Song of the Day: Shed a Tear by Teresa Laughlin

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This is from 1974’s The Trial of Billy Jack.  Yes, Billy Jack killed a lot of people and broke a lot of laws but ultimately, he was just a man who protected animals, children, and other living things.

And, eventually, despite all of the murder convictions, he ended up serving in the U.S. Senate.

That’s a wonderful American story.

shed a tear, running deer
don’t turn back billy jack
i am crying, are you dying
just for me?

whenever trouble came about
i could feel you coming out
you were there, i could feel you
in the air
when anyone had a happy moment to share
you were there
when anyone had a burden they couldn’t bare
you were there to share the load

shed a tear, running deer
don’t turn back billy jack
i am crying, are you dying
just for me?

when they took you from the church
i couldn’t bare to watch the town stare
you aren’t an animal, you’re a man
it wasn’t fair, it just wasn’t fair
and they trialed you for murder
they said you were guilty, it just wasn’t fair
wanted to tell them they were unjust
i didn’t dare, i could only stare
what will happen to you now
you’ve got to live, but i don’t know how
i am crying, are you dying
just for me?

shed a tear, running deer
don’t turn back billy jack
i am crying, are you dying
just for me?

Scenes That I Love: Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse in Singin’ In The Rain

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

For today’s scene that I love, we have Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse dancing in the Broadway Melody sequence from Stanley Donen‘s 1952 masterpiece, Singin’ in the Rain!

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Stanley Donen Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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!

Today would have been the 101st birthday of the great Stanley Donen.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Stanley Donen Films

Singin’ In The Rain (1952, dir by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, DP: Harold Rosson)

Funny Face (1957, dir by Stanley Donen, DP; Ray June)

Charade (1963, dir by Stanley Donen, DP; Charles Lang)

Two For The Road (1967, dir by Stanley Donen, DP: Christopher Challis)

Late Night Retro Television Review: Check It Out! 3.13 “Edna, Howard, Cathy & Morty)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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 the Canadian sitcom, Check it Out, which ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi and Peacock!

This week, Edna continues to allow Howard to humiliate her.

Episode 3.13 “Edna, Howard, Cathy & Morty”

(Dir by Alan Ehrlich, originally aired on November 28th, 1987)

When her friend Cathy (Deborah Grover) comes to town and talks about her wonderful marriage to Morty (John Stocker), Edna once again wonders how long she’s going to have to wait for Howard to ask her to marry him.

If this episode seems familiar, it’s because I’ve lost track of how many times Check It Out! has done an episode featuring Edna getting frustrated with Howard’s refusal to settle down.  Honestly, Edna can do better.  The first season at least pretended like Howard was a born romantic who truly loved Edna.  From the second season on, Howard has been taking Edna for granted and Edna really does need to move on.  Howard is in his 60s, now matter how much this show insists that he’s actually in his 40s.  If he’s not ready to commit yet, he never will be.  At this point, it’s hard to really care about Edna’s situation with Howard.

On the plus side, this episode did feature Viker trying to become a magician.  I laughed because Gordon Clapp could make just about anything funny.  For that matter, the pre-credits sequence made me laugh.  It featured Edna imagining that she was on the Dating Show and everyone reacting with shock when she announced she was going to pick Howard.  I don’t blame them!  You can do better, Edna!

 

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 4/6/25 — 4/12/25

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidinfluencing (Netflix)

The latest Netflix docuseries takes a look at kid influencers and the adults who get rich off of them.  The first two episodes were a disturbing portrait of manipulation and exploitation.  The third episode got bogged down with politics, with Taylor Lorenz demanding that the social media be regulated and various politicians making an unwelcome appearance.  The problem with the third episode is that it often felt as staged as the youtube videos that dominated the first two episodes.  That said, overall, this was a sobering call for parents to be a bit smarter about keeping track of what’s going on with their children, especially when it comes to their online lives.

Happy Hour (YouTube)

I watched an episode of this 90s, celebrity-driven game show on Friday night.  Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa were the hosts.  Dweezil was the epitome of cool while Ahmet kind of needed to calm down a little.

It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (Apple TV+)

Erin and I watched this holiday classic on Saturday afternoon.  You can read her thoughts about it here.

 

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special 1993 Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

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!

Today, we pay tribute to the year 1993 with….

4 Shots From 4 1993 Films

Dazed and Confused (1993, dir by Richard Linklater, DP: Lee Daniel)

Schindler’s List (1993, dir by Steven Spielberg, DP: Janusz Kamiński)

Trauma (1993, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Raffaele Mertes)

Indecent Proposal (1993, dir by Adrian Lyne, DP: Howard Atherton)

Scenes That I Love: Nicky Katt Meets Adam Goldberg in Dazed and Confused

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Rest in peace, the great character actor Nicky Katt.  The details are still sketchy but it’s being reported that he passed away at the age of 54.

Katt was a child actor who transitioned into adult roles.  He appeared in a lot of movies but I’ll always remember him as Clint, the absolutely terrifying bully in 1993’s Dazed and Confused.  Here he is, scaring the heck out of poor Adam Goldberg.

(For a while, there were plans for a Dazed and Confused sequel in which Clint reformed and became a respected businessman while Adam Goldberg’s Mike went insane as he continued to obsess on that fight back in 1976.)