sullymangolf Reviews

Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

Good Action Movie

[4 June 2010]

I have always enjoyed this movie for many different reasons. One thing that people may not know about this movie is that it first was going to be about the Army and not the Marines. Clint's band of misfits were supposed to be Army Rangers. When Clint approached the Army for assistance they didn't want any part of it. The Army's "Be All You Can Be" image may get tattered. So Clint approached the Marines and they were glad to help him with his movie. I believe in the movie the Sergeant Major is in the bar looking at old pictures and telling the corporal about "Heart Break Ridge" and mention was made about he and Clint being in this battle as Army soldiers before they joined the USMC. In the Marines they have special units of Recon and Force Recon that are similar to Army Ranger and Army Special Forces units. So it became a Recon unit for the story. In real life it was the Rangers who freed the medical students at the campus from the Cuban soldiers. So this is why Clint tried to enlist the Army's help. With the current world climate today I am sure the Army would help Clint make his movie today. Anyway it was a good action movie with comic relief and a few different story lines working together at one time. Worth the rent.

The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)

A great intense movie for its time

[29 September 2009]

Finally I have found out the name of this movie! I have been trying to remember it for almost 40 + years. We were stationed at the US military base in Keflavik, Iceland in 1965-66. I remember being about 11 years old and going to the base theater to see this flick. It was very eerie. I saw this film about 3 or 4 times as it played over our time stationed in Keflavik. It was a scary movie for a kid back in those days. I remember a scene where one of the robots went into a bedroom where someone was hiding in the closet. The robot left before the person was found. It was an intense scene back in the day. Today I probably wouldn't think it so. Now that I have found the name of this flick I have to get a copy of it for old time's sake!

Men Into Space (1959–1960)

Cool space show for the time

[7 September 2009]

We were stationed at Saufley Field NAS in Pensacola, Florida from 1962-64. Dad was a Navy pilot and I liked all things military. I was 9-11 years old when we lived in Pensacola. I don't remember this show being on Wednesday night. I remember it came on Sunday mornings at 11 or 11:30 because our family would usually go to Mass at the base chapel at noon. I would only get a chance to see part of the show. If we attended services out at the Main Base at 5:30 I would get to watch the whole show. The only episode I remember is the one where 3 astronauts were walking around the moon and had only a little oxygen left in their tanks. They had a reserve tank but it needed a wrench to get it open and usable. Well one man had the wrench but it was inside his spacesuit. By the end of the show he had saved the others by opening his space suit (sacrificing himself) and getting the wrench. I remember the colonel talking with the hero's son on earth telling what a hero his dad was. Soon we would be off to Keflavik, Iceland and a new adventure. I never saw the show again, but I do have good memories of it.

The Paper Chase (1973)

Great film for a great time!

[9/10 · 23 August 2008]

I remember going to see this movie for the first time at a drive-in theater back in 1973. I did not know anything about the movie but after viewing it, I loved it. I was in college at the time and could relate to the chaos and workload the students were experiencing. This movie showed college life the way it was back in the late 60's, early 70's era. It was a great time to be in school. Life was an adventure. I watch this movie whenever I can and it takes you back. There are 4 movies in this era that all have similar theme of love, college, and rebellion. The other movies are "The Graduate", "Love Story", and "The Sterile Cuckoo". Each movie relates the time, place, and feel that was that era. There is one thing that "The Paper Chase" did not have that the other movies had, and that was a great soundtrack that played through it. "Come Saturday Morning" for The Sterile Cuckoo, "Scarborough Fair" for The Graduate, as well as other Simon and Garfunkle songs, and "The Love Story Theme" for Love Story. With all the songs and artists available at the time I feel a great soundtrack would only have enhanced this wonderful movie. I am a musician so I guess I am just biased about songs.

The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)

A movie for the time and place

[9/10 · 6 June 2008]

This was another movie that I saw as a high school student in the Philippines back in 1970 while we were stationed at the Subic Bay Naval Base. We always went to the movies. There were 5 movie theaters on the base and each one was free to get in. We didn't have English speaking TV stations in the Philippines at the time I was there. I saw this movie 4 or 5 times. It was a time when we were getting ready to head off to college and many of the films we saw dealt with the California college scene. This one took place in the New England rural area in the small college town setting. The movie was enjoyable for the setting, the characters, and the music. Liza Minelli did a great job as the lonely, confused, student who didn't fit in with the crowd. This movie is in the same category as The Graduate, The Paper Chase, and Love Story. Of the four it is the most simplistic but provides another look at the love relationships between college students in that time period. All these movies made an impression on me at the time as I was young and just getting ready to begin my college years. The song "Come Saturday Morning" provided a good background balance to the movie as it played throughout the movie in various versions. It had a very similar feel to the way "Scarborough Fair" was used in The Graduate. As we lived with the heat and the jungle as my environment for 2 years; this film reminded me of the wonderful seasons of fall and winter that I remembered when I lived in New York and would go upstate to visit friends. One side track here..... As I think of the 4 movies mentioned, songs played a key element in the movies. For some reason The Paper Chase had no theme music or any songs that I recall. The movie was fantastic but I am a musician and with all the great songs of that era it would have, in my opinion, made the movie better. It was a great time to be young back in the late 60's and early 70's. These movies made the experience a little more enjoyable and I enjoy watching them when they are on the tube.

