Fond memories and thoughts about a pretty 'WONDERFUL' movie!

 It being the holiday season and all, I figured I'd share with you faithful few ---that follow along with me on this here blog-a-wog-wang-dang-doodle--- my thoughts and just LONG-time all around enjoyment, of one of my ALL-TIME favorite flicks! 

That's right, the SHAMELESSLY sentimental, sometimes even a little CORNY, but in my mind STILL  TIMELESS CLASSIC---'It's a Wonderful Life'!

I just recently re-watched it again, after not having seen it for a few years. Yes, I do INDEED have it on DVD--- a VERY nifty edition, that includes a couple of neat (if a little too brief!) documentaries. It's one of those classic movies, that--- as you get older--- you appreciate even MORE things about it. 

Things that, as a younger Loydster, I didn't really pay much attention to---- now end up touching me oh-SO-deeply.Much like the character of George Bailey, I too was something of a 'frustrated dreamer'--- for a GOOD CHUNK of my earlier life. I overlooked a LOT of the so-called 'little things' in my life. The 'day-to-day', sometimes seemingly 'hum-drum' stuff... that, if like in the case with George--- those things were to be suddenly 'wiped-away', boy... how WRETCHED and MISERABLE I would've been!

So, as a 'now-middle-aged' Loydster, I have an appreciation for those aspects of it's plot and it's 'message'. Yes, if ever there was a 'message movie', '... Wonderful Life' definately IS one!

 It wears it PROUDLY, LOUDLY and right out there, shamelessly out in front! 'Be AWARE of  ALL of life's blessings, BOTH large and small,' and----(in the words of director Frank Capra himself!) 'EVERY man has a purpose in life, a reason that he's here'. Whether it's to do something 'great', or just something as 'simple' as helping out his fellow travelers in this all-TOO-brief trip that we call life! We're ALL here for a reason! 

Perhaps the MAIN reason this movie works as well as it does, in my opinion--- is the unforgettable performance in the lead role, by one of the ALL-TIME great, but sometimes underappreciated--actors!----

Mister Jimmy Stewart, of COURSE! I can't really imagine ANYONE else as George Bailey! From what I've read about the movie over the years (as well as what's mentioned on the DVD special-features!), there were other actors considered--- including Cary Grant & Henry Fonda! But Jimmy Stewart makes you CARE, empathize, and yes (if your'e as HOPELESSLY sentimental as the 'ol Loydster anyway!), even CRY, along with George--- as he learns just HOW special, precious, and BLESSED his life has REALLY been.

The other aspect of this movie, especially as I watched it this most recent time, is how I could oh-SO-relate, to the feeling of being 'backed into a corner', and helpless! That's what the character George feels, at the 'moment of crisis' he experiences in this film! Nowhere to turn, seemingly NO way out. BIG trouble's coming, and you have NO choice, but to plow right into it! Like a 'head-on' car wreck is about to happen to you, and you have NO power to stop it! Man-oh-man! I can relate to THAT feeling!

Again, it's Jimmy Stewart's performance that makes those moments SO powerful in the movie! I really think NO other actor could've done it as well as Jimmy managed to do it! 

Of  course, the movie's FILLED with all kinds of GREAT supporting actors, that also help make it the classic flick that it is! Who can forget Thomas Mitchell, as Uncle Billy--- who's SO scatter-brained & forgetful, he constantly has to tie strings to his fingers to remember stuff! 

Donna Reed, as George's wife, Mary--- she manages to portray Mary as a REAL woman, who loves her hubby, but sometimes feels a little flustered at him! Other actresses might've tried to make Mary almost like a 'saint' or too 'goody-goody'! Miss Reed doesn't do that. She makes Mary seem real. 

If you haven't watched this movie in a while, or GOD FORBID--- you've NEVER seen it-- here's the trailer, for a recently released 'hi-def' version of it! Believe me, it's JUST as good, even in old-fashioned 'standard definition'! Hopefully, it'll inspire you to find a copy for yourself, pop up a BIG bowl of pop-corn,  and watch one of the TRUE all-time CLASSICS!----

I myself, am going to try to NOT make it such a LONG-stretch between viewings of this, one of my ALL-TIME favorite movies. This time of year, and especially with ALL that's going on in this CRAZY world, we could ALL use a reminder that our lives are STILL---even with all the heartaches and headaches--pretty darn 'Wonderful'!

Happy Holidays, and God Bless, gang!

