Movies | dual personalities

March 10, 2020

“A little bit of this, a little bit of that”*

by chuckofish

Quelle busy weekend–mostly spent cleaning and organizing. But I don’t hate that. I get a certain sense of accomplishment out of seeing my closet organized and putting a big bag of cast-offs in the trash cart. (Don’t worry, I also have an ongoing bag for the Vietnam Vets.) A place for everything and everything in its place–at least for a little while.

I also went to a workshop for “lectors”–we’re not supposed to say “lay readers” anymore–at church and it was okay. Not that I needed it! (haha) Our leader did make one pointed plea that lectors ought to look nice and wear appropriate attire in the Lord’s house. I know he was aiming this at one particular (very rich) guy who always looks like he has been driving his tractor around the south forty (as he also did on Saturday morning) before coming to church, but we all know it went right over his head.

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Que sera sera.

Speaking of church, on Sunday we were given instructions on how to pass the peace during the coronavirus scare (no touching!)…

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and how to take communion (no intincting!) Good grief.

This was reassuring.

We didn’t see the wee babes this weekend. Lottiebelle had been sick with the flu-b, but she was back at school on Monday in fine fettle…

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A new haircut I guess

Over the weekend we watched The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) continuing our Woody Strode tribute.

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It is such a great movie, although, as I’ve mentioned a zillion times, Jimmy Stewart is distractingly too old for his part. John Wayne is terrific though and well worth the price of admission. It is really a very sad movie, all about time passing and choices made and lost love. And we see that the media and politicians haven’t changed much (or improved) over the years.

Speaking of movies, Max Von Sydow died last week. Who can forget his portrayal of Jesus with a Swedish accent in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)? He was not that great in a not-so-good movie. But he was great in other movies, most notably in The Seventh Seal (1957), playing a 14th century knight who challenges Death to a game of chess in exchange for his life, which leads to an examination of whether or not God exists.

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In other news, today is Three Flags Day, which commemorates March 9 and 10, 1804, when Spain officially completed turning over the Louisiana (New Spain) colonial territory to France, who then officially turned over the same lands to the United States, in order to finalize the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.

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On March 9, 1804, Amos Stoddard, the new U.S. lieutenant governor for District of Louisiana, and Meriwether Lewis arrived in St. Louis by boat and were met by the Spanish lieutenant for Upper Louisiana. The Spanish flag was lowered on March 9, and the French flag was hoisted to fly over the city of St. Louis for 24 hours. The French flag, initially supposed to have been lowered at sunset, remained under guard all night. The next morning, March 10, 1804, the American flag was raised. Huzzah!

A few weeks later on April 30, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase Treaty was signed by Robert Livingston, James Monroe and Francois Barbe-Marbois at the Hotel Tubeuf in Paris. I’d say that deserves a toast!

Have a good week!

O Eternal God, who hast taught us by thy holy Word that our bodies are temples of thy Spirit: Keep us, we most humbly beseech thee, temperate and holy in thought, word and deed, that at the last we, with all the pure in heart, may see thee and be made like unto thee in thy heavenly kingdom; through Christ our Lord.

–A prayer from B.F. Wescott, whose feast day was yesterday.

*”Anatevka” from Fiddler on the Roof

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February 21, 2020

What’s playing at the Roxy?

by chuckofish

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What are days for?

Days are where we live.

They come, they wake us

Time and time over.

They are to be happy in:

Where can we live but days?

Ah, solving that question

Brings the priest and the doctor

In their long coats

Running over the fields.

–Philip Larkin

Another week flies by–the highlight of mine being Tuesday, when the wee laddie came over after work for a wee visit while his dad took Lottiebelle to her dance class. (Their mom was busy practicing with her varsity cooking team.) He was not thrilled about being left alone with Mamu, so we settled down in the den and watched quite a few truck/construction videos.

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This placated him. (Usually the den is off limits, so the mystery factor played a part in his acquiescence.) Trucks, as you know, are his passion. This is a subject he knows a lot about. And now I know more about it.

On another note I have been reading The Chain by Paul I. Wellman, a bestseller from 1949.

