Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 487 of podcasting heaven!
This week: technically a joke; door dashes; pretty good; corvid; celebrate the bad times; government ineptitude; the Caillou model; woodshedding; typewriters are old; radical corporate behemoths; defensive much; aimless blathering; so many numbers; motivation; when does a week end; a straight line; family resemblances; around the old piano; a couple of boms; old clocks; mild correction; does the carpet match the seaweed; the magical place; adult talk; down on bonfires; the kids are all right; generational change; friend choices; invisible students; brave choices; poor choices; dated comedy; exploring is not advocating; other voices; foreign people; stuck in the past; we solved it; Dork Shadows – Creature Feature; going for the Peabody; re-framed; sheeples; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; make it rhyme; bad smells; sweet tunes; bumper smoking; dangerous acting; and, finally, interesting Britain.
Question of the week: What is a movie that you’d recommend, but would have to re-frame for modern sensibilities?
Sub-question: Who is your favourite dancer? Dave wants to know and he isn’t fussy about media.
Sub-sub-question: We all know a week has seven days, but what are those days? Do you agree with Dave that it is Sunday to Saturday or do you agree with Ian – and disagree with all calendars – that it is from Monday to Sunday?
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Before everyone and their smarter sibling jump all over me. The novelist I was attempting to remember was Anne Tyler and the Chinese-American actress who eluded me was Anna May Wong. I really enjoyed her in a little B-movie called When Were You Born (1939), in which she plays an astrologer who foretells the death of a ship’s passenger. When he dies the following day, the police suspect her involvement. To clear her name, she must catch the murderer!
What I really enjoy about her being the star of the film is the character does not necessarily have to be Chinese – unlike all or at least most of her other roles. It’s a fun movie and she gets to be imperious and not take any poop from the dum-dum police either!
David, there is a podcast called “Mobituaries” by Mo Rocca. In case you haven’t heard of it, one episode is about Anna May Wong. He tells her story very well. I’d not heard of her before; she was a very interesting lady. You might want to check it out. And I’ll see if I can find the her movie you mentioned. Thanks!
Laurel, I love listening to Mobituaries. I wish Mo Rocca would record some more. He also has a book published that includes “Mobits” that didn’t make it into the podcast. The Anna May Wong episode was really good.
When the sub-sub-question was about anachronistic drawing room murder mystery films, I hesitated to mention Neil Simon’s Murder By Death (1976). But now that we’re recommending movies that need to be reframed, I say check it out if you’re an old movie buff. It’s a broad parody of the detective movies of Sam Spade, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Nick and Nora Charles and Charlie Chan that screenwriter Neil Simon watched in his youth. When my brother and I saw it at a matinee in OUR youth, we laughed so hard, we stayed for the second showing and watched it again. Sure, NOW we know that racist, sexist, gay, blind and deaf jokes can be hurtful and that fart and dick jokes are dumb. The movie is a snapshot of how the boundaries of good taste were being pushed in the mid 70’s. I enjoyed the deadpan performances by British actors like David Niven, Maggie Smith, Elsa Lanchester and Alec Guinness facing off against American actors like Peter Falk, James Coco and Nancy Walker. Truman Capote is weirdly but well cast as their eccentric host. The long drawn-out denouement scene where each detective lays out their theory of whodunit is a highlight. Peter Sellers parodying the idea of a white man playing a stereotypical Asian doesn’t quite hold up. The character isn’t written and performed cleverly enough to avoid being offensive now.
I preferred Gene Kelly’s more manly and athletic dancing style to Fred Astaire’s.
Despite calendar evidence, I’d agree that the week begins on Monday and ends with the week-END.
So many of Peter Seller’s characters are parodies of Alex Guinness characters it’s interesting that they’re in the same film. But I’m guessing Guinness never played Chan. I was trying to find the first time a North American adaptation had Chan not played by a white man. China did their own film version of the character and the American films were quite popular because it was the first time a Chinese character was portrayed in a positive light.
