Carolina Hurricanes Win 1st Stanley Cup in 20 Years With (You Guessed It) a Little Help From Danhausen

Danhausen strikes again!!!

Scarcely 24 hours after the New York Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973, the Carolina Hurricanes won their first Stanley Cup in 20 years shutting out the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 of their series.

As with the Knicks, the Canes got a little help from WWE Superstar Danhausen who cursed the Golden Knights prior to Game 4. Previously, Danhausen had cursed the Canes prior to Game 3 resulting in a Vegas victory, the last one they would earn.

Of course, the Hurricanes did the heavy lifting, and I am happy to learn that Jordan Staal, who is from my hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, earned the Conn Smythe Trophy scoring six goals during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Nevertheless, things work in mysterious ways. The Knicks seem to understand this and have invited Danhausen to participate in their ticker parade in New York this coming Thursday. Would the Canes also extend an invitation?

I would not be surprised if the Hurricanes held their parade on the same day as the Knicks. Then again if anyone could figure out how to be in two places at once, it would be Danhausen.

Film Noir of the 1960s at The Brattle: All Night Long and A Man Called Adam

(Patrick McGoohan on the drums in All Night Long)

Over the past couple of days, I have seen some film noir at the Brattle Theatre from both the 1940s and the 1950s.

Now I present my thoughts on some film noir from the 1960s - All Night Long starring Patrick McGoohan and A Man Called Adam starring Sammy Davis, Jr. I saw the former yesterday and the latter today. As noted in my 1950s dispatch, these movies were paired with the Otto Preminger films Anatomy of a Murder and The Man with the Golden Arm, respectively.

Aside from assessing these films by decade, I am also spotlighting All Night Long and A Man Called Adam in this singular post.

COVID-19!!!

For those of you familiar with this space, you will know that I was in New York City when COVID exploded in the spring of 2020. Shortly after losing my job in April 2020, I moved upstairs from Dad and would sublet the apartment until I moved to Atlanta in October 2020.

I spent most of this day in that apartment looking for work. But man cannot live on by looking for work alone. Like many other people, I watched my fair share of television. On the afternoon of May 7, 2020, I was flipping channels and was astonished to see Patrick McGoohan playing the drums.

Then I realized I was watching All Night Long. I was aware of the movie but had never seen it before. The reason I was aware of this movie was because my brother Ezra was a huge fan of The Prisoner and became fascinated with McGoohan. I would be too. So, I ended up watching the rest of the film which was immediately followed by A Man Called Adam. 

In view of this memory, I had to see both films on the big screen when I discovered they were both included in this Film Noir series. These two films will be forever one in my mind especially with jazz as the common language. Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck have guest appearances in All Night Long while Louis Armstrong has second billing in A Man Called Adam. However, the two stories diverge significantly.

All Night Long

Directed by Basil Dearden, All Night Long is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello set in a 1960's jazz club in London. McGoohan stars as the Iago-like Johnny Cousin, a jazz drummer. Cousin has ambitions to start a new jazz band featuring Delia (Marti Stevens) as his singer. However, Delia retired following her marriage to pianist Aurelis Rex (Paul Harris). As you might imagine, Aurelis Rex and Delia represent Othello and Desdemona. 

Cousin manipulates Rex's band manager Cass (Keith Michell) into resenting his employment with Rex while manipulating Rex into thinking Cass (who of course represents Cassio) is having an affair with Delia. Other characters include Rod Hamilton (Richard Attenborough) who represents Roderigo and Emily Cousins (Betsy Blair) who represents Emilia. Amid this Shakespeare adaptation, instead of comic relief from The Clown, we are treated to musical numbers by both Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck. The latter plays "It's a Raggy Waltz" which is the lead track of Time Further Out which was released only several months before the film which saw the light of day in early 1962.

Unlike most Shakespeare tragedies, no one dies in this film which made Foster Hirsch question it as being part of the film noir genre. Yet Hirsch praised the fact the film is progressive for not drawing attention to the depiction of a black man married to a white woman or the setting of an integrated party. While happiness and joy can transcend race so too can anger and jealousy. 

