EddieDeezen.com

QUESTION OF THE DAY

 
MARILYN MONROE'S SIGNATURE SEXY WALK IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS WALKS IN THE HISTORY OF THE MOVIES.

HOW DID MARILYN PERFECT HER WORLD-FAMOUS WALK?

Pamplemousse!!

HERE IS AN ODD LITTLE VIDEO.

IT IS MY OLD FILM 1941, BUT IT HAS ME AND MY PAL, MURRAY HAMILTON, DUBBED-IN IN FRENCH.

I USUALLY DON'T POST A LOT OF YOUTUBE STUFF, BUT THIS IS JUST TOO WEIRD AND SILLY.

THE VERY FIRST "COUNTDOWN"

WE'VE ALL SEEN THE CLASSIC "COUNTDOWN", IN EVERY FILM ABOUT ASTRONAUTS, EVERY TV DOCUMENTARY ABOUT ASTRONAUTS, EVERY CARTOON ABOUT ASTRONAUTS OR EVEN ON
I DREAM OF JEANNIE.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-BLAST OFF!

WELL, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE CREATOR OF THE CLASSIC COUNTDOWN DIDN'T WORK AT NASA OR CAPE CANAVERAL. THE CREATOR OF THE COUNTDOWN WAS ACTUALLY A MOTION PICTURE DIRECTOR.

HIS NAME WAS FRITZ LANG. HIS CHIEF CLAIM TO FAME IS THE SILENT FILM M (1931) STARRING PETER LORRE. HE ALSO DIRECTED ANOTHER WELL-KNOWN SILENT CALLED METROPOLIS (1927) BOTH FILMS ARE NOW UNIVERSALLY CONSIDERED CLASSICS BY FILM SCHOLARS AND MOVIE FANS THE WORLD OVER.

IN THE LATE 1920'S, LANG DIRECTED ONE OF THE VERY FIRST SCIENCE FICTION FILMS. IT WAS CALLED THE WOMAN IN THE MOON (1929).

A HIGHLIGHT OF THE FILM WAS THE LAUNCH OF A MAMMOTH ROCKET WHICH LOOKED UNCANNILY LIKE THE ONES WE LATER LAUNCHED FROM CAPE CANAVERAL. IT OCCURED TO LANG THAT CREATING SUSPENSE COULD BE OBTAINED BY SWITCHING FROM THE CONVENTIONAL, SO INSTEAD OF THE EXPECTED "ONE-TWO-THREE" COUNT PRECEEDING THE MOVIE ROCKET LAUNCH, LANG USED EXACTLY THE REVERSE.

THUS, THE FIRST COUNTDOWN OCCURED 80 YEARS AGO - IN A SCI-FI MOVIE!! SOON SCIENCE IMITATED ART AND THE COUNTDOWN AS WE KNOW IT BECAME STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE ON ALL ROCKET LAUNCHES.

AS A SAD SIDEBAR, WHEN ADOLF HITLER CAME TO POWER IN GERMANY, THEY ALSO USED SOME OF LANG'S OTHER MOVIE "ROCKET LAUNCH" PROPS IN THEIR EXPERIMENTS - IRONICALLY, THIS OCCURED AFTER LANG HIMSELF HAD BEEN FORCED TO FLEE NAZI GERMANY FOR HIS LIFE.

THE GENERALLY ACCEPTED (BUT UNCONFIRMED) STORY IS THAT LANG WAS SUMMONED TO THE OFFICE OF HITLER'S PRPAGANDA MINISTER, JOSEF GOEBBELS, IN 1934. GOEBBELS HAD TWO MESSAGES TO GIVE LANG.

THE FIRST WAS THAT HIS FILM THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (1933) WAS BEING BANNED IN NAZI GERMANY BECAUSE OF "INCITEMENT TO PUBLIC DISORDER". THE SECOND MESSAGE WAS THAT GOEBBELS WAS SO IMPRESSED BY LANG'S FILMS, HE WANTED TO MAKE HIM THE HEAD OF A GERMAN FILM STUDIO.

