A Duck Fan "Comming Home" sung by Mat Kearney

Guaranteed to bring a tear to your eyes if you are an Oregon Ducks!!!

A Young Judy Collins sings "Bob Dylan's Dream"

Approximately in 1966, Judy Collins performs a cover of  "Bob Dylan's Dream" on Pete Seeger's "Rainbow Quest" TV show. Best version of the song I have heard (including Dylan's) by a beautiful Judy Collins.

Rainbow Quest (1965–66) was a U.S. television series devoted to folk music and hosted by Pete Seeger. It was videotaped in black-and-white and featured musicians playing in traditional American music genres such as traditional folk music, old-time music, bluegrass and blues. The show's title is drawn from the lyrics of the song by Seeger "Oh, Had I A Golden Thread".39 shows, each 52 minutes long, were recorded in 1965–66 at WNJU-TV (Channel 47), a New York City-based UHF station with studios in Newark, New Jersey. The shows were broadcast by Channel 47, primarily a Spanish-language outlet, to a very limited audience because only televisions equipped with a UHF antenna and tuner could receive them, and reception was difficult in an age prior to cable. For a few years in 1967–68, the shows were repeated on public television station WNDT (Channel 13, now WNET.

Madeleine Lebeau Last Surviving Cast Member of Movie Casablanca (1943)

As I was working today I heard the tune "As Time Go's By" from the 1943 movie, Casablanca, and started to wonder if any of the cast of that classic movie is still alive.  Based upon a little research I found the Rick's alcoholic girlfriend is the only cast member still alive. She was a French actress and her part was a case of fiction imitating life.  The following is from Wikipedia:


 "LeBeau married actor Marcel Dalio in 1939 (his second marriage). They had met while performing a play together. In 1939 she appeared in her first movie, the melodrama Jeunes filles en détresse (Girls in Distress).
In June 1940, LeBeau and the Jewish Dalio fled Paris ahead of the invading German army and reached Lisbon. They are presumed to have received transit visas from Aristides de Sousa Mendes, allowing them to enter Spain and journey on to Portugal. It took them two months to obtain visas to Chile. However, when their ship, the S.S. Quanza, stopped in Mexico, they were stranded (along with around 200 other passengers) when the Chilean visas they had purchased turned out to be forgeries. Eventually, they were able to get temporary Canadian passports and entered the United States..."

She worked her way to Hollywood and

"she received the role of Yvonne, Rick’s jilted mistress, in Casablanca. The Warner Brothers studios signed her to a $100-a-week contract for twenty-six weeks to be in a number of films. On June 22, while she was filming her scenes in Casablanca, her husband, Marcel Dalio, who played Emil the croupier in the film, filed for divorce in Los Angeles on the grounds of desertion. Shortly before the release of the movie, Warner Brothers terminated her contract. Since the death of Joy Page in April 2008, LeBeau has been the last surviving cast member of Casablanca."

I remember the first time I saw the movie as a teenager the scene where all the patrons of Rick's Café stand and sing the "La Marseillaise"   was the most emotional  and the most memorable scene of the movie. During the singing there is a close-up of Madeleine who says at the end: "Viva La France"

This is from the IMDB page on the movie:

"During the scene where so many patrons of Rick's started singing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, many of the actors in that scene were refugees from Europe and their tears were real, including Madeleine's."

Music Video: "Till My John Wayne Comes Along"

A great Music Video with film clips from dozens and dozens of John Wayne movies. Very well done. Make me want to watch them all over again from my DVD collection.

New Movie: "Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Let's take a break from posts on this blog about the Civil War and take a look at a movie preview for the new Coen Brothers movie about the folk music scene in New York's Greenwich Village in 1961 just before Bob Dylan arrived. The story line according to IMDB:

Follow a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles -- some of them of his own making.

Llewyn Davis is loosely based upon folk singer  Dave Van  Ronk and  incidents in the life as told in his biography" Mayor of MacDougal Street."

“Inside Llewyn Davis” took the Grand Prix prize at the 2013  Cannes Film Festival. The Hollywood Reporter says “Inside Llewyn Davis” received a five-minute standing ovation after its Cannes debut last week, and lead actor Oscar Isasc “enjoyed the loudest applause, along with shouts of ‘bravo!’ for his performance.”

