Old Books and Movies

 My favorite TV series Disney made was their historical fiction shows in the 50s and 60s.  While Davey Crockett was probably their most famous historical show; Disney also made other shows such as; The Swamp Fox, Texas John Slaughter, and Elfego Baca.  For this post I'm going to be talking about the two shows I'm most familiar with, "The Swamp Fox" and "The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca." "The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca" (1958-1960)  Based on the true story of Elfego Baca, (played by Robert Loggia), this series is one of my favorite westerns.  The episodes were introduced by Walt Disney, and had a catchy theme song.  The pilot episode tells the true story of when Elfego Baca held of eighty cowboys who fired 4,00 bullets in to the shack he was holding up in; and he wasn't even wounded.  The series lasted for ten episodes, and most, if not all, of them can be found on YouTube.  "The Swamp Fox" (1959-1961)  Based on the true story story of Re...

 In my opinion one of the things that really makes a movie is the soundtrack, and I have always been a fan of the classic Disney soundtracks from the 60s-70s. I'm not going to be counting Disney musicals in this list, and this list is in no particular order.  1 . Candleshoe (1977)   Candleshoe's soundtrack by Ron Goodwin is probably one of my favorite soundtracks  You can listen to it on YouTube here: Candleshoe Soundtrack   2. Snowball Express (1972)   Robert F. Brunner composed the soundtrack to Snowball Express , and it's really good.  You can listen to a clip of it here:  Snowball Express Skiing Scene     3. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)  If you feel like a western The Apple Dumpling Gang has a really fun score.  Buddy Baker composed it and Shane Tatum wrote the soundtrack.  You can listen to the theme song here: The Apple Dumpling Gang Theme Song . 4. Kidnapped (1960)  Cedric Thorpe Davie composed a rous...

   If there was anybody who know how to make a movie "so bad it was good" to perfection, it was Disney as this '80s spy film shows.  Veterinarian, Warren Starbinder, (Micheal McKean) lives a normal life with his wife, their two kids, and the family dog.    That all changes when he is convinced by Special Agent Vaughn (Loyd Bochner) to pose as his identical twin brother Jason Starr.  Soon Warren is trying to meet a contact, to get a secret document; all the while trying to avoid a thug and two KGB agents who are after him.   At first Warren doesn't believe that his brother was a spy till he's shown the spy gadgets in his apartment; because a man is not a secret agent unless he has cool spy gadgets in his apartment.  A secret agent must also have a fancy high-powered car with cool gadgets; a pack of licorice sticks instead of cigarettes, and a partner who just got of spy school, who is more of a hindrance than a help.  Of course no self respect...

 I am writing this post for the World Television Day Blogathon hosted by 18 Cinema Lane .    Raymond Burr made two appearances on "The Jack Benny Program" one in 1961 and the other in 1962.  "Jack on Trial for Murder" (Nov. 5, 1961)   This episode is a hilarious parody of "Perry Mason".  After Jack Benny gets a summons to appear in court for disturbing the peace; (his rooster was crowing all night) he goes to a lawyer who didn't go to law school, but watched "Perry Mason" instead.  Jack goes back home and falls asleep on his couch and starts dreaming that he was accused of murdering the rooster and Perry Mason is his lawyer.  When Perry Mason walks in the jurors start clapping and the judge asks him for his autograph.  To Jack's dismay Perry is terrible, while the prosecuting attorney is brilliant. When Jack asks him why he's doing so bad, when he wins all his cases on TV, Perry responds that his writers are better than Jack's.  I...

   This is a very fun Bing Crosby film.  Denny Martin (Bing Crosby), his roommate Nicky (Mischa Auer), and his fiancée, Mary Wilson (Joan Blondell) must care for a baby after an old friend of Denny's leaves her baby with him when she goes looking for her husband who went to a health farm.   Bing Crosby sings "Sing a Song of Sunbeams."  Bing and the cast preform a fun version of "Hang Your Heart on a Hickory Limb."  Bing croons the baby to sleep with "That Sly Old Gentleman." Bing sings "East Side of Heaven" to Joan Blondell and Baby Sandy.  East Side of Heaven is a very good romantic comedy movie. I wrote this post for the Odd or Even Blogathon .  

  I am writing this post for The Umpteenth Blogathon Hosted by Essays from the Couch.   Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is classic musical about towns girl Millie (Jane Powell) who marries backwoodsman Adam Pontipee (Howard Keel) after a whirlwind courtship and goes to live with him and his six brothers on his farm.  Howard Keel sings "Bless Yore Beutiful Hide." Jane Powell sings "Wonderful, Wonderful Day."  Jane Powell sings "Goin' Co'tin'" and preform a fun dance number with the brothers.  The barn-raising dance is one of highlights of the movie.  The Brothers sing "Lonesome Polecat" and preform a ballet type number.  Howard Keel and the brothers sing "Sobbin' Women."  The girls sing "June Bride."  The brothers and the girls sing "Spring, Spring, Spring."  I  have seen this movie so many times so I thought it would be perfect for this blogathon; it is also the first musical I remember liking. Even ...