Just Askin'

These days, many restaurants boast hand-cut french fries.

Wouldn't using knives be more efficient?

Too Soon?

If Sonny Bono's last words were "SHIT!", did he slalomly swear?

Use It in a Sentence!

Laureate:

Stinky's favorite Lesbian Porn movie: When Laureate Sally

Good thing Stinky's mom never reads this blog!

Nicholas Ray - Book Thief?

One of Stinky's favorite online movie critics, DVD Savant, thoroughly and eloquently reviews here Nicholas Ray's They Live by Night, a film Savant regards much higher than Stinky, but Stinky is notoriously hard to please. Has there ever been a movie that Farley Granger has not nearly or completely ruined? But that is a conversation for another day and a different watercooler.

However, Stinky can add something to the Nicholas Ray discussion that almost no one else can.

Uncle Dave, one of Stinky's top seven favorite uncles, claimed to have found Nicholas Ray's own copy of Edward Anderson's novel Thieves Like Us, the book on which They Live by Night is based. Since Uncle Dave is seldom lucid and has but a meager grip on reality, Stinky rarely takes anything Uncle Dave says at face value. But this time, Ol' Uncle Dave put his kopecks where his maw was, and showed Nephew Stinky the tome in question. And bless his Grinch-like ticker, Uncle Dave was telling the truth.

On the inside, PLEASE RETURN TO RKO LIBRARY is stamped, a terse but reasonable request. After all, Howard Hughes was not made out of money. Amphetamines, goat glands and chutzpah, yes, but money, no. And directly above, at a very jaunty angle, is handwritten, "N. Ray". Did Nicholas Ray, a rebel sometimes with and without causes, fail to return the book as a way of sticking it to The Man? Stinky would like to think so.

Of course, this book could have been part of the Lucille Ball fire sale, when that wacky redhead sold the former RKO Studios several decades later, but to Stinky Fitzwizzle, this scenario has not nearly the romance.

Look closely, and one can see that Uncle Dave purchased the book for forty-nine cents. Now that Stinky believes!

Stinky Reviews the Reviews 2!

Stinky has not got much time, because Mom is on the warpath again. She says the free ride is over, and the milk train no longer stops here. Whatever that means. So Stinky has to do the dishes, even though there are several clean plates and one clean jelly jar in the cabinet. What is the rush, Ma?

When Stinky has a hankering to read informative, insightful and entertaining movie reviews, he saunters over to DVD Talk and reads DVD Savant and Stuart Galbraith IV. When he has not such a hankering, he reads this guy.

The victim this time is You'll Never Get Rich, a musical starring "the great Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth." Is the reviewer saying that Fred Astaire is great and Rita Hayworth is not, or is he unfamiliar with how to use words? Stinky suspects the latter, because in his review of The Rounders, the reviewer begins by saying, "The Rounders is a western-comedy featuring the legendary Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda."  Glenn Ford is legendary but Henry Fonda is not? Why not say movie greats or screen legends if one is referring to both? Stinky assumes he means to include both, because Stinky has a generous nature.

We are informed that "the film features music by the legendary musician Cole Porter." Why one of the greatest composers in American Music is called a "musician", Stinky has not a clue. And a mention of any of the songs by this legendary musician would have been nice.

We are also told that the film was produced by Samuel Bischoff, but Stinky is not certain why this warrants a mention in the opening paragraph, or why his credit on The Roaring Twenties is relevant.

A plot synopsis follows, "and the story goes from one zany scenario to another". Here the reviewer confuses scene and scenario, two different things.

"The film is well produced with a number of great elements to the production." Well produced, we assume by Samuel Bischoff, from way back in the first paragraph, but how? And what are "the great elements to the production"? This means nothing sans, one might even say without, examples.

"The cinematography by Philip Tannura (Racket Squad) is beautiful to behold." Not just beautiful, but beautiful to behold. "The film has tremendous black and white cinematography. The film looks stunning." So many words, so many sentences, and Stinky still has to do all those dishes.

We are told the screenplay "is entertaining". Very penetrating. And for those of you who are unfamiliar, this is an excellent example of Stinky's world-famous sarcastic wit.

Then we are told the film "is well-done for a classic musical",  "surprisingly funny", and "worth checking out for musical fans". Perhaps the reviewer is unaware of the condescension, but Stinky Fitzwizzle is not.

Next to finally, can we please stop with the parenthetical irrelevant credits, which Stinky concisely and hilariously parodied here. Do we really need to know that Philip Tannura shot (or, as this reviewer might say, cinemagraphed or cinematographied), Racket Squad?

Finally,

     This release includes English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing).

What if Stinky wants to watch it with subtitles and the sound really low before he tackles that sink full of crockery?  Is he not allowed?

Seek out this entertaining couple!

Jiggers! The Professor!

Here's a clip from 1930's Good News that always makes Stinky laugh. Always, as in for the last three days.

Doing The Varsity Drag is Dorothy McNulty. Stinky is no expert - a phrase rarely heard uttered - but McNulty's voice probably owes something to Helen Kane. But to describe that dancing, Stinky does not possess the syllables.

At first glance, Stinky thought perhaps that was a stunt-person doing those cartwheels; but no, that is Miss McNulty.

About eight years later, Dorothy McNulty changed her name to Penny Singleton, was cast as Blondie Bumstead, and later Jane Jetson,  thereby changing cinematic history and Stinky's heart forever.

And yes, that is Harry Earles popping out of the waste paper basket and ruining even the simplest of dance moves.

Blondie!! Stinky's latest crush.

George Gobel Yodels!

Stinky has to admit that he is not an especial fan of the art of the yodeling, but these days, whenever Stinky gets a hankerin', nearly all of his yodeling requirements are met by George Gobel. Here's a clip from 1966 of good ol' Lonesome George singing a Jimmie Davis tune, Sweethearts or Strangers. If you listen closely, you will hear an enthusiastic "ahh ha!" from the wings, likely from Dean Martin. George does his best not to titter.

George's comedy bit was probably excised from the middle of the song to make room for additional hi-jinks and frivolity, accounting for that snazzy video edit.

Credits were added by the person who posted this clip on the YouTube. Stinky assumes this person is very pleased with himself.