Trailer: She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry — The Women’s Movement 1966-71
Posted on November 2, 2014 at 8:00 am
What Were The Best Films of the 60’s?
Posted on June 8, 2014 at 8:00 am
Many thanks to Sam Fragoso and his colleagues at Movie Mezzanine for including me in their round-up of the best films of the 1960’s. I really enjoyed reading through all the different selections. Check it out and add your own favorites to the list.
Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure to check out CNN’s excellent series on the 60’s, from Tom Hanks’ Play-Tone production company. You can hear a snippet of my dad’s famous “vast wasteland” speech in the introduction to the first episode, about television in the 60’s.
Tribute: Two 60’s Television Icons, The Professor and Reuben
Posted on January 18, 2014 at 2:49 pm
This week we say a sad farewell to two of the best-loved television stars of 1960’s sitcoms, Russell Johnson, who played The Professor on “Gilligan’s Island,” and Dave Madden, who was the long-suffering manager Reuben on “The Partridge Family.” The handsome Johnson played the only sensible, even-tempered member of the castaways. He was a US Army Air Force veteran of WWII who flew 44 combat missions as a bombardier and was a friend of the most decorated soldier of the war, Audie Murphy. When they both became actors, they appeared together in three films. He appeared in some low-budget westerns and sci-fi films including Ride Clear of Diablo, It Came from Outer Space, This Island Earth, Attack of the Crab Monsters, and The Space Children.
But he is best remembered as The Professor on “Gilligan’s Island,” where he was always trying to come up some scientific way to get the castaways rescued.
Dave Madden was a comedian and actor who did stand-up comedy on the Ed Sullivan show and starred in the television sitcom “Camp Runamuck.”
As Reuben, he was the harried manager of a pop group made up of a mother and her high-spirited children. He was often the object of the humor, especially in his interactions with the precocious Danny Bonaduce.
The legacy of both actors will continue to make new generations laugh as their shows continue in perpetual syndication.
The Authenticity-Obsessive Folks at “Mad Men” Meet the Even More Authenticity-Obsessed Folks Online
Posted on April 13, 2013 at 8:00 am
“Mad Men” producer Matthew Weiner is famously obsessive about the authenticity of the period detail on the show, even making sure that a child did not play with an Etch-a-Sketch in an episode set in 1960 because it was not introduced until later that year. But that is just an engraved invitation for online commenters who have come up with a list of “Mad Men” anachronisms collected by New York Magazine’s Vulture blog, from a crash cymbal to a nighttime football game with slo-mo.
The Sapphires
Posted on March 28, 2013 at 6:00 pm
B+| Lowest Recommended Age: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for sexuality, a scene of war violence, some language, thematic elements, and smoking |
| Profanity: | Strong language |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Drinking, smoking |
| Violence/ Scariness: | War violence |
| Diversity Issues: | A theme of the movie |
| Date Released to Theaters: | March 22, 2013 |
| Date Released to DVD: | August 15, 2013 |
| Amazon.com ASIN: | B00D2UMHQ0 |
A very conventional story of a 60’s Australian girl group gains extra power from its context and setting in this fact-based story set to the beat of Motown soul. Co-written by the son of one of the real-life singers and directed by Wayne Blair, who starred in the play based on their story, “The Sapphires” is clearly a labor of love for all involved and a touching tribute to four women for whom success as performers was just the beginning.
Before it begins, we learn two stark, devastating facts. Until 1967, the native Australians dubbed “Aborigines” by the British settlers were not classified as humans by the Australian government. They were considered “flora or fauna.” And the government had the authority to remove light-skinned native children from their families as part of the program depicted in “Rabbit-Proof Fence” to make them part of the white community.
We meet the future singers as children, three sisters and their cousin, performing at a family celebration in 1958. The light-skinned cousin is taken to become part of what is now known as the “Stolen Generation,” with no contact with her family.
A decade later, as young women, the sisters still sing together. Gail, the feisty oldest (Deborah Mailman of “Rabbit-Proof Fence”), the ambitious Julie (pop singer Jessica Mauboy), and the flirty Cynthia (Miranda Tapsell) enter a local competition singing American country and western. Braving the bigotry of the audience, they sing a Merle Haggard song.
The accompanist/master of ceremonies is Dave (“Bridesmaids'” Chris O’Dowd) is a broken-down mess who seems to have burned every possible bridge that once linked him to music, a job, his home in Ireland, or any semblance of self-respect. But he still knows the real deal when he hears it. As amateurish as they are, Dave sees what the sisters can become. They ask him to come with them to try out for a chance to perform for American GIs in Viet Nam for $30 a week. Soon they have reconnected with their cousin Kay (Shari Sebbens), switched from country to Motown, and passed the audition under their new name, inspired by a ring — The Sapphires. O’Dowd’s shambling charm plays well against Mailman’s protective ferocity and the wartime background and struggles against bigotry add some heft what might otherwise seem like a lightweight jukebox musical.
A girl group with four members under high-stress touring conditions far from home means many opportunities for romance, adventure, and power struggles, plus the inevitable rehearsal montages. “Can you make it sound blacker?” Dave asks. He switches lead singers, guides them on stage presence, and suggests some different songs. Both country and soul music are about loss, he tells them, but in country music the singer has given up. “With soul, they’re still struggling.” Dave’s passion for the music and his belief in the girls are scary but exhilarating. So is being away from home for the first time.
The girls learn that performing is about more than great songs and tight harmonies as they are touched by the valor of the American soldiers. It is not just that the GIs expect a show; they deserve one. So, The Sapphires add spangles, go-go boots, rump-shaking and a lot of attitude.
That gives them the freedom to open themselves up to new experiences and new ways of looking at themselves. And it means that we get to enjoy quite a show as well. When the storyline starts to feel too close to the familiar “VH1 Behind the Music” soapy sagas of backstage tensions and heartache, those fabulous classic soul songs of the 60’s ring out, thoughtfully matched to what is happening off-stage. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “What a Man,” “I’ll Take You There,” “Hold On! I’m Coming,” and many more add tremendous energy and spirit. They are every bit as entertaining as they were nearly half a century ago. Equally entrancing is a touching moment when they sing a native song called “Ngarra Burra Ferra.”
The credit sequence updates us on what happened after The Sapphires came home, with an extraordinary record of achievement, photos of the beautiful women who inspired the film, and a concluding line of piercing sweetness. It would be great to have a sequel, but they deserve a documentary.
Parents should know that this movie includes strong language, sexual references, smoking, drinking, and wartime violence.
Family discussion: How do the racial conflicts portrayed in this film compare to those of the same era in the United States? What makes them different? Are you surprised by what the Sapphires did after their tour?
If you like this, try: “Rabbit-Proof Fence” and “Dreamgirls”