Arcade Graveyard

[ark_ader]

Andy Griffith has passed away.

Just loved his TV shows.

[Nephasth]

Oh good, it wasn't the important Andy...

[DaOld Man]

RIP Andy.

[BadMouth]

The stock of "the man who met Andy Griffith" just went up.

[Howard_Casto]

Cultural icon he was.  The Andy Griffith Show has to be tied with The Waltons and M.A.S.H. as the most influential, important and overall best shows ever to air on television.  Matlock wasn't bad either!  A lot of people don't know that Andy got his start as a comedian first and he pulled the concept for his show from his act. (So yes, every "modern" sitcom that stars a former comic that creates a show around his act owes it's roots to TAGS... from Seinfeld to Roseanne)  If you can get ahold of some of his old records, you should!  He was funny as hell!

Some things we got from TAGS:

Don Knotts - up until Jeniffer Gardner, WV's only major movie star and still WV's only movie star we'd want to claim.

Hal "Otis" Smith - best known as the town drunk, but also went on to become a leading voice actor, voiceing such charcaters as Pooh, Owl, and Taurus, the inspiration for Scotty on Star Trek. 

Ron Howard - Opie, then Richie, then the best damn director ever. 

One of the first examples of a "non living room" sitcom.  - It's easy to take for granted now, but think of how few comedies prior to TAGS had multiple sets and, if the need arose, on site shoots.  It pioneered the conecpt of taking a show away from being a televised play (one set) to a whole world. 

The Fishin' Hole - Maybe the catchiest theme song ever. 

Aunt Bee's Pickles - Well boys... wer're just going to have to learn to love em'  !

Anyway... his passing is a big freakin deal.  With the exception of Dick Van Dike (who's not looking too healthy anymore) all of the golden age stars are now dead. 

[spoot]

Oh good, it wasn't the important Andy...

Heh, was thinking the same thing.  But RIP AG.

[shmokes]

Ron Howard - . . . the best damn director ever. 

. . . the ---fudgesicle---? The only great movie he ever made was Splash! Then he has a couple of perfectly watchable, but paint-by-numbers flicks like Apollo 13. But the vast majority of his work is dreck. He couldn't even turn the made-for-the-silver-screen DaVinci Code into a watchable film.

I mean, even if you have poor taste in movies and actually like Ron Howard as a director . . . "the best"? The best? Better than Hitchcock? Scorcese? Huston? Tarantino? Nolan? Kubrick? Polanski? Kurosawa? The freaking Coen Brothers? Clint Eastwood. Woody Allen. Danny Boyle. Hell, even Spielberg is a damned sight better than Ron Howard! And what about Paul Thomas Anderson, or even Wes Anderson? Coppola (either of them, frankly). Or classics . . . John Ford, Orson Welles, Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life for crying out loud), Robert Altman. What about David Lean . . . Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Oliver Twist, Bridge on the River Kwai. Or Sergio Leone and all his great westerns.

My god, man, what on earth are you talking about? I could easily quadruple the size of that list without breaking a sweat! Hell, Tim Burton is a genius compared to Ron Howard (and Burton makes a lot of garbage). Even the incredibly uneven Spike Lee and Oliver Stone have turned out better work than Ron Howard.

Andy Griffith, though, is pretty great. The world was lucky to have him.

[JMB]

Andy Griffith, first junkyard owner in space! I'm sure a few of you remember this.

[CCM]

Ron Howard - . . . the best damn director ever. 

. . . the ---fudgesicle---? The only great movie he ever made was Splash! Then he has a couple of perfectly watchable, but paint-by-numbers flicks like Apollo 13. But the vast majority of his work is dreck. He couldn't even turn the made-for-the-silver-screen DaVinci Code into a watchable film.

I mean, even if you have poor taste in movies and actually like Ron Howard as a director . . . "the best"? The best? Better than Hitchcock? Scorcese? Huston? Tarantino? Nolan? Kubrick? Polanski? Kurosawa? The freaking Coen Brothers? Clint Eastwood. Woody Allen. Danny Boyle. Hell, even Spielberg is a damned sight better than Ron Howard! And what about Paul Thomas Anderson, or even Wes Anderson? Coppola (either of them, frankly). Or classics . . . John Ford, Orson Welles, Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life for crying out loud), Robert Altman. What about David Lean . . . Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Oliver Twist, Bridge on the River Kwai. Or Sergio Leone and all his great westerns.

My god, man, what on earth are you talking about? I could easily quadruple the size of that list without breaking a sweat! Hell, Tim Burton is a genius compared to Ron Howard (and Burton makes a lot of garbage). Even the incredibly uneven Spike Lee and Oliver Stone have turned out better work than Ron Howard.

Andy Griffith, though, is pretty great. The world was lucky to have him.

I agree that Ron Howard is far from the best director, but wow..  calm down before you stroke out over Opie!   

[saint]

Ron Howard - . . . the best damn director ever. 

. . . the ---fudgesicle---? The only great movie he ever made was Splash! Then he has a couple of perfectly watchable, but paint-by-numbers flicks like Apollo 13. But the vast majority of his work is dreck. He couldn't even turn the made-for-the-silver-screen DaVinci Code into a watchable film.

Your taste in media always boggles me Shmokes. Ron Howard's not my pick for best damn director ever, but he's far from a hack, and Splash certainly isn't the one I'd hold out as his greatest ever (92% critic rating, but only 52% fan rating on Rotten Tomatoes). You've underrated Apollo 13 which was an excellent flick (97% critics, 78% fans) and is his highest rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes, and there's Frost/Nixon (92% and 86%), Cinderella Man (80% and 88%), A Beautiful Mind (78% critics, 91% fans), and then more formulaic but still entertaining Night Shift (95/56%), and Parenthood (93/68).

Two of his films are on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. They are A Beautiful Mind (2001) at #93 and Apollo 13 (1995) at #12.

To each their own of course

[shmokes]

First, I fully agree with CCM's assessment of me, lol.

Second, A Beautiful Mind was a terrible movie. I don't mean it didn't live up to the hype. It was terrible. AFI be damned

I haven't seen Frost/Nixon, but it looks like it could be good. I seriously doubt it could be great, because Ron Howard doesn't take the risks necessary to make great films. But it could be good. And I remember Parenthood being pretty good, but I saw it when I was a kid, so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that it's not actually very good. Cinderella Man looks like crap, but I haven't seen that one either. 

Btw, I have the best taste in media of anyone I know.

[Howard_Casto]

Ron Howard - . . . the best damn director ever. 

. . . the ---fudgesicle---? The only great movie he ever made was Splash! Then he has a couple of perfectly watchable, but paint-by-numbers flicks like Apollo 13. But the vast majority of his work is dreck. He couldn't even turn the made-for-the-silver-screen DaVinci Code into a watchable film.

Your taste in media always boggles me Shmokes. Ron Howard's not my pick for best damn director ever, but he's far from a hack, and Splash certainly isn't the one I'd hold out as his greatest ever (92% critic rating, but only 52% fan rating on Rotten Tomatoes). You've underrated Apollo 13 which was an excellent flick (97% critics, 78% fans) and is his highest rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes, and there's Frost/Nixon (92% and 86%), Cinderella Man (80% and 88%), A Beautiful Mind (78% critics, 91% fans), and then more formulaic but still entertaining Night Shift (95/56%), and Parenthood (93/68).

Two of his films are on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. They are A Beautiful Mind (2001) at #93 and Apollo 13 (1995) at #12.

To each their own of course

I think you missed the part where it was my comment Saint.  Shmokes has some sort of psychological disorder where he has to adimently disagree and complain whenever I make a comment.  Notice how this was a thread for rememberance for Andy and he turns it into an argument about films. 

[ark_ader]

Ron Howard - . . . the best damn director ever. 

. . . the ---fudgesicle---? The only great movie he ever made was Splash! Then he has a couple of perfectly watchable, but paint-by-numbers flicks like Apollo 13. But the vast majority of his work is dreck. He couldn't even turn the made-for-the-silver-screen DaVinci Code into a watchable film.

Your taste in media always boggles me Shmokes. Ron Howard's not my pick for best damn director ever, but he's far from a hack, and Splash certainly isn't the one I'd hold out as his greatest ever (92% critic rating, but only 52% fan rating on Rotten Tomatoes). You've underrated Apollo 13 which was an excellent flick (97% critics, 78% fans) and is his highest rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes, and there's Frost/Nixon (92% and 86%), Cinderella Man (80% and 88%), A Beautiful Mind (78% critics, 91% fans), and then more formulaic but still entertaining Night Shift (95/56%), and Parenthood (93/68).

Two of his films are on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. They are A Beautiful Mind (2001) at #93 and Apollo 13 (1995) at #12.

To each their own of course

I think you missed the part where it was my comment Saint.  Shmokes has some sort of psychological disorder where he has to adimently disagree and complain whenever I make a comment.  Notice how this was a thread for rememberance for Andy and he turns it into an argument about films. 

Shmokes can be easily forgiven.  Anyone having to endure terrible heat, and no power can rant as much as he wants to about anything.

Besides Ron Howard directorial ability is getting very close to that of George Lucas.  His early stuff is fine, but the latter work is borderline crap.

[shmokes]

I think you missed the part where it was my comment Saint.  Shmokes has some sort of psychological disorder where he has to adimently disagree and complain whenever I make a comment.  Notice how this was a thread for rememberance for Andy and he turns it into an argument about films.  

This again. Howard, I think you have a problem with narcissism. Nobody here (besides you) thinks that I expend any special effort on you. I'm an argumentative sumbitch. Considering that you don't even visit the PnR forum, it's sort of laughable to think that I disagree with you more than anyone else. But I seriously doubt that even outside the PnR forum you take the cake. I suspect that I've disagreed with Chad, pinballjim, RandyT, and possibly CheffoJeffo more than you. Probably others as well. I honestly don't particularly care one way or the other about you personally. You strike me as a perfectly nice person. If you say something I disagree with, I'll disagree with it. If you say something I agree with, I'll agree with it.

