#Ken Murray

[citizenscreen]

1939 Amateur Swing contest with (L to R): Jack Benny (violin), Dick Powell (trumpet), Ken Murray (clarinet), Bing Crosby (drums), Shirley Ross (piano), and Tommy Dorsey (trumbone).

[norashelley]

Rita Hayworth and Ken Murray dance the jitterbug, 1940

[friendlessghoul]

Buster Keaton teaches actress Joan Davis how to throw a pie at Milton Berle's party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Screen Snapshots host Ken Murray takes a pie to the face at the end.

[oldshowbiz]

Ken Murray and Laurie Anders

[gatutor]

Eddie Foy Jr.-Irene Dunne-Ken Murray "Leathernecking" 1930, de Edward F. Cline.

[thursdaymurderbub]

from Silver Screen magazine, September 1941

[digitalcheesecake]

🍒 2023.12.03

Marilyn interviewed by Ken Murray at the premiere of Call Me Madame 03.1953

[historical-hollywood]

Cowpokes Ken Murray and Laurie Anders get a bit entangled in this promotional photo for The Ken Murray Show, August 21, 1951.

[sluttyhenley]

MASTERS OF THE AIR (2024) Parts Four & Five

[uptonil]

Murray Melvin in The Devils (1971), Ken Russell.

[jazzdailyblog]

Craig Harris: A Visionary in Jazz and Beyond

Introduction: Craig Harris is not just a jazz trombonist—he is a visionary who has used music as a medium for social change, cultural commentary, and boundary-breaking innovation. Since the late 1970s, Harris has been a vital force in the avant-garde and free jazz scenes, working alongside some of the most prominent and creative figures in music. From his early days with the legendary Sun Ra…

[friendlessghoul]

An embellishment to the skit that brought the biggest laugh of all. It wasn't Keaton's invention--he always gave his father the credit--but it was an idea that took the pratfall to the level off high art, a signature bit that would remain in the collective memory of an entire generation of viewers. As Wynn used a kettle of boiling water to loosen the grip of the molasses on his shoes, Buster hoisted on leg onto the counter, then the other, and seemingly paused in mid-air before plummeting to the floor--where the sticky stuff proceeded to saturate the seat of his pants. How he did it without breaking his neck was a mystery to many, but to Keaton himself the technique was elementary. "When he did the 'Butcher Boy' fall," Eleanor explained, "his feet were high enough that when he crashed, all his weight fell on the shoulders, which is where it should be. He's got that heavy muscle structure [and it] acted like a pad. The spine, the tailbone--nothing like that ever touched the floor. You could get hurt. But if you held your breath and tensed the muscles, it doesn't even knock the wind out of you." (James Curtis, A Filmmakers Life, pg 536)

[oldshowbiz]

Ken Murray: Hollywood Blowhard

[gatutor]

David Manners-Ken Murray-Ann Dvorak "Crooner" 1932, de Lloyd Bacon.

[thursdaymurderbub]

The Pirates' Den night club, Hollywood 1940s

[roskirambles]

(Archive) Honorable mention: Isle of Dogs (2018)

Originally posted: January 5th, 2022 Huh, another stop motion film about Japan? What are the odds? Well, I think it's an interesting companion piece for Kubo in that the way they approach representing the country is diametrically opposite. Where as Japanese culture played a significant role in Kubo, ranging from art to folklore and even some of the philosophy of the characters, Isle of Dogs has the country's aesthetics(namely of Showa era Japan) as a mere backdrop for a story that could've probably taken place anywhere else. Kubo did face some criticism about it's predominantly white cast for a story set in Japan, but Isle of Dogs got much more flak for a plethora of reasons…and it's honestly not hard to see why.

While I can't say it comes from a consciously malicious place, Wes Anderson has a record of using foreign cultures for exoticism in the past and Isle of Dogs keeps this trend. Between one of the most important agents in the conflict being a white girl, to the rather neglectful way the Japanese language is handled(both in written and spoken form), it probably will rub some the wrong way. It was intended as a homage, but it can come across as orientalism instead. That said, some of this is probably an artistic choice about the movie's themes, considering translation issues in communication are a core part of the experience. You be the judge on that one.

So…this awkwardness aside what other things does the film offer? The charming, Wes Anderson awkwardness and quirkiness, of course. Deadpan humor, stunning and highly symmetrical cinematography, a color palette controlled down to the milimeter, some black comedy(with a few instances of grotesque imagery)and a movement quality in the animation that homages Rankin Bass with intentionally off timing. Potential stereotypes aside, the cast is also a likable and dynamic bunch, a little of kilter but charmingly so.

It's a film that genuinely gives a lot to talk about. In so many ways.