Armageddon Outa Here. . . (for Olla)

The current unpleasantness in Eastern Europe has a lot of us obsessing about the issues of war and peace. At some point, the deeply satirical musical parodies of Tom Lehrer came up in a comment thread about geopolitics, if you can believe such a thing, right here on Hamster. There are very erudite pervs lurking here, folks.

In any case, whether we are talking about the potential for nuclear annihilation or a slower, dystopian slide on the skirts of climate change, the potential for apocalypse seems more real than it has in a long time, and I've been around a while. For some reason, thoughts of cynical Tom Lehrer made me think of other pieces laced with dark humor. We'll see how this flies:

Two classics from Lehrer:

"AEC" references the Atomic Energy Commission, the early steward of American nuclear power. . . and weaponry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyQR5ESFAyI

American rocketry owes a great deal to Werhrer von Braun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjDEsGZLbio&ab_channel=TheTomLehrerWisdomChannel

Two of my favorite clips from the Kubrick classic "Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPwW7RaPO_g

. . . and thank you, Vera Lynn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIpTE-aHEZ0

I reference the 1965 classic "The Flight of the Phoenix". . . I categorically refuse to view the 2004 remake. I heard how they had updated it to Mongolia, trading Bedouin Arabs for motorcycle riding criminals and other nonsense. But there were no CGI effects in 1965. . . a pilot actually died in making the film. . . but in the end, you can't beat a classic story with one helluva cast that included James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Hardy Kruger, Peter Finch, Ian Bannen. . . oh, they are all good, a marvelous ensemble..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IACjOvyx5hs&ab_channel=RocketWest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tob2k3D81Q

And why does that fit my theme of apocalyptic dread? Because of this video. . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyTdtf0LFMk

We'll meet again. . . on the last plane out.

Published by SeaStories1983

2 years ago

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SeaStories1983 Publisher 2 years ago

to st_john_green : Oh, man! That is an incredible set! And what a trip to see a vintage light show in the background, and all the strange video effects they were trying to do to go with the psychedelic "Time Has Come Today." Thank you, brother. . . one classic deserves another, and it actually fits this thread. . .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCDMQqDUtv4&ab_channel=riksurly

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st_john_green 2 years ago

to sub-lu : Chambers Brothers - Wade in the Water/People Get Ready/Time Has Come Today https://youtu.be/JgQZb3-o3jw

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SeaStories1983 Publisher 2 years ago

to stiv837 : Oh, absolutely. John Wayne does better in some of his Westerns than others, but that one is a classic.

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stiv837 2 years ago

to SeaStories1983 : I agree whole heartedly. I did like the new version of True Grit , but the original will always hold a special place in my heart.

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SeaStories1983 Publisher 2 years ago

to Olive8 : Now that might be interesting. The novel was a bit different from the 1959 Stanley Kramer film with Gregory Peck. That one actually had two endings filmed. . . one of which focused on the line from "Waltzing Mathilda. . . "

"You'll never catch me alive, cried he. . . "

Very fitting. . .

Another one I am recalling. . . I need to see if I can find it in the library. . . "The Last Ship" by William Brinkley. I knew him for writing a couple one comedic Navy novel and one melodramatic novel about US Landing Ships running supplies to Anzio in World War Two. His other novels I was less familiar with, but his last one, "The Last Ship" was a post-apocalyptic novel about a US destroyer surviving a full nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. I know a mini-series was done of it, but it's the novel that interests me.

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Olive8 2 years ago

And I hear there will be a sequel to the end-of-the-world nuclear holocaust novel "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute, being penned by his daughter, Parrah.

SeaStories1983 Publisher 2 years ago

to Olive8 : I knew there was a reason I avoid watching these award shows. . .

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SeaStories1983 Publisher 2 years ago

to sub-lu : Oh yes. . .

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sub-lu 2 years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26LYjMww0GY
And I dreamed I saw the bombers

Riding shotgun in the sky

And they were turning into butterflies

Above our nation

sub-lu 2 years ago

to SeaStories1983 : The recent remake of West Side Story is excellent and unlike Natalie Wood in the original, Rachel Zegler actually sings the part of Maria.

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Olive8 2 years ago

to SeaStories1983 : And don't forget the sequel many say equalled or bettered the original, 'GF2' ...or the one starring Best-Actor-Winner Will Smith that debuted in Hollywood last night, "Bad Day at Black Chris Rock: The (Black-On-Black) Smackdown." : O hahaha! ; D

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SeaStories1983 Publisher 2 years ago

to stiv837 : Different versions of some films don't bother me. I thought the Coen Brothers did a great job with "True Grit." But some stories are just pure gold and should be left alone.

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stiv837 2 years ago

The flight of the Phoenix was a great movie. It seems the remakes of movies are always subpar. I don't know why they bother . I imagine the hands on the doomsday clock are getting closer to the end .