A Man Called Adam

Released four years after All Night Long in 1966, it is the only feature film directed by Leo Penn. The father of Sean Penn, the elder Penn was best known for directing episodes of TV shows such as Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Star Trek, The Fugitive and Columbo. 

Sammy Davis, Jr. plays the titular character who is a cantankerous cornetist who can't keep his hands off either booze or women and is generally abusive to everyone around him especially those who care for him the most. There are some wonderful supporting performances from Louis Armstrong, Cicely Tyson, Ossie Davis, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Peter Lawford and Lola Falana. 

Much like A Man with the Golden Arm, this is a very depressing film although there are brief respites with performances by Louis Armstrong (who portrays a jazz trumpeter named Willie Ferguson) and Mel Tormé in a cameo as himself. But make no mistake A Man Called Adam is a difficult watch but is also Sammy Davis, Jr.'s most significant role as a dramatic actor.

Epilogue 

In a couple of weeks, I plan to return to the Brattle to see some lighter fare as Mel Brooks, G-d willing, turns 100 years old.

Film Noir of the 1950s at The Brattle: Spotlight on Otto Preminger

As I noted in the dispatch of my observations of Gilda and To Have and Have Not, I also mentioned that I saw some film noir from the 1950s and 1960s as well as the 1940s.

With that, let me spotlight the 1950s. To be specific, I will spotlight two films directed by Otto Preminger - Anatomy of a Murder starring Jimmy Stewart, George C. Scott and Lee Remick and The Man with the Golden Arm starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak and Darren McGavin.

I should note that I saw Anatomy of a Murder yesterday afternoon while viewing The Man with the Golden Arm earlier today. The two films were paired with All Night Long starring Patrick McGoohan and A Man Called Adam starring Sammy Davis, Jr. which I will focus my attention upon in my dispatch on Film Noir of the 1960s. 

It did strike Foster Hirsch as peculiar that Anatomy of a Murder would be paired with All Night Long. Not so with me. Duke Ellington appears in the former while both Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck appear in the latter. The pairing of The Man with The Golden Arm and A Man Called Adam was less peculiar. Aside from the similarity in the title, both films star members of The Brat Pack. Fellow Brat Pack members Peter Lawford was also in A Man Called Adam as was Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Getting back to the Preminger films, Hirsch wrote a biography of Preminger which was released in 2007 titled Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King. While I found some of Hirsch's observations about Gilda to be peculiar, he might very well be the world's most reliable authority on the life and work of Otto Preminger.

Anatomy of a Murder

Adapted from a novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker (using the pen name Robert Traver), it was inspired by a real-life murder in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where the film was shot. Hirsch noted prior to the screening of the film that Preminger kept the cast on location for the duration of the film whether they were scheduled to shoot or not. As a result, a family atmosphere would develop among the cast.

In the film, a former DA turned defense attorney Paul Biegler (Jimmy Stewart) defends Lt. Frederick Mannion, a soldier accused of murder (Ben Gazzara). While the soldier did in fact kill someone, there is the mitigating circumstance of the murder victim allegedly raping his wife Laura Manion (Lee Remick). 

At the time of its release, Anatomy of a Murder dealt frankly with the matter of sexual assault using terms like "rape", "sperm" and "penetration". Preminger wanted to force local censorship boards to weigh in on the controversial subject matter in order that freedom of speech would prevail. 

For the most part it did prevail. However, I suspect that it did in great part because much of the film is played for laughs particularly the courtroom scenes with Jimmy Stewart. I also suspect that Stewart had sufficient gravitas that he could utter those words while maintaining a light atmosphere.

Hirsch mentioned that the film was banned in South Africa for decades mainly because Preminger refused to delete a scene featuring Stewart and Duke Ellington sitting together playing a piano. Their presence on the piano bench is both marvelous in sight and in sound.

