dual personalities

Tag: movies

May 21, 2021

“Every field wears a bonnet/ With some spring daisies on it”*

by chuckofish

Is it Friday? I was sick most of the week with a cold, coming up for air between doses of Dayquil to go to Zoom meetings as needed. Fun City.

I am not sure how I caught a cold. It must have been that Mother’s Day kiss from the boy…(You will recall that he was sick last weekend)…

Anyway, I will be taking it easy this weekend. Hopefully I’ll get to see the wee twins; they do liven up my rather dull existence. Not that I don’t rejoice in my drab life. (I certainly do.)

In history news–U.S. Army Captain Meriwether Lewis and his partner William Clark officially departed from St. Charles, Missouri on May 22 in 1804. It might be time to dust off The Far Horizons (1955) with Charlton Heston and Fred MacMurray as the explorers and Donna Reed realistically cast as Sacajawea.

In other news, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace and world-renowned ethologist and conservationist, was announced as the winner of the 2021 Templeton Prize. Established by the late global investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, it is given “to honor those who harness the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it. Unlike Goodall’s past accolades, the Templeton Prize specifically celebrates her scientific and spiritual curiosity. The Prize rewards her unrelenting effort to connect humanity to a greater purpose and is the largest single award that Dr. Goodall has ever received.”

She got that right–quoting 1 Corinthians 13:12.

And I love this writer. A broom and a tax collector, indeed.

So anyway, have a nice day, if you like that sort of thing.

*Johnny Mercer, “Spring, Spring, Spring”

3 Comments
May 14, 2021

“who knows if the moon’s a balloon?”*

by chuckofish

The Iris are insane again this year. And look at my Christmas Cactus–zut alors!

What a lovely spring we have had–albeit a rainy one. And my prayer plant has doubled in size since I got it last Mother’s Day!

Daughter #1 mentioned in her post this week that the bar is set real low these days regarding movies and television. Who can disagree? That is why I advise you to watch an old movie whenever possible. And by “old movie” I don’t mean a movie from the 1990s! This week, for instance I watched three films from yesteryear: The Sea Chase (1955), Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) and Sergeant Rutledge (1960). All were very enjoyable.

The Sea Chase takes place at the beginning of WWII and John Wayne plays a “good” German (i.e. non-Nazi) who is nonetheless set on taking his ship back to Germany from Australia by way of South America while being pursued by the British navy. Lana Turner plays some kind of agent with whom Wayne is saddled. Even after weeks of living in a closet on an all-male freighter, she looks perfect, but would we want it any other way? No one is surprised when they fall for each other. For once, Turner is matched with someone she doesn’t overwhelm and it is a good yarn.

Mr Hobbs Takes a Vacation is one of those family movies from the 1960s that is easy to watch and mildly amusing. But the screenplay is by Nunnally Johnson, the music by Henry Mancini and it is directed by Henry Koster–all pros who knew what they were doing and did it well. The result is more sophisticated than you might think. James Stewart and Maureen O’Hara make a good pair.

Twisting at the yacht club with the kids

Sergeant Rutledge, directed by John Ford, stars the inimitable Woody Strode as a Buffalo Soldier falsely accused of the rape and murder of a white woman. The story begins in a courtroom and it is told through flashbacks. It is an edgy film and Woody delivers big time in the climactic scene where he declares, “It was because the Ninth Cavalry was my home, my real freedom, and my self-respect, and the way I was desertin’ it, I wasn’t nuthin’ worse than a swamp-runnin’ nigger, and I ain’t that! Do you hear me? I’m a man!”

Anyway, you will not waste your time watching these movies.

It was a long, busy week and I am ready for it to be Friday! Daughter #3 is going to be out of town this weekend, so we will be helping out the boy by watching the wee twins on Saturday. The weather looks sketchy, so we’ll have to be creative. Keep us in your prayers.

By the way, I’m still laughing about Myrna Tellingheusen.

*e.e. cummings

who knows if the moon’s
a balloon,coming out of a keen city
in the sky–filled with pretty people?
(and if you and i should

get into it,if they
should take me and take you into their balloon,
why then
we’d go up higher with all the pretty people

than houses and steeples and clouds:
go sailing
away and away sailing into a keen
city which nobody’s ever visited,where

always
it’s
Spring)and everyone’s
in love and flowers pick themselves

4 Comments
May 7, 2021

“Find beauty wherever you are.”

by chuckofish

We are thinking about Mother’s Day and we wish all mothers and grandmothers and lovely aunts a happy day. We will be celebrating with the boy and his family on Saturday night so that daughter #3 can spend Sunday with the wee babes doing fun things all day. We’ll FaceTime with daughter #2 and Baby Katie on Sunday.

