The Banality of Evil As Seen on TV --- Descriptions of Sitcom Episodes

My Three Sons, Precursors to the Manson Family

Courtesy of the Decades TV network -- "Catchy Comedy."

The convent inherits a prizefighter who hates to fight. — The Flying Nun 3/14/68

Thelma plans with her African boyfriend despite Florida’s objections. — Good Times 1/19/77

Dan’s colleagues question his ulterior motives when he proposes to an awkward heiress. — Night Court 2/21/85

Ralph gets asked to do a candy bar commercial, but must first get rid of a toothache. — The Honeymooners 9/25/54

Wally uses a psychology test to trick Rick into going on a blind date with his cousin. — Ozzie and Harriet 1/14/59

Chip’s baffled when he’s assigned to write a composition about his mother. — My Three Sons 11/30/61

When Marcia is cast in the school play, she gets a swollen ego. — The Brady Bunch 10/29/71

Jesse and Joey want Stephanie to apologize to a boy she has been teasing. — Full House 10/13/89

French contemplates marriage to raise his professional esteem. — A Family Affair 12/23/68

A fun time is had by all when Grady serves his friends, including two policeman, a salad made with marijuana. — Sanford and Son 11/29/74

Archie tries in vain to keep a black family from moving into the neighborhood. — All in the Family 3/2/71

Bilko tries to help a buddy get an inheritance. — The Phil Silvers Show 11/27/56

Brooks, Conklin and Boynton investigate when Mr. Bagley, the mailman, suddenly quits his job and leaves no forwarding address. — Our Miss Brooks 1/15/54

Donna fights city hall to save a carob tree. — The Donna Reed Show 11/11/65

Lucy rents Viv’s room to a pair of bank robbers. — The Lucy Show 10/19/64

Ted is stricken by a mild heart attack and undergoes a personality change — The Mary Tyler Moore Show 10/23/76

Problems develop when Rhoda adds a few unwanted pounds just as Brenda becomes slim for the first time in her life. — Rhoda 11/1/76

A scratch on Rob’s brand-new car brings on a domestic crisis. — The Dick Van Dyke Show 3/25/64

Felix and Oscar’s bowling team is pitting against the Kingpins in a championship game. — The Odd Couple 9/19/74

KAOS has brainwashed Agent Maxwell Smart so that he will kill the chief. — Get Smart 2/19/65

Stephanie is furious when she discovers she will not be participating in a beauty contest. — Newhart 3/26/84

Dobie’s investment in eggs goes sour — The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis 2/27/62

Toody and Muldoon devise a plan to keep Officer Schnauzer and his wife from fighting. — Car 54, Where Are You? — 2/18/62

Tony Bennet stars as Danny’s cousin, who refuses to work in his father’s dry-good business. — The Danny Thomas Show 1/12/59

Ann is stuck in a faucet just before opening night. — That Girl 1/8/70

I Share News About My Job and Thoughts on Being a Successful Teacher I Also Give Advice to People Applying for a History Teacher Job, Rules for Teachers From the 1800s Are Appended

Last week I was made a permanent employee at the school where I’ve been teaching these past six months. This comes with a raise and paid sick days. This has made me happy. 

Since I became an EFL teacher (that’s English as a foreign language which is technically different that ESL in that our students are neither children nor for the most part people residing permanently in the US) I’ve been at three schools. I left the first because I’d grown weary of the commute. I left the second because it was falling apart at the seams. I then returned to the second but it closed so I’m now on number three. I’ve liked all three a lot. I’ve liked about 95% of my co-workers. At my current place of employment that total is 100%.

Unlike when I was a public school teacher, I’ve found site administrators to be reasonable, supportive people who make teachers’ jobs easier. This has been most welcome for someone who regularly crossed swords with principals and vice principals and even those odious creatures who worked as district administrators. In turn I’ve been respected and appreciated and have had infinitely less stress. Indeed, teaching English to people from other countries is as stress free a job as one can imagine. 

While both being a middle school history teacher and an EFL teacher are in the same ballpark (teaching is teaching) they are miles apart. For example when I form groups in my current job no one yells: “I can’t work with him!” Indeed there are no cases of one student loudly accusing another of farting or a student insisting I tell another to “stop messing with me.” There are no fights in class, no name-calling, virtually no interruptions. After teaching thirteen-year-olds this job is a stroll in the park.

