2020 Short Film Challenge - Tex Avery Week

Fred Bean "Tex" Avery was born on 26 February 1908. Many feel that he was the King of Cartoons. Under his supervision and direction, he brought about the creation of "Termite Terrace", possibly the single most important entity in the history of animation. Termite Terrace was that place in the Warner Brothers studio that would be the birthplace of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and every other character that brought mayhem and laughter to the silver screen. It also would be the springboard for other talents like Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Michael Maltese, Friz Freleng and more. Avery would move to MGM in 1942, carrying on the same brand of lunacy to the dismay of Fred Quimby. In 1954, he would work for Walter Lantz, who created Woody Woodpecker. That would last a year.

Some of the residents of Termite Terrace

The days of Tex Avery would be a Golden Age of Animation.

To me, there is little that is funnier than Droopy Dog looking out at the beginning of a cartoon and uttering that immortal line:

"Hello all you happy people."

Films already viewed:

Warner Brothers

I Love to Singa (1936)

Porky's Duck Hunt (1937)

Daffy Duck and Egghead (1938)

Daffy Duck in Hollywood (1938)

A Wild Hare (1940)

Tortoise Beats Hare (1941)

Hollywood Steps Out (1941)

The Heckling Hare (1941)

MGM

Blitz Wolf (1942)

Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)

Who Killed Who? (1943)

Batty Baseball (1944)

Screwball Squirrel (1944)

Happy-Go-Nutty (1944)

Big Heel-Watha (1944)

The Screwy Truant (1945)

The Shooting of Dan McGoo (1945)

Wild and Wolfie (1945)

Lonesome Lennie (1946)

Northwest Hounded Police (1946)

Senor Droopy (1949)

The Chump Champ (1950)

Dare-Devil Droopy (1951)

Droopy's Good Deed (1951)

Droopy's Double Trouble (1951)

One Cab's Family (1952)

Three Little Pups (1953)

Drag-a-long Droopy (1954)

Billy Boy (1954)

Dixieland Droopy (1954)

The First Bad Man (1955)

Deputy Droopy (1955)

Millionaire Droopy (1956)

As much as I tried to find some of the Warner Brothers cartoons that I hadn't seen, they were few available. Thanks to DailyMotion.com, many of the MGM cartoons could be viewed. So here we go. 

The two Warner Brothers cartoons I found were:

Plane Dippy (1936), with Porky Pig trying to get into the Air Force. This is prior to the Porky of later years, who was the picture of pig sartorial splendor. Porky here was grossly overweight, which added to the comedic impact of the cartoon.

A Sunbonnet Blue (1937), Mice take over a hat shop with songs. love and a villain. 

The MGM cartoons were more numerous.

Jerky Turkey (1945), a hunt by a pilgrim for a turkey, who speaks like Jimmy Durante and a running gag of a bear with an "Eat at Joe's" sign.

Doggone Tired (1949), a rabbit tries to stay alive by keeping a hunting dog up all night. 

Symphony in Slang (1951), a hep cat tries to explain to St. Peter and Noah Webster how he died, in the current day vernacular.

The Cuckoo Clock (1950), the beginning shows where the idea for Symphony in Slang came from, the rest is a cat trying to eat the cuckoo in the clock.

The Car of Tomorrow (1951), innovations to the auto that we all need...

The Counterfeit Cat (1949), a cat pretending to be a dog to get a bird guarded by a dog. Never mind. If you see it, you'll get it.

Swing Shift Cinderella (1945), the lead looks and talks like Bette Davis. She soon breaks into the "Oh Wolfie" number from Red Hot Riding Hood.

Little Rural Red Riding Hood (1949), the country wolf goes to meet the city wolf to see what women are really like. She soon breaks into the "Oh Wolfie" number from Red Hot Riding Hood. Don't ask me how often they used this bit. I lost count.

Lastly, a cartoon under Walter Lantz at Universal

The Legend of Rockabye Point (1955), Chilly Willy and a polar bear vie for a tuna boat's catch. Throw in a guard dog that falls asleep to Rockabye Baby, and you have the essence of the story.

