I Dream of Jeannie: Is There an Extra Genie in the House? (1966) (TV)

Alternate (and wrong, in my opinion) title: Is There an Extra Jeannie in the House?

Synopsis: Roger is entertaining a beautiful girl in his apartment; they've just had dinner and now they're having champagne; she says she has to go or else her uncle will be furious; Roger says one more sip and then he'll take her home. He goes to the kitchen for more champagne and whispers to Jeannie to show herself; the smoke is produced and Tony appears. It turns out that Roger borrowed Jeannie for the night, but Tony took her back because she was too tired after cooking 24 courses for Roger's dinner. She was also supposed to turn the clock back 3 hours so Roger could meet the midnight deadline set by the girl's uncle -- who happens to be Dr. Bellows; now Roger is in trouble. The next day Roger meets Jeannie and Tony; Jeannie suggests she summons her cousin Marilla to be Roger's own genie; Tony is contrary to the idea: one genie in Cocoa Beach is enough trouble. Roger is punished for disrespecting Dr. Bellows' curfew -- he is sent on vacation to a remote island. The janitor of the building where Roger lives offers his apartment while he is away to a couple of down-and-out magicians. Roger comes back for some notes he forgot and meets the two magicians dressed in oriental style; he thinks Jeannie has finally granted his wish -- in double! Dr. Bellows cancels his trip, and Roger thinks it's his "genii"'s work. He offers Dr. Bellows' niece a mink coat; he also ask his "genii" to make Dr. Bellows head of NASA's medical department so he gets off his back. Later, he thanks Jeannie for the favor and Jeannie phones Roger's apartment to talk to her cousin; apparently she came of her own will -- on a magic carpet -- since Jeannie never called for her; Jeannie gets suspicious and so does Tony. They go visit Roger to meet his "genii"; they are cooking dinner for Roger and his date, but it's taking too long by Jeannie's standards. Tony asks Jeannie to make the two magicians disappear; Roger says he is more powerful than Jeannie since he has two genii; he orders them to blink Jeannie out. The two magicians get freaked out by all this and reveal they were just looking for a place to stay, but they'd rather sleep under the bridge than to deal with that insanity, so they leave. Roger realizes he is in trouble again and, having promised Dr. Bellows his promotion by 10 o'clock next morning, he would be considered a lunatic. But Dr. Bellows does get promoted after all, thanks to Jeannie's intervention, and Roger escapes his punishment.

The Munsters: Eddie's Nickname (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Eddie comes home from school very upset because his classmates gave him the nickname "Shorty". Grandpa fixes a potion which he says will make him grow 15 centimeters. Eddie drinks it and instead of increasing his stature, the potion grows a beard in him. His parents take him to the doctor -- Eddie wears a paperbag mask so that people won't see his face -- and the prognosis is that there is no cure for his condition. During dinner, Grandpa tries to comfort Eddie by telling him that he will make him his partner in his future business of selling the potion as a cure for baldness -- a 40% partnership, since "you don't give 50% to a 10-year-old kid". Eddie inadvertently wets his beard in his soup, and the wet portion of the beard disintegrates; it disappears completely by applying a cloth soaked in soup to his face, and so he is cured. Lily is very happy, although she confesses that she doesn't know how that reflects on her culinary skills. Herman gives Eddie a sermon about how he shouldn't worry about his height or appearance, because what matters is one's good heart and strength of character.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Mother Lurch Visits the Addams Family (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Lurch's Mother writes him and he tells her he is a rich man living in a mansion of his own; she says she will come to visit him and he feels depressed because she will find out he lied. Gomez and Morticia propose him an exchange of social positions while her mother is there: Lurch will be the master and Gomez and Morticia will be his servants. He agrees reluctantly. Mother Lurch turns out to be an impossible person; she has Gomez and Morticia fired and sends for new servants. Fester and Grandmama, who happen to be entering the house within a few minutes of her call to the agency, are mistaken for the new servants, and decide to go along with it. Mother Lurch finally goes away, but Lurch has become accustomed to the life of master of the house and so has difficulties in returning to his old servile position.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: And So Died Riabouchinska (1956) (TV)

Synopsis: A man is killed in the premises of a vaudeville theater; he had visited the ventriloquist twice, and that makes the latter the prime suspect.

Appraisal: Not so good, I'm afraid. The development is potentially entertaining, but the mystery's solution makes it a candidate for worst episode so far.

Sometimes in April (2005) (TV)

Synopsis: In 1994, in Rwanda, during the civil war between Hutu and Tutsi, Augustin, a Hutu soldier, is blacklisted and his Tutsi wife's life is put at risk; his brother Honoré is a radio speaker who incites the rage against the Tutsi. Honoré agrees to drive Augustin's wife and children out of the country, but will he be able to pass the many roadblocks?

Appraisal: Honest portrayal of a tragic war with its multifaceted political nuances; it is nevertheless way too slow and long, and not as effective dramatically as I expected.

Rating: 48

The Munsters: Bats of a Feather (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Eddie is choosing an animal for a pet fair at school; Lily thinks their cat would be the best choice, but Herman prefers that he take Spot, their dragon. Grandpa in turn suggests Igor the bat. Spot refuses to leave his refuge under the staircase, so Igor seems to be their only choice, since the cat is considered too unappealing. Herman calls Igor an idiot and, feeling insulted, it leaves the house. Grandpa morphs into his batlike guise so that Eddie can take him; they don't tell Eddie that it's Grandpa though -- he still thinks it's Igor. At the fair, Bat-Grandpa scares people by flying around the room. Eddie comes home with a squirrel: he has traded his bat for it with a classmate -- only for the weekend, he says. They phone his classmate but he sold the bat to his father who is a scientist at NASA. They all fly to Washington, to the scientist's lab where Grandpa is being held. The NASA scientist who has Grandpa is thinking of sending him to space in an experimental flight; Grandpa passes out when he hears it. They get a female bat to make him company. When the Munsters arrive at the NASA facility, Herman goes to talk to the guards at the gate; they think he is some experiment who escaped from the lab, and tell him to go back inside. Herman gets to the lab, but mistakes the female bat for Grandpa, and takes her. When the scientists begin to experiment with Grandpa, they make him fly towards a wall in order to test his radar; he flies right into it, though. He then takes the opportunity and flees the lab; when he is out of the scientists' sight he morphs back into human form; he then reaches the front gate and asks the guards to call him a taxi to the airport. When he gets home, they are all trying to make the female bat turn into Grandpa. Igor returns to the house and falls in love with the female bat. Eddie asks about it and Grandpa tells him he should have a conversation with Eddie about "the bats and the bees".

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: The Addams Family Meets the Undercover Man (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: The CIA is investigating the Addams because coded messages have been detected coming out of their house. Actually, it's Pugsley talking to his friends from all over the world on his Citizen's Band radio. The CIA man hires the postman as an undercover agent; he is supposed to enter their house, read their mail, and locate the source of the radio messages. He doesn't complete the job, because he gets scared and leaves. The CIA man then hires the plumber to do the same job, under the pretense of fixing their lion's water fountain. He too is scared and flees. The Addams suspect something strange is going on and phone the CIA; the call reaches the very man who is investigating them; he takes the opportunity to enter the house and see things for himself. The Addams find his behavior strange and suspect him of being an impostor; they unarm him and put him in the pillory; it's in the same room in which Pugsley makes his transmissions, so he finally finds out what they were about. The Addams check his identity with the CIA and conclude he is legitimate; everything is explained and they let him go.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The AristoCats (1970)

Synopsis: An elderly lady living in a huge mansion decides to make a will leaving all her possessions to her cats (a mother and her three children); she states that after the cats die, the butler will inherit everything, provided he takes care of the cats while they are alive. The butler doesn't like the idea and decides to get rid of the cats.

Appraisal: Good animated entertainment, with elaborate sequences and fine animation. Note 1: I saw it dubbed in Portuguese. Note 2: I had already seen this film as a kid.

Rating: 55

The Munsters: Herman's Rival (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Lily reads Herman's bank extract and sees it has no money in it; she thinks he is broke and decides to take a job. Actually, Herman has loaned money to his brother-in-law Lester, and is not really broke. Lily finds a job as a hand reader at a tea house. Herman arrives early from work one day and finds that Lily is not there; he gets suspicious and is encouraged by Grandpa to follow her on the next day. He and Grandpa follow her to the tea house; they peek through a high window and see her reading the owner's hand; they think they are holding hands as lovers; he goes back home. Later, he decides, again under Grandpa's encouragement, to go to the tea house and demand satisfaction from the owner. When Lily gets home, Herman has already left. Lester calls Herman but he is not in; Lily talks to him: he wants to return the money he borrowed; Lily asks him to meet them at the tea house. Herman breaks into the tea house, and the owner passes out at the sight of him. Lily arrives and explains it all; the owner comes to, but passes out again at the sight of the Munsters. Lester arrives: he is a werewolf, a full-fledged, hairy one; the owner passes out once again at the sight of him.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Art and the Addams Family (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Grandmama has taken to painting and Gomez invites his friend Bosley Swain the art critic to look at her paintings. He says she needs a teacher, so they decide to hire Picasso to teach her. Lurch calls him in France but can't find him there, so he tries Spain; he reaches another man named Picasso who was about to commit suicide. He agrees to come to America to teach Grandmama. He is only interested in the free meals he will get; Bosley Swain is invited again and says this is not the real Picasso, but a crook who uses his famous relative's name to sell his worthless paintings. The Addams think he is jealous and encourage Picasso to paint; they even lock him up in his studio. Wednesday sneaks in there through one of Pugsley's secret tunnels. Picasso decides to escape through the tunnel; Wednesday takes the opportunity to paint on Picasso's canvases. The Addams catch Picasso escaping and take him back in; they see Wednesday's paintings and think they are Picasso's. They summon Bosley Swain to look at them, and he says they're masterpieces; he buys them; Picasso takes the money and goes back to Spain. Morticia and the Thing decide to paint too.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: All-Star Munster (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Marilyn is desperate because she is being threatened with expulsion from the university due to lack of payment. Apparently, Lily forgot to pay last month's tuition. Herman goes down to the university to solve the matter. He gets lost in the campus and asks for directions in the sports department. By a coincidence, they are expecting a basketball player named Moose whose description matches Herman's appearance. They think he is Moose, and tell him to play a little for them to see. Herman excels with the ball and is tricked into signing a contract there and then. When he asks about the tuition matter, he is told he will not have any problem in that area, even though he never mentions Marilyn's name. Meanwhile, the real Moose arrives with his father and, seeing no one at the bus station to receive him, heads to the university campus. He is dismissed because now that they have Herman they no longer need him. Back at the Munsters', Herman is very excited about his blossoming sportsman career, but is severely repproached by Grandpa and Lily for not having solved Marilyn's problem. They hear the doorbell and it's Moose and his father who came to complain to Herman for having taken his place. They all urge Herman to go to the university campus to straighten things up. It is done, and Moose gets back his position as a player; he begins dating Marilyn, and when he comes to pick her, they all step outside to take a peek and are astonished by the expensive car he is driving; he is not the struggling poor student they thought he was.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Top Cat: The Maharajah of Pookajee (1961) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Top Cat is selling tickets to a trapeze act starring Brain and Choo-Choo, but it goes awry: Brain hits Dibble while on his trajectory. They all have to scram. They overhear that Dibble is in charge of the security of a maharajah who is coming to town for a visit, and is famous for his generosity -- he hands out rubies for those who happen to pass near him. Top Cat tricks Dibble into telling him the name of the hotel the maharajah is staying at; he and his gang head there. They all disguise as maharajahs in order to enter the hotel; in there, Top Cat is mistaken for the real maharajah, whose arrival has been postponed. The cats profit from the mistake and lodge themselves in the most expensive suite in the hotel. They bought glass beads which they use to tip the hotel employees, pretending they are rubies. When they run out of beads, Top Cat sends Benny to buy some more. On his way out, Benny meets a jeweler who is supposed to deliver some jewels to the maharajah; Benny thinks the hotel service is so efficient that they went to buy beads for him so he doesn't have to go to the drugstore. He receives the jewels and gives them to Top Cat. Their party is over sooner than they expect, though: the real maharajah arrives, and they must leave in a hurry through the laundry chute. When they reach the street, they meet Dibble, who thinks T.C. is the maharajah; T.C. gives Dibble the jewels (which he thinks are beads) in appraisal of the excellent security job he is doing. Farther ahead Top Cat bumps into the real maharajah who gives him a bag of jewels; Top Cat thinks he is just another impostor like himself and throws the jewels in the ocean. The next day, Dibble shows up driving a brand new automobile, which he says he bought with the jewels Top Cat gave him. Benny shows Top Cat the maharajah's photo in the paper, and T.C. realizes it's the same man he bumped into the day before; he also realizes he threw real jewels in the ocean. They decide to dive for them; Top Cat is supervising the search but gets impatient for results and dives himself. Benny is perplexed: "Why did he do it if he can'tswim?"

