The History of the World, Part I (1981, directed by Mel Brooks)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Overlong, wildly uneven, gimmicky too a fault, and often laugh out loud funny with a mix of jokes that range from the crude to the sublimely clever to the surprisingly sentimental, The History of the World, Part I is the ultimate Mel Brooks films.

Narrated by Orson Welles and featuring five historical stories and a collection of coming attractions, The History of the World Part I follows man from his caveman origins to the French Revolution and the thread that ties it all together is that humanity always screws up but still finds a way to survive.  Moses (Mel Brooks) might drop and break one of the three tablets listing the 15 Commandments but he’s still able to present the other ten.  Stand-up philosopher Comicus (Mel Brooks) might make the mistake of poking fun at the weight of Emperor Nero (Dom DeLuise) but he still makes his escape with Josephus (Gregory Hines), Swiftus (Ron Carey), and Miriam the Vestal Virgin (Mary-Margaret Humes) and ends up serving as the waiter at the Last Supper.  (“Jesus!”)  The Spanish Inquisition may have been a catastrophe but it also gave Torquemada (Mel Brooks) a chance to show off his performance skills.  The French Revolution may have been a bloodbath but the future still held promise.  Ask for a miracle and he’ll show up as a white horse named Miracle, no matter what era of history you’re living in.

The humor is very Mel Brooks.  During the Roman Empire sequence, Madeline Kahn plays Empress Nympho.  Jackie Mason, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Spike Milligan, Jan Murray, Sammy Shores, Shecky Greene, Sid Caesar, Henny Youngman, and Hugh Hefner all make cameo appearances.  Carl Reiner is the voice of God.  John Hurt plays Jesus.  The film ends with the promise of a sequel that will feature “Jews in Space.”  Not every joke lands.  The entire caveman sequence feels forced.  But when the film works — like during The Inquisition production number — it’s hard not get caught up in its anything-goes style.  The entire Roman Empire sequence is probably more historically accurate than the typical Hollywood Roman epic.  That’s especially true of Dom DeLuise’s naughty performance as Emperor Nero.

Mel Brooks is 99 years old today and he says that he has at least one more film to give us, a sequel to Spaceballs.  I’m looking forward to it!  I’m also looking forward to rewatching and enjoying all of the films that he’s already given us.  The History of the World, Part I may not have initially enjoyed the critical acclaim of his earlier films but, in all of its anarchistic glory, it’s still pure Mel Brooks.

Retro Television Review: The American Short Story #4 “Almos’ A Man”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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 The American Short Story, which ran semi-regularly on PBS in 1974 to 1981.  The entire show can be purchased on Prime and found on YouTube and Tubi.

This week, we have an adaptation of a Richard Wright short story.

Episode #4 “Almos’ A Man”

(Dir by Stan Lathan, originally aired in 1976)

David (LeVar Burton) is a black fifteen year-old living in the Deep South in the 1930s.  He works on his family’s farm and takes care of a mule named Jenny.  He considers himself to be almost a man.  His mother (Madge Sinclair) and his father (Robert DoQui) disagree.

David knows the one thing that he need to make himself a man.  He needs a gun and, this being the 1930s, he finds one that he can order from a Sears & Roebuck catalogue.  His mother says that there’s no way she’s letting him get a gun.  His father is a bit more open to it.  David secretly sends away for the gun and, as you can probably guess, tragedy ensues.

This was a downbeat adaptation of a similarly downbeat Richard Wright short story.  David obsession with being a man makes sense when you consider that he lives in a world where everyone — from his parents to the menacing white people who show up towards end — calls him a “boy.”  The white people even call his father “boy” and it’s a reminder of how that term was used to dehumanize and degrade black men, even someone like David’s father who has raised a family, takes care of his farm, and who is, in every way imaginable, a man.

Nicely done, this one, with good performance from Burton, Sinclair, and Doqui.  As for Richard Wright, he had been dead for 16 years by the time this premiered.  He died in Paris, having left the United States in 1946.  He’s remembered for his novel Native Son and his memoir, Black Boy.  Personally, I would add that he should also be remembered for his essay that appeared in the anti-Communist collection, The God That Failed.  This adaptation of Almos‘ A Man does a good job paying tribute to Wright’s voice and legacy.

