SEAN CONNERY'S 88TH BIRTHDAY!

From WIKIPEDIA, the free encyclopedia:

Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (one of them being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award) and three Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award).

Connery was the first actor to portray the character James Bond in film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. In 1988, Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouchables. His film career also includes such films as Marnie, The Name of the Rose, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, Finding Forrester, Highlander, Murder on the Orient Express, The Man Who Would be King, The Wind and The Lion, Outland, The Hill, and The Rock.

Connery has been polled as "The Greatest Living Scot" and "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure". In 1989, he was proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine, and in 1999, he was voted "Sexiest Man of the Century". Connery was knighted in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to Film Drama.

THE GENIUS OF FRIZ FRELENG!

According to Wikipedia: Isadore "Friz" Freleng, often credited as I. Freleng, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work on the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons.
Friz was born on August 21, 1906, and during his long and creative career, he gave us some of the most memorable and lovable cartoon characters ever,  like Tweety Pie, Sylvester the cat, Speedy Gonzales, Yosemite Sam, The Pink Panther, The Inspector and many many more!  Long live Friz!

SHARKNADO!

The last SHARKNADO movie was finally broadcast and it is clear that there has never been a more ridiculous movie franchise ever! But the kids love it and I guess that was the main target audience all along so...mission accomplished!

THE UNSINKABLE OLIVER HARDY!

SENIOR DAZE : THE FINAL CHAPTER.

MY FAVORITE MARTIAN

Mars will be closest to the Earth in a decade and a half today, on the night of July 31, 2018. The Earth will have the Red Planet and the Sun on either side, with the three celestial bodies in a straight line. Though the two planets will be at closest distances to each other, they will still be 57.6 million km apart. This will be the closest distance between Mars and Earth until October 2020, but the Red Planet’s visibility as good as today's only every 15-17 years. 

Those facts are completely irrelevant to the actual reason for this post. One of my favorite shows when I was growing up in the 60s, was MY FAVORITE MARTIAN, which premiered on September 29, 1963, and lasted until May 1st, 1966. The show told the adventures of a Martian who crash-lands his spaceship on Earth and is taken in by a young newspaper reporter named Tim O'Hara. Disguising himself as Uncle Martin, the alien from space tries to repair his ship hidden in the garage, but Tim's nosy landlady, Mrs. Brown, takes a liking to Uncle Martin making it very difficult to keep his true identity a secret.

The show starred Ray Walston as the Martian and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara and also featured Pamela Britton as Mrs. Brown and Alan Hewitt as a suspicious police detective named Brennan.  The show seems quite mild and tame by today's standards and the comedy isn't that hilarious...but it has a distinctive charm and appeal all its own. 

So, here's my tribute to MY FAVORITE MARTIAN!

MY FAVORITE MARTIAN is available on DVD from Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/My-Favorite-Martian-Bill-Bixby/dp/B011MU9ZIY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1533055406&sr=8-4&keywords=my+favorite+martian

THE JOY OF PAINTING!

Arguments on the Internet

Nothing is as stupid as having a heated argument in the comments section of any webpage with complete strangers or even with known acquaintances! You'll always end up frustrated, angry and with a mild cardiac arrest in store! I have never engaged myself in such an activity but from what  I've seen, there are those who really thrive in doing so! Such a waste of time and energy!  And if you don't agree, tell me why in the comments section below, you moron!

July 21, 1969 : MAN WALKS ON THE MOON!

An old joke from 1969 but worth repeating on the 49th Anniversary of man's first steps on the moon...

The original 1969 MAN ON THE MOON souvenir booklet.

Movie Books!

Movie, TV, Comic Book Art and Music reference books have been a staple of my library and I frequently resort to them for information and material. My biggest source for acquiring media and entertainment literature before Amazon and the internet came into existence, had always been the fine cinema bookstores in the Hollywood area. Some of them are still in business and whenever possible, I drop by to check out the new releases. Visiting an actual bookstore is a unique experience, much more exciting and rewarding than simply shopping for books online!

Part of my book collection.

My favorite bookstores, apart from Amazon, where I have bought most of my cinema and other media books, are these:

The 2018 SONS OF THE DESERT Convention in Cincinnati gets underway today!

The DUX EPISCOP 49!

Back in the early 60s, when I was about twelve or thirteen years old, I got an opaque materials projector which allowed me to display photos, drawings, and any other printed material by shining a bright light onto the object from above and then send it to the screen. A system of mirrors and imaging lenses was used to focus the projected image.
All technical data aside, the projector allowed me to put together "movie shows" in my room, by closing the shades and setting up a screen. I used to project some of my comic books on the screen, panel by panel, reading the text, doing each character's voices, creating the sound effects and humming the music as I went along. My siblings' patience was tried and tested as they endured these shows. Many years later, after I got married and had a kid, I bought an ELMO Super 8mm sound projector and the movie shows then became REAL movie shows, with Flip the Frog cartoons and Laurel & Hardy shorts being the main presentations.  A far cry from today's movie watching experience where you can enjoy any film in your iPhone, iPad, Laptop or Widescreen HD system.
I recently found that old Dux Episcop Projector, among some discarded items inside old boxes from my late father's belongings. It's still in working order in spite of some missing parts. I don't think I will ever hold a screening again but it's nice to have the quaint device back, if only as a nostalgic piece of memorabilia!

AN OPTIMISTIC MESSAGE!

FOURTH OF JULY - 2018

"I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am." - Francis Bacon

BEGINNING THE MONTH OF JULY JUST RIGHT...

Sean Connery IS James Bond

Back in 1962, the first James Bond film adventure, DR. NO. was released and the world of movie action thrillers has never been the same since. The suave and dashing secret agent was portrayed by a relatively unknown Scottish actor named Sean Connery, whose film credits up until then were rather lusterless, his best-known work being a Walt Disney fantasy titled Darby O'Gill and the Little People.
But master agent James Bond, the gentleman spy with a license to kill, catapulted Connery into worldwide fame and made him one of the movies top rated actors.
Several other performers have stepped into the role with varying degrees of success but for me, not one of them has been able to replicate the charm, toughness, and command of presence that Connery brought to the role.  He made the part his very own and his face, with the raised eyebrow, sardonic smile and the Walter PPK in his hand, became for me the iconic image of James Bond 007.
The excitement of watching his image on the posters, which repeatedly claimed that "Sean Connery IS James Bond", for each following adventures has never been equaled with any of the other JB incarnations.
Listen to the line: "Bond...James Bond", uttered by Connery on his first appearance at the Chemin-de-fer table in Dr. No, and compare it to the same words spoken by any of the other Bonds.

Not quite the same, eh?
Other 007 incarnations may enjoy the benefit of HD technology, better stunts, more thrills, breakneck pacing and an inordinate use of CGIs to enhance the action but to me, admittedly an older generation baby-boomer, Sir Sean Connery will always be the one true, original James Bond, secret agent 007...forever!

WHEN YOU BEGIN TO SUSPECT YOUR CREDIT CARD HAS BEEN CLONED!

COLUMBO!

This week I began to re-visit one of my all-time favorite TV shows: COLUMBO. I'm on the third season already and I am fascinated by the great acting and superb writing. What a treat! Peter Falk was such a likable actor and perfect here in his signature role. The guest list is also quite amazing. Many recognizable faces abound. Really, they don't make 'em like this anymore!

Peter Falk as COLUMBO. Art by Al Hirschfeld.

The series originally ran from 1968 to 2003.

THE JUNE BUG!