The Hathaways (1961–1962)

cute show

[25 June 2007]

I remember this show. I was about 10 years old at the time and we were stationed in Pensacola, Florida at the naval air station at Saufley Field. I use to watch this show and I remember liking it. I didn't realize it only lasted 1 season. The only show I remember had something to do with a neighbor's car being accidentally painted the wrong color, then painted back again only to be done a 3rd time because the 2nd job was too cheaply done. I can still remember the neighbor complaining to Mr. Wesson outside the garage about the situation. We loved watching the chimps perform in the show. Another show we watched about this time was "Mckeever and the Colonel" a comedy about a military school. This too was a 1 season show. Oh well when your 10 you enjoy the simple things. I still remember these shows to this day.

Hello Down There (1969)

Brings back memories

[8/10 · 24 June 2007]

Our family was stationed at the Subic Bay Naval Base, in the Philippines back when this movie came out. We had 4 movie theaters on the base and each one was free. There wasn't any T.V. out there except for Philippine stations and they weren't in English. We would go to the movies all the time. The movies would play for a week and then a few months later make their way back. I saw this movie 5 or 6 times on the giant screen and it was always fun. I haven't seen it since on any movie stations. It was a true bubble gum kind of movie. Another movie that made the circuit back in the day was "Where Angels Go Trouble Follows". This was another of the silly 60's era movies that were always fun to watch. Other movies that remind me of the Philippine days are "The Graduate", "The Wild Bunch", "The Thomas Crown Affair", just to name a few. These movies all remind me of the great times we had out in the Philippines.

The Invisible Man (1958–1960)

Scary for a 5 year old kid

[22 June 2007]

This is one of those flashbacks that you remember as a kid. We lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. back in the day and I remember as a child watching previews for a show that I thought was The Invisible Man. All I remember about the previews was a man with the bandages sitting in a chair (possibly in a theater)smoking a cigarett while someone opened a curtain above him looking to see where the cigarette smoke was coming from. Then in another scene I think the Invisible Man was lying on a bed while a fireman came in a door to the room and the fireman passed out from fright. This is all I remember except that I had nightmares from thinking about these scenes. To this day I don't know if this was the scenes from this show or not. I love this site because you can find pretty much all the old shows.

Massacre Time (1966)

Great Cheesy flick -must be seen on a military base!

[9/10 · 20 June 2007]

Well at this time my family was living at the Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines. We lived at Cubi Point which was the Air Station part of the base. We had our own theater there. On the base were 4 movie theaters and each was free. Let me tell you as a high school kid we didn't miss many movies. There was no TV out there back in 1968-70 except for Philippine TV. When you went to a movie it was packed with sailors and marines. The place would go wild with hooting and hollering during the movies. The Brute and the Beast would play every couple of months or so and the place would be packed. It was so tacky everyone loved it. I remember a couple of scenes, mostly toward the end of the movie. One was where someone was shooting at someone and there were no bullets left in the gun. He throws the gun at someone and a bullet fires. But the classic scene, that brought everyone to their feet with roaring laughter was where the hero was in a gun battle with the bad guys. Bullets were flying all around him continually until he comes out from cover, stands up in the open on a wagon that is up on a ramp, pushes himself and the wagon down the ramp at the bad guys (again no one was even shooting at him at this time) crashes into the barrier the bad guys set up, goes up in the air, does a couple of flips and lands behind the bad guys, and shoots all of them dead. The theater went wild! Yes it was fun on those bases during that time period. It is an experience I still treasure to this day!

Mister Mayor (1964– )

A little known show after Captain Kangaroo

[8/10 · 20 June 2007]

I thought I was going crazy. I remembered a show called Mr. Mayor that featured Bob Keeshan from Captain Kangaroo. I was up in Brooklyn at the time and I had watched this show. It was a similar format to Captain Kangaroo and I think it came on after the Captain Kangaroo show ended. My grandparents lived next door to the Allegrettis and their son Cosmo was Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit from the Captain Kangaroo show. He was on the new show Mr. Mayor and had different character parts as people on the show. I remember the show being very interesting but not like the old Captain Kangaroo show. I ask people if they remember the show but so far I haven't found anyone who has. They do remember the Captain Kangaroo show though. It must have been a short lived show. I wonder if Mr. Greenjeans or any other person from the Captain Kangaroo Show followed Bob over to his new show.

