Reel Reflection: 2023 Movie Anniversaries

 

Clockwise: Trading Places, Red River,

Grease, and Frozen.

by Michael Lyons

 

It seems like a copy-and-paste introduction from last year, but - wow! Did this year fly by!

At the end of each year, we look ahead and we also reflect. For the latter, I continue a "Screen Saver" tradition of celebrating some movies that celebrated anniversaries and reached some significant milestones in 2023:

 

Frozen (2013) - 10 Years

This re-telling of The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson by Walt Disney Feature Animation recaptured the classic fairy tale glory for which the studio was known. It rightly became their first blockbuster to explode across the zeitgeist since The Lion King.

With stunning animation, beautiful songs, gorgeous singing (Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell), and lovable comic relief in Olaf the Snowman (Josh Gad), Frozen deserved all the accolades. 

And Disney rightly won't "Let it Go," transforming the film into a franchise that, a decade later, still weaves a magical, Elsa-like spell on so many.

 

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) - 20 Years

Uma Thurman is an assassin who has been double-crossed and left for dead by her fellow assassins and vows revenge in this first of a two-part epic that is emotional, gripping, outlandish, and represents some of Quentin Tarantino's best - and most trademark - work. 

 

Schindler's List (1993) - 30 Years

One of the most powerful films ever made. A real-life story of businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), who saved countless Jews from the unspeakable horrors of the Nazi regime in Germany by employing them in his factory.

Ralph Fiennes is evil personified as the lieutenant who oversees the concentration camp, and the black and white photography only adds to the proceedings feeling as raw and awful as history tells us.

This Steven Spielberg masterpiece leaves its indelible mark in our hearts and minds and, three decades later, still stands as an important testament.

 

Trading Places (1983) - 40 Years

Two wealthy businessmen and brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) connive a successful broker (Dan Aykroyd) and a loud-mouth street hustler (Eddie Murphy) to trade places. The two men's lives are played with, as the "haves" and "have nots" soon learn more about each other and society itself.

Full of hysterical moments (Murphy being "educated" by Bellamy and Ameche is still classic), but director John Landis film also harkens back to classic Hollywood films from the likes of Preston Sturges, and a time, just forty years ago, when comedies also provided a window into our own world.

 

Grease (1978) - 45 Years

In the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical that seemed to give birth to 50s nostalgia single-handedly, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are still wonderful and it's all still as much fun and irresistible to sing-along to as it was all summer of 1978.

This is pure movie-watching magic. Grease is still the word!

 

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) - 60 Years

Are you looking for your favorite classic comedian? They're all here!

With this all-star film, which gets funnier with each viewing, a group of strangers goes on a hysterical multistate spree looking for money that's buried "under a big W." And director Stanley Kramer created a one-movie-genre that has never been duplicated: the epic comedy!

 

Shane (1953) - 70 Years

When it comes to the big-screen Westerns about another era and from another era, they don't get better than Shane. 

Alan Ladd created an iconic character in the title role, as the mysterious stranger who rides into the life of a homestead family and changes their lives forever. Master director George Stevens perfectly balances the smaller moments, such as the connection between Shane and the young boy Joey (Brandon deWilde), with the larger beauty of the Western landscape.

And then there's that heartbreaking conclusion to the film. It's a classic masterpiece. 

Red River (1948) - 75 Years

Another brilliant Western, this one a glowing example of the silver screen.

John Wayne and Montgomery Clift shine like true movie stars in this story of the tension that builds and drama that erupts during a cattle drive from Texas to Kansas.

Director Howard Hawks gets incredible performances from the entire cast that includes Walter Brennan, Joanne Dru and Harry Carey, Jr., and sweeps the audience along masterfully in the adventure.

Considered by many to be not just one of the best Westerns, but one of the best films of all time.

 

 And, there is a brief look back at just some of the many movies that celebrated milestones during the past twelve months that just sped by us. Consider any or all for a fitting film festival to kick off 2024.

