First Hot Air Balloon Ride

While there were a few hot air balloon rides before June 4, 1783, when the Montgolfier Brothers did their first public demonstration - most ended in disaster with very short flight times. And so, the Montgolfier Brothers are usually credited with the first successful hot air balloon ride. (for more background info, try wikipedia).

So to celebrate the event, let us recommend some choice videos. First, watch Conquest of the Air, a very dry humored British film on the history of flight, starring Sir Laurence Olivier, as Vincent Lunardi one of the early pioneers of hot air balloon flight.

Another highly recommended title is Buster Keaton in Balloonatic.

Our final hot air balloon related video is of The Double Eagle, piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Max Anderson and Larry Newman. On August 19, 1978 - they were the first to take a hot air balloon ride across the Atlantic Ocean.

Bedazzled Dudley Moore, Raquel Welch

If you liked the remake in 2000, you'll love the original 1967 film, Bedazzled starring Dudley Moore, Raquel Welch and Peter Cook. Directed by Stanley Donen, the film is dripping with British irony and sarcasm. Check out Bedazzled.

Alfred Hitchcock TV Classic

After seven successful years on American Television with Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the format changed and went from 1/2 hour episodes to a full hour, and a new name - The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. And the pilot episode of this new TV series was excellent. A Piece of the Action, released in 1962 - starred Gig Young and a 25 year young actor named Robert Redford. A professional gambler wants to do all he can to keep his younger brother from repeating the same mistakes. Lots of twists and turns to the story. Plus, Raymond Bailey (aka Mr. Drysdale) plays a poker player who gets caught cheating. Watch A Piece of the Action.

The Dukakian Tank Test

While the old standby litmus test for choosing your guy (who would you have a beer with?) is still a good one, I thought I'd add another factor in making the decision. The Dukakian Tank Test. Now I know there will be only one Democrat left once Al Gore counts the votes in Florida, but the tank test was more fun with three choices. And off we go, with Tiger Joe.

1) Barack Obama 2) John McCain and 3) Hilary Clinton.

wow - tough, tough call. I think I'm going with the Spinach Party.

Remember Those Who Sacrificed

Memorial Day is a day we remember those who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today. So, take some time to remember, and feels thanks. And after that, yes by all means, throw a burger on the grill and enjoy the annual Bar-B-Que. (reminds me of this trailer). There's lots of memorial day related content - from World War One or Two movies to a search for soldier to Andy Griffith to Richard Pryor.

There's also a bunch of noteworthy birthdays today, May 26. John Wayne was born May 26, 1907. Jay Silverheels, better known as Tonto was born May 26, 1912. The great Peggy Lee was born May 26, 1920. Click the Peggy Lee for a killer rendition of Why Don't You Do Right?" featuring the legendary Benny Goodman on Clarinet. Wow, does he rock! And finally, one of my favorite actors has the 100th anniversary of his birth, Robert Morley was born May 26, 1908. Check him out in Theater of Blood with Vincent Price. (And it's Uncle Vinnie's birthday tomorrow. Small world).

More New Downloads

Added a bunch of movie and TV download honey to the pot on Monday, tweaked & logged the info to the database on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, the servers were updated and we can tell you about. Woo Woo. Here's a short list of the new downloads. The Trial starring Anthony Perkins and directed by Orson Welles. A bizarre screen adaptation of the Frank Kafka classic novel, The Trial. It's the story of this guy named Joseph K who is accused of doing something wrong, but he has no understanding what he is guilty of.

Next up, another film based on literature, in this case, a short story by Richard Connell called The Most Dangerous Game. The movie stars Leslie Banks, Joel McCrea, and Fay Wray. A ships is detroyed on a hidden reef and the crew and passengers must go to a tiny island. Once there, they learn the owner is an acclaimed hunter, bored with animals, he now enjoys hunting people.

Finally, we also added Alfred Hitchcock's movie Secret Agent to the video download library. The 1936 B&W espionage film stars Peter Lorre and John Geilgud. Made before World War II, it offers an interesting view of the geo-political world, and the cloak and dagger activities in Europe before the outbreak of global war.

T.E. Lawrence's Motorcycle Accident

On May 19, 1935, T.E. Lawrence, an avid biker who favored Brough Superior bikes, died in a motorcycle accident near his cottage in Dorset. He was just 46 years old, and he died as he swerved to avoid hitting 2 boys on bicycles, lost control and went over the handlebars. Check out this newsreel, with some brief footage of T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia.

If you'd like to learn more about T.E. Lawrence, check out wikipedia's extensive entry, or better still, read one of his books, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. This book was edited by his friend, George Bernard Shaw. And David Lean's movie, Lawrence of Arabia is a great film, an amazing film, one of the best but not the best source to learn about the man.

Also of note today, May 19 - a young girl named Janet Gaynor cleaned up on the first Oscar night, winning three Academy Awards in one evening, for her role in A Star is Born.