IN AMERICA A fully restored Mobil Service Station in Millerton, New York. Photo by Allen Bacon

The Cat Comes Back

The Cat In The Hat

Warner Brother Pictures

Produced by Daniela Mazzucato and Jared Stern

Directed By Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja

Based on a Children's Book by Theodor Geisel, AKA Dr. Seuss

With Bill Hader, Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Xochiti Gomez,  Giancarlo Esposito, America Ferrera

Three Scoops of Bosco

Reviewed by Allen Bacon, The Daily Bosco

It's fascinating how an innovative Children's reading primer from 1957 that taught multiple generations to read and enjoy reading has turned into a major contributor of screen time.

The second animated and third overall treatment of Ted "Dr. Seuss" Geisel's The Cat In The Hat takes one giant leap away from the original intent of the book.

On the other hand, Dr. Seuss created a fantastical, alternate, frenetic universe that had to wait for technology to re-create his world.  

That's why there is only one non-animated version of the Cat In The Hat. 

Much like J.R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy, there was no way you could even come close to imagining it the way the creator intended without advanced technology.  

The difference of course, is that Dr. Seuss created a blueprint with his unique illustration skills whereas Tolkien was a writer only and most people had a different opinion on how things were supposed to look in their imagination as they read his books.

It's interesting the choices of the leads who play the Cat in each of the three versions. They are all the most recognizable comedic personalities of their generation.

In the 1971 Network Television version it was Allan Sherman. 

In the 2003 live action film it was Mike Meiers. 

In the latest adaptation, Bill Hader takes a turn. Out of the three, Hader is the best. His comedic chops and timing are impeccable.  He is everything you would imagine the Cat would act. With attitude.

Actually, it is not the first time Hader has portrayed the Cat.  He also did it in a Saturday Night Live skit.

As a side note, Hader's fellow SNL alum Bowen Yang does a formable job in his role on this film as well.

A disappointment is the writing of the script on this new adaptation.  The first half of the film is a jumbled mess leaving the viewer confused and without sense of direction and pondering where are we going with this?  

The second half is much better.  There is actually a moral to the story and heartwarming moments that will tug at your heart strings.  If one didn't know better, it seems one writer wrote the first half and the other writer wrote the second half.

Not sure about the premise of the main villain of the film being a mutation of one of the main characters of the original.  It's been done before. Many times before.

Not lost on a generation that witnessed the first animated version on network television in 1971 is the fact that it was produced by the legendary Chuck Jones of Warner Brothers Cartoon fame (Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, etc.). This comes full circle in this movie because the production is under the now vast Warner Brothers empire.  The lead-in short before the main event is a new Looney Tunes cartoon with all the usual suspects (Daffy, Bugs, Yosemite Sam, Elmer...) about World Cup Soccer and a take on the old "Duck Season...Rabbit Season" shtick. 

The only problem is that Chuck Jones and his group are long gone.  The new generation apparently doesn't know how to do a cartoon properly anymore.  The short tries to be an homage to the Chuck Jones era but it doesn't even do that right.

Still Workin' On The Blues

Eric Allen Live Performances

Southern California -Various Locations

Five scoops of Bosco (Out of five)

Reviewed by Allen Bacon, The Daily Bosco

Eric Allen, the quintessential Blues Traveler, has returned to American soil. 

The good news is that he never stopped telling stories, and delivering his gritty, authentic style of blues.  He has just been doing it in a different part of the world for the past few years. 

To the delight of his fans, the Indiana-born and raised Allen popped up in Southern California recently and has been playing in small venues all over the region.

In the latest live shows, Allen goes it alone without his band.  The sets are a wonderful mix of songs from his first two albums, (2021's debut Eric Allen, and 2023's Prowlin' Lobo Blues) and a briefcase full of new stories accumulated from his recent travels.

In one of the new songs, Somewhere Beyond, Allen looks out the window of a high-speed rail in Shanghai and relates the stories of the people in the region.

In Really Blue, the story centers around the devastating Malibu fires in Southern California.

The latest shows also deliver a collection of tales from Allen's upbringing in Indiana and Kentucky, and living all over America during his over 60 years

Moonshining, Back Water Blues, and a new song Cranes Creek Road are observations of life, family and friends growing up in Kentucky while 14th Floor and In Me are from his time spent in New York City.  There are songs and tales relating to his stay in Louisiana Bayou country. A couple are quite humorous.

One starts like this:

Let me tell you a story. This is a tale of a guy, a woman...and another guy.....and an alligator.

So, to sum it up there are two guys, a woman...and an alligator...

All delivered with the grittiest, graveliest, most honest voice. Along with his musical chops, this makes him one of the best living bluesmen and songwriters in America right now.

Allen told me he is honing, curating and releasing new single songs and putting them out on the platforms working toward his next album.  

He has no time frame and doesn't seem to be in a rush.  But from what he has put out there so far and from the live performance I caught, it is going to be well worth the wait.  

In the words of the title of one of my favorite Eric Allen songs, He's still Workin' on the Blues.  

Thank God for that.

The Next to Last Diner On Route 66

Cafe 50's

Route 66 AKA Santa Monica Blvd

11623 Santa Monica Blvd

West Los Angeles, CA

By Allen Bacon, The Daily Bosco

Photo by Allen Bacon

I believe I have stumbled upon the formula for time travel on my walk of Route 66 through West Los Angeles.

Do you remember that scene from Back to the Future where Marty arrives in 1950's Hill Valley for the very first time and then enters a Diner?

That is exactly how I felt when I entered the Cafe 50's in West Los Angeles on Route 66 (Santa Monica Blvd.) .  This is because the minute you walk into the Cafe 50's universe, for all intents and purposes you have left the 21st Century.  

It would have even been better if there was a nearby record store blaring out The Chordette's Mr. Sandman.  

I was smart enough not to ask for a Pepsi Free.   I had coffee. No sugar. Just like Marty.

The Cafe 50's is billed as "The Last Diner on Route 66" (If you are traveling west) That was true when the diner opened in the 1970's.  Mel's Diner at the end of the Mother Road in Santa Monica actually has taken over that distinction.

Come for the 1950's food and the milk shakes. Stay for the memorabilia.  The walls are covered with Magazines, Newspaper articles, and Head shots from the 1950's.  And there are more classic Juke boxes per square foot than any place in America.  

The servers are dressed in the classic diner outfits from the 50's.  Now if they can just use 1950's expressions like "Swell" and "Jeepers".

I wanted to know if you could get a 1950's staple for breakfast. Steak and Eggs.  Yes you can but it was lunch time when I arrived so I had a cheese burger. As a lettuce wrap. No fries.  I could have had it 50's style but I had eaten a burger at the Shake Shack for Breakfast in Beverly Hills up the road earlier. So I stuck to my Keto diet. 

That was very Un-50's like but I am after all from the future.