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.

Bah, Humbug!

I'm too tired to do anything dramatic for my 2000th so here is a top 10 list of my favourite "A Christmas Carol" adaptations. (Click that to actually read the book. People still read don't they?)

I just stumbled upon a Vincent Price rendition and that spurred me into making this list (in no discernible order) and though it has cheesy special effects, I'm putting it near the top.

I don't know where else to start, so I'll start with the earliest one I've seen.

Albert Finney as Scrooge a the musical version:

I'd be nearsighted if I neglected to add this one:

Oooh, George C. Scott as Scrooge: 

With ever-so-appropriately named Scrooge McDuck:

Gumby's Pony-pal Pokey has walked into a classic:

Michael Caine is inspired as Scrooge and the Muppets ain't so bad either:

Bill Murray has rarely been better!

Blackadder as Scrooge is incredible! 

This one Bugs me:

#1: Alistair Sim. Best...Scrooge...Ever! Nuff said.

Versions that I've never seen but would like to, "Make it so!"

The Stingiest Man in Town (live):

The Stingiest Man in Town (animated):

Daffy as Scrooge:

It looks like a Scooby-Doo episode but is true to the book, I don't ever recall seeing this:

Jetsons

Doctor Who:

Finally, A Klingon Christmas Carol!

ps. I'm in NO hurry to see this version. I wish Zemeckis would stop the Mo-cap!
I do wish though that I could find the WKRP episode! That was terrific.