nostalgic beyond my years

A Few More Things Automobiles Have Lost Over Time Part II

2011-11-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

TWO-TONE EXTERIORS

There was a time when the beauty of a car was one of its most prized attributes. Cars were sleek and stylish. The early twentieth century was a highpoint for the automobile, and during that time auto makers made sure to compliment their innovative, elegant designs in stunning multi-colored beauty. The 1950s, in particular, were the time of two- and sometimes tri-tone color schemes as the sleek and shapely bodylines of the designs provided fine boundaries for colors to meet and mash.

The colors were vibrant and varied, and they were thrown together to create a great assortment of diverse color schemes. Bright colors were matched with black for dramatic flash. Matching shades of a single hue made for class and elegance. Most any color could be matched with white. One of the most striking combinations was the popular black-and-red color scheme that screams 1950s Americana. Another one of my favorites of the chrome-and-fins era was the gorgeous charcoal-and-coral scheme offered on 1955 Chevy’s.

Cars don’t come from the factory with rich colors like that anymore—they haven’t the shape for it. The majority of today’s cars are monochromatic and formless blobs, melting Jellybeans idly oozing their way down the road. Older cars are finely sculpted pieces of kinetic art. They are low, long and wide not for improved handling but for a graceful and gliding appearance as they move down the road. And like a fine painting these pieces of rolling art exhibit a deliberate and stimulating use of color.

WRAPAROUND WINDSHIELDS

Wraparound or panoramic windows are another styling cue unique to the 1950s. These windshields turned the corners of the cars with elegantly curved glass which was not only stylish but pushed the pillars to less visually restrictive positions. When paired with the thin front pillars of the day and the hardtops that had no center pillar, the wraparound windshield helped provide unobstructed visibility and a spacious open-air feel. I especially like the inwardly angled shape achieved when a wraparound windshield was paired with a wraparound rear window like on the 1958 Chevy Impala. Another one of my favorite designs of the 1960s is the elegant sweptback styling Pontiac achieved by pairing a wraparound windshield with a beautifully curved ultra-thin rear pillar.

THIN AND DECORATIVE STEERING WHEELS

I don’t believe there has been a truly beautiful steering wheel since the standardization of the airbag. Airbags ruined the steering wheel with their rubbery bulkiness. Before airbags steering wheels had far greater potential for alluring design. They were thin yet over-sized. They could be flashy chrome and color or they could be wood and brass. The use of a chrome horn-ring made for an elegant and popular circle-within-a-circle affect. There were also cars like 1960s Pontiacs and Chryslers that used translucent steering wheels that placed the Sun’s radiance in the hands of the driver.

1918 Oldsmobile

1934 Packard

1934 Cadillac V-16 with banjo style spokes.

1950 Oldsmobile 88 with gull wing (slightly bent) top spokes.

Notice the wonderful combination of polished chrome and brushed steel.

1947 Buick Super 8

1966 Oldsmobile Toronado

1956 Mercury Montclair

Porsche with a lovely use of chrome and wood.

Ernie Pyle: Classic reporting

2011-10-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

Lately, I’ve been revisiting one of my favorite authors Ernie Pyle. While Pyle is most notably remembered as the great WWII correspondent I’ve been recently reading the work of his pre-war roving reporting days.

The articles have widely varying subjects as Pyle traveled the expanses of the North American continent searching out what most interested him. Through his writing he always manages to make those points that interest him a deep interest of mine.

Pyle couldn’t have written these articles at any other time. It’s the time of the Greatest Generation; much of what characterizes America was witnessed and discovered by Pyle on his roaming of America. He visited and conversed with Gold Rush prospectors in the Yukon, visited the Leaper colony in Hawaii, witnessed the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression, saw the Mid West eaten barren by locusts, interviewed George Washington Carver, and much more.

But of all these places and their circumstances I always get the sense that what interested Pyle the most was the people. I love his descriptions of people: their appearance, the way they move, the way they talk, and what they say.

There’s the particularly jolly priest he met at the leaper colony: “When he talked he talked all over; it took a least six square feet for Father Peter to talk in. He jumped, struck attitudes, and laughed loudly and frequently.”

There’s also Josie Pearl a prospector in Nevada who made and lost multiple fortunes hunting for silver and gold: “Her dress was calico, with an apron over it; on her head was a farmer’s straw hat, on her feet a mismatched pair of men’s boots, and on her left hand and wrist—$6,000 worth of diamonds…She was what I like to think of as the Old West—one day worth $100,000 dollars, the next day flat broke, cooking in a mining camp at $30 a month.”

Pyle writes of the America and the Americans of another time.

Below is a previously written post dealing with Pyle’s contributions as a war correspondent during WWII.

Ernie Pyle: "War makes strange giant creatures out of us little routine men who inhabit the Earth."

Ernie Pyle (center, passing cigarettes) with infantry men.

I wanted to share a bit about a ‘hero’ of mine (for lack of better words). I am a student of journalism and love the work and character of Ernie Pyle. Ernie Pyle was a journalist most influential in his coverage of the front lines of World War II.

Pyle started as a roving reporter traveling and writing to his readers sharing his experiences abroad. Pyle was also an aviation reporter in the early days of flight.

The reason Pyle was so loved by his readers was the personal approach he took in his reporting and interviewing. He was soft spoken and a great listener and his interviewees very easily opened up to him. In his personal style of writing he set his readers in the same place and experience he was witnessing himself. His vivid, intimate reporting style found its highest purpose in war corresponding.

With the war taking place overseas many families were sending their sons, brothers and husbands to far away places and wanted to feel connected to them. Pyle provided that connection.

Pyle’s reporting was more intimate and more focused on the daily lives of the troops than it was on the victories, movements and generals. He would often comment on the strangeness of war. Those back in the U.S. needed that connection to there loved ones.

While reporting on the war Pyle lived and traveled with the troops on the front lines. Pyle and the troops developed a affectionate relationship for each other.

Reporting on the front lines has its risks and after doing tours in Italy, Africa and all over Europe Pyle went on to report on the war in the Pacific and was killed by a Japanese machine gun bullet that went through his helmet. At his death Pyle was so loved by the American public that it is felt by many that his death overshadowed the death of President Roosevelt just six days before.

You must read his work. Here are some samples:

"This one is Captain Waskow"

"A Dreadful Masterpiece"

"The God-Damned Infantry"

the classic and stylish station wagon

2011-09-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

I feel station wagons have fallen decidedly out of fashion in past five to ten years. Station wagons seem to get shunned by society. They are turned away as drab, unexciting implements that have long been obsolete. They were first replaced by minivans, then sport utility vehicles and more recently crossovers. For the new models that closely resemble the classic station wagon the automakers create new terminology, such as sport utility and crossover, anything so long as they evade the stigma of the station wagon.

It seems the station wagon is the relic of another time; maybe a better time. It’s a shame station wagons are not more fully embraced today, because in their hay day they were truly something special and important to the American family, and yes, even exciting. Since they were largely a product of the ‘50s and ‘60s, the glory days of the American automobile, they were highly stylish.

1950 Buick Estate Woody

1967 Pontiac

It was a time when bigger was clearly better--making low, wide and long the current vogue in auto design. The station wagon was in excellent taste. Its three rows a seating and cargo space gave purpose to the long sweeping lines so in style. As kid, my grandpa still drove an old station wagon and that last bench facing rearward was always the best part of riding with him.

