Illustrious celebrity mag People just released its equally illustrious Most Beautiful People edition. Well, by “just released,” we mean the magazine is out on the East Coast, but the rest of us may have to wait as long as April 26. Alas.
The 2013 cover girl is Gwyneth Paltrow. But more interesting to us is the news that Dallas star Linda Gray has been honored with the title of Most Beautiful Legs. The 72-year-old beauty, who was photographed by Robert Erdmann, is draped in faux fur to show off famous gams.
Famous because it was Gray’s leg, not that of Anne Bancroft, that everyone recognizes from the movie poster for the 1967 film The Graduate — a gig she got as a young model. On Anderson Live, she told host Anderson Cooper, “I think [Anne Bancroft] was absent that day. I got paid $25. For one leg, that was good.”
Gray is currently starring in the reprise of the iconic TV show Dallas on TNT. Theater and TV critic Elaine Liner has remarked that Gray is the star of the show, especially in light of Larry Hagman's death, and she her acting has only continued to get better with age. In her recap of the season two finale, Liner wrote:
Before we tie up the loose ends of this year’s storylines, let us do a deep debutante bow to Linda Gray, the 72-year-old actress who plays Sue Ellen Ewing, now the matriarch and Lady Macbeth of Southfork and Ewing Energies.
Nobody works a white pantsuit and shiny bangs like this woman. She came, she acted drunk, she conquered the spotty writing and hacksaw editing of a cable TV reboot. And she and she alone, after the death of Larry Hagman, made this show watchable.
Linda Gray's Most Beautiful Legs in People magazine.
Photo by Robert Erdmann
Linda Gray's Most Beautiful Legs in People magazine.
No movie studio has gone through more ups and downs in the past few years than Warner Bros. In 2022, they oddly shelved two mostly-completed movies, Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. But the next few years brought major movies like Barbie, Dune Part Two, Sinners, Superman, Weapons, and One Battle After Another, giving them a huge boost. Strangely, that led directly into a proposed sale to Paramount that is now going through legal battles.
Another previously-shelved Warner Bros. movie, Coyote vs. Acme, is now seeing the light of day thanks to a deal with a small company called Ketchup Entertainment. Taking its cue from the classic Looney Tunes cartoons, the film creates a world in which Wile E. Coyote - sick of constantly being thwarted in his pursuit of Road Runner by faulty Acme products - decides to sue the company.
To do so, he approaches the law firm of Avery, Jones & Maltese, led by Kevin Avery (Will Forte). The firm typically takes on small cases that are easy to settle, but - with a little subterfuge from Wile E. Coyote - they are soon presenting Acme and its lead attorney, Buddy Crane (John Cena), with a lawsuit that could be worth millions of dollars. Naturally, the big corporation won’t give in without a fight, leading to all sorts of shenanigans on both sides.
Directed by Dave Green and written by Samy Burch from a story by Burch, James Gunn, and Jeremy Slater, the film is a fun mixture of nostalgia and clever storytelling. Most of Looney Tunes’ classic characters make an appearance in the film, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and Sylvester. The two, other than Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, who get the most play are Tweety, who appears in some of the movie’s funniest scenes, and Foghorn Leghorn, reimagined as the CEO of Acme.
The blend of live action and animation is not quite on the level of something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but it is still effective. It also affords the film plenty of opportunities to employ Looney Tunes’ signature brand of cartoon violence that doesn’t actually leave lasting damage. The gags are very familiar for those who grew up on the studio’s short films, but combined with the inventive ways in which they’re used and the pointed jabs at corporate culture, they become somewhat fresh again.
Naturally, there are plenty of references in the film, starting with the name of the law firm, which pays homage to legendary directors Chuck Avery and Chuck Jones, as well as writer/animator Michael Maltese. Sly jokes that could turn the film from PG to PG-13 sneak their way in, although they steer clear of elements that haven’t aged well (documented in a recent viral comedy clip). But the film is at its best when it leans into the well-earned traits of its favorite characters and just lets them cook.
Forte is a great scene partner for Wile E. Coyote, as he can turn even minor slights into comedy gold. His deadpan reactions are the ideal way to counter the insanity going on around him. Cena has proven in other films that he has great comic timing, and he demonstrates that skill well here, too, especially in a fantastic scene opposite Tweety. The voice talent does a good job with the iconic characters, although the legendary Mel Blanc remains the gold standard.
Coyote vs. Acme is not a world-changing movie by any means, but it is a fun twist on the characters many know and love that deserved to be seen by moviegoers. Wile E. Coyote may never actually catch Road Runner, but this movie shows that his unceasing attempts remain entertaining after all these years.
