babykaren Reviews

The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960)

light lovely comedy thanks to Jack Lemmon

[9/10 · 8 March 2014]

Jack Lemmon is a comedic gem and also a great leading man. This movie helps prove that. He has a laid back charm that could be comparable to Cary Grant. His ability to play drama and comedy whether as lead, shared lead or as supporting actor proves that as does his longevity in the craft. He has been in so many great movies and one of my favorites has been - How to murder your wife. His friendship with Ernie Kovacs is how I believe I first became aware of Jack Lemmon. The cast in this show are all nicely played and realistic - you actually believe the actors are the characters. The script is full of great easy to enjoy dialogue. The one liners blend well and are well placed in the script which includes sailing phrases. John Lund plays well in his lighter role as I remember him from High Society. The schooner is sleek and I'd have loved to sail on her. "What will they do if they all quit?" as was recited by Chief to Ricky Nelson's character is a smile. Climbing the mast to release the stuck sail a sailor is told to "don't look down". Jack's ability to go from a comedy moment here to a serious moment and back is a joy to watch and much of that takes place even before they leave the dock. I had almost forgotten this movie but it popped up on TV today and I had a wonderful couple of hours. For those who have seen the movie Up Periscope - you'll have an idea of how they altered this script for that movie. The wackiest ship in the army is a movie that should never become lost.

Wonder Woman: Beauty on Parade (1976) Season 1, Episode 3

not sure the kids of today would enjoy - too bad

[5/10 · 11 January 2014]

I recall watching this show as a preteen and yet could never see Wonder Woman as a female role model. She had to be two people and one was always patted on the head. When you compare her to SG-1's Samatha Carter - a soldier and scientist - you see how times have changed.

Was I wrong in seeing that the tunnel that got blown up at the beginning of the episode looked very much like the entrance to the SG-1 site? Watching Wonder Woman now-you see a great collection of vintage clothes. I love the goons in suits, ties and hats and despite there being a beauty pageant the female roles are well-clothed and stylish. You also hear an easier tempo in the dialogue in the storyline. And that rotary coin phone - ah the good old days.

The Mark of Zorro (1940)

black & white - a great movie

[8/10 · 4 January 2014]

I have loved this movie since I was a little girl. This was one of the movies my Father sat us kids down to watch during Sunday Family Classics. The fencing scene here is as thrilling to watch as the ones in Captian Blood, SeaHawk and Robin Hood - those three starring Errol Flynn. Watching Basil Rathbone in roles other than Sherlock Holmes shows the range of roles and the skills they needed to learn to be a star. While Tyronne Power was the lead - all the top say 10 roles shared the storyline - almost equally in screen time and lines of dialogue. It remains a balanced and strong storyline. The black and white photography in this movie helps the mood and the scene with the large shadow of Zorro would definitely not work in color.

A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

Stronger female characters than today

[9/10 · 1 January 2014]

This movie continues to show how well women characters were written for and portrayed. The women portrayed here are independent characters that hold well-rounded lives. They are able to handle home and business which is what life was like after WWII. They show their fears and worries but with strength. The women stand beside the man not a few feet behind and vice versa. Compare the man to woman relationship of these three main couples to the portrayals of the radio sponsor couple-the Manleys. It seems that women characters were stronger when "we did not have equal rights" than now. Fully clothed, little violence, no foul language. The movie "The Women" also had very strong female characters and again look when the movie was made. Addie was a great person and friend - better than these 3 women realized - she fixed it so the women would see that they've been taking their husbands for granted. Wonder if we could ever see a movie entitled " A Letter to three Husbands" that was as sophisticated and mature? The women all looked to the phone booth upon reading the letter. Could we ever have this kind of worry today that resulted in this great story with cell phones, wi-fi, texting, facebook, twitter, gps phone tracking, etc. Nope to each query.

The War of the Worlds (1953)

Curl up in the dark to watch

[8/10 · 29 December 2013]

I've loved this movie since I can recall first seeing it as a child. The Martian sound and ship seriously make me smile. I still want to help that Martian in the end. I recommend that you watch it in the dark with a snack as if you were in the movie house for the best viewing and NO talking. I have it on VHS and watch it at least once a year. Gene Barry is a hunk. The female lead is a mix of panic and strength. Still don't know why the Martians were interested in her. The first 3 to die were immigrant, blue collar and white collar-no one was safe. I've sometimes put the VHS in and just listened to it to compare the fear factor to the radio version which I also have. The special effects are great. SG-1 used the philosophy of the force field were the Martians could shoot out of the field but shots could not get in with the Gouald. The SG-1 episode were the "alien" race could walk through walls used a red-blue-green signal that looked very much like the Martian eye. Days prior to writing this review-there was an actual fire ball seen in the sky that looked similar to the first Martian ship entering the atmosphere. These references show how much influence this movie has and there's more.

Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938)

lighthearted series

[7/10 · 29 December 2013]

Mr Moto's series are decently written escapism. These were written when you needed to get away from everyday issues and had to contend with radio serials. You had a mystery to solve, scenery that took you away from home-even if a set-and music. The detective is not as stiff as Holmes or Chan yet the villains and motives can be difficult to figure out. Michael Shayne series are similar. Dialogue and story lines - not language, nudity and violence. There is an episode of SG-1 (when the team goes back in time due to an old recording they found of themselves) which duplicated the cache of weapons as Mr Moto finds in this movie. Mr Lorre's character in this series allowed him to show his variety of skills - he was not limited in the roles he was given.

Murder by Death (1976)

I can't believe I just caught these

[10/10 · 23 March 2013]

Spoilers for those who have never seen this movie. In the kitchen when Marples, Chang and Perrier first found the dead butler - Marples asked Perrier's opinion on the liquid in the cup that was on the table in front of the dead butler - he said Nes pa and Marbles replied no cocoa (Perrier is played by James Coco). Lionel Twain's address as seen at the beginning of the show as stated by Chang is 22 Twain. Get it? Lionel trains and Choo Choo trains. I also remember Chang seeing Sherlock and Watson at the end. Thought it odd that a butler opens the front door and moves left but closes it by moving farther left than right - since he seemed to recall the little steps up and down it must have been written solely as a sight gag. Neil Simon is a genius! Good clean fun and writing that is still upstanding. It is also interesting to note the words that in 2013 get bleeped out when it was OK in earlier regular TV broadcasts. Same thing occurs in Ghost Breakers.

The Wrecking Crew (1968)

love the campiness and fun of the series

[8/10 · 29 July 2012]

Dean Martin's Matt Helm is always fun to watch. Definitely designed as PG male entertainment but I still love it. Recently saw all 4 movies again and I admit each still kept my attention as fun. The main female characters in these films maintained strong images for the times and it was great to see them. Some appeared in other 60's fun movies and maintained strong images. The 2 James Flint movies are also quirky fun but did not have strong women characters. I just noticed that in the Wrecking Crew - as Matt picks up his jacket to leave there is dust on the pink cushions around the jacket BUT not under it which shows a concern for detail by the film crew - kudos. The music is great !