The film is scheduled to open in the United States on December 6, 2013. Mark you calendar!

 

(Movie soundtrack album cover next to Dave Van Ronk's actual album cover)

 

( Dylan, his girl friend Suzi Rotolo and the real Dave Von Ronk)

 

( Dave Van Ronk, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen and Judy Collins)

 

 The cat in the movie is great and the soundtrack has a song sung by Bob Dylan that he has not previously released.  I think the soundtrack will be a keeper.

 

Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack 

1. Hang Me, Oh Hang Me

(Traditional; Arranged by Oscar Isaac and T Bone Burnett)

Oscar Isaac

2. Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)

(Traditional; Arranged by Marcus Mumford, Oscar Isaac, and T Bone Burnett)

Oscar Isaac and Marcus Mumford

3. The Last Thing on My Mind

(Tom Paxton)

Stark Sands with Punch Brothers

4. Five Hundred Miles

(Hedy West)

Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan, and Stark Sands

5. Please Mr. Kennedy

(Ed Rush, George Cromarty, T Bone Burnett, Justin Timberlake, Joel Coen, and Ethan Coen)

Justin Timberlake, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver

6. Green, Green Rocky Road

(Len Chandler and Robert Kaufman)

Oscar Isaac

7.  The Death of Queen Jane

(Traditional; Arranged by Oscar Isaac and T Bone Burnett)

Oscar Isaac

8. The Roving Gambler

(Traditional)

John Cohen with The Down Hill Strugglers

9. The Shoals of Herring

(Ewan MacColl)

Oscar Isaac with Punch Brothers

10. The Auld Triangle

(Brendan Behan)

Chris Thile, Chris Eldridge, Marcus Mumford, Justin Timberlake, and Gabe Witcher

11. The Storms Are on the Ocean

(A.P. Carter)

Nancy Blake

12. Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)

(Traditional; Arranged by Oscar Isaac)

Oscar Isaac

13. Farewell *

(Bob Dylan)

Bob Dylan

14. Green, Green Rocky Road

(Len Chandler & Robert Kaufman)

Dave Van Ronk

*Previously unreleased recording

 

http://www.insidellewyndavis.com/us/splash

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Llewyn_Davis

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2042568/

 

 



Congressional Chorus Cabaret Salutes the 70's

Our daughter lives in Washington D.C. and has, for  number of years, been a member of the Congressional Chorus. Here are some highlights from a concert they put on a few weeks ago. I remember the music as if it were yesterday.

Richie Havens RIP

Richie Havens sings Dylan's "Just Like A Woman" at a Bob Dylan Tribute a few years ago.

Havens also appeared in the movie about Dylan's life "I'm Not There"(2007)

Dead at 72.

At a Newstand Near You!

Just got a call from my wife at WinCo and she picked this up for me!! YES!

The Editors of Rolling Stone bring you the ultimate guide for any Bob Dylan fan. The Special Collector’s Edition includes a definitive list of the 100 Greatest Dylan Songs, as chosen by a panel of artists, writers, and Dylanologists. It also features over 40 years of classic Rolling Stone interviews, along with Dylan’s aphorisms, words of wisdom, and shifting opinions on everything from religion to the Sixties to being misunderstood. Plus, tributes from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bono, Lucinda Williams and more!

TV Series "China Beach" Finally on DVD

Of all the TV shows I have watched through the years "China Beach" is the one I remember the most.  There was something about the eyes of  Army nurse  First Lieutenant Colleen McMurphy as played by Dana Delany that I can not get out of my mind. She and most of the other characters are staff at a Army hospital and rest and recreation area in  South Vietnam named "China Beach" during the Vietnam War.  The music soundtrack was from that era and was an important part of the show.  One of the reasons it has taken so long for "China Beach" to make it to DVD was getting the rights to all of the songs.  Time/Life has done that and the following is their press release:

From the moment China Beach debuted in 1988, with its iconic opening credits set to the Supremes’ “Reflections” as its theme song, it was hailed as groundbreaking television. In an era of testosterone-driven war movies, China Beach delivered a unique perspective: the Vietnam War through the eyes of women!





Never before released on DVD or VHS! You can now own the entire TV series with this deluxe collector’s edition housed in a beautiful display box. Includes 268 classic hit songs as they were played in the original broadcast.

