THE WONDER YEARS: SEASON ONE ( STAR VISTA )

CREATORS OF THE SHOW:
Neal Marlens and Carol Black

DIRECTORS:
Various

WRITERS:
Various

CAST:
Dan Lauria
Alley Mills
Olivia d'Abo
Jason Hervey
Fred Savage
Josh Saviano
Danica McKellar
Daniel Stern
And many others...


Screengrabs from the pilot

I don't like very many tv shows, but THE WONDER YEARS was different enough, and good enough, for me to break my own rule.

In my opinion, this show was an above average reflection of life, and that's what made it so good. That's why so many people could identify with the characters and stories.

Who can't identify with deep sorrow, or extreme joy? You know, it's the roller-coaster we all call, life.



STAR VISTA has released a two DVD set for SEASON 1 of THE WONDER YEARS.

They're both pressed, and they're also single sided.

The DVDs are housed in a standard sized case, with a flap for disc one, and a molded-in space in the back of the case for disc two.

The picture quality is not excellent, but that's probably not their fault ( and it's better than not having it at all ).



A twelve page booklet with composition notebook style cover is also included - and yes, it has photos.


Screengrabs of disc 1 main menu and episode menu

DISC 1
Pilot ( 24:40 )
2nd episode ( 23:25 )
3rd episode ( 23:52 )
4th episode ( 23:40 )
No extras on disc one


Screengrabs of disc 2 main menu and episode / extra features menu

DISC 2
5 th episode ( 23:50 )
6 th episode ( 23:46 )
EXTRA 1 - HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WONDER YEARS CAST REUNION - May 28, 2014 ( 20:24 )
EXTRA 2 - featurette - WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS - The early days of THE WONDER YEARS ( 24:35 )
EXTRA 3 - INTERVIEW - Neal marlens and Carol Black ( 33:54 )
EXTRA 4 - INTERVIEW - Fred Savage ( 29:24 )
EXTRA 5 - INTERVIEW - Danica McKellar ( 12:18 )
EXTRA 6 - INTERVIEW - Josh Saviano ( 21:34 )


Screengrabs from first season episodes

VIDEO INFO:
DVD ( 2 disc )
FULLscreen
Color
Region one
Company - STAR VISTA
Rated - Not applicable
Extras - Yes... There are six segments
Inserts - Yes... A twelve page booklet



OBTAINED AT - Target
PRICE - $14.99



DO I WANT MY MONEY BACK?:
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....

THE WONDER YEARS is one of my favorite television shows of all time.

Once again, the picture quality is not excellent, but that's to be expected.

In my opinion, it's a must have.

MOVIE ADS: ILLUSIONS OF A LADY

This is a rare film.

In many older adult movies, the stories are frequently far more interesting than the sex. That's how I feel about ILLUSIONS OF A LADY.

It's got some surreal elements, which I like a lot.

I also like the camera work.


Andrea True's character is tormented... The devil in Dr. Woolf?....

Andrea True ( 1943 – 2011 ), plays a shrink. Some of her clients are portrayed by Helen Madigan, Jamie Gillis, and others.

The movie was written by Anthony Fall and Jonas Middleton


The very very cute Helen Madigan.....

The film, was also directed by Jonas Middleton.

As you may know, Mr. Middleton was also involved with JUST BEFORE DAWN.



Quotes from SHE LEFT MOVIES TO BECOME A STAR ( May 26, 1977 - Spartanburg SC ).....

"She said she appeared in some 25 low-budget movies between the ages of 24 and 26"

"Andrea, in a meaningful voice, says she is through with the movies"

"I'm sick of it. I don't even want to talk about it"



Quotes from ANDREA TRUE ARRIVES AS STAR SINGER ( July 24, 1976 - Nashua NH ).....

"I produced and hosted a show called "Teen Beat". I also did a radio show and then won a scholship to study at George Peabody School in Nashville"



Quotes from AP ( Feb. 25, 1976 ).....

