In honor of Gene Kelly’s birthday, today’s scene that I love comes from the 1952 classic, Singin’ In The Rain. In this scene, Debbie Reynolds performs the song Good Mornin’ with Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.
Author Archives: Lisa Marie Bowman
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Gene Kelly Edition
4 Shots From 4 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!
Today, we celebrate the birth of Gene Kelly! It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Gene Kelly Films
Anchors Aweigh (1945, dir by George Sidney, DP: Charles Boyle and Robert Planck)
An American In Paris (1951, dir by Vincente Minnelli, DP: Alfred Gilks)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952, dir by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, DP: Harold Rosson)
Xanadu (1980, dir by Robert Greenwald, DP: Victor J. Kemper)
Late Night Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell 3.2
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Saturdays, I will be reviewing Saved By The Bell, which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!
This week, Mr. Belding takes his job too seriously.
Episode 3.2 “Breaking Up is Hard To Undo”
(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on December 16th, 1990)
Slater and Jessie make it official! They’re now a couple. Slater wants to celebrate by going to a football game. Jessie wants to celebrate by going to the ballet. Suddenly, Slater and Jessie are no longer a couple.
Zack is looking forward to celebrating his anniversary with Kelly. However, Kelly is planning on having dinner with her ex-boyfriend, Todd. Todd is rich and “looks like Mel Gibson.” Zack forbids Kelly to see Todd. Kelly and Zack break up.
When a student council meeting falls apart due to Jessie and Kelly’s attempts to defund the football team and start a dance department at the school, Mr. Belding ends up breaking his gavel. (“I broke my gavel” is the funniest line in the episode but nobody laughs.) When Mr. Belding and his wife get into an argument over her mother-in-law staying with the Beldings and Mr. Belding ends up getting kicked out of his house, Mr. Belding decides to hang out with Zack, Slater, and Screech. Zack comes home and discovers Belding hanging out in his bedroom….
Uhmm, what?
This is a weird episode. The break-ups are one thing. I could believe that part of the episode. But why are Zack’s parents allowing his principal to live in Zack’s bedroom? In the real world, principals and teachers get fired and worse for that sort of thing. Seeing as how this episode also features a moment in which Zack stops time so that he can order some flowers for Mr. Belding “from Mrs. Belding,” I’m going to assume that this is a dream episode.
The dream comes to a conclusion at the Max, in which Slater and Zack before demonstrate how they should have reacted to Jessie and Kelly. Slater announces that doesn’t care about football, strips down to a skintight leotard, and dances around the Max with Lisa (who is wearing a Jessie wig). Screech then dressed up like a cheerleader so Zack can tell Screech that he trusts him and it’s okay if Screech wants to have dinner with Todd.
This was a weird episode. Slater dancing was a great moment but Mr. Belding moving in with Zack asked for a little too much suspension of disbelief, even by the standards of Saved By The Bell. Couldn’t Mr. Belding have moved in with Rod instead?
Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 6/16/26 — 6/22/26
Big Brother 28 (24/7, CBS, Paramout+, and Pluto TV)
I’ve been writing about the show that I love to hate over at Reality TV Chat Blog.
Election Coverage (Tuesday Night)
Last week was the last big primary night of 2026. I mostly watched the results from Florida. The defeat of Alex Vindman in Florida should be all the proof that one needs that the Resistance era is over.
Darke of the Night (YouTube)
My review of this unsold pilot will drop in September.
Homicide: Life On The Street (Peacock TV)
I binged several episodes of Homicide this week and wrote and scheduled reviews of each one.
Juvenile Court (YouTube)
My review of this unsold pilot will drop next week.
Law & Order (Hulu)
I watched an episode of Law & Order that served as a crossover with Homicide. My review of both episodes will drop at some point in September.
Radio 1990 (Nightflight Plus)
I watched an episode of this 80s music video show on Friday night.
Saved By The Bell (Prime)
This week’s review will drop shortly.
Sylvan in Paradise (YouTube)
My review of this pilot will drop in September.
Warden Duffy of San Quentin (YouTube)
My review of this pilot will drop in September.
Watched and Reviewed:
- 1st & Ten,
- Baywatch,
- CHiPs,
- Crime Story,
- Harry’s Battles,
- Hunter,
- The Love Boat,
- Pacific Blue,
- Saved By The Bell: The New Class,
- Sledge Hammer,
- St. Elsewhere
Retro Television Review: Baywatch 2.16 “Sea of Flames”
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Saturdays, I will be reviewing Baywatch, which ran on NBC and then in syndication from 1989 to 2001. The entire show can be viewed on Tubi.
This week, a floating drug lab means trouble!
Episode 2.16 “Sea of Flames”
(Dir by Gregory J. Bonnan and Douglas Schwartz, originally aired on February 17th, 1992)
Hobie has a nightmare in which he sees Mitch floating in the ocean and looking confused as a speedboat roars up behind him. “BEHIND YOU, DAD!” Hobie yells right before waking up.
Mitch says that the bad dream is no big deal, but Hobie is convinced that he’s seen the future. Mitch laughs off Hobie’s concerns. Mitch is more worried about convincing the city council to approve a funding increase so the lifeguards can buy some supercool wave runners.
