White & Nerdy test

Taking inspiration from the musical and lyrical genius (I'm being serious there) of "Weird" Al Yankovic, I have listed below, the points in the song "White & Nerdy" (parody of "Ridin' Dirty" by Chamillionaire). There are links to both of these videos at the end of this post, but I'm afraid if I put them here, you will forget to come back, so hold your horses. In the far right columns, I have noted whether or not I qualify for that particular aspect. Below the chart, you will find the tally and results of this test as applied to me; below that, my analysis and conclusion.

Although I am unable to do anything interactive here in this blog, I encourage you to follow along, writing down your own answers as they apply to you. Find out just how white & nerdy you are, and let me know that I'm not alone. You can post your results and any comments in the comments below this post.

NOTE: It is very possible to be "whiter than sour cream" without actually having white skin.

Have Fun!!

Test Lyric			Yes	No
1. You see me mowin' my front lawn			Θ
2. First in my class here at MIT				Θ
3. Got skills, I'm a champion at D & D				Θ
4. M.C.Escher, that's my favorite M.C.			Θ
5. Keep your 40, I'll just have and Earl Grey tea			Θ
6. My rims never spin, to the contrary, you'll find that they're quite stationary			Θ
7. All of my action figures are cherry				Θ
8. Stephen Hawkings in my library				Θ
9. My MySpace page is totally pimped out				Θ
10. I know Pi to a thousand places				Θ
11. Ain't got no grills, but I still wear braces				Θ
12. I order all my sandwiches with mayonnaise			Θ	Θ
13. I'm a wiz at Minesweeper, I could play for days			Θ
14. There's no killer app I haven't run				Θ
15. At PASCAL, well I'm number one				Θ
16. Do vector calculus just for fun				Θ
17. I ain't got a gat, but I got a soldering gun			Θ
18. "Happy Days" is my favorite theme song				Θ
19. I could sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong				Θ
20. I'll ace any trivia quiz you bring on			Θ
21. I'm fluent in JavaScript...			Θ
22. ...as well as Klingon				Θ
23. You see me roll on my Segway				Θ
24. I been browsin', inspectin' X-Men comics, you know I collect 'em			Θ
25. The pens in my pocket, I must protect 'em				Θ
26. My ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored				Θ
27. Shoppin' online for deals on some writable media			Θ
28. I edit Wikipedia				Θ
29. I memorized "Holy Grail" really well				Θ
30. I got a business doing websites			Θ
31. When my friends need some code, who do they call? I do HTML for them all			Θ
32. Even made a homepage for my dog [cat]			Θ
33. I got myself a fanny pack			Θ
34. Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap				Θ
35. I was in AV Club...[didn't have one]				Θ
36. ...and Glee Club...[didn't have one]				Θ
37. ...and even the Chess Team [didn't have one]				Θ
38. Only question I ever thought was hard, was, "do I like Kirk, or do I like Picard?"			Θ
39. Spend every weekend at the Renaissance Faire				Θ
40. Got my name on my underwear [I can explain!!]			Θ

Results
Total Yes	Total No
17	23
Percent Yes	Percent No
42.5%	57.5%

How many "yes" boxes did you check?

0-10 = GRC (Generally Recognized as Cool)

11-20 = still socially acceptable

21-30 = too White & Nerdy

31-40 = whiter than sour cream

It's apparent I'm still socially acceptable (even after giving a bonus yes for using capital Theta as my column marker). How 'bout you? Please ask yourself the above questions, record your score and comment below.

As promised, here are the links to the videos for "White & Nerdy" and "Ridin' Dirty".

And thanks for visiting!!! Please come back.

Or better yet, become a follower/member of this blog (it's always FREE!)

Angels with Dirty Faces

MOVIE REVIEW OF Angels with Dirty Faces (1939)

Cast
Director	Michael Curtiz	Runtime: 1hrs 37min ( 97min)
rocky sullivan	.....	james cagney
jerry connelly	.....	pat o' brien
james frazier	.....	humphrey bogart
laury ferguson	.....	ann sheridan
mac keefer	.....	george bancroft
soapy	.....	billy halop
swing	.....	bobby jordan
bim	.....	leo gorcey
pasty	.....	gabriel dell
crab	.....	huntz hall
hunky	.....	bernard punsley
steve	.....	joe downing
edwards	.....	edward pawley
blackie	.....	adrian morris
young rocky	.....	frankie burke
young jerry	.....	william tracey
young laurie	.....	marilyn knowlden
church choir	.....	st. brenden's church choir (the robert mitchell boy choir)

PLOT SUMMARY

William Sullivan, a.k.a. Rocky (James Cagney) lives a life of crime, starting with petty crimes committed with his childhood pal Jerry Connelly (Pat O'Brien). When he gets put away for a heist involving a million dollars, there's not much his lawyer, Jim Frazier (Humphrey Bogart) can do for him. Rocky says he'll take his own rap again, as he's always done, but makes Frazier promise to hold his cut of the money for him until he gets out of jail.

