The Horse's Head

The Plot: Preach and Cochise (Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) are best friends attending Chicago’s Cooley Vocational High School in 1964. When not in class (which is often), the two can be found hanging out in Chicago’s Near North Side, with Preach gambling what little cash he has at Martha’s and Cochise riding high off a recent basketball scholarship. “Cooley High” is the very definition of a hangout movie, as we watch these two go from one adventure to another. Highlights include Preach trying to get with classmate Brenda (Cynthia Davis), and a joyride in a stolen Cadillac. 

Why It Matters: The NFR quotes NPR, which called the film “a classic of black cinema”. The film is also praised for its “unique sensibilities”, “taut direction”, and the “incredible naturalistic acting styles” of the cast. 

But Does It Really?: It took me a minute to get this film’s hangout vibe, but ultimately I dug “Cooley High”. While the film itself is a bit meandering, you can tell it’s coming from an authentic place; far more nuanced than the blaxploitation films of the same era. Plus, if you’ve seen “Boyz n the Hood” it’s not hard to see the “Cooley” influence. A yes for “Cooley High” on the NFR; an important stepping stone in Black movie history.

Shout Outs: Not a direct reference, but the film was heavily promoted as the Black “American Graffiti”. Eric Monte did not see “Graffiti” until after “Cooley High” was in production, so any similarities are coincidental. 

Everybody Gets One: Screenwriter Eric Monte based the screenplay on his own experiences attending Cooley High and living in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green housing project. After dropping out of Cooley High his junior year, Monte moved to Hollywood and became a writer for “All in the Family” and eventually “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times”. Michael Schultz started off as a stage director, with a TV adaptation of his production of “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” leading to more film and TV opportunities.

Title Track/Wow, That’s Dated: “Cooley High” was the nickname for Edwin Gilbert Cooley Vocational High School in Chicago’s Near North Side. Sadly, the school is one of the film’s dated qualities; it closed in 1979 and was demolished two years later.

• What is it with Chicago and car chases? The chase between our friends in the Cadillac and the police is one of those moments that’s almost “American Graffiti” but not quite. Fortunately, it turns out this car chase is actually relevant to what little plot this film has.

• Another unexpected moment for me: Godzilla! The movie everyone goes to see in the theater before the big fight is 1964’s “Mothra vs. Godzilla”. The only thing more unexpected than seeing this movie within a movie is that Godzilla took second billing in one of his own films!

• The scene where Preach and Brenda have sex for the first time highlights the dangers of making out with your glasses on. Been there. Also, flute music during a sex scene. Very tasteful.
• In the opening credits, Garrett Morris gets third billing as the strict but supportive teacher Mr. Mason, yet he doesn’t show up until about two-thirds of the way through the movie. Did he have earlier scenes that got cut? Anyway, I’m glad he shows up, the movie could use an adult figure that wasn’t one of the kids’ absent parents. Like Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Garrett Morris was just a few months away from his most iconic TV role as one of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players on “Saturday Night Live” (or “NBC’s Saturday Night” as it was known at the time).

• [Spoilers] Goddamit, did this movie have to go tragic? The film had a fun, easy-going vibe up to this point, and Cochise’s death is a cold splash of harsh reality. In all fairness, this was based off an actual experience Eric Monte had in high school with one of his friends.
• The song playing at Cochise’s funeral is “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”, the only song written especially for the “Cooley High” soundtrack. If it sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of a cover that we’ll discuss in the “Legacy” section.

• Another “American Graffiti” comparison: A “What happened to everyone” epilogue text. One character apparently died during the violence at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Do you think Haskell Wexler saw it?

• As of this writing, both Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs are still with us and actively working. In 2008, Glynn Turman won an Emmy for his work on the HBO drama “In Treatment”.
• “Cooley Hight” inspired two different sets of “Boyz” in 1991. As previously mentioned, John Singleton’s “Boyz n the Hood” definitely shares some DNA with this movie (mainly a major character with a scholarship and a tragic end). That same year, the singing group Boyz II Men released their debut album “Cooleyhighharmony”, which featured a cover of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”.

