Thursday, December 15, 2016

3rd Rock From the Sun

I forgot how fantastic this show is. And it reminds what a great comic foil Jane Curtain is.

In this episode Curtain is invited to Chicago to accept an anthropologist award. Her trip is ruined right off by Lithgow being invited to the same award presentation, on the same flight. The trip is disrupted by a storm. Lithgow gets them kicked off the plane by recognizing the plane as a death trap and creating a scene. They decide to drive and they get snowed in at a small diner. Lithgow complains to a table of truck driver types about Curtain's unresponsiveness to him. They advise Lithgow to listen carefully to what Curtain wants and then give it to her. Curtain likes to sing show tunes.

17 comments:

ricpic said...

That's John Raitt! The guy in the blue vest.

AllenS said...

I also loved this show.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

One of my favorite shows. It made me laugh then and it is laugh out loud (most of the time) now.

edutcher said...

Curtin, like the Australian PM in WWII, not like your mom's drapes.

And, yeah, it could be very funny.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Never cared much for Jane Curtain.

Nothing personal. And no good reason why.

She just seemed unintelligent.

That and that grimacing facial expression she overplayed.

To each his own, I suppose.

ndspinelli said...

Here's a good example, along the same lines as discussed on the actor Commie asshole post about electors and Trump. Lithgow is a real liberal. But, it doesn't seep into his work. He is an actor, first second and third. Great comedian and one of the best serial killers ever as the Trinity Killer in Dexter.

ndspinelli said...

ric, SUPERB eye. Bonnie's old man was much more talented than she. I think he did Oklahoma on Broadway? And 3rd Rock is a very underappreciated comedy. One of my favorites.

The Dude said...

Bonnie's okay.

Emmylou is stunning.

AllenS said...

Curtain might not be very intelligent, but she sure fit the role in 3rd Rock from the Sun.

ndspinelli said...

Allen, Curtin had a small role in The Heat as Melissa McCarthy's Boston, shanty Irish mom and she nailed it. Curtin is from the Boston area and didn't have to fake the accent.

ricpic said...

John Raitt was the lead in The Pajama Game. The original production. He was one of the best ever actor/singer male leads in Broadway musicals.

deborah said...

Mary Albright: I think you look distinguished with gray hair.
Dick Solomon: Thank you. I think you would look distinguished with gray hair, too.
Mary Albright: No. When men get gray hair, they look distinguished. When women get gray hair, they look old.
Dick Solomon: When women get breasts, they look sexy. When men get breasts, they look old.
Mary Albright: Good point!

Titus said...

Lithgow is amazing as Churchill in Crown, which just came out on Netflix.

He was amazing in Dexter and The World According to Garp.

ndspinelli said...

Thanks for the tip, Titus.

Chip Ahoy said...

Yeah, I haven't got those episodes on Dexter that have Lithgow in them. Internet says he come in at the end as the "Trinity Killer."

Chip Ahoy said...

I forgot to mention the actor who plays Dexter, Michael Hall, could be a twin of a friend of mine. It blows my mind. His cynical dry humor is similar too. Except my friend is a lot more funny.

ndspinelli said...

Chip, The Trinity Killer played by Lithgow is a masterpiece. Get the episodes. Dexter is a great series, and the Trinity Killer episodes are the best.

What has always impressed me about Dexter is that the cast is not very strong. His sister[wife and then ex-wife in reality] is a fucking liability. Her partner, Joey, is also bad. Sgt. Batista is good. Dexter's dad is good[funny how Hall's character in both 6 Feet Under and Dexter had recurring dead dad characters]. Dexter's partner, Vince is good. But, no great ensemble like The Wire, Deadwood, The Sopranos, etc. The writing and Hall carry that series. But, you throw in a Hall of Fame actor like Lithgow and you get solid gold.