consumers. East India Company was losing a lot of money. Efforts to eliminate the duty on the East India Company and some of the other "tea taxes" along the way in England ratcheted up. Then, the perfect storm occurred. The financial difficulties due to the recent Seven Years War, as well as monies owed in the colonies, caused Parliament to take harder measures to shore up the financial situation. Parliament, for the first time, had begun to levy direct taxes on the colonies to raise and stabilize revenue. In the effort to shore up the East India Company and the tea trade, Parliament refunded the Import Duty to the East India Company and repealed the taxes on Teas in England. In order to help make up for this lost revenue, a tax on Tea in the colonies was included in a series of Acts, known as the Townsend Acts, and directly levied against the colonies in 1767.

The Acts lead to many protests and boycotts in the colonies, and colonial officials sending agents to officially protest in front of Parliament (one such agent was Benjamin Franklin), arguing that the lack of direct representation of the colonies in Parliament made the "taxes enacted without consent of those taxed", a violation of British constitutional law (all the way back to the Magna Carta). Eventually the Townsend Acts were all repealed, except for the tax on Tea. This was a principle of Parliament to not completely concede the taxation argument. The boycotts and protests subsided for the most part in the colonies.

Several years later, the refund and tax relief enacted by Parliament in 1767 expired and the tax and import burden renewed. The price of tea began to skyrocket to make up for this renewed expense, and consequently sales began to sink. Complete elimination of the tax by Parliament was sought by East India representatives. Eventually Parliament did so and further eliminated the middlemen in an effort to change the process and make it more financially sound. The price of tea was then lowered in the colonies as well, because Parliament allowed the bypassing of London auction buyers, allowing instead the East India Co. to deal directly with colonial agents (called consignees) who then sold to merchants for a commission. The big mistake Lord North and Parliament made was continuing to allow and try and enforce the Townsend Duty on the tea (the lone holdover from the otherwise repealed Townsend Acts). Despite the streamlining and trimming of the overall tax burden in England on the Tea market, the Tax was still imposed as this money went mostly to paying government officials and agents, including Royal officals in the colonies. The East India Co and several members of Parliament argued for a final repeal of the Tea Tax and argued it was unnecessarily provocative.

The East India Co. and the government agents tried to conceal the tax within the price or through charges to merchants, but they were unsuccessful. The four consignees were based in Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Charleston. None of the four ports ever accepted shipment. The Consignees were forced or compelled to resign in Philly, NY and eventually in Charleston, where the tea either was sent back or seized by customs officals. Acceptance of the Tea shipments would necessarily provided legal precedence and possible legal acceptance of the tax itself. By outright forbidding the agents of the East India Company and the crown from accepting shipment- the colonies refused the authority of the Parliament from further encroachment into the commerce of the colonies.

In Boston, the Sons of Liberty tried to do the same and organized a protest. The situation was more fluid there, than in the other 3 ports. Governor Hutchinson's two sons were the consignees and he was determined to get the tea in the harbor, unloaded and the duty paid. British law required the ships to unload and pay the duties within 20 days or the cargo could be confiscated by customs (which is what happened in Charleston). While the Sons of Liberty and local officials prevented the tea from being unloaded, the Royal Governor prevented the three ships from leaving the harbor without paying the duty. It was rather a stalemate.The last night of the deadline Samuel Adams, the Sons of Liberty and supporters held a meeting where they learned that the Gov issued one final refusal for the ships to leave. The group left the meeting, and later that evening a group of people, some vaguely disguised as Indians, came to the wharf and dumped all of the shipment into the water. In his book, "The Shoemaker and the Tea Party", author Alfred Young details the first hand account of George Hewes, a Boston shoemaker, which was recorded some 60 years after the event:

"It was now evening, and I immediately dressed myself in the costume of an Indian, equipped with a small hatchet, which I and my associates denominated the tomahawk, with which, and a club, after having painted my face and hands with coal dust in the shop of a blacksmith, I repaired to Griffin's wharf, where the ships lay that contained the tea. When I first appeared in the street after being thus disguised, I fell in with many who were dressed, equipped and painted as I was, and who fell in with me and marched in order to the place of our destination. When we arrived at the wharf, there were three of our number who assumed an authority to direct our operations, to which we readily submitted. They divided us into three parties, for the purpose of boarding the three ships which contained the tea at the same time. The name of him who commanded the division to which I was assigned was Leonard Pitt. The names of the other commanders I never knew.
We were immediately ordered by the respective commanders to board all the ships at the same time, which we promptly obeyed. The commander of the division to which I belonged, as soon as we were on board the ship appointed me boatswain, and ordered me to go to the captain and demand of him the keys to the hatches and a dozen candles. I made the demand accordingly, and the captain promptly replied, and delivered the articles; but requested me at the same time to do no damage to the ship or rigging. We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard, and we immediately proceeded to execute his orders, first cutting and splitting the chests with our tomahawks, so as thoroughly to expose them to the effects of the water.
In about three hours from the time we went on board, we had thus broken and thrown overboard every tea chest to be found in the ship, while those in the other ships were disposing of the tea in the same way, at the same time. We were surrounded by British armed ships, but no attempt was made to resist us.

We then quietly retired to our several places of residence, without having any conversation with each other, or taking any measures to discover who were our associates; nor do I recollect of our having had the knowledge of the name of a single individual concerned in that affair, except that of Leonard Pitt, the commander of my division, whom I have mentioned. There appeared to be an understanding that each individual should volunteer his services, keep his own secret, and risk the consequence for himself. No disorder took place during that transaction, and it was observed at that time that the stillest night ensued that Boston had enjoyed for many months.
During the time we were throwing the tea overboard, there were several attempts made by some of the citizens of Boston and its vicinity to carry off small quantities of it for their family use. To effect that object, they would watch their opportunity to snatch up a handful from the deck, where it became plentifully scattered, and put it into their pockets.
One Captain O'Connor, whom I well knew, came on board for that purpose, and when he supposed he was not noticed, filled his pockets, and also the lining of his coat. But I had detected him and gave information to the captain of what he was doing. We were ordered to take him into custody, and just as he was stepping from the vessel, I seized him by the skirt of his coat, and in attempting to pull him back, I tore it off; but, springing forward, by a rapid effort he made his escape. He had, however, to run a gauntlet through the crowd upon the wharf nine each one, as he passed, giving him a kick or a stroke.
Another attempt was made to save a little tea from the ruins of the cargo by a tall, aged man who wore a large cocked hat and white wig, which was fashionable at that time. He had sleightly slipped a little into his pocket, but being detected, they seized him and, taking his hat and wig from his head, threw them, together with the tea, of which they had emptied his pockets, into the water. In consideration of his advanced age, he was permitted to escape, with now and then a slight kick.
The next morning, after we had cleared the ships of the tea, it was discovered that very considerable quantities of it were floating upon the surface of the water; and to prevent the possibility of any of its being saved for use, a number of small boats were manned by sailors and citizens, who rowed them into those parts of the harbor wherever the tea was visible, and by beating it with oars and paddles so thoroughly drenched it as to render its entire destruction inevitable."
George Hewes as quoted in Alfred Young, "The Shoemaker and the Tea Party")

Reaction in government and commercial circles back in London was fierce. Repayment for the lost shipment was demanded and members of Parliament began to urge punishment. The Coercive Acts were thusly born and Boston Harbor was closed for a time. Aside from further uniting the Colonies together, the Coercive Acts was one of the reasons for the convening of the First Continental Congress; to official and unitedly petition the King to redress the Acts and other grievous acts by Parliament. The protest, which only later came to be known by its now popular nickname, was one of the incendiary events on the road to Revolution.

The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum in (where else?) Boston has a very nice website with good information, although they are closed for renovation until Summer of 2011. Maybe by then, the Loophole family will be able to take a long desired trip to visit many of the history and museum spots in New England.

A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.

tcm remembers 2010 edition

2010-12-12T00:11:00.002-05:00

Every year TCM does a usually classy job of releasing an "in memoriam" video of stars, directors, technicians, etc who have passed away during the year. Here is this years version, newly released. You can also see it at TCM.com.

(Hat tip to Laura for the heads up that TCM had released this)

Being rich is like being ten feet tall. Good for some things, bad for others.

little christmas gangsters

2010-12-10T15:36:00.009-05:00

We here at the Foreign Correspondent household have once again been listening to Christmas music since a few days before Halloween. (Despite my appreciation of The Nightmare Before Christmas, I typically argue that Halloween doesn't play as nice with Christmas as Thanksgiving does, but since I'm gone most of the day, my arguments mean nothing.) Suffice it to say, we FC's love Christmas music. It is the best represented genre in our collection. And, in case you're wondering, we prefer the classics. And The Manhattan Transfer album.

On to the point. As I was Christmas caroling with a youth group I work with, I was once again puzzled by the song "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas." For those of you unfamiliar, here are the lyrics to the first verse:

Jolly old St. Nicholas
Lean your ear this way
Don't you tell a single soul
What I'm going to say

Christmas Eve is coming soon
Now you dear old man
Tell me what you'll bring to me
Tell me if you can.

(That is how I learned it, at least. I don't want to start a you-sing-it-wrong war here.)

This is supposed to be a lovely little song, representing the joy and innocence of childhood as a caring little moppet sits upon his/her hero's knee in joyful seasonal congress. But that is not how it ever sounded to me. I am writing this post so that I can finally get this off my chest.

The whole "tell me what you'll bring to me, tell me if you can," part sounds like a challenge to me. It is as if the kid is saying, look, Santa, I don't buy it. If you're really making these Christmas Eve deliveries, prove it. And that has sort of soured the whole carol for me. That line morphs the rest of it into a slightly menacing stream of insults.

Here, let me provide a translation:

Jolly old Saint Nicholas
Lean your ear this way

>"Jolly" is obviously code for "fat," here, and the whole "lean your ear this way" is an ageist comment intended to insult "old" Saint Nick.

Don't you tell a single soul
What I'm going to say

>Its a threat. The "or what" portion of the threat is left intentionally vague to increase the menace.

Christmas Eve is coming soon
Now you dear old man

>This is like the thugs sent by a bookie to whom you owe money pretending to be nice and civilized. What is really being said here is that time is running out, and I like you, Santa, and it would be an awful shame to have to hurt you.

Tell me what you'll bring to me
Tell me, if you can

>Okay, I inserted the implied comma in the last line this time.

Do you see it? All the following verses are just like a Bond villain's monologue. The threat has been made in the fist verse. The little monster knows what Santa's done for everyone else. Santa is being warned that if he doesn't bring his A game, he, and likely the people he loves, is going to get it.

Here is a quick re-write of verse one, with all the euphemisms removed. Here is what the little sociopath is actually saying:

Listen up, fatty. You talk a good game, but you've only got until the 24th to make good. So what are ya gonna do for me?

And Santa. Keep you're mouth shut. Or someone's gonna get hurt.

Where is the holiday cheer there?

Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.

late to the party

2010-12-08T14:14:00.008-05:00

About a month and half ago, I was doing my daily read of Laura's Miscellaneous M usings and read a delightful post which was her answers to a "Cinema Survey" that was originally started by blogger Amanda of A Noodle in a Haystack. A pretty cool, and difficult, set of questions bound to intrigue any classic film fan. I saved the questions in a file, meaning to do the thing myself, but never got back to it. You see, this would require consideration, time and honesty and so....aw, heck- I'll admit it. I just forgot to do it.
However, I saw it on my "To Do" list several times, and finally this week, I was determined to finish it. So for what it's worth- and I know it's late, here are my answers to the survey. Maybe some of my answers will surprise you. Please be sure to go back and check out Laura's responses as well as the original post at A Noodle in a Haystack.

1. What is your favorite movie starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, excluding all of The Thin Man films?
That would have to be a draw between Libeled Lady and the highly underrated I Love You Again, although I am a fan of all their pairings.

2. Name a screen team that appeared in only one film together but are still noteworthy for how well they complimented each other.
Hmm, there are several, put how about Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant in His Girl Friday. It was like lightning in a bottle. Cary Grant really complimented so many of his costars so well, and made the pairings seem so natural.

3. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' best film together?
Shall We Dance would be my favorite.

4. Your favorite actor named "Robert"?
This will throw you- Robert Duvall. I like Montgomery and Taylor of course, but my hats off to Mr. Duvall in a tight contest. But if I were keeping this to older films, I would perhaps say Robert Montgomery.

5. An actor/actress who, when you see one of their movies, you always wish that someone else was in his/her role?
This is hard but I would have to say…Burt Lancaster, I just can’t stand him sometimes. A more current pick would have to be Renee Zellweger, (but again I have liked at least one of her movies).

6. An actor/actress that someone close to you really loves that you can't stand or vice versa?
An easy one- I love the Marx Brothers, my wife just doesn’t get them and she can’t stand the Three Stooges. She isn’t much of a classic film fan to begin with, but she loves musicals.

7. An actor/actress that you both agree on completely?
That would probably be Jane Powell for classic movies and currently, Sandra Bullock.

8. Complete this sentence: Virginia O'Brien is to Ethel Merman as...
…Freddie Bartholomew is to Mickey Rooney? Good gravy what kind of sentence is that?

9. What is your favorite film starring Ray Milland?
I love The Big Clock!

10. You had to have seen this one coming: what is your favorite movie of the 1960s?
This is impossible for me to answer, because I have really found there are so many from this time period that I love- everything from Goldfinger to Charade or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. However, I find that I keep revisiting In the Heat of the Night and find myself using it in my film and humanities class more and more. It’s a wonderful, wonderful film with so many nuances and great performances and themes. I just love it.

11. An actor/actress that you would take out of one film and put into a different movie that was released the same year?
I don’t know- this is a hard one to think about, or recall over so many I’ve seen but I would think it would be interesting to take Sean Connery out of 1969’s little known The Red Tent and plug him back into Her Majesty’s Secret Service, just to see the difference, if any, in the tone of the film (which I’ve actually grown to appreciate more over the years- strong words for a Uber-Bond fan).

12. Who was your favorite of Robert Montgomery's leading ladies?
Norma Shearer. But then, I absolutely adore Norma Shearer.

13. You think it would have been a disaster if what movie starred the actor/actress who was originally asked to star in it?
Well, given recent revelations- Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly in Back to the Future

14. An actor/actress who you will watch in any or almost any movie?
Too many to choose from really, but I will pick one of each: Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. And did I tell you that I adore Norma Shearer? I think I did.

15. Your favorite Leslie Howard film and role?
Well…strictly speaking Leslie Howard isn’t one of my favorites, but I do like him an awful lot in It’s Love I’m After, a great little film, and find him insufferable in Gone With the Wind.

16. You have been asked to host a marathon of four Barbara Stanwyck films. Which ones do you choose?
Oh my, more like can I add some more to that list. Let’s see: The Lady Eve, Double Indemnity, Remember the Night and Ball of Fire. NO- wait! How about, Clash by Night, The Furies, Meet John Doe and Sorry, Wrong Number. Dang. See what I mean?

17. What is, in your mind, the nearest to perfect comedy you have ever seen? Why? Now this is hard, because in a way, no movie is perfect, and even my favorite comedies have some weak points. However, the closest I’ve seen would have to be…A Night at the Opera. Blazing Saddles for a more modern pick.

18. You will brook no criticism of what film?
I will generally concede that not every film will completely win over every single person. Impossible. But if you have something bad to say about my favorite holiday film of all time, A Christmas Story- well, let’s just say you’d better not do it when I’m in the room. You can even criticize Casablanca in my face- I’ll control myself. But don’t talk bad about my boy Ralphie.

19. Who is your favorite Irish actress?
Maureen O’Hara. Is there any doubt.

20. Your favorite 1940s movie starring Ginger Rogers?
The Major and the Minor

21. Do you enjoy silent movies?
Oh yes, very much so. I would venture to say more so in the last 10 years, but I’ve always loved them. I think one of the barriers for modern audiences is beyond the silence itself is how modern venues (DVD, VHS, etc) doesn’t always get the frame rate correct which makes it seem hurried, choppy or even static. But get the speed of the film right (which can be difficult to do) and a good preservation and remastering can make all the difference in the world. I show clips of several films in one of my Humanities class and the one they beg to see more of the most is Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid.

22. What is your favorite Bette Davis film?
You must never speak of this again in the presence of other males, but I am a sucker for All This and Heaven Too.

23. Your favorite onscreen Hollywood couple?
So many I love, but I have been going out of my way to try and see every single film Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn did together. And that’s just because I’ve seen all of the William Powell and Myrna Loy films. Several times. So tie between those two couples.

24. This one is for the girls, but, of course, the guys are welcome to answer, too: who is your favorite Hollywood costume designer?
Uhhh…umm…

25. To even things out a bit, here's something the boys will enjoy: what is your favorite tough action film?
Man! How do I choose. Sort of unfair because it could encompass many different genres – but I will play ball and say: Rio Bravo.

26. You are currently gaining a greater appreciation for which actor(s)/actress(es)?
Actor: Richard Widmark Actress: Joan Crawford

27. Franchot Tone: yes or no? Sure, in small doses.
28. Which actors and/or actresses do you think are underrated?
Mae Clarke- her soulful, subtle performance in the original Waterloo Bridge won my heart and admiration forever. I think she was talented and not only underrated, but underutilized in her films and is unjustly forgotten today. Even though a leading lady in the 1930s, she only went on to small or bit parts in films in the 40s, 50s and 60s. She was in some important films in Hollywood History, and yet is treated almost like a footnote- like "the girl who got smashed with the grapefruit." She deserves better.

29. Which actors and/or actresses do you think are overrated?
James Dean, hands down. Really. Three films and - to me - a one note performance in each of them.

30. Favorite actor?
I really have a hard time with “favorites” because I love so many different performers and for different reasons. So I don’t have one favorite. But I will say I will watch almost anything with James Stewart, Spencer Tracy, Cary Grant, and William Powell.

