“Guys and Dolls” starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine / Z-View

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Guys and Dolls  (1955)

Director:  Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Screenplay: Joseph L. Mankiewicz; based on Guys and Dolls by Abe Burrows, Jo Swerling, Frank Loesser, Damon Runyon

Stars:  Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, Stubby Kaye, Johnny Silver, Robert Keith, B.S. Pullym, Regis Toomey and Sheldon Leonard.

Tagline: SAMUEL GOLDWYN presents America’s Own Musical!

The Plot…

Nathan Detroit is feeling the pressure.

Detroit is supposed to put together a huge crap game.  Word went out.  The town is gonna be full of high rollers and Nathan needs to deliver.  Complicating matters are three things.  One: New York City’s finest, Lieutenant Brannigan, is watching Nathan like a hawk.  First sign of an illegal game and he plans to bust Nathan and all involved.  Two: Nathan still needs a location.  Three: Nathan’s fiancée, Miss Adelaide, is pressuring him to marry her — their 14 year engagement is just too long.

Nathan finds the perfect location.  Problem is the location’s owner wants $1,000.00 for the property’s use.  Nathan doesn’t have the needed dough.

Then he gets an idea.  Sky Masterson is in town to gamble.  Sky will be on anything.  If Nathan can get Sky to bet $1,000 on a bet Sky’s sure to lose, Nathan will have the needed cash.

But what is a sure fire bet?

Nathan comes up with the perfect wager.  Sky is a known lady’s man and proud of his reputation.  Nathan gets Sky to say he could get any woman to go out on a date with him.  Nathan then wagers that if he can pick the woman, Sky would fail to get her to go with him to dinner in Havanna.  Sky agrees to the wager.

Nathan picks Sarah Brown.  Sarah happens to be very straight laced and a sister in the Save a Soul Mission.  Sarah runs the local chapter.

Sky wants to con Sarah.  Sarah wants to “save” Sky.   Nathan wants towin the bet so the big craps game is a go.  Miss Adelaide wants to get married.  Lieutenant Brannigan wants to arrest the whole lot of ’em.

There’s no way everyone is going to get what they want.  Wanna bet?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Guys and Dolls was nominated for four 1956 Academy Awards…

  • Nominee for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture – Jay Blackton, Cyril J. Mockridge
  • Nominee for Best Costume Design, Color – Irene Sharaff
  • Nominee for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color –  Oliver Smith, Joseph C. Wright, Howard Bristol
  • Nominee for Best Cinematography, Color – Harry Stradling Sr.

Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando had a strained relationship during filming.  Sinatra referred to Brando as “Mumbles”.  Sinatra coveted the role of Sky Masterson and was upset that Brando, got it — especially since Brando wasn’t a singer.

Brando’s singing in the film was put together from multiple takes.  Brando approached Sinatra early on in filming to ask for help with his singing scenes.  Sinatra refused.

Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz made the decision to not shot on location and instead make the sets have the feel of a stage play.  This is a big part of the film’s charm and makes it feel special.

I’m not a huge fan of musicals, but I love Guys and Dolls.

Guys and Dolls  (1955) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Inside Moves”  (1980) directed by Richard Donner, starring John Savage, David Morse and Diana Scarwid / Z-View

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Inside Moves  (1980)

Director:  Richard Donner

Screenplay: Valerie Curtin, Barry Levinson; based on INSIDE MOVES by Todd Walton

Stars:  John Savage, David Morse, Diana Scarwid, Amy Wright, Bill Henderson, Steve Kahan, Bert Remsen, Harold Russell, Pepe Serna, Harold Sylvester, Richard Donner and Tony Burton.

Tagline: Come join the gang at Max’s for a heartfelt visit and an unforgettable experience.

The Plot…

Roary’s failed suicide attempt left him partially crippled and living in a low-rent area.  One day Roary wanders into Max’s, a bar near his apartment.  Max, the owner is a warm-hearted guy who loves his regulars.

And his regulars are quite a crew.  There’s Blue Lewis who is paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair.  Wings is a double-amputee with hooks for hands.  Stinky is blind.  These three meet at the bar daily for a beer, cards and banter.  Oh, and there’s Jerry Maxwell, one of the bartenders.  Jerry’s bum knee killed his dreams of a career in the NBA.

Soon enough Roary is one of the regulars.  His daily meetings with the gang at Max’s reinvigorates his love of life.  Roary and Jerry become best friends.  Roary has started to develop feelings for Louise, a waitress at the bar.

While shooting around one day, Jerry runs into Alvin Martin, one of the stars of the Golden State Warriors.  Jerry challenges Alvin to a game of one-on-one.  Martin at first refuses.  He doesn’t want to play a guy with a bum leg.  Jerry insults Alvin to the point, that he can’t back down.  Alvin wins.  Barely.  He’s impressed with Jerry’s skills.

Roary, who watched the game, is beyond impressed. He learns that an expensive operation might fix Jerry’s leg.  Jerry doesn’t have that kind of money.  It would take him years to save it.  By then he’d be too old to play.  Plus the operation isn’t a sure thing.  Roary believes it is worth the shot.

