Scribbling in Superior Fashion

First off, my apologies for being overwhelmed with non-blog activity lately. Many reviews and other goodies are in the works. My friend Rudy Russo says you're gonna love it--and you can trust him! In the meantime, I am pleased to be the recipient of another award for blogging. Superior blogging, at that!

Toby over at 50 Westerns From the 1950's has awarded yours truly with the "Superior Scribbler" for blogging. Whether I got the award mainly for the "Why the Hell isn't this on DVD yet?" review series, or the ongoing tribute to the greatest actor who ever lived, Forrest Tucker, I am honored to humbly accept this recognition.

Toby's blog is well worth checking out if you like those old-school westerns like I do. In keeping with the spirit of the award, and the rules as well, a link to this post explains the Superior Scribbler in great detail, and I have 5 Superior Scribblers to hand out myself. Without further ado, my Superior Scribblers out there in blogland:

Snake Oil -- I've been a huge fan ever since the print version in the early 1990's, and Brother Randall's guide to Kooky Kristian Kulture still makes me laugh out loud. If Robert Tilton or Benny Hinn ever got a giggle out of you, this blog's for you!

Johnny Larue's Crane Shot continues to provide terrific film and TV reviews, and video links. And a special gold star for Marty for his ongoing episode guide for The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, a series sadly neglected otherwise.

Atrocious Gramma --Randy shares my fascination with Quincy, M.E., and most recently provided a great breakdown of the very first episode! For you fans of the Klug Man, this is a must.

Retrospace -- All kinds of pop culture here. Whether it's an essay on why disco died, or another top 100 list of the greatest horror films ever made, you'll find it here.

Congrats to the winners! Back to trying to finish some new reviews of my own for you....

This Week on DVD: The Lola Falana Show (1976)

Instead of looking at what's not out on DVD yet, this week I'd like to acknowledge the 1976 LOLA FALANA SHOW, which just received its release on a 2 disc set from Video Service Corporation.

It's probably just as cheesy as most 1970's variety shows (WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY pegged the typical variety show from that decade *perfectly*) but the gorgeous Ms. Falana has been out of the public eye for well over a decade now, and it should be fun to revisit her show today. Enjoy the clip above; other guest stars included in the set are Dick Van Dyke and Redd Foxx.

And have no fear, I'll be back to bringing attention to those lost classics still missing from DVD shortly....number 40 is next!

Wrongo Starr, R.I.P. The Horn Section Salutes.....Henry Gibson (1935-2009)

Henry Gibson, the great comic character actor best known for his work on LAUGH-IN, passed away Monday one week short of his 74th birthday.

You'll also remember him as the leader of the Illinois Nazi party in THE BLUES BROTHERS, but here at the Horn Section we salute him as F TROOP's most famous guest star, Private Leonard W. "Wrongo" Starr. The first season episode "Wrongo Starr and the Lady in Black" was hilarious enough to warrant a return trip for Henry in season two, creatively titled "The Return of Wrongo Starr".

Gibson worked with many of the greats during his 45 year (!) career. He was Charlie Horse in the Three Stooges' theatrical swan song, THE OUTLAWS IS COMING! (1965). He was Clifford Stool in the very funny and very underrated teleflick EVIL ROY SLADE (1972). He reunited with over a half-dozen LAUGH-IN co-stars on GET CHRISTIE LOVE!, played Napoleon on BEWITCHED (Dick Sargent not Dick York era) and most recently capped it all off with a series of guest appearances on BOSTON LEGAL as Judge Clark Brown.

The clip I've chosen to highlight today is Henry Gibson simply playing himself in the side-splitting KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE (1977), the debut film for AIRPLANE!/NAKED GUN auteurs Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. Join Henry as he urges us to fight our nation's number one killer, Death.

R.I.P. Henry. And a "Set your DVR's" note: Henry and The Three Stooges are coming up on TCM as THE OUTLAWS IS COMING airs Saturday, September 19th at 6:30 P.M. Central Time.

Film Review: GEORGIA, GEORGIA (1972)

Why the Hell isn't this on DVD yet? -- Number 39

GEORGIA, GEORGIA (1972 Kelly-Jordan Enterprises/Cinerama) Starring Diana Sands, Minnie Gentry, Dirk Benedict, Roger Furman, Terry Whitmore. Directed by Stig Bjorkman. Screenplay by Maya Angelou.

Despite her stature as a two-time Tony nominee and marquee stage star for a decade, Diana Sands had to wait until 1972 to receive top billing in a feature film. The gifted actress was arguably Broadway's biggest African-American star during the 1960's but was repeatedly denied a silver screen breakthrough. When the time came to film her biggest Broadway hit, THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT, Hollywood turned to Barbra Streisand. When she gave a marvelously layered performance in Hal Ashby's THE LANDLORD, Lee Grant received the Oscar nomination that Sands deserved. Finally, Sands was cast as the lead in Kelly-Jordan Enterprises' first foray into film, GEORGIA, GEORGIA.