1957 Oldsmobile 88 wagon

1960 Buick LeSabre Estate Wagon

Another ‘50s element that added to the beauty of American station wagons was the unrestricted, open-air feel that was so important to create a pleasant driving experience for car owns. This meant big wraparound windows, razor thin pillars, deleted pillars (hardtops) and vista windows in the roof all used to create an open glasshouse canopy. American families wanted to be able to pile into the family car for a road trip and have a great view of all they passed. Families were crisscrossing the nation in rolling works of art.

Then in the ‘60s it was a time of unrestricted high performance. Cars were offered with huge lists of engine options running from the mundane economy engines to the probably-shouldn’t-be-street-legal, don’t-tell-my-insurance-agent engines. So, there were the high performance station wagons. Chevy Nomads (extra-stylish two-door station wagons) were given the now legendary Chevy small-block V-8.

1957 Chevy Nomad

The Oldsmobile 4-4-2 station wagon was probably the greatest and most outrageous of the high performance wagons. It was offered with the vista roof and the Hurst hi-po package which included: 455 cubic inch big-block V8, fiberglass ram air hood, heavy duty suspension, disc brakes, duel mode tailgate (swings down and swings sideways) and power everything.

The Burns and Allen Show

2011-09-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

"If I say the right thing, please excuse me." Gracie Allen

Being a fan of old things I love classic television, and one of my favorites is The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show starring the greatest husband and wife comedy team. Burns played straight man to Allen’s dizzy dame. They started in vaudeville, became hits; moved to radio, became hits there; and then moved to television to become hits all over again.

George playing straight to Grace's "illogical logic."

The Burns and Allen Show has lots of appeal for modern television audiences. It was quite advanced for its day and it remains freshly unique from modern television trends. George’s character had the power to walk through the fourth wall to directly converse with and comment to the “live” audience. For fans of The Office this will feel similar to Jim Halpert’s sly smirks and stares, but it works out very differently.

In the Burns and Allen Show it allows George to step out of scene to monologue (with impeccable timing famously punctuated by his cigar) and occasionally manipulate plot towards a more entertaining ends.

The show’s unique stage set aids George’s comical flaunting of the fourth wall. It consists of two homes with partially-built walls (including front doors) facing the audience—unlike other shows which have no fourth wall and the ends of the joining walls are hidden to disguise the wall’s absence. George could walk through the walls to eavesdrop on Gracie’s scheming, keeping him ahead of his co-characters’ actions (although not always).

Gracie brings home a trimmed Christmas tree

But the most drawing feature of the Burns and Allen Show is Gracie’s lovably confused character with her loopy conversations and silly schemes. George Burns once described her character as “the American poster child of confusion and misunderstanding.” The real genius of the character is that, for Gracie, it is never really Gracie who is confused but those around her, and it is up to her to patiently set them straight. To do that she uses her unique brand of “illogical logic”--the things she says always have the strictest appearance of being logical.

"I was so surprised at being born that I didn't speak for a year and a half." Gracie Allen

Gracie’s character is very charming, loving and sweet. Her mix-ups frequently involve her earnest attempts to help her friends, and nearly everyone is a friend. Unlike Lucy Ricardo in I Love Lucy, Gracie is rarely driven by selfish and self-serving motives.

Those closest to her learn to wade through the misunderstandings and George encourages it (after all, this is how he makes his living as a comedian). Strangers become confused beyond natural sense often leaving their hats while fleeing Gracie’s presence. She then thoughtfully stores the forgotten hats after labeling them with names and personal descriptions (one of my favorite running gags of the show). George keeps a bottle of aspirin on the coffee table, for guests. When someone attempts to ask George why he stays with such a … he cuts them short, answering: “I happen to love her, that’s why.”

The show’s a blast of old-time charm, spiraling dialogue, innovative formatting, clever narration, and ambiguous boundaries that could only be made in the earliest days of television. In those early days television was new and the rules were not yet made.

Much like in early film and Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, when rules and trends are unmade or unknown it allows creative talent to use fresh ideas and styles that are independent from the influence of previous trends and practices. The result is an exciting and lasting originality.

A few samples:

Gracie's Checking Account- This is a very funny episode early in the series. It runs 30 minutes.(Public domain)
Lamb Chops- This is an eight minute film of one of their vaudeville routines.

*Orson Welles had complete creative control and a very limited understanding of film-making when he made Citizen Kane, his first film. He had a strong theater and radio background.

Colt 1911 100th Anniversary

2011-08-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Colt M1911 as made today 100 years later

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Colt M1911 semi-automatic pistol which famously and reliably served American armed forces for so many decades. Not being a collector or shooter myself, I am familiar with the 1911 from war films, documentaries and the history books. It served and defended America and its soldiers in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the War in Iraq.

M1911 in combat during WWII

Intentionally designed, by John Moses Browning, as a military side arm it was first adopted by the United States Army as the standard issue March 29, 1911. The .45 caliber pistol was soon the standard issue for all branches of the U.S. military, and it quickly gained a reputation as the greatest combat pistol ever made.

Most amazing is not the anniversary of its design but that 2011 also marks 100 years of continued use, and the pistol is still regarded as one of the finest semi-auto fire arms available.

It has not been the standard issue for the U.S. military since 1985 when it was replaced partially due to NATO’s desire to share standardized ammunition between nations. This meant either the U.S. changes from its .45 cal or the majority of the other NATO nations change from their 9mm. January 1985 the United States moved to the Beretta 9mm still used today; although, the 1911 is still used by Special Forces groups, Marines and various police departments. Many feel the United States moved to an inferior weapon and cartridge when it withdrew the M1911 as standard military sidearm.

I cannot help but wonder in amazement: What would it be like to be the creator of a revolutionary and lasting design like the 1911? I am respectfully in awe of John M. Browning’s genius. Browning’s creation remains as not only a viable and reliable design but one that is still highly desirable and elite in its field, 100 years later. Even more amazing is that this is not Brownings only such acheivement. His Browning M2 .50 cal machine gun which has seen vast military service on tripods, on armored vehicles, on warships, in aircraft and as a sniper rifle is also approaching 100 years of service.

John Moses Browning with M1917 machine gun

So many other technologies have come and gone since then; so many other designs have been improved upon and advanced over and over again in the last 100 years. Not Browning’s Colt .45. It has changed so very little and has rarely been improved upon. In 1911 America was still a horse culture. Aviation was still in its infancy, and the planes were made of wood and cloth. The majority of American homes still lacked running water. It would be several more years before Charlie Chaplin would begin to make films—10 to 15 minute silents. America only had 46 states.

Silver currency

2011-06-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Walking Liberty Half Dollar designed by Adolph A. Weinman

Remember when our money used to mean something; when it was real because it was silver. I often wish I lived in the time of silver currency. It’s always been a dream of mine to pay for something with a stack of silver dollars. Paying with a stack of copper-sandwich quarters just does not have the same charm as the heavy-clinking, bright-white shining cartwheels of times past.

Silver in any coinage is brilliant and beautiful, but I feel the dollar and half dollar (the two coinages we no longer used) were the finest examples. The faces are large enough to allow the silver coin bring real beauty into the everyday lives of American consumers, as it was a fine canvas for artists.

