Tuesday's Forgotten Film: The Wanderers

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the long holiday weekend. It's back to the regular grind; let's ease into things with this week's Tuesday's Forgotten Film. This week, it's the 1979 urban melodrama The Wanderers.

The movie, based on the 1974 novel by Richard Price and directed by Philip Kaufman, is set in 1963 New York City and focuses on the ethnic teenage gangs that attend a Bronx high school. The titular Wanderers is an Italian gang led by Richie (Ken Wahl), who simultaneously bears the burden of the Wanderers feud with an African-American gang, the defection of one of his members to another rival gang, and his girlfriend's pregnancy. Meanwhile, Richie's friend Joey (John Friedrich) deals with his abusive father while beginning a close friendship with a new arrival to the neighborhood. Things come to a head at a school football game when a common threat challenges friends and enemies alike.

Although I earlier described the film as a melodrama, which it is, the film also has more than a good share of funny and tender moments as well. All of this is set against the backdrop of the times with a fantastic soundtrack comprised of some great early rock 'n' roll tunes. This is one of the first "grown-up" films I've ever seen, and it's held a place in my memory ever since.

Here is your chance to enjoy the film as I do. Here is the trailer, followed by the film in its entirety. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Forgotten Film: Head

The Monkees have been mentioned many times here at the blog, including Tuesday's Forgotten, but that's to be expected when I'm such a huge fan. For Tuesday's Forgotten Film this week, I'm happy to present the band's lone theatrical film Head.

There is no real plot to the film, just the theme of the boys fighting to break out of their "pre-fab" image to showcase their true selves and artistic interests through myriad adventures and light psychedelia (which they would also do the following year on their TV special). It's certainly a far cry from the TV series, which of course is the point.

Here is the film in all its glory. Enjoy!

List O' Links for 5/18/2012

If it's Friday, it must be time for my weekly List O' Links. We're extra comic book heavy this week, so I apologize if you don't partake of the funny pages.

Comic book females if they appeared in old pulp novels. Very well done, and smart!

If you're as huge a fan of Animaniacs as I am, you can never learn too much about them, but all the same, here is Way More Than You Ever Wanted to Know about Animaniacs!

It's always been a misconception that Archie Comics were these wholesome products suitable for the chaste American family. No way! The Archie gang was the horniest bunch of delinquents you can imagine!

Here is a lengthy yet fascinating article on the rise and fall--and possible rise again?--of the Commodore computer company.  This particularly hit home with me, as the Commodore 64 was the first computer I ever owned.

Finally, there's no better way to end the work week and kick off the weekend than with Supergirl cosplayers.

Have a great weekend!

American Bandstand's 30th Anniversary Special, Part 2

Here is the remainder of the American Bandstand 30th Anniversary Special that aired on ABC back in 1982. I find it ironic that I'm celebrating the 30th anniversary of a TV special commemorating a 30th anniversary.

Enjoy!