Tag Archives: A Bridge Too Far

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Throwback Thursday: “The Sting” (1973)!

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“The Sting” (1973) was probably the first movie I ever saw starring Robert Redford; it was a family favorite that made the rounds on television in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.  (Though I will note here that “A Bridge Too Far” (1977), was also a family favorite, and also circulating on television in roughly the same time.  Redford was in that film too.)

I remember asking my father how the ruse worked for that guy in the beginning who fell for the handkerchief trick.  And I remember the movie’s theme music (Floyd Cramer’s “The Entertainer”) being an impossible earworm.

The next movie I saw starring Redford would probably be “All the President’s Men” (1976) when I was 14 or so; that was with my uncle John Muth, who had a wealth of such treasures on VHS.  After that, it was the wonderful “Sneakers” (1992) in the theater in my college town of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

What I remember about Redford is just how goddam likeable he was in every role.  It was uncanny — there was just something about him.  It’s kind of like Carey Grant was so inexplicably suave, or how Harrison Ford always seems so sincere.  I’ll bet something like that can’t be learned in an acting class.

Rest easy, Mr. Redford.

By the way, I am linking below to Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers and MovieClips on Youtube.

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Throwback Thursday: “A Bridge Too Far” (1977)

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“A Bridge Too Far” (1977) was one of those war movies that my Dad enjoyed; it would have appeared on television a couple of years after its theatrical release (1979? 1980?).  Back then, I thought of it as a “really old movie” — which was understandable, because my father liked some truly old movies, even by 1980’s standards.   But “A Bridge Too Far” actually hit the screens at roughly the same time as the original “Star Wars,” which most kids in my neighborhood had seen in the theater.

I found it online and finally watched it in its entirety — it’s actually a really good film.  (Adapted from its eponymous 1974 novel by Cornelius Ryan, it’s a three-hour, meticulous depiction of Operation Market Garden — the Allies’ 1944 invasion of German-occupied Holland.)

The cast list is astounding — it’s basically a lengthy “Who’s Who” of 1970’s cinema.  (Seriously, look at it.)  If you enjoy period war films, I recommend this.

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(Be a hell of a crossover, though.)

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Went looking for info on “A Bridge Too Far;” I somehow arrived at info for “Bridgerton,” and those are two very different viewing experiences.

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Throwback Thursday: WOR-TV Channel 9’s “Million Dollar Movie” intro!

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This will probably be a pretty obscure Throwback Thursday post, but the segment below should be recognized by people who grew up in the New York metropolitan area in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.  It’s none other than the intro for WOR-TV Channel 9’s “Million Dollar Movie.”  (That music you hear is a particularly brassy rendition of Max Steiner’s “Tara’s Theme” from 1939’s “Gone With the Wind.”)

If you were in the New York area at that time, it ought to bring back memories of the old days of broadcast television.  (It’s actually surprising how much nostalgia people online report at seeing this 44-second clip.  And it’s amazing what you can find on the Internet.)  A few commenters note sardonically that the clip makes Manhattan look like a nighttime paradise — while The Big Apple in the 1970’s was not always an easy place to be.  (The city if far cleaner and safer today.)

Some of the comments I read were befuddling.  There is one blogger who wrote that he remembers this intro from as far back as the 1950’s.  (Had they really used it for more than two decades?)  And a populous minority of commenters remember being unsettled by the clip.  (They describe it as ominous, and the music as creepy, which mystifies the rest of us who remember “Million Dollar Movie.”)

This intro had an indelible effect on me.  While it recalls monster movies like “King Kong” (1939) and “Godzilla” (1954) for a lot of others, it will always remind me of my father watching war films and cowboy movies on his days off — along with the occasional Charles Bronson flick.   “The Great Escape” (1963), “A Bridge Too Far” (1977) and “Shane” (1953) all spring to mind.

When I was in the first or second grade, I habitually enhanced my Dad’s enjoyment of the “Million Dollar Movie” by peppering him endlessly with questions about whatever was playing — even if I had only wandered into the room for a few minutes.  “Why did they call it ‘a bridge too far?'” “Why did they fight World War II?” “The British and French were good guys in the war, right?” “Why did the cowboy drop his gun on purpose?”  “Why did the guy fake his death?”  (Bear in mind, folks, this was broadcast television — long before the days of Netflix and DVD’s.)

If any kid did that to me when I was watching my favorite movies, I’d go nuts — even if I had a pause button.  My father was a saint.