The Munsters: Grandpa's Call of the Wild (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Eddie asks his father to take him camping. Herman agrees and they all except Marilyn go camping in a park. When they get there Herman sets up their tent; Lily asks him to move it so they would stay out of the sun, but Herman moves a tree instead. Herman is fishing for their lunch but he is so strong that the line goes beyond the lake, landing on other people's food -- he brings a fried fish, then a roast chicken, and so on. At night, Grandpa feels nostalgic when he hears the howling of the wolves. They all go to sleep except for Grandpa who says he will stay a while longer enjoying the night air. The next morning, he has vanished. They hear the news that the park guards have captured a Transylvanian wolf, and they know of course that it's Grandpa who has morphed into a wolf. Lily claims it to the park supervisor, but he says he can't hand it over to Lily. Lily tells Grandpa-wolf to morph back into human form, but he says he can't remember how. When night falls, Herman goes to Grandpa's cage and breaks the locker, freeing Grandpa. They all decide to return home, but they have a problem: how to cross the gate without the wolf being seen by the park guards? Lily disguises the wolf as a stole, and nobody notices it. At home, they give Grandpa an anti-wolf serum to make him go back to his human guise.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Dance with Me, Herman (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Lily snoops in Marilyn's bedroom while she is "cleaning" it (actually, she was putting some cobwebs in it) and finds a letter from school saying there will be a gathering of parents at school. She tells Herman about it and they are a little upset, thinking that maybe Marilyn is ashamed of them and doesn't want them to go to the gathering. Herman asks Marilyn about it and she says that she didn't tell them because it will be a dancing party and she knows how Herman feels about such events. Herman says he will not go because he can't dance. Lily says he should make an effort and learn to dance; she is willing to teach him. After a few unsuccesful attempts at teaching him, they all decide it's best to enroll him at a dancing school, so that's what he does. The school owner tells the dancing instructor to flatter Herman so as to convince him to sign a 10-year contract. Herman is led to believe he is a great dancer, and there is no trouble making him sign the contract. At home, Grandpa reads the contract and finds out it's a big scam to take Herman's money. They call the police, who say they will investigate the school; when the school owner receives a call from the police, he tells the dancing instructor to suspect any student looking excessively naive; she tells him she already has one fitting that profile: Herman. The school owner takes a look at Herman and concludes he can't be a genuine student, so he tears up his contract, gives him all his money back, and tells him he has no future as a dancer, so he better stop his lessons. Herman is disillusioned and decides he won't go to the ball anymore; Lily says in that case she won't go either, but he insists she goes without him; she complies, but pretends to sprain her ankle while going down the front stairs, so she doesn'thave to go without Herman.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: The Addams Family Meets a Beatnik (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Rocky, a young motorbiker, has an accident and invades the Addams' front lawn; they take him in. He has to stay there while he waits for his motorcycle's broken parts to be replaced. Gomez reads in the newspaper about an industry tycoon; he has a hunch and compares the tycoon's name to Rocky's, which he reads in the latter's driver's license. Rocky is the tycoon's son; Gomez also finds out that the following day is Rocky's birthday; he and Morticia decide to give him a surprise party; they invite his father. At the party, Rocky tells his father that he is tired of not being accepted as he is, and that the Addams were the only ones that did not try to change him. His father admits his errors and they make peace with each other.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Grandpa Leaves Home (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Grandpa has an argument with Herman and Lily over some petty issues (an open window, noises Grandpa does when Herman is reading) and decides to leave home. Herman tells Lily to pretend indifference -- he thinks Grandpa is just trying to attract attention. Several days later, though, he hasn't returned and Lily starts to worry; they find an ad in the newspaper announcing Grandpa as a magician in a nightclub. They phone him there and he says he is doing very well on his own, and his show is a big success. The truth, however, is quite the opposite: his boss at the nightclub has threatened to fire him if the show fails to please his customers once again. Herman and Lily decide to go to the nightclub that evening to watch Grandpa; the latter is doing a different act that evening: like Harry Houdini, he has them lock him inside a chest and promises to get out of there in ten seconds without any human assistance. When he fails to break out of there after some minutes, Herman goes on stage and opens the chest. Grandpa is surprised to see him and asks him to close the chest again. The nightclub owner then opens it again and there is a wolf inside; he is scared and lets it close again, but it immediately reopens and Grandpa appears, in his human form. The show is a big success and Grandpa is invited to perform on the East Coast, but he has realized his family is more important than his career and decides to go back home and quit show business.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: The Sleeping Cutie (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Grandpa has invented a pill which produces gasoline when added to water. He sends it to an oil company in the hopes of selling the rights to it. Meanwhile, at home, Marilyn has a bad crisis of insomnia; Grandpa gives her a pill which he says will cure her instantly; by mistake, however, he gives her the "Sleeping Beauty" pill which puts her in a sleep which can only be interrupted by the kiss of a prince. They put an ad in the paper looking for such a prince. At the oil company, they are very interested in the pill and select someone to go in person to the Munsters' house to make an offer for the pill. Grandpa decides to destroy the formula for the "Sleeping Beauty" pill, but by mistake destroys the instant gasoline pill instead. When the oil company guy comes to the house, they initially say they are not interested, but then they read his card and see that his last name is Prince, so they invite him in. They say they will only talk about business after he performs a family ritual which consists in kissing the youngest family member of the opposite sex. He agrees to it, and when he sees Marilyn he is more than delighted to do it. Marilyn awakes and Grandpa reveals that he has destroyed the pill; the company only wants him to agree not to market it, so he signs the contract; Herman forbids him from taking money for it though. Marilyn starts dating Mr. Prince.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Lurch Learns to Dance (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: The annual Butlers' Ball is nearing, and Lurch is invited; he never goes to these events, and does not intend to make this year an exception. Morticia and Gomez think he should though, in order to develop his social skills. They find out he cannot dance, and decide to hire him a teacher. When she arrives at the mansion, she keeps passing out; eventually she manages to stay conscious, but she cannot teach Lurch anything. Wednesday tries to teach him ballet, with pathetic results; their sizes are too disparate and they are parted to prevent Wednesday from being physically injured . Morticia decides to teach him herself; she is not successful either. Gomez is the last one to try, and he gets slightly better results. On the day of the ball, Lurch dresses up as a little boy (it's a costume ball) and goes. Nobody wants to dance with him there, and he sits dejected at a bench. Morticia decides to go to the ball in disguise and pair with him in the dance contest. They play the tango and the winning couple is Lurch and Morticia.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: The Midnight Ride of Herman Munster (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Herman and Lily are back from the drive-in one evening and she realizes she has forgotten her furcoat in the cadillac; she asks Herman to go fetch it. Herman goes and he is so tired that he falls asleep inside the car. Two thieves happen to be walking by and when they see the car they decide to steal it for a bank robbery they are about to commit. They drive it to their hideaway and, still not realizing Herman is asleep on the back seat, they get off and enter the house; there they wait for their getaway driver. Herman awakes and enters the house; they think he is the driver. Meanwhile Lily calls the police to notify Herman's disappearance and both she and the police start searching for him separately; the police find a man whom they think matches Herman's description and take him to the station; that man is none other than the driver for whom the thieves were waiting. The police take him to the Munsters' house and put him in Herman's bed. When Lily is informed that Herman has been found and is already at home, she and Grandpa go back there. Meanwhile, Herman drives the thieves to the bank and they rob it. Not knowing what else to do, Herman drives the car towards an obstacle. The police come and arrest the thieves. Herman talks to Lily on the phone and she is confused because she thought that it was him under the blankets. He returns home and the police arrest the man sleeping in Herman's bed.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Whatever Became of Baby Custer? (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: The kid who lives next door to Tony catches him and Jeannie floating on the air; he tells his parents, but they don't believe him; they come to Tony's house for an explanation, but Tony says simply that it was the boy's imagination and they believe it. The kid's father also works for NASA and asks Dr. Bellows to talk to his son; when Dr. Bellows hears that Tony is involved, he takes an interest in the case. He instructs the kid to start spying on Tony. One evening, the kid is spying through Tony's front window and sees Jeannie and Tony dancing; when she sees him, she disappears; Dr. Bellows arrives and both start spying on Tony, who is now dancing alone. A cop arrives and demands explanations from Dr. Bellows; he suggests they talk to Tony so that he will confirm that they are acquainted. Tony confirms it and the cop goes away. In the days that follow, the kid continues to spy on Tony, so Jeannie suggests to make him disappear, but Tony forbids her from doing that; subsequently the kid indeed disappears and Tony suspects Jeannie; she denies she had anything to do with it though. Tony goes to the kid's house and asks his parents whether there is any new item in the house; they say there is a new plant vase, and also a new goldfish; Tony thinks the boy has been turned into the goldfish; he is about to confess all about Jeannie to the kid's parents and to Dr. Bellows when the kid shows up; he was in the park and, instead of spending his money on a call to his parents, chose to buy ice-cream with it. That evening Tony and Jeannie are at home kissing and she sees the boy looking at them from a tree; she moves the tree so that they get out of his sight.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Djinn and Water (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Tony is at home working on an experiment on water desalination; Jeannie starts disturbing him; she wants to ride a motor car; he asks her to leave him alone; she mentions that her great-grandfather had a formula for water desalination; she summons him; the guy is a bit of a crook and a thief -- he pockets several objects in Tony's house. Jeannie goes out and gets in Tony's car and starts driving crazily; she is invisible while doing it; Dr. Bellows is passing by and sees Tony chasing his own car, with no one visible at the wheel; then Tony demands that Jeannie stop the car and it does; Dr. Bellows surmises Tony is testing a new kind of remote control. Jeannie goes back in time to ancient Egypt to fetch the main ingredient of her great-grandfather's formula; it's a seed. The formula works, but it turns out that the plant which produces that seed is extinct since the year 1 A.D.


Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Herman the Great (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Herman is worried that he will not have enough money to send Eddie to the university, so he takes a night job as a wrestler; it was offered to him by the father of one of Eddie's friends: he was impressed with Herman being able to tie a knot on an iron bar.The only person in his house who knows the nature of his job is Grandpa. Initially he loses all fights because his adversaries tell him sad stories about their lives which make him feel pity for them. On the day when he must fight an amateur from the audience he is drugged and his adversary is in reality a professional; this time he wins, thanks to Grandpa's intervention. He also prevents the people in the audience from dying in the fire that started on the gym: they are so scared when he takes off his mask that they leave immediately.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: The Addams Family Meets the VIPs (1964) (TV)

Synopsis: Some diplomats from some communist country are visiting the U.S. and they want to meet an average American family; they pick one randomly on the phone book, and the Addams are the selected one. The diplomats marvel at their peculiarities.


Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Family Portrait (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: The Munsters are selected by Event magazine to feature in its issue devoted to an "ordinary American family". Grandpa is insulted -- he doesn't consider himself common --and refuses to take part in it. He pretends to leave home but is in fact hiding in the basement under his batlike guise. Herman and Lily go out looking for him. Meanwhile the reporters from Event arrive, and are received by Marilyn. One of the reporters feels attracted toward her, but the other is scared after he sees weird things in the house, like Eddie going out of closets. When Herman and Lily arrive, they are not told that the reporters are staying in the guests' room; they hear noises and think there are thieves in the house. Herman goes after them with a water pistol; the reporters are scared of him and run away. Their boss wants the story anyway and orders them back in the house; by then, Marilyn has explained to Herman and Lily what happened. In the end, the story is made and the Munsters appear in the magazine as an "ordinary American family celebrating Halloween".

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: The Moving Finger (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Tony is going to Hollywood to work as a consultant for a film about astronauts. Jeannie is jealous and worried because the female star of the film is one Rita Mitchell, who has had seven husbands and is looking for an eighth. Tony says Jeannie cannot go with him; he leaves her his address which he writes on an envelope, so she can send him a letter if she wants. After he leaves, Jeannie enters the envelope and mails herself to Hollywood. The producer explains Tony the plotline of the movie: an American astronaut is shrunken to a pinhead's size and injected into a Russian astronaut's blood stream; he travels up to his brain where he will collect important military secrets. Jeannie meets Tony and accompanies him to the studio pretending to be his secretary. The producer makes a pass at her. Rita Mitchell is throwing a party that evening and invites Tony; Jeannie of course says she will go too. At the party, Jeannie gets jealous of Tony and causes to rain over him and Rita. The next day, Tony has an appointment and tells Jeannie to stay at the hotel; she asks him whether he would date her if she were an actress, and he says yes. She then goes to the studio and asks for an audition; she says she knows all the poems by Omar Khayyam and recites one, to the awe of those watching her. The next day, she tells Tony she has to go to the screening of her successful audition; Tony says he won't go because he has another appointment, but he in fact shows up and stays hidden. The screening is a total fiasco because Jeannie doesn't appear in it at all: it turns out genii cannot be photographed. Jeannie is terribly sad. Tony comes unto her and consoles her. Then they go to the walk of fame, where Jeannie softens the cement, thus causing their footprints to be imprinted on it; she writes the words "Guess Who?" above them. Note: this episode's title is probably derived from the poem Jeannie recites (I haven't understood it perfectly).

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Americanization of Jeannie (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie is feeling neglected. Tony is busy assembling a model of the rocket which will take him to space, and doesn't want her around disturbing him. Whe he finishes it, Jeannie makes it fly through the window. She reads an article in a magazine about the modern American woman and thinks it offers the solution to her problems. She decides to follow all the steps that the article suggests. First, she buys some expensive clothes and stops performing her housekeeping duties; then she refuses to cook dinner. She suggests Tony take her out to a fancy restaurant. In the restaurant there is an Oriental dancer; Tony seems to be enjoying her dance too much, and Jeannie gets jealous. She says she can dance better than the dancer, so she takes the stage and starts dancing. Tony pulls her off the stage and they leave the restaurant. In the following day, Jeannie decides to take a job at a department store; she is selling ovens, and, when none of the customers is impressed with her product, she uses her magical powers to cook instantaneously a piece of meat; they all want to buy it then, but when she produces a cake out of nowhere they get suspicious and change their minds. Jeannie is fired. She feels depressed and Tony suggests she gets a pet; she says she used to have one and Tony suggests she brings it to life; a lion appears.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Rock-a-Bye Munster (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Marilyn is telling Lily about the upcoming arrival of their doctor's son for a stay of some days with the Munsters. Herman and Grandpa are at the lab and they overhear that conversation through the indoors video monitoring system which Grandpa has set up. They misconstrue it as the arrival of Herman and Lily's new baby. Herman begins to surround Lily with attention and help. He goes to their doctor's house to confirm the news about Lily's pregnancy, but they formulate the question in such an ambiguous manner that they receive the confirmation of their false assumptions. When their guest arrives, he goes to the living room to play with Eddie. He has brought some toys, amongst which a small replica of Frankenstein's monster, which has an engine in it. Herman sees the little thing moving and thinks it is his baby. Eddie explains that it is a toy. Then he sees the doctor's son and collapses, as he thinks he is his new son, and doesn't like his appearance. When he comes to, all is explained to him by Lily.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Wednesday Leaves Home (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Wednesday is forbidden from playing with her octopus because she blew up Uncle Fester's dynamite. She decides to hide in Pugsley's bedroom and leave a note saying she left home. Her parents call the missing persons' department. Before the officer arrives there, Uncle Fester discovers where she is and tells Morticia and Gomez; they decide to use "psychology" with her and, talking out loud so she can hear it, they comment to each other how cruel her fate would be away from home, and yet how they weren't really affected by her act. She feels neglected and this time leaves home for good. She is found by a policeman and brought to the police station. The officer in charge phones her parents but they assure him that she is right there in their house. Uncle Fester is the first to find out that she isn't and comes to fetch her at the police station.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Tadpole (2002)

Synopsis: An irresistible 15-year-old guy is adored by women old and new. He only has eyes for his stepmother though.

Appraisal: Well, I guess there isn't much good that could come from the above plotline; to be fair, there is good taste in the filming itself; perhaps even too much, at times.

Rating: 37

Charlotte's Web (2006)

Synopsis: A girl witnesses her father about to kill a newborn pig and asks him not to do it; he gives it to her as a pet. After the pig has grown a little, it is sent to live in her uncle's barn. There he befriends several animals, in particular a good-hearted spider. Based on the novel by E.B. White (1st ed. 1952).

Appraisal: One day people will look back in time and realize all the dead-end roads with no aesthetical improvement that technology has made art take. I guess live-action animals with CGI-produced mouth-movement is one of them. That pretty much is the main problem with this film but to be thorough I would have to add that a somewhat excessive ponderousness bothered me.

Rating: 38

I Dream of Jeannie: Anybody Here Seen Jeannie? (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie is afraid that Tony will suffer an accident on his mission in space, and interferes while he is being evaluated by Dr. Bellows, so that he will be considered unfit for the mission. Tony is angry at her and tells her that the space project is his life's work. She is sorry and, to revert things, she hides in Dr. Bellows' office while he is working and starts making crazy things happen, such as his sandwich regenerating after he has had a bite from it, and coffee disappearing from his cup; this leads him into thinking he is going crazy and therefore not apt to assess Tony's condition. Tony is sent to space and while floating outside his capsule Jeannie appears next to him.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: The Yacht Murder Case (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Tony is encharged with chaperoning the owner of an important company and his beautiful daughter. She likes him so much that Tony is summoned for a yacht cruise with them. Jeannie is imprisoned in the vacuum cleaner while he is away, but the cleaning woman inadvertently frees her. She appears at the yacht but Tony sends her away, therefore she has to disappear; the problem is, the yacht owner and his daughter were watching him while he was talking to Jeannie, and when she disappears they assume he pushed her overboard. He is arrested for murder. Tony asks Roger to go to his house and talk to the wall, asking for help; he expects Jeannie to hear him. Dr. Bellows shows up and catches Roger talking to the wall. Jeannie answers Tony's call and appears in his cell; he has his accusers come there and shows her to them.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Knock Wood, Here Comes Charlie (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Herman's twin brother Charlie comes to visit the Munsters; he brings a device which he claims can extract uranium from sea water; he wants to sell it to Lily. It's all a fraud. Herman doesn't like his brother, so he locks the money inherited from grandma in a vault. Grandpa tests the machine and concludes it doesn't work, but he thinks it's because he has broken it, so he fixes it. Charlie, unaware of that, sells it to the widow who lives next door; he pretends to be Herman. Herman is worried about the Munsters' good name and buys the machine back.When Charlie hears it has been fixed, he tries to buy it back from the widow, but it's too late, Herman has already done that. He then pretends to feel conscience qualms about having tried to dupe the Munsters, and wishes to buy it back from Herman; Herman believes he is regenerated and sells him the machine. Charlie goes away with the machine, then Grandpa shows up and tells everyone it has been fixed, and Herman feels duped. Grandpa adds that nevertheless the machine is highly unstable, and they were better off without it. Then they hear an explosion coming from the street: the machine exploded when Charlie was demonstrating it to the person he owed money to.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Green-Eyed Gomez (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Lionel, a childhood friend of Morticia's, comes to visit her; he has a secret agenda of defrauding the Addams of some money. Gomez is jealous of Morticia's attentions to her friend, so he hires a maid which he hopes will attract Lionel's attentions. When he is teaching her how to seduce him, Morticia passes by and watches them; she thinks Gomez is in love with the maid. This double misunderstanding goes on until Lionel reveals that he will marry the maid -- she has some money invested in stocks.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Rancho Deluxe (1975)

Synopsis: Two rustlers (that's the term they use for cattle thieves) plan a big cattle theft with some inside help.

