What Happened To Dad, On The Latest Perdue Commercial??????????????

                                  I had not realized Frank Perdue had died, back in 2005.  So, the people, pictued above are his son, Jim, and grandsons, Chris and Ryan.

                                    But on the latest commercial, where the boys are featured in a booth at some county fair,  Jim is not present.   What happened to him?  I hope he is OK.

                                      When last seen, he and his boys, were dancing and whooping it up in a supermarket!!!!!!!!!!!  Now, Dad  is  not present?  Why?  What happened?

                                         I had no idea the  Perdue clan was such a family dynasty.  It does make sense,  though.  But don't leave Dad in the lurch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           After all, he is the one who said to his boys, "If I could raise you two,  I can raise anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                            Now, isn't that just like a parent?????????????

I Had Forgotten How Sad A Film This Is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        I had not seen 1958's "War Of The Colossal Beast," since I was a child, and its emotional impact did  not resonate with me, then.  But this time, decades later,  it sure did,  girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Both this, and its 1957 predecessor, "The Amazing Colossal Man," are character studies of  a man,  Glenn Manning, who has, through no fault of his own, suffered from a military accident that should have left him dead, and, as he comes to conclude, might have been best if  it had.  At the end of  the first  film, Glenn is shot, and drops 700 feet off Boulder Dam.  He is presumed dead.  But when gold rang at the box office, AIP knew he had to resurrected.

                                           Hence, "War Of The Colossal Beast."  Glenn is even worse off than before.  His fiance, Carol, in the first film, has ditched him, replaced by his concerned sister, Joyce.  His face is horribly disfigured, after the fall, and his mind is not clear, going in and out of reality.

                                              Which is where the sadness comes in.  Glenn relives the experiences that have made him what he is.  He knows he will never be the same again.  In the last scene, there are several surprises--he calls out his sister's name, in both recognition and farewell, when, suddenly (just like in "How To Make A Monster") the film turns into color, and he committs suicide by electrocution.  I am telling you, darlings,  I almost cried real tears!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This man suffered such torment.

                                                   Now,  if this sounds vaguely familiar, do not be surprised.  This is the same way 1958's "Attack Of The  Fifty-Foot Woman" ends.  However, from  the start, that film  is  going entirely for camp, so when  Allison Hayes clutches Harry, her philandering husband, played by William Hudson, it is more a woman  scorned getting revenge, followed by the campy end line, "Well, she finally did  it....she finally got Harry all  to herself."  This film was  released a month before "Beast,' so I have to wonder if the similarity is more than coincidental.  The difference is in tone.   'Woman' has one  coming off a laugh riot; 'Beast' has one empathizing with Manning's torment, and, in tandem with its predecessor,  contains  an underlying anti-war message.  AIP was on the cheap, but their insights were sometimes not off  the mark.

                                                     I am  glad I saw this again, but I would not want to see it once more--too  depressing. I am sure Joan Didion laps  it up!

                                                      Thank heaven Svengoolie is  showing a humorous horror film, this coming Saturday!  You will have to wait for that post to find out what it is.

                                                        Cheers, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would You Believe I Finally Did Something I Always Wanted, After Thirty-Eight Years Of Living In New York?????????????

                                          I am sure most of my readers recognisze this as the iconic shot from Woody Allen's 1979 film, "Manhattan."  Forget, for a moment, that this picture could never be made today.  The visual quality of the shot,  with Woody and Diane Keaton, is one of those images that still epitomizes New York.  I told myself that one day I would sit there, but it never happened.

                                           Until two days ago, on  Labor Day.  We were on  the East Side,  with our friends Dan and Norma, and took a walk.   We went to Sutton Place--I am ready to move there, darlings!-- and, as we walked  toward the river,  I  recognized  the  view!   Now, the spot has been renovated over  the years, but I was able to approximate it, and sat by it.  I was so excited, I forgot to have a picture taken.

                                               I am telling you, if this was not such a schlep from where I live, I would hang out here.  But, Bay Ridge has its own visual beauty, too.

                                                 The wait was long, but the occasion extra special because it was such an unexpected surprise.  I mean,  when that view was recognizable to me, it was like discovering a lost treasure.

                                                  Darlings, whether dwelling in  or visiting New York City, you have just GOT to do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    And I still would love to live on Sutton Place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 

"Though We Have To Say Goodbye To The Summer..............."

                                            Yes,  I know the correct word is "for," but I always associated this song with the end of  Summer.  Maybe because of the melancholy melody.

                                              So,  Labor Day and white shoes are gone.  Flip-flops have been put away,  for another year.  The literary season is heating  up--yesterday I went to Three Lives Bookstore, and  bought the new Sally Rooney, Lauren Groff, and Colm Toibin.  Which means I have a  lot of work to do, and so little time to do it.

                                                Fashion Week began, and I never got my invite,  even though I had a dream about ANNA last night.  As stated, I am not as sad to see the Summer go, as, since Covid,  Summer isn't Summer, anymore.  And we got our booster shots!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  And in the coming weeks,  I will have things to say about the upcoming film  version of "Dear Evan Hansen," and Mr. Platt.

                                                   So, I am  not at a loss for words.   I mean, when was I ever, darlings?  I have plenty to write about, but less time  to do so.  Even during a pandemic.

                                                     Happy Belated Labor Day, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   

              

Girls, Join Us Tomorrow Night, As Svengoolie Presents "War Of The Colossal Beast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                  The year 1957 sprouted a crop of growth hormone movies.  First, Universal did "The Incredible Shrinking Man," than AIP cashed in on it, with "The Amazing Colossal Man," where the guy grows larger.  It was such a hit it led to the sequel, above.