"At the mention of Linda Lovelace, star of "Deep Throat", the veteran of some 100 X-rated movies told an interviewer. "Now she's a porno queen. I'm an actress. I've told her to stay out of my hometown. I told her never to come to Nashville"


I think ILLUSIONS OF A LADY was released on VHS by ALPHA BLUE ARCHIVES, but I'm NOT certain.

As for a pressed DVD, I don't think one exists in the United States.

FYI: I watched it online, for free.

JUST LIKE HEAVEN.....

Screengrab from the JUST LIKE HEAVEN music video

Last night, I dreamt about a women from my younger days...

She was taller than I was, had blond locks, and great legs. Unfortunately, she was even more fucked-up than I was.

Those were not good times, for many reasons.

When I became involved with her, a song called JUST LIKE HEAVEN was receiving air-time on one of my favorite radio stations ( KROQ ). This song was special to me.

I never got to see THE CURE in concert. I wanted to go with her, but it never happened, and I doubt anything good would have come from it.

Anyway, it all ended badly...

We worked at the same company. The day she left, I felt her eyes burning my back, then I heard her walk out the door. She never even said goodbye, and neither did I.

She split for parts unknown... Good for her.....


Screengrabs of Robert Smith dancing with his wife Mary Poole... From the CURE's music video of JUST LIKE HEAVEN

Below are the lyrics to JUST LIKE HEAVEN - by Robert Smith

"Show me how you do that trick
The one that makes me scream" she said
"The one that makes me laugh" she said
And threw her arms around my neck
"Show me how you do it and I promise you
I promise, that I'll run away with you"
"I'll run away with you"

Spinning on that dizzy edge
I kissed her face and kissed her head
And dreamed of all the different ways I had
To make her glow
"Why are you so far away?" she said
"Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you?"
"That I'm in love with you?"

You, soft and only
You, lost and lonely
You, strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest oceans
Twisting in the water
You're just like a dream

Daylight licked me into shape
I must have been asleep for days
And moving lips to breathe her name
I opened up my eyes
And found myself alone, alone, alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
And drowned her deep inside of me

You, soft and only
You, lost and lonely
You, just like heaven.....

MOVIE ADS: IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD

I decided to rewrite this post, and add new screengrabs.

IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD is a rare film.



Wes Craven of LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, HILLS HAVE EYES, and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET fame, ALLEGEDLY co-directed and edited this movie.


Wes Craven?... Which one is he?.....

Mr. Craven ALLEGEDLY appears on screen ( in a NON-sexual role, and wearing a mask ).

I still haven't figured out which person Wes Craven is, or if he indeed appears on screen.

I've been told repeatedly, he's wearing a mask. But there's MORE THAN ONE PERSON wearing a mask! There's also MORE THAN ONE SCENE involving masks!

I have NOT met anyone that can prove he's on screen, or tell me which mask he's wearing! It ain't rocket science folks!


Liz Torres?.....

In addition, actress / singer Liz Torres ALLEGEDLY performs the theme song and supposedly appears on screen twice ( in NON-sexual performances ).

Her first appearance, is singing and dancing outdoors at the beginning of the movie. The video I saw, was too blurry for a positive identification.


Liz Torres?... And who's wearing the duck costume?.....

The second time we see her, she's beating the crap out of a bunch of male maintenance workers. That woman DOES look like Liz!


Liz Torres in ALL IN THE FAMILY

She's only credited with performing the theme song.

I think the dancer could be her, but I'm NOT positive. As for the lady that beats the men to a pulp, in my opinion, that's definitely her.



IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD was written and directed by Peter Locke.

Harry Reems ( 1947 – 2013 ), Marc Stevens ( 1943 - 1989 ), Jamie Gillis ( 1943 - 2010 ), and Al Goldstein ( 1936 - 2013 ), appear in this movie.

I don't know if IT HAPPENED IN HOLLYWOOD was ever released on legit VHS in the United States.

As for a region one DVD, I can't find a legit release. I've only seen shitty DVD-Rs for sale.