Brad’s “Stand-Up Comedian of the Day” – Pat Morita with Redd Foxx!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

I think it’s fair to say that I wanted to be the karate kid when I was a growing up. The movie THE KARATE KID (1984) came out when I was 10 years old, and it changed my life. I’ve been a fan of Ralph Macchio, Elizabeth Shue and Pat Morita ever since then. I loved the relationship between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, and I always thought Pat Morita was so funny. But honestly, I had never seen Pat Morita do a stand-up routine until today. In honor of Pat Morita’s 93rd birthday in cinematic heaven, I’m sharing a stand-up clip from his performance on Redd Foxx’s show back in 1977. It’s definitely politically incorrect, but it’s also playful and fun!

Happy Birthday, Pat! Thanks for the memories!

10 Films For The Weekend (6/28/25)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This is the last weekend of my vacation!  I’ll be back on Monday.  Here are a few film recommendations, inspired by both my vacation and the upcoming patriotic holiday!

Keeping The World Safe

Whenever anyone asks me what the best film ever made about Hawaii is (and it happens all the time, let me tell ya), I always reply with From Here To Eternity.  Then I smile and say, “Or maybe it’s Hard Ticket To Hawaii!”  Directed by Andy Sidaris, Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987) has it all.  A mutant snake, a sex doll-carrying assassin on a skateboard, a killer frisbee, the Molokai cops, a single-engine airplane, and Ridge from the Bold and the Beautiful!  This is the film that taught me that the proper way to reply to a guy saying, “Nice ass!” was to smile and say, “You too, Pilgrim.”  Hard Ticket To Hawaii is one of the most deliriously strange and entertaining films ever made and you can view it on Tubi!

After viewing Hard Ticket to Hawaii, be sure to check out Andy Sidaris’s other great film, Guns (1990).  Guns not only features a tropical paradise but it also stars Erik Estrada, giving a totally over-the-top performance as the villain.  Guns can be viewed on Tubi.

As a resident of Dallas, I will always have a soft place in my heart for Sidaris’s Day of The Warrior (1996), in which it is established that the world’s most evil secret organization is headquartered on top floor of the Bank America Plaza and that the evil mastermind lives in “North Dallas.”  You probably have to be from Dallas to get the joke but it’s a good one.  Day of the Warrior can be viewed on Tubi.

Finally, The Dallas Connection (1994) was directed by Andy’s son, Christian Drew Sidaris.  I have to recommend this one because it not only takes place in Dallas but it’s actually named after the city as well!  Filmed on location, this film features plenty of action and exploding toy boat.  The Dallas Connection can be viewed on Tubi.

If you want your action stars to have a bit more of a social consciousness, Born Losers (1967) features Billy Jack (Tom Laughlin) in his first film appearance.  In three subsequent films, Billy Jack would go on to fight for pacifism and Native American rights and would eventually becomes a U.S. Senator but, in this film, he just kills a bunch of bikers who have been harassing tourists in California.  Born Losers can be viewed on Tubi.

God Bless America

Next Friday will be the Fourth of July.  USA!  USA!  USA!

Invasion USA (1952) takes a look at what happens when a bunch of people take America for granted.  Fortunately, Dan O’Herlihy is on hand to hypnotize everyone and force them to experience what life would be like if the communists took over America.  Thank you, mysterious hypnotist!  This film can be viewed on Tubi.

Years later, those commies were still trying to invade and divide America.  Fortunately, Chuck Norris was available to stop them.  Invasion U.S.A. (1985) features one of Richard Lynch’s greatest performances and it can be viewed on Tubi.

I Was A Communist For The FBI (1958) claims to tell the true story of a man who spent years working undercover as a communist.  His family rejected him.  His neighbors scorned him.  This film is a real time capsule of the time it was made.  That said, it’s portrayal of communists as being a bunch of upper class bigots who manipulate a working class that they have no interest in being a part of still feels relevant today.  I Was A Communist For The FBI can be viewed on YouTube.

Odds and Ends

Cold In July (2014) is one of the best neo-noirs of the best ten years and it features an excellent performance from Don Johnson, whose weathered toughness gives him a gravitas that he was occasionally lacking in his younger years.  It can be viewed on Tubi.

