the reel dope

to see: my list

I haven't had much time to watch any movies lately, so my "to see, sometime" list is actually growing:

Newer:
In Time
Moonrise Kingdom
Seven Days in Utopia
Moneyball
The Avengers - teehee.
Good Deeds
Man on a Ledge

Not quite so new:
The Muppets
We Bought a Zoo
Tower Heist
Adjustment Bureau
The Source Code
Larry Crowne

Seen any of these? What's on your "to see, sometime" list?

two hours of my life I'll never get back.

Well, it finally happened. I finally found a movie that made me say, "well THAT's two hours of my life I'll never get back."

Beastly is about Kyle, a conceited jerk who thinks he's God's gift to high school. He plays a prank on a fellow high school student, Kendra, who unbeknown to him is a witch. Kendra teaches him a lesson by putting a curse on him making him as beastly on the outside as he is on the inside. He has one year to find someone to love him or stay like that forever.

Hoakey I know, but believe me, I went in with low expectations knowing it was probably targeted to tweens and teens. It had all the great makings of a nice, fluffy movie - so-so plot, fun characters, good moral - and...nuthin'.

See what you think:



Watched any movies that make you wish you could get the two hours back?

what else were they in?

Richard Deacon was a bald and usually bespectacled character actor who often portrayed pompous or imperious figures. Because of his looks and authoritative voice, he was often typecast as a humorless or foul-tempered authority figure.

You might recognize him as:

Mel Cooley on The Dick Van Dyke Show
Fred Rutherford on Leave it To Beaver
Semu in Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
Dr. Harbey Bassett in Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Policeman in Carousel
Williams in The Solid Gold Cadillac
Bill Hotchkiss in Kiss Them For Me
Dr. Melnick in Lover Come Back
Mr. Miller in That Touch of Mink
Mitch's City Neighbor in The Birds
Drive-in Manager in That Darn Cat
Survival Manual Narrator in Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN
Ralph Yarby in The Gnomemobile
Dean Wheaton in Blackbeard's Ghost
Charlie Wrenn in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band

what else were they in?

Keenan Wynn was an fantastic character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts.


You might recognize him as:

The Drunk in The Clock
Clarence "Clinker" Krause in Song of the Thin Man
Joe Beckett in Neptune's Daughter
Charlie Davenport in Annie Get Your Gun
Irving/Edgar Klinger in Royal Wedding
Fred Bayles in Angels in the Outfield
Lippy in Kiss Me Kate
Alonzo P. Hawk in The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, and Herbie Rides Again
Col. "Bat" Guano in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Old Sailor in The Americanization of Emily
Hezekiah Sturdy in The Great Race
Senator Billboard Rawkins in Finian's Rainbow
Martin Ridgeway in Snowball Express
And many, MANY more!

what else were they in?

Marjorie Main achieved popularity as a comedienne especially well know for her role as Ma Kettle - for which she received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress (in The Egg and I).

You may recognize her as:

Ma Kettle in the ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.
Mrs. Hittaway in The Long, Long Trailer
Esme in Summer Stock
Sonora Cassidy in The Harvey Girls
Katie in Meet Me in St. Louis
Mrs. Strable in Heaven Can Wait
Mrs. Dolley in Another Thin Man
Mrs. Martin in Stella Dallas

a christmas carol...or two

Of the MANY versions of A Christmas Carol that exist, my two favorites are:

A Muppet Christmas Carol...









...and the 1984 version with George C. Scott.




Which are your favorites?

favorite Christmas movie?

Some of my favorite Christmas movies are:

Babes in Toyland (1961)


Remember the Night


Bundle of Joy


The Best Christmas Pageant Ever


It Happened on 5th Avenue


Meet Me in St. Louis


We're No Angels


Miracle on 34th Street (1947)


Christmas in Connecticut


and, of course, White Christmas


What are YOUR favorites?

what else were they in?

British-born Henry Travers was a veteran of the English stage before emigrating to the U.S.. His kindly, grandfatherly demeanor became familiar to filmgoers over the course of his 25 years in film.


You might recognize him as:

Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life
Mr. Boyles in The Yearling
Horace P. Bogardus in The Bells of St. Mary's
Eugene Curie in Madame Curie
Dr. Sims in Random Harvest
Mr. Ballard in Mrs. Miniver
Professor Jerome in Ball of Fire
Dr. Irving in Dodge City
Baron Cesarea in Dealth Takes a Holiday

what else were they in?

Hungarian-born S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall was a veteran of German, Hungarian and British films when he left Europe because of the rise of Adolf Hitler. In Hollywood, he began appearing in comedies and musicals, often playing a lovable if somewhat excitable and/or befuddled uncle, businessman or neighborhood eccentric.


You might recognize him as:

Joseph Ruder in The Student Prince
Papa Eric Schlemmer in Small Town Girl
Adolph Hubbell in Lullaby of Broadway
J. Maxwell Bloomhaus in Tea for Two
Otto Oberkugen in In The Good Old Summertime
Sammy in Embraceable You
Uncle Lazlo Lazlo in Romance on the High Seas
Uncle Latsie Doll in The Dolly Sisters
Felix Bassenak in Christmas in Connecticut
Poppa Carl in Shine On Harvest Moon
Carl in Casablanca
Professor Magenbruch in Ball of Fire
Arthur Penna in That Night in Rio

what else were they in?

If you're like me, it drives you crazy when you see an actor/actress in a movie and know you've seen them somewhere else. So, mostly for fun, and partially for sanity's sake (so you can watch a movie without being distracted) I give you: "What ELSE were they in?!"

Mary Wickes is one of my favorite character actors. She was a spunky comedienne and a scene-stealer whose abrupt, tell-it-like-it-is demeanor made her an audience favorite in movies and TV for over six decades.


You might recognize her as:

Miss Preen from The Man Who Came to Dinner
Stella from On Moonlight Bay and By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Emma Allen from White Christmas
Matilda Runyon from It Happened to Jane
Mrs. Squires from The Music Man
Sister Clarissa from The Trouble With Angels and Where Angels Go Trouble Follows
Miss Wiggington in Snowball Express
Sister Mary Lazarus from Sister Act
Aunt March from Little Women (1994)
Liz O'Neill from The Danny Thomas Show
Delores Bastinado from Zorro
Miss Cathcart from Dennis the Menace


She also made 7 appearances on The Lucy Show and 9 appearances on Here's Lucy - she and Lucille Ball were good friends and neighbors.