A Couple of Movies For You

I spent some time these last two watching a couple of movies that I can recommend to you.

"Maggie Moore(s)" (2023)

In a small southwestern town, two women, both named Maggie Moore, meet with violent homicidal deaths.  Coincidence?  Was Maggie #1 the intended victim and was the murder of Maggie #2 committed to cover up and confuse the investigation, or was Maggie #2 the real intended victim and Maggie #1's death a mistake?  That is what Chief of Police Jon Hamm needs to find out.  Along the way he is helped by his Deputy Nick Mohammed (Nate from "Ted Lasso") and Maggie #1's neighbor, Tina Fey, a divorcee who to whom the widowed Hamm becomes attracted.

Throw in a cast of characters that include cheating husbands, one of whom, Maggie # 1's husband, a fast food franchisee who is stealing from the corporate HQ, a vicious hit man, whacky Other Women, and other assorted oddballs, and this movie gives off a distinct "Fargo"-esque vibe (that's a good thing).  The movie is also based upon a true story from 2000 when two women named "Mary Morris" were killed by within six days of each other in a small town in Texas.  That case became a sensation in the True Crime Community, and it has never been solved.

All three of the lead actors are terrific in this one, and it was interesting to see Fey in a dramatic role.

Three Solid Stars from The Grandstander for this one.  

Available on Hulu.

"Operation Mincement" (2021)

This is a World War II spy drama based on a true operation from that conflict (much like the D-Day movie "Pressure" that I wrote of HERE).  British Intelligence is charged with the task of developing a ruse that will cause the German high command to believe that the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943 would actually take place in Greece.  The plan that they come up with, Operation Mincemeat, involves planting false documents detailing the planned "invasion" of Greece on a corpse, throwing the corpse into the sea and have it wash up in the beaches of Spain, where it is hoped it will be found by German spies, and that the plans found on the corpse will be relayed back to the Nazi Command in Berlin.  Oh, and they have to develop a complete back story for the fictitious dead soldier.  If this story was written as fiction, it would be laughable and unbelievable, but, in fact, it actually happened and it succeeded!  Speaking of fiction, one of the intelligence officers involved in this plot was a British officer named Ian Fleming, who went on to write a successful series of spy novels featuring a guy named Bond. Jame Bond.

The main actors in this one are Colin Firth (who is always good), Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, and Penelope Wilton (Isobel from "Downton Abbey").

The Grandstander gives this one Three Stars as well, but only because this story of an off-the-wall spy scheme to Save The War for the Good Guys is actually true.

There is currently an acclaimed musical now playing on Broadway based upon the same story.  Can't see how they'd make a musical about this, but I will no doubt make a point of seeing it when and if it tours.  After all, who ever thought that a musical about Alexander Hamilton would work?

Available on Netflix.

Closing (?) Another Chapter In The Grief Book

In the never ending battle to to get rid of Stuff That We Don't Need Any More, I was confronted with two large bags that contained, literally, hundreds of cards and pieces of mail.  One bag contained notes that Marilyn had received and saved over the years since we moved into this house back in 2010.  Thank you notes, birthday and anniversary cards, and just general "how are you doing" kinds of cards, and, of course, Get Well cards.  Also included in this bag were many, many pictures that had been sent to her by various friends and family members. The second bag was filled with all of the condolence and sympathy cards that I had received after she died.

I honestly had not looked at these cards at all in the almost five years since she died, and I figured that it was time to move on and purge myself of these.  So I sat down one night and spent over two hours doing just that.  Of course, all kinds emotions were stirred when I did this.  I shed some tears, and I smiled a lot.  Some of these notes have prompted me to reach out to some people with whom I have not been in touch for some time.  I was also struck by the fact of how many of the people who sent me their condolences five years ago are now no longer with us. Some of the notes and photos are being sent back to people in the hopes that it will bring up good memories and make them smile too.  While I have indeed gotten rid of the large bulk of these cards, I have held onto some things that I am just not ready to let go of.

It is not for me to tell anyone how to deal with grief and the loss of someone you love, although plenty of people have told me (as recently as yesterday) how I "should" have acted after Marilyn died.  The Grief Journey never ends, and the timeline is different for everyone.  This little exercise that I did this week took me five years to accomplish. Some people may have done the same thing within a month of their loss. Some people will never do it.  And some people will always judge you for it, no matter how you deal with it.  I was reminded, although I didn't need to be, of just how lucky I was to have Marilyn in my life for almost fifty years, and I was also reminded how incredibly fortunate I am to have found another love with Linda in this Second Act in my life.  