Anatomy of a Murder featured some remarkable supporting performances from the likes of Arthur O'Connell, George C. Scott, Eve Arden, Orson Bean, Murray Hamilton (who most people remember as the mayor from Jaws) and Joseph Welch. Yes, that Joseph Welch - the one who stared down Joseph McCarthy and single-handedly discredited McCarthyism. Welch portrayed the judge and was granted the film's best lines delivered with the sort of dry wit necessary to bring down a man like McCarthy.

Anatomy of a Murder would receive 7 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor nomination for Jimmy Stewart and two Best Supporting Actor nominations for George C. Scott and Arthur O'Connell. Curiously, Preminger did not receive a Best Director nomination. It is probably just as well as Anatomy of a Murder didn't win any Oscar statues as Ben-Hur would win a record 11 Oscars (which has since been tied by both Titanic and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King).

Hirsch confessed that because of Anatomy of a Murder that he always wanted to be selected for jury duty. As soon as I heard that, I said to myself, "Be careful for what you wish."

The Man with the Golden Arm

This film was released in 1955, four years prior to Anatomy of a Murder. As with Anatomy of a Murder, Preminger wanted to challenge local censorship boards. On this occasion, he sought to challenge them on the question of drug addiction.

The similarities between the two films end there. While Anatomy of a Murder was shot on location in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, The Man with the Golden Arm was shot on a soundstage. While Anatomy of a Murder kept things light despite difficult subject matter, lightness was nearly non-existent in The Man with the Golden Arm. 

Adapted from the book of the same name by Nelson Algren, Frank Sinatra plays Frankie Machine, a heroin addicted card dealer just released from prison who is trying to make it as a jazz drummer. But back in his old neighborhood and his old haunts, Frankie is stuck with people trying to keep him down. 

Unlike Anatomy of a Murder which featured strong supporting performances, the acting work of Darren McGavin, Arnold Stange and Eleanor Parker does not rise above two-dimensional stock characters. Only Kim Novak's portrayal of Frankie's mistress Molly Novotny rises above the two dimensions as the only individual who genuinely cares for Frankie and tries to get him clean.

The Man with a Golden Arm is a very depressing film. Of course, there are few laughs when it comes to the throes of heroin addiction. This film has not been seldom seen since Preminger's death in 1986 due to disputes arising from his estate as it was an independent production under his name. Indeed, the copy of this film was downloaded online. We were warned that its resolution was not very good. But it looked fine for what it was. Given the subject matter, perhaps a lack of clarity is in order.

In a little while, I will put together a dispatch for the Film Noir of the 1960's spotlighting All Night Long and A Man Called Adam.

Film Noir of the 1940's at The Brattle: Gilda & To Have and Have Not

 

Last night, I went to see a double feature of 1940's film noir at The Brattle Theatre. The two films in question are Gilda starring Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth and To Have and Have Not starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

Both films were given lengthy, loquacious introductions by film historian Foster Hirsch.

Gilda

As I mentioned a moment ago, Hirsch opened the proceedings and emphasized the homoerotic tensions between Glenn Ford and George McCready. 

After seeing the film, I sent a text to my parents and brother about my activities and made a point of mentioning of Hirsch's observations. My mother texted back and reminded me how much my grandfather adored Rita Hayworth. And who could blame him?

Mom could not fathom Hirsch's observations about homoeroticism nor frankly could I either. However, Mom did think the plot was weak. I replied that it was a point on which she and Hirsch agreed.

Mom added she thought that Gilda was treated cruelly by Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford). On this, I parted company with Mom. I thought both characters were cruel to one another in equal measure. Gilda derived pleasure in humiliating Farrell while Farrell was full of spite. They were two little shits who deserved each other. Of course, in real life Ford and Hayworth had an affair for decades which evolved into a lifelong friendship.

While Gilda is visually stunning 80 years after its release, I could not get into the film as I found none of the characters in it remotely appealing.

To Have and Have Not

Hirsch spent much of his introduction telling us that Lauren Bacall was a horrible person. She might very well have been, but he dwelled on this point for far too long.

As to the merits of To Have and Have Not, Hirsch opined that this not-so-faithful adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's book was essentially the same plot as Casablanca complete with Vichy rule only this time in Martinique. Humphrey Bogart's Captain Morgan is essentially the same as Rick Blaine. A man who says he sticks his neck out for nobody only to end up sticking out his neck for anyone allied against the Nazis. Hirsch described director Howard Hawks as having "a good ear and a bad eye."

This would be Bogart and Bacall's first of four film collaborations together and they are the story with some comic relief from Walter Brennan and music from Hoagy Carmichael. Bacall was only 19 when this film was made but she displayed a maturity that was decades beyond her years. This was a woman and one could see why Bogart was fascinated by her especially when she told him how to whistle. One could also see that Bacall was not one for boys. 

Of course, I made a similar observation two years ago when I saw Key Largo at the Brattle which commemorated what would have been Bacall's 100th birthday. I also noted that Key Largo was their final film collaboration while To Have and Have Not would be their first. There are subtle differences. To Have and Have Not represents the birth of Bogey & Bacall. It's the spark of new love. In Key Largo, the chemistry is still there but it is clear they have weathered some storms for better or for worse.

Later today, I plan to write dispatches of film noir from both the 1950's and 1960's.

Knicks Win 1st NBA Title Since 1973 (With a Little Help From Danhausen)

 

(Danhausen and Jalen Brunson)

The New York Knicks have done it. 

They are NBA champions for the first time since 1973 with a 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night winning the title in 5 games. Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson scored 45 points earning the NBA Finals MVP honors.

The Knicks had a remarkable playoff run made more remarkable by some truth is stranger than fiction elements. Danhausen, a pro wrestler who recently joined WWE, has played an unusual role in this championship run. His gimmick is cursing his opponents which often results in bizarre things happening to his opponents generally involving pyro or electrocution.

Where it concerns the NBA, Danhausen initially cursed the Knicks in a row with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. Following this curse, the Knicks dropped two straight games against the Atlanta Hawks. A fan then paid Danhausen "human monies" on Cameo to uncurse the Knicks. From there, the Knicks then came back and won the series against the Hawks and then swept the Philadelphia 76ers. 

If that wasn't enough, Danhausen returned to ESPN to curse the Cleveland Cavaliers. He specifically cursed the Cavaliers because he was in a feud with The Miz who was born and raised in Cleveland. It didn't look good in Game 1 but somehow the Knicks came back from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win the game in OT. This broke the spirit of the Cavs whom the Knicks then swept.

After the Knicks took a 2-0 lead in the Final against the Spurs, Danhausen would appear at Madison Square Garden for Game 3. Unfortunately, so did President Trump who sucked the energy out of the building. The Knicks would lose their only game of this hot streak. 

Following the game, there was some unfortunate behavior when a Spurs fan was attacked on the streets of NYC by a unruly mob. The following night, Spurs fans retaliated by beating a 17-year-old Knicks fan into a coma. It was not so nice and quite evil.

The incident would mar yet another brilliant comeback by the Knicks who were down by 29 points in the 3rd quarter of Game 4. Prior to the comeback, the Wu-Tang Clan performed at the half time show and proclaimed the Knicks would win in five.

Still, the Knicks are deserving champions with a remarkable 14-1 run since Danhausen uncursed them. But it was Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby & Karl-Anthony Downs who did the work on the court led by head coach Mike Brown. 

Yet things often work in mysterious ways which cannot be easily explained. What is easily explained, however, is that the New York Knicks have ended their championship drought. 

A ticker tape parade is in order. The question is whether Danhausen will be invited along for the ride.

Gene Shalit Marched To His Own Drummer & Conducted His Own Orchestra

 

(Screenshot of Gene Shalit interviewing Jim Henson in 1984)

Yesterday came the news of the passing of Gene Shalit at the age of 100. He reached his centennial birthday back in March.

Although Shalit had a long career in print journalism and as an author as a publicist, he is best remembered for his TV work as the film critic on NBC's Today Show from 1973 to 2010. 

Shalit isn't someone one would pick from central casting. But his look was so distinctive you could never forget it upon seeing him.

I do remember watching the Today Show in the mornings before elementary school. At the time, I don't think I fully appreciated the substance of what Shalit said. But I did sense his confidence. This was a man who not only accepted his being but embraced it and to hell with anybody who didn't like it. He was going to wear the hair, mustache, glasses and bow tie and annoy you with puns. So, you better get used to it. Not only did Gene Shalit march to his own drummer, but he also conducted his own orchestra.

For as long as I can remember, I have been a non-conformist out of necessity had to make my own music even if I could not play a note. It took me until my early 40s to fully embrace my physical appearance and took me until my late 40s to fully find my place in the world. Of course, there will always be challenges, perhaps difficult ones ahead, but I am at a place in my life where I can face those challenges with confidence. 

To be sure, I never met Gene Shalit and cannot know what ordeals he faced and how he faced them. But I suspect, despite find his calling early in life, that he was dismissed by many who did not appreciate him. But he persisted and found his place in the world, if not the whole wide world, in his late 40s. 

Gene Shalit lived a happy, successful and long life and did so on his own terms. It is something to which all can aspire. R.I.P.

Democrats Are Just as Bad as Republicans Who Make Excuses or Turn a Blind Eye to Trump

Among the most annoying features of the Republican Party in the Trump era is their capacity to make excuses or turn a blind eye to things President Trump has said or done.

A recent example would be when Trump told the world he was glad that Robert Mueller had died back in March. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would not condemn Trump's remarks and cited the raid on Mar-a-Lago (which did not involve Mueller) stating, “We should have a little empathy for what has been done to (Trump) and his family.” Ah yes, Robert Mueller dies but our empathy should instead be directed to Trump's family instead of Mueller's family.

However, most Republicans are content to either remain silent or claim they are unfamiliar with whatever incendiary comment Trump made at any given moment.

Unfortunately, Democrats are using the same playbook when it comes to their odious candidates in this year's mid-term elections.

In the case of Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee challenging Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins, at least one Democrat has taken a page out of Bessent's book. Ron Klain, former Chief of Staff to President Biden, claims that Platner's Nazi tattoo is, in fact, not a Nazi tattoo. Klain claims that Platner sports the tattoo to honor the fallen comrades with whom he served in Afghanistan. 

Well, just as Robert Mueller isn't responsible for the Mar-a-Lago raid, Platner served in Iraq, not Afghanistan. Indeed, even Platner and his campaign have never made that claim although I'm sure they will now. Platner has been lying about the tattoo from the outset. Why would he change now? Expect more Democrats to come out and tell us the tattoo does not have a Nazi provenance. 

Then you have NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani (himself an odious character) claiming he never saw the anti-American posts of DSA congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier whom he has endorsed over incumbent Adriano Espaillat. Chevalier has, among other things, called former President Biden "a rapist" and "a war criminal", declared "fuck Kamala Harris" while calling the U.S. "a fucking disgrace."

For his part, Mamdani claims "her views have evolved." But if Mamdani claims not to have any knowledge of her social media posts then how can he say her views have evolved? The answer: Mamdani is lying.

Across the Hudson River, there is Adam Hamawy, the NJ Democratic congressional candidate who has long defended the Blind Sheikh responsible for the 1993 attacks on the World Trade Center. Yet House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee both feign ignorance. Jeffries says he hasn't spoken to Hamawy and that Hamawy will have to speak for himself. Well, Hamawy has spoken for himself. These are the sorts of questions the man who might very well become the next House Speaker should expect. Meanwhile, Meeks meekly said, “I don’t like to talk about somebody I don’t know, and I’ve not looked at his background or anything else of that nature.” 

Not exactly a profile in courage.

Needless to say, neither Jeffries nor Meeks' statements pass the smell test. Being representatives from New York City (where the attacks happened) there is no possible way they aren't aware of Hamawy's statements.

Putting party before country is wrong and it is wrong. 

It is wrong if you are a Republican making excuses for Trump

It is also wrong if you are a Democrat making excuses for a Nazi tattoo, claiming a candidate has evolved on views you claim to know nothing about or claim to be unaware of a candidate's defense of man who committed a terrorist act on U.S. soil.