Stop the presses! There was no movie last night, but I have an excuse: I was listening to the new King's X album, "Three Sides of One", and if that's not a legit reason to miss a flick, I don't what to tell ya. But, we'll make it up, with a bonus film later on or maybe a Double Feechum. But yeah - wow, what a blast to have the guys back after fourteen years. If you know me, you know that I am a huge (pronounced yooge) King's X fan, ever since 1989 when I first heard "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska". In the '90s. they were the soundtrack to my life, they were family in the way a band like Van Halen was. I can't even begin to tell you what this band has meant to me, and I was even fortunate enough to be invited to Blacksound Studio in 2007 when Doug was recording his album "Strum Some Up", to hang out with him and Wally. The producer Michael Parnin was there, Blacksound is his studio, and he produced this new KX album. You have to have patience to wait 14 years for a new album from your favorite group, but in this case it was worth the wait. My first impression is the variety of song styles, which is what the band mentioned in the advance publicity. I also noticed right away that the classic KX sound was back, after going missing on the last few albums, with an emphasis on harmony vocals and arpeggiated melody. I feel like I'm back in 1996 right now, Holy Jiminy.
It's amazing the guys even made it this far, with the career setbacks and health problems they've had. But through it all, they've stayed true to who they are. You have to walk the walk in this life, you have to go all the way in your own way, and Doug, Ty and Jerry have done so. Doug is a nice Reseda boy for the last 12 years or so (Lake Balboa actually but close enough). He lives not far from Pearl's house as a matter of fact, and me and Grimsley saw him play a set of Jimi covers with a slapped-together band at the old RCA building on Balboa Boogalord in October 2018. Doug will be 72 in a couple of days, can you dig it? But he's got more energy than (who, me?). Oh, man, say it ain't so! I hate to admit it but it may be true, and I'm ten years younger than he. I'm speechless at the moment, because.......well, King's Freakin' X! I mean, I first heard "Dogman" at around 10pm on the night of January 16, 1994, a Sunday. Talk about a Life Changer. Less than 8 hours later, the Northridge earthquake hit and knocked the world on it's rear end. I used to joke that it was the album's bass rumble that set it off, but all kidding aside, for me, "Dogman" is the 2nd greatest album ever made, or maybe the greatest. tied with Floyd's "The Division Bell", 'Brain Salad Surgery", and "Hemispheres". Then came "Ear Candy" when I lived on Burton Street. EC capped a six album run that, to me and many fans is tied with The Beatles for the greatest run of albums in rock history. Well, I'm gushing like a true fanboy, but "Three Sides", after just one listen, really does sound that good. King's X is back, after 14 long years. Long live the Kings, end of freaking story.
The previous night, we watched a Streamliner called "Curley"(1947), in which a group of rural schoolkids plot to get rid of their new teacher, who they've heard is a mean old hag. As the movie opens, led by the mischievous nine-year-old "Curley" (Larry Olsen, older brother of "Brady Bunch" Susan), the kids are trying to prevent their beloved teacher from leaving. She's getting married to an Army major, the cause of her departure, but when they can't talk her out of the marriage, Curley rigs a 20lb. bag of rice to fall on her and her new husband. He's sad to see her go. Curley, an emotional boy, then cries behind a tree as the teacher and the Major walk away.
But he's not gonna stand for the new teacher, so he makes a plan and gets the gang together to carry it out. It's pretty wide ranging. Did you ever throw spitballs in class, or put a girl's pigtail in the inkwell? Well, probably not the latter because you didn't go to school in the '40s (when they still had inkwells), but you may have thrown a spitball or two. I remember in 8th grade, me and a kid named Kurt K. had spitball kits, which we hid (where did we hide 'em?) either in a file cabinet or, more likely, in the cloak room. Not the coat room, mind you, the cloak room. Our kits consisted of an adolescent's "jewelry box", i.e. a colored cardboard box that looked like a small chest of drawers. If you were 12 years old in 1972, one of these boxes was a must-have. You could put your cool stuff in them, like beads or shells, but me and Kurt K. turned our boxes into Prank Kits. We had rubber bands and paper clips in there, which, when unfolded part way, made great arrows to shoot across the classroom. And, we had ready-to-go spit wads, meaning small pea-sized balled up pieces of notebook paper, which only needed spit. We had sawed-off straws to shoot 'em through, small enough to fit in our kit. We sometimes shot the spitballs, but mostly we used the rubber bands with paper clip arrows if I remember correctly (they were more fun), until we got caught by the teacher, and after that there was no more Prank Kits. But whatever Kurt and I did in eighth grade is nothing compared to Curley and his fourth graders, 25 years earlier in this movie.
For one thing, he's got a rocket powered car, Soap Box Derby-sized, that he uses to escape from his elaborate pranks. He's also got a jar full of ants, that he opens on the chair of the unsuspecting new teacher. But she isn't an old biddy as it turns out. She's Frances Rafferty, and here we must pause two say two words about her appearance in this movie: Frances Rafferty. Those are the two words. If you can take your eyes off of her once she makes her entrance, you'd better see an optometrist. She's quite possibly The Most Beautiful Woman Ever To Appear In A Motion Picture. Having noted that, as Curley subjects her to the ant treatment anyway, and another boy draws caricatures of her on the chalkboard, and yet another tries to mark her with an ink-squirting pen, she outwits all of them (they're only nine, after all) so that they become the victims of their own stunts. Rafferty's character, before becoming a teacher, was an Army physical fitness instructor who also has a degree in psychology, so Curley and the kids are no match for her. She turns their scheme on it's head, in a firm but friendly way, and hijinx ensue from there. There are two small boys named "Dis" (Rene Beard) and "Dat" (Donald King), who are used for extra comic relief. They covet Curley's rocket car and steal it one day, but they can't handle all its horsepower and end up driving through haystacks and houses.
Rafferty organises a picnic for the kids once she has them in her pocket. They have ice cream, then a boy named "Biff" (Billy Andrews) challenges Frances to a boxing match. She can take him, because she was a phys-ed instructor, but during the play-fight, the superintendent of teachers arrives. She's indeed a mean old witch, who's been looking for an excuse to fire Rafferty. Now they tables are turned, because at first Curley wanted to get rid of her too, but now he's got a little-boy crush on Miss Frances, and he's ashamed of all the trouble he's caused.
This is a sweet movie, 54 minutes long. You'll love it, even if you can stop staring at Frances Rafferty. Think of her as an added bonus. Besides being very pretty, she's perfect as the teacher every kid (boy or girl) wishes they had. Two Big Thumbs up for "Curley" and a high recommendation. I usually don't go for colorised prints but in this case I'll make an exception. The picture is very good. ////
That's all for tonight. Man, it's been a hot week. More scorchers a 'comin, too. Hang in there and stay air conditioned. My blogging music is "Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into" by Gilgamesh, late night I'm listening to an early opera by Wagner called "Das Liebesverbot". Couldn't find a von Karajan version so it's conducted by Sebastian Weigle. I hope you have a great Labor Day weekend and I send you Tons of Love, as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment