I am a big fan of Indiana Jones. Those movies are one of the reasons I decided to study history. Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade are my two favorite of the movies. I never was a huge fan of Temple of Doom, but after seeing Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I like Temple of Doom much better. My favorite part of the movie is the opening sequence when Kate Capshaw as Willie Scott sing a Mandarin version of the Cole Porter classic, “Anything Goes.”
USA Network is showing all four Indiana Jones movies today, and I am enjoying each one of them all over again. It not only reminds me of my childhood, but also why I love history so much.
The Closet Professor 
March 6th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
I, too, enjoyed the Indiana Jones movies. Wish I'd realized they were on…Netflix, here I come!Peace <3Jay
March 6th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Jay, I actually have then all on DVD, but I love watching them on TV when I find them unexpectedly. Sadly, USA Network showed them backwards today: The Last Crusade, Temple of Doom, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and then they ended the night with Kingdom of the Crystal Skull which I am watching now.
March 7th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Joe: I enjoyed The Last Crusade best because of the interaction between Indiana and his father (Sean Connery), which provided so many humorous scenes. And Denholm Elliot who played Marcus Brody stole every scene he was in, the big ham.Kingdom of the Crystal Skull tried to recapture the magic of the original 3 movies but let's face it, Harrison Ford was just too old to play the part and the ending was so lame. A number of the special effects seem to be rip offs of the Mummy series.
March 7th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
I totally agree about The Last Crusade. The interaction between Indiana and his father are priceless, and so is the performance by Denholm Elliot ("The pen, Henry, the pen is mightier than the sword.")I also completely agree about Crystal Skull. I've always thought there were better artifacts they could have gone after, such as the Spear of Destiny. The crystal skulls are universally thought of as fake, and the Soviets are just not as good of adversaries as the Nazis.BTW, did you know that Denholm Elliot was bisexual? Sadly, he died of AIDS contracted from a sexual partner during his second marriage which was an open marriage.
March 7th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Joe: I can't squeeze anything gay/bi past your eagle eyes. Yes, I knew that about Elliot — that's why I made a point of it. 🙂
March 7th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
FOC: My students claim that I know everything there is to know. I don't but that's what every one of their parents tell me they say about me.
March 8th, 2011 at 1:17 am
As a longhair, I was watching highbrow entertainment on PBS — Les Miserables. It was excellent and I was struck by the irony of the young people in the French Revolution and mid-eastern revolutions going on now. Which all stirs up an interest in Victor Hugo.Sorry — off subject — just saying!
March 8th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Uncutplus: If I had known Les Miserables was on, I would have been watching it too.