rohanaka
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Posts posted by rohanaka
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Price did the intro to the song The Black Widow on the album...wait for it...Welcome to My Nightmare. I was a big fan.
Well, I had NO idea.. ha. Wowsa. the things you learn on here.
But THEN.. I have to confess to you.. I don't know much about either man.. ha. So when I saw your post, I went digging around in google, ha.. and what is really funny about all this..I SHOULD have known they worked together anyway. Because (true story) my very first exposure to Alice Cooper was a late night movie/video/special (I don't know WHAT to call it, ha) that he made way back in the mid 70's. I was about 11 or so, (I think) and it came on in the middle of the night one summer.
My dad was in the army, and I think we lived in Alaska at the time (and all the TV shows aired at least two weeks behind the rest of the states back then) so I am not sure if it was intended as a late night show or not.. I just remember it was VERY late (at least in my 11 yr old mind) and my parents had both fallen asleep on the couch and I was still up (though I should not have been by that hour) and there I was sitting around watching late shows on tv. (without permission)
And then all of a sudden, there was this CREEPY guy I had never heard of singing songs I never DREAMED I'd hear on tv..ha. And it was Alice Cooper. ha.
But what is so funny about it (and the part I did not remember till I looked it up) is that Vincent Price was in THAT movie with him too. (silly me..I had NO memory of that at all.In my defense.. it was a long, long time ago and I am an old, old woman now.) ha
I only recall just being totally engrossed in my first (and only) Alice Cooper "nightmare" ha. In fact.. now that I think about it.. ha. .that show probably DID give me nightmares, (maybe.. if I recall) ha. I just know I had never (ever, ever) seen anything like it. What can I say.. my Dad was a country-western/blue grass fan. I grew up with Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff..and as far as I knew.. neither of them ever wore black eye makeup.. and had long stringy hair.. and sang songs about.. well.. stuff. HA.
So I guess maybe Price did the album and then also the movie they made to promote the album , maybe. I bet the photo posted here is probably from the same time frame for all that, then. (because.. well.. they just don't strike me as two guys who would naturally hang out together, otherwise, ha. (but hey.. I could be wrong)
And I have to say, over the years, I have heard other songs of Cooper's, but not too many of them stood out for me, other than just a few. There are some that I could even say I might (maybe..sort of be willing to listen to and not just want to run to the radio and turn it off.. HA! But back then, when I watched that tv show.. wowsa, I was mesmerized (ha.. or so horrified, I just couldn't look away.. I don't know which. ha.
I am sure he is an acquired taste. 
Meanwhile.: my all time fave Alice Cooper performance.. ha.. is this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoRbxePeDTY HA!
PS: Mr. Mongo/.Bansi, sir.. sorry to take over your thread with all things Alice Cooper. But thanks for the trip down memory lane.. and for giving me a smile.
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Vincent Price spends time with rocker Alice Cooper
OH me.. the "king" of horror movies.. meets.. um.. well.. Alice Cooper.
I wonder which one was thinking, "Welcome to my nightmare." (insert rimshot sound effect here, ha)
Ok, there now. I feel better ha. Thanks Mr. Mongo/Bansi.. I know, I know. that pun was so bad, I can hear folks groaning all the way out here in the midwest. ha.
And PS: I am no big Alice Cooper fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I just remember that song from way (so very way) back in the 70's, ha, and that was literally the first thought that popped in my head, so I couldn't resist. ha.
What can I say.. You set me up so well, so I just had to say it.
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Mr. Movieman.. not sure if you intended it this way, but the link you posted is actually for a different museum.. (in what I think is Great Britain)
But ha.. it was actually pretty cool to see it because as Americans, we sometimes think we have cornered the market on those sorts of things, but really, the boys "over there" all were dying and fighting for their countries too and it was fun to see a website devoted to honoring their memories as well.
Somewhere, someone must know his name. I'd be interested to know who that poor man was because he, to me, represents all those who died that day. There were nearly 2500 US deaths that day but he is the one we see.
I think that is sort of what I meant when I said how deceptive it was to sit and watch the movie in the comfort of my living room. The faces do get lost in the photos and newsreel footage. And it is easy to just see it from afar and not really be so overwhelmed by the implication of what that "one guy" represents.
To put it in a different perspective though.. here is the website page that shows pics of the "Bedford Boys' that you mentioned from the town in Virginia. Faces and names of just a small group of men who died that day. (but not at all a small group.. especially to the town who loved them) Very humbling.
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You are right, it IS amazing.
Imagine being 21 and pinned down by heavy German fire and think about how you are going to get off the beach.
I can't even begin to imagine it (and 21 was ever so long ago for me.) You'd think by now I'd be old enough to have enough "life experience" that it wouldn't be so mind boggling, ha. But the fact is.. it does just that. boggle the mind, for me think of what it must have been like for those who were faced with all they went through just to come up onto that beach. Amazing, indeed.
