Where was I? I thought it would be nice to kickstart things with some vintage Gene. I enjoyed Gene the most during his “junior high” years, as we referred to them then. The earlier little-kid jokes were always fun, but they tended to be generic: “insert (any kid) here.” The “high school” years were all right, but at that age children begin to go their own way, ultimately resulting in physical and emotional separation from the parents. (We’re talking theory here.) As you readers and the artist himself know, this separation changes the family dynamic for cartoon families as well as real families. And for the former, it makes continuity a headache as well. That’s why the junior high years were the best. Gene was developing as an individual, becoming more adventurous and interesting in his own right, yet he remained solidly within the orbit of Arlo and Janis.
Movie Bluff
By Jimmy Johnson
Recent Posts
Ghost of Christmas Past
This holiday Arlo & Janis comic strip from 2022 is similar in concept to the new strip that ran yesterday. I thought the latter ...
Spearhead
I have produced a number of comic strips related to Veteran’s Day. Especially in latter years, I have tried to emphasize the universal experience ...
Dark Passage
Remember: it’s that weekend. The return to standard time can be a bit of a shock in the late afternoon, but I rather enjoy ...
What’s old is old, again
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to build a web site, but there are similarities. Everything needs to be just right, or ...
Back to the ol’ drawing board
I don’t have a lot of time this morning. I wasn’t going to post anything, but I’m tired of looking at that old photograph ...
Thursday’s Child
On Sunday, I teased you with the suggestion there are more changes coming here. There are. They will appear soon, and I think you’ll ...
36 responses to “Movie Bluff”
So good to have you back on site. Hope you enjoyed your time away.!
I’m sorry, who is this again?
Welcome back, Jimmy. Gene got some of his best lines during the time period you mention. And began picking up his share of the load in carrying the strip.
The LP and single industry went mad in the 1960s: Music (sans images, pretty much) led the cultural revolution, again, pretty much.
So in the 1980s in America, when videocassette rental stores began gaining ground, I thought I would watch to see which people valued more, sounds or sights-cum-sounds. Would there be an upset? After all, music meant a very, very great deal in the late 1960s.
It was a massive victory for the sights. It was easier for Americans, certainly. They didn’t have to listen.
And now a 30-minute LP that went for maybe $3 or $4 in 1965 now has to be a 70-minute recording that goes–not for 1965 $3 inflated to a present-day $26, but for only a half or quarter of that.
Or you can pick up used Dolly Parton CD at the thrift store for $2.
But again, that’s all been upset by digital music on our telephones. The status of books (Gene, above)? Not to mention newspaper cartoons–not nearly valued enough, but that’s just me, and people of the ilk that visit here.
“You can listen to a song hundreds of times and get something new out of it every time. How many times can you watch a video? 3? 4? Maybe a dozen, if you’re a total veg.”
Frank Zappa
One of my absolute favorite musicians and composers.
According to Leonard Bernstein, the most important composer of the first half of the 20th century was Igor Stravinsky; second half, he said it was Frank.
I do not argue.
And, while many people assume FZ & his band were jamming like most rock outfits of the day, that is a different artform; Frank was a composer. He scored all that.
I also think it is absolutely criminal the degree to which is genius as a guitarist is overlooked; the boy was a monster!!
Many dismiss Frank because his lyrics were, largely, an upright central manual digits in the direction of stuffiness & properness, and thus easily mistaken for juvenile, they are also hilarious – and, while sometimes bizarre and often a mite gutter, they were <brilliantly written! Off-color poetry to be sure, but poetry none-the-less.
Yeah, I kinda like Frank, too………
On a sidenote: As a native of the Buckeye State my own self (southeast; Muskingum County), although I left almost half a century ago, I am always bothered (why, I don’t know) when I don’t recognize a placename; might I inquire as to the general whereabouts of Shermantown?
Oops – I seem to have missed a in there somewhere……..
Should just be composer, scored, monster, & brilliantly.
Is there an “edit” function here that I’m missing?
(Note to self: Only post after coffee)
people of the ink ilk?
I guess that by the time Gene was doing book reports, Classics Illustrated had gone out of business!
There were always Cliff Notes, but I’d guess Gene hadn’t discovered them yet. And, considering how different a book and the movie made from it can be, I’ll bet his teacher could tell which students actually read the book and which ones took Gene’s shortcut.
