R.I.P.

With the passing of Red Buttons so soon after Barnard Hughes this past week, I couldn't help but think of a former customer at our store. His name was Dave, and he would only rent movies when someone famous died. At first we thought this was a bit strange, but in time this practice became the norm among many renters. And after a while we ourselves started to run films on our in-store TV monitors as a tribute whenever a famous actor died. So it is in that spirit that I will continue noting the passing of favorite film stars on this blog. Red Buttons surprised many with his Oscar-winning turn in the 1957 film, Sayonara . Originally a "Borscht Belt" comedian he had much success on TV as the star of his own show on NBC from 1952 to 1955. After receiving his Oscar he continued to work in films and TV never fully giving up his stand-up comedy career. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in 1969's They Shoot Horses Don't They. One of my own favorites was his role of "Mr. Martin" in the original Poseidon Adventure (1972.) (See Disaster in the making! post from June 12th) At the store one of the staff's all-time guilty favorites was Viva Knievel, from 1977. Red Buttons plays a shifty promoter to the legendary motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel, who appears as himself. A true campy classic from the 70s which also stars Gene Kelly as Knievel's drug-addicted mechanic. I'll have more to say about the film at a later time for it deserves it's own posting. Buttons went on to be nominated for an Emmy and two more Golden Globes during his career. A true Hollywood original and the last of dying breed of comedians.

Red Buttons Movies

Barnard Hughes 1915 - 2006

One of my favorite performances by Barnard Huges who died this past Monday morning just six days short of his 91st Birthday, was a made-for-TV film from 1975 called The UFO Incident. Also starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons, it told the true-life story of Betty and Barney Hill, the New England couple who were plagued by crippling anxiety and horrific nightmares over an alleged alien abduction in 1961. Based on the novel, The Interrupted Journey by John G. Fuller, the film has a stage like quality that is befitting it's cast of New York theater veterans. Hughes plays Dr. Benjamin Simon, the psychiatrist trying to get to the bottom of the Hill's nightmarish recollections of what happened on September 19, 1961 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The scenes depicting the troubled couples' hypnosis sessions cleverly utilizes real transcripts that are at times chilling, powerful and overwhelming. These are fully realized performances in what could have been a forgetful movie-of-the-week. To this day the film has never been released to Home Video, and is barely seen on late night TV. Luckily, many of Barnard Huges' memorable performances are available on VHS and DVD. Among his many big-screen performances were Midnight Cowboy, Cold Turkey, The Hospital, Oh, God!, First Monday in October, Tron and The Lost Boys. And some of his TV appearances include: The Guiding Light, Route 66, Dark Shadows, As the World Turns, Hawaii Five-O, The Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family, The Cavanaughs, Day One, Blossom, and Lou Grant for which he won an Emmy Award in 1978. Huges was most prolific on stage winning a Tony in 1978 for his starring role in Da on Broadway, a role he would later repeat in the 1988 film version. Hughes was one of those recognizable faces on stage and screen who brought an abundance of charm and wit to every role he played.

Barnard Hughes Movies

Norman...Is That You?

Every retail store has it's colorful cast of customers. The ones who usually spark debate among the clerks long after they've left the building. One of the most notorious at our store was a man named, Norman. Norman was an elderly gentleman who always dressed the same; a long tan overcoat, Stetson hat and heavily stained shirt and tie. He was one of those remnants from the past whose observations and comments were always tainted with outdated expressions and beliefs. He often used the words "colored" and "Negro" when referring to African Americans. And his obsession with the Nazi regime in Germany was disturbing and suspicious at times. He loved to make thinly veiled racist comments in the store. His ignorance came close to getting him banned from the premises, but Norman was still with us by the time we closed our doors in 2004. He once showed-off a photo of himself standing alongside a road pointing to something. With the photo was a news article baring the same photo with the caption..."Norman points to the spot where the body of his friend was found." It was creepy to say the least, and his explanation of the story was vague and strange as well. But for all of Norman's quirks and awkwardness with the staff, the one thing he did well was leave little gifts following his weekly visits. They usually were hand-drawn or photocopied bits of paper containing everything from local movie theater listings to anniversary notices for not-so-famous historical events. But my favorite was a diagram of what he called a "Rockin' Video Theater", a screening room in our store where customers could sit and watch movies in comfortable rocking chairs. He was sure this was a unique money-making idea for us, even though it had been tried and had failed by local pizza parlor's in our area. I could fill this blog with Norman stories for years to come, but in the interest of variety I will post them sparingly. But you can be sure that future posting will include stories and exhibits left by Norman for you all to enjoy and ponder.