Robert Kelly Movies
- 2006
- Add Dane Cook's Tourgasm [TV Series] to QueueAdd Dane Cook's Tourgasm [TV Series] to top of Queue
As indicated by its title, this weekly, half-hour documentary series was the handiwork of standup comedian Dane Cook, whose bestselling CD albums poked merciless and highly profane fun at contemporary youth culture. In Tourgasm, Cook joined three young aspiring comics on a 30-day bus tour of America, performing 20 club dates along the way. Cook's official designation was "The Leader"; the others included Robert Kelly, "The Instigator"; Gary Gulman, "The Conflicted"; and Jay Davis, "The Newbie." In between performing to packed houses, the four funmakers were seen bickering, badgering, jockeying for position, and generally behaving in as obnoxious a manner as possible (some found the quartet's offstage shenanigans to be funnier than their on-stage performances). Though supposedly off-the-cuff and improvised, much of what occurred on the series was clearly cannibalized from star Cook's familiar material -- and not surprisingly, he came off as the funniest of the batch. Dane Cook's Tourgasm got under way via the HBO cable network on June 11, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dane Cook
- 1963
- Add The Judy Garland Show, Episode 15: The Christmas Show to QueueAdd The Judy Garland Show, Episode 15: The Christmas Show to top of Queue
In this 1963 holiday episode of The Judy Garland Show, a large crop of guest stars, including Judy Garland's three children, joins the singer for a bevy of classic and contemporary songs, most of them Christmas-themed. Opening with one of her signature tunes, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me in St. Louis, Garland makes her way through "Consider Yourself" (from Oliver), "Little Drops of Rain" (from Gay Purr-ee), and, of course, "Over the Rainbow" (from The Wizard of Oz). Jazz singers Jack Jones and Mel Torme also turn up; Jones solos on "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "Lollipops and Roses", while Torme duets with Garland on one of his own classics, "The Christmas Song" (also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire"). Joey Luft and Lorna Luft, Garland's two school-age children by third husband Sidney Luft, get their chance to shine, as does eldest daughter and future superstar Liza Minnelli. The entire program is staged as a mock Christmas party, complete with dancing Santas, visiting carolers, and a couple of medleys featuring the entire ensemble. Garland begins the show by inviting viewers into her "home" -- actually a split-level set dressed to resemble a palatial living room. Episode 15 of Garland's short-lived CBS television show, The Judy Garland Christmas Show was taped on December 6, 1963, and broadcast a few weeks later on December 22. Astute viewers will note that Garland flubs a line from Torme's The Christmas Song, earning a chuckle from its composer, and then deliberately substitutes the word "rainbow" for "reindeer" in the next line -- an allusion to her own signature tune. Torme served as a consultant for almost the entire run of Garland's show and their sometimes contentious relationship has been documented in numerous books, including Torme's own The Other Side of the Rainbow. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Despite the lighthearted promotional campaign mounted by 20th Century-Fox when the film was first released, The Kid from Left Field is not a comedy. The title character is young Christy Mathewson Cooper (Billy Chapin), the son of former big-league ballplayer Larry Cooper (Dan Dailey), who is now reduced to hawking peanuts at the ballpark. Securing a job as a batboy with a team called the Bisons, Christy amazes the players and management by giving them tips on how to win games. What no one knows is that Christy is passing along information provided by his father. Impressed by Christy's apparent expertise, third baseman Pete Haines (Lloyd Bridges) tells team secretary Marion Foley (Anne Bancroft) about the boy. She, in turn, tells Bisons owner Whacker (Ray Collins), a "Bill Veeck" type ever on the alert for a new publicity gimmick. Whacker promptly appoints the pint-sized Christy as manager of the team, replacing the ill-tempered Billy Lorant (a truly venomous performance by Richard Egan). Larry is about to spill the beans concerning Christy's baseball knowledgeability, but he decides not to, considering himself a burnt-out has-been. And that's all that can be revealed without giving away the ending. Its whimsical premise notwithstanding, Kid from Left Field is treated as a straight drama, with several near-noir long shots of the shadow-drenched ballpark. The film was remade for television in 1978 as a vehicle for Gary Coleman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Dailey, Anne Bancroft, (more)