There is a reference book used for this one. The filmography of Tex Avery's work is courtesy of Joe Adamson's book "Tex Avery: King of Cartoons" (Big Apple Film Series, 1975), which has had a place on my shelves for years. Also, thanks to DailyMotion. You don't hear about these guys too often, as YouTube rules the roost. But they really are worth exploring. And, yes, there was some looking at Wikipedia and IMDb.

Just for yucks, some of the above are linked to the cartoon. Have fun.

Films viewed: 11

Total Films viewed :124

Next week is completely open, which means it's a "No Theme" week. So who knows what I will watch, but I wouldn't be surprised if some Horror found its way there! Stay Tuned!!

2020 Short Film Challenge - The Short Films of Japan

This will be one of my shorter weeks. I hope the Emperor can forgive me for my small celebration for his birthday (23 Feb).

Let's start as usual:

Films Already Seen:

152 (2006)
Cat Soup (2001, animated)
Chiruri (2012, animated)
Fastening Day (2014, animated)
Fastening Day 2 (2016, animated)
Geharha, The Long and Dark-Haired Monster (2009)
Geshu the Cellist (1982, animated)
Jumping (1984, animated)
Le Maison en Petits Cubes (2008, animated)
Man and Whale (2007, animated)
Mei and the Kittenbus (2002, animated)
Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess (2010, animated)
Monmon the Water Spider (2006, animated)
MRA: Monster Removal Agency (2007)
Negadon: The Monster from Mars (2005, animated)
On Your Mark (1995, animated)
Paulette's Chair (2014, animated)
Pikachu's Vacation (1998, animated)
Pikachu's Rescue Adventure (1999, animated)
Playground (2014, animated)
Skinny and Fatty (1958)

So, what happened?

I have to admit, I tried not to view Animation this time. Yes, I love Animated Films, especially those of Japan. But I felt that it would be interesting to try to see live action this time. Great idea....until you try to link them with IMDb to verify that they are short films. I had plenty of possible views, but had nothing to show that they were listed on IMDb.

As a result, I only have four films to show for a four day week at work. All are live action.

Automation (2017)

A lonely man orders a mail-order robot to fill the void in his life. It doesn't take long before the man finds his new companion equally unfulfilling. (No, not a remake of Cherry 2000).

Yoko of the Dead (2012)

A rather dull look at a sword-wielding protector of the forest. Not as good as many of the zombie features that Japan produces.

Electric Town (2014)

Returning to the loneliness theme, an old man misses his dog about the time robotic dogs are being marketed. Unable to pay 500,000 yen for the real thing, he buys a 5000 yen knock-off. The situation becomes far more than interesting.

And So We Put Goldfish in the Pool (2016)

A quartet of girlfriends look at the plainness and pointlessness of their life, seemingly trapped in the town of Sayama.


So there you have it. It really took some doing just to find these. Hopefully, I won't go through this during weeks of other foreign language shorts.

Thanks to YouTube and IMDb, along with Viddsee.com, which is another great source of short films.

Next week...

Celebrating the birthday of the King of Cartoons, Fred Bean "Tex" Avery (born 26 February 1908)

Number of films viewed:  4
Total films viewed:  113

Beware! The Blob! - The So-Bad-It's-Good Blogathon

1959

A group of townsfolk with fire extinguishers surround a diner covered by huge one-celled creature that has been ingesting their friends and neighbors. It moves off the building and is frozen solid. We next seen the frozen creature dropped by helicopter into the frozen wastes of the Arctic. The End? Well, we hope.

1972

Coming back from three months in the Arctic, Chester Hargis brings a piece of something that one of his co-workers bulldozed out of the permafrost. His wife, Mariane, doesn't want it in the freezer. It thaws and the blob starts eating people all over again.

Now, here begins a string of characters introduced just to be eaten. And the majority of the actors and actresses are "name" people from that time. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Does it resemble the Sharknado series with cameos of famous people just in time to be eaten by sharks?

What we may have here is the "original" Sharknado!

