Category: Humor

Bela Lugosi in “Arsenic and Old Lace”!

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Arsenic and Old Lace is one of my all-time favorite movie comedies.  Made in 1944, Arsenic and Old Lace was directed by Frank Capra and starred Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson, Peter Lorre, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and John Alexander.

Arsenic and Old Lace got its start on Broadway running from January 1941 to June 1944.  The popular play starred Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and Boris Karloff.  When it was time to make the movie, the play’s producers wouldn’t give Karloff the time off fearing that losing him would hurt the play’s attendance.  Raymond Massey took over Karloff’s part for the film.

Although Massey did an excellent job, I’d have loved to have seen Karloff in the movie.

Another thing I’d have loved to have seen is Bela Lugosi in the stage play of Arsenic and Old Lace.  As you can see from the ad above, Lugosi played the part originated by Karloff (and later Masey) when the show went on the road!

Source: Barnabas Collins.

The 50 Best Comedy Movies Ever

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Film School Rejects posted their choices for The 50 Best Comedy Movies Ever.  It’s a good list.  Using just their list here are my top five choices along with a few thoughts…

5.  Airplane (1980):  I saw this on it’s initial theatrical release with a full theater.  Rarely have I ever seen and heard so much laughter.  Granted, repeated viewings are still funny, but there is nothing like watching for the first time with an audience that gets it.

4.  Blazing Saddles (1974)
and
3.  Young Frankenstein (1974)  Again, two more films I saw in packed theaters on their initial release.  Mel Brooks was on a roll with his comedic love letters to westerns, movie-making and horror films.  They still hold up!

2. Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)  A comedy with a message and neither suffers at the expense of the other.  Remember, “There is no fighting in the war room.”

1.   Arsenic and Old Lace (1944):  I love this movie.  It’s one I like to share with folks who’ve never seen it.  It’s also one I like to revisit every so often.  

Two movies that didn’t make the list but should have:  Richard Pryor Live and Step Brothers.

Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories

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I’m really enjoying the Dark Side of the Ring series airing on Viceland.  Three episodes in and I remain impressed.  The series interviews the wrestlers, referees and behind-the-scenes folks that were actually involved in the events that each episode covers.  If you have any interest in the business of old school professional wrestling, then The Dark Side of the Ring is worth checking out.

If you’ve read this far, you also might be interested in Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories.  Written by Cornette with an assist from Brandon Easton and art by Denis Medri,  Jim Cornette Presents Behind the Curtain: Real Pro Wrestling Stories is…

A true-story style anthology, these insider tales will show the lengths that wrestlers went to uphold “kayfabe” (the old carny term for the presentation of legitimate conflict) as well as the noteworthy cultural, racial, and economic effects these events and characters had on society. This is the graphic novel that old school wrestling fans have been waiting their entire lives for: a no-holds-barred representation of the moments that wrestling insiders couldn’t talk about for years.

Featuring appearances by Ric Flair, Jerry Lawler, Andy Kaufman, Sputnik Monroe, The Sheik, Junkyard Dog, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Midnight Express, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels.

Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories present three chapters of tales, personally curated by Cornette and adapted by Brandon Easton (M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and Denis Medri (Red Hood/Arsenal), the award-winning team behind Andre the Giant: Closer to Heaven.

Jim Cornette Presents: Behind the Curtain – Real Pro Wrestling Stories drops on August 6, 2019 and is available for pre-order now.

 

Ranking Bruce Willis’ Best Films

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Riley Jones at Goliath took on the task of Ranking The 25 Greatest Bruce Willis Movies.  From Jones’ list, my top three would be…

  1. Die Hard: Wouldn’t this be #1 on any Bruce Willis’ best list?
  2. The Sixth Sense: Perhaps a contender for the #1 Bruce Willis spot by folks who don’t dig action flicks?
  3.  The Last Boy Scout: I always felt that TLBS was under-rated and would support sequels.

I didn’t include Pulp Fiction in my top three since I look at it as more of a Quentin Tarantino film with a Bruce Willis supporting role.

Peter Tork – R.I.P.

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Peter Tork died today after a long battle with cancer at the age of 77.

Born Peter Thorkelson on February 13, 1942, Peter was, of course, better known as Peter Tork a member of The Monkees.

The Monkees [Peter, along with Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith] took the world by storm in 1966.  The group was hand-picked by Screen Gems in an effort to create a tv show about a group of young musicians.  Lightning struck and the group not only had a hit tv series but became one of the biggest selling bands of the 60’s.  In 1967, The Monkees sold more albums than The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined.  The Monkees even appeared in a feature film called Head that was co-written by Jack Nicholson!

I was a huge Monkees fan like many kids my age [7].  I collected their albums, trading cards, comic books and magazines.  I had a model of The Monkeemobile.  I even followed The Monkees after Peter, then later Mike, quit the band.  Sadly, I never got to see them perform live when they reunited for several reunion tours.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Peter’s family, friends and fans.

Jack Benny in “Casablanca”

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Fans of Jack Benny and/or Humphrey Bogart probably know that they appeared together on an episode of The Jack Benny Show.  But for years there has been a rumor that Jack Benny made an uncredited cameo appearance in Casablanca.

BookSteve’s Library takes a look at the rumor, finds newspaper articles and contests indicating that Benny did make an appearance in Casablanca and comes up with a conclusion that may surprise you.  If this interests you, check out Jack Benny in Casablanca.