Bedford had the highest per capita casualty count of any town in America on D-Day. There weren't very many from the town in the first place but they lost more than half of them
What a staggering statistic. How does a town, or a group of people.. or even a family move forward in the face of such a loss? I have lost a few younger members of my own extended family (one, an infant nephew and the other a teenage cousin) over the years and I know the toll it can take on everyone to go through the loss of someone you love that way.. but wow. To lose more than half of your entire town's sons (and possibly some daughter's too). There was no one who was untouched, by that I am sure.I imagine there were some who (for whatever reason) had a stronger foothold,in life that were able to pick up and go forward from there, eventually. But I can hardly fathom it. I am sure it must have been overwhelming for all of them to some degree. Wowsa.
Thanks for sharing the details about the documentary. I did not see it, and I have never heard of the National D-Day Memorial either, so will have to check it out.
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Hello Miss G (and my fellow "ramblers" too).
I hope you won't mind if I take a moment and share a Memorial Day weekend post here, but we had the tv on in the background this morning, and as I was puttering about the house, it caught my attention and I began to sit down and watch for a bit.. The Longest Day.
Now I have to tell you that I am not a huge "war movie" person.. but there are some that I have truly been impressed by and there are some films that I think are very excellent depictions of war, and the struggles men (and women) have gone through in battle on behalf of their country and all they hold dear. This film would be among the best, in my opinion. It is filled with little "stories" of the events of D-day (rather than one long running plot line) and it is a great way to depict all the various events that went on throughout that entire day, as the allied forces arrived and began to move in from the beach at Normandy.
I have seen bits and pieces of this film in the past, but never watched much of it all the way through. And one thing that I have to say really caught my attention more today than ever before was the need for the men in charge to command, rally, motivate, and yes.. even browbeat their troops to keep going. Repeatedly the officers of higher rank were called upon to lead their troops forward in the face of certain death. And they did it time and again.. for one reason only: if they fell back, then it all would have been for naught.
And you know.. seeing it on tv.. in the comfort of our living rooms can really be a bit deceptive. We get so used to those sorts of dramatic moments (both big and small) all shown on tv and in the movies as if it were just so much "entertainment" and we often get desensitized to what it must have REALLY been like for those men. It is easy to just pass it off as just another moment in the story.
But stop for a minute to think of it. Imagine what it must have been like to be so responsible and carry such a heavy weight as the lives of so many men of lower rank.. and to know that you must move them forward. You must push them ahead, in the face of heavy fire.. you must conquer your own fears AND theirs too, and you must make them go where any reasonable human would NEVER choose to go. It is YOUR job to lead them to the goal ahead. You must make those command decisions. You MUST.
And you know, there were several characters in this film who were shown to have done just that.. over and over again. Many were actual historical people being portrayed by some very famous actors of the day. (including Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort, Commander 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Reg, portrayed by my personal favorite, John Wayne) But the character that really stood out for me in this film was Robert Mitchum's portrayal of Brigadier General Norman Cota, Asst. Commander 29th Infantry Div. He was really something.
One of the best lines in the whole film was delivered by him as the troops under his command were hunkered down, taking cover.. waiting for whatever was going to happen next. "There are only two kinds of people who are staying on this beach: those who are already dead and those that are gonna die. Now get off your butts, you're the fightin' 29th."
And that was JUST what those men needed to hear.. at just the time they needed to hear it. And even though many of them were wounded.. some no longer even had their guns... they got up, man after man, and gathered whatever weapons they could find laying about the beach among the dead.. and moved on.
Wow.. what a moment in the story. But even more, what a moment. Because really.. this happened time and again, all throughout that day, as our brave men on that beach fought.. hunkered down.. regrouped... and moved forward. Very humbling to think of it all.. as I sit here in the comfort of my living room couch. Very humbling indeed.
Oh me.. I confess, this ended up being a bit longer post than I planned, but if you are still with me and reading all this.. thanks for letting me share it all with you. I just really was overwhelmed by the emotions of the very thought of what it must have been like for everyone that day. And I am so thankful too, for their eventual success at Normandy. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history with staggering death tolls and exceedingly high casualties. Just the thought of wave after wave after wave (after wave) of men coming up on that beach.. and dropping down from the air is overwhelming. God bless these men (like General Cota.. and many of the other officers and leaders) who were on the beach that day.. and who did so much to motivate the men who did even more on our behalf.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone.
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scrutinyfree, scrutinyfree
Ha, yes, Kid. It's the only way to shop.
Patful says:
I thought I was the resident teetotaler
There are a few of us around, I am sure. (But not likely many with quite so pristine a record as you, though. Never? Wowsa.)
I confess to having tried a few mixed beverages in my early twenties..but well.. that was a long, long time ago.More than half a lifetime ago, ha. (And many, many gallons of iced tea and Dr. Pepper ago, too, I am sure) ha.
Meanwhile, I have never in my life even heard of an Olive Oil Cake. Is it sweet, savory, or some sort of combination thereof?? Inquiring minds wanna know.
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There is nothing that chocolate cannot cure
Well here you go, little darlin'. Your prescription refill is ready.
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I love smoked ribs.There is a lot of good BBQ in and around KC and everyone has their own way of fixing them. If I am fixing at home, I usually just cook them (really low and slow) in the oven, because I don't have the patience to deal with all that smoke, etc. Have never tried using soda pop, though. But I have heard of it. Sounds delish.
