tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38120352029959554582024-03-19T13:52:11.436-07:00Room With No ViewEverything that's been wandering deep inside my mind, including the occasional movie review, book review, interview, and any other view that happen to spring to mind.Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-17156741200900044422015-09-30T04:00:00.000-07:002015-09-30T04:00:05.213-07:00St. Joseph Plantation: A Mourning Tour<div style="text-align: justify;">
St. Joseph Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana</div>
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Take a drive along Louisiana's Highway 18, a winding stretch of road that matches the meandering path and measured pace of the Mississippi river, just west of a thin sliver of a town called Vacherie, and you'll soon find the elegant, Creole style St. Joseph Plantation. If you do so in October you will be able to tour a home that is in the midst of observing the traditional mourning customs of the Creoles.</div>
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St. Joseph is a working sugarcane plantation, surrounded by fields of tall, green cane and an industry that supplies over 32,000 jobs to Louisiana. While sugarcane is grown all across the lower half of the state, it is here, along the banks of this great river, that sugar first became a prominent aspect of New Orleans society. And it was here that Valcour Aimé, known as the "Louis XIV of Louisiana", built his sugar empire, which included St. Joseph, a home he bought for his daughter Josephine in 1858.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Joseph Plantation, Vacherie, LA</td></tr>
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Restoration of the plantation began in 2002 by descendants of several families that once owned St. Joseph. We were pleased to learn that our tour guide for the day would be Diane Butler, a great, great, great granddaughter of Joseph Waguespack, who bought the plantation in 1877. Diane was more than just a tour guide. We did not feel as if we were touring a historical museum. Instead, we felt as if Diane had invited us into her home, spinning tales of her families history as she opened up each room to us.<br />
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What really set this tour apart from so many other plantation tours was the way in which Diane wove the stories of those who lived at St. Joseph into those of the families all along this stretch of the Mississippi. In fact, one quickly came to understand that St. Joseph, like Oak Alley Plantation, Felicity Plantation, Laura Plantation and others in the area, were all a part of a tight-knit community; a neighborhood made up of families that grew up together, intermarried, and whose successes and failures were indelibly tied together. As proof of this, Diane told us of her grandparents. Her grandmother grew up at St. Joseph, her grandfather at Oak Alley, and their courtship began as they promenaded along the levy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhl3owsnUfcLaW0UsjD976saJOpXOSbGMG1EYrFrai6r94BRlcC-oSiEfhwSr67qfZZY3vbSu1bn04Eo2qP3qJs3ACxJN9NTCs89oJdsBXflpB4gYCc12yJRjeRUHo14F6V_HgOhNC84/s1600/SJ+Draped+Door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhl3owsnUfcLaW0UsjD976saJOpXOSbGMG1EYrFrai6r94BRlcC-oSiEfhwSr67qfZZY3vbSu1bn04Eo2qP3qJs3ACxJN9NTCs89oJdsBXflpB4gYCc12yJRjeRUHo14F6V_HgOhNC84/s1600/SJ+Draped+Door.jpg" width="534" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front door draped with black crape and wreaths to indicate a death in the home.</td></tr>
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During the month of October, St. Joseph Plantation observes the mourning customs of the early Creoles. From the road one can first see the front door with crape and wreaths. This was a way for the family to announce to outsiders that a death had occurred. In this way concerned friends and relatives did not have to stop and inquire if a sick member of the family was still alive. They could wait until they saw the draping of the entrance after which they would know the family member had passed.<br />
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The body was prepared and placed in a coffin for viewing in the parlor. Sometimes a bedroom was used. As the families at St. Joseph were Catholic, a <i>prie-Dieu</i> was placed beside the coffin so that visitors could pay their respects and pray for the deceased.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coffin lies in the parlor, ready for visitors.</td></tr>
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Because embalming was not common until after the Civil War, efforts had to be made to control the odor of death. Sometimes, a bucket of ice was placed under the coffin to keep the corpse cool. Candles were lit at both ends while fragrant flowers and greenery were placed about the room. This was important, since a vigil was kept for two days in which the body was never left alone.<br />
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As we followed along with the tour, I wondered about this now abandoned custom. We are so isolated from the dead these days. Unless you request to be involved, as my wife did when she applied the makeup for her mother before the viewing, you probably won't have much interaction with the body of your deceased loved one. Are we missing something when we don't have them in the house for two days? When one could sit with the body for hours, reflecting on their lives, the impact they made, or maybe needing that chance to say a few words you couldn't before? Perhaps it is something we need to bring back. I feel certain it won't ever be. Certainly not any time soon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror draped for mourning.</td></tr>
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With mirrors covered and clocks stopped at the time of death, a household in mourning seemed to hold its breath. In a way, time did actually stop as the community gathered to console the family and the deceased was prepared and sent off into the afterlife. Again, there seemed to be more attention paid to this event, more focus on the man or woman or child who was passing on. Today we drop by to a viewing after work, and if we can we attend the burial, a short occasion managed by strangers whose business it is to get the body propped up for a quick look and an even quicker eulogy. Friends and family might stand around for finger foods for a short time. But in the end we all have to rush back to living. Death is not a subject over which we like to linger.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Immortelles hang on the wall at St. Joseph Plantation</td></tr>
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In one of the rooms at St. Joseph we were shown a collection of wreaths known as <i>immortelles</i>. These decorative wreaths were often taken to the cemetery during the burial, and might be either left there or brought back to house as a symbol of remembrance. They often included the use of glass bead and photographs under glass. The immortelles hanging at St. Joseph were found in the attic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFFsGAFEbf8TbB9U152jhpVw6uUzklaVS_XMYKI9NgZy3ypxTwjwL7zsDIS9-7r6cI7yOqc-hzazIIyp5Y1LYF2nTgCuyye7JO4FBB6FrhRhrI6xtrGXhIaYjAJb0u0H18pAVI6TOh_o/s1600/SJ+Mourning+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfFFsGAFEbf8TbB9U152jhpVw6uUzklaVS_XMYKI9NgZy3ypxTwjwL7zsDIS9-7r6cI7yOqc-hzazIIyp5Y1LYF2nTgCuyye7JO4FBB6FrhRhrI6xtrGXhIaYjAJb0u0H18pAVI6TOh_o/s640/SJ+Mourning+Dress.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mourning dress on display, alongside the portraits of Josephine Aime <br />
and her husband Alexis Ferry.</td></tr>
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Of course, much effort went into dressing for this time of mourning. And for a widow, there were a great deal of rules and customs to follow. They would wear dull black mourning clothes for the six months during the first stage of mourning, sometimes referred to as <i>deep mourning</i>. There might be a second stage, <i>half-mourning</i>, in which a few muted colors such as heliotrope (a reddish, blue-red) might be worn. Though re-marriage was allowed for widows after a year and six weeks, many widows not only did not remarry, they might choose to dress in mourning for the rest of their lives. Today we would feel the need to tell a widow to move on, to not dwell on their loss, but is that really the best choice? For many women, then and even now, it may not be. But it would have been an easier choice to make in the past when it was more socially acceptable to do so.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rear porch and entrance to St. Joseph's Plantation.</td></tr>
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The Mourning Tour runs from October 1st to November 2nd. And I encourage everyone to take advantage of this peek into customs that have passed from our culture over the last hundred years. The staff at St. Joseph's are friendly and eager to share their home and history with each and every visitor. And whether you come for the Mourning Tour or just a regular tour, you'll be glad you did. The grounds are enchanting and the history fascinating. It is a beautiful day-trip you won't soon forget.<br />
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While you are at the plantation you can buy a copy of the book <i>Early Creole Mourning Customs in South Louisiana. </i>Most of my research for this blog was taken from its pages. <br />
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For more information on St. Joseph Plantation please visit their website:<br />
<a href="http://www.stjosephplantation.com/index.php" target="_blank">St. Joseph Plantation</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Special thanks to Diane Butler and Denise Borell for their generous help and eagerness to share their family's home and history with us.</span><br />
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Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-9667718889892317022015-07-27T06:13:00.002-07:002015-07-27T06:13:56.339-07:00Oldsmobile's Rocket of the PastOldsmobile Rocket 88 Advertisement: Life Magazine, January 19, 1953<br />
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Although NASA was still five years away from the public's collective conscience, rockets were already streaking across the cultural stratosphere in 1953. Buck Rogers and his 25th Century exploits had been around for twenty-five years. More than fifty years had already come and gone since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_M%C3%A9li%C3%A8s" target="_blank">Georges Méliès</a> had taken that first <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Trip_to_the_Moon" target="_blank">Trip to the Moon</a></i>. And the grim, technological warfare that engulfed the world ten years before had been filled with the shriek of the German Army's <i>nebelwerfer, </i>the flash of the American <i><a href="http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=69" target="_blank">Bazooka</a></i> rocket launcher, and the terror inducing scream of the V-1 rocket and its supersonic cousin the V-2. So it is not surprising that rockets, which have been around far longer than you might imagine, carried a great portion of Oldsmobile's advertising payload in the 1950's.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How long have rockets been around?<br />Just ask Alexander the Great,<br />as depicted by Conrad Kyser in<br />his "Bellifortis". (circa 1405 AD)</td></tr>
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Oldsmobile introduced the Rocket V8, the first mass-produced overhead valve V8 engine, in 1949. (Plans were made to call it "Kettering Power", in honor of the project's chief engineer Charles Kettering, but the plans never made it off the launchpad, so to speak.) The Rocket V8 would continue to be produced in some form until 1990.</div>
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But we're rocketing too far into the future. Let's get back to to 1953.</div>
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If you were thinking of buying a new car that year, Oldsmobile wanted to get your attention. And what better way to do it than a three-page spread in a January printing of Life Magazine? Christmas has come and gone. The kids are back in school. It's cold outside and you're stuck indoors with the latest magazine, one of the few windows on the world at large available to you. You turn the page, and there it is, streaking across the page: a golden rocket on a black and white background. How could it fail to grab you by your imagination?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQkIOHah4HEjL-FXBx1K_gprb1iZz2YXJO-3Pt-qy36VzxcJQbluvBEhVwAt9lA2I_91dutl9vTEDH0htK_Tpj1FpW_z8FbOgD4HNrRRH6TEPyOkPYpf4Kpx-uhBc4mrN2oOg6oVr5HY/s1600/Olds+88+Rocket+Specs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQkIOHah4HEjL-FXBx1K_gprb1iZz2YXJO-3Pt-qy36VzxcJQbluvBEhVwAt9lA2I_91dutl9vTEDH0htK_Tpj1FpW_z8FbOgD4HNrRRH6TEPyOkPYpf4Kpx-uhBc4mrN2oOg6oVr5HY/s640/Olds+88+Rocket+Specs.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
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Can you believe it? The Rocket you've been hearing your pals talk about, that wonder of the driving world, the Rocket V8, now has <i>higher-power, higher compression</i> and <i>higher-voltage</i>? A full-on 165 horsepower? (And that jerk co-worker was bragging about his '49 Rocket with a measly 135 HP!) Maybe driving dad's '42 Ford Rattletrap for the last few years was worth it. After all, the war's been over for eight years now, and money's not as tight as it was...and that is a really cool, sleek rocket...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIx5iqybx_XqG-kHneS4Inc83VX60NE8PPfmYq-GhGfL2frcEr55Qg9-NLy19kESxOc2aiMBU_hq7ey7BnfBypSXCWmWEvnWmbw3zQXg9OWxMV-3k6t5r6ZpiM_7eH9Vn3P6SXSia_u0/s1600/Rocket+Engine+Close+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIx5iqybx_XqG-kHneS4Inc83VX60NE8PPfmYq-GhGfL2frcEr55Qg9-NLy19kESxOc2aiMBU_hq7ey7BnfBypSXCWmWEvnWmbw3zQXg9OWxMV-3k6t5r6ZpiM_7eH9Vn3P6SXSia_u0/s640/Rocket+Engine+Close+Up.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You want a rocket. Guys want rockets. We all want a rocket!</div>
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And why wouldn't you? Look what it says: the new "Ruling Power of the Road"...latest and greatest version of the most famous engine in automobile history. Hey, it also says "see next page".</div>
