The Buzz about Woody.

I was looking over my Kubrick Buzz Buzzard and a thought came to me, "Were Woody & Buzz of Toy Story fame named after Woody Woodpecker and Buzz Buzzard?" Doubtful. Woody was named after Woody Strode the cowboy-movie star and Buzz after Aldrin. OR according to another Google search, "In 1952, Walt Disney hired 2 men from the Stanford Research Institute to find the site of the park and do preliminary load studies. Their names: Economist Harrison “Buzz” Price and CV “Woody” Wood!" Irregardless, I do like my Kubrick Buzz.

This came out around 2003, just as The New Woody Woodpecker Show was winding down. Ooh, there's an Oswald out there somewhere...

The set consists of 5 characters from the show and appears to have been a UFO Catcher exclusive.

Here's an X-Mas episode of the show.

I immediately caught the voice of the landlady as Andrea Martin, I never could decipher Buzz. Aha! Mark Hamill doing a Joker/Buzzard hybrid. There are a few lines from Fargo in this. Cool.

About a decade ago, I visited USJ in Osaka and wandered through the Woody room. I may have pictures somewhere though I'm way too disorganized to find them. I vaguely recall watching this interactive documentary.

I ended up watching The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini last night. Highlights were of course Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff, though Eric von Zipper was fun too. Needs more Nancy Sinatra! Beware, it's neither funny nor scary!

Hmm, bedtime soon, what should I watch tonight?

Bedlam and Broomsticks.

I'll go straight into today's Ukiyoe... 

Yoshifusa Utagawa etched this of Kiyomori at the Nunobiki Waterfall.

Along the same lines, Kuniyoshi painted this rendition of Kiyomori visiting the Nunobiki Waterfall whereupon Nanba no Jiro is struck down by the ghost of Akugenda Yoshihira.

I need a segue to tonight's movie now. How about William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress about his final days in the insane asylum at Bethlam Hospital (Bedlam)? 

It's a pretty lousy segue yet it does allow me to speak of the movie I watched tonight called Bedlam. This 1946 gem stars Boris Karloff as the Head Physician of the Bedlam Asylum, offering those with a tuppence to view his loonies. Billy House as the wealthy Mortimer and Anna Lee as Nell, the gal who takes pity on the inhabitants stand out.

  

         

Most surprising to me is seeing the immortal Ian Wolfe as the Greatest Lawyer (also a Loonie). He was ancient in this movie and barely aged twenty years later when he was Septimus and Mr. Atoz in two episodes of Star Trek. 15 years, later he looked exactly the same age as Hirsch, Mrs. Carlson's butler on WKRP.

Not very much Halloweeny stuff going on so far, so here is a Bearbrick of The Phantom of the Paradise!

(Hey! I just figured out why it was so cheap. It's missing a hand!)

To top it off, I have some chocolates that I have yet to consume featuring Jack and the gang.

I'll end tonight with a Kana-Hebi (Grass Lizard) that one of my Grade 3 kids proudly showed off for me.

That's Frahnkensteen!

The last time I paid a visit to Young Frankenstein was when Kenneth Mars passed away. Back then, I had to rely on some screen grabs to snare some photos. (Be sure to click on the YF Label to research previous entries.) This time out, I got my mitts on a copy of the pamphlet so there's lots to choose from! I'm starting off with the back cover because it's more enigmatic.

And the front cover.

Very cool that there is a tribute to the great Boris Karloff at the beginning of the pamphlet.

Now just a ton of photos...

The cast:

The Director:

Finally a few publicity features.
 

Best Mel movie ever!

Holy Crap! I just discovered that there was a Young Frankenstein musical last summer! How'd I miss that?

Today's snack are Gachapin and Mukku cookies.

No UFO Catcher stuff, rather a trio of air fresheners for the kitchen!

I'm not sure what I'll write about tomorrow, just wait and see...