Loyd's BONUS video-clip!!--- # 37!!-- Another COOL Elvis remix!

 Once again, fellow 'Elvis-fanatics', with WAY more spare time (not to mention technical know-how!) than I have--- have done a pretty SWANKY / SLICK, and oh-SO-COOL-type of remix! This one's originally from the soundtrack of  the movie, 'Girls, Girls, Girls', released in 1962.---- 

Loyd's BONUS video-clip!!--- # 36!!--- Over 50 years old, and STILL the world's COOLEST car company!

 52 years old, in fact! It's kind of hard for 'gray-whiskers'-types like me to imagine---but Hot Wheels have been around for OVER half-a-century! Guess it's not TOO hard, since I was around at the time they originally came on the scene!--- 4 years old, in fact! A wee-bit younger than the boys in these (VERY nifty-neat-o) ads!

So, I have NO memory whatsoever of these vintage commercials! I'm pretty sure I probably saw them though, since they NO DOUBT were ran on Saturday mornings--- back when the 'big three' networks had nearly 4 HOURS of cartoons going, that kept kiddos like the 'lil Loydster, glued-to-the-tube for a good CHUNK of  the day!----

Considering how much of an over-grown, shamelessly GEEK-A-ZOID kid I am, it should come as NO surprise to anyone, who checks out this little blog-a-thing-a-ring-ding on a regular basis--- that I STILL have a fair-sized collection of Hot Wheels!

In fact, I still have some of the original, vintage 'red-line' cars (the ones with the red pin-stripes on the tires), that I first snagged as a youngster! Of course, most of them aren't in the 'prime / pristine / collectible' category (they were my childhood TOYS, after all--- so I PLAYED with them!)--- but to me, they'll ALWAYS be PRICELESS!  I hope this is one 'car company', that stays around at LEAST another 100 years!

The RETURN & REVENGE of 'Dr. Franken-Loyd'! OR-- the LAST 'Bat-ride'-related post! (At least, for a while!)

 Just over the past couple of weeks, the 'Mad Scientist' mentality has once AGAIN struck me smack-dab in the middle of what little 'gray matter' I may have left, in the 'ol Loydster-brain! This time, my 'raw material' was a 'Bat-ride' I'd already customized a number of years ago! 

If you've seen the TRULY goofy flick, 'Batman & Robin' ('WHEW'! What a MIXED-UP MESS of a movie!)--- then you'll know that THIS little set of wheels is based on the Caped Crusader's ride in that movie. When put out onto toy shelves, in 1997, it looked like this----

Of COURSE, my own version of that particular toy, looked NOTHING like the PRIME, nearly-mint-condition-example above! Mine was more along the lines of the pretty SAD, pathetic-looking example below!---- 

 

This rather beat-down, sorry specimen of a toy, was actually given to me by some of my in-laws, who--- knowing that the 'ol Loydster was something of  a toy-tinkering / customizing MANIAC--- figured I could do SOMETHING with it! This is what I ended up with, shortly after getting my grubby little paws on it!---

 

That's pretty much the way the car's looked, for the past nearly 15 years or so. When I first customized it, I slapped some custom-made (cutting the patterns from, if I remember right, coffee-can lids) fins on the rear fenders, as well as a 'Bat-head' / shield on the front. I also made a 'canopy' (for the cockpit / driver's compartment) from an old water bottle. I then recessed the wheel centers, sprayed it with some flat-black primer---- did some paint-detail work on it in a couple of spots, and 'WHAM', I had a fairly unique 'action-figure-scaled' version of Batman's 'big black car'!

That was the car's status, like I said above, for the last decade-and-a-half! Then, after doing all the re-vamping on the former R/C car, that I featured in the previous post-- as well as tinkering around with the two (roughly 1/64 , 1/50 scaled) teeny-tiny Bat-rides (also in the previous post!).... I kept looking over at this particular car, sitting RIGHT next to those others, on the SAME shelf. Next thing you know, the 'Dr. Franken-Loyd' side of my personality is taking over! 

Before you can say : 'HOLY art-deco-inspired Batmobile, Batman!', I was scribbling notes and little sketches on any scrap of note-pad paper I could get hold of! After a few days of letting the ideas I had kinda 'stew & brew' around in the 'ol noggin---- I tackled the 'revamping / ZOOPING-out' of this car! I managed to complete all the tinkering on it, in a little over a week-and-a-half or so. THIS is what the Caped Crusader's 'Dark-Winged-Chariot-of-Justice' looks like NOW!----

  

Gee, I wonder WHICH previous Batmobile's color-scheme, just MIGHT have inspired the way this car is decked-out? Hmmm? There's just something VERY cool, about the combination of black & red! (With some 'gun-metal' gray here & there too, of course!)

