Why you should give screwball comedies of the 1930s a try

I thought since we were headed into a weekend, it’d be neat to look at screwball comedies and their continued relevance, especially today. Now, before you dismiss this because I’m talking about “old” movies, or “black and white” movies, or movies with a bunch of dead people I’ve never heard of, consider this question: What was the first film to sweep the 5 major categories at the Academy Awards?

Answer: It Happened One Night, a screwball comedy starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, and directed by Frank Capra (a director that displayed a wide range and is responsible for so many classics). It Happened One Night won Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay. Only two other films achieved this: One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Silence of the Lambs.

Screwball comedies of the 1930s are more relevant today than most people realize. In fact, I bet many people don’t know exactly what I’m talking about when I write the words screwball comedy. This isn’t the Three Stooges and not The Marx Brothers, not really, but a few of their MGM films might come close. Their are comedic detective films as well, something like The Thin Man — so much fun, but not exactly screwball.

This type of comedy came about during the Great Depression and carried through into the early 1940s. People needed an escape, like we do today. Please put aside any so-called “modern” notions and sensibilities. Of course some of these films will have outdated ideas, situations, and so forth, but these films will surprise you. Why? So many of these films, like My Man Godfrey, starring William Powell and Carole Lombard dealt with real issues, issues of economic class and the little everyman or everywoman against the government. They tackled issues, take His Girl Friday—Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, for instance, they’re reporters who trade crackling dialogue while trying to save a man from execution. You wouldn’t think a film like that would be funny, but it’s wonderful. A dark screwball? Try Arsenic & Old Lace - again, it’s Cary Grant!

My Man Godfrey: the film opens with a group of rich people taking part in a scavenger hunt. One of the “items” they must find and bring back what they call a “forgotten man”, basically a homeless man. William Powell (The Thin Man) plays this “forgotten man” who lost everything in the stock market crash. The family that “finds” him for the scavenger hunt decides to hire him as their butler as sort of a good deed. They see him as a homeless man, but he’s more than that, and in teaches the family a lesson in how to treat people with respect.

These films transported the viewer into funny situations with some serious social commentary. You get actors like Cary Grant (not just a handsome face, but a mainstay of these comedies) and Jean Arthur or Carole Lombard or Myrna Loy (also mainstays of this sub-genre) looking silly while trying to win over their love or prove a point to someone with money and power or social standing. Another thing I love about these is the way they toyed with the Production Code—these films ran circles around the code. By today’s standards these films would seem tame (as far as sexual conduct, violence, etc.), but for that time and for having to abide by the “Code”, these films had to be more clever and subversive. I think it took more creativity to make a film back then. Even Hitchcock made a screwball comedy: Mr. & Mrs. Smith, with Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard!

These directors were versatile (directing in all sorts of genres: drama, noir, comedy, action, thriller), and they were big names: Frank Capra, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, Preston Sturges, and the list goes on and on.

I could go on and on, but I’ll list a bunch of films, these are all fun if you can get past the black and white and get over your hangups with their “old fashioned” ideas. These are fun and they have a message! Try a few out!

It? If You Want Clowns...

Try Killer Klowns From Outer Space! I was hanging out at a friend's place back in the late '80s and we stumbled upon Killer Klowns one day while flipping through the channels and we couldn't stop watching.

Why? Well, the film was crazy. It was funny. It was scary. It was goofy. The Klowns in this film are wait for it...from outer space! They travel around in a spaceship that looks like a giant circus tent! Arnold thought the Predator was one ugly mother&*!$%@, but these Klowns are hideous. My very first night at Dragon Con this year I saw three people dressed up as these things and it was awesome!

Some spoilers here, but do you care? The movie has been around since the '80s.

So, why did the klowns land on earth? Well, they want to capture humans and put them in giant cotton candy cocoons, let them ferment, and drink them with a giant krazy straw of course! Duh! They terrorize a small town with popcorn guns and they twist balloons into dogs that come to life and have this little howl. The movie is bad, but it's a blast.

There are some creepy parts, some sinister and gory parts, but mostly it's just a fun horror film with ugly clowns running around. The Chiodo brothers are responsible for this flick--they are the ones behind the marionettes in Team America: World Police.

If you just want to turn off your brain and have a few laughs after seeing It, give Killer Klowns From Outer Space a try. I don't promise an award winning film, just a fun one even if it has clowns in it, and most people I know hate clowns. 

The King of Cool

Dean Martin. So cool and talented. I'm a huge Frank Sinatra fan, but Dean Martin is right up there with Frank as one of the top entertainers of not only the 20th century, but of all-time. Another favorite of mine, Steve McQueen, was also nicknamed the "King of Cool", but Martin got there first.

Today would have been Martin's 99th birthday, but he passed away on Christmas day in 1995 at the age of 78. I'm always shocked at the longevity of guys like Dean and Frank--they smoked, they drank, they partied hard and had a good time. On the other hand, the lifestyle took a toll, but I'm still impressed he lived to the age of 78.

Yes, he had many hits, such as: "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Volare", "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" and so on, and so on, but he was an entertainer stretching far beyond his dreamy crooner persona.

Most everyone has heard of the comedy team of Martin & Lewis. Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis performed a music-comedy act at night clubs and eventually made a bunch of pretty funny films. From 1949 to 1956 they were in something like 17 films together. Lewis is ridiculous in those films, but Martin, as the straight man always seemed funnier to me. Try My Friend Irma (their first film) and Scared Stiff.

My favorite Dean Martin film is Rio Bravo where Martin shared the screen with John Wayne and was directed by Howard Hawks. Even if you don't enjoy westerns, the pairing of Wayne and Martin is worth the time spent watching the film. He also starred in a string of comedy adventures  as Matt Helm, a super spy--these films are ridiculous, but a lot of fun to watch.

