Watching some of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in honor of Ed Asner tonight

A fabulous character played by a wonderful man

Rest in Peace

Hoggish Greedly #HellaWieners

Ed Asner, Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore, and Ted Knight at the 1976 Emmy Awards.

I have a job that is very stressful at Christmas time, so for the last couple of weeks I’ve made it a point to review a lot of Christmas movies to help keep me in the Christmas spirit.  There are some great Christmas movies and a whole lot of really terrible ones.  One of the best Christmas movies ever and one that consistently delivers laughs year after year is Elf.

If you haven’t seen elf, I don’t know what to tell you.  What the heck are you doing reading a movie blog since you clearly don’t like movies and hate Christmas?  Maybe that was a little too intense.  You should watch it, it’s awesome.

elf is the story of Buddy the elf (Will Ferrell), who is actually a human that was raised at the North Pole by his adopted father Papa Elf (Bob Newhart).  When he learns that he was adopted (Buddy isn’t the brightest light on the Christmas tree), he takes off to New York City to meet his long lost biological father.

Buddy meets his father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), it’s not the warm greeting he hoped for.  But eventually Buddy joins the Hobbs family and starts to spread his infectious joy to his step mother Emily (Mary Steenburgen) and half brother Michael (Daniel Tay).  He also meets the beautiful department store “elf” Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) and becomes smitten with her.

Walter’s continual dismissal of Buddy’s attempts to connect with him take their toll and Buddy gives up hope and decides to return to the North Pole.  But as he leaves to return home on Christmas Eve, he runs into Santa and his broken down sleigh.  Buddy, with some help from Michael and Jovie, has to help Santa get back in the air and save Christmas for everyone.

There’s a lot to love about elf, but the whole movie lives and dies with its star Will Ferrell.  Ferrell has had a career full of playing interesting characters with a lot of success, and more than a couple bombs.  One of his greatest abilities as a comedian is his willingness to commit to a character no matter how absurd it may be.  What makes Buddy such a great character is the sincerity and genuine naivete with which he approaches the world, and it’s Ferrell’s commitment to the character that made an ordinary Christmas movie into a classic.

While Will Ferrell definitely carries the movies, the supporting cast is surprisingly great including James Caan is not known for playing characters in warm and fuzzy Christmas movies, but that’s what really makes him fit the character.  Zooey Deschanel is great as Jovie and a different character than the “adorkable” typecasting she’s had the past few years.  There are a ton of other talented comedic actors in this film including the legend Bob Newhart, Faizon Love, Amy Sedaris, and a hilarious but brief appearance from Peter Dinklage.

elf has been a huge hit since its release and it’s largely due to the fact that it really stands up when you watch it year after year.  The jokes are funny, even when you have heard them, and the sweetness and sincerity of Buddy the elf helps remind us all what Christmas spirit really is.

-Phil

The Naughty and Nice List

TITLE:The Naughty and Nice List
AUTHOR:Santa Claus
ORIGIN:Christmas folklore; possibly the cartoons of Thomas Nast (1840-1902)
EDITION:Elf (movie, 2003, directed by Jon Favreau)

Every year, Santa Claus makes a list of all the children in the world (who celebrate Christmas, though that part is rarely specified), and designates them as “naughty” (not deserving of a present) or “nice” (deserving of a present, and often listing exactly what present is desired.) His precise methods of doing this are unclear. Possibilities include: Santa knowing the information instinctively and simply writing it down; parents writing letters reporting their children’s behavior, which then get sorted into “good” and “bad” piles; various technological means; or gathered automatically by nebulous “Christmas magic.” (Reports of Santa dispatching a small elven spy to each child’s house to report back on behavior are not considered credible.) Regardless, Santa himself is the one responsible for ultimately compiling the list, checking it twice, and using it to distribute the presents/coal to the children listed within.

This specific edition of the list is notable for being aloud on live television in order to prove to the world that Santa Claus is real. The effects on world economy, philosophy, and religion are as yet unknown.

