Sunday, June 21, 2015

Old School

Hardy Kruger, Red Buttons and John Wayne
Scene from the Paramount Pictures classic, Hatari
Last night I had the chance to watch a film I haven't seen since I was a kid, the John Wayne film Hatari.

Great cast, great story, magnificent cinematography (for which the 1962 film won an Oscar).

I loved it when I was a kid, I loved it all over again last night.

I'm not one of those guys who say that they don't make good movies anymore. They do, they still make some great films these days. They make a lot of crappy ones too.

Truth be told, they had crappy movies back in the day.

Hey, people made mistakes then as they do now. As we've been doing since Genesis.

It's our nature to screw up now and again.

Another thing I remember from back in the day. The actors didn't run around spouting off about their political views. Maybe they did inside Hollywood and around L.A. but it wasn't all over the national "news" like it is now.

Of those three guys in that picture, only Hardy Kruger is still alive. He's 87.

A lot of my favorite actors from when I was a kid have passed on.

Damn, I guess it's something you have to deal with as you get older.

Death, it's a fact of life.

10 comments:

  1. That is a great movie, Sarge. Another favorite of mine which Hardy Kruger was in is "Flight of the Phoenix." Several notables in that one also. I recently found out something about this movie.

    ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n82nN_lqn58...

    BTW, what would you bet that those whiskey glasses on the table had REAL whiskey in them? ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't take that bet!

      I need to get a copy of that film, I'm not sure if I've ever seen it!

      Delete
    2. Hatari was and still is great! And the original Flight of the Phoenix (RIP, Paul Mantz, one of Hollywood's best stunt pilots ever, killed making this film) was as good as the remake was lousy. But then have you ever known James Stewart to make a bad movie?

      Delete
    3. That youtube clip that Bayouwulf provided shows the crash in which Paul Mantz lost his life.

      Delete
  2. I never did understand why a substantial portion of our populations gives credence to political and policy opinions from people who spend their entire lives playing "Make Believe" for a living.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heh. It's all about "Hope and Change" Cap'n.

      Doesn't get more "make believe" than that.

      Delete
  3. Most of the actors from back in the day were veterans themselves... You pretty much KNEW where they stood...

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  4. You know you're getting old when you're watching a favorite movie on TV. . . one that you saw when it was a new release. . . and realize that most of the cast members are now dead. (In my case, it was "In Harm's Way.")

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In Harm's Way is another classic.

      You're right about the getting old thing, I had to look up all the cast members for Hatari to see who was still alive. Hardy Kruger and Elsa Martinelli, that's it.

      Delete

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