RIP: Superstar Billy Graham

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Superstar Billy Graham, the Hall of Fame Professional wrestler died yesterday at the age of 79.  He had been on life-support and ill for some time.

Superstar Billy Graham was born Eldridge Wayne Coleman.  He became interested in weightlifting while in fifth grade.  In high school he threw the shot put and participated in the Golden Gloves.  In 1961, Mr. Coleman won the Teenage Body Building Contest West Coast Division. (Frank Zane was the winner of the East Coast Division!).  By 1968, Eldridge Coleman was working out at Gold’s Gym where he became friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu and other famous body builders of the era.

In 1970, Mr. Coleman began his career in professional wrestling working for various territories around the country.  In 1972, he took on the moniker Superstar Billy Graham and he became world famous.  Over the course of his career he was a three-time World Champion and inducted in the the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.  He retired in 1988 and became an author and ringside announcer.

Superstar Billy Graham was the inspiration for the next wave of pro wrestlers that included Ric Flair, Austin Idol, Hulk Hogan and Jesse The Body Ventura.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Superstar Billy Graham’s family, friends and fans.

“Three Hams on Rye” (1950) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Three Hams on Rye (1950)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre, Emil Sitka, Ned Glass and Blackie Whiteford.

Tagline: THE STOOGES’ SLAP-HAPPIEST LINE-UP OF GAGS AND GALS!

The Plot…

The boys are stagehands and bit actors for a theater production.  Already on the bad side of the producer, he orders them to keep a theater critic from sneaking in.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although this one ends with a positive outcome for the Stooges, it just doesn’t resonate with me.  Your mileage could vary.

Three Hams on Rye (1950) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” starring Tom Cruise – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Although I prefer movies to not be split up, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One does have my attention,  Deal me in.

In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.

“Self Made Maids” (1950) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Self Made Maids (1950)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard

Tagline: Oh Baby… It’s the Stooges’ Screwiest Comedy!

The Plot…

The boys are artists in love with models named Larraine, Moella and Shempetta.  The girls accept our guys’ marriage proposals.  The problem will be getting the ladies’ father to agree.  Let the fun begin!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Self Made Maids is unique in that the Stooges play all the characters!  Larry, Moe and Shemp play the artists, their girlfriends and their children.  In addition, Moe plays the girls’ father,  Larry and Shemp appear as a couple in a painting.

While playing one of the girls, Moe actually tripped, twisted an ankle, hit his head and needed crutches to get around the next day.  Filming continued.

Self Made Maids (1950) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Joe Pickett” – The Season 2 Trailer is Here!

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We really enjoyed Joe Pickett Season 1.  Looking forward to June 4th!

In Season 2, Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett (Michael Dorman) discovers a hunter murdered in the mountains and realizes his is just one of a series of gruesome murders. To solve the case and catch the killer, Joe must navigate a radical anti-hunting activist, a ghoulish set of twins living off the grid, and his own tortured past. Joe and his wife, Marybeth (Julianna Guill), discover that the murdered men weren’t as innocent as they seemed, but when they dig too deep, they are forced to go on the run and fight for their very lives.

Stream the Season 2 premiere of Joe Pickett on June 4, exclusively on Paramount+.

“EXTRACTION 2” | Second Official Trailer!

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Deal me in!

PREPARE FOR THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE. Chris Hemsworth is Tyler Rake in EXTRACTION 2 – only on Netflix, June 16.

Hemsworth reunites with director Sam Hargrave, with Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO producing and Joe Russo writing. Golshifteh Farahani reprises her role from the first film, with Daniel Bernhardt and Tinatin Dalakishvili also co-starring.

This is a sequel to the first film that was based on the graphic novel ‘Ciudad’ by Ande Parks, from a story by Ande Parks, Joe Russo & Anthony Russo, with illustrations by Fernando León González. EXTRACTION 2 is produced by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Chris Hemsworth, Patrick Newall and Sam Hargrave, with Angela Russo-Otstot, Jake Aust, Benjamin Grayson, Steven Scavelli, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely as executive producers.

“Justified: City Primeval” starring Timothy Olyphant – The Teaser is Here!

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Looking forward to this one!

You don’t mess with the hat. FX’s Justified: City Primeval premieres July 18 on FX. Stream on Hulu.

Starring Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis and Boyd Holbrook. Raylan Givens left the hollers of Kentucky and is balancing life as a U.S. Marshal with being a part-time father. A chance encounter sends him to Detroit and on a collision course with a violent sociopath and a formidable defense attorney.

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“Love at First Bite” (1950) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Love at First Bite (1950)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre and Al Thompson. 

Tagline: The Stooges Go Romantic in a Riot of Fun!

The Plot…

The boys are celebrating.  Their wartime sweethearts are to arrive this afternoon.  The boys decide to have a celebration drink.  One thing leads to another and our guys become angry drunks.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Flashbacks where the individual Stooges remember their sweethearts just isn’t as funny as the boys working together.