Let's run down our list of victims!

First, we have a fly, the family cat, then Chester's wife, Mariane. Next is Chester, himself, played by popular actor and comedian, Godfrey Cambridge. Veteran of television and films, his name was well-known by 1972, especially after 1970's comedy, "Watermelon Man", and the crime comedy, "Cotton Comes to Harlem." It does not escape one's attention that he is watching "The Blob" when the Blob gets him. Makes you wonder if that 1959 film is a documentary in that universe.

Next, Randy and his girlfriend steal away for a toke in a storm drain. Of course, they are caught by the police. A questionable officer, named Zed, keeps them where they are. They try to tell him that the Blob is behind him, blocking the exit, but he doesn't listen. More food for the Blob. Randy's girl is played by Cindy William, who two year's prior was in Roger Corman's "Gas-s-s-s", and would work in films directed by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola. Officer Zed is uncredited, but we can see that it is our old friend, Sid Haig. This won't be the last time someone is menaced by Officer Zed. Zed would turn up in "Pulp Fiction", and would be dispatched by Marsellus Wallace.

We are then brought to a barber shop. The barber is alone when a "hippie" comes in wanting a hair cut. The barber charges him $400 for a "Hair Sculpt". The hippie okays it. But first, his hair needs to be washed. Before they can rinse it, the Blob fills the sink, taking both men for lunch. The barber is portrayed by the famous stand-up comedian Shelley Berman. In 1955, Berman had an uncredited role in the film "Dementia". The name of the film was changed to "Daughter of Horror" in 1957. It is the film everyone is watching in the theater scene in the original Blob.

We, then, come to a trio of drunks who run afoul of the Blob, which has grown to huge proportions. The first to go is director Larry Hagman, whose stint in "I Dream of Jeannie" made him a television star. He would become J.R. Ewing in the original "Dallas". His two friends would be next to go. One is Burgess Meredith (uncredited), star of TV and movies. The other is played by actor Del Close. Why I mention him is that he would play Reverend Meeker in the 1988 remake of "The Blob". It looks as if he even wore the same eye patch!

In the beginning of the film, we see a Scoutmaster leading a group of boys for a camping trip. The Scout master is played by Dick Van Patten, actor on stage and on television, including a episode of "I Dream of Jeannie". Of course, he would go on to play the father in "Eight is Enough" and have parts in a number of Mel Brooks comedies. We only see the campsite in shambles. Did the Blob get the Scoutmaster and all the kids?

Speaking of the kids, the only one with a speaking role is Preston Hagman. Yes, Larry's ten-year-old son.

Our heroes run from the party, trying to get the sheriff. The lovely Leslie accompanies them. They find the Blob is now blocking the road. Not only that, but Leslie's boyfriend's buggie is caught in the Blob. Yes, he was an evening snack. Leslie runs to the car, hoping to save her man, but only helps the Blob grow bigger. Leslie is played by Carol Lynley. She had roles in numerous movie and television shows from the late 1950s forward and would be well seen in her role in "The Poseidon Adventure" that very same year.

The Blob then goes bowling, eating several bowler, a pinsetter in a scene very reminiscent of the auto mechanic scene in the original film, and a sheriff's deputy. Thank goodness there is an ice rink on the premises (hint, hint).

But let's not forget the survivors. Aside from our heroic couple, there is Richard Stahl a longtime character actor you've seen in everything, you just don't know his name; Tiger Joe Marsh, a wrestler of some repute, who runs naked through the streets escaping the Blob (he is credited as Naked Turk, but Marsh was Yugoslavian. I think he was speaking Yugoslavian in the film, not Turkish); and, of course, the sheriff, played by Richard Webb. Webb was the superhero Captain Midnight in the 1950s. We also find out that the Scouts have survived, but their Scoutmaster was not so lucky.

Somewhere in there is also Tim Barr, who had a small role and did the special effects. Barr had an Oscar to his credit for the effects on George Pal's "The Time Machine".