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Why? you ask. Well, I was prompted from something I read on the Mockingbird website:

Well, it turns out there are some conscious Christian masterpieces out there, which were very successful in their day but have been almost completely smothered, in the reception, by This World. I mean, who has ever heard of The Chain by Paul Wellman? Yet it is simply the most touching story of a young Episcopal minister in Jericho, Kansas, who preaches and acts out Grace in a stratified and complacent city with great sacrifice yet great success. The Chain is a must read! Yet it’s been almost completely buried, as have been many other works like it, by “the World, the Flesh and the Devil”.

Long out of print (and not available in my university’s library) I found a used copy online and bought it. Paul Wellman also wrote The Comancheros, so I had heard of him. The novel is pretty dated, especially when it comes to its female characters, but most everybody in the book is recognizable if you have spent much time in an Episcopal church. Times have not changed that much when it comes to power players in a church. I’m sure in 1949 it was considered to be quite risqué and sexy, but it is not in the least shocking by today’s standards. I’m sure you can imagine. Even though I would hardly call it a “Christian masterpiece,” it has held my interest and I want to see how the young minister fairs. I think I may check out some other mid-level fiction from days of yore. It beats most of what’s published today.

The OM and I watched Little Caesar (1931) this week. It is the movie that made Edward G. Robinson a star and typecast him forever. It also features a very young Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. miscast as Robinson’s friend. I can’t say the gangster genre is a favorite of mine–not now, not ever–but Robinson is unforgettable and his death scene is worth the price of admission.

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I could not find a clip, but here’s the Muppet reenactment–almost as good.

I have no plans for the weekend. What are you doing?

(The painting is by Hendrick Averkamp, b. 1585)

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February 14, 2020

A bushel and a peck

by chuckofish

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Well, I have had a busy week! I even gave a talk to 150 people and lived through it. “I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,” wrote Paul to the Corinthians. “And my speech and my proclamation were not in words of wisdom.” This is always how I feel, but according to people in attendance, I did not embarrass myself.

I also went to an event after work for a friend who is running for City Council. Another thing I haven’t done in a long time–go out after work!

Later today, after work, the OM and I are taking the River Runner Amtrak train to Jefferson City.

Screen Shot 2020-02-13 at 11.36.05 AM.png We’ll stay with daughter #1 and come home on the train on Saturday evening. Wild and crazy I know!

On Sunday I hope the wee babes will come over with their parents for an old-fashioned Valentine’s Day party like the ones daughter #2 alluded to in her post yesterday.

The wee babes have been wearing Valentine outfits all week.

Lottie is one of only a couple of girls in a class full of boys, so odds are she will make out like a bandit in the Valentine lottery.

The wee laddie has a coterie of older girls (5 year olds!) who follow him around and tell him he’s cute. They can’t keep their hands off him. The acorn didn’t fall too far from the tree…

Love is in the air.

Anyway, have a good weekend! Watch a good romantic movie!

dive for dreams

or a slogan may topple you

(trees are their roots

and wind is wind)

trust your heart

if the seas catch fire

(and live by love

though the stars walk backward)

honor the past

but welcome the future

(and dance your death

away at this wedding)

never mind a world

with its villains or heroes

(for god likes girls

and tomorrow and the earth)

–e.e. cummings

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:7-10)

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February 11, 2020

Hoopla and more

by chuckofish

Well, the Oscars hoopla is over. Thank goodness. Sunday night I watched The Sand Pebbles (1966)–a movie which should have won Best Picture but did not.

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It is such a good movie–and not just because Steve McQ is in it. Even though it veers from the original novel in strange ways, it still has a very strong and effective screenplay. It has great performances, great cinematography, great music. And Steve was never better. He gives a measured and sensitive performance. I really enjoyed it.

It is interesting to look back at the year 1966 and the movies that were popular:

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I have also seen some lists that include The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Blow Up in the top ten. I have never seen the Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. starring Dick Van Dyke, have you?

Interestingly, there is no John Wayne movie in the top 10 (or top 20). The only movie he made that year was Cast a Giant Shadow, which coincidentally I also watched this past weekend in memory of Kirk Douglas. It is about Col. Mickey Marcus (Douglas), a former U.S. Army officer, recruited by the Jews in Israel to reorganize the Haganah in 1947, following the U.N. decision to split British Palestine into separate Jewish and Palestinian states. Not a big hit, I guess. I enjoyed it and I learned a few things.