Crusader Rabbit (1950–1957)

A Great Show in a Great Era

[8/10 · 18 June 2007]

I was sitting at the computer and remembered an old show that I watched in the 1964-65 era. It was Crusader Rabbit and Rags The Tiger. I decided to look it up on this site, since this site has just about everything! Low and behold here it was. My family had just moved back from the navy base at Pensacola, Florida to Brooklyn, N.Y. to stay with my grandparents. We were awaiting housing at the military base in Keflavik, Iceland which was our next assignment. I remember for about 4-5 months getting up very early on Saturday mornings and watching "The Modern Farmer" at 5:30 A.M. since this was the only thing on T.V. Then at 6:00, on came a full hour of Crusader Rabbit. The must have played all the week's episodes at one time because you watched the entire show to 7:00. I sat there and ate my giant bowl of cereal and was glued to the set. It was great. Of course later I would be watching Fury, Roy Rogers, Sky King, etc. Then my mother would chase me out of the house to play stick-ball and handball with the old 25 cent pink Spalding rubber ball we could buy back in those days at the candy store. This was a great time for television shows back in the day. The family that lived next to my grandparent's house in Brooklyn was the Allegretti family. Their son, who was near my father's age, was Cosmo Allegretti. He was Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit on the Captain Kangaroo show. As kids we thought that was absolutely fantastic. Well anyway we were off to Keflavik for 2 years and would miss T.V. for that time. However not having T.V. and being on a base was great too. You went out and did things and everything was free or cheap. I would catch up on T.V. when I got back and sit with my cereal bowl again.

Mission: Impossible (1966–1973)

Outstanding show!!!

[9/10 · 28 January 2007]

I remember back in the 60's, spies were the "In" thing. James Bond started the way. You had the "In Like Flint" movie series, "The Man From Uncle" TV series as well as a few movies, "Matt Helm" movies with Dean Martin. Everyone wanted to be a secret agent. The best TV spy series was by far Mission Impossible. I was in 9th grade at the time in Pax River, Maryland at the Naval Air Station there. We watched this show and Star Trek. They were both on and were great to watch. At the end of 1967 we were headed to the Naval Air Station at Cubi Point, Subic Bay Philippines. There wasn't any TV there at the time except for some Filipino stations. Movies at the base were the big thing. We had 4 theaters that ran movies all throughout the day. The best thing was at noon, the theaters would run a Star Trek, and a Mission Impossible episode back to back on the big screen without commercials. At lunch hour everyone would be there. It was wonderful!.....and I might add it was all FREE. We all piled down there to see the episodes and to this day I remember all the good times watching them half way around the world.

The Big Picture (1950–1968)

Old Army Information Footage

[5/10 · 20 January 2007]

Well I guess there are a few people who got up really early on Saturday mornings before the cartoons came on at 6:00 A.M. Yes I was one of those kids! I use to drive my parents crazy. This time I was in Brooklyn, N.Y. back in 1965. I attended school at "Our Lady Help of Christians". This was right before we got assigned to the military base at Keflavik, Iceland. On Saturday mornings at 5:00 on TV was "The Modern Farmer" and right behind it was "The Big Picture" at 5:30. Since I was a military brat I loved all things military. I found this show interesting. Many people won't, but hey I was 10-11 years old at the time. This show must be really dated and won't compare to the new shows out now on the Military, or History Channels but back then it was good for me. Besides, at 6:00 A.m. on came the cartoons led by "Crusader Rabbit and Rags the Tiger". Baby Boomers from New York will know exactly what I am talking about!

Men of Annapolis: The Challenge (1957) Season 1, Episode 16

An old show only a few people will remember

[7/10 · 20 January 2007]

I remember being in Pennsacola, Florida as a 4th-5th grader in school back in 1963-65. Dad was a Navy Commander and I was interested in all things military. This show was played on TV back then, or reruns on Saturday or Sunday morning. I watched it and I remembered I liked it. The only episode I remember was one where the midshipmen were competing in various athletic events. They weren't doing well and one of the midshipmen went around and found that each man would do better in different events from the ones they signed up for based on their size, etc. I guess the next time out they won the events. The show came on with a song "Men Of Annapolis" sung by the midshipmen. This was the TV era where I also was watching "McKeever and The Colonel". There use to be a show on too at this era we watched on Sunday mornings about a moon base and the Air Force personal who manned the station. I can't remember what is was called though. It was a good show too.

