Showing posts with label role models. Show all posts
Showing posts with label role models. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Netflix Movie Night: 42

I expected to like 42: a baseball movie with good triumphing over evil.

I did like it, though I know the struggle against racism continues. And I'm sure the movie whitewashed (pardon the pun) much of the bigotry and racism.

A few things stood out for me:

I didn't know from where I recognized the actress who played Rachel Robinson until I saw the credits: it was Nicole Beharie from Sleepy Hollow.

The racist Philadelphia manager was played by Alan Tudyk, my beloved Wash from Firefly.

"Robinson round third, headed for home sweet home." This was a line written by Wendell Smith, the black sports writer who cannot sit in the (all white) press box.

A young boy catches a ball that Jackie throws from a train. I asked Jeff if he was going to be someone famous, such as Hank Aaron. In the end credits, he was identified as Ed Charles, a member of my beloved Mets, the 1969 Miracle-Mets version.

I also loved one of the end credit songs with the line," Life is a ballgame, but you got to play it fair."

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Hooray for Honey West

In addition to infomercials, a local cable channel has been airing TV shows from the 50's, 60's and 70's. I was pleased to see Honey West in rotation in the early morning weekend hours.

Honey West lasted for only one season 1965 - 1966. By 1965, James Bond had appeared in four films and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. was in its second season. Honey West was one of the first detective/spy shows starring a woman.

I loved Honey West. When my cousin Cindy and I placed spy (I think we called it U.N.C.L.E.) I was Honey West.

Honey was revolutionary. The other action shows had male leads who had to rescue the hapless female guest stars. Any time  a woman was chased, she inevitably fell and twisted. sprained or broke her ankle--leaving her helpless in the face of danger--until our hero saved the day.

Honey changed all that. She was as beautiful and sexy as the hapless guest stars, but more importantly, she was smart and had a black belt in judo. She could take care of herself. Take that sexist TV trope: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TwistedAnkle

Honey was soon eclipsed by Emma Peel of The Avengers which premiered in the US in 1966. I have to admit that Emma was cooler and more bad-ass than Honey and The Avengers was a better show.

But Honey was my first and I'll never forget her.