WHAT HAPPENED TO POKING FUN AT SQUARES?

The New Adventures of Desdinova the Super Villain of the Ozarks: WHAT HAPPENED TO POKING FUN AT SQUARES?: Over time the portrayals of certain groups of people have changed over the years. You can see many horrible politically incorrect images i...

OUR GANG & SUPERMAN MOVIE STAR JACKIE COOPER DEAD AT 88

Jackie Cooper, a top child star of the 1930s, dies at 88 - KansasCity.com

Somewhere in the Great Beyond, Jackie, Farina and Chubby are forcing Miss Crabtree's brother to wear a dress.

TURA SATANA DIES

The star of the 1966 cult film, Faster Pussycat Kill Kill!, has died. Tura Satana played the tough go-go dancer Varla in the Russ Meyer's film.
Dave Itzkopf of the New York Times has a story about her.

I have this gem of Naughty Springfield history.

BEST OF DESDINOVA: OZARKERS WERE AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF BUT NOT FASTER PUSSYCAT!

COMPOSER JOHN BARRY DIES AT 77

Many of my favorite film scores were composed by John Barry. Barry is best know for his work on the James Bond films. One of his first film scores was for a 50's juvenile delinquent film Beat Girl. That song, featuring the twangy guitar of Vic Flick, was recycled by Fatboy Slim into the 90's hit song "Rockefeller Skank."

He died over the weekend at age 77. Here is the BBC news obit. If you want to check out his music you can find a whole page of downloads at Amazon.com.

DESDINOVA'S DEMENTED CHRISTMAS THEATER

Last Christmas, I was watching on a disc from one of those DVD box sets made by the Mill Creek Company. I found one called "Christmas Cartoons and Shorts." It had several Christmas cartoons from the 30s & 40s on it, but also several short subjects from Castle Films. Castle made films for home projectors and schools. Some of the Christmas short films had me saying "WTF?!?!?!?" Here are two of those.

SANTA CLAUS, PUNCH & JUDY: Santa indulges a group of little Baby Boomers with the puppet equivalent of extreme fighting. This may not be safe at work since one scene involves a puppet spanking his monkey (with a large stick).



SANTA IN ANIMAL LAND: This one would be best viewed aided by alcohol and drugs. It might make it more logical.



No animal puppets were harmed during the filming of this movie. However, watching it could lead to brain damage. This explains why many Baby Boomers tried drugs.

LESLIE NIELSEN 1926 - 2010 "And don't call me Shirley."

Actor Leslie Nielsen has died at age 84. Here is his obit from The Wrap. I wonder if they will put Bracken's World: the Complete Series on DVD, like they did Police Squad!

Trivia that links Ingrid Pitt and Leslie Nielsen? Christopher Lee, who co-starred with Pitt in the House That Dripped Blood and The Wicker Man, turned down the Dr. Rumack role in Airplane! The reason was he didn't want to be called Shirley.

INGRID PITT 1937 - 2010

She was one of the sexiest female vampires in movie history. Buxom Hammer Horror film icon Ingrid Pitt died this week at age 73. The Baltimore Sun has her obituary. Her life story would make a great movie. Unlike the women she played in movies, she died without a stake through the heart. Rest in peace Ingird.

Note: Ingrid Pitt is no relation to local boy turned movie star Brad Pitt. Just wanted to make sure you knew that.

TONY CURTIS aka BERNIE SCHWARTZ aka DANNY WILDE DIES

Actor Tony Curtis died Wednesday night. He was 85 years old. Here is IMDB's obit. Curtis was the guy who popularized the "ducktail" haircut in the 50's (before Elvis). He was also the star of the 70's action series The Persuaders with Roger Moore. Here is a clip (little fuzzy) from the pilot with a nice sunshine pop song by Jackie Trent and Tony Hatch called "Gotta Get Away." Nothing like combining sunshine pop with road rage.

KEVIN McCARTHY DEAD AT 96

"They're here! You're next!" Invasion of the Body Snatchers star Kevin McCarthy has died. Here is his obit from the N.Y. Times.

I TOLD UNKNOWN FILMS TO WATCH "PEEPING TOM" AND THEY DID!

