Good Movies

1. The Patriot [2000]. Worth watching over and over. Mel Gibson, as Benjamin Martin, leads a rogue group against the cruel and dastardly British in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War. The action is superb and the emotional knotting up inside that it can do is amazing. Liberty and freedom are the rallying crys and America needs this more and more today. You will like the British a little bit less after watching this one.

2. The Student Prince [1954]. Edmund Purdom, backed by the voice of Mario Lanza, sings and moves his way through this glorious tale of coming of age. The snobby prince becomes and man. Heidelberg University is the place. A wonderful song-filled tale of student life.
3. Casablanca [1942]. What can one say. The judgment of the world places this one on top most of the time. Made on the fly, it turned out one of the best stories ever told. Ingrid Berman and Humphrey Bogart carry this tale of love and war over the top. Claude Raines lightens the emotional load all the way.
4. Peyton Place [1957]. My favorite book made into a great screen film. Melodrama at its best. Diana Varsi is marvelous as Alison MacKenzie. Hope Lange does an excellently troubled Salena Cross. And David Nelson not trailing his younger brother is a treat for those of that age. Lloyd Nolan is crotchety as the old town doctor. Russ Tamblyn is near totally perfect in his role as Norman. And all of this is Grace Metalious’s marvelously constructed story of small town New England life. And the view of New England is breathtaking.
5. A Summer Place [1959]. Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue overacting to the maximum in this drama of adult and teen angst set on an island off the coast of Maine. Sloan Wilson’s novel comes to melodramatic life in this exploration of the growing sexual permissiveness of America. See where it all started and how.
6. Ben-Hur [1959]. Really a story of the life and nature of Christ. A must see every Easter. And the racing seen is beyond the pale. “Remember my friend, in the arena there is no law.”
7. In Harm’s Way [1965]. John “The Duke” Wayne as John “The Duke” Wayne, wait make that Rockwell Torrey, drives this World War II drama forward. Great Pearl Harbor scenes and all the action from Wayne one needs.
8. All the Fine Young Cannibals [1960]. Natalie Wood and her future husband Robert Wagner team for this angst-filled melodrama of coming of age and finding what it all means in the shadow of parents and the conditions of life. George Hamilton and Susan Kohner ably assist moving the drama with the singing and bitter angst of Pearl Bailey coming along. The blues is the issue and what to do with them. A hard to find movie, but worth the search.
9. Scrooge (A Christmas Carol) [1951]. Alastair Sim is cast as Scourge, and does the defining job of the part. In stunning Black & White, this film brings fully home the message of the book and Christmas. The colorized version fails to capture the grimness of life in the Black & White version. One for every Christmas Eve.
10. The Egyptian [1954]. Edmund Purdom again in this tale of ancient Egypt and the single god Aton. This film captures the desperation of life and the searching we all do for meaning amongst disaster. The finding of God by other means.
11. Across the Universe [2007]. A tale of the 1960s set to Beatle music. Beautiful music, wonderful adaption of those songs, and a story suited to explaining the times. What the 19060s were about all tied in one.
12. Twelve O’Clock High [1949]. To be loved or feared as a leader is the question poses here. A great story of World War II bombers crews on our B-17s. Gregory Peck is superb.
13. Sweethearts/Naughty Marietta/Rose Marie [1938/1935/1936]. Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy sing for their people. Three great films for that warmer feeling about life. Sweethearts is their theme song based movie. Funny and a classic. Naughty Marietta is light and fun, but slightly plagued by a lack of editing skills. Rose Marie is a triumph of wonderful wilderness scenes and magnificent singing.
14. South Pacific [1958]. A tragic story with postmodern social implication, ahead of its times. The songs are the story. We all long for a Bali Hai.
15. The Ramen Girl [2008]. The late Brittany Murphy is a star in this tale of Japan and making it with all the drive and determination you can muster. You just want a bowl of ramen afterward. It will mean so much more then.
16. Midway/Tora, Tora, Tora [1976/1970]. Two great sagas of fighting the Japanese in World War II. Amc has them on all the time. Look for them around December 7 each year.
17. Auntie Mame [1958]. Rosalind Russell makes the character come alive the quotations are worth knowing. The top is: “Yes! Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” So true. So true.
18. Mr. Roberts [1955]. Henry Fonda trapped in a ship run by maniacal James Cagney. Ensign Pulver [Jack Lemmon] on board for laughs. Management gone bizarre. The system working to turn your life to ruin. How many people can recognize that one in their life? Many people sail on the USS Reluctant every day.

