I couldn’t find any Peanuts specials that were set during Independence Day but I did come across this fantastic version of The Star-Spangled Banner from A Boy Named Charlie Brown. A Boy Named Charlie Brown was the first Peanuts movie. It was released in 1969 and, in this scene, Snoopy gets the Little League season off to the right start with the national anthem.
I hope everyone’s having a great 4th of July!
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing the original Fantasy Island, which ran on ABC from 1977 to 1986. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!
This week’s episode is saved by the one and only Herve Villechaize.
Episode 3.4 “Baby/Marathon”
(Dir by George McCowan, originally aired on October 5th, 1979)
Fantasy Island is going to be hosting a marathon competition so Tattoo decides to greet Mr. Roarke while carrying a replica of the Olympic Torch.
Tattoo proceeds to light a huge flame in a cauldron. A group of Islanders start trying to splash water on the fire, leading to Tattoo yelling at them to leave the flame alone. Mr. Roarke, who appears to be even more disgusted than usual with Tattoo’s antics, barks at his assistant to put on his tuxedo and head down to the docks so that they can greet their guests.
Bunny Kelly (Barbi Benton), Gretchen Wasserman (Arlene Golanka), and Olaf Olafsen (Peter Isacksen) have all come to the Island so that Olaf can compete in the marathon and hopefully win enough money to keep their barbell factory open. (Don’t blame me, I didn’t write this script.) When Olaf is injured while trying to lift some weights, Bunny enters the marathon in his place! (At first, Bunny tries to disguise herself as Olaf but, when that doesn’t work, Mr. Roarke declares that Bunny can compete as herself.)
Can Bunny defeat the men who have shown up to run the marathon? Well, it won’t be easy. Bruno Glass (Bruce M. Fischer) is so evil that he often stops in the middle of the race so that he can laugh at everyone else’s misfortune. Helping out Bruno is his trainer, Dr. R.M. Funk (Dick Martin). Using techniques that would be more appropriate for a cartoon, Bruno sabotages the other racers. Somehow, Bruno is able to do this despite the fact that the entire race is being televised live to the world. Fear not! With the help of friendly competitor Eugene (Paul Petersen), Kitty makes it to the finish line. When both Kitty and Eugene sprain an ankle towards the finish line, they carry each other to a tied victory! The factory is saved and everyone falls in love!
As you have probably already guessed, the whole marathon was pretty stupid. There really didn’t seem to be any sort of set rules as to how the marathon would be run. Olaf and Gretchen grabbed a car and drove alongside Kitty for most of the race. Meanwhile, Dr. Funk was somehow able to commit numerous acts of open sabotage without anyone noticing. Because Dr. Funk and Bruno were so cartoonish, it made it difficult to take seriously the possibility that they might win. There was no suspense whatsoever, which made for a pretty boring fantasy.
I preferred the episode’s other story, in which Tattoo was placed in charge of finding a family to adopt an orphaned baby. At first, Tattoo wanted to adopt the baby himself but eventually, he realized that the child would be better off with Thomas (Joshua Gallegos) and Mary (BarBara Luna), two Islanders who already had a large family and who had more experience taking care of babies. There was nothing surprising about the story but seriously, Herve Villechaize’s portrayal of Tattoo’s dilemma was surprisingly touching. While Villechaize was notoriously difficult on the set of Fantasy Island, he also used his fame to speak out in support of abused and neglected children and he really seemed to be put his heart into this episode of Fantasy Island. When Tattoo said that he wanted to make sure the baby had the best and most loving home possible, one got the feeling that he was speaking for Villechaize as well.
So, this was yet another mixed episode of Fantasy Island. Ultimately, it was saved by the sincerity of Herve Villechaize.
How about an AMV of the Day for the 4th? And how about one using One Headlight by The Wallflowers? That’s a song that’s always felt like a song for the 4th to me, and not just because they specifically mention Independence Day, either!
