One of my cherished memories of Disney's Snow White (1937) is when my dad took me to see it in the drive-in movie theater. I remember how much Dad laughed at Dopey. He loved Dopey.
Since 1937, many retellings and remakes and reimagining of Snow White followed this classic with a built-in fan base. Yet, the latest in 2025 seems to be as cursed as the poison apple with PR nightmares and bad press.
Then the trailers came out...with the reactions.
Below is a sample of the "trailer trash" reviews, with biting humor.
And one of my nostalgic memories is when my dad took me to Disney movies in the drive-in as a kid. One of those movies was Bambi (1942). And he laughed at Thumper and Bambi more than I did.
But one of the scenes was Bambi experiencing his first spring - April showers.
But the wet weather doesn't last. The sun comes out.
The grass is greening up. The buds bursting on trees. Birds are nesting. And yes, the deer and the bunnies are frolicking in the meadows. Like Bambi and Thumper.
Bambi was awed by nature. Like the young ones born in spring find all things new and wonderful.
And Disney tapped into our inner child. So as we get older, we may still wonder, too.
Cold War. Vietnam. Counter culture. Hippies. US vs USSR Space race. Iron Curtain. Civil Rights. Assassinations. Not to mention: Drugs. Sex. Rock N Roll.
But the early 1960s were almost an extension of the perceived calmer, more innocent 1950s. Leave it to Beaver. Happy Days. Kennedy and Camelot.
And the year 1962 is the setting for Dear Eleanor(2016). The recently released movie, on DVD and internet, captures the spirit of those times.
It begins in California as the Ellie Potter's mother leaves the house that day to give an introduction to former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Only Ellie's mother is killed in a car accident along the way. The same day Marilyn Monroe died.
While Ellie's dad shrugs off his parental responsibilities and sinks into depression, Ellie takes on the roll as Little Mom as the oldest girl. But Ellie's best friend Max the Wax has ideas. And convinces Ellie to ditch school for a road trip cross country. From California to New York. To deliver her mom's speech to Eleanor Roosevelt in person.
During this "Thelma and Louise" type road trip, the Cuban Missile Crisis grips the nation, the girls unwittingly find company with an escaped convict from Alcatraz, and they pick up Max's Aunt Daisy, a dancer in Las Vegas. That is, Las Vegas, New Mexico. Not Nevada. Meanwhile, Ellie's father and the boy next door discover the girls' plans and are on their tail to bring them back home.
The extended movie trailer below sums it up pretty well.
It's a shame the movie didn't get a wider release. Based on what I've seen in the theaters these days, this would make it in the top ten percent or higher. And much of the songs, pop culture, news of the times, are interwoven in the story. At bit of nostalgia. Like Forrest Gump (1994). Only far more realistic of a story.
It was an uplifting movie with a good message. During difficult days, the heroines dream big and they go for it. Though it didn't turn out as they had hoped, they all were enriched by the journey.
And this movie has a special meaning for me. One of its writers is Amy Garcia. Before I retired, I had the privilege of working with Amy's father. And I learned from him that his daughter had worked very hard over the years, overcame many obstacles and setbacks, to see this project through.
To all creatives out there, this is encouraging. Take the risk! Go for it!
Little Big Man, also known as Charging Bear, really existed.
He was a fearless Oglala Lakota warrior, who fought under, then rivaled Crazy Horse. When Crazy Horse was murdered, Little Big Man was a suspect. But one of the notable battles Little Big Man fought was the Battle of Little Big Horn in the Montana Territory.
Many stories and movies (fact, fiction, legends, lies) were made about this battle as well as General Custer and many of the key players.
One of my favorites is this oldie from the 1970s... Little Big Man - the movie
The Little Big Manmovie (1970), starred Dustin Hoffman and Chief Dan George. It's not a story about Charging Bear. But it's the story of a 121 year old Jack Crabb, in hospice, telling his recollections of the Old West to a reporter. His tale included being adopted by the Cheyenne, adventures in the Wild West, culminating in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. (reference: synopsis with spoilers)
And I make some references to the movie as well as the battle in The Commander and the Chief series, such as a quoted line from the scene below:
At time 1:40 in the clip, the frustrated preacher's wife offers to give Jack Crabb, who was rescued from Indians, a bath. Asking him to take off his clothes, she assures him:
But I shall avert my eyes at the necessary moment.