Wishing everyone a Safe and Happy New Year!

 

 Looking for more of my articles, podcasts, merchandise and book shop? Head over to Words From Lyons!

 

Seasons Screenings: An Oh-So-70s-and-80s-Made-for-TV-Christmas

 

Art Carney & Jaclyn Smith in

The Night They Saved Christmas

by Michael Lyons

 

Hallmark Christmas Movies are now a seasonal institution. Fans spend entire weekends watching the latest tale of someone from the big city who travels to a small town where Christmas is celebrated 24/7 for a whole month and learns a life-changing lesson.

The Hallmark movies carry on a long-lasting tradition of the TV movie, specifically those themed around Christmas. The 1970s and 1980s were almost a golden age of the made-for-TV movie. Before theatrical Christmas movies like Home Alone and Elf, these movies produced for the small screen provided a nice, cozy home for Christmas stories.

Here are just a few of the made-for-TV movie memories from the groovy 70s and the big 80s:

 

The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972). 

This incredibly touching story takes place in Nebraska in 1946 and centers on a 10-year-old Addie (Lisa Lucas), who desperately wants a Christmas tree in her home, but her father, James (Jason Robards), won't allow it.

James has soured toward the world since his wife, Addie's mom, passed away. However, a selfless gesture from Addie may just change things.

With a strong supporting performance by the legendary Mildred Natwick, as Addie's grandma, this film is a heart-tugger throughout. 

It's also a reflection of a simpler Christmas, not only in the movie but in the fact that The House Without a Christmas Tree is shot on video, which provides even more of a homespun feel to the proceedings.

It Happened One Christmas (1977)

A gender-reversed remake of one of the greatest films, Christmas or otherwise, It's a Wonderful Life provides the basis for this made-for-TV film. Marlo Thomas plays Mary Hatch, who considers suicide on Christmas Eve, until an angel named Clara, played by Cloris Leachman, shows Mary the positive impact she had on so many others.

A virtual scene-by-scene replay of Frank Capra's original masterpiece is well crafted, and fans of It's A Wonderful Life will get a kick out of how so many familiar scenes play out, as well as the casting choices that were made - Orson Welles is the perfect Mr. Potter!

 

The Man in the Santa Claus Suit (1979)

The multi-story series era of shows like The Love Boat and Fantasy Island brought us this entertaining tale of three men on different paths in life, who all rent Santa Claus suits from a magical New York shop owned by a man with a twinkle in his eye, played by Fred Astaire.

One man, Bob (Gary Burghoff of M*A*S*H), is looking to impress a girl who lives in his building; another, Chris (Bert Convey), is hoping to get closer to his estranged son, and Stan (Jon Byner) is a hapless crook seeking a disguise, and winds up hiding out with a wealthy family.

Spoilers - an extra dose of Christmas magic helps all of these stories end happily ever after.

The Night They Saved Christmas (1984)

A big oil company is set on blasting and drilling for oil at the North Pole, which threatens Santa's workshop. Claudia (Jaclyn Smith) must convince her oil executive husband (Paul LeMat) to stop the project and save Christmas.

If that very 80s plot isn't enough to lure you to this one, how about the casting of Art Carney as Santa and Paul Williams as his elf?!?

The Christmas Gift (1986)

Singer John Denver plays a divorced, big-city architect sent by his firm to a small town in Colorado for a potential real-estate bid and falls in love with this town steeped in Santa Claus mythology, going against his firm just to preserve it. 

This, essentially, was a Hallmark Channel movie before they were even a "thing."

 

A Very Brady Christmas (1988)

Of all the retro-TV-series-reunion movies that were once the rage, this one ranks up there. Almost the entire Brady Bunch cast returns (Susan Olsen didn't come back as Cindy and is replaced here by actress Jennifer Runyon).

With the six Brady kids now grown and moved away, Mike and Carol (Robert Reed and Florence Henderson) invite their kids, wives, significant others, and grandkids back to the ol' Brady home for Christmas.