In my school, one of my teachers bought AND displayed the bright yellow Cliff notes on his desk. Of course, his pop quizzes were based on anything not mention in the cheat sheets!
Speaking of kickstarting … oh come on, you know that was coming 🙂
So I guess Gene and family stopped by your house, so you had no time to update the blog?
Glad it wasn’t Jimmy in the dumpster at Tillman’s Corner!
Did you go to football game?
Glad to see you update Jimmy! Regarding the comic, my sister, a life long devoted teacher said she liked teaching middle school the least. Probably they are less likely to latch on to what the teacher is trying to teach.
Only one movie I ever saw that was same as book (I mean really close)
was “The Maltese Falcon”. All others deviated to some extent (even “Harry Potter”
where JKR was consultant) (as one director said “the book is 700 pages, I have 130
to tell the same story”)
.
The worst movie was one that the title was the same and one character name –
the rest was all different. Bait & switch.
Happy to see you are OK Jimmy!
The last line in Maltese Falcon was an after thought –
.
Referring to the “Bird”
“The things dreams are made of.”
.
Made the story complete.
One of my kids did exactly this when he was in middle school. Wanted to watch the movie to do a report. Of course we all know movies never follow the books.
So glad you are back, Jimmy! Don’t stay away so long next time.
BTW… When I first started reading and – occasionally making comments – we all had pen names. Now that so many of us are also on Facebook, I guess the time has come to take off the blinders. So in the future, I will no longer be “Galliglo” but just plain “Gloria”.
You will always be Galliglo in our hearts….
Now, THAT is sweet!
My deceased partner created that name for me. He had a blog, and he quoted something I had said. The screen name was logical, in its own way, I live in GALLIa County (Ohio) and my name is GLOria. So… GALLIGLO.
He has been gone for six years now…
I hope most of us know the “Usual Suspects” well enough to recognize them and avoid clicking on any of the spammers we are infected with. Sadly that casts suspicion on any new or less frequent posters.
Do you mean her body shape which looks thicker?
An older cartoon has Arlo asking Janis whether she ever wonders how things may have turned out differently. Janis, checking her figure, thinks that – in some other existence – she might have been bustier. Today’s cartoon may fulfill that wish.
spzZqyWFECmRNOnu
JJ: Glad to have you back – but where were u? Our grandkids still try to take shortcuts today like Gene did back in the day.
She’s aging. Definitely not a girl anymore.
However, I think that women should look like women. Much more attractive.
Off topic and for astronomy fans:
Today’s an equinox, a favorite day for Chevrolet.
APoD has a short video of Earth spinning on an equinox: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210922.html
Watching a movie might be sufficient to get the plot of a book, but that isn’t really the point of reading is it? The old adage is that there are just seven different plots and all tales are just different ways of filling out the story. The purpose of reading, however, is to enjoy the author’s journey through these stories and visit the side streets on the way to the foregone conclusion.
A good teacher shouldn’t care if the student can regurgitate the plot of the book, they should want the student to be able to interpret, appreciate, and critique the author’s words.
Bouef bourginaunx simmering on stove for another hour. My recipe is as inauthentic as my spelling.
I combined Julia Child, Jamie Oliver and Alton Brown to utilize ingredients I found in pantry and fridge.
Tomorrow I cook the mushrooms in garlic butter and add them to the reheated stew just before serving. One blogger said to serve over mashed potatoes.
Should I?
I am making fresh biscuits. Are mashed potatoes over kill?
Hi Jackie! Glad to see you’re cooking again. If you’re making biscuits, you probably don’t need potatoes. Save them to have with the leftovers 🙂
I like to use noodles, but potatoes make more of a beef stew, which in French is what boeuf bourguignon is.
I agree Ruth Anne. I am making extra batch biscuits to have next day too with cream gravy and bacon.
The recipe has cooked potatoes anyway, so it definitely seemed like overkill to me!
I love to cook. My next project is bacon, asparagus artichoke quiche for Friday.
I have missed cooking so much. I own so many cookbooks, I need to read them like “books” like I used to do. Bloggers don’t get me much!
Has anyone read Rick Braggs ‘ cookbook about his mama? Should I buy it or maybe check out of library?
A very cute ad in Flemish, featuring a role reversal!
https://www.ksl.com/article/50247932/have-you-seen-this-video-of-adults-heading-back-to-work-hits-a-little-too-close-to-home