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Crupiea
Reviews
Wonderama (1955)
great show
I am suprised that no one has commented on this great show. Bob was a key person in my youth and I loved this show. Our generation needs to band together and pull for good programming like this for our kids. Hell, i thought the cosby kids were racy when they came out. Lets stop leaving decisions to the big wheel generation (I was too big by the time they came out) and let these kids know what good tv was and is. I met Bob in an airport when I was a kid and it is one of the few standout memories I have from my childhood. I am sorry to see there are no other posts here. Hopefully the future will hold more. Crup
The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)
Cloris?!?!
As a fan of the original hillbillies I was appauled at the addition of not only the obvious idiot Jethro character but the Facts of Life/Different Strokes mentality of using the hated cloris leachman as the true lead character, Granny. Granny is not just a funny old lady but the lead person in a hilarious series. To disgrace her good name by using the one person that every 40 something guy hates goes against everything that our forefathers, Jed, Hoss, and Ben Cartwright laid down before us. Maxwell Smart would be turning over in his phone booth to here that the weak mother/weird sister of joe pulnicheck is Granny? Only a female director would cast such a person that is so contrary to woodsy, homespun humor that Irene Ryan could produce.
Viva Knievel! (1977)
Great Movie
The strangest part about this movie is the apparent idea that all kids loved Evel Kneivel. I was 15 when this came out and considered myself somewhat knowledgeble about the exploits of Evel but in our household we pretty much thought he was stupid. It was neat to do those jumps but I like to apply the figure skating rule of if you dont hit the landing the jumps does not count. I could shoot myself out of a trebuchet and flop on the ground but is that really a properly executed jump? Sure, it would be entertaining but I dont think it will heal my polio or reunite the drunkard Gene Kelly and his son. Why would Evel trust that drunken idiot with his motorcycles? isnt there some other task he could do that would not involve safety issues? This is a great movie though and is a good reminder of the whole AMF/Harley era. It reminds me of the old God Bless America ride at Disneyland. Same cheesiness but still fun.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Grandpa Joe Quandary
This is an awesome movie. I recall seeing it in the theater as a kid and have loved it ever since. There is something disturbing that I have noticed lately and is what I call the Grandpa Joe Quandary. I dearly loved Grandpa Joe as a kid but now he seems less likeable and selfish. Lets look at the facts. He lay in bed for 20 years while Charlie's mom worked like a slave to keep them all in poverty. His only luxury was a bowl a week. I wish I had that much!! At one point he gives Charlie a Wonka bar and everyone is mystified as to where he got it. He said he quit smoking but if the young slave in training Charlie nor his Mother purchased it, who then?. Perhaps there is more to Grandpa Joe's sinister side. When Charlie finally does get the golden ticket, Grandpa Joe is not only the first to stake his claim to it but can mystically rise from the bed in which he has been imprisoned for the last 20 years. Within minutes he can sing, dance and run around. Perhaps greed is the driving factor. i.e. "I've got a golden ticket" not we have a golden ticket. Listen to this key evidence and you will realize that Grandpa Joe is seemingly only in it for himself. Not once does he offer to care for the elders while Charlie and his Mom go to the factory. Grandpa does have a need to indulge his perverse side when convincing Charlie to steal Fizzie Lifting Drinks as well, knowing the potential outcome of this crime. Perhaps this was his way of training Charlie for his future, whatever that may have been if it were not for Willy Wonka. Grandpa Joe is quick to foul mouth Mr. Wonka when confronted with his improprieties and eager to join Slugworths minions at the first sign of trouble.