The mods / revamps, to the ALREADY customized Bat-ride, went pretty much like THIS!----

----And, here's some more 'car magazine'-type 'beauty-shots'!----

Once again, another trip was made to the local 'Wally-world', for another brand-spanking-new Batsy-figure, to have 'standing at the ready', next to the car! Well, truth be told, the figure HAS to be standing OUTSIDE of the car----since the canopy is GLUED in place! (A figure CAN'T be placed INSIDE!) Oh well, it STILL looks WICKEDLY COOL, if I don't say so myself! 

Now that we've spent a GOOD CHUNK of time here at the 'ol 'blog-a-wog-a-rang-a-dang-thang', visiting the world of the 'Gotham Guardian', and those crazy 'big-black-cars' of his--- I PROMISE the next post will focus on something COMPLETELY different (that I'm JUST as hopelessly GEEK-A-ZOID about,though-- no doubt!)! But, we WILL revisit the subject of the Dark Knight's wheels in the future! You might as well say, it's part of who I AM, and-- practically in my DNA, after all! 

'Dr. Franken-Loyd' strikes yet AGAIN!

Not so long ago, here at the 'ol 'Loydster-blog-a-wog-a-wing-a-ding-thang', I showcased some custom-crafted 'Bat-rides' that I'd tinkered on. In the mix there, were also a couple that had already started as Batmobiles, but ended up being given the 'Dr. Frankenstein / mad-scientist'-treatment by me! I'd turned them into familiar-looking, but DIFFERENT types of cruisers for the Caped Crusader!

One that I chose NOT to showcase, was a little number that originally started out as a roughly 1/12- 1/18th scale R/C car. I did do a slight bit of customizing to it--- but not much. It's overall look, as you can see in the pic below... had ALWAYS kinda bothered me!

Take a peek at the photo, to see what I mean! It's SUPPOSED to be the car from (the truly GOOF-BALL flick!) 'Batman & Robin'! This is a pic of what it pretty much looked like when I first snagged it, back around 1999-2000.-----
 

See what I mean? What an ODD, strangely proportioned, just out-right CARTOONY looking vehicle! Let's not EVEN talk about the fact, that it's also sporting the EXACT same wheels & tires from the 'Batman Forever' car! WEIRD!

Outside of doing just a little bit of tinkering around on it (a little re-painting here & there mostly), I ended up leaving the car pretty much 'as-is'. The R/C remote and cord eventually disappeared, due to the interior electronics of the car dying a number of years back. 

I also put together THIS little guy, to sit behind the wheel of the car! He's roughly around 4 inches tall, a nearly PERFECT fit! He's cobbled-together from various bits & pieces, including a generic 'space-warrior' figure. This was necessary, because normal-sized action figures would NOT FIT in this car! (yet ANOTHER odd  thing about it!)--

Anyway, for a NUMBER of years, this particular 'Bat-vehicle' sat on the shelf, alongside the numerous other 'mini-versions' of the Dark Knight's trusty black-steed in my collection! Then, (just a month or so back, in fact!) like sometimes happens---- I was looking over at it on the shelf.... thinking of what an ODD-BALL looking car it was. THEN.... the old 'gears' in my brain started turning! 

'What if.....' I thought to myself, 'I took this 'ugly Duckling' version of  'ol Batsy's ride... and tried to turn it into something the Gotham Guardian wouldn't mind being SEEN in? Next thing you know.... I'm grabbing the thing off of the shelf, picking up the Xact-o knives, sand-paper, and other 'Mad Scientist' tools, and going to WORK! Here's a little illustration of the steps taken, to bring this vehicle from 'Bat-shlep-mobile', to... well, at least something a LOT more COOL!---

Also---- I ended up stealing  parts from OTHER 'action-figure-scale' Batmobiles in the collection! The 'Batman Forever' wheels just HAD to GO! 
 
 

That's RIGHT! I actually used the wheels from the 'Bat-Missile' section, of the 'Batman Returns' car in my collection! they're NEVER seen anyway, and again---- the other car was in DESPERATE need of something that actually looked RIGHT under all four corners!

