Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 American romantic comedy fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter Kim. Supporting roles are portrayed by Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Alan Arkin and Vincent Price.






At the time of his casting, Depp was wanting to break out of the teen idol status which his performance in 21 Jump Street had afforded him. When he was sent the script he immediately found personal and emotional connections with the story.


In the casting of Edward, Fox was persistent in wanting Tom Cruise to play the part (who was displeased at the unhappy ending), although Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, William Hurt and Robert Downey, Jr. expressed an interest and were considered.  However, Tim Burton's first choice was Michael Jackson.


The role of "The Inventor" was specifically written for Vincent Price.  The Inventor, Edward's "father" created him and taught him how to speak, read and be socially polite. He died due to his great age before he could give Edward a complete set of hands.


Edward is an unfinished creation of his inventor/father who dies before he can complete the job. He is removed from his lonely existence in a hilltop mansion by Avon lady Peg Boggs and eventually lives with her family in a pastel-colored version of suburbia.

The film was shot in the Tampa Bay area of Florida . . . various locations, the mansion scenes were shot outside of Dade City . . . the locations partly chosen because of Florida's frequent blue skies.  Local filming lasted three months before moving to Fox Studios in California for the interior mansion scenes.

He becomes the source of fantasy, gossip, resentment, adoration and lust for the neighbors, whom he wins over with his outlandish haircuts and elaborate sculptures. Burton explained that his depiction of suburbia is "not a bad place. It's a weird place. I tried to walk the fine line of making it funny and strange without it being judgmental. It's a place where there's a lot of integrity."


Kim leaves her jock boyfriend to be with Edward, an event that many have postulated as Burton's revenge against jocks he encountered as a teenager. Jim is subsequently killed, a scene that shocked a number of observers who felt the whole tone of the film had been radically altered. Burton referred to this scene as a "high school fantasy".


There was obvious chemistry between Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder . . . they were "the engaged hot couple" back in those days, helping to draw a younger audience.  The movie was considered a box office success.


About Johnny's transformation into Edward . . . it took 1 hour and 45 minutes to go from gorgeous to creepy.






Information Source:  Wikipedia

Back To The Future . . . 25 years old!!!

One of my all time favorite movies,
Back to the Future,
turns 25 years old this month.


Futuristic films are among my favorites . . . West World, Logan's Run and Star Man are a few that I can watch over and over again, but Back to the Future was way special.

The most successful film of 1985 chronicles the saga of Marty McFly. The teenager is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955 where he meets his parents in high school and finds himself accidentally attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must find a way to repair the damage to history by causing his parents to fall in love, at the same time finding a way to return to 1985.

It surprised me to learn that the script was originally turned down by all of the major studios as "not being sexual enough" . . . Disney rejected it since a mother falling in love with her son was not appropriate for a "Disney family film." Universal Studios finally set up the project when Steven Spielberg became involved.

The chemistry between Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, who played Marty and Doc Brown, was classic. However, Lloyd was not the first choice for the part and Michael was committed to the television series Family Ties. I wonder what the success ratio would have been with the pairing of Eric Stoltz and John Lithgow playing those parts.

If you have ever dreamed of being a successful entertainer, be careful what you wish for . . . Fox's schedule during weekdays consisted of filming Family Ties during the day, and Back to the Future from 6:30 pm to 2:30 am. During Fridays, he shot from 10 pm to 6 or 7 am, and then moved on to film exterior scenes throughout the weekend, as he was only available during daytime.

The film went on to gross a worldwide total of $381.11 million and is currently the 59th highest grossing film in North America. Not too shabby for a script that was originally turned down by all the major studios.

Happy 25th Anniversary Back to the Future!

Where the Action Is

"Where the Action Is or (WTAI) was a music-based variety show which aired on television in the United States during the 1960s. It was carried by the ABC network and aired each weekday afternoon. Created by Dick Clark as a spin-off of American Bandstand, Where the Action Is premiered on June 27, 1965.

The show's theme song, "Action", became a hit single for Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon, peaking on the charts (#13) in September 1965. Most of the telecasts, all of which were produced in black-and-white, were taped at various locales in Southern California. The theme song was written by Steve Venet and Tommy Boyce who would later write songs for The Monkees.


The program had its own stable of performers, most notably Paul Revere & the Raiders, who served as the de facto house band. When the group departed the show in 1966, they were replaced by The Robbs. Other regular performers on Action included the dance troupe Pete Manifee and the Action Kids. Individual episodes featured a wide range of guest performers, as detailed below.