31. Favorite actress?
See above: Barbara Stanwyck, Norma Shearer, Myrna Loy…OK, just see this list.

32. Of those listed, who is the coolest: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, or Patrick Stewart?
Steve McQueen.

33. What is your favorite movie from each of these genres:
Comedy:
A Night at the Opera
Swashbuckler:
Robin Hood (1938-natch)
Film noir:
The Big Sleep
Musical:
Tie between Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Singing in the Rain
Holiday:
A Christmas Story
Hitchcock:
North By Northwest

As the pig says, "that's all folks." I tried to be as honest as possible, shooting from the hip in some cases. What do you think? Anything I missed or didn't consider? Got a point to argue with me? Go ahead and sound off in the comments thread.

I don't mind if you don't like my manners, I don't like them myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings. I don't mind your ritzing me drinking your lunch out of a bottle. But don't waste your time trying to cross-examine me.

day of infamy

2010-12-07T09:31:00.003-05:00

May those who gave all rest in peace, and may those who survived find peace and feel the arms of a grateful nation. Let us not forget, and let us honor our veterans on this day and all days.
"Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God."

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

repost: i heard the bells...

2010-12-03T11:33:00.002-05:00

I've been very interested, in the last year or so, in the stories behind our Christmas music traditions. Who wrote our carols and why? What motivated them? Some songs seem to be motivated by just the holiday season itself, but with some songs, the motivations seem to be deeper, more personal. Last year, I wrote this post concerning the story behind Longfellow's poem Christmas Bells, that became our beloved hymn, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. I will try to continue this series this year as well, with the origins of other Christmas songs. In the meantime please enjoy this repost, the first in a planned series...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of our nation’s most beloved poets, in addition to the many poems that have become engrained in our country’s conscience, also gave us the words to one of our most beloved Christmas carols. Longfellow’s poem, Christmas Bells was written in December of 1863, during not only one of the darkest periods of Longfellow’s life, but that of the nation as well; The Civil War. As with many literary works, the inspiration and circumstances which led to Longfellow taking up the pen began sometime before that dark, yet in the end, hopeful, December…

Longfellow married Frances Appleton on July 13th 1843, and they began to raise their family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. First came a son, Charles in 1844. Then over the years the Longfellows added four more children to their growing family: Ernest, Alice, Edith, and Allegra. In 1861, the Civil War had begun, and tragedy struck the Longfellow household. Frances was fatally burned in the library of their house in July of 1861. Henry was dumbstruck with grief. He has his children, but the joy was out of his life. When the holidays arrived, Longfellow wrote: “How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.” The following year when Christmas arrived, he wrote in his journal: “A merry Christmas' say the children, but that is no more for me.”

The war continued to cast a grim pallor upon families in the North and the South in 1863. Charles Appleton Longfellow was now 17 and eager to make his mark by joining the military. His father disapproved, but Charles ran away from home and petitioned Captain W.H. McCartney, commanding Battery A of the 1st Massachusetts Artillery to enlist. Captain McCartney, familiar with Charles and his family, wrote to get his permission. By this time, perhaps knowing Charles wouldn’t give in, Henry reluctantly agreed.

Charles turned out to be quite adept as a soldier, and a skilled leader. In fact, when Henry thought he might help his son by seeking the aid of some famous friends, including a US Senator, to secure a commission, he was pleased to learn Charles had earned his commission and advancement on his own merits. Now a Second Lieutenant, Charles saw action at Chancellorsville, Culpepper and many other skirmishes. In November, during the New Hope Church campaign in Virginia, Charles was shot in the left shoulder. The bullet nicked his spine and exited his right shoulder, barely missing paralyzing him. Charles was taken in with the other wounded into the church. After the battle, Charles was sent with other wounded back to Washington DC.

On December 1st, Henry received word about Charles and rushed to Washington DC, and then brought Charles back to Cambridge to recover. It has barely been two years since the loss of his wife, the loss of his first born son seemed to be too much to comptemplate. But his son had survived thus far, and was recuperating. In the midst of still grieving for his wife, Longfellow found hope anew in the survival and return of his son to his home. It was during that time in December of 1863, while nursing his son back to health, Longfellow penned the words to the poem, Christmas Bells:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!

Charles was unable to recover sufficiently to rejoin his unit, but did survive his wounds. He was discharged from the Union Army in 1864. Longfellow’s poem not only expresses his previous despair, but then it also bears witness of his newfound hope. The Bells that often rang out during the holidays had for two years did nothing but remind him of loss, and did nothing to lift his spirits. And, as he wrote in several stanzas, the War also paralleled his feelings of despair- that the Bells did nothing but mock those who had lost – that there was no chance for that old hominy of Peace on Earth Good Will to Men. And yet, Longfellow was able to find hope, through the survival of his son, and realized that God did not sleep- despite the war, the destruction and the loss. God was not dead, and that the Bells seemed to ring louder in the war- to bring more hope to mankind- that one day “The Wrong shall fail/ The Right prevail/ With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Eventually Longfellow’s poem was set to music, initially in 1872 by John Baptiste Calkin, which provided the traditionally known hymn. It has been rearranged several more times, but the best known of these is the famous arrangement by Johnny Marks, who also wrote Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Marks’ arrangement seems to be the more popular modern version as it has been recorded by many artists from Bing Crosby Kate Smith and Frank Sinatra to Sarah McLachlan and Johnny Cash. It’s popularity as a Christmas Carol is only matched by its profound attachment to our National heritage and culture.

The stanzas specifically referring to the War were removed for the music arrangements and some of the lines were rearranged, but the message of newfound hope and faith in God, and a desire for goodwill towards all men, even in the midst of our darkest days, still comes through. Longfellow’s story of tragedy and loss, and newfound hope is one that should resonate with anyone who has experienced loss, or has been lost, and question the purpose of their lives or how anyone could wish another Merry Christmas. Stop for a moment and look for the hope and listen for the faint peels of the Bells as they try hard to ring out their message to all. If we stop looking, we will never find it. But if we recognize it when it brought to us, like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, we can also realize that God is not dead, nor doth he sleep, and that hope is there and His arm is outstretched to us. And more than anything else, perhaps we need to realize that peace on earth, goodwill towards men starts with us. Goodwill doesn’t stop and start with Government, leaders, Actors, Celebrities or anyone else. It’s everyone’s own responsibility. We need to find that peace within us first, and then impart that peace, in the form of goodwill, towards all others. It is my fondest wish that we will all remember Longfellow’s story and his words from the carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. For the true message of the carol is to share with others- I also was once without hope, but I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day- and I heard the message of hope and peace – for all. And it filled my heart.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep/
God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!

happy hanukkah 2010

2010-12-02T15:39:00.002-05:00

To all of our friends and their families who celebrate, we at the Shelf would like to wish you a very peaceful and happy Hanukkah. Some interesting video and history about Hanukkah can be found at History.com.

I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.

musical family trees

2010-11-30T15:45:00.005-05:00

The following is a repost of a Shelf classic from the week after Thanksgiving in 2005. A recent discussion in my Humanities class discussing Media in American Culture, spurred me to give students a project based on this post- to create a Music Family Tree, taking a current artist and tracing their musical influences into the past and tracking the roots of those various influences and genres. It was a very successful experiment and they seemed to enjoy it- as far as I can tell that is, they are all bucking for great grades at this point - buttering up the crusty old instructor seems to be a popular M.O. around the holidays.
Either way, enjoy this Shelf classic before we dive headlong in Christmas!

I love music. Different kinds of music. With me - it's not so easy to describe who or what I like. It's more - I know what I like when I hear it. So to speak. OK - I am a big band, jazz, blues, croonin' junkie -but at the same time I love Sting, INXS, Queen, Barenaked ladies, Aaron Copeland, Beethoven, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Rosemary Clooney- do you see what I am getting at? Eclectic doesn't begin to describe my collection. I like me some Brazilian Bossa Nova, and am just as likely to put Celtic harmonies, the Boston Pops, or the Beatles on my playlist. Again I know what I like. I love discovering new music- even though it just may be new to me. A couple of years ago I saw O Brother, Where Art Thou, and - like many other Americans - bought the soundtrack. That led to discovering and loving the music of Allison Krauss and Union Station (one of the most beautiful voices in music today) - even though I don't consider myself a Bluegrass gourmet. Soon after I wandered into the realm of Ralph Stanley, and for a reason I don't remember, Johnny Cash. That led me to rediscover Lynard Skynard. Maybe unrelated links, but a thread nonetheless.

I enjoy something which has been dubbed- "The Great American Songbook." Thanks to Rod Stewart, a Scot, many have started to discover or rediscover great "American" songs - stuff sung by Sinatra, Martin, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, Nat King Cole, and others. You probably know most of the songs, or at least heard of them. They are American classics like "As Time Goes By", "Over the Rainbow", "That Old Black Magic", and one of my personal favorites, "Stardust." The thing about these songs is that they evoke some of the common culture, influences, and spirit of our country. And that's nothing to be ashamed of. Why did it take a Scot to make us remember that this stuff is great? Don't know - but thanks anyway. I've been enjoying this music for many years- but it's great to see so many others discovering it now.

Now if someone where to ask- "Do you love Bluegrass? or Do you love Country?" I would probably answer "Not really." However, were they to ask about certain artists or play certain songs within those genres - I might answer differently. I don't know why. I know what I like - and I don't always identify or like an entire genre of music. I don't really know anyone who could honestly claim they like every performance, every performer within a genre of music. We are too human, too rooted in our own life journey for that. But that doesn't mean we can't discover music, artists, or performances. I think the very act of discovery - the discovery of knowledge, music, art, film, words, and ideas - keeps us young and alive, no matter what our age. When we stop discovering, we stop living.

Music, to me, is a journey. I particularly think that our culture, our history, and our identity as a nation of peoples is so beautifully expressed in music, as much as in words or pictures. So its a wonderful thing to make discoveries and to return to old favorites. I have always enjoyed taking an artist I like and then making a journey of discovery through them. For example, I enjoy the work of Harry Connick, Jr. So - who influenced him- who does he influence? Who has a similar sound and what do they do differently with it. Potentially one could start with Harry- and then discover one of his influences- Thelonious Monk. It's then possible to go from Monk to John Coltrane, or one of his influences, Duke Ellington. Duke could lead you to Fats Waller and then, you could study Jazz during the Harlem Renaissance and then the roots of Jazz and Blues in the Mississippi Delta and the South. It is then possible to go from there to traditional Southern Mountain music and even the African influences of music in the Gullah areas of the Charleston coast. Could you then go from the mountain music and it's parentage in Scotland and Ireland and then pull back into traditional Gaelic music in the present? Sure. Or even go to Africa and discover the drums of West Africa.
See - a journey. One that all started with a Harry Connick Jr. CD that you popped in and listened to one afternoon. Music has such potential. We can take a wonderful journey, if we just act on our curiosity and impulse to learn. We are truly only limited by our curiosity and imagination.

Take a little trip before we are truly inundated with Holiday music. Not that I don't love Holiday music- in fact, I do love it. But the wait will make it all the more enjoyable- trust me. In fact, once we roll into December you can also add Holiday music to Pandora and see what it comes up with. Enjoy.

OK- back to present- Try out this project for yourself. You can use Pandora to find artists with similar styles to artists with whom you are already familiar. Then research the artist on the internet and discover who their influences were, and the genres of music that influenced them most. Trace the musical styles back and back and you can see that even artists as different as Michael Buble, Cree-Lo, Sade or The Beatles have some similar roots up the line somewhere- sometimes closer than you think.

I don't care what you call me, man, just as long as my name is on the record.

thanksgiving 1789

2010-11-25T01:02:00.003-05:00

"WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our sasety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine."

(signed) G. Washington

This is a nation founded through divine inspiration. Let us all take time today to give thanks and remember from whence we came that we may control what we become.

Feel free to comment if the need strikes you.

The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.
George Washington

thanksgiving childhood memories...

2010-11-24T15:25:00.004-05:00

Our final entry for our Thanksgiving playlist should come as no surprise- The Thanksgiving animated specials. These days they only really play A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, but back in the day specials like A Garfield Thanksgiving, Bugs Bunny's Thanks-for-giving Special, The Mouse and the Mayflower and others received regular rotations. Every once in a while an oddball special like B.C.'s The First Thanksgiving or The Thanksgiving that Almost Wasn't would air on the weekend before Thanksgiving day itself. Occasionally you can catch an airing of one or two of these specials on Cartoon Network, and the Garfield special has hit DVD, but most of them seem to relegated to old VHS copies and the memories of childhood days gone by. Sad, isn't it?
Some clips exist here and there-and they serve to remind one that they weren't always great, but nonetheless they contributed to the spirit of the season and are a part of our holiday childhood memories. Here are a couple of clips, and then a full special itself for our Thanksgiving rotation- a trip back to years gone by...

First up: The Mouse and the Mayflower- it's sad that this special isn't on DVD considering the huge library of Rankin/Bass specials that exist out there on DVD. Tennessee Ernie Ford sings and narrates this tale about a mouse named Willum who is there to witness the Pilgrim's voyage across the sea and first year in a new world.

Here's an odd that's only available on Youtube: B.C.'s The First Thanksgiving. The characters from the long running comic strip B.C. pursue a turkey to try add some actual flavor to their regular Rock Soup, resulting in the "First" Thanksgiving. It's a little strange and has a slow pace, but different and has some funny moments. You can watch it on YouTube in three parts, and for the sake of space we won't embed it, but rather link to it here. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

Sometimes Disney and of course, Looney Tunes, compiled clips of their holiday-themed shorts and threw them together for a Primetime special. The Bugs Bunny Thanks-for-Giving special is a perfect example of this, but many times only edited portions of the shorts were shown. I like actually finding many of the Looney Tunes, Disney, and MGM studios shorts and watch them in the entirety instead of watching the special. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Jerky Turkey:

Holiday for Drumsticks:

Finally, Pilgrim Popeye

And of course, my personal favorite, which you probably have on DVD and/or have seen on TV already - A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Hulu has the entire special posted, and case you haven't seen it- check it out there.

That's all for today's installment, folks- on behalf of everyone here at The Shelf we wish to you and your family a very safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

I haven't even finished eating all of my Halloween candy!

when a meme goes rogue...

2010-11-22T10:49:00.007-05:00

For the past few years, we've done a fun "meme" for the holidays- just something to do to have fun with our blogging friends. Some people don't like them and others live for them. With me, I'm sort of in between: I enjoy doing certain ones, but I can also get irritated by others. Recently, I actually happened upon an interesting meme that has made the rounds on the web and is currently making the rounds on Facebook. A friend tagged me on a note about a list of books created by the BBC, wherein the BBC also claimed that out of those hundred books, the average person has only read six.
Looking over the list I counted that I had read somewhere in the vicinity of 40 of them, but the titles on the list began to bother me. For the sake of brevity, I won't include the entire list here, but here is a link to the list so you can examine it for yourself. Here is the top ten:
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

Now over the entire list Austen appears many times, as do other Victorian novelists. While Austen's works are listed separately on the list, other authors find themselves condensed to a single "Works" listing. Admittedly, I am not a Jane Austen fan, but I am also not the intended audience perhaps. Still, the list is very odd. No Hemingway, Poe, or Twain - no Greek classics, very few early novelist, etc. And also included are some very recent novels, that while popular today, may not really endure to achieve "classic" status. How can this list be a true "classic works" list. It seems more arbitrary, than something deliberated and thought out.

Being the natural skeptic I am (it's inherited), I began to poke around. Come to find out- not only is the list truly arbitrary- the BBC connection is at best, confused, and at worst, intentionally bogus. Here is the back story: In 2003, the BBC did a poll of Britons asking them to nominate their favorite novel to determine what the nation’s best loved novel was. The poll was called The Big Read. The result was a list- but not this one. The list from the original poll is somewhat different, but similar enough. It included many books that appear on our meme/Facebook list, some different ones and in different order. What gives? A little more digging reveals that in 2007 the UK paper, The Guardian did a new poll in honor of World Book Day. The resulting list was entitled Books You Can't Live without. Now take a gander at that list-does that look familiar? It should- it's our same list.
This list has actually made the rounds on Facebook last year and around the net as well. This is where the trail goes a little cold, but it seems that someone had taken this list and turned into a "meme" two years ago, confusing the BBC as the source or deciding to attribute the BBC for credibility's sake. Again, at best a connection made in confusion or inflated as it was passed around; and at worst, a bogus attribution to conflate the credibility of the list. Further inquiry has resulted in zero news stories or online articles that actually mention the BBC ever claiming that most people have only read 6 of the books on any type of list; much less their own.

Is this just a fanciful addition by an Internet blogger or Facebook conspirator to have fun? Perhaps. But what it does accomplish is what any good meme or "greatest whatever" list does- turn up the conversation. It's as simple as 1-2-3.
1. Interest/Connection: "A list about books- I like books. I wonder which ones are on the list that I've read?"
2. Resentment/Controversy: "What? Lemme see that list. The BBC said what? That's malarkey!"
3. Competition:"I bet I have read more than six of these! I'll pass that around. We'll show them." Thereby resulting in a sure-fire meme for people to pass around and argue about books. Yes, it is kind of false advertising- and the BBC is unfairly maligned. Do I have to really tell you that you should always take what you read on the Internet with a grain of salt? I didn't think so- but still we shouldn't be so blind as to buy into the BBC claim without doing at least a little fact checking. However it has people talking about books and perhaps inspired others to read more. And in and of itself, that is not a bad thing.

Let's take the opportunity to scratch beneath the surface of this list and look a little further into what lists like this, that result from polling, can reveal about ourselves and our culture. The characteristic about this list that initially started my digging around was the lack of many literary classics on the list, and an over-representation of recent books. Even that the list singles out so much Jane Austen was interesting. During the last decade or so, many of these books were made into movies or television adaptations. Does that mean people are associating having seen the movie with having read the book? ("Well, I saw the movie, so I know what it's about.") Or are more people reading the books after being introduced to them by the movie version? Certainly there is a popularity association between books and movie adaptations- sales of both feed one another. A cursory glance at the list and I can see several book series that have been hugely popular movie series in the last decade: The Harry Potter Series, the Lord of the Rings series and the Chronicles of Narnia just to name a few.

