The Nine Lives of Marion Barry
Marion Barry was an inspiring civil rights leader and a charming politician. In his first term as mayor of Washington, D.C., he brought jobs, businesses and hope to an impoverished city. And then came sex, drugs and egomania. The Nine Lives of Marion Barry is a fair-minded look at a man who endured a remarkable series of rises and falls. Barry: “We’re living in an imperfect world where people expect you to be perfect.”
Highway Dragnet
Think of film noir: long shadows, big cities, rainy nights. Highway Dragnet (1954) goes opposite with a story set on the sun-bleached yet bleak desert straddling Nevada and California. However, the plot elements are noir: a disgruntled ex-Marine (Richard Conte) on the run, accused of a murder he didn’t commit, with police everywhere and duplicity (Joan Bennett) at hand. Nathan Juran (The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad) directs, with a then-unknown Roger Corman credited as “co-producer.”
Days of Future Passed Live
When The Moody Blues released Days of Future Passed (1967), backed by a full symphony, the world seemed a place of boundless possibility. Now that the future is past, they are performing the entire album live with brass, woodwinds, strings—even a harpist. Jeremy Irons is on screen, reciting the “cold-hearted orb” poesy. The Moodies are in good voice and form and a little wistful nowadays. The package also includes the band performing their greatest hits.
“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Third Season”
“Laugh-In” season three (1969-1970) continued within the show’s template: a string of comedic non sequiturs punctuated by four-star guest stars such as Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr and even Johnny Carson, spoofing himself. Painted in pop-psychedelic colors, “Laugh-In” had fun with the conventions of TV variety shows and included racy asides on sex, drugs and politics. The cast took shots at almost everything. Dick Martin: “This year I’m going to be a non-conformist like everyone else.”