At time 3:35, she reassures him when the bath is done:
I shall avert my eyes, of course.
And here's how I work that all in.... ----------------------------
From Book 1, His Tribe of One in The Commander and the Chief series.
In this scene, the Commander wakes up in guest room of the Chief, as she's assembling her team:
Reggie rolled his good eye to Colonel Jack Sheffield. “Where am I, Jacko?”
“A very posh suite in the Gladstone Hotel.” The Colonel put a hand on Reggie’s shoulder. “At least you woke up in a high class place this time.”
cover by Davis Creative, Becki Davis
“How’d I end up here?”
“We collected you off the street and had one bugger of time getting you up here. Wise got a baggage cart, and we took you up the lift.”
Wise pressed a plastic bag of ice to the left side of Reggie’s face. “You know, Commander, this reminds me when I was in Her Majesty’s service, and one of the lads fell in love with one of the local women, and he got into quite a row with one of her male relatives who took offense…”
Reggie peeked under his blanket. “Where are my clothes?”
“If you pardon me, you were rather soaked to the bone, old boy, so we took the liberty of stripping your wet garments while you were…indisposed.”
“So you left me bloody naked?”
“Your clothes are being laundered.” Wise picked up a plush white robe from the end of the couch. “Meanwhile, the hotel has provided this.” Then Wise signaled the women to look away.
“I shall avert my eyes,” Nova said in a put-on southern accent as she gave a sidelong smile to Wise.
“Avert your eyes?” Reggie wrinkled his nose.
“It’s a joke between us. My client, she’s part Cheyenne.” Lord Wise grinned at Commander Barrett. “The line comes from the old American movie, Little Big Man.”
“The one that ends with General Custer meeting his Waterloo, Reg,” Jack explained.
From His Tribe of One, Part 1, Chapter 9: Wake Up Call
----------------------------
Back to the movie...
And later, Jack Crabb becomes a scout for General Custer during the Battle of the Little Big Horn. And Jack issued this report to the General:
And so Custer met his Waterloo. Only he did not survive. Napoleon did.
----------------------------
Back to the book....
Later in His Tribe of One, Lord Wise, the Chief's confident, finds out she's been betrayed by their guide. And Kaya Stillwater, the Chief's loyal friend of the family quietly knits as Wise interrogates Omar:
Wise pushed Omar inside a tent where Kaya sat on a
campstool, knitting. She no longer had her burka on, but was dressed in khakis.
And as her needles clicked, she was stealing glances at their guide. Omar
whined, “Why you take me to woman’s tent—it’s unclean.”
“That’s the least of your worries, old boy.” Wise pointed
Omar’s face toward Kaya. “Surely you remember my client’s companion? She’s been
suspicious of you since the day we hired you back in Adam.”
“She’s a woman.”
“Not just any woman. She’s Cheyenne, one of the Native
American Indians. Ever hear of General Custer?”
“Don’t know no American generals.”
“Then let me tell you. This general lived 150 years ago.
Fought in the American Civil War. And he was a big hero back then, until he
came across the Cheyenne, her people. The ancestors of this woman killed all
the American soldiers that had attacked them at the Battle of the Little Big
Horn.”
Kaya gave Omar an icy stare, then coolly resumed knitting.
Wise held Omar’s face in Kaya’s direction and continued,
“And when her people slaughtered all the soldiers, they left the mutilation of
their bodies to the women, women such as this woman you see in front of you.”
“What do you mean?” Omar was sweating.
“See those knitting needles?” Wise eyed Kaya. “She can do
things with those that would make the most hardened man break down and weep
like a whipped puppy.”
Kaya gave Omar another icy stare as her needles clinked
together.
Wise continued, “Oh, yes. I was with MI6, so I know how to
interrogate. And Kaya, she knows how to loosen a man’s tongue. So Omar, I ask
you this: Do you want it said that a woman
broke you and made you squeal like a pig? Or do you wish to talk to me and keep
your manhood intact?”
