Forgotten Gems: "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"

Well, it's been quite a while since I've done a 'Forgotten Gems' post, and this is a movie I've been meaning to talk about for a while, but just never got around to, for some reason.

A childhood favorite of Uncle P and his sister, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken is a 1966 vehicle made solely for the purpose of showcasing the physical comedy attributes of its star, Don Knotts ("Mayberry, RFD;" The Incredible Mr. Limpet; Pleasantville). 

Knotts plays Luther Heggs, a lowly typesetter at a small town newspaper who dreams of being a real reporter. When the 20th anniversary of the town's most infamous murder/suicide rolls around, Luther is finally given his big break - he is assigned to spend the night in the 'murder house,' where the ghost of Mr. Simmons has been reported to be heard playing the organ at midnight. Luther is terrified and has a horrible night, but his account is a sensation and the paper sells more copies than it ever has. Until he's sued by the Simmons' only heir for libel and made to look like the fool he is in court. It doesn't help that he's in love with a gal completely out of his league or that his 'mail order karate lessons' are just ridiculous. And I don't know about you, but a night in this house would surely freak me out:

The only other name you might recognize in the cast is Dick Sargent (best known as the second Darren on "Bewitched") but there are plenty of 50's and 60's character actors you'll recognize like Reta Shaw (Mary Poppins); Sandra Gould  (the 2nd Mrs Crabtree on "Bewitched" - is there a pattern here?) and Ellen Corby ("The Waltons"). The movie is actually quite silly and would never fly today (though I imagine some studio 'genius' is contemplating a big-budget remake starring Jim Carrey, Jack Black or Seth Rogan as I type this) but no one did physical comedy quite as well as Knotts:

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken  may not be the best movie ever made. Or even the funniest. Still, it brings a smile to my face and elicits fond memories of my childhood. If you've never seen it, you should. Just remember to access your inner 8 year-old before you press "play" on the remote. If you do, you'll find a delightfully goofy movie suitable for the entire family.

More, anon.
Prospero

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Forgotten Gems: "The Point"

Wow... long time since I've done one of these, eh? Every so often, something from my youth rears its head in unexpected ways and places. And I'll tell you how this post came a bout, in a bit.

I know I saw the delightful animated film The Point when it first aired in 1971 on (I believe) ABC, though if you know better, please let correct me. The original airing was narrated by Dustin Hoffman, who also voiced the father. Subsequent airings had different Narrator/Fathers, including Harry Nilsson and Alan Thicke. Ringo Starr narrates the version currently available on DVD.

I was not yet an adolescent when The Point tried to make me understand that being different was okay; that there will always be those who love us, unconditionally and that each of us has purpose in life.

Oblio (Mike Lookinland -- Bobby on "The Brady Bunch")* is a round-headed boy born in a land of pointy-headed people. After a misunderstanding, Oblio is banished to the Pointless Forest, where he and his faithful dog Arrow encounter all sorts of beings in all different shapes and sizes and learning exactly what 'The Point' is. Oh, how I loved this movie...



The animation is very much a product of its time, though director Fred Wolf does a terrific job with the Norm Lenzer's script, based on an original story by the film's songwriter, Harry Nilsson. The movie generated two minor hits for Nilsson: "Me and My Arrow" (which later went on to be the theme for a car commercial) and "Are You Sleeping?" Both songs are pure 70's "Love, Peace, Flowers, Beads, Happiness," but I always associate them with this sweet little movie's oh-so-positive message.





Were we really that innocent 40 years ago? Of course, they were saying the same thing in the 70's about the 30's and in the 80's about the 40's, etc. It doesn't matter, I suppose. We were all innocent, once. Real life changes that... and that's kind of sad, actually.

I was visiting my usual cyber-haunts when I found a silly cartoon on Jonco's Bits and Pieces, which immediately brought The Point to mind, and a wave of nostalgia passed over me. Uncle P suddenly found himself transported back to his youth in The Time of the Hippies. I was 10 years-old and had no idea why a shirtless Speed Racer made my heart race, why Batman and Robin were so appealing or why I already felt "different." I just did. The Point is one of those great little movies every kid should see, if only so they can learn that being different isn't such a terrible thing at all.

So what brought this on? A stupid panel cartoon I saw on another blog that was captioned: "Triangles and Squares know that Circles are pointless." How could that not have gone right to "The Point?"

*Remind me to tell you about my friend Jon and 'The Brady Bunch Game,' some time. It's a little sick (okay - a lot sick), but pretty damned hilarious. And there's a hilarious cemetery story to share about him, too. Hmm.... I sense a JLG post in the fairly near future. I'll be seeing him on my birthday at Coney Island, for the first time in 27 or 28 years. Yikes!

More, anon.

