[TopHat]

Penny Marshall was married to Rob Reiner. She's the sister of Gary Marshall.

I know, just call me Cliff...but I grew up watching these shows.

[djjeffhall]

RE: High Fidelity - Yeah, it is absolutely worth tracking down. The story is a little light weight (boy loses girl, boy tries to get her back) but the performances are charming to say the least.

Jack Black is in absolute TOP form as an arrogantly over the top record store snob. (I've met WAY to many of this guy in my days. Not as hyper as Jack Black, but every bit as, "You don't know these guys? How can you look yourself in the mirror and not laugh?" arrogant.) Todd Louiso is wonderfully restrainded as the resident "Smiths Fan" as I call him. Woefully lacking in people skills and so many music geeks can be. Lisa Bonet and Tim Robbins both have great minor roles and John Cusack is fantastic as the flawed lead. A "heavier" lead would have tried to do much more with the role. Cusack doesn't and that makes him, to these eyes, all the more real and believable.

The music is pretty uniformly great (Any movie that starts with the 13th Floor Elevators is okay in my book.) and the frequent "Top 5 All Time xxxx" lists are essential. Back before we became as automated as we have, I used to randomly call out for, "What are you top five xxxxx discs of all time." when things got too quiet. The movie plays it pretty close to the book which is, IMHO, Nick Hornsby's finest.

For the complete opposite of Spinal Tap, track down Almost Famous. It's not quite the exact story of Cameron Crowe growing up in the music business, but it parallels his life fairly accurately. Plus, watching Phillip Seymore Hoffman play Lester Bangs (IMHO, rock & rolls one truly great writer and reviewer. Except for maybe Jane Scott?) was a treat. I never met Lester, but I know many folks who did and every last one of them, after seeing his performance go into long and fond rememberances about Bangs.

Sorry if I've hijacked the thread, that started about war movies. While I'm sure there are many great movies about the music biz Spinal Tap, High Fidelity and Almost Famous all tie together in my head.

[johnnyboy]

Coming into this thread has been a real nostalgia trip for me. I now realize what real cowboy nut I was as kid! I know my mother had loads of pictures of me when was a young and most of which show me wearing a gun and holster tin badge and a cowboy hat! Some of the other shows that I can now recall that were a must for me back then were Boots and Saddles, The Cisco Kid, Rifleman, and never to be forgotten The Lone Ranger. Which brings back a memory of my Dad saying he was going to meet him and me getting very upset that he would not take me with him. It was years later that he told me it was a joke that backfired on him as on that day he had an appointment to see his Bank manager not as I thought The Lone Ranger but the loan arranger........Hi HO Silver

[MoMo]

tHANKS dJJEFFHALL,

i'll track down all of these when I get back from Crakov, Poland. When I'm there I'll visit Schindler's factory and, of course, Auschwitz.

I'll post my impressions when I return.

MoMo

[TopHat]

Originally Posted by johnnyboy

Some of the other shows that I can now recall that were a must for me back then were Boots and Saddles, The Cisco Kid, Rifleman, and never to be forgotten The Lone Ranger.

The Rifleman was a favorite of mine as well. I loved that large loop Winchester Model 1892 that he used.

It also carried with it some valuable lessons for an impressionable youngster (me). A particular line that has stuck with me was, "A man doesn't run from a fight, Mark. But that doesn't mean you go looking to run TO one!"

[johnnyboy]

Originally Posted by TopHat

The Rifleman was a favorite of mine as well. I loved that large loop Winchester Model 1892 that he used.

John (The Duke) Wayne loved using one as well, I seem to recall it In more than one of his films.

[SKUNKY]

Originally Posted by TopHat

Penny Marshall was married to Rob Reiner. She's the sister of Gary Marshall.

Yeah, it's a little known fact,.....

[TopHat]

If I'm Cliff, then who is Norm?

[Alph]

Yep
Chuck Connors could Empty that rifle into a man in a matter of seconds! He could put a round in your head on down to your Jewals and Double tap them,But the theme song messed me up too! Theme songs always mess me up! The Gieco Cave men are suppose to have a Pilot coming soon Hmmm.Alph

[jim]

Sugarfoot!!! My favourite cowboy was in that,,,,, Jack Elam. Very funny guy.