ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Oh, okay. It's an interesting idea. Thanks for the clarification, Gord.

One thing that confused me was that I didn't realize the names like Milton Provine and Phil Bilko were the character names, using parts of actors names. They sound great, too. Good idea, David!

Heck, now it seems obvious! Silly me.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

Bud my idea, is that when they picked their legal representation, they subconsciously picked lawyers who characteristics mirrored their own. Not exactly original, but I think if fits the story line.

The names are just place holders, because I was too lazy to be original, and I thought that it was good shorthand.

It appears that I was mistaken.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

[Bud Brewster]

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If you're not convinced that Buddy Hackett is one of the funniest guys in the world, watch this video!

His performance is completely improvised, and he goes to great lengths to sell the last of his three hysterical stories.

Good lord, what a great performer!

Buddy Hackett's Duck Joke Has Everyone Rolling on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Phantom]

After scrolling down four pages of discussion on who committed what crime, who didn't and what the legal ramifications would be for each......my brain is about to explode.

I have the MGM dvd which has a running time of 161m. It was the last hurrah for a dying style of comedy and the greatest collection of comedians who ever lived.

Who's Minding the Mint, an equally brilliant comedic gem with an all star cast was released the following year and sank with little fanfare.

Within a few years, Mel Brooks, Saturday Night Live and the Monty Python Brits would totally transform movie comedy.

It might be an interesting bit of trivia to note who wasn't in Mad (etc.) World:

Bob Hope
Lucille Ball
Ed Wynn
Danny Kaye
Art Carney

Kramer may have approached Harold Lloyd but Chaplin, of course, would be out of reach.

Stan Laurel vowed to never work again after the death of Oliver Hardy, and he held to that promise.

Bud Abbott was still alive but died a year later, so his health might have prevented his participation

Even if he had been approached, George Burns would probably have declined. Gracie Allen was ill and would also die the following year.

One last note on Hackett, who (whom?) I agree was one of the funniest men who ever lived. I have copies of two of his Las Vegas shows that I transferred from vhs to dvd. It would seriously depress me to lose them.

I saw his duck story that he did on the Carson show. If that isn't the greatest delivery of a punch line in comedy history, I don't know what is.
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What Is Essential Is Invisible

[Krel]

Stanley Kramer said that he had to turn down comedians, as he had no more space in the film for them.

I have to say, that I think this fits Mel Brooks style, but then he is of that generation, and was a top comedy writer at the time.

David.

[Gord Green]

I think at the time of IAMMMMW Mel Brooks was mostly known as a writer...not an actor.
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]

[Pow]

I can see your point regarding Mel's lack of subtlety and pacing, Bud. I do think his Young Frankenstein is brilliant and his finest film next to The Producers.

Blazing Saddles is a hilarious riff on the wild west.

I enjoy his lesser films to a degree but would not call them classic, just kind of entertaining and fun.

Bud, how do you rate the movies Airplane, and Naked Gun and their sequels? Not at all subtle but their pacing is very rapid, and their silliness and absurdity is fun.

[Bud Brewster]

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Good question, Mike.

Blazing Saddles is typical Mel Brooks heavy-handed comedy. Ditto for High Anxiety.

But the movies by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker — such as movies like Airplane, Police Squad, Top Secret. and Hot Shots 1 and 2, feature a skillful blend of broad humor, subtle humor, and a fast pace that leaves me laughing so hard I blow snot bubbles from my nose!

With their movies, you often have the jokes being done in the background while the main characters are acting dead serious on the foreground! I love that!

Watch this clip from Hot Shots: Part Deux which parodies Rambo. At the 1:45 mark, Richard Crenna (who actually starred in Rambo) is pleading with Charlie Sheena (the Rambo character) to leave the monastery and join the combat mission.

It's a clever re-enactment of a scene in Rambo, all done with complete sincerity!

But look in the background!

The sexy lady who came to the monastery with Richard Crenna is actually interviewing the monks who have taken a vow of celibacy . . . and they're desperately trying to impress the sexy babe, including stripping down to show her their muscular bodies, hoping to be chosen for the first hot sex they ever had!

____________________ Hot Shots: Part Deux


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Now, THAT'S what I call subtle and clever humor! And Top Secret is also filled with moments like that. But Mel Brooks never includes scenes with anything like this . . .
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

I just finished watching this epic and marvelous comedy for the umpteenth time.

Something about it I hadn't noticed before was how Melville Crump takes somewhat of a leadership role amongst the group during the proceedings.

Firstly, he is the one to take the lead attempting to figure out how to share the loot as our 'merrymakers' stand by the road.

Secondly, It is Melville who tells the women to remain outside as the rest of the nutcases enter the abandoned building to pursue the fleeing Captain Culpepper.

