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Reviews
Racketeer Rabbit (1946)
"Its curtains for ya Rocky... curtains, see!"
Bugs stars with Robinson and Lorre in one of the finest gangster cartoons ever!
As our story begins we find Bugs making himself at home in a large, deserted house. No sooner does he get to sleep than he is awaken by two mobsters returning from robbing the bank, Rocky and Hugo, who have claimed the old house as their hideout.
After they ward off the police through the use of a revolver and machine gun (Hugo appears to be having a little trouble), they count out the money. When Bugs seems to get the biggest cut of the doe, Rocky gets mad and grills him to make sure he hasn't witnessed anything that may get them into hot water. He soon decides that Bugs knows too much and asks Hugo to "take him for a ride", in other words, to do away with him. But surprise, surprise- Bugs returns from the outing instead of Hugo!
After some hilarious antics between the two (including an amusing scene where tough-guy "Bugsy" threatens to give an intimidated Rocky "the curtains") Bugs fools the mug into thinking that the cops have tracked him down and are coming to take him away. But after begging Bugs to hide him and going through several painful trips up and down the stairs while locked in an old trunk, Rocky realizes that he's better off with the coppers and runs into town, yelling for them to take him away from "that crazy rabbit!"
One of my all-time Bugs Bunny favorites and highly-recommended viewing for all!
Carrotblanca (1995)
Delightful spoof on the original classic!
I first saw this film in the theaters when it was released in 1995 and loved every second of it! Viewing all the wonderful Warner Brothers characters in a parody of such a timeless masterpiece makes this cartoon short a real gem. I especially enjoyed Sylvester as Victor Laszlo and Tweety as Ugarte. My only real fault in this was how short it was, but to come again, its running time is typical for that of an average Warner Brothers animation. All in all it is very amusing, well-worth seeing, and highly recommended to the whole family, as can be said for the original classic: Casablanca.
The Hindenburg (1975)
One of my favorite Movies...
This film is a unique illustration of the Hindenberg disaster, which occurred on the evening of May 6, 1937 in Lakehurst, New Jersey when the gigantic hydrogen-filled zeppelin exploded on landing. Although a common theory for this event's cause was a discharge of electricity from the atmosphere triggering the fire, here it is suggested as form sabotage. As a result of the explosion, 36 people (one third of those on-board the German airship) were killed.
The movie goes along quite well in the way it is presented as a series of chronological events leading up to the explosion. The cast is flawless and in turn so is the superb and vivid acting. George C. Scott (as Colonel Franz Ritter, a German security officer) and Anne Bancroft (as the reluctant Countess) seem to be very suited and prepared for their parts as the main characters in the film. Other passengers to watch for include: Gig Young (as the sly Edward Douglass), Burgess Meredith (as gambler Emilio Pajetta) and Robert Clary, from the hit sitcom, "Hogan's Heroes", (as Joseph Spahn, a comedian.) These and many others provide an enjoyable overall performance in the movie while not only based on historical accounts, also provides other common genres of drama, suspense, comedy and even elements of romance between the two main characters.
This film may have a general theme of seriousness, as Colonel Ritter proceeds to investigate an array of people aboard who are suspects to an anti-Nazi conspiracy, yet it also resolves to make way for other moods as well. For example, midway through the film there is a very amusing sequence in which passenger Reed Channing (Peter Donat) plays on the airship's famous baby grand piano and sings a song entitled: "There's A Lot to be Said for the Fuhrer" while Joe Spahn performs. This scene obviously demonstrates how both passengers are clearly against the Nazi party, and here it is also interesting to note that during WWII, actor Robert Clary actually was confined to the Nazi concentration camps as countless other unfortunates were subject to during the Holocaust. There are also several humorous one-liners spoken throughout the film, such as: "Next time we'll take the Titanic!" followed by other memorable quotes.
As the film progresses, complications arise in the piloting of the Hindenberg as the crew and passengers encounter a brief experience with turbulence and St. Elmo's fire, (a flickering bluish glow sometimes appearing during storms) and repairing a rip in the fabric cover on the port side of the airship as it hovers over the frigid Atlantic Ocean. Events such as these, and Colonel Ritter's continuing investigation, prove to bring together desired elements of suspense, which certainly add up nearing the movie's climax ending.
Shortly before the Hindenberg's doomed landing, Ritter finally discovers the suspected sabotage and the passenger behind it in a perplexing turn of events. In doing so, he also finds that this well-planned demolition is i n the form of a timed-bomb that has been hidden in the airship's structure and that it is up to him to reach in time for deactivation. The last few thrilling seconds before the explosion in which Colonel Ritter slowly struggles to defuse the bomb have enough apprehension to make it seem an eternity as he meticulously works, but to no avail. From the moment in which the bomb goes off, there is enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat until the movie's end. The last few minutes (which combine both color, black and white images, and still frames of the fire as innocent passengers attempt to escape the flames) are exceedingly well filmed as well as both exciting and horrific. Through this vivid portrayal, one may wonder just what it would have been like to witness this tragic disaster. To any viewer its plain to see just why "The Hindenberg" received a special achievements award for its sound and visual effects and nominations for best cinematography and film editing.
With excellent writing credits provided by Nelson Gidding and under the careful direction of Robert Wise "The Hindenberg" proves to be a genuine and enjoyable movie to watch. This is a film that will undeniably age well, still seeming as timeless as it was the first time through. One of my favorite movies of all time, "The Hindenberg" can be highly recommended.
Porky's Road Race (1937)
Classic Porky Cartoon!
"Porky's Road Race" is one of my favorite cartoons. The classic essence of this comedy is timeless. It features many Hollywood greats of its day, such as: W.C. Fields, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Borris Karloff (as the villain) and many more. During the race, watch for such novelties as the "Cheerio Special", driven by three British actors, among them Leslie Howard. Charles Laughton, who played the infamous character of Captain Bligh in "Mutiny on the Bounty" also makes an appearance and the race's hitch hiker is portrayed as none other than Clark Gable. Borris Karloff (who is known as 'Borax Karoff' in the film)drives an automobile that certainly is a sight to see: the black #13, as he dodges his way to the finish, sabotaging the other racer's attempts for the win. In the end, the underdog diligently pulls through and claims first place, but someone else walks away with the trophy! Excellent Porky Pig cartoon.