Admittedly, I have disagreed with you fairly frequently over the years, moreso than many people. But as you know, you are very opinionated. I thus have far more occasion to disagree with you about something than I have with many people. But seriously, get over yourself. I've agreed with you plenty of times too. And if you weren't wrong so frequently we wouldn't even be having this discussion.  



Edit: changed wording to compensate for an auto-censor failure

[trekking95]

Wow, word censor block is that easy to get by?

[shmokes]

Heh . . . So it is.

[SavannahLion]

Andy Griffith, first junkyard owner in space! I'm sure a few of you remember this.

What the Hell was that?? Wikipedia lists that as an actual show?

[wp34]

Andy Griffith, first junkyard owner in space! I'm sure a few of you remember this.

What the Hell was that?? Wikipedia lists that as an actual show?

I loved that show as a kid.  I seem to recall it started as a TV movie.  The ultimate "build your own"...

It does not hold up well though.

[Malenko]

............ I suspect that I've disagreed with Chad, pinballjim, RandyT, and possibly CheffoJeffo more than you......

Damn I didn't even make the top 5 (assuming H_C is #5) 

[shmokes]

Lmao . . . you probably do. I don't keep track. 

[Gray_Area]

Salvage I was cute, but totally ridiculous. I forgot to think about that one....I think....when I saw The Astronaut Farmer. Which was a great movie.

[saint]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/15/showbiz/celeste-holm-obit/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

I don't have any idea who she is. 

[ark_ader]

I remember her in All about Eve.

Wonderful actress, but at 95 that is a pretty good life to have had.

[saint]

I spent more time than I care to relate last night contemplating posting this to be ironic.   

Heh rofl.

[Vigo]

Can this be the official "B-list" RIP thread? Jon Lord, the keyboard player of Deep Purple just died. I didn't know him by name, but the music from Smoke on the Water will always be etched in my memory. The guy looks like he had a prolific career, done stuff from Whitesnake to composing orchestra music.

[ark_ader]

The guy who wrote the interstellar book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Has passed away.

I remember when his book came out, we were all trained in Covey where I worked at TRW.

RIP Stephen and thanks!

[wp34]

Can this be the official "B-list" RIP thread? Jon Lord, the keyboard player of Deep Purple just died. I didn't know him by name, but the music from Smoke on the Water will always be etched in my memory. The guy looks like he had a prolific career, done stuff from Whitesnake to composing orchestra music.

Machine Head is an awesome album.  I didn't know he was with Whitesnake although I can tell now that you point it out.

[lilshawn]

I liked the part where he has to use the saw to cut his own foot off.

[drventure]

Bosses loved this guy because he told unhappy people that everything was their own fault.

Isn't that "The Secret"?

[Nephasth]

Who the ---fudgesicle--- shaves their eyebrows?

[drventure]

I'll have a reasoned discussion about this if you want, but I went through his course (it was borderline mandatory) and wasn't at all impressed. 

Sorry, my smart-assedness must not have come through via forum post. 

I've never much been impressed by the whole "self-help" movement. There may be a few good ideas in there, but on the whole. meh.

Same with "corporate team building". Good god. One reason I've never worked for big corporations.

[RayB]

Who the ---fudgesicle--- shaves their eyebrows?

This guy:

[shmokes]

Can this be the official "B-list" RIP thread? Jon Lord, the keyboard player of Deep Purple just died. I didn't know him by name, but the music from Smoke on the Water will always be etched in my memory. The guy looks like he had a prolific career, done stuff from Whitesnake to composing orchestra music.

I saw Deep Purple at a music festival sponsered by the communist party of France. No idea whether Jon Lord was there. I just think it's sort of funny that I went to a huge communist music festival and your post gave me an excuse to bring it up.

[lilshawn]

Who the ---fudgesicle--- shaves their eyebrows?

Mexican Cholas?

[CCM]

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=donald-j-sobol&pid=158592957

[CCM]

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=jon-lord&pid=158593915

[CCM]

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=bob-babbitt&pid=158594676

[CCM]

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=kitty-wells&pid=158594426

[CCM]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/showbiz/stallone-death-probe/index.html?hpt=hp_bn9

[trekking95]

I would say all your RIP posts are spam. But since I know who your doing it to, keep going at it!  

[saint]

.

[ark_ader]

Wow Saint you managed to finally get a RIP thread together.

Great idea! 

[Le Chuck]

http://www.cholafied.com/

Some of these folks are dead, all of them no longer have eyebrows... IT'S THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!!!11!!1!1!

[lilshawn]

http://www.cholafied.com/

Some of these folks are dead, all of them no longer have eyebrows... IT'S THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!!!11!!1!1!

is that...is....is that...Andre the Giant?! 

[Vigo]

Thank God it is a photoshopped Andre the Giant. Had he really gone chola, I think I would have lost most my respect for the dude. (And I put Andre the giant up there with Ghandi, Texas Roadhouse and Super Mario Bros 3 on the respect scale)

[Le Chuck]

The Herve Villechaize tats make it possibly the coolest shop I've ever seen

[Gray_Area]

Who the ---fudgesicle--- shaves their eyebrows?

Mexican Cholas?

I think folks in that culture may be some of the first to go 'animal' when such genetic modification is available.