I’m not sure how well-known he ever was. He was pretty active in the big band era as kind of an ensemble novelty singer, but I don’t know that many people ever knew him by (that very distinctive) name. By the ‘60s, through the end of his life, he mostly did voice-over work like in the Grinch, Tony the Tiger, and the…

Though I actually completely missed the hugeness of that even at the time.

The Great Gabbo (from which The Simpsons stole the name for “Krusty Gets Kancelled”) featured Erich von Stroheim as a throughly assholeish ventriloquist whose dummy was the only way he could relate civilly with people.

That’s really remarkable that they haven’t been able to do their “big table” improvisation, but seem to have been able to achieve the same feel and timing with workarounds.

And I’m pretty sure it was her U.N.I.T.Y. phase.

I saw the original cut in the theater. I’d definitely be curious about the Director’s Cut, knowing Barker’s friction with the studio. I doubt it could improve away Charles Haid’s scenery chewing as the sheriff, but I’d be open minded.

I found that movie pretty disappointing overall, but Cronenberg’s role was one of the brighter spots.

I’d personally be all in favor of that “shortcut” if it led to more projects being produced that would otherwise have been written off as impractical.

Counterpoint: I found the first season to be an entertainingly well-executed throwback to the action adventure series of the ‘70s and ‘80s, with the “advancement” of a greater sense of continuity.

I’m shocked I haven’t seen Homer at the Bat in this thread yet.

I remember being a little puzzled by my old local newspaper’s TV guide section using the somewhat over-expansive term “Thriller” to encompass obvious “Horror” as well as disaster movies and other action-heavy fare. I do think “Thriller” or “Suspense” would be useful categories for most of these.

All-time best band name: The Texas Chainstore Manager.

I genuinely love Lifeforce, for all its retro-Hammer movie/Quatermass-esque feel. Invaders From Mars is less distinctive, but not awful either.

Or idles that long without stalling out. Though, professional tree surgeons I’ve watched seem to have an easier time of it. A real craftsman, like Leatherface, probably invests a lot of time in the maintenance of his tools.

The titles only even try to claim “suggested by”.

The “reanimated corpse” trope was an invention of the 1931 movie, I believe. The original story plays a bit loose with the mechanics of the process, implying it as working from smaller building blocks, like nerves and veins, on a framework of grave-robbed bones -- The creature’s 8' size is said to have been due to the…

I remember that as one of those late-‘80s/early-’90s cable staples. With David Warner and Deborah Foreman!

I’m inclined to think this whole project was an attempt to scavenge a movie from the wreckage of a film project that basically imploded a decade ago. “We’ll fix it in editing” became “We’ll resurrect the dismembered corpse in editing.”

Perhaps it has something to do with directing actors being an inherently collaborative enterprise. It seems to me that his greatest weakness is as a writer and director of narrative, and that he suffers there from a lack of collaborative influence. Its similar to Lucas’s problem with the Star Wars prequels. He could…

I’ll offer Lily Cole for your list.