Saturday, July 16, 2011

Bud, Lou, Bela and Ziggy Stardust

What do Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi and David Bowie have in common? Well, I'll tell you.

One of my favorite movies of all time is Labyrinth. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's this wonderful mix of authentic Jim Henson-before-he-died muppets, David Bowie as a goblin king, plus an awesome Bowie soundtrack. My sister and I have probably watched this movie a hundred times if we've watched it once, it's just that SUPER AWESOME!

Of course that means we pretty much know most of the script, including an important speech from the young girl who is trying to get her baby brother back from the goblin king:

"Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great. You have no power over me."

Now, keep that little speech in mind, especially the parts I've helpfully bolded. It was repeated a few times in the movie.

So anyway, there I was, minding my own business the other day. I was doing stuff on the computer, you know, that "stuff" that keeps us sitting in front of it for so long. Anyway, in the background on the TV, I had a movie playing that I had DVR'd for fun: The Return of the Vampire from 1944 with Bela Lugosi. It takes place during WWII in Britain believe it or not and there is a werewolf loping around serving Bela who of course, is Dracula.

Anyway, I only had it on as background, but suddenly a line that the werewolf said to Bela cuts through my important feeding of my cows in Frontierville:

"You have no power over me."

I thought, WOW, he said it just like Sarah from Labyrinth! That was pretty cool. Now certainly there are probably characters in movies that have said that line all over the place. But if you've watched Labyrinth as many times as I did, then that's what you would think of too.

So then, later in the same weekend, I have another movie on in the background.

This time it's Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Come on, you know it's a masterpiece. Just go watch it, you'll love it. On a side note, Abbott and Costello always make me think of those Dagwood and Blondie movies - haven't seen those on TV for decades. When I was little, on Sundays in the morning I'd watch Dagwood and Blondie, then at Noon an Abbott and Costello movie would come on. Good times. :-)

Anyway, and then this happened while the movie was on and I was busy harvesting corn or something on my homestead, it cut right through to me just like the other line...

There was this woman in the movie, playing a character named Dr. Morney. She said to Bela (yes, of course he was in the Abbott and Costello movie too!):

"You have no power over me."

!!!

So now I'm getting suspicious. What is the universe trying to tell me? To watch Labyrinth again? It has been several years. To buy a David Bowie song on Amazon? To maybe stop tending my stupid homestead and go outside into the sun once in a while before I get pale as a vampire? After all, the lines were both said to Bela...

Heck if I know though! I just chalked it up to maybe the writer who wrote the little speech for Labyrinth watched a lot of Dracula and Abbott and Costello movies in his youth. I know I did. :-)

3 comments:

  1. No, no, Leah. You're supposed to be speaking to the computer: "You have no power over me!" (You know I'm joking, right?) Isn't it strange how things come in threes sometimes? I haven't seen any of those 3 movies, but then I'm not one to spend too much time in front of a TV or movie screen. (At least in front of a computer screen it's somewhat interactive, right?)

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  2. Nancy - you are so right! I'm supposed to get up from the computer, LOLOL!! Of course, that never occurred to me! :-)

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  3. I'm sorry, but you have no power over me.

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