My favorite may be the Peace Dollar designed by Anthony de Francisci, and minted 1921-28, 1934-35. It was originally an expression of the joy following the end of WWI and the hope for continued peace. Unfortunately the peace following WWI was not lasting and mintage ceased. On the face is an elegant portrait of a radiant, crowned Lady Liberty with a breeze running through her hair (possibly the finest portrait put on a coin). The reverse shows the American Eagle holding an olive branch and guarding the rock of Peace. The text is done in the art-deco style of the times.

The coin designs were more inspired in the age of silver. The silver held Liberty personified, glorious eagles, symbolism and national hopes and values. During the State Quarter program they removed the standing eagle to replace it with ten years of state mottoes, maps and commercial objects.

Another aspect of silver currency that fascinates me is that should all that silver become too heavy for daily carrying you were given silver certificates. Unlike today, these bills didn’t merely represent a monetary value, they held the place of that value in silver. Turn one into a bank and it was their responsibility to give that value in silver. The old silver certificates were also very beautiful and inspired, and sometimes controversial.

1896 $2 silver certificate

1896 $1 silver certificate

1896 $5 silver certificate

1899 $5 silver certificate

1923 $5: "five silver dollars payable to the bearer on demand"

Westerns

2011-06-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Western is a movie genre that had its golden age decades ago, and today the genre holds an “old movie” image. Westerns are still made today (and we have some fine, recent Westerns), but they are made only occasionally. Generally, if you are watching a Western it is the product of an older generation—made to suit the styles and interests of that time.

Still from Stagecoach (1939)

The classic Western, once a prolific genre for film and television, has much to offer. Most of all, they’re exciting. Westerns are full of horse chases, gun fights, heroes, villains and thrilling stunts. They are filled with beautifully-filmed scenic wildernesses such as Monument Valley in John Ford’s films Stagecoach and The Searchers (a rarity: a truly beautiful color film).

Scenic still from The Searchers (1956) starring John Wayne

Historically, the Western genre is also filled with exciting, epic musical scores and theme songs. High Noon; The Magnificent Seven (my favorite shoot-em up); Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (my favorite spaghetti western) are all fine examples of excellent and unforgettable movie scores.

John Ford's The Searchers (1956): Every frame a masterpiece

But most importantly, Westerns are uniquely and characteristically American. They are set in the American West, they depict moments in American history and they deal with American themes and concerns. Even The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a spaghetti Western made in Italy by Italians, is set in the American West during the Civil War.

I often prefer the classic Westerns because they are more likely instilled with the American brand of optimism. Dark themes, desperate times and violent acts all occur in the films, but the optimistic drive to create prosperity and security out of cruel lawlessness and order out of dangerous frontier is always present in the Old West.

In classic Westerns the liberty and security of town populations are often threatened and oppressed by cruelty and lawlessness as the film centers on its protagonist finding the courage and ability to defend against such enemies. And the good guy always wins. The modern movie watcher might call this cliché and unrealistic but during the golden age you hoped for, fought for and expected the good and righteous to win out. It’s a refreshing difference from today’s overly pessimistic frame of mind.

High Noon (1952) starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly occurs in real time, and the ever-present clock is used as a highly effective device to build suspense for the shootout

I would like to also mention The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance as yet another fine classic western. This noirish Western stars John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart as two conflicting protagonists and Lee Marvin as a most vicious villian.

Old cars & family history

2011-05-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Cars are significant family possessions probably second only to the family home in importance. They are often bought when the family is young and the cars grow old and familiar as the family matures. (The back seat of the family car becomes a safe and comfortable place—a favorite for drowsy children.) Thanks to the passing of time and daily use, the cars and their families also grow closer. Later on the family’s many memories are tied to the cars they lived with.

In my family, the family cars and family history are closely tied and interwoven. In fact the family cars provide the timeline and structure for the history. Family stories are often told: “We drove there in the Bonneville so it must have been the mid-60s” or “the Buick was still new so it was probably 91 or 92.” It also helps that cars are often bought at family milestones such as marriages, births, moves and new drivers.

As part of a family, cars get to take part in daily errands, family events, and road trips. They get into family photos—they get lavished with attention and they get neglected. Years later when they are old and probably gone, replaced by another, they are an important part of the family memories. We look back on them as part of what made ‘the good old days.’

Something interesting about old cars that are kept in the family is that they are a lasting and tangible piece of times before. It’s a piece of your father’s life before you were born, maybe before he was married. Or it’s the car you grandfather bought and drove while you mother was a child. It’s a remainder of the lives your family lived and you didn’t. The car was there though and you’re sitting in it—you’ve driven it too.

These are my mom’s younger siblings standing before the family’s Pontiac bought new in 1956. (Oldest to youngest: my uncle Sal, Aunt Irene and Uncle Robert.) This car brought newborns home from the hospital, later taught those kids to drive and then took part in their youthful antics. It also pulled trees and off-roaded.

My uncle Sal would, 35 years later, restore it to like-new only to lose it in a divorce. The second photograph shows how it looked in the 1980s after being painted blue.

This 1964 Chevy Impala was my mom’s first car besides the family hand-me-down ‘56 Pontiac. She says she loved it. It was later stolen and taken for a joyride and police chase. My mom eventually had the car returned to her but not before it was driven over a fire hydrant, wrecked, then abandoned by the thieves.

Back in the garage is a 1960 Pontiac Bonneville which my uncles tell me was quite fast; I believe them. Pontiac was hitting the drag strips and race tracks hard and heavy in the early 1960s in order to gain some brand recognition. It was a great time to be Pontiac loyal.

Gorgeous Greys: beautiful black and white movies

2010-03-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Being a fan of old things I greatly enjoy black and white movies. Previously I briefly listed a few of my favorite black and white films but now I want to focus more directly on black and white film as a visual medium. This is a list of most beautiful black and white movies--movies that are dazzling and magnificent, making the need or desire for color an absurd idea. These movies are picked solely for their effective use of the black and white film medium. All other elements are only pertinent as they relate to the use of black and white.

Roman Holiday (1953)

Set in Rome and starring Audrey Hepburn (in her first major movie appearance) there is plenty to delight the eye in this classic romantic comedy standard: from the classic Roman architecture with the vastly ornate interiors to Hepburn's timeless beauty and charm. As with many black and white masterpieces, what marvels the most is the delightful and precise use of shadow and light. Most marvelous in Roman Holiday is how those sections of the screen not in on the film's action are beautifully blacked out in pristine darkness.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Black and white film and film noir were made for each other. The shadowy darkness of the medium perfectly suits the dark themes and characters of the genre. One of the greatest examples of this is Sweet Smell of Success starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. With the murky corners and personalities contrasting the brilliant flashing lights of Hollywood matching those characters' lofty and stinging ambitions Sweet Smell of Success proves black and white film is instinctly atmospheric. This is one of those films I can watch purely for its gorgeous lack of color; although, it is also filled with wonderfully swift dialogue and acid whit.

Dr. Stranglove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

A major strength of black and white film, both motion and still, is its ability to not only capture but add to the emotion, character and texture to the faces being filmed. Close portraits are very often more fascinating and inspiring when done in black and white and the same is true of a movie close-up. Dr. Strangelove is exemplary in this with its gorgeous black and white filming of monologueing characters--for in those faces are the laughs for this black comedy concerning the annihilation of the world.

