Coney Island, 1917
A short film by Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle (uncredited)
“Roscoe tries to dump his wife so he can enjoy the beach attractions. Buster arrives with Alice who is taken away from him by Al who loses her to Roscoe. Bathing beauties and Keystone Kops abound.” (IMDB)
King of the Zombies, 1941
A film by Jean Yarbrough
“On a spooky island, three stranded travelers find an evil doctor working with foreign spies and in control of zombies.” (IMDB)
St. Benny the Dip, 1951
A film by Edgar G. Ulmer
“A gang of con artists disguise themselves as clerics in order to pull off a job, but soon find that even pretending to be religious people is having an effect on them.” (IMDB)
In 2013, Jimmy Kimmel first sent his crew into the streets to ask ordinary Americans if they preferred Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act. The results were both hilarious, and sad. After all, they are the same exact thing. Surely most Americans know that one is merely a nickname for the other? No, they didn’t. And it makes for a funny video segment. But it’s also scary.
Well, Jimmy Kimmel just did it again, sending a fresh crew out in 2017 to ask the same ridiculous leading question. Apparently the American People haven’t learned much. Person after person appeared to actually think they were separate, mutually exclusive plans. Watching the clip is a forward slapping experience, to be sure. What’s up with Americans? Is it a lack of education, or just a kind of apathy? Does it perhaps show that an over reliance on social media, fake news and flimsy websites for information is actually turning out to be the disaster we always feared?
It’s not clear how many people Kimmel’s crew asked in order to glean these comic gems. Perhaps most people really do know the score, and Kimmel just edited his footage to showcase the few uninformed who walk among us? Maybe so, but it’s still a sobering clip to watch, for sure.
We need to redouble our efforts to teach history, civics, and current events to our students, and to get quality news to our adult citizens. Fake news, biased sources, and unadulterated fluff may in fact be hurting our nation. We face many threats, from global warming to ISIS that require quality information, and a mature understanding, to properly address. A poorly informed citizenry is a chink in our defensive armor that we can’t afford. After all, Citizens vote. Won’t poorly informed citizens vote poorly?
Pookie the Alley Cat, 2003
An animated short by Michael Kingery
A cute 3D animated short about an alley cat named Pookie, who sings a song about getting something to eat.
The New Three Stooges: The Noisy Silent Movie, 1965
An episode by David Detiege (as Dave Detiege), Edward Bernds (as Eddie Bernds)
“Moe, Larry and Curly Joe get hired to play the organ in a silent movie theater, but none of them know how to play and their attempt to serenade the audience only results in wrecking the theater.” (IMDB)
A Tale of Two Kitties, 1942
An animated short by Robert Clampett
“Babbit and Catstello, take-offs on Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, try to catch the little Tweety bird, using everything from stilts to dynamite. Trouble is, the tiny bird has a vicious streak in him.” (IMDB)
Three Broadway Girls, 1932
A film by Lowell Sherman
This film is also known as ‘The Greeks had a name for them,’ and follows the adventures Jean, Polaire, and Schatze, living together as roommates in a luxurious apartment that’s way beyond their means. They are ex-show girls with gold-digging tendencies, who are on the hunt for wealthy men.
Two Weeks to Live, 1943
A film by Malcolm St. Clair
“When Abner is mistakenly diagnosed as having only two weeks to live, his partner gets the idea that they can make a ton of money by having Abner perform all kinds of dangerous stunts.” (IMDB.com)
College, 1927
A film by James W. Horne
Buster Keaton, the king of prat falls and action comedy, goes off to College and plays sports, with very humorous results.