It has been brought to my attention that I’m quite a popular teacher and I’ve been asked what is the root of this popularity. I suppose the best way to address that is through advice:

Be yourself

Be prepared

Be sensitive to your audience

Be personable

Be patient

Be cheerful

Be encouraging

Be creative

Establish certain routines but don’t be afraid to mix things up from time to time

Don’t talk too much

Be professional, dot your i’s and cross your t’s with things like attendance

Don’t get carried away with yourself

Remember that the class is about them not about you

The best thing you can do is accumulate a lot of experience without burning out in the process

Make that the second most important thing you can do, number one is: work hard, have fun

On a not unrelated topic I a friend of mine is applying for a position as a high school history teacher. Having both been interviewed for a lot of positions and having also been an interviewer, I offered to give some advice. My friend took a chance and accepted.

Here’s what I told him:

Emphasize your love of history and the depth of your knowledge and how you’re a life-long student of history. Tell them you want to instill an appreciation of history in your students, particularly as a way to understand the present and look to the future. You’ll constantly be making connections between the past and today as a way of emphasizing the importance of the class.

Talk about how you want to make the class interactive and student-centered. You’ll often be in the role of facilitator leading class discussions. Student voices will be integral to your classrooms. Thus you want to guide student learning, not be the center of it. Students will be encouraged to develop their own opinions as you stress critical thinking skills. Beyond recitation of facts you’ll expect students to put forth their own opinions but ones based on facts. For example on a test you might have a  questions like: What do you think were the three main causes of the Civil War? Be sure to support your opinion with relevant facts.”

You intend to get to know your students as individuals so you can better help them through the learning process. By having a familiarity with them you can better assist those who are struggling and better challenge those who are excelling. 

You’ll also be aware of classroom dynamics and note that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work with some classes. You’ll occasionally have classes that tend to be quieter and more passive and need a bigger push and others that are more energetic and maybe need to be reigned in a bit.

Mention your flexibility and adaptability and how you are skilled at “calling audibles” that is altering lessons depending on the needs of the students on a particular day.

As a teacher your most valuable tool is a mirror. Anytime a lesson goes poorly or students don’t do well on a test you’ll look in that mirror to remind yourself of who’s responsible. A bad day, or a bad class or a bad interaction with a student is an opportunity for you to examine how you could have done things differently. A good teacher never blames students for being bored or confused, they figure out how they could have done things differently. 

You know that teachers have to learn and grow constantly.

You will look to and learn from your colleagues, especially those with more experience. You believe in collaboration and collegiality. You know from sports that it’s important to be a team player. You’ll take advantage of in-services, professional developments, conferences, seminars etc. to enrich your professional growth.

Also talk about the school and why you would be a good fit for them. Ask them questions about the school, the history department, the curriculum etc.

When you can, answer the question you want to answer and not the one they ask. Let yourself get across the points you want to emphasize.

Though it may sound contradictory, try to appear confident, relaxed and enthusiastic. 

Emphasize those work and even life experiences that most relate to the position your seeking. 

You’re less likely to stress over it if you’re prepared and have thought about what you’re going to say.

Any prospective history teachers out there may feel free to use this, or not.

As an added bonus (is there any other kind?) to this post, here are rules for teachers from the 1800s. Don't let the current administration see this as they may elect to enforce them.

Rules for Teachers in the 1800s

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.

2. Each Teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day’s session.

3. Make your pens carefully.  You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.

4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.

5. After ten hours in school, the teacher may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.

6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.

7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a good sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.

8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity, and honesty.

9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

My Top 30 Films From 1975-1999

Manhattan (1979) Allen

Astute readers of this blog (I'm looking at you Forsyth Tanglefoot of Helena, Montana) doubtless recall that at the beginning of last month I published a list of my top thirty films from the first quarter of this century. I have since struck upon the idea of listing my top thirty films from preceding twenty-five year periods. So for  this month I offer my top thirty from the last 25 years of the preceding century. In April I'll publish my top thirty from 1950-1974 and will conclude the series in May with thirty from 1925-1959. You're welcome. Not surprisingly it was much more difficult to narrow down the many films I love for this list than the previous one, principally because the time period includes the last five years of the Seventies, my favorite decade of films. You will note that nine of thirty films come from the that half decade. There are three films from Woody Allen on the list, four from Martin Scorsese, two from Aki Kaurismäki and -- amazingly -- the other twenty-one are all from different directors. There were some terrific films that didn't make the list, indeed too many to mention. Here are the ones that did.