The Third Man (1949)

Once again black and white proves to be the perfect medium for film noir. The art of playing shadow off light is worked to perfection in this crime story set in the dismal and war torn Vienna. In the shadows of this film, suspense is built and mysterious characters are famously revealed. Taking place mostly at night, the slightly angled shots only increase the tension we all feel when in the dark. Not to be missed is the magnificent climax of shadows chasing shadows though the cavernous underworks of Vienna. This is another movie where the filming is so well executed that I can watch it merely for its black and white beauty.

The Longest Day (1962)

This D-Day epic is beautiful in its expanse. Where previously mentioned films take advantage of individual characteristics of black and white film the sprawling and flowing filming exhibited in The Longest Day displays black and white's versatility as a medium. The use of black and white helps make this film feel less entertainment and more a record of one of the most astounding accomplishments in recent history, proving that proper WWII productions are shot in black and white.

Citizen Kane (1941)

It is difficult to write anything of this movie, so commonly proclaimed "the greatest ever made," that has not already been stated by others, but the reason I have included it on this list is its dazzling use of light and deep focus. Filmed to perfection it makes sense that the greatest movie ever filmed was filmed in black and white.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

While watching black and white movies I often feel a sense of nostalgia, and It's a Wonderful Life is of the finest examples. I list this film because the use of black and white is so very vital to the characters of the film and its interpretation. Again, shadowy cinematography compliments the dark themes of the film. Jimmy Stewart's incredible performance of desperation is made more effective thanks to the black and white filming.

An Untouchable Originality

2008-04-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

The creations of the generations past have an untouchable originality. They last through the years remaining and growing in importance, beauty and value. Their originality cannot be touched, disturbed or duplicated. The art or product of another generation captures and expresses the feel and character of that unique generation and time and once that time and generation passes there will be no other way of experiencing it than through those arts. I believe this is a small part of what preserves the originality of the past’s creativity.
We can know how some thing was created, have the right tools and know the right techniques but we could never have their original creativity and creation.
I am a car guy and am reminded of the feel and the way an original, never restored car has a feel, look and drive that a beat, restored or customized car can never duplicate. I do not believe those cars could ever be reproduced even it we had all the original tooling and materials. They become timepieces, remainders of an unreachable culture.
The other day I went to see an art gallery showing some very interesting photographs. They were photographs made by an art student who found some old negatives in a thrift store. They were from the sixties and were of young models posing in outdoor settings such as under trees and by a pool. They were wearing sixties fashion and stood in stiff poses trying to appear casual.
The student took these negatives scanned them onto her computer and then laid them onto each other so each photo appears to be of twins, triplets or quadruplets. The result was very striking. The photos have an innocence and playfulness to them. Looking at them, you feel you are seeing them in their own time but in reality you are seeing them as they never existed.
The gallery takes two rooms. In the first room are the photos made from the ‘60s negatives. In the second room there are two self-portraits made by the artist in an attempt to duplicate the results of the others. She took the photos using similar settings and poses but they fail in recreating the feel and character of the originals. Talking with the artist she spoke of how she thought how since she knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it that she could duplicate it but some how could not. It was the same artist, the same medium and the same process but since the originals have a piece of past their originality could not be touched.
I liked how these photos respected the originality of the negatives. Rather than trying to reproduce them the artist used them to create new art that would highlight them. Looking at the photographs, you would think they were directly from the sixties and they fit the time entirely because the artist did nothing to manipulate them or force them into her own time and culture.
When attempts are made to reproduce or falsely bring the originality of the past to the present it leaves a bad taste. Think of a modern restaurant emulating a ‘50s diner compared to an authentic ‘50s diner. Or think of a bad period film; the fakeness painted decorated feel of it. It is the thing that makes it impossible for an author or director of today to write a noir novel or make a noir film. The genre is characteristically of the past.

Star Wars in Childhood-Revised

2008-03-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

A revision of an earlier post.
The enjoyment and appreciation of the Star Wars films has continued strong from one generation to the next to today 30 years later when each new generation has its own unique yet similar appreciation of the movies. There are mainly two groups who have loved Star Wars those who were around at their creation and those who have always had Star Wars, since childhood.
I am in the second group and experienced secondhand with everyone else in my generation. We experienced Star Wars in childhood and it gave us something special. For children who play, imagine and pretend Star Wars provided exciting and endless possibilities. As children, the movies were new to us, and they held so much imagination within them: Wookies, Jawas, Ewoks, lightsabers, and spaceships. Our imaginations (I think especially the boys) stemmed off those ideas in play. I always wanted one of those speeders they used in Return of the Jedi.
I also think it served as a good bridge moving from cartoons to movies. They are pure fantasy and imagination like the cartoons children love but they appeared so real. (I think this is why so many value the originals with the puppets and costumes over the new trilogy filled with CGI.) Parents who love Star Wars seem to get a real kick out of sharing it with their children while there are at a young age.
I am often surprised when I meet people who have not seen or dislike Star Wars. (Most whom I have encountered who do not like it have not seen it.) I am beginning to believe that if you wait until adulthood to see the movies you are truly missing out.
Check out this video of a three-year-old who has seen A New Hope just once.

"Just One More Thing"

2008-02-26T00:35:00.000-08:00

Following the Academy Awards thinking of the winners for the top awards such as Daniel Day-Lewis winning best actor for There Will be Blood and Javier Bardem winning best supporting actor for No Country for Old Men I have a renewed appreciation for the creation of completely captivating characters. Both actors won the awards in a large part thanks to the development of exceptional villains. This is especially true of There Will be Blood which is driven by the development of Day-Lewis’ character.

Exceptional movies are dependent on exceptional and intriguing characters. In my thoughts of great characters, I began looking through the characters of past films looking for the best, my favorites. The one that stood out most is actually from television created by Peter Falk in Columbo(he won five Emmys of 12 nominations).

For those of you who are not familiar with Columbo, you are probably familiar with the classic detective character Peter Falk helped create with Columbo (along with Humphrey Bogart as Phillip Marlow in those classic noir films). You know the sloppy, unkempt but clever detective in the ragged raincoat smoking a cigar.

The Columbo character as written in the Columbo script was originally based on the Porfiry Petrovich character in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. What made Columbo such a great person, a great detective was everything Falk brought into him. Columbo is shaped by the character of Falk.

The costume came from Falk’s own wardrobe. That classic Peugeot Columbo drove and took pride in—Falk picked it. That glass eye and stare is also Falk’s own.

The humor of Columbo is in his humble and hidden cleverness and wile. One of my favorite Columbo quotes comes when a villain remarks, “Listen Columbo, just for a minute how about we stop pretending that I'm brilliant and you're simple!"

Then there are his fears: his fear of water “I can't swim, I don't even like a deep tub,” his fear of heights “My ears pop in an elevator. As a matter of fact I don't even like being this tall,” and his fear of guns.

Falk as Columbo is just plain likable, relatable, persistant and real. He has his coat, his car, his dog and his wife and is comfortable in who he is and in what is familiar and broken in and he becomes a familiar and broken in friend.

Variety Shows of Early Television

2008-02-24T23:34:00.000-08:00

Something that I regret I could not witness was the popularity and prevalence of variety shows in early television. I like the whole style of the of the variety show; bringing masses of celebrities and talents to the shows and the living rooms of the viewers. Even though they were celebrities, while on the variety shows they became like everyone else. They performed but it was often much more lighthearted. They had fun and enjoyed working on these shows. They would gather in sets made up like living rooms often having several of the top talents coming together for an hour of fun and entertainment.