Appraisal: Quite entertaining, but there are several things I didn't like, particularly on the first third or so of the movie. The characters speak in an excessively witty or literary style, which I found a little phony at times. Also, there isn't much concern for focus or pace, and I found that interlude a little after the beginning -- when the two protagonists visit their respective families -- to be quite unnecessary and disruptive. As I said, this doesn't prevent the film from being entertaining and, at its best, genuinely witty and even ingenious. As a final note, I found it a little weird that the film simply doesn't show the actual kidnapping of the $50,000 bull; was I sleeping or was it really omitted?

Rating: 51

I Dream of Jeannie: G.I. Jeannie (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie is jealous of Tony's beautiful new secretary, and expresses the wish to be his secretary instead of her. Tony informs her that she would have to belong to the Air Force in order to be hired as a secretary -- he hopes that they will send her to Africa, where they are short of staff. She joins the Air Force but no one will assign her a secretarial job; instead she gets other positions -- nurse, jeep driver, telecommunications operator -- in which she displays total incompetence; she eventually gets her desired secretarial job, but then Tony is being transferred to another town where he will not be needing a secretary. She says she will quit the service, and Tony says the only way they will release her is if she proves herself totally incompetent or harmful in some way; she then blinks Tony's office into a total mess.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: The Marriage Caper (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie hides Tony's important documents in a box but can't remember where she put it [this has no follow-up]. Tony and Melissa's wedding is approaching; General Stone, Melissa's father, has been appointed ambassador in Europe and invites Tony to accompany him to Europe as his military aide. Tony refuses, since he doesn't want to abandon the space project. They come over at Tony's for dinner, and Jeannie is put in charge of cooking, but she doesn't take the food items from their paper boxes to cook them, and everything is spoiled. She magically makes a wonderful dinner appear out of nowhere, and disguises herself as Kato, Tony's Japanese male cook (previously inexistent). Melissa's childhood friend Grover meddles in all of the wedding's affairs, and has been invited by Melissa to be the best man, much to Roger's disappointment. Jeannie is not very happy with the wedding, and warns Tony that he and Melissa are not suited to each other. Tony goes to his bachelor party and is surprised to see Jeannie pop up from the giant cake; he is also surprised to hear from Grover that the honeymoon will no longer be in Jamaica as he and Melissa had agreed, but in Honolulu. The next day he is rehearsing at home the speech he is about to say to Melissa -- protesting against the way he is being treated -- when she and Grover show up communicating that Melissa has given up marrying him and will marry Grover instead -- he has changed since she met him, she says. He is enormously relieved, and Jeannie remarks to herself that he has a lot to learn.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Tin Can Man (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Eddie has flunked Science; he hid all the letters the supervisor sent to his family. Grandpa helps him build a robot for the Science fair so he doesn't get expelled from school. A fascistic school inspector -- he was formerly a prison warden -- visits the house and Grandpa shows him around the house; he is horrified by what he sees; at the science fair, he sabotages Eddie's robot; they ask Herman to entertain the audience while Grandpa fixes it; they are very amused as they think Herman is the robot.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Morticia, the Matchmaker (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Cousin Melancholia visits the Addams after her fiancé left her. The Addams try to find her a new fiancé. When an attorney calls about some land his firm wants to buy, and casually comments he is a bachelor, the Addams invite him to visit them. He doesn't retribute cousin Melancholia's advances, and is relieved when her former fiancé shows up and explains he didn't really leave her.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Devil's Own (1997)

Synopsis: An IRA member who is being hunted by the police comes to U.S.A. to buy missiles; he plans to take them to Northern Ireland by boat. He stays at the house of a cop who is a friend of a Republic-sympathizer judge's.

Appraisal: Everyone has their reasons here, and the process of reparation of injustice often becomes a big bloody mess. The underlying theme appears to be the seduction of weaponry, both big and small. I am not sure this is really what the filmmaker had in mind, though; the storyline is a bit prolix and feels rather unfocused. It's a bleak film, at any rate.

Rating: 40

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Derelicts (1956) (TV)

Synopsis: A man murders his silent partner to whom he owed money; a derelict saw him do it and starts to blackmail him.

Appraisal: Possibly the best episode so far; an excellent story, and a very fine performance by Newton.

