From the Couch Hole: So, Baby, Take My Hand, You’ll Be Alright

Previously on FTCH, the bizarre love triangle in the backrooms was discovered by the sheep detective during playback. That’s a mistake I’ll never make again with the Mandalorian Nilla Wafers. This week was a nice break from the usual with a short work week and family visits through the weekend. We’ll turn around with a 4th of July holiday, and then it’s the long slog through until Labor Day. This week in Cape Fear of the empty Copper Sea there was a scream in the shadows of the night by Travis McGree. Remember, FTCH is finger lickin’ good.

Pop Culture Ephemera

• John D. MacDonald – The Empty Copper Sea (1978) (Published by Fawcett Publications): “I turned my head and saw, beyond the shoulder of my beloved, the empty copper sea, hushed and waiting, as if the world had paused between breaths.” Since I started with the 16th novel in the Travis McGee stories, I’ve just kept moving forward with the 17th novel. The plot revolves around Travis trying to salvage the reputation of a friend who is blamed for being passed out when the wealthy owner falls off the boat and disappears. I was interested to get to this when the book was clearly featured on the last episode of Stranger Things (Netflix). It makes sense now in that the story sets off on a path where the owner has elaborately faked his own death. The book would also inspire some lines in Jimmy Buffet’s “Incommunicado.” I’m really enjoying the series as a transition from Chandler to Leonard/Hiaasen. McGee is aging and while he solves the cases, he’s also examining his life from middle age in a way that Philip Marlowe did in the last couple of novels. I’m excited to keep moving forward.

Buy The Empty Copper Sea

• Cape Fear – “Fingers & Toes” (S.1 E.1) (AppleTV) (2026): “Doing good is not just one good act. It is a process by which we test our moral compass.” – Anna Bowden. Max Cady (Javier Bardem) shows up at a benefit gala that Anna is speaking and takes the mic to give a speech. It’s 40 minutes into the first episode, and he gives away the plot of the story by talking about prison being the death by a thousand cuts. The fingers and toes of the episode title are those little cuts.
  
  The character of Max Cady is one that eats up the screen. Robert Mitchum (1962 film) and Robert De Niro (1991 film) both left memorable impressions. Javier Bardem channels the bad guys of the Coen Bros films to be the Max Cady of the 2020’s. He’s more savvy with technology and manipulation. The adaptation of the original Bernard Herrmann score gives some seriousness to the first episode that it might lack because of some unbelievable twists (Mountain Lion?). Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson are perfectly cast as the Bowden couple. This isn’t a “happy” family who is being torn apart. It’s a family on the brink that’s being given a push. I love the two John D. MacDonald books that I have read. I think this adaptation might be enough to get me to read this one.

Buy Pat Benatar – Get Nervous

• Pat Benatar – “Shadows of the Night” (from Get Nervous) (1982): “Surrender all your dreams to me tonight / They’ll come true in the end.” If I need to define Power Pop of the early ’80s, I will submit this Pat Benatar classic as an example of the best. There’s a perfect blend of driving synths, guitars that will play well in stadiums, and Pat’s strong vocals. You can’t discount the popularity of this song comes from some heavy MTV video rotation (along with “Love Is a Battlefield,” that channel loved Pat). The video stars a young Bill Paxton and Judge Reinhold.

• Travis McGee (1983) (Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen): “The relationships people have are an attempt to deny that aloneness, but it doesn’t go away.” The Empty Copper Sea was the second John D. MacDonald / Travis McGee novel to be adapted for film. The made-for-TV film aired on ABC in May of 1983. Sam Elliott fills the shoes of Travis McGee very well. He’s a little younger than the character at this time of the novel, but he has that same relaxed vibe. Katharine Ross plays his love interest, Gretel. I’m never going to complain about a Katharine Ross appearance but the character in the book is a six-foot tall and athletic.
  
  Stirling Silliphant wrote the adaptation. He is a prolific television writer with shows like Perry Mason and Route 66. This film is obviously written as a pilot for an ongoing series. There’s something odd about the film. It sticks very closely to the major plot points, including much of the dialogue word for word. Yet it lacks the smooth, laidback feel of the book. I think the biggest problem is switching the setting from Florida to California and changing McGee’s houseboat into a sailboat. The film takes the action out of beaches and off boats and puts McGee in too many offices, wearing too many sweaters. It’s a shame. This passable film could have led to an interesting series for Elliott. Maybe the Magnum P.I. of Florida had it been done correctly.