Each one arrives bearing different life challenges that they're keeping secret but will soon reveal, just in time for an amazing finale, in which architect Mike finds himself trapped in a collapsing building, and the only thing that will save him is his entire family singing, "O Come All Ye Faithful."

A Very Brady Christmas is both famous and infamous and deserves to be on any nostalgia fan's seasonal movie-watching list.

 

And, there you have it, just a few of the oh-so-many made-for-TV movies from when television viewing, particularly at Christmas time, was appointment viewing. 

So, choose any of these, or so many others, circle it in your TV Guide, light the tree, and settle in by the warm glow of your television for a portal back in time to the Holiday Seasons of yesteryear!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

 

 

Laughing All the Way: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of "Elf"

 

by Michael Lyons    

 

Over the past two decades, Elf has probably become one of the most quoted films, Christmas or otherwise. Lines like...

"Son of a nutcracker!"

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

And, of course, "SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA'S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!"

...have not only been uttered throughout the holiday season by fans, but they've also found their way onto T-shirts, coffee mugs, Christmas ornaments, and other pieces of merchandise.

Since its debut on November 7, 2003, audiences just can't get enough of Elf; not only has the movie been translated into a Broadway musical and an animated special, but the film seemingly runs on a non-stop loop during the season that once seemed reserved for movies like It's a Wonderful Life (TBS just ran 24 hours of Elf over Thanksgiving weekend).

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Elf is everywhere and loved by everyone, with an appreciation growing each holiday season. And, you know what? Elf deserves it.

Like the main character of Buddy himself, this is a movie that just wants to please, just wants us to like it, and just wants to make us laugh. And, time and time again, it accomplishes all of this.

Anyone whose heart isn't two sizes too small knows the story of Elf by now - Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human who, as an orphan baby, stows away in Santa's (Ed Asner) sack and is adopted by the North Pole elves, and raised by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart).

Eventually learning he is human, he travels to New York City to reunite with his birth father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan). In "our world," Buddy falls in love with Jovie (Zooey Deschanel), a Gimbel employee he met during his brief stint.

Buddy also discovers that the Christmas spirit is dwindling and realizes he needs to do something about it.

Director Jon Favreau does a brilliant job in Elf of blending two "Christmas worlds" that seem both familiar and new: the fantasy version of the North Pole, inspired by the stop-motion, classic TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Christmas in our "real world" of New York City, which seems like a fantasy world at Christmastime.

Ferrell's performance is one for the ages. Buddy could have come across as foolish and cartoony, but in his capable hands, the giant elf immediately becomes a character we want to befriend. It's no wonder Buddy has become a pop-culture Christmas icon.

The supporting cast in Elf is also perfect. From Caan's subtle slow burns to Asner's world-weary Santa, everyone in the film crafts fully realized characters that Ferrell could have easily overshadowed.

In the two decades since its debut, Elf has rightly earned its spot among classic Christmas movies like Miracle on 34th Street and Home Alone  - and as one of my wife Michelle's all-time favorite films.

Not only does it deliver those oh-so-quotable lines ("You sit on a throne of lies!"), but Elf is also a story about positivity overcoming cynicism, the power of kindness, and the strength of our beliefs - which we all need more of, not just at Christmas but all year long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruffling Some Feathers: Looking Back at WKRP's "Turkeys Away," on its 45th Anniversary

 

by Michael Lyons 

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"

Just say that to any fan of classic sitcoms, and you will be met with a laugh. It is the ending line of dialogue from the 1978 Thanksgiving episode of the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. 

In 1997, it was voted one of the 100 TV episodes of all time, and for good reason - it's hysterical! 

Set at a struggling radio station in Cincinnati, Travis (Gary Sandy), the new Station Manager,  learns that Arthur, a/k/a “The Big Guy” (Gordon Jump), the clueless General Manager, has come up with a Thanksgiving promotional idea, but only involves two other members of WKRP, newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and sales manager Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), in on the secret. 