LANG, WHOSE MOTHER WAS JEWISH, MUST HAVE BEEN SCARED OUT OF HIS WITS DURING THE MEETING! HE HAD ACTUALLY ALREADY PLANNED TO LEAVE NAZI GERMANY, BUT HE REALIZED NOW HE HAD TO GET OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SINCE THE MEETING WITH GOEBBELS RAN LATE, THE BANKS IN GERMANY WERE ALL CLOSED BY THE TIME IT ENDED. SO HAVING NO CHOICE AND FEARING A DISCOVERY OF HIS JEWISH BLOOD, LANG FLED THAT VERY NIGHT - WITH NO MONEY.

LANG'S WIFE, ACTRESS AND AUTHOR THEA VON HARBOU, HAD SYMPATHIZED WITH HITLER'S CAUSE AND JOINED THE NAZI PARTY IN 1932.

THE TWO DIVORCED IN 1933.

EDDIE DEEZEN & ROBIN WILLIAMS TOGETHER - SORT OF

WELL, THIS WEEK I GOT TO BE IN
SPONGEBOB'S TENTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
AT NICKELODEON.

MY OLD PAL, TOM KENNY, WAS THE STAR, OF COURSE, HE IS SPONGEBOB. I LOVE TOM, A WONDERFUL GUY, ALWAYS FUN TO TALK TO - HE KNOWS ALL THE OLD MOVIES, ALL THE COMEDY HEROES, ALL KINDS OF GREAT TRIVIA. HE IS ALWAYS FUN TO WORK WITH.

WELL, I HAD EXACTLY ONE LINE AND I WAS PAID SCALE! BUT I DID IT BECAUSE OF TOM AND BECAUSE I LOVE TO WORK. I JUST DO ONE QUICK BIT OF SHTICK. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I HAD SUCH A FUN TIME. EVERYONE WAS SO NICE, FRIENDLY- I HAD A FUN TIME DOING MY BRIEF LITTLE BIT.

ROBIN WILLIAMS WILL BE IN IT, PLUS TINA FEY, AND A GREAT BASKETBALL HERO OF MINE, LeBRON JAMES. NO, I DIDN'T ACTUALLY GET TO MEET ANY OF THESE TALENTED PEOPLE, I WAS ONLY THERE FOR A FEW HOURS. BUT TECHNICALLY, I AM IN A SHOW WITH ROBIN WILLIAMS - AND THE OTHERS. I REGRET NOT GETTING TO MEET THEM, BUT LIKE I SAY, IT WAS FUN.

ANYWAY, SPONGEBOB'S TENTH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL WILL AIR IN NOVEMBER, I THINK THEY SAID. THESE PEOPLE WERE SO NICE THEY EVEN OFFERED TO GIVE ME A CUE CARD FOR MY ONE LINE. THEY KNEW I LIKE TO ACT USING CUE CARDS.

I SAID: EVEN I CAN REMEMBER ONE LINE.

I HOPE THEY KEEP IN MY BRIEF SHTICK. THE SMALLER THE ROLE YOU HAVE IN ANY PROJECT, THE EASIER IT IS TO CUT YOU OUT - YOU ARE MORE DISPENSABLE.

ONE OTHER BIT OF TRIVIA: THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I HAVE EVER BEEN ON CAMERA WITHOUT WEARING MAKE-UP. IT WAS SO QUICK, I WAS CHATTING WITH THE MAKE-UP GIRLS, BUT FOR SOME REASON, I NEVER GOT MADE-UP AND NO ONE CARED

TONIGHT'S OSCARS & JERRY LEWIS

THIS IS NOT GENERALLY A BLOG, MORE JUST SOME FUN TIDBITS I POST FOR MY FRIENDS AND FANS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A FEW COMMENTS (AND SHARE MY OPINIONS ABOUT) TONIGHT'S ACADEMY AWARDS.

