It can be argued that there is a massive cultural and artistic difference in the image of a bare chested woman to a bare chested man in film, however, when one denies “seeing” the male form as something more than a character in transition from being clothed to not, it can be absolutely considered a dismissal of female and non-hetero male sexuality.
Read More »SUCH INTERESTING LIVES: CELEBRATING THE CARTOON QUEER Part Two
As much as the subversive Bugs Bunny inverted the common thought that for a male to don a dress it is a “step down” in class, generally speaking, a male character in drag is almost always a joke – a ...
Read More »SUCH INTERESTING LIVES: CELEBRATING THE CARTOON QUEER Part One
Queer characters in animated shorts and features have been around ever since live-action queer characters have populated the screen; however, because of the nature of cartoons being sometimes unfairly associated as children’s entertainment, these characters are exceptionally elusive and not ...
Read More »IT’S NOT EASY TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CARES: Guardian angels in Pete’s Dragon (1977)
On November 1st, 1977, the 2060 Chiron, a small Solar System body was discovered by astronomer Charlie Kowal. Classified as a “minor planet”, these bodies would orbit between the asteroid belt and the Kulper belt and would be known as ...
Read More »Rabblerousing Misfits in the Rankin Bass Christmas Extraveganzas
These characters can exist, because Rankin/Bass have created their own universe and had unspoken ownership on seasonal entertainment during this period.
Read More »The Quiet Assassin in The Mechanic
Charles Bronson epitomizes the stealthy, no-nonsense action hero who bounces from calculated vigilante to hardboiled straight shooter with equal precision and dedication
Read More »SOMEBODY, HURT ME TOO DEEP
Hal Prince Remembering Company: Cast Recording (1970) With an interview with filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker We lost one of the giants of musical theatre recently, Hal Prince. Here is a piece on COMPANY: CAST RECORDING by Lee Gambin, who also interviewed ...
Read More »“I’m Going to Go Back There Someday”: The Incurable Romance and Magic of The Muppet Movie (1979)
What Jim Henson and his team did for the world of children’s entertainment is not only historically important, but undeniably life affirming. It is a portrait of a culturally significant belief in the fact that adults can always hang onto what the Muppets represented: fun, laughs, camaraderie, sentimentality, irreverence, warmth, sweetness, silliness and above all else, a dedication to creativity and art.
Read More »“Edith’s Crisis of Faith” from All in the Family
Original Air Date: 18th of December, 1977 Lee Gambin is currently working on a book looking at the phenomenon of Very Special Episodes in American TV sitcoms. He and a number of contributing writers will be examining multiple episodes that ...
Read More »An Elephant Stampede: A Look at Tarzan and the She-Devil (1953)
Joyce MacKenzie and Lex Barker In 1952, three Kurt Neumann films were released and in turn became a concise assessment of the director’s versatility and excellent handle on varied theme, genre and tone. These films were also powered with social ...
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