Meanwhile:
1 1/2 cups cherry cola-I'll bet Dr. Pepper works too.
Now THOSE are some ingredients I can get behind and go shopping for! (Non-alcoholic and scrutiny free)
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Thanks Lavenderblue,
But I probably will just have to continue enjoying it at the restaurants. (I have also had several dishes made with various wine sauces that I really enjoy too) But I don't know if I would ever try making any of them at home or not. Ha.. just because there is that whole buying the Vodka or wine thing that would have to happen first
Because, I know it does burn off in the cooking, so that is why I don't mind eating it.. ha. But just imagine my dismay if I would have to figure out how to answer all the questions. First from my 11 yr old kidling who knows we do not have those items in our home.. ever. And then from all the other gazillion people who know me. Because you KNOW they will all show up at the store that day.. the one day when I buy booze. ha. The minuite i picked up the bottle and put it in my cart, all 51 little girls in the scout troop I coordinate at our church would somehow all manage to arrive at the store to go shopping with their mom's at the same time.
I can picture their wide-eyed amazement and hear the gasps of shock and disbelief now..
"Why Mrs. Ro.. what oh WHAT is that in your cart??"
OH.. and THEN when I got home.. all my extended family (many who drink but know that I don't) would all show up to visit when I was standing there with the open bottle cooking.
Woo. Yeah.. ha.. that would be hilarious. What can I say.. I think I am just lucky that way.
PS: Kid.. thank for the feedback on my pic of sweet Jane. She is a favorite of mine.
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As the original poster of the thread.. and a resident teetotaler.. ha.. I would have to object. I mean.. wouldn't want to start any rumors or anything about how I suddenly turned in my membership card to the "Carrie Nation Saloon Bashing Club" (or would that be an ax instead of a club?)
Having said that. I have had a few dishes prepared in similar fashion to those being described here and I do agree.. some are truly delicious.
So I guess others should feel free to imbibe. I'll save my liquor consumption for the pasta. -
Well it's about TIME you came out of hiding, Mr. Man in the Shadows, and posted another list. I was wondering if you had any new ones lately.
But ha.. now after reading your list I have to confess I think this may be one of the most 'un-watched" (by me) bunches you've ever had (and that is saying a lot because I don't usually have very many anyway, that I can say I have seen) But this batch is even more so.
I can tell you I have seen Green Dolphin Street and don't remember hardly anything about it other than the REALLY intense earthquake scenes. As I recall they were very well done.. very impressive. As for the story.. I would really have to sit back and think long and hard to tell you much more about it.
I have also at least seen the COVER of Texas Rangers.. ha. That is in that batch of four movies on the DVD that I own.. but I can't say for sure if I have seen it. (I think so.. but again.. it's been a good long while so it's anyone's guess at this point, ha)
Ha.. golly.. I am no good to talk to at all.
Meanwhile, I will have to really comb over the rest of your list and do some googling but none of the titles are jumping out at me.. so I guess this batch I will have to sit back and just read all about it. When you are ready to say more.. be sure to point out any that you think I will enjoy.
(woo hoo.. I am editing my post. I have also seen Count Three and Pray.. a long time ago, but I do remember it now. (Raymond Burr was the bad-guy, as I recall) Don't remember a whole lot except I do recall I liked it well enough.)
And have also seen Three Strangers.. but ha.. again, don't remember much. (HA.. are you are getting tired of hearing this?)
I am sure, it was a good long while ago. As I recall it was so-so. It's not standing WAY on out for me (but I remember the creepy little statue, anyway)
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Well, I could spend all day posting more pics.. but I do not want to detract from the special images that are what this thread is all about.
So instead, I will stop with the ones I have posted already and just add that once again.. I just want to wish you all an early, and very Happy Memorial Day next week. I hope you'll remember to take time out to recall the reason for the upcoming holiday and be sure to say a word of thanks and respect to those who gave so much for our nation and it's freedom.
And thanks again, to our dear Mr.In Hollywood, for creating this special Memorial Day thread (and thanks too, to everyone, for letting me share these pics with you)
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And.. as promised. the POSTERS.. and these next few pics are only a FEW of all the various ones on display. (And if you have scrolled through all the older images in this thread, you will recognize some of them as the same ones Mr. In Hollywood posted too)
One of the really fun parts of this museum are the several different interactive displays they had.. here the kidling is trying HER hand at making a propaganda poster:
(this was one of her finished products, ha. Musta been close to lunch time when she made this one)
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My husband and the Kidling.. outside the National WWI Museum in Kansas City, on a very (very) windy Spring day, April, 2014
The entrance door to the National WWI museum in Kansas City
One of the large murals inside the older section of the museum.
A mural in honor of the nurses who served during WWI (in the older section of the museum)
Photos of the various troops who served.. there is a large sliding magnifying glass that you can position over each section of the photos to see them in detail.