“Wh-what do you want?” Omar quavered.
Wise flashed a grin. “Information.”
And Omar talked as Kaya knitted.
From His Tribe of One, Part 8, Chapter 2, Little Big Horn, Revisited.
----------------------------
If this has piqued your intererst, please feel free to read the book.
The generation that first heard this broadcast knew something about troubling times. In 1938, they had lived through most of the Great Depression, many remembering the Great War and hearing the rumblings of more wars to come.
From Wars of the Worlds to World Wars
Ironically, H. G. Welles wrote The War of the Worlds in 1898, sixteen years before World War I (1914 - 1918). And Orson Welles broadcast the radio version within a year of World War II (1939 - 1945). Both these World Wars surpassed the horror of science fiction.
And there have been countless stories about life on Mars and their invasions of Earth. Now, it's our turn, for real, as science and tech continue to follow SciFi.
September 3, 1939 - 75 years ago - Britain and France declared war on Germany. It was in response to Hitler's invasion of Poland two days earlier on September 1st.
Six years later, World War II would prove to be the most devastating war of the 20th century. One estimate gives close to 50 million killed. Some go as high as over 70 million. But no doubt about it, all corners of the planet were affected by perhaps the greatest conflict in history ... so far.
Many stories have been spun about this war, particularly those of persevering and prevailing during dark times. And art imitates life in the ...
* Movies *
The King's Speech (2010), is the true story of King George VI facing a crisis in both his personal life and as a reluctant wartime monarch. First, he persevered and prevailed in public speaking in spite of a speech problem; likewise leading his people through the most trying time in the 20th century.
"The stammering that defined him, and the courage with which he tried to beat it, came to symbolise the vulnerability of the British people as they stood alone against the Nazi tyranny that had the rest of Europe in its grip."[reference: The King's Speech: the real story - Telegraph]
And as World War II began 75 years ago, this speech, dramatized below, was given at the start of the six year marathon of persevering and prevailing over great evil.
"There may be dark days ahead, and war can no longer be confined to the battlefield. But we can only do the right as we see the right, and reverently commit our cause to God. "If one and all we keep resolutely faithful to it, ready for whatever service or sacrifice it may demand, then, with God's help, we shall prevail."
George VI backed up his words with actions. He stood by his people as they experienced enemy raids from the sky on native soil. The most intense were from September 1940 to May 1941, the first attacks lasting for 57 consecutive days, known as the London Blitz.
Instead of fleeing to Canada or to the countryside, the King stayed in London, which was the target of the most intense Nazi bombings. Buckingham Palace even took a hit from the raids. Shown here (bridgemanart.com) is a picture of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth walking through London during the Blitz, 1940 or 1941.
The King gave the people courage to stand up to Hitler and his "supermen." And ultimately, Great Britain and her allies did prevail. For a transcript of some of the King's Speeches, check out: HISTORIC ROYAL SPEECHES AND WRITINGS
The trying times of World War II not only influenced the stories shown on the big screen like The King's Speech, but also such genres on the smaller screens like ...
* Science Fiction *
One such is the longest running Science Fiction television series in history - Dr. Who. In this following scene from "The Empty Child," the Doctor commends Nancy for the tenacity of her people during a time which Sir Winston Churchill had described as "their finest hour."
Below are some of Dr. Who's comments during the London Blitz:
"1941 ... the German war machine is rolling up the map of Europe ... country after country falling like dominoes .... nothing can stop it ... nothing. "Until one tiny, damp little island says, No! No, not here. "A mouse in front of lion ..."
Another genre is ....
* Fantasy *
Many stories are set during great conflict of good and evil as epic as World War II. As shown in the clip below from The Lord the Rings, The Two Towers(2002), Sam's speech reflects perhaps the theme of the trilogy:
Great stories give hope for the future during the many dark days in our history. Heroes and heroines had lots of chances to turn back, but they did not. As Sam put it -
"Because they were holding on to something ...
"That there's some good in this world ... and it's worth fighting for."