The weekday program was cancelled on March 31, 1967, with the network giving its local affiliates the time slot. However, members of the program's mainstay band Paul Revere and the Raiders (with lead vocalist Mark Lindsay) hosted very similar follow-up shows; both Revere and Lindsay hosted Happening '68, a Saturday afternoon follow-up to American Bandstand, and a weekday version of the same show, It's Happening, from 1968 to 1969. Both shows were produced by Dick Clark's production company for ABC."

Source: Wikipedia

Theme Song Lyrics

Title: "Action"

Composed By: Tommy Boyce & Steve Venet

Performed By: Freddy 'Boom Boom' Cannon

Oh, baby come on, let me take you where the action is.
Oh, baby come on, let me take you where the action is.
Oh, baby come on, let me take you where the action is.
It's so neat to meet ya baby where the action is.

In every little town cross the U.S.A.
There's a spot where the people tangle everyday
Just leave your problems and get away
Come down and listen to the guitars play.

Dance, dance dance when you hear that beat
Dance, dance dance get up off of your seat
Dance, dance dance let your back bone slip
Let's go to the place on the Sunset Strip
Oh, baby come on, let me take you where the action is.
Oh, baby come on, let me take you where the action is.
Oh, baby come on, let me take you where the action is.
It's so neat to meet ya baby where the action is.

Episode guides and videos - Online Video Guide

Fire Marshal Bill . . . In Living Color

Jim Carrey portrayed a fire marshal with a manic grin and scarred face whose safety advisories usually include demonstrating (on himself) the very disaster he's warning against. (Interestingly enough, every sketch illustrates a timeline of readily-visible damage on Bill from previous episodes). Usually, the warnings are against ridiculous situations that would never come to par. Catchphrases included "Lemme show ya something!!" and "It can be very, very DTUHHH-DTUHHH...DEADLY!" He was the only major character to be frequently used in all five seasons.

Source: Wikipedia


Some Fire Marshal Bill trivia . . .

The "Fire Marshal Bill" character (albeit with no lines) appeared in the background of one of the closing scenes in the Jim Carrey movie, Liar Liar.

About Jim Carrey and In Living Color . . .

Soon after starting his career as a stand up comedian in 1979, he began working at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He caught the eye of comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who immediately signed him to open his tour performances. Carrey developed a close friendship with comedian Damon Wayans leading to landing a role in the television comedy hit, In Living Color which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994.

The American sketch comedy television series was created, written and starred brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans, taped before a live studio audience.

Click here for full episodes and information
on the television series In Living Color.

Click here for Jim Carrey's official website.

Pillsbury Dough Boy

Remember these television commercials
and his silly little laugh?

I'm downsizing my life and selling most of
my vintage collections of "stuff" . . . this
cute Pillsbury Dough Boy is currently listed
in my eBay store . . . if you are interested

click this link:

SORRY, I HAVE SOLD THE PILLSBURY DOUGH BOY


Some videos to take you back . . .

Dancing Pillsbury Dough Boy

1970's Pillsbury Television Commercial

George Carlin on "Stuff"

My first recollection of George Carlin was his character "The Hippie Dippie Weatherman", his most notable would probably be his bit on "The Seven Words" that made him a very controversial performer of his time, but my favorite is "Stuff" . . . click here for George Carlin's 1986 "Comic Relief" performance on "Stuff"

Here is the transcript:

Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all, a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there. That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time.

A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you're saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get...more stuff!

Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore. Did you ever notice when you go to somebody else's house, you never quite feel a hundred percent at home? You know why? No room for your stuff. Somebody else's stuff is all over the place! And if you stay overnight, unexpectedly, they give you a little bedroom to sleep in. Bedroom they haven't used in about eleven years. Someone died in it, eleven years ago. And they haven't moved any of his stuff! Right next to the bed there's usually a dresser or a bureau of some kind, and there's NO ROOM for your stuff on it. Somebody else's shit is on the dresser.

Have you noticed that their stuff is shit and your shit is stuff? God! And you say, "Get that shit offa there and let me put my stuff down!"

Sometimes you leave your house to go on vacation. And you gotta take some of your stuff with you. Gotta take about two big suitcases full of stuff, when you go on vacation. You gotta take a smaller version of your house. It's the second version of your stuff. And you're gonna fly all the way to Honolulu. Gonna go across the continent, across half an ocean to Honolulu. You get down to the hotel room in Honolulu and you open up your suitcase and you put away all your stuff. "Here's a place here, put a little bit of stuff there, put some stuff here, put some stuff--you put your stuff there, I'll put some stuff--here's another place for stuff, look at this, I'll put some stuff here..." And even though you're far away from home, you start to get used to it, you start to feel okay, because after all, you do have some of your stuff with you. That's when your friend calls up from Maui, and says, "Hey, why don'tchya come over to Maui for the weekend and spend a couple of nights over here."