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So turn the page already!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Xvvm-Jm_cV2aEHE60RypZVZ_X-FqsSRpXP1ShGv4ObbNEvaWWSBXnQHoPiBJNTeY2OkPFk462512YeznGP4-d-WbVTaB1ItNfIdw_dtuivL2VRIbD7-9ocdEUf_H_KMs0O8Ju7lMfwI/s1600/Olds+88+Rev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Xvvm-Jm_cV2aEHE60RypZVZ_X-FqsSRpXP1ShGv4ObbNEvaWWSBXnQHoPiBJNTeY2OkPFk462512YeznGP4-d-WbVTaB1ItNfIdw_dtuivL2VRIbD7-9ocdEUf_H_KMs0O8Ju7lMfwI/s640/Olds+88+Rev.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh yeah, you gotta buy this car. And look what it says: it's the car you've been waiting for...most beautiful, most powerful ever built! And it has the new Pedal-Ease Power Brakes (for quicker, surer stopping power!). New Power-Ride Chassis? New Power Styling? That is <i>crazy</i>, as the kids are saying nowadays.</div>
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And boy does that hood look better than dad's Ford? No contest.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ahes10WYlnMqMeRR3zMs6N9cVgpabDL4VKuxKzJkIi9JLon4FYJSSXqJzKrs9HJi0xEPbCCaaObMJQoMrA0g8mvvMBi3Kow1OCQV2mNVQFeesdoXoBWrnYusFKU80UtwxJu0TSWHPRM/s1600/Olds+88+Front+End.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ahes10WYlnMqMeRR3zMs6N9cVgpabDL4VKuxKzJkIi9JLon4FYJSSXqJzKrs9HJi0xEPbCCaaObMJQoMrA0g8mvvMBi3Kow1OCQV2mNVQFeesdoXoBWrnYusFKU80UtwxJu0TSWHPRM/s640/Olds+88+Front+End.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now, if only the wife won't complain too much when you use all your savings to get this baby. But I'm sure she'd be happy if you bought one. Just look at how happy that couple is:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqqt_HVzBg6H5oQ2uWxor4CJZv_R-9hVc9zmZgxOvh7eo8-FYpwTUN6jiWog9c2LUgYiNnGkv3h_e11ZjIwQB-iQfTqxwUNI7alIHy66Wr6VJNRvzoM-88D2-mcfip7WZIwCpJx2g5AE/s1600/See+Previous+Page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqqt_HVzBg6H5oQ2uWxor4CJZv_R-9hVc9zmZgxOvh7eo8-FYpwTUN6jiWog9c2LUgYiNnGkv3h_e11ZjIwQB-iQfTqxwUNI7alIHy66Wr6VJNRvzoM-88D2-mcfip7WZIwCpJx2g5AE/s400/See+Previous+Page.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The only real question is which model to buy? The featured model in the ad is a "88 Holiday Coupe". If its $2,673 price is a little high, you could grab the base model, which was re-christened for '53 as the "DeLuxe 88" for only $2,262. But why settle for the base model when you could spend just a bit more, $2,395 for the "Super 88"? Doesn't that sound...super? Hey, just a <i>wee</i> bit more, $2,853, gets you in that convertible coupe. Of course, there's always the step-up to the classic 98 series...but that's gonna cost you closer to three thousand dollars.</div>
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What the ad doesn't tell you is what Oldsmobile couldn't know at this time. Due to a fire at GM's Livonia, Michigan Hydra-Matic transmission plant later in the year, thousands of the '53 Oldsmobile 88s would be built with the Buick two-speed Dyna-Flow transmissions. Which one was a better transmission? I'll let you readers debate that below.</div>
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All I know is I want a rocket. A Rocket 88. Don't you?</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Sales prices and production numbers found at <a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950-1953-oldsmobile5.htm" target="_blank">HowStuffWorks</a>.)</span></div>
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Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-25523418791776236372014-12-20T09:06:00.000-08:002014-12-20T09:06:05.639-08:00GE is Beneath Your Christmas Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKY7GS1uDexrRGQeSTw4Pt4_90mtwbO5G5JX22FB5rfGQ6Nje3q8eQKcTSSyt15IPuGKmDJGWWgWWL0qQKE_-QmPlqm24ql0eYkRfgVFky_THK0u7_BwIBDJgYN7uRlSJy_toK9AjbXE/s1600/GEE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKY7GS1uDexrRGQeSTw4Pt4_90mtwbO5G5JX22FB5rfGQ6Nje3q8eQKcTSSyt15IPuGKmDJGWWgWWL0qQKE_-QmPlqm24ql0eYkRfgVFky_THK0u7_BwIBDJgYN7uRlSJy_toK9AjbXE/s1600/GEE1.jpg" height="368" width="640" /></a></div>
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As promised in <a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-shopping-in-life-december-14.html" target="_blank">last week's blog</a>, I'm introducing you to the GE Christmas Guys. As you can see, they're a bit rummy, having been at the eggnog on a cold wintry day. But they're eager to share their joy of GE products as they give you the low-down on the high points of these marvelous gifts available to the good people of 1962. So here's what the GE Christmas Guys were pushing on the readers of Life Magazine on December 14th, 1962.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9hpVQH1H7ol1lTZ5BsgyeU2RZlJvzVDVAhUKq-zfKEJkDMVRPl5rAI91vX0rt0pqTO-g7cwm8dOKWWDUtOc6lzaBSaJ5N5fuEjBbV1xCzxuGC0P0G8DK-jqCveOU4NNgejIpyjYbgcs/s1600/GEE4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9hpVQH1H7ol1lTZ5BsgyeU2RZlJvzVDVAhUKq-zfKEJkDMVRPl5rAI91vX0rt0pqTO-g7cwm8dOKWWDUtOc6lzaBSaJ5N5fuEjBbV1xCzxuGC0P0G8DK-jqCveOU4NNgejIpyjYbgcs/s1600/GEE4.jpg" height="640" width="496" /></a></div>
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Every great gal in your life needs a bag over her head. And here's one attached to an electric fan and a heating element. This pink bouffant bonnet comes in a handsome travel case, which your wife might need if you give this to her for Christmas. It'll be easy to include as she packs up to leave you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcijfNweRyPvXDqQ5Np_eyQILillfgYCSvpLjoI_9KcjGDC8wPtbV53yyI7rtlAav61VodGkBxQtz75Z7YAUiwmXJgsZydP-4eHVTmGnnNNvE8-r3GwfAjTPgFDbyjmr6tcdzc8Vbf9MQ/s1600/GEE13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcijfNweRyPvXDqQ5Np_eyQILillfgYCSvpLjoI_9KcjGDC8wPtbV53yyI7rtlAav61VodGkBxQtz75Z7YAUiwmXJgsZydP-4eHVTmGnnNNvE8-r3GwfAjTPgFDbyjmr6tcdzc8Vbf9MQ/s1600/GEE13.jpg" height="436" width="640" /></a></div>
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Let's assume that the GE Christmas Guy in this picture is just napping, and that he wasn't electrocuted by the "Waverly" automatic blanket. I've never been a fan of this idea. Wrapping yourself with energized copper wire is grabbing hold of the atomic age a bit too literally. Sure, it was the Sixties, and everything was going electric. But let's try to keep the flow of electricity out of the sheets, huh? There are better ways to keep warm in bed without resorting to regulated voltage.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9crGUD-8OC8Simn-D9ZkMPZnRns0fh1VMV0Y_7xGkzT2Q8gFi34SVRyyjFXk1zBnNjTpsxvzF8O76fPPlr0zINUu7Il8gPGn2VXju2DKvQh5e7tWt1uKf3m4PY_-Yiw-0wmL1g56f8b8/s1600/GEE6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9crGUD-8OC8Simn-D9ZkMPZnRns0fh1VMV0Y_7xGkzT2Q8gFi34SVRyyjFXk1zBnNjTpsxvzF8O76fPPlr0zINUu7Il8gPGn2VXju2DKvQh5e7tWt1uKf3m4PY_-Yiw-0wmL1g56f8b8/s1600/GEE6.jpg" height="640" width="616" /></a></div>
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Does anyone iron out there anymore? I don't know. I remember my mother ironing, and ironing, and ironing. Seemed like our clothes didn't look much different than they do now, and my wife doesn't iron much. Pretty sure that in the old days our clothes were made out of something akin to saran wrap. I mean, just consider how badly they always wrinkled. Come to think of it, many of the clothes back then <i>were</i> closely related to plastic wrap. They were actually plastic. All that polyester and rayon. Even the cotton clothes wrinkled constantly. But at least with this gift from GE, as they suggest, you can open your gift and iron out the wrinkles on your Christmas party dress. That's supposed to sound wonderful, but it mostly sounds like a sad Christmas moment. Let's move on.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSXaBnhu7To513QtDTR2LZzBzuHfeclLk10QjC_9-6NFJ0-yrp0gh9yTz9GOQ0ErfHNxp3XuTlfgGw83R2LBMImK41Bcl7Oq2uUovKJVNHS8RdqBh-9GhDKjHoWYtcYXP5OX3LNFMYj0/s1600/GEE11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSXaBnhu7To513QtDTR2LZzBzuHfeclLk10QjC_9-6NFJ0-yrp0gh9yTz9GOQ0ErfHNxp3XuTlfgGw83R2LBMImK41Bcl7Oq2uUovKJVNHS8RdqBh-9GhDKjHoWYtcYXP5OX3LNFMYj0/s1600/GEE11.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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Nothing says "special Christmas" like an automatic can opener. Especially one that is designed to opened cans with blank, blue labels. Mystery meat, I'd guess. Love the copy here--"Opens that can of cranberry sauce <i>electrically</i>." And don't miss the fact that this puppy has a governor-controlled motor. And the special bonus here is the pre-safety-conscious-society decision to manufacture this without a guard on the cutting device. As a child, I always imagined what it would be like to catch your finger in that metal-chewing mechanism. That I still have all ten fingers is a testament to sheer luck.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuvzSE22B9OVBtTTgjmDLoCQ9aTlxN5bEdsuo3mU9CcebfIGMAjrgy1tS_i-0nyWZefCkUZY7PaLB1v_JJsXzIFhcnc9N1diZPWcaEDH7L8PxQUSfgxGudoZkPUjzSaLUb9XrhZSqdW4/s1600/GEE5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuvzSE22B9OVBtTTgjmDLoCQ9aTlxN5bEdsuo3mU9CcebfIGMAjrgy1tS_i-0nyWZefCkUZY7PaLB1v_JJsXzIFhcnc9N1diZPWcaEDH7L8PxQUSfgxGudoZkPUjzSaLUb9XrhZSqdW4/s1600/GEE5.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
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"Hey mom, here's your gift! Open it first so you can bake us all a Christmas cake!" Kids are so cute. So are husbands who buy portable mixers for their wives and tell her it's from the kids. Now she's no fool. In 1962, mom knows perfectly well that dad put the kids up to this so she can mix drinks for him with the free drink mixer attachment. I'd suggest he not toss in that optional accessory for sharpening knives. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXKb22ljMrHcCH3F7WRcXJrKAYhgkjwrtCrpAcvGoyjss7Wuda5I6qxEO78HC15SRIy7ZNsEiUf_lVpkAZ_Lg_J3PVgHA8o8Vk1Xy76phYWPpAP0d_CJjiDR3lMx21u2ciQwwaa4D230/s1600/GEE12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXKb22ljMrHcCH3F7WRcXJrKAYhgkjwrtCrpAcvGoyjss7Wuda5I6qxEO78HC15SRIy7ZNsEiUf_lVpkAZ_Lg_J3PVgHA8o8Vk1Xy76phYWPpAP0d_CJjiDR3lMx21u2ciQwwaa4D230/s1600/GEE12.jpg" height="640" width="280" /></a></div>
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"From December 26th," this ad reads, "housecleaning will never be easier!" Yeah, but your wife may never be easy to get along with ever again. I doubt most wives would even be impressed that this vacuum has a double-action tool. I might be, if I knew what that meant. But I'm not gonna ask the GE Christmas Guy hanging from the hose. Let's see what's left under the tree.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ4GDW5GG4Js4ET1fL-brGuqLscsC4_rfnCpmtzXizMZgF14wi9RzkjtFCteGeK5jwxEIXHfMOw4rcMbvqzf9VQS1Cpq0-VBK1ilci_XWFVjAkWiEEcmyS7IFuwizAOHL3IAJW99Ulfw/s1600/GEE3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ4GDW5GG4Js4ET1fL-brGuqLscsC4_rfnCpmtzXizMZgF14wi9RzkjtFCteGeK5jwxEIXHfMOw4rcMbvqzf9VQS1Cpq0-VBK1ilci_XWFVjAkWiEEcmyS7IFuwizAOHL3IAJW99Ulfw/s1600/GEE3.jpg" height="640" width="442" /></a></div>
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Coffee? Now we're talking. I think GE might have a winner here. Since Keurig machines won't be invented for another forty-plus years, a Peek-A-Brew Coffee Maker is not a bad idea. Not only will it count the cups, but it will keep the coffee hot. Now we just have to wait until flavored coffees are offered in the coffee aisle at the local shopping center. Toffee Pumpkin Skinny Lattes won't be available for quite a while yet! You'll have to stick with plain cream and sugar.</div>
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Thanks to the GE Christmas Guys for their wonderful gift ideas. For all you newly married young men out there, don't listen to these guys. Cleaning and cooking supplies aren't your best bet for a young wife's Christmas gift. Maybe on occasion, if she specifically asks for something. But I'd avoid buying her anything like knife sharpeners and bags for her head. I think we can all agree that's just a little common sense.</div>
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Here's the full ad that ran in Life Magazine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8JoR5l5DcKOx4Om-U2i4H5fpwJgx-n8uHn5Yn396P6-xahDqhv8sgo2ZqMIPtILrxGOvzGWEdbnDDxh_iCVKG850eztA_V5ylHL2U69REu7M_L0dZ2SiUGltjsjnQTSusM4nA-ZQtPU/s1600/GE+Elves+full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8JoR5l5DcKOx4Om-U2i4H5fpwJgx-n8uHn5Yn396P6-xahDqhv8sgo2ZqMIPtILrxGOvzGWEdbnDDxh_iCVKG850eztA_V5ylHL2U69REu7M_L0dZ2SiUGltjsjnQTSusM4nA-ZQtPU/s1600/GE+Elves+full.jpg" height="410" width="640" /></a></div>
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For more Christmas ideas from the past, check out last year's posts on Burstein-Applebee.</div>
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<a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-shopping-with-burstein.html" target="_blank">Burstein-Applebee Part One</a></div>
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<a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/01/after-christmas-shopping-with-burstein.html" target="_blank">Burstein-Applebee Part Two</a></div>
Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-2061943598602508212014-12-13T12:19:00.001-08:002014-12-20T08:18:59.454-08:00Christmas Shopping in Life, December 14, 1962Life Magazine, December 14, 1962<br />
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For those of you who think online shopping is a break from the important traditions of Christmas, I want to take a little time to remind readers how they might have shopped for their loved ones' Christmas presents fifty-two years ago.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryr-XlFHlaFfoxCPxz0GgKU57vESM55JrUQOW-_cuQK5Faao3aBh30KmyfDf0IPWXao1jLwn35VFHYgAQOSpaByKLRo5LG_xa99vPUaz81edjh8X0FHqe2bX3kfPr3LREPYBQOFoGTT8/s1600/Kodak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryr-XlFHlaFfoxCPxz0GgKU57vESM55JrUQOW-_cuQK5Faao3aBh30KmyfDf0IPWXao1jLwn35VFHYgAQOSpaByKLRo5LG_xa99vPUaz81edjh8X0FHqe2bX3kfPr3LREPYBQOFoGTT8/s1600/Kodak.jpg" height="640" width="488" /></a></div>
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No, your grandparents weren't hoping for the latest smartphone. They were hoping for the latest Kodak! And why not? With "steadiness built in" and a new shape that "gives you a firmer grip for sharp, clear pictures", the Brownie Super 27 Outfit could be bought <i>in toto</i> for less than $22.00. (That's $172.96 for you and me.)</div>