Here’s a poem by May Sarton that reminds me of my mother:

For My Mother

Once more
I summon you
Out of the past
With poignant love,
You who nourished the poet
And the lover.
I see your gray eyes
Looking out to sea
In those Rockport summers,
Keeping a distance
Within the closeness
Which was never intrusive
Opening out
Into the world.
And what I remember
Is how we laughed
Till we cried
Swept into merriment
Especially when times were hard.
And what I remember
Is how you never stopped creating
And how people sent me
Dresses you had designed
With rich embroidery
In brilliant colors
Because they could not bear
To give them away
Or cast them aside.
I summon you now
Not to think of
The ceaseless battle
With pain and ill health,
The frailty and the anguish.
No, today I remember
The creator,
The lion-hearted.

Today is Truman Day in Missouri, honoring Harry S Truman, the only U.S. president born in our great state. Anyway, I thought I would share one of the videos daughter #1 has been working on for Small Business Month in MO. I think the woman in this story articulates very well how I feel about living in the Midwest–“a pretty good simple life”–which is to say, a good goal to have. You have to find the beauty wherever you are. If you look, it is there.

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

1 TIMOTHY 6:6–10

I watched a good movie the other night: The Great Debaters (2007) (on Hulu), directed by and starring Denzel Washington. I had never heard of it, but I trust Denzel not to be in a terrible. movie. It is based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at the (historically black) Wiley College in Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school’s first debate team, which, in a nearly-undefeated season, sees the first debate between U.S. students from white and Negro colleges and ends with an invitation to face Harvard University’s national champions. Inspiring and true.

Have a great weekend! Call your mother.

The painting is by Hugh Cameron (1835-1918).

4 Comments
May 3, 2021

“The Lord is my portion”*

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was not so quiet as I first anticipated. Saturday was a lovely, sunny day. I bought some geraniums and planted them in the pots on my front porch. I weeded. Then the OM and I drove to Washington on the Missouri River and sat on a roof deck and enjoyed the scenery. Nothing fancy, but nothing better.

That night I watched The Wizard of Oz (1939) and was reminded once again what a perfect movie it is. I wouldn’t change a thing. Of course, it only won Oscars for best song and score. But the sets, the costumes, the art direction! The technicolor! The acting and direction! Zut alors! I highly recommend re-watching this movie the next time you are looking for something to watch.

Female archetypes

On Sunday I went to church–ah, how nice that sounds–and then went home and continued reading The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge.

This old-fashioned novel about a city-bred woman who moves to the English countryside when she inherits a house from a mysterious elderly relative is a type that is never written/published these days. It is a pleasure to read its carefully-written prose and its slowly unfolding story. Not much happens, but the characters grow in self knowledge and spiritual maturity. They are interesting people, not cardboard cutouts.

Next up is S.C. Gwynne’s Rebel Yell about Stonewall Jackson. I am no fan of the Confederacy or its generals, but I have always loved Stonewall Jackson, who was a devout Calvinist. I love the story of his Scotch-Irish ancestors who came to this country as indentured servants in the 18th century and fought hard and bravely to forge a home in the wilderness and improve their lot in life.

The wee twins came over Sunday night per usual with their parents for some frolicking goofball fun.

They are getting to be so grown up!

In other news, my Christmas cactus is blooming!

One more thing: here’s an interesting article. “As for security, it is the utter madness and control freakery of our age that thinks we can stay secure and somehow transfer that to our children. The gospel takes us out of ourselves and our efforts and places us in Christ where there is total security.”

So another week begins. Make it a good one!

*Lamentations 3:24

4 Comments
April 30, 2021

Tempted and tried with each step we take

by chuckofish

I received some very nice gifts for my birthday from my thoughtful family, including a foot massager that is out of this world. Another favorite is my new book, Dolly Parton Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.

You know how I feel about Dolly–she’s the greatest–so wiling away the hours reading this collection of the lyrics to 175 of her best-loved songs, along with the personal memories and the inspiration behind them, has been a pleasure. Just looking at the pictures of this remarkably beautiful lady from the hills of Tennessee is fun.

