ADAMSTOWN, TENNESSEE – Sometimes you don’t have to pick up a stick to make a point.
When Shout! Factory put out their Blu-ray of Walking Tall and its two sequels, I pondered why this great piece of deep fried filmmaking wasn’t part of the National Film Board’s National Film Registry. Airplane! and Enter the Dragon are on the list so it’s not that uptight of a vote. Well I got an answer from someone connected to the board. It hasn’t received that many nominations before the big vote. Who can nominate? Unlike the Oscars and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, people who just like a movie a lot are allowed to send in a nomination that gets reflected in the process. The voice of the people can be heard instead of just members of an elitist club. Who knew? You do now.
The person at the registry said that my nomination has been noted for Walking Tall, but I can get others to also email them in a nomination. The more nominations received, the better chances that it can be one of the lucky 25 films to make the list. Let this be our summer project: to get the legend of Buford Pusser preserved right next to Snow White, Citizen Kane and Eraserhead.
Why does Walking Tall deserve a slot in the Film Registry? First off we’re talking the original movie from 1973 and not the remake with the Rock and Johnny Knoxville. Joe Don Baker dominated the screen as Sheriff Buford Pusser. Think of him as the anti-Andy Griffith as he is forced to tackle the redneck mafia that’s ruined his little Mayberry. Walking Tall would have been Oscar nominated under the new rules of 10 or so Best Pictures. This film was an indie distribution sensation pulling in $23 million in an era when a movie ticket was $1.50. Drive-ins across the South were jammed by fans eager to see Pusser bring down a piece of lumber on a goon. The film inspired numerous Southern set flicks over the next few years. Nationally the movie has given birth to numerous real life lawman that fancied themselves the next Sheriff Pusser. Some are sincere while others are self-serving showmen. The film is part of the American cultural landscape. Judging from that soulless remake starring the Rock, Walking Tall can’t be duplicated.
Why should you take a minute to nominate? Because you can. How many times are you ticked off that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has skipped over your favorite band? Or the Oscars Takes a few minutes to write “I’d like to nominate Walking Tall (the original and not the crummy Rock remake) for the National Film Registry” and email it over? You can cut and paste what I just wrote if you want to be lazy about it.
Where do you send it? dross@loc.gov is the address for your email.
If you send in your nomination for Walking Tall, you may find yourself standing up and applauding the announcement of the next Film Registry list. Do it for Joe Don Baker and Sheriff Pusser.
PILL PROBLEM?
Nice to see Dr. Drew get nailed for being paid to push a drug and refusing to admit it as he hawked the stuff on major TV shows. He must have had a bout of amnesia after he cashed the check for over a quarter of a million dollars. Another TV phoney.
TODAY HOST
The producers of The Today Show haven’t done a great service dumping Ann Curry for Savannah Guthrie. Do they not understand what America wants in their female morning host? They don’t merely want a big smile. They need a woman who looks like she can shake off getting nailed in the stomach by a chimp. Think of the successes – Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley, Katie Couric and Meredith Vieira. All three could take that unexpected ape punch and send it back to Willard Scott with a chuckle. Deborah Norville and Ann Curry would be on the ground screaming for Lenny to dial 911 and their agent.
BYE ANDY
The passing of Andy Griffith was a sad moment around the Party Favors headquarters since it’s located in the heart of North Carolina. I never worked directly or encountered Andy. I had stalked him around Manteo Island with no sightings. I even left a box of Ritz crackers near the Lost Colony Theater as a trap. My brother was in the jury scene for Matlock’s last trial when he filmed the show in Wilmington. The rule on the set was that if you stared directly at Andy, you were immediately fired. For a while, Andy seemed to be the meanest man in showbiz. The closet I came to an Andy encounter was when a make-up artist let me listen to a voice mail Andy had left her. But after listening to his voicemail, it became obvious that Andy was really the most guarded man in showbiz. And why wouldn’t he be? So many people watched his shows over the year. While it’s not unusual for fans to think they know an actor, what made things twisted for Andy was many of these fans thought Andy knew them. He had to keep up a hard exterior to protect himself from their delusions. But when he accepted you into his inner circle, he was the charming Andy Griffith you imagined from the TV show. He did so much in making the world know that North Carolina wasn’t a soulless state packed with vicious hillbillies and snake handlers. Now it’s up to Zach Gallifinakis to carry Andy’s torch.
