The man who never grew up...

Are we ashamed of what we are? In adulthood, we all seemingly have to be serious. But there is seemingly something in the air at the moment, with the release of The Muppets at the cinema there is a grabbing of people's younger lives. For most people, they are reminded of the original television series shown in the UK between 1976 and 1981. As a very young child one of my first televisual memories is of watching The Muppets, everything else is hazy, but clearly I can see Miss Piggy doing a karate chop to some unfortunate person.

Though by the looks of it with the release of the new Muppet movie, people are going along to interested to see if that it is the same as they remember. False impressions are a difficult thing to take sometimes, but just the memories are so strong. 

I will admit I am the first to watch if there's a movie which is say a Disney movie or family movie on the television. Everyone finds different meaning in these movies and that they look at them from a adult perspective. The sense of make believe isn't suspended, now you may ask why I don't do this. I would ask some people the same about watching the news, but when living a such a life we shouldn't forget about that inner child at all. 

During half-term week the schedulers make room for family movies or something to keep the children amused. Some would say that is impossible with so many things for them to do nowadays, though it is surprising that they are still watched. Remarkable to think this, but they have a hold when they appear. One such is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, either the Gene Wilder version or Tim Burton version. Now you can say the Tim Burton version is darker, meaning to appeal to the adult audience as well, but its the genre itself which reveals a lot.

They make big money, now that isn't only the smart thing. Competing against the whizz-bang action blockbusters, they hold their own offering an alternative to the cinema going audience. In the past few years, a new Tron movie has been released and with the major studios looking at these types of movies. Its little wonder that more of titles of yesteryear would be remade, the Disney back catalogue is huge. Such is which, that movies have been remade twice. I was flicking through the channels and saw a 90's remake of That Darn Cat on Channel 5 and in a couple of days the original will be on BBC2. 

So wither Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World and Condorman... As they might be coming back to a cinema near you soon...

A slight Crick in the back...

This evening, I decided to plunge into BBC Four's 'Cricklewood Greats' as much of my twitter followers did as well. This mockumentry helmed by Peter Capaldi about a long forgotten British film studios played on the British film industry and what genres it has done well such as Horror and also Comedy as well. 

So much of what was spoofed was recognisable to the discerning lovers of both British movies and Pop Culture, as it might be too close what is fact. But in the suspension of this knowledge, it had so many laugh out moments in the programme. The actual quality of the material had so much owing to Armando Iannucci's style of programme, realistic but also humourous. Which explain's why Capaldi was chosen to lead the piece, with a great supporting cast playing the actors and actresses who worked for the studios.

But by seeing this, it becomes evident why these things are done so rarely just like Norbert Smith - A Life which could be the nearest comparable thing to it. There has has to be love for a subject to be able to spoof so accurately to make it believable, in which this does it spades with also a laugh every time you look either verbally or visually. If you do get chance to see on the BBC I-Player please do, because you'll not regret it...

Telly Selly Time...

So what do you know about where you live? In most cases, what you know yourself is kept to yourself. But sometimes there comes along an outsiders view, like most people would think about  Portsmouth as a naval city, which it is in a way. With the Baim films and the quotation quickies making films for other to see about different towns and cities. Now I'm not suggesting they were in anyway films to cheer up the masses away from the dreary lives they were used to at the time of their making during the 1970's and 80's, but they do have a feel of showing people that where they lived was OK.


Now I first saw Telly Savalas Looks Portsmouth on the now defunct Portsmouth Television and I was amazed this thing existed and they had got a copy to show to fill time of an afternoon.  When researching futher into the quotation quickies, I found out there had been several of these films voiced over by Telly Savalas, mainly to be shown alongside a main feature.  


First of all Telly talks about the streets being named about historical names, although most the streets themselves were modern streets in the Guildhall Square complex around the civic offices. It does seem that the irony in it, that he concentrates on a newer part which was only built after the war such as the Guildhall Walk. "The New Theatre Royal, well it was when it was built 130 years ago..." chirps Telly. Now over 30 years later, the development is changing again with brand new facilities being incorporated into the building. The Guildhall Walk is set against a background of clubs and pubs nowadays, meaning anyone wanting to go and see a big show there of an evening really can't because of the revellers there getting in everyone's way. Its a flaw which hasn't been resolved really, which bring me onto the next thing.