McKeever and the Colonel (1962–1963)

Great show -- why only 1 season

[9/10 · 18 January 2007]

I was 10 years old when I saw this show. We were stationed in Pensacola, Florida at the time. I remembered bits and pieces of it. It was like Dennis The Mennace in a military school. McKeever had 2 fellow students with him. One was named "Monk" and the other was the chubby kid who played the bugle. I remember that the sergeant was good old "Uncle Fester" from the Adam's Family, Jackie Coogan. There was a lady in the show as well. I think she was a nurse for the boys at the academy. Of course the antagonist "Mr. Wilson" if you will, was the colonel. All the kids watched the program. Soon I would be off to Iceland at a new duty station with the family and we didn't have much TV there. I still remembered this show. It made an impact on me and I really liked it. Wow, that was 43 years ago! It didn't seem like only 1 season!

Reptilicus (1961)

A great Prune Danish "Cheesy" movie

[8/10 · 14 January 2007]

We were stationed in Pensacola, Florida at Saufley field 1962-64. I was in 4th grade at the time and my parents told us they had a surprise for us. We were going to see a horror movie. I was very happy. Horror movies were my favorite. The folks use to take us to see a lot of movies at the base. I grew up seeing everything from "Lawrence of Arabia" to "From Russia With Love". It set the movie enjoyment tone for me that would carry on all throughout my life. As a kid at the time, I thought this horror movie was wonderful! It had the main element I liked: the army fighting a giant monster. This was right up my alley. As I saw the movie years later in college, I realized what a tacky treasure classic grade "B" movie it was. A "must see" with all your buddies after a day of partying! I think the American general had his face frozen in that one expression for the entire movie so he wouldn't start laughing.

Get Yourself a College Girl (1964)

liked it for it's time

[7/10 · 12 January 2007]

Well what can I say? I saw this movie at the base theater in Keflavik, Iceland back in 1965-66. The cool thing about it was that at the time the "Beach" movies were the hot ones that the military loved to show on the bases. There were probably 10 of this type of film and we saw them all and loved them. When you see a movie on a military base there is a lot of shouting and hooting going on by everyone during the film. This made it fun just to be there. California was the magical place with lots of things going on. It played to the fantasy when you are living in the land of the midnight sun! I will have to see the movie again sometime because it's been 40 plus years since I have seen it. But I did enjoy it at the time and place!

Zulu (1964)

Great Movie! Another great movie story line of a handful of men fighting against overwhelming odds

[9/10 · 8 January 2007]

I remember my 6th grade friends and I getting 50 cents from our mothers to go see this movie at the Nostrund Theatre in Brooklyn, New York back in 1965. In those days you could sit through a movie a couple of times because no one came to kick you out. It was a great action movie. I love the type of movie a true story about a small group of men fighting against overwhelming odds. This is one of my favorites of this type, the others being "The Alalmo", and "Major Dundee". I believe this was Michael Caine's first movie and he along with the other cast members did a wonderful job. I would get to meet Michael Caine later on in life in the Philippines when he and Cliff Robertson made the movie "Too Late The Hero" on our base at Subic Bay, Philippines. I was in high school and got to be an extra for that movie playing a British Army solider in the camp. I agree with the gentleman from Scotland's comment about there not being enough of this kind of movie. In my historical readings I have come upon another story of this caliber. In fact I am confused that a movie hasn't been made about this battle already. I am referring to the Battle of Camerone in Mexico back in 1863, where a group of 60 French Foreign Legionaires fought against 2000 Mexican troops. After much fighting the Legionaires had been backed into a farmhouse and were down to just a few men left. The Mexican Army was going to let them surrender and go, but true to the Legion's code they were ready to fight to the last man. Captain Danjou, their leader went around and talked with each man and had them promise to fight to the last man. Captain Danjou had a wooden hand due to loosing his hand in battle in the Crimean War. Soon afterwards Danjou was killed and only 5 or 6 Legionaires were left. With no ammunition left, instead of surrendering, they fixed bayonets and charged the Mexican Army. The Mexican Army fought and wrestled the men to the ground. The Mexican leader was so impressed with the courage of the Legionaires he let them leave and gave into their demands to allow them to take their weapons with them. The Mexicans built a monument at the site of the battle honoring the French Legionaires. Captain Danjou's hand was found and returned to the Legion Headquarters. To this day it is considered a honor to be the Legionaire who is allowed to carry their most historic relic in parade, that being the wooden hand of Captain Jean Danjou.

