No one ever accused the Three Stooges of being ecologically focused, but their 1952 short “Listen, Judge” offers a brilliant example of recycling old material to create a new and vibrant comedy explosion.
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Author Archives: Phil Hall
The Bootleg Files: John Wayne Great Western Savings Commercials
BOOTLEG FILES 899: “John Wayne Great Western Savings Commercials” (1978 series of television advertisements for a California financial institution).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell between the proverbial cracks.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely.
John Wayne fans know their beloved actor made his final big screen appearance in the 1976 film “The Shootist,” but that was not his final performance before the cameras. In 1977 and 1978, Wayne received $350,000 per year from the Los Angeles-based Great Western Savings and Loan to promote its financial institutions to California television viewers.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Hare Trimmed (1953)
Hare Trimmed (1953)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Manuel Perez, Ken Champin, Virgil Ross, Arthur Davis
Music by Carl Stalling
“Hare Trimmed” is notable as being the only Bugs Bunny cartoon where Granny plays a prominent role in the story. It is a shame that she wasn’t a more frequent presence, since she was an endearing and lively character – Granny turned up briefly two years later in “This is a Life?”, but that was more of a gag appearance.
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Grandma Moses (1950)
During the 1940s and 1950s, the most unlikely figure to emerge in the American art scene was Anna Mary Robertson Moses. The widow of a farmer in upstate New York, she began painting at the age of 78 because arthritis made it difficult for her to pursue needlework. Going by the moniker of Grandma Moses and coming to the medium without formal training, she created an extraordinary output of lively and invigorating paintings that recalled her rural world in the second half of the 19th century. Although her work was identified by the vaguely condescending category of folk art, her invigorating use of color and the surprising complexity of her subject matter captivated Americans – even Presidents Truman and Eisenhower celebrated her artistic achievements.
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Vote for Cinema Crazed in the Rondo Awards
The 2024 edition of the Rondo Awards is upon us, and movie lovers are being invited to vote for their favorites. After being passed over from the Best Website category for too long, Cinema Crazed is finally a nominee for the award.
The Rondo Awards winners are determined by popular vote. This is how you can help: To vote, send an email to Taraco@aol.com and write: “Category 18: Best Website – Cinema Crazed.”
If you enjoy reading Cinema Crazed, please take a minute and vote for us! Thank you!!!
Dance with Me, Henry (1956)
The 1956 “Dance with Me, Henry” is a strange and dreary film that ended the on-screen teamwork of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Working within the tight confines of a low budget – the team had parted ways with their longtime studio Universal Pictures and wound up with independent producer Bob Goldstein – the duo eschewed the elaborate knockabout of their typical output in favor of a more situational comedy setting.
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The 10 Wackiest Academy Award Achievements of All Time
Ahead of Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, let’s take a few minutes to consider some of the unlikeliest nominations and winners in the history of cinema’s most prestigious prize.
Who Saw This Coming? Few people expected Hal Mohr to win the 1935 Best Cinematography Oscar for “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” – if only because he wasn’t nominated. In the mid-1930s, the Academy changed its rules to allow write-in votes to go alongside the ballot nominees, but after write-in candidate Mohr won his award the rules were rewritten to prevent another write-in winner.
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