Pass The Popcorn: Raggedy Ann and Andy:A Musical Adventure

In which sanity takes a vacation.

 

 

WOOHOO! 300 POST ALL COUNTED! YAAAAY! DA-DAAAA-DA, DA-DA-DA-DAAAA-DA, DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DAAAAAAH! YEAH! (Ahem,) Well, moving right along...(Incidentally, is this joke getting overdone? Little bit? Ookay...:-D)

 

 

 

In this highly-surreal movie/musical starring Johnny Gruelle's famous pair of ragdoll siblings, when Babette the French doll is kidnapped by the lovestruck pirate doll Captain Contagious(Who might possibly be Sneezy's long-lost uncle), Annie and her brother Andy set out to rescue her, along the way meeting such memorable characters as the sad, lonely Camel with the Wrinkled Knees(Whom they quickly befriend), the Greedy, a giant, ever-morphing taffy monster who eats everything in sight, and the crazy-mad denizens of Loony Land.

 

My thoughts: There have been two things that everyone(Including me!) has been able to agree on about this movie:

 

1. It's a very good movie.

 

2. It's also a very STRANGE movie! 

Basically, this is a very good, high-quality movie, directed by Richard Williams who was best known for his magnum opus The Thief and the Cobbler.(Which, itself was pretty surreal.) The characters are likeable and relatable, the songs are Broadway-musical quality, and the artwork is nothing short of a masterpiece. A few people incidentally have noticed several similarities between this movie and the famous Pixar movie Toy Story, to the point where one wonders if one inspired the other. If you like Raggedy Ann, you like weird and wacky movies, and especially if you like weird and wacky movies about Raggedy Ann, this is the movie for you!

While the movie regrettably hasn't been released on DVD yet, there is a video of it available on Amazon:

You can buy it here!

 

 

A soundtrack of the movie was also made, which is available at the link below:

 

 

You can buy it here!

 

 

A book of the movie was also made, which shows up on ebay from time to time.

 

BTW, here are a few of my favorite songs from the movie, for your listening pleasure:

A very sweet, touching song.

 

Poor camel. Sniff. :*C He needs a hug.

 

o.O

This is all I have to say for this sequence. To this day,

no one is quite sure what this sequence was supposed to mean,

especially it didn't seem to have any bearing on the plot to

speak of.(BTW, notice the Greedy quoting Shakespeare

at one point; perhaps he's trying to inject some culture

into this?)

 

 

 

"I'm just a rag dolly."

 

 

 

 

 Fun fact: Richard Williams' daughter plays Marcella in the live-action segments of the movie.



Jokes of the Week #65: The Doctor! Doctor! Always Rings Twice

"Nurse, have you taken the patient's temperature yet?"

"Why, Doctor, is it missing?"

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"Doctor, my husband keeps thinking he's invisible."

"Sorry, but I can't see him."

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Doctor: "Goodness, how did you get such a lump on your head?"

Patient: "Some beans fell on my head."

Doctor: "Beans gave you a lump on your head?"

Patient: "They were canned."

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"What's the best way to prevent disease from biting insects, Doctor?"

"Don't bite any."

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Doctor: "How's the patient in room 15 doing, Nurse?"

Nurse: "Oh, he's such a pest! He cried for three hours yesterday because he lost four teeth."

Doctor: "Well, I don't see what the problem is with that, I assume that most people would be pretty upset about losing four teeth."

Nurse: "Yes, but from his comb?"

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Doctor: "All right, now breathe out three times, please."

Patient: "So you can check my lungs?"

Doctor: "No, so I can clean my glasses."

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Joe: "Call the doctor! Call the doctor! My friend just swallowed a frog!"

Marcia: "Oh dear! Is he very sick?"

Joe: "Sick? He's liable to croak at any minute!"

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Voice on phone: "Hello, is this 444444444444444? Good, could you call 911 and ask for a doctor to come here quickly please? My finger is stuck in the dial!"

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"Doctor, I keep thinking I'm a louse."

"Will you stop getting in my hair?"

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"Doctor, my husband keeps thinking he's an elevator."

"Well, I'll have a look at him right away. Please send him up."

"That may not be possible, Doctor, he doesn't stop at this floor."

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Doctor: "Well, how's the medicine I perscribed working?"

Patient: "Should be pretty well, Doc. I've been taking three baths a day."

Doctor: "Three baths?"

Patient: "Yeah, just like the instructions on the bottle said."

Doctor: "There must be some mistake."

Patient: "Oh, no mistake, Doc, it said to take a spoonful three times a day in water."

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"Doctor, my husband keeps thinking he's a TV antenna."

"Don't worry, ma'am, I'll have him cured right away."

"Oh, I don't want him cured, Doctor, I want him to pick up channel 8."

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"I've been having trouble sleeping, Doctor."

"Well, have you tried counting sheep?"

"Well yes, but it was too dark to see them."

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Patient: "My neck's as stiff as a pipe, my head feels like lead, and my nose is all blocked up."

Doctor: "I can recommend a good plumber."

