# Does today's youth know about... (books, movies ya just gotta catch) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 1, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428 "2003-05-01T17:25:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/1 "2003-05-01T17:25:21Z")
Lacking progeny, I sometimes fear that the delights I’ve discovered over the years are going unnoticed by today’s young adults. Or maybe they’re no longer relevant? Perhaps the SDMB youth contingent will allay my fears; surely I’ll pick up some excellent suggestions from other dopers. _All About Eve_ came to mind last night, when I had occasion to remark “We’re in for a bumpy ride”. Surely that video gets rented from time to time? I hope that Hal Ashby’s films are familiar, too. If you’re contemplating marriage, _The Four Seasons_ is an absolute must, IMHO. And I’ve wondered if J.D. Salinger is something every undergraduate generation finds on their own - are people still picking up **Franny and Zooey** , or **Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters**? Do you read **Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance** these days? I also hope **Auntie Mame** gets checked out of the library once in a while - she’s wonderful company. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/2 "2003-05-01T17:41:23Z")
Today’s “youth?” A 30-something woman in my office confesed she’d never seen _All About Eve_ or _Sunset Boulevard_ . . . And a 24-year-old self-confessed “fag hag” told me she’s never seen _Valley of the Dolls_ or a pre-1980s John Waters film! ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/3 "2003-05-01T18:13:50Z")
oh rats - another thread with a bad title I just know there’s more good pop-culture stuff out there that I haven’t seen - and I worry that some of my favorite movies will just fade away. And books! I see a lot of threads about TV shows and that’s fine, but what about books? People should know about _Auntie Mame_, I mean, really. _A Tree Grows in Brooklyn_ is another one of my favorites. It was reassuring to see that _Catcher in the Rye_ thread pop up, I hadn’t known about it before. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/4 "2003-05-01T18:51:34Z")
Today’s youth should make sure they don’t let **The Marx Brothers’** films get by them. Especially the first few… **Coconuts** **Animal Crackers** **Coconuts** **Monkey Business** **Horse Feathers** **Duck Soup** (one of the funniest films _ever_) **Night At The Opera** and **A Day At The Races** Not everything about the films has aged well (I usually fast forward past Harpo’s harp playing and most of Chico’s piano playing), but when they’re _on[_, boy, it doesn’t get any better than that. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/5 "2003-05-01T19:46:20Z")
Dang, vl\_mungo, that was the -exact- thing I thought of when I saw the thread title! The Marx Brothers are just -searing- wit commedy when they’re on their game. Somewhere around here I have a copy of a Jack Benny program with Groucho as a guest star. Amazingly funny stuff. Also, Danny Kaye. He’s on and off for me, but everyone should see / hear him do his ‘fake’ foreign languages at least once. Pure genius. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/6 "2003-05-01T20:49:37Z")
I’m remided of the book “Cultural Literacy”, and I wish there was a similar book/video addressing the pop cultural “What Every American Needs To Know”. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/7 "2003-05-01T21:31:00Z")
I just wanted to pop in and add my love for the Marx Brothers (I even love Chico’s piano playing!) What I want to know is, do any young people rent one of my favorite films of all time: _It Happened One Night_. I **love** that movie. And how many bother to watch silent films anymore? The old Charlie Chaplin shorts, not to mention his feature length films. And then there’s Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy. Would today’s youth recognize the names Rudolph Valentino, Johnny Weismuller, or Douglas Faribanks? And I hope to high heaven we don’t have a generation of people who think Kevin Costner is Robin Hood instead of Errol Flynn. Speaking of Flynn, there’s _Captain Blood_ and _The Sea Hawk_ and… well I can keep going like this, but I think you all get where I’m coming from. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/8 "2003-05-01T21:41:15Z")
More Marx Brothers love right here. I love those movies so much, especially A Night At the Opera. Is there any reason none of these are available on DVD yet? I have checked Best Buys, Virgin Megastores, [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com), eBay, and they don’t seem to exist. I would totally buy a Marx Brothers DVD box set, or even better if the movies were sold individually. I’m 25, and it is amazing how many people my age have never seen them. Or Laurel and Hardy (who I grew up watching with my dad). Or anything with Charlie Chaplin. Or Citizen Kane. Or The Maltese Falcon. Or Casablanca. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/9 "2003-05-01T22:40:26Z")
I’ve seen all the Marx Borthers movies, but have not seen or read any of the works mentioned in the OP. Age: 20 ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/10 "2003-05-02T00:21:04Z")
Never seen a Marx Brother movie, never seen Laurel and Hardy, never seen anything with Charlie Chaplin (that I know of), or Citizen Cane or the Maltese Falcon or Casablanca or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/11 "2003-05-02T00:25:08Z")
Crud! Hit enter too soon! I was about to type that there are lots of old movies that I haven’t seen (though I have seen _Sunset Boulevard_). I’ve never seen or heard of any of the things in the OP, except that _All About Eve_ rings a faint bell, and I have friends who have read_Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence_. The main problem is, where would I get these from? I’m much better read in the literary classics because of the library. For example, I’ve read _Valley of the Dolls_, but I had no idea there was a movie until this thread. I don’t tend to see these titles at Blockbuster, and chances are if I did I wouldn’t know what they were. ---
**Author:** ![Auntie\_Social](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@Auntie\_Social](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntie_Social)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/12 "2003-05-02T00:32:01Z")
Doesn’t every video store have a dusty “Classics” section? Or have they removed those at Blockbuster to make room for 200 more copies of the latest Adam Sandler vehicle? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/13 "2003-05-02T01:45:29Z")