Here are the first 15 minutes of the 1967 Oscar show, which honored the movies of 1966, including the monologue by Bob Hope. Governor Reagan, who was in the audience,

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gets some good humored ribbing, but the political jokes are pretty mild. Take a look:

It was a different world, for sure. What would they have made of Joaquin Phoenix back then?

Not surprisingly the 2020 Oscar show brought in its lowest ratings ever–a decrease of 20% from last year’s show. Hollywood’s biggest night–not so much.

Well, since we are feeling a bit nostalgic, we will also note the passing of Robert Conrad, who starred on such television shows as ‘Hawaiian Eye’ and ‘ Wild Wild West’ and ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ and on the miniseries ‘Centennial.’ Back in the day we were big fans of James T. West in his short jackets and tight pants…

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…and our father loved ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep.’ Conrad was also featured in those classic 1970s commercials for Eveready Batteries, with a battery on his shoulder, a menacing stare and the catchphrase, “I dare you to knock this off.”

Sunrise, sunset…

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February 7, 2020

“Was Ringo there?”*

by chuckofish

So Kirk Douglas died–at age 103. He had quite a life. Rising from humble beginnings as “the ragman’s son,” he went to St. Lawrence University (where my DP’s DH teaches) where he was a division III wrestler, and became a movie star.

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Fun fact: in 2014, St. Lawrence University named its newest building and residential facility Kirk Douglas Hall. The residence hall also includes the popular Spartacus Café. What more could you want?

Well, I think Kirk Douglas wanted an Academy Award–one for acting, not for having a long career. He could have won for Lust for Life (1956)…

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…but that was the year of Yul Brynner in The King and I. It happens, although I don’t think Kirk was robbed. He just didn’t win. There’s a difference.

Anyway, this weekend we should all watch our favorite Kirk Douglas movies. And you know you have them. My favorite would be The War Wagon (1967) because John Wayne is in it.

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(Or you could watch Blazing Saddles where Gene Wilder parodies Douglas’s western persona so well.)

I just watched The War Wagon recently, however, so it will have to be something else. I am thinking of watching Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) because I have never seen it (and John Wayne is in it and coincidentally, also Yul Brynner).

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So many decisions.

Speaking of the Academy Awards, I think they are on Sunday night. But who cares? I suggest watching one of the really great movies that did not win the Oscar for Best Picture–such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) or The Searchers (1956). I would even suggest watching a Kirk Douglas potboiler where he is giving 110% and chewing the scenery in a not-very-good movie, such as Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957) or The Vikings (1958). You’d get your money’s worth.

Have a good weekend!

*Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday in Gunfight at the OK Corral.

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January 21, 2020

What are you reading (and watching)?

by chuckofish

I received some good books for Christmas and have picked up a few since then. I just finished The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard, which won the National Book award in 1980. I like her and it is a joy to read her prose and this story, which takes place in the Far East right after WWII, is thought-provoking. I am also reading the story of Elihu Washburne, who was the U.S. minister to France during the siege of Paris in 1871. It is an amazing story–which I had all but forgotten (if I ever actually knew). Washburne stayed at his post while the Prussians laid siege to Paris and afterward when the revolutionaries of the Commune embarked on a reign of terror that filled the streets with blood. Zut alors!

I didn’t do much over my long weekend. I vacuumed and straightened and drove some flattened boxes to the recycling center. I went to church.

To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge— ⁶even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you— ⁷so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; ⁸who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (I Corinthians 1:2-9)

The OM and I watched some movies–Tall in the Saddle (1944)–which has a witty script and lots of action, not to mention a very appealing John Wayne.

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We also watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) directed by Quentin Tarantino. This movie is two hours and 40 minutes long and full of problems, but I have to say I enjoyed it. And it wasn’t all that violent, at least until the end.

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The director has indulged himself–he could have (and should have) tightened it up, but most of the PC criticisms are groundless. The New Yorker called it “obscenely regressive”–please, it takes place in 1969 in Hollywood, what do you expect? As if looking back and portraying a moment in history as he saw it is obscene. I guess the obscene part is reveling in it, rather than condemning it, right? I’m not sure what Tarantino’s ultimate point was, but my takeaway is (spoiler alert), if the Manson crew had broken into the house next door to Sharon Tate’s and instead attacked a stuntman, a fading western actor, a pitt bull, and an Italian actress, the outcome would indeed have been different. If this is glorifying white men, so be it.