Update

Julie London has been given a special position among the singers under Other Music. She easily has taken the top spot and the list of her great songs is only starting to enter my world.

Updates

1. Rock Music List: The Carpenters singing Goodbye to Love has moved from #9 to #2. Just a great song with one super guitar lead solo at the end. It captures so mcuh emotion.

2. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria has been added to the Television list6. What a show. The whole top 10 could take American Idol in a heartbeat. What a great set of talents the BBC found.

Broadway

1. South Pacific [by Rodgers and Hammerstein]
2. Les Miserables [by Boublil and Schonberg]
3. Brigadoon [by Lerner and Lowe]
4. Miss Saigon [by Boublil and Schonberg]
5. Song of Norway
6. Sound of Music [by Rodgers and Hammerstein]
7. Oliver [by Lionel Bart]

Other Great Choices: West Side Story, Flower Drum Song, Oklahoma, The King and I, Wonderful Town, Camelot, Show Boat, The Student Prince South Pacific combines its themes with its role in my life to place it at the top of this list. I have had four or five roles in two productions of this classic. I watch the videotape at least twice a year. It is a classic tale of the islands of dreams. It takes me to a place and time that bursts with intensity. Les Miserables has a story line and emotional power that are fantastic. "One Day More" lifts the spirit of hope. "I had a dream" captures the nature of life. The finale is awe inspiring. Brigadoon combines bagpipes, Scot music, and other themes that just grab me. I first encountered this play as a violinist in the orchestra in high school. I fell in love with it. We used music from it in our wedding. Miss Saigon speaks to my generation. As the helicopters lift from the stage I am drawn back to an America falling apart of its own lack of morality. A garbage dumpster is burning in Madison, Wisconsin every time I hear this story of love and loss, hope and defeat. Song of Norway is generally unheard of by most people. Among the cast of the film version of this life of Edvard Grieg was Florence Henderson. It is the only film that I have ever gone back to a theater to see again. I saw it three times in one week. What a well constructed film with great singing. The Sound of Music just has the light music to make it everyone's favorite. "Climb Every Mountain" is an inspiration. Who can forget Julie Andrews circling on a mountain top to start the film. The DVD of Oliver includes the really great exit music.

Great Music of Other Genres

1. September in the Rain by Julie London
2. Broadway album of Lynda Eder
3. The Prince of Tides [Movie score by James Howard]
4. Maureen McGovern--multiple titles
5. Johnny Mathis--multiple titles
6. Connie Francis--multiple titles
7. Music of Francis Lai [Record wore out, none in my collection]

The above are works or artists that have a variety of great efforts. The Prince of Tides soundtrack is under-recognized. McGovern sings cabaret songs of infinite entertainment value. Mathis, and Francis have turned out song after song of high quality. My Francis Lai record wore out--only my South Pacific album has suffered that fate.


Opera, too...

1. Tosca [by Puccini]
2. La Boheme [by Puccini]
3. Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg [by Richard Wagner]
4. Tannhauser [by Richard Wagner]
5. Das Rheingold [by Richard Wagner]
6. Die Walkuere [by Richard Wagner]

I alternate between Puccini's romance and Wagner's patriotic nationalism and romanticism. I love the great arias in Puccini and the powerful statements in Wagner.