• Among other filmmakers inspired by “Cooley High” are Spike Lee and Robert Townsend, the latter of whom makes their film debut in “Cooley” as one of Preach and Cochise’s classmates.
• Eric Monte adapted “Cooley High” into a series for ABC, but after the pilot was poorly received, the show was retooled, with a new set of characters in L.A.’s Watts neighborhood, and became “What’s Happening!!” That’s right, an NFR movie is responsible for the Rerun dance.

Listen to This: Three songs from the “Cooley High” soundtrack have found their way onto the National Recording Registry: Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Street”, The Temptations’ “My Girl”, and The Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There”.

December 30th, 2008: The NFR reaches 500 movies (and 20 years) with the Class of 2008. As always, here’s my retrospective on those 25 films:

• White Fawn’s Devotion (1910): “barely passes by my standards for preservation, but hey, so do a lot of movies on this list.”
• The Perils of Pauline (1914): “the film serial that started it all”
• One Week (1920): “you can see how much of [Buster Keaton’s] comic genius was already on display”
• Foolish Wives (1922): “excess for the sake of excess…this one may just be for the film buffs.”
• So’s Your Old Man (1926): “[W.C.] Fields’ best work was in the sound era”, “this spot could have gone to someone else.”
• Hallelujah (1929): “‘Hallelujah’ crawled so that other, better movies could run.”
• The Invisible Man (1933): “certainly holds up better than most other monster films of the era.”
• Sergeant York (1941): “a memorial to a real-life American hero”
• George Stevens’ World War II Footage (1943-1946): “as close as we’ll ever get to seeing the war as it actually was.”
• The Killers (1946): “a great noir film with a well-crafted mystery”
• The Asphalt Jungle (1950): “quite possibly the best ensemble of ‘50s character actors in one film”
• Johnny Guitar (1954): “What the hell was that?”
• Disneyland Dream (1956): “a home movie that commands repeat viewings”.
• On the Bowery (1956): “a capsule of a long-forgotten American life, told in a unique, enticing format.” 
• A Face in the Crowd (1957): “ahead of its time, and just keeps getting more and more accurate.”
• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958): “on this list by virtue of its kick-ass stop-motion technology”
• Free Radicals (1958/1979): “hits by trifecta for NFR experimental entries: It’s engaging, it’s representative of an important artist…and above all, it’s short.”
• Flower Drum Song (1961): “a second-rate film adaptation of a second-rate Rodgers and Hammerstein musical”
• The March (1964): “a succinct film that gives you a healthy sample of what that day was like.”
• The Pawnbroker (1964): “successfully translates the novel’s themes of isolation and grief into a visual medium”
• In Cold Blood (1967): “more-or-less invent[ed] the true crime film genre.”
• Deliverance (1972): “a strong movie with an equally strong legacy…complete with iconic banjo music!”
• …No Lies (1973): “a pass for NFR inclusion for its strong emotional resonance”
• The Terminator (1984): “The film’s lasting influence cannot be denied.”
• Water and Power (1989): “I just wish I knew what it all meant.”

You can currently watch “Water and Power” here.

The Plot: How the hell do I describe “Water and Power”? Well, it’s about 55 minutes long, and it centers around Owens Valley, L.A.’s primary water source, and how the area around it has become a mini-desert. It was directed by legendary experimental filmmaker Pat O’Neill, who describes it “a landscape film that became animated by the beginnings of human stories”. There’s plenty of timelapse photography and photoscopic effects conveying the valley’s overall decay and…yeah that’s about it.

Why It Matters: The NFR praises the film as “a brilliant examination of water in all its forms”.

