ctheslayer

Ironic that when Michael Nouri left daytime's Search for Tomorrow to play the title role in The Curse of Dracula, his soap character, Steve Kaslo, died of a blood disorder....The Curse of Dracula started out as one of the three segments that made up the hour-long t.v. series "Cliffhangers," an homage to the serials of the 50's that ended with, you guessed it, a cliffhanger. In this "What if Dracula were still around in the late 20th century?" premise, he is a college professor - easy access to young students/fresh blood. That is until he meets and falls for a woman out for revenge. She teams up with the also vengeful grandson of the famous vampire hunter Van Helsing. Eventually in the 80's they packaged the popular Curse of Dracula episodes into a television movie - sometimes called Dracula '79. It's a great way to spend a few hours if you can catch it somewhere on cable or on the Late Late Late Show.

Only When I Laugh is the film version of Neil Simon's The Gingerbread Lady. Unfortunately, the title isn't the only difference. While the original play deals with the seriousness of substance abuse and co-dependancy, its film counterpart plays it more for laughs - think The Goodbye Girl II, complete with the lead character's change in occupation from cabaret singer to stage actress and the same neurotic frenzy Marsha Mason brought to the role of Paula McFadden. It's the story of Georgia, a recovering alcoholic fresh from rehab, who's teenage daughter Polly decides to come live with her. While the two are working out the whole mother-daughter bit, Georgia finds herself too caught up in the miserable lives of her gay, unsuccessful actor friend Jimmy and her vain yet insecure rich, female best friend Tobey. There are some fantastic performances in this film, especially Joan Hackett as Tobey. Neil Simon, known for memorable monologues, wrote some his finest for the play, and they transfer quite well to film.

Based on the memoirs of Laura Bower Van Nuys, the 1888 presidential election serves as the backdrop for this lovestory between Laura's older sister, Alice (Leslie Ann Warren) - a teacher and the eldest daughter in the Bower family's musical act, and Joe (John Davidson) - a spin doctor at odds with the families' political views.

The hostilities between Democrats and Republicans over the hotly contested Cleveland/Harrison race and state's rights are more relevant today than ever in light of the 2000 Presidential Election night debaucle. And when Democrat Grandpa Bower, the patriarch of the family, substitute teaches for Alice at the local school, his decision to teach the children his views about the Civil War - very different from the views of the primarily Republican Dakotans - causes an uproar among the settlers and threatens to divide the young lovers forever.

The romantic moments are sweet. The show-stopping numbers which make perfect sense in a musical about a musical act are quite impressive, especially the rousing "Ten Feet Off the Ground" high-kick routine by Warren and Janet Blair, and "West O' The Wide Missouri" featuring a young blonde dancer named Goldie Jean Hawn. Other standout performers are the incomparable Buddy Ebsen, comedian Wally Cox, a very young Kurt Russell and "Walton"/rock guitarist Jon Wamsley, and, as Grandpa, the great Walter Brennan.

As both a musician and political analyst, this movie strikes a "chord" with me (that and the fact that I remember my parents taking me to see it in the theatre and owning both versions of the soundtrack!) An overlooked gem, this is family entertainment that doesn't insult your intelligence. It teaches alot about tolerance without being preachy, and, of course, it all works out in the end.