I understand the actions that TCM and others are taking when shown now, some of the acting may be difficult to explain when seen by non-white audiences. I’m fine with the disclaimer being shown beforehand instead of the option of re-editing the films…that would be going too far. My main concern is that a young non-white child would see these films without any proper context explained from an adult, parent or guardian and be very upset upon seeing enough to have a damaging impact. I place the responsibility upon parents to either do their best to explain to their children why this was in older films or just move on to something without any scenes to avoid. I watched a YouTube video where 20-ish Asian viewers were shown what was called “Yellowface” which was white actors playing Asian roles, like Mickey Rooney in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” They were so shocked to see this footage for the first time and I have to admit it made me uncomfortable to watch these kids see it. I think these situations have called on us to develop better empathy and try to understand as best we can. One of my closest friends and roommate in college is African American. He wasn’t sensitive about rooming with two white guys and we never had any awkward moments due to the difference in our skin color. 1987 was the best year of college and we three still text and Skype each other all the time picking up right where we left off like three brothers.
However….whenever I see the scene in “A Day at the Races,” where the African American performers are featured, I wonder what would my friend think of it? It starts with “Who Dat Man,” a minstrel which features Harpo playing piccolo (they claim him to be ‘Gabriel’ for the song’s purpose) and a large all African American cast of some of the best singers, dancers and musicians at that time. This segment features a lindy hop dance sequence for the “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” song, including Ivie Anderson (Vocalist for the Duke Ellington Orchestra at the time), the Crinoline Choir and Lindy Hoppers. The dance sequence was nominated for the short-lived Oscar award category of Best Dance Direction. Transitioning from song to song, this showcase is one of my favorite scenes because it’s so electrifying and entertaining…especially for a Marx Brothers movie.
Is it my responsibility to bring a sequence like this to my friend’s attention? On one hand I empathize for my friend whenever I watch it, wondering how it would affect him. I enjoy the sequence for it’s skill and entertainment but I think I would enjoy it more if I knew it didn’t upset my friend should he ever see it. He is a musician and has more than several platinum albums to his name as a very accomplished musician, so maybe he would understand this and I’m not giving him enough credit? Someone also made a point that it was an honor to be in “A Day at the Races” and the African American performers in the sequence were paid very well for their work by MGM. Considering that America was currently in the middle of the Great Depression, that was quite a gig for them to get. I’ll probably never be in the position where I watch “A Day at the Races” alongside my old roomie but because I love him I still wonder where my responsibilities are, if any.
I feel the same way about dancing that David does, it takes everything: mind, body and spirit to rise to the top. I’ll go with my modern favorite first and he was the first person to come to mind when you asked this question. Gregory Hines. I grew up watching this man perform “feets of magic” as he danced and having the time of his life doing it. What appeals to me about Hines is that he collaborated well with other dancers, those he looks up to as well as the ones we may have forgotten about. I feel he really brought so much to the craft of dancing after many thought it was old school left in the past, Hines made it cool again.I can get lost on YouTube watching Hines dance for hours if I’m not careful, he’s my favorite.
My favorite classic dancers were the Nichols Brothers, I’ve never seen two people move together in sync with so much energy, it almost defies the laws of physics. There’s a video with the Nichols Brothers dancing with an intro from Cab Calloway and it’s unreal what these guys can do. They were my Dad’s favorite dancers along with James Cagney, who I’m told had no formal dance training whatsoever, he just observed other dancers and did was they did. Yeah, dancing is fun to watch and timeless.
Never really gave it much thought until you guys mentioned it but in my mind the week starts on Monday, with the obligatory “I Hate Mondays” to anchor down another five days of drudgery. The “Week End” includes Saturday and Sunday which I remember as a young child feeling like they should be larger on the calendar because they just felt bigger, larger and more important than the weekdays. Also as a young kid, I can remember feeling slightly depressed on late Sunday nights knowing it was soon to be over until the next weekend.
I have a lot of affection for most of the Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers musicals, especially when the supporting players include Edward Everett Horton, usually cast as Astaire’s prissy best friend, and Eric Blore as a snooty waiter or butler, etc. The plots are often reminiscent of P G Wodehouse, and while Astaire is probably most recognised for his grace and elegance, it’s the wit and comic timing in his routines that appeals to me most.
Some of their movies could certainly do with a bit of reframing, however. Watching Flying Down to Rio for the first time a couple of years ago, I was pretty stunned at a scene where the leads crash land their plane on a tropical island and immediately assume the inhabitants are likely to be cannibals. Oh, how our grandparents laughed at this perfectly natural and harmless misunderstanding…
Gene Kelly was a very different dancer and a good straight actor too – he’s excellent in ‘Inherit the Wind’. Do I prefer him to Astaire, though? Well, if you press me, I’d have to say: ‘Hey, quit pressing me, buddy!’