The King's Speech and Sam's Speech ... a little of Dr. Who - this is a sample of those stories that speak to our soul during dark days. And during such times, there are heroes and their stories of persevering and prevailing over great evil. And many of these stories become part of the culture and we pass them on ....
As they give us hope for the good worth fighting for!
One day rummaging through the local thrift store, I picked up an old copy of The 30th Anniversary Reader's Digest Reader (1953). Perusing its table of contents, this one story caught my attention -
I Was a Male War Bride
condensed from The Baltimore Sunday Sun, September 28, 1947
As we are passing another anniversary of VE Day - Victory in Europe, May 8, 1945, marking the beginning of the end of World War Two - let us take a closer look at one of its heroes, this male war bride and the story behind this movie.
-----
The Movie
I Was a Male War Bride (1949) can be classified as a screwball comedy. Its director Howard Hawksmade this genre - the rapid fire dialog, the slapstick comedy of antagonism between a man and a woman who cannot admit their feelings for each other, where in the end love eventually triumphs. Such is the case in this summary -
In post-World War II Germany, French Army Captain Henri Rochard (Cary Grant) and American Lieutenant Catherine Gates (Ann Sheridan) have a history of hating each other. And their final assignment together portents to be the mother of all misadventures, most at Captain Rochard's expense. But before their mission is over, they fall in love, marry quickly, then face endless red tape when Rochard tries to immigrate to the U.S. as Lieutenant Gates' male war bride.
The trailer gives a taste of the high jinks that ensure from the duo's volatile chemistry:
* He was not a French Army Captain, but a Belgian Army Major
The real Henri Rochard was a native of Antwerp, Belgium. A broadly educated man, he had planned to be a college professor. But he was called into service as an anti-aircraft artillery officer when the Axis Powers invaded the Low Countries. He served until the surrender of ex-King Leopold, then joined the underground resistance.
* He was a POW
Major Rochard's work for the Allies landed him in German prison camps for five months. But since then, among many honors, he got a commission in the army after the liberation of Belgium and a commendation from SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force).
* He was a representative at the German War Crimes Trials
Because of his ability to speak several languages, the real Henri Rochard served as a liaison officer for the Belgian Government at the Nuremberg and Dachau War Crimes trials. For his service there, he got a special commendation by President Truman.
* His bride was an American Army nurse
While at the war crimes trials, the real Henri Rochard was accidentally hit by a car, which landed him in a U.S. Army hospital. It was there he met Catherine - a U.S. Army nurse. Upon release from the hospital, Major Rochard was discharged from the Belgian Army and returned to Nuremberg as a civilian employee of the U.S. War Department. But Cupid had struck and Catherine and Henri became engaged. They had planned to get married and leave for the United States as soon as possible.
* Up to this point, the real Henri Rochard is so much different than the movie. Right?
But there is nothing like government red tape that creates a real life screwball comedy.
Much of the movie did get the flavor the confusion, the frustration, the problems, the waiting, that are stranger than fiction. (Though the real Henri Rochard did not dress in drag like Cary Grant.)
First, Henri needed permission from the U.S. Army Headquarters to marry Catherine, like they were her father, only more demanding with paperwork. This took a few months. Then came the inquiries at the nearest U.S. Consulate regarding his conditions to enter the country. That took another four months to get an answer. It was then Henri learned he could be admitted to the U.S. under Public Law 271 - 1945 War Brides Act.
This was when the real trouble began.
The bureaucracy could not deal with a male spouse of a female Army officer. But through the muck, Henri Rochard wrote -
A long war of attrition with Army regulations, a change of sex - and finally victory and the U.S.A at last.
And in the end the real Henri Rochard - Dr. Roger Henri Charlier - did become an American citizen - a writer, speaker, international consultant.
Movie Remake?
I would like to hear more of the real Henri Rochard - the multilingual scholar, the Belgian anti-aircraft officer making a last stand against Hitler, the underground resistance fighter, the POW, the liaison and representative at the World War Two war crimes trials. He seems most interesting.
As for government red tape, haven't many of us have shared some of these same frustrations of dealing with a government bureaucracy or large institution that is too big too fail? (That could be a subject for another blog.)