A large wall display showing the various "flying aces" of WWI and the confirmed victories they won in flight.(and yes, von Richthofen aka: the "Red Baron" was there.. just like in the "Snoopy Song", ha.. eighty men really did die because of his success as a pilot.. we counted the little red planes to find out.. wowsa)
Checking out a reproduction of a German Trench. Turns out they were the most effective in constructing and using trenches throughout the war.Meanwhile.. about the LAST place you'd want to be was inside a FRENCH trench. According to the info we read, they were very ineffective, poorly designed and just generally a miserable place to hang out.. with or without a war going on all around you. (who knew??)
Patful, this one's for you.
And for all the Will Roger's Fans (Miss Goddess, et al) They had a really interesting exhibit that showed images of the different well known "faces" of the times and then the image would change and show a quote from that person. I had a really (really) hard time getting a good picture of any of it, because the images kept changing, ha. But I was finally able to get one of Will Rogers' face.. before it switched over. The quote they had displayed from Mr. Rogers:You can't say civilization don't advance, however, for in every war they kill you in a new way.
A very fitting comment.. considering the technological advances and changing of times that came about just before and all throughout this period of history.
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Hello everyone. With Memorial Day coming up for us next week, I wanted to bring Kyle's Memorial Day thread back up to the forefront again.
And I have to say, this particular thread has always been a very special one in my heart for two reasons. First, because it is absolutely FILLED with some truly wonderful images and very moving tributes to our men and women in uniform from days gone by. I also like how each year he went with a different "theme" to tie them all together too. And second, because I remember the conversations that I had with our dear Mr. "In Hollywood" here in this thread, over this entire topic. And I also recall the chats he and I shared in private message as well, regarding how special this particular holiday is to me and my family, and how much I appreciated the time it took for him to compile and post all the many wonderful posters and pictures he placed in this thread.
And on that note.. I want to bring up his original post for the thread. You can read below how he started the whole thing because of a special that TCM was doing that year in honor of both the 90th Anniversary of the Signing of the Treaty of Versailles and also as a chance to spotlight the National WWI Museum and the Liberty Memorial which is located here in Kansas City.
Here is Kyle's opening post below:
This Memorial Day, as the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles approaches, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will honor the soldiers who fought during the war with a special primetime showcase of five outstanding films. The evening will be hosted by TCM?s Robert Osborne and National World War I Museum Vice President Eli Paul.
In that vein, a daily poster gallery of homefront images.
Edited by: hlywdkjk on May 31, 2010 9:31 AMAnd those are just TWO of the very fine posters you will find in this thread. (I recommend starting at the last page of the thread and reading it in reverse to see them all in order of how he posted them) In fact, there are several years worth of Memorial Day Weekend posts here. The first year's posts were so terrific, I urged him to make this an annual tradition.. and he was kind enough and generous enough with his time to follow through with that. Yet another reason I have such special memories of him and this thread. He truly was a very good friend to someone he did not know all that well, to honor my selfish request that way.. and it always meant a lot to me to be able to chat with him over these images posted here.
So having said all that, I also have to tell you that living here in Kansas City, we have always planned for our family to go visit the museum I mentioned above. We went once YEARS ago but it was under construction and there was not much to see so we always figured SOMEDAY we'd go back again. But for whatever reason, we just put it off. We have attended concerts in the park that is outside the museum off and on nearly every Memorial Day Weekend..but time being what it is, it gets away.. and we just never went back to visit the museum itself since they remodeled it several years ago.
So at last I am happy to say, this Spring we finally did.
And may I just tell you, WOW! It is a wonderful tribute to the memories of all those who lived, died, and were affected by World War One (And not just here in the U.S. but all across the world.) It truly was a "World War" and it was an amazing time in history. The museum is absolutely filled with all sorts of exhibits of war memorabilia and artifacts, and details about all aspects leading up to, during, and after the end of the "Great War" and it truly is something special to see. If you are ever in the Kansas City area I highly recommend you stop in for a visit.
And it is almost as interesting on the outside as it is inside the museum. There is a LARGE tower that was erected back in 1921 (with an eternal flame atop it as well) and it is quite a fixture in the KC landscape. You can go up to the top of the tower too, and look out over the city.. but alas the day we visited it was VERY (very) windy and one of the security doors down below the tower actually broke due to the wind (I am not kidding.. it was windy, ha) So they closed the tower to repair it. And all we were able to do was walk around outside. But it was still quite a view.
The museum itself was originally much smaller, but was since added onto and completely redone in the last several years to what is now a truly inspiring and very fitting remembrance of the historic significance that one would expect be given to such an important event in our nation's history. Here is a link to a website that will tell you more about the museum's history: http://theworldwar.org/explore/museum-and-memorial
Now I have to tell you, that all throughout the museum are walls and walls of posters.. some that are even originals.. of the same type that Kyle posted here in this thread and as we walked along touring the various exhibits, I kept noticing them, and of course, my thoughts continued to return to this particular thread.. "Hey, that is one of the posters I remember from that TCM thread that Kyle In Hollywood posted"
It was fun to remember him as we went about our day.So in honor of our dear Mr. In Hollywood.. and because I feel certain he would have enjoyed seeing some of these images himself... for the next several posts, I hope you will not mind some rohanaka family photos of the National WWI Memorial as we took our little tour last month. Thank you for letting me share all this with you.