Sands' title character is a pop music diva arriving in Stockholm for the latest stop on her world tour with her inner circle, hired maid and surrogate mother Minnie Gentry and homosexual business manager Roger Furman. During her stopover, black Vietnam deserter Terry Whitmore angles for a private audience with Sands to convince her to bring attention to the plight of his fellow expatriate defectors, but the apolitical prima donna shows no interest. Whitmore next tries to reach her through the more sympathetic Gentry, who sees an opportunity to play matchmaker. Meanwhile, impotent white photographer Benedict (also a Vietnam veteran) is assigned to capture Sands on film for a magazine article and ends up capturing the ice queen's heart.

Maya Angelou's debut screenplay is nothing if not ambitious. She explores the loneliness of a single, successful woman at the top; the effect of the Vietnam experience on its shell-shocked vets and the plight of deserters who are permanently seperated from their homes and families; the sicknesses of racism and obsession with racial purity; and the often poor choices that larger than life stars make for their inner circle (i.e. Elvis, Selena, Michael). Stockholm is just about the last setting you would expect for a penetrating drama on racial issues, and the setting is just one of several curveballs Angelou has in store. Sands is largely unsympathetic: spoiled, condescending, self-important, shallow and abusive to her hired help. For her part, the older Gentry is far from a comforting mother figure; damaged by her experiences with racism, she seethes inside with hatred towards Caucasians and her smiles are often chilling, rarely reassuring. The script is perhaps too ambitious: for example, when Furman asks Sands why she keeps Gentry around, the question warrants more than a one line explanation ("to remind me of what I escaped").

Despite filming in his native Sweden and coming off the challenging experience of directing non-professionals exclusively in his prior feature (I LOVE, YOU LOVE) Bjorkman is the wrong director for this film, far more comfortable with his locale than with the issues Angelou raises. Budget limitations are distractingly obvious, the pacing is uneven and the editing is consistently choppy.

Most damaging is Bjorkman's complete failure to establish the title character as an international superstar named "the most popular American singer in Europe" as we're told in the first few minutes. The director seems most intent with deglamorizing the songbird, and the sexy, enticing Diana Sands of THE LANDLORD and DOCTORS' WIVES is only occasionally in evidence here. Typical is the botched opening. Angelou's rousing "Bird of Paradise" plays over Sands' arrival at the airport. Instead of letting the uplifting song play and following Sands as she triumphantly enters Stockholm, Bjorkman cuts away after less than a minute and whisks us to an awkwardly staged press conference. The necessary strong introduction to Sands' Georgia Martin never materializes, and her concert is also badly mishandled: poorly attended and featuring a lukewarm finale instead of the must-see spectacle we anticipate from "the goose that lays golden eggs". The failure to dub Sands is also unfortunate; she's a fantastic actress but a mediocre singer, and lacks the vocal range needed for the show-stopper that is sorely needed.

As a result of the numerous missteps, it's impossible to buy Georgia Martin as a Diana Ross or Eartha Kitt on the world stage and Angelou's story is robbed of much of its power. In the end GEORGIA, GEORGIA seems more about Gentry and her consumption by hate than its title character.

Despite not having the budget or director for its intentions to be fully realized, GEORGIA, GEORGIA is still worth seeing for Angelou's imperfect but still intriguing debut screenplay and for the underappreciated performers in front of the camera. Minnie Gentry is best known today as Terrence Howard's grandmother, but she had four decades of stage experience before making her film debut here at age 57. She's very good overall, convincingly portraying Alberta's loosening grip on reality. A young Dirk Benedict also makes a solid film debut, and Roger Furman, well known as a stage director and playwright who founded Harlem's New Heritage Repertory Theatre, makes his only feature film appearance and nicely avoids the stereotypes as Sands' gay manager.

So...why isn't this on DVD yet?

Poor direction and budget constraints that are too obvious keep the film from reaching its full potential. The subject matter is in some ways dated and the film is crudely edited.

GEORGIA, GEORGIA is very obscure; surprisingly, this received only a brief VHS release in 1983 at the height of Dirk Benedict's A-TEAM fame, then disappeared.

The stars are primarily known for stage (Sands, Gentry, Furman) or television (Benedict) rather than for their respective film careers. Only Sands ever played a lead on the big screen, and only one other one at that (the misfire HONEYBABY, HONEYBABY).