BOB MACKIE ON CAROL’S WARDROBE
WHY DVDS MATTER
I’m trapped in a “battleground state.” You know why they call them battleground states? Because every time you turn on the TV set – a SuperPAC is stabbing you in the eyes and ears with the most god awful depressing commercials. The messages can be summarized as “The good times are over so stick a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger.” Whatever happened to the pursuit of happiness? People who are slightly depressed shouldn’t turn on a television station until after mid-November. It’s only going to get worse as they buy up all the ad time in every show. There’s nothing sacred. These SuperPACs are forcing their ads before youtube videos aimed at preschoolers. What’s the solution? Buy DVDs and avoid the chance to being attacked by campaign ads. If you have relatives and friends trapped in battleground states, send them care packages of DVDs that will keep them smiling. You might think about internet streaming services, but the SuperPACs are going to think of evil ways to pop up their message on the computer screen and then claim it was a glitch. They’re evil that way.
BLU-RAY HEAVEN
God Bless America made me cry at its beautiful message. Writer-Director Bobcat Goldthwait has made another dark vision of America that outdoes his World’s Greatest Dad. Joel Murray (Duck on Mad Men) has a horrible day when he’s fired from his job and gets diagnosed for an inoperable brain tumor. He’s got not future. All he has is his TV since he’s also an insomniac. He can’t deal with all the ungrateful fame whores being turned into superstars. Whatever happened to nice people on TV? Murray goes on a campaign to restore being nice by killing jerks. He starts with the whiny brat from a version of Super Sweet Sixteen. During his murder plot, he gains a groupie in Tara Lynn Barr. She’s a high schooler gleeful in helping with the slaughter. She also wants to clean up TV with hot lead. The duo are amazing together. This is Natural Born Killers fired through Leon without being overbearingly arty. Bobcat plays it close to the bone as Murray and Barr go cross country looking to rid the country of reality stars. There are so many people who need to be stopped by this modern Bonnie and Clyde. Among the annoying TV people is TV’s Frank from Mystery Science Theater 3000. Joel Murray is Bill Murray’s brother. This is his Lost In Translation except with a much better ending when it comes to the relationship with the girl. God Bless America truly is a movie of our times. The bonus features include several behind the scenes featurettes, outtakes from the spoofed reality TV hows and a commentary with Bobcat, Murray and Barr. For those curious, Barr is not Roseanne’s daughter, granddaughter or nut plantation employee. God Bless America is the must see movie of the summer. Afterwards you might want to visit the X Factor auditions to stop Simon.
The Hunter allows Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) and Sam Neil (Jurassic Park) to unwind in constraining roles. Dafoe gets hired by a biotech company to capture a Tasmanian Tiger. The creature is supposed to be extinct, but recently there have been reports of it roaming in the wilderness. He bases himself at a home owned by Francis O’Connor and her two kids. Her husband vanished in the wilderness less than a year before. While Dafoe wants to be the cold blooded killer stalking his prey, the kids are making him warm up. This is bad for business. Sam Neil is the local who serves as a bit of a tour guide to Dafoe. But he’s not fully open to the outsider. There’s a whole subplot about environmentalist halting efforts to work in the wilderness. Dafoe is masterful as the lonely hunter forced to make hard choices during the pursuit. Can he really destroy the last of an animal for a price? The producers of Animal Kingdom made The Hunter. This is another one of those fine movies that seems alienated from a box office focused completely on over the top comic books or Channing Tatum.
DVD SHELF
Streets of San Francisco Season 3 Volume 1 & Volume 2 brings some more authentic crime from the shakiest town in the west. Detective Lt. Mike Stone (Karl Malden) and Inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) play the vet and the newbie going up and down the streets solving crimes. They really shot on the streets of San Francisco so you’re getting an accurate view of landscape in 1974. “One Last Shot” doesn’t merely give us Leslie Nielsen (Police Squad) in a serious role, but he’s drunk cop whose impaired behavior leads to his partner taking a bullet. Not only do Mike and Steve have to find the suspect, but must determine who pulled the trigger. Jock Mahoney (Tarzan in Tarzan’s Three Challenges) also guest stars. “The Most Deadly Species” brings Brenda Vaccaro to town. She’s not a tourist, but a hit woman on a gig. Joseph Ruskin helps as an undertaker. “Target: Red” brings Bill Bixby to town as a psycho killer looking to take out a politician. “Mask of Death” is John Davidson’s only real acting gig of his career. You won’t believe he was a host of That’s Incredible with his role as a female impersonator with a dark secret. Bernie Kopell (The Love Boat) and John Fielder (The Bob Newhart Show) factor into the double trouble. Dabney Coleman gets involved in “Jacob’s Boy.” The suspect is innocent of this crime, but he’s got another tucked away in his past. “Cry Help” screams from Clint Howard (Gentle Ben). Can Ron Howard’s brother really be a killer? Volume 2 has 11 episodes. “The Twenty-Five Caliber Plague” follows a gun over a weekend. The guest stars include Vic Morrow (The Bad News Bears), Anthony Zerbe and Anthony Geary (General Hospital). “The Programming of Charlie Blake” makes Dean Stockwell think he’s being treated for his sexual predator ways, but his shrink wants him to confess to a different crime. “Solitaire” has Mike work with a new guy while Steve recovers from a gunshot wound. The old dog isn’t happy with his new partner. Malden and Douglas make a perfect crime solving team. The two volumes of Season 4 will be released on August 28.
