Month: January 2016

Z-View Twilight Zone: “Long Live Walter Jameson” [Season 1, Episode 24]

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Twilight Zone: “Long Live Walter Jameson” [Season 1, Episode 24]
Original Air Date: March 18, 1960

Director: Tony [Anton] Leader

Writer: Charles Beaumont 

Starring: Kevin McCarthy and Edgar Stehli.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Professor Walter Jameson [McCarthy] plans to marry his friend’s much younger daughter.  When his friend discovers that Jameson has been hiding a secret for years and someone from Jameson’s past shows up, well, you know you’ve entered the Twilight Zone.

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10 Witty Facts About The Marx Brothers

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Mark Mancini and Mental_Floss present 10 Witty Facts About The Marx Brothers.  Here are three of my favorites…

2. THEY RECEIVED THEIR STAGE NAMES DURING A POKER GAME.
In May of 1914, the five Marxes were playing cards with standup comedian Art Fisher. Inspired by a popular comic strip character known as “Sherlocko the Monk,” he decided that the boys could use some new nicknames. Leonard’s was a no-brainer. Given his girl-crazy, “chick-chasing” lifestyle, Fisher dubbed him “Chicko” (later, this was shortened to “Chico”). Arthur loved playing the harp and thus became “Harpo.” An affinity for soft gumshoes earned Milton the alias “Gummo.” Finally, Julius was both cynical and often seen wearing a “grouch bag”—wherein he’d store small objects like marbles and candy—around his neck. Thus, “Groucho” was born. For the record, nobody knows how Herbert Marx came to be known as “Zeppo.”

3. GROUCHO WORE HIS TRADEMARK GREASEPAINT MUSTACHE BECAUSE HE HATED MORE REALISTIC MODELS.
Phony, glue-on facial hair can be a pain to remove and reapply, so Groucho would simplypaint a ‘stache and some exaggerated eyebrows onto his face. However, the mustache he later rocked as the host of his famous quiz show You Bet Your Life was 100 percent real.

9. GROUCHO TEMPORARILY HOSTED THE TONIGHT SHOW.
Jack Paar bid the job farewell on March 29, 1962. Months before their star’s departure, NBCoffered Paar’s Tonight Show seat to Groucho, who had established himself as a razor-sharp, well-liked host during You Bet Your Life’s 14-year run. Though Marx turned the network down, he later served as a guest host for two weeks while Johnny Carson prepared to take over the gig. When Carson finally made his Tonight Show debut on October 1, it was Groucho whointroduced him.

Z-View Twilight Zone: “A World of Difference” [Season 1, Episode 23]

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Twilight Zone: “A World of Difference” [Season 1, Episode 23]
Original Air Date: March 11, 1960

Director: Ted Post

Writer: Richard Matheson 

Starring: Howard Duff and David White.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Arthur Curtis [Duff] is working in his office when suddenly someone yells, “Cut” and he finds himself on a movie set.  He is led to believe he is Gerry Reagan, an actor with a drinking problem… yet he knows he is Arthur Curtis… or is he?

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18 Catchy Facts About “Footloose”

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Roger Cormier and Mental_Floss present 18 Catchy Facts About Footloose.  Here are three of my favorites…

1. IT WAS BASED ON ELMORE CITY, OKLAHOMA.
Elmore City had forbidden public dancing by law since its founding. In January of 1979, the local high schoolers asked that the rules be changed so that they could have a prom, to the anger of the reverend from the United Pentecostal Church. The kids won and got to dance on prom night. Dean Pitchford (lyricist for Fame songs “Red Light”, “Fame”, and “I Sing The Body Electric”) read about all of it and visited the town. Pitchford had his screenplay after 22 drafts.

2. TOM CRUISE ALMOST PLAYED REN.
The producers wanted Tom Cruise, but he had a scheduling conflict with All the Right Moves(1983). Rob Lowe auditioned and blew out his ACL. “I have post-traumatic stress with anything having to do with Footloose,” Lowe said later, while recalling a party where Kenny Loggins asked him to do a karaoke duet of the theme song. “I was like, ‘I won’t do anything with that damn movie, but I’ll do Danger Zone from Top Gun.’”