Then again- recent studies also show that perhaps we tend to *ahem* shall we say, exaggerate how much and what we read. It's something that plays into perceived status and social standings, and in western democracies, aside from money, the thing people use to signify social status is education. In 2009, The Guardian conducted another poll for World Book day, this time asked people to fess up about their reading habits. The results were interesting: roughly 65% of people asked admitted to lying about the classic books they have read. The book most have lied about reading: George Orwell's 1984. I wonder if people were thinking of that time in school when their teacher asked if they had read for the test...? While some of the results are interesting and some worrisome, Jonathan Douglas, director of the National Literacy Trust is quoted in the article as finding the overall results as reassuring: "It shows that reading has a huge cultural value in terms of the way we present ourselves as intelligent and engaged people."

The question we have to ask, however, is this really demonstrating that reading has a true cultural value or does the appearance of being well -read have the true value? Over the past several decades many short-hand books, such as Cultural Literacy, have shown that perhaps our modern culture is short changing the cultural pillars of our past. Past generations have often demonstrated at least a reverence and in some cases, a intimacy, with history, literature, art, etc- the cultural artifacts and cornerstones of civilization. While a large portion of society was more concerned with tilling the earth and earning their daily bread, a respect for education and at least a familiarity with books and history, was embedded within. My great grandmother, for example, was raised on a North Carolina Tobacco farm, and raised her children on her own farm as well. But that did not stop her from becoming a voracious reader and intimately familiar with history and developing a lifelong passion for learning. She was not alone either: in 1910, when my grandmother was a child, the average illiteracy rate among children was about 2.2%. Total average, including adults was roughly 7%. However, consider several circumstances that may give some interesting context for that number: formal school enrollment was fairly low (lower among poor whites, immigrant families newly come to the country and blacks). Also the average drop out rate past elementary school years increases with each successive year. It was not uncommon for people, especially in rural areas, to not go beyond their 5th or 6th year of formal education. Yet the average illiteracy rate among school-age children was still just 2.2%.
Flash forward to the present. The adult illiteracy rate in the US in 2009 was estimated to be 1%-meaning 99% of the adult population is functionally literate. Sounds good right? However, that only makes us tied for 21st place among the nations of the world. Many of those in 21 place with us are first world and developing nations. But these incorporate only the very basic reading and writing levels. When degrees of literacy are incorporated, the results are even worse. Consider this information from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) and the US Department of Education: "One measure of literacy is the percentage of adults who perform at four achievement levels: Below Basic, Basic, Intermediate, and Proficient. In each type of literacy, 13 percent of adults were at or above Proficient (indicating they possess the skills necessary to perform complex and challenging literacy activities) in 2003. Twenty-two percent of adults were Below Basic (indicating they possess no more than the most simple and concrete literacy skills) in quantitative literacy, compared with 14 percent in prose literacy and 12 percent in document literacy."

Considering that average enrollments are much, much higher and drop out rates are much lower compared to 100 years ago, and that the literacy gap between whites and minorities have narrowed dramatically, why is illiteracy such an increasingly large problem. Why are current generations of students increasingly culturally illiterate? Is there a connect also to recent studies that demonstrate a dramatic decline in historical, economic and civic literacy as well? 100 years ago, my grandmother's father was a farmer, but he, like many others, had an intimate familiarity with US history, was at worst functionally literate, a working knowledge with matters of economics and civics. These things, especially as evidence as shown, were weighed heavily in our society and considered important for each and every citizen to know. A similar feeling of responsibility to know and learn these things can be seen among new citizens and immigrants seeking full citizenship, but not so much among our current generation of students.

Even in my own personal experiences with my students, I note a disinterest and devaluing of cultural literacy and even just reading in general. In one of my humanities classes that I teach when we discuss traditional forms of media like books, I see a very clear gap when it comes to readers and those who use the library for anything other than the Internet. One of my colleagues from the Sociology dept might be able to interpret what I see more precisely, but one thing that stands out is that a majority of average people in their early 20s and younger are become less and less of traditional readers. We know newspaper readership is virtually nil among this age group- but so are "book habits." On average they are less familiar with current books than previous generations and even less so with literature and works, other than what they might have had to encounter in school. When I informally poll my students (these are college age students, but the age range is fairly diverse as they are in an atypical college situation leaning towards adult learning) a majority of them have never read and in most case completely unfamiliar with: mythology, American 19th century literature, early 20th century British or American books, British Victorian lit- and quite frankly had never even heard of any classical literature or plays.

Some familiarity is expressed for books they remember assigned to them in school: To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, and something along the lines of The Red Badge of Courage- but most cannot recall the plot or main themes of the books. At best, they remember the title, and this is despite the fact that I know there are good teachers out there who are trying to introduce these works to their students. In some ways students are doing what they can to get by- using the Internet, etc for help with papers, but I think our culture is also somewhat to blame as it has increasingly devalued anything from our past, western civilization in general, and devalued anything that takes a good deal of time to digest and process. If it can't be encapsulated into a sound bite or hyped on the latest entertainment news site- they don't really care.

For me the unintended consequence of it all is that while Technology has made so much of the past, of literature, of information more and more accessible to so many more people- many more members of the "technology generation" are becoming less and less consumers of said information. Studies have shown that third world countries that are now beginning to have greater access to technology and overall have improved more technologically, young students in these countries are not only becoming more exposed to information from around the world, they are also becoming better readers, retaining more knowledge and becoming more interested in learning. In our society, where technology is so abundant - we actually see a decline among younger demographics in terms of active reading and cultural literacy.

What does this all mean- I'm not completely sure, other than to note parents and teachers have an uphill battle- but I think one that needs to be fought? I look back at when I was a teenager and had someone told me that one day I could affordably own a small, thin and portable device that could store a vast library of books that I could read anywhere, anytime - or that I could own a device that would store many movies and play them back- I would've been incredulous that that could happen in my lifetime. And yet - here we are; and I am still amazed sometimes that I can own a library of my favorite classic movies to watch when I want or store tons of books on an eReader.

Where does that leave us? Well, remember that this rambling examination all began with looking at a little Internet meme that went rogue. It's fun to discuss what books we may or may have not read, but we also need to find ways as a society to place more value on reading, on great books, on classics, on history and civics. We need to reverse the decline of cultural, historical, economic, and civic literacy. If we don't, all the Internet sites, Tech gadgets and webisodes in the world won't stop the freefall that is occurring in Western civilization. Familiarity with these things not only promotes a cohesiveness to the citizens in our nation, it also serves to instruct, teach or remind us that our Nation is unique and that our freedoms are not only precious, but the "Grand Experiment" our Founders set us upon hundreds of years ago, is worth continuing and defending. So next time you happen to have conversation with someone about an old movie or classic book, and they dismissively tell you "Who cares about that old stuff?" Tell them you do- and that they should. And tell 'em why.

There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read.

jack benny's gobblers

2010-11-19T15:07:00.004-05:00

For today's entry on our Thanksgiving Playlist, I thought I would share a couple of great Thanksgiving episodes of the Jack Benny Radio Show. Jack is very well known for his hilarious Christmas episodes- especially where Jack goes Christmas shopping and runs into the luckless salesman played by Mel Blanc. But just as funny were the many Thanksgiving shows that Jack and his cast performed. Jack's skinflint ways, vanity and wam heart under it all was a perfect foil to play against for the holidays.
For me, two of my favorite Thanksgiving episodes came back to back in the same year: 1947. This is Jack's classic cast: Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris, Don Wilson, Dennis Day, Rochester, the Sportsman Quartet and of course who can forget Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson ("Yesssssss?"), Artie Auerbach (Mr. Kitzel) and Bea Benaderet and Sara Berner (aka: Gertrude and Mabel the phone operators) in great supporting roles. Jack attempts to pull off a nice Thanksgiving for the gang- with great hilarity.

First up is the 11-24-1947 show: Jack begins the show talking about his attempt to get a studio to film his Life story, but that eventually leads Mary to telling the rest of the cast (in radio flashback mode) about her shopping trip for a Turkey for the Thanksgiving dinner for the gang:
Click here for the episode.

Next we have the very next episode where Jack recounts having to "dispatch" the turkey he bought with Mary, which leads to Jack, too much of a softie to do it himself, to assigning the grim task to Rochester. All this weighs a little on Jack's conscience, so that when he takes a nap, we great a hilarious dream sequence where Jack is on trail for executing the turkey.
Click here for the episode.

There are several other great and fun Thanksgiving OTR- check out some of friend's sites like OTR Perk and others around the web for more. And stay tuned for more entries on our Thanksgiving playlist!

There's only five real people in Hollywood. Everyone else is Mel Blanc.

i've got plenty to be thankful for...

2010-11-17T11:16:00.009-05:00

It's only a little over a week away from one of my favorite holidays of all- Thanksgiving. We've done our level best here at The Shelf to defend and promote Thanksgiving over the years and we think it's a wonderful holiday where the focus should be on family and gratitude for the things we have. In fact, I think in a country where we have the freedom and the Constitution that we have, it's altogether fitting that we should have a day set aside for a national day of gratitude.

It's still a little too early to break out the Christmas music for me, and I've often wished there was some sort of compliation of "Thanksgiving" music to listen to over the weeks up to the big day. So, I've sort of made something of my own little playlist of Thanksgiving episodes of Classic Radio shows (Jack Benny has some particularly funny Thanksgiving episodes), Hymns that remind me of Thanksgiving and gratitude and some classic film songs and standards that hit the mood. So I thought that perhaps this year, in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, I would share with you some of the items on my Turkey day playlist in hopes that you will enjoy them and consider letting the Holiday and the spirit of gratitude take hold before the season of giving took over. Maybe there is something to learn there folks; in order to give from the heart, perhaps we need to really learn gratitude and what means to be grateful for things we couldn't possible make happen on our own. Maybe it's the grateful heart that truly gives. That's putting the horse before the cart, so to speak.

Allow me to give you the first item on my playlist; and these are two very underrated songs because they are overshadowed by being in a Christmas film. Both of these numbers are Bing Crosby tunes from two of his classic and most loved holiday films: Holiday Inn and White Christmas. Perhaps it's cheating a little, because I have the wonderful soundtrack that contains the songs from both of these films and technically it is Christmas music, but I've placed two particular numbers into my playlist. Here I am presenting clips of the numbers from the film, but the soundtrack, which I recommend highly, has the full songs.

First: Holiday Inn. Most of you know the story: Crooner Jim Hardy (der Bingle) is in love with fellow performer Lila Dixon (Virginia Dale) and has decided to propose, but dancer Ted Hanover has wooed her away with promises of stardom and an offer to be his partner. Lila follows Ted leaving Jim with a broken heart. Ted decides to get away from show business and move to a New England farm that eventually he turns into an Inn only open on the holidays. (So much for getting away from show business). It is there where Jim meets the talented ingenuine Linda Mason (played by the lovely Marjorie Reynolds) and falls for her. Linda and Jim have a great thing going, but Ted enters into the picture again. Despite his attempts to hide Linda from him, Ted tries to woo Linda away from Jim with offers of stardom and Hollywood. Linda, mad that Jim couldn't trust her to make up her own mind, goes to Hollywood- and Jim, with a defeated attitude, just gives in. It is at this point that Thanksgiving roles around and Jim is celebrating a lonely holiday with just his housekeeper, Mamie and her kids. Then the number comes in- in the form of Jim playing his latest composition: "I've Got Plenty to be Thankful for." The song is actually quite sincere (despite Jim's lousy attitude) and it takes Maime to tell him what he needs to hear to change his attitude and go after Linda.
Here's the clip (side note- the Thanksgiving holiday briefly went back and forth being declared on different weeks, to allow more Christmas shopping, until it was finally left alone on the last Thursday of the month- hence the little cartoon at the beginning) :

How many of us have actually "heard" the song- it sort of plays in the background during this scene, but it's words have a great message- "I may not be rich or famous, but I have so much to be thankful for." Here are the words to this great Irving Berlin song:

"I've got plenty to be thankful for
I haven't got a great big yacht
To sail from shore to shore
Still I've got plenty to be thankful for

I've got plenty to be thankful for
No private car, no caviar
No carpet on my floor
Still I've got plenty to be thankful for

I've got eyes to see with
Ears to hear with
Arms to hug with
Lips to kiss with
Someone to adore

How could anybody ask for more?
My needs are small,
I buy them all
At the five and ten cent store
Oh, I've got plenty to be thankful for"

It's a wonderful tune and is one of the first songs on my Thanksgiving playlist.

Next is a song that comes from that wonderful holiday film, White Christmas. Filled with great performances, culminating with the famous song "White Christmas" (which actually made it's debut in Holiday Inn), our next song is actually for me one of the more beautiful in the film. The soundtrack has the full song performed by Bing, but costar Rosemary Clooney also has a lovely version on one of her Christmas albums. This song has been included in Christmas music albums before, but it has all of the earmarks of a wonderful song for Thanksgiving. Don't believe me? Have you every really listened to it? Here are the words:

"When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings"

In fact, our very own Mrs. Baravelli wrote a special article on how much she loves this song- why not revist that post to see why the song evokes so much about being grateful for the blessings we do have? To quote Mrs. B herself: "Somehow, however, when I heard this song again, it dawned on me – everything, even the bad, is a blessing to me. I have so many to be grateful for that I should start counting them instead of falling asleep while checking off my to-do list for the next day."
Yes, it's a perfect song for both holidays, if you ask me- gratitude shouldn't start and stop on Thanksgiving- it should tary within us all year. Perhaps it is gratitude that ties Christmas and Thanksgiving so well together.

Here is the clip- Bing's rich bass really delivers the emotion in this wonderful song:

Well, we hope you've enjoyed today's post. Stick around- we'll have more to add to our Thanksgiving playlist. Stay tuned...

You could melt her heart right down to butter, if you'd only turn on the heat!

happy veteran's day...

2010-11-11T09:09:00.004-05:00

...to all of the vets out there. On behalf of everyone here at The Shelf, I would like to say "Thank you" to all of those men and women who have served and given the ultimate sacrifice- and to their families who as well. Thank you for going out and training and defending and protecting my freedom. Thank you for sacrificing time from your families, leaving your homes and jobs to go to other countries and build schools, hospitals, roads and infrastructures that no one in the media will acknowledge.

Thank you for having gone and fought for your buddy and your company, and fought for your bunkmates - for burrowing down into a wet and muddy foxhole to avoid the fire from enemies unknown- for eating cold, undigestible food in field sometimes - for stitching up a wounded soldier or civilian- for following the orders given, even when everyone of you knows what might happen in the end.

Thank you for hundreds of years of American history, for defending the constitution and our way of life. I am sorry that sometimes it may seem we all take it for granted. Some people do, put I personally know many more who don't, and who value your service as well. Sure, you will always have some people who will never care for you, this country, or our way of life. They don't look at our history as a promise made on a piece of paper hundreds of years ago, that we have struggled to make true for people regardless of their sex, skin or race. They don't look at our country, mistakes and all, as an ongoing, developing and growing "Experiment" to make Freedom a reality. We've made mistakes, and we will continue to make mistakes- it comes with having freedom. But we have always risen above them and we try to learn from them. Some people only choose to see the mistakes and the negative and dwell on everything that's wrong. But you go out and serve your country, full of all kinds of citizens- including those who prefer to see the negative and could care less for you- and you still serve.

You might have signed up decades ago and fought the Axis powers. You might be among the many who signed up to fight during the "hot times" in a cold war. You might be among those who fought back and forth on a parallel line you couldn't see in Korea. You might be among those who were drafted or even ending up in place of someone who ran away, paid their way out, used political influence, or flat out refused to go- then turned around and spat on you when you took their place. You might have fought in a small country named Vietnam that seemed at once a world and a time all of it's own. You might have signed up and fought in the Middle East among people, some of whom were grateful and some who were hateful. You might have gone to middle east, the far east or the islands of the sea. You might have been captured and held and told that you were forgotten, even though it wasn't true. You might have guarded our nation's buildings, our treasures and our citizens- even when no one noticed. You might have signed up to fight, to earn a living, to get an education or even to continue a family tradition. It might have been a couple of years ago or a lifetime ago. You might have made it home...when your buddies didn't. And maybe, you are one of those that we think about, that we cherish, who didn't make the trip home at all.

Whoever you are- Man or Woman, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine- Thank you. Wherever you are- Hawaii and Alaska all throughout the US to South Carolina and Florida- Thank you. Whenever you served- wartime, peacetime, World Wars to Terrorist attacks- Thank you.

Not just on this day, but every day. Thank you for what you've done. We honor and cherish you.

There's a great lesson in this. Those of us who've learned it the hard way aren't going to forget it. We must never again let any force dedicated to a super-race... or a super-idea, or super-anything... become strong enough to impose itself upon a free world. We must be smart enough and tough enough in the beginning... to put out the fire before it starts spreading. My answer to the sixty-four dollar question is yes, this trip was necessary. As the years go by, a lot of people are going to forget. But you won't.

reflections of a grateful voter

2010-11-06T19:14:00.002-05:00

November - the month of Thanksgiving. The real beginning, if you will, of the holiday season. Leaves are changing, you can smell the fireplaces outside, sweaters are being worn, and the time for snuggling is upon us – look out Mr. Baravelli! Children are excited and geared up for celebrations and gifts and, it would seem that, “goodwill towards men” is reappearing. Oh wait, what’s that you say. Ah, yes, November. The first Tuesday in November, to be exact. Election Day. What magnificent irony that the day when the fighting comes to a head, the debates heat up, and we are called upon to choose the lesser of two evils exists in the same month when we should be reminded of our love for one another, a time when the newcomers to this country sat down with those who were here first – not for a heated debate or scandalous commercial but to come together peacefully and accept each other’s differences. What they would think of us now.