This long-awaited set features over 10 hours of new bonus features, including a reunion with the China Beach cast, including Dana Delany (First Lieutenant Colleen McMurphy), Marg Helgenberger (K.C. Kolowski), Michael Boatman (PVT Sam Beckett), Robert Picardo (Captain Dr. Dick Richard) and many more.

And, you'll enjoy an exclusive booklet, "Tales from the Five & Dime,” with character bios, interview transcripts, letters from vets and much more
.

I can still remember the episode where LT McMurphy is trying to save the life of a American airman who has been brought to the hospital only to find the only thing holding his body together his is flight outfit.

From Wikipedia:

 

China Beach is an American dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, which was nicknamed "China Beach" in English by American and Australian soldiers during the Vietnam War. The ABC TV drama aired for four seasons, from 1988 to 1991....

the series looks at the Vietnam War from a unique perspective: that of the women, military personnel and civilians, who were present during the conflict.......

Set in a Vietnam locale nicknamed "Bac My An Beach" at the 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R (the "Five-and-Dime" Rest & Recreation) facility, the cast of characters includes US Army doctors and nurses, officers, soldiers, Red Cross volunteers, and civilian personnel (American, French, and Vietnamese). The series also featured the experiences of the characters when they returned to the U.S., either on leave or at the end of their tour of duty. The show did not shy away from showing the gruesomeness of war, providing a very gritty view of the experience there. Unusual story-telling methods were sometimes used: scenes presented in reverse chronology; insertion of animated cartoons to express a character's state of mind; alternating between interviews with former military nurses and scripted scenes; and a visit by the cast to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.......

First Lieutenant (later Captain) Colleen McMurphy, USA; Catholic girl from Kansas and nurse with the 510th Evac Hospital in Vietnam during the late 1960s. A composite of various real-life Vietnam War nurses, the character illustrates their courage, kindness, and sacrifices during the war, as well as the severe emotional scarring of non-combatant personnel during and following military service; several episodes feature the veterans in their own words, intercut with the storyline.

Priced at $200.00 the price is high but there are 60 episodes of an hour each  and 2 episodes of two hours each.

http://timelife.com/products/china-beach-the-complete-series

Songs about Bob Dylan's Loves

For years Dylanologists have been trying to interpret the meaning of Bob Dylan's songs. They often do not agree. One of the ways to try and interpret some of his songs is trying to determine if he was singing about one of his girlfriends or wives. Sometimes the Dylanologist disagree and sometimes he may be writing his song about composits of several muses. Here is my best guess.

Echo Helstrom ( 1950's High School Friend from Hibbing Minnesota or collage friend Bonnie Beecher at the University of Minnesota)

    "Girl From the North Country"

Suze Rotolo (1961-1965 girlfriend in New York's Greenwich Village - Photo with Dylan above)

  "Don't Think Twice, it's Alright"

  "Tomorrow Is a Long Time"

   "One Too Many Morning"

   "Boots of Spanish Leather"

   "To Ramona"

   "It Ain't Me Babe"

    "Ballad in Plain D"

   Joan Baez (1963-1970s?)

  "Visions of Johanna"

  "Mama You Been on My Mind"

  "She Belongs to Me"

  "Queen Jane Approximately"

  "It's All over Now, Baby Blue"

 Edie Sedgwick  ( 1965 NY Model)

  "Just Like A Woman"

  "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat"

 "Like a Rolling Stone"

 Sara Dylan ( 1965-1977 First wife - maiden name Sara Lowndes)

 "Love Minus Zero"

  "We Better Talk This Over"

  Tangled Up in Blue"*

  "Simple Twist of Fate"*

   "If You See Her, Say Hello"*

    "Idiot Wind"*

   "You're a Big Girl Now"*

   "If You See Her, Say Hello"

  "Abandoned Love"

  "Down Along the Cove"

  "Wedding Song"

  "Tonight I'll Be Staying here With You"

  "On a Night Like This"

   "Something There is About You"

   "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"

  "To Be Alone With You"

  "If Not for You"

  "Time Passes Slowly"

  "Desolation Row"

  "Where Are You Tonight"

  "Love Minus Zero/No Limit"

  "Sara"

  ""I Want You"

  "Sad Eyed Lady of The Lowlands"

  "If Not For You"

  "Isis"

  "Lay, lady Lay"