While I’m mulling it over, here’s a terrific clip from ‘Carefree’ of Astaire achieving the impossible by very nearly making golf look cool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJbWwVxug0M
Week starts on Monday! That’s official, according to the Geneva-based International Standards Organization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#Week_dates
Believe me, you don’t want to mess with THOSE badasses.
Peace and love to dragsters and sneakers everywhere!
Hi David! Hi Ian! Hi Sneakers!
There is a 1964 movie that I think is really good, but a little bit sketchy to recommend because in “The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao” Tony Randall is the “chinese” man who comes to town with his traveling show. I haven’t seen it in ages, but really liked it when I did. I think Tony Randall is very entertaining in the part, and shows up as different characters through the “show” but the Asian thing is kind of wrong.
When I think of wonderful dancers, Mikhail Baryshnikov tops my list. Always I remember his great athletic leaps! He seemed to hang in space for a crazy amount of time! He and Gregory Hines are beautiful together dancing in the movie “White Nights:! Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, too! A big favorite of mine! There are so many…
I know we were taught in school that the first day of the week is SUNDAY! But, come on! That doesn’t truly feel right or work for ANYBODY (except maybe you, David!) I have to go Team Ian on this one!
There! I feel like I’ve finished my Sneaky Dragon homework up just in time!
By the time I write our my next assignment, I’ll be fully vaccinated! Hooray!
Have a great week gentlemen!
David and Ian, thank you for the recommendations on places to visit in England. I appreciate your taking the time to share your knowledge and recommendations. I’ve replayed that portion of last week’s podcast several times and am researching the places you both mentioned. Oh my goodness, there are SO MANY bookshops in Hay-On-Wye! I hope to visit in the summer of 2022 if the COVID situation has improved. Staying positive, a delay just means there is additional time to plan a fantastic trip.
Ian, I am definitely “that kind of nerd” when it comes to all things Doctor Who. I grew up watching Doctor Who when it aired on the local PBS channel in the early 1980s.
David, I don’t know how much you keep up with the actors on Dark Shadows, but Robert Rodan who played Adam on the series passed away on March 25. He was 83.
Question of the week: Phantom of the Opera (1925) is one of many silent films and one of many Lon Chaney films that requires re-framing for modern sensibilities. Everyone should see this film because of Chaney’s make up and performance as Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. The film closely follows the novel by Gaston Laroux. If you’ve not read the novel, this is the story of mysterious, horribly disfigured, psychotic killer who catfishes a young singer by speaking to her as the Angel of Music. Then he kidnaps her to his underground lair where he demands her female attentions. Even though it isn’t stated or showed, there is an implied rape situation because of his violent dominance over her. Did I mention that the Phantom kills a boatload of people and almost succeeds in killing everyone who stands in his way of possessing Christine?
Sub-question: I like when James Cagney dances in the movies, but I am going to go in a completely different direction and say my favorite dancer is Toni Basil because she danced with Davy Jones in Head. She danced on Shindig! and Pajama Party, plus did a lot of choreography for music videos and movies.
Sub-sub-question: Sunday is traditionally considered the first day of the European week due to religious traditions, except in Hungary and other Slavic countries where it is seen as the last day of the week. I did a little research and Sunday was recognized as the first day of the week by ancient Egyptians who passed the idea on to other religions and cultures like Rome. My personal thoughts are heavily influenced by my work schedule. Tuesday is the start of my work week, making Sunday and Monday my weekend.
Another great show, guys!
You asked last week when talking about cigarettes if I had an addictive personality, and I’d say I have more an “all or nothing” mindset. The reason I think I shouldn’t smoke is because I am already half the way there (with liking how it smells), and because if I have one I feel like I’d just go all in. I think this “all of nothing” attitude is related to perfectionism, if I don’t do something perfectly why do it at all? Totally not a good way of thinking, believe me I know.
You know after dancing for most of my life you’d like I’d have a favorite dancer, but I think I prefer the act of dancing to watching others dance. I do love the amazing tap dances of the Nicholas Brothers, I’m a big sucker for tap. I think currently dance is very team/group based, even on Broadway most big name performers barely dance.
Oh and in case your curious,, I’ve done ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, and lots of musical theater (I was usually a dancer in a show). All of these for various amounts of time.
I must say that I have always thought of a week starting on Monday, but in actuality I think I treat the week as starting on Sunday. I have Friday’s off, so I will usually relax Friday and Saturday and start some work on Sunday.