1. Manhattan (1979) Allen

2. Goodfellas (1990) Scorsese

3. Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987) Malle

4. Stalker (1979) Tarkovsky

5. Taxi Driver (1976) Scorsese

6. Europa (1991) von Trier

7. Fanny and Alexander (1982) Bergman

8. Heaven’s Gate (1980) Cimino

9. Tess (1979) Polanski

10. The Ice Storm (1997) A. Lee

11. Apocalypse Now (1979) F. Coppola

12. Annie Hall (1977) Allen

13. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Lumet

14. Dead Man (1995) Jarmusch

15. Radio Days (1987) Allen

16. Raging Bull (1980) Scorsese

17. The Big Lebowski (1998) Coens

18. Rushmore (1998) W. Anderson

19. Ariel (1998) Kaurismaki

20. My Own Private Idaho (1991) van Sant

21. Barry Lyndon (1975) Kubrick

22. La Haine (1995) Kassovitz

23. Local Hero (1983) Forsyth

24. Pulp Fiction (1994) Tarantino

25. Come and See (1985) Klimov

26. The Age of Innocence (1993) Scorsese

27. Beau Travail (1999) Denis

28. The Match Factory Girl (1990) Kaurismaki

29. Das Boot (1981) Peterson

30. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) Weir

They Say a Good Blog Post is Worth Repeating: "If I Had My Way: Each Year's Oscar Winner for Best Picture, My Favorite Nominee of the Nominees and My Favorite Picture" is here Reprised and Updated

Anora

A few years ago I offered the post below described in the title above. I thought it worth re-running especially in light of the fact that for only the eighth time my favorite picture of the year, Anora, actually was awarded the Best Picture Oscar tonight. (Not that I watched, I never do). It feels weird when my favorite of the nominees wins the award as happened last year with Oppenheimer. When my overall pic wins it feels even weirder. Weirdness aside, here's that post from a few years ago, updated.

Below you will find each year's Oscar winner for best picture followed by my favorite of that year's nominees and my favorite film for that year. You will note that in a few cases for best nominee I put N/A (not applicable) because in my estimation, there wasn't anything nominated worthy of the prize. In only seven years did the Oscar winner match what I thought was the best movie (All Quiet on the Western From '30, Casablanca '42, On the Waterfront '54, The Godfather '72, Annie Hall '77, No Country for Old Men '07 and Birdman '14). On sixteen occasions the best picture was, in my opinion, the best of the nominees. Sixty-five times my favorite film of the year did not receive a nomination (although many were foreign language films and some of those were nominated in that category.). Please excuse my failure to link the films to IMDb as I normally do, but with over two hundred titles, it's simply too time-consuming a task.

1928 Wings/Wings/Sunrise

1929 Broadway Melody/NA/Diary of a Lost Girl

1930 All Quiet on the Western Front/All Quiet on the Western Front/All Quiet on the Western Front

1931 Cimarron/ The Front Page/City Lights

1932 Grand Hotel/Shanghai Express/Red Dust

1933 Cavalcade/42nd Street/Duck Soup

1934 It Happened One Night/The Thin Man/The Thin Man

1935 Mutiny on the Bounty/Ruggles of Red Gap/The Thirty-Nine Steps

1936 The Great Ziegfeld/Libeled Lady/My Man Godfrey

1937 The Life of Emile Zola/The Awful Truth/The Awful Truth

1938 You Can’t Take it With You/Grand Illusion/Holiday

1939 Gone With the Wind/Mr. Smith Goes to Washington/Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

1940 Rebecca/ The Grapes of Wrath/His Girl Friday

1941 How Green Was My Valley/Citizen Kane/Sullivan’s Travels

1942 Mrs. Miniver/The Talk of the Town/The Talk of the Town

1943 Casablanca/Casablanca/Casablanca

1944 Going My Way/Double Indemnity/Double Indemnity

1945 The Lost Weekend/The Lost Weekend/Rome: Open City

1946 The Best Years of Our Lives/It’s a Wonderful Life/It’s a Wonderful Life

1947 Gentleman’s Agreement/Great Expectations/Odd Man Out

1948 Hamlet/Treasure of the Sierra Madre/Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1949 All the King’s Men/Battleground/The Third Man