Rocky gets out and returns to the old neighborhood to seek out Frazier and get his cash. He meets up again with Jerry, now 15 years older, who has turned over a different leaf by becoming a priest. He also finds, by accident, and old girl rival, Laury (Anne Sheridan).

The town, and the old gang, are all run by a syndicate. When it's decided that Rocky needs to be eliminated, Rocky doesn't agree, and things start to get hairy on the crime front.

In the meantime, Rocky meets up with the new rising group of future miscreants (The Dead End Kids), and although he sees himself in them and vice versa, he tries to show them that a life of crime isn't for the weak of heart or mind.

TECH INSPECTION

The actor playing Rocky as a kid (Frankie Burke) is a dead ringer for James Cagney. And he plays the part as well as if he really were a young James Cagney.

This movie utilizes the typical 30s movie technique of using newspaper headlines to move the story along. It is a relatively less violent gangster movie. Still don't think it's a merry-go-round film. There's still a fair share of violence and gunplay. You'll certainly get your 30s gangster fix, all dolled up with James Cagney at the wheel. There aren't enough meows available for an accurate rating of this terrific gunflick.

If there is anything negative about this movie, it would be cruel to mention it. It would be nothing but an undeserved cheap shot at a fantastic movie. If you'll notice almost all quotes come from Rocky Sullivan. What did you expect...it's a James Cagney movie!

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Waddya hear? Waddya say? ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Ya' know, you turned out to be a snappy lookin' dish. ~ Rocky Sullivan
• There ain't no future in playin' basketball. ~ Bim
• Empty ~ Cop #1 So is your thick skull, copper. ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Well, if you didn't do nothin', don't do it again ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Like sittin' in a barber chair. Gonna ask me, 'Got anything to say?' And I say, 'Sure. A haircut, a shave, and a massage. One of those nice new electric massages.' ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Promise you won't let me hear you pray. ~ Rocky Sullivan
• Let's go say a prayer for a boy who couldn't run as fast as I could. ~ Jerry Connelly

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
¹⁰/₁₀

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Digger

Once again taking a break from the movie reviews to present to you another short story I have penned to be included in a compilation when I collect enough different tales to publish (shooting for 10).

Steven knew it was a bad idea. Oh, but this was really not going well. And it was only going to get worse. The pool of red liquid was starting to coagulate. He knew that would happen if he just left it there exposed to the air too long. But what else was he supposed to do?

Maybe he should stick the whole mess into a garbage bag and shove it into a dumpster. Garbage collection day was tomorrow. Nobody would be the wiser.

The dogs. The dogs would surely sniff it out. Then he'd be up the creek. There'd be no hiding then. Dogs are known for uncovering monstrosities such as this.

Could it possibly get any worse? Yes. A blotch had spattered across the kitchen and landed on the carpet in the adjacent living room. He never imagined it could have shot so far. It was sinking deep into the nap of the light beige Berber, soon to become a permanent scarlet badge of his misgivings.

How does one purge his house of such an evil deed?
Can something like this ever be forgiven? No.
Steven decided he would just have to take this incident like a man. He would have to live with the knowledge that he had screwed up big time.

No one needed to find out. He could create a believable story. Besides, he rarely had houseguests. He could put a rug over the stain. He would be fine.
He would vow, though, never to attempt to cook his own spaghetti sauce again...ever.

"Sabrina! Colin!" he called. Sabrina came trotting into the kitchen, her calico fur as beautiful as a snow-covered tundra against the backdrop of an Alaskan mountain range. Colin was not far behind. The Husky's bright blue eyes could melt your heart with a glance. But affection would come later, after the spontaneous midday snack.
The final blow, however, came hard to Steven's ego, when even his devoted canine companions refused to consume the pot of slop that had become a culinary fiasco.
Then a small grin came over his face as Digger, the lithe brown tabby cat came leaping over the two mountainous dogs in pursuit of an extra meal.
"Take it where you can get it, suckers!" Digger sneered at the dogs, as he was more than happy to oblige Steven by lapping up a good portion of what was earlier proposed to be dinner.