Some things never change.
And it is heroes and immigrants like Henri Rochard that are part of the America's Story.
Yet, in the history books, not many words are spent on the great periods of peace. Peace and tranquility seem to be boring - at least in literature. That gives credence to the saying - no news is good news. (So said Ludeovic Halevy.)
But wars are the things that great stories are made of. The epic battles are retold in many forms - songs, ballads, plays, poems, stories, novels, movies ... They are rich with heroes, villains, victims, oppressors, political leaders, military generals. The plots are replete with conflicts on many levels, suffering, passion, cowardliness, valor, victories, defeats, tragedy, triumph.
In the 20th century, World War Two was perhaps the most devastating of wars in that century - at least in scope of its global conflict and causalities. As Hitler rolled up the map of Europe, the battle lines were drawn. The Axis powers - Germany, Japan, Italy, ... - pitted against the Allied powers - the British Empire and its Commonwealth, free France, the United States, the Soviet Union, after Hitler double crossed them.
As the tide turned against Germany, the Soviets were one of the first to liberate the inmates of the concentration camps - such as Auschwitz on January 26, 1945. (reference: Soviets liberate Auschwitz)
Here is a short clip of some of that story - one of great emotion.
In the last 70 years, numerous stories have been told about World War Two - books, movies, TV shows.
One of the first major retelling of this real life drama in the 21st century was the 2001 HBO mini-series, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, based on the Stephen Ambrose book - Band of Brothers.
As the trailer below shows, Band of Brothers is the soldiers' stories from Easy Company of the US Army 101st Airborne division. These soldiers were in the war from before the Dawn of D-Day to the surrender of the Nazis.
The title - Band of Brothers - comes from Shakespeare's play - Henry V.
From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remember'd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
(reference: Henry V)
It reminds me of Aragorn's speech at the black gate in Lord of the Rings, as shown below.
Undoubtedly, J. R. R. Tolkien was very familiar with Shakespeare ... as was Peter Jackson who directed the movie.
But I digress ....
Back to the liberation of the concentration camps.
One of the most moving episodes from the Band of Brothers mini-series is Episode 9 - Why We Fight. Easy Company encounters their first concentration camp. The sight of man's inhumanity to man broke the heart of even the most hardened combat soldier.
Plays from Shakespeare like Henry V, war movies like Band of Brothers, and fantasies like Lord of the Rings are told not only in books, but by the story tellers of our day - the movies. All great stories have the multi-faceted elements of the human drama of struggle - good vs. evil, defeat and victory, and the roller coaster of human emotion.
And Band of Brothers, Henry V, and Lord of the Rings are part of western culture still being told by our story tellers.
As a baby boomer, I grew up with parents who had lived through the Great Depression.
The mantra of their generation:
Use it up Wear it out Make do Or do without
I'd also hear:
"We did not have this in the Great Depression."
and
"We did not have that in the Great Depression."
And it didn't take long for me to get sick and tired of hearing about the Great Depression!
I'm sure my folks were frustrated, too, by us young people - at least we were young back then - who didn't seem to have a clue as to what they had gone through when they were our age. But art and history had left us with many clues. Let's take a gander at the ....
Art of that era
Lange - Migrant Mother
Much artwork masterfully reflected the desperation of the Great Depression. One famous example - Dorothea Lange captured a snapshot of the harsh reality of the times in her iconic photography: Dorothea Lange | Shorpy Historical Photo Archive
Another, John Steinbeck's novel - The Grapes of Wrath - was made into an Oscar winning motion picture in 1940, telling the story of migrants, driven from their farms during the Dust Bowlto seek out work in the promised land of California.
But many ordinary people just wanted relief ... even if that relief came in the form of a fantasy to provide an ...
Escape from the grim reality of the Great Depression
And the movies provided such an escape - at least for an hour or two. Many motion pictures portrayed the blue bloods, high society, easy living in "screwball" comedies. (reference: Movies in the Great Depression)
Warner Brothers put out one such movie in the 1930s with a seemingly escapist plot:
Millionaire turned composer rescues unemployed Broadway people with a new play ....
in
The Gold Diggers of 1933
The Gold Diggers of 1933 did not disappoint their audience's hunger for escape with its characters of millionaires, high society, show girls, in another screwball comedy.
