Nostalgia.
I am the type of person who doesn’t accept the trash that is called “entertainment” today, stuff that is vulgar, isn’t funny or interesting to me, and certainly isn’t the least bit entertaining in my eyes.
That is why I will always give a look-see to real entertainment, and this past weekend, that is exactly what I did, both on the real nostalgic side and also on the modern nostalgic path.
First off, the Decades network this past weekend ran a marathon of one of my favorite shows of all-time, “The Adventures of Superman,” and watching it through the eyes of an adult after watching it through the yes of a child during my own childhood, it still mesmerizes me, still thrills me, and still keeps me glued to the television.
This was the ultimate Baby Boomers show, and for anyone who was born literally from about 1948 through 1965 or so, “The Adventures of Superman” was our touchstone for entertainment … pretty much every one of us was greatly impacted by this show, whether watching it originally or in its countless reruns.
Not directly knocking any other TV or big screen Superman, but let’s face it, George Reeves is, was, and will always be the Man of Steel to us.
He simply embodied the character better than any other actor ever did, and today’s kids can point to other actors who did the role well—and roll their eyes when Reeves is brought up—but no other actor WAS Superman better than Reeves was.
Sure, the show’s stories were pretty elementary, geared to us kids and with minimal, or even laughable, special effects, but the show simply rings the bell when it comes to entertainment.
And Reeves is helped along by a bevy of actors who were literally born to play their roles, including Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, John Hamilton as Perry White, and Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson.
And then we have Lois Lane, Clark Kent’s coworker at the Daily Planet and sort-of love interest of Superman, played first on the TV show by Phyllis Coates and then by Noelle Neil, who played the character in the movie serial with Kirk Allyn as Superman.
Some people like Coates’ version of Lane better, her being a staunch, no-nonsense reporter who more closely resembles women in the modern world.
Neill was a more vulnerable Lane, sexier and seemingly always ready to be rescored by the Man of Steel.
I personally think it is a toss-up about which actress was better in the role, but both are really good at what they were doing.
I have the entire series on DVD, so I can watch the show anytime I want, but it was nice to see it again on Decades during this marathon which kind of transformed me back into my eight-year-old self again while I watched just how good the show was, both in black and white and in color.
While I decry modern entertainment, I have to say that I was quite surprised by the latest retelling of the Elvis Presley story in the movie “Elvis.”
The film was long—nearly three hours—but with a few minor bumps and omissions, it was an excellent movie, certainly the best I have seen this year.
First, the story weaves in and out of literally the creation of Elvis the singer, the actor, and even later on,, the pill popper, showing how even when he became “The King,” he was still the slave to the whims—and needs—of Col. Tom Parker, a shady character who was the creation of a Dutch illegal immigrant who somehow, though his own smarts, was able to mold Presley into not only a megastar but into his own money tree.
Tom Hanks is Col. Parker, and he is absolutely terrific in his role, probably one of this best performances ever.
Austin Butler is a spectacular Elvis. You really believe he is the actual Presley throughout the film, and in some shots, he really almost looks like The King.
This is really a two-person movie, directed by Baz Lohmann, interspersing real period footage of both Elvis and his fans with the film footage with an expert panache.
The movie is less about Elvis Presley and more about Col. Parker and how he shaped The King to bow to his own needs,, and it is done so well here that maybe, just maybe, modern entertainment can succeed when it is done the right way, as this film does.
So this weekend, I literally traveled back to the 1950s with Superman and Elvis, and I have to say that I really enjoyed myself in doing so.
Nostalgia is a great thing when it is done well, and watching “The Adventures of Superman” again, and taking in “Elvis” with some doubts in my mind, I found that I got what I knew I would get with the former, and got way more than I expected with the latter.
And there is nothing wrong with that …
That’s entertainment!
I am the type of person who doesn’t accept the trash that is called “entertainment” today, stuff that is vulgar, isn’t funny or interesting to me, and certainly isn’t the least bit entertaining in my eyes.
That is why I will always give a look-see to real entertainment, and this past weekend, that is exactly what I did, both on the real nostalgic side and also on the modern nostalgic path.
First off, the Decades network this past weekend ran a marathon of one of my favorite shows of all-time, “The Adventures of Superman,” and watching it through the eyes of an adult after watching it through the yes of a child during my own childhood, it still mesmerizes me, still thrills me, and still keeps me glued to the television.
This was the ultimate Baby Boomers show, and for anyone who was born literally from about 1948 through 1965 or so, “The Adventures of Superman” was our touchstone for entertainment … pretty much every one of us was greatly impacted by this show, whether watching it originally or in its countless reruns.
Not directly knocking any other TV or big screen Superman, but let’s face it, George Reeves is, was, and will always be the Man of Steel to us.
He simply embodied the character better than any other actor ever did, and today’s kids can point to other actors who did the role well—and roll their eyes when Reeves is brought up—but no other actor WAS Superman better than Reeves was.
Sure, the show’s stories were pretty elementary, geared to us kids and with minimal, or even laughable, special effects, but the show simply rings the bell when it comes to entertainment.
And Reeves is helped along by a bevy of actors who were literally born to play their roles, including Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, John Hamilton as Perry White, and Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson.
And then we have Lois Lane, Clark Kent’s coworker at the Daily Planet and sort-of love interest of Superman, played first on the TV show by Phyllis Coates and then by Noelle Neil, who played the character in the movie serial with Kirk Allyn as Superman.
Some people like Coates’ version of Lane better, her being a staunch, no-nonsense reporter who more closely resembles women in the modern world.
Neill was a more vulnerable Lane, sexier and seemingly always ready to be rescored by the Man of Steel.
I personally think it is a toss-up about which actress was better in the role, but both are really good at what they were doing.
I have the entire series on DVD, so I can watch the show anytime I want, but it was nice to see it again on Decades during this marathon which kind of transformed me back into my eight-year-old self again while I watched just how good the show was, both in black and white and in color.
While I decry modern entertainment, I have to say that I was quite surprised by the latest retelling of the Elvis Presley story in the movie “Elvis.”
The film was long—nearly three hours—but with a few minor bumps and omissions, it was an excellent movie, certainly the best I have seen this year.
First, the story weaves in and out of literally the creation of Elvis the singer, the actor, and even later on,, the pill popper, showing how even when he became “The King,” he was still the slave to the whims—and needs—of Col. Tom Parker, a shady character who was the creation of a Dutch illegal immigrant who somehow, though his own smarts, was able to mold Presley into not only a megastar but into his own money tree.
Tom Hanks is Col. Parker, and he is absolutely terrific in his role, probably one of this best performances ever.
Austin Butler is a spectacular Elvis. You really believe he is the actual Presley throughout the film, and in some shots, he really almost looks like The King.
This is really a two-person movie, directed by Baz Lohmann, interspersing real period footage of both Elvis and his fans with the film footage with an expert panache.
The movie is less about Elvis Presley and more about Col. Parker and how he shaped The King to bow to his own needs,, and it is done so well here that maybe, just maybe, modern entertainment can succeed when it is done the right way, as this film does.
So this weekend, I literally traveled back to the 1950s with Superman and Elvis, and I have to say that I really enjoyed myself in doing so.
Nostalgia is a great thing when it is done well, and watching “The Adventures of Superman” again, and taking in “Elvis” with some doubts in my mind, I found that I got what I knew I would get with the former, and got way more than I expected with the latter.
And there is nothing wrong with that …
That’s entertainment!
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