Steven watched the scene a moment. The cat, resourceful in his own right, and enjoying the cleverness he felt he had, was basking in ecstasy while the three other members of the household contemplated.

"Well, kids," Steven shot a glance to the dogs, "I guess it's come to this tonight." He flipped open his laptop to order a pizza.
Five minutes later, Steven flopped down into his eating/sleeping/reading chair, content that dinner was no longer an issue. At least that dilemma was no longer a concern. Why didn't he just do that in the first place?

Now, what to do with that body in the library?

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Murder By Death

MOVIE REVIEW OF Murder by Death (1976) PG

Cast
Director	Robert Moore	Runtime: 1hrs 34min ( 94min)
tess skeffington	.....	eileen brennen
lionel twain	.....	truman capote
milo perrier	.....	james coco
sam diamond	.....	peter falk
james bensonmum	.....	alec guinness
jessica marbles	.....	elsa lancester
dick charleston	.....	david niven
sidney wang	.....	peter sellers
dora charleston	.....	maggie smith
yetta the maid	.....	nancy walker
nurse withers	.....	estelle winwood
marcel cassette	.....	james cromwell
willie wang	.....	richard narita
myron	.....	myron the dog

PLOT SUMMARY

The hilarious Neil Simon does it again. He has managed to make my day with his amazing talent to produce one of many seriously gut-busting comedies.

This time, he's making fun of mystery book characters. Five of the world's greatest detectives have been invited to have a murder mystery weekend at the home of Mr. Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) who lives at number 22. That's right...two...two...Twain's house. Say it out loud to get the joke.

All the guests are clever parodies of famous detectives we all know. There's Dick and Dora Charleston (parodies of Nick and Nora Charles, played by David Niven and Maggie Smith), Sidney Wang (parody of Charlie Chan, played by Peter Sellers), Sam Diamond (parody of Sam Spade, played by Peter Falk), Milo Perrier (parody of Hercule Poirot, played by James Coco), and Jessica Marbles (parody of Jane Marple, played by Elsa Lancester).

The unexpected twist to them is that the murder is real. And according to their host, one of them is the murderer! At the stroke of midnight...and after dinner, of course, someone will be murdered...and one of them will have done it! And speaking of dinner, that itself is riddled with mayhem. The butler (Alec Guinness) is blind, and the maid (Nancy Walker) is deaf and dumb.

It is up to the famous detectives to figure out who the murderer is and collect the 1 million dollar prize before the morning arrives.

TECH INSPECTION

I've taken time off for two days now to see if I could come up with some sort of negative criticism for this movie. No luck. Like most of Neil Simon's works, even though they are originally meant for the stage (and I could certainly imagine this one as such a production), they have been masterfully produced for film. If you think I'm making this up, just take a look at some of my favorite movies: The Odd Couple, The Out-Of-Towners (1970), The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys (1975), The Goodbye Girl (1977), and Lost in Yonkers just to name a very select few! And yes, Murder by Death is in there, too.

I find it difficult to write an extensive review of a Neil Simon mystery as most of my points involve scenes that would either tell the whole movie (in effect, rendering it pointless to actually see the movie) or at the very least give away something crucial (spoilers). However, given a look at the selected quotes I have chosen below, you don't need my critique to tell you that you are missing 90 minutes of good times by not seeing this movie.

Note: An internet search revealed to me that Simon's original script for this movie had Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson arriving and solving the mystery as everyone else is leaving. I would have loved to see that!

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Idiot! Not finish mushroom story! Idiot! ~ Sidney Wang
• You should not speak with an accent when you know I am so hungry. ~ Milo Perrier
• Why do I have to drive the car? ~ Willie Wang
  
  Cause I smart enough to get out first. ~ Sidney Wang
• Isn't that nice, darling? We're in Wang's wing. ~ Dick Charleston
• Room filled with empty people. ~ Sidney Wang
• IT IS... IT IS confusing. Say your Goddamn pronouns! ~ Lionel Twain
• What if you don't wake up? ~ Willie Wang
  
  Then you did it. ~ Sidney Wang
• You've tricked and fooled your readers for years. You've tortured us all with surprise endings that made no sense. You've introduced characters in the last five pages that were never in the book before. You've withheld clues and information that made it impossible for us to guess who did it. But now, the tables are turned. Millions of angry mystery readers are now getting their revenge. ~ Lionel Twain