And Roary is willing to risk his life savings on it.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Valerie Curtin, who co-wrote the adaptation of Inside Moves, is a writer, actress, and cousin of Jane Curtin.  She co-wrote the film with her then husband, Barry Levinson.

Inside Moves features Harold Russell’s first theatrical film appearance since his Academy Award-winning performance in 1946’s The Best Years of Our Lives.

A pinball machine with Christopher Reeve as Superman appears in Max’s Bar.  Inside Moves‘ director, Richard Donner, also directed Superman starring Christopher Reeve.  In Jerry’s house a poster for The Omen can be seen.  Donner also directed that film.

Inside Moves features David Morse’s theaterical debut and he is excellent.

Diana Scarwid was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Richard Donner appears, uncredited, as the man who closes the ambulance door.  Donner’s cousin, Steve Kahan, has a role as Burt.

Inside Moves features my favorite performance by John Savage, who is excellent as Roary.

Inside Moves (1980) rates 5 of 5 stars.

CHASING THE BEAR: A YOUNG SPENSER NOVEL by Robert B. Parker / Z-View

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CHASING THE BEAR: A YOUNG SPENSER NOVEL by Robert B. Parker

First sentence…

I was sitting with the girl of my dreams on a bench in Boston Public Garden watching the swan boats circle the little lagoon.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

As Spenser relaxes with Susan in the park on a summer afternoon, their talk drifts to Spenser’s formative years.  After his mother died, Spenser was raised by his father and his two maternal uncles.  They were blue collar men’s men who did their best to give Spenser a well-rounded upbringing.  So Spenser learned to fish, hunt and fight as well as read, write and think critically.

As Susan asks questions, Spenser remembers a pivotal point in his life.  He was 14.  Jeannie Haden was his best friend.  Jeannie had a rough home life.  Her dad was an alcoholic and a mean drunk.  Usually his abuse was verbal, but he thought nothing of smacking Jeannie when she needed it.

Spenser wanted to help, but how?

Then one afternoon Spenser sees Jeannie in the back of her father’s car.  The car is slowly moving through traffic in their small town.  As the car pulls away, Spenser sees Jeannie mouthing “HELP!”.  The car is headed towards the river, so Spenser follows.  He arrives in time to see Jeannie and her dad headed down river in a small boat.

With no time to go for help, Spenser jumps in a row boat and heads downstream.  Spenser has no plan but knows that Jeannie’s life depends on his next moves.

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CHASING THE BEAR: A YOUNG SPENSER NOVEL is geared to teenagers and older.  It’s an easy read. Fans of Parker’s long-running novel series should enjoy a look at Spenser’s upbringing and events that helped shape the man he would become.

Rating:

ROBERT B. PARKER’S THE BRIDGE: A COLE AND HITCH NOVEL by Robert Knott / Z-View

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ROBERT B. PARKER’S THE BRIDGE: A COLE AND HITCH NOVEL by Robert Knott

First sentence…

The dense mass of stars was unusually ominous and threatening as if the whole tangle of constellations was up to no damn good.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Word reaches Appaloosa that the massive 300 foot bridge being built over the Rio Blanco River has been blown up.  There has been no account of the lives lost or who was behind the deadly blast.  Appaloosa’s sheriff, Sledge Driskill and his two deputies ride out to investigate.

When days pass with no word from Sheriff Driskill, territorial Marshals Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch decide to investigate.  It could be that Driskill and his men were delayed by the treacherous winter storm that has hit the area.

Or it could be something worse.

When Cole and Hitch are involved, bet on something worse.

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THE BRIDGE is the seventh Cole and Hitch outing and the third written by Robert Knott.  The first four were written by the series creator, Robert B. Parker.  Knott was selected to continue the series due to Knott’s involvement with the movie adaptation of Parker’s first Cole and Hitch novel, APPALOOSA.  Knott co-wrote the screenplay with Ed Harris, the star of the film.  Knott also served as a producer on the film and played a supporting role in it as well.  Knott was a worthy choice to continue the Cole and Hitch tales.  Each new novel is sure to entertain.

Rating:

“Sienkiewicz That Polish Guy” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Poster and Trailer for (Bill) Sienkiewicz That Polish Guy is here.  Bill Sienkiewicz broke into comics while still a teenager.  Some (at first) wrote him off as a Neal Adams clone… but even those folks couldn’t deny Sienkiewicz’s talent.  Soon enough Bill Sienkiewicz was creating groundbreaking art.  Never one to rest on what he had already done, Sienkiewicz’s art was always morphing into something new.  That is why Bill Sienkiewicz is many fans’ favorite and an artist’s artist.

Deal me in.

THAT POLISH GUY is the feature documentary on Bill Sienkiewicz, the artist who broke every rule in comics and changed the medium forever.

Directed by Remsy Atassi
Produced by Sal Abbinanti
Presented by Comic Book Pros