We also re-watched Ford vs. Ferrari (2019) because it is the OM’s new favorite movie. I enjoyed it too. Matt Damon and Christian Bale were definitely overlooked by the Academy, but Big Surprise.

The wee babes were both sick so they missed taco night on Sunday, but the boy came over and talked about movies and other grown up stuff, which was a treat for me.

By the way, do you know how Martin Luther King got his name? I didn’t either. (I just assumed his parents gave him the name as an infant.)

Perhaps you know the story: In 1934 the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta sent its pastor Michael King, Sr. to attend a Baptist World Alliance Meeting in Berlin. The trip included a whirlwind visit to a number of other sites, but apparently the time in Germany (just as the National Socialists were starting their rise) had such an impact on Michael that he decided to rename himself and his 5-year-old son after the Great Reformer. Thus, father and son became Martin Luther King, Sr. and Jr.

That is cool and I thought this was interesting.

Today I am scheduled to have my last radiation treatment. So picture me ringing that bell for a second time. Praise Jesus.

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December 31, 2019

“O come, O Bright and Morning Star, and bring us comfort from afar!”*

by chuckofish

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Well, we have had a lovely relaxed time, taking it easy over the Christmas holiday. Since daughter #2 and DN left last Friday…

…we have eased into our leisure time, going to lunch at some of our off-the-beaten-track favorites, like the Fiddlehead Fern restaurant…

…taking afternoon naps, followed by a late afternoon glass of wine in front of the fire…

…and watching movies…

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On Wednesdays we wear pink.

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The OM was in complete and utter hog heaven watching this movie. I really enjoyed it too.

I also went to the funeral of my dear friend Ruby. Daughter #1 kindly drove me to St. Charles, Missouri across the river where we found her Episcopal Church next to the campus of Lindenwood University. It was packed, because, of course, she was a devoted and active member. The service, which she had specified down to the last detail and saved in her safe deposit box, was Rite I and Rite II (the communion) and included her favorite hymns. It was lovely and nearly two hours long. Her ashes were buried afterwards in the memorial garden of the church, but not in a niche–in the ground. We all threw some dirt on top of her ashes (half of which are going to Wyoming) which I had never done before. I found it to be very meaningful.

Ruby was born and raised in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas and she loved the wide open sky there.

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The Flint Hills, photo from National Geographic

She would get choked up talking about it. Several of her hymns reflected that:

The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim.
The unwearied sun from day to day
Does his Creator’s power display,
And publishes to every land
The work of an almighty hand.

–Joseph Addison, hymn #409

Anyway, her funeral was a true reflection of Ruby, which is as it should be. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

Meanwhile, I was back at work Monday to check on things and go through 150 emails…Today we get ready to celebrate the new year: 2020! Can you believe it? Twenty years into the 21st century!

Then it’s back to the salt mine for real on Thursday. Speaking of salt mines, this made me laugh.

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Happy New Year! Make good choices!

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*John Mason Neale (1851)

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December 20, 2019

One thing and another

by chuckofish

As I have mentioned, I am reading the book of Luke, one chapter a day, in the month of December. I am enjoying it very much. It is all very familiar, but it is amazing how you forget specific things, such as this great passage in chapter 18:

⁹He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: ¹⁰“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

What a great reminder to all of us that we Pharisees need to be mindful of being sinners ourselves. “God be merciful to me a sinner!” indeed.

Screen Shot 2019-04-16 at 9.32.03 PM.png In other news, it took two days, but we finally got the big tree up! The boy came over twice!

We had to go to Walgreen’s twice to buy more lights! Are we getting old or what? Don’t answer that!

It is that time of year when TCM Remembers all the Hollywood types who have died during the year:

There are a lot of familiar faces in there, including Valentina Cortese, Albert Finney, Rip Torn, Stanley Donen, and, of course, Doris Day. I was surprised to see Herman Wouk included–I somehow missed that he died in his sleep at the age of 103 in May. He was an interesting guy who wrote some good books that were made into good movies. Also, it might be time to dust off The War Wagon (1967) in memory of Robert Walker, Jr., who played Billy, the demolition expert, so affectingly.

