thwrtr19 Reviews

Hit the Deck (1955)

The title could describe a certain heavyweight title fight.

[17 February 2022]

Hit the Deck. Retrospectively, a great title...for the first Patterson-Johansson heavyweight title fight, four years hence...when Floyd went down seven times in the third round.

Anyone who served in the Navy or Coast Guard would spot a technical error in Tony Martin's uniform. He was supposed to be a Boats'n Mate Chief. Boats'n' personnel are part of the deck force, whose uniform piping colors are black or white. He's wearing red chevrons/rocker on his sleeve; red is worn by people who are firemen/in damage control/electricians. Minor, but it should have been caught.

This film has numerous positives...headed by the gorgeous and sexy Ann Miller. And the rhythmically incendiary tap dance she does at the climax is absolutely unearthly!

Father Knows Best: Bud Plays It Safe (1959) Season 6, Episode 5

It's a two-way street

[21 April 2021]

The writers tried to make Bud the villain here. But he was only doing what so many women do to get what they want. How often to women use guys? Of course, at the end of the episode, they had to have Bud apologize. But I've never known a devious, manipulative woman apologize for using a guy. Especially these days. One thing about Lloyd Nolan, who plays the coach and Sally's father: he had this very noticeable New York accent...but was from San Francisco. Guess he thought his career would benefit, which it may have done. Since this was aired in November, 1959, the "prehistoric" football aspects are quite apparent...in several regards. The uniforms, and kicking styles, mirror that era. Despite the negatives, watching this episode is somewhat enjoyable, and refreshing. It reflects a long gone era...which certainly will never again be seen. In ANY regard.

A Place in the Sun (1951)

If a viewer desires to be depressed for a week after a movie, watch this one

[11 November 2020]

Despite an all-star cast, and fine performances, this film is not one to see. Unless, of course, one afterward desires to feel depressed for a week, or more. Nonetheless, males can learn two huge, interrelated, lessons from the storyline: (1) stay away from sexual liaisons with women with whom you are not romantically interested, (2) under NO circumstances depend on a woman to be sexually responsible. Montgomery Clift's brooding George Eastman here violated both axioms and paid with his life. Eastman is romantically/emotionally torn between the right woman---Elizabeth Taylor's luminous, loving Angela Vickers---and the wrong one, Shelley Winters' mousey, whiny, clingy, blackmailing Alice Tripp. He is forced into the devastating position of somehow having to remove Tripp from the situation. While one can not condone feelings/activities resulting in murder, we can---in this case--- understand his mindset in creating that scenario. Still, as much as we may want the tormented Eastman to somehow escape the ultimate penalty for his actions, we realize that it can't be allowed to occur. Not on the screen, anyway. This film, completed in 1949, was released two years later. Though no one could forsee it, the sanctimonius district attorney---portrayed by the disgustingly heavy Raymond Burr---was a preview of Burr's soon-to-come tv defense attorney: the iconic and similarly brow-beating Perry Mason. At the film's climax, as we see Clift's doomed character heading toward the electric chair, the viewer---knowing his fate---can't help feeling overwhelming sadness. Imagine paying money to see this picture, and experiencing that and similarly depressive emotions.

The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)

People need to know the FULL Lindbergh story. And it isn't pretty

[7 November 2020]

Excellent film, and Jimmy Stewart was quite believeable as Lindbergh. It wouldn't surprise me if Jimmy did the flying scenes himself, since he was a pilot during WW II. Lindbergh's aviation achievement---first to fly the Atlantic SOLO---was worthy of the subsequent excitement and respect. Definitely a milestone in the history of aviation. But Lindbergh the person also needs to be remembered for the defeatist/pro-Hitler/pacifist he was as WW II approached. Instead of recognizing, and warning, of the obvious German threat during the latter 1930's, he did all he could to advocate the ignorant appeasement policy supported by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Joseph Kennedy. He used his celebrity status to condone the head-in-the-sand attitude of a huge segment of the American population, in the belief that the world could live with the Nazi danger. It was that attitude that allowed Germany the opportunity to build the formidable war machine that threatened humanity. Lindbergh could have helped open America's eyes; instead, he helped keep them closed.