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But wait, there's more, as you might have guessed. The Brownie Starmite has a built-in flash! Or what about the Brownie Starmeter with its built-in eexposuremeter? Or there's that <i>electric eye</i> (an electric eye! We aren't kidding here, an <i>electric eye!</i>) in the Kodak Automatic 8 movie kit. This baby sets the lens opening automatically for beautiful movies. Heck, buy the movie kit and the movie projector for just $118.00. (Just under $1000.00 in 2014.) And don't forget, this price includes the lamp bar <i>and</i> lamps.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIOfCSnecSv5MHcWS4RH7POjcAKukCEg_YbQ-nhxRFWOpJQ9zZ4fwnMBZ3R9DO3LJlx9IgBdj7SmLZgYhkPdOYlUoKt1e5atMZddLPc2J7HySWjvuSfhnGfwznHAXxt_52PLRXNEqVno/s1600/Bulova.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIOfCSnecSv5MHcWS4RH7POjcAKukCEg_YbQ-nhxRFWOpJQ9zZ4fwnMBZ3R9DO3LJlx9IgBdj7SmLZgYhkPdOYlUoKt1e5atMZddLPc2J7HySWjvuSfhnGfwznHAXxt_52PLRXNEqVno/s1600/Bulova.jpg" height="640" width="498" /></a></div>
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Now here you'll see that some things never change. Watches are still a common gift found under the tree. (I still remember one I opened when I was about twelve. There is nothing like seeing the sparkle of a new watch on Christmas morning.) And here we see Bulova, a watchmaker that is still ticking. I'm partial to the Bulova Beau Brummel, since I'm a man who demands dramatic styling. Heck, at just $115.00, this timepiece is almost affordable. Uh, except...that's the 1962 price. Today that would be $904.13. A bit steep for me. I'd have to stick on the lower end of that $24.75 to $2500.00 range. (Yeah, the high end of that would now be $19,665.00.) The highest Rolex I can find now is under $10,000. And Bulova has nothing even close to that. So it is safe to say watches are a bit more reasonably priced today. Maybe that's why Bulova thinks wishes were watches. And they wish they were getting prices equivalent to 1962.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Q9cFAu4RciS_m4MGGMVzhziPmQ_k2cY3z5crgjQCqnZ5z7D2E26tKeujFrUjFvrYbisYksrFEpNTPHkoDzmx4fEvF4zlOgEyGaxctDhqozVYN0Xd14NMzYpB98ulGFF7Xc3Js4WD3Eg/s1600/Lesabre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Q9cFAu4RciS_m4MGGMVzhziPmQ_k2cY3z5crgjQCqnZ5z7D2E26tKeujFrUjFvrYbisYksrFEpNTPHkoDzmx4fEvF4zlOgEyGaxctDhqozVYN0Xd14NMzYpB98ulGFF7Xc3Js4WD3Eg/s1600/Lesabre.jpg" height="640" width="484" /></a></div>
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Okay, you knew I'd slip a car in here somewhere. And let me just be up front. If any of my family wants to buy me a 1963 Buick LeSabre I would not turn it down. After all, "for all its sleek beauty, there's a lot of hustle built into the full-size LeSabre." Hey, I mean, it has Advanced Thrust engineering. And you know what <i>that</i> means, right? Uh, it means straight tracking, flat cornering, and precision handling. Oh, don't forget the trigger-quick response of its famous Turbine Drive--optional but <i>sensationally smooth!</i>. And who knew that the Safety-X frame construction ends rattles? (Now that I think about it, I bet my father-in-law knew it did.) Clearly a gift I'd cherish.</div>
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Now, how about something to liven up your Christmas party? Well, at least something to liven up Jack Carter and his wife Paula Stewart. According to this add, he's a noted screen and TV comedian, and she's an actress, though I don't guess she's <i>noted</i>. (Now, I know a lot about old TV--Jack Parr, Steve Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Burle, etc--but I've never heard of Jack Carter. He looks really vaguely familiar, but I'm stretching it here. Basically, I think Heublin Cocktails paid for cheap talent here. But then again, I don't remember Heublin, either. Anyone out there remember Jack or his cheapskate sponser?)</div>
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I do know that Jack and his wife and their little party look pretty sad without those cocktails. And we can guess that they can at least <i>act</i> happy with the cocktails. At least for the cameras.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSWCksfmeReyS5QLeFngLsPTSQXm-fqpTKSzZLChl3YxUnZrvB6lc8l3mSjs2Mh9fSOHg8ST6dQQRKT6BFLGH34NlF_3hOJ_FmnEndHb25KOVWQIdW54I75_O0Gt-GjXWvrCsWNJ62vM/s1600/Bacardi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSWCksfmeReyS5QLeFngLsPTSQXm-fqpTKSzZLChl3YxUnZrvB6lc8l3mSjs2Mh9fSOHg8ST6dQQRKT6BFLGH34NlF_3hOJ_FmnEndHb25KOVWQIdW54I75_O0Gt-GjXWvrCsWNJ62vM/s1600/Bacardi.jpg" height="640" width="490" /></a></div>
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I'm tossing in this vintage ad from Bacardi not because I enjoy a little eggnog and rum from time to time. I'm tossing it in so you can see the creepy elves that were hawking Bacardi rum in 1962. Let's be honest, elves are weird nearly all the time. But these little creeps are scary. I think I saw something like them in a Tales from the Crypt episode. Don't believe me? Take a closer look.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPQ5SDpJb4pobqob4cLQHx6s7YB4tNYmmirnUG-sRc4DqcWwUvgpgivCsJ9QzcZuDQvsfj4q3h4K1ue-uAx10tqPqKsfQLmxpHdIWY1ReYJAnIZXQ_D79I-HK3xR77tyV9lxDy9ZnSaM/s1600/Bacardi+Creep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPQ5SDpJb4pobqob4cLQHx6s7YB4tNYmmirnUG-sRc4DqcWwUvgpgivCsJ9QzcZuDQvsfj4q3h4K1ue-uAx10tqPqKsfQLmxpHdIWY1ReYJAnIZXQ_D79I-HK3xR77tyV9lxDy9ZnSaM/s1600/Bacardi+Creep.jpg" height="400" width="205" /></a></div>
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I don't know about you, but I'm afraid to find out what this old rummy is mixing into the eggnog. I think it would be prudent to pass on this holiday beverage. We'll just smile, nod, hold out a hand in the universal gesture that says "I'm trying to cut back, my belly's getting a bit too big, and you're too creepy to mix my drink. And Merry Christmas!"</div>
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Check back next week for a special appearance by the GE Christmas Guys. They're not as creepy as the Bacardi elves. I mean, for starters, they aren't trying to slip strange, possibly lethal concoctions into your Uncle Harry's glass at your family get-together. Lord knows that's the last thing Uncle Harry needs. </div>
Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-42258193198152575682014-10-20T05:00:00.000-07:002014-10-22T02:33:07.354-07:00Oak Alley Plantation: An Iconic View (Part Three)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpw8Xa9YTr38c2T7rBvPWLbKqSVnvZScPB5htYxL574vEoN0z0RUZEkmjKJD0R5w0N6ZWVIA80vV74RqHEtfcmYh3ozlgexyiWfQ9LcQuzzKeAfvt6YECyt6hn_zAcXVrcVjzkg_aUaHg/s1600/Oak+Alley+from+the+Oaks+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpw8Xa9YTr38c2T7rBvPWLbKqSVnvZScPB5htYxL574vEoN0z0RUZEkmjKJD0R5w0N6ZWVIA80vV74RqHEtfcmYh3ozlgexyiWfQ9LcQuzzKeAfvt6YECyt6hn_zAcXVrcVjzkg_aUaHg/s1600/Oak+Alley+from+the+Oaks+2.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana</div>
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For the final portion of our tour, I promised to take everyone inside the main house at Oak Alley. A man's reputation is won and lost on how he handles his promises, and I wouldn't want to give the impression that my promises are not worth the Ethernet they're written on. So let's go ahead and amble up to the front door. There we'll find a friendly guide to take us through the front door.</div>
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Here you can see the front door, and the beautiful scene that awaits visitors. Don't be shy. Step right in. You are more than welcome to enjoy the wonderful scenes that await in every room.</div>
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Now, to be honest with you, I won't even try to describe the historical details and architectural features of the house. For that, be sure to take the tour yourself. Our own guide was bursting with stories and details that make the tour well worth the ticket price. But I would like to share a few pictures that we took as we made our way through the house.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyNMgk_rzPxBhWXISMka5813E1Kq5K8rfEge07HWpy1RdmUhKddQIRVV-1FseuNxw_LC3R7eq-205yyTyVANUBN6uCovemVp_7MA3PWINqA41wBJfRB19qD6xmox6k_DeOW44ClesWZU/s1600/Oak+Alley+Interior+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyNMgk_rzPxBhWXISMka5813E1Kq5K8rfEge07HWpy1RdmUhKddQIRVV-1FseuNxw_LC3R7eq-205yyTyVANUBN6uCovemVp_7MA3PWINqA41wBJfRB19qD6xmox6k_DeOW44ClesWZU/s1600/Oak+Alley+Interior+3.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
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Speaking of guides, here you can see our guide, dressed as if she stepped right out of the Antebellum era. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, Antebellum refers to the period of time before the American Civil War. That is the era to which this term is attached in the United States. From what I understand, the rest of the world considers the years leading up to World War I as the Antebellum era. But for our purposes, and this tour, we'll stick with the American definition.</div>
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The pictures on the far wall are paintings of Jacques and Celina Roman, who lived in this house from 1836 to 1866. (Celina lived in the house after Jacques' death in 1848 until her own death in 1866.)</div>
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A punkah fan hangs over this long dining room table. When the family had slaves, a house slave would sit in the corner and pull on a rope. This kept the fan in motion, cooling the diners as they ate.</div>
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We were encouraged to keep an eye out for ghosts, especially ones that might show up in our photographs. An active imagination might be tempted to think I caught one here, but I'll have to disappoint everyone and point out it is only the glare from the sun. (Or is it?) The stairs are quite steep, and in fact, one of the Roman children, Louise, fell down stairs when her hoop skirt caught. She lost a leg in the accident. Though it was thought that she fell down the stairs in Oak Alley, recent reports tell us she in fact was in New Orleans at the time. But if you stand at the top of the stairs here, you can believe how easy it would be to fall down such steep stairs.</div>
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On the second floor you'll find the Roman's bedroom. It was here that Jacques Roman died in 1848. The historical detail in this room is wonderful to examine, including the chandelier.</div>
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Be sure to check out the detail work above the lights.</div>
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Across from the Roman Bedroom is the only room in the house that is not decorated in the Antebellum style. This was Josephine Stewart's room. She lived in the house from 1925 until October 3, 1972. Mrs. Stewart founded the Oak Alley Foundation, which enables the plantation to remain open for the public.</div>
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For more information on Josephine Stewart, click <a href="http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/mrs-josephine-stewart" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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And if you missed the first two parts of this tour be sure to check them out.</div>
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<a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/09/oak-alley-plantation-iconic-view-part.html" target="_blank">Oak Alley Part One</a></div>
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<a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/09/oak-alley-plantation-iconic-view-part_24.html" target="_blank">Oak Alley Part Two</a></div>
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For more information on Oak Alley, be sure to visit their website: <a href="http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/" target="_blank">Oak Alley Plantation</a></div>
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To see all of our posts featuring Louisiana Plantations click on the link below:<br />
<b><a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/search/label/plantation" target="_blank">Louisiana Plantations at Room With No View</a></b><br />
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And check out our newest 2015 New Orleans Calendars:<br />
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<embed flashvars="feedId=117496699731068079" height="300" src="http://www.zazzle.com/utl/getpanel?zp=117496699731068079" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-1267703457721996762014-10-17T05:11:00.000-07:002014-10-17T05:11:26.425-07:00New Orleans 2015 Calendars from Saint James Infirmary Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFS-TkTkWURE8xQfoLfLf5hYHvhBAFDUVqVhdH8VoWCJUI5aSBKMNHd7gG5v5O9EWnaBPyKezu2DkZENvdEJypB28RiPhB524hyZAJuSRDG-PyWoq0IzLXN5xY_2Ckkg92G4fTFNf3_ks/s1600/2015+New+Orleans+Lamp+Posts.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFS-TkTkWURE8xQfoLfLf5hYHvhBAFDUVqVhdH8VoWCJUI5aSBKMNHd7gG5v5O9EWnaBPyKezu2DkZENvdEJypB28RiPhB524hyZAJuSRDG-PyWoq0IzLXN5xY_2Ckkg92G4fTFNf3_ks/s1600/2015+New+Orleans+Lamp+Posts.tif" height="308" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
New Orleans 2015 Calendars are now available. Check out this unique tour of the city of New Orleans.<br />
The first of our New Orleans Calendars feature some very different looks at the French Quarter. New Orleans is known for its lamp posts, and we usually see them photographed at night. But you can't miss them during the day either. They are everywhere you look. We thought it would be fun to focus on them this year.<br />
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Our second calendar this year focuses on the exposed brick of the French Quarter. We love the brilliantly painted facades of the Vieux Carré, but we also can't help but notice all of the exposed, often heavily weathered brickwork that adds depth to the French Quarter views. <br />
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Just click on the links below to get your calendar. We hope you enjoy them!<br />
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<br />Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-19062813178982480922014-10-01T04:37:00.000-07:002014-10-01T04:37:11.621-07:00Halie Loren: Simply Lovely<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Halie Loren's 2008 award winning CD "They Oughta Write a Song" propelled her into an international music career that has grown stronger every year. Room With No View was not only fortunate enough to catch her performance in Lake Charles, Louisiana in March of this year, but fortunate enough to connect with her for a virtual interview.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW: </b>Halie, welcome to <i>Room With No View</i> and thanks for taking this time to sit and chat with us. You completed
a tour of the Southeastern United States earlier this year. I was
fortunate enough to see your wonderful performance here in Lake Charles.
