Menilek

As many of you may know, this is a remake. The 1939 version starred Lon Chaney as Lenny Small and Burgess Meredith as George Milton. The 1939 version was a little better, but this 1981 version did do it justice. I say that having only known this version first and then 6 months later I saw the 1939 version, both on the America One TV Network (only available on DTV and C-Band). They show a lot of great oldies and many of them are westerns. Both versions of this movie are just the tip of the iceberg of what golden oldie films they show. But also, the two versions are very similar. Almost no revision and THAT is one reason why the 1981 version is so great. The writers had the good sense to not improve on John Steinbecks classic. With that much good sense it makes me think maybe they weren't union writers, as the guild is full of bad writers who are full of themselves and couldn't write a good script to save their lives, but union or not, this is a great classic. I give this an 8 and the original 1939 version gets a 9 (out of 10). The whole cast in both did an excellent job. WHY don't them make movies this good anymore? Why can't we have good actors like Meredith, Chaney and Blake, instead of using special effects to make up for the poor talent of lamers like Will Smith, Tomb Cruise and John Revolta! Really! I have never seen the 1992 version or the 1968 version of this movie. It is one of the most remade movies in the business, yet all the limp-wristed cuckoo nut-jobs (better known as "movie critics"), always have nothing but negative reviews for this screenplay. What do they know from good movies! They are always contrary to the people! Somebody needs to be fired, and since you can't fire the people, then fire these uber-lame critics!

Whitman Mayo did the best job of playing the part of "Crooks" in the 1981 version, but the funny thing is that in his most famous role as Grady on Sanford And Son, the son of Grady was played by actor Joe Morton, who landed the role of "Crooks" in the 1992 version of this movie. Now was that on purpose or what?

Post Script: Some of you may even remember a silly parody of this movie done by Warner Brothers as at least 3 cartoons, with Bugs Bunny thrust in the part of George in one and Foghorn Leghorn's farm dog as George in the other cartoon and with the same huge retarded dog in both cartoons as a rather insulting caricature of Lenny, always telling his friend "Which way did he go, George?" which makes it painfully obvious that both were directly based on Chaney's version of the Lenny Small character. So in case you ever wondered where WB got the idea for either cartoon, they were a parody of the movie "Of Mice And Men" (1939). Don't believe me? In fact, the Foghorn Leghorn episode was entitled "Of Rice And Hens" (1953). I couldn't find the title of the Bugs Bunny episode and the third one was a Tex Avery cartoon entitled "Of Fox And Hounds" (1940), produced by the infamous Leon Schlesinger Studios (which produced many cartoons containing bigotry).

Another WOULD-BE good show ruined by Andy Dick! Casting directors need to learn that once you put Dick in your show, you're screwed! When will they learn? Like any other walking TRAIN WRECK, Andy Dick was NEVER funny and was never talented. He was ALWAYS just PATHETIC and pathetic is really NOT funny! It is not that funny lovable Charlie Chaplain/Jerry Lewis/Lou Costello kind of pathetic. No, he is just the undesirable TRAIN WRECK kind of pathetic.

Mathew Broderick would have been the better choice but if his being in Inspector Gadget was too close a clash with Don Adams to play Zack Smart (That name just doesn't work either) then maybe some other raven-haired comic (after all, Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 both had black hair so it makes NO sense that their son came out as a dumb blond dope-head like Andy Dick).

Well we might get the chance to try again because tho Don Adams has gone on to that great CONTROL HQ in the sky, John Heffron, winner of the recent Las Comic Standing, is the spitting image of Don Adams and any casting director who wants to cast him as Maxwell Smart better jump at the chance before he is too rich and famous to want such a role! And for Agent 99 I think it would be hard to find a young lady who has that charming sexy smile and cute chipmunk cheeks of the young Barbera Feldon. Maybe Jessical Simpson or Nicki Cox with their hair dyed black. That might actually work if one of them and John can catch that chemistry that Don and Barbera had. That could prove difficult IMHO.

But please, NOT Andy Dick! He should be kicked out of the Guild!