| #10 ‘ARSENIC AND OLD LACES’ (1944) FEATURING ABBY and MARTHA BREWSTER |
Frank Capra’s whimsical style is well-known, but in his 1944 black comedy “Arsenic & Old Lace”, Capra combined whimsy and breezy weirdness to create a film about two mischievous older sisters who have a taste for murder. Mortimer Brewster, a newlywed drama critic (Cary Grant), who is worried about the murderous behavior of his older aunts (played Josephine Hull & Jean Adair) realizes the insane duo of the Brewster Sisters. Mortimer is an ardent pessimist who believes in the virtues marriage. He discovers his aunts’ hedonistic habit of snatching old coots off and burying in their basement. Imagine refusing an apple pie if your pension was at stake and you were a wealthy old geezer. The Brewster sisters from “Arsenic & Old Lace” are both delightful and disturbing, in their family ribaldry. |
| #9 EBENEZER SCROOGIE IN “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” (1938). |
Ebenezer Scrooge’s (Reginald Owen) aversion to Christmas is best exemplified in Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol”. Owen’s “humbug” is known for being a money-sucking miser who has no regard for Yuletide sentimentality. Ask Scrooge’s “victims”, such as loyal and devoted employee Bob Cratchit, played by Gene Lockhart. He is a family man who embraces the spirit of Christmas. Cratchit, despite Scrooge’s insufferable personality and his professional mistreatment of the employee, still finds humanity in Scrooge’s uncaring, bombastic manager whose rejections of Christmas unity and love are about as inspiring to Cratchit as looking at a bare, anemic Christmas tree. Ebenezer Scrooge possessed a devilishly caustic, cynical and cold-hearted nature. It was the Ghosts of Christmas Past Present and Future who finally shook Scrooge from his anti-Christmas attitude. Let’s be honest. . . Ebenezer Scrooge has been a polarizing character in both print and film. |
| #8 – “DRIVING Miss DAISY” (1989), FEATURING DAISY WERTHAN |
Daisy Werthan (Jessica Tany in the Oscar-winning role she played)’s ominous character is a direct result of her stubborn and feisty persona. Miss Daisy has a set of rules that she follows. Miss Daisy, a Jewish widow in Atlanta in the 1950s who lived in the South before the Civil Rights Movement, wants to maintain her independence. This is especially true when it comes driving. Despite her being demanding and difficult, Miss Daisy agrees to Boolie (Academy Award nominee Dan Aykroyd’s) plan to hire a black chauffeur Hoke Collburn (Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman from “Million Dollar Baby”), to accompany his mother around town. Daisy Werthan’s cemented exterior makes it difficult to connect with her. Hoke, a charming man with a warm disposition, gradually breaks Miss Daisy’s cold exterior. They form a close friendship that will last for two decades. Miss Daisy was once a sarcastic and critical Southern belle who could have scared the spots off of a sleeping leopard. But she changed with the help of a black man, whose indignities and vulnerability would overshadow the internalized complexity that this senior Southern Belle had. |
| #7 THE GODFATHER (1972) WITH VITO CORLEONE |
The epic crime drama of Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic masterpiece, “The Godfather”, introduced moviegoers to one the most feared and fierce aging patriarchs ever. . . The iconic mafia leader Don Vito Corleone, a.k.a. The Godfather (Marlon brando in his Oscar winning role). Vito Corleone, in his quest to achieve the American Dream in unconventional ways was honorable. Vito Corleone, a man of principle in the realm of immorality was also a meticulous CEO in mob-related mayhem. He wanted to pass on his “empire”, which is rooted in triumph and tragedy, to his loyal children in order to carry forward the family tradition of power, privilege, and prominence. Brando’s brilliant and intoxicating performance as “The Godfather” is steeped with penetrating brilliance. Natural causes will soon silence the terrifying mob boss behind the Corleone legend, but Don Vito Corleone, in his prime years, was a sinister senior citizen who would not refuse an offer. |
| #6 ‘THE KARATE KIDS” (1984), FEATURING MR. MIYAGI |
Noriyuki Morita, aka Pat Morita, was a character actor who appeared in 1970s TV sitcoms like “Sanford and Son,” M*A*S*H,” and his own short-lived series “Mr. Noriyuki “Pat” Morita was a character actor who appeared in 1970s TV sitcoms such as “Sanford and Son,” “M*A*S*H,” and even had his own short-lived television series called “Mr. When pushed, Mr. Miyagi could deliver a serious punch at a moment’s notice. Some tried to test the combative strength of this mature martial arts expert, but to no avail. Mr. Miyagi, despite being passive and patient, was not someone to mess around with. |
| #5 “ROSEMARY’S BABY”, (1968), FEATURING MINNIE CASTEVET |