How was the rest of the tour? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> The tour was a wonderful one, through-and-through... it was our first
time touring in Alabama and Mississippi, as well as southern Louisiana, so we
got to see a lot of country that was brand new to us. Hope we get to go back
soon and spend a little more time there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW: </b> You mentioned in the concert that you were recently in Japan and
that you have become quite popular in that country. How did that come to
be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> The reasons and ways in which my music suddenly emerged and became
well-known in Japan is a lovely mystery to me, as I truly don't know the exact
origin, but I certainly count my lucky stars that my music has found such a
welcome home in Japan! I love having so many opportunities to travel and tour
there and to meet fans and hear their stories and take silly photos with them
and learn about their children who've recently been inspired to become jazz
musicians... it's a beautiful thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> I know you did some work with the Red Cross after the 2011 earthquake
that devastated Japan. On Amazon, a fan from Japan wrote this: “I am a
Japanese. I lost my house by the Tsunami of the big earthquake last year. For
healing of the heart, I heard live of my favorite Halie Loren in Tokyo. And I
had her sign a CD. It is my treasure.” That’s a pretty nice compliment,
don’t you think?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> That comment both breaks and heals my heart in profound ways... and
yes, a very humbling kind of compliment. The kind that really brings me back to
the realization of what my role is as a music-maker in this life, which is
connecting people to the beautiful and moving things in their own lives by
inspiring them through song and the feelings that music can evoke. Music is a
deeply human thing that crosses all national and cultural boundaries – we are
all music lovers. I am so grateful that my music has been embraced by so many
people in Japan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> Is there any difference between audiences in Japan compared to here in
North America? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> I find that there are more similarities than differences among
enthusiastic music fans, regardless of where I play. I will say that I've never
been so lavished with gifts and chocolates as I've been each and every tour in
Japan... I feel like it's my unofficial birthday every time. It's the sweetest
thing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> I know you like to sing in French, have you tried singing in Japanese?
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> Yes, I do sing a bit in
Japanese in addition to French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and bits and
pieces of other languages from time to time... it's a guilty pleasure of mine,
more than anything, as I just love exploring the sounds of other languages. I
guess you could say I'm a linguaphile!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Halie Loren and Matt Treader at McNeese University, March, 2014</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> There are so many great jazz songs out there to choose from, and
considering you are gifted enough to write such wonderful songs as “Thirsty”,
“In Time”, and “Danger in Loving You”, I wonder how you ever finalize which
songs are going to end up on an album like this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> You are so right – there are so many great jazz songs out there, and
it's a bit torturous to have to choose only a few to record or perform at any
given time. My bandmates would attest to the fact that writing set lists is
akin to agony for me, as I find it nearly impossible to narrow down a list that
excludes any of my favorite songs... but when a list of “must-do” songs amounts
to the better part of a hundred titles, it's no easy task. So... imagine how
hard it is to choose the songs to feature on an ALBUM. I literally stay awake
all night, more often than I care to admit, making lists and bargaining with
myself over what songs should or should not make the cut when I'm in the album
recording process. In which I currently am, by the way. Let's just say I don't
get enough sleep these days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> Do you ever record a classic jazz song and decide it just isn’t
working? Have you ever had to leave one off an album because you just
couldn’t get it right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> There are occasions when we record something that feels like the song
just doesn't fit with the other songs, or the concept is almost there but not
quite, or we just run out of time and energy... I always end up recording more
than would fit on an album, so there are always things left “on the cutting
room floor”, so to speak. We often perform songs in concert that just didn't
make it onto albums for one reason or another, and some of them end up being
huge live higHalie Lorenights for us. A couple of those found their moment in
the sun on the new album we are working on, in fact, and their timing couldn't
be more perfect!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> You were brave enough to sing “What a Wonderful World” in
Louisiana, which takes moxie, considering here in the birthplace of jazz we
sort of think that song belongs to a certain singer/trumpet player by the name
of Louis Armstrong. Now first, let me assure you and our readers that you
have no reason to worry. I feel even Satchmo would have approved of your
performance. The song was great, especially as an encore. But I
wonder, do you ever feel intimidated when you take on a song that was made
popular by such classic performers like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, or Dean
Martin?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> Luckily, I don't think about comparisons too often – otherwise, I'd be
terrified to touch the vast majority of the American Songbook, which has been
performed by every jazz great in history. Of course, there are times when we
are working up an arrangement to a standard and we're all inspired by certain
versions of those songs, and want to include certain elements that we feel
really serve the song. Overall, though, my perspective on performing any song
is to relate to it in a very personal way. Sometimes that means that we feel
inspired to completely re-work a song's identity – twisting the rhythm, the
chords, melodic shifts. Sometimes that means retaining a lot of a song's
classically known style, if it feels unequivocally “right” for us. I'm not
trying to be Frank or Ella or Dean, or the more contemporary examples of Diana
Krall or Jane Monheit, or even reminiscent – this might sound hackneyed, but
I'm at a place in my artistic life, after 16 years of professional musicianship
and continuously finding endless inspiration in music from all corners of the
globe and great singers from all genres, where I know I can only really find
creative satisfaction in being the best me. Comparison and emulation are great
teachers, but can only get you so far before you have to find your own voice
and know how only you can use it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(c) 2011, photo by Sally Sheldon (Pink Caterpillar Photography)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Courtesy HalieLoren.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> Speaking of songs made popular by other singers, one of your latest
tracks was first sung by Audrey Hepburn—“Moon River”. It is such a sad song,
how did this end up on an album alongside “On the Sunny Side of the Street” and
“Bare Feet”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> “Moon River” is such a gorgeous song, and quite sad in that nostalgic
dreams-unrealized way. It's as beautiful for the space as it is for the notes –
both melodically and story-wise – so I wanted to really bring that sense of
tenuous hope and heartbreak to our rendition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> You broke my heart when you didn’t perform it in Lake Charles. Do you
ever perform it live? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> I do indeed perform it live... so sorry we didn't play it for you! If
I'd only known... but, as I mentioned earlier, those set list conundrums are
seriously tough!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> So you change up your song list from performance to performance?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> Yes, we change up song lists every time we play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> You started out as more of a pop singer before sliding into
jazz. You could easily build an amazing career in either genre, but you
seem to have concentrated mostly now on jazz. Has jazz always been there
as you began to sing or did you come to it late? Are you there to stay?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> I've listened to and loved jazz since I was much too young to
understand what genres were and why they matter. As for that last bit, I still
wonder about that. I was exposed to so much variety in music from day one
(thanks, Mom!) that I developed very eclectic tastes quite early in life...
when I was 10, my favorite singers were Nat King Cole, Annie Lennox, Jewel,
Patsy Cline, and Etta James. That array of influences – jazz, pop, folk/singer-songwriter,
classic country, and blues – have really found their way into my musical
vocabulary throughout my career. As an artist, the idea of committing
indefinitely to one genre classification or another was a paralyzing concept to
me, and kept me from making strides into music recording for years. As it was,
I released my first album – which you rightly defined as more pop in nature –
at age 21. My first foray into recording jazz was a just-for-fun venture,
thinking that it would be great to finally have something recorded in the style
of music that I'd been performing all my life alongside all the other types of
shows I was doing, but it ended up winning international awards and accolades
and finding its way to Japan and, well, you know a bit about the rest of that
story. Jazz has always been a big part of my personal musical heritage, and has
always felt like a really natural fit, but it wasn't until 5 years ago that I
thought I could actually have a vibrant career in it. As for building careers
in other genres, I rather like the idea of doing away with adhering to any
genre, and just make the music I need to and want to make, conveying the
stories of old songs and new songs alike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> I have a confession to make: I have a Spotify list that I created
called Modern Torches, which is made up of your music, mixed with the music of
Melody Gardot, Carla Bruni, Stacey Kent, Jill Barber, and a few others. Have
you ever considered any collaborations, maybe with Harry Connick Jr.?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> First of all, that is awesome! Second, yes. If Harry wants to duet
with me, I'm all in! Whatever the song is. I don't care if it's a shuffle
version of “Macarena”... actually, that might be awesome...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> When we first talked about this interview in April, you were busy working
on something in the studio. Are you able to talk about that yet?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> I was indeed! I was busy recording a bonus track of a song to be
featured on a new “best of” compilation album that just came out in Japan last
week (“Best Collection”). It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart in
Japan, too, which I just learned of a few days ago! I'm quite happily surprised
about that. In other studio news, I'm busy creating a new album of songs, this
time venturing into somewhat new territory. There's a lot more of a soul vibe
happening with this project, and more original material... I'm excited to
follow it, wherever it leads me, as it keeps growing, and to share it with the
world in early 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> Around that same time you were nominated by the Independent Music
Awards for two songs: “Cuando
Bailamos”, (Larry Wayne Clark, co-writer), in the Jazz Vocal category and
“Simply Love”, (Benita Hill, co-writer), in the Acoustic categories. That’s
very impressive! “Simply Love” is a wonderful, dreamy song. But could you talk
about how the title and tag line of “Cuando Bailamos” came to be?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> “Cuando Bailamos”, which is “when we dance” in Spanish, came from this
story idea I had during a chat with my late great friend Larry... I described a
scene in which strangers meet on the dance floor, and experience the kind of
chemistry that can lead a romantic to start envisioning that the other person
could be “the one”, and kind of getting carried away by that notion. Larry
started playing the sumptuous bossa rhythm and chords of the verse, and things
flowed accordingly... even though it's in the bossa nova tradition, Spanish
lyrics were what I heard in my mind for the chorus (rather than Portuguese), so
that was what we went with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Halie Loren and Mark Schneider at McNeese University, March, 2014</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> I always try to get at least one odd question into an interview,
so let me try this: I had the role of Winthrop in a High School
production of The Music Man. Trust me, it did not lead to bigger and
better things. But if you were given the chance to star in a remake of
any musical film, which musical would you choose, and who would you like to see
as your co-star?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> Oh, wow. That is definitely something I have never ever, ever thought
about. I hate to say it, but I'm not very familiar with a lot of musicals. Can
I turn it around and say that I think “The Never Ending Story” should be made
into a musical? I would want to play the dragon. And Atreyu could be Bruno
Mars. And the Empress... oh my, well, I hear Beyonce is the actual global
empress, so she's a pretty safe bet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ROOM WITH
NO VIEW:</b> Halie, you’ve been so kind and generous since we first talked about
this interview. Good luck with the new
album and may you continue in your much deserved and hard-earned success. Just one last question. Where am I going to have to travel to hear
you sing “Moon River” live?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>HALIE
LOREN:</b> Just let me know when you're coming to another concert of mine, and
