Gorging on McHuggetts

Continuing my latest fascination, Here Come the Huggetts with Petula Clark. The dialogue is filled with clever throwaway lines that are easily missed, making a second viewing very worthwhile.

Pet gets a singing spot that lasts only a minute.

Playing a distant Huggett cousin “on the mother’s side,” 16-year-old Diana Dors also had a minute to show off what she could do.

Everyone shines in the movie, but if anyone’s character is underplayed it’s Susan Shaw as the middle Huggett sister. Shaw was such a stunning beauty that she didn’t need much screen time to make a big impression.

Follow-up: I thought that MGM owned Here Come the Huggetts, and maybe it does, but the Internet Archive has the complete film. It has a DogRat ***** rating!

The Dors on Sgt. Pepper

Here Come the Huggetts (1948) is a surprisingly thoughtful comedy that effectively conveys a feeling of British post-war life. The cast includes precocious Diana Dors and England’s sweetheart Petula Clark.

Diana was only 13 months older than 15-year-old Pet! I wonder if working with Diana had an effect on Petula? Because as she told me herself she was surprised and amused that the French later called her “Sexy Pet.”

From the “Funny Because It’s True” file, Dors’ real name was Diana Fluck. And, yes, that’s Diana on the “Sgt. Pepper” album cover!

Hopeless Case

Everything is always about him. He can’t help himself.

“I’m here to support the great people of Louisiana. It’s been a great state for me,” [Trump] said in Lake Charles. It was a tremendously powerful storm.”

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-08-29/trump-traveling-to-be-with-those-in-hurricane-hit-states

Let’s get rid of the narcissist jerk, so we won’t have to hear the word “tremendous” so much anymore.

Ode to the Underground

As I have mentioned more than a few times, I consider myself very fortunate to have followed Musicradio 77 WABC-AM in New York, and then WBCN-FM in Boston, at their respective best — 1963-68 in Connecticut, then after my family moved to Massachusetts, 1968-73. After I left for college in Western Massachusetts my ‘BCN listening was limited to home visits. I was influenced equally by both stations, despite their radically different formats, with ‘BCN being outright radical. I am finally watching WBCN And The American Revolution and, at the halfway point through the documentary, it has my unreserved recommendation.

"WBCN and The American Revolution" trailer from WBCN and The American Revolution on Vimeo.

Speaking of WABC, the big news is that COUSIN BRUCIE IS RETURNING TO WABC on September 5! He has left SiriusXM, where he was heard for 15 years, compared to his original 11-year run on WABC.

Back on August 16 I posted a shout-out from the King of Jingles, Jon Wolfert. Cousin Brucie will be joining Jon TOMORROW, 8/30, starting at 3 PM ET on Rewound Radio. The link is over on the left, as always, and you can be sure I’ll be tuning in!

What Goes Around…

A segment with some true Trump believers on yesterday’s “All Things Considered” had me shaking my stiff neck. A participant named Paul stated, “When a governor says they are more okay with people dying than the president doing something good, then we’ve got problems.” He was immediately challenged and had to admit, with apparent humor, that “No, no, no, no one said those words.” What can be done about such a person, who is so enamored of Trump that he lies like him? Paul then goes on to say, “Looking at the state of the nation right now, we’re recovering at such a rate that we’re already better than we were when Trump initially took office.” Economically this is absolutely not true.

Whenever it is that Democrats once again control both houses of Congress and the White House, how will Republicans react if the President says, “I have an Article II, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president,” and acts accordingly? By following Trump, Republicans are setting themselves up for the potential of extreme and unrelenting payback. Fortunately for them, if Biden wins he isn’t that kind of guy.