Sunday, June 19, 2016

Happy Father's Day

Especially to my own father, Cliff, who is both my hero and role model.  And now my son, Matt, who has been a father for three weeks. 

This is a perennial post, now updated.

Note to those wives and kids planning to celebrate: no brunches. That’s Mother’s Day stuff. Let the old man sit in front of the TV and watch the U.S. Open or the Arena football amateur draft in peace.

Or watch FIELD OF DREAMS.And now, as a public service, here are some movies NOT to watch on Father’s Day:

FEAR STRIKES OUT
CHINATOWN
SHINE
WALK THE LINE
OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN
DEAD POETS SOCIETY
STAR WARS
THE GREAT SANTINI
THE SHINING

Some TV shows and telefilms NOT to watch:

THE MARVIN GAYE STORY
THE BEACH BOYS STORY
LOST
Any CBS family comedy

Some unfriendly father plays:

ALL MY SONS
DEATH OF A SALESMAN (any Arthur Miller, actually)
LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Some books to avoid:

Any Bing Crosby biography
Any Frank Sinatra biography
Any Papa John Phillips biography 
Any Screaming Jay Hawkins biography
LOVE STORY (for so many reasons)

Records to skip:

PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE by the Temptations
BOY NAMED SUE by Johnny Cash
MY DAD by Paul Peterson
CATS IN THE CRADLE by Harry Chapin

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Again, happy Father's Day!

19 comments :

BA said...

TCM is showing a bunch of father-themed movies today. My own fave is "The Corpse" with Michael Gough from 1971 (not on TCM!)

Mitchell Hundred said...

Taken. And The Equalizer.

MikeN said...

Frequency.
Big Daddy.

kent said...

If you're looking for the perfect father's day song not to avoid, try "Leader of the Band" by Dan Fogelberg.

VP81955 said...

Best wishes to all the fathers out there as I think if my own, who I list in 1982 at age 58. Still hard for me to believe I've outlived him.

SharoneRosen said...

SHAMELESS! For the love of God, don't watch Shameless on Father's Day!

... nor LOST IN SPACE.. that Dad F*cked up big time

Mike Schryver said...

Another movie to avoid today is HAPPINESS.

Tim W. said...

I would actually much rather go out for brunch with my family than sit in front of the TV and watch sports.

iamr4man said...

Best Father's Day film "A Bear For Punishment". Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese at their best.

Robert Brauer said...

Sure enough, IFC is airing the original Shining and the 1997 miniseries today.

Peter said...

I hope it's ok to go off topic. I'm truly shocked at the sudden death of Anton Yelchin. For those not familiar with him, he was a brilliantly talented young actor best known for playing the young Chekov in the Star Trek reboot.

This has been an appalling year for tragic losses and this one is particularly sad as he was only 27.

The new Star Trek film is out in a matter of weeks and watching his final performance will be an incredibly melancholy experience. RIP

The Bumble Bee Pendant said...

Happy 1st Grandfathers Day Ken!

The Bumble Bee Pendant said...

Same. I have not been a fan of the Star Trek reboots. But what a shame to hear about this very tragic death

Johnny Walker said...

JACK AND JILL - Just because it's always the wrong day of the year to watch it.

Anonymous said...

"This has been an appalling year for tragic losses and this one is particularly sad as he was only 27."

Lesson: Stay off the cell phone, be aware of your surroundings. Otherwise a driverless 2 ton jeep with it's engine running could find a way to sneak up on you.

Anonymous said...

Hey! "A boy named sue" had a happy ending!

H Johnson said...

Well, it's still Father's Day here in the islands and I say boo, I like My Dad by Paul Petersen!

Aloha

Eddie D said...

Movie to watch- Frequency with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel.

AAllen said...

Better add Bill Cosby's Fatherhood to the list of books to avoid. Currently clogging up a bookshelf at a thrift store near you.