Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day!

Especially to my own father, Cliff, who is both my hero and role model.

Note to those wives and kids planning to celebrate: no brunches. That’s Mother’s Day stuff. Let the old man sit in front of the TV and watch NASCAR or the WNBA. 

Or watch FIELD OF DREAMS.

And now, as a public service, here are some movies NOT to watch on Father’s Day:

FEAR STRIKES OUT
CHINATOWN
SHINE
WALK THE LINE
OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
DEAD POETS SOCIETY
STAR WARS
THE GREAT SANTINI

Some TV shows and telefilms NOT to watch:

THE MARVIN GAYE STORY
THE BEACH BOYS STORY
MAD MEN
LOST
WHITE COLLAR
Any CBS family comedy

Some unfriendly father plays:

ALL MY SONS
DEATH OF A SALESMAN (any Arthur Miller, actually)
LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Some books to avoid:

Any Bing Crosby biography
Any Frank Sinatra biography
LOVE STORY (for so many reasons)

Records to skip:

PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE by the Temptations
BOY NAMED SUE by Johnny Cash
 
The sappiest record but a lot of people like it:
 
MY DAD by Paul Peterson

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Again, happy Father’s Day – the most sacred of the bullshit Hallmark holidays.

36 comments :

Corinne said...

I would add "Cats in the Cradle" by Jim Croce as another song to avoid on Fathed's Day.

Jim McClain said...

That was Harry Chapin.

Rob said...

The Shining
The Stepfather
Tim Allen sitcoms
The Jacksons TV-movie

Carolyn said...

http://youtu.be/e0Dt9q8bkqg

A classic.

Greg Ehrbar said...

We're watching CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, which was a movie my father and I cherished when it was first released. He got me the tie-in paperback, the soundtrack album, even the single instrumental by Paul Mauriat.

As a semi-adult, I have a boy and a girl and a Truly Scrumptious in my life as well as a Toyota. Who knew back then what life could bring?

When the stage version of CCBB toured, my wife and kids took me to see if for my birthday. Must confess that seeing it live on stage got me a little verklempt.

It's just one of those movies -- and musical scores -- that I can't be objective about because they figure so prominently in my life. Maybe CCBB is a perfect film, but it's a perfect memory that lives on.

...Talk amongst yourselves.

Greg Ehrbar said...

meant to say "not" a perfect film, but I couldn't see through the misty eyes.

Cap'n Bob said...

Married With Children doesn't paint a sterling portrait of fatherhood.

Chuck Warn said...

"I Never Sang For My Father" directed by my late goomba Gil Cates starring Melvyn Douglas and Gene Hackman.

cjdahl60 said...

I cry at the end of "Field of Dreams" everytime. Steve Martin's version of "Father of the Bride" (the first one) also kills me.

Jonathan Ernst said...

Don't forget Twin Peaks, home to one of the creepiest dad's of all time.

Mac said...

"Menendez: A Killing In Beverly Hills" is probably not one to watch, unless you're trying to drop Dad a hint that he should be a bit nicer.

Scooter Schechtman said...

"Father Of the Bride" also brings me to tears, especially after watching "The Jerk", "The Man With Two Brains" or any of his other good, funny ones.

Wendy M. Grossman said...

My father would have been 107 this year, but if he were alive his best gift would be Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. He loved the 2000 year old man.

wg

garyinfh said...

Song to avoid on Father's Day (and, come to think of it, Mother's Day as well): "The End," from the Doors' debut LP in 1967.

dgwphotography said...

In the words of the immortal Ralph Kiner, to all of you fathers out there, "Happy Birthday!"

RCP said...

Would 'The Poems of Lizzie Borden' be too tacky a gift?

I'm grateful my Dad is still here (at 89). My gifts this year were a great success: a DVD of Laurel & Hardy and a book of crossword puzzles.

victor Velasco said...

Ken, unlike Paul's dad, you ARE much in the eyes of the world; Happy Father's Day
P.S. A funny song for the day : "Dear Dad" by Chuck Berry

Hank Gillette said...

"My Dad" by Ray Stevens is a good song for Father's Day.

Brian Phillips said...

I'd stay away from Dolores Claiborne.

Corinne said...

You're right Jim. It just shows the lengths to which I avoid the song by forgetting who recorded it.

Ed Dempsey said...

Dating myself, but how about Eddie Fisher's "Oh, My Pa-pa".

Wayne said...

The Bad Father's Day Film Festival
Rosemary's Baby
American Beauty
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the one ending with "Luke, I am your father."

Wallis Lane said...

I can certainly understand avoiding "Chinatown" -

It's Father's Day!
It's Grandfather's Day!
It's Father's Day!
It's Grandfather's Day!
It's Father's Day!
It's Grandfather's Day!

gottacook said...

Eddie "Oh My Papa" Fisher was my dad's Hebrew school classmate in Philadelphia, although they didn't remain in touch. Unlike Eddie, my dad didn't abuse his health, retired at 82, and is still going strong nearly 3 years later, kaynahora.

Wayne: Who's the worse father in American Beauty, Lester or Colonel Fitts?

pookapooka said...

Actually I kinda like Ozzie Nelson. Now.

D. McEwan said...

Well, I enjoyed the perfect Father's Day viewing, a 1983 BBC serial adaptation of Charles Dickens's Domby And Son, with Julian Glover as Paul Domby Sr., the quintessential stern, with-holding, unloving Victorian dad: Everydad. The sexism-related theme of the novel (Domby is unable to bring himself to love his flawless, morally-perfect daughter because she's not the boy he wanted, his only son having died in early childhood) is as modern as today. Paul Domby is not quite as bad a dad as Darth Vader, but in The Empire Strikes Back, Julian Glover was working directly under Vader, so clearly he studied Bad Dadism under the Sith Master of Bad Daddying. It's been almost 30 years since I read the novel, so I'm enjoying a revisit to the Dombys.

Eddie D. said...

Frequency with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. A son and father reunited years after the father died in an act of heroism as a fireman. It works.

JT Anthony said...

Voluntarily watch the WNBA? Your innocuous--almost throw-away--comment can't go unchecked. Please explain...

Tom Quigley said...

Another bad dad: Ebenezer Scrooge's father who made him stay at boarding school during the holiday breaks. It appeared to have a bit of an effect on him in his later years...

Ron Rettig said...

How did you miss Arthur Kopit's "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad"?

thomas tucker said...

Don't watche that Liberace moei either.

thomas tucker said...

uh...."movie"... or whatever it was.

D. McEwan said...

Ron Rettig,

Well, the movie of Oh Dad, Poor Dad, is very, very unavailable, unfortunately. I should have remembered it, though. I played The Commodore in it on stage back in college. (Though, of course, it's a better Mother's Day selection, not unlike its obvious inspiration, Medea.)

D. McEwan said...

No, not Medea. Oops. The Orestia with Madame Rosepetal as Clytemnestra.

Bruce N said...

Thanks for bringing up "My Dad". Thought I'd finally purged that sappy song from my head but, alas, no! Oy!
I remember you from Parkman Jr HS.

By Ken Levine said...

Who are you Bruce N.? Go Parkman!