pop cultured

Over Valentine’s weekend I watched one of my favorite romantic comedies—the 1998 movie, You’ve Got Mail.

You’ve Got Mail stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The film, which is a remake of 1940’s The Shop Around the Corner was updated with a modern storyline: 2 business rivals begin an anonymous relationship over the Internet.

It’s all completely innocent flirting, until the man–  a cutthroat book store mogul played by Hanks—realizes his online muse is the pretty blonde who owns the children’s book store that his company put out of business. At that point, Hanks’ character takes stock of his life and sets out to woo his online love in person.

This is one of two Hanks/Ryan romantic comedies (the other two are the minor flop Joe Versus the Volcano and the megahit Sleepless in Seattle).  But You’ve Got Mail is by far my favorite pairing of this duo. It’s a cute, romantic movie that makes you believe in love.

Last night I watched one of my favorite movies, Barefoot in the Park. Released in 1967 and adapted from a Broadway play by Neil Simon, Barefoot in the Park stars two youngsters:  a very young Robert Redford and Jane Fonda , as newlyweds trying to make their way in a tiny 5^th floor Greenwich Village apartment.

The fact that Redford’s character, Paul Bratter, is a stuffy, conservative, young lawyer and his new wife Corie (Fonda) is a spontaneous wild child makes for a ton of laughs. Mildred Natwick plays Corie’s mother and Charles Boyer plays the eccentric neighbor upstairs.

This is a really cute movie, one of the rare movies that makes me laugh out loud. I also love its retro look at married life.

“The King of Queens” was one of my favorite sitcoms, so when it ended its 9 year run in 2007 I was bummed. One of my favorite characters from the series, Spence Olchin, was played by comedian Patton Oswalt.

Since “King” went off the air in 2007, Oswalt has kept himself plenty busy with comedy gigs, a stint as the rat in “Ratatouille”, episodes of “Kim Possible” and a slew of other supporting roles in comedies and children’s shows.

His latest role is a serious one- he stars in the Robert Siegel movie “The Big Fan”. This movie is not a comedy and it’s not for kids- and Oswalt has the lead role as an obsessed New York Giants fan.

“The Big Fan” debuts this month at The Sundance Film Festival.

I know Christmas is over, but I just can’t let it go. To keep myself in the mood, I watched my favorite movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, last night. Every time I watch it I notice something new.

I was curious about the scene in Martini’s bar on Christmas Eve. George is despondent and asking God to show him the way, and you can hear an Italian song playing in the background.

 I did a little research and found that the song is called “Vieni, Vieni”. A little more research turned up another fun fact: the a cappella vocals on that song were sung by Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Disney’s original Snow White (from 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs).

 Caselotti was never able to fully enjoy her success as Snow White though, since Disney wouldn’t allow her to use her “Snow “voice anywhere else. Apparently they didn’t want the illusion of Snow White spoiled.  So after “Snow White”, Caselotti stuck to mostly uncredited voice and extra work, including her brief stint on “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

So there you have it. Something about “It’s a Wonderful Life” that you probably didn’t know.  I know you already know that Alfalfa was in it.

I first caught the remake of “the movie “A Holiday Affair” in the mid- 1990’s. It starred Cynthia Gibbs and  the handsome David James Elliot.  Tom Irwin was in it too, whom I recognized and liked as the dad from “My So Called Life”.  So I watched this TV movie once and pretty much forgot about it.

A few years later I wondered about it again. I remembered the movie’s theme centered around a train. I kept thinking it was called “The Holiday Train” or something. I wanted to track it down and rewatch it, but I just couldn’t remember the name.

Then, last Christmas Eve as I was wrapping some last minute gifts with the TV on in the background, on came the original version of this film on TCM, starring Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh. So I watched that 1949 version that night—and  now  that I know the name of the movie, I have the 1996 version on tap to DVR this year.

There are so many televised versions of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story, “A Christmas Carol”, that it may not be easy to pick a favorite. Although, I must confess I do have one.

 The 1938 version starring Reginald Owen is probably the most famous- I catch it on PBS every year and it seems to be the version that airs on television the most often.  Then there’s the 1984 version starring George C. Scott, which is hailed by some as the best version ever. Henry Winkler starred in an adaption called “An American Christmas Carol” and then we have the Susan Lucci version called “Ebbie”—she played a modern day, female Scrooge!

Still, I am most drawn to 1951’s version of “A Christmas Carol” starring Alastair Sim. This movie originally came out in black and white, but I even like the colorized version.

 I think Sim gets the character of Scrooge exactly right. Which isn’t exactly an easy feat, in a world with so many Scrooges.

Who doesn’t love a good Christmas story? The 1983 classic movie, “A Christmas Story” is at the top of my list every year. This year this classic Christmas movie celebrates its 25^th birthday.

Peter Billingsley stars as Ralphie Parker, a precocious kid who wants one thing for Christmas—a Red Ryder carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock. Unfortunately, the adults in his life—including the department store Santa Claus- squash his dreams, telling him “No, you’ll shoot your eye out”.

Meanwhile, Ralphie’s wacky family and friends encounter all sorts of mishaps during the Christmas season. Everything from blowing the fuse box out when his father plugs in the Christmas tree, to Ralphie’s pal, Flick, getting his tongue stuck on a flag pole.

“A Christmas Story” was written by Jean Shepherd and it’s based on his book of short stories “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash”.  Shepherd also narrated the movie, as a grown up Ralphie Parker, reflecting on that fateful Christmas in 1940.

My favorite movie of all time, at Christmas time or any time of the year, this classic 1946 movie has a special place in my heart.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” was produced by Frank Capra and it stars James Stewart and Donna Reed. Based on the short story “the Greatest Gift” (by Philip Van Doren Stern) it’s the story of George Bailey, a happy-go-lucky guy who loses his way in life. It takes a meeting with an angel to set him straight and show him that his life is pretty good after all.

 A word of warning: if you’ve never seen this movie, keep in mind that it’s a long one.  There’s a lot of backstory and you can easily lose interest during the first 45 minutes or so. But stick with it. It’s really a great message. I bawl my eyes out at the ending every time.

Back in the 1970’s, CBS aired a Christmas special every year—on a Saturday afternoon, none the less. It was a special called “The House Without a Christmas Tree” and it starred Jason Robards and Lisa Lucas. “The  House Without a  Christmas Tree” was based on the book of the same name by Gail Rock.

It’s the story of Addie Mills (Lucas), a young girl whose father won’t ever let her have a Christmas tree. The reasons why he is so against it unfold during the show, but Addie is determined to have a tree so she finds a way to get one! But it stirs up a lot of emotion.

I always loved this Christmas special as a child and was thrilled when it was released on DVD last year. I haven’t seen “The House Without a Christmas Tree” on TV in years, so this a great DVD to pick up over this holiday season.

Miracle on 34^th Street is one of my favorite holiday movies. It’s the perfect segue from Thanksgiving to Christmas, because the beginning of the movie is set at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and then it turns in to a Christmas movie.

The original version of the film, made in 1947, starred a young Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn. It’s one of those movies that didn’t ever need to be remade—it’s virtually flawless. But in 1994 a remake was filmed starring Richard Attenborough and the adorable Mara Wilson.

The message of the movie is a heartwarming one: believe and your dreams may really come true. That’s a message to take with you throughout the year, not just during the holiday season.

Tomorrow I will begin my 25 Days of Christmas segment on this blog, but  I posted about “Miracle on 34^th Street”—my segue movie–  today, to get us in the mood for all those holiday gems that are coming up in the next few weeks.

Enjoy the season!