After narrowly escaping what I feared was the beginning of the “birds and bees” talk the previous evening with now 7-yr-old Little Baravelli, she surprised me on the way home this past Tuesday when, after explaining to her that she would be joining me at the polls so that I could vote, she asked who I would be voting for. I tried to explain that this is a personal decision and you shouldn’t ask that question. Her innocent voice replied, “Just don’t vote for the woman because she lied!” “How do you know she lied?” I asked, curious as to who at school would have had this discussion in front of children. “I saw it on TV,” she replied.

Can’t they just stay young forever?? Unfortunately, they can’t. So, I took this opportunity as another teaching moment to try to instill some not so young wisdom into the mind of a 7-yr-old. While doing so, I was reminded of why it is my responsibility to vote. In this month of Thanksgiving, I was reminded that I do, indeed, live in a free country, regardless of what is going on in it or around it. The names of the candidates may be littering up my highway and airways, but at least I have a right to choose. There weren’t any riots at my voting polls and everyone in line was having friendly discussions with each other about everyday life, not every day politics. Kindness was in my line as two elderly people with canes were asked to go ahead of everyone else, and no one had a harsh rebuke for it. It didn’t matter that we weren’t all voting the same way. What mattered was that we were all voting. Period. Little Baravelli was excited to go with me and was on her best behavior. She asked appropriate questions and was intent to understand how the process worked, if not why. She even asked the poll worker for a sticker. I’m sure I had a more pleasant experience voting than most. However, I can assure you we will be watching children’s programming tonight and not the news. I can only tolerate so much of the “experience.” I, however, am grateful for my right to vote. The right to take my child with me to take part, in some menial way, in a freedom that many still don’t or can’t participate in and that those before us had to fight for. It is my duty to educate myself on these choices, and not pay attention or get mired down in the dirtiness of the fight. It is also my duty to educate Little Baravelli, as well as Little Baravelli #2, on the process and on being able to discern the truth out of the lies – I’m still working on that one.

So, I encourage us all to participate in the continual change of this great country. Whether our candidate wins this time or not, we will never lose as long as we continue for change and a better future.

You see, boys forget what their country means by just reading The Land of the Free in history books. Then they get to be men they forget even more. Liberty's too precious a thing to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say: I'm free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't, I can, and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that.

moguls and more

2010-11-02T10:33:00.007-05:00

It's a new month, and nevermind that we missed doing the Shelf's annual Halloween Madness, but as we mentioned a while back, we've unburdened ourselves of self-imposed strictures and and deadlines. October was a very busy teaching month - with finals and new classes and more, so while we enjoyed Halloween with classic films and cartoons and family traditions as usual, we didn't get to share much with you- but we hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween season.
I was reading our friend Laura's monthly review of the schedule of Turner Classic Movies, as you should as well, and making mental notes of what to make sure to DVR, when I remembered something important: TCM begins it's massive new documentary series, Moguls and Movie Stars this month! It is truly something not to be missed. I received an advance copy and have watched the series- and have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood is a seven part series that examines the rise and fall of the studio system in Hollywood. The series is narrated by Christopher Plummer and included interviews with many Hollywood Historians as well as actors, producers and more- but what stood out for me was how they interviewed the descendants of some of the Studio pioneers for the series, which added a unique perspective and voice to the overall projects. Lots of never-before seen footage and rarely seen photographs are also featured. The series charts the very beginnings of the film industry in American and charts the beginning, the peak and the ebb of the studio system in particular.

I teach a Media in American Culture Class, and incorporated some of the information (I was not allowed to screen it for them obviously, but did ask them to watch when it premeired) I had learned from the series into my section on Film in America. It never ceases to interest me to see how little people have examined our culture and media beyond their own lifetimes. A 20-something college student often knows very little of song and film, beyond the 1980s. However, I was pleasantly surprised by my last group of students, some of whom were already classic film fans, and most of whom were very interested by the history of Hollywood. Our normal one hour interactive lecture turned into an hour and a half discussion, with many questions asked of me of how the studio system worked. One student in particular was of the opinion that perhaps we ought to go back to that way of making films. While there are pros and cons to the old studio system, no one seemed to argue that there was something missing from films today, and that is a very unique thing to hear from a group of 20-something college students. I am eager to hear what those who actually watch the series on TCM will have to say.

I highly recommend setting your DVRs, TiVos or what have you, to record the new series. It is well worth your time,- it's instructive, entertaining and important- an ambitious project that only TCM could truly pull off, and it succeeds at the highest level. Moguls and Movie Stars airs every Monday from November 1st through December 13th, with repeated airings on Wednesdays and other days as well(meaning you can still catch the first episode tomorrow night). Be careful when scheduling your DVR- some listings on the schedule have the series listed by episode title rather than series title first. So here the individual episode titles and times to look for (all times are Eastern Standard Time- check your local listings) :

Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood
Episode 1- Peepshow Pioneers: Nov. 1st at 8pm (and repeated viewings, for example, Nov. 3rd at 10 pm, Nov. 6th at 12pm - check the TCM full schedule for other repeating airings during the weeks ahead)

Episode 2- The Birth of Hollywood: Nov. 8 at 8pm

Episode 3- The Dream Merchants: Nov.15 at 8pm

Episode 4- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? : Nov. 22 at 8pm

Episode 5- Warriors and Peacemakers: Nov.29 at 8pm

Episode 6- The Attack of the Small Screens: Dec.6 at 8pm

Episode 7- Fade In, Fade Out: Dec. 13 at 8pm

What is exceptional about this series, is that each week, TCM will also be airing some of the films mentioned and examined in the series- some of them rarely seen on Television or not available on DVD. For example, some of the silents and early pictures examined in the first episode will be shown this week on TCM- some of them in whole blocks of programming. D.W. Griffith at Biograph, for example, features many of his short films made while at the pioneering film studio. The rarely seen Ramona, with Mary Pickford will also be shown, as well as many of the early films of Thomas Edison and George Melies. Ramona is significant because the 1910 film is one the earliest surviving Biograph films intact with original title cards, and is one of the earliest films of it's kind with story structure and a narrative, a style that was still in it's infancy during that time, when most films were documentary in style. Griffith really helped to bring a strong visual storytelling style to film and is one of the earliest film pioneers to change films into a storytelling medium. Moguls and Movie Stars is highly recommended and definitely one series to clear a slot for on your television recording device of choice.

Item #2- Criterion Collection Sale!
Time to publish this news far and wide! Barnes and Noble is having their 50% Criterion Collection Sale! If you find yourself drooling over those fantastic Criterion Collection sets, but then quickly wiping that grin off your face when you see the price, your time has come! Check out the sale page on the Barnes and Noble site for more details. Not only that, shipping is free if you order $25 or more online. I don't work for B&N, but darn it, I know a good sale when I see one. Check it out now.

If only those who dream about Hollywood knew how difficult it all is.

looney tunes redux

2010-09-17T09:50:00.004-05:00

Here is something so very cool that I saw thanks to Jerry Beck over at Cartoon Brew. He posted a YouTube video that features a still from all of the over 1000 cartoon shorts from the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes output. It's set to various performers singing and performing the classic Looney Tune theme song, The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down.

What is so neat about this, other than being a time capsule and visual history, is that you can see in short order the change styles and evolving characters. It's a wonderfully hypnotic video. And you may be surprised at just how long the studio continued to put out the great and popular cartoons before closing up the animation department in the late 1960s.Thanks again to Jerry and the YouTuber known as radiobov who created this wonderful video.

Gotta love it.

Well, what did you expect in an opera? A happy ending?

jack benny on password? classic.

2010-09-16T13:00:00.009-05:00

I'm sure the phrase "They don't make 'em like that anymore," has passed many of your lips once or twice. Otherwise you wouldn't be reading blogs like these. I've mentioned before my absolutely lifelong fan-dom of Jack Benny; it knows no bounds and perhaps may, at some point in the future, be diagnosed for medication. I've been recently rereading his autobiography that wrote and his daughter Joan Benny finished after his death. It's a wonderful read, and full of Hollywood and OTR history and a wonderful portrait of the man, his family, friends and cast. What other comedian so successful built a persona that no matter what he did or would guest star in, his character would inevitably follow to the delight of the audience? And Jack was either grateful, humble or intelligent enough (or all three) to play it up and bring delight to the audience for decades. No talk of "typecasting" or lamenting about be limited from the real man - no matter how much the "miser" Jack would protest on air.

Jack's book, Sunday Nights at Seven, (so named because that timeslot was perennially his for decades), is hard to put down, and Joan's memories about her father are warm and loving- her respect and love for him really come out. In a passage about her father's later years, Joan recounts how she and her father would try and work together. One appearance of interest was an appearance by Jack and Joan on the classic game show, Password, as the celebrity guest stars. For years I have thought it would be nice to catch this episode on rerun or on DVD someday. For some reason the most obvious place to look never occurred to me in the past couple of years: the Internet! Yes, I am shocked that I had never considered it either.

Lo and behold, there it was: the whole episode- in three parts. And so for your viewing pleasure I share it with all of you to enjoy. Also I encourage you to pick up Jack's book. It is sadly out of print, but is available used via Amazon and other places, and perhaps your local library. Remember that place? It's still there. And guess what? They still lend books. Cool.

This is some funny stuff, especially if you are familiar with Jack. And watch for one of the password clues: Miser!

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

By the way, you can click the embeded screens above to pull up the video on YouTube itself. There you will find in the sidebar other videos of Classic Password with James and Gloria Stewart as guests. They really don't make 'em like that anymore.

When another comedian has a lousy show, I'm the first one to admit it.

always remember...

2010-09-11T10:56:00.003-05:00

Nothing I could say or write could adequately do or convey anything appropriate on this 9th year after such a great tragedy. Our prayers are still with those who need healing, those who need peace in their hearts, and those who have and do put their lives on the line to protect us. Thank you for the sacrifice. May we never forget or take our freedoms for granted...

The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.

hidden treasures?

2010-09-10T13:32:00.008-05:00

For the past several years, September usually meant, among other things, a detailed look at some Holiday DVD titles. The whole system seems to be upside down- releases of classic films are few and far between, and even classic cartoon releases even worse. A lot of what is coming along seems to be "Special Edition" retreads or Blu-Ray releases of extant titles. We've been fortunate with some great surprise releases like the Columbia Noir sets, the 5th WB Film Noir set. Film buffs have also been pleased to see some excellent titles emerging from the vaults (as it were) via the various DVD Manufactured on Demand systems from WB, Universal (got my Ruggles of Red Gap copy early this year, various TCM collections and now Columbia. I've been very pleased to see Shout and Classic Media and other outfits picking up the slack and finishing up some series that were left to languish- particularly Classic Media bringing out the 4th season of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. WB's new Looney Tunes Superstar series, which was intended to replace the Golden Collections, is a great effort and one that collectors and fans will definitely pick up, but not as jaw-dropping as the 6 volume Golden Collection- either in extras or titles.

And yet, the days of going into a Big Box shop or easily found retail shop to pursue the classic film titles or even find new classic film and cartoon titles are long gone. Even sure fire sellers like the Looney Tunes are "not available in stores" and mostly available online or at dedicated retailers like Barnes and Noble where prices are, well, pricey. The internet seems to be the main retail outlet, and while in this day and age, it's not complicated or difficult, it sure is different. While I really don't need a bazillion copies of the latest bombed at the box office teen, romcom or horror film, it sure would be heartening to see some copies of Rocky and Bullwinkle on the shelves to grab and pick up for a fun evening with the kids. And while Netflix is truly a gift from the film gods, where it truly falls down is when it makes deals with studios to delay rentals or not even offer rentals of Manufactured on Demand titles. I don't want to shell out $20 bucks to own a copy of Doc Savage; I mean, it wasn't that great- but it was cheesy fun from my childhood that I wouldn't mind seeing again at least once.

So here we are: knee deep in the hoopla as the kiddies of the 80s used to say, and yet when it comes to availability and access to titles, it feels like we are taking two steps forward, and they take two steps back. And when was the last time you read a sentence with two 80s pop music references that actually made sense? C'mon, admit it, that's why you love us.

The questions remains- are we standing still? At a crossroads, in a way? Playing a media game of chicken to see which company, consumer, or studio is going to blink first and rush headlong into downloading or some other option? Are we that committed to Blu-Ray? I know very few people who own them or are converting DVD titles to Blu-Ray. A jump from VHS to DVD, many can understand, but when a Blu-Ray player can also play DVDs- why bother? The few people I do know who have them have another reason- a computer with a Blu-Ray drive or a Gaming system. Studios are playing a different game with on demand titles- almost as if they were hedging their bets. By virtue of placing these MOD programs in motion, they also are set up for Downloading- WB already sells titles that way. They know there are really only a few kinds of consumers of their products. There is the average, buy DVD every so often consumer, the film fan/collector who buy and horde DVDs and will reluctantly pay more when they have to have a certain title and then there is the casual film fan who will rent or at least wait till a DVD hits the $5 dollar bin.

I have not changed my initial stance per se, I still think the opportunity and availability of titles still outweighs the loss in store shelf real estate and the loss in extras and special features. The price of some titles still gives me pause, which is why any purchases are few and have to have more justification. However, now I think that enough players have entered the fray that I believe we are beginning to see a real poker game emerge. And I think that in this instance, the next big risk taker among the studios or companies will be the one to hold the most chips in the end. I don't necessarily like Download - there are still some things that will have to be worked out. Anyone who has lost an important file due to a computer crash or glitch knows exactly what I mean. But, I do love my DVR, and have enjoyed being able to DVR TCM films and titles that aren't available any other way, and watch them when I can.

The tech sector will have to step up the game, and I think, given Apple's recent press announcements, that they are doing just that. Portable media players have been around for a while, but players that do a little of everything and store data, rather than play discs are where we are at now. Will we a film collection reduced to a small black box (I would prefer a lovely hunter green personally) hard drive that stores and plays our media? Or will we use some sort of portable hard drive to use from player to player? Or will there be advanced development in micro storage space that makes owning a film collection on a device like an iPod Touch or Kindle a more manageable reality. I don't know for sure- perhaps all of the above. Signs are pointing in the direction of some of this already happening.

One thing is for sure, technology developments move at a lightning pace and classic film fans, by nature, usually don't. As far as availability and adaptability, studios and consumers are a couple of steps behind. Consider that it really took a couple of years to really get a large group of titles available on DVD. If you can remember that far back, it was the same for VHS. It's happening with Blu-Ray now. Predictable sellers like perennial classics such as epics Gone with the Wind, Ben-Hur, Casablanca and others hit the stores first to test the waters and establish base camp. Other titles come later, or don't come at all. Other venues try to make them available, but to be honest we don't usually see the same amount of available titles with each progressive wave of technology. There were more titles available on VHS than DVD and on DVD than on Blu-Ray now. The digital download option obviously bucks that trend. The sticky widget is deliverability and price. And as invested consumers we would do well to keep an eye on the trends and see where this thing is headed. I don't see the need to convert my DVD collection anytime soon, but I sure as heck am watching the Tech sector and its developments.

A bigger concern for me is how this will all change the viewing habits of consumers and will Classic films still resonate and have growth among new viewers. You have to admit, as a community, we are somewhat inclusive, yet exclusive. We always welcome new classic film fans and hope to see more, but at the same time we roll our collective eyeballs at those who only watch new films, don't get "classic films" or can't hang in there with the rest of us when we blog our 12 part series about the intricacies of the mechanics of the Flying Monkeys on The Wizard of Oz.

My argument is that, as a community that cares about classic films as a whole, and that cares about preserving the history, the work and the heritage and legacy that classic films represent, we need to be concerned about their exposure to younger and upcoming generations and doing something to grow that appreciation and love for classic Media as a whole for the future. We are making fantastic strides in certain areas- the phenomenal For the Love of Film blogathon that raised money for film preservation is an important part of keeping that heritage alive. And I believe that the two single most influential sources for creating new classic film fans and spreading that appreciation and knowledge has been the fantastic writing from bloggers and critics on the internet and, of course, the powerhouse known as TCM.

That being said, I also notice the signs of a changing society. Classic film appreciation will always have to hurdle the barriers that some people put up to loving them. However the change in technology is not just limitless, but limiting. Quick spurts of media exposure are the order of the day: watch a film in increments on the go or better yet, watch television online or on your smart phone or gadget when you can. Our society favors the fast pace, the anxiety and the short term attention span and memory. What you cannot simply digest in a short amount of time, and understand and appreciate, requires a greater investment- something which, I fear, people are not as willing to do anymore. Social media, music, news, entertainment news, even films -are all about the sound bite explosion. People have no problem posting their "status" of the mundane on Facebook throughout the day like a Tommy gun, but sitting down to watch a film that has visions of antiquated technology such as corded phones requires not only interest, but time to sit and digest. Sure the typical classic film fan can watch a small portion of a film and come back to it later with out much of a problem, but how many of you really want to? You want to soak it all in, you get wrapped up in familiar scenes, and you tell yourself- just a few more minutes. But you know and are familiar with classic films, the stars, and already have great interest. How do we get a FB-ing, earbud wearing, quick draw thumb texting teenage generation to begin to appreciate and invest time and interest in classic media (and I actually include books in that question)? Sure it starts at home. It starts with introducing and not pushing - letting them discover treasures on their own. And nurturing the interest along the way.

Is it really all that important, you ask? Do we seriously need to consider "creating" classic film fans? Don't worry, I don't envision an evangelical approach; however, I do think we need to find ways to encourage support and create new ways of exposing others to classic media. I think we need to continue all important preservation efforts, and to record and write the history of classic films. Sensationalist biographies can be fun, but I think we can use more works that record an overview of the history, the studio system, the stars, and the appreciation for the films, without dangerously becoming too specialized and insular in tone, and thereby alienating the new fan. And by all means- all of you writing out there- don't get discouraged! Keep writing! Combine the nostalgic memories with the movies. As I tell my students, the interest in history (or in classic films) often comes as a result of some kind of personal connection with it. Once the connection is made, the journey begins.

