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Reviews
Second-Hand Hearts (1980)
I saw it on TV, so it didn't cost anything
Robert Blake plays Loyal Muke, a drunken loser who marries bar waitress Dinette Dusty, who is his equal in loserability and who also has three kids staying with in-laws.
When she was a baby, Dinette was traded by her parents for a rebuilt transmission when theirs went south on the highway. Loyal has a job at a car wash for a few weeks, only to be fired when he misses several days work after getting married. The two take off for California from Texas in Loyal's beaten-up old Rambler station wagon (a brave or foolish venture, or both), stopping to pick up Dinette's kids along the way.
Blake does a good job in his role as a drunken, fidgety bum who can never remember what he did when he was drinking. Harris is also good as an airheaded waitress whose singing career never got off the ground (when you hear her sing, you'll know way). At least the two don't make any more kids, since they are already saddled with Dinette's three elementary school-aged offspring. They're looking forward to arriving in California, because, as Dinette's father in-law says, "They have the welfare out there."
Little House on the Prairie: Crossed Connections (1979)
Jonathan learns how lucky he is
Jonathan Garvey finds out that his wife had been previously married and responds by saying some cruel things to her ("How many other men have you been with?"), then leaves with Charles on a business trip, without telling his wife and son whether he's coming back or not.
When Jonathan is talking to Harold in the tavern, Harold tells him that he had been married years earlier to a woman who was the best thing that ever happened to him. He tells Jonathan - who doesn't let him know that he's been married to Harold's former wife for years - "I heard that she married again. I wonder if that man who's married to her now knows just how lucky he is."
Jonathan and Charles return to Walnut Grove after their long trip, and Jonathan, realizing how lucky he really is, apologizes to his frightened wife (she was afraid he that he was going to leave her).
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb (1980)
Good movie, some inaccurate reviews.
Some of the reviews of this movie are more fabrication than fact. trimmerb's allegation that "the plane's intercom" caught co-pilot Robert Lewis saying, "My God, what have we done?" is a total falsehood. Lewis wrote "My God" in his journal when he saw the brilliant flash of light that filled the plane and felt the shock wave from the bomb 31 seconds later.
It was not until 1955 when Lewis, then an employee of a candy company, told a Japanese minister that he had written, "My God, what have we done?" in his journal. Lewis had only written "My God," but his attitude toward nuclear weapons had changed due to the daily fears of Americans during the Cold War that the Soviets were going to nuke a U.S. city. So he put an impromptu addendum on his written statement 10 years later.
Intercoms on a B-29 were used by pushing a button to talk and releasing it to listen. There was no recording of the crew's comments, and Lewis's "My God" was conveyed in written form only.
The movie was very interesting, although Lewis's asking "What is that funny name (Enola Gay) doing on my plane?" is shown in a more pleasant light than the actual incident, in which Lewis was very angry at Tibbets being named to take over the Hiroshima mission. Lewis had flown the first six missions of the previously unnamed B-29, but only Tibbets, the two flight weaponeers, radar countermeasure expert Jacob Beser and perhaps bombardier Thomas Ferebee knew what the bomb the Enola Gay was carrying was capable of. Lewis knew that the plane was carrying a powerful bomb but had no idea of the actual power that "Little Boy" had. No other regular crew member of the Enola Gay did either on that particular morning in August 1945.
True Grit (2010)
What did he say?
Mercyah81's comment, "Bridges, you couldn't understand a damn thing that came out of his mouth," was right on the money. I bought the DVD, and after about 20 minutes I turned the closed-captioning on so that I could understand what the hell Bridges was saying.
One of the best parts of the movie is the hanging at Fort Smith. The two condemned white men get to say their last words, but when the Indian tries to say something, the executioner yanks the hood over his head then walks over and pulls the lever. Very authentic mindset for a movie based in 1880.
The part where they found the guy hanging 50 feet off of the ground, and the ensuing body-trading, was just plain weird. It added nothing to the movie.
Camper John (1973)
Definitely Worth Watching
I saw this movie years ago on a cable channel; I wish I could find the VCR/DVD. It's a story about a bunch of good ole boys who take off in search of a local Indian who is accused of raping a white man's daughter. Nothing stands in their way; everyone is armed. Their objective: To "bring back some bunch of red a**es across their tailgates," and they don't care if they have to kill every Indian around in order to find the one they want.
Kevin Hagen does a good job playing the outraged father who is hiding a secret, and R.G. Armstrong plays the gun shop owner who is coerced into supplying the mob with free guns and ammo while they try to hunt down accused rapist Camper John Allen.
Dillinger (1973)
Funny, But Hilariously Inaccurate
The scene at the beginning of the film where the old man at the gas station treats Homer Van Meter with such contempt is hilarious.
Billie Frechette is shown firing a gun at the feds in one scene; it didn't happen. The end credits say she died a spinster; she was married twice. Harry Pierpont was wounded in an attempted escape from death row; three weeks later he was still unable to walk (he'd been shot four times), so they carried him to the electric chair, strapped him in, and threw the switch.