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Anyway, I also just heard about a dear friend and fellow Episcopalian who died shoveling snow earlier in the week. Ruby had to be in her mid-eighties at least, but no one was going to tell her not to shovel her own driveway. I always said that Ruby would have made a good pioneer and, indeed, she died with her boots on, literally. I will miss her so much.

Into paradise may the angels lead you, Ruby. At your coming may the martyrs receive you, and bring you into the holy city Jerusalem.

On the brighter side, daughter #1 comes home for Christmas today. Daughter #2 and DN are driving here from Maryland and should arrive on Monday.

O God, our heavenly Father, whose glory fills the whole creation, and whose presence we find wherever we go: Preserve those who travel; surround them with your loving care; protect them from every danger; and bring them in safety to their journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Even I am getting excited.

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December 10, 2019

Go tell it on the mountain

by chuckofish

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Oh, weekends in December! There is always so much to do. I wrapped a boatload of presents and went to the “Holiday Sale” at my church. I bought some used books. (I had donated three cartons of books, so I came out on top of that equation.)

The OM and I bought our Christmas tree at the neighborhood Optimists’ lot. We found one right away and bundled it home where it is waiting in the garage to be set up and decorated at a later date.

We also went to see They Shall Not Grow Old (2018), a documentary film about WWI directed by Peter Jackson. My DP wrote about the documentary last year when she saw it. It was an impressive film, no doubt about it, but I have to say, after ten minutes I was thinking, “Why did I want to see this movie?” I stayed for the whole thing, but it was an extremely unpleasant experience. Trench warfare, bad. I get it. There are a lot of good things to say about this movie, but reading about it would have been enough for me. We came home and watched The Commancheros (1961) which made me feel much better.

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I went to the 8:00 service at church again and came home and finished A Serpent’s Tooth by Craig Johnson, a Longmire novel I had been re-reading. Speaking of books, I also read Terms of Endearment by Larry McMurtry last week. I admire McMurtry a lot, but this book, written in 1975, did not really grab me. I think it was supposed to be funny and I was not really amused. I read half and then skipped to the end. The movie you will recall, was a huge hit back in 1983. It won five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay. You can’t say that about many movies! I had never actually seen it, so we watched it on Amazon Prime this weekend.

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Shirley MacLaine was very good, but I was not that impressed with Debra Winger, who I was not surprised to read was high on cocaine the whole time. It is a “funny” movie that turns tragic and then everyone cries and feels better. Standard stuff. Movies like this were a dime a dozen in the 1930s and 40s.

By the time the wee babes came over for dinner on Sunday night the OM and I were kind of exhausted. They ran circles around us as usual. Lottie wanted to have a dance party and was disappointed that daughter #1 was not there to spin the records. C’est la vie, Lottie; this indeed is life.

Last night we went to the Lutheran Church where the wee babes go to pre-school to see their Christmas program, which consisted of the 2-5 year old munchkins singing a few Christmas carols. It was chaos, but adorable. There was no way to take any pictures, because all we could really see was other grandparents holding up cell phones to record the occasion. This would have bothered me back in the day with my own children, but now I just go with the flow.

Here is a picture the boy took of them practicing last week. (They were a lot more dressed up last night.) Those 2-year olds in the front really have no clue! (Especially that wee laddie who is not even facing in the right direction.)

Go tell who on what mountain? Hang in there–only two weeks ’til Christmas!

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December 3, 2019

Besides this, you know what time it is*

by chuckofish

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Well, it is December now, so everyone is all about decorating for Christmas. (In fact, people around here got started on this ridiculously early and way before Thanksgiving this year.) Even the wee babes have gotten into the act at their preschool.

Daughter #1 helped me get a start on our own home decoration over the long weekend, hauling up boxes from the basement and unwrapping ornaments and such. We put up the little tree in the dining room and set up the mantle.

We also got a start on our Christmas movie viewing, watching Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

and White Christmas (1954).

It is all a lot of foolishness when you think about it. And I grant you, like everything else, it has gotten out of hand, but I still love it. I am as guilty as the next person of overdoing it. To each, his own.

Since it was the first Sunday in Advent, we went to church. We went to the 8 o’clock service which is much smaller and does not include hymns, but it still counts. And I am reading the book of Luke, one chapter a day, which is a good reminder of what the hoopla is really all about.

*Romans 13:11–14

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; ¹²the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; ¹³let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

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