The old caretaker of the museum may reflect, upon retiring, who will love and nourish the things of the past as well as I? Do I leave this place in danger of a coming generation who no longer finds the relevancy or the need for such things? Will this building still stand when I am long gone? The sentiment is familiar to anyone who values and cherishes the lessons and the legacy the past has to offer. After all, so many generations removed from this or that, we cared- will someone else in the future still care? The real pressing question we have to ask ourselves isn't how much do we love classic films, but instead, do we love classic films enough to pass that love on down to someone else?

A strange twilight world opened up before me, and I felt as the first man to set foot on another planet, an intruder in this mystic garden of the deep.

the times, they are a-changin'

2010-09-07T13:20:00.006-05:00

Caught sight of the first signs that Fall is indeed around the corner; went into my local Walgreens and saw Halloween candy on display. Now I know a few of you are lamenting: "Wow. Already? Way too early." My youngest son said as much to me over the weekend: "Can't they at least wait til October?" Sure, I understand. Football just arrived, you might say. Some of you might even be complaining that you still wish to hold on to Summer and eek out its last gasp. Back to School is still kind of in session, some of you contend.

Me? Well, you have known me way too long to know that the kid inside me is doing jumping jacks. It was rather inappropriate for me to actually do them in the store, dontcha know. I've never been a huge fan of summer, as far as seasons go, and a long hot summer makes me itch for the cool weather, crisp fallen leaves and the cool husky evenings of fall and everything else that goes with it. And after the summer I've had, I think a little sign that it's almost here, is just what the Doctor ordered. I know you aren't ready, but the kid in me is ready.

So you know what to expect this holiday season here at the Shelf- more candy reviews, fun products, Halloween OTR, classic Halloween films and cartoons. I believe whole-heartedly that we should make Halloween fun and kid friendly again. I know full well the history behind the holiday, but I also know the harvest traditional fun that our early agricultural national culture seemlessly blended with the old world beliefs. Adults have taken over and practically ruined it for kids, not to mention a more dangerous world out there making it even less kid-friendly. So we aim to have some fun, remind you of your Halloween kid-dom and share the fun with all of you. Sure, we'll wait a little while to get going- I mean who wants the overkill. Just consider this "Coming Attractions." We return you now to you regularly scheduled other boring daily stuff.

There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin.

a few of my favorite things...

2010-09-03T10:03:00.012-05:00

Dear Shelfers, no doubt your patience has been tried, and the wonderings about your erstwhile host has gone on for far too long. And at times, I admit to have considered closing down the Shelf altogether myself. Life outside of the tinny walls of the internet has been quite full this summer; something which many can relate to, no doubt. I make no excuse, but only, in my most Puck-ish way, ask for your hands to make amends. While putting the Shelf on an indefinite hiatus was an option considered and attractive in some ways, the unintended temporary hiatus this summer gnawed at my conscience. Many things occurred, and were seen, which, I confess, led my thoughts immediately to you: the loyal reader. When a classic film favorite passed away, a new DVD release made it our way, or just simply a nostalgic journey held sway- my first thoughts were of the necessity to share them with you.

Five years ago, this month, The Shelf was born. At that time there were some great inspirational bloggers out there, toiling away at the virtual onion skin. Classic films, nostalgia, and American culture were their beat, and I was eager to throw in my own two cents worth of thoughts (despite, prices already being inflated). While by no means was I a lone voice in the wilderness, nostalgic and Classic film blogging was still under populated to a degree and I have been so extremely proud of our "community" to see so many others get out there and get involved and make their voices heard over the intervening years. So many great and talented writers have emerged, bringing to light information, discussing the underappreciated as well as the overrated, dissecting old arguments and perhaps starting new ones; Classic films and television has enjoyed a growing awareness, popularity and appreciation over the years. That is, in no small part, due to so many bloggers, critics, and writers that have emerged over the vast interweb landscape. It is a testament to all of you that when news occurs that in someway involves classic media, the story can be found in a short period of time on many websites. Many of you have been able to break down news items and reviews and provide a unique insight in such a wonderful, and admittedly (jealous confession) frustrating way, that at times I felt it not only unnecessary, but even criminal to try and add anything to it.

This is not a complaint so much as it is a celebration and even self-examination; there are so many sites available now, that it can be difficult to see where I can add any contribution at all. At the same time however, I value my blogroll, because my daily reading has increased so much over the years that I have found so much joy and entertainment in all that I can find. A double-edged sword indeed.

As I look back over the past few years, I remember the fun and joy I have had sharing with you my thoughts and finds, and even quirky ideas and reviews. I hope you can still find some worth in the old saws still available in the archives. As I tread these creaky boards, just as old actors are wont to do, I am inspired to continue to share as much as I can- if nothing else, to satisfy my own nostalgic yearnings. I may not be the first to acknowledge the passing of a film star, nor the only person to wax philosophical on the value of old television shows, or even the only one to recklessly proclaim my devotion to an underappreciated or overrated gem from the past. No, in fact, I am glad that is the case, because the wealth of knowledge, opinion, and discussion is so valuable and great that I am grateful to be counted among you and hope that this means that the past, which we treasure so much, will not be lost and counted as dust among the cluttered remains of human ephemera.

So with this I've “undeclared” my manifesto, with which Wolf and I began this experiment- to constantly comment, to be there on the scene, to boldly challenge ourselves to push everything and anything to the forefront. No - I release myself from this burden, and hope you will indulge me in the same. I wish to share in the joy, in the discussion, to jump in when I remember or think of something I wish to share with you. When I find some little treasure, I wish to post it here and share with you. Content may be more eclectic than in the past, but with your indulgence, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. It's nothing for me, in conversation with like-minded individuals, to jump from the Three Stooges, to Dean Martin, to Cicero, to Frank Capra, to Crazy Horse, to the Pilgrims, to classic Cereal commercials without so much as losing my place. Thus, you may see short posts of favorite nostalgic commercials, DVD reviews, discussion of history and just posting favorite pictures of radio show stars - all in the same week. Call it stream of consciousness, madness, or even a short attention span- I just call it - little old me. I hope to get Wolfie back on board- he's as busy as the rest of us- but hope springs eternal nonetheless.

To begin, with the new attitude and new look (hope you like it- we will still tinker with it a little) - here is something I've discovered as of late, which I've enjoy immensely. A classic television game show, known as What's My Line (I even play a modified version of the game with my students), in which the occasional famous individual would be a contestant. Often the movie or television star would arrive and have to disguise their voice to fool the panel. Many of these clips are available on YouTube and I have really enjoyed them of late. I would like to share a couple of gems with you in honor of The Shelf 2.0, so to speak.

First up: The Shelf favorite: Jack Benny. If only Fred Allen had been on the panel...

Secondly: Dedicated to our good friend and one of our favorite bloggers, Laura: Robert Montgomery. And interesting bonus- Peter Lawford is on the panel.

And lastly I have to include, the one, the only: Groucho.(Whom, by the way, more and more has reminded me of my father's father in more ways than I've ever realized.)

Late Addition!
I thought I would add one more that I watched earlier today that I got a kick out of: the mystery guest is Walter Brennen and on the panel are Adolphe Menjou and the lovely Greer Garson. Very cool:

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, everyone, and stay tuned for more short attention span blogging.

Maria, these walls were not meant to shut out problems. You have to face them. You have to live the life you were born to live.

pardon our dust...

2010-07-19T21:01:00.003-05:00

We have been on an unintentional hiatus, but as you can see we are beginning to do some redecorating and remodeling here at The Shelf, and preparing a few posts, in anticipation of our return. In the meantime, please pardon our digital dust, as it were, and if you have some thoughts about the design- feel free to comment.
Stay tuned....

Make that three hard-boiled eggs.

rerepost: 1776

2010-07-04T14:17:00.002-05:00

While everyone breaks out the fireworks, grilled hot dogs and backyard slip n' slides, we would like to repost one of our popular posts from the past (say that three times fast). Happy Fourth of July from everyone at the Shelf.

Back in July of 1776, the war for independence was far from over and seemed all but lost. George Washington and the continental army were in New York licking their wounds from a previous loss and unknown to them, they were preparing for another defeat. Some citizens supported their cause. Some did not. Some fed them. Some did not. Things were not looking good for the Americans. Even patriotic citizens doubted the ability of their military to defeat the British and sometimes wavered in their support. America as a society was a "fair weather friend" to these soldiers fighting for freedom and the fledgling government whose vision of independence brought on their call to arms. Yet, during this same time in Pennsylvania the Continental Congress was in session and in the process of making world history. When all seemed lost and it appeared that the popularity of the continental polititions and their ideas was all but nil, they girded their loins and by the inspiration of God Himself drafted a bold document for the world to see and envy for centuries to come.On July 9th 1776 in New York, George Washington ordered that this document ,which was called at this time the "Dunlap Broadside", be read aloud to his assembled army and whatever citizens who may wish to hear. When the reading of the Declaration of Independence was complete the words had inspired the soldiers and citizens so much that they began to celebrate uncontrollably. The words of that document resonated in the souls of those who heard it so much that even in a phase of war where many pondered accepting amnesty from the British in exchange for surrender, citizens and soldiers alike gathered around a statue of King George in New York and removed it's head. The head was taken to their leader George Washington as a symbol of their desire for freedom and their approval of the words read to them earlier in the day.In today's America, we are similar to the fickle citizenry of 1776. Some support our government and some don't. Even some who call themselves patriotic doubt our country's ability to win our military engagements over seas. Worse yet, we have citizens in this country who believe that we are always wrong. There is no mystery as to why our country has been askew as of late. It's the fault of the people.There are good citizens in this country and I hope I am one of them, but the confused far outweigh the understanding people of this nation. Somewhat like the America of 1776, we have been experiencing political upheaval with folks pointing fingers and choosing sides. The resolve and unity of September 12th 2001 have all but disappeared from us. We need something to bring us together to be a nation of one. Once again we need nothing less than devine words inspired by God to touch our souls and remind us what we stand for and what we are made of. For the remainder of today's post I give you those words; the words of the Declaration of Independence. These words at one time were strong enough to cause ordinary citizens to march out and bring back the head of a king and I believe they are still that strong today. Read and ponder and don't forget: today is not just July 4th.......it's Independence Day.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united states of America

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred. to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

Feel free to comment if the need strikes you.

The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves. George Washington

repost: D-Day

2010-06-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

In honor of this day, in which we should never forget the sacrifice given, we present this popular essay from a couple of years ago.

... Today marks that remarkable day in history, once described as "hell on a beach": D-Day. On this day, are we thinking about the heroes who gave their true last full measure? Have you read anything about it lately? There are numerous books out there, as well as various web sites with good information to tell the tale of that morning of June 6, 1944. Please go and pursue read that material, but for now I want you to think about the following:
Allies knew they would have to conduct an invasion of France and press on to Berlin from the West in order to defeat the Germans. Normandy became the most likely location for the invasion in 1943, and later that year the plan for Operation Overlord was submitted to Allied leaders and approved. The men (and women who may have not been on the front lines, but served in vital areas nonetheless) trained for almost a year prior to the invasion. Since 75% of the invasion forces would be American, the Allies choose as leader of the operation, General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Eisenhower was a soft spoken man in many ways, never truly given to the political aspect of pushing your military career. He was an organizer, a admirer of the military man, and a natural leader- one who had genuine affection for the men fighting for freedom. Once when visiting with the men before that fateful June day he asked if any of the soldiers were from Kansas. When one soldier raised his hand, Eisenhower replied, "Go get 'em Kansas." He was like that with the men. He was also committed to what needed to happen. Once the course was decided, there was no turning back. And if the invasion was a failure, he also knew that he would take a huge portion of the blame. It wasn't the blame from the press or the political leaders that worried him- he was more concerned with the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and sweethearts and children back home who not only desperately wanted the boys to come home alive, but also wanted them to succeed. Aided on the British side by General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery, who commanded the ground troops, and Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay who commanded naval operations, these three men became the leadership of an invasion that would have little equal in the annals of history. The last word, to go, would remain with Gen. Eisenhower.

The boys themselves knew that many of them would not make it, that despite their training some of them would not set foot on the beach. And those that made it to the beach, may just be buried on it's shores. The boys of D-Day knew what could happen, yet they also knew that it had to be done. The allies knew that the Germans had heavy guns there, and had had time to build up defenses against both an aerial and naval assault. Therefore, both had to occur. The night of June 5 Allied paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines to try and weaken those defenses and take out some of those guns. If you have read Band of Brothers or seen the mini-series then you know a little of what I'm describing. Many of the guys didn't make it, some units lost almost all of their men. Those surviving units completed their missions and survived because of their comrades and the men who emerged from the ranks as natural leaders to take the place of the fallen.

Then that fateful day of June 5th (that's right, June 5th) the day that was designated for the invasion, weather caused great concern. The leaders, and ultimately Gen. Eisenhower decided to hold off for a day, in hopes of more favorable weather. June 6th came and while the weather was not perfect, a window of opportunity arose and Gen. Eisenhower gave the order- "Ok, we go." On those words an invasion involving over 150,000 men and 5000 naval craft, numerous aircraft began. Some landing boats were blown out of the water. Thousands died just trying to make it to the beach, and then those cliffs. Many more died trying to take those cliffs and quiet those guns. It was a day of sacrifice for the allies, and the people who gave their all did not die in vain. The invasion succeeded. The allies were able to take Normandy, establish supply points and a naval base of operations. Valuable reinforcements came, landing strips for Allied aircraft were secure. Over the next year the Allies pushed ahead to Germany, with the Russians pushing from the East. The hope and the fears of the free world went with them every step of the way.

These boys...these men who gave their all were previously neighbors. Sons. Brothers Husbands. Students. Teachers. Ball players. Butchers. Milkmen. Farmers. Accountants. Shop clerks. Builders. Trash men. They were, in short, the people we knew. And they were the best of us. They were Americans; raised in a country of freedom, hardened during a time a depression, and conditioned to defeat a terrible foe with terrible means. They knew what had to be done. The people back home knew what had to be done. Everyone knew that it came with a price. These men of D-Day paid that price.
Think about that. They knew the cost, and they paid it. Don't we need to remember that and cherish it? Don't we need to thank them for that? What strikes me today is that everytime I talk to a friend, a soldier who is just home from Iraq and Afghanistan is that fact that they also know what is at stake and that the freedom for our futures and for the future of others exacts a price. As the cliche goes, and is true as most cliches are, freedom is not free. The sooner we remember that... the sooner we remember the true value of it, the better off we will be.
Before the men of D-Day left for their missions, General Eisenhower issued his "Order of the Day" to the "Sailors, Soldiers, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!" I think to close out today, I would like to quote that extraordinary "letter" to his men, the men of D-Day:

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is will trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

On behalf of Wolf and myself I would like to say thank you. Thank you, men and women of D-Day. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you to those fought and survived and those fought and lay down their lives for me and my family. Thank you to those at home who sacrificed much of their daily comforts to fight the war. And thank you to the families of the fallen- your sacrifice is sacred beyond measure. This American will not forget and will always cherish the courage, devotion to duty, and the freedom for which you fought.
And to our men and women overseas who fight today for our freedoms- Thank you and to quote General Eisenhower, "Go get 'em."

I treasure my remark to a grandson who asked, "Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?" "No", I answered, "But I served in a company of heroes".

salute to our fallen

2010-05-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

As we enjoy the rest of this Memorial Day weekend, please enjoy this repost of one of our most requested and commented-on posts from the past few years by our very own Wolf Flywheel. Also, please remember the reason behind this day and take a moment to reflect and pray for the fallen and their families. And thank a soldier and their families for their current service.

As we fire up the grills today and enjoy family and friends I challenge us all to remember those for whom this day began. For centuries man has engaged in battle. Since time began there has always been a group somewhere who took up arms to defend their own or others who could not do so for themselves. Today we remember those who undertook this duty for our nation, but did not live to return home. I am not ashamed to say that as Americans, we live in the greatest nation on this green earth. God smiles on this country and those who feel otherwise can go jump in a lake.
The Declaration of Independence and Constitution alike are documents inspired of God and we live under the protection of their great canopy today. Lets take today to enjoy our freedoms and remember those who stand watch and hoist that canopy for us.

There is the famous phrase "All gave some and some gave all..". We hear it now and then and most of us pay little attention. Today is the day we remember those who gave all. My grandfather fought in and was wounded in the invasion of Italy in WWII. He is with us today because our family is greatly blessed. There are those who fought alongside him who never made it back to their families. I once heard him talk about the horrors of war saying that since returning home he has thought "Why did I survive? Why is it that when I was injured that I came out OK yet there were so many others who never made it past 19 or 21 years of age and returned home dead." He told me once that he had a great friend in his unit from Tennessee. He said they fought together in North Africa and into Italy. After he was wounded, he was taken to a field hospital and then to Charleston, S.C. to recover. Once he had gained his bearings in Charleston, he says he went to great lengths to check on the status of his friend who was still fighting overseas. In the process of doing so, he discovered to his horror that his unit had gone on to spearhead an attack on a city held by the Nazis and was almost completely wiped out. The list of casualties included his friend. This caused him to wonder why he survived and why he wasn't dead with his friend. I know he is grateful that he is here with us today, but I understand why he has had concern in the past.

There are those who have gone on before who died for the cause of our freedom or for the freedom of another. I don't care what your politics are. Whether it's our freedom or the freedom of some other nation, it is still freedom. People say that our soldier are dying for nothing in Iraq, but I say that disrespects the fallen who went out and put their life on the line for the freedom of another. No soldier ever died for nothing as long as they believed in the cause for which they fought. Let us put partisan views aside today and remember those who will never make it home. For the sake of their memory and the honor of their families, let us join together this day in a moment of silence to remember those who have fallen. I know we've all seen this video clip of the soldier returning from Iraq and surprising his son. As a father of two boys, I know what it is to enjoy the love of your children. In my career I have had several instances where I thought that I might not have made it home to see them again. Luckily I'm still with my family, but as we watch this clip today, let's think of what it is like for all of those little boys and girls past and present who won't get to hug mommy or daddy again. Let's think that even though our soldiers fight for freedom right now in another country, they still fight and die for freedom. Let's honor them for their courage and sacrifice and let's think about what it means when we hear "some gave all".