FIRST OFF, I HAVE A FRIEND, JIM MESKIMEN, WHO HAS A ROLE IN AN OSCAR-NOMINATED FILM FROST NIXON, WHICH I STILL HAVE TO SEE.

ANOTHER FRIEND, TOM KANE, WAS A MAJOR ANNOUNCER AT LAST YEAR'S OSCARS, I DON'T KNOW IF HE WILL BE ANNOUNCING AGAIN TONIGHT, BUT I HOPE HE IS - HE WAS GREAT LAST YEAR.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MY PAL, DANNY MANN WILL BE DUBBING A LINE IN A MONTAGE TONIGHT (AS FRANK SINATRA, NO LESS) - THAT'LL BE DANNY SAYING:

THE WINNER IS EVA MARIE SAINT IN
ON THE WATERFRONT.

WHEN WE FILMED 1941 BACK IN 1979, THERE WAS ALWAYS A SORT OF ANNOYING, SMART ALECK-TYPE GUY HANGING AROUND, WHO REALLY WASN'T SUCH A BAD GUY WHEN YOU GOT TO KNOW HIM. HE WAS BARELY MORE THAN AN EXTRA IN THAT FILM, BUT I REMEMBER HIM IN THE CAST - IN FACT, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN HIS VERY FIRST FILM.

HIS NAME WAS MICKEY ROURKE. I WILL BE ROOTING FOR MICKEY TO WIN BEST ACTOR TONIGHT. I KNOW MICKEY HAS BEEN THROUGH A LOT IN HIS OWN LIFE AND I HOPE HE WINS - IT'LL BE A GREAT STORY OF HUMAN REDEMPTION.

HEATH LEDGER IS THE SUREST BET OF THE NIGHT TO WIN AS BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR FOR HIS INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE AS THE JOKER. HEATH'S FAMILY WILL ACCEPT FOR HIM, BUT I HAVE NO DOUBTS AT ALL THAT HEATH WILL BE UP THERE WATCHING THE AWARDS AND SEEING THIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

BUT MY MAIN REASON FOR WATCHING WILL BE THE AWARD GIVEN TO A SUPREME HERO OF MINE, JERRY LEWIS. INCREDIBLY, IT IS A HUMANITARIAN AWARD AND NOT FOR JERRY'S GREAT FILMS. THIS IS A GREAT INJUSTICE, I FEEL, BUT AT LEAST THIS BRILLIANT GENIUS IS GETTING AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

I WILL NEVER FORGET A SPECIAL MOMENT DURING THE FILMING OF THE POLAR EXPRESS. AS I WAS SITTING AROUND ON THE STAGE ONE DAY, TOM HANKS CAME GALLOPING OVER TO ME.

EDDIE! GUESS WHO I TALKED TO LAST NIGHT? HE SAID, IN THAT GREAT CHILD-LIKE ENTHUSIASM HE HAS.

WHO?, I ASKED.

JERRY LEWIS!!

HE TOLD ME HE HAD MET JERRY BEFORE, BUT HE WAS JUST TELLING ME, AS A FELLOW FROM MY SAME GENERATION, ABOUT MEETING THIS MOVIE LEGEND. WE PROCEEDED TO TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH JERRY MEANT TO OUR CHILDHOOD YEARS, HOW HUGE HE WAS. JUST THE FACT THAT A STAR LIKE TOM WAS SLIGHTLY IN AWE OF THE MAN IS VERY TELLING.

JERRY BELONGS ON THE LIST OF THE GREATEST FILM COMEDIANS OF ALL-TIME, ALONG WITH CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND BUSTER KEATON AND THE MARX BROTHERS AND THE THREE STOOGES. THESE GUYS ALL HAD A PROFOUND EFFECT ON ME AS A KID - IT IS A MAJOR UNDERSTATEMENT TO SAY THEY CHANGED MY LIFE. IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF JERRY'S EARLY WORK, MAN, THE GUY IS BEYOND PRAISE. WHAT AN AMAZING TALENT, WHAT A GIANT OF A COMEDIAN.