Thanks to IMBd for some of the wonderful info that helped make so many connections. Thanks also to Kino Lorber, who had the guts to put this film out of Blu-ray. I got my copy for Christmas. Isn't Santa wonderful?

Please take a moment and peruse the rest of the Blog-a-than found at:

https://takinguproom.wordpress.com/2019/11/10/announcing-the-second-so-bad-its-good-blogathon/

2020 Short Film Challenge - Larry Semon

Larry Semon (9 February 1889 - 8 October 1928)

I think I got a little more than I bargained for with this one.

Let's start with the easiest part of this installment of the 2020 Short Film Challenge. Here is list of films already viewed:

Dunces and Danger (1918)
Romans and Rascals (1918)
The Saw Mill (1922)
The Show (1922)
Horseshoes (1923)
The Cloud Hopper (1925)

Instead of looking at individual films, I think we need to look at his body of work, which has reoccurring themes and gags....and problems. Here are the films viewed, all of which can be found on YouTube.

Huns and Hyphens (1918)
Frauds and Frenzies (1918)
The Grocery Clerk (1919)
The Bell Hop (1921)
Golf (1922)
Kid Speed (1924)
A Simple Sap (1928)

First, it seems that his early material, from 1915 to 1919, uses an "And" in the title. Titles like those above and others like "Big Bluffs and Bowling Balls" (1917), "Noisy Naggers and Nosey Neighbors" (1917) and "Bathing Beauties and Big Boobs" (1918) dominate his filmography.

The films use a lot of the same elements. The Gags involving people constantly being hit was some kind of sticky liquid, paint or mud, often cleaning up just to be hit again. Larry rarely receives the same treatment. If someone is not being "soiled", they are falling out of second floor windows or off barn roofs. Larry usually hits the hay wagon, not all did, though. Some even hit a waiting mud puddle.

Plots often involve plots. "The Bell Hop" centers around German spies trying to steal papers in a hotel safe. "A Simple Sap" involves the theft of $25,000 in bonds. "Huns and Hyphens" has Larry as an inventor of a new gas mask that enemy agents want. And so on....

Add some outrageous stunts involving race cars, airplanes and falling towers and you have a Larry Semon comedy, running about 20 to 30 minutes.

There are things that sets them apart from others of the period. Mainly, we are talking about the cast. Two future stars can be found (normally alone) in many of his earlier film, namely, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Each was usually cast as the heavy, heading up the spies or menacing Larry. This makes Semon's films a study in the development of these two who, together, would change the world of film comedy.

Stan Laurel

Oliver "Babe" Hardy

In "Kid Speed", a blacksmith was played by Jack Jefferies. Jefferies was heavyweight boxing champion from 1899 to 1905. In 1910, he was goaded into returning to the ring to face Jack Johnson, the current heavyweight champ, who was African American. He took the fight for $120,000. Jefferies was knocked down twice. His corner threw in the towel in the 15th, ending the fight with Johnson's title intact.

This was Jefferies first screen role as an actor.

In 1925, Larry Semon, bankrolled a version of "The Wizard of Oz". The film was a flop. Couple this with his already strained financial position, and Semon was on the ropes. He put out a number of films after 1925, but his debts continued to grow. An article in the New York Daily News (7 Oct 1928) stated that he owed nearly $500,000. 

Semon collapsed in late August, 1928 (The Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner, 22 Aug 1928).  He had developed either Tuberculosis or Pneumonia, depending on the newspaper. He also, reportedly, suffered a nervous breakdown. His wife, Dorothy Dwan, closed their house and moved in with her mother, when Larry was sent to a "health ranch". Taking refuge in the Mojave Desert Sanitarium near Victorville, California, it hit the papers that he had died on 5 October. His doctor refuted these claims stating that he was "very low." (Rock Island (Illinois) Argus, 6 Oct 1928)

On the 8th, Semon's was reported to have died. An article in the Reading (Pa) Times dated 9 October, says that there was a private funeral service held at the San Bernardino mortuary and the body was to be shipped to Philadelphia for burial in a family plot. This was stated by Nancy Smith, mother of Dorothy Dwan.