I also like how there was indeed variety in these shows. On the shows comedians, actors and musical performers were blended making an experience unique for that episode. There were so many of these shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin, Johnny Cash, Danny Thomas and many more. Carol Burnett had a great show with excellent regulars like Tim Conway giving laid back and sometimes spontaneous comedy and musical performances.

Dean Martin may have been the king of variety shows with the Martin and Lewis Comedy Hour, the Dean Martin Variety Show and his celebrity roasts.

Another important element of variety television was the introduction to new and arriving talent (especially in the case of the Ed Sullivan Show). Looking at today’s television we really have nothing equal to it. The closest would be the late night sketch comedy shows like Saturday Night Live.

Have a look and see what I mean:

The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show
Phil Harris on the Dean Martin Variety Show (you might recognize him as the voice of Baloo on The Jungle Book)
Bob Dylan on the Johnny Cash Show
Louis Armstrong on the Dean Martin Variety Show
Johnathan Winters on the Dean Martin Variety Show

Simple Suspense

2007-12-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

The films being made today are losing the art of suspense. I love old suspense movies and am disappointed they no longer make them the way they used. Today they make horror movies instead. With horror the films scare and surprise with disturbing and shocking images. In suspense the excitement is built up from situation and circumstances.

One of the most suspenseful movies I have ever seen was Wait Until Dark starring Audrey Hepburn. It has been so long since I have seen it but remember literally jumping out of my seat. It was a simple plot: a blind woman locked in her home with two crooks. There was no shocking violence, you saw everything before it happened and it still leaves you tense throughout.

We cannot discuss suspense without mentioning Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense. One of my favorite Hitchcock films is Rear Window. Once when watching it—I had started it alone—my roommates and a neighbor came in and the movie briefly became background to the conversations. The skill and suspense of Hitchcock gradually yet quickly took over the attention of everyone in the room. For two in the room it was the first time seeing it.

They were tense and jittery, and those of us who have seen the movie were enjoying watching them. They would nervously inch to the edge of the seat then rock back, rise to a half stand then fall back into the sofa, raise their hands to the tops of their heads then back down all the while stone silent. Even their gasps were silent. How did Hitchcock accomplish all this? With the turn of a glance, the silent click of a phone and the flick of a light switch.

Suspense films used to be simple yet effective. Today they have to be grand and extravagant to be effective.

The Time Machine Abandoned

2007-12-02T00:22:00.000-08:00

Something that I have read and has stuck with me was the Ray Bradbury short story “The Time Machine.” This story, like most of Bradbury’s work is set in the future.

In this not too distant future children are outside talking excitedly and arguing. One is telling the unbelieving rest that he has found a time machine. The kid tells the others to follow him and he will take them to it. They follow him into a dusty old house up the stairs and into the dimly lit attic where they see an old man sitting stiffly in a wooden chair. The boy approaches the man and sits at his feet then asks for a story. The old man then begins a story about hunting the long extinct bison on the open prairies; that is followed by a story about fighting in the Civil War. The children are captivated and gather around.

I like this story because it places great value on the experiences of elders as those who lived in times we the younger generations were unable to see. The older are wiser.

I also like the value placed on storytelling. This is something that is being lost in current generations. Movies and television have made us unwilling to hear the telling of a story. We want to see it. Watching our stories we lose much of the humanness that used to be central to stories. Stories were about people and they were told by people. Today there are shown to us in pixels.

Think of how better things used to be when people tell stories, of when your parents told bedtime stories, sharing an exciting story of you day with a friend or sharing some unique experience. Tell stories, listen to others stories that is how we share our lives.

Cruising

2007-11-29T23:34:00.000-08:00

An old time activity for passing the nights was cruising. Cruising was as simple as getting a group of friends and pilling them in a car to spend the evening together. I never fully lived in a cruising culture and yet I miss it. It seems such simple and pure fun.

I once had a teacher who spoke nostalgically of cruising. He told us they would get in that old car roll down the windows and drive. They did not need somewhere to go. That appeals to me. I feel that today everyone must be busy doing something or going somewhere in a hurry. To be driving just for joy of it.

On of my favorite movies is George Lucas’ American Graffiti; it’s a cruising movie. The film is set almost entirely at night, usually in a car and always within earshot of the car’s radio. One night after I first got my license I was driving down a large boulevard when a beautiful 1956 Chevy pulled out in front of me. I began admiring the car when I suddenly feel into the most captivating nostalgia I have ever experienced. I missed my turn and had to make the next.

The best part of cruising at night is the lighting. At night the street lights up, the streets clear and the dark hides much of the town’s flaws. Drive though an old part of town with the modern parts hidden by the night and you’ll drive into another age. Go out late enough on a large empty boulevard an you can hit all greens.

Beauty Grows Slowly

2007-11-29T19:42:00.000-08:00

Something that must have stood the test of time to gain true and complete beauty is an old tree. I love old trees, especially big old oaks. For me the trees are often the best part of visiting places that have changed little with the passing of time. If you haven’t noticed it is usually the places that have gone through time with little change that are the most beautiful. Places like Italy, an old university, grand old buildings, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite Valley.

In those places the changes that have occurred are slow coming and only add to the beauty of those places. Trees are a part those slow changes, slowly growing taller, fuller and more gnarly.

I love driving to an old part of town and finding the tree lined neighborhoods. They have to be old trees who have spent the years stretching out across the sky to met their branches above the center of the road.

The new parts of towns have thin spindly trees that provide little shade and little joy. I am reminded of the saying “Only God can make a tree” and want to add “and it takes time.”

It's a Wonderful Life = Christmas

2007-11-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

We are now approaching Christmas and for me one of the greatest parts of Christmas is the James Stewart movie It’s a Wonderful Life. This wonderful movie is often what gets me in the Christmas spirit.

It is such a solid classic and a warm picture of what a past generation of Americans valued and cherished. It is driven by the message that each individual is important and interconnected with so many others. This message and the skill in delivering it caused the American Film Institute to name it the most inspiring film of all time.

There are so many marvelous scenes in the movie and it seems a different one gets me each time. The dancing at the prom is always entertaining and a joy. The following scene “Buffalo Girls” is also humorous and heart-warming setting you up for the crash of the father’s death.

This year the scene that affected me most came after George Bailey discovers he wants to live again and God gives him his life back. He searches for proof finding the petals that had fallen off his little girl’s rose in his pocket where he had hid them. “Zuzu’s petals, Zuzu’s petals.”

Do yourself a favor and watch It’s a Wonderful Life early this Christmas. It will make your enjoyment of the Christmas season fuller and longer.

Star Wars in Childhood

2007-11-27T22:32:00.000-08:00

The creation of Star Wars may not be too far into the past but it originated before my time. The Star Wars films are something I experienced secondhand and so did everyone else in my generation. What interests me about Star Wars as an object of nostalgia is the way it continued to be the strong cultural influence in recent generations as it was in the first.

When Star Wars first came out it gave that generation something completely new and exciting. There must have been something special about seeing those films when they first came into theaters; anticipation, surprise, and wonder. It seems that could not be recreated today. Especially because Star Wars is so important to our culture, it is alluded to in every form of media (cartoons, movies, commercials and our speech). Even it you manage to live until adulthood without seeing them you know what there is to be known.