I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE JERRY IN LAS VEGAS IN 1982 AND I LATER SAW HIM IN THE PLAY DAMN YANKEES IN 1996. I JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW TALENTED THIS MAN WAS!! I WAS JUST MESMERIZED.

I AM GLAD JERRY WILL FINALLY GET AN OSCAR TONIGHT. YES, MAYBE IT IS FOR HIS WORK AS A "HUMANITARIAN", BUT THEY DON'T EVEN SEE THE CLASSIC IRONY. THE GREAT COMEDIANS LIKE JERRY LEWIS - WHO HAVE BROUGHT SO MUCH LAUGHTER AND JOY INTO THIS SUFFERING, SAD WORLD - ARE HUMANITARIANS, AND FEW HAVE DONE MORE TO BRING HAPPINESS INTO THE WORLD THAN JERRY.

I WILL BE GLAD TO SEE JERRY HAVE "HIS MOMENT" TONIGHT, BUT HE WILL NEVER KNOW JUST HOW MUCH HE MEANT TO A SKINNY, GEEKY, TEENAGE MISFIT WITH GLASSES, WHO SAT WATCHING HIS FILMS, ALMOST TRANSFIXED IN AWE AND ADMIRATION.

I WOULD WATCH AND THINK TO MYSELF, THERE IS ACTUALLY ANOTHER PERSON ON THIS PLANET WHO IS LIKE ME!!! SOMETIMES IN LIFE WE HAVE "FRIENDS" WHO AREN'T EVEN AWARE WE ARE ALIVE. THANKS, JERRY

MORE BAD "FAMILY FEUD" ANSWERS

HERE ARE TEN MORE BAD FAMILY FEUD:

NAME A BODY PART BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER "N"?
NAME.

NAME A FAMOUS BRIDGE?
BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS.

NAME A DOMESTICATED ANIMAL?
LEOPARD.

NAME SOMETHING YOU HIT WHEN IT'S NOT WORKING?
YOUR SPOUSE.

NAME A REASON FOR KNEELING?
TO BE BEHEADED.

NAME SOMETHING THAT COMES IN SEVENS?
FINGERS.

NAME A CITY NAMED AFTER A PRESIDENT?
CARSON CITY.

NAME SOMETHING SLIPPERY?
A CONMAN.

NAME SOMETHING ORANGE?
A BANANA.

NAME SOMETHING AN INDIAN CHIEF MIGHT USE?
SQUAW.

WORST "FAMILY FEUD" ANSWERS

IT'S EASY TO LAUGH AT BAD FAMILY FEUD ANSWERS, BUT REMEMBER, THESE POOR PEOPLE ARE UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE TO "THINK FAST". NONETHELESS, HERE ARE TEN OF THE "WORST EVER" CONTESTANT RESPONSES:

NAME SOMETHING YOU'D DO TONIGHT IF THE WORLD WAS COMING TO AN END TOMORROW?
GET THE KIDS AND PACK.

NAME THE TOUGHEST MONTH OF A PREGNANCY?
SEPTEMBER.

NAME A FAMOUS BROTHER AND SISTER?
BONNIE AND CLYDE.

NAME A FAMOUS OR FICTIONAL WILLY?
WILLY THE POOH.

NAME SOMETHING YOU OPEN OTHER THAN A DOOR?
BOWELS.

NAME SOMETHING YOU SQUEEZE?
PEANUT BUTTER.

NAME A FAMOUS DICK?
CARROT.

NAME A BOY MENTIONED IN NURSERY RHYMES?
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.

NAME A FAST ANIMAL?
HIPPO.

NAME SOMETHING ASSOCIATED WITH LIVERPOOL?
THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.

THE COCOANUTS

THE MARX BROTHERS FIRST FILM.

IN 1929, THE LEGENDARY FOUR MARX BROTHERS (GROUCHO, CHICO, HARPO AND ZEPPO) MADE THEIR MOVIE DEBUT IN A FILMING OF THEIR BROADWAY SHOW THE COCOANUTS.