In a search through Find-a-Grave.com, Semon's Father died in 1901 and was buried at Mikveh Israel Cemetery in Philadelphia. His mother died in 1906 and was buried at Fernwood Cemetery in Fernwood, Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia. Larry's sister, Elizabeth, died in 1941 and was buried in Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, also outside of Philadelphia. His wife of the time (Dorothy Dwan) died in Ventura, California and was cremated in 1981. Absent from all this is Nancy Smith. No mention of her as mother or wife is noted on the site. 

Reading over IMDb's bio of Semon, they point out that he was cremated. Not only that, per his instructions, there were no witnesses to this event, including his wife, who, to her dying day, does not know what happened to his body. She never saw it. No one knows where his ashes are. 

Who knows?

Thanks to YouTube, IMDb, Find-a-Grave.com and Newspapers.com for all the insight.

Number of films viewed: 7
Total films viewed: 109

Next week, I celebrate the Emperor's Birthday (23 Feb) with short films from Japan.

2020 Short Film Challenge - Thar Be Zombies

As you can tell, I have a thing for the Undead.

Since George Romero introduced the idea of the Dead returning to life to eat the flesh of the living, many have take the scenario and run with it. Thank goodness. So, here's the list of films on the topic that I have already viewed.

Afterfodelsen (The Unliving, 2010, Sweden)                   Restaurant 4 Zombies (2008, Croatia)
All You Need is Brains! (2013, Canada)                           Rotting Hill (2011, New Zealand)
Anger of the Dead (2013, Italy+)                                      Run (2006, Ethiopia)
Ashes (2014, Russia*)                                                       Smarter than the Average Zombie (2009)
Attack of the Zombie Luchadores (2011)                         Smush-A Deadheads Short Film (2012)
Becoming Undead II (2013)                                              The Story of Ginger and Snapper  (2016*)
BFF Zombies (2012)                                                          2 Hours (2012)
Bite (2017)                                                                         Velvet Road (2011)
Brainless Killers (2015, Australia)                                    Victorian Undead (2012)
Brains? (2012, New Zealand)                                            Waterborne (2014, Australia)
Carbine of the Dead (2010, France)                                   We are What we Eat (2012)
Cargo (2013, Australia+>)                                                  The Working Dead (2013)
Checkpoint (2014, Russia*)                                               Wrapped (2014, Germany)
Dark Night of the Zomboogies (2017)                               Yawn of the Dead (2016, UK)
Dead Crossing (2011, Mexico)                                           Zombie Actually (2010)
Dead End (2011)                                                                 Zombie Asockalypse (2009)
Dead Hearts (2014, Canada)                                               Zombie Dog (2011*)
Dead Hungry (2009)                                                           Zombie Dust (2012)
Dead on Arrival (2012)                                                       Zombie Gets a Date (2008*)
The Deadening (2009)                                                        Zombie, Inc. (2011)
Deadyear (2010)                                                                 Zombie Musical (2010, Scotland+>)
Deep Dish Apocalypse (2018)                                            The Zombie Nine (2010*)
Dia de los Muertos (2013*)                                                Zombie in a Penguin Suit (2011)
Don't Let Them In (2015)                                                   Zombie Prom Date (2010)
Eat Organic (2017)                                                              Zombiehagen (2014, Denmark)
The End (2013, UK)                                                           Zombies (2014, Argentina)
Endgame (2015)                                                                  Zombies and Cigarettes (2009, Spain)
Exile (2011)                                                                         Zombification (2010, Austria)
Eyes (2014, Russia*)                                                           Zombinladen: The Axis of Evil Dead
Fat Zombie (2014)                                                                            (2011, France)
First Date (2013)                                                             
The First Wave (2014, Ireland)                                       
The First Zombie (2011, UK)                                                       
A Fistful of Zombies (2012, Spain*)                                   * animated
Guy's Guide to Zombies (2006)                                           + later made into a feature length film
Guys vs. Zombies (2013, France)                                        > see a full article on this film at
Home (2010, Australia)                                                               bloodywhisper.com
The Humans are Coming (2013)
Interview with a Zombie (2012)
Isolated (2015, animated, Chile)
Kidz (2010, Canada)
M is for Manhood (2013)
Margaret in the Zombie Apocalypse (2012, UK)
Mother Died (2012, UK)
Nekrolog (2000, Denmark)
Night of the Living Bread (1990)
Night of the Loving Dead (2011*)
Night of the Not So Living Dead...Guy (2012)
Office Zombies (2014)
Picnic (2013)
Plague (2009, Australia)
Play Dead (2011)
Quiet Screams (2013)
The Quirk and the Dead (2010)