1950 All About Eve/Sunset Blvd./Sunset Blvd.

1951 An American in Paris/A Streetcar Named Desire/A Streetcar Named Desire

1952 The Greatest Show on Earth/High Noon/Umberto D

1952 From Here to Eternity/Julius Caesar/Ikiru

1954 On the Waterfront/On the Waterfront/On the Waterfront

1955 Marty/Mister Roberts/Rebel Without a Cause

1956 Around the World in 80 Days/NA/The Searchers

1957 Bridge on the River Kwai/Bridge on the River Kwai/The Seventh Seal

1958 Gigi/The Defiant One/Elevator to the Gallows

1959 Ben-Hur/NA/Some Like it Hot

1960 The Apartment/The Apartment/La Dolce Vita

1961 West Side Story/The Hustler/Through a Glass Darkly

1962 Lawrence of Arabia/To Kill a Mockingbird/L’Eclisse

1963 Tom Jones/NA/Winter Light

1964 My Fair Lady/Dr. Strangelove/Red Desert

1965 The Sound of Music/A Thousand Clowns/I Knew Her Well

1966 A Man for All Seasons/The Sand Pebbles/Persona

1967 In the Heat of the Night/Bonnie and Clyde/Bonnie and Clyde

1968 Oliver/The Lion in Winter/2001: A Space Odyssey

1969 Midnight Cowboy/Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid/The Wild Bunch

1970 Patton/M*A*S*H*/Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion

1971 The French Connection/A Clockwork Orange/A Clockwork Orange

1972 The Godfather/The Godfather/The Godfather

1973 The Sting/The Exorcist/Amacord

1974 Godfather Part 2/ Chinatown/Chinatown

1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest/Barry Lyndon/Barry Lyndon

1976 Rocky/Taxi Driver/Taxi Driver

1977 Annie Hall/Annie Hall/Annie Hall

1978 Deer Hunter/Deer Hunter/Animal House

1979 Kramer vs. Kramer/Apocalypse Now/Manhattan

1980 Ordinary People/Raging Bull/Heaven’s Gate

1981 Chariots of Fire/Reds/Reds

1982 Gandhi/The Verdict/Fanny and Alexander

1983 Terms of Endearment/The Right Stuff/Local Hero

1984 Amadeus/Places in the Heart/Broadway Danny Rose

1985 Out of Africa/Witness/Come and See

1986 Platoon/Platoon/Down by Law

1987 The Last Emperor/NA/Au Revoir Les Enfants

1988 Rain Man/Dangerous Liaisons/Bull Durham

1989 Driving Miss Daisy/My Left Foot/Crimes & Misdemeanors

1990 Dances With Wolves/Goodfellas/Goodfellas

1991 The Silence of the Lambs/JFK/Europa

1992 Unforgiven/The Crying Game/La Vie de boheme

1993 Schindler’s List/Schindler’s List/Groundhog Day

1994 Forrest Gump/Pulp Fiction/Pulp Fiction

1995 Braveheart/Il Postino/Dead Man

1996 The English Patient/Fargo/Drifting Clouds

1997 Titanic/Good Will Hunting/Ice Storm

1998 Shakespeare in Love/Saving Private Ryan/The Big Lebowski

1999 American Beauty/American Beauty/The Virgin Suicides

2000 Gladiator/Traffic/In the Mood For Love

2001 A Beautiful Mind/Gosford Park/Y Tu Mama Tambien

2002 Chicago/Gangs of New York/Hable Con Ella

2003 Lord of the Rings/Lost in Translation/The Man Without a Past

2004 Million Dollar Baby/The Aviator/Mean Girls

2005 Crash/Good Night and Good Luck/Match Point

2006 The Departed/The Departed/Half Nelson

2007 No Country For Old Men/No Country For Old Men/No Country For Old Men

2008 Slumdog Millionaire/Milk/Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2009 The Hurt Locker/Inglourious Basterds/Inglourious Basterds

2010 The King’s Speech/Winter’s Bone/Of Gods and Men

2011 The Artist/Midnight in Paris/Midnight in Paris

2012 Argo/Silver Linings Playbook/Silver Linings Playbook

2013 12 Years a Slave/Nebraska/Inside Llewyn Davis

2014 Birdman/Birdman/Birdman

2015 Spotlight/The Revenant/Carol

2016 Moonlight/Manchester by the Sea/Manchester by the Sea

2017 The Shape of Water/Call Me by Your Name/Personal Shopper

2018 Green Book/Roma/First Reformed

2019 Parasite/Once Upon a Time in Hollywood/Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2020 Nomadland/Promising Young Woman/Another Round

2021 CODA/Drive My Car/Drive My Car

2022 Everything Everywhere All At Once/Tar/Aftersun

2023 Oppenheimer/Oppenheimer/Fallen Leaves

2024 Anora/Anora/Anora

2025 One Battle After Another/One Battle After Another/It Was Just an Accident