Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Twilight Zone: “Cavender is Coming” [Season 3, Episode 36]
Original Air Date: May 25, 1962
Director: Chris Nyby
Writer: Rod Serling
Starring: Jesse White, Carol Burnett, Howard Smith and Donna Douglas.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Harmon Cavender [White] is an angel who has yet to earn his wings. He’s given one last chance by improving the life of woman [Burnett].
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Roger Cormier and Mental Floss present 15 Big Facts About Sanford and Son. Here are three of my favorites…
5. FOXX WORE MAKEUP TO LOOK OLDER.
Foxx, who was nicknamed “Chicago Red” because of his hair color, was only 49 years old when the series began; Fred Sanford was 65. He complained that a lot of people assumed he was Fred’s age.
8. FOXX BASED THE HEART ATTACKS ON HIS MOTHER.
“Fred Sanford is Mary Sanford, who is my mother, but you can reverse personalities into male or female,” Foxx told Sammy Davis Jr. on Sammy and Company. “My mother would do the same thing … she would have heart attacks when I was a kid, I remember. When she wanted something done she could hardly breathe—she had emphysema, she had cancer, she had lumbago, she had whooping cough.”
9. LAWANDA PAGE WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED IF IT WASN’T FOR FOXX.
LaWanda Page was the only actress Foxx wanted to play Fred’s sister-in-law, Esther. Page was too nervous to give an audition producers liked, but Foxx insisted. “They were going to let me go,” Page told Jet magazine in 1977, “but Redd said, ‘No, you ain’t gonna let her go. That’s LaWanda and I know she can do it! Just give me some time with her.'”
Twilight Zone: “Hocus-Pokus and Fisby” [Season 3, Episode 30]
Original Air Date: April 13, 1962
Director: Lamont Johnson
Writer: Rod Serling based on a short story by Frederick Louis Fox
Starring: Andy Devine, Milton Selzer and Howard McNear.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Somerset Fisby [Devine] is known to tell tale tales about everything. To hear Fisby tell it he has several advanced degrees and the greatest minds in the world seek his advice.
Everyone knows to take what Fisby says with a grain of salt except for the two strangers passing through town… they turn out to be aliens in disguise and believe Fisby would be the perfect example of a human to take to their planet.
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This was too good not to share… Simon Lee‘s Predator Visiting the Dentist. You can see more of Simon Lee’s work here.
Twilight Zone: “Showdown with Rance McGrew ” [Season 3, Episode 20]
Original Air Date: February 2, 1962
Director: Christian Nyby
Writer: Rod Serling based on an idea by Frederic L. Fox
Starring: Larry Blyden, Arch Johnson and Robert Cornthwaite.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Rance McGrew [Blyden] is the star of a 1950’s western series. Each week McGrew outdraws and out smarts the likes of Billy the Kid, Jesse James and other outlaws. The reality is that McGrew is terrible with a gun, afraid to do his own stunts and a prima dona.
When McGrew suddenly finds himself transported to the past and face to face with the real Jesse James, he knows that there will be no second takes.
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Andrew LaSane and Mental Floss present 10 Timely Facts About 48 Hrs. Here are three of my favorites…
3. NICK NOLTE AND EDDIE MURPHY WERE NOT THE STUDIO’S FIRST CHOICES.
According to The Telegraph, several actors turned down the roles of Detective Jack Cates and Reggie Hammond before Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy signed on. Mickey Rourke, Clint Eastwood, and Jeff Bridges were reportedly offered the detective role, while Gregory Hines, Richard Pryor, Howard E. Rollins Jr., and Denzel Washington all ultimately passed on playing the convict.
5. MURPHY’S PERFORMANCE WAS INSPIRED BY BRUCE LEE.
Having never been in a serious role, Eddie Murphy did not know how to be angry on camera, so he mimicked actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. “There’s a scene in 48 Hrs. where I’m coming down the alley and there’s all this neon and I’m supposed to be intense, but I had no reference,” Murphy told Byron Allen in an interview for the 25th anniversary edition DVD ofEddie Murphy: Delirious. “So I was doing my Bruce Lee impression, and I still do it until this day. When I’m mad on screen if I pull my gun out, it may not look like Bruce Lee because I look nothing like him, but on the inside, my face, all the sh*t I’m doing with my eyes … it’s all my Bruce Lee impression.”
