DOCTOR WHO: DOOM COALITION 1 [2015] - The First Half

 "THE ELEVEN NEED YOU . . . BUT WE DON'T NEED YOUR TONGUE!" 

Embarking on the Big Finish 8th Doctor box set DOOM COALITION 1.  Warning to self:  there are 4 box sets in the DOOM COALITION series!  Struth! I'm leaping ahead from the last two Big Finish audio adventures in the early 2000s to this rather newer one.  The 8th Doctor Paul McGann has had quite a run of box sets and this follows the epic DARK EYES saga (4 box sets there too).  The storyline features one of Big Finish's excellent ideas (presumably thought up by Matt Fitton who pens the first episode) and that is a new kind of mad time lord.  His name is The Eleven and he is played with diabolical relish by Mark Bonnar.  The Eleven is suffering from a rare timey-wimey psychosis in which he retains all his previous incarnations and personalities inside his mind each time he regenerates.  Being called The Eleven, you can guess he's on his 11th regeneration so he has 11 distinct and warring personalities battling inside his head constantly.  I can understand why he goes a bit mad sometimes . . . .

DOOM COALITION 1.1:  THE ELEVEN.

Unusually for Big Finish (at least the ones I've heard), the episode opens with a pre-theme 'cold open' scene in which the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy in a surprise cameo) has captured a villainous Time Lord called The Eleven and brought him to an ultra-high security stasis prison on Gallifrey.  Cue Doctor Who theme song.  The Doctor (Paul McGann) and his companion Liv Chenka (Nicola Walker) are in the middle of wrapping up an encounter with some spiders as we get into this episode.  Meanwhile on Gallifrey, a young time lord named Kilani (Bethan Walker) has applied and been granted an interview with The Eleven for her research on naughty time lords and their time crimes.  I hope I'm not spoiling anything when I tell you that The Eleven manages to escape and wreak havoc on Gallifrey.  From Big Finish's own blurb:   "The Eleven. A Time Lord whose previous personalities live on in his mind: arguing, plotting, jostling for supremacy... He is also Gallifrey's most dangerous criminal. And he has escaped.  The Doctor is recalled to his homeworld to lead the hunt. As they search the Capitol's corridors of power, the Academy halls and the cells of the highest security penitentiary, Liv realises the worst monsters may be among the Doctor's own people.  For inside his fractured mind, the Eleven has a plan. And its deadly consequences will extend through space and time... "  This first episode of the quartet sets up The Eleven nicely.  Kaili's first encounter with her interviewee is very reminiscent of a similar scene in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS where Clarice goes to the cell to meet Hannibal Lechter.  Bonnar's warring personalities are portrayed in a bewildering, swirling myriad of 11 different voices which the actor manages to pull off very well indeed.  The listener even gets to recognize certain different incarnations by their voices -- all done by Bonnar -- the violent 6, the bewildered 8 etc.  Once he escapes, The Eleven runs through the endless secret tunnels of the Capitol (with Liv in tow) cooking up his mad scheme.  This is a noisy, bang bang shoot-'em-up kind of episode which admittedly is not my favourite kind but still it's quite enjoyable.  Each story in this box set is only about an hour each so they never overstay their welcome.  Bonnar as The Eleven is suitably malevolent and threatening and his ultimate goal, once revealed, makes a lot of sense.  This episode is written by Matt Fitton and directed by Ken Bentley.

DOOM COALITION 1.2:  THE RED LADY

Another cold open where we learn about and antiquarian's art collection which all seems to feature a distant figure of a woman with flaming red hair . . . and possibly a mask.  After the theme song, The Doctor and Liv head back to 1963 London (gee, he likes it then, dunt he?) following a temporal anomaly that possibly leads to The Eleven's whereabouts.  They encounter museum worker Helen Sinclair (Hattie Morahan) who is struggling against the inherent sexism of the time in her profession.  Since the cold open, we learn that McCallum the antiquarian collector of all the art featuring the 'Red Lady' has died (along with his entire family) and willed that his art objects be locked away permanently.  His executor can't bear the thought of that and has Helen's boss Professor Walter Pritchett (David Yelland) put them in the museum where Helen works.  Later, the executor calls Helen's boss and says he's made a terrible mistake and Pritchett must destroy all the artworks.  During the phone call, it sounds like the executor is being killed . . . and that's just what IS happening.  After the murder, the sound of heavy breathing is heard coming down the phone line.  This is really creepy and effective!  Later, when Helen gets a panicky summons from Pritchett, her boss tells her what happened and shows her the tapestry with the woman in it.  However, whereas Helen sees the distant figure, Pritchett now sees the woman much closer . . . . as if she's coming nearer . . . .   This is more up my corridor:  a nicely spooky DOCTOR WHO with a creepy concept.  Who is this woman in the paintings/artworks and what will happen when she manages to come closer?   The trope of a haunted painting has been seen many times but to me it's always a winner!  For instance in the first "story" in the NIGHT GALLERY pilot where Roddy MacDowall keeps seeing the walking corpse getting closer and closer to the house.  I mean, great stuff.  And that's what this 8th Doctor story is too:  great stuff!  THE RED LADY is written by the great John Dorney and directed by Ken Bentley.

