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Another dream I had was one in a series I call the Television Episode Continuation or TEC dream. This involves watching a TV show just before I go to bed and the story from the show continues, this time with me in it. This used to happen a lot when I used to watch “Cagney and Lacey,” for some reason, usually the domestic stuff between Harvey and Mary Beth Lacey. Last night, I watched a taped episode of “Commander-in-Chief” from about a month ago, and I found myself inside Mac’s White House, discussing strategy about the Russians. It’s only the third time I’ve seen the show, and while I like it well enough, it’s not my favorite show or anything.

If I were casting my life story, Geena Davis would definitely play my wife. Carol’s hair is darker, but they are both very tall. That doesn’t explain, though the TEC phenomenon.

When it was first connected, on September 6, it was SO fast, much faster than the dial-up we’ve been suffering with for the past two or three years. I was a happy camper.

Then one day about a month ago, there was an invasion so virulent that not only did it slow down my Internet connection, I couldn’t even open Word documents or games. So I disconnected the RR connection, and got some McAfee software. But trying to rehook the Internet connection failed for reasons that are beyond my Luddite capacities.

Ultimately, I had to get my old friend Mark (not to be confused with co-worker Mark) to come up to Albany from down near New Paltz to try to fix the problem. His quick fixes showed that I had at least nine spyware attachments and one virus, but it didn’t solve the problem, and he ended up having to wipe my hard drive and reloading Windows and other software, plus anti-spyware protection, virus protection, and a firewall.

The cool thing is that I got to see him and his wife and daughter, and we all went out to a Middle Eastern restaurant for a fabulous meal.

I bring this up now because I read in Evanier’s column from Saturday that Harold Stone, who played the Jewish father on the show, died at the age of 92. Since I don’t often go around talking about “Bridget Loves Bernie”, a show I seem to remember liking (but it WAS 30+ years ago and I haven’t seen it since), I found that coincidence mildly unsettling.
(When ABC canceled a show called “Welcome to the Neighborhood” that offended blacks, Latinos, gays, and most importantly, the government, earlier this year it wasn’t unprecedented. What WAS unusual about that show it that the show NEVER AIRED.)

Not so incidentally, the CBS Saturday lineup for the following season (1973-1974) was considered the best ever with:
8 AiTF (#1)
8:30 M*A*S*H (#4)
9 MTM (#9)
9:30 Bob Newhart (#11)
10 Carol Burnett (#27), replacing the canceled Mission:Impossible

Here’s a best comedy list, in alphabetical order, not quality order. The ones I’ve seen are in in italics. The ones I own will be in the notes.

Airplane! – one of my favorites. I think, in part, it’s due to the exquisite acting of one Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, who not only played the part of Roger, but also appeared on JEOPARDY! the week before I did, and won! (What that latter point has to do with the movie, I’ll never tell.) The terrible follow-up has only one good scene: JEOPARDY! with Art Fleming.
All About Eve
Amelie -swet, but never thought as top comedy material.
Annie Hall– there are more things about this movie that have happened in my life that it’s scary. This was my touchstone film for a good 20 years. So la-dee-da, la-dee-dah. OWN on cassette tape.
The Apartment– I assume he means the original.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery – and no particular interest in seeing it, for some reason.
Blazing Saddles– violence to horse, scathing racial cliches. Painfully funny.
Bringing Up Baby
Broadcast News– Albert Brooks was BRILLIANT in this film.
Caddyshack-saw on commercial TV, which doesn’t count for me.
Le diner de con
Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb- I MUST see this film!
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story -wasn’t interested.
Duck Soup
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off– possibly my wife’s favorite comedy
Four Weddings and a Funeral– I like it, but I think it’s uneven, and probably not 50 best.
The General
Ghostbusters– I remember that Ray Parker, Jr. was SHOCKED how fast that video came out. OWN on videocassette.
The Gold Rush
Good Morning Vietnam – how many movies and TV shows since this one have used “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong?
The Graduate– I finally saw THIS YEAR! Very fond.
Groundhog Day– Another linchpin film for me. It’s all about redemption. AND it has a JEOPARDY! scene. OWN on videocassette.
A Hard Day’s Night– saw after I saw Help!
His Girl Friday
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Lady Killers
Local Hero
Manhattan– liked, and was discomforted, the way Woody films do
M*A*S*H – the TV show should have ended when Gary Burgoff, the only member of the movie cast on the TV show, left. The football game fels like The Longest Yard.
Monty Python’s Life of Brian– this was on last week’s indy film list. I defended this film vigorous at the time from those who thought it an attack on Christianity.
National Lampoon’s Animal House– if I’m surfing through the TV, and I hit on this movie from ther Bluto speech (“Germans bombed Pearl Harbor”) to the end, I have to watch.
The Odd Couple. Saw after the TV show. I got used to the Randall/Klugman rhythm.
The Producers -the audience reaction to “Springtime for Hitler” still cracks me up.
Raising Arizona– I saw this in a movie theater with about six people. THE best before-the-credits-come-up movie segment ever.
Roxanne-very sweet. I had forgotten this movie, which I saw in first run.
Rushmore- meant to. Someone’s promised to lend me the DVD.
Shaun of the Dead
A Shot in the Dark
Some Like it Hot Joe e. Brown’s face is a classic face.
Strictly Ballroom
Sullivan’s Travels
There’s Something About Mary
This is Spinal Tap– OWN the soundtrack.
To Be or Not to Be
Tootsie– possibly Dustin Hoffman’s best film, because he tapped into that anger he has admitted to living with at the time.
Toy Story– I’m very fond of this movie, though I prefer the sequel
Les vacances de M. Hulot
When Harry Met Sally…– source of endless conversations about relationships.
Withnail and I
The one movie that I wish were on the list: Young Frankenstein; during one later scene, I literally fell out of my seat in the movie theater, I laughed so hard.