After a couple of weeks (off-and-on, as I carved-out bits of time here and there!), and--- at LAST--- some careful paint work (ALWAYS one of my FAVORITE parts, in these kind of projects!)--- the new and IMPROVED version of the former 'Ugly-Duckling-Batmobile', was ready for BOTH a 'photo shoot', and to be put PROUDLY back on display!----

Oh, and that IS a NEW Batman figure, seated behind the wheel! I figured since this car had a NEW, fresh look,it deserved a spanking-new 'Batsy'-figure to go into the driver's seat!

'But WAIT', as they say in all those CHEESY info-mercials, '.... there's MORE!' In the following weeks, since I finished-up work on the MAJOR-make-over of the above Bat-ride.... I've also tackled a couple of even SMALLER 'Bat-Customs'! One was this slightly larger, former 'Mickey-Dees' happy-meal toy.----

-----AND, this is how it turned out!---

---The steps it took to get it into it's current state!----

Now, around the point I finished-up the 'former happy-meal-Bat-ride', I was feeling like I could probably resist the temptation to go all 'Victor Von Frankenstein' on anything else for a while! THEN.... another opportunity came along!

My great niece, Cecellia ('Cessi' for short!), presented me with THIS little number! telling me: 'Uncle  Loyd, this sort-of already LOOKS like a Batmobile! I'll bet you can customize it to REALLY be one!'----

Boy, do my family members know me and my loves / obsessions! Some chunks of clear-sheet plastic in all the right spots,a little semi-gloss black paint--- oh, and some 'familiar-looking' (not to mention VERY carefully done!)  pin-stripe work, and.... well, I'll just let the pics do all of the talking!---                                                                                         

Just for some 'grins and giggles', here's what ALL 3  'custom Bat-rides' look like, in their spots on the 'Bat-vehicle-display-shelf'!

Now, before I sign-off on this latest post, that pretty much provides CONTINUED proof of my absolute 'bordering-on-insane' love / obsession for a 'certain Bat-themed vehicle'.... there's ONE MORE scale model of one of those vehicles, recently added to the 'Loydster collection'!----This one's made entirely out of WOOD!----

This one's more of a 3D puzzle type of thing, than an actual scale model. But---it STILL just SCREAMS-out the word FUN! The whole thing took about 2 and a half hours to put together, so it's

not TOO complicated (that's a GOOD thing!)! Also, since it IS kind of unusual, it gets it's own display case---separate from the other 'Bat-models'.Oh, and it's roughly around 7 inches long.

Like I always say, if it makes me smile whenever I look at it, there in my little 'Secret Sanctum', it's ALWAYS going to have a permanent spot there! I will ALWAYS be in touch with my 'inner-12-year-old'! Why? Because part of the 'ol Loydster's  ALWAYS gonna be a KID! I can say that with PRIDE!

Loyd's BONUS AUDIO goodies---- # 8--- 5 Faves from Marty Robbins!

 

The GREAT Marty Robbins, belting out a tune in the studio, sometime in the early '60s.

As I've mentioned before here, on the 'ol Blog-a-wingy-ding-dang-thang.... I'm a completely SHAMELESS and open fan of some of the great 'smooth-crooners' of country music! Those crooners include: Jim Reeves, Sonny James, Patsy Cline--- and the guy who's the subject of this here 'faves' post....the legendary Mr. Marty Robbins! 

For an artist who left us (at the FAR-too-young age of 57!) nearly 40 years ago, (he passed away in 1982!) just about ALL of Marty's music holds up amazingly well! His Gospel album, 'What God has done', released in 1966 (two cuts from it are in my little list here!)--- sounds like it could've been recorded LAST WEEK! It's just THAT good!

As USUAL, it was another TOUGH time for me, picking JUST 5 tunes that stood out as absolute favorites! The guy did SO many, SO well! Also as usual--- at least when it comes to how I end up deciding exactly which songs to post up here--- I ended up using the 'handful of tunes I could listen to, (over and over!) if stranded on a desert island'- rule! These are the ones I NEVER get tired of listening to!-----

 

One more thing before I button-up this post. Just a special note of appreciation to my mom, who is pretty much the reason I grew up hearing (AND eventually becoming a MAJOR fan of) legendary talents like Mr. Robbins! 

Thanks mom! I will ALWAYS think of you, whenever I listen to a LOT of this CLASSIC music! I will  ALWAYS treasure the bond we shared, especially when it came to music. I love you, and STILL miss you!