So, hit a speedbump after listening to the first half of this box set.  Guess I'll have to write about the last two stories when I get a chance to listen to dem.

IT'S IN THE AIR [1938]

 ME FIRST FORMBY! 

"Oh, mother!"  How could I have gone so long without seeing a George Formby movie.  I'm no stranger to him; I've got a cd or two of his recordings.  But never, until the inimitable Terry Frost (of Paleo-Cinema fame) chose this movie as one of his "random hidden gems" on a recent youtuber video here on his channel "Terry Talks Movies".  I've posted Terry's video below because it's wonderful and would make a great movie marathon list!  Now, I've seen a passel of Will Hay movies and a bevy of Norman Wisdom movies (mostly through the auspices of my friend Weaverman) but until now, no George Formby movies.  And since I'm going to try to watch all the films in Terry's 'Hidden Gems' video, I figured I'd start with this Formby fillum.  IT'S IN THE AIR is a pre-World War II romp featuring George as what I'm gathering is his patented movie character; a well-meaning but bumbling, naive but good-hearted nit who constantly gets himself into trouble usually from the cynical behaviour of others.  The ladies he encounters usually take a shine to him as they can see his inner heart of gold.  Basically the mother instinct kicks in.  George's character is a bit of a clod but I don't think he's stupid; he's just a mug who is taken advantage of by others. 

Unfortunately for George, he was refused admission into the R.A.F. because he doesn't know his left from his right.  While trying on his brother-in-law's RAF uniform, he discovers a dispatch in the pocket which he assumes have been forgotten.  So George hops in a motorbike (wearing his brother-in-law's RAF uniform) and heads off to deliver the documents.  Naturally, he is immediately mistaken for a dispatch driver from H.Q. and  is shanghaied by the Sgt. Major to chauffer him somewhere.  George in quick succession finds himself corralled into a host of military activities and is absolutely unable to escape from the air base!  This is a situation we've seen in quite a few comic actors' movies of this vintage (Hiya, Bud & Lou) but here the bits seem a little different and fresher.  And more importantly, genuinely funny.  There is a definite warmth to Formby which makes his character someone you want to root for. 

The Sgt. Major (gruffly played by film vet Julien Mitchell) is a wonderful, grouchy foil for George's character.  It is discovered that the Sgt. Major is an amateur ukelele player which you would think would immediately endear George to him but, naturally, things go wrong at every turn.  Speaking of ukelele, Formby plays a handful of great songs which keep things lively.  Often in films of this era, musical interludes stop the film dead but Formby's infectiously fun singing and ukelele playing are most welcome.  Polly Ward is lovely as the Sgt. Major's daughter Peggy as she slowly realises that George is being shamelessly pranked by a few of the military boys and becomes George's protector.  Of course, it should come as absolutely no surprise to you that George ends up somehow stuck inside a plane which takes off.  But again, this seemingly tired old trope here is oddly fresh and funny.  Terry Frost called George Formby movies 'comfort viewing' owing to his growing up watching them but, from this first-time viewer, I can tell you they're no less comfort viewing for me too!  Brand new eyes and ears can come to this movie (and I'm hoping all Formby's others) with a full appreciation of how charming, funny and comforting it is.  During the dark days leading up to World War II, I can see why this kind of film (and this kind of film star) would be just what the audience needed and wanted.  Fingers crossed that other George Formby movies are just as fun as this one!

RANDOM HIDDEN GEM AND FORGOTTEN MOVIES YOU NEED TO SEE

LOONEY TUNES - SLAP HAPPY PAPPY [1940]

 RIGHT.  NO ONE ASKED FOR IT BUT YOU'RE GETTING IT ANYWAY! 

Here is the latest of those cartoon analyses which my doddy Cheeks got started -- only here's one he didn't request.  He has seed this cartoon, though.  This B&W Looney Tunes cartoon from 1940 is when Porky Pig still ruled the roost at Warner Bros. animation division.  But Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck were right on the doorstep ready to semi-eclipse our porcine performer.  I chose to "analyze" this one because it also features a ton of old time radio/1930's movie stars  whose appearance may be confusing to know-nothing tots out there who get glassy-eyed at anything over 5 years old.  