Please feel free to comment if the need strikes you.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ."

where have all the loopholes gone?

2010-05-28T10:45:00.006-05:00

...Not very far, I assure you. Yes, dear Shelfers, we have been on somewhat an unintended hiatus. I could go into the many fascinating reasons, but will not- instead I humbly apologize for my absence and hope you can forgive old Uncle Loophole. Having been consumed with work and various other projects that have demanded my attention, I still have been taking snippets of time to check in on our fellow bloggers and try to keep up with the many things going on.

It is Memorial Day weekend, and I will re-post one or two favorite related articles from the past over the course of the next couple of days. I hope you will enjoy them. We have always supported and have great respect for our troops and I know that many of you out there do as well. So I wouldn't be surprised to know that while there will be many cookouts, etc- many of you will also be displaying the flag, thanking troops, attending parades, and some will be visiting the gravesides or memorials lost in thought. Let us all say a prayer and give a thought to those we've lost and all those out there still serving and defending.

Meanwhile, allow me to point your television clickers to several things being shown this weekend on TCM:
72 Hour Memorial Day Weekend Movie Marathon: Well that just says it all, doesn't it? Many of your favorites will be on this weekend, as well as a few that don't get too much play very often. Here is the schedule (all times est), plus one or two highlights for the old DVR:

Friday May 28th:
6 am: The Lost Patrol (1934): John Ford's film has been both heavily knocked and praised by critics and Ford fans alike. I happen to really enjoy of lot of Ford's earlier work. While not certainly not polished like later films, this one is full of raw edge and nerves. A British patrol is riding through the desert, when their leader (who is the only one who knows their mission) is killed by a sniper. Although a sargeant is able to lead them to an oasis, no one knows where they are to go next, and they becomed pinned down by the mysterious sniper. Featuring great performances from Boris Karloff and Ford troop regular, Victor McLaglen.

7:15 AM Dive Bomber (1941)

9:30 AM Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

12:00 PM Command Decision (1948)

2:00 PM God Is My Co-Pilot (1945)

3:30 PM Battleground (1949): William Wellman directs this wonderfully taut and thoughtful (yes, I said it) film about a group of men from the 101st Ariborne, trapped in the Bastogne in 1944- commonly known as the Battle of the Buldge. Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban, James Whitmore and John Hodiak lead a cast portraying a group of men, different from one another, but working together to survive the snow and the Germans.

5:30 PM Sergeant York (1941)

8:00 PM Stalag 17 (1953)

10:15 PM The Great Escape (1963)

1:15 AM The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

4:00 AM King Rat (1965)

Saturday May 29th:
4:21 AM U.S. Army Band (1943)

6:30 AM You're In The Army Now (1941)

8:00 AM Buck Privates (1941): Always a Loophole household favorite, two street hustlers (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) mistakenly join the Army while trying to evade a policeman, who turns out to be their drill sargeant. This film really brought Bud and Lou into the spotlight and led to them becoming one of the biggest box office draws of the 1940s. Buck Privates also laid the groundwork and became a template for so many more wartime comedies. The film also features an always welcome performance by the Andrews sisters as well.

9:30 AM In Harm's Way (1965)

12:30 PM Battle Of The Bulge (1965)

3:30 PM The Battle Of Britain (1969): Sir Laurence Olivier, Trevor Howard, Michael Caine and Christopher Plummer star in this greatly compelling film about the defense of England against the Nazi Blitz. This film is a technical marvel as well. Months were spent assembling the cast, crew, extras, vintage planes, and even had several veteran flying aces, German and British, from the actual blitz itself as technical advisors. Some felt the film contained too much, and was almost overbearing in it's story structure- but it delivered such a visually intense drama and story, that's hard to overlook. Directed by Guy Hamilton and produced by Harry Saltzman, the team who were responsible for Goldfinger and several of the James Bond films of the time.

5:45 PM Midway (1976)

8:00 PM The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

11:00 PM Pride of the Marines (1945)

1:15 AM Birdy (1984)

3:30 AM Let There Be Light (1946)

4:45 AM The Secret Invasion (1964)

Sunday, May 30th:
6:30 AM Battle Cry (1955)

9:00 AM Short Film: Picturesque New Zealand (1952)
9:17 AM Short Film: Nostradamus And The Queen (1953)

9:30 AM Darby's Rangers (1958)

11:50 AM Short Film: Operation Dirty Dozen (1967)

12:00 PM The Dirty Dozen (1967) You know the names and faces: Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Richael Jaeckel, Telly Savalas and more. This was one of the first World War II era films I ever saw, and it is one of my grandfather's favorites. I know I saw it at least 5 or 6 times just with him- more on my own.

2:45 PM The Guns of Navarone (1961)

5:30 PM The Green Berets (1968)

8:00 PM Mister Roberts (1955)

10:15 PM Operation Petticoat (1959)

12:30 AM Four Sons (1928)

2:45 AM Paisan (1946)

5:00 AM Nazty Nuisance (1943)

Clint Eastwood Marathon
On Monday, May 31st, TCM will air a marathon in tribute to Clint Eastwood's 80th birthday and will feature many of his films including: The Man with No Name Trilogy, Where Eagles Dare, Hang 'Em High, Kelly's Heroes and more. The star attraction of the day will be the TCM premiere of the recent documentary about Clint: The Eastwood Factor. This was included in the massive Warner Brother's DVD set: Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years at Warner Bros. I watched an advance copy of the film and it's terrific- many film clips and interviews, talks with Clint at home and at work, giving a glimpse into the man and also into his ideas and thoughts on not just his films, but the industry as well. Very much worth your time, and space on your DVR, especially if you (like me) aren't able to get the mega DVD giftset.

Well Shelfers- I hope you enjoy your Memorial Day and this weekend. There is plenty to see on TCM, but there is plenty of time to spend with family and loved ones and time to remember those who gave their lives to defend us and our country. After all, you can always DVR and record the movies- precious time with others only gets recorded in our hearts after we have spent it.

Throw your chest out! Go on! Throw your chest out! - I'm not through with it yet!

perfesser loophole recommends:easter edition

2010-04-02T12:51:00.009-05:00

Well, well, well- got stuff to do to get ready for the festivities this weekend and need some downtime to relax, but you don't want to get out of that holiday spirit? Well don't worry the ol' perfesser hisself (that's me) yer old Uncle Loophole has some classic film recommendations to help you unwind and keep you inspired. Sure, there may be a couple of no-brainers here, but then who's the perfesser. Yes, yes- I know how to spell it correctly, no need to be a smart alec, I'm just changing it up to kinda make it sound funny in your head...as you read it- oh, never mind. Here we go with Professor (are you happy now?) Loophole's Classic Film recommendations for the Easter season:

The Ten Commandments
You knew this was coming, so you shouldn't act all surprised. Unless that's sarcasm there, in which case if it is, cut it out. Only I am allowed to be sarcastic in class. Anywhooo- what better way to kick off this whole week than by catching a viewing of The Ten Commandments. It's usually run this time of year, and in the past on network television. I don't really know if that's the case this year or not, but it's on DVD and readily available so there is no excuse to miss it. It's long, and at few places, kind of slow- but it has a steady pace and a vision that is sustained throughout the film. Christians and Jews celebrate a common heritage with this story and it has iconic performances from Charlton Heston and Yul Brenner; not to mention it has a cast of thousands. They don't call 'em Historical Epics for nothing.

Samson and Delilah
Sticking with DeMille for a moment here...while this film is technically not about Easter or even Passover, there is something powerful in the story of a hero falling and then struggling to redeem himself, even if it is one last act. Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr head up a great cast in this Biblical epic. It's a great film, and one of the few films that I think made effective use of Victor Mature. It even starts with an older man telling children the story of Moses - so what a segue from our previous entry! The bad news is that for some reason this film isn't readily available on R1 DVD. The good news is that right now a copy has been loaded up on Youtube. I won't show it here because of it's length, but here is the link to Part 1.

Ben-Hur
Another iconic performace from Charlton Heston, in a very powerful film. It is a great tale and a great movie, but I feel it is most effective and touching in it's more subtle moments. We've all been betrayed by something, or someone- and we've all been failed or have failed at one point or another- and maybe we can relate to being driven by something that almost consumes us. But have you ever been touched by something so above you, so...inspired that you've sought high and low for it again? This is what really moves me about this film- the small moments, the inner thoughts and working of the hero's mind as brought out by Heston's fine performance- all coalescing and coming together later in the film. A man consumed by revenge, who literally sees the hand of Jesus, but then throughout his persuit of revenge doesn't see the hand of God moving in his life until later. His bitterness is healed. A fine and moving film. The Four disc DVD Special Edition set is the way to go with this one. Here is one the great scenes from the film:

By the way- allow me an indulgence and depart from our lesson for a moment and commend the fine, fine musical scores that always accompanied these films. The soundtracks are wonderful to listen to on their own as well, especially the great theme from Ben-Hur composed and conducted by Miklós Rózsa. Ok- back to our list.

The Robe
Released on DVD recently, I was able to catch up with this film, after not having seen it since I was a child watching Sunday afternoon television. Richard Burton plays Marcellus Gallio, a Roman military tribune assigned to oversee the crucifixtion of Jesus. After winning the robe of Jesus in a dice game, Marcellus Gallio begins to be strangely affected by the Robe, which eventually leads him first to get rid of it, but in the end his journey leads him to accept a different path. Victor Mature shows up as Gallio's slave, who later becomes his friend.

King of Kings/ The Greatest Story Ever Told
These two films are focused on the life of Jesus and are epics in their own right. Jeffrey Hunter stars in the lead role in King of Kings, which places an emphasis on the miracles and redeeming nature of Jesus. The later film stars Max Von Sydow in the role, who leads a large cast of stars, many of them making cameo appearances. Both movies are fairly long, which is to be expected with a Biblical epic film.

Lighter Fare:
There is also a lighter spirit and fun to be had...
Easter Parade
One of my favorite musicals. The film stars Fred Astaire as song and dance man, Don Hewes, who's leading lady (and girl) has been stolen away for solo stardom. Hewes desparately searches for a new partner and finds one in niave rookie singer Hannah Brown, played by Judy Garland. Hewes is determined to show up his former flame and partner by training and making a star of his new protege, but as the laws of Hollywood Musicals would have it, he didn't count on falling for Hannah as well. The film contains some great numbers, but it's centerpiece is Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade" and of course the great Easter gift shopping scene where Astaire peforms "Drum Crazy" (below).

It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown.
It's a Charlie Brown holdiay animated special. 'Nuff said. Ok - maybe a little said. I am the biggest Peanuts fan you will run into, so maybe I am prejudiced, but the scenes with Peppermint Patty trying to dye eggs with Marcie are a scream. And of course, it's a little messed up that it's Linus preaching the good word about the Easter Beagle. I mean, he got the whole Christmas thing right- and sure, The Great Pumpkin is just plain weird, but he's a good kid, so we'll forgive him this little quirk. But in light of new evidence of his evangelizing for an Easter Beagle-somebody's got to get this kid in therapy. That being said, it's still one of the classic Easter cartoons and an annual favorite. (Get some help Linus!)

Rankin Bass Easter trio
Didja think all that Rankin Bass did was Christmas? Not even close. They've got three, yes- count 'em, three Easter animated specials. First there is The First Easter Rabbit, told and sung by the great Burl Ives, about a stuffed rabbit who is brought to life and given a mission to bring Easter treats to children. Next there is Here Comes Peter Cottontail, narrated by Danny Kaye. This delightful special tells the story of young Peter Cottontail, who is racing through the holidays of the year in an effort to defeat the evil Irontail, and become the next Easter Rabbit. Lastly, and my favorite of the three, is The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town, narrated by Fred Astaire. This classic tale shows how Sunny the rabbit and his friends in Kidsville, are able to bring Easter cheer and fun to a place called "Town." Town has a kid for a King, but is told what to do by his tyrannical Aunt Longtooth. The thing that Aunt Longtooth does not want in Town is Easter and all the Easter treats and fun. Sunny and his companions find a way to get past old tyrannical Aunt Longtooth, and bring Easter to the kids and adults of Town in this classic favorite.

Well class- there is the list. A good time to be had by all, if you asked me. And if you didn't ask me too. So get to boiling those eggs, cooking that ham, and pressing your best Easter outfit, and pop in one of our recommended titles. They are sure to keep that Easter spirit and inspiration going.

Almost at the moment He died, I heard Him say, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And I felt His voice take the sword out of my hand.

easter cartoon special!

2010-04-01T14:16:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year- sunny spring weather, religious holidays, a time for peace and reflection and as a bonus some chocolate bunnies and Easter cartoon specials! Networks used to show many of these during the season, as we've discussed previously. It should come as no surprise that I have a favorite or two, especially It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown! So without further ado, we present this years Shelf Easter Cartoon Special!

First up : It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown

Watch Charlie Brown - It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown in Anime | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Commerical Break!

Bonus Easter Cartoon!

Commerical Break!

Aww heck, it's Easter- here's one more!

Enjoy!

Some Easter Beagle! He gave me my own egg!

happy passover

2010-03-29T08:19:00.003-05:00

We at the Shelf would to like to wish all of our friends of the Jewish faith a very peaceful, joyous and reflective Passover week.

It would take more than a man to lead the slaves from bondage. It would take a god.

vintage ad and more

2010-03-24T11:02:00.009-05:00

(from the Internet Archive database collection of scanned Photoplay Magazine - August 1930 issue)
Just dropping in on a very busy week for a couple of items (and to share the cool vintage Lifesavers ad from 1930.

Around Ye olde blogging neighborhood:
I am pleased to let you know Ivan at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear is mending and has actually pulled himself away from the nurses long enough to check in at his blog. Drop in and wish him well. We've missed ya, Ivan.

Still a fairly new link at the Shelf Community clubhouse: Golden Age Comic Book Stories, has been a wonderful retreat for me from the dreariness of politics as of late. Mr. Door Tree (as he calls himself) scans and posts the beautiful artwork from children's books of days gone by. You will find yourself enthralled.

John McElwee reviews the new second edition of Richard Barrios’ look at the birth of the sound era, A Song In The Dark at Greenbriar Picture Shows. The book just shot up to the top ten of my read-when-I-get-a-moment-to-breathe list.

Leonard Maltin has had some great articles on his Movie Crazy site lately (Leonard, I love ya, but your old site was much better) : He reviews the long awaited DVD release of The African Queen, discusses Great Movies still not out on DVD, and discusses a man by the name of David Pierce, who is developing an online website project called Media History Digital Library, which aims to be "A major conservation and access project for historical printed materials related to cinema, broadcasting and recorded sound." Very cool and I hope he succeeds.

The alluring Self-Styled Siren has had some great articles as always. Of particular interest: A post on the topic of adultery in classic films- followed by a great discussion thread. Also - I would be remiss if I didn't direct you to a couple of wrap-up/follow-up posts on the results from last month's For the Love of Film Blogathon. Thanks to Ferdy and the Siren, all the participating bloggers (of which I was proud to be one) and all those who donated to the cause, enough money was raised for the National Film Preservation Foundation, to restore a feature comedy and a cartoon. Awesomely done, oh awesome ones. Hopefully, this will be an annual event. We expect to hear the titles of the film and cartoon announced in coming months.

Laura at her self-titled Miscellaneous Musings has been throwing quite a few pre-code films in the DVD player in the last few weeks and has reviewed them, causing me to continue to add even more titles to my already busting-at-the-seams must-see list. Two recent films of interest: 1934's Desirable and 1932's Faithless. Even the titles are all "pre-code-y" goodness.

And sure, if ye be a true classic film fan, ye have watched a wee bit of The Quiet Man this past St. Paddy's day. And what of John Ford's other "Irish" film? What? You didn't know that Ford made another film set in Ireland (well, I guess, aside from The Informant?). Well, until I read Moira Finne fine examination of John Ford's The Rising of the Moon, I really didn't realize it either.

UPDATE:
Shortly after this posting, I saw news about the passing of actor Robert Culp. This was very sad for me especially for having grown up on watching him guest star on everything, but also from starring in one of my all-time favorite shows, The Greatest American Hero as take no prisoners FBI agent Bill Maxwell. And of course he will always be remembered for his role along co-star Bill Cosby in the great I Spy. You can read some excellent tributes at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings, Thrilling Days of Yesteryear and Big Hollywood. Mr. Culp will definitely be missed- and it has been an especially sad first quarter of 2010 for losing so many excellent actors and actresses.

Two mini-reviews of new releases this week:
Speaking of The African Queen- I have picked up my copy and my intial reaction is "WOW" - Paramount has really out done themselves with this release. The Commemorative Box set is the way to go for the classic movie fan, if nothing else, than for the bonus disc of the Lux Radio Theater adaption of the film and the copy of Katharine Hepburn's book on her experience on the making of the film (which has been out of print for a while). A neat little extra is also what they are calling a Collectible Senitype. It has three separate film frames in the three separate Technicolor colors- then one frame bringing them together to see for yourself the basic idea of the Technicolor process. Very, very neat. The film itself is fantastic and the digital and audio restoration is superb. Do not hesitate to pick it up - we give it a very enthusiastic 5 stars!

Also released this week, but perhaps flying under the radar: John Woo's epic film of Chinese History, Red Cliff. You can purchase the US theatrical version, but don't. You want to pick up the Internation version with parts I and II. Woo's filmed version of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms tells the story of end of the Han Dynasty in China and the infamous battle that took place in 208 A.D. which changed the entire course (and scale) of the country. The film is subtitled of course, but, grow up- you can handle it. You don't want to miss the entire performance of the actors. The cast is incredible and the film is wonderful- and a bit of a departure for fans used to John Woo's action films. Oh don't misunderstand- there is action, but there is so much more. US fans of Asian cinema have been looking forward to this, and if all you know of asian films is Jackie Chan (no disrespect, cause I love the Chan-man too), broaden your horizons- treat yourself to this visual feast of an epic film. 5 stars!