The Munsters: Autumn Croakus (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Grandpa is feeling lonely so he hires a dating agency to find him a fiancée. They provide him one but it's all a criminal scheme in which she marries rich old men and then kills them to get their money. She tries to poison Grandpa's breakfast but he doesn't eat it, so she sets a trap which will make him fall down the stairs. It all goes wrong because Herman quarrels with Lily and goes to sleep in the guest room, unaware that Grandpa's fiancée is sleeping there; when she notices Herman lying next to her in bed she panics and flees the house, being subsequently caught by the police.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Guess What Happened on the Way to the Moon? (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Tony and Roger are sent on a survival test in the desert. Jeannie sneaks into Tony's canteen and follows him to the test site. She brings him food and water, and a camel to ride back into civilization. Whereas Roger gets blisters on his foot, Tony gets them on his buttocks. Tony is assigned a new test on a desert in Saudi Arabia; Jeannie repeats her earlier procedure: she empties Tony's canteen and is ready to get inside it, but before she can do so Tony locks her inside her bottle. He leaves without refilling his canteen.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: My Hero (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie tells Tony that she was beaten by a man. He demands to see the man. She then transports them back in time to Persia. Tony wants to go back to the present time, but Jeannie pays no heed to him and takes him to the man who beat her, a very strong man who promises to break his neck. Tony flees and comes across a slave auction, where he is stopped and put for sale; he is sold to a princess, who happens to be the strong man's employer. Tony is taken to a dungeon where the strong man threatens to torture him unless he reveals Jeannie's whereabouts. Meanwhile Jeannie meets her parents and tells them she has found a prospective husband; by the local customs, when a man stands up to defend a girl, it means he is proposing to marry her. Jeannie fetches Tony from the torture chamber, but when he refuses to marry her, she blinks him back to his torturer; this happens several times. Jeannie finally agrees to take Tony back to present times. Roger shows up at Tony's and tells him they missed him at the test he was supposed to be at; he sets up a double date with Tony for that evening. Jeannie is jealous and strips him shirtless in front of the dates.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: My Fair Munster (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Marilyn is returning from a date with her new boyfriend. He walks her to the door and when Herman opens it he is scared at the sight of him and runs like crazy. They all begin to worry that she will never marry. Grandpa makes a love potion for her, which he mixes with her oatmeal porridge. She is late that day though, and goes out without eating her breakfast; Lily pours her plate's contents back into the pan, from which she subsequently serves Herman, Eddie and herself. As a result, they all become irresistible; the woman next door, which up to then was complaining about the Munsters and even building an eletric fence to protect her from them, falls instantly in love with Herman when she sees him. The postman falls in love withLily. All of Eddie's female classmates fall for him. A great chase takes place inside the house with Herman and Lily being chased by their respective smitten ones; Eddie is chased home by a bunch of girls. When the effect of the potion wears out both the postman and the neighbor run away in horror. Grandpa tells Marilyn that he will make another dose of the potion but she doesn't want him to, since she is getting along nicely with her new boyfriend, and furthermore, since she didn't drink the potion, this proves that he really loves her.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Halloween with the Addams Family (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: It's Halloween and Grandmama takes Pugsley and Wednesday to play trick or treat in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, two thieves are running from the police, and take refuge with the Addams.They are forced to join in their weird Halloween games, like catching a crab in a bucket, with the teeth. They see the money the Addams keep in a drawer and suggest they play hide-and-seek so they can steal it while everyone is hiding. The Thing locks the entrance door to prevent them from escaping, but they profit from Grandmama and the kids' arrival to exit. The police is waiting for them outside. Gomez reads in the paper that they were sent to prison, and Morticia comments that they were in need of a vacation anyway.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Low-Cal Munster (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Herman is excited about going to the reunion of his army fellows. There is one thing though: he is too fat to fit in his old uniform. He goes on a strict diet consisting only of vitamin pills and water. On Thanksgiving eve, Grandpa teases him by describing all the delicious food that he will miss. Herman passes out and the doctor is called; Herman is pronounced dead, but awakes shortly thereafter, scaring the doctor away. Grandpa suggests to Herman that he be strapped, so as to be not led by temptation during Thanksgiving day; the Munsters eat out so as not to disturb him with the smell of food, but the TV set is showing a man rambling about turkey with blueberry sauce and that is too much for Herman: he breaks free from his straps and roams the streets in a frenzied state; he breaks into a house where a family is having dinner and eats the turkey all by himself. That ruins his weight-losing program, but, surprisingly, when his reunion day comes he shows up in his Army uniform. Lily gets curious about a strange thing she sensed under his jacket, and when she opens its buttons they all notice he is wearing Grandma's corset underneath it.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: The Lady in the Bottle (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Captain Anthony Nelson is sent to space on a mission. A problem occurs with the rocket and he has to land on a desert island. He is collecting wood for writing a big S.O.S. on the beach sand when he comes across a strange bottle. From inside it comes a young and beautiful woman, who speaks in an incomprehensible language at first, but later begins to speak in English. He asks her to help the rescue helicopter to find him and it soon appears in the sky and then lands on the island. He decides to leave the genie on the island but she reenters the bottle and rolls up unto some clothes on the beach and is inadvertently taken home with them. Back on the base, CaptainNelson tells the base psychiatrist, Dr. Alfred Bellows, that he had a vision of a beautiful woman who could grant his wishes; Dr. Bellows assures him that that woman represents his mother. Captain Nelson receives the visit of his fiancée, General Stone's daughter Melissa, who sees the genie in the house wearing only Captain Nelson's shirt. She gets very jealous and leaves. Dr. Bellows and General Stone comes to Captain Nelson's house to talk to him and he throws the genie's bottle on the garbage can; he subsequently regrets it but by then it has already been thrown in the garbage truck. Dr. Bellows and General Peterson witness him offering money to the garbage man and fetching the bottle from inside the truck. Captain Nelson decides to tell everything about the genie (aka Jeannie) to the people who work with him, and to show Jeannie as proof, but she refuses to come out of the bottle. He then claims he was joking. The following evening, Jeannie conjures an Arabian Nights show, with dancers and the like, at Tony's house. General Peterson andMelissa drop by unexpectedly, and when Tony asks her to cancel the show she disappears. Tony goes out looking for her but mistakes the neighbor's barbecue smoke for Jeannie's and starts talking to it, under the perplexed gaze of General Peterson and daughter. Peterson wants to go into the house for a talk; by the time they get there, Jeannie has already gotten rid of the Arabian Nights decor and people. Melissa says she understands Tony has been through a lot of stress and forgives him. Later that night, Jeannie sneaks in Tony's bedroom but is expelled from there. She winks at us, and the screen goes black.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: This Is Murder (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Tony is assigned to escort a Middle Eastern princess on a visit to the United States. When Jeannie sees her photo she recognizes an enemy of ages ago -- their respective families have an old feud; Jeannie swore to kill her, and is determined to do so. Tony lies to Jeannie, saying that the visit was postponed for a year and then sends Jeannie on three different tasks around the world -- to make him a yacht on the desert of Gobi, a ski station in Bermuda, and a pineapple plantation in Alaska. He expects the princess to be gone by the time Jeannie gets back from her assignments. However, she finishes earlier than expected and the princess is still there. The two women have an argument and the princess leaves the premises. Jeannie is so furious she turns Tony into a parrot, and leaves. When she comes back, she is calmer and turns him back into human form. She says that she has given up her murderous intentions, after she had a talk with the princess -- after all, the two of them had something in common: their love for Tony. Roger asks Tony if he can have the yacht, the ski station and the pineapple plantation. Jeannie turns him into a parrot.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: A Walk on the Mild Side (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Herman is stressed over his financial situation so much that it is giving him insomnia. He decides to take a stroll in the park at night to relax. Coincidentally, there has been a series of muggings occurring in the park at night. At the sight of Herman, people get scared and run away. That same night, the mugger attacks an old lady. The police receives complaints about a monster in the park, and the police begins to think that the monster and the thief are the same person. Meanwhile, Grandpa is testing his new invention which makes things bigger. He tells Herman not to worry about his insomnia: "Millions of people suffer from insomnia, and you don't see them losing their sleep over that." The chief of police disguises himself as a woman to catch the thief; when the thief strikes him, Herman lends a hand and overpowers the thief.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: The New Neighbors Meet the Addams Family (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: A couple of newlyweds, the Petersons, move next door to the Addams, to a house which belongs to the Addams. They are startled by the horrible sound of explosions coming from the Addams' house; it's uncle Fester playing with dynamite. They visit the Addams to inquire about the explosions. Later they are visited by uncle Fester, who enters their house through the trapdoor and is greeted with a blow to the head by Mrs. Peterson. The couple wants to move out, but are bound by a one-year contract. They visit the Addams for a game of bridge in the hopes of convincing the Addams to free them from their contractual obligations. The Addams give them several pieces of their living room decoration, out of sheer generosity. Mr. Peterson tells Gomez that the reason they want to move out is that he was assigned to work in Hong Kong; Gomez assures him he will take care of that, and he does: he buys the company. The Addams' gifts are seen lying on the Peterson's front lawn; the Petersons have not been seen for three days. Gomez thinks they are enjoying their honeymoon and don't want to be disturbed.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Munster Masquerade (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Marilyn's boyfriend Tom persuades his parents to invite the Munsters for their masquerade ball. They leave Eddie with a nanny. Herman goes dressed in a medieval armor (King Arthur, they say), Lily goes as a shepherdess (Little Bo Beep, they say), Grandpa as Napoleon, Marilyn and Tom as pilgrims (the Aldens, they say). Tom's father masquerades as Frankenstein's monster; when Herman sees him he comments that he knows that face from somewhere; Herman also asks him why he is not wearing a costume, which is taken as an insult. Herman wins the prize for best costume: when he takes off the helmet, people remark that he is wearing a mask under a mask; Lily is insulted by that remark; the Munsters leave. The nanny praises Eddie to his mother for his good behavior; she only got a little scared when he howled at the moon.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: My Master the Thief (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie asks Tony to accompany her to an exhibit of Bukistanese relics at the museum; she says she lived in Bukistan many centuries ago. She recognizes her old slippers amidst the pieces in exhibition; they were stolen from her, back then. She steals the slippers from inside the sealed glass box in which they were being kept. The theft triggers a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Bukistan. The police begin investigating to find the burglar -- they know it is a NASA officer. Dr. Bellows suspects Tony; he says the culprit will probably be sent to prison.Tony begs Jeannie to return the slippers, but she refuses. Tony tries to steal the slippers from inside Jeannie's bottle while she is asleep, but then he realizes that they were shrunken when Jeannie entered the bottle. After more arguments between them, Jeannie enters the shower while leaving the slippers intentionally unguarded for Tony to take them. Tony breaks into the museum and returns the slippers, all the while being unknowingly followed by Jeannie. The crisis is thus solved; in the last scene, we see the slippers still on Jeannie's feet, presumably implying that she made a replica for Tony to return.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: My Master, the Great Rembrandt (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: A charity auction is being held at NASA where paintings by the officers will be auctioned. Tony is painting a copy of a Rembrandt, but Jeannie replaces it with an authentic one (or a perfect copy, which, for all purposes, is the same thing). It gets a very high price at the auction, and puts Tony in danger of going to jail for stealing a Rembrandt. Dr. Bellows summons an expert from France; Jeannie disguises herself as the expert and testifies that it is a copy, and not a good one at that. When the real expert arrives, Bellows is so furious that he doesn't even listen to what he is saying and sends him back to France, all the while questioning his competence.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Pike's Pique (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: The gas company is installing a new pipeline and they're only a few meters short of completing their task. The incomplete section is right beneath the Munsters' house. The gas company decides to go through with it without asking for the Munsters' permission, but end up invading the Munsters' basement. They subsequently offer the Munsters money for the right to pass the pipeline under their house, but Grandpa is against it. Since he is outnumbered by those who are for it, they accept the money.They send Marilyn to collect the check at the gas company's president's house, but his wife is jealous and sends her back without the check. Herman decides to go himself, and this time the president's wife passes out when she answers the door; this cures her of her jealousy. The president goes to the Munsters' house and he settles everything, apologizing for the unpleasant incidents at his house; when he hands the contract for Herman to sign, they have to borrow Grandpa's pen; it is filled with vanishing ink; they get the check by mail -- the president has added a substantial additive in retribution for the solution of his marital problems. Grandpa is remorseful for having used the vanishing ink trick -- after all, the gas pipeline will service the whole neighborhood -- and uses his magical powers to restore Herman's signature on the contract.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Gomez, the Politician (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Election day is approaching, and the Addams are fully engaged in their support to one of the candidates for City Counselor. They soon switch to another candidate though, who has promised to illuminate the streets and dry the swamps; although the Addams are for neither of those things, they are confident in the insincerity of every politician, and so are sure none of his promises will be honored. Their candidate is eager to collect a fat check from them, but the actual involvement of the Addams in the campaign is undesirable; eventually, he comes to consider them as more of a liability than an asset. In fact, the Addams family's ancestors have a history of always backing losing candidates; their support became known as 'the kiss of death'.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Pay Day (1922/I)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Charlie finds work as a brick layer. He stands on a scaffold while his co-workers throw bricks to him from the ground at an amazing speed, which he catches and lays on a pile. At lunch hour, he doesn't have anything to eat, but the elevator keeps bringing him other people's food. He gets payed but must give almost everything to his virago wife (I borrowed the expression from the DVD's introductory documentary); he goes to a "Bachelor's Club" and gets drunk. He has an enormous difficulty to catch the tram home. Upon arriving at his apartment, he sneaks in without making a sound so as not to awake his wife. The place is crowded with cats, who have eaten all the food and steal his salami to boot (note: he got this salami in an interesting way: he entered the merchant's barrack thinking it was the tram, and held onto the salami as it were the tram's handle for standing passengers). He sleeps in the bathtub. On his way out, he is about to collect some coins he had hidden under the doormat, but is caught by his wife, who scolds him severely.

Appraisal: Delightful little film, full of charm and inventivity. I have to see it again though, for the finer details. Note: I have seen the version with 21:06 min of length, which is included in the DVD box "The ChaplinRevue".