Ellen Bernstein ( 1974 Columbia Records executive)

  "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"

 

*****************

 *Blood on the Tracks (1975)

Erling Aadland, Professor of comparative literature, University of Bergen, Norway writes this about the 1975 album "Blood on the Tracks" about the breakup of Dylan's first marrage:

Most commentators insist the songs are highly autobiographical. Gill & Odegard write that they are the results of the failing marriage, and that in 1974, Dylan set a new standard “for confessional song writing, with an album whose personal revelations would remain half-hidden behind a screen of fiction [...] allegories, and shifting time scales” (2005: 28). Several also point out that in 1974, Dylan had an affair with Ellen Bernstein, an employee at Columbia Records, who visited him at his farm in Minnesota where he wrote the songs, and that she might be the model for the “you” in “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”. Dylan has said that he does not write “confessional songs” (The Biograph-booklet 1985: 51), but Williamson believes that “there’s no other way of describing Blood on the Tracks” (2004: 220).

http://www.statoil.com/en/about/artprogramme/perspectives/Pages/DylanAndLove.aspx

 

RIP Annette Funicello

"And now it's time to say goodby ........."

I am starting to feel real old!

Lincoln: 12 Oscar Nominations

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress,Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Cinematography, Costume Design,Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Production Design, Sound Mixing, and Writing.  Yes, 12 Nominations.  Oscar Sunday is Feb 24, and for the first time in a long time I am excited about the show. Go Lincoln!

"Chip Don't Go" by Mat Kearney

Every Oregon Duck fan needs to watch Mat Kearney perform his song "Chip Don't Go"  It brought tears to my eyes.

Mathew William "Mat" Kearney^[1] (pron.: /ˈkɑrni/; born December 1, 1978) is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of 4 top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40 Chart.

MOVIE: Lincoln (2012) ******

This afternoon my son and I went to see the Steven Spielberg film "Lincoln."  It was my second viewing and our sons third.  For me it was a powerful and emotional experience.  For years I have decried the lack of a good theatrical  movie devoted to Abraham Lincoln. The last was John Ford's "Young Mr. Lincoln" from 1939 that dealt with his early life before the Presidency.  Well, my wish has been granted and Spielberg has made a great film that will be viewed for generations. 

Lincoln for me is more than a great man he is someone I look to in times of stress.  I sometime am jealous of those who are religious and can look to their religion for strength. For me I look to Abraham Lincoln who held this country together and helped to erase the stain of slavery upon our honor as a country. I see in his example that we can bear almost any burden that life gives us with dignity and humor. 

There is not a bad scene in the entire movie. When you are my age two hours and thirty minutes is a long time to go without a bathroom break but I have done it twice not wanting to miss any detail. The scene that sticks out in my mind is the emotional argument between Lincoln and his wife near the end of the movie over their dead son and the desire of another son to server his country as a soldier.  It is so painful and sad.  I love  the scenes in the telegraph office of the War Department  as they await the results of a battle and another as Lincoln tries to deal with the issue of peace feelers from the South. There is the scene where Lincoln lays on the floor of the White House  by the fireplace next to his sleeping young son. I could go on and on.  Spielberg artistically and in a unique way deals with The Gettysburg Address, the Second Inaugural Speech, and the events at Ford's Theater. If you love politics, as I do, the debates and vote in the House of Representative on the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution ending slavery are wonderful and inspiring. 

If you don't see another movie in the next 5 years go to Lincoln. For Christmas our son bought me Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Team of Rivals" that the movie is based in part on. In addition, we have spent the holidays listening  to the CD of the Soundtrack.  When the movie makes it to Blu-ray it will make it into my collection and will sit next to the John Ford classic. 

Thanks Steven Spielberg for this American treasure. 

2012 Holiday Movies UPDATED

One of the best parts of the Holidays, along with collage football bowl games, is taking the family to the movies at a local theater. Hollywood likes to release good movies for the Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year Holiday period because people have more time for going to the movies and in most parts of the country outside activities are limited because of the weather. After spending lots of time inside with relatives at home it is liberating to get out of the house and go to a movie. The following is the release date and names of some movies I would like to see.

November 9th

SKYFALL

The new James Movie is very good.  I have seen it once but could be dragged back for a second viewing.