 

The other members of the cast - Travis, DJ Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hessemen), Venus Fly Trap (Tim Reid), and reporter Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers), find out what the big promo is, as it is being broadcast live. And it is..

 

SPOILER ALERT!

 

...Mr. Carlson and Herb drop live turkeys out of a helicopter, flying above a shopping mall, as Les reports below. The turkeys come crashing to earth (off-screen) and with all of the drama of the Hindenburg disaster (even shouting, "Oh, the humanity!"), Les provides play-by-play.

 

When Mr. Carlson returns to the station, where everyone is waiting, including secretary Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson), he utters the aforementioned "As God is my witness..." line.

 Rightly so, "Turkeys Away" has become a classic and required Thanksgiving season viewing for so many. It is also credited with helping to save WKRP in Cincinnati and pulling the show out of its ratings slump. 

 

In 2018, for the episode's 40th anniversary, Screen Saver provided a traditional look back (Look for it in November 2018 in the Archives to the right). Five years later, here are thoughts, celebrating "Turkeys Away" from others, including writers, fans and those who worked on the show:

 

“…among those of a certain age or those possessing a certain amount of Thanksgiving pop culture knowledge, it remains A touchstone. That's partly because the jokes still hold up and partly because it ends with a perfectly quotable mic drop of a last line... “ - Jen Chaney, Vulture.com, 

 

"The opportunity to see Les Nessman recount the falling of the turkeys in the style of the Hindenburg was just tears to your eyes.  I mean, who takes on the Hindenburg and does a comedy?  Takes one of the great tragedies in this country and puts it in a comedy show?  We went there." - Actor Tim Reid (Venus Fly Trap), "Turkeys Away An Oral History," The Classic TV History Blog.

 

"Back when there were three networks and no cable, almost every weekly sitcom had a holiday show, usually at Christmas, usually ham-fisted, usually outright hammy. You'd change the channel, but you'd still be watching a holiday show on another channel. This episode was different." - IMDb user AlsExGal

 

"Not one show ever generated the amount of mail, the amount of interest, as a show we did our very first season."  - Actor Gary Sandy (Travis), introducing "Turkeys Away" during a taped segment when it aired during a rerun.

 

"I know that referring to this episode as the best episode ever of any show ever might be a bold statement, but going to stick with it. Over 40 years since this episode came out, and after I personally have watched this particular episode dozens of times, I still laugh until I cry every single time I watch it." - IMDb user okalhomasooners.

 

"I meet people for the first time, and if we get to talking and it somehow comes up that I created WKRP, they immediately start saying, “As God is my witness, I didn’t know turkeys could fly.”  It’s rather amazing that the line itself is [legendary].  I’m just thrilled and tickled to death by it." - WKRP in Cincinnati creator, writer, and producer Hugh Wilson "Turkeys Away An Oral History," The Classic TV History Blog.

 

Wishing everyone a Happy and High-Flying Thanksgiving!

Author Michael Lyons and his wife, Michelle,

meet Loni Anderson in 2017.

 

Sources: 

 

Classictvhistory.wordpress.com

 

IMDb.com

 

Vulture.com

Looking for a perfect gift this Holiday Season? Words From Lyons has you covered. Visit the site's merchandise shop for shirts, coffee mugs, phone cases and more featuring artwork inspired by retro TV shows and movies. And, there will be a Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale at the Words From Lyons online bookstore: from November 22nd through November 28th enter promo code BOOK15, and receive 15% off your purchase of a signed and personalized copy of my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance!

 

Let's Start the Family Feud!: Thanksgiving with "Everybody Loves Raymond"

by Michael Lyons

The tension, the anxiety, the unspoken words that might as well be spoken. Thanksgiving dinner with family. It has all the traits of a well-crafted reality show.

Family can drive us crazy...but they're family. Every moment of frustration is followed by a moment of love. 