And may God bless the memory of our dear TCM friend, Kyle Kersten.. as we look back here and enjoy all the many images he posted from so many years past, and smile.
Happy Memorial Day Everyone.
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Wouldbestar.. I used to agonize over fried chicken. My mom and grandma and dear old Aunt Daisy all used to just blow me out of the water when it came to cooking that particular meal. I more or less gave up. And years went by where I just did not fry chicken.. ever.
Then one night I watched something on tv (food network.. but to be honest it has been so long I can't recall what show) But anyway, I followed the method that they used .. and sort of developed my own way of doing the same thing they did and to make a long story short.. It worked great.
You do all the things you normally do (w/ dredging it in the flour and seasoning, using hot oil in the frying pan, etc) but you only start it on top of the stove to get a nice crispy crust. and then you finish it in the oven. They used a baking rack over top of a baking pan.. I don't have one, so mine just goes on the baking sheet with no rack.And I am SURE theirs is the better way of doing it.. (and ha you'd THINK after all these years I would break down and buy a rack to use.. ha.. but I am too "thrifty" I suppose) At any rate.. my chicken has improved a LOT just from making that one change, and it is now a family favorite. (success!)
Here is a link to Ina Garten's recipe.. I don't think it was HER show that I saw this on.. but the method she is recommending is very similar.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/oven-fried-chicken-recipe.html
(and PS.. I do not soak my chicken overnight in buttermilk.. but I bet it is a great method to do it that way)
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what your husband would say
Oh he is usually on MY side. ha. Lucky for both of us.. we look a the world in a pretty similar fashion.. at least where movies are concerned. ha. As for all OTHER stuff... well. We USUALLY do agree.. but if not.. then he just likes to quote his favorite line from TQM (and then he goes off looking for a "good stick") ha.
As for me and everyone else... well... of COURSE I am agreeable. See.. it says so in my survey results. HA!!
Of course.. sometimes... even when one is as agreeable a person as I am.. you will still have to pull out a hat pin now and then to keep OTHER certain folks in line. It's a public service kinda thing. (Hmm.. that must be my "58% CONSCIENTIOUS" side coming out in me.) HA!
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YOU ARE 50% EXTRAVERTED.
You are moderate in activity and enthusiasm. You enjoy the company of others but you also value your privacy.Hmmm.. I figured that would be much higher. That must be a typo.. surely all my blabbing and gabbing would say otherwise.
YOU ARE 75% AGREEABLE.
You are generally warm, trusting, and agreeable, but you can sometimes be stubborn and competitive.Hahahahahahahaha (Grey Dude.. are you reading this??? I am sure if he is he would beg to differ)
YOU ARE 58% CONSCIENTIOUS.
You are dependable and moderately well-organised. You generally have clear goals and are able to set goals aside.Hmmm.. "moderately" well organized.. I'll get back to you on that one.. if I ever catch up on all my housework. HA.
YOU ARE 75% EMOTIONALLY STABLE.
You are generally calm and able to deal with stress, but you sometimes experience feelings of guilt, anger and sadness.Wow, I am 75 percent Emotionally stable??? Who knew?? ha. (I am sure my beloved QT might beg to differ on THAT one. ha)
Meanwhile.. what about the OTHER 25 percent of me.. ha. (be afraid.. be very afraid) YOU ARE 42% OPEN TO NEW EXPERIENCES.
You are down-to-earth, practical, traditional, and pretty much set in your ways.Now THAT one I can maybe see. I am the "original' stick in the mud, most of the time. ha. So they might have gotten that one right.
Here is my "why you watch what you watch" score:
PLEASURE-SEEKING: 60% NOSTALGIA: 75% CATHARSIS: 60% AGGRESSION: 30% ESCAPISM: 45% SENSATION-SEEKING: 30% ARTISTIC: 40% INFORMATION-SEEKING: 50% BOREDOM-AVOIDANCE: 35% SOCIALISATION: 50%
Hmmm. I wonder if that lower score for avoiding boredom means I don't get bored too easily OR I just don't watch movies when I am bored... inquiring minds wanna know. HA.
In the meantime.. What I REALLY want to know is why the left off food and how likely I was to be eating chocolate, salty snacks.. and/or veggies and dip while watching.. and what the significance is for each of those types of snacks (and if I would choose a certain kind to go with what sort of movies, etc, etc, etc and what all THAT would mean .ha) Because hey!! SOME movies I confess I have enjoyed eating all THREE!! HA!
Hmmm.. I wonder what THAT would say about my psyche. ha.
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if you can be the one to whip the horse loose then you are certainly a more whatever-the-word-is than that man Smith, who, as you remember, was probably the most gleeful of the group, complete with cross-eyed pantomine with the noose and with fine diaphram-bouncing belly laughs and yet who, when offered the whip slank (slunk? slinked?) away with a grimace.
Oh my goodness that guy creeped me OUT ha. I had forgotten how awful he was until I watched it again this last time. So gleeful and celebratory about the the whole thing. AGHHH! But you are right.. when it was time for the rubber to hit the road, so to speak.. and back up all his talk with actually DOING the deed, he DID "slink, slank, slunk" away.