Prospero

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Forgotten Gems: "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T"

I know I have mentioned this film before, but I've never given it its full due. So, here it is:

Long before Uncle P and most of his readers were born, Theodore Geisel (AKA: Dr. Seuss) wrote an extraordinary screenplay about a boy who, forced to take piano lessons from a certain Doctor Terwilliker, falls asleep and dreams of a fantastic world in which Dr. T. plans to take over the world by forcing 500 young boys to play on his gigantic piano. How this plot could possibly work, remains a mystery. But it does make for one weird and wonderful movie musical.

Bartholomew "Bart" Collins (see The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins) is the son of a lonely widower. He hopes that someday his mother will find a new husband, and that the aforementioned husband will be the handsome plumber, August Zabladowski. But he fears that his piano teacher (the titular Dr. T) will ruin everything. Falling asleep at the keyboard, Bart dreams of fantastical world in which Dr. T is an evil villain to whom his mother has become hypnotically enthralled. His only hope is the plumber, whom he convinces to help in his plan to overthrow the evil musician. Creating an "atomic" weapon from various pocket junk and an air-freshener, Bart manages to thwart Dr. T's plan and free the 500 boys from his tyranny.

The plot is a typically Seuss-inspired affair, and director Roy Rowland creates a world that is "Suessian" in every possible way. From the curly/wavy set design to the outrageous costumes, there is no doubt that this is a dream only Geisel could imagine. Filled with dopey henchmen, repressed musicians and a pair of Smith Brothers' inspired twins conjoined at the beard, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a film that revels in its own absurdity. Starring a company of mostly C-List actors, Rowland's film is a riot of colors, nonsense and delightful absurdity, presented in glorious Technicolor. Fredrick Hollander's score is complemented by some of Geisel's most ridiculous lyrics. And while Geisel had his name removed from the credits, the movie is undeniably his creation.

Starring the amazing Hans Conried (Peter Pan; Barefoot in the Park) in the title role, The 5000 Fingers... is a riotous, joyously ridiculous musical that can be enjoyed by both young and old alike. Should you find it on AMC or TCM, I encourage you to watch it an revel in its nonsensical and absurdist joy. And in case you doubt, here are some clips to whet your appetite:

If you've never seen this delightful and outrageously fun movie, I urge to seek it out. You won't be disappointed.

More, anon.
Prospero

PS. - I know that plenty of gay bloggers have posted a request to the HRC to demand the repeal of DADT today. But because I usually don't get to post until late in the day (usually after 10 PM Eastern Time), I thought such a request would have reached most of my regular readers by now and such a request would be redundant, at best. Still, I urge you all to contact the HRC and let them know you support their efforts to repeal this ridiculous and homophobic legislation.

P.

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Forgotten Gems: "Gilda Live"

Yesterday's post asked something about bringing a celebrity back to life and who you would choose. I chose Gilda Radner and said "The world needs more Gildas." And I meant that. I can count the number of celebrity deaths that actually made me sad on one hand. News of Gilda's death from ovarian cancer, delivered live by Steve Martin on SNL, is probably the one that made me the saddest of all.

As an original cast member of Saturday Night Live's "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players," Gilda quickly became known for a series of hilarious characters, many of them based on family and friends she'd grown up with, as well as celebrity parodies no one else was doing (or could do). Whether it was playing advice columnist Rosanne Rosannadanna (pictured); hearing impaired substitute teacher Emily Litella; nerdy Lisa Lupner; hyper-active Brownie Judy Miller or drug-addled rocker Patti Smith, Gilda's total abandon into silliness, just to make an audience laugh was without par.

In 1979, Gilda got her own Broadway show and director Mike Nichols filmed it, preserving forever some of the funniest work from one the funniest women who ever lived. The film also features a hilarious performance from Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci, possibly the most politically incorrect Italian character ever...

Yes, that's Paul Schaffer as Candy's drummer.




And just because I loved her so, here's some more of Gilda's brilliance:

Sadly, from what should have been a nonsensical marriage of epic proportions, the films made with her husband Gene Wilder are just terrible. Yes, even The Woman in Red, though Haunted Honeymoon is undoubtedly the worst of them (and sadly, Gilda's last). Her legacy lives on through Gilda's Club, a non-profit organization providing support for cancer patients and their families. Who knows what heights of silliness Gilda might have achieved? I'm just glad we have records of some of her best.

If you've never seen it, put Gilda Live in your Netflix queue; even if you don't get the late '70's topical references, there's enough character-driven humor to make you laugh a whole lot. If, like Uncle Prospero, you saw all those great SNL moments and haven't seen Gilda Live in a while, funny is always funny, especially if you haven't seen it in a while. "Oh! My cheechnos!"


More, on Sunday.
Prospero

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