Part of what keeps Star Wars central to our lives is the attempt to hold on to this element of Star Wars’ greatness. It cannot truly be relived, but people do their best. And part of that is to instill their love and amazement into the younger generations.

Thanks to their efforts Star Wars remains something special, especially within childhood. As children the movies were new to us, and they held so much imagination within them: Wookies, Jawas, Ewoks, lightsabers, and spaceships. Our imaginations (I think especially the boys) stemmed off those ideas in our play.

I remember I always wanted one of those speeders they used in Return of the Jedi.

Just recently, they were showing a commercial where a man carved the Thanksgiving turkey with a miniature lightsaber impressing all present.

For years I associated the sounds and images of the 20th Century Fox and THX solely to Star Wars. Even today when I hear those sounds I think of Star Wars.

Comfort in Familiarity

2007-11-16T02:20:00.000-08:00

Writing my last post got me thinking of the fondness we have for familiarity.

Writing about Bernice’s rolls reminded me of the time of a returning visit from an old friend who had moved away. On the weekend of her visit, she attended our church and after the service there was a potluck. On her way to the area of the church were the potlucks are held she came up to us (I was sitting with two friends) at the last pew commenting how everything is still the same. She then moved on the repeat the observation when coming to Bernice’s rolls at the end of the table; right where she left them. She seemed delighted to be surrounded by familiarity.

There is some of that in each of us. It is what makes our own beds comfortable and inviting above all others. The first night in your own bed after a long vacation is magical. Also when returning home from somewhere unfamiliar one of the first places we go to is our own restroom. Time has done this. We come to love those things we have a history with. We are most comfortable in familiarity.

Right now, I am living outside of my hometown and on returning to it, after an extended period of time, I enjoy driving through town. I go through the old downtown, through the older tree lined neighborhoods of unique houses (very different from the modern cookie-cutter track homes). It is especially nice to drive streets I know well, streets I have been traveling all my life. The people walking those streets even look familiar though they are strangers.

Bernice's Rolls

2007-11-15T02:52:00.000-08:00

Reminiscence and nostalgia come naturally come when thinking of or discussing certain topics, and food is one. Whenever in a discussion about food there is always the mention of mothers, grandmothers and sweet old ladies. And by nature these mothers and sweet old ladies are also some of the most devoted members of the local churches.

This gives rise to the glorious tradition of the church potluck. These potlucks may take place in the present but they draw their strength from the past. It is an old tradition. Often it dates back to the birth of the church.

You gather together with people you have known and loved all your life. Then you eat from the multitudes of vastly varying homemade foods from recipes that have been passed down from one generation to the next to be made by the skilled hands moved to a perfection achieved through the life time of cooking experience of your Sunday school teacher.

Bernice’s rolls are a large part of my understanding of church potlucks. Of the various foods offered on those ‘Love Feasts’ Bernice’s rolls enjoyed a special popularity and became a requirement for every event. They were consistently perfect. They always came in the same pans and sat in the place at the ends of the tables making finding and retrieving them easier. Without them the potluck would be incomplete.

I guess each church has its own special potluck dishes provided through the years by beautiful people and fine cooks. What are yours?

Workmanship of Craftsman

2007-11-09T00:25:00.000-08:00

Something that I admire that has come from generations past is a pride in workmanship. For me the purist example of this still present today is Craftsman tools. Each Craftsman tool automatically comes with an unlimited lifetime warranty that lasts as long as the original buyer owns the tool. They have been doing this since 1927. If your grandfather bought a wrench in 1927 and it broke today he would get a new one today. If you by a Craftsman tool the only reason you would ever buy that tool again would be if yours was lost or stolen.

The funny thing about the warranty is that it is all but rendered useless by the high quality of their tools. I have never heard of the need to return a Craftsman tool, and everybody uses them. I have literally never even heard a farfetched myth that a Craftsman tool has ever broken. These tools have outlasted their original owners. They get traded and sold at yard sales, swap meets and car shows.

At times, I wonder if it were not for the fast growing population Craftsman’s fine workmanship would soon push them into bankruptcy. You would think a set of tools would just be passed from one generation to the next. It does not happen that way. No one wants to part with their tools.

Th African Queen

2007-11-08T00:55:00.000-08:00

Often when watching old movies I begin to wonder what it is that makes them so different, so special. I believe it is a number of things, and that acting is one of the most influential. The actors in those old movies are the greatest of film.

The African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn is the greatest acted film ever made. Just recently I watched the movie after not seeing it for a while and was stunned once again by the perfection of the performances. I was so awestruck by the acting that I watched it again the next day (something I almost never do).

The skills and talents of Bogart and Hepburn were so great they demanded deeper discussion. Why is the acting in this movie stand so stark against everything else? One reason would be the simple fact that this is the greatest actor of all time teamed with quite possibly the greatest actress of all time. And they have a natural chemistry!

Bogart and Hepburn are in the later years of their careers when the movie was made, and were at the peak of their abilities. Because it was later in their careers they not only had natural talent but the wisdom and skills only experience can give. They are give a clever script then placed alone on the small setting of a river boat so their performances are not dragged down by lesser talents. The African Queen is great acting and only great acting.

Their performances are what make the film so precious. I have been using the words ‘acting’ and ‘actors’ but they are really misleading. Watching the movie, their performances are so natural and real there are many moments where you will lose yourself forgetting you are watching a performance through the glass. They remove the boundaries separating you in realty and them in your TV causing you to feel you are watching the true reactions of people rather than the prepared actions of characters.

The superiority of their acting to anything else ever filmed has to be seen to be believed, but once you see it you will believe.

Mystery Fuels Adventure

2007-11-07T23:15:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite books is Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Within the opening pages of Heart of Darkness, Conrad’s narrating character, Marlow, speaks of the wonder, mystery and adventure hidden within the blank spaces of maps. When the story was told, when the book was written these blank spaces were shrinking. The potential adventures were shrinking with those blank spaces.

"Now when I was a little chap I had a passion for maps . I would look for hours at South America,or Africa, or Australia and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all look that) I would put my finger on it and say, When I grow up I will go there… True, by this time it was not a blank space any more. It had got filled since my boyhood with rivers and lakes and names. It had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery—a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness."

I remember as a child the unknown provided room for the imagination to stretch. The less you understood of the world the more adventure there was in it. This could be the reason we grow less adventurous as we grow older.

Going back to the mystery of the blank maps, those spaces have been filled and the endless possibilities of adventure lost. So far this adventure has never been completely lost. When the European explorers sailed to the ends of the earth exposing all that was mysterious, human sense of adventure took to the unknown lands. The manifest destiny sent adventurous pilgrims west. Once the seas and lands were fully explored we took to the skies. The adventurers were the Wrights, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhart.

The concurring of the skies led to the jet age which opened a whole new mysterious void to renew our adventurous spirit, space. Those of that time quickly grasped the mysteries and explorations of space, and once again imaginations ran free and wild. We have massive amounts of science fiction as artifacts of those times. We also have the products of the good and evils of space age technology. My high school had a bomb shelter under a library that was built during the Cold War.

With the increase in technology and the use of satellites and space probes the once huge and overwhelming mysteries of space are quickly being filled. What will be the mysteries that fuel the adventures of future generations? Where will our imaginations lead us now?