Anime: Clannad
Song: One Headlight (performed by The Wallflowers)
Creator: Elijah McKinley (please subscribe to this creator’s channel)
Past AMVs of the Day
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Because it’s the fourth, this edition of 4 Shots From 4 Films features some classic cinematic moments involving fireworks!
4 Shots From 4 Films
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir by Peter Jackson, DP: Andrew Lesnie)
Gangs of New York (2002, dir by Martin Scorsese, DP: Michal Ballhaus)
V for Vendetta (2005, dir by James McTeigue, DP: Adrian Biddle)
The Great Gatsby (2013, dir by Baz Luhrmann, DP: Simon Duggan)
My family has always been a fireworks family. Every 4th of July, when I was growing up, my family would celebrate the 4th of July in Arkansas. My Uncle would always drive me and my sisters and our cousins all over Arkansas and Oklahoma and we would stop at every fireworks stand that we found. He would buy us all as many fireworks as we wanted. My cousins always wanted something that would blow up and make a lot of noise. I liked the sparklers and the black cubes that would turn into snakes. Lisa and I always wanted to get anything that had a cat or a bat (like the ones above) on the label. We would get so excited whenever we spotted a new fireworks stand.
Here to help both you and me get into the 4th of July mood are some great fireworks labels! If you bought enough of these, you know that 4th was going to be a good one.
Remember, like Marilyn Monroe says, enjoy your fireworks safely!
Last night, my sister and I wanted to watch a movie. Since she knows that I love baseball, she pulled up every movie on Tubi that had the word “baseball” in the title. We nearly went with a sweet movie about a first baseman who promises his son that he will hit a home run every time he steps up to the plate. I thought that sounded unrealistic so Lisa suggested we instead try High & Outside: A Baseball Noir.
High & Outside is not a terrible movie. It is just relentlessly depressing and unpleasant. Phil Harding (Phil Donlon) is a 35 year-old minor league player who still thinks he has a chance to make it to the major leagues. His team manager (Ernie Hudson) fires him at the start of the movie. Phil goes home and spends a day trying desperately to save his career and make some money, whether by selling drug or by becoming a coach. Meanwhile, his poor father, Len (Geoffrey Lewis), is a former baseball great who has suffered from two strokes and who is making money signing baseball cards. Facing the threat of being sent to a nursing home, he gives his championship rings to his nurse (David Proval) and sends him to the pawnshop to see what he can get for them.
That’s what the entire movie is like, just one scene after another of two helpless men watching as their lives fall apart. Len was one of the greats but he spent so much time playing baseball that he neglected his wife and marriage. Phil did the same thing but he was never great so no one will ever ask him to sign a baseball card. I have no doubt that it’s an accurate portrayal of what happens to many athletes after their playing days are over but it is not pleasant to watch and it’s so dark and depressing that it gets boring and it feels pointless. Phil was such a jerk that I didn’t care what happened to him. The only really likable character was the nurse.
We should have picked the home run movie.
Happy 4th of July from the Shattered Lens!
I love Independence Day. I love spending time with my family. I love watching the fireworks at Breckenridge Park. I even love listening to my town’s orchestra as they play the same patriotic songs year after year.
I don’t care how fashionable it is to attack America or to say that this country has never been great. We all know the truth. Is America perfect? No, but no country is. Are we having tough times right now? Yes, but so is the rest of the world. The idea behind America is great. The ideals of America are great. Sometimes, we have failed to live up to those ideals but that doesn’t make those ideals any less worthy. The more people try to take us down, the more I remember everything that we’ve survived. America has made mistakes. America still has work to do. Celebrating America does not mean ignoring the times when the nation failed to live up to its ideals. But don’t ever think America isn’t great.
What isn’t great is shooting off fireworks at three in the morning. Celebrate America but respect your neighbors!
Happy birthday, America!
by Erin Nicole
Happy 4th!
And that’s how you sing the National Anthem!
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 