LIFE IMITATES ART

 

DC comics predicted the Trump presidency.  Well, kind of.

Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor first appeared, as just Luthor, in April of 1940 in Action Comics #23.  He was a middle-aged diabolical genius with a full head of red hair.  An artist’s error in a newspaper strip less than a year later resulted in Luthor’s first appearance as completely bald.

The “Silver Age” (when I was growing up) Luthor, now given the first name Lex so he could be an “LL”, was introduced in April of 1960 in Adventure Comics #271.  Teen-aged Luthor, like Clark Kent from Smallville, originally hero-worshipped Superboy.  Determined to prove he was Earth’s greatest scientist by creating artificial life, his recklessness and inexperience caused a fire in his laboratory.  Superboy arrived and put out the fire, but accidentally destroyed the artificial life form and all of Luthor’s notes, and the fumes from the chemical fire caused Luthor’s hair to fall out.  Unwilling to admit he was responsible for the fire, Luthor believed Superboy was jealous of his intellect and caused the fire and he swore revenge.

It was in the recreation of the DC Universe after the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” that Lex Luthor was changed from an evil genius scientist to an evil genius corporate executive – a billionaire businessman who was actually partially based on Trump.  This is the Luthor portrayed on TV series over the last three decades.  In the comics Luthor became the 43^rd President of the United States.

There are two main differences between DC’s President Luthor and Trump.  Luthor was an evil genius – Trump is certainly not a genius (stable or otherwise), just evil.  And Luthor was surprisingly portrayed as competent during his time in office – unlike Trump, who was the most incompetent President in US history.

And, of course, Luthor was bald, while Trump is merely “tonsorially challenged”.

One major similarity.  Superman was the symbol of “truth, justice and the American way”.  So, as Superman’s enemy Luthor was the enemy of truth, justice and the American way.  Just like Trump.

TAFN

A COUPLE OF THINGS NO ONE EVER TOLD YOU

 

HOLY TURN DOWN, BATMAN!

The camp 1960s BATMAN television series was known for casting famous movie actors (and actresses), often from an earlier generation, as the weekly villain.  The list included Cesar Romero, Vincent Price, Eli Wallach, Van Johnson, Michael Rennie, George Sanders, Walter Slezak, Cliff Robertson, and Howard Duff (with wife Ida Lupino), and Talluluah Bankhead, Shelly Winters and Anne Baxter.

Iconic movie star Spencer Tracy was originally approached by the show’s producer to play Penguin, but he turned the role down.

Spencer explained in an interview how he responded to the request -

“My reply cited what Maggie Sullivan said when she was offered an Andy Hardy family picture. She said, 'I'll do it when it is titled 'Death Comes to Andy Hardy.' I'll do a Batman when it's called 'Death Comes to Batman.'" 

I guess he was not a fan of the show.

SCHOOL DAYS

Over the years the success of the iconic 1955 movie THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, adapted from the semi-autographical novel by Evan Hunter (perhaps better known as Ed McBain, author of the 87^th Precinct police procedural series of novels), has inspired a genre of classroom-based movies about sensitive and sympathetic teachers dealing with the problems of teen-aged urban youth – up to my generation’s TO SIR WITH LOVE (Sidney Poitier was a student in THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE and the teacher in TO SIR WITH LOVE) and UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE.

{Aside – I met Evan Hunter, and his beautiful wife, twice.  Once on a murder mystery themed cruise on the QE II and later at a murder mystery week-end at the Mohonk Mountain House resort hotel in New Paltz, NY.}

Three little known movies from the early 1960’s set in classrooms, two in high school and one in college, that I came across a few years ago on the TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES (TCM) cable station had some interesting choices cast in the role of the teacher – the equivalent of Glenn Ford in TBJ.

BECAUSE THEY’RE YOUNG, released in April of 1960, starred Dick Clark as a High School history teacher who becomes involved with the lives of his students (among them Tuesday Weld, Doug McClure and Michael Callan).

COLLEGE CONFIDENTIAL, released in August of 1960, cast Steve Allen as a college Sociology professor who conducts a survey about the lifestyles and sexual urges of the younger generation.  The cast also included Allen’s wife Jayne Meadows, Mamie Van Doren and rockabilly singer Conway Twitty (whose name inspired that of BYE BYE BIRDIE’s Conrad Birdie).

THE EXPLOSIVE GENERATION, released in October of 1961, was William Shatner’s first starring movie role – a High School teacher who assigns his students to write anonymous essays about sex.  The students include Billy Gray (Bud on FATHER KNOWS BEST) and Beau Bridges.

TAFN

YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFULLY TAUGHT

 

Here is perhaps the most important of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s songs, from SOUTH PACIFIC –
 
You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught from year to year,
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear—
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
 
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a different shade—
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
 
You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate—
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
 

SOUTH PACIFIC was having a bit of trouble during its out of town try-outs. It appears the show was running a bit long.  Consideration was given to how to trim a few minutes from the production.  Several individuals suggested that this song be cut from the show. But Richard and Oscar would not have it – they were adamant in their support of this song. Their response was - if the song is cut, they might as well close the show out of town. Since R+H were the producers the song remained.

 

The song relevant again today in light of the current political situation.  We must NEVER allow radical fundamental Christians or Republican fascists to be able to censor or control what is taught in our public schools!

 
TAFN

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING MARGARET

 

My first introduction to Agatha Christie’s “Miss Marple” was not via the books or the BBC and ITV tv series shown in America on PBS - but from the four British films from the early 1960s starring Margaret Rutherford (she also appeared as Miss Marple in an uncredited cameo in THE ALPHABET MURDERS).

   
Some Miss Marple trivia: 

* While it was thought Agatha Christie did not approve of Rutherford’s portrayal of Marple, Christie dedicated her novel THE MIRROR CRACK'D "To Margaret Rutherford in admiration".

