Oscar

A pistol or revolver.

- american underworld dictionary - 1950

The protocol used by the AIM. It is closed source and proprietary. AOL has released the toc protocol which can talk with clients using the oscar protocol, but it doesn't have all the features, such as file transfer. I am looking into the individual packets the AIM client sends and hopefully I will be able to emulate it one day.

Naval slang for the dummy used in man overboard training.

Oscar is the common name for Astronotos ocellatus, a large tropical fish from the Cichlid family. Native to South America, Oscars grow up to a foot in length and four to five inches in height. They are usually dark grey with orange ringed black blotches, although there are also black and red variants.

Oscars are popular fish for large aquaria because they are friendly and intelligent. Some recognize their owners and allow themselves to be stroked. Oscars are difficult fish to keep, though, because they are heavy eaters and create a disproportionate amount of waste. They also have a tendency to uproot aquarium plants. They aren't the best choice for a community tank since they are carnivores who will happily consume any small aquarium-mates who are too slow to get away.

The unofficial name of the Academy Award was not yet coined when the first Academy Awards ceremony took place in 1928 and did not become officially adopted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences until 1939. The little golden dude got his name some time in the mid 1930s, but stories vary as to who actually did the naming and what was the name's meaning.

• According to AMPAS librarian Margaret Herrick, she named the statue because of its resemblance to her Uncle Oscar.
• Hollywood columnist, and sometime screenwriter and producer, Sidney Skolsky claimed he chose the name arbitrarily ("to negate pretension") in reference to Katharine Hepburn's winning her first Academy Award for Morning Glory in 1934. Skolsky himself never won or been nominated for an Oscar for any of his film-related work.
• The most popular theory originated from Bette Davis, a two-time winner with eleven nominations. Davis claimed she named the statue thus because its' derriere reminded her of the equally sculpted tuchis of her then-husband Harmon Oscar Nelson. Davis eventually surrendered this claim when the nickname was found in print at an earlier date, used by Skolsky some three years before she was initially thought to have coined it.

The Bottom Line

Sly Stallone proves he has at least one and a half dimensions in this light ensemble screwball comedy set in Depression-era Chicago. Feared by moviegoers, overlooked by critics, it is a classic in the waiting for adventure-seeking comedy lovers.

The Rest of the Story

CONNIE
Even in the old days he was known as an honest crook.

DR POOLE
That's an oxymoron.

CONNIE
Gee Doc you shouldn't otta said that.

Snaps Provolone (Stallone) makes a promise to his dying father (Kirk Douglas, in a hilarious cameo) that he will end his mobster ways and go clean. To work out the process, he arranges a meeting with some unsavory bankers to incorporate himself in their business as a "silent" partner.

Meanwhile, Anthony Rosano (an unknown Vincent Spano playing the solid straight guy), who, in addition to being Snaps' accountant, has some news for Snaps: he's in love with Snaps' daughter. Oh yeah, and he stole $50,000 from Snaps.

"YOU WHAT!?"

From here, the plot thickens tremendously. The cops are watching Snaps, waiting for him to mess up so they can bust him (and get their mugs on the front page); meanwhile, the maid quits before the bankers arrive, putting the house in somewhat disarray. Things compound further when a young lady named Theresa arrives - and reveals that she lied and told Anthony she was Snaps' daughter! In the meantime, Snaps learns his daughter Lisa (a to-a-tee Marisa Tomei) is pregnant, and offers her hand in marriage to his speech therapist, Dr. Thornton Poole (Tim Curry in a wonderful eye-rolling understated performance.) Meanwhile, Snaps also schemes to dupe Anthony out of the money through a bait-and-switch with a valise that soon gets very out of control.

Later plots involving more misunderstandings and coincidences than your average David Mamet screenplay keep the story going well past the 90 minute mark. Will Anthony and Theresa find true love? Will Snaps come clean? And just when will that new maid from the office show up?

My Thoughts

When I saw this movie made the Least Influential Movies of All Time List, I was flabbergasted. Certainly, this movie didn't deserve any Oscars (pun intended), but it is a charming movie, full of the fast-talking wit that's been missing from the big screen since You Can't Take It With You and Arsenic and Old Lace.

Stallone proves that he can do comedy - his looks at the camera are priceless - and everybody else seems to fit in their role seamlessly. Chazz Palminteri and Peter Riegert shine as Snaps' two henchmen with hearts. Ornella Muti is gorgeous, as usual, and every line in the movie is crisp and cutting. The movie definitely has a theatrical feel to it (it's based on a play by Claude Magnier) and sometimes it can be hard to figure out what's going on without a play by play announcer and a rewind button. But still - least influential? Those opening puppetoon credits are worth the price of admission alone!

For some reason, this movie was so out of touch with expectations of Stallone in 1991 that it failed at the box office. I'm sure even now you're probably incredulous that the man has the most minor modicum of talent in him. I swear: rent this movie and see if you aren't quoting it to your friends the next day.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

Credits

Director
John Landis

Written By
Claude Magnier (play)
Michael Barrie (screenplay)
Jim Mulholland (screenplay)

Music
Elmer Bernstein

Starring
Sylvester Stallone as Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone
Marisa Tomei as Lisa Provolone
Ornella Muti as Sofia Provolone
Tim Curry as Dr. Thornton Poole
Vincent Spano as Anthony Rossano
Elizabeth Barondes as Theresa
Peter Riegert as Aldo
Chazz Palminteri as Connie
Joey Travolta as Ace
Kurtwood Smith as Lt. Toomey
William Atherton as Mr. Overton
Martin Ferrero as Luigi Finucci
Harry Shearer as Guido Finucci
Don Ameche as Father Clemente
Kirk Douglas as Eduardo Provolone

Sources

• http://imdb.com/title/tt0102603/combined
• My three viewings.