What a piece of work.
Meanwhile..
Course, I know you wouldn't be the horse whipper to our FrankGrimes, after all, who would we torture
OH don't worry, Mr. Pirate, ha. I could slap that horse and send him swinging and he'll STILL be back again the next time asking for more, ha. (I don't know HOW he does it.. but somehow always manages to "slink" back into the shadows again, ha. (you know.. just before the rope snaps when it's hit the full length, ha.)
But HEY, we have to try, all the same, ha.
Somebody's got to make him pay for all those Grimes-ian crimes. Besides.. we wouldn't want him to think we were mad at him or something. -
Oh no, Miss B, I do hope all your tummy troubles (and stress too) will be much better very soon.
Miss G, thanks for posting that link to the chat w/ Mr. Eyman. it really is a fun read.
Miss G says: That's FrankGrimes on the middle horse.
HA!!!!! I will have to make sure I give THAT horse a GOOD ole swat then.. just for old time's sake.
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Amazing story, Fred B. I can't even begin to imagine what the impact of witnessing something so horrific as that would be, especially on someone so young.
PS: Miss G.. that silhouette is very both stark and striking all at the same time. Wowsa.
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Ha!! Miss B, I am glad you enjoyed the German Chocolate cake. Always happy to share, so thanks for saving some for everyone! ha. And M. Pirate Guy.. I am on the edge of my seat to hear how the P A Upside Down Cake turns out. woo hoo. (I also found a recipe for using a regular yellow cake mix to make it but I think "from scratch" will be more authentic. So I hope your venture turns out. And yes DO take a pic, if you please.
My goodness, me. Ha. All this food talk is getting me hungry for some cake HERE too. I need to go see what ingredients we have that I can figure out for something to have after supper now. Ha. Golly, I am thinking the three of us need to get together and create our own "Cooking Show/Movie Chat" show. ha. We can invite all the Ramblers over to our "studio" kitchen and talk favorite foods and recipes over top of our favorite TCM movies too. ha.
Hey.. stranger things have happened (and are probably airing on a cable channel somewhere in North America as we speak)
Meanwhile.. re: the letter.. ha.. I don't know as much about what was art.. or movie.. or such things as that. So I just took it as a way to sort of put a "cap" on things. (but in a thought-provoking way) It gave the story a chance to make it's point, so that there WAS something to be gained in seeing three innocent men hanged in haste, by an angry, ignorant, and misled mob. (because otherwise,, it was just a sad ending to a movie with no point)
So instead, here is this letter.. used as a tool to both finish off the movie, and also to act as a commentary on how we all have to live with our choices at the end of the day.
It is ironic how one old man (trying to be the voice or reason) kept waving the letter around, telling everyone how much they NEEDED to read it.. before it was too late. And nobody (even the letter writer himself) felt that it would matter. And who knows, it may not have. I wonder if they'd have listened or not. But OH me.. I bet they all were listening AFTER. And I like how Donald said that his worries were over soon, but the ones doing the hanging were not going to be so lucky. You know, you can ignore your conscience only so long.. but eventually, you have to lie in the bed you make for yourself, if you don't listen to it. And those folks were sure to have an awfullyl uncomfortable "rest" ahead of them in the bed they had made. (in a way, it is almost a continuation of the judgment that was passed in the song that Sparks was singing.. about how everybody has to "meet their maker" on their own.)
And yet.. I also like how he pointed out that even the actions of a few can have a big impact in the greater scheme of things, because he also said something about how there are some laws that are universal.. and when those are broken, everyone is hurt.
Very poetic. And tragic.. and also true.
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Hello Mr. Pirate-Guy,
why do I keep thinking that Martin should have said, “I love you” to his wife, what does that matter? Laffite’s getting sentimental in his old age. Well, at least Martin said, “Kiss the babies.” But it would have been more realistic to have written something more personal.
I am with you in that I kept WAITING for the "L" word somewhere along the lines.. but it never showed up. ha. It seems so odd that he would leave it out, but maybe it was just "understood" I guess. And I think that is pretty common for films in that era. (and maybe even common for the time the story takes place as well) You will hear "love" brought up in other conversations.. but not usually as a goodbye. There are a lot of other movies set in a variety of situations.. War films, westerns.. even "romance" movies.. when someone is leaving (either on a trip.. or dying, etc) and I THINK "HEY, there should be some sort of "I love you" said here" and they never say it that way.
And it's widespread too.. not just for husbands and wives or sweethearts, but even parents to children. When it comes to a long or sad goodbye, at least in a lot of the classic films I have seen, there is very little of the whole "I love you" stuff being said with the goodbyes, the way most folks say it now days.Some mom will be sniffling into her handkerchief and putting her son a train to go serve in the trenches during WW1, and she'll say something like, "Be a good boy" or "Be sure to write" Or maybe some newlywed husband is kissing his bride a long goodbye for the first time they've ever been apart, and she'll say something like, "I miss you every day you're away" or some OTHER mush, ha. but no, "I LOVE YOU!!"