THE COCOANUTS WAS A SMASH HIT BROADWAY SHOW, PLAYING 377 PERFORMANCES TO PACKED HOUSES.

INTERESTINGLY, THE BOYS FILMED THE COCOANUTS DURING THE DAY AND AT NIGHT THE PLAYED IN THEIR NEW BROADWAY HIT SHOW ANIMAL CRACKERS.

IT WAS THE EARLY DAYS OF SOUND MOVIES, AND THE STAGES WEREN'T YET SOUNDPROOFED.

THIS NECESSITATED THE FILMING TO BE DONE VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING, TO AVOID THE SOUND OF NEARBY TRAFFIC.

ALSO, THE SOUND WAS SO DELICATE, ALL PAPER USED IN THE FILM HAD TO BE SOAKED AND MADE WET, TO AVOID THE "LOUD" SOUND OF PAPER CRINKLING.

CHICO AND HARPO ARE ACTUALLY BILLED IN THE CREDITS AS "CHICO" AND "HARPO" RESPECTIVELY.

IN THE BROADWAY SHOW, CHICO WAS BILLED AS "WILLIE THE WOP", BUT THIS WAS DEEMED TOO OFFENSIVE FOR THE MOVIE.

HARPO IS BILLED AS "HARPO" BUT IS REFERRED TO AS "SILENT SAM" IN THE FILM, HIS BROADWAY CAST NAME.

THIS IS THE ONLY MARX BROTHERS FILM WHERE HARPO WEARS A RED WIG, WHICH LOOKS BLACK ON FILM.

FOREVER AFTER, HARPO WOULD ACT IN HIS FAMOUS BLOND WIG.

THIS FILM IS ALSO HISTORIC IN HOLLYWOOD HISTORY.

ALTHOUGH ALMOST EVERYONE CREDITS THE GREAT BUSBY BERKELEY FOR "INVENTING" THE FAMOUS "OVERHEAD SHOT" OF CHORUS GIRLS DANCING, IT IS ACTUALLY THE COCOANUTS WHICH SET THE PRECEDENT.

THE VERY FIRST USE OF THE "OVERHEAD SHOT" OF CHORUS GIRLS DANCING IS CLEARLY SEEN HERE, A FEW YEARS BEFORE SAMUEL GOLDWYN BROUGHT BUSBY BERKELEY TO HOLLYWOOD TO WORK IN HIS FILMS.

THE COCOANUTS ALSO HAS THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE ONLY SHOW IRVING BERLIN WROTE WHICH YIELDED NO HIT SONGS.

THE SHOOTING WAS FAR FROM SMOOTH.

IT WAS THE ONLY MARX BROTHERS FILM WITH TWO DIRECTORS (ROBERT FLOREY AND JOSEPH SANTLEY).

GROUCHO WAS TO LATER COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DIRECTORS: ONE OF THEM DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ENGLISH AND THE OTHER DIDN'T UNDERSTAND COMEDY.

THE REQUISITE BOY-GIRL COUPLE WAS PLAYED BY OSCAR SHAW AND MARY EATON.

AND OF COURSE, LEGENDARY STRAIGHT WOMAN, MARGARET DUMONT, IS AROUND TO GET INSULTED BY GROUCHO.

IT WAS ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE TWO FRUSTRATED DIRECTORS TO GET ALL FOUR MARX BROTHERS ON STAGE TOGETHER AT ONE TIME.

CHICO WAS THE WORST, ALWAYS PLAYING CARDS OR IN A CRAP GAME OR JUST AS LIKELY, IN ONE OF THE CHORUS GIRL'S DRESSING ROOMS.

HARPO MIGHT WANDER OFF TO A CORNER TO TAKE A NAP OR PRACTICE ON HIS BELOVED HARP OR HAVE ONE OF THE GIRL EXTRAS MASSAGE HIS SORE ARMS OR HIS ITCHY SCALP (SORE FROM STRUMMING THE HARP AND WEARING HIS ITCHY WIG, RESPECTIVELY).