4. MADONNA AUDITIONED FOR ARIEL.
Had she gotten the part, it would have been her first feature film role. That didn’t come until 1985, in A Certain Sacrifice. Lori Singer got to play Ariel Moore instead.

Twilight Zone: “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” [Season 1, Episode 22] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” [Season 1, Episode 22]
Original Air Date: March 4, 1960

Director: Ronald Winston

Writer: Rod Serling 

Starring: Claude Akins, Barry Atwater and Jack Weston.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

It’s a beautiful summer afternoon until a strange sound and vibration brings neighbors outside.  Paranoia soon takes over as the thought of an alien invasion takes hold.  Who among them isn’t human?

Final Thoughts: One of the best Twilight Zone episodes.  A true classic.

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10 Things You May Not Know About Richard Nixon

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Cristopher Klein and History.com present 10 Things You May Not Know About Richard Nixon.  Here are three of my favorites…

1. Lee Harvey Oswald may have plotted to assassinate Nixon.
In the early morning of November 22, 1963, Richard Nixon rode through Dallas to the airport to fly home after attending a Pepsi-Cola board meeting. Nixon saw the preparations for the motorcade that hours later would carry John F. Kennedy, the man who defeated him for the presidency three years prior, on the streets of the city’s downtown. After Nixon landed in New York, he learned that Kennedy had been gunned down in that motorcade. In a further coincidence, the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald testified to the Warren Commission that in April 1963 the alleged assassin read a local newspaper report, tucked a pistol in his belt, and told her, “Nixon is coming. I want to go and have a look.” After locking him in a bathroom, Oswald’s wife convinced him to turn over his gun. The account was puzzling, since Nixon was not in Dallas in April 1963 and no newspaper mentioned any visit.

3. Community theater brought Richard and Pat Nixon together.
Nixon first encountered his future first lady as a leading lady in 1938 when both auditioned for the Whittier Community Players production of “The Dark Tower.” The amateur theater production led to a romance between Nixon and Thelma Catherine Ryan, nicknamed “Pat” by her father because she was born on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day. Foreshadowing their later lives, the couple wed in the presidential suite of the Mission Inn in Riverside, California, on June 21, 1940.  [Richard Nixon as an actor?  Or interested in acting?  I would have never guessed. – Craig]

6. Nixon was an avid bowler.
One of Nixon’s favorite pastimes in the White House was bowling. He’d even bowl a few frames dressed in his suit. In addition to using the alley in the adjacent Old Executive Office Building, Nixon had another one-lane alley built in the basement beneath the North Portico entrance to the White House.

Twilight Zone: “Mirror Image” [Season 1, Episode 21] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Mirror Image” [Season 1, Episode 21]
Original Air Date: February 26, 1960

Director: John Brahm

Writer: Charles Beaumont 

Starring: Vera Miles and Martin Milner.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Late on a stormy night Millicent Barnes [Miles] is stuck in a station waiting for an overdue bus when strange things begin to happen.  Her suitcase keeps moving, the old man taking tickets claims she keeps asking him when the next bus is due [only she just spoke to him once] and when she see herself in the mirror it is her doing things she isn’t doing!

Final Thoughts: Milner is excellent as the nice guy who tries to put her mind at ease.  The final shot / special effect is haunting.

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11 Strange Habits of Geniuses

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Mental_Floss presents 11 Strange Habits of Geniuses.  Here are three of my favorites…

7. EDGAR ALLAN POE WROTE ON SCROLLS.
Edgar Allan Poe often wrote on thin strips of paper, which he glued together and rolled into scrolls for easier storage. He felt the medium better contributed to a work’s flow than a regular old manuscript (and, presumably, looked spookier).

8. DA VINCI AND TESLA SHUNNED EIGHT-HOUR SLEEP SCHEDULES.
Leonardo da Vinci and Nikola Tesla adhered to alternative sleep schedules. Leonardo was said to have followed the polyphasic cycle, which means he took multiple short naps every 24 hours. Meanwhile, Tesla only rested two hours a day.

10. BEN FRANKLIN TOOK “AIR BATHS.”
Before he began the day’s work, Benjamin Franklin would spend up to an hour taking naked “air baths” at his open window.

