Dumpster Dive #1: Chickenhawk by Robert Mason

.39 cents at the local Salvation Army, early '80's non-fiction paperback (1983 to be exact) concerning the Vietnam War. No-lose situation right? We will find out (I'm slogging through Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarre and I should probably finish that first; a little over halfway through and I have only the faintest idea what is going on, let alone who Karla is...ugh) soon enough and I'm psyched to get this ball rolling.

"...Violent, deafening, treetop world of 1000 Viet Nam helicopter missions...its vertical plunge into the thickets of madness, will stun readers as well..."
—Time

Sounds like it might have potential and I will report back as I make some headway.

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Movie Review: Valentino (1977) directed by Ken Russell

This was another selection guided by my progression through the review compilation When the Lights Go Down by Rosemary Kael, which collects her reviews from the latter half of the 70's. Valentino emerged in 1977, one of a multitude of biopics from Ken Russell, this time focused upon the silent film star Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) and his rise from ballroom gigolo dancer to massive movie star, following abruptly with his premature demise. Tasked to play the Italian-American was Soviet dancer/choreographer Rudolf Nureyev; his strongly accented English, though not authentically Italian inflected, nonetheless 'works' in an organic fashion (it isn't 'fake' bad English, if that makes any sense). Further, the fact that Nuryev is not an actor per se actually plays nicely into the caricature -- and not having the pleasure of knowing the real Valentino, I must assume that is what this portrayal largely is: a larger than life caricature. 'Rudy' is always '

HBO July 1st, 1980 Killer Fish starring Lee Majors, Karen Black et al.

I won't bother with excuses as to why it's been several years since my last post (ok but only briefly...a 3 year old son came into the picture and that has certainly curtailed my activity in just about every way); I'm back with a look at July of 1980 and, starting at the top, we have Show Stoppers, hosted by Odd Couple star Tony Randall. I was only able to find a couple numbers from the show, thanks (perpetually) to my friend YouTube and user blah. At 9:30, the main event, Lee Majors, that ubiquitous face of action televsion through much of the 70's and early 80's, stars in Killer Fish. Killer Fish, I kid you not. When I first saw this title in the guide I thought "...some kind of nature documentary, a la Wild Kingdom etc..." but no, upon further perusal I find it has something to do with a jewel heist and, yes, evil fishes. Piranhas again, to be precise. But this plot is clearly an attempt to hit that 'evil nature' thing somewhat obliquely, wit

Movie Review: "Snowball Express" (1972) HBO January 1st, Friday, 6:30 am

The first movie listed in the January '82 guide is Snowball Express , airing at 6:30 am, perfectly appropriate for the little ones to wake to (see previous post for my comments on the similarly inappropriate scheduling of Border Cop immediately afterwards at 8:30). This is a Walt Disney production starring Dean Jones (whom I recognized from somewhere when I first saw him, and it appears I'm remembering from the Herbie the Love Bug Disney flicks as I don't see anything else in his oeuvre that looks remotely familiar) and the instantly recognizable Harry Morgan (actually instantly known from his characteristic voice more this his appearance, hidden as it is behind a scraggly beard in this appearance) from the TV series MASH . Also noteworthy is the little freckly ginger kid (Johnny Whitaker) from Family Affair , a late '60's/early '70's TV show I remember well in syndication during the late '70's, typically aired around the Partridge Family and si

Ryan on a Tangent

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