Blame It On the Mouseketeers

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My students always get this wide-eyed look of wonder or horror when I start telling them about my childhood and how there were only 4 TV channels to watch for most of it (ABC,CBS, NBC, PBS).  There was the odd independent station here and there but usually no more than 6 or 7 channel options at the most.  Why else did the dial only go up to 13?

And in the afternoon after school there was only one show on for kids, Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club.  My gray hair may make you think so but I actually am not old enough to have caught MMC during its original 1955-1959 run.  However, Disney was savvy enough to re-air it once a decade to catch the next generation.  I watched it in the mid-1970s when it proved just as big then as two decades earlier. 

Each day of the week on MMC had its own theme so viewers always knew what to expect.  Monday was Fun With Music Day.  Tuesday was Guest Star Day.  Wednesday was Anything Can Happen Day.  Thursday Was Circus Day.  And Friday was Talent Roundup Day.  Every episode was a kaleidoscope of performances, songs, sketches, cartoons, news, and serials like Spin & Marty and The Hardy Boys.

That is the model I plan to follow here, although don’t expect any unique theme songs or snappy dance numbers for each day.  Monday will be Time Travel Day: a look at movies, books, and things that deal with Time.  On Tuesdays, I’ll discuss Books & Writing. Wednesday will be History Day, some of it personal, some of it famous, some of it not so much.  Thursdays will be Serial Day with future series like The Movies That Changed My Life, Favorite Movie Theaters, and others.  Friday, I’ll be discussing Current Film and there will be episodes of my online review show co-hosted with my son Ben.

Other pages will continue like Films In Depth (this week I’ll be discussing Terrence Malick’s To The Wonder (2013)).  There will be Favorite Movie Moments, I’ll be posting more of my past writing, and much much more.

Thanks again to everyone for the positive feedback and suggestions.  Like everything else in life, I am learning as I go.  I hope you will continue coming along for the ride.

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TWO FAVORITE MOVIE MOMENTS
The marshal (Kris Kristofferson) and his lady (Isabelle Huppert) share a romantic waltz in the vastly underrated Heaven’s Gate (1980).

And the moment that inspired it: Marshal Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and his lady fair (Cathy Downs) waltzing in John Ford’s classic western My Darling Clementine (1946).

Why This Song of The Day?
Eight Days A Week by The Beatles
Because I've been working very hard 8 days a week.  Because that's how I've been feeling lately.  Because The Beatles are my all time favorite group.