Twilight Zone: “Elegy” [Season 1, Episode 20] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Elegy” [Season 1, Episode 20]
Original Air Date: February 19, 1960

Director: Douglas Heyes

Writer: Charles Beaumont 

Starring: Cecil Kellaway, Jeff Morrow, Don Dubbins and Kevin Hagin.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Three astronauts land on a planet with two suns, but in all other aspects (save one) appears to be Earth of the past.  The buildings, signs, way people dress all look right except for the fact that the people are motionless… except for one!

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11 Well-Drawn Facts About The Etch A Sketch

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Kristen Fawcett and Mental_Floss present 11 Well-Drawn Facts About The Etch A Sketch.  Here are three of my favorites…

4. TOY MANUFACTURERS ORIGINALLY REJECTED THE ETCH A SKETCH.
The Etch A Sketch was showcased at the 1959 Nuremberg Toy Fair, but toy companies didn’t want to pay a steep fee for the rights. Eventually, Ohio Art—who is said to have also passed on the Etch A Sketch—reconsidered and acquired the invention.

7. IT FOUND A MARKET VIA TELEVISION.
Production of the Etch A Sketch began on July 12, 1960. America soon caught wind of the toy thanks to a televised marketed campaign featuring a little girl named Pernella who hides underneath a basket with her Etch A Sketch because everyone wants to play with it. She eventually emerges and announces that her favorite toy “is magic!” The ads were such a hit that, come holiday season, Ohio Art was hard-pressed to fill orders.

8. IT’S A BEST-SELLER.
In 1998, the Etch A Sketch was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, cementing its place in history alongside inventions like the Slinky, the skateboard, and Silly Putty. In 2003, the Toy Industry Association ranked it as one of the 20th century’s hundred best toys. According to CNBC, more than 100 million Etch A Sketches have been sold since its introduction in 1960.

Twilight Zone: “The Purple Testament” [Season 1, Episode 19] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Purple Testament” [Season 1, Episode 19]
Original Air Date: February 12, 1960

Director: Richard L. Bare

Writer: Rod Serling 

Starring: Dick York, William Reynolds, Barney Phillips and Warren Oates.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Lt. Fitzgerald [Reynolds] believes he has the ability to know who will die before a mission.  Although he shares the information no one believes him.  Is he crazy or a psychic?

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20 Epic Facts About “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy

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Rebecca Pahle and Mental_Floss present 20 Epic Facts About The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.  Here are three of my favorites…

2. SEAN CONNERY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPT.
Sean Connery read for the role of Gandalf but admitted that, “I never understood it. I read the book. I read the script. I saw the movie. I still don’t understand it … I would be interested in doing something that I didn’t fully understand, but not for 18 months.” Connery’s deal, if he had taken the role, would have been for a small fee plus 15 percent of the films’ income. Incidentally, the entire trilogy went on to earn just shy of $3 billion worldwide.

7. VIN DIESEL, LIAM NEESON, AND UMA THURMAN WERE UP FOR ROLES.
Among other could-have-beens in the casting department: Vin Diesel auditioned for Aragorn; Jackson called his performance “very compelling” but said that it didn’t “feel like Aragorn.” Jackson approached Richard O’Brien, best known as Riff Raff in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which he also wrote), for the role of Gríma Wormtongue, but his agents turned it down, believing the films would be unsuccessful. Liam Neeson passed on the role of Boromir.

There were also “discussions,” recalls Jackson, about then-married couple Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman playing Faramir and Éowyn; “Ethan was a huge fan of the books and was very keen to be involved. Uma was less sure and rightly so, because we were revising how we saw Éowyn’s character literally as we went. In the end, Ethan let it go—with some reluctance.”

5. VIGGO MORTENSEN TOOK SEVERAL BEATINGS.
A variety of injuries beset the cast during production, but Mortensen had it particularly hard: inThe Two Towers, that scream he let out upon kicking a helmet after discovering the burnt corpses of the Orcs who abducted Merry and Pippin might have something to do with the fact that he had just broken two of his toes. “Normally, an actor would yell ‘Ow!’ if they hurt themselves,” noted Jackson. “Viggo turned a broken toe into a performance.” Elijah Wood remembers Mortensen “getting half of his tooth knocked out during a fight sequence, and his insistence on applying superglue to put it back in to keep working.”