Great Rock

1. She's Not There[by the Zombies]
2. Lies by the Knickerbackers
3. Tell Me Why [by The Beatles]
4. East, West [by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band]
5. Surfer Girl [by the Beach Boys]
6. I Feel Fine [by The Beatles]
7. Eight Miles High [by the Byrds]
8. The Rain, the Park, and Other Things [by the Cowsills]
9. Good Bye to Love [by Karen Carpenter]
10. It Ain't Me Babe [by the Turtles]
11. Ride the Wild Surf [by Jan and Dean]
12. Ferry Cross the Mercy [by Gerry and the Pacemakers]
13. I Live for the Sun [by the Sunrays]

Others: California Girls; Dance, Dance Dance; Wendy; Andrea; Blue Velvet; You've Lost that Loving Feeling; Happy Together; Wipeout; Yesterday, Coming Home [Ten Years After]; Ben Franklin's Almanac [Cryin Shames]; Fun, Fun Fun [Joan Jett and the Beach Boys]

Groups/Performers that do not Fail: Beatles, Beach Boys, Turtles, Byrds, Cryin Shames; Joan Jett; Karen Carpenter. While the Zombies had only a few hits, She's Not There is a wonderfully structured piece that set the mood for the 1960s. Lies stands in the same place, but is very rarely heard today. I Feel Fine would probably not be considered the best Beatle song by most, yet its classic structure and tone make it a song among songs. It really defines the group during their early period. Tell Me Why is certainly close. Eight Miles High, with its twelve-string guitar sound, stands as a defining song of the 1960's. The remaining songs stress great moments in life, generally organized around beaches and surf. Odd in the list is that Joan Jett's remake of Fun, Fun, Fun is the only remake of a 1960's song that I think is close to or possibly better than the original.

Great Classical Music

1. Richard Wagner's "Overture to Tannhauser"
2. Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3
3. Dvorak's Cello Concerto No. 1 [DuPre version]
4. Mahler's Symphony No. 10
5. Vivadi's The Four Seasons
6. Bartok's Quartets, No. 1-6
7. Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 in B-flat

"Overture to Tannhauser," Richard Wagner's classic introduction to the opera Tannhauser, sets the stage for the classic struggle of man versus God. Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3," especially as played by Horowicz, is a fantastic piece. Dvorak's Cello Concerto No. 1 as played by DuPre is a masterpiece. Her virtuosity on this piece exceeds the next contender by parts of the heavens where she plays. The cello excites the soul. [The Yo-Yo Ma version is excellent and widely available.] Mahler's Symphony No. 10 was neer fiished because of his death, yet the work, as it is, speaks to his understanding of life and death. He felt the finger of God on his heart, and he wrote music to express his fear and, more important, his hope for the salvation of himself and us. No Hollywood version of death is as gripping, and no minister, rabbi, priest, or iman could ever find the words to express the sense of salvation written in music by Mahler. A true triumph in music, life, and faith. Vivaldi grabs the listener with a emotional protrait of the environment through four seasons. Bartok's Quartets are much more dark representations of ethnic mood.

Non-Fiction Greats

1. The Conscience of a Conservative [by Barry Goldwater]
2. Friendly Fascism [by Bertram Gross]
3. The Death of Common Sense [by Philip Howard]
4. Understanding Media [by Marshall McLuhan]

