My goodness. Here we are at the 45th volume of Something Weird’s glorious Lifestyles USA series and, once again, it’s chock full of the kind of bizarre and wonderful nuggets of Americana that make us proud to be citizens of the USA!
A PlLACE CALLED HOME (color) is all about Boys Town. Anyone remember the old MGM films about this place? (Boys Town, 1938, and Men of Boys Town, 1941, both starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. You know: “He ain’t heavy. He’s m’ brother!”) Well, here’s the real place, founded by Father Flanagan, and meant to straighten out troubled boys. All very inspirational and, yes indeed, Boys Town still exists today.
THE FARMER'S TELEPHONE (b&w) has a bunch of farm-living country folks sittin’ around talkin’ about how wonderful their lives are now that they’ve got one of those new-fangled telephones. Of course, there’s a ringer in the bunch: the guy with the big scary eyebrows actually works for Ma Bell. And he explains how the phone company can string wire to faraway farms at little cost. “You mean, you can talk over power wires at the same time your lights are turned on,” a yokel asks. Why, yes. Yes, you can.
PILFERAGE (1948, b&w) exposes the horrors of shoplifting and how naughty men and women from all walks of life steal, steal, and steal from the supermarkets of America. Look, that fancy-dressed lady just stole a can of peaches! And that shifty-looking guy over there doesn’t like being watched. But remember, “petty thieves are often such nice people.”
THE FIGHT GAME (1948, b&w) offers a brief history of early boxing, highlighting such champs as Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, and Joe Louis, then segues into showcasing the pint-size killers of the Police Athletic League. But the Dark Side emerges when we see how amateur fighter Billy Shay goes pro under the prompting of a bloodsucker who simply wants to exploit him. Welcome to the real world, kid.
THE POWER OF ENTHUSIASM (1956, b&w) stars two of early TV’s most famous fathers Hugh Beaumont ("Leave It to Beaver") and Carl Betz ("The Donna Reed Show"). Which is funny since these two guys are two of the dullest actors ever, and here they are demonstrating how salesmen can show “enthusiasm.” If Beaumont’s delivery was any drier, he’d be spitting sand.
A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER (b&w) gives you the facts you need to know so that you too can go out and sell Sealtest Milk and bring in an extra $20 a month!
GROOVING FOR SAFETY (color) enlists the experts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to warn us about skidding on wet roads and especially “the most deadly skid of all: tire hydroplaning!” Why, it’s just like waterskiing on the highway!
HAVE CAMERA DID TRAVEL! (color) is all about the fun dull people can have showing other dull people their travel films. Oddly, the “film” shown here is nothing but leader countdown! Which is actually rather brilliant. And what’s with the creepy doll at the end?!
7 окт 2024