GROUCHO MIGHT WANDER IN, SEE HIS BROTHERS GONE, AND LEAVE THE SET HIMSELF.

ZEPPO MAY NOT HAVE APPEARED, BUT WHO CARED?

THE DIRECTORS HAD AN INTERESTING SOLUTION TO KEEP THE WANDERING BROTHERS COLLECTED.

THEY ACTUALLY HAD FOUR FULL-SIZED CAGES BROUGHT ONTO THE STAGE.

AND IN TRUE MARX BROTHERS SURREALISM, THE MARX BROTHERS WOULD SHOOT THE SCENE, THE DIRECTOR WOULD YELL "CUT" AND THE FOUR BROTHERS WOULD WALK OFF AND GO INSIDE THEIR RESPECTIVE CAGES.

THE CAGES WERE CLEARLY LABELLED "GROUCHO", "CHICO", "HARPO" AND "ZEPPO".

INSIDE CHICO'S CAGE, THERE WAS A TELEPHONE, SO CHICO COULD AT LEAST CALL HIS BOOKIE.

THE ENDING OF THE FILM IS ALSO UNIQUE (AND INANE) FOR A MARX BROTHERS FILM.

IT SHOWS THE FOUR BROTHERS SMILING, MUGGING, AND SILENTLY WAVING TO THE CAMERA, LIKE FOUR IDIOTS- AS THE FILM'S SOUNDTRACK PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND.

(GROUCHO IS SO BRILLIANT AS A COMEDIAN, HE EVEN MAKES THIS INANE SHOT FUNNY!)

THE COCOANUTS HAD ITS PREMIERE ON AUGUST 3, 1929, AND WAS A SMASH HIT.

BUT THE FOUR BROTHERS NEVER REALLY LIKED THE COCOANUTS.

THEY WERE REPORTEDLY SO APPALLED BY THE FILM, THEY OFFERED TO BUY THE NEGATIVE FROM PARAMOUNT STUDIOS SO THEY COULD BURN IT.

RIDDLE ME THIS

HERE'S YOUR MOVIE REVIEW OF THE DAY:

 A YOUNG GIRL FINDS HERSELF IN A BIZARRE LANDSCAPE. SHE KILLS THE FIRST WOMAN SHE ENCOUNTERS. THEN SHE TEAMS UP WITH THREE COMPLETE STRANGERS TO KILL AGAIN. SHE SOON HAS HER FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH DRUGS.

DID YOU EVER SEE THIS MOVIE?

TRIVIA - BOND TRIVIA

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE BECAME THE SECOND JAMES BOND NOVEL TO BE MADE INTO A MOVIE, AFTER PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY LISTED IT AS ONE OF HIS FAVORITES. SADLY, THE MOVIE VERSION WAS THE LAST FILM J.F.K. EVER SAW. IT WAS SCREENED AT THE WHITE HOUSE ON NOVEMBER 20, 1963, TWO DAYS BEFORE HIS ASSASSINATION. ITS COMMERCIAL RELEASE IN AMERICA WAS DELAYED FIVE MONTHS IN THE WAKE OF THE ASSASSINATION (IT DIDN'T HIT THE THEATERS UNTIL APRIL 1964).

AT 5' 11" DANIEL CRAIG IS THE SHORTEST-EVER OO7.

A SCAN OF BOND'S WALLET IN THE MOVIE DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER REVEALS HE IS A CARD-CARRYING MEMBER OF THE PLAYBOY CLUB.

IN THE NOVELS, BOND SLEEPS WITH AN ESTIMATED 13 WOMEN - IN THE MOVIES, HE SLEEPS WITH 64.

SEAN CONNERY'S CONTRACT CALLED FOR HIM TO BE ALLOWED TO KEEP MUCH OF THE WARDROBE HE WORE IN THE BOND FILMS. HE ENDED UP WITH 147 SUITS, 23 TUXEDOS, 17 TRENCH COATS, 11 OTHER JACKETS, 41 HATS AND 68 PAIRS OF SHOES HE WORE AS BOND.