Rating: 70

The Pilgrim (1923)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Charlie is an escaped convict. He steals the clothes from a parson who was swimming at a lake. He arrives at a train station and a couple of elopers ask him to marry them; the girl's father soon arrives and thwarts the sweethearts' plans. Charlie picks up a city at random in the station's board and, after a first rejected outcome (Sing-Sing), Dallas is elected as his destination. By a coincidence, the folks in Dallas are expecting the arrival of their minister and mistakes Charlie for him. When a letter from the real minister arrives, warning that he will be late, the man who is supposed to read it is without his glasses and asks Charlie to do it for him; Charlie makes up a different text for the letter, namely that Lizzy is feeling much better. Charlie must now perform religious services. It begins with the choir, then proceeds with the collection -- Charlie is at a loss about these proceedings, so Charlie's new friend, the same man who received him, must guide him through them; Charlie wants to keep the results of the collection to himself but is prevented from doing so by his friend. Next comes the sermon: Charlie tells the tale of David and Goliath and is a total success. He then goes to the house where he will be lodged; they are receiving another couple's visit, with an incredibly obnoxious child, who drives everyone mad. Charlie is helping his landlady's beautiful daughter to bake a cake, and the child takes his father's hat and places it over the cake, whose shape it matches exactly. Charlie doesn't notice that and proceeds to lay the cake's cover on it. When the cake is served, the couple wants to leave but the man can't find his hat; the cake is served while he looks for his hat furiously. Charlie soon notices that the cake is abnormally hard, and eventually finds the hat under the cover. The man is furious and leaves with his wife and kid. Later in the afternoon, Charlie and the girl are idling in the front lawn when Charlie's former cellmate Nick passes in front of the house, greeting him, much to his discomfort. The girl invites him in; once inside, the guy steals one of the guests's wallet; Charlie, who had been watching him, manages to take it back and restore it to its owner. The landlady's wife says that she finally got the money to pay the house's mortgage; she puts it in a drawer, under Nick's attentive regard. During the night, Charlie stands guard; despite that, Nick overpowers him and steals the mortgage money; he flees the house, but is chased by Charlie. He goes to the casino to gamble, but there is a hold-up; Charlie boldly disguises himself as a robber and walks up to Nick and takes the money from him. The sheriff comes by the house the next morning and reveals that Charlie is an escaped convict and will never return with the money. But Charlie does. He is taken prisoner, but the sheriff takes pity of him and leads him to the Mexican border. He tells Charlie to pick some flowers on the other side of the border; Charlie doesn't realize that he is being given a chance to escape and comes back with the flowers. The sheriff takes Charlie forcefully back to the border and propels him across it with the foot. Charlie is happy to be free until he comes across a violent shootout which scares him; he returns to the border, but, not knowing where to go (presumably), he chooses to walk along the borderline.

Appraisal: This is my second viewing of it, but to be honest I had no recollection of any of it. According to my notes, I didn't like it much the first time, which is a mystery to me, since it is a respectable and entertaining movie. Note: this time, I saw the version contained in The Chaplin Revue (1959), which has a length of 39:40 min. I have no idea which one I saw the first time.

Rating: 65 (up from 45)

The Munsters: Herman's Lawsuit (1966) (TV)

Synopsis: Herman is going back home from the store and due to a faulty semaphore is hit by a car while crossing the street. The car is totally wrecked and Herman is knocked unconscious. The woman who was driving the car is worried about him and goes off to call an ambulance; meanwhile Herman comes to and walks away from the accident scene. The woman is worried that she might have disfigured Herman, not knowing that he has always looked like that. She and her husband decide to offer them a $10,000 settlement, but when Herman reads their letter he misunderstands that they were demanding $10,000 for damages. When the woman's lawyer visits them, Lily tells him that the stipulated sum was out of the question; they raise the offer to $20,000, which makes Herman even more desperate as he thinks his debt has increased twofold. He decides to run away from his home and live off odd jobs. Lily pays the woman who hit Herman a visit and all is finally explained. Lily asks her father's help to locate Herman; using one of his inventions they manage to locate Herman in a movie studio set where he was working as an actor.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: The Addams Family Tree (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Pugsley and Wednesday go to the Pomeroys' kid's birthday party; they live next door to him; Pugsley and Wednesday take a tarantula for present. They return early, complaining that the kid insulted the Addams. Later, Mr. Pomeroy and his son show up at the Addams'; Mr. Pomeroy demands an apology from Pugsley for punching his son in the eye. Wednesday apologizes since it was her who actually punched him. The Addams invite Mr. Pomeroy for a cup of tea; he reveals that he is in the oil business (lubricants, not fuel), and that he has had his family tree traced, and is very proud of his ancestors. The Addams' eccentricities soon begin to freak him out and the fact that Pugsley and Wednesday were playing with the gallows and Pomeroy's son was the hanged one makes him stand up and leave with his son. The Addams decide to trace their own family tree; the genealogist indiscreetly reveals that among Pomeroy's descendants there were some real scoundrels; that fact restores the Addams' esteem for their neighbor, and Mr. Pomeroy himself is keen on reconciliation since he is interested in a piece of land of the Addams' which he believes contains oil. He is invited over again, and makes an offer, which rises every time Gomez mentions one of Pomeroy's scoundrel ancestors; they eventually reach an agreement. When the Addams introduce their lion pet, Pomeroy and his kid leave in a hurry. Gomez comments to Morticia that he has had that land probed for oil and none was found. Later on, the lion eats the genealogist.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Bond (1918)

Synopsis: It's comprised of sketches. First, 'the bond of friendship', where Charlie meets a friend who won't let go of him and asks Charlie for some money; second, 'the bond of love', where we see Charlie and girlfriend on a park bench, and Cupid sitting on a half-moon; Charlie is hit by one of Cupid's arrows; third, 'the bond of marriage' where Charlie gets married to his girlfriend; last, 'the bond of liberty', where Charlie buys some war bonds.

The Munsters: A Visit from the Teacher (1966) (TV)

Synopsis: Grandpa is building a machine that generates electricity for the house from lightning bolts. Eddie has to write about his family for school, and everyone is shocked when he reads it to the class. The schoolteacher and the headmaster decide to visite them to see if Eddie is fantasizing.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Bigger Than a Bread Box (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [ spoilers]: Jeannie creates a swimming pool for Tony to swim in before he goes to work; after he has swimmed, Tony makes her get rid of it so as not to arouse any suspicions. Roger finds a fortune teller, Madame Zolta, and Tony thinks there is foul play, so he asks Roger to introduce her to him, which he does. She invites both for a seance where they will try to contact Tony's dead uncle and aunt, which in reality he invented to test Madame Zolta. Jeannie is curious about the fortune teller, and a little jealous too, and despite Tony's orders that she stays home she sneaks in at the seance. Dr. Bellows shows up too. Jeannie, unnoticed by all, starts making all sorts of supernatural things happen, including an apparition of Tony's imaginary relatives. She tops it all with a cake she creates, and which at her command is thrown at Madame Zolta's face. Dr. Bellows passes out. Tony talks to his friend in the police, which reveals that Madame Zolta and her friend, a phony fakir, are in fact two real estate crooks, who had conned people into buying worthless land, and were now trying to gather information about some land in the vicinity of Nasa's base. Tony argues with Jeannie about the powers of crystal balls and Jeannie traps him inside one for some seconds.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Permanent House Guest (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie is frustrated because Tony never asks her anything except to serve him meals and small stuff like that. She tells him to think of something big, and an elephant appears. Dr. Bellows drops by at that moment, and sees it. He rushes to tell Gen. Peterson, and they both go over to Tony's but by the time they arrive Jeannie has already made the elephant disappear, making Dr. Bellows look crazy. Dr. Bellows decides to move in with Tony in order to prove that there is something wrong with him. Tony asks Roger to keep Jeannie while Dr. Bellows is at Tony's house. Roger agrees but Tony apparently decides to do that on the following day only and during that night Jeannie makes all kinds of noises, frightening Dr. Bellows, who decides to leave the house. Roger comes to fetch Jeannie the next day, but Tony tells him that it will no longer be necessary. Roger is sad because he has made a list of wishes for Jeannie: a cottage on the mountains, a house maid, etc. Tony decides to grant him one wish and a robust woman appears; she starts explaining her terms of work to Roger: she won't work weekends, will cook only one meal a day, very simple food, and if he is not happy he can eat at a restaurant.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: A Visit from Johann (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Dr. Victor Frankenstein IV phones Herman from Germany, communicating him of the existence of a "brother" of his, that is, another of the original Dr. Frankenstein's creations, earlier than Herman and not as successful. He is identical in appearance to Herman but, having lived in the woods almost all his life, he hasn't been subjected to any form of civilizing influence, not even knowing how to speak. At the request of Dr. Frankenstein (whose reasons are unexplained), they don't tell Lily about him, keeping him in the basement where Herman and Grandpa try to teach him words. Lily is making plans about a weekend alone with Herman in Happy Valley, a second honeymoon, as it were. When no one is watching him, Johann leaves the basement and wanders through the house. Lily is almost ready to leave for Happy Valley and Herman hasn't returned from the city. Lily sees Johann and mistakes him for Herman, leaving with him to Happy Valley. When Herman comes home and finds out that Lily has left with Johann, he is very upset. They contact Dr. Frankenstein who gets in touch with Johann via remote hypnosis; Herman walks all the way to Dr. Frankenstein (it appears). Lily is confused when she sees Herman and Johann together. All is explained and she comments that there wasn't much difference between them after all.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Shoulder Arms (1918)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Charlie is a World War One soldier. We first see him marching, his sergeant trying to correct his errors. Later, he is in a trench. Everyone gets a package from home except him. His package arrives a little later; it's a smelly cheese and some hard bread. He wears a gas mask to avoid smelling the cheese; he then throws it away and it lands on the enemy trench, hitting the enemy sergeant, a very short guy. At night, his barrack is flooded; he sleeps under water, and uses the record player's shell speaker as respirator. On the next day, they are selecting volunteers for an incursion into enemy territory and Charlie is selected. He disguises himself as a tree, and when an enemy soldier comes near him with the intention of chopping some wood, he hits him in the head, knocking him unconscious. The same happens with his colleagues which approach to see what happened with their mates. Charlie then sees his fellow the radio operator being taken by the Germans -- they are about to shoot him. He manages to approach and knock one of them out and then they both fight the Germans and escape. Charlie finds a house that's been almost destroyed by the bombing. He goes in and finds a French young woman living there. Then some Germans come and a fight ensues which complete the destruction of the house. Charlie escapes but the girl is taken prisoner. At the German camp the officer in charge is making advances toward the girl when Charlie arrives and subdues him; the Kaiser is visiting the camp on that same day; Charlie hides and then reappears wearing the German officer's clothes. His friend the radio operator is taken there as a prisoner, and Charlie pretends to take him under his custody. Charlie and his friends tie the Kaiser's driver and his mate up; the girl disguises herself as the driver. Charlie takes the Kaiser and another officer to the allies's camp, where they are made prisoners. Everyone is celebrating when suddenly it is all revealed to be Charlie's dream. His fellows awake him. Note: I saw the version contained in The Chaplin Revue (1959), with duration 36:08 min.

Deleted Scenes: What happens before Charlie goes to war is narrated here. We first see Charlie strolling on the sidewalk with three little kids. Charlie stops to have a drink at the bar, then returns to the kids. Charlies arrives in his house and says goodbye to the kids. Inside, he is continuously scolded by his wife, who is outside the frame at all times. She keeps throwing objects at him, and ordering him about. Charlie has to hang some clothes (enormous, implying she is very obese), cook, etc. A letter arrives, it's apparently some propaganda encouraging enlistment. Charlie decides to enlist, and he proceeds to be physically examined. We see him through the door glass, but only his shadow and the doctor's are visible. The doctor inserts a spoon in his mouth, which he accidentally swallows, then the doctor tries to retrieve the spoon with pliars, Charlie swallows the pliars, then the doctor fishes them out with line and hook, then he retrieves the spoon by punching Charlie in the chest.