Love at First Bite (1950) rates 2 of 5 stars.

RIP: Doyle Brunson

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Doyle Brunson, known as the Godfather of Poker died yesterday at the age of 89.

Mr. Brunson played professional poker for over 50 years.  He is in the Poker Hall of Fame after a career that included him being the first person to win $1 million in poker tournaments, back-to-back World Series of Poker tournament championships (1976 & 1977) and ten World Series of Poker tournament lifetime wins.  Doyle Brunson wrote two books on how to win at poker, Super/System and SuperSystem2.  These books are considered required reading for anyone who plays poker for money.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Doyle Brunson’s family, friends and fans.

“Hugs and Mugs” (1950) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Hugs and Mugs (1950)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre, Emil Sitka and Kathleen O’Malley. 

Tagline: Howl As The Stooges Spring To New Fun Highs!.

The Plot…

The boys run an upholstering shop.  They bought a warehouse full of stuff because the renters never kept up with the cost of storage.  It turns out the renters were three dames in prison.

Now the women are out and after the valuable stolen pearl necklace that was hidden in the warehouse goods.  They’ve headed to the Stooges’ shop and plan to get the necklace using whatever means they must.  To make matters worse, the girls’ partners in crime have followed with plans to get the necklace for themselves.  Our boys are in for it!  Let the hijinks begin.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The boys re-use one of their popular gags when a sofa spring attaches to someone’s rear.

During the filming of Hugs and Mugs, the Stooges were presented with the Exhibitor’s Laurel Award for being the top two-reel moneymakers of 1948.

Hugs and Mugs (1950) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Punchy Cowpunchers” (1950) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Punchy Cowpunchers (1950)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Writer: Edward Bernds

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Jock Mahoney, Christine McIntyre, Kenneth MacDonald, Dick Wessel, Vernon Dent, Emil Sitka, Heinie Conklin and Blackie Whiteford. 

Tagline: You’ll salute the Stooges for their screwiest comedy ever.

The Plot…

A small town in the old west has been taken over by the Dillon Gang.  Led by, uh, Dillon (MacDonald), the crooks are making life miserable for everyone.  Elmer (Mahoney), is a heroic cowboy, but realizes he’ll need help running the Dillon Gang out of town.  So Elmer rides to the nearest US Cavalry fort to get assistance.

Meanwhile at the fort, the Sergeant is trying to turn our boys into soldiers.  You can imagine the success he’s had.  When the fort commander says that soldiers are needed for a potential suicide mission to run the Dillon Gang out of town, the Sarge volunteers Larry, Moe and Shemp.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Punchy Cowpunchers is not our usual Three Stooges short.  It features a soundtrack and gives supporting cast members ample opportunities for comedy.  This is especially true for Jock Mahoney who looks the part of a handsome cowboy star of the era, but is played dimwitted and clumsy.  Mahoney was a stuntman before becoming a star and he gets multiple gags showing his talents.

This is writer/director Edward Bernds favorite short that he did with The Three Stooges.

Punchy Cowpunchers (1950) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Boobs in Arms” (1940) starring The Tree Stooges / Z-View

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Boobs in Arms (1940)

Director:  Jules White 

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Richard Fiske, Bobby Barber, Lynton Brent, Charles Dorety and Philip Van Zandt. 

Tagline:  Mad buffoons in a barrage of laughs!

The Plot…

The boys are door to door salesmen.  When a woman invites them inside, her crazy, jealous husband returns home.  He attacks the boys who fight back.  In fear for their lives, Larry, Moe and Curly run away with the husband in pursuit.  Our guys find sanctuary in an Army recruiting office.  Before they know it, the Stooges are “in the army now.”  Imagine their shock when they learn that the drill sergeant is the jealous husband!  Let the hijinks continue!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Richard Fiske who played the jealous husband/army drill sergeant was drafted to fight in World War II.  He was killed in France in 1944.

The extended scene where the boys try to rescue their drill sergeant while high on laughing gas is a hoot.

Boobs in Arms (1940) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Dunked in the Deep” (1949) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Dunked in the Deep (1949)

Director:  Jules White 

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Gene Roth

Tagline: Ahoy. Stooges!  The merriest stowaways to ever sail the briny!

The Plot…

The boys’ neighbor, Mr. Bortch (Roth) is a Russian spy.  Our guys have no clue.  So when Mr. Bortch asks Larry, Moe and Shemp to bring watermelons to the ship he is sailing on, they do.  The watermelons contain top secrets.  The boys don’t learn all this until the ship has left port and they are trapped with Bortch in the hold!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Dunked in Deep would be remade by the Stooges in 1956.  It was titled Commotion on the Ocean and re-used footage from the original.

The voice on the radio at the start of the short is Moe Howard’s.

Dunked in the Deep (1949) rates 3 of 5 stars.