Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

re-reviewing movies from musical HOF? You just gave me an idea that i should too

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You can call it the art of fighting without fighting.

Glad to give you an idea Yup, I wrote them so I figured it's good to enter them into the data base reviews of MoFo. But I do tweak them some and so they read somewhat differently.

"Magnificently depressing", LOL! That's perfect...that song rips my guts out every time she sings it and NOBODY sings it like she does. I also love The Boy Next Door which you neglected to mention.

I like Bing's version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas too. I didn't mention The Boy Next Door as that wasn't a fav of mine, not a bad song, just not a personal favorite.

Director: Philip Kaufman
Writers: Richard Price (novel), Rose Kaufman (screenplay)
Cast: Ken Wahl, Karen Allen, John Friedrich, Toni Kalem
Genre: Drama

Director Philip Kaufman probably best known for his stylish horror sci-fi flick, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and for writing the smash hit Indiana Jones movies, gave us his own unique version of teenage gangs, circa 1963 New York, in the film The Wanderers.

The Wanderers is part coming of age, as we watch the teenage gang members go about their business of hanging out, fighting with other gangs and trying to score with the girls...It's also part surrealism with the Bowling Godfathers five older men all brothers who rule the local bowling alley and would seem to be at home in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. It's even got some pseudo horror in it with the zombie like Ducky Boys gang. This films got it all, but don't think it couldn't make up it's mind as to what kind of film it wanted to be. I'd say it's purposely broad and unique and that makes it a cult classic.

There's oodles of unique characters and multiple themes running through this urban jungle tale. The gang known as the Baldies were pretty wild! Look at how big the head Baldie 'Terror' is compared to his girlfriend Pee Wee. Yikes! The bridge scene has to be seen to be believed! Ouch!

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LOVE this film!

It always gets compared to the Warriors (probably due to the similar sounding title) even though the stories take place in different eras. It also gets confused with the Lords of Flatbush - a slightly earlier Greaser movie of the 70's (that takes place in the early 60's). Of these three gang movies, this is my favorite!

Even though this movie is a "period piece" it is full of metaphor. People still philosophize what the Ducky Boys represent (they are obviously much more than just a giant gang of poor urban Irish Catholics).

The music is a highlight as well.

I too love the ending - the transition when we glimpse Dylan singing marks the end of an era.

There's a scene in the 1987 Woody Allen movie Radio Days where Dianne Wiest and Seth Green are taken to Radio City Music Hall to see The Philadelphia Story.

Oh cool, good to see some love for this movie. Guess what? I'd never seen it before. I'm not even sure if I had heard of it before.

It's sure different than those other gang movies. I've seen Lords of Flatbush once and that was like 40 years ago! I plan on watching it again now that I have gang fever I just requested Rumble Fish and The Outsiders from my library. Those should be good. I've seen The Warriors several times, I love that film.

Definitely the music is a big part of the movie. Good point about Dylan signaling the change at the end of the movie (though I think that was a Dylan impersonator). Isn't he singing The Times They Are A Changin' 1964. Quite appropriate.
The Ducky Boys gang was a weird concept alright. I'm still not sure what they represent? I read that there was a real Ducky Boys gang. I'm guessing it started in the 1950s and Ducky Boys is from their hair cuts of the time, the D.A.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck's_ass

Director: Robert Stevenson
Cast: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson
Genre: Family Musical Fantasy

About: In the 1900s in London a wealthy family hires an eclectic nanny with magical powers to help with the children's upbringing. She proceeds to weave her magic through song to bring the neglected children closer to their father.

Review: Mary Poppins is a big splashy Disney production, with some very creative dance & song numbers. The Chimney Sweep number is pretty amazing and I'd say my favorite. It's very different, and stylish in how it's done.


I think this is a movie I'd have to watch a number of times to love as it's really light on story and heavy on production numbers. Normally that might appeal to me but I'm not a fan of movies made for kids. I didn't grow up with Disney and when it comes to musicals I prefer themes aimed more at adults. I guess I don't have much of a kid in me I wasn't even a kid when I was a kid! On the flip side I can't deny that this is a brilliantly done Disney classic.

The animation mixed with live action sequences thrilled audiences at the time, where else could you see Dick Van Dyke dancing with animated penguins and Julie Andres riding carousel ponies through the country side.


For me it was Julie Andrews that makes this movie so special, that's cause she's got the magic

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Enjoy the gang movies, Rules!

Yes, obviously not the real Bob Dylan (except for the voice of course) and I don't think they say the name or have it on a poster, but we know by the song and the environment who it is supposed to be.