Dynasty: The Sixth Season Volume One and Volume Two answers the question of what Carringtons survived the “Moldavian Wedding Massacre.” It was a tough summer for fans and the cast as they waited to know who lived and who was riddled with bullets. Medics and doctors would be no help. Only their eager agent could save them from a fate worse than death. What a perfect time to remove cast members that think they deserve more money? Viewers weren’t completely teased as wedding guests were brought out of the massacre site. The fortunate were messed up with a few odd wounds. The doomed would never return to Denver. I’m not going to spoil the suspense. The living didn’t get to leave the country. Turns out that Alexis (Joan Collins) and Krystale (Linda Evans) are kept in a dungeon while Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) arranges a multi-million dollar ransom. There’s a lot of unfinished business in Moldavia. Things get really twisted when Rita shows up on the scene. She’s a dead ringer for Krystale mostly because she’s also played by Linda Evans. Rita replaces Krystale in Blake’s life, but he doesn’t know it. She has a plan to merely divorce Blake and get half his fortune. Her back up plan is to kill Blake and take all of it. He’s in major trouble. Can he survive this double trouble? Will Alexis join in the carnage to get a cut? These are the 15 episodes on Volume One. There’s plenty of backstabbing and intrigue in Volume Two. Rita wants a bit of revenge for her plan going bad. Alexis goes screaming yellow bonkers when her husband messes with her daughter. There’s plenty of intense ugliness in the Carrington Empire until we get to the big cliffhanger of Blake choking Alexis to death when she does the ultimate backstab. You can order both parts of the season in one package since you’re not going to want to stop once you’re devouring the Carringtons. There’s only three more seasons to go.
Mannix: The Seventh Season packs quite a punch for the penultimate season. Joe Mannix (Mike Connors) was a private eye who worked from his gut. He either played out a case from his gut or took plenty of blows in his gut. His only real back up is his secretary Peggy Fair (Gail Fisher). He’s had a lot of police connections including Mr. Brady (Robert Reed). This was the last season he recurred on Mannix and it was also the final season of The Brady Bunch. You’d think he’d get more time as a cop once he dumped the wife, six kids, Alice and Sam the Butcher. He’s in the opening episode “The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress.” The shows starts off right when a mysterious client arrives at Joe’s apartment/office and the P.I. pours out the Scotch before getting to business. Mannix had priorities. He fears for a woman’s life, but doesn’t completely know the details. Damn those iffy mystics. A girl like the one he described ends up dead. Mannix has to take his next warning seriously. Joan Van Ark (Knots Landing) might be in the dress. “A Way to Dusty Death” is the classic small towners hating Mannix investigating. Howard Duff (Flamingo Road) and Tony Geary (General Hospital) aren’t happy locals. “Climb a Deadly Mountain” crashes Mannix into a mountain. He survives and is rescued by an escaped convict. Trouble is his pursing guards want the guy dead along with anyone that might know his secret. Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible and Vega$) guest stars. “Silent Target” ruins Mannix’s fishing trip when he hooks into a group of hitmen. John Hillerman (Magnum P.I.) and Frank Langella (Dracula) are amongst the hired guns. “Search in the Dark” ties Victor Buono (King Tut on Batman) into a jewel heist. “All the Dead Were Strangers” except Anthony Zerbe. “The Darkest Hour” demands Mannix figure out who shot him with his own gun. Can he solve the case and live? Among the suspects are Elizabeth Ashley, William Devane, Victor French and the tasty Alan Fudge. “Mask for a Charade” makes Claude Akins (Sheriff Lobo) hire Mannix to clear his name and restore his police badge after a murder charge. “Trap for a Pigeon” brings back Robert Reed for his final bit. What’s amazing is how the hair folks have covered his head in grease, wax and spray to semi-straighten out his dad perm he was sporting on The Brady Bunch that season. “The Ragged Edge” hooks Mannix on heroin so that he’ll do bad things to get the sweet stuff from his connection. Linda Evans (Dynasty) figures into this junky business. Mannix is such a badass show. There’s only one more season left to be released on DVD.