Finally, Jeff and I watched Smokey and the Bandit (1977) earlier this week.  It’s one of Jeff’s favorites and, whenever I watch it, I’m always surprised to re-discover how much I enjoy it myself.  Fast cars, a truck that looked a lot like the one my Dad used to drive, Southern scenery, and a theme song that gets stuck in your head, what’s not to like?  I related to Sally Field’s confusion as to why anyone would want to eat at a “choke-n-puke.”  It’s available on Netflix!

(Check out last weekend here!)

 

A Book For The Weekend (6/28/25)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

A man who has no memory arrives in the town of Lyncastle and immediately discovers that, whoever he may be, no one wants him around.  One person tells him that his name is Johnny McBride and that the police are looking for him.  Our stranger may not know who he is but he’s fairly sure that he’s not Johnny McBride.  But yet everyone in town insists that he is.  When the police try to check his fingerprints, they discover that he has no fingerprints!  Apparently, he lost them at the same time that he lost his memory….

That’s the set up for Mickey Spillane’s 1951 novel, The Long Wait.  I won’t spoil the rest of it because 1) this book is full of shocking twists, 2) none of them make much sense, but 3) they’re all so over-the-top and ludicrous that you can’t help but love them.  Reading The Long Wait, one gets the feeling that Spillane made up the plot as he went along and it’s hard not to admire his dedication to sticking with the story, no matter how weird and, to be quite frank, ridiculous things got.

This is not one of Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels.  Hammer is not in this book.  If anything, our amnesiac hero is even more violent and brutal than Hammer because the hero of The Long Wait literally has nothing to live for.  Hammer at least had an office and a life that he could return to after killing all the bad guys.  The hero of The Long Wait may not know who he is but he still knows that’s he’s pretty angry with a lot of people.

Violent, melodramatic, and at times thoroughly gratuitous, The Long Wait is an entertainingly absurd book.  I read it in a hotel room and I recommend you do the same.

(Check out last week’s book here!)

 

 

Brad’s Town of the Day – Bronson, Missouri!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

My wife Sierra and I have had a lot of stress in our life lately, so I decided to take her on a little getaway this weekend to Branson, MO. This afternoon we’ve got tickets to the Sight and Sound production of “David,” and tonight we’re going to cruise Table Rock Lake on The Branson Belle.

As good as all of this sounds, my dream town would be the place imagined by THE SIMPSONS called Bronson, MO! That has to be the safest town in the world!!

Live Tweet Alert: Join #ScarySocial for House of the Devil!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter.  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 9 pm et, Deanna Dawn will be hosting #ScarySocial!  The movie?  House of the Devil!  

If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag!  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

The film is available on Prime!

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Mel Brooks Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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.

Mel Brooks is 99!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Mel Brooks Films

Blazing Saddles (1974, dir by Mel Brooks, DP: Joseph Biroc)

Young Frankenstein (1974, dir by Mel Brooks, DP: Gerald Hirschfeld)

High Anxiety (1977, dir by Mel Books. DP: Paul Lohmann)

Spaceballs (1987, dir by Mel Brooks, DP: Nick McLean)

Scenes That I Love: Putting On The Ritz From Young Frankenstein (Happy Birthday, Mel Brooks!)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, Mel Brooks is 99 years old!

Mel Brooks.  What can you say Mel Brooks?  Not only did he help to redefine American comedy but he was also responsible for bringing David Lynch to Hollywood.  Brooks was the one who hired Lynch to direct The Elephant Man.  It can probably be argued that, if not for Brooks, Lynch’s feature film career would have begun and ended with Eraserhead.  Brooks not only hired Lynch but also protected him for studio interference.  When the execs tried to make Lynch remove two surrealistic sequences from The Elephant Man, Brooks stood up to them.  When they requested a more conventional biopic, Brooks defended Lynch’s vision and the result was one of the best films ever made.

Of course, Brooks isn’t listed in the credits of The Elephant Man.  Though he produced the film, he went uncredited because he didn’t want people to assume that the movie was a comedy.  By doing so, Brooks missed out on an Oscar nomination but he also ensured that the film was taken seriously.  It’s hard not to respect someone who was willing to go uncredited to help make the film a success.

Though Brooks, as a producers, was responsible for a number of serious films, there’s a reason why Brooks is associated with comedy.  He’s a very funny man and he directed some very funny films.  In honor of Mel Brooks, here’s a scene that I love from 1974’s Young Frankenstein.

Happy birthday, Mel Brooks!