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Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Don't Bogart That Joint!


(as usual, click on the pictures to be able to read the balloons.)

I have not figured out the system of the electronic brain in the Tevo our son gave us. He upgraded to an HD model and gave us his old model. He told us it checks on what you watch and from that copies things it thinks you will like. You can also let the machine know there are certain people or things to watch out for to copy. It can be on the watch out for certain stars, certain sport teams and so on, or you can program it like a VCR.

You probably know all this and it is nothing new to you, but to me it is still new and fascinating.

I suppose it figured out my son’s mind or he told it that he likes old movies with Humphrey Bogart in them because it copied The African Queen and after I finished watching it, it copied The Cain Mutiny, which I am watching now. I have about 30 minutes left.

I never considered Bogy much of an actor. I considered him one who played himself and got credit for being a good actor – for instance, like John Wayne.

But having the opportunity of watching two of his movies back to back (or is it back to front?) I have changed my mind. I think Humphrey Bogart was a good actor for his time. He plays almost completely opposite type of people in The African Queen and The Cain Mutiny. In the Queen he is a boorish drinking slob and in the Cain, a steely balls clicking nut, however, a strict follower of Naval regulations.

When watching The African Queen his character reminded me much of my neighbor Bob (who is temporally in the slammer) and in The Cain Mutiny he reminded me much of an assistant principal I once had.

The two pages – they are both illustrated by Wallace Wood. The color one is a lampoon of The Cain Mutiny from MAD comic book. The black and white is a lampoon by MAD’s sister publication, PANIC comic book. MAD and PANIC were both owned by EC Publishing Company.

It also copied High Noon and dropped in my lap like a proud cat killing a rat. So, that will be the next old movie I watch on the TeVo.

4 comments:

  1. My daughter has one, and the best thing about it is you can call it on the phone and program it! I mentioned a program to her last year when I was up there, and she called home and had it taped for me. AMAZING!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Judy,
    "What will they think of next?"
    When I heard an elderly say that in the 1950s I got a kick out of it. Now, I am saying it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous2:27 AM

    My favorite by HB was the treasure of Sierre Madre. He also did a good one with Jimmy Cagney, who i will watch in anything.

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  4. Steve,
    Yeah... Cagney is great - his is/was so hyper, a ball of fire.
    When I think of him I think of "Love Me or Leave Me" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy".

    ReplyDelete

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