The Dick Van Dyke Show: Oh How We Met the Night That We Danced (1961) Season 1, Episode 5

A little lesson I learned because of this Van Dyke Show episode

[8 July 2020]

Greatness, regardless of context/specificness, is timeless. Almost 60 years after Dick and Mary did that "You Wonderful You" number, its delightful, romantic impact remains as lusciously strong as when the scene originally was done. Reiner said in retrospect, that when he watched it back in 1961, when it initially was shown, he and the audience "melted." People watching the scene today, six decades hence, no doubt had/have the same effect. Oh, one asterisk-like sideline.....at the conclusion of the scene, when Rob inadvertently stepped on Laura's foot and broke her toes, she wound up in the camp hospital. Back in the "present," as Rob was relating the story to Ritchie, Laura revealed that he finally won her over by visiting her in the hospital everyday and bringing her flowers, candy, etc.. She added that it took her "about three weeks" to discover what a wonderful person Rob was. Unfortunately, I tried to win over a girl in a similar way...not by bribing her in the method Rob did, but by "being there for her." I ultimately learned that I was just wasting my time; the girl had a boyfriend. I felt like an utter fool, and will never repeat such actions. A person either likes you, or they don't. That all said, that Van Dyke episode nonetheless was wonderfully entertaining. And memorable.

The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977)

Just three things came out of this for me

[1 July 2020]

Despite being sketchy, possibly because of a lack of available material, (1) this was an informative examination of Hoover's personality and career, (2) Crawford did a fine job as the title character, (3) I was startled at the facial resemblance between my brother's first wife and Broderick Crawford.

The Glenn Miller Story (1954)

What actually happened to Glenn Miller .....

[14 June 2020]

For decades, there was a mystery surrounding Miller's untimely demise. As with virtually any such occurrence, there was an answer. In Miller's case, here it is....as I learned from a recent Miller documentary.

His plane inadvertently flew underneath a Norseman bomber on its way back from an aborted mission over Germany. The Norseman had to exit its bombs before landing, and did so over a designated area over the English Chanel. Miller's plane was struck by one or more of the bombs and exploded. That's why neither the plane nor its passengers were found. Simple as that.

(My mistake: sorry, readers, the Norseman was MILLER's doomed plane, not the bomber. Everyone makes mistakes...like my brother in his first marriage).

Hal Pritzker

Sea Hunt (1958–1961)

Lloyd Bridges...a fine actor, and better human being.

[17 May 2020]

An absolutely fabulous tv series! Lloyd Bridges not only was perfect for the lead, he was---from everything I've read---a fine human being. We need more people like him.

Watching this excellent series, it struck me that somewhere amid its various episodes, the OTHER person most associated with water---Esther Williams---should have been a guest. Either as herself, or playing a role. Imagine, Lloyd Bridges and Esther Williams together! What a combination! Like a boxer having Rocky Marciano's overhand right, and Joe Frazier's left hook...plus Cassius Clay's left jab, Jack Dempsey's killer instinct....and Billy Conn's good looks.

A couple of anecdotes about Lloyd.

In one of the episodes, Keith Andes had a significant role. At the end of the episode, with the cast listings, we saw "...starring Lloyd Bridges, and Keith Andes." I understand it was Lloyd's insistance to share top billing for the episode. What other series star would have done that? That's Lloyd Bridges; that's class.

Another....

During the series run, Lloyd took his family to Honolulu for a vacation. Apparently recognized at his hotel, Lloyd got a call from an admiral. He wanted "Mike Nelson" examine some piece of new equipment on a ship docked at Pearl Harbor. Lloyd had to gently remind him that he was "only and actor playing a role." But thanked him for being a Sea Hunt viewer. John Wayne, who believed he WAS the guy in all those screen roles he played, no doubt would have gone down to the ship with the admiral and given his "expert" response.

M*A*S*H: The More I See You (1976) Season 4, Episode 22

Ever had your legs broken by a woman?

[31 January 2020]

The concept here hit me very close to home. VERY close.