Appraisal: Entertaining enough.

Rating: 60

A Dog's Life (1918)

Synopsis [spoilers]: The Tramp is sleeping in a vacant lot; he tries to steal some sausages from the seller across the fence, but is spotted by a policeman; he flees; he sees some dogs attack one little dog over a chunk of food; he rescues the little dog; he stops by a lunch tent; he steals some food; he goes to a dancing hall, where he befriends one of the place's singers; meanwhile in the street a guy is mugged by two men -- his wallet is stolen; they are chased by the police, but one of them escapes and buries the money in the same vacant lot in which the Tramp sleeps; the dog finds the money; they go to the dancing hall, but the thugs are already there and steal the wallet back from the Tramp; the Tramp hides behind a curtain next to where the thugs are sitting, and from there he knocks one of the thugs out, and plays him like a puppeteer, sort of; he gets the other thug to give him half the money, and then knocks him out too, and takes the rest of it; he is caught; they are all chased by the police; the dog steals the wallet and gives it to the girl; they buy some land in the country and become farmers; they take the dog with them; it has puppies.
Note: I saw the version contained in The Chaplin Revue (1959), with duration 32:30 min.

Appraisal: The ingenuity of the whole structure, as well as the skill displayed in individual set-pieces are enough for a jolly good time.

Rating: 70

I Dream of Jeannie: Watch the Birdie (1966) (TV)

Synopsis: Jeannie gives a little help to Tony while he is hitting a golf ball. General Peterson watches this and thinks he is an excellent player, so he calls him to be his golf partner in a tournament.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: How Lucky Can You Get? (1966) (TV)

Synopsis: Tony and Roger are promoted, and must go to Nevada to teach a course. Roger hides Jeannie in his bag. When they go to the casino, he uses her to win at the crap game.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: A House Divided (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Herman and Grandpa are working on a birthday present for Eddie; they want to make it a surprise, therefore no one is allowed in the garage, which is where they are working. Both Eddie and Lily try to peek inside but they are caught by traps which had been placed to prevent it. The present is a little car for Eddie to drive; Herman wants to test drive it, and, on doing so, he wrecks it. A discussion ensues between him and Grandpa; the latter expels Herman from the house, and Herman replies that it is his house; Grandpa reminds him that he has helped pay it, so it's half his; Herman then decides to draw a line dividing the house in two; each of them must keep to his part of the house. Lily scolds them both and urges them to make up and make a new present for Eddie, which they do: it's a flying car this time.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Fester's Punctured Romance (1964) (TV)

Synopsis: Fester puts an add in the newspaper's personals looking for a girlfriend. When a cosmetics saleswoman knocks on the Addams's door, he assumes she is his date.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: Herman's Sorority Caper (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: The Munsters go to the movies (except for Eddie who has homework to do). While they are out, two college students pass by the house and think it would be a great place for freshmen to spend the night as their initiation into the fraternity. The Munsters return from the drive-in; they are upset because Herman had a terrible hiccup fit during the movie and the screen fell; his hiccups continue, and are so violent that the whole room is shaken and the furniture is destroyed. Grandpa tries hypnosis and Herman is put to sleep with the promise that he will be cured when he awakes in the morning. During the night, two freshmen enter the house and find it all very exciting but not very frightening -- they think the people in the house are just dummies placed there by their senior colleagues. They have the idea of taking Herman to campus as a prank; they do it and place him at the sorority's closet. Herman wakes up and doesn't know where he is; he then does his best not to be seen by any of the girls, as he is afraid of going to jail if anyone finds him there. He calls the Munsters's house and Grandpa goes for his rescue; he transmutates into a bat for better cover. Arriving at the sorority, Bat-Grandpa scares the girls, creating an opportunity for Herman to escape. Grandpa decides to stay a while and have some fun scaring people; however, the potion's effect wears out and he is changed back into human shape, without realizing it. He is arrested for disturbing the girls, but doesn't stay in jail for long. The next day, everyone is at the table and Herman is happy because he thinks he is cured from his hiccups. He eats a cracker and it triggers a relapse: a giant hiccup ensues, much for his chagrin and everyone else's annoyance.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Jeannie and the Kidnap Caper (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Tony thinks he has become too dependent on Jeannie and thus too lazy. He forbids her to obey any of his requests from then on. She is obliged to comply. Next thing he knows, he is kidnapped by Chinese agents who want information about the secret project he is working on; Jeannie can't do a thing. She can, however, watch what is happening to him, and so she keeps Roger updated about him; Roger in turn keeps Dr. Bellows updated, but Dr. Bellows does not believe a word Roger's saying, attributing it all to Roger's precarious mental state. Bellows exposes the situation as he sees it to General Peterson, who is very reluctant to believe that Tony and Roger are insane. At the Chinese agents's hideout, Tony is threatened with torture and is given a truth serum. He reveals all the secrets but speaks in Arab, and no one can understand him. When they are planning to move him out of the country, Jeannie devises a way out of her forced passivity: since her bound to the promise she made is only valid while Tony is her master, she asks Roger to hold the bottle and say the words which will make Roger her new master. He does so, and Jeannie is free to help Tony, which she does pronto; Roger is then convinced to give Jeannie back to Tony. Back to headquarters, Tony explains to General Peterson that he and Roger were rehearsing for a play; the General accepts the explanation and sends Dr. Bellows to forced vacation.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: My Master, the Doctor (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: When Tony reveals to Jeannie that his secret dream was to have become a surgeon, she immediately teleports him to the operating room where Roger is about to have an appendectomy. Roger freaks out to see Tony in doctor's clothes and runs away. Dr. Bellows scolds Roger for what seems to him a cowardly behaviour; however, when Tony appears to visit and Bellows finds Tony's doctor's clothes lying on the bed, he suspects that Tony was impersonating a surgeon. Bellows sets up a trap for him, but when the time comes Jeannie summons a real doctor to take Tony's place as the surgeon.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Morticia Joins the Ladies' League (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Gomez takes Pugsley to the circus, where he befriends Gorgo the gorilla. Morticia wants to join the neighboring women's club, and invites them for tea. Gorgo escapes from the circus and comes to the Addams's house, where he soon displays enormous housekeeping skills, arousing Lurch's jealousy. Gorgo serves tea to Morticia's guests and clumsily spoils it, jeopardizing her chances to become a member of the Ladies' League. Gorgo returns to the circus where he performs his recently developed ironing skills, attracting much audience; Morticia is accepted back into the women's circle when they conclude the Addams were merely training the gorilla for its circus act.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Bicycleran (1987)

English title: The Cyclist.

Synopsis: Nasim is an Afghan immigrant in Iran. He has no means to pay for his sick wife's hospital expenses, so he agrees to perform an endurance show for a greedy manager: he will ride his bicycle non-stop for seven consecutive days.

Appraisal [spoilers]: I don't know whether it's my fault or this film's, but several plot points remain obscure to me, for instance, when Nasim's son is told to offer his father money for quitting the race, I could not understand whether Nasim tells him about the offer -- first he is prevented to approach his father and later he manages to do so, but we never see him talking to him about it. There is also a feeble subplot about a political conspiracy, its most implausible moment being when Nasim receives a phone call accusing him of being a spy. The film is often caricatural, for instance the recurring scene of her mother having difficulty to breathe and trying to reach for the oxygen mask. It also has some badly directed scenes, for instance when the kids hide under the hospital bed and the doctor arrives; he staggers his way unto the bed and then clumsily drops a jar on the floor, which appears to imply he is drunk, yet the way he walks resembles less a drunken man's stagger than a physically disabled person's. There is also a truck who is recruiting Afghan workers, and near the ending we see it again but this time the workers don't seem to flock to it; I don't understand what exactly has happened. The social critique in this film is acerb; in one grotesque scene, juvenile delinquents who have been brought in to watch the show are urged to learn that this man's honesty and perseverance are much preferrable to a life of crimes.

Rating: 31

I Dream of Jeannie: Richest Astronaut in the World (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Tony has Roger over at his house for some work together. Roger tells him that he has searched Jeannie all over and can't find her anywhere. Tony must leave for a short amount of time, and tells Roger to wait for him there. When Roger is alone in the house, he opens Jeannie's bottle and inadvertently makes her go out. His amazement is so big that he passes out twice. When he comes to, he decides to steal Jeannie's bottle and become her new master. He starts living like a millionaire and surrounds himself with lots of beautiful young women. Tony begs him to return the bottle but he refuses to do it. Jeannie is also displeased -- she has never worked so much; she also misses Tony. Tony finally comes up with a solution: he reports Roger's luxurious lifestyle to Dr. Bellows, and insinuates that Roger might be selling state secrets to foreign countries. Roger, when confronted by Dr. Bellows, is unable to explain his sudden wealth, and is faced with the prospect of prison or death. Tony says he will help him if he returns the bottle to him. Roger agrees and Tony commands Jeannie to erase all memories and material evidence from the period when he was Jeannie's master. Roger is relieved at first, but is subsequently sorry that he returned the bottle when he could have ordered that trick himself if he had known it was possible.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Get Me to Mecca on Time (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie begins to feel ill; her powers begin to wane and parts of her body start to disappear. She finds out through Roger's astrology magazine that this is a special day for her, when all genii must go with theirs masters to Mecca where the latter must utter some magical words at a specific location, or else she will be sent back to Limbo. Tony tells Roger to keep Dr. Bellows busy pretending to be mad, and travels to Mecca with Jeannie. There, they find out that the place from which the magical words must be uttered is now located inside a bank, and they break in. The alarm goes off, and several policemen show up. Tony finally gets to say the words and Jeannie reacquires her powers, which she immediately uses to make the policemen disappear. Roger returns to meet Dr. Bellows, who by that time has diagnosed Roger with insanity and has placed him on a three year psychoanalysis program.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Munsters: The Musician (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Herman thinks Eddie should learn an instrument. By suggestion of his schoolteacher, he begins learning the trumpet. He is awful though, and Grandpa secretly concocts a potion to transform him into a good classical player. When Mr. Gateman, Herman's boss, visits them they want to show him the boy's musical skills, only Grandpa can't remember the exact formula and Eddie plays jazz, which Mr. Gateman hates. Herman is fired but Mr. Gateman is later taken by remorse and shows up to give him back his job. By that time, Grandpa's mischief has been discovered by the family, and the potion's effect on Eddie has worn out. Mr. Gateman wants to give Eddie another chance at the trumpet, and Herman takes this opportunity to get even with his boss, since Eddie is his usual unmusical self again.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