it's a done deal!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more information on Halie, be sure to read my review of her concert: <a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/03/halie-loren-balcony-view.html" target="_blank">Halie Loren, a Balcony View</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also, check out her website at <a href="http://halieloren.com/">HalieLoren.com</a> or follow her on Facebook. And we here at Room With No View wish a Halie a happy birthday, which is later this month.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Simply Love</i> is her latest album, which includes the amazing "Moon River". <i>After Dark</i> is full of excellent standards but the best track on the album is the title track.</span><br />
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<br />Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-4345377301831381482014-09-25T05:42:00.001-07:002014-10-17T04:48:17.437-07:00Gotham: A Review of a Fantastic Idea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHjtEDoXpZlBRZl5Zyn1H28okb8EJvfuFVDBFTbyeA92tjO3tCW2blyl8YDxgWPeZOcrE-E3l_oefGV30XtlDvoyuKIdCrLrgiBS0T81-Tq3xkBaLhbz-bQriCcy2BUsOVYt12W6JtSc/s1600/Gotham-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHjtEDoXpZlBRZl5Zyn1H28okb8EJvfuFVDBFTbyeA92tjO3tCW2blyl8YDxgWPeZOcrE-E3l_oefGV30XtlDvoyuKIdCrLrgiBS0T81-Tq3xkBaLhbz-bQriCcy2BUsOVYt12W6JtSc/s1600/Gotham-2.png" height="352" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Gotham, </i>Warner Bros, FOX Television<br />
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<i>Gotham, </i>a new crime drama on Fox, has a real chance to do something different. And there were glimpses of it in the premiere. This is an origins story that takes a really big step back into the future of Batman. In fact, Bruce Wayne is just a child here, and his parents have only just been murdered. but the show is not about Bruce Wayne. It is about a rookie detective, Jim Gordon (Benjamin McKenzie). The real promise of the show is not the origin of Batman. Nor is it the evolution of Jim Gordon as he makes his perilous way up the ladder to Police Commissioner. The real origin stories here that could captivate us are those of the Batman villains: Penguin, the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, and Cat Woman. This is the what will make or break the show.</div>
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First impressions:</div>
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Jim Gordon is a solid base for the show. A sort of LA Confidential Russell Crowe type who makes up for his lack of charm with his zeal for justice. But he'll need to add something soon before he becomes a boor. I'm confident he will. I have a feeling they've made him a bit blunt at the beginning in order to allow him to evolve into a seasoned, street-wise white knight.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/05/07/article-2622055-1DA0BF9A00000578-711_306x423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/05/07/article-2622055-1DA0BF9A00000578-711_306x423.jpg" height="400" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oswald Cobblepotts: Our first look<br />
at Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor)</td></tr>
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Penguin is the first diamond in the rough here. I really like Penguin--both the character and the actor. The character's name is Oswald Cobblepot, played exquisitely by Robin Lord Taylor. There is so much promise here I'm both excited and ready to be disappointed. If the writers screw this up I'm gonna be angry. Penguin is immediately vicious and sympathetic. That's not easy to do. I've always enjoyed Penguin as a villain over the more over-the-top Joker, and Hollywood did not get it right back when Danny DeVito portrayed him in 1992's <i>Batman Returns</i>. In fact, they ruined the character so thoroughly that we haven't really seen him until this new version of him, twenty-two years later.</div>
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Sean Pertwee caught my attention as Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth. Here is an Alfred I don't think we've seen yet. Not the old grandfather stand-in as he was played by Michael Gough, nor the wise counselor as played by Michael Caine. And certainly not the bumbling old-timer as played by Alan Napier in the 1960's television show. This new Alfred is going to be a bulldog. Sure, he's still the proper Brit, but he's got some real grit, some real fight in him, and he's going to be the man to shape Bruce Wayne as he grows from a child into a super-man. Pertwee's Alfred already seems cynical, wary, and capable of making sure the heir to the Wayne fortune does not grow up to be a fool.</div>
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The real concern I have is the low budget effects. This looks like something done on straight-to-video movies from fifteen years ago. I don't mind them, but they could turn off potential viewers. And if Fox doesn't see enough viewers they'll never increase the budget, which means it might never be more than one season. And that's too bad, because this could really evolve into a masterful story. But they've chosen to start at such a young age for Bruce Wayne that this will take <i>years </i>to gain ground, and <i>years</i> to reach a fever-pitch level to the emergence of Batman. And that's what should happen. This story should take a long time to germinate properly. But I have serious doubts that our want-it-now society could wait that long. I have little faith that FOX would give the producers of <i>Gotham</i> the time needed to do this right.</div>
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Only time will tell. In the meantime, I'll enjoy as much of it as I can and hope for the rest.</div>
Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-37353272140831699442014-09-24T05:33:00.003-07:002014-09-24T05:33:45.385-07:00Oak Alley Plantation: An Iconic View (Part Two)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsdrnYV4j62DI0EhN6d37ET9DN7psMdfp034pLA7HK3KlK85D_p0wVjDGuwvbE_lphd8dWm0QEf04DE6QTZT4pACbbkA62BEK4njngnc0swtHztseH-X6uCgnR0oDWrx2_0q22O_bzqg/s1600/Oak+Alley+Back+Approach+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWsdrnYV4j62DI0EhN6d37ET9DN7psMdfp034pLA7HK3KlK85D_p0wVjDGuwvbE_lphd8dWm0QEf04DE6QTZT4pACbbkA62BEK4njngnc0swtHztseH-X6uCgnR0oDWrx2_0q22O_bzqg/s1600/Oak+Alley+Back+Approach+4.jpg" height="432" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana.</div>
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For our second look at Oak Alley we will take a walk down the back alley. That's right. There are, in fact, two magnificent approaches to the house. The trees are younger here, some of them having been planted over a hundred years later than the oaks in the front of the house by the Roman family, the rest of them added by the Stewarts <i>another</i> hundred years later in the 1930's. This approach is the path visitors first use to reach the main house.</div>
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The centerpiece at the end of the lane is an iron sugar kettle, once used to refine the sugar that was the main product of this plantation. Four kettles, the largest seven and a half feet in diameter, the smallest four feet in diameter, comprised what is known as a <i>Jamaica Train, </i>where cane juice was processed into crystallized sugar. Molasses, a by-product of the process, was also produced.</div>
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Walking past the sugar kettle, and out to the end of the back alley, visitors will find the Oak Alley Restaurant, housed in a turn of the (20th) century <i>quarter house. </i>It was here that tenanted farmers and their families lived, each square building consisting of four rooms centered on a single fireplace.</div>
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Breakfast is served here from 8:30 to 10:30. Beignets and coffee are a popular choice here, as well as their <i>Pan Perdue</i>, a French toast covered in confectionery sugar and cane syrup. Since it opens earlier than the house tours this is a great chance to relax and fuel up before walking the grounds.</div>
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Lunch is served from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. with an emphasis on Cajun and Creole cuisine. You'll have your choice of red beans and rice, fried alligator nuggets, crawfish etouffée, gumbo and a daily special from chef Antonio Reymundo. (And don't forget to grab some bread pudding with whiskey sauce, unless you'd rather have some pecan pie.)</div>
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There is also a café open from 9 to 5 p.m. where you'll be able to grab a quick refreshment if you weren't planning on a full meal. It is located in the gift shop, which is connected to the restaurant.</div>
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Across from the restaurant and gift shop is Oak Alley Spirits. It was a little too early in the day for us to sample the Apple Pie Moonshine, though it did sound intriguing.</div>
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Between the restaurant and the main house is a reconstruction of the plantation's slave quarters. <i>The Slavery at Oak Alley</i> exhibit, which was added in July of 2013, is an educational memorial to the slaves that built and worked this plantation. Though slavery is forever tied to its history here, keep in mind it was only in use at Oak Alley for thirty years.</div>
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The exhibit does not shy away from the ugliness of slavery. On display are shackles as well as implements used for punishment, including neck shackles with bells, used as a way to make it harder for an escaped slave to hide. The children's transport shackles in the center of the picture are especially sobering.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcAY-wiqlEbrjr10B56nk17Sp2sKPsQC_Alq5FH46S451voWzSqaMk25lnDPsFZIVh1KAFpgtHPH-_24JMTmo0S7I3Y-JWvaeWu0UH7WJEMRXvMmr2joERTmVlu3yWUV45rBXloU_u7w/s1600/Slave+Names.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcAY-wiqlEbrjr10B56nk17Sp2sKPsQC_Alq5FH46S451voWzSqaMk25lnDPsFZIVh1KAFpgtHPH-_24JMTmo0S7I3Y-JWvaeWu0UH7WJEMRXvMmr2joERTmVlu3yWUV45rBXloU_u7w/s1600/Slave+Names.jpg" height="430" width="640" /></a></div>
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I really liked this simple yet moving memorial inside one of the cabins. Alongside the wall of names is a plaque that reads:</div>
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Between 1836 and the Civil War, 198 men,</div>
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women and children were enslaved at Oak Alley.</div>
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Dehumanized and quantified like any other</div>
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commodity, they appear in sales and records and</div>
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inventories, yet as people they have been all but</div>
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forgotten by history.</div>
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This is a respectful recognition of the <i>people</i> on whose</div>
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backs this plantation was built. For most of them, a</div>
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name is all that remains of their story.</div>
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There is also an interactive Civil War Encampment on the grounds as well as an 1890's blacksmith shop. If you have the time you might also enjoy the antique car garage, featuring cars from the 1920's representing the Stewart era.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r4tm-PtevJg0oayHvxjEla5YwkSpXjkeJgVCMUyhCVsJBe4ru5Xar_7yV71AGm0qparWWeW4IJm_WZgvh40qOdP5eZ7HxmgrKj2PoyDqEDKTI9lehSJ0MOjrCZepNd1YSV1GIvKaEAo/s1600/Oak+Alley+Back+Approach+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6r4tm-PtevJg0oayHvxjEla5YwkSpXjkeJgVCMUyhCVsJBe4ru5Xar_7yV71AGm0qparWWeW4IJm_WZgvh40qOdP5eZ7HxmgrKj2PoyDqEDKTI9lehSJ0MOjrCZepNd1YSV1GIvKaEAo/s1600/Oak+Alley+Back+Approach+2.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
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In part three of our tour we will step inside the main house and look at what life was like for the Romans and Stewarts.</div>
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If you missed part one of the tour, you can follow this link to it: <i><a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/09/oak-alley-plantation-iconic-view-part.html" target="_blank">Oak Alley (Part One)</a></i></div>
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For more information on Oak Alley see their website <a href="http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-75839481771790647862014-09-19T10:03:00.000-07:002014-09-19T10:03:21.134-07:00French Quarter Stroll<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBcCgq4A5WAUwsHjRGlM3icoMtNj-dX4EZqBvoGjRuQzXW3ijBwoaUKZJA_6DrEYm_pRMkWdUP4O-zLO_rBScU77AvUg7lqsRHw2Ni0t5kco63yCSUbNVWKurfi2mkUtedcmrt7USAh0/s1600/Royal+St+Spread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgBcCgq4A5WAUwsHjRGlM3icoMtNj-dX4EZqBvoGjRuQzXW3ijBwoaUKZJA_6DrEYm_pRMkWdUP4O-zLO_rBScU77AvUg7lqsRHw2Ni0t5kco63yCSUbNVWKurfi2mkUtedcmrt7USAh0/s1600/Royal+St+Spread.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Street</td></tr>
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French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana</div>
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A perfect day in the French Quarter is easy to experience. Even in the heat of a late summer day it is relaxing to stroll along these small and colorful streets. Summer can be a slow time for the tourist business here and some shops were just reopening after a few renovations in preparation for the coming Halloween season. Fresh paint covered many of the historic facades, in some places, the painters were still brushing on colors as approved by the Vieux Carré Commission, the city planning board dedicated to preserving the historic appearance of this village within a city. Crisp, new flags seemed to hang from every other balcony. Expectancy charged the air. I had the feeling that tourist buses were already loaded and crossing the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, their arrival mere minutes away.</div>
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I always love to see all of this activity in the Quarter. Mornings are especially fun. Delivery vans fill the streets, shops are opening up, streets are washed down, there is a brisk, sometimes hectic combination of tradesmen getting to work on whichever project is on the day's schedule. This is the face of the French Quarter that most tourists miss as they sleep in from a late night of partying. But it is the time I enjoy the most in this little corner of the world.</div>