The writer-director Roman Polanski’s psychological/horror film “Rosemary’s Baby”, which is a combination of horror and psychological drama, produced one the strangest oldsters ever in the form of Minnie Castevet’s (Ruth Gordon), a late 60-something married neighbor who lives next to the central character – the pregnant Rosemary Woodhouse’s (Mia Farrow). Minnie Castevet (Ruth Gordon) and her husband Roman Blackmer (Sidney Blackmer), who are both childless, find themselves thrown together with Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy (John Cassavetes), the pregnant woman and her partner Guy. The Woodhouses had moved into a Manhattan apartment building that had a bad reputation. Their landlord warned them about it. Rosemary, who is hallucinating, has experienced stressful dreams and strange and threatening sounds, and she’s been surrounded by sudden death. Minnie, an agnostic who leads her cult, seems to be very interested in Rosemary and the unborn baby. Castevets, and Minnie in particular, have been observing Rosemary’s “bundle” of joy with a keen eye. This has led to some disturbing results. Is Minnie a senile occultist who has devoted her life to Rosemary and the baby in order to complete a twisted agenda of indoctrination. The proof was in the pudding. |
| # 4 “STAR WARS” (1977), FEATURING BEN OBIWAN KENOBI |
There have been many movie mentors in the history of cinema. The history of cinema is full of movie mentors. Obi-Wan was an intimidating presence for the Empire, and in particular the evil Death Star tyrant Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker was Luke’s “older man”. Obi-Wan relied on Luke’s youthful energy to help the Rebellion overcome the evil galactic villains. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a powerful force just by teaching Skywalker how to embrace The Force, and to develop the will to overcome all odds. |
| #3 “TRUE GRIND” (1969) Featuring Reuben “ROOSTER COGBURN |
Reuben “Rooster Cogburn” was indeed the badge of a badass who could do the job. The Duke’s Rooster was a tough bird to the young, tomboyish Mattie (Kim Darby), who hired him to hunt down the killer of her father to seek revenge. Mattie was aware of Cogburn’s reputed reputation as an enthusiastic U.S. Marshal. The Marshal is known for his ability to track down criminals who break the law. Cogburn, who was aging and prone to drinking, lost some of his step. Cogburn’s teenage travel companion and he have to trek across hostile Indian territory in order to find the killer. Cogburn is aided by a Texas Ranger, La Boeuf (singer/actor Glen Campbell), to help him track down the elusive criminal Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey). Cogburn, despite his advanced age and drunken deeds, pursues his gun-toting targets. He relies on his “true gritty” to do the job while restoring faith in his badge. |
| # 2 “UNFORGIVEN”, (1992), FEATURING William MUNNY |
William Munny, a former gunslinger (Clint Eastwood), was famous for his legendary weapon. Munny, now retired and well past his prime, is determined to work on his farm and raise a family despite his wife’s absence. Munny has no money and is bored. Munny is convinced to come back out of retirement by a group of Big Whiskey prostitutes who offer a large bounty on the cowboys responsible for slicing up one of their colleagues. The townspeople are not fooled by the ruthless and indifferent law enforcement of Big Whiskey Sheriff Little Bill Daggett, played by Gene Hackman. Munny, a determined man, would recruit his former partner Ned Logan (Oscar winner Morgan Freeman) as well as the self-proclaimed Schofield Kid (Jaimz Wollvett). Munny’s clash with Little Bill, a sadistic character, would soon turn into a showdown to remember. |
| #1 “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?” ( 1962) FEATURING BABY JANE HUDDSON |
In Robert Aldrich’s psychological drama from the early 1960s, “Whatever happened to Baby Jane?,” there is a stark contrast between the personalities of two mature spinster Hudson sisters. Blanche Hudson, played by Oscar-winner Joan Crawford, is the wheelchair-bound paraplegic sister who appears to be quite sympathetic and down-to earth despite her disability. Baby Jane Hudson, played by Bette Davis (two-time Oscar winner), is the childish lunatic who torments the disabled Blanche. Jane, a former child star of Vaudeville as well as movies, may have been motivated by the sibling rivalry between the two women in showbiz. Blanche was by far the most successful and respected actress, while Jane’s calculating and looney-minded mind was at best a novelty act. Baby Jane Hudson’s cruelty and jealousy toward Blanche, who is crippled, may be explained by this. Baby Jane Hudson is one of the most dysfunctional and disturbed oldsters to ever grace the screen. She has locked Blanche in her room, cut her off from her outside world, and served her a dead rat as random entertainment. |