Hope no one took offense at my referring to the Ducky Boys as Irish Catholics, but isn't there a scene of them taking communion at a Catholic church before a fight or something? Obviously the Wanderers have some Italian roots so it was always theorized that the Ducky Boys were Irish. My dad was a teen in the gang days of the late 40's & early 50's and he used to talk about the skirmishes between the Italian and the Irish gangs that ruled different parts of the city. He used to tell stories about how he had some Irish Catholic cousins and friends (gang members), so he'd wait on the church steps for them to get out of mass - and he said the nuns would come out and literally beat him off the steps (with school pointer sticks) because he was German Protestant! He was terrified of the nuns. Talk about the days of sectarian violence and religious intolerance!

I also remember the classroom scene near the beginning of the Wanderers where a fight nearly breaks out when the teacher has the students cover all the ethnic slurs that they call each other.

Another movie this reminds me of is Heaven Help Us (1985). It's not a gang movie, but takes place during the same era and is about boys attending a Brooklyn Catholic school in 1965. It's got that whole coming-of-age / end of an era feel to it and is very entertaining. If you liked the Wanderers, I also recommend Heaven Help Us.

P.S. Don't f&%# with the Wongs!

I took it that they were Irish too. At the start of the movie someone says, The Wanderers are an Italian gang, the Del Bombers are a black gang, The Wongs are an Asian gang. Like you said we see the Ducky Boys taking communion and as there was no Irish gang mentioned I'm sure that's who they were.


Wow, that's pretty wild. I can just envision that happening in the world of The Wanderers.

I'll watch it, thanks! I love all those period piece type films.

Glad you enjoyed Mary Poppins - It's not my type of fillum anyway but Dick Van Dyke really murders it with his abysmal Mockney accent.

Enjoyed your review and Julie Andrews is what makes the movie so special. I hate to nitpick, but you referred to Mr. Banks (David Tomlinson) as a widower, completely discounting the fabulous performance of Glynis Johns as Mrs. Banks. I mean, she actually has the first full musical number in the film ("Sister Suffragette").

Yeah, I was so pleased that when he did Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, again surrounded by an all-British cast, he didn't even attempt an accent.

Whoops! I'll make a change to my review. Thanks for the catch

Director: Mitchell Leisen
Cast: Paulette Goddard, Ray Milland, Patric Knowles, Reginald Owens
Genre: Drama, Romance

London, 1783...


In the dirt poor streets of Houndsditch a slum of 1780's London, a young woman (Paulette Goddard) ekes out a living by stealing. When she tries to steal the silver shoe buckles from a famous painter, he takes her inside and dresses her as a noble lady and paints her portrait.

The Anonymous Lady painting catches the eye of the Duke of Malmunster (Reginald Owen). The Duke wants to meet the lady but that's impossible as she's no lady, so she remains silent. As she leaves the painters residences she bumps into two well-to-do gentlemen. Sir Hugh Marcy (Ray Milland) and his friend Patrick Knowles. Sir Hugh takes the 'gutter snipe' as he calls her into his home and like a version of Pygmalion begins educating Kitty to the ways of the upper class.


Kitty the movie starts out at a brisk pace and then expands into a multi themed tale of class struggle and inner values. As Kitty the character grows and move into the upper crust of society, we see her benefactor Sir Hugh who's a bit of a rogue, end up in financial ruin. The film is very savvy being based on a novel and never ventures into the pitfalls of many Hollywood films. It never gets silly, it never gets overly dramatic. It stays grounded while always changing and expanding on the story.

I though all the actors were really good here, I especially liked Paulette Goddard and Ray Milland. The sets and costumes (and this is a costumes movie) were amazing.

The ending, like the rest of the movie was intelligently done.

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I am so happy to hear that you liked Kitty. I thought that you might, but then there was always that little feeling inside that said you might not. Maybe it was just something telling me to not get my hopes too high when it came to you liking the film.

I really enjoy both Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard in there, too. I think they work very well together. And weren't the costumes and sets really good?! I loved them!


But now you have to remember - as I do, too (and as I said I often forget!) - Ray Milland is the one in Kitty, and Dennis Morgan is the one in Kitty Foyle. I still don't see how I mix that up.

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I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe

Really enjoyed reading this review...I have never seen a Paulette Goddard movie, this sounds like it might be a good place to start.

No the accent isn't great, but saying that it "murdered the film" is overstating a bit, don't you think?

Glad to see you enjoyed this one...I ran across this accidentally in a video store one day and watched it on a whim. Richard Harris' performance alone was worth the price of admission. There's a review of it on my thread somewhere.