A Few Things Automobiles Have Lost Over the Course of Time

2007-10-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

HARDTOPS- Some of today may not even fully understand what a hardtop is. It is a car (mostly two-doors) without posts. When you roll the windows down everything is wide open. Hardtops were originally designed as a more practical and reliable alternative to the convertible. They were great. They were stylish, provided great visibility and made for roomy, spacious cabins. When wondering why hardtops are no longer made my first thought was that safety standards may not allow it but that can’t be so because they still make convertibles.

SUICIDE DOORS- Despite the dangerous sounding name, they really weren’t especially dangerous (they did have their cautions mainly when entering and exiting in traffic but that’s true of any door). Suicide doors have their hinges towards the rear of the car opening towards the front of the car. What makes them so great is the ease of entering and exiting. think of entering and exiting a conventional door. When seated in the car you are facing forward but your door opens backward. To exit you must open the door turn completely around and walk out in the direction opposite of which you started. They were abandoned by automakers when they began repelling the safety conscious in the 1960s but with child safety locks this may be less of a problem.

COLORED INTERIORS- I am tired of looking into new cars, many that are beautiful and well built to see that the automaker has failed to provide an interior worthy of and complementing to the rest of the car. It used to be, interiors were made to compliment the exterior. This included the option of many more colors than today’s neutrals of grey, tan and black. Black cars came with white, red and black interiors. Blue cars came with the option of black, white and several different patterns and shades of blue. Red cars came with white, peaches, and reds. Cars with dark exteriors were gorgeous with white interiors. Many cars had two-tone dashes and steering wheels; the top matched the exterior for looking in from the outside and the bottom matched the interior for those inside the car. Red interiors are classy and classic. A few years ago Pontiac offered a red leather interior in its GTO which was beautiful and unique in a world of tans and grays. Unfortunately, the exterior had little curb appeal so it was short lived. This showed the sad state of consumers today where outer appearances are everything.

TIRES THAT MATTERED- In the Disney movie Cars, one of my favorite cars is the old Mercury police car. It’s so classic with its big sleek look in that black and white pattern (Oh, the beauty of black and white). One of my favorite things about that car is the white walls tires that came complete with curb-feelers meant to protect them. Once again the designers and makers of cars in the past proved more capable in designing a completely marvelous car without a single detail over looked. That’s why white walls, redlines, raised white lettering and white lines mattered. They were more than tires they showed the auto industry and the drivers cared.

Beauty's Lack of Color

2007-10-23T22:54:00.000-07:00

There is a special,elegant kind of beauty reserved for the contrast and simplicity of black and white. Watching black and white movies or looking through black and white photographs puts you in a softer mood then you were in the color of reality. Black and white has several advantages, especially in art. Not only does it create a nostalgic feel but it adds several visual and emotional appeals.

The emotions and tones of black and white films seem much more complete than color. Black and white romance moves are more romantic than color movies. Black and white suspense movies are more suspenseful than color. Film noir is often defined as black and white by requirement. It creates stark shadows, brilliant rays of light with clear paths of travel, and beautifully lit and textured faces.

Another element of black and white film is the greater freedom and responsibility of the viewer to create their own images and interpretations much like the readers of a book must use his imagination. In black and white film the viewer is given an incomplete view and must fill in the blanks of color. In Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times the female character greats Chaplin’s character outside of jail in what I have always understood to be a country blue and yellow dress. In reality it could be something very different. To another viewer it may be another color. Each viewer is free to make the film his own.

There are some movies in particular that are especially elegant in black and white and could not be any other way. Examples are: Hitchcock’s Psycho, Darryl F. Zanuck’s The Longest Day and the Humphrey Bogart movie The Treasure of Sierra Madre. In a Zagat’s review of the scenic camera work of The Treasure of Sierra Madre someone commented “color, we don’t need no stinking color” making a play of words on the famous line of the movie. The person who colorizes Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life will be the one who destroys Christmas.

There is also black and white photography that deserves mentioning. One of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen is the Ansel Adams photograph ‘Moonrise over Hernandez, NM.’ What I saw (it was in a museum) was an actual print by Adams; it was not a poster or a reproduction. It was easily the greatest piece of art I have ever witnessed, and quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The contrast was perfect making the photograph seem deep and real. The silvery brilliant white of the moon and distant clouds were perfectly set against the shining black of night. All the posters and prints seen everywhere else do little justice to the real thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_SQyCJega8

Science fiction at its best

2007-10-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Twilight Zone may have been science fiction at its best. It grew out of a time of great discovery, wonder, expectations and fears. It came out of the minds of those who saw atomic bombings, Sputnik, new technologies and man on the moon. What they did not see but imagined was equally as great and often depicted in the episodes of The Twilight Zone.

Part of the reason I feel Twilight Zone could be the best of science fiction is because it keeps the human spirit and experience at the forefront of the stories. No matter how far from reality the Twilight Zone may take us we know the elements of the human spirit and experience maintain a consistent relevance to our lives.

There are certain episodes that I often think of as being true to this. ‘The Obsolete Man’ is set in a totalitarian society where the state has outlawed anyone who is not beneficial to the state and proven the nonexistence of God. It tells of a man, Wordsworth, was declared obsolete and sentenced to death. He was a librarian in a state that banned books and a Christian in a state that ‘proved’ God did not exist. As part of his final rights he is give a say in the mode of his execution and a final wish will be heard. He asks that he be killed by an assassin by a mode and at a time known only by him and his assassin, this was granted. For his final wish he asks that his death be televised for all the state to view. This is also granted because it is believed it will glorify and display the ultimate power of the state.

The chancellor comes to Wordsworth’s room to see that everything is set up and to further glorify the state. Once in the room he turns to leave and finds the door looked. It is then that it is revealed that Wordsworth had a bomb hidden in his room set to go off at midnight. It then becomes a game of what is the greater weakness a faith in God or a faith in the state.

The episode explores the fears of man and “the worth, the dignity and rights of man” as Rod Serling so eloquently narrates.

Everything's Plastic, Everything's Fake

2007-10-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

I just got an old record player. This thing is big beautiful and real. It is encased in about a five foot long, three foot tall solidly built, beautifully crafted wood cabinet. It has the classic RCA insignia of the dog listening to the victrola below reading “His master’s voice.” Listening to it and watching the vinyl record turning I was reminded that there was once a time when everything was real. I, on the other hand, have grown up in a plastic world.

I knew only plastic milk cartons rather than glass bottles, plastic car bumpers rather than chrome, Federal Reserve notes rather than silver dollars, vinyl records rather than plastic compact discs and plastic and particleboard furniture rather than solid wood.

I enjoy walking through antique shops and looking through all the creations of the past (often distant past) realizing they are real and lasting. I was always especially interested in and in awe of the majesty of the old wood furniture radios and record players, even the first television sets. They have the charm of the old time personalities they brought into the living rooms of American families. Looking at an old box radio I see a family gathered around it listening to radio shows acted out entirely through voices. Looking at an old cabinet record player I hear Nat King Cole’s ‘When I Fall in Love’ and ‘Unforgettable’ and Glenn Miller’s ‘Midnight Serenade’ and ‘In the Mood.’

I am reminded of a nation that was more united in both its weaknesses and its strengths. Thinking of the fears stirred by Orson Welles’ radio depiction of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. Also of President Franklin Roosevelt’s war speech ‘A Day of Infamy.’ Looking at these pieces I see and hear a see a world, a time, a people and a nation I never knew.