• Scream 7 (2026) (Directed by Kevin Williamson): “I’m gonna make everyone you love suffer.” – Ghostface. Man, do I miss Wes Craven. I am not a fan as much as an “interested party.” I have watched all previous six films this year. This entry was doomed from the start. They had been building some momentum the past two films until Melissa Barrera was let go for political speech and Jenna Ortega hit the road quickly afterwards. The return of Sidney (Neve Campbell) and Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) and director Kevin Williamson (his first time directing after writing three previous entries) aren’t enough to save this effort. In fact, their return is so bland that it starts to feel like a Scream movie making a version of a Stab film. The movie is a mess that tries to remind you why you liked it decades ago, but only reminds you that the concept that worked 25 years ago is full of holes today.

Buy Scream 7

Best of the Rest

• One of the first covers of “Shadows of the Night” that came to mind was more of a mashup. Mary J. Blige and Julianne Hough covered the Benatar song and smoothly transitioned into a little Quarterflash for the 2012 Rock of Ages. I’d love to have a whole album of Mary J. doing covers of 1980s female rock tunes.

• In the early 2000s, country music was trying to reach the levels of ’80s Arena Rock. The 2007 Rascal Flatts’ song “No Reins” may have taken it a step too far. I don’t see how you don’t listen to the first 20 seconds and not think this is a cover of “Shadows of the Night.” As the song continues, you can pretty much sing the lyrics over whatever nonsense the band is talking about. It was similar enough to end up in court, but I don’t remember the results. No matter, we can hear the truth.

• I try to avoid spoilers, but I believe that Season 5 is supposed to take place over the last day of The Bear (FX). Debuting June 25, it’s just another reminder that for every three to four shows that I have loved in recent memory, they only get replaced with one truly good show. This will be a tight show to rewatch in entirety after it finishes. I only wish the best for every single member of the cast.

Sunday Morning Tuneage Flashback

• Sunday Morning Tuneage from 7/4/2010, it was a hot 4th of July in Little Elm. We were planning on going to the city’s Independence Day celebration at the lake for the sixth straight time. That streak would continue through 2019. Changes in the presentation, a dog at home, and general overcrowding have stopped that streak that now stands at seven years of not going. The summer season gave us Big Brother 12 (CBS), a tradition that I still follow today. I was excited to watch some show called Warren the Ape (MTV). I don’t know what that was, and I certainly didn’t watch it. The list was another one that’s pretty solid, but there have been good entries since then.
  
  My #56 Top TV Show of All-Time was Fringe (FOX) (2008-2013): This illustrates my “never say never” mantra about television. I grew up thinking there would never be a show as good as Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC). Then came The X-Files (FOX), and I thought it would never be equaled. Then came Fringe (FOX). This quickly forgot the monster-of-the-week formula that The X-Files clung to late into the series. Buy the second season, this was a massive science-fiction story with enough complicated elements that you had to watch in order and pay attention. John Noble as Walter Bishop is one of the most sublime performances in the history of television. I keep meaning to watch this again, because it lives so fondly in my memories, and it’s tied to memories of watching with my son, Christian.
  
• BEST WORLD WAR ONE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2010)
  • 10. A Farewell to Arms (1932) (Directed by Frank Borzage)
  • 9. All Quiet on the Western Front (1979) (Directed by Delbert Mann)
  • 8. Sergeant York (1941) (Directed by Howard Hawks)
  • 7. Hell’s Angels (1930) (Directed by Howard Hughes)
  • 6. The Blue Max (1966) (Directed by John Guillermin)
  • 5. Le Grande Illusion (1937) (Directed by Jean Renoir)
  • 4. Paths of Glory (1957) (Directed by Stanley Kubrick)
  • 3. Gallipoli (1981) (Directed by Peter Weir)
  • 2. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (Directed by David Lean)
  • 1. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) (Directed by Lewis Milestone)
    
• BEST WORLD WAR ONE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2026)
  • 10. The Dawn Patrol (1938) (Directed by Howard Hawks): Basil Rathbone, Errol Flynn, and David Niven star in a film that really addresses the ways that the countries keep replacing dead soldiers with younger and younger recruits. There are some excellent aerial shots by Hawks, even though it is obviously America underneath them.
  • 9. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (Directed by David Lean): There’s something about WWI films that inspire filmmakers to make beautiful films about the incredibly terrible subject matter. This character-based story reflects the WWI setting, but the lessons are more universal.
  • 8. Paths of Glory (1957) (Directed by Stanley Kubrick): The best of the WWI films are depressing and claustrophobic. It’s about the futility of men killing men for a foot or two that will be given up the next day. Kubrick shows off his camera techniques in this excellent film starring Kirk Douglas.
  • 7. Sergeant York (1941) (Directed by Howard Hawks): Gary Cooper’s acting persona is tied up in his portrayal of Sergeant York and his heroic exploits in the tragic last days of the War. Hawks knows that we will care more about the horrors of war if we care about the characters. It’s worth a second watch to see how he builds our trust in York.
  • 6. Gallipoli (1981) (Directed by Peter Weir): This was a film that played consistently over the first summer that we had HBO. I became familiar with the story through repetition. It’s tragic and terrible and true. Young Mel Gibson running and running makes it even more rewatchable.
  • 5. Le Grande Illusion (1937) (Directed by Jean Renoir): I’m sure that being a POW in WWI was even worse than portrayed here. It’s an elaborate prison-break film, but it’s also a deep exploration of how the war puts all men on the same level regardless of the lives they lived before the war. There are films I rank higher on this list, but this is the one I would most often choose to watch repeatedly.
  • 4. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) (Directed by Edward Berger): The third movie adaptation of the book does it the right way. I feel that it loses a little bit of the personal descent of Paul Baumer, but it makes up for it in some of the best portrayals of trench warfare that I’ve ever seen.
  • 3. The Lost Patrol (1934) (Directed by John Ford): Ford would make his reputation on WWII films (in addition to westerns), but in the years before that conflict, he was already exploring the futility of war and the heroic exploits of soldiers. It’s not a happy film with many light moments, but for the time, it feels groundbreaking.
  • 2. 1917 (2019) (Directed by Sam Mendes): It’s an action film at heart. It also exposes all of the themes of the horrors of war. Once again, brilliant cinematography and camera technique start to become more important than the actual plot. This is a film best experienced in theaters.
  • 1. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) (Directed by Lewis Milestone): This is no surprise to anyone who knows me. The book by Remarque is often included in my Top Ten of All-Time and I’ve read it at least three times. The story works best because it shows the huge disconnect between their homes just miles away from the battles and the inhumanity of the trench warfare. Films released in this era where the war was still in our National Memory make them even more important.
    
    As a documentary, I couldn’t list They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) (Directed by Peter Jackson), but few documentaries about the war bring it to life as well as his reimagining of old footage. It’s a game changer for how we view historical video and photos.

Buy 1917

1976 in Review

• June – The Incredible Hulk #200 (Marvel Comics): Cover by John Romita Sr. Written by Len Wein. Art by Sal Buscema. This issue ends a long storyline by putting the Hulk inside Glenn Talbot’s mind so that he can battle a slew of Marvel heroes and villains. These covers with so many characters called to young me like a magnet on the newsstand shelves.
• June 17 – The NBA and ABA announced their official merger. The New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets were the only remaining ABA teams who folded into the Association.
• June 19-25 – TV Guide. Cover art by Bill Nelson. Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman defied television logic of the day. The Norman Lear show was passed over by every major network and somehow found success as a soap opera satire in syndication. The show aired five days a week for two seasons – 130 episodes the first season and 195 episodes the second season. After Louise Lasser left the show, it became Forever Fernwood to wrap up the ongoing stories. That led into Fernwood 2 Night starring Martin Mull and Fred Willard in a send-up of nighttime talk shows airing up against nighttime talk shows. That would be the direct antecedent of The Larry Sanders Show.

What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?

“You know that sometimes, it feels like, it’s all moving way too fast
Use every alibi and words you deny that love ain’t meant to last
You can cry, tough baby, it’s alright, you can let me down easy, but not tonight” – Pat Benatar