Thursday, August 7, 2008

A Monkey's Uncle



This lovely clip of Annette Funicello and the Beach Boys is from the 1965 movie "The Monkey's Uncle." I think my parents might have actually taken me to see this, although I might be confusing things with another monkey movie.
Midvale College is in fear of losing it's college football team. The players have grades lower than the norm. Judge Holmesby, the team's biggest fan, is at a loss for what to do. Enter Merlin Jones, a bright college student, and his nephew Stanley, an intelligent chimpanzee. The judge wants Merlin to create an "honest way to cheat". Merlin uses "sleep learning" to help the players pass their exams. This saves the college football program from being banished, but not for long...the college is tempted to receive a $1 million dollar check from a Mr. Astorbilt. The catch is though the college must get rid of football. Judge Holmesby finds Darius Green III, who will pay $10 million dollars to the college if they can get a man to fly under his own power. The task is in Merlin's hands again. Can Merlin win the day and save the football team?
It's totally epic. I love Annette's little dance at the end. I love Annette.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Tim,
Thanks for posting this wonderful video. I ran Annette's national fan club for 28 years and she was a joy to work with. I even attended her first wedding to Jack Gilardi. Unfortunately, she is very ill with MS and can't enjoy a lot of the things that she used to. I'm glad we have such sweet memories of her career. Please pray for her.
Rita Rose

Tim Harris said...

Hi Rita,

It's nice to hear from you. The video is a bit of a coded love letter. My fiancée grew up in LA, has MS, and kind of identifies with Annette.

I hope that your friend, in her final years, is surrounded by people who love her.