That's all for today Shelfers- stay tuned for more Shelf-y goodness.

Truth and illusion are often disguised as each other.

goodbye to the king of the wild frontier

2010-03-18T16:14:00.007-05:00

Fans and Disney-philes around the world are saddened to learn that actor Fess Parker has passed away today at the age of 85. First reports say he died of natural causes. Parker was well known to generations of Disney fans and the very first generation of Mouseketeers especially, as Davy Crockett in the episodes first serialized on the early Disneyland television series, then later blended together and released as feature films. Disney has released several DVD versions of the Davy Crockett series.

It is significant the impact the actor and the role had on a generation and in American cultural history. The very "coonskin" cap Parker wore in the series became a phenomenom with children across the United States, and helped to cement one of television history's longest running series: Disneyland He also was a figure on The Mickey Mouse Club series, as Parker appeared in some early episodes as himself and in character. Visitors around the globe are familiar with Frontierland and the Mike Fink's Keelboats which came directly from the Davy Crockett series as well. Parker had a profound influence on his young fans and if he did nothing else would still be considered a legend. In fact, Disney named him a "Disney Legend" in a ceremony in 1991.

Parker appeared in several other shows- most notably in the 1964-1970 series about another American frontier legend, Daniel Boone. The show fan on TVLand not too many years ago, and I remember watching and enjoying it very much and some seasons are available on DVD. Parker also appeared in several feature films including another popular Disney film, Old Yeller. Parker retired from acting in the 70s and invested in several Real Estate ventures and eventually opened a sprawling Doubletree Resort and a successful Winery, both in California.

Fess Parker- you will missed and you will be remembered by a generation- and introduced to growing generations of Disney fans the world over.

Now and then, for no good reason, life will haul off and knock a man flat.

can't hardly wait...one more week

2010-03-18T10:20:00.005-05:00

I am literally...literally counting down the days til next week's retail release of The African Queen on DVD (and Blu-Ray if that's your thing). I've saved birthday money, sold pencils on the street corner (yeah, that was me in the dark glasses), dug around in the sofa cushions, dug around in the neighbor's sofa cushions- heck, I've done everything I can to have the ready folding green to be able to pick up the Special edition DVD. Since we first announced it here at The Shelf, I've been looking forward to it. Aside from being a great film, it's also one of the very first Classic films I saw as a kid that lead me into the fully formed Classic Film Buff that stands before you today. Ok...well, sits before you. Ok, not "before you" - but at my computer...never mind, you know what I mean!

While I have been waiting, I've also been on the look out for some early reviews, as I knew the restored print would be screened for some critics, industry peeps, etc before the release. Well, I've seen several reviews of the screening hitting the online sites. So far, Lee Pfeiffer Cinema Retro has a great review:
"Like most classic movie fans, I have have viewed The African Queen countless times. However, I had never truly seen The African Queen until I attended a special digital screening of the restored version"

Also Nicholas Meyer at The Wrap. Follow the links to their sites to read their assessments. Also as a special treat, and via The Digital Bits, I've posted a short video about the restoration that I was able to link to the original PR site via The Digital Bits- so hat tip to them and please check them out (you should already be checking in with the DB guys weekly anyways for the latest DVD news, reviews and cover-art). The video is making the rounds of the web this week, accompanying the many reviews, but I don't believe it is included on the DVD/Blu-Ray releases- please enjoy:

You can pre-order the various editions of The African Queen, at Amazon.com and other online outlets or you can pick it up March 23 at various retail outlets. I'll be there getting my own copy, and no, I won't have my shades and cup of pencils anymore- you'll have to bring your own pencil.

Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above.

the wearing of the grin...

2010-03-17T13:26:00.002-05:00

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!
Some great Irish flicks on TCM during the day today- set your DVRs...

Now, isn't this sight enough to set the heart crossways in ye?

best wishes to our pal...

2010-03-11T10:36:00.005-05:00

...Ivan Shreve at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear. We've been concerned since we hadn't seen "hide nor hair" of our pal at the hallowed halls of his blog. Now we've gotten info from Tom at Motion Picture Gems that word comes from several other bloggers in the know, Edward Copland and The Self Styled Siren (is this a grapevine or what?), that Ivan has taken ill and is in the hosptial.
All of us at The Shelf wish Ivan a speedy recovery and a speedy return to the blogosphere.
Stacia at She Blogged By Night has also passed on word that you can also send your very own get well wishes to Ivan via the Athens Regional Medical Center's eGreetings system.
Ivan- get well soon friend!

You have nothing to worry about. The last patient I gave one of those to won the Kentucky Derby.

that's a wrap? really?

2010-03-08T09:24:00.005-05:00

Didn't watch last night's Oscars. Even though some of the awards seemed to be well deserved, and I was interested in how Up would do, it has just gotten too predictable, too long, and too "un-entertaining" in the last few years. This year's change in reverting to expanding the "Best Picture" category to 10 really didn't seem to do much other than to provide a way for people to think something they've actually seen would win and motivate them to watch. Somehow, I think all along voters and Academy members still had a dividing line in the minds as to what the "real nominees" were.

It's almost an exercise in folly to try and read the tea leaves in the weeks leading up to the broadcast, because it seems as if so many are arguing over who "deserves" the award and who the think will get it. The Oscars have always been about peer recognition, and I really don't have a problem with that- it never claimed to be anything else, and anyone who thinks differently is only fooling themselves. Yes, some years it is quite overbearing and overlong, and some years it is overtly and offensively political. But, after all, it is Hollywood voting on what it likes about itself most. I would argue that, in my opinion, in decades past the nominated films were more often than not, of a higher caliber and when members voted- they often voted for some truly outstanding work. Sometimes there was an "upset" or an off year. I believe, more often than not, there was some really excellent work being recognized.

Recent ceremonies seem to be more about the fashion, the infighting and the politics. In fact, millions of dollars go into what the attendees wear, and even more money goes into producing shows and magazines about the attendees and what they are wearing. So, I turn them off. That's right, rather than continue to complain, etc, I have copped to what I don't like, don't worry about it, and turn the channel and have a more relaxing evening. I just realized that a majority of the time- I just don't care and it really doesn't make a huge difference in the overall scheme of things. So why make myself endure something that I don't enjoy watching, just because I am a movie fan? No one is going to take away my "Movie Fan" membership card or anything- so I just skip it and the next check out the parts I am most concerned about.

And there are really only two things I care to watch or know. I am interested in the bottom line: just tell me who won what and be done with it- a list will do just fine thanks. Secondly, I usually like the now famous (or infamous, if you prefer) Oscar "montages". Sometimes they are of the great "100 years at the movies" variety and of course the montage that honors those entertainers who passed away in the last year or so. Most of the times these are fairly dignified affairs, but, if you saw it last night or have been hearing about it on the news, last night's montage was missing several famous people. Not only that, but it was just shoddy, in my opinion. In years past they've done a dignified and elegant sequence. Last night was anything but- a rushed, hodge podge of images that were set to a live musical performance by James Taylor. I like James Taylor- nothing against him or the song- but it just didn't work. For some reason, it didn't mesh. I enjoyed it more with the underling music that allowed more focus on the images, and a more paced sequence itself. These honorees, these performers deserved a little more consideration. A more professionally produced montage.

And this isn't just the Oscars for some reason this year- even TCM's annual "TCM Remembers" didn't really seem to be as good as years past. I think the music detracted too much from the images and the recognition of the stars. What's the disconnect? For me, in both cases, the music didn't work. We lost some famous composers- wouldn't have been a good way to honor one of them to use one of their scores as the soundtrack? It would have been much more effective and poignant, I think, to use something of Maurice Jarre's than the pop-folk guitar songs that both the Academy and TCM went with. I realize that, in the case of TCM, sad songs are often used, but some years the music overpowers the images themselves. It is a delicate balance, I suppose.

I appreciate the fact that the Academy produces these montages, but this years sequence just wasn't up to past production values and missed several notable performers. You can probably see who is missing, even if you haven't seen the news. But in the end, I guess, this is just another movie fan disappointed. In a past year that saw the passing of the likes of Kathryn Grayson, Jennifer Jones and Jody McCrea (Note: I inadvertantly said Joel originally until Tom at Motion Picture Gems reminded me that Joel passed away 20 years ago- it was Joel's son Jody that died last year. I saw Jody mentioned in the TCM clip and he looked so much like his dad, that I didn't even think twice about it. That's what getting long in the tooth as a blogger does to you.) - not to mention more "recent" stars and directors like Natasha Richardson, Patrick Swayze, Farrah Fawcett and John Hughes- I would think the bar needed to be set higher. Here is the montage sequence- judge for yourself.

And here is the TCM Remembers 2009 edition:

What do you think? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the aptly named "comments" section.

I've told you a hundred times. I don't want to win awards. Give me pictures that end with a kiss and black ink on the books.

oh the places we went!

2010-03-02T10:13:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday to my first favorite author, and still tops in my book, Theodor Seuss Geisel, AKA the wonderous Dr. Seuss. He would've been 106 today.

My first memory of reading Dr. Seuss is, as is with many others, Green Eggs and Ham. I had many, many favorites over the years, from If I Ran the Circus to And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street to characters like Horton, The Grinch, The Cat, Yertle and more. I also love his collaborations with Chuck Jones and the animated specials that resulted including the annual must see How the Grinch Stole Christmas! : a perfect storm where Dr. Seuss, Chuck Jones, Thurl Ravenscroft and Boris Karloff met for one perfect show- it doesn't get any better than that.

I've enjoyed several biographies and collected works over the years, and they still adorn my shelves along with several Seussian tomes. Several excellent works that I would recommend for those interested would be:
The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel by Charles Cohen. Probably one of my favorites and one of the best recent biographies out there; a visual feast, as a biography of the man should be.

Dr. Seuss Goes to War: World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel by Richard H. Minear. A different look at Dr. Seuss tackling the War and other political subjects with his traditional wit and satire.

Dr. Seuss And Mr. Geisel by Judith and Neil Morgan. An excellent all purpose biography written by two journalists who knew Geisel well.

Dr. Seuss: American Icon by Philip Nel. This is more for those interested in an examination of Geisel's work and influence in American culture. Very good and highly recommended.

Also here is an interesting website examining the advertising artwork of Geisel - it's an online exhibit from the Dr. Seuss Collection, housed at the Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of California, San Diego.

And just for funsies- here is the animated version of Green Eggs and Ham:

If you have elementary school-age children, chances are they will be read to from one of Dr. Seuss's many books today for Read Across America Day. You won't catch me linking to much at the NEA, but in this case, I think it's a great thing. I think it's an even better thing if you do the same at home. Children can gain a life-long love of reading from simply having books in the home and parents who are willing to read to them and encourage them to read on their own. You can also guide your child (or inner child) to Random House Publishing's Seussville- a website of Seussian wonder full of information, activities and games- and ways to encourage your little ones to read. Take a page from Dr. Seuss- if you read, oh, the places you will go. Thank you, Mr. Geisel, for taking us on many journeys into imaginative places.

I would not, could not, in a box.

Restoring Film, Preserving Art and Conserving Culture

2010-02-20T11:56:00.005-05:00

Shelfers- the time is now. It is the end of a very special week- one that hits a cause near and dear to my heart and many others. It is the week of the For the Love of Film: Film Preservation Blogathon that has been hosted by The Self-Styled Siren and Furdy on Film. Allow me the indulgence of doing something I have never done on The Shelf; I am asking for your help and your donations. You see, this is the point of the blogathon; not merely to discuss and call attention to the need for Film Preservation, but to also ask for your donation to The National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF).

As described by the Self Styled Siren, the role of The National Film Preservation Foundation is thus: “The National Film Preservation Foundation is the independent, nonprofit organization created by the U.S. Congress to help save America’s film heritage. They work directly with archives to rescue endangered films that will not survive without public support.” When you make a donation, The NFPF will enter you in a drawing to give away 4 DVD sets as thank-you gifts. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing, and could receive: Treasures III: Social Issues in American Film, 1900-1934 and Treasures IV: American Avant Garde Film, 1947-1986.

I ask that you take a moment to consider it and to donate- you can do so by clicking the button below. I can wait.

Click Here to Donate

Are you back? If you didn’t click- why I’ll give you the button a second time:

Click Here to Donate

OK- hopefully you have taken full advantage of this time to make a contribution towards the preservation of film. I know that readers of this blog fully appreciate the need for preservation and have appreciated popping in a DVD of your favorite film and have marveled when you discovered a re-mastered print and improved sound over that old VHS copy you had. Or perhaps you have purchased a copy of a DVD with a restored print that restored precious minutes to a film you last saw on TV. Studios and distributors have made the effort to restore these films, and in some cases preserve and rescue them from oblivion. Costs, however, are often prohibitive. And although some studios have gone the route of MOD or digital distribution to lower costs, but meet demand; often restoration is not done because of said costs.

But what about the film that isn’t in good enough condition to release- or to allow a theatrical screening? Often they are languishing in libraries, studio archives and even in private collections- deteriorating slowly, but surely, over time. Some films are in such a state that to take them out and even expose them to air and light would cause them irreparable harm. Further, there are those films that exist only in partial prints. One good example is Fritz Lang’s great silent epic Metropolis. Missing footage in a foreign print has only been recently discovered and a restoration project ensued which has culminated in a complete version of the film which will be shown this year at the TCM Film Festival; the first time the complete film has been seen by an audience in decades.

So why should you be concerned? You, after all, are not a professional film technician. Maybe you don’t write articles about or research movies or film history. Maybe you don’t have a private collection of prints – you, after all, are merely a film fan. You don’t have the resources or the know how to do anything about it. Or do you? Your contribution is a direct way for you to be involved in this process. It is a way for you to make a real difference.

Now, many bloggers have been contributing their time and considerable talents to this blogathon. Everyone from Film critics like Roger Ebert to hall of fame film writers and bloggers like the Self Styled Siren to little old amateurs such as myself, have been writing to tell you why this effort is so important. I want to take just a moment and perhaps demonstrate the importance of your donation from another angle.

Your old Uncle Loophole teaches history and humanities at a local campus of a large University. I went to school and majored in History and minored in Anthropological Archaeology. My graduate work was in American History with another degree in Museum Administration specializing in Material Culture studies. I don’t tell you this to scare you away (“Oh noooo- academia! Run!”) or to brag on myself. No, I tell you this so you can appreciate where I am coming from, and so you can understand the full impact of what I am going to say. Film Preservation is nothing short than the preservation of our culture and our history. Our Federal Government, National museums, public committees and local governments around our nation spend millions annually to preserve historic sites, battlefields, buildings and many material objects. Conserving areas of land considered vitally important to our culture and to our future is considered of major importance. And these things should be preserved. In fact, I would venture to say there is much more out there that needs preservation and they can’t, or won’t, preserve them all. It is a daunting task, but it is one that is well worth the effort. A historian once said that a people that forgets their past is like a scary, lost person – lost without any guide to their future path. I would also add that a nation that loses the connection with its past, also loses its connection to the present; like a rudderless ship that has had no embarking point and has no destination, and can’t fix its present location. With nothing to guide it or give the ship information- the stars, sea charts, knowledge of its course- that ship will aimlessly travel on and perhaps never reach its intended destination.

I greatly value our history and our material culture. When I look at things that the people of the past created I can often see reflected therein their values, concerns, fears and hopes. And nowhere is that more the case than in the art and expressive materials that a culture creates: sculptures, novels, paintings, music and even in the case of the 20th century and on- films. I use film in my classes to teach and to illustrate because I find that few material objects can reach a person with such immediacy as film. When I teach my 20th Century American Experience class- film plays a vital part. In past classes I have used The Grapes of Wrath and I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang when discussing how the Great Depression affected the American People. I have screen clips from The Wild One, Blackboard Jungle and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman when discussing American culture in the 1950s and its concern with Atomic power, racism and its perception of youth rebellion. My class has viewed In the Heat of the Night and watched interviews with the makers and stars of the film when discussing changes in the culture in the 1960s. I have used film footage of the moon landing, Civil Rights marches, World War II fighting to vividly demonstrate where we have been as a nation. In other words I use film as context- and to help students make a personal connection to the past. There is a difference between using film in class to demonstrate context and then using a film in class (such as a historical epic) and say “This is what happened.” I do not do the later- but using it as context is as valuable as discussing the nation’s literature, music or art. I can’t recall a class on The Civil War that didn’t mention Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or a class on the Renaissance that didn’t discuss the art of the period. In short- a culture creates- and what it creates also contains elements of what it values and believes. Its material culture is nothing short of a mirror held up to capture the image and light of the person holding it to admire.

There are many, many films that are pure escapism- and pure entertainment- but even they are important as a part of our common heritage. Before the radio and moving picture- there was still so much to divide us culturally. The 20th century is nothing, if not the story of a nation that found a common language in radio, film, and television and created a common culture- and a nation that became less and less isolated from itself and from the world. The images we have of our nation, of our entertainment, of our highs and lows, and of how we interpret those highs and lows are as important as the self-same written documents and government papers that we spend so much time and effort to preserve. My assertion is thus- when you aid in preserving our film heritage, you are doing nothing short of preserving and conserving our culture.

I know that not all films necessarily share equal importance in terms of what they contain or even their entertainment value. But there are many films in University holdings, studio archives, private collections and in libraries that have important historical documentary footage- or are films that hold a special place in out entertainment culture. Your donation can go to help find and preserve those films before they are lost forever. We have already lost some- let’s make the move to try and preserve what we can for future generations. Your love of film and your favorite cartoons, shorts, documentaries, comedies, romances and on and on can be passed on to your children and their children and provide the rich cultural heritage and common language of film that we all share.

