Blood Of The Vines - Holden His Own

Pairing‌‌‌ ‌‌‌wine‌‌‌ ‌‌‌with‌‌‌ ‌‌‌movies!‌‌‌  ‌‌‌See‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌hear‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌fascinating‌‌‌ ‌‌‌commentary‌‌‌ ‌‌‌for‌‌‌ ‌‌‌these‌‌‌ ‌‌‌‌‌movies‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌many‌‌‌ ‌‌‌more‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌at‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌From‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Hell.‌‌‌  This week, a trio of films starring a man's man, the one and only William Holden. 

The 1954 war flick, Bridges at Toko-Ri, starred Holden opposite Grace Kelly.  He plays a former WWII Navy pilot who was called from a life of relative leisure - as a lawyer - to fly Navy fighters in the Korean conflict.  It just goes to show - never do a job too well or you'll end up having to do it again.  

Holden shows unflinchingly how even a man's man can have doubts about a dangerous job, a job which he didn't feel should have been his in the first place.  He is in a squadron sent to blow up some strategic bridges, a feat that the team pulls off.  There is a bit of trouble getting back to the carrier, which produces a nail-biter of a rescue attempt.

Our wine pairing - nothing here to go with fingernails, sorry - could be Korean wine.  It's called soju, and is actually a rice spirit at about the alcoholic strength of a Port wine.  Too bad it doesn't taste as good as Port - experts say it's more like watery vodka, or worse.  Koreans drink a ton of the stuff, though, by the shot.

In 1950's Sunset Boulevard, Holden's Joe Gillis - and the pool he always wanted - show us a side of Hollywood often hidden from view.  Sheltered and living in delusions of past greatness, screen legend Norma Desmond has an employee who keeps her from finding out that her car is more in demand than she.  Gillis takes a ride on the gravy train and ends up a floater.  One of my favorite sideshows here is Jack Webb as a guy at a social gathering.  It's hard to imagine Joe Friday as a party boy.

Let’s get the party started for Sunset Boulevard with a wine from just north of Sunset.  Moraga Bel Air occupies some very pricey Los Angeles real estate, which is reflected in the price of the wine.  Get ready to shell out a couple or three Benjamins for a bottle of the good stuff.  They are ready for their close-up, Mr. DeVille.

Network was about as dark as 1976 got.  The media satire had Holden as a network news chief with a fed-up and suicidal news anchor on his hands.  He was reportedly offered the role of the disturbed talking head, but opted for the saner, cooler, man's man instead.  So the anchor became the first man "killed because he had lousy ratings."  When the story got told in bars over the years, you can bet there was someone who said, "Yeah, but lemme tell you about a guy I worked for…"

If you're mad as hell and don't know if you want a wine, a beer or a cider, here's Crazy Crazy, from Germany.  They swear it's made from grapes, but it may make you say "I'm not drinking this anymore!"

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