2 Unusual Photos

It is amazing what one can find on the Internet these days.

Two unusual photos were recently posted on Facebook and they are unusual ones, to say the least.

The first is actress Momoko Kochi taking a stroll (presumably on the Toho Studio lot) with Godzilla in 1954. I am guessing it is Haruo Nakajima in the Godzilla suit.

The next photo is of four of the Three Stooges. From left is Curly Howard, Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Shemp Howard. Curly had to bow out as a Stooge due to a stroke and Shemp returned to the act (he was the original third Stooge). The short was titled Hold That Lion! and was produced in 1947.

Sony Wimps Out And Cancels Release of "The Interview"

Above, the Three Stooges in You Nazty Spy. Photo by Columbia Pictures.

Let's see. Dictators in the past have always been lampooned by Hollywood. Hollywood is now being run by pansies.

Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator and The Three Stooges' You Nazty Spy come immediately to mind (to read an interesting article on these and other movies, go here). Both Chaplin and Moe Howard lampooned Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

It is interesting that The Three Stooges' You Nazty Spy was released by Columbia Pictures. The current parent company to Columbia Pictures is Sony Pictures Entertainment, the same Sony who has decided to cave in to threats by not releasing a new comedy on a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.

According to Japan Today:

NEW YORK —Sony Pictures on Wednesday abruptly canceled the Dec 25 U.S. release of the comedy which has angered North Korea and triggered chilling threats from hackers, reportedly suspected to be ordered by Pyongyang. 

The Hollywood studio announced the decision after the majority of U.S. theater chains said they would not screen “The Interview” about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. 

“In light of the decision by the majority of our (theater) exhibitors not to show the film ‘The Interview,’ we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release,” it said in a statement.

According to an article in Variety, U.S. authorities have found linkage that North Korea ordered recent cyberattacks against Sony, including the threats.

The Interview will eventually be released. This episode of North Korean cyberterrorism will only make people more curious to screen the movie to see what the fuss was all about.

Sony should have not caved in and kept to the December 25 release schedule.

As former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said, "With the Sony collapse, America has lost its first cyberwar."

"The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations"

One of my favorite subjects when it comes to movies is locations and landmarks that were used.

Back in the 1980s, twice I took the Laurel and Hardy tour of their filming shoots locations in Los Angeles with the Way Out West Tent of the Sons of the Desert organization.  We visited such places as The Music Box stairs in the Silverlake area and the Big Business house (that they tore up) in Cheviot Hills.

A few fans and I pinpointed some locations used in the Adventures of Superman, one of which will receive a plaque in 2014 in celebration of George Reeves's 100th birthday.

I even went so far as to go to Japan to see the locations and landmarks used in Japanese science-fiction and fantasy movies, which resulted in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan (ComiXpress, $15.00).

Many of these places are still with us and it is interesting to see how they look today and compare them with photographs of how they looked in the films.

Now there's a new book on location shoots of The Three Stooges by Jim Pauley.  It is called "The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations" (Santa Monica Press, $39.95). 

The book (with plenty of photographs) will take the reader to such places as Larchmont Village near Hollywood, Franklin Canyon Reservoir near Beverly Hills in the Santa Monica Mountains and in Silverlake.  Silverlake must've been a favorite location shoot spot for old-time comedy teams.

So, if you are a Stooge fan, or just like seeing old filming locations, this book is for you.