9. 48 HRS. LED TO ANOTHER SNL MILESTONE FOR MURPHY.
Having already been the youngest cast member years prior, Eddie Murphy was also the first Saturday Night Live cast member in history to host the show while he was still on it, but that was not the plan. On December 11, 1982, Nick Nolte was supposed to host, but he was sick and had to back out at the last second. “When Nick got here, and got off the plane, he vomited on my shirt,” Murphy said in his opening monologue, “and we realized Nick was too sick to do the show. And that’s too bad, because Nick was gonna be in some real great stuff tonight.” He added that because the audience came to see someone from the film, he was going to be the host, and he famously kicked off the episode with the line: “Live, from New York, it’s The Eddie Murphy Show!”
Roger Cormier and Mental_Floss present 10 Law-Abiding Facts About Raising Arizona. Here are three of my favorites…
3. KEVIN COSTNER AND RICHARD JENKINS AUDITIONED FOR THE FILM.
Kevin Costner auditioned three times to play H.I., only to see Nicolas Cage snag the role. Richard Jenkins had his first of many auditions for the Coens for Raising Arizona. He also (unsuccessfully) auditioned for Miller’s Crossing (1990) and Fargo (1996) before calling it quits with the Coens. In 2001, Joel and Ethan cast Jenkins in The Man Who Wasn’t There, even though he had never auditioned for it.
4. KATE CAPSHAW TURNED DOWN THE LEAD.
Kate Capshaw said no to playing Ed in Raising Arizona—and later regretted the decision. She also notably turned down the role of Diane Chambers on Cheers.
9. THE FILMMAKERS GOT EXPERIMENTAL WITH THEIR CAMERA TECHNIQUES.
Wanting to have as many options as possible in the editing room, the Coens and their cinematographer, Barry Sonnenfeld, decided at one point to have Cage run through the house while holding a camera towards himself. After seeing the results, they was decided it was too weird.
Twilight Zone: “Will the Real Martian, Please Stand Up?” [Season 2, Episode 28]
Original Air Date: May 26, 1961
Director: Montgomery Pittman
Writer: Charles Beaumont
Starring: John Hoyt, Jean Willes, Jack Elam, Barney Phillips, John Archer, William Kendis, Morgan Jones, Gertrude Flynn, Bill Erwinn, Jill Ellis and Ron Kipling.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers….
On a dark, snowy night, two deputies respond to a call about a crashed spaceship. Tracks lead to a remote dinner where seven bus passengers and the diner’s owner are waiting out the storm. The funny thing is there were only supposed to be six passengers on the bus and strange things are starting to happen at the dinner. Coincidence or is there an alien among them?
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Twilight Zone: “Mr. Dingle, The Strong” [Season 2, Episode 19]
Original Air Date: March 3, 1961
Director: John Brahm
Writer: Rod Serling
Starring: Burgess Meredith, James Westerfield and Eddie Ryder.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Luther Dingle [Meredith] spends most evenings at the local pub trying to relax with a beer. Sadly Dingle is often called to settle ever-escalating arguments between another patron and the bartender. Somehow Dingle always ends up the loser.
Invisible aliens visiting our planet see what is happening to Dingle and decide to give him super strength. Dingle becomes a local celebrity… for a while.
Burgess Meredith saves this episode.
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Rob Hunter and Film School Rejects present 21 Things We Learned from the Tropical Thunder Commentary. Here are three of my favorites…
9. Downey’s promise to himself — or, Osisris’ promise that he makes in the film — was that he doesn’t “drop character till I done a DVD commentary.” He commits to it here and is a man of his word.
19. “This moment,” says Stiller, “I wasn’t really expecting even when we shot it.” He’s referring to Tom Cruise‘s shift into dance moves after Les Grossman (Cruise) explains to Peck how they’re going to make an insurance claim against Tugg’s death. “I don’t think anybody was really expecting that he was going to go to that place.”