I have been and still am, to quote Lou Gehrig, "the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

To Absent Friends - Shelley Fabares

 

I admit to feeling a bit saddened when I heard of the death of actress Shelley Fabares, 82, last week.  No, she was not one of those actresses of my youth on whom I had a crush, but she was always likable.  I remember her most from her days on "The Donna Reed Show", and I know that she went on to have a second act, of sorts, in television when she played Craig T, Nelson's wife in the long running "Coach".  I also remember her co-starring with Elvis Presley in three of his movies, including one of my favorites, "Girl Happy".  I mean, how can you ever forget THIS SCENE when Elvis croons to her about the "Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce"?  

I remember that there was always a matter as to how you pronounced her last name.  Was it "Fah-bare-eze" or "Fa-bray" like the actress Nanette Fabray, who was not her mother, as was once rumored, but her aunt.  In actuality, she herself pronounced it "Fab-uh-ray".  Three syllables.

She had an active acting career with over 160 credits in IMDB.  She appeared on just about every show you could think of throughout the seventies and eighties including four episodes of "Love Boat", five episodes of "Fantasy Island", and three episodes of "Love, American Style". She also played Joy Piccolo, the wife of Brian Piccolo/James Caan in the 1971 tear-jerker "Brian's Song".  And, of course, there was her hit record "Johnny Angel", which she sang on the Donna Reed show, that went to Number One on Billboard's Hot 100 back in 1964. She was married to recording executive Lou Adler from 1964 to 1980 and to actor Mike Farrell (BJ from M*A*S*H) from 1984 until her death.

I also got a great kick out of seeing recent pictures of her in her later years rocking this hairstyle:

Seeing a woman in her eighties wearing her hair like this is awesome, and this, as much as anything else, makes her deserving of an Absent Friends post.

RIP Shelley Fabares.

Publicity photo at age 16

With Donna Reed

With Elvis Presley in "Girl Happy"

"Mary Stone" and "BJ Honeycutt"

A 42 Year marriage

To Absent Friends - Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton

1946-2026

It is a testament to the life of a person when, upon their deaths, there is nothing but an outpouring of both sadness at their passing and great joy when their life's accomplishments are examined.  Such has been the case since Dolly Parton died earlier this week.  Her career as a singer, songwriter, entertainer, actress, and businesswoman speaks for itself, and her humanitarian accomplishments, particularly her Imagination Library are remarkable beyond words.

To pay her tribute, I find myself resorting to some images that have appeared on social media in recent days to express just what a universal treasure Dolly Parton was.

RIP Dolly Parton.

On a personal note, I will not tell anyone how to spend heir own money, but if you are looking for a good cause to support, consider a contribution to the Dollywood Foundation and, specifically, the Imagination Library:

https://support.imaginationlibrary.com/

THE Four Essential Steelers

So, as I watched last Friday night's abdominal 17-0 loss to the Jets, I knew that there wasn't much to be said about that game, other than it seemed to secure Mason Rudolph's spot on the roster as QB2, I decided that I would write about an idea that I had been kicking around in my cranium for a  few weeks, and that was who were the four most important Steelers vis a vis  the 1970's era Steelers.  You know, the Super Steelers, the team that won four Super Bowls in six seasons (1974-1979).

This is not meant to be a "Mt. Rushmore" of the Steelers.  I had played with that idea eleven years ago and produced THIS POST on July 26, 2015 when I made my nominations for the Steelers "Franchise Four". (This was something that Major League Baseball had done in conjunction with the All-Star Game that year.)  For the record, if you don't feel like clicking on the link, the four that I chose then were Joe Greene, Ernie Stautner, Jack Ham, and Terry Bradshaw.  It generated a lot (well, some) of comments at the time.

This list today, though, is a bit different.  I had asked myself who were the key men, the most important men, who contributed to those four Super Bowl Championships.  In my mind, I had to feel that these were the four Essential  Steelers of that era.  So essential that if there were only three of them, if you took even one of them away from that Seventies mixture, the four Lombardi Trophies would not have found their way to Pittsburgh. 

Here they are:

Chuck Noll

Joe Greene

Terry Bradshaw

Franco Harris

I didn't really have to identify them under their photos for you, did I?