                                                    Some words, though. Two different actors are in each film.  Glenn Langan, the better of the two, plays Glenn Manning, a Lt. Colonel, whose skin is literally burned off him, in a plutonium explosion.  This is probaby the film's best, almost artistic, scene.  Eventually, he grows sixty feet high, goes on a rampage, attacks Las Vegas, and then is shot, falling into Boulder Dam.

                                                     The film showing tomorrow picks right up where the first left off.  Only now Glenn Manning is played by Duncan "Dean" Parkin.  They should have used Langdon.

                                                        I have not seen this since I was a child so all I can tell you is his face is now missiing an eye, and is smashed up from that fall.  From an adult perspective, I can tell you this film, judging by the actors' wardrobe, foreshadowed the coming of Depends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                           In some ways, darlings, you will be as surprised as I was, since I barely recall the film, beyond his appearance.  But Svengoolie, Kerwyn, and maybe even Toonie  will be back with us.

                                                             So, join David, Baby Gojira, our Kerwyn, and myself for some Fifties fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                And no, dears, while this film is about size, I am NOT going there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sarah Paulson Stole The Show, As Usual!!!!!!!!!!!! But Macaulay Culkin Was Quite A Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Embarrassing as this may sound, especially with my being a gay man,  I have never  been to  either Fire Island, or Provincetown.  After watching "Cape Fear," the premiere episode of "AHS--Double Feature,"while I see no connection to the 1962 film of that name, I now also have no desisre ever to go to what gays call P-Town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Things  start out like "Children Of The Corn."  A family--Harry Gardener (Finn  Wittrock), his wife, Doris (the magnificent Lily Rabe) and their already creepy looking daughter named Alma, (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) while enroute, suddenly crash into the mutilated body of an annimal.  Uh-huh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Later, along the beach, a residsent finds some dead creatures.  Now,  Lily is not quite on the level  of Nancy Kelly in  "The Bad Seed," but, let me  tell you,  by episode's end, she is  well  on her way.

                                             And with good reason.  Going along, I was surprised to see Finn Wittrock play such a "normal  guy."  I figured, at some point, he was going to have to unhinge, and, boy was I right, because when he does, he does!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                The crew got P-Town at its  creepiest, to ratchet up the macabre atmosphere, not to  mention the  bald headed blood  suckers, resembling rejects from  a casting  call for  George Romero's "Night Of The Living Dead," which I have a feeling  Ryan Murphy is referencing here. Ditto Stephen King.

                                    What about Evan Peters and Frances Conroy?  Well, he is still  hot,  and she is decked out like a cross between  Dorothys Parker and Killgallen!  Their names are Austin Sommers,  and  Sarah "Bell Noir' Cunningham!   No, dears,  NOT  Belle Watling!!!!!!!!!!!  Both are supposedly renowned writers,  who  eternally ply their talent, which they have, evidence shows, by taking  some sort  of magic pill,  while Doctor Leslie "Lark" Feldman, played by Billie Lourd, does extraordinary dental  work  for  her clients.  Wonder how much she charges?

                                      So,  fame is held out to Harry, as it  was to Guy in "Rosemary's Baby'--another homage?  Well, he bites,  and  pretty soon he is writing like a monkey churning out "Hamlet."  Alma, who is something  of a musical prodigy; she wants to get to  Juillard before age 18; good luck, there, kid!  But Alma sees what Daddy does and she does it too. Now, she is really a "bad seed," with not only cold  behavior but a cannibalistic, blood sucking apetite.  Harry,  too.  The scene  where Doris finds  Alma,  her own daughter, face bloodied, munching, blood faced, on a dead animal, is priceless!  Doris  in in for much more than Nancy Kelly.

                                       This extends into the second episode "Pale Fire" (Where is the trace of Nabokov?) where is seen a lot of  the showstopper of  the night.

                                      That is right, Sarah Paulson as Tuberculosis Karen, the most  fun filled,  camped out villain--or anti-heroine?--since Betsy Palmer played Mrs. Voorhees, in the original, 1980 "Friday The 13th."  She is on to the whole thing, which has to  do  with the pill acknowledging  writer talent by making those having some permanent authors, and the rejects as the bald bloodsuckers. But even the talented have to suck blood, so it is kind of a no win situation. 

                              The surprise of the evening is Maculay Culkin as Mickey, supposedly also a talented writer, an aging out, pedo hustler, look as if  he has been down on his luck since the post "Home Alone" days.  I am sure there is some truth to this.  But what a peformance!  I would  like to read the book  he  wrote.  Just as  I would, like Sarah Paulson, be paid a weekly salary to scream  "Fuck you,  Mother Fucker!," instead of me having to do it  for free.

                                  It's shaping up to be a humdinger of a season!  May the momentum continue!

                                            

Welcome September, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      The 20th Anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center,  "Frank Mils" Day, kids returning to school, whether in person or remote, the end of Summer....the month has lots to  offer.  I am especially looking  forward to doing "Frank Mills" this year, because the 12th falls  on a Sunday, so  it  might be possible.

                                        And aren't the Victorian kitties cute?

                                         To think we have weathered two thirds of  this year, and, by this time next month, we will have passed three fourths of  2021.

                                          We just got our boosters today, so we are really starting the month off on  a kick!

                                             Meanwhile, Ida is  whizzing through here. Our cable almost went out,  so  it  is  working, which means I better write something quick about AHS last week,  to get us caught up.

                                               "On a picnic morning, without a warning," darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!