As you can see, the Zombie is an international figure. Filmmakers from every corner of the globe have embraced the simple concept that George Romero proposed 50 years ago.

Did I say simple?

Adding on a horrific element to the world, causing the breakdown of society and morals, is hardly a simple task. Many of the above films show that. Many also show a funny side to the horror. Considering that my worst nightmares involve a "Night of the Living Dead" theme, it's a welcome relief.

So lets begin. First, the serious and scary.

"I Dare You" (2015, Israel). Would you play a "Dare" game that takes place in a government area used to contain those still infected with the Zombie virus? She did, with unexpected results.

"Wreckage" (2016, UK). A car accident, a bite mark, and zombies.

"Flesh & Blood" (2016). The deterioration of a family hoping to find a cure.

"A Father's Day" (2016, UK). A father and his daughter are reunited, after they turned.

"Zombie Birds" (2010, Australia). Almost as good as "Birdemic". Almost.

"Dead Rain" (2010, UK). Something in the rain has caused the Apocalypse. One man runs.


After that, things get funny.

"Still" (2016, UK). A performance artist, who is a human statute, watches the Zombie Apocalypse breaks out around him. Can he stay still long enough to make his escape?

"Who's the Zombie?" (2017, Sweden). Silly film about two men, a Zombie, and a government group as adept as those in "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes."

"Hope" (2017, Norway). The Zombies are now oppressed by the survivors. One looks for a lost love. Directed by Adam Losurdo, who did the makeup for "Dead Snow 2".

"Steadfast Stanley" (2014, UK, animated). Left behind, Stanley, a corgi, searches for his young master. Adorable.

"I Dream of Zombies" (2016). Be careful what you wish for....

"Afternoon of the Rat-Faced Zombies" (2007, UK). Now, I've seen a movie where pizza caused the Apocalypse. Here, it's Beer!! Best line about Beer Tastings: "You pay good money. You stagger. You vomit. You fall over."

"Fist of Jesus" (2012, Spain). Jesus raises Lazarus, who starts the biblical Zombie Apocalypse. A goofy, irreverent gore fest, that will definitely put off the religious. Brought to you by Adrian Cardona, who made the equally gory/goofy "Brutal Relax".

Once again, these films can be found on YouTube and Vimeo with relative ease. Many of the films at the top can be found there too. I encourage you to look around and enjoy the show. After all, the Zombie Apocalypse may only come around once in a lifetime.

You can also find my article on some of those films at Bloody Whisper.

http://www.bloodywhisper.com/z-international-zombie-extravaganza-z-short-horror-film-review-series-finale/


Next week: I celebrate the legacy of Larry Semon, silent comedian, born 9 Feb 1889.

Number of films viewed: 13
Total so far: 102

Mr. & Mrs. James Garner and the Polaroid OneStep

In 1948, a new and different photographic instrument was presented to the world. The Polaroid camera with instant developing pictures. The film had everything needed to make the picture ready right in the hands of the taker. Talk about progress.

How iconic is the Polaroid camera? Well, the television series MASH spent a two-part episode where the theft of a Polaroid camera was the focus of the story. Andre 3000 of Outkast sang about them in their hit, "Hey Ya". Even in the age of the cell phone, it still holds its place. The camera could also be fitted with a flash bar (a series of flashbulbs of proper lighting). Sadly, this was still little help as Kim Darby was dragged away by demons in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark." Currently, the OneStep2 is being marketed.