Rivalries

2007-10-06T00:36:00.000-07:00

A rivalry between sports teams betters with age. The best rivalries are always the old rivalries, those with history. Also rivalries often stem from tradition, especially in schools. Part of the reason I have this topic in mind is this Sunday night’s football game is the Green Bay Packers vs. the Chicago Bears. I have always seen the Packers/Bears game as the epitome of professional football. Especially if played in harsh winter weather. Especially if played at Lambo Field. The football games of old rivals are usually passionate physical games, often in spite of how the rest of the season may have been for the teams involved. As a Miami Dolphins fan I have also enjoyed the Dolphins/Jets games. They are usually intense and close games many times going beyond the fourth quarter.

I also enjoyed the cross town rivalry between my high school and the new school in town. Because this rivalry was with a new school (about 10 years) the rivalry itself does not have much age. The reason the rivalry had the feel and character of an old rivalry was because of the age of my school, Redlands High School. RHS is and old school (over a hundred years) and for just about the entirety of those years it has been the sole high school of the town helping give it its small town feel. People in Redlands mostly stay in Redlands and when you have one high school it creates a community. Up until about a few years ago it seemed that everyone (going back 100 generations) in Redlands graduated from RHS. When the new school was built and began graduating classes the ‘old’ rivalry was started. Each year the game is played at Redlands University’s stadium and is sold out some years days in advance.

For the first seven to eight years of the rivalry RHS dominated mercilessly. I believe it was in the seventh year that the other team first scored against us (a single touchdown for six points). Even then it was scored after the first string had been taken out of the game and replaced by the Junior Varsity. After that year it has been a back and forth battle to obtain the year’s worth of bragging rights the victory brings. I thank God I graduated from a class that had that victory. It is something that will last for as long as I remain in Redlands. And it will grow sweeter with age.

"What is more eloquent than silence?" Charlie Chaplin

2007-09-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

What can be? The title of this article is a quotation from the Charlie Chaplin movie Limelight. Ignoring that Limelight is a talking movie I would like to move the topic of silent films. There is beauty and quality in silent films that I fear is overlooked by moviegoers today.

Something that sets silent films apart from modern sound films is the appeal to your emotions that is the center of most silent films. They could not tell their stories verbally so they did what they could to make you feel the story. Chaplin and his City Lights is one of the best examples. Throughout the film you will feel joy, sorrow, desperateness, love, pity and excitement. He makes you feel and that is real.

Silent films are generally known for their physical humor which City Lights also has but Chaplin gives you much more then laughter. The story of the tramp who falls in love with a blind flower girl is moving throughout. It ends with one of the greatest final scenes ever filmed. It is beautifully subtle and not over acted. It is not unheard of for people to be moved to tears by it.

It is probably the greatest example of silent film as well as one of the greatest examples of movie making. It is also a good movie for those who are not familiar with silent film. It is a relatively new movie (1931) and was made several years after sound had become the standard. As a result if feels very modern. It has a synchronized score that Chaplin himself wrote. It has more of that good, old time movie feel rather then the silent short feel. The genius of Chaplin’s direction and him being a perfectionist gave City Lights a flow so smooth it makes the text cards seem unnecessary. Chaplin is a great storyteller and leads you gently through the film. He shows you the story rather then explain it to you through dialogue.

I feel that people may have become inept when it comes to watching and appreciating silent movies. In communication there is what is called “media literacy.” The idea is that we learn how to take in and interpret the media. An example of this would be when the first moving pictures were recorded. The first moving pictures occurred in France. There is a story that at the first public showings of moving pictures the audience was shown film of people walking and traffic in city streets then for a dramatic ending they were shown a clip of a train coming straight towards and then over the camera. The audience freaked, ducked under their chairs and jumped out of the way trying not to be run over. The audience was not yet media literate for moving pictures.

Media literacy also occurs in more subtle ways such as dream sequences and flash backs in film: we have learned to understand the foggy screens. I also believe people can lose some media literacy when they take in changes from what it was. Think of how difficult it can be to read a King James Bible. I feel that this loss of media literacy is true of many people with silent movies. (We, after all, have been watching only sound for almost 80 years.) They are missing out on some great movies. Don’t miss out on these movies yourself. See the movie. You may have to look for it in the rental places. I think Netflix has it. Someone just put it on youtube.

Old Friends

2007-09-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

When ever I come across a set of friends that have been together for a lifetime I am amazed and enchanted by the fact of it. I enjoy the stories they have and the way they tell them together. Sometimes you can tell that two people have been friends for their lifetime by observing the way they hold a conversation. You do not have to overhear some piece of information that reveals dates, years or anything like that you just know. When old friends come together it is something special.

They seem to know each other so well and this understanding of each other goes much deeper then with other friendships it seem to go to a place that cannot be described only experienced and witnessed. They are so familiar with each other’s faces that at times they can move each other to laughter or sorrow by exchanging glances. They can read between the lines of each others speech. One can say “remember that time when…” and before he can finish the answer has been given and the conversation is well under way.

Only time passed can make an old friend. Sometimes fast friends can fit this description but it would lack many of the most important qualities of an old friendship. Old friends develop a chemistry together.
An old friend is that friend that seems to be present in the majority of your greatest memories. It does not matter what time or how many years the memories goes back he is there. When you have had this friend long enough it gets to the point where they will always be your old friend even if you eventually lose contact with them. They will always be in those memories they will always have played that part in you life.

The friendships like this seem to be present in the oldest generations most. I am not sure that this is entirely the effect of the need of decades of time together or if this kind of friendship is becoming a real rarity. It may be that modern times have put strains on these friendships. Today people do not stay put the way they used to. The world may be growing too unstable for these kinds of friends. It’s getting harder to trust that the familiarities of today will still exist as we know them in the decades to come. I can only hope that things are noot changing that fast and I see one of my friendships develope into old friends. Old friends, even the phrase itself seems to have a special warmth to it. Endearing. A feeling similiar to that when watching Rick Blaine and Captain Renault walking into the fog at the end of Casablanca.

Citizen Kane

2007-09-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

According to the American Film Institute and their list of 100 greatest films the greatest movie ever made was made over 60 years ago. The movies being made today do not even seem worthy of comparison. You would expect movies to grow progressively better as film makers grow more experienced and new techniques are developed. I feel that part of the problem is in the emphasis film makers are placing in technology and special effects.

In the golden age of film the focus of film makers was not on special effects but on the script, photography, emotion and acting. These are the points that make a great film. Casablanca used a cardboard plane and midgets as the background for the final and most important scene and is made better then anything with special effects. The original AFI list says only Citizen Kane betters it. (The revised list adds The Godfather.)

In the golden age scripts were written by real writers. The Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall film To Have and Have Not was based on a novel by Ernest Hemingway and had a screenplay written by William Faulkner.

It was common practice (especially in film noir) to use adaptations from literature to create scripts. The scripts read like literature because they are literature. (Sunset Boulevard is also a good example of this.)
Scripts today are witty banter at best. From time to time there comes a film that can sit alongside those old beautifully written films. When those films do come they stand out and do not seem to fit among other modern films. The two most recent films in the AFI top ten are Raging Bull (1980) and Schindler’s List (1993) (Raging Bull was just added). Both these movies are so far removed from other modern movies that they are even filmed in black and white.