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Little Billy(On the phone): "Doctor, Doctor, please come quick! Our front door is jammed!"

Doctor: "I believe you need a handyman rather than a doctor, little boy."

Little Billy: "No, I really do need a doctor. Daddy's fingers are stuck in the door!"

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Patient: "Doctor, will you give me something for my head?"

Doctor: "I wouldn't take it as a gift."

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"Doctor, my cousin keeps thinking he's a piece of fudge."

"Well, that's good, it means he's only half nuts."

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Doctor Sally: "Now, what seems to be the matter, dear?"

Naomi: "Wel, you see Doctor, I.....like open-toed shoes."

Doctor Sally: "Well, goodness, there's certainly nothing wrong with liking open-toed shoes! Many people all over the world like them. Honestly, I prefer them myself."

Naomi: "You do? Ohh, that's such a relief! How do you like them, baked or roasted?"

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"Doctor, Doctor, my brother keeps thinking he's a parking meter!"

"Goodness, I'll have to see him right away."

"He can't come in until next Tuesday, That's when the meter maid comes and takes the money out of his mouth."

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"Doctor, I have a problem with talking to myself."

"Don't worry, sir, this is a very benign condition."

"Maybe so, but I'm a terrible bore."

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"Doctor, I keep thinking I'm a duck."

"I can give you an appointment next month."

"Sorry, but I can't wait that long. I have to fly south for the winter."

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"I've been having this strange dream every night, Doctor. I'm standing in front of this door that has a sign on it; I push with all my might, but I just can't get it open."

"What does the sign say?"

"'Pull.'"

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Frankie: "I used to keep thinking I was a dog, so I went to the psychiatrist."

Marvin: "Did he cure you?"

Frankie: "Sure! Here, feel my nose."

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From Nickelodeon Magazine.

 

*BA-DUM-TSS!* :-D

Music Showcase: The Glow Worm by Spike Jones

A humorous take on a classic ballad. Please enjoy!

Joke of the Week Extra: Snailed It! :-D

A special Joke of the Week in honor of the release of the movie Turbo.

 

 

Three snails, two large and one small, are wandering along one day, when they decide to stop and get a soda. It starts to rain, so the big snails ask the little snail if to go home and get an umbrella, since he's the fastest.

 

The little snail objects; he's concerned that the big snails will drink his soda while he's away. Once the big snails are able to reassure him that they'll leave his soda alone, he sets out to get the umbrella.

 

A month passes; one of the big snails says, "I'm thirsy. Why don't we drink that little guy's soda?"

 

"Yeah," the other big snail replies. "He'll never know."

 

From across the room, they hear, "Oh no you don't! I'm not going home to get the umbrella if you do!" 

 

 

From Nickelodeon Magazine.



Funny Poem Showcase: There Was an Old Man of Blackheath by Edward Lear

Okay, well! That's a good look.(Or something....)

Joke of the Week #64

Nona: "There's a guy named Fennimore Garbage who lives on the next block; he's planning to get his named changed."

Macie: "Sounds like a good idea. What's he getting it changed to?"

Nona: "Frank Garbage."

From Nickelodeon Magazine.

 

Qui a coupee le fromage?(I couldn't resist. :-D)

Music Showcase: Our Hour(The Puppy Love Song) by Spike Jones

An amusing song sung from the POV of two love-struck puppy dogs with a montage of cute, kissing puppy dog pictures. Please enjoy!

And they called it puppy love. :-D

Book Review: Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Pinkwater

 

A recent offering from the one of the world's wackiest authors!

 

 

In this follow-up to Pinkwater's famous book The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Nick(Whose real name, which he prefers not to reveal for obious reasons, is Ivan Itch) moves to the city of Hoboken with his eccentric parents. Nick quickly befriends two other kids named Loretta Fischetti and Bruno Ugg, and spends time hanging out with them, reading Classics Comics and drinking Dr. Pedwee's soda**.

 

 

While looking through the basement of Nick's new house one day, the three of them come across an old newspaper article telling about the time a giant chicken terrorized the city several years ago. On top of that, there have been several incidents of a mysterious "Phantom" stealing people's stuff...including Nick's own bike! Can Nick and his new friends, with the help of a series of eccentric adults, get to the bottom of this?

 

 

My thoughts: This is a very funny, intriguing book, written in Pinkwater's signature madcap style. The illustrations(Drawn by Daniel's wife Jill) are excellent, and the character's wacky names(Starr Lackawanna, Meehan the Bum et al.) are a lot of fun. Both this and The Hoboken Chicken Emergency are definite must-reads for Pinkwater fans.

 

 

Buy it on Amazon!



 

 

*Sounds yummy! :-9

Joke of the Week #63

A man was sitting on a park bench, tearing up a newspaper and throwing the pieces all around him. "Say, what'cha doin' there?" a passerby inquires.

"Well, you see," the guy replies. "I'm doing this to keep elephants away."

The passerby gives him a strange look. "But, there are no elephants within a hundred miles of here."

"See how it works?"

From Nickelodeon Magazine.