And this all seems to culminate at Thanksgiving dinner. No show has captured the love/hate and hate/love dynamic of a family like Everybody Loves Raymond, particularly in their impressive eight different Thanksgiving episodes: 

 "Turkey or Fish" (Season 1, Episode 10)

In this funny first-season outing, Debra (Patricia Heaton) has Thanksgiving at her and Ray's (Ray Romano). She decides to start a new tradition of having fish instead of turkey, which has disastrous results.

Fish and turkey are served, Frank (Peter Boyle) winds up choking, and Robert (Brad Garrett) has to administer the Heimlich. They discover that the fish is what flies out of his mouth (Ray walks over to the food on the floor and says, "Let's go to the field for the play").

This episode solidifies the family dynamic, including the hilariously tense relationship between Marie (Doris Roberts) and Debra.

 

"No Fat" (Season 3, Episode 10)

In this episode, it's back to Marie and Frank's house for Thanksgiving. After attending a senior health fair, Marie decides to make a healthier Thanksgiving dinner and decides to make tofu turkey, which doesn't come out as planned in its unappetizing, gelatinous state. 

Behind everyone's back, Ray orders a Thanksgiving dinner to be delivered, which arrives at the most inopportune time, hurting Marie's feelings.

The pinnacle of humor in this episode is the perfect physical comedy by each cast member as they attempt to eat Marie's tofu turkey, choking it down with every hysterical bite.

 

"No Thanks" (Season 4, Episode 9)

Debra attempts to strengthen her relationship with Marie by cooking Thanksgiving dinner with her mother-in-law and letting Marie's snide little comments roll off of her back.  It's tough, however, when Marie is devastatingly critical, slipping her comments subtly, sometimes with a smile.

This is one of Doris Roberts' best episodes, and her performance as Marie has never been more cutting than it is here, as evidenced by lines like: "Debra, I don't know why your rolls are left. I liked them. The burnt part gave them some flavor."

 

"Fighting In-Laws" (Season 5, Episode 9)

In what would be a three-part "Thanksgiving saga," that would continue over multiple Thanksgivings over the next several years, came this Everybody Loves Raymond episode, where Debra's seemingly perfect parents, Warren and Lois (Robert Culp and Katherine Helmond), stay at the house for the holiday.

On Thanksgiving day, they reveal that they are going to marriage counseling, which becomes the topic of conversation for the dinner.

With a focus on another family, this episode is entertaining because Marie, Frank, and the other Barones are interested in others as dysfunctional as they are.

Culp and Helmond also fire off some well-crafted lines, such as when she writes in a notebook, "Warren is very, very good at being controlling," Warren replies: "Controlling has two L's."  

There's also Patricia Heaton's brilliant scene, where Debra drops the turkey and it proceeds to slide all over the floor before being flung back into the oven.

 "Older Woman" (Season 6, Episode 9)

Part two of the story from last season's Thanksgiving show. Debra's parents are now divorced this holiday, and they are both coming for Thanksgiving. Her father, Warren, is bringing his girlfriend to make matters more awkward.

Everyone assumes it's a younger woman, but in a twist, it turns out it's an older woman, and the reactions and quips from everyone else are some of the series funniest moments. One includes when Warren has to slowly walk his date upstairs so she can take a nap. After they take their time climbing the stairs, Frank looks at his watch and announces, "Happy New Year!"  

 

"Marie's Vision" (Season 7, Episode 10)

 

In this episode, Thanksgiving happens in the background, while concerns over Marie's vision take the forefront. She decides to go out and get glasses, but her newfound sight allows her to be even more critical in her observations, leading everyone to make changes. Robert even gets Botox injections, and Brad Garrett does terrific physical comedy with his face so rigid that he can't speak.

 "The Bird" (Season 8, Episode 9)

This episode's a clash of families, as the Barones go to Robert’s in-laws, Amy's (Monica Horan) parents Hank and Pat (Fred Willard and Georgia Engel) for Thanksgiving. They are welcomed warmly, even by Amy's offbeat brother, Peter (Chris Elliot) but after a bird is injured by hitting the house, Pat puts the bird out of its misery, and the Barones are shocked.

