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"Eraserhead" Isn't So Weird
 I am not a fan of self-indulgent and pretentious filmmakers who go far out of their way to make a weird film. Aggressively weird films do not speak to me and are, in the end, a waste of my time....
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The Unlikeable Protagonist
Gillian Jacobs in LoveThe new Netflix sitcom Love, which is produced by Judd Apatow, relies upon Apatow's usual stock comedy ideas. Apatow believes that only bad behavior is funny. So, in his...
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The Idiot Line: Examining "The Idiot Plot"
A writer who has a character do something incredibly stupid to advance a plot is indulging in that hacky, misbegotten writer's gimmick known as the "idiot plot."Â The idiot plot theory is more...
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The Wrinkle-Proof Comedian
  Paul Reubens prepared carefully for the television comeback of his comic alter ego, Pee-wee Herman. But Reubens had aged considerably since Pee-wee made his big-screen splash in 1985's Pee-wee's...
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DVD Release: Found at "Mostly Lost"
William and Edna Frawley in Ventriloquist (1927)Â "Mostly Lost" is an annual workshop in which a sizable group, including writers, scholars, archivists, filmmakers, film buffs and students, gather...
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Feminists Go to the Movies, part 1: The Attack on "The Intern"
 This article is a first for me. I bring you, as my musings for today, an expansion of a comment that I made on Facebook.  Who knows where this will lead?  Yes, I can see it now.  The bestselling...
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Feminists Go to the Movies, part 2: The Angry Feminist Crime Drama "Scott and...
 I probably watch as much British television as I watch American television. I watch the sketch comedy shows, the sitcoms, the comedy panel shows, the police dramas, the interview shows, the sci-fi...
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Feminists Go to the Movies, part 3: "The Witch" is The Feel-Good Movie of the...
Puritan Hubris Punished Tarantino-Style Spoilers!!! The Witch is a bit of nastiness that, despite spooky posters and a spooky trailer, could hardly be called a horror film. Tim Dirks of AMC's Filmsite...
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Feminists Go to the Movies, part 4: The Hour of the Witch's Baby
Ingmar Bergman's devilish Hour of the Wolf (1968) has received attention of late for its connection to two films, Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Witch (2015). The film is a nice complement to both of...
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"The New Boy": A Pioneer Man-Child Comedy
If the man-child had his way, Mount Rushmore would be redesigned to include a 60- foot-tall granite likeness of Alfred E. Neuman. He is, after all, the greatest and most longstanding icon of the...
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Tidbits of June, 2016
This month, I have a wide variety of random items to share.In honor of my latest book "I Won't Grow Up!", I went looking for examples of Laurel and Hardy at their most childish. First, we have a scene...
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Lloyd Hamilton: "The Speeder" (1922)
Tamara Flynn posted the above photo of Hamilton on ebay and asked me if I could identify the film title. I believe that the film is The Speeder (1922). The actor hanging onto Hamilton's leg is Tom...
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The Famous Aquaintances of James T. Powers
I discussed in a recent article that diminutive, red-haired comedian James T. Powers was a forefather of today's man-child comic and possibly a model of man-child icon Alfred E. Neuman. But I was...
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Laughing with Alice Atherton
 Famed author George Lunt wrote, "[S]urely a sweeter creature than young Alice Atherton never gladdened the eyes of the weary seekers in this world. . ."I became aware of Atherton while reading the...
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A Walk of Shame for "Game of Thrones" Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
 The showrunners of Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, were bowed, bent and broken by feminists who vehemently protested the series' steady stream of comely bare-chested ladies and...
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Two Moms on "Yancy Derringer"
I love the old television shows that I find on YouTube. This is an interesting clip from a "Yancy Derringer" YouTube channel. One of these actresses had a daughter who turned out winning two Best...
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Lost Comedy Teams
Recently, I was reading vaudeville notices in an 1898 edition of the New York Dramatic Mirror. The notices on comedy acts referred almost exclusively to double acts. Comedy at that time was mostly...
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Lloyd Hamilton: Adventures in Print
Whenever a new or expanded newspaper archive becomes available online, I cannot resist doing a search on my comedy hero Lloyd Hamilton. I have a few newspaper items on Hamilton to share today....
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Lloyd Hamilton: Pilgrim Son
Lloyd Hamilton in The Educator (1922)Lloyd Hamilton, slapstick comedian extraordinaire, came from a prestigious family that was noted for its contributions to the founding of the United States....
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Henry Lee's "Great Men, Past and Present"
Henry Lee as ShakespeareTwo months ago, I wrote an article about the various actors who amused vaudeville audiences with impersonations of U. S. Presidents. I am sorry to say that I overlooked one of...
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