LINCOLN

I have seen it and I want to see it again when our son is home.  This is his area of study and he has already seen it twice.  He knows the back story on all the major and minor historical characters and I want to see it again in any case. A fine movie to be treasured about one of my hero's.

November 16

ANNA KARENINA

I love costume drama's and would love to see this on the big screen.  If not, it will be on blu-ray soon enough.

November 21

RED DAWN

Can wait for blu-ray but would go if someone twisted my arm.  Conservative love this story and I am a Conservative. Just wish they had kept the bad guys the Chinese Communists instead of the North Koreans. 

November 23

HITCHCOCK

Love movies about movies.

December 7

HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON

Bill Murray does a serious role of FDR,about the visit of the King of England to his home at Hyde Park.  Same king as in The Kings Speech. Love history and politics so this is a natural  Apparently show Roosevelt as not a perfect person!

December 19

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Yes, the Jimmy Stewart classic is coming to a big screen near you for this one day only.  I own it on blu-ray but have never seen it in a theater and our son will be home for the Holiday's by then and we both love this movie.

THE GUILT TRIP

Yes, I know, Barbra Streisand is in this movie but I can separate her political views from her acting ability.  Love "road pictures" .  This one about a mother who joins her son on a road trip.

ZERO DARK THIRTY

Hunt to kill Osama bin laden!  Who wouldn't enjoy that.

December 21

ON THE ROAD

Based upon the Jack Kerouac 1957 novel of the same name.  I said I like "road pictures" and this is a classic and the novel was the start of the beatniks. Hope it plays in Medford, but may have to go to Ashland.  May be too out of the mainstream for Medford's Tinseltown.

Christmas Day - December 25

LES MISERABLES

The expected "block buster" of the Christmas Holidays and looks like a big budget musical, historical, consume drama all rolled into one.  Will be fun.


PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Billy Crystal and Bette Midler are grandparents who become temporary guardians of their grandchildren.  Could be very funny and is more in keeping with my idea of Christmas entertainment. Love Billy Crystal.

Love this TV Commericial

"Go ahead, make my day,"

Along with John Wayne I have a life sized cardboard stand up of Clint Eastwood in my 'Man Cave". Recently I have worried that he was getting too much praise from liberals. He fixed that last night when he mocked President Obama. Welcome back to the fight Clint.  You made my day!

SUMMER MUSIC

As the temperature hovers around 90 degrees here in Medford, Oregon, I thought it would be fun to again list songs about Summer that would have to be included in any album of Summer Music. I love Summer and I love songs about Summer so here is my list.This may take a few days so come back often as I update the list.

1. Theme to A Summer Place - by Percy Faith
2. Theme to A Summer Place - by The Letterman

No album would be complete without both versions of this music from the 1959 movie of the same name. According to Wikipedia: "The 1960 hit "Theme from A Summer Place" (composed by Max Steiner and recorded by Percy Faith and His Orchestra) enriched and improved on a secondary musical theme of the film; it remains a classic of its era. A vocal version, with lyrics by Mack Discant, was a hit for The Letterman in 1965"

3. Theme to Summer of 42 

Haunting theme to a 1971 movie about young teenage boys "coming-of-age" at a small beach town on Nantucket island on the east coast during World War II. According to Wikipeia: "Legrand's theme song for the film, "The Summer Knows", has since become a pop standard, being recorded by such artists as Peter Nero (who had a charting hit with his 1971 version), Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, and Barbra Streisand." 

4. Green Leaves of Summer - by the Brothers Four

The Brothers Four were an early 60's folk group formed at the University of Washington (ugh)and had a hit with this cover from music from John Wayne's movie The Alamo in 1960.

5. A Summer Wind - by Frank Sinatra

According to Wikipedia: "a 1965 song, with music by Henry Mayer and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. A cool, nostalgic tale of a fleeting romance, it is most known for a 1966 recording by Frank Sinatra that is informed by what NPR called "a majestic sadness." It is largely forgotten that singer Wayne Newton had the first national chart hit (1965). The Sinatra version originally appeared on his Strangers in the Night album, and hit number one on Billboard magazine's Easy Listening survey.

By the 2000s, it was one of Sinatra's most-used recordings in various contexts, including a mid-2000s television ad campaign for Mastercard and Major League Baseball.