The Polaroid OneStep was introduced in 1977. In 1978, James Garner began to be the spokesman for the OneStep. He spent most of the commercials taking pictures of whatever children showed up. Around the same time, Mariette Hartley also started working for Polaroid as well. Both were alone. Each taking pictures of whoever else was in the spot. Just not each other.

In 1979, it changed. Someone got the bright idea of pairing up the two. Not only pair them up, but make it look like the two are in some form of relationship. Have them go to parties, county fairs, someone's apartment, etc. and add snappy patter and zingers and let the magic happen.

And magic did!

For next four years, Garner and Hartley became the hot couple of advertising. And the two were naturals. According to the company, they were getting hundreds of letter from people who enjoyed the commercial better than the network show they were watching. Polaroid was really unprepared for such a reaction. A large part of the success of the commercials was Garner, who, according to Larry Beeson, the adman behind the campaign, "is at his funniest when reacting to indignities." (Gannett News Service, 10 June 1979).

Watching the commercials, one fell in love with the relationship that the two had. They knew what to say to each other. They knew how to get each other's goat. They were witty, never malicious. One would think that the two were married in real life.

And that is just what the public thought! Everywhere they turned, people wonder how their spouse, be it James or Mariette, was doing. It didn't help that the first episode of the new season of the Rockford Files for 1979 had Hartley as a guest!

This became talk show fodder as well. Hartley spent a good deal of time explaining the relationship with James Garner. It go to a point where she went around wearing a t-shirt that proclaimed that she was James Garner's wife. She even had a shirt for her daughter stating that she was not James Garner's baby! Garner's wife came into the fray, stating in an article that she was thinking of wearing a shirt that said "I'm the Real Mrs. James Garner." (According to one article, there were t-shirts that stated: I'm not James Garner's wife, either!)

Apparently, James Garner enjoyed the commercials saying that he was happy they were neither demeaning or a hard sell. He went on to say that, in his younger days, he tried to make a go selling insurance door-to-door. (Clarion-Ledger, 3 June 1979, p 64)

The spots were a real boom to Polaroid, that saw a two million unit increase in sales for the OneStep in 1980. Further, they won a number of advertising awards for their quality. Mariette Hartley also saw an uptick in offers for her to do TV series and guest starring roles.

In November of 1983, Polaroid decided to go to a non-celebrity campaign. Both Garner and Hartley were out as spokespeople for the camera company. But, it had been a great four years for the two.

Special thanks to Newspapers.com, where I found a number of excellent articles that gave more insight into the ad campaign and to YouTube, which has a nice library of these commercials, should you be so inclined.

This is not the only article for the Blog-a-thon.  Others can be found at

 https://weegiemidget.wordpress.com/2019/11/26/james-garner-blogathon/

There you will find links to the other fine articles by many talented writers. Please visit them. You'll be glad you did.

It's Here!!!

2020 Short Film Challenge - Annie Award Nominees & Winners

As I have already stated, I love Animation. Actually, I have begun to prefer it to live action. For me, the only part of the Academy Awards that I pay attention to is the Animated Features and Shorts. So, it makes sense that the Annie Awards would be more important to me than the Oscars.

They live streamed the award show on 25 January 2020. Being on the East Coast, the show ended a little after one in the morning. And your's truly watched every golden moment. Given that members of the Academy have openly admitted that the see few of these films, and generally vote for anything that says "Disney", it is apparent that the Annies are the word on excellence in animation.

So, let's begin with a list of the shorts that I have already viewed in the category: Annie Award Nominees & Winners. A * denotes that the film won for Best Animated Short Film.