Yes, I know that there were seven other guys on those teams who are currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Blount, Ham, Lambert, Shell, Stallworth, Swann, and Webster; and Greenwood should be in there!), yet I maintain that if any one of either Noll, Greene, Bradshaw, or Harris were NOT in that mix, then those four Championships would not have happened.  Maybe they'd have eked out a Super Bowl win if Noll was coaching those other players, but without Greene and Bradshaw and Harris, then those four Lombardis would not be sitting in the Steelers front office.  Maybe this makes the case that Chuck Noll was the most important cog in that Steelers' Machine.

I would love to hear others thoughts on this.

Some Viewing Recommendations

 Let me recommend two selections for your viewing pleasure.

"Pressure"

This movie focuses on the days leading up to D-Day in June, 1944.  Brendan Fraser plays Dwight Eisenhower and Andrew Scott play Captain James Stagg, a British officer who is assigned to be the chief meteorologist as the Allied command makes plans for the invasion of Normandy, upon which the fate of the war hinges.  He's there because, according to Ike, "Churchill says he's brilliant", but he immediately butts heads with the weather guys who are already on Ike's staff when he tells everyone that there is no way that the invasion can take place as scheduled on June 5, but that maybe, just maybe, there might be a slight window of opportunity on June 6.

Hey, we all know how it turned out in Normandy eight-two years ago, but that doesn't take away from the drama and suspense that this movie delivers.  Both Fraser and Scott are terrific as is an Irish actress named Kerry Condon who played Kay Summersby.  She was Ike's driver, the movie shows her as a key member of the staff, and we all know that she was also Ike's, ahem, special pal during those days.

Three and One-Half Stars from The Grandstander.

"Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness"

This is a seven episode streaming HBO series in which Larry David puts his unique and neurotic spin on different episodes in American History.  Each episode is a half hour long and contains two or three different sketches.  Like any sketch comedy show, there are hits and misses, but when the sketches click, they more than make up for David's incomplete passes.  Three in particular:

• David played Alexander Graham Bell as he displays his new invention, the telephone, and realizes that after he makes the connection to his associate, Mr. Watson, they don't really have anything to talk about.
• A sketch where David plays an advisor to Abraham Lincoln and convinces Abe that he should attend this funny play at Ford's Theater to take his mind off of things.  He then spends the night mediating arguments between Abe, played by Bill Hadar, and Mary Lincoln, played by the wonderful Kathryn Hahn.  He then has to deal with a batshit crazy Marry who refuses to leave the White House after her husband's death.
• Larry is an advisor to President Obama who convinces him that he should wear a tan suit to a Presidential event, a real life incident that sparked amazing criticism of the President at the time.  Barack and Michelle Obama were Executive Producers of this series, and Obama plays himself to great effect in the skit.  They've even reproduced the Oval Office as it was before its gold leaf tackification by the current occupant.

Like I say, not all of the skits are great, but enough of them are to make this an enjoyable and entertaining series.  The sketches are also peppered with cameos and performances by folks like Jerry Seinfeld, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Paul Rudd, Rita Wilson, Kaley Cuoco, Jimmy Kimmel, and Rob Reiner.  I watched all seven episodes in one day.  Hey, there was nothing else going on that day!

Three Stars from The Grandstander.

To Absent Friends - Tommy John

 

Former major league pitcher Tommy John died over this past weekend at the age of 83.  We all should think of Tommy John like this:

However, John will most be remembered for this, 

the revolutionary surgery performed on him by  Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974 , a surgery that now bears his name.

This is what I wrote in part in The Grandstander on March 7, 2014, when I commemorated the death of Dr. Jobe:

It is a sad irony that Tommy John himself is better known today for the surgery that bears his name than for his career as a pitcher.  Too bad, considering that his career spanned 26 seasons and totaled a record of 288-231 with a 3.34 ERA.  He pitched in three World Series. Fourteen of those seasons and 164 of those wins came after he had Jobe's surgical procedure performed.  He retired in 1988 at the age of 46.

Was Tommy John a great pitcher?  Well, he was a very, very good pitcher, and when you look up the "Similarity Scores" for Tommy John on baseball-reference.com, nine of the ten pitchers listed are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  For the record, those nine are Jim Kaat, Robin Roberts, Bert Blyleven, Fergie Jenkins, Early Wynn, Tom Glavine, Burleigh Grimes, Don Sutton, and Eppa Rixey, so you be the Judge.

John was in the news only a week ago when the Yankees posted this letter that John had written to them when he had to decline an invitation to appear at the Yankees' annual Old Timers Day.

RIP Tommy John.