I met the girl in grad school at St. Louis University, just after having been discharged from the Coast Guard. She lived in next room at the dorm. We had a great four months, then, after working the following summer at a camp in another state, she suddenly told me she was leaving for California. Like Carlye affected Pierce, this girl figuratively broke my legs. As a caustic, arrogant jerk, he deserved it. I didn't.

Three years later, she suddenly popped back into my life. We had a rather rocky several more months before she again split for the West Coast, after we'd had a vicious argument because I was trying to convince her to stay in St.Louis. We haven't seen each other since, thank goodness. But I used the experience and its manifestations as the plot for a novel, which I adapted into a script. The book was published, and I've been trying to sell the script.

As I said, in this episode, Pierce deserved what he got. because (1) he IS a big conceited a**hole, who totally dismissed another man's career choice, and (2) he was trying to get a married woman to be unfaithful to her husband who, as a Navy commander, was doing his duty.

While I can't have any sympathy for Pierce, I certainly have empathy for his situation. As for Carlye, she made the correct choice by, once-and-for-all, cutting ties with the self-centered Pierce and maintaining a marriage with the right guy.

Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

A better lead actor

[14 January 2020]

Peck was OK in the lead role, but I think John Wayne would have been better. Don't laugh. He was a MUCH better actor than people think. He could have done it. Beyond that, I'm a writer myself...and there is NO WAY I would have tackled doing an article or series of them about this type of volatile subject-matter. If someone is PRETENDING to be a Jew, no matter how well they do it, and no matter how much they experience the manifestations, there's always a SAFETY VALVE: in the back of their mind they KNOW they really AREN'T Jewish. This story was well-intentioned, but, like anything of its type. overwhelming in its preachiness. Instead of making the viewer think, it makes them extremely uncomfortable. Defeating its purpose. By the way, looking at Peck here...does he LOOK like a military 4-F? That's what he was. Same as Brando. Just a sideline observation.

Magnum, P.I.: Laura (1987) Season 7, Episode 17

4-F Sinatra in another tough guy role

[5 August 2019]

Aside from the plot, etc., from this episode, what undermines everything is that Sinatra---4-F during WW II, and never made any effort to bypass the odorous/embarrassing classification (punctured eardrum) after the US was attacked, again is shown as a tough guy on the screen. Couldn't stand any of his performances in such a fraudulent role... accepting such a role. A slap in the face to all the people who quietly DID serve our country.

The Dick Van Dyke Show: Will You Two Be My Wife? (1963) Season 2, Episode 17

Another scorned woman...with a twist

[2 July 2019]

Funny and well-acted, but with a serious issue, and lesson to be learned. At the end of the flashback, Rob reveals that Dorothy (real name Daphne) in reality sent him a Dear John letter, saying that she was going to marry a friend of his. So insidiously typical of women. Guys in the military, etc., too often have been victims of the "Dear John" bombshell. And sometimes, women don't even bother with writing such a note. Guys returning home thus get hit with the stunning news; it impact is like a Rocky Marciano right to the jaw. Hence, we find out the hard way that in so many cases, we just can't trust the girl(s) we had back home. At the beginning of this episode, Rob---being the nice, considerate guy he was---chose to do the right thing and went to Dorothy in person to carefully break his news. An obvious lesson to be learned here: women are not worthy of consideration in such matters...because they too often don't use it regarding us.

M*A*S*H: War Co-Respondent (1980) Season 8, Episode 23

The real concept

[8/10 · 14 June 2016]

Excellent story concept, and performances by Farrell and Saint James.

But there is a fundamental flaw here: Aggie knows his character is happily married. All he would had to have said would have been, "Are you suggesting that I be unfaithful to my wife? If so then you have no empathy, or respect for marriage. And that makes you a low class human being."

Then, he could have walked away. And she would have backed-off.

Of course, the writers couldn't have that realistic scenario because they had to create a story to present. Nonetheless, it still was very entertaining.

I really found myself drawn into this episode. I've never had an "Aggie" drawn to me. Usually, it's he opposite...with disastrous results.