February's Preshow Entertainment was "What's Happening to Me?", an episode of Fox's IT'S GARRY SHANDLING'S SHOW! I was a huge fan of this show, and this particular episode knocks me dead. It plays with every convention of musical theatre. The conceit is that Mayor Bradley is in the audience (he was) and he only likes musicals. A lot of people accused this series of borrowing heavily from the old JACK BENNY PROGRAM, and a lot of people are probably right. But there is no doubt in my mind that this was one of the most overlooked sitcoms. I'm glad I taped most of them, and doubly glad I can watch them whenever I want, along with 1980's commercials. Maybe I'll start this week...
The random movie for the month was ROAD TO MOROCCO, starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. One in a flood of road movies, it featured Bob Hope doing his cowardly "Woody will steal this character for many of his movies" wiseass. Hope also plays his Aunt. But nothing can beat the kissing camel scene, and later, the TALKING camels, with effects that would make ILM throw their digital toys away and go back to lab technique. I didn't know this beforehand, but Yvonne DeCarlo played (uncredited) a handmaiden (thank you IMDb). She probably kept the outfit for Lily. And get this- the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar™!
All in all, another pleasant evening. Both shows featured wiseass, anomaly-ridden, self-referential, talking to the camera characters. Their jokes live on the border of corn and poor, yet are delivered with so much love and charm, you smile. I'd like to see David Spade do THAT.
So Bing crooned, Bob swooned, and Pizza Hut (the randomly selected pizza) ruined. Two out of three ain't bad.