21. Downey finally drops the Osiris voice as the character does the same onscreen, but it’s clear he’s not keen on saying goodbye. “This is Lincoln Osiris signing off forever now. Thank you people. Thanks for letting me float with you. I love you ladies and gentlemen. Man, it’s hard to let go.” He then pauses briefly… and begins speaking in Kirk Lazarus’ Australian accent.
Twilight Zone: “The Whole Truth” [Season 2, Episode 14]
Original Air Date: January 20, 1961
Director: James Sheldon
Writer: Rod Serling
Starring: Jack Carson.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers
Harvey Hunnicutt [Carson] is all that the worst used car salesmen are said to be. He stretches the truth and only cares about making the sale. All of that changes when Hunnicut buys a used car for resale that compels him to tell the truth in all situations.
A nice change of pace that is under-rated.
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Roger Cormier and Mental_Floss present 15 Fun Facts About Everybody Loves Raymond. Here are three of my favorites…
6. RAY IS OLDER THAN HIS “OLDER” BROTHER.
Brad Garrett, who played Ray’s older brother Robert, was 36 when the series first aired. Romano was a few months shy of his 39th birthday.
4. PETER BOYLE WAS PERFECTLY ANGRY AT HIS AUDITION FOR FRANK.
Peter Boyle had trouble just getting into the studio lot. He then couldn’t find a parking space. Then he went into the wrong building. By the time he reached Romano and show creator/showrunner Philip Rosenthal he was, in his own words, “enraged”—and perfectly in character for Frank Barone. The topper of it all was that, according to Romano, the CBS President was going to give Boyle the gig anyway.
12. THE SHOW MADE ROMANO THE HIGHEST PAID ACTOR ON TELEVISION.
Romano made $1.7 to 1.8 million per episode during the last two seasons of Raymond, surpassing Kelsey Grammer’s $1.6 million per episode salary for Frasier at the time.
Twilight Zone: “A Most Unusual Camera” [Season 2, Episode 10]
Original Air Date: December 16, 1960
Director: John Rich
Writer: Rod Serling
Starring: Fred Clark, Jean Carson and Adam Williams.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
When a husband and wife team who are small time hustlers get their hands on a camera that takes photos that are five minutes in the future, they head to the race track to get rich. All is good until the brother-in-law shows up.
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Mark Mancini and Mental_Floss present 10 Facts About Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Here are three of my favorites…
1. IT’S BASED ON A MAGAZINE SERIAL.
In November and December of 1954, Collier’s magazine ran a three-part series that would come to be called “the year’s most original story of suspense.” Written by Jack Finney, The Body Snatchers wowed producer Walter Wanger, who began negotiating the story’s movie rights before he’d even read part two.
5. ORIGINALLY, THE MOVIE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LOT FUNNIER.
“I felt that pods growing into a likeness of a person would strike the characters as preposterous,” Siegel recalled. “I wanted to play it that way, with the characters not taking the threat seriously.” Hoping to offset the scares, he filmed a number of comedic scenes, which were later cut out by Allied Artists, the film’s distributor. “In their hallowed words, ‘horror films are horror films and there’s no room for humor,’” Siegel explained. “I translated [this] to mean that in their pod brains there was no room for humor.”
8. THE PROLOGUE AND EPILOGUE WERE LAST-MINUTE ADDITIONS.
Allied Artists didn’t just cut a few jokes here and there; the studio also insisted on a completely different ending. Originally, the movie was going to close with a shot of Dr. Bennell watching hopelessly as truckloads of pods drive out into the distance. Wanting to end the film on a more hopeful note, Allied Artists came up with a slightly happier conclusion. Over his strong objections, Siegel was told to film a new intro and a new final scene (“I reluctantly consented,” he said.) The revamped opening puts Bennell in a police station, where he tells the story as anextended flashback. After the famous “You’re next!” sequence, his tale ends and, after a while, the authorities begin to believe him.