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
¹⁰/₁₀

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Logan's Run

MOVIE REVIEW OF Logan's Run (1976) PG

Cast
Director	Michael Anderson	Runtime: 1hrs 59min ( 119min)
logan	.....	michael york
francis	.....	richard jordan
jessica	.....	jenny agutter
box	.....	roscoe lee browne
holly	.....	farrah fawcett-majors
doc	.....	michael anderson jr.
old man	.....	peter ustinov
sanctuary man #1	.....	bob neill
sanctuary man #2	.....	randolph roberts
woman runner	.....	lara lindsay
billy	.....	gary morgan
mary 2	.....	Michelle Stacy
woman customer	.....	laura hippe
sandman	.....	david westberg
sanctuary woman	.....	camilla carr
cub	.....	gregg lewis
timid girl	.....	ashley cox
sandman	.....	bill couch
runner	.....	glen wilder

PLOT SUMMARY

Sometime in the 23^rd century...the survivors of great war, overpopulation and pollution are living in a great domed city. Sealed away from the forgotten world outside. Here, in an ecologically balanced world, mankind lives only for pleasure, freed by the servo-mechanisms which provide everything.

There's just one catch: Life must end at thirty unless reborn in the fiery ritual of carrousel.

In the advanced world everyone lives under domed cities. Life is supposed to be perfect. All provisions are supplied by an unseen caretaker. But life is too perfectly balanced and planned. At thirty years of age, people are eliminated under the propaganda that they will be reborn or renewed through a ceremony called carrousel. (pronounced carousel.) There is no sex involved in the creation of new life. It is brought on artificially in breeders by seed parents who never know each other's identities.

Even names have become generic. The child of Logan 5 (Michael York), for instance, is named Logan 6.

Logan 5 is what they call a Sandman. In this sense of the word, his job is to track down runners, people trying to escape the confines of the domed cities.

Logan becomes authorized to penetrate the seals of the city in order to find and destroy what is called sanctuary, a place believed to be a location where runners have congregated and become unaccounted for. In order to do this, Logan must risk his life by becoming a runner himself.

Logan reluctantly accepts the task (as if he has a choice) and discovers some things, about which he had already been questioning, along the way and at the end of his journey.

TECH INSPECTION

This movie is based on the novel Logan's Run by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson.

I am left wondering how it is that during Logan's first run, he and Jessica must navigate through a labyrinth of tunnels and caves in order to reach outside. Nevertheless, at the end, it's less than a hop, skip, and a jump to the same place.

At the very end of the movie when everyone is gathering around the old man, one person raises his hand above the crowd. Smack dab in the middle of the screen, he gives the Vulcan hand sign from Star Trek.

I saw this movie for the first time when I was about 7 years old on Night Owl Theater with Fritz the Night Owl, and have loved it ever since for different reasons as I got older.

This is one of those movies that gives kicks to those just looking for editing and script mistakes and faux pas in continuity. However, once you have been satiated in that respect, watch the movie again for entertainment value and you will be impressed.

Note the famous people in key roles such as Farrah Fawcett (credited as Farrah Fawcett-Majors, wife of Lee Majors at the time) and Peter Ustinov (Hercule Poirot in the Agatha Christie movies, Sparticus).

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Just imagine what would happen to you if the healing stopped functioning. ~ Doc
• Must have been a savage world. ~ Jessica
• Fish, and plankton, and seagreens, and proteins from the sea... ~ Box
• Beloved husband. Beloved wife. I wonder what it means. ~ Jessica

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
⁹ /₁₀

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The Fly

No, not that The Fly. This is not another movie review. I thought I would take a break from visual entertainment and do a post more familiar with my pre-reviewer times.

I finally got him. That pesky fly is no longer. He was a big one, too. One of those flies that just seems like he constitutes the entire world. And he is no longer. What an accomplishment. What a joyous part of my day. What a reason to celebrate...Really?!

This is not really to say that it is sad to say that this constitutes the most I can imagine as a good day. It is more to exploit how much some of the little things are what really matters. I know it's been done over and over in numerous columns and books and articles before. But that is because it is true (and it works really well for those trying to get back to writing in the way they used to back in the day).

Think for a moment about the things that really make you happy. Some of the times when you might catch yourself smiling when nobody is around to see it. When you watch one your favorite cartoon shows or you read a book that makes you laugh inside. Have you ever just stopped and reflected on your physical state at that very moment and realizing that you have a grin on your face? Compare this to when you are out with friends. You're all laughing and having a good time with your anecdotes and stories of the last barbecue party and what others might not know happened back at the house and...well, that's another post...