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Don't get me wrong. The streets weren't empty. And a few street artists were out to entertain those of us enjoying the afternoon. As you can see, construction is always underway here, even when there isn't a wall to support a ladder. This hard worker is determined to get that first two by four nailed in place. I've always thought he should start at the bottom. But He seems to know what he is doing. And in case you weren't familiar with this demonstration, be assured that ladder is not bolted down to the stone. </div>
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Be sure to carry a pocketful of one dollar bills for the street artists. Jackson Square wouldn't be Jackson Square without the playful tunes of a dixieland band. And these entertainers aren't paid by the city. They will do their utmost to entertain, they won't be shy about asking for donations and if they see you dropping a little something in the bucket they are quick to voice their appreciation. </div>
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It was here on Jackson Square that I helped out an older couple from Manchester, England. You can always find a pair like this, taking that single shot with a camera when what they really want is a photograph with both of them in it. After helping them get a few photos in front of the Cathedral I talked with them a little while. It was their third trip to New Orleans. It was just a few days before Scotland voted on the question of independence from Great Britain. They were hoping the Scots would stay in the Union. They could see no advantage to either Scotland or England if Scotland went their own way. I'm sure they were happy to read the news from across the pond today when it was announced that Scotland had chosen to keep Britain unified.</div>
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If you head over to Canal Street (which is technically outside of the French Quarter) glance up at the lamp posts that flank the street cars. There is some nice detail work between the lamps. But what you'll also see are plenty of beads hanging around from Mardi Gras. Some of them will be covered in beads, and some will have only a few. This one I captured has just the one strand, seemingly laid carefully to match the design.</div>
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At St. Charles and Canal Streets, if you're patient, you'll see one of the historic St. Charles street cars pass its modern cousin, the Canal street car. That's the one you'll want to catch if you want a ride over to the Garden District. (Even better than the Garden District is Lafayette Cemetery Number Two. The St. Charles street car will take you to both places.)</div>
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Not every house in the French Quarter has been freshly painted. And I'm glad. It adds to the charm of this place. It helps us to remember that we aren't walking down a street in Disney World, where everything has been engineered for our entertainment. It helps us remember that this village will be three hundred years old in just four years from now. It has stood up to the winds and rains of uncounted hurricanes, the changing politics of the Spanish, the French, and the Americans, and it will be here long after the tourists pack up and leave at the end of this coming season. It is, after all, a living neighborhood where its residents work and play and go about their everyday lives.</div>
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Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com1French Quarter, New Orleans, LA, USA29.9595843 -90.06299890000002529.9320698 -90.103339400000024 29.9870988 -90.022658400000026tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-35918301969059738292014-09-15T05:34:00.001-07:002014-09-15T05:34:09.949-07:00Oak Alley Plantation: An Iconic View (Part One)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav5MLqG1KleMxeCnoJxEATM_9xMLO8D8T64B6d11pdCeqZkriDNro4QrADxs4CS7VlFgE-9-HeawxVAcZgO-vj6nLzExtrDteMKcEh_ycDu7BtFkXshqG4btjtRbGz25jr16wb5wAo5o/s1600/Oak+Alley+Wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav5MLqG1KleMxeCnoJxEATM_9xMLO8D8T64B6d11pdCeqZkriDNro4QrADxs4CS7VlFgE-9-HeawxVAcZgO-vj6nLzExtrDteMKcEh_ycDu7BtFkXshqG4btjtRbGz25jr16wb5wAo5o/s1600/Oak+Alley+Wide.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana</div>
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To walk the grounds of Oak Alley Plantation is to walk the history of Louisiana. This grand antebellum Lady of the Deep South provides one of the most iconic views of a Creole sugar plantation. One hundred and Seventy-Five years ago, in 1839, Jacques Télesphore Roman built a home on the banks of the Mississippi as a gift for his wife Celina. Although it would eventually become known as Oak Alley, its signature rows of Virginia Live Oaks were not planted by the Romans. The man responsible for the 28 oaks, planted in two rows spaced 80 feet apart, is unknown. It is believed that they were planted about one hundred years before the Romans built the main house. Today, a short trip south from Baton Rouge or a short trip north from New Orleans will bring you to this amazingly restored plantation.</div>
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The largest oak on the grounds has a girth of 30 feet with a 127-foot spread of limbs. The oaks in the alley were inducted into the Live Oak Society in the mid-nineties, each oak being registered with a name. Since live oak trees can live as long as 600 years, these 300 year old oaks are now in the prime of their life. Having lived this long, one can only imagine how many hurricanes they have endured.</div>
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The house is surrounded by 28 columns, representing the 28 oaks. The walls of the home are sixteen inches thick, constructed of bricks that were made with mud from the Mississippi river, and covered in stucco. A porch runs around the entire home with a portico that does the same on the second floor. Our visit was on a hot day in late summer, yet the air was pleasant with a slight breeze and we sat in the shade quite comfortably. Sipping on a Mint Julep made the experience even more pleasant.</div>
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The plantation is open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, and Mardi Gras. From March through October the hours are 9 am to 5 pm. From November through February it closes a little earlier at 4:30 pm on weekdays. Tickets to enter the grounds are $20 for adults and $7.50 for young adults (13-18). Tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are only $4.50. The restaurant opens earlier, at 8:30 am.</div>
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The southern porch looks out over a second alley of oaks that were planted by the Romans in the 1830s. (The Stewarts, who owned the property from 1925 to 1972, added a few more oaks to the back alley in the 1930s.) It is here on the back porch where you'll get a chance to order a few drinks to quench your thirst. Tea and lemonade are available for the kids (including a virgin Mint Julep) and of course genuine Mint Juleps for the adults. </div>
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We'll revisit Oak Alley for a look at the back alley and the slave quarter memorial, as well as the restaurant in our next post. We'll save the tour of the house for our third installment, which will include the tragic story of the Romans.</div>
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And let's finish with one last look at the front of the house, as seen from the oaks.</div>
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Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-21446911427282917102014-09-05T06:13:00.000-07:002014-09-05T06:13:36.003-07:00The Cars of Life--April 29, 1963<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Life</i> Magazine, April 29, 1963</div>
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Last week I highlighted <a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/08/lifes-television-war-of-september-1957.html" target="_blank">the television war</a> that raged in the pages of a 1957 edition of <i>Life.</i> You can always be sure to find vibrant, full-page ads in that journal. You can also get an idea of what the general public was buying at that time. The more cynical observers out there might suggest that you can see what Madison Avenue wanted the public to buy. In either case, flipping through an April '63 issue I could not help but notice its emphasis on cars.</div>
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In 1961, Ford and Chevrolet were neck in neck in the car production race. Both of them produced 1.3 million vehicles, with Ford edging out its main rival by only a little more than 20,000 cars and trucks. But in 1962 Chevrolet seemed ready to lap its rival Ford with a massive jump in sales. That year saw Chevy streak ahead to 2 million vehicles produced, while Ford only reached 1.47 million. The last time that had happened, in 1955 (Chevy increased from 1.1 to 1.7 and Ford from 1.1 to 1.4) production numbers fell off the next year. This cycle is fairly steady in the history of car production. However, in 1963, after the jump in production, the numbers increased yet again.<br />
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I suspect this is largely due to the fact that this was exactly 18 years after the end of World War II. Baby Boomers were just turning eighteen, getting out of school, or at least getting jobs and beginning to buy cars. The race had jumped into a different gear. The car companies knew that even though it wasn't time yet to display next year's models, it was still worth it to push their present cars to the buying public. And so the top car producers ordered up these full-page ads in the same issue of <i>Life.</i><br />
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Oddly enough, the most luxurious car to enter the race in this issue was the only monochromatic car ad: Imperial's Lebaron four-door. Since 1955 Chrysler had given its Imperial marque its own line, devoid of the Chrysler name. And while designer Virgil Exner had made a name for himself with his "forward look", 1963 would be the last year he helmed Imperial's design. It was the only year that the sloped trim actually wrapped all the way around the back of the body. And although Imperial was known for its gunsight taillights you can see that the Lebaron did not use them. It does, however, have the distinctive "Flitesweep Deck Lid", a fake tire bulge (imitating a Continental look) which had been an option from 1957 to 1961, and was brought back for 1963 by popular demand.<br />
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But the body styling was not the emphasis in this ad. The ad-men, instead, pushed the comfort angle along with the "unaccustomed luxuries as standard equipment". More legroom (due in part to the squared-off steering wheel), inside remote control of the side mirror, front door hidden storage compartments, automatic parking brake release, and a host of other power controls. This one isn't being marketed for the young kids. And Imperial only produced a little more than 14,000 cars that year. This number would peak the very next year at 23,295. Eventually, in 1976, Imperial was folded back into Chrysler. Wunderkind Lee Iacocca revived the Imperial name for a short run in the 1980s, but it was never to have its own identity again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHHzD-NsDw59dKcF3dEkW7dpXvbo0JEnADd1GSqh2M4n9SPiaMCAclxaVwiAlsIGxiGlCiWGizphBoIfJgHaoC-pKphTjvNAKiUrXh1r-9TqeMCaT8EbiRCQjgEodWgLryk9wZq3TN5I/s1600/Go+Mercury!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHHzD-NsDw59dKcF3dEkW7dpXvbo0JEnADd1GSqh2M4n9SPiaMCAclxaVwiAlsIGxiGlCiWGizphBoIfJgHaoC-pKphTjvNAKiUrXh1r-9TqeMCaT8EbiRCQjgEodWgLryk9wZq3TN5I/s1600/Go+Mercury!.jpg" height="640" width="488" /></a></div>
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Mercury was launched in 1938 by none other than Edsel Ford. It was to be an entry-level line of luxury cars, a bridge between Ford and Lincoln. But Mercury was in danger of being streamlined off the road in the 1960's due to the failure of--yeah, you might have guessed it--the Edsel. Ford was in a little trouble, and Mercury faced some changes because of it. Then billed as "Mercury, the man's car", the S-55 Monterey emphasized power. This two-door sports a Marauder 390 V-8. I'm not sure kids of today would see this car as a possible vehicle for mountaineering, but the boys at Ford declared that awesome "4-on-the-floor" stick-shift brought "oneness between you and your car...Effortless cornering, passing, and mountaineering."<br />
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Mercury was only rolling about 300,000 cars off the production line at this time. It would peak in 1978 and 1979 above 600,000. This is significant only to me, since my first car was a 1978 Mercury Monarch, a car I bought in 1988 for $1300. I don't recall doing any mountaineering in it, but it was powerful and fun to drive. Mercury's sales fizzled out after the new millennium and it finally died in 2011.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ_QdjI2Dw7swAuy-kF6gMPhtFVhCXiRpC7OSLL7EEWJ6KyoigjatpNUQgXKwhb2_aR6NlmDY0DWCnOt4M9dbZhZhki0nutWI4JFJAx1Q5N42NMkyV8ReKeK4Dx1SvWAwK1jhlpcfBFA/s1600/63+Pontiac+Wagon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ_QdjI2Dw7swAuy-kF6gMPhtFVhCXiRpC7OSLL7EEWJ6KyoigjatpNUQgXKwhb2_aR6NlmDY0DWCnOt4M9dbZhZhki0nutWI4JFJAx1Q5N42NMkyV8ReKeK4Dx1SvWAwK1jhlpcfBFA/s1600/63+Pontiac+Wagon.jpg" height="640" width="508" /></a></div>
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(<i>Disclaimer: I drive a Pontiac, and my anger at GM for shuttering this brand is still at a high-level.</i>)<br />
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In 1962, Pontiac overtook its rivals, Plymouth and Rambler, for the number three spot in the race. It held this spot, just behind the big boys, for the rest of the decade, finally losing out to Plymouth, where Pontiac settled into fourth place for the entirety of the 1970s. But in 1963 it was feeling pretty good. Not only were they approaching their fortieth anniversary (in 1966) but they had recently seen the entire line of Pontiac models named as Car of the Year by <i>Motor Trend </i>magazine (1959). Despite this success, however, and the spectacularly ornate designs which included such dazzling features as the twin v-shaped tailfins of the late fifties models, the early sixties models lost some of that glamour. With more squared roofing and body designs, Pontiac, nevertheless, moved firmly into third place.<br />
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This ad, proudly displaying the front-end of a 1963 Catalina "Wide-Track" Station Wagon gives us a view of the split grille, which was first introduced in 1959. It was dropped for 1960, only to be brought right back the next year. A variation of this has been on the majority of models for Pontiac, up to and including my own 2005 Grand Am. It was also in 1959 that the arrowhead emblem with the star in its center became what was ultimately Pontiac's final symbol. This station wagon is lauded for "all those people-coddling things that wagons should have as standard equipment but often don't." Pure poetry.<br />
