The Silver State Chronicles

There must have been some magic in the old silk hat they found…

Barry sure isn’t quick on his feet

QUESTION: And to President Obama, you are a proponent of a nuclear-free world, and you’ve stated, first of all, you would like to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki while in office. Do you have this desire? And what is your understanding of the historical meaning of the A-bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Do you think that it was the right decision?

Enjoy the answer!

Today always reminds me of this

On November 13th, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife.

Deep down, he knew she was right. But he also knew that someday, he would return to her.

With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his friend, Oscar Madison. Several years earlier, Madison’s wife had thrown him out, requesting that he never return.

Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?

Their legacy shall live forever!

Liberals are simply ridiculous people

As if liberal elite sycophants can’t make themselves appear more absurd, along comes CNN, performing a pointed fact check of a Saturday Night Live skit that spoofed President Obama.

You can’t make this up.

Think of the amazing repartee!

Probably the only memorable thing about the 1967 film Dr Dolittle is this song, Talk To The Animals.  In the film, it’s performed by Rex Harrison with a slow placed, almost conversational delivery.  I prefer the faster paced renditions, like those performed by Sammy Davis Jr. and in this video, Vanda King.

The song is a personal favorite of mine and has been since childhood.  I find the lyrics quite clever and the melody infectious.  The only problem I have with the song is the same problem I have with the film -- both are way too long.  Dr Dolittle clocks in at almost three hours when the intermission is included -- a brutal exercise, punctuated by the fact that the film is primarily for children.  Expecting kids to sit there for 3 hours is just too much, I think.

For years, I have felt that the narrative should have been tweaked and Dr Dolittle should have been presented as two 90 minute films, released a year or so apart.  That’s much easier for children to digest, and a lot easier for the adults in the audience, too.

As it stands, the film was enormously expensive and, sadly, a commercial failure, and caused financial mayhem with 20th Century Fox, which continued to feel the pain until almost a decade later when they released Star Wars in May, 1977.  Dr Dolittle also marks the beginning of the end of major leading roles for Rex Harrison.  20th Century Fox also launched an all-out marketing blitz for the film, further compromising the bottom line.

In the end, Dr Dolittle has earned a warm spot in the hearts of many fans over the decades.  Perhaps its most enduring legacy is that it marked the end of this type of film: a musical children’s adventure that’s nonetheless good for fans of all ages.  These days, that niche is dominated by animated films featuring the voices of established stars, a genre that’s grown tedious and tiresome.  I’d like to see this type of film make a comeback -- I think if it were done well, it could be huge.

So, what courageous filmmaker has the guts to try it?

Rush Knocks It Out Of The Park

An Uneventful Awards Ceremony

Did Vince McMahon write this?

Kanye West rushes the stage and interrupts Taylor Swift’s accepting a Video Music award, and the slow-witted Swift just stands there speechless -- I suppose if the words aren’t on the teleprompter for her, she is lost and doesn’t know what to do.

A long overdue stern reprimand!