Don’t libraries often have a video section? Mine does, and that’s where I first encountered most of the Marx Brothers movies (I’m 21 and a huge fan, as are a couple of my friends). I’ve seen all the movies listed and need to find some of the more obscure, i.e. maybe not as good, later ones. Duck Soup is #1 to me, with Night at the Opera a close second. Their stuff has aged very well, to me. The problem (and let’s not forget that their movies really didn’t do well when they first came out) is that a lot of people just assume something that old can’t appeal to them. I think Chico’s playing is pretty funny and Harpo is very talented, but the singing and love stories are usually BIG yawns. The worst example I’ve seen is the big song in Day the Races. Allan Jones has a pretty nice voice, but the scene is more than 10 minutes and you only get one or two jokes from Groucho. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/14 "2003-05-02T01:46:55Z")
Blockbuster doesn’t have much of anything, they’re not renting as much as selling these days - and a lot of it is video games. I guess they figure older stuff might rent, but it won’t sell. By the way, I’m surprised I wrote that I was 21, got about three weeks ahead of myself there. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/15 "2003-05-02T02:10:06Z")
The library has videos, but 1. they cost money to rent (granted, just a dollar or two) and 2. minors can’t rent them. Which isn’t a problem now, but was last summer when I was going to the library every day. Forgot to mention that I’m 18. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/16 "2003-05-02T02:17:00Z")
I’m 27, which I suppose is still on the outside edge of “youth.” **Franny and Zooey** : Heard of it, haven’t read it. **Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters** : Never heard of it. **Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance** : Never read it, but plan to. **Auntie Mame** : Vaguely recognize the name. **All About Eve** : I know _of_ it… **Sunset Boulevard** : Ditto. **Valley of the Dolls** : Haven’t seen it, don’t plan to. I do know that Roger Ebert wrote the screenplay for the sequel, though. **Marx Brothers** : Love 'em. **Jack Benny** : Seen a few reruns on Nickelodean (?). Not enough to form an opinion on him. **Danny Kaye** : Dammit, I’ve seen something of his… Can’t remember the name. **It Happened One Night** : Own the DVD. **Silent Films in General** : I’ve got a copy of Metropolis on DVD. The old cut, not the fancy new one. **Charlie Chaplin** : Seen a lot of his stuff. Maudlin and over-rated. **Buster Keaton** : I’ve seen the clip of him hanging off that clock tower so many times I sometimes forget I’ve never actually seen one of his movies. **Laurel and Hardy** : Seen several of their movies. Not bad. I really bust a gut at the one where Stan snaps and beats the crap out of Ollie. **Rudolph Valentino, Johnny Weismuller, or Douglas Fairbanks** : Recognize all the names. Would recognize Valentino by sight, know Weismuller by reputation (Tarzan, right?) and don’t know Fairbanks beyond “Dead movie star.” **Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca** : Haven’t got to them yet, but I will. **Who’s Really Robin Hood** : I think that fox from the Disney cartoon has left a stronger image than Kevin Costner. However, the day Costner’s version opened, AMC ran the Errol Flynn version back to back six times in a row. I watched it twice. I’m better on books than on movies. Just today, I started in on _Twenty Years After_, the sequel to the _Three Musketeers_, and I’m thinking of reading _Lolita_ after I’m done. And I have a deep and abiding passion for John Steinbeck. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/17 "2003-05-02T02:32:47Z")
I’m decent at the older film comedians in general. I haven’t seen some of the movies regarded as major classics, like All About Eve or Sunset Boulevard, but when AFI released their “100 Greatest American Movies” list a few years ago, I made a major effort to see things on that list, so I may have seen more than many people. I think I’ve still only gotten about half of it done. Citizen Kane is one of my favorite movies, I enjoy Casablance and The Maltese Falcon a lot as well. I’ve got a soft spot for film noir. I know a fair number of people who’ve read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; at the moment I’m not one of them. Never read Franny and Zooey, but I’ve read Catcher in the Rye, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/18 "2003-05-02T02:48:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > **Buster Keaton** : I’ve seen the clip of him hanging off that clock tower so many times I sometimes forget I’ve never actually seen one of his movies. Buster Keaton is a genius and most of his movies are well worth viewing. However, the scene you are referring to is not Buster Keaton but, rather, Harold Lloyd from the movie _Safety Last_, a very enjoyable movie in its own right. As for Buster, I highly recommend _The General_ (one of my all-time faves), _Sherlock Jr._, and _Our Hospitality_. I tend to agree with your opinion of Chaplin and often lament that Keaton seems to be unfairly relegated to his shadow. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/19 "2003-05-02T03:04:31Z")
BTW, let me take this opportunity to again bitch that although the Marx Bros., Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Laurel & Hardy have all been the subjects of numerous DVD releases and boxsets, Harold Lloyd hasn’t had _any_ of his old thrill features released to DVD. This, IMHO, is a travesty. Talk about being relegated to the shadows! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428/20 "2003-05-02T03:10:50Z")
Stupid hamsters. While I’m trying to get them to put up my post where I point out that it was Harold Lloyd, not Buster Keaton, hanging from the clock, I get beat. Twice. Similar hats, but Keaton doesn’t wear glasses. Although he is not as highly regarded, I prefer Buster Keaton’s work over Charlie Chaplin’s. Less cerebral, more physical. [The General](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0017925) is considered to be one of the best silent comedies ever. DD [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-youth-know-about-books-movies-ya-just-gotta-catch/172428.md?page=2)