But Does It Really?: As you’ve probably already guessed, I don’t have much to say about “Water and Power”. There’s some beautiful compositions throughout, and the whole thing gave me “Koyaanisqatsi” vibes, I just wish I knew what it all meant. It’s not so much a “Staring at Water” movie as it is a “Staring at a Lack of Water” movie. “Water and Power” is the kind of experimental film that should be playing on a loop in a museum somewhere, where the film can be given proper context and O’Neill can be given his due as an artist, but watching it as a standalone feature was a confusing experience for me, especially given my lack of knowledge of Los Angeles. I’ll give “Water and Power” a pass as another NFR entry that shines a light on L.A., but that’s about as generous as I’m feeling.

Shout Outs: There’s a handful of silent film clips interspersed throughout the film, and I’m pretty sure one of them is from “The Last Command”.

Everybody Gets One: Raised in Inglewood, Pat O’Neill became interested in filmmaking while studying photography in art school. Allmost all of Pat O’Neill’s films center around Los Angeles, starting with his 1963 short “By the Sea”, filmed on location at Muscle Beach. Although O’Neill has talked at length about making “Water and Power”, he’s not quite sure where the initial idea for the film came from: “I grabbed it, wherever I got it.” Oh, and in keeping with a longtime NFR tradition, Pat O’Neill is a UCLA graduate.

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscar nomination, though “Water and Power” did win the Sundance Grand Jury prize in 1990. 1989’s Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature was fellow NFR entry “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt”.

I realized while writing this post that I’ve never actually compiled a list of the “Staring at Water” movies that I reference every so often on this blog, and after almost 10 years it’s time to do something about that. Here are the NFR entries that are either fully or in part lingering shots of water with little narration or context:

The Plot: Teenager Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) lives a privileged life in Beverly Hills, but is determined to do good deeds for others. After setting up two of her teachers (Twink Caplan and Wallace Shawn), Cher and her best friend Dionne (Stacey Dash) set their sights on making over awkward new student Tai Frasier (Brittany Murphy). Cher also spends the school year trying to set Tai up with the right guy, while simultaneously trying to make things happen with metrosexual student Christian (Justin Walker). Also on hand is Cher’s ex-stepbrother Josh (Paul Rudd), who Cher may have feelings for. Will she figure it out, or will she remain clueless?

Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film “a time capsule of clothing, music, dialogue and teenage life.”

But Does It Really?: I’ve nominated “Clueless” a few times in the past, so no argument from me for NFR inclusion. I can’t remember the first time I saw “Clueless”, but I’ve always been aware of its place in pop culture; permanently defining mid-‘90s SoCal with its fashion and vernacular. Despite its timeliness, “Clueless” still manages to work over 30 years later as both timeless and very, very funny. As Breckin Meyer’s stoner character says, “Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Fine holiday fun.”

Shout Outs: References to “The Wizard of Oz”, “Gigi”, “Some Like It Hot”, “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Forrest Gump”, and a clip from “Sparatacus”.

Everybody Gets One: Alicia Silverstone was a relative newcomer to film when she got cast in the music video for Aerosmith’s “Cryin’”, subsequently appearing in their videos for “Amazing” and “Crazy”. It was her work in these videos that caught the eye of Amy Heckerling and got her cast as Cher in “Clueless”. Silverstone has continued to act on film and TV over the last 30 years, and is also an outspoken activist for PETA. This is also the NFR debut for most of the cast, including Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Breckin Meyer, and Dan Hedaya.

Wow, That’s Dated: Much like Heckerling’s “Fast Times” and the ‘80s, “Clueless” is inseparable from the ‘90s. Among my favorite ‘90s references: a shoutout to Tower Records, a slam on Pauly Shore movies, and a simpler time when Mel Gibson was just a Hollywood leading man and nothing else.

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscar nominations for “Clueless”, though the film did earn a few precursor nominations and wins for Amy Heckerling’s screenplay, as well as Alicia Silverstone’s breakthrough performance.