Again, please donate to the Film Preservation cause. You effort and contribution can do much to help and we can united in a common cause that makes a mark, makes a difference towards our history and our culture. Again here is the link to donate:
Click here to Donate

Thank you for your enthusiasm and thank you for your support. And please go to the Siren’s post with the blogathon’s master list for links to many, many great articles and posts. (By the way- you know this is important to Uncle Loophole when he breaks with 5 years of Shelf tradition and include capitalization in the post title!)

We've seen growing awareness of film preservation, yet the deterioration and eventual disappearance of films have not come to an end. There's still a race against the clock to save what we can at some point.

kathryn grayson passes away...

2010-02-18T21:04:00.004-05:00

I apologize for the derth of posts lately, but I have been working on my post for the For the Love of Film: Film Preservation Blogathon (coming up later tomorrow) and teaching - but this piece of sad news caught my eye as reported over at Laura's Miscellaneous Musing and I felt like I needed to pass it along. Please read Laura's tribute as well as this AP article.

The delightful star of many a MGM musical, Kathryn Grayson, has passed away at the age of 88. The star of several key MGM releases of the 40s and 50s including Show Boat and one of my favorites, Kiss Me Kate, costaring with the great Howard Keel. She originally wanted to be an Operatic singer, but Louis B Meyer placed her under contract with MGM, along with a host of young musical talents. Her role in the Gene Kelly/Frank Sinatra starrer Anchors Away that truly sealed her star in the MGM firmament. She worked with some of MGM's best talent at the time, in addition to Keel and Kelly she worked with Gordon MacRae, Mickey Rooney, Van Johnson and Mario Lanza. My favorite Grayson performance is her turn as Lilli Vanessi ("Kate") in Kiss Me Kate- by far, probably one of her best. She will be missed.

You'd make a perfect shrew!

jam packed february

2010-02-03T20:22:00.006-05:00

That about describes it- a jam-packed February for film lovers and especially classic film fans. First off, if you are a TCM fan you know that January was a great month with the Shadows of Russia TCM Spotlight, put together by film critic Lou Lumenick and Farran Smith Nehme, otherwise known as one of our favorite film bloggers, The Self-Styled Siren. One of the highlights for me was being able to catch Comrade X with Hedy Lamar and Clark Gable.

This month is busy, busy, busy also, and we will be trying to add to the festivities as best we can. A few things to be on the lookout for:

At TCM it is the annual celebration known as 31 Days of Oscar- usually many of the films are ones that see regular rotation on TCM during the year, but this year sees several unusual entries that in years past. Check out the schedule at the 31 Days of Oscar site. Jack Benny superfans, such as myself, will be tickled to see his 1937 Artists and Models with Ida Lupino (thanks to Laura at her Miscellaneous Musings for that tip! Check out her site for even more hot tips!)

The Academy Awards kicked off the month with their announced nominees. Not much too add, as in years past there wasn't much to get excited about. However, this year sees the second animated film nominated for Best Picture in Academy history: Up. Needless to say, we are rooting for Pixar's delightful film.

DVD releases of note for this month will include two great sets from Sony coming Feb. 9th: Bad Girls of Film Noir 1 & 2. Vol. 1 includes The Killer that Stalked New York, Two of a Kind, Bad for Each Other and The Glass Wall. The line-up for Vol. 2 includes Night Editor, One Girl’s Confession, Over-Exposed, and Women’s Prison. A nice entry for a year that is already seeing a derth of traditional DVD releases. And let us not neglect to mention the Criterion release of Leo McCarey's film Make Way for Tomorrow due Feb. 23rd.

Lastly, and in some ways more importantly, this month there is a blog-a-thon being hosted by The Self-Styled Siren and Ferdy on Films from February 14th through the 21st: For the Love of Film. It's blog-a-thon with a purpose near and dear to old Uncle Loophole's heart: Film Preservation. The stated mission: "Creating awareness about the need for film preservation and raising funds for the National Film Preservation Foundation." Needed monies will be raised and many bloggers, some of whom are very familiar to Shelfers, will be participating- we hope to do so as well. Check out the website at For the Love of Film. Also check out this short commercial and do your part: spread the word.

As we said- things are pretty busy this month, so be sure to check back in and around The Shelf nation!

Well, there's some good news and some bad news. Last week all the towels were stolen. But on the other hand the water wasn't running so nobody needed the towels. Everything balances.

an open letter to barbara boxer

2010-01-24T01:48:00.013-05:00

Senator Boxer, ma’am.

I am a recent emigrant to the State of California. I have been frustrated, knowing that even though I am now one of your constituents, my views were not likely to be represented. I have written you in the past about my concerns over the current federal legislative agenda, including cap and trade, the socialized approach to fixing health care, and the assaults on DOMA. Each time I have written, I have received a response that seemed to politely say “Thanks for the input, but I’m not interested.” I have been frustrated that my concerns seemed to mean so little to either of my Senators. But I wanted to tell you this:

I saw what happened in Massachusetts with Scott Brown, and I’ve seen your poll numbers for the upcoming election. It used to seem that you were guaranteed to keep your seat in perpetuity. I now know that this is no longer the case.

I urge you to start taking the concerns of your constituents seriously, or in the fall, you may no longer have constituents that you can ignore.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

aw, shucks...

2010-01-15T14:48:00.005-05:00

I received word today that this humble little blog has received the Kreativ Blogger Award our pal (don't hold that against him) over at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, Ivan G. (the "G" stands for goin' places) Shreve, Jr. Ivan, erstwhile curmudgeonly classic culture commentator that he is, bestowed upon us this nice award- the first in Shelf history. We were further honored when we saw the august company we kept- as Ivan bestowed it upon several other blogs that we admire and love. On behalf of the trained professional staff here at The Shelf- oh, and the authors too- I thank you Ivan for being so kind.

Now it says here in the official handbook that there are several duties to which we must attend. Here they are in order:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award. - Again, thanks Ivan!

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. Already proudly displayed above.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award. Here ya go.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
Well, I'll speak for myself- Matt, Wolfie and Mrs. Baravelli can chime in on their own.

a. I had been known, on occasion, to enjoy a jar of Gerber Plum baby food when I was feeding my own brood. I was pretty sure they didn't mind. The banana suited them better.

b. Outside of family, I have considered Groucho Marx, Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp and Humphrey Bogart to be my personal heroes since the age of 8.

c. My favorite comedian and star of all time is Jack Benny. It is my lifework to listen to all of his radio shows. It doesn't pay well, but it's a living.

d. If forced at gunpoint, I believe I would choose Dino over old Blue Eyes to play on the vitrolla.

e. I am working on a book. Seriously. On the long term plan. Just don't ask me what the title is, because I haven't decided.

f. I have an unusual affinity for television theme songs. I have Sanford and Son, Night Court, Barney Miller, Friends, Newhart and Cheers on what passes for my mp3 player. (By the way-You can hear the full version of Sanford and Son here.)

g. When in High School I formed a comedy club that actually spread to two other schools, and we were known for two things: 1. A prank advertising the High School Building for sell in our local newspaper (they got a few calls) and 2. Having our own Monty Python "cover" troup. Once we performed the Lumberjack song at a community fundraiser held at a friend's Unitarian Church. Believe it or not, Unitarians have a wicked sense of humor.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers and post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
Well, Ivan has nominated several that we would as well, but we have more that we think are well worth a daily read, and are quite keen to boot.

A. Jacqueline at Another Old Movie Blog.

B. Moira at Skeins of Thought.

C. C.K. Dexter Haven at Hollywood Dreamland

D. Livius at Riding the High Country.

E. Bacall at Classic Movie Gab.

F. Raquelle at Out of the Past.

G. Operator_99 at Allure

6. There is no number 6- it says here.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

Well, we have fulfilled our award winning duties and again, we would like to thank Ivan for this honor. And we encourage you to go visit the nominated blogs we've listed. We do think they are the bee's knees.

Let joy be unconfined. Let there be dancing in the streets, drinking in the saloons, and necking in the parlor.

her majesty arrives...

2010-01-13T09:51:00.008-05:00

It is sad, but true. I had the info in my inbox, but not having checked it for a couple of days, I completely missed it. Thanks to my friends Laura, David at Classicflix and the all knowing Glenn Erickson, AKA: the DVD Savant who kept us all abreast of this great news while old Uncle Loophole was napping. Yes, the shame is palpable, but we are in mighty fine hands with ace reporters like these. What am I talking about? Shelfers, it's news that stills my beating heart: Paramount has heard our endless pleas and announced an official street date and artwork for The African Queen DVD/Blu-Ray release. Not only that, but David at Classicflix also reports that Warners has set a release date for that other elusive entry on our DVD wish list, No Time for Sergeants. (a tip of the Shelf Top Hat to David, Laura, Glenn and Warners and Paramount for the information!)

The African Queen: Release date: MARCH 23, 2010
Paramount will release 4 different sets of the Oscar winning 1951 Bogart/Hepburn classic film, The African Queen. There will be a standard DVD and Blu Ray release, and also a Commemorative Edition for both Blu-Ray and DVD. All editions are single disc and come with special features, but the Commemorative Edition will be packed with more extras, making this the edition to get!

The film has been restored- which the VHS print I had clear demonstrates the necessity. From Paramount's press release:
"Meticulously restored using state-of-the-art 4K digital technology, THE AFRICAN QUEEN will now be available for a new generation to appreciate and for long-time fans to see again, as if for the first time. Legendary director John Huston’s treasured romantic adventure stars the incomparable Humphrey Bogart as hard-drinking boat captain Charlie Allnut—a role that won him his only Academy Award® (Best Actor, 1951)—and renowned actress Katharine Hepburn as missionary Rose Sayer in a tale of two disparate people thrown together by fate and drawn together by love.

A six-year journey filled with challenges nearly as difficult as those faced by Rose and Charlie, the restoration process began at the source: Romulus Films—one of the film’s original production companies—provided access to the original three-strip negative at a London facility where the film was carefully scanned and digitized. The separate elements were then transferred to Los Angeles and painstakingly recombined and inspected frame by frame to ensure that every detail aligned and that any dirt and scratches were removed.

To ensure that the restored picture matched the filmmakers’ original vision, Paramount arranged a screening of an MPAA archive print for the film’s original cinematographer, Academy Award® winner Jack Cardiff*, whose comments were recorded live during the screening. That same archival print was later screened alongside the newly restored version so that the restoration team could ensure that all of Cardiff’s notes had been addressed. The result is a vibrant, warm picture that reverentially recreates the film as it was originally meant to be seen."
Thankfully, Paramount went above and beyond it's usual release MO with this film and took special care to make sure it would be the release for which fans have been waiting.
Special features in both the standard and Commemorative Edition include:
A making of documentary entitled: Embracing Chaos: Making The African Queen.

The Commemorative Edition will be packed with great extras, in addition to the Embracing Chaos documentary, including:
An audio disc with a recording of the Radio broadcast of the Lux Radio Theater Presents: The African Queen.
A Senitype film frame collectible reproduction.
Collectible postcards featuring reproductions of images related to the film.
And a reproduction of a great book of film history that is now out of print: Katharine Hepburn: The Making of The African Queen or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind.

(Side note: Hepburn's book was one of the first books of Film History I owned, having received it one Christmas as a teenager. I have that hardback edition of this book packed away somewhere and wish I could find it. It's a great first hand account of the making of the film, but also the relationships between Hepburn, Bogie, Bacall and Huston. Boffo stuff, indeed.)

A great film, and one of the first "classic films" that I ever saw which set me on the course of a lifelong love of classic films. It is definitely one to add to your collection.

No Time for Sergeants: Release Date: MAY 4, 2010
Warners is doing the right thing by this wonderfully funny film and issuing a standard release of the 1958 classic starring Andy Griffith. No Time for Sergeants is the story of an earnest young man from the country, Will Stockdale who is drafted into the Air Force, and quickly turns the AF upside down with chaos and laughter. Also in the film, Don Knotts (in their first on-screen pairing) as the aptitude tester, Myron McCormick as Will's gruff Sergeant Orville King who tries to get Will out of his hair and Nick Adams as Will's new best friend, Ben. At this time, no extras are listed on the Warner's website.

Just this past month, my grandfather had me search for a copy of this movie, one of his favorites. I had to tell him that I had heard there would be a DVD release, but I didn't no when and if they really would. He wanted me to look into finding a used VHS copy, which is not going for cheap on eBay. I told him to wait and see, as typically the studios release a lot of their upcoming plans for the year in January/February.

This just in: Also for release on May 4 by Warner Brothers:
Dr. Zhivago The 45th Anniversary edition on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Special features will include:
New to this edition: Doctor Zhivago: A Celebration (all-new production)
Commentary by Omar Sharif, Rod Steiger and Lady Sandra Lean (wife of David Lean)Introduction by Omar Sharif
Doctor Zhivago: The Making of a Russian Epic
Zhivago: Behind the Camera with David Lean featurette
David Lean's Film of Doctor Zhivago featurette
Moscow in Madrid featurette
Pasternak featurette
New York Press Interviews Omar Sharif featurette
New York Press Interviews Julie Christie featurette
Geraldine Chaplin Screen Test featurette
This is Omar Sharif, This is Julie Christie, and This is Geraldine Chaplin featurettes
Chaplin in New York featurette and the Original Trailer

Well Shelfers, it's a nice start to the new year. We still have some uncertainty in regards to standard releases of Classic films on DVD/Blu-Ray, but Warners Archive, The TCM/Universal on Demand and now MGM on Demand programs give hope for the future. And certainly Disney and Fox are looking into Downloads and On-Demand programs as well. Hopefully we will be able to continue to report some great releases this year and bring you more reviews.

Let's see - now I can cross off two on my wish list- now on to my next big "hoped for" item: more Jack Benny films, including George Washington Slept Here, The Horn Blows at Midnight, Love Thy Neighbor and The Meanest Man in the World. And while the studio's are at it, it wouldn't kill you to release The Jack Benny Show seasons on DVD, would it? And while we are on the subject of neglect TV releases, the rest of the seasons of Newhart? Well, I can hope, can't I?

I never dreamed that any mere physical experience could be so stimulating!

happy new year!

2009-12-31T15:07:00.005-05:00

Everyone here at The Shelf (the above is not an accurate likeness- well, for the most part) would like to wish all of you a very Happy New Year and prosperous and healthy 2010!

Stop with the don't thoughts. Start with the do thoughts.

Merry Christmas to one and all!

2009-12-25T19:31:00.000-05:00

While we take a few days off (and hope you are able to as well) we wish everyone a very, very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as well. In the meantime, please enjoy this special classic post by the one and only Mrs. Baravelli from Christmas of 2007. Enjoy!

I must say that I do love this season. This is, by far, my favorite holiday. One of my favorite things about the season is the wonderful Christmas music and holiday movies that are played on television, seemingly ‘round the clock. December 26th is always a let-down because of the immediate stop on the entertainment, as if the holiday never happened at all. Much to Baravelli’s chagrin, my favorite movie is “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney. The movie is set at a Vermont Inn after WWII. Crosby and Kaye play soldiers who fought together and then, after they are discharged, they become a popular entertainment team. They happen upon a couple of singing/dancing sisters and, you guessed it, the viewer is bombarded with song and dance for the rest of the movie. As if me watching it is not bad enough, four year old Little Baravelli enjoys it as well – having memorized most of the songs.

The other week as we watched it again, I was impressed by the words of one of the songs that Crosby sang.

“When you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep.
Then you’ll fall asleep
Counting your blessings.”

After all the many years I’ve watched that movie, why make a difference now? Could it be that, somehow, I needed to hear those words and Bing magically sang them to me? Lately I have felt trepidation and dread when the holidays come around. Between the buying, and the rushing, and the pleasing everyone, the baking of cookies and the making of dresses, splitting time between both families, taking the little one to ballet performances where ALL SHE DOES IS CURTSY, WORKING, AND CLEANING AND ……. Sorry, I lost myself a little bit. Yes, that’s exactly what has happened to me, as well as to quite a few of you, I’m sure. Life is so busy already but when compounded with expectations, whether they are self-imposed or not, the stress is magnified to such a degree that it’s hard to remember what we’re doing it all for. You know you’ve lost it when you only let your child watch DVDs because you’re afraid of the numerous toy commercials that will only add to your already lengthy list.

Somehow, however, when I heard this song again, it dawned on me – everything, even the bad, is a blessing to me. I have so many to be grateful for that I should start counting them instead of falling asleep while checking off my to-do list for the next day. I even started remembering Christmases I had as a child and what they meant to me then and now. Sure, I remember some of the toys I got and my pink bike that only had front brakes because Santa never got around to putting the back tire breaks on. But I mostly remember finding a letter from Santa every Christmas morning, mentioning all of us kids by name. I remember the ash footprints from Santa’s boot that he inevitably got while coming out of the chimney. Mom wasn’t too happy about them on her navy blue carpet but that didn’t stop them from appearing year after year. I also remember how special Christmas Eve was and it still is. Every year we put on a live Nativity scene while someone reads the Christmas story. At first, it was just us four kids dressed in sheets, one of us holding the Cabbage Patch wrapped in swaddling clothes. 20 years later, it has grown in to four married children and 10 grandchildren. With that many babies the Cabbage Patch hasn’t been used in years. Every year, we know where we will be on Christmas Eve. Thanks to Mom and Dad, these are the things I remember. Hopefully, my little one will remember the same. And, hopefully, yours will as well.

So, on this Christmas day or whatever holiday you may celebrate this season, take a moment to sit, relax, and remember what you’re celebrating for. Know that it’s not the Dora mermaid doll or the Spiderman web thrower that your brood will remember, at least not the only thing. And, yes, it will all be worth it in the end. When you’re trying to sleep tonight and throughout this coming year, remember to count your list – I hope it’s a long one. From everyone here at the Shelf, happy holidays and sweet dreams!!!!

Posted on behalf of Mrs. Baravelli by J.C. Loophole

I want to wash my hands, my face, my hair with snow.