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By the 1980s, the Pontiac line was in decline, dropping to fifth and sixth place early in that decade. However, in 1987 it surged back to third place and held that spot for more than ten years. In what can only be described as yet another dirty, back-stabbing attack on the Indians, Pontiac's life was snuffed out by GM in an attempt to save their own hide due to terrible management of the entire GM family of cars at the start of the new millennium, finally ending production of this noble fleet of cars in 2009.<br />
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I find it interesting that Ford, fighting to get back to number one, ran a truck ad in <i>Life</i> instead of its Galaxie, the high-volume rival to Chevy's Impala and Pontiac's Catalina. I would expect this truck ad to be in <i>Progressive Farmer</i> or maybe <i>The Saturday Evening Post</i>. But here we see an F-100, one of Ford's models in their fourth generation of trucks. This design, restyled in 1961 to be lower and longer than previous generations, only lasted for five years. The emphasis here is on its durability, <i>despite </i>its smart looks and smooth ride. Ford copy-writers did want readers to notice that this truck had a "Comfort-Conditioned Custom Cab" with a full five inches of cushion under the driver and 23 pounds of insulation around him. That's right, I said him. Don't try to tell me that there were many women driving pickups in 1963. Maybe Ellie May Clampett did now and then, if Jethro didn't throw a fit. But not many more than that.<br />
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I don't think Ford's decision to push the pickup truck in <i>Life</i> was the right way to chase down Chevy. They wouldn't overtake Chevy for the lead in the race until 1966, and that was only because they produced a mere 5,776 more vehicles that year. They wouldn't hold the top spot for two years in a row until 1970-71.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87BHUNFjQo89pS8z8eS-Y7sjK8gHKCf4jjzVAkb8NlRLVyr68dk9XX9s05aNHP0a810eSsBPykjRR5n6tOl6zOiLOZEFSFGbzXyPE05DZm7UaQoEM9di2KC5NLOe7VXVN2YpEy2IPDcY/s1600/Nova.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87BHUNFjQo89pS8z8eS-Y7sjK8gHKCf4jjzVAkb8NlRLVyr68dk9XX9s05aNHP0a810eSsBPykjRR5n6tOl6zOiLOZEFSFGbzXyPE05DZm7UaQoEM9di2KC5NLOe7VXVN2YpEy2IPDcY/s1600/Nova.jpg" height="640" width="500" /></a></div>
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In 1960, Chevy took a beating from Ford in the small car category. Chevy was depending on its rear engine Chevrolet Corvair to wow young families, but it was the Ford Falcon that stole the show. In an unprecedented hurry, Chevy designed and produced the Chevy II in eighteen months. According to Chevy, it combined "maximum functionalism with thrift." Sounds to me like wearing socks with sandals. Maximum ventilation with warmth. But in this ad, Chevy wants us to ponder another combination: thrift with <i>sport</i>. Here they are taking this basic, stripped down compact and trying to get the attention of all those young baby-boomers just getting out of school, I suppose. Let's give their copy-writers a chance to win us young (at-heart) people over to the Chevy II:<br />
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"Under the hood you've got a peppery 6-cylinder engine. Smooth, dependable, eager to do about everything but run through a gallon of gas. (From the way it nurses the stuff, in fact, you're likely to suspect that it goes around making its own.)...The package comes on either convertible or hardtop. Either way gives you plenty of ginger--without a lot of needless gingerbread."<br />
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Wow. This car nearly makes its own gasoline. I'll fall for that. And then there's all that ginger. I haven't a clue what ginger is on a car, but I can see this one's got ginger in spades. Fan-tastic!<br />
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The Chevy II, a Nova that eventually dropped the "Chevy II" in its name in 1969, came with a 4-cylinder engine, which could be upgraded to that peppery straight-6. A third option made this a popular choice for drag-racers: a dealer-installed V-8. It wasn't until the next year, 1964, in trying to fend off stiff competition from the brand-new Chevelle, that a factory V-8 became available. That Super Sport option offered in the ad cost $161.40. But don't forget all that ginger your $161.40 bought. I don't know what that works out to per pound of ginger, but it can't be too bad.<br />
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Nova lived on until 1979 when it was replaced by the underwhelming Chevy Citation. It could not sustain a short revival in the late eighties, and is now just a memory.<br />
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So these were your choices as you read your <i>Life </i>magazine in April of '63. Which car would you have chosen as a winner?<br />
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And since every car needs oil, I'm tossing in the below oil advertisement that was also in this issue. I'll let the ad speak for itself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6rB-Idnns6QGnqj7TpbDFVule5bKp_dw-ZeliiMSrxnUrZtvrVZFxDxgNQ7e7ByhKDfhR0YTk4rd8xzqwbRhyYqNn0xLlKJGFNbO7SjYZZntAYkrHJRr3GC2jmtzHRqTxDXZ6AuawO8/s1600/Kendall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6rB-Idnns6QGnqj7TpbDFVule5bKp_dw-ZeliiMSrxnUrZtvrVZFxDxgNQ7e7ByhKDfhR0YTk4rd8xzqwbRhyYqNn0xLlKJGFNbO7SjYZZntAYkrHJRr3GC2jmtzHRqTxDXZ6AuawO8/s1600/Kendall.jpg" height="640" width="490" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Automobile_Production_Figures" target="_blank">US Automobile Production Figures can be found here.</a></div>
Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-5120785216390605192014-09-02T07:46:00.000-07:002014-09-02T07:46:01.374-07:00Ice Cream of Yesteryear: or, Life Scream for Ice Cream<b>The Ice Cream of <i>Life</i> Magazine</b><br />
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Summer is mostly over. Hot days still linger in parts of the country but they won't for long. And what better way to enjoy the last of these warm days than to dip into a tub of ice cream? Of course, the trouble with eating ice cream is choosing one from all of the great flavors out there. I used to believe that all these flavor choices were new, and that in the old days people just had vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. Didn't you?</div>
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But as I look through old magazines I find that is not the case. Below is a small selection of ads I found in <i>Life</i> magazine, ranging from 1953 to 1963.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28hw-OhDJihdnLmf9GoWtOSfDAzGDc-Zgo8NC7B3ruqL2YqaduHHfw62PVh0tgx_D1RZdL1bpmMGnVqeGXePO_FkUWgxMyRNDLmNc3qQkHot-Nq1sB4BQqSVbFuj7uZjpZle6-mDJfGE/s1600/Lady+Lorraine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi28hw-OhDJihdnLmf9GoWtOSfDAzGDc-Zgo8NC7B3ruqL2YqaduHHfw62PVh0tgx_D1RZdL1bpmMGnVqeGXePO_FkUWgxMyRNDLmNc3qQkHot-Nq1sB4BQqSVbFuj7uZjpZle6-mDJfGE/s1600/Lady+Lorraine.jpg" height="640" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Life, </i>January 19, 1953 advertisement</td></tr>
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As you can see, this first vintage ad gives a somewhat common flavor a fancy name: <i>Lorraine Cherry.</i> Only Lady Borden Ice Cream had this elegant cherry. Full of big, juicy black cherries, this sweet treat was one of the many products offered by Borden. Begun in 1957, Borden primarily produced condensed milk, including a contract to supply canned milk to Union armies during the American Civil War. By the 1950s, Bordon's food division had gobbled up a great many smaller food lines, including <i>Cracker Jack</i>, Wyler's<i>, </i>ReaLemon<i>, </i>Wise<i> </i>(potato chips) and Bama<i> </i>jams. Despite their smorgasbord offerings to the public, and their boast in fine print at the bottom of this ad that "Borden foods must be good--folks buy more food packages carrying the Borden brand name than any other in the world..." Borden could not maintain their place in modern markets. This 19th century company closed its food division in 2001.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZV7Vl-cgLvpcizdWNsXEvgPwqL3x2IcrYlaTrdTt4zofhyphenhyphenU4YiSZXK6PEHSo4Ai-cNAf08-vDryfmF9yk5s8AqIQ7Hw5BdVTIJ6lqfGfUeopXv3ft25F6cBgPlwSjzuBHxl2xk7sYRE/s1600/Meadow+Gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZV7Vl-cgLvpcizdWNsXEvgPwqL3x2IcrYlaTrdTt4zofhyphenhyphenU4YiSZXK6PEHSo4Ai-cNAf08-vDryfmF9yk5s8AqIQ7Hw5BdVTIJ6lqfGfUeopXv3ft25F6cBgPlwSjzuBHxl2xk7sYRE/s1600/Meadow+Gold.jpg" height="640" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Life, </i>September 5, 1955 advertisement</td></tr>
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Here's a great look at a favorite brand of mine. My grandmother never seemed to buy any ice cream other than Meadow Gold. But she always stuck with vanilla. Here you can see that Butter Brickle was available in 1955. According to the fine print, you'll taste a wonderful candy surprise when this ice cream melts in your mouth. It seems that at this time, butter brickle was one of America's popular candy bars. In addition, there is a recipe supplied here to make the mocha topping. Even better! You can buy a life-sized doll for nearly 25% of its value, all with the Meadow Gold shield from your ice cream. I wonder if anyone out there still has one of these dolls?</div>
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Meadow Gold began producing dairy products in 1901 in Topeka, Kansas. Originally named the Continental Creamery Company of Topeka, the new name was selected by company employees to describe the golden quality of their fresh creamery butter. There is some confusion as to the origin of this company. Dean Foods, who now owns the brand, supplied the information on the Topeka Kansas origin. However, they provide a link to Meadow Gold of Hawaii as the brand's website, which says that it began in Hawaii in 1897. If anyone knows the real story I'd love to hear it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo9CJ9nITA4PYzR4_h_J4t1fD_QsPmmScfNZjs3u7MAZwJroMk8sXH1ds0OCa7MSxYmmRwQ2KH0d9WapP-NTCHsEL-3LkBlDOUoWO1PLtqd1Oo40N7pBlBFrNEVH6TjNqCRkKc-4m-_Y/s1600/Sealtest+Pecan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHo9CJ9nITA4PYzR4_h_J4t1fD_QsPmmScfNZjs3u7MAZwJroMk8sXH1ds0OCa7MSxYmmRwQ2KH0d9WapP-NTCHsEL-3LkBlDOUoWO1PLtqd1Oo40N7pBlBFrNEVH6TjNqCRkKc-4m-_Y/s1600/Sealtest+Pecan.jpg" height="640" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Life, </i>September 30, 1957 adversitement</td></tr>
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Rolling down the river of time, we come upon this fun little vintage ad from 1957 for Sealtest ice cream. And what other flavor would we see down south on the Mississippi than South'n Pecan Crunch? Oh yes, this scrumptious southern delight has just arrived! It is, in fact, "a packet of pure eatin' pleasure--full of chewy, crunchy goodness." Wonder if you could send off for the toy boat?</div>
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The Sealtest brand was originally a franchise name sold to local milk bottlers throughout the Midwest and as far east as Philadelphia and New York City. The Sealtest Dairy Company was founded by Vernon F. Hovey. Eventually the brand was acquired by Kraft in 1993.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZJXfh1osujHJNUqddOZL3cCjjEphWPNuWp7lddbiD_gidSwokRjImwiPDsMVoPBuE5N1TTMCtEPyTe-SFU8x5hBvvwmzX8Eai-hO2UjKQOeHQSQFmwT-zMz46JDU0jTA-zN99X8vbxk/s1600/French+IC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZJXfh1osujHJNUqddOZL3cCjjEphWPNuWp7lddbiD_gidSwokRjImwiPDsMVoPBuE5N1TTMCtEPyTe-SFU8x5hBvvwmzX8Eai-hO2UjKQOeHQSQFmwT-zMz46JDU0jTA-zN99X8vbxk/s1600/French+IC.jpg" height="640" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Life</i>, Apil 29, 1963 advertisement</td></tr>
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Moving on a few years we see that Sealtest is still pushing pecans to the readers of <i>Life</i> magazine. At some point in those five years their ice cream became <i>Prestige French</i>. And the Pecan Crunch became Butter Pecan, a flavor that is quite common today. It appears that the change has made this ice cream "so tantalizing, so distinctively different!" This stuff is so good it incorporates "all of the skill of the ice cream maker's art". That's hard to top. Note the clear bucket, which is heralded as "ice cream that shows its good taste--and yours."</div>
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This is the kind of luxury I can understand.</div>
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<br />Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-42473486385801330092014-08-28T04:00:00.000-07:002014-08-28T04:00:00.585-07:00Bayou Rum: A Little Taste of Local FlavorBayou Rum, Louisiana Spirits, Lacassine, Louisiana<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhespAH8NIPevYxpdssasdulLho6SHRsUZXQdKFDwHqpy1XwLMx-4i0RChuROqRqj1R-1kJmfxrYCKHe3zP9qG_GVOPVU_IGnNG8Lokurpl9r-nO8rPEqJecmZEvnUjiI3VPMWQZErjCOU/s1600/Louisiana+Spirits+Facade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhespAH8NIPevYxpdssasdulLho6SHRsUZXQdKFDwHqpy1XwLMx-4i0RChuROqRqj1R-1kJmfxrYCKHe3zP9qG_GVOPVU_IGnNG8Lokurpl9r-nO8rPEqJecmZEvnUjiI3VPMWQZErjCOU/s1600/Louisiana+Spirits+Facade.jpg" height="386" width="640" /></a></div>
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Just a few miles east of Lake Charles, Louisiana, a new distillery is attracting attention. <i>Room With No View</i> took advantage of a beautiful day to stop in and see what Louisiana Spirits is all about. Impressed with what we saw on the outside, we stepped inside and were disappointed to discover that we'd missed the last tour of the day. A very gracious and apologetic young lady invited us to watch a short film on the distillery and assured us that we could still enjoy a taste test afterwards.</div>
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The film highlighted the use of Louisiana products in this locally owned and operated company. Once it was over we learned just how local the ownership really is. To our surprise, one of the owners of Louisiana Spirits was on hand and offering to give us a personal tour. We were more than happy to accept.</div>