Why it should be on DVD:

Maya Angelou fans would certainly be interested in her debut screenplay; she also wrote the songs "Bird of Paradise" and "I Can Bring down Rain".

There's precious little of Diana Sands available as it is: amazingly only A RAISIN IN THE SUN, WILLIE DYNAMITE and (sadly) HONEYBABY, HONEYBABY are on DVD. GEORGIA, GEORGIA is far from a perfect showcase for the late star, but its by far the better of her two starring vehicles. Even in a less than ideal role and hampered by the film's flaws, Sands is still very convincing off the concert stage and well worth watching.

Dated, perhaps, but certainly not irrelevant: the dysfunctional inner circle of the superstar seems as timely as ever in the wake of Michael Jackson's death, and Gentry's hair-raising comments about Sands "dishonoring her race" are sadly still echoed in news stories in America today. Also of note: the appearance by real life Vietnam deserter Terry Whitmore, who by this time had already been the subject of a documentary (TERRY WHITMORE, FOR EXAMPLE).

TiVo alert: Diana Sands' theatrical swan song WILLIE DYNAMITE will air on Turner Classic Movies' TCM Underground at 2:30 A.M. on September 26th. With Roscoe "Gordon" Orman as the titular pimp(!).

Happy Birthday Diana Sands

Today would have been Diana Sands' 75th birthday.

In paying tribute to the late, great actress, whose best known films are likely A RAISIN IN THE SUN and THE LANDLORD, Chris Poggiali at TEMPLE OF SCHLOCK hosted a roundtable discussion of her hard to find 1972 film GEORGIA, GEORGIA.

I was very honored to be invited to participate, and would like to give special thanks to Chris for the opportunity to finally see a film that's very hard to find and has been on my want list for a long time.

Of course, The Horn Section will be offering a review of GEORGIA, GEORGIA in the near future as well. In the meantime, here's the roundtable.

Film Review: TRIBES (1970)

"Why the Hell isn't this on DVD yet?" -- Number 38

TRIBES (1970 ABC-TV/20th Century Fox) Starring Darren McGavin, Earl Holliman, Jan-Michael Vincent, John Gruber, Danny Goldman, Antone Curtis. Directed by Joseph Sargent.

Quintessential flower child Jan-Michael Vincent is drafted into the Marines under D.I. Darren McGavin. Honed by his daily practice of meditation and yoga, Vincent turns out to have ideal mental focus and physical conditioning for boot camp itself. He also has the highest score on the aptitude test despite lacking a high school diploma. But being a superior practice player won't be enough. It is McGavin's job to turn the hippie into a killing machine at game time, something utterly rejected by Vincent with his pacifist beliefs. McGavin also must deal with Vincent's growing influence within his platoon due to exemplary drill performances and Holliman's belief that McGavin is losing control of his men.

TRIBES isn't specifically about the Vietnam War, but the then-ongoing conflict looms large throughout, as it is clear that's the post-graduation destination. Coming from an era in which long-held beliefs and authority figures were being questioned throughout American society, TRIBES succeeds in depicting the dehumanization of boot camp and also effectively presenting both the pacifist and militaristic sides of its conflict. This despite the limitations placed on it in budget and content (no foul language allowed!) as a network television project.

The film was successful enough in its original airing to earn an Emmy for the teleplay by Marvin Schwartz and Tracy Keenan Wynn and overseas theatrical release under the alternate title THE SOLDIER WHO DECLARED PEACE. You'll see clear influences on better known theatrical films to follow, such as FULL METAL JACKET (i.e. the opening barber sequence, in slo-mo, and a latrine scene that anticipates Private Pyle's tragic end) and HEARTBREAK RIDGE (in which a career gunnery sergeant also sees how ill-equipped he is to deal with a changing world). But TRIBES is considerably more subtle in making its points than either. At 93 minutes, it's also leaner.

McGavin and Vincent both give solid performances and Emmy nominated Joseph Sargent keeps the sharply edited film visually interesting throughout. Sargent, who is still going strong today at age 84, would go on to direct the original TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE, MacARTHUR, and two of the very best films ever produced by Home Box Office, MISS EVERS' BOYS and SOMETHING THE LORD MADE.

All but forgotten today and long overlooked, TRIBES is yet another example of why the first half of the 1970's was truly the Golden Age of the made for TV movie.

So.....why isn't this on DVD?

Given the short description of "hippie joins the marines" and the aforementioned limitations within the boundaries of early 1970's network TV standards, the film can't help but come across like something of a period piece at first glance.

As a general rule, early 1970's made for TV movies don't get DVD releases unless they have a marketing hook (i.e. "Spielberg's first film" or "James Caan shortly before THE GODFATHER").

