"You've got your slavery, and little good may it do you! Now vote, damn you!"

Today, being the first Monday in November is traditionally Election Day. And like the quote from 1776 used to title this posting, I'd like to hearken back to a point made in a previous posting about that film. (See "Mr. Secretary, New York abstains-courteously." from 7/4/2006) We used any excuse to exploit a theme when running films on the monitors in our store, be it a holiday or celebrity death or even the start of a war. I remember during the run-up to the second Gulf War, when the country was sharply divided over calls to invade or not to, films like Battleground, Sands of Iwo Jima and even anti-war films like Paths of Glory all made the rounds on our TV screens. I recall one irate customer storming out because I chose to run the latter film starring Kirk Douglas. I meant no disrespect, I just though if we were going to do this we might as well be fair to all sides of the argument. And of course Election Day was no exception. From presidential biopics like, Abe Lincoln in Illinois and political corruption films like All The President's Men to comedic looks at the election process in films like The Candidate and Dick, there was no shortage of films to show on the subject of politics. One of my all-time favorites was the 1964 film version of the Gore Vidal play, The Best Man. Starring Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson, The Best Man is a darkly satiric look at the election process in this country back in the days when national party conventions actually meant something and served a purpose. Henry Fonda plays liberal candidate for President, William Russell, who faces a fight for the party nomination against an opportunistic reactionary politician in the form of Cliff Robertson. The two vie for the endorsement of a former president played brilliantly by Lee Tracy, who earned an Oscar nomination for reviving the role he also played on the Broadway stage. Of course there are skeletons in both men's closets and whether or not each will use the damaging information he has on each other is the basis for the film's plot. Fonda's unique resolution is one that students of politics today should watch just to see how the outcome of political conventions could bring surprises back in those days. I often think of The Best Man every four years when the now two-hour paid political advertisements that disguise themselves as party conventions bore us all to tears. I sit and watch these pre-approved candidates from both parties who are so rarely as interesting as the men who have come before them both on and off screen.

Halloween Haunts!

I had originally intended to do a series of postings during the last few weeks in honor of the spooky holiday that concludes the month of October. There are no shortage of horror movies to comment on and we certainly had a wide variety of scary films that were played at our store. With my brother Mike passing away last month, I wasn't sure when I would find the desire to post again. But, when I remembered how much my love of scary movies was fostered by my eldest brother when we were growing up, I knew now was as good a time as ever. My brother Mike was a big fan of the early Universal horror movies. He introduced me to them all, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and all their sequels and other incarnations. When I was a kid I knew who Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Claude Rains were long before I knew the names of the muppets on Sesame Street. I have my brother to blame for that! But thanks to Mike, I also knew who some of the heroes were behind the scenes as well. The visionary director James Whale, composers Hans J. Salter & Frank Skinner and of course the pioneering make-up artist, Jack Pierce. Pierce was the man responsible for the legendary make-up created for Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster, and Lon Chaney, Jr.'s Wolf Man among others. My brother Mike would often comment on how Pierce had died in virtual obscurity in 1968, the man who was responsible for creating so many legendary images had been almost completely forgotten. Mike even tried his hand at make-up in the early 80s. I often was his guinea pig for some of his make-up experiments. I even one a prize in a Halloween contest one year thanks to his artistry with the grease paint. Every time I find myself staring in front of a mirror putting on a mustache or age lines before walking out on a stage, I can see my brother's face leaning over me with his brushes.

Mike Ryan 1954 - 2006

Dear friends. I am sorry for the long delay in posting on this blog. My eldest brother Mike passed away last week following a severe stroke. Today was his funeral and this is the first time I've had a chance to post let alone have a moments rest. I loved my brother dearly and we both shared a lot of memories watching movies. It was Mike who took me to see Superman The Movie 22 times in the theaters back in 1978. I do think it will be sometime before I find the strength and desire to post here again. At that time I hope you will all still find some interest in what I have to say. In the mean time if interested I have set up a memorial website for my brother at www.rememberingmike.com