Anyway, my point is that there are times when you smile just because it is the socially acceptable thing to do. You wouldn't really laugh wholeheartedly at Uncle Frank's story of blunder at the hardware store. For one thing, nobody thinks it's funny that he picked up the wrong size drill bit. For another thing, nobody at this particular gathering knows what carbide tipped even means. And for a third thing, nobody cares or will ever care! But you smile, tip your glass to his, and let him have a fake chuckle anyway. Why? Because even though Frank is the one with the stupid story, you'd look like the idiot if you didn't. Ironic, isn't it?

When you watch your favorite show on television, you have no one to impress. Yet you still put on a happy face. When you kill that horse of a fly, you grin as though you have conquered the universe. Well, at least I do. Joking aside, have you really done much to rid the world of evil? You got rid of one stupid fly. In the whole vast land of everything, there is one less housefly. I don't think that is going to make much of a difference to anyone tomorrow. Probably not even you. However, you celebrate anyway.

I believe there seems even more reason to celebrate when there is nobody around. Like right now as I am sitting here writing this column. It is the middle of the night and I have just found that pesky fly in my glass of water. Sure I'll have to go get another glass of water, but that fly is gone. No more taking time out from my thoughts to take a swat at it, just to have it return and do a fly-by (excuse the pun) around my lamp. Such satisfaction from such a little thing. Yet that's what life seems to be about. At least to me. Because at last I can sleep, which is what I was after all along. Another of those little things we don't think of as being so important until we are deprived of it. And here it is. I'll just finish up this column and enjoy the bliss that is slumber.

Oh no. Now there's something I didn't count on...that fly has a brother...

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Escape from the Planet of the Apes

MOVIE REVIEW OF Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) G

Cast
Director	Don Taylor	Runtime: 1hrs 38min ( 98min)
Cornelius	.....	roddy mcDowall
Zira	.....	kim hunter
dr. lewis dixon	.....	bradford dillman
dr. stephanie branton	.....	natalie trundy
dr. otto hesslein	.....	eric braeden
armando	.....	ricardo montalban
the president	.....	william windom
milo	.....	sal mineo
e-1	.....	albert salmi
e-2	.....	jason evers
commission chairman	.....	john randolph
general winthrop	.....	harry lauter
aide	.....	m. emmet walsh
lawyer	.....	roy e. glenn sr.
cardinal	.....	peter forster
army officer	.....	norman burton
naval officer	.....	william woodson
orderly	.....	tom lowell
marine captain	.....	gene whittington
curator	.....	donald elson
TV newscaster	.....	bill bonds
referee	.....	army archero
general faulkner	.....	james bacon

PLOT SUMMARY

In this installment of Planet of the Apes, there are only 2 ape characters (technically 4 in all...watch the movie and you'll understand). Cornelius (once again played by Roddy McDowall) and Zira (as always, Kim Hunter). They have traveled back in time to the 20^th century, as was the intent of both Taylor and Brent in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. They find it necessary to reveal just who they are and what they can do. There are two scientists (Bradford Dillman and Natalie Trundy) who try to help them and are sympathetic. However, in the spirit of the fact that you need conflict for a movie, there are those who don't want the end of the previous movie to become the reality. Those people propose that Cornelius and Zira be sterilized. On top of that, we discover that Zira is pregnant. Of course, the unborn child must be aborted.

This is the first of the POTA movies in which Charlton Heston does not make an appearance (except briefly in a flashback...about a half second).

TECH INSPECTION

So far, this is my favorite of the Planet of the Apes movies. Nonetheless, I still refrain from giving it a 10 meow rating. I do try to reserve those for my absolute favorite choices. None of the Planet of the Apes movies to this point have evolved to this level.

Watching this movie reminded me of a couple of different Star Trek episodes where Captain Kirk and his landing party beamed down to 20^th century Earth. Of course, most fish-out-of-water movies are somewhat amusing, and this movie does not disappoint. Whereas all POTA movies are intended to be rather serious dramas, this one has more humor-spots than the others so far in the series.

I guess I just have to find a flaw in everything, so here it is...although ever so minor.

The ship that the apes arrive in is intact. So much so as to have been capable of the return trip to the 20^th century. This ship is referred to as the one previously manned by Colonel Taylor. However, in the original movie, that particular ship was flooded, and the hatch was blown off...literally.

