Category Archives: The Big Screen

Mystery AT-AT

Posted on August 29, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Posted in Humor, Planes Trains and Automobiles, The Big Screen, The Little Screen (Television)

Imperial Volks-Walker

Posted on August 28, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Posted in Humor, Planes Trains and Automobiles, The Big Screen

Anniversary of Mary Poppins

Posted on August 27, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers’s book series Mary Poppins. The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family’s dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, using painted London background scenes.

Wikipedia Link

Awesome article on Disney

Posted in Anniversary, Because I Can, Music, The Big Screen

Anniversary of the Wizard of Oz

Posted on August 25, 2025 by James| Comments Off

From Wikipedia:

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and distributed by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment. Widely considered to be one of the greatest films in cinema history, it is the best-known and most commercially successful adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Directed primarily by Victor Fleming (who left the production to take over the troubled Gone with the Wind), the film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale alongside Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr.

Characterized by its legendary use of Technicolor (although not being the first to use it), fantasy storytelling, musical score, and memorable characters, the film has become an American pop culture icon. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost to Gone with the Wind, also directed by Fleming. It did win in two other categories: Best Original Song for “Over the Rainbow” and Best Original Score by Herbert Stothart. While the film was considered a critical success upon release in August 1939, it failed to make a profit for MGM until the 1949 re-release, earning only $3,017,000 on a $2,777,000 budget, not including promotional costs, which made it MGM’s most expensive production at that time.

The 1956 television broadcast premiere of the film on the CBS network reintroduced the film to the public; according to the Library of Congress, it is the most seen film in movie history. It was among the first 25 films that inaugurated the National Film Registry list in 1989. It is also one of the few films on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The film is among the top ten in the BFI (British Film Institute) list of 50 films to be seen by the age of 14.

The Wizard of Oz is the source of many quotes referenced in contemporary popular culture. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but others made uncredited contributions. The songs were written by Edgar “Yip” Harburg (lyrics) and Harold Arlen (music). The musical score and the incidental music were composed by Stothart.

Posted in Anniversary, Because I Can, On This Day, The Big Screen, The Little Screen (Television)

RIP Elvis!

Posted on August 16, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known mononymously as Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll” or simply “the King”.

Posted in Anniversary, Because I Can, Music, The Big Screen

RIP Robin Williams (No more nanu nanu)

Posted on August 11, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014)

Robin McLaurin Williams was an American actor, voice actor, and stand-up comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork & Mindy (1978-1982), Williams went on to establish a successful career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting. His film career included such acclaimed films as Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as financial successes such as Popeye (1980), Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Night at the Museum (2006), and Happy Feet (2006).

Wikipedia Article

Posted in Anniversary, Humor, The Big Screen, The Little Screen (Television)

40th Anniversary of Real Genius

Posted on August 7, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Real Genius was released on August 7, 1985.

Real Genius is a 1985 American science fiction comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge, written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft, and PJ Torokvei, and starring Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret. The film, set on the campus of Pacific Tech, a science and engineering university similar to Caltech, follows Chris Knight (Kilmer), a genius in his senior year, who is paired with a new student on campus, Mitch Taylor (Jarret), to work on a chemical laser, only to learn it will be used for dangerous purposes.

The film received positive reviews from critics, and grossed $13 million at the North American box office.

Wikipedia Article

Posted in Anniversary, Because I Can, Humor, The Big Screen

Tron: Ares Official Trailer

Posted on August 2, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Posted in Because I Can, The Big Screen

100 Years of History in 100 Films

Posted on July 27, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Posted in The Big Screen

Happy Birthday Martin and Lewis

Posted on July 25, 2025 by James| Comments Off

On July 25, 1946, Martin and Lewis took the stage at Atlantic City’s Club 500 to create one of the most celebrated unions in comedy history.

*Note – The video (part 1) says they were “born July 26, 1946”, but several other references say July 25, 1946. “The world may never know.”

Wikipedia Article

Posted in Anniversary, Humor, On This Day, The Big Screen, The Little Screen (Television)

Happy Birthday, Han Solo/Dr. Jones!

Posted on July 13, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Solo! Hay lapa no ya, Solo!

Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. His career has spanned six decades and includes roles in several Hollywood blockbusters, including Presumed Innocent, The Fugitive, Air Force One, and What Lies Beneath. At one point, four of the top six box-office hits of all time included one of his roles. Five of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry.

In 1997, Ford was ranked No. 1 in Empire‘s “The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time” list. As of July 2008, the United States domestic box office grosses of Ford’s films total over US$3.5 billion, with worldwide grosses surpassing $6 billion, making Ford the third highest grossing U.S. domestic box-office star. Ford is the husband of actress Calista Flockhart.

Posted in Anniversary, The Big Screen

The Genius Tricks Behind 1920s Movie Stunts

Posted on July 7, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Posted in Because I Can, The Big Screen, The Little Screen (Television)

40th Anniversary of Back to the Future

Posted on July 3, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Back to the Future is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, it follows Marty McFly (Fox), a teenager accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean automobile built by his eccentric scientist friend Emmett “Doc” Brown (Lloyd), where he inadvertently prevents his future parents from falling in love – threatening his own existence – and is forced to reconcile them and somehow get back to the future.

Posted in Anniversary, Because I Can, The Big Screen

Anniversary of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Posted on June 30, 2025 by James| Comments Off

WillyWonkaMoviePoster — Original Movie Poster (June 30, 1971)

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl and tells the story of Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum, in his only film appearance) as he receives a Golden Ticket and visits Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory with four other children from around the world.

Filming took place in Munich in 1970, and the film was released by Paramount Pictures on June 30, 1971. With a budget of just $3 million, the film received positive reviews and performed well in 1971, earning about $4 million at the end of its original run. It then made an additional $21 million during its 1996 re-release.

The film has since developed a cult following especially due to its repeated television airings and home entertainment sales. In 1972, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, and Wilder was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, but lost both to Fiddler on the Roof. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Wikipedia Link

Posted in Anniversary, The Big Screen

Happy Birthday, Kris Kristofferson

Posted on June 22, 2025 by James| Comments Off

Kristoffer “Kris” Kristofferson is an influential American country music songwriter, singer and actor. He is best known for hits such as “Me and Bobby McGee”, “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”, and “Help Me Make It Through the Night”.

Wikipedia Link

Posted in Anniversary, Music, The Big Screen

50th Anniversary of Jaws

Posted on June 20, 2025 by James| Comments Off

On June 20, 1975, we learned that it was no longer “safe to go back into the water.”

Wikipedia Link

Posted in Anniversary, The Big Screen

45th Anniversary of The Blues Brothers

Posted on June 20, 2025 by James| Comments Off

From Wikipedia:

The Blues Brothers is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by John Landis. It stars John Belushi as “Joliet” Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd as his brother Elwood, characters developed from the recurring musical sketch “The Blues Brothers” on NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. The film is set in and around Chicago, Illinois, where it was filmed, and the screenplay was written by Aykroyd and Landis. It features musical numbers by rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and blues singers James Brown, Cab Calloway (in his final feature film role), Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, and John Lee Hooker. It features non-musical supporting performances by Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson, Charles Napier, Kathleen Freeman and John Candy.