Birding and Petticoats

Chris Cooper in my experience was someone who sometimes popped up as a guest host on Gay USA with his particular interest in Marvel comics/movies.  Cooper once was in the comics business himself.  He also is a birder, now with his own television program.

Most know him from his experience -- while birding -- with Amy Cooper (she's white, he's black), who made it racist when he (as is his way) politely, but firmly, asked her to keep her dog on a leash.  His video of the incident went viral.  One thing I respect about him is that Chris Cooper stayed low-key about the whole thing, including not voluntarily being involved in her prosecution.  The event happened when George Floyd was murdered and Cooper retained some perspective others did not about the whole thing.  

It is only one chapter in his autobiography (he doesn't even mention Gay USA, with not even a blurb from the hosts) but the incident is likely a major reason for his new book.   As a whole, though I wanted to learn a bit more about certain things (he doesn't even talk about meeting his current partner), the book was pretty good.  Here's my extended review. 

Petticoat Junction is on early morning on Saturdays on MeTV and it's part of my Saturday rotation of things to check out (including the Svengoolie and Hallmark movies at 8 P.M as well as C-SPAN history programming) to see if I'm interested.  

The show is amusing if with a mixture of episodes that I'm interested in watching and more silly stuff.  The "Ask Minerva" episode is interesting since it is the opening episode of Season Three, which is when two of the three daughters are now portrayed by new actors.  The dog is here already; he's actually the dog who later plays Benji, with the actor who plays Uncle Joe. 

The best "Bobbi Jo" (the brunette) comes on and a decent if much less used (sparingly for one season) "Billie Joe" (the blonde; the third one is on the longest and the most bland and inappropriately modern for this series).  Kate, the mom, also at times (with pearls!) looks more vivacious (well she is the mom of those daughters) in this episode as well.  

It's a cute episode with Kate taking over as writer of an advice column, doing so on the down low, which causes some hijinks.  The opening with the three sisters in the water tower (bare shoulders and the implication is that they are totally bare, though when we see them swimming in one later episode, they are wearing bathing suits -- boo)  is well done with a great reaction shot from the one actress who plays a sister for the whole run.

This Bobby Jo is ultimately shown to be a bit of an airhead though perhaps in a bit of early segment weirdness, she actually makes a brain-like reference at one point.  The boy crazy sister (here played by a Swedish actress) is not too much different from the first one though she seems to have more hair.  Bobby Jo (who is played by the same actress for the rest of the series' run) is more of a sexy sort than the more restrained first actress.

The episode has an amusing final joke. The daughters think their mom is actually dating the storekeeper and send a letter to get advice.  She (even though she has a chance for syndication) decides it is time to retire, but never reveals her identity.  Joe Carson is the only one not impressed with the column, noting Kate ("your mother") could do a better job.  

The series has a very catchy theme song.  The other thing is that the half-hour seems longer than it should be.  I'm unsure why -- the episodes don't really drag.  It just is the pacing is such that it seems a bit longer than a usual half-hour show often is.  Anyway, the next few episodes (two are shown on MeTV) are notable because the leads from Green Acres pop up.

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There is a new Hallmark movie coming out tonight (notable for a black lead), but another recent one also is worth referencing.

The leads, especially Rachel Boston, are familiar. I'm not a big fan of Rachel Boston Hallmark films as a rule, but The More Love Grows was an enjoyable one.  And, though there have been a few cases where a lead manages to not be a single parent because of some death in the family, this one actually concerns the separation itself.  What's next? A marital affair?

When the husband who shocks Rachel Boston by telling her he wants a separation (their daughter had just gone away to college) suggests maybe he made a mistake, she even says, no, she realized it was the right move.  The film largely involves her getting used to being separated with a subplot about her daughter having trouble adapting to college life.  

And, yes, there is a bit of romance, though she herself is more concerned about moving on with her life.  She tells the veterinarian (a new dog enters her life) that she is not ready for a relationship though in the end is ready to start one.  It also has an amusing song by her new friend.  

(There is a required plot bit late that is tired but it's over quickly.)

Hallmark is slowly moving along. This plotline is almost a bigger step than its decision to start showing gay and lesbian characters.  I am ready for a bisexual love story where there are the usual hijinks at a wedding or something and a character ultimately drops their drip of significant other for a member of the same sex.  A trans or non-binary character also would be nice.  A sort of Imagine Me & You type of thing.  

Baby steps.  After all, they have even had a Hanukkah film or two!