• There isn’t a false performance in the ensemble. Of course it begins and ends with Alicia Silverstone, who successfully navigates Cher’s wisdom beyond her years while still being a 15-year-old. Only Silverstone can make spoiled look so adorable. We’re also treated to great supporting turns by the entire cast, especially from the wonderfully naive Brittany Murphy. My personal MVPs are Donald Faison giving us a preview of the comic energy he’ll be bringing as Dr. Turk on “Scrubs”, and Dan Hedaya as the rare supportive, present parental figure in a Heckerling teen comedy.
• Shoutout to costume designer Mona May. Half the success of “Clueless” is its costumes, which May apparently was able to get for cheap, as she considered the characters to be “mall rats, not models”. May also makes a cameo appearance within the film as Fabian the masseuse.
• As I’ve learned from this blog, a movie quote really catches on when you repeat it multiple times in the movies. Cher’s disgusted “As if” is said six times throughout “Clueless”.

• Not a revolutionary opinion, but it’s my first opportunity to address it here on the blog: Paul Rudd doesn’t age. Rudd was 25 when he made “Clueless”, and cites good sleep, exercising, and a healthy diet as contributions to his ageless appearance. Side note: I assume Rudd’s favorite clip from this movie is when the kid in the wheelchair falls off the cliff while a small alien looks on. Though that might be from another movie…

• Ms. Geist is played by Heckerling regular Twink Caplan, who also serves as the film’s associate producer. Mr. Hall is played by Wallace Shawn, who, factoring in his appearance here and in “The Incredibles”, now has seven NFR appearances. He’s inching towards Ward Bond territory.
• Hey, another movie for my “Die Hard Not Christmas” list. Does this make “Rollin’ with My Homies” a Christmas song?
• “Let’s blow off 7th and 8th, go to the mall, have a calorie fest, and see the new Christian Slater.” … They’re going to see “Murder in the First”?
• Favorite line in the movie: Cher’s dad to Christian before he takes Cher out; “Anything happens to my daughter, I got a .45 and a shovel. I doubt anybody would miss you.”

• Also dated: a performance from The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Man, remember ska?
• I don’t have much to say about the film’s third act, other than I love Tai’s line, “You’re a virgin who can’t drive”, perhaps the ultimate put-down in a teen movie. I’m also a fan of third act “Main character is sad” montages, and this movie gives us one courtesy of an “All By Myself” cover performed by Jewel.

• As much as I enjoy this movie, I’m still iffy on the whole “ex-stepbrother” thing. The movie goes to great lengths to remind us that Josh and Cher are not related to each other, which is also the strategy in most adult films (so I’m told). I don’t know, it just doesn’t sit right with me.

• “Clueless” became a TV series in 1996 for a season on ABC, then two more seasons on UPN. Most of the film cast reprised their roles for the series, with Rachel Blanchard filling in for Alicia Silverstone. Other “Clueless” spin-offs include a series of novels and comic books, and even an Off-Broadway musical.

• Attempts at a sequel series starring Alicia Silverstone have been on-and-off for the last few years. As of this writing, the series is on, but so far the closest we’ve gotten is the 2023 Super Bowl commercial with Silverstone and Elisa Donovan (Amber) reprising their roles. What-ever.

The Plot: While in New York, sailor Michael O’Hara (Orson Welles) meets and falls for Elsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth), who has just returned to New York from Shanghai. Michael soon learns that Elsa is married to famous criminal defense attorney Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane), who offers Michael a job on his yacht. As things become complicated between Michael and Elsa, Michael meets Arthur’s business partner George Grisby (Glenn Anders) who, knowing of Michael’s criminal past, offers him $5000 to confess to murdering Grisby so that Grisby can fake his own death and disappear. That’s all I’ll reveal for now, not because I’m worried about spoilers, but rather because the plot becomes so confusing at this point that I genuinely couldn’t explain it to you even if I tried. It ends in a hall of mirrors, that much I can confidently tell you.

Why It Matters: The NFR states the film “is renowned for its stunning set pieces…baroque cinematography and convoluted plot.”