Of course, Martin was a key member of the Rat Pack. They performed on stage together, recorded songs together, and made movies together, such as Ocean's 11, Robin and the 7 Hoods, Sergeants 3 (a comedy remake of Gunga Din), and 4 for Texas.

Martin was everywhere, even on television. He had his own variety show, The Dean Martin Show, which launched in the mid-60s and ran until the mid-70s. It's a fun show to watch, even now, and showed off Martin's gift for improvisation.

As a child I remember seeing Dean Martin on television, but hosting The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast which ran through 1984 when I was a teenager. I thought these roasts were funny back then, but they're funnier now (probably because I've immersed myself so much in old Hollywood films and trivia). He roasted Ronald Reagan, Hugh Hefner, Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis, Jimmy Stewart, and the list goes on and on. I think these roasts are available in a box set, I may have to pick that up.

When I think of the greatest entertainers of all time (the multi-faceted ones, not the one-trick ponies), Dean Martin is in my top 5.

Upstream Color: Art-House Science Fiction

Upstream Color is a 2013 science fiction film directed by Shane Carruth, who also plays a major part in the film. The film is one part con artist/thief and two parts science fiction. Here is the description from Amazon: A woman is abducted and hypnotized with an organic material harvested from a specific flower. When she falls for a man the two come to realized he may also have been subjected to the same process.

What was left out of the description (and this is minor spoiler territory) is the parasite introduced via the "organic material" and the "same process" doesn't explain much, but the two were abducted so a thief could rob them blind. The two fall for each other and try to put their lives back together, but the concoction they ingested has them recalling experiences they both shared and bonds them. I won't write anything more on the plot, but this film is beautiful and touching, but also ugly and disturbing.

If you prefer your science fiction (or film watching experience in general) spoon-fed to you, this film isn't for you. It's not even that surreal, certainly not in the same way as a Luis Buñuel or David Lynch film is surreal, but it is challenging, and I'm sure the long stretches without dialogue will turn some people off. I do not believe this slows the pace of the film, as the visuals are fascinating and thought-provoking. Upstream Color is both visceral and blunted at the same time, sharp, yet unfocused depending on what Carruth is attempting to get across.

Carruth not only directed the film, but wrote the soundtrack (which suits the film perfectly and would be a great soundtrack to have on in the background as I'm writing).

If you want something a little different from your science fiction, give this film a try. If you're a Hulu Plus subscriber, it's available for streaming there, or you can rent on Amazon.

5 Kickass Kung Fu Flicks from the 1970s

A couple of things right off: these are just five of the many kickass martial arts films from the 1970s and I left off the Bruce Lee films on purpose since they're well-known and they all kick ass (Game of Death being the weakest, but was released five years after Lee's death). Also, these films aren't all necessarily kung fu films, but kung fu worked with the title I wanted for this post so cut me some slack!

The '70s gave us horrible fashion and some horrible music and weird films. I grew up in the '70s and when you're in the middle of it, especially as a kid, you can't really understand how weird a decade it was. But I think the '70s produced the coolest martial arts films--especially the Shaw Brothers films. I remember watching kung fu films on Saturday afternoons in the late '70s and early '80s. The fight scenes were nuts and seemed to last forever, like when they went to commercial break they kept fighting or something. And because I was a kid when I first saw these, I still watch these with the English dubbing.

So, these are some of my favorites from the 1970s.

Master of the Flying Guillotine - 1976

This film is bizarre. The flying guillotine looks like a red hat with teeth which is attached to a chain--the wielder wings the contraption at an enemy, it lands on his head, the teeth sink in and the thrower yanks. You can imagine what happens next. But, the craziest thing in this film is the dude with the long arms--this guy can extend his arms to an insane distance, like twenty feet.

The final fight scene is pretty interesting and chaotic, but also nearly ten minutes long. Not my all-time favorite, but it makes this list simply because of the weapon and the dude with long arms.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin - 1978

This one stars Gordon Liu (star of many, many martial arts films over the years, and played a couple of roles in the Kill Bill films). Many of these films have revenge/vengeance as their theme, and this one is no different. What I enjoy most about this film are the training scenes and Liu figuring out each of the 35 chambers of shaolin and he eventually establishes the 36th chamber.

Crippled Avengers (Return of 5 Deadly Venoms) - 1978

The final three films on this list star the Venom Mob (the name will make sense when I discuss the final film of this list), a group of actors Shaw Brothers films used together in many films. This one was originally known as Crippled Avengers--the main characters are all crippled by the villains in different ways: one becomes deaf and mute, another blind, while another has his legs cut off, and the final person has his head crushed and becomes "simple". So, of course, they seek revenge, but first have to learn how to fight, using their limitations to full advantage.

The Kid with the Golden Arm - 1979

Another Venom Mob Shaw Brothers film. This one is about a gang attempting to steal a shipment of gold. The heroes band together to stop Golden Arm and his gang. Great choreography (but then, all of these have great fight sequences).

Five Deadly Venoms - 1978

Okay, this one is my favorite. This is the film that tagged the group of actors as the Venom Mob. A dying master dispatches his last pupil to find his former students and discover what they're up to, he doesn't trust that they're using their skills for good. Each of his five prior students trained at different times and learned a different technique--oh, and they all wore masks during training. The five styles: scorpion, centipede, snake, lizard, and toad. The last pupil, the one dispatched to find the 5 venoms, knows a little of each style so he has to align with one of the other venoms to defeat the evil ones. But first he has to figure out who are the bad venoms and who are the good venoms. This film is a lot of fun and the storyline is as interesting as the fight scenes are spectacular. So, if you're going to watch just one of these, I say make it 5 Deadly Venoms.