The Kings Theatre in Southsea, famous for it shows and performances of pantomimes each and every year. In different areas we see other places getting brand new state of the art theatres and here is a theatre from a Victorian age which still plods along gamely, now I am not saying get rid of it all together. But when the development of Gunwharf Quays was planned and built, surely it would have been wiser to build something there rather then struggle on. 


There is the building of the IBM complex which is in the North of the city, subsequently the new Lakeside 1000 development has sprung up with Port Solent in recent years. Like with other places, it has tried to tart the image up of the city. A main problem is Portsdown Hill always getting in the way, we can't build beyond it, it is like our very own Berlin Wall, that we are squeezed into the space we have. In other countries they would come up with a solution to solve this problem, short of blowing up the hill, this is a problem which will remain to fox most people. As a citizen, I am here for being here's sake. But I can see why people move away, say  
without any industry and a football club what are we? Another Detroit... 


I am not knocking the city as such, but it does make you think sometimes...

Is it a bird, is it a plane or is it a load of British actors hamming it up?

Tonight, I have been watching Superman 3. I've loved the Superman movies from a young age as it seemed escapism from the normal hum-drum life and during the 1980's something was needed to be able to. But apart from these movies being set in America, they have a very British quality to them, perhaps this was helped that the filming moved to Pinewood from Italy when the Pound became cheaper in 1977.

For this piece of all-American apple pie, with its directors Richard Donner for the first one, Richard Lester for the second and third, Sidney J. Furie for the fourth and Bryan Singer for Superman Returns. The main cast were mainly all american but when it came to it, it seemed British was the best. With Trevor Howard cast as one of the Krypton elders, that Shakespearian quality would come through to give gravitas to the film. But how many of you know that one of the hoods who contrive to do a robbery is none other then wine-expert Oz Clarke?

"Oh cock! It is you... Pour me another glasses please Oz... Better still give me the whole bottle!"

Now famous for being a sidekick to James May, Oz was an actor who appeared not only in Superman: The Movie but also Who Dares Wins as well. Amazing to think ten years later he would be lyrically giving his opinions on fruity red wines, but his place is assured in the Superman movie franchise.

After the original movie was released and it was a success, the Salkinds had Richard Donner taken off the project though 75% of the second movie's scenes were already done. Richard Lester, had been a unofficial producer on the original film took the helm for the second one, reshooting many of the Donner scenes in his own way. With Lester's history being the director of The Beatles movies, lead to Superman 2 being lighter in tone than the first one.

The basis for the Kryptonian villains took on the same style that Trevor Howard did in the first movie, by hiring Terence Stamp as General Zod adding his own brand of villainy to the role and Sarah Douglas playing Ursa as well gave Hollywood the impression of hiring a Brit usually means they will add menace to a role, but that's not always the the Brits job to do that. Comic relief is also a factor as well, the ability to raise a laugh within all this action taking place. One person who follows through from number two to three in the series is a man who helped launch BBC2, that man was Gordon Rollings. Mention his name and they'll say that he was in the John Smith's bitter commericals for many years, but his first appearance is as a fisherman who cannot believe his eyes when Terence Stamp literally walks on water causing his to question what's been put in his thermos flask...

"Oh Zod it! I've left the cooker on Ursa... Can we come back next week to invade you?"

But the award for the best start and the number of Brits has to go to Superman 3, from Pamela Stephenson fresh from Not The Nine O' Clock News playing Lorelei Ambrosia. She seemingly is dippy, but hiding intelligence beyond her looks. From the start of the move where she most men's heads with a display of legs and cleavage causing all sort of chaos in a chain of events including Graham Stark losing his guide dog in exchange for a line painter, Gordon Rollings again falling in a hole having Stark step on his head, Bob Todd getting covered in paint and for the ultimate humiliation Rollins gets a super pie-slap from Christoper Reeve right in the face. These giants of comedy, show what humour can be had as well as action and it sits perfectly
in any start to a movie. Its this which Superman Returns was lacking in a way, there is realism but also there got to be sillyness as well. As part of an action film, I'm not saying everything must go into a pie fight but those one-liners and comical moments make the movie great.

