Dad's Movies: "Northern Pursuit"

 This time, it's another WW2 movie, made during the war:  Northern Pursuit (1943). 

An above-average show for its time and nicely balances the propagandistic elements with a straight adventure story. Unlike some movies of its kind, this one doesn't paint the Nazis as clowns or fools; a credible threat indeed. The plot is far from original, but works decently here. 

Flynn is his usual suave action hero self, doing what would have been a James Bond-like turn, had he been doing movies decades later. The supporting case does well with the material. The Germans actually speak German some of the time (no subtitles but that wasn't really a thing, then) and even the indigenous characters, who don't look like white actors in makeup, speak (what I assume is) their own language. 

The production looks fairly expensive with a mix of studio sets and some locations--quite good for the era. 

I can imaging my Dad seeing this on a break from working at the aircraft factory during the war. A fun diversion. 

Dad's Movies: "The Sea Hawk"

And now we get, The Sea Hawk (1940)!

Somehow, I've never gotten around to watching this entire movie. The score is justifiably famous and it adds a lot. It's pretty well known that Korngold's score for this and some other shows were a huge inspiration for John Williams' Star Wars score.  I got to know the music when our high school marching band played an arrangement of the opening title music from this movie. Dad must have jumped on that when it was made available. 

The movie is really good with Flynn being at the top of his swashbuckling game--hey, it's practically Robin Hood at Sea! The film has more WW2 propaganda elements than I was expecting; Spain's menace is a good stand-in for Nazi Germany. 

The rest of the cast is great Claude Rains and Flora Robson being the supporting cast standouts. Brenda Marshall, who's adorable, does what she can with a thinly written part as the romantic interest.

The movie looks great with expensive-looking sets and impressive effects (for 1940!) during the battle scenes. 

 

Dad's Movies: "The Great Race"

This Blake Edwards 1960s comedy, The Great Race (1965) has been on my radar for a long time but I finally caught up to it. This show came at the end of the line for big budget roadshow movies. The money spent here is on full display with tons of pricey location shooting and practical special effects.

This movie, along with some other ones of its kind, really pulls out all the stops to be a live-action cartoon, at least where its gags and action set pieces are concerned. On the other hand, the film has a definite nostalgia (there's even a dedication to Laurel and Hardy at the beginning) feeling going on, something that audiences of the 60s likely would have grasped, or at least had an inkling of from their parents. The early silent movie era feel is strong. Hell, there's even a song break, complete with a follow-the-bouncing-ball graphic.

Curtis plays the shining (literally) lead here as well as you'd expect. Curtis also gets to do a sword fight with his shirt off (Shatner eat your heart out!). Lemmon gets to have the most fun with his totally over-the-top performance as the mustache-twirling villain. Lemmon's acting can be grating in this movie (that laugh) but I have to think this is what Blake Edwards was after. There's also a pretty apparent gay relationship between Lemmon and Falk's characters if you look for it.

Natalie Wood, for me, is the standout. Wood gets to do more than be the love interest, though the Suffragette side plot is pretty clumsy, and is always charming. She also looks amazing throughout the show with a large number of costume changes. 

I think this was just too long and overblown for me. The humor and expensive look of the show just had trouble sustaining everything. Dad was fond of movies like this. As usual, it would be interesting to ask him how this one held up as I suspect he saw it during its original run.

Dad's Movies: "The Uninvited"

 This ticks two boxes that Dad had for old movies he liked to revisit. Stories about musicians and released during WW2. Which brings me to The Uninvited (1944). 

This was made during the time when psychology was becoming a trendy topic in Hollywood films. The show isn't all about psychological things but also works as a good haunted house story. Fortunately, the psychology angle isn't overdone and thus the show has aged better than other movies of the time. The plotting is a little convoluted but keeps you guessing well enough until the nature of the mystery is apparent, even if we figure it out well before the characters do. 

The cast is really good. Milland can be pretty bland in some of his shows but he's better here and of course we know he had acting chops since his famous performance in "The Lost Weekend" is only a few years off. Here, he plays it charming and cool, though he comes off a bit flat on the more dramatic scenes. 

Gail Russell gives a realistic, vulnerable performance which apparently was a reflection of the actor's insecurity in real life. The rest of the cast is good and Cornelia Otis Skinner doing well with a slightly off-balance take as the mental institution director who seems to have had a gay relationship with one of the "ghosts". And yeah, of course it's problematic that one of the weirder people in the movie is the lesbian. Fun! Oh, and isn't it funny how most of the people in the movie, which takes place in England, sound like Americans? 

The movie is justifiably famous for introducing the jazz standard song, "Stella by Starlight".

What also makes the movie work is the very effective cinematography, much of which takes place in dark, candlelit interiors. 

Dad's Movies: "Mr. Lucky"

 Given how much of a staple Grant's movies were in my home, growing up, it's a bit of a surprise that it's taken me this long to get to this one, Mr. Lucky (1943).  I can imaging Dad seeing this in between shifts at the aircraft factory he worked at during the war.

This movie fits Cary Grant's natural acting style like an old shoe; he really does convince as a charming con man. There are some unavoidable wartime propaganda aspects that bog things down in the last third of the movie, but it mostly works. Normally, the predicable character turns would be tough to swallow but Grant sells them well and Laraine Day's love interest character proves to be up to taking on Grant's smooth deceptions; she's actually pretty good here and has some depth of character. 

The film lacks some of the crackling dialogue that we got in Grant's best movies but the charm and overall good feelings smooth over the cracks. I'm grading this one on a bit of a curve due to the time it was made. 

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 42)

 Part 42?! I keep thinking I'm going to get too many repeats or run out of tunes I linger on, but no.