FYI: I watched it for free online.

BUTTWHISTLE

QUOTE FROM BUTTWHISTLE ( Ogden ) - "When a dog craps on the rug, it craps on it because it's a dog. Can't really help it. No ill intent. It just is"

Sometimes, it feels like our heads are going to explode. We all have bullshit that comes our way. Granted, some of that shit is deserved, but most isn't. It all gets squeezed in, and squeezed in, and squeezed in. Until one day,... KA-BOOM!!!!!



CAUTION!... RANDOM HEAD EXPLOSION!.....

Fortunately, our heads did NOT explode. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to type this, and you wouldn't be reading it.



Ogden is an eccentric young man, and so are his parents, his grandmother, his friends, his dead girlfriend Rose, the police, and his new stalker lover.

Ogden seems to be at peace with this fucked-up world. Unfortunately, the feeling is not mutual.

His lovely, bitter, self-destructive, live-in stalker is named Beth. She's turning his life upside down or right side up ( depending on your point of view ).

BUTTWHISTLE is deceptively quiet, introspective, and has a lot of dark human nature style humor... and I like those ingredients.



A semi-supernatural threesome takes place in a bathtub, and I like the way it's filmed.

I also want to mention the so-called RANDOM HEAD EXPLOSION that occurs at the beginning of the story. It's NOT really random. The man is Beth's father. How do I know this?... Because, we see photos of her and a note referring to Beth in his office cubicle. Did she kill her father? Is Beth homicidal, in addition to being self-destructive?



I think all the folks behind and in front of the camera, did a tremendous job. That's my sincere opinion.

Writing AND directing credits go to Tenney Fairchild.

Some of the stars are...



Trevor Morgan as Ogden, and Elizabeth Rice as Beth. I thought they were outstanding.



On a purely superficial note, I'd like to point out, that Elizabeth Rice is indescribably cute. I found it impossible not to develop a cinematic crush on her.



Analeigh Tipton is Rose.



Stella Maeve plays Missy. It's wonderful watching her on screen. Warning... More superficiality on my behalf. Why?... Because, I think Ms. Maeve is adorable.



Adhir Kalyan as John. I think he's fucking hilarious.



Roz is played by Kate Miner. Yet another superficial observation, her eyes are absolutely mesmerizing.

There's also Katherine LaNasa as Ogden's mother, Wallace Langham as Ogden's father, and Patty McCormack as Ogden's grandmother - remember her in THE BAD SEED?

And there are many others, such as Thomas Jane, Charlene Tilton, and Alex Solowitz.



QUOTE FROM BUTTWHISTLE ( Rose ) - "The more you try not to be an asshole, the more monumental asshole you become"

If you love conformity, look elsewhere, this is NOT the movie for you.

I'm going to purchase the BUTTWHISTLE DVD as soon as I get the chance. Then, I'm going to put it next to my disc of GENTLEMEN BRONCOS. Some films are so unique that you can't really put them into one specific genre, and that's one of the many reasons I love this flick.

BUTTWHISTLE was released on region one DVD by BREAKING GLASS.

As I write this, you can also watch this film at the IMDB website - via HULU - for FREE ( my favorite price ).

P.S. - There's extra footage after the credits.


UPDATED ON MARCH 27, 2015.......... RANT!.....

Quotes from VARIETY.COM ( by Geoff Berkshire - April 25, 2014 ). From a review of BUTTWHISTLE.


QUOTE - "there’s no logic to anything that happens"

MY RESPONSE - It's called LIFE!... There's NO logic to half of the things that happen in this world... And that's the way it's ALWAYS been!


QUOTE - "More troubling is the film’s rather blatant misogyny"

MY RESPONSE - He used the word MISOGYNY!... Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?! Which movie was he watching?! He's obviously NEVER seen any NAZI-PLOITATION flicks!

As anyone with a functioning brain knows, MISOGYNY has become one of the most ABUSED words in the world ( regardless of language ).