Father Dowling Mysteries: The Second Season was its first season ABC after NBC canceled the show. The series seemed like a sure fire hit in the era of Matlock and Murder, She Wrote. But NBC couldn’t handle the religious crime solving series featuring Tom Bosley (Happy Days) as Father Dowling and Tracy Nelson (sister of Nelson) as Sister Steve. Mary Wickes played the housekeeper, but would become a full fledge nun in the Sister Act movies. The second season is also not a full order since it was a winter replacement on ABC. “The Visiting Priest Mystery” starts innocent enough with Anthony LaPaglia (Innocent Blood) showing up at the church. Turns out he’s a man who prefers to put holes in others and not a holy man. “The Exotic Dancer Mystery” gets my attention with a healthy mix of strippers and nuns. Sister Steve has to go undercover to deal cards for Michael Des Barres (The Power Station touring version). “The Stone Killer Mystery” has an ex-con wanting to get revenge on Father Dowling for sending him up the river. His only hope of survival is Yahphet Kotto (Alien) and Paul Gleason (The Breakfast Club). “The Passionate Painter Mystery” stalks an artist. Why? Cause his work will be worth more when he’s dead. Among the suspects is none other than Rosco Lee Browne (Uptown Saturday Night) and Candy Clark (Man Who Fell to Earth. Father Dowling Mysteries is perfect for those wanting to more Holy Rolling than Matlock and the sinful Murder, She Wrote. There’s 13 episodes on 3 DVDs with the original previews.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Series 2, Season 2 covers the series from 1991 when DIC took over the animation duties. The Joes are ready to fight against Cobra and keep the earth free of their nefarious plans. All 20 episodes are featured on 3 DVDs. This was a strange time for the Joe team as they focused on saving the environment and stopping drugs. Just in time for the London Olympics and the Jubilee, there’s “Chunnel.” Cobra Commander has kidnapped the Queen of England. Guess her fancy wave isn’t a great form of self-defense. “Long Live Rock N Roll” is a two parter that has Rock N Roll Joe attack with his sonic guitar. He can kill with power chords. “The Sludge” creates a super villain out of a cesspool. Thankfully this episode isn’t in smell-o-vision. “Cobra World” is a cute one when the ultimate in evil buy an amusement park. Have they really turned into a family entertainment conglomerate or is this just a great way to kill folks with kindness? The bonus feature is a group of Hasbro folks discussing the toys and how they worked themselves into the TV series.
Bonanza: The Official Third Season Volume 1 and Volume 2 was when the show really took off after being moved to the ripe spot of Sundays at 9 p.m. America was ready to go to work on Monday so they could lie around the water cooler that they had a color TV back home. The 34 episodes are spread over the two volumes, but you can buy them bundled together at a discount. Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene) and his sons Adam (Pernell Roberts), Hoss (Dan Blocker) and Little Joe (Michael Landon) are still keeping their Ponderosa ranch the most prestigious in all of Nevada. “The Smiler” has the brother of a man Hoss killed show up in town. But the guy swears he’s not out for revenge. You’ll be out for the guest part from Scatman Crothers (The Shining). “Springtime” lets John Carradine torture the boys while he’s a houseguest with just a few simple needs. “The Honor of Cochise” makes DeForest Kelly (Bones on Star Trek) the target of Indians. Guess he broke the primary directive. “Broken Ballad” returns Robert Culp (The Greatest American Hero) to the town. He’s retired from being a gunman. The neighbors are bothered since rumor has it that he killed a local’s son. “The Many Faces of Gideon Finch” features the familiar mug of Joe Turkel (Bladerunner and The Shining). “The Tin Badge” makes Little Joe a sheriff of a small town. Trouble comes in the form of Vic Morrow (Humaniods from the Deep). There’s a double Star Trek sighting on “Gift of Water.” James Doohan (Scotty) and Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel) get stuck in a drought. There’s a major trouble alert when Lee Marvin heats up “The Crucible.” He wants to make Adam a killing machine. Making this season even cooler is Marvin’s tagteam partner in Badass arrives with James Coburn in “The Long Night.” Hoss must have felt like a pony being around Marvin and Coburn that long. Those are two major reasons to grab season three of Bonanza. There’s plenty of bonus features including plenty of production photos, the cast pushing Chevys and a clip from a March of Dimes special with Hoss and Ben meeting Buster Keaton.
Dawn Rider remakes one of John Wayne’s early starring roles with Christian Slater (Heathers) in the Duke’s role. John Mason (Slater) returns home to find the masked outlaws that killed his father. He’s in a tricky situation since he might also be wanted by the law for his career choice. But his sense of getting revenge for what was done to pa outrides his fugitive ways. Trouble for Mason comes in the form of a lawman (M*A*S*H*‘s Donald Sutherland). He’s got a warrant. Emotional trouble for Mason evolves from Jill Hennenssy. He gets attached to her, but she’s got a few dark secrets he might not want to know. Since it wasn’t one of John Wayne’s major hits, Slater isn’t just having to carry too much of John Wayne’s weight on the screen. He can be himself instead of an impersonator saying, “Pilgrim” to enhance his dialogue. It’s a fine rough and tumble Western worthy of putting on the DVD player for a lazy Saturday afternoon oater. Dawn Rider is currently a Walmart exclusive although you can get digital copies from Amazon. Plan accordingly.
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