Oh, no! Now what do I pack? Right, you've gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The third version of your house. Just enough stuff to take to Maui for a coupla days. You get over to Maui--I mean you're really getting extended now, when you think about it. You got stuff ALL the way back on the mainland, you got stuff on another island, you got stuff on this island. I mean, supply lines are getting longer and harder to maintain. You get over to your friend's house on Maui and he gives you a little place to sleep, a little bed right next to his windowsill or something. You put some of your stuff up there. You put your stuff up there. You got your Visine, you got your nail clippers, and you put everything up. It takes about an hour and a half, but after a while you finally feel okay, say, "All right, I got my nail clippers, I must be okay." That's when your friend says, "Aaaaay, I think tonight we'll go over the other side of the island, visit a pal of mine and maybe stay over."

Aww, no. NOW what do you pack? Right--you gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The fourth version of your house. Only the stuff you know you're gonna need. Money, keys, comb, wallet, lighter, hanky, pen, smokes, rubber and change. Well, only the stuff you HOPE you're gonna need.


All material written and owned by George Carlin.

The Soup Nazi

The Soup Nazi came to my mind tonight . . . I was thinking about my dad and my strict upbringing and how rigid he was. I actually think he rarely enjoyed life for fear that he would be caught off guard and someone would get away with bending one of his rules. He hated laughter unless it was his joke and was getting the reaction he was looking for . . . at least this is how I remember him. He had that same intense look in his eyes as the Soup Nazi . . . .


gotta look at life with a little humor sometimes
This episode of Seinfeld and the character of the Soup Nazi has to be one of the highlights of Seinfeld . . . it is definitely one of the best of the classics and I enjoy it as the first time I saw it every time I see it again. And I never get tired of it . . . in fact, I find another detail each time.







"The Soup Nazi" Seinfeld episode #116, Season 7, September 1995
The character is a stone-faced immigrant chef with a thick moustache, renowned throughout Manhattan for his delicious soups. He demands that all customers in his restaurant meticulously follow his strict queuing, ordering, and payment policies. Failure to adhere to his demands brings the admonishment, "No soup for you!", whereupon the customer is refunded and denied his order.
The episode opens with Jerry going on and on about the delicious soups made by the Soup Nazi, making sure to "prep" George on the strict code of behavior required by the Soup Nazi in his store. But OMG . . . George makes a mistake while ordering soup by questioning the absence of bread, and is subsequently refused service.


(George notices he didn't get any bread with his soup.)

George: I didn't get any bread.



Jerry: Just forget it. Let it go.



George: Um, excuse me; I think you forgot my bread.



Soup Nazi: You want bread?



George: Yes please.



Soup Nazi: $3.00!



George: What?



Soup Nazi: No soup for you! (Snaps fingers.)



(The cashier takes away George's soup and gives him back his money.)





A while later . . .



George: I don't see how you can sit there eating

that and not even offer me any.



Jerry: I gave you a taste. What do you want?



George: Why can't we share?



Jerry: I told you not to say anything!

You can't go in there, brazenly flout the rules,

and then think I'm going to share with you!



George: Do you hear yourself?



Jerry: I'm sorry.



This is what comes from living under a Nazi regime!



Meanwhile, Elaine purchases an antique armoire, but cannot move it into the building on a Sunday and leaves Kramer to guard the armoire--which she must leave on the sidewalk. Elaine goes to purchase some soup, however, her behavior at the Soup Nazi's restaurant prompts him to shout, "No soup for you!" and ban her for one year.
Elaine's armoire is then stolen by a pair of homosexual "street toughs" who intimidate Kramer.
Kramer gains favor with the Soup Nazi and gives Kramer his own antique armoire. Kramer gives the armoire to Elaine as a replacement for her stolen one.
Elaine thanks the Soup Nazi for the armoire, but he declares that he never would have given it to Kramer if he knew it was for Elaine.
Elaine discovers the Soup Nazi's secret recipes in the old armoire and seeks revenge against him, taunting him, possibly also informing him for the first time of his popular nickname: "You're finished, Soup Nazi!"
This victory comes with a price, as the Soup Nazi decides to sell his remaining stock and close the business, to the dismay of everyone who loves his delicious soups.

Here are classic moments from this episode: