Allan Arbus RIP

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allan arbus

Paging Dr. Sidney Freedman. We need one last consultation.

Sad news today: Allan Arbus, longtime character actor best known for a recurring role as Sidney, the wry psychiatrist on “M.A.S.H.” has passed away.

Arbus, who starred in cult classics like “Greaser’s Palace,” was 95. That 1972 film was directed by Robert Downey Sr. The elder Downey also directed him in “Putney Swope.”

I remember Arbus best from “The Electric Horseman,” the Robert Redford film, besides his 12 episodes of “M.A.S.H.”

I didn’t know until I read his obit that Arbus was married, from 1941 to 1969, to photographer Diane Arbus.

Rest in peace, Mr. Arbus.

 

First look: The trailer for ‘Thor: The Dark World’

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Thor Jane Thor The Dark World

The first “Thor” movie took some of us by surprise. The Asgardean Avenger was never a favorite character of mine, so while I didn’t doubt that Marvel would do well with his debut movie, I wasn’t expecting as much as I did from “Captain America.” But I was pleasantly surprised.

So with “Iron Man 3” just a couple of weeks away, we get a trailer for “Thor: The Dark World,” which opens Nov. 8.

The trailer looks good, although it was amusing to see the preview opening in steel-gray modern-day London. That city is getting a hell of a beating this year, between this and “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

Most of the cast gets a few shots in the trailer, led by Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, of course.

Christopher Eccleston Thor the Dark World

And can that possibly be Christopher Eccleston under all that makeup as villain Malekith?

Tom Hiddleston Loki Thor the Dark World

And they saved the best for last: Tom Hiddleston, rocking some “Rock of Ages” hair, as Loki.

Wonder if Odin had SHIELD build that glass box?

Hoping for the best from ‘Man of Steel’

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man of steel flying upward

Superman is a test that many movie- and TV-makers don’t quite pass.

Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and continually published and re-printed since Action Comics No. 1 hit the stands in early 1938 – 75 years ago – Superman and his alter ego, Clark Kent, make up one of the most recognizable characters in all of popular culture.

So it’s not a surprise that DC Comics and Warner Brothers – frustrated in their efforts to create a big-screen presence since “Superman Returns” missed the mark several years ago – are trying again with “Man of Steel,” due in theaters June 14.

I’m still not sold that director Zack Snyder has the character right. But I was a little more convinced after the trailer for “Man of Steel” released a few days ago.

man of steel vista

That’s mostly because the trailer, at least, emphasizes the “outsider” status of the character.

Make no mistake, and I’ve said it here before: Superman is not a brooding character like Batman. He’s not driven by nightmares. He’s not wracked by guilt. If Snyder’s “Man of Steel” is marked by those characteristics, the movie will fail.

But he is, for all his optimism and courage and innate knowledge of right and wrong, an outsider.

The trailer seems to acknowledge this, portraying a Kal-El/Clark/Superman who, as a young man, is uncertain about what he should do with his life and afraid of how he will seem to the world around him.

As he grows up, he appears to wander far away from Smallville, even though he continues to use his powers for good, rescuing men in a fiery accident.

The trailer shows us a Lois Lane (Amy Adams) who has been seeking this man of mystery (Henry Cavill), and it is in Lois’ words that the movie might find the best definition of the character.

“How do you find someone who has spent a lifetime covering his tracks?” Lois asks. “For some, he was a guardian angel. For others, a ghost. He never quite fit in.”

Yes.

Superman is, even while he is the champion of his adopted world, an outsider. He’s the last of his kind – well, for the most part – and the first of a new kind on Earth. He feels an obligation to his new home even as he mourns the home he never knew.

Tellingly, Lois asks Superman – still unnamed to the world at large – about the “S” on his chest, and Superman tells her that the symbol stands for “hope” on his world.

Playfully, Lois notes that on this planet, it’s an “S” and begins to suggest it should stand for Superman before she is interrupted.

The trailer seems to capture the world of Superman. We can hope so, at least.

(I still don’t get the kid in the backyard with a makeshift cape on his shoulders. If that’s young Clark, it doesn’t make sense. Who is he imitating? I’m more convinced now than earlier that the boy isn’t Clark, but is a young boy play-acting as Superman after the character becomes known to the world. If so, it will be a lump-in-your-throat moment.)

Looking forward, with hope, to June 14.

First poster: ‘Thor the Dark World’

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thor-dark-world-poster

With all the attention “Iron Man 3” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and even “Guardians of the Galaxy” is getting, we need a little love for the “Thor” sequel.

So here’s the first teaser poster for “Thor the Dark World.”

No helmet – sorry, half the Internet – but Chris Hemsworth looks ready to throw that hammer.

Coming this November.

Images: Electro, ‘Man of Steel,’ ‘Star Trek’

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star_trek into darkness trailer ships

We’re at the point I’m ready to quit watching clips and previews for movies like “Iron Man 3” and “Star Trek Into Darkness” because they seem so spoiler-intensive. Even if they’re really not.

But new trailers for the “Star Trek” film and “Man of Steel” have come out in advance of their summer openings. And news about “Amazing Spider-Man 2” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” has broken.

So, herewith, some images.

At the top is a shot from the “Star Trek Into Darkness” trailer. That’s the Enterprise on the left. But what’s the ship on the right? Some futuristic version of the Enterprise? Is it what the crew ends up piloting – not unlike the Klingon ship they sported in “Star Trek IV” after the Enterprise was destroyed?

So is Benedict Cumberbatch a time traveler?

On to comic book movies.

Man_of_Steel trailer

The “Man of Steel” trailer released this week didn’t feel as much like a solemn affair as the previous ones did. A little more action, a little more human (and Kryptonian) emotion. I’m beginning to look forward to this.

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I’m not sure what to think about Jamie Fox here as Electro from “Amazing Spider-Man 2.” He’s very … blue.

spidey and electro

But it seems unlikely they would put him in this, his traditional comic-book outfit.

Rooker_Yondu

And then there’s news that our beloved Michael Rooker of “The Walking Dead” will appear in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” in 2014. But not as the voice of Rocket Raccoon.

No. Rooker will be playing Yondu, another member of the Guardians.

I wonder if he’ll be as blue as Electro?

I think director James Gunn’s film is getting trippier all the time.

Classic TV: ‘Electra Woman and Dyna Girl’

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electra woman and dyna girl point

Airing in 1976 on the Saturday morning “Krofft Supershow,” “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl” was, frankly, a little after my time. I was a high-schooler by that point and not watching a lot of Saturday morning cartoons or live-action shows like this one.

But there must be a reason why there’s an “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl” magnet on my refrigerator.

electra-woman-and-dyna-girl

Well, two reasons: Stars Deidre Hall and Judy Strangis.

The show – just 16 episodes of about 15 minutes each – was a campy and dreadfully cheap female knock-off of the 1960s “Batman” series. Hall – later to win fame in “Days of Our Lives” – and Strangis – who had starred in the school sitcom “Room 222” – played the title roles as do-gooders who, with help from colorful spandex costumes, their inventive assistant Frank (Norman Alden) and oodles of spirit, fought dire super villains like Ali Baba (Malachi Throne, with a henchman played by the wonderful Sid Haig) and Glitter Rock.

The shows were cheaply made – shot on video, with shoestring special effects – and filled with exclamations like “Electra wow!” from Dyna Girl.

Yet Hall and Strangis made an indelible impression on kids, especially boys, and teens (ahem) who saw the show. There’s a reason clips fill You Tube to overflowing and website after website is devoted to the duo.

judy strangis dyna girl

Hall, with an amazing pile of blonde hair, was gorgeous. But Strangis, fresh-faced and pigtail-wearing, was a girl that all of us could fall in love with.

The ‘Star Trek’ / ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ connection

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brock peters star trek

I’m not sure when I first noticed that some of the cast of that classic 1962 drama “To Kill a Mockingbird” had later turned up in “Star Trek” TV episodes and movies, but I was watching the Gregory Peck film – an adaptation by Horton Foote of Harper Lee’s novel of tolerance – recently and was struck when I realized that not one, not two, but three members of its cast had memorable roles in “Star Trek” within a few years.

brock peters to kill a mockinbird

It’s likely the easiest-to-spot connection is actor Brock Peters, who played criminal defendant Tom Robinson in the movie.

Peters is memorable for two “Star Trek” roles. He played Joseph Sisko, father of Avery Brooks’ Benjamin Sisko, in the 1990s series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” And he played Starfleet Admiral Cartwright in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” and “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” two of the best in that series. (How can you tell? They’re both even-numbered “Trek” movies.)

william windom to kill mockinbird

Also easy to spot is William Windom as the prosecutor, Gilmer, in “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

william windom star trek doomsday machine

Windom had one of the showiest guest-starring roles in all of the original “Star Trek” series, as Commodore Decker, the doomed starship commander who squares off against “The Doomsday Machine” in the memorable 1967 “Star Trek” of the same name.

paul fix judge to kill mockingbird

The hardest-to-spot actor who crossed over from the movie to the “Trek” universe might be Paul Fix, who played Judge Taylor in the movie.

paul fix star trek mark piper

If things had gone differently, Fix might be as familiar a Hollywood figure as any of the “Star Trek” regulars. Fix was cast as Mark Piper, the ship’s surgeon of the Enterprise, in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” the second pilot for “Star Trek.” Yes, Piper was the early version of Leonard “Bones” McCoy, The ship’s doctor was McCoy by the time the series began airing, but Fix is there throughout “Where No Man Has Gone Before” as Kirk’s doctor and confidant.

While the series was still trying to find a spot on NBC’s schedule, the network rejected Gene Roddenberry’s original pilot, which featured Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike. “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was the second pilot, and made several alterations to the make-up of the crew, including the addition of William Shatner as Kirk.

Although Fix – who died in 1983 – was a solid character actor, the mix of great writing and DeForrest Kelley’s portrayal of Bones McCoy made that character a classic. It’s impossible to imagine Mark Piper saying, “He’s dead, Jim!” with as much feeling as Kelley.

 

Look out below: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ poster

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new star trek into darkness poster

Head’s up!

Above is the new “Star Trek Into Darkness” poster, with the Enterprise falling through the atmosphere.

iron-man-3-falling-poster

And here’s one of the earlier posters for “Iron Man 3,” with Tony Stark falling through the atmosphere.

We’ll see both in May. In the meantime, I suggest you wear a hard hat.

 

Classic toys: G.I. Joe

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gi joe beard

In the 1960s – before the horrors of the morass developing in Vietnam became obvious – World War II was a fascinating period in history for young boys. We played with green army men and watched “Combat” and “Rat Patrol.” For me and other friends, World War II was an experience that our fathers didn’t talk about much but was obviously a big part of their history. The subject of my 1960s fascination with World War II is a topic for another day.

But out of that interest in the war grew the popularity of G.I. Joe, the doll – action figure – for boys.

Marketed by Hasbro beginning in 1964, G.I. Joe was a 12-inch action figure that earned the name: Unlike the stiff Barbie for our sisters and female cousins, Joe had joints at his elbows and shoulders and knees that made it possible to us to pose him in elaborate fighting scenarios. (Not to mention the “kung fu grip” added later, but that was really after my time).

Like Barbie, Joe had a variety of outfits and accessories – only the manliest, though – including guns and canteens and inflatable rafts. I believe it was those accessories that added to Joe’s lasting appeal. Unlike Johnny West – another action figure I had and enjoyed – Joe’s wealth of outfits and accessories made him immensely variable and playable.

GI Joe space capsule

The most elaborate accessory I had for my G.I. Joes was the Mercury space capsule. I played for hours and hours with the capsule, being a big fan of the space program.

gi joe space capsule box

Joe went through a lot of variations, including weird fuzzy hair and beard. Online sources say that in 1969, after Americans were soured on Vietnam, Hasbro thought Joe should be recast as an adventurer instead of soldier. That led to sets in which Joe hunted the Abominable Snowman, for pete’s sake.

But for me, G.I. Joe was a soldier and remained one. He was a great toy, but he was always a reminder of the war that so fascinated me as a kid.

Classic TV: ‘The Edge of Night’

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the_edge_of_night title card

I loved sitting in on my mom’s soap operas when I was a kid. I would catch glimpses of “Another World” or “Days of Our Lives” when I was home sick. And of course “Dark Shadows” was must viewing after school.

But there was one daytime drama that that thriller-loving kids like me didn’t have to feel silly about watching.

“The Edge of Night” ran on daytime TV from 1956 to 1984 and, for much of its run, focused on the crime-busting cops and attorneys of the Midwestern city of Monticello. Most memorable to me were characters like Mike Carr and Adam Drake, who appeared about as often as any characters during the show’s 7,420 episodes. Most of the episodes appeared on CBS with a few last few years’ worth airing on ABC.

Monticello must have been the most crime-ridden city ever. Murders, assaults, arsons and robberies seemed to happen with such frequency I can only imagine the Greater Monticello Chamber of Commerce had its hands full.

Monticello was modeled after Cincinnati, hometown of sponsor Procter and Gamble. That city’s skyline was glimpsed in the show for many years.

But as in most soaps, the settings were highly fictionalized, sometimes to the point of amusement. For example: The state capital was Capital City, not unlike in “The Simpsons” many years later.

edge-of-night_jail cell

Carr (played by three different actors) and Drake, played by Donald May from 1967 to 1977, were the most fascinating characters for me. The credits ended “And Donald May as Adam Drake,” which tipped me off that this character was cool and important. And I had a crush on beautiful Maeve McGuire, who played his wife, Nicole Drake.

The show featured a number of actors on their way up, from Larry Hagman to Frank Gorshin to Dixie Carter.

“The Edge of Night” had a regular audience of nine million viewers, many of them men because of the emphasis on murder and mayhem and because of the 4:30 p.m. timeslot, which allowed blue-collar workers and students like me to get home in time to watch.

The show’s scripts were generally recognized as best when Henry Slesar was head writer. And the ominous tones of announcer Hal Simms, who said, “The Edge … of Night” with just the right dramatic pause, added to the mood.