Thirdly, once in the building the guys lose Culpepper because he's run upstairs while they are all searching for him on the ground floor. Naturally they are all running around frantically and yelling all at the same time.

It's Melville who hollers for everyone to be quiet and listen for any noises that Culpepper might make.

I'm not suggesting that the entire madcap gang were about to defer to Crump and put him in charge---especially the antagonistic Dingy Bell (Mickey Rooney) who tangled with Crump on several occasions---but we did see Melville take the lead here and there.

And who the heck came up with that name for Mick, Dingy Bell!?! I'd read somewhere that he and the Buddy Hackett characters were supposed to be professional comedy writers and that's why they're on the way to Nevada. They've been summoned to help write fresh material for a standup comic performing in Las Vegas.

Perhaps Ding Bell is a nom de plume that he uses?

On so many multiple viewings I find myself with greater admiration for some of the actors than I originally did.

Listen, I love the film and the entire cast right down to the cameos. However, I'm a huge Jonathan Winters fan and always got a big, big kick out of his Lennie Pike the truck driver. So, he was the standout character for this fan.

In time, I've realized just how vital and hilarious the Mrs. Markus & Sylvester characters are. Yeah, they were always fun and a hoot, but I don't think I quite put them at the top of my list for my favorites out of the many characters in the movie.

Now I do. Can't imagine the film without 'em.

[Bud Brewster]

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I assume you watched the recent TCM airing that occurred a few days ago. Did they show the "restored" version that about 20 minutes longer?

I have the wonderful DVD of that version, which includes some wonderful "bonus features" — including all the audio recorders that the theaters played in the lobbies and restrooms. They were brief, periodical "police calls" with reports about the things the Big W Bandit were doing during the movie's intermission!

I loved listening to those during the intermission on the DVD.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

No, Bud, I watched the Youtube movie which doesn't have the additional footage. I have the DVD, but somehow it came up on Youtube even though I wasn't looking for it at the time. Just happened to get caught up in it and watched it over 2 days. It's 2-hours & 39-minutes long on YT.

I cannot recall if my DVD has the added footage.

I recall seeing the longer version with the added footage though.

Some of the footage that I've still yet to see is: Sylvester charging out of his apartment & leaping into the red convertible. It isn't his. It belongs to the gorgeous babe in his apartment (Barrie Chase) who is married to an older gent. It is her husband's car.

The scene also has Barrie running out behind Sylvester screaming for him not to take the auto.

Another missing scene are phone calls between Spencer Tracy & Buster Keaton. Captain Culpepper (Tracy) calls Jimmy (Keaton) in order to make arrangements to have Jimmy take Culpepper over to Mexico by boat. Jimmy is supposed to be an ex-con that Culpepper knows.

I don't believe either of those scenes has ever been restored to the movie along with the added footage that came later.

Could be it hasn't been added because it is missing or no longer existent?

CBS Sunday Morning did a segment yesterday on Buster Keaton because two new books are out about the silent film legend. I'd enjoy reading 'em because I'm a huge fan of Keaton, as well as Chaplin and Lloyd. Their comedies are as hilarious today as they were back when they were brand new.

[Bud Brewster]

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You'll be delighted to hear, Mike, the 3-disc Criterion box set I have includes the restored "road show" version that was first released (even though they weren't able to completely restore it).

The running time is 197 minutes — or 3 hours and 32 minutes. So, the version you watched was almost an hour shorter than the restored version!

Here's what Wikipedia says about the restoration.
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Released on January 21, 2014 originally as a two Blu-ray and three DVD set, the Criterion Collection release contains two versions of the film,

One is a restored 4K digital film transfer of the 159-minute general release version, and the second is a new 197-minute high-definition digital transfer, reconstructed and restored by Robert A. Harris using visual and audio material from the longer original "road-show" version not seen in over 50 years.

Some scenes have been returned to the film for the first time, and the Blu-ray features a 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.
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At the remarkably low price of $21.94, I can't help thinking that an ardent fan of this movie like yourself (a man who recently mastered numerous complex computer skills with a little help from a friend) really ought to receive this box set as a reward for his patients, perseverance, and on-going dedication to All Sci-Fi.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Ironic, isn't it, that after all the madcap escapades of Benjy flying the plane, he ends up freezing and its Dingy who lands the plane.

Another thought regarding the legal fallout from our "group of merrymakers" is that they lied to the detective (played by Norman Fell) about Smiler Grogon's final words before he kicked the can.

Grogon told them about the loot, how much it was, and where it was buried. The group withheld all that information when questioned by the detective.

Perhaps a savvy lawyer get somehow get that charge dropped that they lied to a law officer. I dunno?