In other news, we had a new roof put on our house yesterday and I feel as if I went through the Battle of the Somme. I was exhausted and shell-shocked after 7 hours of incessant hammering and thumping above me while I attempted to work remotely in my upstairs “office.” Boy, do those guys work hard! Anyway, the new roof looks very nice and I am glad to have it done and finished.

Tomorrow is the birthday of Henry Koster, who, though he never won an Oscar, directed some darn good movies: The Bishop’s Wife (1947), Harvey (1950), The Robe (1953), A Man Called Peter (1955), and a host of others. I will toast him and watch one of his films.

And here’s a good thought from another Scotsman. “So we do not panic and we do not vent, and we enjoy a deep confidence even as the tides seem to run against our faith. “

Well, TGIF. Have a good weekend. Mine will be a quiet one with none of the rollicking fun of last weekend, but that’s okay. I need to catch my breath.

Tempted and tried with each step we take.

We stumble and slide and make our mistakes,

Ask God to forgive us for all of our sins,

Then we take off our horns and wear halos again.

–Dolly Parton

(Only Dolly can rhyme sins with again.)

3 Comments
April 23, 2021

Tally ho!

by chuckofish

It’s Friday and I am very excited because daughter #2 and baby Katie are arriving tomorrow for a quick visit. How great is that? Thankfully we have gotten through all the snow and cold temps and we should be able to enjoy some nice sit-outside weather.

In other news, my DP gave me this book for my birthday and I have been flying through it.

Scary stuff, harrowing stuff, but we knew that about the Comanches already. (I had a hunch that Larry McMurtry wasn’t exaggerating. He must have read Rachel Plummer’s journal.) Read it, if you can take it. There is no sugar-coating and excuse-making for the Comanches’ behavior. There is plenty of context. I am enjoying it a lot.

I watched two Humphrey Bogart movies this week: The African Queen (1951) and The Oklahoma Kid (1939). I enjoyed them both a lot. The African Queen is a classic, of course, and I have seen it many times. I had not seen the latter in 50 or so years–not since the Humphrey Bogart Theater on channel 11 days of my childhood. It also stars James Cagney as the eponymous hero. He is a little weird (and short) in a western, but I have grown to appreciate him in my dotage. He had a style all his own, even in high-heeled cowboy boots.

This was a thought-provoking piece. “How does a person become a saint? By grace alone. To argue otherwise questions what the Bible has to say about people and about saints. A true saint is not someone we strive to imitate, but someone who shows us a clearer picture of what it means to be a sinner saved by God.”

This reminded me that The Selfish Giant was one of the boy’s favorite stories and deeply affected him as a child. “And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, ‘You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.”

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.

BCP

Enjoy your weekend! Make good choices!

5 Comments
April 19, 2021

Postcards from the weekend

by chuckofish

I turned in a huge project on Friday–a grant proposal years in the making–and so when daughter #1 arrived in town, we celebrated at our favorite local re-opened wine/Tapas bar with a glass of wine and some hummus. Delightful. That set us up nicely for the rest of the weekend which involved a 4.5 hour babysitting assignment with the wee twins on Saturday, followed by a reprise on Sunday afternoon.

It was a lot, but a mostly delightful experience. I also managed to go to church for the third week in a row! In addition, we ordered a car seat and stocked up on Pampers and organic veggie pouches in anticipation of daughter #2 and Katie’s visit this coming weekend. We watched Hatari (1962) in two parts. This movie is a lot of fun and was a huge hit in 1962. All the actors did their own stunts with the wild animals–amazing!

It is a celebration God’s creation, plus there is a lot of chain-smoking, hipster merry-making.

It is fun to have four-year olds with whom to share the bounty of spring: the beautiful blooming trees, the lush green grass, the bugs that are appearing, the hosta poking through the dirt, along with the iris, the roses, the Euonymus and Ajuga, the peonies, the ants.

We even found two plastic Easter eggs that had not been found two weeks ago during our egg hunt! The chocolate bunnies inside were gobbled up immediately!

But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
    or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature
    and the breath of all mankind.

–Job 12: 7-10
9 Comments
March 30, 2021

“As I stand aloof and look”*

by chuckofish

Readers of this blog may remember that How the West Was Won (1962) is one of my favorite movies, and that, indeed, it was one of the first movies I ever saw at the movies. I was six and I went to see it at the Cinerama movie theater with my friend Trudy Glick. (It was her birthday party.)