Films already viewed:

Geri's Game (1998)*
For the Birds (2000)*
Rockfish (2003)
Moongirl (2004)
Your Friend, the Rat (2007)*
A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)*
Presto (2008)
Adam and Dog (2011)*
La Luna (2011)
Paperman (2012)*
Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare" (2012)
Get a Horse (2013)*
Feast (2014)*
Dissonance (2015)
Piper (2016)*
Blind Vaysha (2016)
Pearl (2016)
Weekends (2018)*
Grandpa Walrus (2018)
Lost & Found (2018)
Acid Rain (2019)
Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days (2019)*

Hard as it may be to believe, some music videos are also denoted as short films. Normally, you can point to such obvious examples as "Michael Jackson's Thriller" and "Michael Jackson's Ghosts". Did you know that Primus' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is also considered a short film? It is also a wonderful homage to George Pal's Puppettoons.

So we start with two such examples. The first is the Squirrel Nut Zipper's song "The Ghost of Stephen Foster" (2000). The story is told in a 1930s black and white animation about a couple trying to check into a haunted hotel.

The second is Bjork's "I Miss You" (1997*). Here John "Ren & Stimpy" Kricfalusi supplies the bizarre and occasionally risque animation, using his character Jimmy the Idiot Boy, with a cameo by George Liquor.

Next, we visit some folks who have produced quality animation in quantity. First, a favorite:

Bill Plympton

The animator who deals in hand drawn actions that are often surreal and hilarious. I have been a fan since I was lucky enough to see "Your Face". Having already won for "The Fan and the Flower" in 2005, he had three other nominations, all of which were viewed. I'll explain one, the other two you can get from the titles.

from "Your Face"

"Hot Dog" (2008), part of his trilogy of "Dog" shorts. This time, our hound tries his hand at being a fireman, with often negative results.

"Santa: The Fascist Years" (2008)

"The Cow Who Wanted to be a Hamburger" (2010)

To say these films are hilarious is an understatement. Plympton never fails to hit the mark.

David Chai (House of Chai)

How did I not know about this guy?

The two films that were nominated are remarkable studies in escalation.

"Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot" (2005), Fumi's foot attracts every injury imaginable...and the House of Chai has some imagination! What is fun is to watch what Fumi does with this "super power."

"Enrique Wrecks the World" (2010), what begins with a slingshot, builds to a cataclysm of global proportions. Also, some of the best cartoon gore that I have ever seen. Not horrific, funny as hell.

from "Enrique Wrecks the World"

The House of Chai has many other shorts that I will be examining at a later date. You betcha!

But life is not all laughs and nuclear explosions. Some animators examine the human condition. Thankfully, the Annies recognize these as well.

"Stubble Trouble" (2000), those who remain unshaven don't get the girl. Even cavemen.

from "Milch"

"Milch" (2005), an odd little film about an odd little town and its odd little inhabitants. Brought to you by Klasky-Csupo, the same folks who brought you "Rugrats." Tommy and Chuckie wouldn't be allowed to watch this one.

"Ryan" (2004), from the National Film Board of Canada, the story of Ryan Larkin, an animator from the 1960s, who was successful and well-known in his time.

"Everything Will Be OK" (2006), a look at a man's descent into madness and the attempts to bring him back. A Don Hertzfeldt production. Hertzfeldt is also know for the short "Billy's Balloon", a study in revenge by a boy's balloon.

from "Paths of Hate"

"Paths of Hate" (2010), two fighter pilots fight to the end, and beyond. Incredible detail in the animation.

from "My Mom is an Airplane"

"My Mom is an Airplane" (2013), a charming children's fantasy from Russia about a boy whose mother really is an airplane!

To finish off, here is one film about Life and two films about Death.

"Duet" (2014), a beautiful dance between a couple from their birth to the point at which they become more than just friends.

"Coda" (2013), Ireland produces such marvelous films. In this, a drunk is run over. Death comes to the man, who has a few requests.

from "Negative Space"

"Negative Space" (2017), a French film about a man, remembering how he and his father bonded over how to pack a suitcase.

Thanks again to YouTube and Vimeo, for their belief in the short film.

So, there you have it. Another week, another theme. Next week, I celebrate the birthday of one of my idols, Mr. George Romero (4 Feb 1940). That can only mean that the week will be filled with Zombies!!!!

Number of Films Viewed During the Week:  17
Total Films Viewed So Far: 89