Good gravy.. ha... WHO are these people?? ha. Don't they KNOW that is the way to say goodbye to your love ones?? See you later.. Love you. ha. (that is how we do it at OUR house)
Maybe that is a later 20th Century sort of thing to always say " I love you" when leaving.. saying goodbye, etc.It is just not "over-used" in the earlier movies the way we do now, I guess. Oh sure.. if it is a "romance" movie, they may say things like "I've fallen in love with you" or they might even say, "I have loved you all my life" etc, etc. But it is not as common to hear "I love you" even in that sort of setting (at least in the earlier classic movies) Somewhere along the line it did eventually change, and you will see it more often in later films. But you just watch sometime. Wait until someone goes overseas.. or on a train.. or even to the grocery store, ha. No "I love you, my darling" with the kiss goodbye being said. (those crazy people, ha)
But having said (or ranted, ha) all that, I DO love the "kiss the babies" reference in his letter. It does show how he is thinking of his family and not just getting all philosphical. It would be a very "unemotional" way to add the emotion back in there, I guess. Sort of a "stoic" way to say farewell forever, perhaps.. and the reader is supposed to just be able to "get" the deeper meaning. (because they did not need the flowery words back then to get the point across, maybe.) I don't know.. ha. But that is what I have sort of convinced myself is the reason for this trend in other stories.
he didn’t even know it was in the bible (frown)
Oh, don't frown. ha. I am always amazed at the number of common phrases (some that have been a part of every day speech all my life, even) when I find them in the Bible. ha. You'd be surprised, I bet to discover how many.
The sparrow reference from Sparks (and Shakespeare) is one that I really love because along with it coming from the scriptures, it is also a line from one of my favorite old-timey hymns. "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me".
there was a sort of dramatic irony in the fact that Sparks was singing to the now dead men but that we the audience can’t help but wonder what effect these words might have on all but the seven, the guilty ones. You have to meet your maker All alone, no one can do it for you …words that might have a devastating effect later on the perpetrators.
Absolutely. I think that particular song was definitely for the "mob" rather than the ones that were hanging in the tree. I would have to go back and look at it again to see at what point he begins to sing, but I think it could have even been intentional on his part to aim it at the men who were riding away, secure in their "right" opinion about what they had done.. because it was a very well put statement of what he felt about their actions.
Maybe.. or then again.. ha. It could have just been one of those 'moments" of poetic justice.. that he would be singing THAT song at that particular moment. Hard to say.. but either way, it worked.
I would be more than appreciative if you were to have something which I haven’t tasted in a good many years (never mind how many), namely, a pineapple upside down cake, which though not quite as endowed with the irrepressibly gooey goodness of a German Chocolate cake, nevertheless has always had, for me, a most scrumptious appeal.
We aim to please, ha. But you'll have to forgive me because.. ha.. My dear old departed Great Aunt Daisy used to make this cake and once you said "Pineapple Upside Down" cake.. ha. I realized how loooonnngg it had been since I had some, so of course, I had to have a slice too. But don't worry.. I left the rest just for you, sir. ENJOY!!
OH, and PS: the pineapple IS cooked on the bottom first.. you layer them in the bottom of the pan and pour the batter over it, and then it is turned over when the cake is cooled, so the pineapple is on top. (hence the name.. upside down cake)
Now I confess, I have never baked one, (except for making a cyber one here.. ha) but here is a recipe. Looks pretty similar to what I remember Aunt Daisy used to make. (And HEY, If you can handle omelet making.. I BET you could whip one of these together too)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/old-fashioned-pineapple-upside-down-cake/
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I'm craving a German chocolate cake.
Ha.. all for YOU, little missy! Enjoy! ;D
Meanwhile.. thanks to you and Laffite, I am really enjoying a chance to let this film sink a little deeper into my brain than it did even the last time I watched, it. ha. You both have raised some really good topics to munch on (along with the German Chocolate cake) ha.
So when I finally caught up to OX-BOW, it was a revelation for me in that I think it's an irresistible blend of "message", "movie-movie", and theatrical Greek tragedy or Shakespearean kind of presentation -- "The Letter" giving us the message (and I guess some would argue it was unnecessary and a bit preachy, since everything that came before was an unspoken message; how could a simple cowboy like Donald Martin write something so philosophical to his wife moments before the realization of his death, etc.)
You are really making me think a bit deeper on the letter Donald wrote.. it really is a significant part of the story even more than just as a tool to "wrap" things up. I think you are right in that it does give us the "message" all in one fell swoop, so to speak. It would seem hard to imagine that a guy like Donald could have written it all so clearly and quickly. You know.. the same guy who wasn't even savvy enough to get a RECEIPT for his cattle.. while driving them through an area where he was not known.. and he did not know anyone else... with someone else's BRAND still on them too. Oh me. That is one of the biggest tragedies.. this all MIGHT (maybe, possibly) have ended differently if he had just LOOKED a little less guilty. Maybe.. I don't know. Because some of those guys just wanted to HANG someone.. anyone. it didn't matter WHO because they were just so blinded by their anger, that it might NOT have mattered as much as it should have, even if Martin HAD been able to produce a bill of sale.
