Archive for February, 2012
Pall Mall Cigarette Atlas
Pall Mall Cigarettes/Rand McNally road atlas for the United States and southern Canada. This is some kind of advertising for gas stations I guess suggesting that they use outdoor cigarette machines. Outdoor machines are not used now because kids can buy from them with no ID check, but they used to be everywhere. No date on the atlas, but the info on the “new” interstate system is interesting. The system was proposed in 1956, but not much was built for several years after.
Greensburg, KS and the World’s Largest Hand-Dug Well 1950s
If you’ve driven through Kansas you’ve seen the signs for the World’s Largest Hand-Dug Well. And it’s huge. And it’s dug by hand, not drilled or machine dug. We are hardy folk in Kansas and we like our water. While there, you get to see the Pallasite Meteorite, which conveniently rhymes.
Cave of The Winds 1950s Brochures
Cave of the Winds, Manitou Springs, Colorado. This is a tri-fold brochure so feel free to print it out on double sided paper kids! I’m guessing 1950s or 1960s. I like this little bit in the corner:
50 Greatest Movies – Patton (1970)
George C. Scott was born to play General George S. Patton. Scott didn’t feel he got it right, but man, he nailed an emotional performance that sticks with you. You get the complexity of a man who reads his Bible “every Goddamn day” and is sure he can win the war while getting all the accolades. Or at least make sure the Brits, General Bernard Montgomery (Monty) in particular, don’t get any. It’s easy to show Patton as a buffoon, but he was an intelligent, cultured, complex man.
The movie opens with a speech that is a group of Patton sayings, not one particular speech. From there we go to the War in North Africa where Patton is shown as arrogant but right, and brave but foolhardy. All these characteristics are demonstrated in the scene where he’s meeting with the British general in charge of air support. While the Air Force general is telling Patton that he will see no more German planes, they are strafed. Patton goes outside stands in the middle of the road and shoots at the planes with a pistol!
He’s a man of high standards, for himself and everyone around him. He will not tolerate anything that looks like cowardice or incompetence. And he does not like British Army General Bernard Montgomery.
When it’s time to take the war to Italy, Sicily has to be taken to use as a base. Patton has a plan, but Monty also has a plan. Monty’s plan has the Americans slog through the middle of the island while he takes the road up the coast and gets to take the prize town of Messina. The higher ups go with Monty’s plan. Patton takes the first opportunity to ignore orders and use his own plan and get to Messina first. On the way, he slaps a soldier who’s in the hospital tent for “nerves,” AKA shell shock. After Sicily, Patton is relieved of command for both ignoring orders and embarrassing the Army by slapping a soldier. Now Patton is used as bait to mislead the Germans who are sure that Patton will be the one to lead the invasion of Europe.
After some time as a decoy, a humbled Patton is allowed to take command of the Third Army and he storms through Europe. Scott helps you feel the frustrations of a proud man humbled and chomping at the bit to get into the largest war in history. My Grandfather was with the Third Army as part of the 35th Infantry Division and was part of the liberation of Bastogne. His part in the War ended about two weeks later in the Ardennes Forest. A German machine gun cut across both his legs, completely breaking a bone, leaving one leg at a 90 degree angle in the middle of his thigh. Somehow they put it back together and today he’s 94 years old and still mows his own lawn. And that was his second Purple Heart. Anyway, he never met or saw Patton in person, but he was part of the march north to the Battle of the Bulge where all this happened.
After the war, Patton made some rash remarks about the Soviet Union which put him back out of favor. Scott plays this to perfection. A man so determined he is right he is almost unhinged. Almost, but not quite. They should have immediately sent him off to the Pacific theater.
Patton won 7 Oscars among numerous other awards. There are other actors in this movie, but it belongs to George C. Scott completely. I must say that for once, I don’t find Karl Malden annoying, he fits as General Omar Bradley. Director Franklin J. Schaffner has a small but impressive resume: Planet of the Apes, Papillion, and The Boys from Brazil are also directed by him.
Adventure along the Trans-Canada Highway in 1961!
Adventure along the Trans-Canada Highway 1961. 34 pages. She is leaning on a 1959 Chevy and it looks like a 1959 Pontiac coming up the road. And I really like the font on “Adventure.”
New Netflix Instant Streaming February 15, 2012
B-movie lovers rejoice! A bunch of low-brow films this week! And a bunch of them are Roger Corman films.
- Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) The classic with P. J. Soles and THE RAMONES! I don’t remember the movie making much sense, but it was great! Roger Corman produced.
- She’s Gotta Have It (1986) Spike Lee’s first movie.
- Grand Theft Auto (1977) Ron Howard attempting to break out from Opie. It was Ron Howard’s first directing gig. Kinda fun movie when I saw it at 15. Roger Corman produced.
- Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) “Roger Corman-produced sci-fi fantasy inspired by The Seven Samurai.” Stars Robert Vaughn (who was in The Magnificent Seven also inspired by The Seven Samurai), George Peppard, Richard Thomas, John Saxon, Sybil Danning, and Sam Jaffe. Good grief, what a cast!
- Saturday the 14th (1981) Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss buy a haunted house in this cheesy spoof.
- Slumber Party Massacre (1982) I think the title says it all.
- Orca: The Killer Whale (1977) Seriously? They made a movie about an orca of the dolphin family? I knew that, it just still amazes me. Has Richard Harris(!), Bo Derek(!), and Keenan Wynn.
- Humanoids from the Deep (1980) Roger Corman produced. This one is actually directed by a woman.
- Women in Cages (1971) Roger Corman. A WIP movie. Pam Grier is in it.
- The Big Bird Cage (1972) Roger Corman. A WIP movie. Pam Grier is in it.
- Caged Heat (1974) Roger Corman. A WIP movie. Pam Grier is not in it. Directed by Johnathan Demme.
- Crazy Mama (1975) Has Cloris Leachman, Ann Southern and Jim Backus. Directed by Johnathan Demme. Ratings tend to be one star or five, not much in the middle. You’ll love it or you’ll hate it.