But Does It Really?: As much as I’ve enjoyed watching and studying Welles’ other NFR films, “Lady from Shanghai” threw me for a loop. Welles’ movies are off the beaten path; you either lean into their chaos or let them drive you mad. I could go along with “Citizen Kane” (and to an extent “Magnificent Ambersons” and “Touch of Evil”), but “Shanghai” is a whole other animal. Part of that is its film noir crypticness, and muddling of its source material, some of that is (say it with me) studio meddling of Welles’ original film. Still, it has the hall of mirrors scene, which has become so much of a trope it’s incredible to realize it came from a single movie. “The Lady from Shanghai” is iconic enough that its NFR induction is understandable, but man alive is it weird.

Wow, That’s Dated: Grisby’s entire plan hinges on corpus delicti; Michael can’t be convicted of murdering Grisby if the police can’t find his body. While still a rarity, advancements in forensic science have since made it possible to convict someone of murder using circumstantial evidence.

Title Track: The film at one point shared a working title with its source novel: “If I Die Before I Wake”. Other titles considered included “Black Irish” and “Take This Woman” before the final, more mysterious “The Lady from Shanghai”.

• In my research for this post, everything specifically about Rita Hayworth’s performance centered around her hair, famously cut short and bleached blonde for this film. And who says no one took her seriously? I think she does the best she can with a very constricted part. Like many a “dame” in film noir, Hayworth’s Elsa has to play everything close to the chest, not allowing her much to do outside subtle glancing. She gets better as the film progresses, but you hate to see a good actor get upstaged by her own hair.
• Bannister’s yacht was “played” by Zaca, owned at the time by actor Errol Flynn. As per his contract, Flynn was always present during the Zaca shoots, skippering the boat between takes. Also blink and you’ll miss Flynn in the background of the Acapulco cantina scene. As of this writing, Zaca is still active, though given the amount of refurbishment it takes to keep a nearly 100 year old ship going we may have a Ship of Theseus situation on our hands.
• When Elsa goes swimming of the Acapulco coast, she returns to the boat with immediately dry hair, which then becomes wet in her next close-up and then dry again in the next shot. What is in that water?
• And then Grisby arrives and things take a turn for the weird(er). Part of that is Glenn Anders’ unrestrained performance (Anders was a stage actor and “Lady from Shanghai” was a rare film performance), and part of that is the juxtaposition from Welles’ original vision for the film and Columbia’s mandated reshoots. Side note: the $5000 Grisby offers Michael would be over $75,000 in today’s money.
• And then Bannister and his crew make port in Saulsalito and the film becomes a nice travelogue of late ‘40s San Francisco. The first notable filming location is Michael and Elsa’s secret rendezvous at the Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences. The aquarium has changed quite a bit in the last 80 years, but seeing it here was a pleasant surprise (even if they use optical trickery to make the fish look bigger).
• [Spoilers] This movie gets real confusing real quick once Michael tries to pull off the murder plot. Without revealing too much, I’m no expert on this sort of thing, but when you’re trying to kill someone to stop them from talking, you gotta make sure they’re actually dead! Come on people, is this your first film noir?
• The film’s third act becomes a real circus with several plot revelations colliding into each other (including a few that only make sense if you’ve read the book). First we get an extended courtroom drama as Arthur tries to defend Michael, with lots of overdubbed expository dialogue (I’m guessing in an attempt to clear up the plot. Didn’t help). This is followed by a chase through Chinatown, and finally the film’s legendary showdown inside a hall of mirrors. It’s easily the most visually engaging sequence in the whole movie, seemingly the only time Welles’ vision made it onto the big screen (although Columbia cut it down from its initial 20 minutes to under 5). Speaking of the finale, pour one out for Playland, the gone but not forgotten amusement park that once resided next to Ocean Beach.

• But the film’s most enduring legacy is its Hall of Mirrors finale. Many a film and TV show has featured a climactic shootout in a hall of mirrors, including another NFR entry: “Enter the Dragon”.