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Tag: Good Times

Deep Dive Into Good Times

October 16, 2023 / / 0 Comments

So I’m not technically finished with the 1970s TV shows yet. I have a little bit of cleanup to do with those, thanks to some audio files Cher scholar Jay sent me a while back (and some full episodes to revisit and refresh).

And then there are the TV specials I’ve just started to review. I’m up to Cher’s show in Monte Carlo in the very early 1980s now (watched it last night), a show which marks an important new chapter in Cher shows. I’ll have that up soon.

And in the middle of all this, I asked Robrt Pela if he would sit for a conversation about the Sonny & Cher 1967 movie Good Times since its director William Friedkin has just recently passed.

And so that led to a deep dive into the movie which produced not only the conversation with Robrt but a scene-by-scene guide to the movie, probably a bit too much explication but there’s a lot going on in that movie so…

…so….we’re doing movies now.

But anyway, the dive into the movie revealed a lot of Easter Eggs, as Robrt calls them, and lots of meta-moments and commentary on show business, all under the sharp direction of Friedkin and colorful, mid-60s stylings of teen-Batman-culture.

I remembered the movie as a kind of sentimental, silly romp from childhood. But I found much more in there as subtext when I went back in for a closer look.

Cher Scholar and Robrt Pela Discuss Good Times

Cher Scholar’s Guide to Good Times

 

The Definition of Kibitz

November 25, 2019 / / 0 Comments

KibbitzRemember this scene in the movie Good Times? Sonny is playing chess with their pet monkey? This is shortly after Cher orders out for "chicken delight" while saying, "You knew when you met me I wasn't the domestic type." 

I often say this phrase at home.

Anyway, Sonny, Cher and the monkey are waiting for their takeout and Cher is watching the chess game and making suggestions for Sonny, who is losing the game to the monkey. This annoys Sonny and he complains to her, "Don't kibitz."

Well, I've always wondered what that word meant. Like from the year 1981 when I first saw this movie at age 11 until this year. So for like 38 years I've been sitting here wondering. 

Recently I was listening to a Way with Words podcast and they explained this was a Yiddish word meaning "meddlesome bird." This is awesome because I love Yiddish.

Practically, it's defined as "to speak informally, chat, kibitz with friends" or alternatively "to look on and offer unwelcome advice, especially at a card game." (Google)

Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino also use the word in a recent GQ interview:

GQ: I wonder if you guys are friends in part because so few other people can really relate to your respective life experiences.

Pacino: We get together. And there’s a trust there. There just is. We understand this thing together a little bit better. And you go there sometimes just to get some feedback. We talk about things.

De Niro: Kibitz. I don’t know if you know that word.

GQ: I do.

Pacino: We kibitz.

They kibitz. That's adorable.

Cher in Movie History

September 28, 2017 / / 0 Comments

GoodtimesThanks to Tyler (again! He's a Dr. of Cher scholarship) for sharing this great blog post on Good Times.

"Good Times" is not necessarily a good movie by normal cinematic standards. In fact, let's come right out and say it — it's a bad movie by most cinematic standards. But it's still fun to watch, especially if you think of it as a series of music videos instead of a movie. Or maybe just think of it as a preview of their TV variety show from a few years later.

ChermaskAnother great article about Cher music on TV and in the movies.

The article singles out the recent covers of “Believe” on singing competition shows and also super rarities in the movies, like the song “Human,” the never-released gem from the soundtrack of Stuck On You. It's one of my favorite later-day Cher songs although the production sounds a little back bedroom. Another interesting mention is Cher's performance of “Little Egypt,” the infamous, badly-lit scene cut from the final release of Mask. You can see the outtake here (and in  Peter Bogdanovich’s Directors Cut DVD). It's the part of the movie where she runs into Gar at a picnic that turns into a party and she's trying to lure him back into her life.

I haven’t seen this movie in years. Maybe it’s time.

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