Major Dundee (1965)

Great action, Great Tough Guy Stars, Great Settings

[9/10 · 7 January 2007]

This is one of my three favorite story line movies where a small band of men fight against overwhelming odds, outnumbered 20 to 1. The other two movies are "The Alamo" (every version) and "Zulu" staring Michael Caine. This is the movie where you see all the tough guy actors together (even if you don't know all their names) many before they became better known. The first time I saw this movie was at the Naval Base in Keflavik, Iceland. Our family was stationed there in 1965-66. There wasn't much TV up there so we went to the movies all the time. I saw this movie every time it played. The settings and photography in this movie are great! You have to see this movie to understand that everyone is fighting everyone. The general premise of the movie is a rag-tag group of Union Soldiers, Confederate Prisoners, horse thieves, renegades, and mercenaries who travel into Mexico to fight a band of killer Apache Indians, while Mexico is controlled by 30,000 French Army Soldiers and Legionaires. "Baby, get the popcorn out!" Back in the mid 1970's I was in college at The University of South Florida in Tampa and I remember we were studying for some tests coming up but saw that Major Dundee was on TV that Sunday afternoon so we all stopped to watch it. Let's just say I could have done better on those tests. I had to watch it though since the move didn't play all the time on TV and this was before the VCR had come out. I now own a DVD copy of the movie with the extended version. You have the option to listen to the old music soundtrack or a new one they made for it. Let me tell you "Use The Original Soundtrack" it is so much better. The music is better and there's that little "music-noise-sound" that is heard whenever the Apache Indians are around. You'll know what I am talking about when you watch the movie. This is a great action movie for the guys!

Too Late the Hero (1970)

War picture with a lot of personal meaning!

[8/10 · 6 January 2007]

This movie is a personal one for me. I was a high school student at George Dewey H.S., Subic Bay, Philippines from 1968-70. My buddies and I were extras in the movie when it was made out there. We would cut classes and our principal would come out to the movie set to take our names down. We got in trouble when we got back, but this was a once in a lifetime deal. We were paid $12 a day. It was cheaper to use off-duty sailors and marines as well as the high school guys as extras than to pay for extras to be flown in from the U.S. We picked up buses from various parts of the base early in the morning and were taken to the naval magazine where the movie was being filmed. We were out from 6:00 A.M. to about 4:00 P.M. I remember the prop people built this fantastic set with huts and a fake stone church that was used as the Colonel's headquarters. It was nicer than the huts the Filipino people lived in and they wanted to keep them after the movie was finished. They had to be torn down though because of insurance purposes. They had brought these British Army uniforms for us to wear but they were new and looked too good so they ran over them with trucks to give them a rough look. To this day I remember many wild times on the set. Once when Cliff Robertson arrived at the base and was in the Colonel's headquarters, the director Mr. Aldridge yelled at myself and a buddy because we were playing our acoustic guitars too loudly on top of the fake stone church and it could be heard during the scene. I guess Hendrix music was not around in WW2. Another time between takes, Michael Caine and his buddies were on the steps of a building and he started to sing "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. Everyone sang along. It was great and to this day whenever I hear that song it takes me back to that great time! (that was 37 years ago) One of the side actors brought along his girlfriend and she ran around on the beach in her bikini. That was indeed a great sight as sailors, marines and high school kids took breaks from the set to hang out on the beach. I remember meeting the British actor with the broken nose who was in "Flight of the Phoenix" with Jimmy Stewart. He was in the movie and seemed to be a nice guy. A Philippine patrol boat parked at the beach dock. They were kind enough to let us dive off their boat into the water during lunch breaks. Some of the guys earned $18 a day by lying in an open field being dead bodies. These were the soldiers from the movie who were shot by the Japanese snipers. There was a fire on the set one day and shooting had to be stopped. They repaired the set and the movie went on. Parts of the movie were shot near our base hospital on the mountain at Cubi Point in the jungle. These were the scenes where the commando team was in the jungle on the mission. The movie people would party at the Officer's Club at Cubi. It was not well received by all the officers. The movie guys had long hair and dressed very casually, and the marine fighter pilots did not care for this group. I did not hear of any fights though. My buddy next door to our quarters had Michael Caine and some others over for a home cooked dinner. It was well received. It was a great time to be in the Philippines back in those days. After we finished our tour out there we went back to a naval base at Pax River, Maryland. I went up to New York to visit my aunt and she took me to see the movie. It was pretty good. I especially enjoyed it since I could see all my buddies walking around in the background with rifles or just hanging out. It was a great movie and I must say it was filmed in the real jungle setting with snakes and all. No Hollywood back-set here!