"Blue Jean" by David Bowie (1984)

This was described by a critic as one of Bowie's best second-rate hits. Second-rate it may be, but it's still a banger.

"High on Sunday 51" by Aimee Mann (2002)

Mann does well with the drug metaphor here!

"Murder by Numbers" by The Police (1983)

This was a bonus track on the original release CD/cassette that wasn't on the vinyl. It's not a great Police song and I don't think it's better or worse of a song to close the LP with than, "Tea in the Sahara". As an album, "Synchronicity" doesn't quite hold together in the second half--the first half is very strong.

"Another Star" by Stevie Wonder (1976)

Could this be the one SW song done as a Samba???

"In the Shadows" by The Rasmus (2004)

Early-aughts alt/pop from...Finland?

"Ooh Baby Baby" by Linda Ronstadt (1978)

Another great cover by Linda who did a lot of great covers!

"Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" by Warren Zevon (1976)

Oh, this is funny. Ronstadt did a cover of this song a year later!

"Tip of My Tongue" by John Hiatt (1987)

From one of the best albums of the 1980s that few people think of when they think of 80s music.

"Ruby Baby" by Donald Fagen (1982)

Wow, a lot of covers on this installment.

"Year of the Cat" by Al Stewart (1976)

This has Alan Parsons and his over-the-top production written all over it. Lyrically, this song is kind of like "Margaritaville" but less fun.

"S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)" by Devo (1987)

Classic paranoid Devo energy.

"Mean Mr. Mustard" by The Beatles (1968, demo version)

It can be revealing to hear these early versions of songs that are so familiar.

"Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" by Elton John (1973)

I don't really have much to add to this classic but I'm reminded just how tight EJ's backup band was in those days.

"One Tongue" by Hothouse Flowers (1993) 

Today, this band kind of comes across as "U2 with horns". Nice enough.

"Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson (1970)

A lyrical masterpiece:  "I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden."

"Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin (1969)

These guys were so good, right out of the gate.

"Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder (1970)

The Motown groove is strong with this one. James Jamerson!

"James and the Cold Gun" by Kate Bush (1978)

Speaking of James...this is a good one but it goes on a bit too long. Kate gets a pass, however.

"Change of the Guard" by Steely Dan (1972)

A very un-Yacht Rock-like Steely Dan tune as they were mostly a just a rock band then.

"Save a Prayer" by Duran Duran (1982)

There's a lot of heft in this ode to a one-night stand.

"A Place in the Sun" by Stevie Wonder (1966)

Another cover! This is a pretty straight country-style song but SW still nails it.

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 41)

 Every once in a while, I remember I was doing this thing.

"15 Step" by Radiohead (2007)

From perhaps a second-tier Radiohead album...which is still really good! The other notable thing I recall from this one was the publicity it generated when the band released it as an mp3 download where you could name your price (including zero). It was still the age of CDs and digital music downloads (this album would not show up on Spotify until 2016); an interesting time for the music business.

"The Party's Over" by Willie Nelson (1967)

Nelson really knew how to shame a drunk.

"Fixing a Hole" by The Beatles (mono, 1967)

I'm sure I've gone on about the Beatles mono mixes before but this is another example of their overall superiority. 

"Your Sister Can't Twist (but She Can Rock and Roll)" by Elton John (1973)

A deep cut from the monster LP, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". 

"Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac (1975)

I don't have much to contribute to this monster hit of the 70s that remains one of Nicks's strongest songs.

"Rocks Off" by The Rolling Stones (1972)

Mick sounds a little drunk on this one but Charlie Watts pulls him along.

"One of the Millions" by XTC (1989)

A great bass line on this 3/4 time track. The back story of this band is an extended bummer.

"Waltz Across Texas Tonight" by Emmylou Harris (1995)

Hmm, another song in 3! I do find the album this came from to have aged pretty well. Sure, it still sounds a tad weird with its ice-cold, reverb drenched production, but I still think it's great, nearly 30 years later(!).

"Learnt My Lesson Well" by Kaiser Chiefs (2007)

This would mash up well with ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky", don't you think?

"High and Dry" by Radiohead (1995)

Oh yeah, now this is peak Radiohead.

"Baby I'm A-Want You" by Bread (1972)

I'm a-not sure about the grammar on this one!

"Ain't That a Shame" by Pat Boone (1955)

I can picture Pat taking time between Chevrolet ads to make this recording. No one but Boone could make an R&B song sound this white.

"Rest Your Love on Me" by Bee Gees (1978)

It's fun to hear these guys do a Country song in the middle of their Disco Glory Years.

"Getting In Tune" by The Who (1971)

Have I hit every song from the album this song came from ("Who's Next") yet? There's one I would probably skip but the rest are genuine classics.

"Sara Smile" by The Bird and the Bee (2010)

A great Hall & Oates cover. 

"The World Isn't Fair" by Randy Newman (2003)

Another one where Newman performs a piano/vocal-only version of one of his songs. This version works better than the original, which is a bit over-orchestrated (shocking, I know).

"Tired of Your Jive" by B.B. King (2005)

How can you skip a song with that title???

"Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" by Willie Nelson (1975)

Willie tackled an old 1940s Country tune and found himself with a hit record, which boosted his career at the time. 

"All The Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)" by REM (2001)

This is okay but I don't the band's keyboard-heavy later material has aged as well.

"She's a Lady" by Tom Jones (1971)

Speaking aging well...or not.

"Advice for the Young at Heart" by Tears for Fears (1989)

I find it interesting how much the sound of this group changed album to album, at least through the first three. From sorta-edgy synth pop, to new wave or something (whatever you'd call the style of "Songs From the Big Chair"), to openly riffing on The Beatles with big production values.