No Place Like Movies at Home: Some Came Running

There are just some movies that no matter how many times you see it.. it never really gets any better. I have the grave misfortune to say that about Some Came Running. 

When an army vet comes home to his small town, he starts to stir up trouble. When arriving he finds that his intoxicated self invited a girl along. He stirs up trouble almost at the moment he gets home.

In all of the wonderful film of Mr. Sinatra's there are some that are hard and too dull to watch, some that are flops, and some that become some of the best classics you will see. Some Came Running is one of the long and dull ones. There really ins't much here to really be interested in. I think it mainly because you can tell that Frank Sinatra doesn't really want to be doing this film himself. Yes, it's got Dean Martin, and the ever wonderful Shirley MccLaine, but it never really takes off. This is a great piece if you are wanting to watch more of what the Director, Vincent Minnelli, can do. However, there really isn't much more to say other than it was long, and slow. 

No Place Like Movies at Home: None but the Brave

So far in this Frank Sinatra journey we have seen many different sides of him. We have seen the shy boy next door, steady married man, a baseball player and the drug addict. However, Mr. Sinatra does have several movies under his belt that are war films. No, not the solider on leave, or coming out of the service for good. I mean he plays a soldier in a war zone. However, he play another role in this film, this is his directorial debut as well, from 1965, None but the Brave.

A small group of Japanese solider left forgotten on an island has some unexpected visitors. They are a group of crippled American Marines that are trying to get home when their plane crashes on the island. It doesn't take long for the fighting to start. Both sides loose more men of the very few they both started with. Nothing can be done at the time because both sides have lost radio contact with their counterparts. However, peace comes for an unexpected reason, to save a life. One of the Japanese men was injured, before the Americans showed, and the wound in now infected. While spying on the Americans they learn that there was a Doctor on board the flight that crashed and he survived. In order to try and save one life in all of the bitterness of war, they broker a peace for the doctor to come and see him and hopefully save his life. Here is the problem, the doctor is not a doctor. He is actually a pharmacist, who has some basic first aid knowledge, that makes him look like a doctor. He goes to have a look anyways and says he can remove the leg. He does successfully. In return both sides work together to survive, that is until the American fix their radio and get in contract with a vessel to come to the rescue. Will they all make it off of the island or will there be more pointless bloodshed?

War films is that genre of movies that I really don't have a straight opinion on. Like every movie is I love and I will watch it again, or I hate it and it shall never experience it again. This is the first time that I have no opinion either way. I wasn't overly thrilled watching this. It had some great moments but nothing to really recommend to others on. I think that if you are a Frank Sinatra fan, you should watch it because it is his first time directing, but other than that. I don't really have much to say on it.    

Jack of All Trades: July

Yes, I am already done with July's and I am very happy to be! This month we are celebrating patriotism and all of it's glory! I spent the first part of July 4th, at the Museum of Appalachia. Every year they do an Anvil Shoot. It's a wonderful affair that includes food, activities, and shooting anvils of course. 

Every few hours they sing a patriotic song and sent an anvil flying through the air! It's really a site to see and something you can't believe you just heard. I was not expecting it to be that loud but it was. The Museum has a wonderful restaurant on site and lots of different historic cabins to go look in, learn from, and see what life was like way back when. They had blacksmiths, and a few different ceremonies going through the day. You also do the self guided tour of the museum. 

They ended up having to do things differently this year due to Covid. Usually anyone who has a ticket comes when they want all day and just hangs out for as long as they would like. This year to practice social distancing, they had to limit who got to come in. I was the clicker. Meaning that I had to keep count off all of the people in the cars as the other volunteers were taking tickets. It was very hot. However, there was a lot of shade for me to stand in. 

I did this for 4 hours, and two shooting anvils. 

It was a fun and interesting way to spend the morning of my 4th of July. I am still recovering. 

If you would like to know more about the Museum of Appalachia see the like below:

https://www.museumofappalachia.org/

Jack of All Trades: June

Ah, the wonderful month of June. I really thought I was going to be struggling to find somewhere to volunteer. I won't lie when I went online and was shocked to find that Lades of Charity was looking for a ton of volunteers at all times of the day for almost every single day! 

I really wanted to do it right away, however, I had surgery at the beginning of the month. So, I wasn't able to do anything really for a week, and I was on some restrictions for while too. So, I did this literally last weekend, right at the tail end of the month. 

I signed up to be a sorter. Not really knowing what I was really getting into. I was in for a little bit of shock when I got there. So, from the very brief conversation that I had with my mentor there, they run a thrift store, than gets tons of donations everyday. There is a constant meet to sort, fix, sell, and do all over again. What really touched me was that they sell all of their stuff at really good prices, and 93% of the profits goes to the food pantry that they run on site. That is not all that they do though. They give new born needs, provide housing, and clothing donations. They have also been serving in Knoxville since 1942. The fact that I have lived here for over 20 years and only just now hearing about them is very upsetting. That is a great organization! 

The staff members that they have are fantastic! Most of the people working that day when out of their way to say hi to me when they got the chance. There is constant movement from the time that I got there to the time that I left. I spent about  hours there. My job as sorter that day had be going through and separating different bags, and then paring shoes to go out onto the floor. I worked on an extremely small portion of the whole floor. It took me the whole three hours I was there to get it all sorted and organized. 

It's not because it was left unsorted by any means, it just they have just that much stuff that need to always be going through! It's amazing to see just how much is already on the floor and then all of the stuff that it's sorted yet! All I want to do now is keep going to do more organizing. I love making order out of chaos and that is what that corner felt like. 

I did get to help out financially as well. I saw a Glen Miller record that I had to have as I was walking in, and sorting though purses there was this 50's style purse that I have been looking for online that someone donated. I got that at an AMAZING price and can not wait to use it! I 

I really love this organization and how they are running things, and helping out community. I hate that they are not as well known in my area, like West Knoxville, I am sure plenty of people who live closer to Downtown know them well. However, I have already told all of my friends about them, and my family. I am hoping to go back there soon to look purchase more things so I can help them out! 

If you would like to know more about Ladies of Charity, or to volunteer or donate see the like below:

https://www.ladiesofcharityknox.org/

No Place Like Movies at Home: Marriage on the Rocks

For a very long time when I thought of Frank Sinatra this was the movie that came to mind first. Marriage on the Rocks is a lighthearted musical that features another famous Rat Pat member Dean Martin. 

After 19 years of marriage things are starting to get dull between Valerie (Deborah Kerr), and Dan (Sinatra). Dan thinks that since he has been married for so long that he doesn't need to go above and beyond anymore. Most of the romantic gifts that he sends her have been picked out by the friend of the family, Ernie (Martin). When Dan is finally convinced tear himself away from work to go on a second honeymoon, to Mexico. However, it's nothing as they expect it to be. Instead of enjoying themselves they wind up divorced. They quickly realize their mistake and try to go remarried before they go home. However, an emergency takes him back to the states for a few days while Valerie plans a wedding. When Dan can not get back on the day of the wedding he sends Ernie to try and explain in person. Well, in all of the confusion of the moment Ernie and Valerie end up married. The question becomes who stays married to who and who lives as the bachelor for the reset of their days?

Like I said when I was younger this was "the" Frank Sinatra film that I thought of. I loved it because it was funny and cute. I still love it for those reasons. I have learned to love some of his other movies more. I think that, while this is a good movie, there are many others that he is none better for. That is was good reason.