6. Lazy, Craze Days of Summer - by Nat King Cole

This is one of my favorites. It really gets you into the spirit of summer in this 1963 hit

7. Here Comes Summer- by Jerry Keller 

According to Wikipedia:it "was a 1959 song, which was written and performed by Jerry Keller. The song was produced for Keller by Richard Wolf. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100,"

Love the lyrics :

" Here comes summer
Almost June the sun is bright
Here comes summer
Drive-in movies every night
Double features
Lots more time to hold her tight
Oh let the sun shine bright on my happy summer home"

8.Sealed With A Kiss - by Bryan Hyland

Teenage "love lost" during the summer in this 1962 hit

"So we gotta say goodbye for the summer
baby I promise you this
I'll send you all my love
every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss"

9. Summertime Blues - by Eddie Cochran

a 1958 song about the trials and tribulations of a teenager during the summer.

10. Surf City - by Jan & Dean

No summer album would be complete with out a Jan & Dean song. "Two girls for every guy" caught my attention so many years ago in 1963.

11. Surfin' USA - by The Beach Boys

and

12. All Summer Long- by the Beach Boys

I could fill this summer album up with Beach Boys songs but limited myself to the two listed above. They even have a classic album called "Endless Summer." In fact, the "Endless Summer" album should be a companion to this as it so expresses the feelings of Summer.

13. A Summer Song - By Chad and Jeremy

A sweet song about summer from 1964

14. Here comes the Sun - by The Beatles

One of my favorite Beatles songs

15. Summer in the City- by The Lovin' Spoonful

With the temperature hovering around 90 in Medford this 1966 hit song is very appropriate. "hot time summer in the city back of my neck getting hot and gritty"

16. Summer Breeze- by Seals and Croft

Mellow song from 1973

17. Our Last Summer- by ABBA 

On soundtrack to movie Mamma Mia from summer of 2008. One of the best songs from the movie and play.

18. Summer Nights- by John Trivolta & Olivia Newton John

From the movie "Grease" in 1978. I can't believe I put a John Trivolta song on my list!

19. Surfer Girl- by the Beach Boys

Yes, I know I said I would limit my Beach Boys selection to 2 but I just had to add this third song.

Andy Griffith, John Wayne & Rio Bravo

Chris Conrad, in today's Tempo in the Medford Mail Tribune, has a wonderful column about his grandmother, The Andy Griffith Show, John Wayne and the movie Rio Bravo that is worth reading. One quote:

What I liked most about "The Andy Griffith Show" was it's meandering plots that would echo some of my favorite movies. I would later learn that the show was loosely modeled after "High Noon" — the unshakable sheriff holding court in a small town — but the western it most resembled was the Howard Hawks and John Wayne masterpiece "Rio Bravo."

"Rio Bravo," released a year before "The Andy Griffith Show" debuted, told the story of a lackadaisical sheriff, played nicely by The Duke, who was ambivalent toward the idea settling down with one women, and his bumbling deputy Stumpy, embodied by the great Walter Brennan.

To read the rest here is a link: http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120706/TEMPO/207060306

Rio Bravo - Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson & Walter Brennan  with the Duke! Watch my favorate scene in the movie.

"Fat, Drunk,and Stupid"

I am reading the book "Fat, Drunk, and Stupid" by Matty Simmons the founder of National Lampoon about the inside story behind the making of the 1978 movie Animal House , filmed at the University of Oregon. He writes about the following scene cut from the script and it is worth the cost of the book.

My favorite scene that was taken out of the script before filming was when the Deltas go  on their road trip. they're speeding along in Flounder's brother's car when suddenly they pass a scraggly musician, guitar slung over his shoulder,cowboy hat on his head, and a weary look on his face, as the thumbs for a ride. The Delta car screeches to a halt, a door flies open and the traveler gets in.  We cut to the interior of the car and Otter starts a conversation with the young man.
"You're a musician?"
"Yep, singer, songwriter, musician."
"What's your name?"
"Zimmerman," says the musician in a recognizable twangy voice.
"Well, Zimmerman, play something for us."
We cut back to the outside of the car and we hear that familiar Bob Dylan nasal singing.  This goes on for a few beats, the car again comes to a screeching halt, the door flies open once more, and Zimmerman-- or Dylan, if you prefer-- is tossed out onto the road. 

That's a scene even my wife, who is not as enthusiastic about "Animal House" as I am, could appreciate !