Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with some more old radio fun. This time we’re looking at “The Adventures Of Nero Wolfe. The legendarily cranky and overweight detective is at his best as portrayed by the legendary Sydney Greenstreet and his interactions with his assistant Archie Goodwin are among the most entertaining in old radio. The series only ran one season in 1950 but that in no way is a reflection on its quality. Check out these two episodes of Nero Wolfe and enjoy! So Sayeth The Kendog!
Dog’s Movie House: “Ice Age” and “Hotel Transylvania” Franchises Get Sequels That Are The Very Definition Of The Word “Underwhelming.”
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at a couple of sequels to popular animated franchises that are going directly to streaming. The first is “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” now streaming on Amazon Prime, telling the further adventures of Dracula and his group of misfit friends. The next is called “The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild” a new film in the Ice Age franchise that’s currently streaming on Disney Plus. Both features are a bit of a downgrade in both quality and narrative from the previous films in each series. Let’s just say streaming platforms are the perfect place for these two features.
Continue readingThe Kenblog: Missing The Late, Great Louie Anderson!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with some unfortunate news. Less than a day after losing iconic singer and actor Meatloaf we get hit with another blow: Iconic comedian and Emmy-Winning actor Louie Anderson has passed after a losing a battle with cancer at the far-too-young age of 68. Anderson was one of those comics you felt like you knew even if you’d never met the man. It was just the kind of performer he was. Known for his prodigious size (a subject of many of his self-deprecating jokes) and his hysterical insights about his family, Anderson did just about everything during the course of his long career, yet it still felt like he had so much more to give. From movies like “Coming To America” to animated classics like “Life With Louie” to even hosting a revival of “The Family Feud,” Anderson was a multi-talented man. He was even a best-selling author, with his book featuring letters written to his father 10 years after his father’s death becoming a classic examination on dealing with grief and finding forgiveness. In his later years, Anderson found a career boom with his Emmy-winning portrayal of Christine, the mother of the twin title characters in the FX series “Baskets.” It was a multilayered performance that saw him win an Emmy in 2016 and be nominated multiple times after that. A kind soul who managed to turn his personal pain into funny and relateable stories, Louie Anderson was an American original and will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace, Mr. Anderson; you certainly deserve it.
Continue readingThe Dogcast: “The Whistler” Suspenseful Program For Some Old Radio Fun!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with some suspenseful old radio for your listening enjoyment. As you know, I’m a huge old radio buff and I like sharing my passion with you folks. Not only is it timeless entertainment, but it connects me to my departed Grandfather who I had the pleasure of knowing and being close to for thirty-five years of my life. He would have been 100 this year and it’s hard to believe fifteen years have passed since he left us. That said, he left a legacy of memories with me, not the least of which is my love of old radio programs, and The Whistler is definitely one of the better ones. Narrated by the title character, these stories were often morality plays in which the main character seemingly gets away with the perfect crime, only to have it come back on him/her in the most unusual of ways. Think of it as “Karma Theater.” Bill Foreman provided the iconic voice of The Whistler and, like Suspense, often employed the talents of some of the finest actors of the day. Here I have the first two episodes from 1942. Enjoy and feel free to either comment below or at my Facebook page. So Sayeth The Kendog!
Dog’s Movie House: “Scream” A Worthy, If Somewhat Overly Clever, Edition To The Classic Horror Franchise!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a frightening admission. I am getting old! Yes, I did just turn 50 a week ago, but that’s not the reason I’m saying this. It’s just that I realized that it’s been 25 years since the release of the first (and best) horror classic known as “Scream.” The brainchild of late horror master Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson, “Scream” was one of the first “meta” horror films that winked at the audience while scaring the hell out of them at the same time. By having its protagonists know the ins and outs of classic horror films and using those tropes to survive a killer stalking them, “Scream” was able to both make fun of and honor the horror genre in a way that made the slasher film both funny and scary at the same time. Now, several movies and a television series later, “Scream” has returned as the fifth installment and is more “wink-wink, nudge-nudge” than ever before. It’s also pretty good, tying in members of the old franchise with new characters and executing a few brutal kills along the way.
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