I suggested that the fine folks over at Unknown Films watch Michael Powell's 1960 classic psychological horror film Peeping Tom. Not only did they watch it they wrote a nice review of it. Sounds like they liked it too.

Peeping Tom is sort of the British cousin of another popular film from that year, Psycho. Unlike Psycho, Peeping Tom wrecked the career of director Michael Powell, who mostly made family friendly films.

DESDINOVA PRESENTS 50's TEENAGE REBEL THEATER

Since Ozarkers always wish the country could be like it was back in the 50's, I decided to give them a good dose of 50's nostalgia (My way, of course) featuring the thing that horrifies Ozarkers the most - teen age rebellion. ENJOY!

THE WILD ONE
REBEL WITHOUT CAUSE
BLACKBOARD JUNGLE
HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL
JAILHOUSE ROCK
I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF
WILD RIDE
CRY BABY KILLER
BEAT GIRL (WILD FOR KICKS)
DRAGSTRIP RIOT
THE VIOLENT YEARS
HOT ROD GIRL
TEENAGE CAVEMAN
SERIOUS CHARGE

Look at all the kids that are rebeling in the 50s! BRANDO! JAMES DEAN! JACK NICHOLSON! SIDNEY POITIER! OLIVER REED! JERRY LEE LEWIS! ELVIS! CLIFF RICHARD! THAT GUY FROM "LAREDO"! THE RIDDLER from BATMAN! THE MAN from U.N.C.L.E IS A CAVEMAN! PA INGLES IS A WEREWOLF! EVEN WINSTON CHURCHILL'S DAUGHTER IS MIXED UP IT THIS!

COREY ALLEN - LAST SURVIVNG STAR of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE DIES

Reuters is reporting that actor/director Corey Allen (above right) has died at age 75. For one whole month, he was the last surviving member of the main cast of the 1955 film, Rebel Without a Cause.

PAUL NASCHY IS DEAD 1934 - 2009

Spanish horror film icon Paul Naschy is dead. The actor best known for playing the werewolf named Waldemar Daninsky had been battle cancer for about a year. Here is an article about his death from Fangoria and his credits from IMDB.

OZARKERS WERE AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF BUT NOT FASTER PUSSYCAT

While looking through some Springfield News Leaders from 1966, I found an ad for the Hi-M Drive-In. They were showing Russ Meyer's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! The interesting part is that this same week another theater in town was showing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Oddly enough, there was a noted trouble making preacher leading a crusade against of the Burton/Taylor film. The LTTE were saying the film was filled with "vulgar talk" and "excessive use of liquor." Oooooooohhhhhh! That is scary. They ignored the film where Tura Satana backed over a guy's crotch. It also came with a disclaimer at the beginning of the film.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The good thing is the News Leader only ran letters to the editor on Sunday instead of every day. It would cut down on the overabundance of letters from right-wing nutjobs, but of course, opinions like this are why I'm considered the Super Villain of the Ozarks!!! Mwu-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

YOU'RE A GENIUS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T MAKE A LAMP: JOHN HUGHES DIES

If you grew up in the 80's, the films of John Hughes were required watching. The writer, producer and director with a flair for capturing teen-age life, was an important influence on our young lives, much like the late great Michael Jackson. Hughes died Thursday at age 59. Here is CNN's obit.

Hughes addressed many problems that young people face. In the Breakfast Club, it was how adults view young people and how it influences young people to view each other. Hughes ending sums up theme.

"Saturday, March 24,1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon, We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed."

My favorite John Hughes film is Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I identify with the character of Ferris Bueller because, like me, he is smarter than the adults around him. He also had the same philosphy I have, "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

TWO MORE FAMOUS PEOPLE PASS AWAY

Okay, I'm behind on celebrity deaths. So much for that "They-come-in-threes" stuff. I missed Gale "My Little Margie" Storm, TV pitchman Billy Mays, and impressionist Fred Travelena. I've been out of town and away from a computer so I couldn't update my blog.


However, I wanted to mention two of my favorites who left us yesterday.





Karl Malden died at age 97. CNN has his obit. I grew up with him as both the star of the Streets of San Fransisco and as spokesman for American Express. His pinkie-finger sucking villain in Murderers Row was one of many spy movie villains that inspired Dr. Evil of the Austin Powers films.