It had quite an effect on me. Anyway, Paul Zahl mentioned it in his list of movies to watch on TCM in April, and he specifically referenced the John Ford section of the film, and this got me thinking about George Peppard, who has a big, pivotal part in the movie.

He is actually in two of my favorite movies of all time. This is kind of weird since he is not really a favorite of mine.

GP as Paul Varjak in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

He’s very handsome in a blue eyed/blonde kind of way, but he’s also kind of wooden. He reminds me of a taller Alan Ladd. He says his lines and doesn’t give much more. He almost seems a little embarrassed, like he’s wondering how did I get into this line of work anyway? You know, they pay me a lot of money, so okay, I’ll do it. But I think I’d prefer to sell insurance. When you think about it, there are actually quite a few famous actors that fall into that category. They got into acting and success came pretty easy and then they had to keep it up and they were expected to emote a lot. They had to pay the bills. Sheesh.

Once in awhile actors like Alan Ladd and George Peppard can really stand out when they land in the right role with the right director. We remember them for those parts. Other actors can make a mediocre movie watchable just by being in them. (I’m thinking John Wayne, Steve McQueen, Audrey Hepburn–you make your own list.) Those are the real stars.

Well, old George has re-entered my life recently for another reason. Before going to sleep at night, I have started watching old episodes of the TV show Banacek, that aired originally from 1972 to 1974. Banacek was a freelance investigator based in Boston,  who solved seemingly impossible thefts. He then collected from the insurance companies 10% of the insured value of the recovered property. (What a concept!) He was debonair and had a chauffeur, who was a real character (wink wink). He smoked cigars and was irresistible to women.

Guaranteed to send you to sleep in a jiffy! (Even better than Murder She Wrote!)

And guess what? There is a Simpson’s episode based on Banacek in season 29–voila! George Peppard again in all his Sansabelt ’70s glory!

The world is more than we know.

*Walt Whitman, “Thoughts”

6 Comments
March 23, 2021

“It seemed to be a good idea at the time.”*

by chuckofish

Today is the birthday of the great film director, Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 – September 6, 1998). Kurosawa directed approximately one film per year throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, including a number of highly regarded (and often copied adapted) films, such as Seven Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961). After the 1960s he became much less prolific, but his later work included two epics, Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1985).

There are quite a few Kurasawa classics available to watch/rent on Amazon Prime. That is my plan to celebrate his birthday.

(This Criterion Collection set would make a wonderful gift!)

I might watch one of my favorite Kurosawa movies, Seven Samurai, tonight…

…and then The Magnificent Seven (1961) tomorrow night to celebrate Steve McQueen’s birthday on Wednesday.

That works out rather nicely. Synchronicity, I think it’s called.

Not exactly lenten fare, but I can dig it.

Also, let’s all give a big shout out to William Shatner, who turned 90 yesterday. Ninety!!

https://gfycat.com/devotedimmediatekiwi

The world is more than we know.

*Vin in The Magnificent Seven

7 Comments
March 19, 2021

“We’re all between perdition and the deep blue sea”*

by chuckofish

I had a very busy week at work and I hardly left the house. No trips to the recycling center or the Post Office to break up the monotony. I poked around in my yard from time to time, cutting daffodils, but it rained a lot, so I really didn’t go outside much. Our lives have been reduced to a very small scale indeed. If it weren’t for Zoom meetings, who would I see but the OM?

(Yes, I am grateful he is here!)

Thankfully I get to FaceTime with this precious babe who is taking after her namesake and dressing in my favorite neutral–leopard print. She is clearly feeling the vibe. (I think I need a jumpsuit!)

This weekend I plan to clean up the Florida Room in anticipation of warmer weather and being able to move all my houseplants out there soon. And I hope the wee babes will find time to come over and wreck havoc at our house. Life would be way too neat and tidy without them.

I’ll watch a movie from my Lenten List, because Easter is coming sooner than you think–two weeks! Maybe I’ll watch La vita è bella (1997) although it is a hard one, because the little fellow in it really reminds me of another little fellow I know.

But we need to watch, lest we forget what can actually happen. People who openly talk about re-education camps and deprogramming don’t seem to be able to make those connections.

Well, I’m feeling like some Ben Folds. How about you?

Yes, life barrels on like a runaway train. It won’t be too long until I am packing up my stuff in the office I haven’t been to in a year. And that’s okay with me.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances”

*Frank Loesser, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”

6 Comments