Why it should be on DVD:

It is among the best made for TV movies of its era, which is high praise considering that era includes DUEL, MY SWEET CHARLIE, BRIAN'S SONG, THE EXECUTION OF PRIVATE SLOVIK and WELCOME HOME JOHNNY BRISTOL (also dealing with Vietnam) among many others.

Regarding that "marketing hook"; while Jan Michael-Vincent's career might have gone completely off the rails, shouldn't an early effort from Joseph Sargent mean something? It's also the first script from Tracy Keenan Wynn (THE LONGEST YARD and yet another outstanding made for TV movie from 1974, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN). Hard to find on VHS, TRIBES occasionally airs on Fox Movie Channel.

Film Review: ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (1950)

"Why the Hell isn't this on DVD yet?" -- Number 37

ROCK ISLAND TRAIL (1950 Republic) Starring Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara, Bruce Cabot, Chill Wills, Adrian Booth, Grant Withers. Directed by Joseph Kane.

Railroad man Tucker draws the ire of steamboat owner Cabot, first by winning a lucrative mail contract from the stage line, then by winning wealthy Mara's heart away from Cabot. Sensing that the railroad will next be taking business from his boats, Cabot tries to halt progress by bribing Tuck's subordinate Wills and smuggling whiskey to the railroad workers. Meanwhile, Tuck convinces Mara's father (Withers) to invest in the railroad, and exotic French-educated Keokuk princess Booth tries to woo Tucker away from Mara. Cabot's attempts to thwart the growth of the railroad turn into a personal vendetta against Tucker, as he challenges Tuck to a formal duel, then turns to direct sabotage.

Following his breakthrough role in SANDS OF IWO JIMA, Tucker got his first opportunity to headline a Republic western. Filmed primarily in Oklahoma (McAlester) in Trucolor, with a script by James Edward Grant and a strong supporting cast, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL was heavily promoted by the studio during the summer of 1950.

6'5" Tucker was forever playing stone-faced villains during the 1940's and 1950's. Even when starring in films like CALIFORNIA PASSAGE and THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN he was typically a truculent, anti-social protagonist ("I don't like people", he declared in the former). ROCK ISLAND TRAIL gave Tucker the opportunity to play an unreserved good guy. Tucker's Reed Loomis is persuasive enough to sway investors, inspiring enough to have Wills' undivided loyalty, and charming enough to not only attract both Mara and Booth, but to keep Booth's loyal friendship even after he sidesteps her pass. He's also adept with guns, his fists, and in the one truly inspired scene, a mop dipped in boiling soup, his choice of weapon when Cabot challenges him to a "ridiculous" duel.

Tucker is forceful and seems to relish playing an extroverted hero for a change. Unfortunately the script is one of the lesser efforts from Grant, who also wrote SANDS OF IWO JIMA and countless other John Wayne vehicles. There's too much stilted dialogue, and it's impossible to believe that Cabot got to the engagement stage with Mara given that neither she nor Withers can even stand him in the beginning. Booth is unconvincing as a French-Native American princess, and the use of rear screen projection is distracting in a few key scenes.

This being a Republic film directed by Joseph Kane, there's plenty of action, even if the one truly memorable scene is the mop duel. The train/stage race, an exploding bridge, several fist fights, the inevitable attack from a hostile tribe (instigated by Cabot, of course)....there's even a courtroom trial with the railroad represented by young Abraham Lincoln, played by Jeff Corey! ROCK ISLAND TRAIL isn't quite the sweeping epic Republic intended, but it is an agreeable if largely unexceptional example of old school kitchen-sink action.

So....why isn't this on DVD?

Outside of Tuck's atypical (at least, pre-AUNTIE MAME and THE MUSIC MAN) role and his duel with Cabot, there's very little here you haven't seen before. And despite the heavy promotion, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL had mediocre box office returns in its day.

Few Republic westerns are on DVD, even the ones in Trucolor. Which leads me to.......

Why it should be on DVD:

Maybe not a commercial for this one film specifically, but I'd love to see some Republic boxed sets. Tucker made enough solid action films for a good one, and other fun boxed sets could be compiled for stars Wild Bill Elliott (whose HELLFIRE will be reviewed here soon...bank on it!), Rod Cameron and Wendell Corey.

Maybe the ladies could be included too: Joan Leslie, Adele Mara, Vera Hruba Ralston......well, okay, not Vera. Sorry, Ms. Ralston, and R.I.P., but, well, let's just say her much older husband was Republic's founder and President, in case you're wondering how she kept getting plum roles despite lacking the talent to act.

Regardless, ROCK ISLAND TRAIL and countless other Republics keep turning up regularly on Encore's Western Channel, so there's an audience out here that would love to remember, or (if too young to remember like I am) just see what low-budget action films were like circa 1950.