Reuters reporting that British comedy actress Mollie Sugden has died at 86. Best remembered as the prissy Mrs. Slocum on the sitcom Are You Being Served? Mrs. Slocum usually has a bad dye-job on her hair and talked about her cat which she called "her pussy."

FARAH FAWCETT DIES AFTER A BATTLE WITH CANCER

My one weakness is blond women. From my junior high crush on a girl named Eunice Moneymaker to my obsession with Paris Hilton, I love well-dressed, blond girls with a lot of long hair. It probably started with Farah Fawcett. She died today at 62 after a brave battle with cancer. Here is the CNN obit.

One of my favorite moments involving Farah is from Cannonball Run. She plays a reporter/environmental activist ("I just LOVE trees!") investigating the cross-country Cannonball Race. She winds up in the ambulance driven by Burt Reynolds and Dom Deluise. She puts up a fuss so they have their doctor, played by Jack Elam, to give her laughing gas to calm her down. They wind up stopped by a car driven Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior, who are disguised as priest. Dean Martin realizes that Burt Reynolds is using the ambulance as a disguise as well. Reynolds tells him they have to get their "patient" to a hospital. Martin insist on looking in the back of the ambulance saying he has to "bless the patient." Reynolds opens the door where Farah lays zonked out and giggling on laughing gas. Dean Martin exclaims "OH, I'VE GOT TO BLESS HER!"

God bless you, Farah.

DOM DELUISE DIES AT 75

He was one of those guys who you can't name all the great shows and movies he was in. I thought of a few that probably won't be mentioned. He was the voice of the landlord Mr. Ivictus in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Roman Holidays. He was the weasely guy in Glass Bottom Boat and John Astin's shrink in the Western comedy Evil Roy Slade. He also had a sitcom in the 70's, Lottsa Luck, that was based on the Britcom On the Buses. I'm also old enough to remember that he used to cut Dean Martin's hair everyweek. Here is CNN's story.

Rest in Peace Captain Chaos! Dot-dotta DDDDAAAAAA!

Monte Hale Dies

All Access reports: "ALL ACCESS sends condolences to the family of singing cowboy MONTE HALE, who passed away SUNDAY (3/29) at his home in STUDIO CITY, CA. He was 89. HALE appeared on several television shows and films, including "Gunsmoke," "Giant," and "The Chase." One of his good friends was fellow singing cowboy GENE AUTRY. HALE and his wife, JOANNE, co-founded the GENE AUTRY WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, later renamed the AUTRY MUSEUM OF WESTERN HERITAGE."

Ozarkers Believed That "Twinkie" Myth

I was glad to see Sean Penn win Best Actor for Milk (although I wanted Brad Pitt to win). I've liked Penn ever since Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I'm interested in seeing the film, although the Harvey Milk story had an ugly effect on my childhood. Nothing to do with the late Mr. Milk, but the guy who killed him, Dan White.

You see, as a child, I didn't eat much. When I entered the seventh grade I weight 95 pounds. I didn't like to eat the stuff my parents ate. I preferred the fun stuff: soda, hot dogs, candy bars, etc., what fascist adults called "junk food." I did finally start eating the "healthy" stuff. Ironically, you don't want to know what I weigh now.

I would get lectured about eating this stuff, especially at Mark Twain Elementary. Mark Twain Elementary was home to Principal Betty Moore and some of the crankiest teachers on the planet. I think they should make laws against public educators being that cranky and evil. One of the things I heard at school and from other evil adults (I don't call these people "well-meaning adults" because any adult against me doing what I wanted to do was, and still is, evil) was "There was a man in California that would only eat Twinkies and Coke. It caused him to go crazy and kill two men he worked with." That may have scared the other kids but it didn't work on Desdinova, because I was smarter than every adult I knew back then (I'm still smarter than most people older than me).

I was going when I set out to write this post I Googled Dan White and found this article from The San Fransisco Chronicle in November of 2003. It talks about how the Myth of the Twinkie Defense as it was called that supposedly got Dan White a reduced sentence. It got me into a trouble but then again that is what makes me SUPER VILLAIN OF THE OZARKS!!! Mwu-HAHAHAHAHA!