Here is what I love: -- the shy smiles of two people trying to make a human connection in a distressing situation that pass between the so-called weakling son and Don Martin. Also:
Francis Ford's Alva, the pathetic senile old coot who is still wily (our baser "human" instincts?) enough to immediately put the blame on Anthony Quinn's Morez. (I adore Tony here -- hard, cynical, stoic, sardonic, a terrific "minor" piece of acting) Yet the scene in which Major Tetley is trying to glean whether "Dad" has been in the miltary by calling out "Attention!" is very poignant, since a dottering Alva is unable to even stand straight and respond in any meaningful way.
There are several "little" touches like these in this story.. and you are right. They are parts and pieces that do just add so much MORE to the whole. It makes it all the more poignant, doesn't it.. the way BOTH the "weakling" son AND Martin are sort of taken "prisoner" by Tetley. Though admittedly.. the son DOES have the freedom to walk away.. whereas Donald doesn't. But they were both more or less "dragged" to that moment together, all the same. And they both KNOW it too.. (and we can see that in the awkward smile they end up sharing together)
And I l-o-v-e LOVE "dottering" (to borrow your word) old Alva. He is just a nice layer of rich texture for the whole story, isn't he? The little moment you mentioned where he crawls back into his bedroll and pulls the covers over himself. half hoping it MUST be a bad dream... it's perfect. You know almost everything you NEED to know about him in the course of just a few seconds..and from there on out you know how he is going to respond. But still. it is such a nice layer to the story.
Laffite says:
So says Leigh Whipper after Carter muses about God and whether or
not he really cares what's going on. I don't think Leigh reads
Sheakespeare but that doesn't mean he can't channel him.Ha. and see I would say it was Shakespeare who was "channeling SCRIPTURE" ha. Because the Bible does say that too. But either way.. it is poetic, how God can note the fall of a tiny little bird.. in the midst of much bigger going's on.
I love the character of Sparks even more this time than I did the first (and he really caught my eye, even way back then) And I need to amend my comments from several years ago, because I said there wasn't much emphasis on music in this movie.. but there WAS. And it came from Sparks. He sings SEVERAL times.. and the words of the old hymns that he brings up, while designed to give hope to these hopeless me.. or to maybe move the consciences of the OTHER men.. are all perfect for the moment in the story. He really was a stand out character, even more than I realized. (at least to me, anyway)
Very much surprised...a common Fonda persona is the moral intervention, persuasive in doing what's right. Here he seems a common drifter with all the attributes, disgruntled over a woman, more than ready to punch someone---the things you mention---but with a nevertheless fundamental sense of decency that gradually emerges. He seems swept along with the rest at the beginning, not as intent as the others of course but seemingly complicit in distant sort of way---he says something like "well, might as be doing that rather than something else" in a nonchalant way (or is there irony there?)---but there are moments of resistance. When Martin is slugged just before the hanging, Carter is infuriated. Carter is a sort of middle-grounder, everyman type, who when when the chips are down acts correctly but is nevertheless helpless. Like a lot of us in various situations.
I have never been a huge fan of Fonda, but I remember being really blown away by him in this movie. He really carried it all off so believably. Just an "ignorant" sort of cattle guy.. Not completely uneducate.. he COULD read, but just never amounted to much in the world.. without too many prospects. Sort of drifting and rolling along ( ha, with the tumbling tumbleweeds, if you will)
And you are right, he sort of got caught up in the whole situation before he realized what he had truly signed on for. I think I remember commenting on the little chat out it in the cold that he has with Harry Morgan where he is stamping his feet to stay warm. and just waiting around for whatever was going to happen and REALLY just seething with contempt for the "leadership" he had allow himself to come u under. He was just beginning ot see what he was getting into at that point. But then.. a moment comes where he clearly SEES what is the right thing to do, and he had the backbone (and moral fiber, you could say) to DO what was right, even if few others stood with him. They did not succeed in stopping what happened. But they DID at least say NO to it, once they saw things were going in a direction that was clearly wrong. That is the one thing that MIGHT let them (someday) be able to sleep at night (without benefit of a bottle) but I wonder how long it would take the REST of those folks to be able to do that. (if ever)
RAMBLES Part II
in Films and Filmmakers
Posted
I don't know if I could handle such a film as that or not. It is hard for me to watch films of that nature from any era, but especially modern ones (because they lay so heavily on the graphic side and I just can't tolerate it) I have seen Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List.. and I get so emotionally involved in my movies.. both of those films nearly made me catatonic by the end of them.
But having said that, I do know that the siege on Leningrad was horrific. I have seen programs on tv (the History channel and pbs) and have read a little (I confess, very little) over the years that have talked about the siege and shown pictures of some of the people and the various locations involved.
I am sure there are no words to describe how terrifying it must have been to be there, day in and day out, going through all that as a way of life. How does an individual, let alone a family, or an entire city the size of Leningrad recover from such an awful experience. Again, it boggles the mind.
And again I will just say, it can be easy to lose perspective on the high costs of the war from the cozy couch I sit on when I watch TV. The numbers you mention (with regard to civilian casualty) are utterly staggering. "Tragic" doesn't even begin to describe it, I am sure.