Enjoy this YouTube video clip that makes fun of funeral planning in the wake of Jessica Mitford’s expose book, The American Way of Death. Elaine May and Mike Nichols did this comedy skit on the old Jack Parr TV program.
“The $65 Funeral” provides a sly look at the high cost of dying in America.
BTW, Mike Nichols went on to direct a number of films, including Wit in 2001. This movie provides a sarcastic look at how the medical establishment treats patients.
Collected a few fun funeral-themed commercials on YouTube for your amusement today! When I played this classic Beetle commercial, my husband (who can quote movie and TV show lines by heart) started saying the lines.
Love this Cell Phone Karma commercial from Kyocera:
The Golden Gate Funeral Home did this interesting take on the deceased visiting his own funeral:
Here is the Doritos Funeral Commercial that ran during the 2010 Superbowl:
This is a fun one from MySendOff.com:
Anyone have others to add?
Here’s a great TED video with Jae Rhim Lee speaking about her Mushroom Burial Suit, an eco-friendly way to return to the earth with the help of spores that speed decomposition. Brilliant idea for those interested in green burial.
Just put together a list of films, both comedies and dramas, that have scenes that can be instructive for funeral planning or at least getting the conversation going. And of course, the TV series Six Feet Under is on the list!
The comedy list includes Harold and Maude, The Big Lebowski, Waking Ned Devine, Undertaking Betty, Death at a Funeral (both the U.K. and U.S. versions), and Four Weddings and a Funeral.
The dramas include Get Low, About Schmidt, and Departures.
Check out the Funeral Films page at AGoodGoodbye.com!
Any suggestions for good additions to this list?
Back in the day before digital media, instant video feeds, and DVDs, people made movies with film. Little did I know when I was a communications major at the University of Maryland in 1980, that the seeds of a future career direction were being sown.
In a film production class, all the students were assigned to create a short movie called “The Bubblegum Film.” Requirements included making it three minutes long using black-and-white 8mm film, incorporating several types of shots, and of course, something to do with bubblegum. If memories of that class 30 years ago serve me correctly, many of my classmates had films with car chases in them.
But I chose to do a spoof of the Ingmar Bergman 1957 film classic, “The Seventh Seal,” focused on the scene where Death meets the Knight. My first husband Bob played Death, and our friend Eric, who was the best man at our wedding, played the Knight. We had to get up very early in the morning to catch dawn over the Chesapeake Bay on film. Eric said the water was pretty foul tasting during the tooth brushing.
Enjoy “The Bubblegum Film” and compare it with the scene from “The Seventh Seal” in these YouTube links below. BTW, I got an “A” on the project.
And the original film scene with the elements that the parody is based upon:
Filed under: Death Cartoons, Humorous Death Videos | Tags: Death Cartoons, Grim Reaper
Today’s Non Sequitur cartoon features two guys stranded on a tiny desert island. They’ve built a signal fire as a call for rescue. The Grim Reaper is on a small boat moving toward them by poling with his scythe.
One guy says to the other, who is looking the other way, “Well, the good news is, our signal fire seems to have worked…”
Why do we so often see the Grim Reaper on the beach, as in Ingmar Bergman’s film “The Seventh Seal”? BTW, I’ll soon be posting my spoof on this famous scene that you can find in the August 20 post. You may also enjoy “The Seventh Skol” an animated parody of this same scene, posted August 23.
Filed under: Death Cartoons, Humorous Death Videos | Tags: death, Death Cartoons, Grim Reaper
Found a hilarious parody of Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 classic film, “The Seventh Seal.” This animated cartoon references the famous scene where Death encounters the Knight for the first time.
For comparison, check out the original famous scene, posted to The Family Plot Blog on August 20, 2010.
Filed under: Humorous Death Videos, Memorable Life Celebrations | Tags: funeral planning, funerals, life celebrations
The film “Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek, which debuted in theaters around the U.S. in the summer of 2010, is based on a true story that provides a fascinating look at an early use of newspaper publicity.
Felix “Bush” Breazeale was a bachelor in Tennessee who decided he wanted to have a funeral party while he was still alive, so he could enjoy it. In the film, his funeral becomes a time for Felix to tell the truth about a long-held secret, a bit of dramatic embroidery.
In the real life story, related at the web site GetLowTheFilm.com, the funeral plan was first reported by the Roane County Banner, and the story was picked up by the Associated Press and United Press wire services and LIFE magazine.
When the event was held on June 26, 1938, the crowd was estimated at eight to twelve thousand people. Cars from 14 states were backed up two miles to the two Cave Creek Baptist Churches (built side to side – one Primitive, the other Missionary) where the event was held. An enterprising John Cook charged 25 cents per car to park in his neighboring field, and he was reported to have made $300. Vendors of soft drinks and hot dogs did a flourishing business. Flowers were sent from Knoxville and Chatanooga.
The funeral cortege was late due to traffic along the road. The Hawkins Mortuary hearse arrived with Bush in the front seat and a home-made walnut coffin in the back of the vehicle. People held their children high to get a glimpse, and 10 people fainted from the heat and excitement. Reporters and cameramen from the newspapers for Knoxville and Chattanooga covered the event.
The Rev. Charles E. Jackson from Paris, IL, delivered the funeral sermon. He said, “This service is not a bad idea. Much good should come from a service divested of the usual tears and heartaches. It gives us an opportunity to take thought of tomorrow and anticipate the great adventure called death. Mr. Breazeale and I never intended anything but that this should be a solemn service.”
After the formal program, Bush shook hands with a thousand or more friends and well-wishers and autographed memorial programs with an “X” for his signature. He said, “This will be my only funeral. It was the finest sermon that I ever heard, and when I die there won’t be another one.” Reminds me of the living memorial service for E.B. Sugars, related in another post on this blog.
He was Roane County, Tennessee’s greatest celebrity. On July 4, 1938, Bush threw out the first pitch in the double header baseball game between Harriman and Loudon (local Tennessee teams). Bush was featured in Robert Ripley’s syndicated column, and he took Bush to New York City for a radio interview – the 1938 equivalent of being flown to the Big Apple to be interviewed on the TODAY Show. Of his trip to New York, Bush said, “You know they were the finest folk and treated me wonderfully, but to be honest about it, their victuals wasn’t worth a dern.”
Felix “Bush” Breazeale was born on June 29, 1864, and he actually lived five years beyond his funeral party. He died on February 9, 1943 and although he had requested no other funeral, a small one was held when his body was buried in the cemetery on the hill above the two Cave Creek Baptist churches where his big funeral party was held.
A bachelor all his life, Bush said, “The one I wanted I couldn’t have, and the ones I could have, I didn’t want.” He lived with his parents until they both died, then lived with his nephew, Bert Breazeale. Bush had lived the life of a farmer and enjoyed fox hunting.
I’ve seen the film, and based on this actual history, I can tell you quite a few dramatic liberties have been taken with the story. Nonetheless, it is a great film, and it’s theme of funeral planning before you die is a vital message for our time.
Check out the trailer for the film:
