Nerds!

As much as we probably all admit to being way too cool to ever be considered one – we all have a soft side for them.

But who are your favourite nerds?

While in real life – Bill Gates would probably rank right up there – on the small screen at least I’ve compiled my own list of personal favourites. . . . so without fanfare (and in no particular order) my Top 10 nerds from TV are:

Gilligan (from Gillgans Island)

Milhouse (from The Simpsons)

Fez (from The 70’s Show)

Monk (from Monk)

Pottsie (from Happy Days)

Cliff Claven (from Cheers)

Arnold Horshack (from Welcome Back Kotter)

Gomer Pile (from Gomer Pile USMC)

Brains (from The Thunderbirds)

Hiro (from Heroes)

Would love to hear yours.

[ Report Post ]

“Rock ‘n roll’s been going downhill ever since Buddy Holly died.”

Hardly the definitive piece of historic movie dialogue but  . . .  salient in it’s context none-the-less.

. . . Happy Days, Grease, Sha-na-na, Laverne and Shirley, Back to The Future Part 1 . . .  there’s little doubt that for the latter part of the 70’s, we were collectively captivated with the romance of the 1950’s.

Strangely enough though – it was a movie set in the 60’s which is uniformly acknowledged as the catalyst for the fervour which swept up most of English speaking world.

Click Here to Watch Trailer

American Graffiti – starring a young Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Suzanne Sommers Harrison Ford, Joe Spano and Charles Martin Smith – to name just a few – recreated the feel, landscape, and sounds of early 60s, in small-town America – an historical time period (of JFK’s Presidency and the New Frontier before the jarring assassination of late 1963).

Advertising posters and theatrical trailers for the film asked: “Where were you in ‘62? . . . yet strangely enough the film (by Star Wars director – George Lucas – is credited with birthing the 50’s TV and film phenonomen.

Admittedly there were over 300 pre-1962 cars used in the 1973 film and the soundtrack featured an absolute fistful of songs harking back to the likes of Bill Haley and Comets with Rock Around the Clock, Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry and the Buddy Holly classic – That’ll be The Day.

But perhaps a less tangible (but very real) reason behind the film’s success (which was produced in just 28 days) is the measurable feel for a seemingly more innocent time – when cool music, hot cars, tough guys and cute chicks were the order of the day.

Of course this wasn’t lost on film and television producers either – and with the 60’s a little too reviled (and recent) in people’s minds – then the 50’s backdrop proved the perfect formula.

And so the era was re-birthed – Hollywood style.

It goes without saying that many of the film’s stars went on to receiving regular pay cheques, appearing in hit TV sitcoms such as Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, One Day at a Time, Three’s Company and Hill Street Blues.

And although the film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing, it came away empty-handed.

In the words of Fats Domino – Ain’t That A Shame.

[ Report Post ]

Meet George Jetson! His son Elroy . . .

The celluloid and cartoon world is filled with characters from the future.

Marvin The Martian, George Jetson, Luke Skywalker, James T.Kirk, Mork from Ork, Buck Rogers, The Great Kazoo – the list goes on and on and well, on . . .

Throw in your pseudo time travllers from hits such as Back to The Future or The Time Tunnel and there’s a feast of characters – from which I’m sure there’s one you could nominate as an all time fav.

[ Report Post ]

Stranded at the Drive-In . . .
“Branded a Fool . . .
“What will they say . . .
“Monday at School . . . “

Ahhhhh – the heartfelt tome of one John Travolta – who, as part of the Grease phenomenon, serenaded his beloved Sandy in a scene which featured one of the most recognizable icons of the twentieth century – the Drive-In Theatre – which now – sadly, is virtually extinct.

For those of us old enough to remember – the Drive-In was full of nostalgia and childhood memories.
 
Pyjama clad kids packed in the back of the car – mum and dad in the front trying to quell the excitement of a ‘big night’ out as the squeals of four, five and six year-olds reverberated around the cabin of the old EH.

Queuing for sometimes up to an hour as hundreds of other like-minded pilgrims made their way to the local movie mecca – some having to be turned away as the ‘field of dreams’ strained to house the masses.

The hooking up single cone blue and white metal speakers, the obligatory blasts of horns, flashes of headlights on the screen and of course parked somewhere down the back – the tell tale sign of fervently enthusiastic but sexually bumbling teens – complete with fogged windows.

 

Yes – the Drive-In was a doyen of discovery – where you could eat, drink and be merry in the comfort of your pride and joy – alas – those days are coming close to being folklore.

As recently as 25 years ago – there were over 300 Drive-Ins in Australia – today only 20 survive!

Sure – there are sanitized multi-cinema megaplexes – the advent of the VCR, DVD and home threatre systems – and a plausible argument for more constructive use of 12 hectares of land (particularly if you’re a developer) – but hey – isn’t it time that those of us weary of rampant commercialism make a stand and look to save the last of this dying breed?

We will probably never again see the proliferation of outdoor theatres contributing to a large percentage of box-office revenue, but ‘re-invented’ they could well entertain a new breed of patron and survive a commercial and cinematic flat-line – it’s all part of the bigger picture you know!

[ Report Post ]

 

Last night, while getting my daily dose the Simpson’s – I found my mind wandering at right angles to the rest of the family – before proudly announcing that despite his bumbling nature – Homer was right up there with other TV dads as far as affording us advice about life.

From Mike Brady with his groovy clothes and fortune cookie advice to Howard Cunningham of Happy Days fame – everybody loves TV dads.

After all don’t we all wish we could solve our kids’ problems in 30 minutes or less?

A prerequisite of course is wisdom and sage advice.

From Don Porter who played Sally Field’s father in Gidget to Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster, Brian Keith in “A Family Affair” to Fred McMurray in “My 3 Sons” – TV dads (in the most part) have taught us that with a positive attitude anything is possible.

It wasn’t until I started to think about just how many TV dads there were – that the notion of a “Best Of” almost became too much.

Enter – Charles Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie, Tony Soprano from “The Soprano’s”  Andy Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show, Ward Cleaver from “Leave It to Beaver”, Jed Clampett from “The Beverly Hillbillies”, Ben Cartwright (Bonanza), Tim Taylor (Home Improvement), Gomez Addams (The Addams Family), George Jetson (The Jetsons) – the list goes on and on and on.

So just who is the best TV dad of all time?

[ Report Post ]