The title characters - the Gold Diggers - were the scheming show girls (Fay, Polly, Carol, Trixie) - who mixed it up with the blue bloods. Polly's heart throb, aspiring song writer Brad Roberts, hid that he was an heir to a large fortune. When Brad's cover was blown, his big brother Lawrence tried to stop Brad's marriage plans to a Gold Digger with not much help from the family lawyer, who happened to love show girls.
The first scene of the movie, shown below, opened with a fluffy number sung by Fay, played by Ginger Rogers - who also was in other films as the famous dancing partner of Fred Astaire.
$$$ We're in the Money $$$
We're in the Money conveyed a common theme during troubling economic times when many dream of wealth beyond their reach.
The opening number was cut short as the Broadway show was in trouble from the get go due to lack of funds. Alas, it closed before it had a chance to open, and the producer, Barney Hopkins, and the show girls were back looking for work. But Barney would not give up and had a wonderful idea for his next show, but needed ...money. Help came from Polly's sweetheart, Brad, the aspiring song writer - and a secret millionaire.
Most of the movie was fun with some more fluffy and even risque numbers - such as, Pettin in the Park. (This movie was" pre-code," made before the Hays code came fully into effect.) And those scheming Gold Diggers created mischief and chaos by swapping identities and toying with the blue bloods. But in the end Polly, Carol, and Trixie caught millionaires for husbands. Not so sure what happened to Fay.
For all its fun and good feel ...
The final scene of the movie surprised me.
In the first part of the movie, after Barney's show had closed before it opened, the producer was not to be kept down. Barney wanted to put on another show - a great show - that captured the spirit of the Great Depression. And song writer Brad happened to be working on such a piece - inspired by what he had witnessed out on the streets of New York - the forgotten man.
(The inspiration for Barney's next show is shown in first seconds of the clip below. Then the remainder of the clip shows the result, the final scene of the movie.)
Carol, played by Joan Blondell, sang the final number in Barney's Broadway show as well as the final scene in the Gold Diggers of 1933 movie. (If the name of the actress sounds familiar to you baby boomers, Joan Blondell also played saloon/hotel keeper Lottie Hatfield in a popular TV series of (1968- 70) - Here Come the Brides.) The lyrics and a commentary can be found here: Remember My Forgotten Man (1933)
This clip below is worth a serious look.
Remember My Forgotten Man?
The End!!!
This was the final scene of the movie. Period. No more on how well the show was received by the public. No more about the producer, the Gold Diggers, or their beaus. Yet, on this somewhat downer note, Warner Brothers captured the ...
Zeitgeist - the spirit of the times ...
and the forgotten man endemic of the Hoovervilles that went up at the time.
Unemployed
And - for me - the final number captured some of the spirit of the times we are now living in. The country has been suffering through a deep recession and many - men, women, and children - undoubtedly feel like ...
the forgotten man, the forgotten woman, the forgotten child.
Some of the scenes in the final number got to me as I thought of the war veterans from Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places home and abroad, which we owe a debt of gratitude. Tragically, many veterans have fallen on hard times, too, and are homeless.
Such scenes of the World War One veterans are shown in the clip above at these time stamps:
* Time stamp: 4:15 - The vagrant slumped near the doorway, harassed by the police officer, turns out to be a veteran with medal.
* Time stamp: 4:35 - The tempo increases showing the call to arms during World War One, followed by the troops coming back beat and wounded only to face unemployment and the bread lines of the Great Depression.
And my grandfather was one of those veterans of World War One, who really had to hustle to support his family and keep a job that had shrunk to only two or three days a week.
This final scene of the Gold Diggers of 1933 gave me a taste of the Great Depression and what the Greatest Generation had gone through.
And Remember My Forgotten Man? from the Gold Diggers of 1933 - conveying the zeitgeist of the Great Depression as well as other trying times in our history and the challenges yet to come - are part of the American culture which, Lord willing, will be continued to be reinforced in this blog ....
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