* Joan Hickson, who starred as the retired school teacher in the 1984 to 1992 BBC series, played a housekeeper in the first film in which Margaret Rutherford played Marple.

 * Before she updated the Marple retired school teacher detective character to modern day Jessica Fletcher, Angela Lansbury was Jane Marple in the 1980 film THE MIRROR CRACK’D, whose cast included Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis and Pierce Brosnan.  And Helen Hayes assumed the role in two tv movies.

But this post is about Margaret and not Jane.

Margaret Rutherford was also known for her performance as Grand Duchess Gloriana XIII in THE MOUSE ON THE MOON (in the original THE MOUSE THAT ROARED the role was one of several played by Peter Sellers) and for her 1963 best supporting actress Oscar turn as The Duchess of Brighton in THE VIPs. 

  
Rutherford went into acting rather late in life, making her stage debut at the Old Vic in 1925 at age 33.  She achieved West End prominence as Miss Prism in THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at the Globe Theatre in 1939.  In 1941 she was the bumbling medium Madame Arcati in Noel Coward's BLITHE SPIRIT at the Piccadilly Theatre, a role which Coward wrote for her (I saw Beatrice Lilly as Madame Arcati on Broadway in a musical version titled HIGH SPIRITS that also starred Tammy Grimes and Robert Woodward, tv’s original EQUALIZER).  She was also in the film adaptations of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST and BLITHE SPIRIT. 

She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1961 and was raised to Dame Commander (DBE) in 1967.

What makes Margaret Rutherford a topic for discussion is not her professional career but her personal life and family history.

Her father, William Rutherford Benn, suffered from mental illness.  During his honeymoon he had a nervous breakdown and was confined to an asylum.  In March of 1883, after being released on holiday, he bludgeoned his father, Congregational minister Julius Benn, to death with a chamber pot.  He later tried to kill himself by slashing his throat with a pocketknife.  Benn was confined to the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.  Several years later he was released, reportedly cured of his mental affliction.  He changed his name to Rutherford and returned to his wife Ann.

Margaret Rutherford was born in 1892 in Balham, the only child of William Rutherford Benn’s second wife Florence.   As an infant Margaret and her parents moved to India.  She returned to England when she was three to live with an aunt in Wimbledon after her pregnant mother committed suicide by hanging herself from a tree.  Her father also returned to England and was confined once more to Broadmoor in 1904.

She married character actor Stringer Davis in 1945 and the couple appeared in many productions together, including all the Marple movies and THE MOUSE ON THE MOON.  They were happily together until Rutherford's death.  Davis nursed Rutherford through periods of depression, often involving stays in mental hospitals and electric shock treatment.  In the 1950s, Rutherford and Davis unofficially adopted the writer Gordon Langley Hall, then in his twenties.  Hall later had a sex-change operation and became Dawn Langley Simmons, under which name she wrote a biography of Rutherford in 1983.

Rutherford suffered from Alzheimer's disease at the end of her life and was unable to work.  She died on May 22, 1972, at age 80.

TAFN

JUST PLAIN STUPID

Sadly, what today’s political situation comes down to is the fact that most Republicans are just plain stupid.

There has NEVER been an intelligent or acceptable reason for ANYONE to support Trump for ANY political office.

 
Anyone Who thinks Trump actually knows his ass from a hole in the ground about anything is just plain stupid.
 
Anyone who thinks Trump actually cares one ounce about anyone or anything but himself is just plain stupid.
 
Anyone who thinks Trump actually won the 2020 election and it was "stolen" from him is just plain stupid.
 
Anyone who thinks Trump is actually honest is just plain stupid.
 
Anyone who thinks anything Trump says about anything is actually true is just plain stupid.
 
Anyone who thinks Trump is a actually a Christian is just plain stupid.
 
While in some cases ignorance may be bliss, the ignorance of Republicans is truly dangerous and poses a serious threat to the future of America.
 
TAFN

 

YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK MORON 

If you think Trump is a conservative – you might be a moron.

If you think Trump is a Christian – you might be a moron.

If you think Trump knows his arse from a hole in the ground about anything – you might be a moron.

If you think Trump cares one ounce about anyone or anything but himself – you might be a moron.

If you think Trump is an appropriate and acceptable choice for President, or any government office at any level – you might be a moron.

Forget might be – you ARE a complete fucking moron!

TAFN

THE REAL "TEFLON DON"

1. Presidential candidate Gary Hart was forced to drop out of the race when it was revealed he had extramarital affairs.

Trump cheated on wife #1 with wife #2 and on wife #2 with wife #3.  He paid a porn actress to keep quiet about their affair.  And he had an affair with a Playboy model.

Trump Supporters: “Trump is an honest and decent Christian and conservative.  We support him 100%.”

2. Senator Al Franken was forced to resign from Congress because he engaged in minor sexual improprieties.

Trump gleefully bragged to a tv reporter that women let him grab their pussies because he is famous.  Many women have accused Trump of various degrees of sexual assault, including rape.

Trump Supporters: “Trump is an honest and decent Christian and conservative.  We support him 100%”.

3. The campaign of Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was damaged because he paid a low effective tax rate (partially due to excessive charitable contributions).

Trump refused to release his tax returns, but when one was leaked it was learned that he paid absolutely no federal income tax in at least one year.

Trump Supporters: “Trump is an honest and decent Christian and conservative.  We support him 100%”.

And the list goes on and on.

The one and only true statement Trump has ever made is that he could shoot a man on 5^th Avenue and his base would still love him – and he would get away with it.

The bottom line –

1. Trump has committed every single “bad act” that has in the past damaged or destroyed a political career without consequence.

2. Trump supporters are complete fucking morons.

TAFN