I think his delicate nature would be better served by watching a MARATHON OF CHICK-FLICKS ( with his male-feminist bffs ). Oh, don't forget the tissues, and some HOG-EN-DOS ice cream!

What set him off? Apparently, he was OFFENDED by the sight of Elizabeth Rice's breasts!... How INSANE is that?! So, her BOOBS make the movie misogynistic?! Truly ABSURD beyond belief!

Anyone that's OFFENDED by the sight of BOOBS, needs to GET PROFESSIONAL HELP IMMEDIATELY!

I loathe all the HYSTERICALLY-PRETENTIOUS movie critics of this world.

This reviewer is a great example of why I HATE most professional critics.

Think about this, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE got a lot of negative reviews when it was new, and so have countless other films.

As I've said before, NOBODY remembers the CRITICS! Most of the movies they bash, usually take on a life of their own. Those films will outlive the critics and their POMPOUS BULLSHIT!

Why do so many male critics, think patronizing women is the same as respecting them? Women are adults, NOT children. They don't need to be protected like kids, and guided throughout life!

It felt great, to get that off my chest!

SST: DEATH FLIGHT

DEATH FLIGHT is one of my favorite made-for-tv-movies.

It's a disaster movie. There's also an epidemic, a love triangle, unplanned pregnancy, fist fights, and sabotage.

Writing credits go to the following people, Robert L. Joseph ( 1923 – 2002 ), Meyer Dolinsky ( 1923 – 1984 ), Guerdon Trueblood, and William Roberts ( 1913 – 1997 ).

It was directed by David Lowell Rich.



Who's in this flick?.... A TON of familiar faces are passengers in this flatulent cinematic flight. Some of them are.....



Martin Milner AND George Maharis... Both starred together in ROUTE 66.

Billy Crystal... I know many people are fond of him, but I'm NOT!



Bert Convy ( 1933 - 1991 )... He was a man of many talents. Mr. Convy did plays, movies, tv shows, music, and even hosted a few game shows.

Misty Rowe!... Yes!... I was truly nuts about her, and I could never get enough of Misty when she was on HEE-HAW. She's the main reason, I've wanted to get my hands on this film. She's been in a lot of movies, tv shows, and plays.

Robert Reed ( 1932 – 1992 )... Most famous for playing the father in the BRADY BUNCH. I really, really, really HATED that show!... The whole clan can go fist themselves!

Brock Peters ( 1927 – 2005 )... You probably don't know his name, but you know his face. He did A TON of tv shows, movies, and did voice work too!



Doug McClure ( 1935 – 1995 )..... I've seen this man countless times in countless movies and tv shows. My youth was full of his films.....SATAN'S TRIANGLE, THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT, AT THE EARTH'S CORE, THE PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT, WARLORDS OF THE DEEP, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP, and more.

Lorne Greene ( 1915 – 1987 )... He was very popular. I think most folks remember him from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Burgess Meredith ( 1907 – 1997 )... What a career!... From the thirties to the nineties!



Tina Louise... Wow... I'll always remember her in GOD'S LITTLE ACRE and DALLAS. Just for the record, I HATED GILLIGAN'S ISLAND!... But, Ginger and Mary Ann were fucking hot!

Peter Graves ( 1926 – 2010 )... This man was in A LOT of fun movies and tv shows. He's mostly remembered for his role in MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.

Regis Philbin... My memories of him, have always involved talk shows that I've hated. When I was younger, he hosted a show at the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles.

Plus, there are many other folks I have not mentioned.



At one point, there's a scene of light-hearted humor with Misty and Bert's characters. I thought it was incredibly inappropriate... Especially, when you think about what just happened.

As for the airplane, the wing / engine section looks like it came from a B-58 HUSTLER ( and yes, I know the motors are different ). It just doesn't look correct for a SST.



I found DEATH FLIGHT in a six movie collection, called 6 DISASTER MOVIES ( by ECHO BRIDGE ).

