Wednesday, February 15, 2012

"A car full of kids and snow cones": really dumb songs I like








He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero
And you can see him every weekend
With a car full of kids and snow cones






And the people cross town don't know his name
But on Franklin Pike Circle, he's king
1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero

Well, at five thirty-five at
The corner of Franklin and Warner
A blue station wagon comes
Sliding around the corner





And on down Franklin Pike Circle
All you're seeing is a streak of blue
And pulls in the drive at the address of 1432








And he says, my head aches and my back hurts
And I don't feel like talking
Don't wan go the show to see Doctor Zhivago
Don't wanna take the dog out walking

I wanna sit right here in this easy chair
It's been a jungle all day, you know
The 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero is home







He was out pitching ball with the
Kids in the neighborhood yesterday
And the old major leaguer had to quit
'Cause he said he threw his arm away

And the kids all hid behind the hedge
And laughed at him but wouldn't let it show
Because they love him so,
He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero








He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero
And you can see him every weekend
With a car full of kids and snow cones

And, you know people cross town
Don't know his name
But on Franklin Pike Circle, he's king
1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero








Well, he won a little pony at the
Hill High auction just the other day
And he didn't mean to do it
And he wanted to give the pony away









When they called out his name
He tried not to claim it
But the kids started crying
'Cause they'd already named it








And who's up every Saturday morning
Saddling his new toy, you guessed it
The 1432 Franklin Pike Circle cowboy

He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero
And you can see him every weekend
With a car full of kids and snow cones





During Christmas, took the kids
Down to see the floats
When he wanted to stay home
And watch the Baltimore Colts
1432 Franklin Pike Circle Hero





Well, the ten-thirty news usually
Finds our hero is a sleepy head
And Peter's out somewhere wrecking the car
And the rest of the kids have gone to bed







So she takes his hand
They climb the stairs and he falls asleep
And she bends over him so tenderly
To kiss his cheek





'Cause she loves him so
And she's lucky, you know
To be married to the 1432
1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero




He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero
And you can see him every weekend
With a car full of kids and snow cones



Christmas time, he took
'Em down to see the floats
When he wanted to stay home
And watch the Baltimore Colts
He's the 1432 Franklin Pike Circle hero



Johnny Depp: the ultimate swinger




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ecWQO4RtcM


I can't embed this for reasons unknown, but watch it, DO watch it, it's magical! I first saw this movie in 1993, and though it has some highly improbable plot twists (i.e. a young woman who just had a major psychotic episode suddenly being well enough to live in her own apartment ), Johnny Depp's performance, innovative and charming, holds up well and reminds us why he is the working-est actor in Hollywood.




The movie (Benny and Joon) came on again last night, with a very young Depp looking like a Botticelli angel, and I was reminded of how cleverly his character, Sam, had incorporated elements of the Big Three silent screen comedians: Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd. He saved the best for last, climbing up a brick building and swinging from a window washer's rope with all the grace and style of Harold's character in Safety Last.























The scene where his schizophrenic girl friend, recovering from hallucinations and delusions in the hospital, sees him swing past her window (apparently she's the only one who can see him) is priceless. This performance presages his Don Juan de Marco turn, a wacky Fairbanks stunt that lands him, painfully, in the bushes.


























I couldn't find a good clip of the Safety Last scene, the last few minutes of the movie where Harold swings like a pendulum,  but I did come up with a few still pictures. About this picture: what would Harold say (WWHS?). You know, based on everything I've found out about him, I think he would really like and admire and be entertained by Johnny Depp. He appreciated actors who could play it straight as well as funny, and his quirkiness, bold risks and leading-man good looks are very Harold-esque. Harold loved Jack Lemmon, who also easily moved back and forth between comedy and tragedy. Johnny does it just as gracefully, and still makes us sigh.