Hello Julia and Poydras,
Driving around and seeing the Halloween decorations make me think about scary movies. Wasn’t the movie “The Blob” filmed in Louisiana?
Arhtel Freeman, LaPlace.
Depends which “Blob” you are talking about, Arthel. There were three to the series. The third, released in 1968, was filmed in and around the Vermilion parish town of Abbeville, which played the role of Arborville, California. For the plot, (don’t you hate when this happens?) an amoeba-like organism crashes down to Earth in a military satellite. As it grows, the acidic thing devours and dissolves anything in its path.
Soldiers and scientists are the implied villains. We won’t tell you how the blob was eventually subdued, partially because Poydras was afraid to watch the final scene and missed the ending. We do know that the whole mess could have been avoided at the beginning if they had just tossed the blob into a pot of boiling crawfish.
Hi Julia,
Feeling sad about Jimmy Buffett, I was just wondering, is Poydras a Parrothead?
Lilly French, Harahan
Yes Lilly, very much so, in both body and mind.
Hey Julia,
Football season reminds me of a movie set around the Saints. Do you remember what it was?
Ryan Rhone
Do I remember? Of course! That was a film called “Number One,” staring Charlton Heston. It was released in 1969. The Saints franchise was still new then, having been founded in 1966. I remember the producer staying that the Saints team was chosen for the story since it was so new that there would be less identification with actual players.
Heston played Ron “Cat” Catlan, the Saints quarterback who was reaching the end of his career. He was also facing marital turmoil, alcoholism and tough knocks on the football field.
(“Bill Kilmer, who was the real Saints Quarterback at the time coached Heston to look the part, although his unform reportedly looked a little baggy.)
Originally to be known as “The Pro,” the movie’s title was changed along the way.
In addition to his wife’s threat to leave him, Catlan has other bumps along the way. In one scene, the team was playing the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboy defense, played by actual Saints’ players, overplayed their role by crushing Heston with a violent sack.
On a better day, Catlan is shown arriving at his French Quarter home and parking right in front. Must have been some sort of quarterback privilege.
“Number One” did not live up to its name at the box office. It lost money, although Heston won some favorable reviews from critics.
He also established a still standing NFL credential. Those who remember Heston in the Movie “The Ten Commandments” could have witnessed Moses before he was a quarterback.
