The Preshow Entertainment was: The 1984 Academy Awards.
Man, it was twenty years ago (today?), and it looked like 200. The graphics in the '80s were limited, and they loved using them. It's almost like, "Hey! We can do a wipe or fold the picture within itself! Let's do it a lot!" And of course, the styles in the ‘80s...wow. I think making fun of the '70s is now taking a back seat. At least that was expressive. The ‘80s was just about plastic and vanity...which makes it much more funny. Wow. What were we thinking?
Johnny Carson was the host of the 56th Annual Academy Awards. We didn't even make it through his opening before the pizza arrived. We watched the arrivals, and the president of the Academy talk about how movies are special to people at a black tie Oscar party in Halifax, Nova Scotia (we didn't understand what he was trying to say either). I think we'll have to watch some more in May.
APRIL'S RANDOM MOVIE WAS:
THE PASSIONATE PLUMBER
This is a Buster Keaton talkie. He was paired by Irving Thalberg with Jimmy Durante. They wanted to make them the next big comedy team. Wow, did this movie suck. Keaton was not used at all for what he can do. It was like watching Jimi Hendrix play checkers instead of guitar.
For some reason, it took place in France (RMCer Steven: "Why are they in France?"). Buster plays, oh geez, I'm not even sure I know. A chauffeur? He likes this woman, who uses him to get her husband jealous, I think? And I believe it had a 10 second car chase. Oh, wait, of course, Buster played a plumber, hence the title. There was one scene that I do remember, kind of, in a casino.
The movie was simply awful, because Buster never did any Keaton.
Apparently, Durante and Keaton made another film, and the big news is, that's also in the RMC library. We have a 1 in 1200 chance of seeing it in 2 weeks.
THE PASSIONATE PLUMBER was like the ‘80s, in a way- What were they thinking???