Mitch should be worried about Eddie, who is such a terrible lifeguard that he doesn’t even notice that Scorch (Devino Tricoche) is wandering around the beach and setting fires. Scorch is a street performer who eats fire as part of his act. But after he gets a batch of bad designer drugs, he sets Eddie’s lifeguard tower on fire. Even though Eddie is sitting in the tower at the time, he doesn’t notice the flames until it’s nearly too late. After jumping off the tower in slow motion, Eddie drags Scorch to safety. “Sumo! Sumo! Sumo!” Scorch says.
Hey, there’s a boat called Sumo that’s docked in the harbor. Could it be a floating drug lab? Of course it is! When the drug dealers decide to sail away, Mitch gets a chance to show off on a wave runner! But when Mitch falls off the wave runner, he finds himself stranded in the ocean. Uh-oh, there’s a speedboat coming up behind him!
Hobie’s ghostly voice rings out: “BEHIND YOU, DAD!”
Mitch ducks out of the way just in time. OH MY GOD, HOBIE IS MAGIC!
While Mitch is busy capturing the drug dealers, Ben is once again depressed over getting old. When he investigates a house that has supposedly been empty for decades, he meets the actress (Constance Towers) who once lived there. Back when he was a young lifeguard, Ben had a crush on her. When she invites him into the house, he discovers that she has a framed picture of him that she took when he was young and standing on his lifeguard tower. She had a crush on him as well, but back then, dating a lifeguard would have led to a career-ending scandal. And now they’re both old, so what can anyone do? Oh well. Sorry, Ben, your life sucks.
But Mitch’s life is great! At the end of the episode, he thanks Hobie for having his nightmare. Hobie says he also had a dream where Mitch got married. “Blonde or brunette?” Mitch asks.
This was another silly episode of Baywatch, but as we all know, this series is at its most entertaining when it’s silly. As usual, Hasselhoff delivers even the most ludicrous of lines with an earnestness that is actually kind of charming in its own weird way. Ben’s storyline was kind of sad, but since the only reason Ben is on this show is to show that getting older sucks, it’s to be expected.
The important thing is that Mitch gets his wave runners and the ocean is now a safer place.
Scenes That I Love: Sunshine Day from The Brady Bunch Movie
“Put on your Sunday best, kids. We’re going to Sears.”
Ah, the 70s. Or actually the 90s. All I know is that the Sears that was located near our house closed in 2014 and the empty parking lot briefly became a flea market before the police showed up and told everyone to go home.
Today’s scene that I love is from 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie.
4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Cat Edition
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.
Let’s celebrate cats!
4 Shots From 4 Films
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, dir by Jack Arnold)
Sleepwalkers (1992, dir by Mick Garris)
Team America: World Police (2004, dir by Trey Parker)
Captain Marvel (2019, dir by Anna Bolden and Ryan Fleck)
Song of the Day: I’m Not Worried At All by Moby
Today’s song of the day comes from Moby.
I’m not worried at all, a song I’ve been listen to a lot this week.
Live Tweet Alert: Join #ScarySocial For The Monster That Challenged The World!
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on Twitter and Mastodon. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 10 pm et, #ScarySocial presents The Monster That Challenged The World!
If you want to join us this Saturday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
The Monster That Challenged The World is available on Prime! See you there!
Late Night Retro Television Review: Sledge Hammer 1.2 “Hammer Gets Nailed”
Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing SLEDGE HAMMER!, a cop comedy which ran on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The entire series can be found on Prime!
This week, the liberal media comes after Sledge Hammer!
Episode 1.2 “Hammer Gets Nailed”
(Dir by Charles Braverman, originally aired on September 26th, 1986)
“HAMMER!” shouts Lt. Trunk as the episode begins.
Trunk is concerned because nosy news reporter Phil Gumm (Ronnie Schell) wants to do a ride along with Sledge Hammer. The Mayor is thinking about laying off a large percentage of the force. (I guess he’s not that grateful to the police for finding his daughter.) If Hammer screws up on camera, that’ll give the Mayor the excuse that he needs. Doreau is assigned to keep Hammer out of trouble.
So, of course, Hammer screws everything up. After forcing a convenience store thief to eat all of the store’s expired food, Hammer gets into a high-speed chase and crashes his car. Phil Gumm ends up with broken arms and a bad attitude. The Mayor promptly starts laying people off …. including Sledge Hammer!
Hammer gets a job as a crossing guard. (He even continues to wear his suit.) However, when a group of terrorists call in a bomb threat, Hammer is the one who heads down to the clock store to try to disarm it. The bomb is ticking. Unfortunately, so is every clock in the store.
“Go Hammer go!” the people watching chant.
“Go bomb go,” Trunk mutters in his office.
Fortunately, Hammer is able to find and disarm the bomb. The store is saved and so is Hammer’s job.
Yay!
This episode wasn’t quite as funny as last week but it still had plenty of laughs. David Rasche delivers his berserk lines with so much earnestness that they actually start to make a strange sort of sense. When Hammer stepped into the store and saw every clock ticking back and forth, I laughed harder than I’ve laughed in a while.
The important thing is that Hammer outsmarted the media.
Through the Shattered Lens 