I.Account books and ledgers — Actions and behaviors — Arbitrary moral judgments
II.Address books and directories — Every person on Earth — Christmas celebrants
III.Invasions of privacy — Sees you when you’re sleeping — Knows when you’re awake

This image was adapted from pictures of an original movie prop owned by Save Hollywood, with additional images posted by them to Prop Bay. And yes, I know this is going up on January 2, but by my count we’re only up to “ladies dancing” in the 12 days of Christmas so it still counts.

Screenshot:

Original prop:

Betty White with President Obama 6/11/2012. NARA ID 200283745.

#RIP BETTY WHITE

Betty White at the Truman Library!
Betty White, Allen Ludden, and Tess White pose with Truman Library staff, 8/4/1964. Truman Library ID 65-164.

Betty White and Allen Ludden view Truman Library exhibit. Truman Library ID 65-160.

See also:
Ed Asner in CIA Training Film 1956!

maturemenoftvandfilms:

Since my teenage years, film and television helped me developed a passion for older men. In particular, there were five actors that have me lusting after any man who fit their mold, whether individually or in combinations. These are those five. My ’First Five’ is what I call them. 

First up and arguably the first man to caused movement in my pants was the late Thomas Edward “Tom” Bosley. It was those “Happy Days” reruns that his warm smile and those form fitting pants caught my attention. But it was after “Father Dowling Mysteries” was canceled that I wanted to bone him. Later on, I was a little surprised that I wasn’t the only one in world who found him attractive. Sadly, he lost his appeal (a lot sooner than I would have like) before he died, but during the “Happy Days” era, he was hot DILF. Chubby, hairy and a doable ass. 

Next up, Andy Samuel Griffith. Sure everybody loved him as sheriff Andy from “The Andy Griffith Show” but it was Ben Matlock that got my blood pumping. He seem to go from a tall, lanky man in “The Andy Griffith Show,” to a short chubby one by the end of “Matlock,” aging beautifully with his  ‘perfect’ silver hair. Griffith, who died at his home in Roanoke Island, N.C., at 86, was an unlikely star from the beginning to the end of his long career. Yet his impact on television and me personally, was nothing short of monumental.

One of my personal favorites, even in this group was Carroll O'Connor. Most people remember him as Archie Bunker on “All in the Family” but it was “In the Heat of the Night” that introduced me to him. O'Connor captured my imagination so much that he still remains one of the key templates of what a daddy should be like to me. Chubby, grey hair, incredibly blue eyes, gentle features but with a hint ‘I’ll fuck you up if you cross me.’ He may not have been traditional-leading-man handsome, but I’ve always found Mr. O'Connor as nice looking. Listed as #20 on TV Land’s Top 50 TV Icons Countdown, but in the top five on my all time actors that I’d like to fuck senseless. 

No other guy on this list or any other has made more of an impression on me than Charles Edward Durning. Thanks to his role in the series “Evening Shade,” he became the first male focus of my masturbatory sessions as I began to discover my penchant for big, cuddly matured men! Durning had everyday look, sporting less-than-perfect physique - portly, thinning hair and a bulbous nose. By the 2000s, he was getting on in years, a little past his best and he did appear to have lost a little weight, but I’d still would have done him in a heartbeat. Right up to his dying day at 89. He never went out of style with me, never lost his appeal.

Last one standing is Edward “Ed” Asner. He’s kind of a no brainer being a television legend and bear icon. I got into him way after both “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Lou Grant” were canceled, but watching those reruns I totally know why everybody wanted to tap Ed. He was always in the back of my mind until I saw “The Family Man” late one night. And after shooting some ropes. He was in the forefront ever since.  Even now at 86 years old, he still  exudes that strict father figure that I tend to get attracted to. I don’t doubt that Asner is aware of his attractiveness by more than one admirer and is probably comfortable with the idea of being lusted after by other men.

doppleganger-rental:

Ed Asner’s son Matt posted this pic on twitter this morning ❤️

Ted Knight, Gavin MacLeod, and Ed Asner taking a break during filming of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”