This set contains 2 single sided discs, in a standard sized case. One disc is on a flap, the other is mounted in a molded-in area on the back of the case. It's three films per disc ( region one ).



The only time I purchase ECHO BRIDGE movie collections, is when I want to obtain a rare film on pressed disc.

So when I saw DEATH FLIGHT listed on the back, I snapped it up ( used at MOVIESTOP - still FACTORY SEALED ). It only cost me $2.99, and that made me happy. After I watched it, I became even happier. Why?... Because, this is the extended THEATRICAL cut. This version has Misty Rowe topless!...FUCK YEAH!

This movie is known as SST: DEATH FLIGHT, DEATH FLIGHT, and SST: DISASTER IN THE SKY.

MOVIE ADS: DIARY OF A NUDIST

I recently saw DIARY OF A NUDIST for the first time.

I liked it, even though I started to fall asleep a couple of times.

Our hero is Stacy, and she's a reporter. Her dick-head boss, gives her an undercover ASSignment. She has to join a NUDIST colony and EXPOSE all of them. Or expose herself to them, or both, or.... Oh well, it doesn't matter.

Will Stacy shed her clothes?... What do you think?...



DIARY OF A NUDIST was written and directed by Doris Wishman.

Who stars in it?... Who cares?!... I don't. Just watch and forget about your troubles!

Just for the record, I love most of Doris Wishman's films. She's one of my all time favorite filmmakers.



If I had to pick my favorite Wishman flicks, it would be as follows.....

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MAN... One of my all-time favs!

LOVE TOY... Sleazy goodness!

BAD GIRLS GO TO HELL... Love it! My favorite Gigi Darlene flim.

THE SEX PERILS OF PAULETTE... Darlene Bennett rules!

MY BROTHER'S WIFE... My favorite June Roberts flick.

INDECENT DESIRES... Delightfully demented!

THE IMMORAL THREE... What CHARLIE'S ANGELS could have been.

A TASTE OF FLESH... Darlene Bennett is in it, and that's all that matters!

BLAZE STARR GOES NUDIST... Harmless fun.

Just for the record, I have NOT seen any of her alleged xxx films.

However, I have seen A NIGHT TO DISMEMBER. I enjoyed it a lot, and I feel NO shame admitting that!



DIARY OF A NUDIST was released on pressed region one DVD by SOMETHING WEIRD. As I write this, it's only available via that same company as a MOD DVD-R. In my opinion, you're better off watching it online for free, or burning it onto a DVD-R yourself!

MOVIE ADS: INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS

INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS is a silly and sleazy drive-in classic.

During my youth, I saw it countless times in the theater, on free television, on cable television, on tape, and these days, on disc.

Writing credit goes to Nicholas Meyer.

It was directed by Denis Sanders ( 1929 - 1987 ).

William Smith, Anitra Ford, Victoria Vetri, and Katie Saylor, all appear in this flick.

In addition, Cliff Osmond ( 1937 – 2012 ), plays Captain Peters. I've seen him in A TON of movies and television shows.

But, that's not all... As an added bonus, Rene Bond supposedly appears in this movie.

Rene is credited as a bee girl. However, I have NOT seen a one hundred percent positive identification of her.



Is the blond above, Rene Bond?... I know Rene had blond hair for a while, but I'm NOT convinced this is her. Yet, this woman keeps being identified as Rene Bond. Obviously, this woman's breasts have been enhanced, just like Rene's were, but I don't think it's her.



I think Rene is the brunette that runs out and gets electrocuted. Look at her face ( cheeks ). In my opinion, the brunette looks much more like Rene than the blond.



I have two copies of INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS. One is on VHS ( by HBO - love the artwork ). My second copy is on DVD. It's in DRIVE-IN MOVIE CLASSICS ( 50 movie pack by MILL CREEK ).

BEE GIRLS has been released on legit and bootleg VHS tape many times.

It's also been released on countless region one DVDs.

NOTE: Most versions have been butchered to FULLscreen, and are cut.