Ok..right now on TCM American Madness! It’s on!!!

THEN after that..Prosperity about a bank president and a shady bank bond scheme (For Marie Dressler fans this is a great one. For older actresses, this is proof that you have a serious role model.)

AFTER THAT.. The Crash about the stock market crash of 1929 and Looking Forward after that about a store owner facing bankruptcy! Forget MSNBC!!! All you need to know about our current economic situation is being played out on TCM. OK…more later.

American Madness -Directed by Frank Capra

I wonder if this is how Lehman Brothers went down. One scene illustrates just how quickly rumors get out of control and leads to a bank run. It just takes a pin to pop a balloon.
The underlying issue is that no one seems to trust the bank and who operates it. The flurry of phone calls and panicked voices. A complete void of trust in the financial system.

The topic of hoarded cash, sitting idle is a theme I’ve heard recently on the news. There is a scene where they discuss bringing the country back to prosperity by getting money in circulation. The scene where they are constructing a bailout is chilling.

We have been here before. In the film a character argues, “Help Jones, and you help the whole circle”. He goes on to say, “Jones is no risk, neither are the thousands of other Jone’s in this country.”

Oh my, hang on tight folks this film is going to hit home. I highly recommend American Madness after you go and see Michael Moore’s film, Capitalism: A Love Story.

So the NY Times Fashion section today writes about the plight of one of my favorite species. The poor suffering white man. The Metro Sexual is finally dead.

The look of success is now one of a “Creative Professional”. More checks and gingham and less solid and stable. I remember a few years back during the dotcom era when suits just were on vacation. Bannana Republic was the new corporate casual and the client based look was gone. This was due to the decreasing interface between vendor and client, but this one is a little different. No one wants to look like a criminal.

I love it. So I’m thinking about men and style and what precode films they could watch that might sympathize with this new sterotype they have to endure. Public Enemymay be just what the fashion police ordered. How can you resist.

There is also the upcoming movie Public Enemies with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. It’s so bad to be bad!