Thanksgiving cornucopia, part 2: 1969

Following is a selection of movies playing in Columbus over Thanksgiving 50 years ago, in November of 1969. As befit the times, of a Hollywood undergoing big changes in a "youthquake" era, it's a bag of oddities.

Paint Your Wagon was another nail in the coffin of the big Hollywood musical. I've never seen it but that odd trio of stars (Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg) would seem to spell disaster for a musical.

Liza Minnelli's first leading role--and it's not a musical or comedy, but a gloomy coming-of-age melodrama. She's good but it doesn't feel like holiday viewing.

The Undefeated, a western with John Wayne and Rock Hudson.

Two big zeitgeist movies from the year, Alice's Restaurant and Midnight Cowboy.

And at the drive-ins (with electric car warmers), Change of Habit and Eye of the Cat (not a bad little thriller)

Thanksgiving cornucopia, part 1: 1933

Here's a few days worth of movies that were playing on or around Thanksgiving over the years. Unlike at Christmastime, these are mostly not films with holiday themes, but they are often family movies or films getting an early shot at holiday traffic.

Opening in time for Thanksgiving viewing in New York in 1933 was Design for Living, a witty and sophisticated romp based on a play by Noel Coward. He complained that the screenplay was a complete rewrite of his story of an attempt at a long-term threesome, but it still has its moments. It was playing at the Criterion, and coincidentally, the movie was released on DVD as part of the Criterion Collection.

For less high-class comedy, you could see Duck Soup, the Marx Brothers classic, over Thanksgiving. The top ad is from New York, the bottom from Atlanta the week after Thanksgiving. At the time, the movie was not a box office hit like their earlier ones were, but it is now considered their funniest. I like Animal Crackers more, but this one will do.

A Busby Berkeley musical spectacle, Footlight Parade, also opened in Manhattan for Thanksgiving, complete with live vaudeville acts, though I suspect none of the live performers could outdo the production numbers that Berkeley put on the screen.

Finally, the legendary Mae West, in one of her last hit movies before the Production Code came into effect next year and tamed her ribaldry.