The Addams Family: Morticia and the Psychiatrist (1964) (TV)

Synopsis: Pugsley starts behaving weirdly for the Addams's patterns: he has become a boy scout, and is practicing baseball, among other things. His parents hire a psychiatrist to attempt to revert his tendencies.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Too Many Tonys (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie, still upset about Tony's refusal to marry her, makes a double of Tony who is entirely devoted and amorous to her. Dr. Bellows has just divulged the results of a survey which points out that married astronauts are more efficient and stable than single ones. Jeannie receives an unexpected visit from Dr. Bellows while Tony is out. He inquires her about her relationship with Tony, and she says she is just a friend who always cooks for him. Dr. Bellows is enthusiastic about a possible wedding between Tony and Jeannie. She takes the opportunity to summon the phony Tony, whom she induces to propose to her in front of Dr. Bellows. Roger hears about the upcoming wedding and is deeply hurt that Tony did not invite him for best man, in fact didn't even tell him about it. Tony tries to revert Jeannie's catastrophic deeds, but all his efforts are in vain. Jeannie tells Tony to disappear until the wedding, because it is bad luck for the brides-to-be to see each other right before the ceremony. When Tony appears at the wedding he behaves exactly like the phony Tony, disturbing the ceremony with his improper displays of affection. Jeannie is freaked out with Tony's atypical behavior, and leaves the church before the wedding is concluded. When she meets Tony later, she tells him that she actually knew that at the wedding it was the real Tony faking to be the phony one; he asks her why then she didn't go on with the wedding and she tells him that she would never marry him against his will. He says they would never marry, and she is so angry that she makes his drink and his newspaper -- both of which she had just produced to him -- disappear.

(Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.)

I Dream of Jeannie: What House Across the Street? (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Tony is still being harassed by Jeannie's insistence on getting married. This time she pretends to accept Roger's marriage proposal, in the hopes of making Tony jealous. Roger begins to worry about never having seen Jeannie's parents and never having been to her house. Jeannie summons her mother, who helps her to stage a sham for Roger. Jeannie magically brings into existence a house on the vacant lot across the street from Tony's house. She also fabricates phony parents, fashioned after characters from TV commercials (her real mother is made to pass off as the maid). Dr. Bellows, by an unfortunate coincidence, has just bought the vacant lot where her magical house is; every time he is in the neighborhood, Jeannie has to make the house disappear, with funny consequences for those inside it. Jeannie's phony parents also talk like TV commercials, much to Roger's discomfort.

(Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.)

The Munsters: Zombo (1966) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Eddie is fond of a television horror show, whose host becomes a idol for him. Herman becomes jealous and tries to "enhance" his appearance to match said host's. Eddie is not impressed: the host is authentic, his father is an imitation. Eddie wins a trip to the studio where he meets his idol; he is shocked to learn that Zombo (that's the name of the character impersonated by the show host) is a sham, nothing but an actor in costumes and make-up. His affections return to his father.

(Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.)

The Addams Family: The Addams Family Goes to School (1964) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: The education officer goes to the Addams's with the mission to urge them to put their kids in school. He is so terrified with everything and everyone in the house that he gives up his intent and flees the house in a hurry. The children get sent to school all the same, but their parents get horrified by the violence in the fairy tales they are told in school -- e.g. dragons being slain, the old woman being baked by Hansel and Gretel, etc..
This is the first episode of this series based on Charles Addams's cartoons published mainly in the 30's in the New Yorker magazine.

(Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.)

Le train (1973)

English titles: The Last Train; The Train.

Synopsis: When the Germans invade France in 1940, many people start fleeing their cities. The film centers on a man who leaves his house and city; he is accompanied by his pregnant wife and daughter. They board a train, only they must go in different cars -- first class is for women, children and older people only. He meets a beautiful Jewish woman and falls in love with her. The car he is in gets separated from the one his wife is in. Based on the novel by Georges Simenon, 1st ed. 1961.

Appraisal: To decide whether this film is far-fetched is somewhat beside the point; it is clearly devised with that apparent far-fetchedness in its center. The important fact is, it works fine dramatically, and so it may be considered a success; the ending may have carried the romanticism a little too far though.

Rating: 61

The Addams Family: The Winning of Morticia Addams (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Fester reads an article saying that couples that never fight are very unstable, so he fears for Morticia and Gomez; he tries to make them fight without success. He then goes to the author of the article, a French psychologist named Chalon, and hires him to come to the mansion under the pretense of being an old school acquaintance ("I was in a course by mail", he says). He meets the family ("Oh, how sad", he says to Wednesday, "your doll lost her head." "No", she answers, "it's Marie Antoinette -- I decapitated her."). He falls for Morticia; Fester urges Gomez to do something. Gomez challenges Chalon for a sword duel. Before the fatal hour arrives, Chalon gives up and leaves; he has come to the conclusion that they really are a perfect couple.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Russian Roulette (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Bellows puts Roger and Tony in charge of chaperoning two Soviet officers in visit to the U.S.. Tony gets to chaperone a beautiful blonde, while Roger is put in charge of a guy. The blonde is very direct with Tony: she wants him. Jeannie finds out reading the newspaper that Tony is chaperoning a girl and gets furiously jealous. Tony locks her up in her bottle, but she manages to swing the bottle into Roger's jacket. Roger finds it and gives it to the Russian girl. Tony finds out about it and rushes back to her apartment. He tries to get the bottle back but Bellows and the general witness this and make Tony give the bottle to her. She opens it and Jeannie is obliged to submit to her. Tony gets very worried about all the power that the bottle would give to the U.S.S.R., but the Russian officer's wish was to become a rich American capitalist woman. After that is accomplished, Jeannie fabricates a double of Tony; the Russian girl is duped into marrying the double, whereas Jeannie goes back to the real Tony.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

I Dream of Jeannie: Where'd You Go-Go? (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Jeannie is tired of being neglected by Tony; she changes into a chimp and he hardly notices it. Tony is visited by an old girlfriend; they set up a date. Jeannie rears the car into Roger's; he excuses her -- she is so pretty. They set up a date -- Jeannie wants to make Tony jealous. Tony gives Roger all the best tips to win a girl; he doesn't know it's Jeannie. The four of them end up in a double date. Jeannie goes to Roger's apartment; she uses her magical powers to keep the lights on, despite his best efforts in contrary. It gets late; she goes home. Tony pays a visit to Roger that same night under the false pretense of borrowing something, and is relieved to know that nothing happened. Jeannie is glad that he's concerned.

Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.

Top Cat: Hawaii Here We Come (1961) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Benny wins a trip to Hawaii in a contest. The rest of the gang (Top Cat, Choo-Choo, Fancy, Brain, Spook) accompanies him as stowaways. Officer Dibble (T.C. calls him Dribble) gets on board while trying to return a money bill given to him as a tip by an old lady he helped, and the ship leaves the shore. The old lady is actually a money counterfeiter; he is carrying the money in a suitcase. The cats find the suitcase and begin spending the money; they put themselves in the Royal Suite. Dibble gets tip from his boss about the counterfeiter and queries the boat's employee who received money from T.C.; the guy didn't know that five dollar bills were not supposed to have Davy Crockett's face on them. T.C. gets rid of the suitcase, which then goes back to the counterfeiter's hands. Top Cat gives Dibble the following suggestion to catch the crook: have the captain announce that he has the suitcase and that its owner should present himself to him in order to get it back. All passengers claim to be the owner, except for the real one, who has the suitcase with him. He is arrested. Dibble boasts about being the idea's owner, T.C. gets furious and spoils a plate of food on his head, then disappears from the ship along with the gang. Dibble gets worried sick that they jumped overboard and drowned, and when they appear on the shore (riding a wave on a surfboard) he is so overcome with joy that he mistakes his own name and calls himself Dribble.

The Addams Family: Lurch, the Teenage Idol (1965) (TV)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Lurch's guttural voice draws the attention of Gomez, who thinks that, what with the ever-increasing weirdness of popular taste in music, maybe that's what people are after, so he decides to launch him as a singer. His predictions are confirmed: he is a success and dozens of teenagers flock to their mansion to get a glimpse -- or if they're lucky something more -- of their new idol. Needless to say, he gets way behind in his housekeeping duties, which forces Uncle Fester to cook his own meal, only he mistakes the witches' brew in Macbeth for a culinary recipe, and serendipitously too! Lurch is scheduled for a European tour, but he can't get past his admirers, who rip his clothes apart, so he decides to quit his career and devote himself to less violent affairs.

(Saw it dubbed in Portuguese.)

The Goldbergs: Money for Seeds (1938) (radio)

Synopsis [spoilers]: Molly tries to raise money to make a mail order of flower seeds which she intends to sell for profit. For some reason which I didn't understand, there is a deadline for the placement of the order, and she will only meet it by posting it on that same day. She doesn't have the money, but, when all seems lost, all her friends contribute (I didn't understand how exactly this happens) and the required sum is achieved. She doesn't have the money for the mailing fee, which is a few cents, so the postman himself pays for it -- he wants it back in seeds.

Comment: As you probably have gathered from the above synopsis, it was impossible for me to understand what was being said at certain spots.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Shopping for Death (1956) (TV)

Synopsis: Two retired insurance salesmen scour the city for people whose likelihood for suffering accidents is high; they find a woman in that category and try to lecture her into changing her ways.

Appraisal: Interesting stuff; no surprise ending.

Lavoura arcaica (2001)

English title: To the Left of the Father.

Synopsis: The intermediary son of an agrarian family flees home and his elder brother goes after him and finds him. Based on the novel by Raduan Nassar (1st ed. 1975).

Appraisal: As has already been pointed out around the time of its cinematic release, this film is totally subservient to the source novel, being flooded by omnipresent voiceover and extremely verbose dialogue (or monologue, as is perhaps the case at times). I haven't read the source novel but, based on Nassar's novella Um Copo de Cólera, which I have, and on what is heard and seen in this film, both his style and plots seem parodic (or self-parodic, perhaps) to me. I seem to be the only one who thinks that way; this filmmaker, for one, surely doesn't, judging by the evidence of the "quality TV" gloss with which he imbues the movie, and of which he is the certified King. Here and there, real emotion seeps in, as in the scene of André by the farm's gate, being regarded by his mother.

Rating: 33