Pretty Boy Floyd was wounded running from the farmhouse, but the wound wasn't mortal. When Purvis asked him about Kansas City, Floyd let go such a stream of profanity that Purvis had Agent Herman Hollis shoot him with a Thompson. Hollis had fired one of the rounds that hit Dillinger (although not the fatal one), and he and another agent died while mortally wounding Baby Face Nelson in November of that year.
The scene outside the Biograph is ridiculous. It was scalding hot, which is why Dillinger and the two women went to an air-conditioned theater. The movie shows everyone in overcoats, including Dillinger. He had on an open-collared shirt and a white straw hat. Purvis didn't shoot Dillinger at all; the fatal round was fired by an agent brought up from Texas.
I do, however, love the line about Handsome Jack Klutas (who, by the way, attended college, but had no "college degree"): "I knew I'd never take him alive. I didn't try too hard, neither." That scene, of course, never happened. Purvis wasn't even there when Klutas was killed.
Tomboy (1985)
Plot is silly, but Betsy Russell is worth it...
I've dated women like "Tommy." They're fun for a while.
This is a guy movie. Women will be jealous of Russell's red-hot looks and will nit-pick the movie's lack of plot and acting talents (who would bring a Rolls Royce to a gas station to be repaired, unless the mechanic looked like Tommy?), but for us guys, all Betsy Russell has to do is stand there and breathe. I liked the way women dressed during the 1980s, and the hairstyles are cute as well.
The title song is catchy, and whoever stunt-doubled for Betsy Russell on the motorcycle knew what they were doing. I saw "Tomboy" the first time on HBO, so the price was right, but this low-budget movie grossed over $14 million. Not bad.
Jackals (1986)
One of my 10 favorite movies
This movie certainly was a sleeper. The acting was excellent, especially seeing Major Dad in the role of the evil bad guy.
The scene at the end when Jack Lucarelli takes Jameson Parker's laser sight shotgun with him is excellent. He never says a word to any of the five "officers" he encounters. He doesn't have to.
Wilford Brimley is his usual excellent self. My sister liked the part where he tells Deputy Hobie to stay at the crime scene, because "I don't want anybody fartin' around out here." That's just how real people put things, not all proper and in the king's English.
I missed this movie so much that I bought a former rental store copy for 14c online. It's in perfect condition! David Goss' song, "The Price You Pay" is fitting and very well sung during closing credits.
The Van (1977)
One of the greatest movie lines ever
"It wasn't me! It was, er, my twin brother Rupert!" Bobby says to Dugan when confronted about being over at Sally's place. I have used this line dozens of times over the years (no one has yet to believe it, though).
This movie is one of the all-time best for sheer fun and nonbelieveability. Steven Oliver was perfect for the part of Dugan, so much so that he was in 1978's "Malibu Beach" as the same character (not nearly as much screen time, though).
"Nobody calls Dugan a turd!" is another line for the ages. This classic film was definitely worth the price of admission.
Doc Elliot: And All Ye Need to Know (1973)
Blind only in her eyes
Meredith Baxter plays a pretty young blind woman married to Mills Watson; they're hillbillies in Appalachia. Doc Elliot shows up and diagnoses her with cataracts, and lets her know that by performing basic eye surgery, he can enable her to see again.
Everyone is thrilled except Watson, who, being a bearded, pot-bellied rube, is afraid that after she sees how homely he is, she won't want him anymore, telling Doc Elliot, "Let's face it, Mr. Doctor, I'm a toad!"
Elliot performs the operation, and the young woman is able to see just fine. She asks to be taken home to see her husband, calling out his name as she steps out of the car. At first no one comes outside, then Watson walks out the front door of the cabin, and the look on his face tells you he's prepared for the worst. But his worries were for nothing, as his wife doesn't care one bit what he looks like!
I saw this show over 30 years ago, and it still chokes me up to think about it.
The Green Berets (1968)
Only pro-Vietnam War film ever made
This is the only pro-Vietnam war film ever made. Most of the officers, like John Wayne or Bruce Cabot (Frank Pierce in 1967's "The War Wagon"), are much too old to be running around the jungle looking for the VC. Aldo Ray, though a bit too old for this part, pulls it off with a tough-as-nails portrayal of Sgt. Muldoon. Mike Henry, a lousy actor at best, actually has a decent scene, in which, unfortunately, he dies. Henry's character, Kowalski, shows what hand-to-hand combat with martial arts training can really do.
Oliver Stone has denounced this film as racist; I have yet to find out why. I have seen this film at least a dozen times, and the ruthlessness of the Viet Cong is shown honestly. The scenes with American actors in blackface (greyface?) portraying VC are rather silly, since there weren't too many six-foot VC around, but the Malayan Swing and punji stakes are frighteningly realistic, at a time when most Americans had never heard of such barbaric weapons.