John Smith's Bitter not included...

Now the baton is being taken up by Zack Snyder with 'Man of Steel' with Christopher Nolan of the revamped Batman trilogy producing the film as well, it seems like this seriousness is over-swamping films now. Its not saying as much, that films have to be serious though think about when movies are their most enjoyable is when the action is mostly akin to the silent movies or just a one-liner which raises a laugh...

As Gene Hackman says in Superman 2 when realising he might have bitten off more than he chew with General Zod "Oh God..." Terence Stamp retorts "Don't you mean Zod?" In that moment we know that villains have a sense of humour and that movies don't take themselves to seriously with the Brits able to make the jokes....

The Big Apple meets The Big Yin's wife...

Great Summer Holiday Experiences No1 - Digby, The Biggest Dog in the World

All too often the summer comes around and the schools break up for the marathon six weeks ahead. To parents trying to keep children amused is half the battle, now its even more difficult to do so....

Boredom, boredom...

Without sounding all 'When I were a lad, all the grass were green...' etc. Only in hindsight can we look back at those six weeks when the sun shone, well almost all the time...

First starting off with a movie which seems to be have forgotten by television, but after the event a glimpse of how good British comedy used to be...

In December 1973, a film came out which was to be a precursor to tales to come... At that time Britain need an escape from what was a very dull, depressing time. Like Ian Botham, there was a new hero needed and that hero was of the four legged variety. When the movie was first released, it didn't really pull its weight at the box office but having been on the shelf like most movies of the time. It was forgotten by people until New Years Day 1982, when Digby was sent for to help launch the new ITV franchises and was put on as a remedy to sore heads.

With appearances all through the eighties, especially on Bank Holidays but mostly as a way to fill the time where schools programmes would be without spending money on making new programmes, so it was an ideal solution for ITV really...

Digby, Digby...

Even then we haven't scratched the surface of why this film is enjoyable, it might not be the best film in the world. But as a romp, it ticks all the boxes...

Taking for a start the cast itself, starting with a post Carry On... and pre Disney and Harry Potter in America audiobook reader Jim Dale. Jim himself was a part of the Carry On from the mid-sixties right up to Carry On Again, Doctor with a gap until 1992's Carry On Columbus. He was family friendly and the kids loved his knockabout style, so he was the perfect choice to be the main human lead as Jeff Eldon, the scientist who accidently super-sizes Digby to extraordinary size leading to Digby, to be stolen by John Bluthal and Norman Rossington ready to be paraded a la King Kong in a circus...

Jack Black not included...

Along with Angela Douglas, who Jim had played opposite to her as Marshall P. Knutt in Carry On... Cowboy with her playing Annie Oakley. It seemed like the right chemistry had been found with young actor Richard Beaumont playing Billy White, Digby's child owner and friend of Jeff. Added to the mix were Milo O'Shea, Dinsdale Landen and also Victor Spinetti plus Bob Todd putting in turns to the film.

The interesting thing is the director of the film. Mr Joseph McGrath, who is better known as one of the Executive Producers on Pete and Dud's 'Not Only, But Also'. Having cut his teeth on Peter Sellers vehicles Casino Royale and The Magic Christian, he seemed like a natural choice to helm a film which need laughs and slapstick for the kids but also enough to keep the adults entertained at the same time.

But there's something missing, maybe a bit of pepper or spice if you will... The added ingredient to make the film, that comes in the of a post-Goons Spike Milligan. Milligan is exceptional in the film as Dr. Harz, his little asides come close to stealing the film to add that surreal edge which is needed to keep the story going along at a good pace. If you ignore the attempt at German accent, Spike shows that he can hold it against the new generation and some of his peers as well. On reflection, he is always good at the smaller parts just popping up in films as a relief from the main action. But it wasn't to be him who got the better deal, Jim went onto do Disney films leading the way for Michael Crawford in Condorman it seems. Finally getting the recognition for his turn as the narrator on Pushing Daisies, he have moved to America... He made part of the school holidays pleasurable....

Here is the title music to the film, everyone sing along now!

http://soundcloud.com/boggenstrovia/digby-the-biggest-dog-in-the

Thanks Jim...