The tension bubbles over, culminating in both families having to participate in a Thanksgiving play for the kids, with its hysterical parallels about two other groups who eventually had to get along.

 

"Debra's Parents" (Season 9, Episode 7)

The series saved the best for last in this final installment, focusing on the ongoing divorce of Debra's parents. They are once again invited over for Thanksgiving, and it turns out they aren't reconciling, but they are sleeping together.

When Debra catches them in the act, the two run downstairs, wearing nothing, but blankets, trying to explain. Just then, the conservative Hank and Pat walk in, see what's happening, and immediately turn around and walk out in one of Everybody Loves Raymond's funniest, quicker cameos.

 

Each of these episodes reveals in it’s cleverist way, what makes families and Thanksgiving go so well together, or as Ray himself said to Debra in their very first Thanksgiving episode, “Turkey or Fish”:

“You cook, and I'll watch football with my pants open all day.”

For more of my articles, podcasts and to learn more about my book, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website: Words From Lyons ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sister Act: The 30th Anniversary of "Hocus Pocus"

 by Michael Lyons    

 

Like so many 90s movies, VHS saved Hocus Pocus.

 

When the film was released in the middle of the summer of 1993, it pretty much didn't stand a chance and was trampled by so many other summer behemoths (like Jurassic Park) and pummeled by poor reviews.

 

It seemed as if Hocus Pocus would fade away with so many other forgotten family films. But, an entire generation of kids was being weaned on VHS, latching on to specific movies and watching them on repeat.

 

A number of underperforming 90s films, from The Sandlot to Disney's own A Goofy Movie, benefitted from this. With Hocus Pocus, there was the added revelation through the years that the movie is ideal for the Halloween season.

 

Soon, multiple showings on a number of cable channels throughout the season led to a wave of a resurgence that begot merchandise and appearances by the Sanderson Sisters at Disney theme parks (both of which were non-existent in 1993, when the film was first released), as well as a legacy sequel that debuted last fall on Disney+.

 

As the film celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, audiences have embraced Hocus Pocus for what it truly is - wicked fun!

 

Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are the Sanderson Sisters - Winifred, Sarah, and Mary, respectively. 

 

They are part of a rich, fictional legend in Salem, Massachusetts, where they were hanged in 1693 until a teenage boy named Max (Omri Katz) accidentally brings them back in 1993 by lighting a mystical candle on Halloween.

 

The Sanderson sisters want to steal children's energy to return to life and become younger. They do this by spending all Halloween night running  "Amuck! Amuck! Amuck!" (to quote Sarah) through the town.

 

This is where Hocus Pocus excels and is most likely why it has found its audience through the years. Director Kenny Ortega does nice work of providing the Halloween backdrop and crafting an entertaining adventure, and with young actors in the lead, the film takes on a Goonies-like feel.  

 

The three leads, Midler, Parker, and Najimy, all look like they're having the time of their lives, and that infectious, fun spirit buoys the entire film. There are also solid performances by Katz and the young stars, Thora Birch as his sister Dani, and Vanessa Shaw as love interest Allison.

 

Stephanie Faracy and Charles Rocket are a hoot as Max and Dani's clueless parents, and Doug Jones is amazing, contorting his body as the zombie Billy Butcherson.

 

In cameos, real-life brother and sister Garry and Penny Marshall steal their scene as a bickering couple handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. 

 

Gliding through all of Hocus Pocus is a darker tone (the movie begins with a hanging and includes an eerie song about stealing children's souls) that adds a unique element of black comedy to the proceedings.

 

It's no wonder that the film has found its audience three decades later and become a Halloween staple.

 

Thank you, VHS. You're no longer with us, but we appreciate you saving Hocus Pocus!

 

Happy Halloween, everyone!

For more of my articles, podcasts and to learn more about my boo, Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance, head over to my website: Words From Lyons !