The opening title cards proudly proclaim this cartoon is starring Porky but our hammy hero is barely in this one.  We open on Porky's Farm where Porky has for sale 'Miracle Eggs':  "If it's a good egg, it's a miracle!"  At dawn, Porky is seen plowing a furrow whistling "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee" for you Looney Tunes aficionados.  Porky says hello at a cow who responds "How dooooo you doooooooooooo!" 

Bert Gordon & Eddie Cantor

This, of course, is the catchphrase of Bert Gordon, The Mad Russian; a frequent member of the cast of Eddie Cantor's radio show.  In fact, there was even a movie starring Bert Gordon called HOW DOOOO YOU DO! 

For more of Eddie Cantor . . . . stay tuned.  Soon, we see a rather rotund chicken approach a box marked 'gravel'.  The chicken shovels up a bunch into it's mouth and waves off camera with a "Hiya, Butch!"  This is a parody of actor Andy Devine.

Andy Devine

The actual catchphrase parodied here is "Hiya, Buck!" which Devine would yell every time he met Jack Benny.  This is a reference to the film BUCK BENNY RIDES AGAIN in which Devine co-starred with Jack Benny. 

And speaking of Jack . . . the camera pans right to find a rabbit painting Easter eggs on a conveyor belt. 

He says "Hello again, this is Jack Bunny, folks."  This is a variation of Jack's usual greeting at the beginning of every one of his radio shows:  "Hello again, this is Jack Benny talking." 

When a black egg comes by on the conveyor belt, Jack Bunny thinks it's a bad egg and is about to smash it when a black baby chicken bursts out of the sheel and yells "Hold, it boss!" with the gravelly voice of Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, co-star of the Jack Benny programme. 

Jack Benny & Eddie "Rochester" Anderson

Next Porky reads a newspaper headline which says that Mr. & Mrs. Eddie Cackler are expecting a son.  A sign outside the Cackler residence says 'Boy Wanted'.  Now this refers, of course, to Eddie Cantor and his wife Ida (who is also name-checked in this cartoon) who famously had about 100 kids and they were all daughters.  A running joke on Cantor's radio show that he would like a son. 

The chicken Eddie Cackler is also depicted with large eyes; a reference to Cantor's nickname of "Ol' Banjo Eyes" due to his large orbs.  Of course, Ida's 5 eggs hatch into 5 girls.  A passing chicken walks by wheeling 5 boy chicks in a stroller and singing in the unmistakable voice of Bing Crosby. 

When Eddie asks Bing how he does it, Bing proceeds to sing to a hen who lays about 100 eggs containing all males.  By 1940, Bing wasn't really a sex symbol but in the early 1930s he sure was and this is a (admittedly a little late) allusion to that effect Bing had on women fans back about a decade. While Eddie Cackler goes to "ba ba ba booooo" his wife into having a son,

a crow outside grabs a microphone and reports "Flash!" that they will have a son at any moment.  This is a parody of gossip columnist/radio reported Walter Winchell. 

Eddie Cackler skips outside certain he's gonna have a boy and hands out cigars.  He encounters a chicken in a robe and pasteboard graduation hat saying "At last, I'm gonna have a boy!".  The professor chicken says "That's right, you're wrong!".  This is a parody of bandleader Kay Kyser and this is his catchphrase from his radio show KAY KYSER'S KOLLEGE OF MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE. 

Kay Kyser

Eddie next encounters a grumpy-looking chicken and tells him the news saying "Ned, aren't you happy about it".  Ned replied "I'm very happy about the whole thing!" in a monotone.  This is character actor Ned Sparks who populated many 1930's movies with his sourpuss expression and flat voice. 

Ned Sparks

Ida lays an egg which hatches out into a chubby little chick.  "Tell me,"shouts Eddie, "Is it really a boy?!?!?!"  The little chick shrugs it's shoulders and says the patented Looney Tunes button:  "Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, could be!" 

Oh and by the by, SLAP HAPPY PAPPY was also a 2 page strip by Gill Fox appearing in CRACK COMICS around this same time.  This comic book strip has nothing whatsoever to do with this Looney Tunes cartoon (other than the title) but I never pass up an opportunity to post some nice vintage comic book art!  Enjoy!

JANUARY 2023 TOP TEN LIST

 MY FAVOURITE MOVIES I WATCHED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN JANUARY 2023!

1. SYLVIO  [2017]
2. INVISIBLE MANIAC  [1990]
3. THE MENU  [2022]
4. THE WOMAN KING  [2022]
5. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN  [2022]
6. TAR  [2022]
7. THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING  [2022]
8. SAHARA  [1943]
9. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE  [2022]
10. SHE SAID  [2022]