The ending to this one (don't worry, I'm not going to give anything away), as seems to be characteristic of these movies, lends itself undeniably to another follow-up sequel. A.k.a. a cliffhanger is involved. It would be criminal not to do so, and it would render this ending unworthy of the 9 meow rating I am awarding it.

So then...prepare yourself for Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, coming soon...

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• I did not call her mad. I merely ask her if she was. ~ Milo
• I like you. ~ Zira
• Does the other one talk? ~ Commission Chairman Only when she lets me. ~ Cornelius
• Your luggage, ma'am? ~ Redcap Of course it's mine! ~ Zira
• May I measure your inside leg, sir? ~ Shop Taylor NO! ~ Cornelius
• Would we have approved killing [Hitler] in babyhood when he was still innocent? Or killing his mother when he was still in her womb? Or slaughtering his remote ancestors? ~ The President
• [Man] might kill his brother, but he could not kill his dog. ~ Cornelius
• Well. It's sort of like grape juice plus. ~ Dr. Dixon
• Aren't we rude enough to each other without having to be rude to animals? ~ Armando
• Now I want them taken, yes...but taken alive. Is that clear? ~ The President

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
⁹/₁₀

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The Time of Your Life

MOVIE REVIEW OF The Time of Your Life (1948)

Cast
Director	h. c. potter	Runtime: 1hr 49min (109min)
joseph t.	.....	james cagney
nick	.....	william bendix
tom	.....	wayne morris
kitty duval	.....	jeanne cagney
krupp	.....	broderick crawford
mcCarthy	.....	ward bond
kit carson	.....	james barton
harry	.....	paul draper
mary l.	.....	gale page
dudley raoul bostwick	.....	james lydon
willie	.....	richard erdman
arab philosopher	.....	pedro de cordoba
wesley	.....	reginald beane
tippler	.....	john 'skins' miller
freddy blick	.....	tom powers
society lady	.....	natalie schafer
society gentleman	.....	howard freeman
lorene smith	.....	renie riano
elsie mandelspiegel	.....	nanette parks
nick's mother	.....	grazia narciso
'killer'	.....	claire carleton
side kick	.....	gladys blake
newsboy	.....	lanny rees
nick's daughter	.....	marlene aames

PLOT SUMMARY

Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan, this movie can be easily imagined being performed on the stage.

Joe (James Cagney) is the quintessential people watcher. He does things without specific purpose just because he can, and he enjoys what he does. That's what life is to him...doing what gives you kicks, no matter how useless those things may seem to others.

Every type of person stops in at Nick's Saloon, and this is without a doubt the reason why Joe is there constantly to do his people watching. Among some of the highlighted characters Joe sees on this particular day include a terrific tap dancer (Paul Draper-- a real life dancer and choreographer) looking for a spot in the entertainment section of the Pacific Street Saloon. Unfortunately for everyone, along with the dancing comes a unique form of comedy which reminds you more of a poetry reading at a beatnik coffee house.

Another constant is a desperate young man (James Lydon) who is helplessly in love and is waiting for his girl while contemplating his own life's meaning.

We meet a starving black fellow looking for a job. And, oh yeah...did I mention that he's pretty good on the old ivories?!

And I won't forget the young college boy who gets his spotlight in the story by winning six nickels at the pinball machine.

TECH INSPECTION

This movie is produced by James's brother William Cagney and features his sister Jeanne as Kitty Duval, a wannabe actress.

Seinfeld has been described as the show about nothing. Well that, in my opinion, is a misnomer, as there is an actual plot to each episode. More accurately, there are several sub-plots without a main storyline. Not so with The Time of Your Life. This really is a movie about nothing in particular. However it is one of the best uses of characterization I have ever seen. In fact, the movie itself is not much more than 2 hours of characterization. And I mean that in the most respectful and fascinating way.

James Cagney pulls off this role like it is second nature to him. This part fits him like a shoe, as easily as his signature gangster parts, yet completely different.

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• What's the dream now...? ~ Joe
• Be of help? What kind of help could she be of? ~ Dudley Raoul Bostwick
• I don't even like to walk...I guess it's because I never got anywhere walking. ~ Joe
• Well I can be funny, but they won't laugh. ~ Harry
• I believe dreams sooner than statistics. ~ Joe
• I don't suppose you ever fell in love with a midget weighing 39 pounds. ~ Murphy
• It takes an awful lot of rehearsal for a man to be himself. ~ Joe

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
¹⁰ /₁₀ and I'd give it more if I could.

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