The Conscience of a Conservative was the first political book with which I identified. Goldwater [1909-1998] remains one of less than a handful of major figures in national politics for whom I have any respect. [Oddly, William Proxmire would be the other one. Scalia may be added to the list.] Goldwater explains his basic and fully correct view of the proper way to live life in America as an American. He talks about a true conservative outlook. He stresses the values that people must hold to be conservative. He is not talking about the "Anything that makes money is conservative" view of Ronald Reagan and George Bush. I encountered the book in 1963 [when I was 13], I still respect it now. When read today, the issues he talks about seem like prophesy on the current ills and decline of the American nation. "Extremism in the defense of Liberty is no vice." True then, more true today. Friendly Fascism provides an overview of the Fascist nature of current American government and society. It is the most accurate study of American postmodern society. The Death of Common Sense examines the gigantic fallacy upon which postmodern America is based, that is that the careful delimitation of rights, the growth of government to protect those rights, and the increased activity of the legal profession to pursue those rights provides protection of those rights. These items do not. They promote the growth of government and legal power, they do not make life better for any person. They do not improve living conditions for any one except those in the legal profession and those in the government bureaucracy. If you have not read this book, you cannot understand why America is failing to live up to its promise in postmodern times. Once you read it, you will never read a newspaper, watch television news, or follow the activities of government without seeing its bitter truth. Understanding Media identifies the connection of people and culture to the media they use. In an age where life is mediated through the public media, a clear picture of what those media do for you and society is essential to understand life. McLuhan provides the connection.

Great Fiction

1. Peyton Place [by GraceMetalious]
2. Deceptions and sequel A Tangled Web[by Judith Michae]
3. Hawaii [by James Michener]
4. Another Roadside Attraction [by Tom Robbins]
5. Tales of the South Pacific [by James Michener]
6. Patty Jane's House of Curl [by Lorna Landvik] and her other books including Tall Pine Polka and Your Oasis on Flame Lake
7. Sayonara by James Michener
8. The Joy-Luck Club by Amy Tan.

The above are books that I have finished with an "ahhh" or lamented that the book came to an end. As a young person, I hated reading until I read Peyton Place. It is the classic novel as far as I am concerned. It starts with a geographic introduction, nature setting the tone for the book. It carries that through the rest of the story. Hawaii captures the sweep of life. Tales of the South Pacific was the basis for South Pacific, which has an important position in my life. The Deceptions/A Tangled Wb pair is just fantastic. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood could be an up and comer to the list. Landvik is just great at capturing Minnesota life, particularly Minneapolis.

Television

1. The Good Neighbors [British, The Good Life in the United Kingdom]
2. Hogan's Heroes
3. Home Improvement
4. Dad's Army [British]
5. To the Manor Born [British]
6. The Jack Paar Show, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and Tonight Show with Jay Leno
7. Rocky and Bullwinkle
8. Keeping Up Appearances [BBC]
9. Two and a Half Men

Others: F Troop, Law and Order, Northern Exposure, Mr. Rogers, and Sea Hunt. The Good Neighbors [The Good Life outside the United States] follows the lives of Tom (Richard Briers) and Barbara Good (Felicity Kendal) as they attempt to lead the self-sufficient life in a London suburb. Their saga begins by asking the questions faced by many turning 40, what do they want out of life and why have they not come any where near achieving it? Tom and Barbara reject modern/postmodern life, seeking the pleasures of doing it themselves without material comforts. Their problems are constantly under the microscope of Jerry (the late Paul Eddington) and Margo (Penelope Keith) Ledbetter who live next door. The Ledbetters are fully into the materialism of modern/postmodern life, yet they come to understand that the simple friendship with the Goods has more power than all their connections to the decaying society in which they live. Hogan's Heroes is just plain funny. It is a group of Americans facing terrible conditions, and overcoming them. Home Improvement is just plain fun. It combines so many themes of modern life in America, and does it with great humor. If you have to own a home, you will laugh. You have to. Dad's Army introduced me to British television comedy. When Gov. George Sinner was lambasting Mayville State and wanting to turn it into anything but a college, I watched this show at 10:30 at night, and pulled through. Jack Paar is the most interesting person ever to appear on television. Johnny Carson is the most consistently entertaining. Through Paar I came to know Barry Goldwater, a source of my political values. Carson assisted by providing the clearest commentary on America on television. Rocky and Bullwinkle had a powerful political influence on me and my thought processes. ["I kid you not."] Keeping up Appearances is a hoot to watch. I personally count the number of times Richard silently gives it to Hyacinth. The record is 6.