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Our host was Skip Cortese, part owner and one of the creative forces behind Bayou Rum. (His partners are Tim and Trey Litel. Trey is a former Bacardi Rum marketing and sales representative.) After introductions we were taken back to the distillery floor where we could see a hand-painted mural depicting a scene from a Louisiana bayou. Painted by Skip's brother, Peter Cortese, the scene evokes the days of old when rum was distilled by rum-runners paddling the back waters of this state. In the center is T-Boy, heading out on a rum run. That's him in the bottom right corner as well, with his bag of crawfish and a bottle of Bayou Rum. He's wearing a <i>no smoking</i> sign around his neck which is a precaution he may have learned the hard way while working around his still. According to Skip, T-Boy is on each bottle of Bayou Rum five times. He assured us it was five times, though I've only found him four times.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdGPcKZaJ1N6CfpUoYwpfVWXqWq2rUIQKAzMXZXE8VUHClBfMgdv3DRP4uUbb6Fif2OpQ25qtCURG7l2b2tkil_6UhvsgK4oTQ0NifRrIj4jloHarpxYurj3ObItS5IyqA9Z192nFsdA/s1600/Bayou+Rum+Mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdGPcKZaJ1N6CfpUoYwpfVWXqWq2rUIQKAzMXZXE8VUHClBfMgdv3DRP4uUbb6Fif2OpQ25qtCURG7l2b2tkil_6UhvsgK4oTQ0NifRrIj4jloHarpxYurj3ObItS5IyqA9Z192nFsdA/s1600/Bayou+Rum+Mural.jpg" height="348" width="640" /></a></div>
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We visited the bottling room first. It is there that the bottles are first labeled then washed. The label design was an eighteen-month process and I think their time was well spent. There are many Louisiana products that cater to the tourists and end up looking quite tacky in their zeal to highlight what outsiders imagine is the Louisiana/Cajun culture. But the Bayou Rum label has a classic look that includes an alligator, a French motto (<i>L'esprit de la Louisiane</i>) and the Bayou Rum seal with T-Boy at its center. The new bottles are washed to ensure there is no contamination of the product. And what better cleaning agent can you think of than rum? This helps keep the rum as pure as possible.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg287kMT0bWcThBBdd-NOG9GX4qNPXO8fyUyCD1zj9PCx2H1-DvP9lR_YdnvxceW5AmQcqAKGAZVz8oO_pTdHkRJ285iqRqYK7DeD9FFJwNAZ9rbdJ0wyJ5UeaK29UfgAX_G2zhc_qcjVg/s1600/Three+Rums+BW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg287kMT0bWcThBBdd-NOG9GX4qNPXO8fyUyCD1zj9PCx2H1-DvP9lR_YdnvxceW5AmQcqAKGAZVz8oO_pTdHkRJ285iqRqYK7DeD9FFJwNAZ9rbdJ0wyJ5UeaK29UfgAX_G2zhc_qcjVg/s1600/Three+Rums+BW.jpg" height="560" width="640" /></a></div>
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Back on the distillery floor Skip explained how they processed the sugar and molasses. (All of the sugar, molasses, and other ingredients come from Louisiana. Louisiana produces more sugar than any Caribbean island.) The distillation unit is a very clean operation. Stainless steel shines everywhere save for the 18 foot copper tower which is the heart of the still. The rum is drawn off from the center of the column; the <i>heart's cut</i>. The heads and tails (the products taken from the top of the column as well as the bottom of the column) are sold off for fuel. It is important that the column is made from copper; the presence of the copper in the process destroys the sulfides that would otherwise naturally end up in the rum.</div>
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Once drawn off the copper column, the rum can be used in several different ways. Presently there are three rums produced here; Bayou Silver Rum, Bayou Spiced Rum, and Bayou Satsuma Rum. A batch of rum can be bottled or put into barrels for aging. The barrels, made from American White Oak (the same material used in the Tabasco sauce process), are charred on the inside which caramelizes the rum. You can see in the image below a top from one of the barrels that demonstrates this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6O00g0U_rzlqESTyM0iZI11pCqv5RFHph78PAzy-2ey8hfHQSOpIo5gtgvNohb4C02fqk9q3ga7MhIgMj82SBQVaroq1IcZKvJo2DM_VCpdKXBufnLqOLjB9Tmqzv9nvqYgM7njvGJ4/s1600/Barrels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6O00g0U_rzlqESTyM0iZI11pCqv5RFHph78PAzy-2ey8hfHQSOpIo5gtgvNohb4C02fqk9q3ga7MhIgMj82SBQVaroq1IcZKvJo2DM_VCpdKXBufnLqOLjB9Tmqzv9nvqYgM7njvGJ4/s1600/Barrels.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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It was fascinating to hear Skip as he worked his way along the tour. His passion for the business is quite evident and this made the tour that much more interesting. He was eager to point out that Bayou Rum is now available in five states along the Gulf Coast. In fact, demand for it has grown such that Louisiana Spirits has had to be careful not to expand too quickly. It is their intention to continue to build a strong customer base along the coast, though don't be fooled. They are well aware of the tourists who flock to New Orleans and the Gulf shores and are quite pleased to hear of so many of them returning up north to their homes with tales of an excellent new rum on the market.</div>
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In fact, Bayou Rum is getting some impressive attention. Bayou Spiced Rum was just named Best in Class (Spiced Rum) at the 2014 Miami Rum Renaissance Festival. In March of this year Bayou Rum was awarded Best in Class by American Craft Distillers. And Caribbean Journal included Bayou Rum in their 2014 <a href="http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/07/03/americas-10-best-rums-2014/9/" target="_blank">America's 10 Best Rums</a>. In addition to these accolades, Louisiana Spirits is now able to proudly say they are America's most decorated rum.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE38mEyywXP104sLR9OgRFRUcT6KgL4UL_cqMb4dHhxQrotDGfk5cOi3-Xt3U1EdkVMg-lm8bHuH217fSWFQDvACMR0GEzdQUId7Gw0-WCPeaedmG3egnP2doOhuIRzQRFwuyQ3t-K7T8/s1600/Bayou+Bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE38mEyywXP104sLR9OgRFRUcT6KgL4UL_cqMb4dHhxQrotDGfk5cOi3-Xt3U1EdkVMg-lm8bHuH217fSWFQDvACMR0GEzdQUId7Gw0-WCPeaedmG3egnP2doOhuIRzQRFwuyQ3t-K7T8/s1600/Bayou+Bar.jpg" height="548" width="640" /></a></div>
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Once the tour was over, Skip put us in the hands of Megan at the tasting bar. Laid out in a neat row were small cups with all three rums. (Megan assured us that it was not enough to get us in trouble with the many State Troopers prowling the interstate. In fact, they are not allowed to sell drinks at the bar. It is for tasting purposes only.) After listening to Skip brag about their rum it was time to find out for ourselves if all of these awards meant anything. We were not disappointed.</div>
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The silver is the smoothest rum I've tasted. I'm not much of a rum connoisseur but my impressions of rum have always included a fairly strong fuel-aftertaste. There was none of that here. And the spiced rum wasn't too strong. It was perfectly flavored so that you noticed it, enjoyed it, and weren't overwhelmed by it. But the real treat was the last of the three; the Satsuma Rum Liqueur. The fruit flavor is sweet, but there's just the right tinge of bitterness to remind you that this wasn't a mixed drink. </div>
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And speaking of mixed drinks, the last taste of the day was a small serving of a Bayou Blossom. Made of two parts Simply Lemonade and one part Bayou Silver Rum, we poured into this mix what was left of our Satsuma Rum sample. I have a strong feeling we will be hearing about some new awards being handed out when the Satsuma Rum is entered into next year's competitions.</div>
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Once in the gift shop you'll no doubt want to get a bottle (or three!) to take home. But while you're there, be sure to look around at the shop and bar. Everything around you is beautifully decorated with a variety of historic materials. The pews in the film room were made in 1852 and purchased from a New Orleans church that was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. The timbers were reclaimed from a century-old textile mill in North Carolina. Old bricks and wrought-iron fences have been re-purposed throughout. The design, by Architect Randy Goodloe of Lake Charles, is really top-notch. I'm not sure I've ever seen a mere gift-shop look this magnificent.</div>
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Be sure to get at least two bottles of rum so you can get the Bayou Rum bag you see below, though honestly I'm not sure how you could decide which rum to leave behind. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDahiMMTGzRUa0NmX_9IPnje5anOS5ADynoD-3sQLkjcc8iiHU3NJONDhXStoCkuhyphenhyphenw91uhvo1IEqzdOiTJauknJ2NhArqwaSlYe2zQIdwJG9aqylrVnN9jtrk_f_9FZ1wQA3xFj1H3z4/s1600/Packaged+Rum+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDahiMMTGzRUa0NmX_9IPnje5anOS5ADynoD-3sQLkjcc8iiHU3NJONDhXStoCkuhyphenhyphenw91uhvo1IEqzdOiTJauknJ2NhArqwaSlYe2zQIdwJG9aqylrVnN9jtrk_f_9FZ1wQA3xFj1H3z4/s1600/Packaged+Rum+2.jpg" height="400" width="368" /></a></div>
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Bayou Rum is available in most stores in Louisiana now, and many restaurants. We were told that the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans is offering a drink they call a "Blonde Hurricane" which features Bayou Rum.</div>
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<i>Room With No View</i> would like to thank Skip Cortese for his hospitality and we encourage our readers to read more about Bayou Rum at <a href="http://bayourum.com/" target="_blank">their home page</a>. You can also follow them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BayouRum" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. To take a tour of the distillery just exit I-10 at Lacassine (exit 48) and you'll see Louisiana Spirits on the frontage road to the west. Unless it is gone on a promotion, you'll see the Bayou Rum truck parked out front. They are open Tuesday through Saturday.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80Hij1lCLKc9KmAyP5P-A4YQ2GrnCjyYduoJ0a8T61Q67GfEkbs5SZPvA6Lm1vLdtDP7AHJTfaizNGS15UBrsPMznu7XIEjwtFQ9S9Ckp2Tk0Y7EQZh1_zFuVloJcbsySxAVFpVfwwBc/s1600/Rum+Runner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80Hij1lCLKc9KmAyP5P-A4YQ2GrnCjyYduoJ0a8T61Q67GfEkbs5SZPvA6Lm1vLdtDP7AHJTfaizNGS15UBrsPMznu7XIEjwtFQ9S9Ckp2Tk0Y7EQZh1_zFuVloJcbsySxAVFpVfwwBc/s1600/Rum+Runner.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-60833921130561357512014-08-25T04:00:00.000-07:002014-08-25T04:00:00.549-07:00Life's Television War of September, 1957<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5SGGerkOkvT9RSbVQI34Rs8n8C00fewJBD80-rsYAxiw5hfUxjpW60m3CaiNLmb9XwD533eGZsSEc5SlV-tpbFy8qMe1o3Li-3fhvpPqnfvBRueBAy04QeED0cydImcvPTmD2zEFuuQ/s1600/Clicker+Inset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5SGGerkOkvT9RSbVQI34Rs8n8C00fewJBD80-rsYAxiw5hfUxjpW60m3CaiNLmb9XwD533eGZsSEc5SlV-tpbFy8qMe1o3Li-3fhvpPqnfvBRueBAy04QeED0cydImcvPTmD2zEFuuQ/s1600/Clicker+Inset.jpg" height="345" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Life Magazine, September 30, 1957</b></div>
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The Golden Age of Television was in full bloom. Already, viewers across the United States had been tuning in for several years to watch a bevy of what we now know as classic television shows: <i>Captain Kangaroo</i>, <i>The Mickey Mouse Club, The Lawrence Welk Show</i>, and everybody's favorite western, <i>Gunsmoke</i>. All of these premiered in 1955. Just a year later, such shows as <i>As the World Turns, The Edge of Night, </i>and <i>The Price is Right</i> joined in on the fun.</div>
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By the beginning of the 1957 season, viewers had every reason to pull up a TV tray laden with goodies every night of the week. ABC premiered a promising new western on Sunday nights at 7:30 called <i>Maverick.</i> Monday nights were a chance to catch the mix of dry and zany humor offered up by <i>The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show</i> on CBS. CBS was also the channel to tune in on Tuesday night if you were a fan of <i>The Red Skelton Show</i>. The whole family could spend an entire Wednesday night catching the new <i>Leave it to Beaver </i>(CBS at 8:00), <i>Father Knows Best </i>(switch over to NBC at 8:30) and finish up the night with <i>The Ozzie and Harriet Show</i> (switching yet again to ABC at 9:30). Thursdays and Fridays offered up <i>Dragnet</i> and <i>Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater. </i>Saturday was the night you just couldn't miss. CBS dominated that evening with its brand new courtroom drama <i>Perry Mason</i>, followed by <i>Have Gun-Will Travel </i>(the number four show that year) and <i>Gunsmoke </i>(the number one show.)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGbZOYLp4KYsV4K2ZkX7KAMMQ5oGEFZXTHRDfINNdbqXr8hvcFvCdf98Yj95zwsitiIMjrRoLooB-XcCUKnl1Fpn0PvgUKrjE6mof1NEuXAeUwaHMzzLnrjIPI-2YjEw58k8BE1_cQ6U/s1600/Gunsmoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGbZOYLp4KYsV4K2ZkX7KAMMQ5oGEFZXTHRDfINNdbqXr8hvcFvCdf98Yj95zwsitiIMjrRoLooB-XcCUKnl1Fpn0PvgUKrjE6mof1NEuXAeUwaHMzzLnrjIPI-2YjEw58k8BE1_cQ6U/s1600/Gunsmoke.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Number One Show of 1957</td></tr>
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When <i>Life </i>magazine hit the shelves on September 30th of that year, a little war was waged inside its pages; a war for television viewers and their money. While television had been around since about 1939, sales of television sets had jumped remarkably in the Fifties. The total number of sets sold before the Fifties was just over 3.6 million. Beginning in 1950 the yearly number of sets sold in the decade averaged 6.3 million. That number had peaked at 7.4 million in 1955 and the manufacturers saw a decline in '56 and '57.</div>
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At this time it was estimated that 41 million homes had televisions. Sales were bound to slow down. Just getting a television--any television--was no longer the goal for most consumers. Shrewd buyers wanted value and options. This led to fierce competition among TV manufacturers. And this was easy to recognize while browsing the pages of <i>Life</i> in September of 1957.</div>
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We start with Admiral:</div>
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Though some shows were already broadcasting in color (<i>The Red Skelton Show</i> at that time was sporadically filmed in color) the market wasn't geared toward such a radical upgrade. Of the six plus million sets sold in 1957, RCA, the leader in sales, only sold 85,000 color sets. The real upgrades, meant to grab the attention of those homes looking to buy a second set, were geared towards convenience. Admiral proudly showed off their Son-r dual remote control, which controlled both the television <i>and</i> their high-fidelity phonograph. The higher end model also allowed you to control an AM/FM radio. According to this ad, the remote allowed the chair-bound viewer/listener to perform 11 services, which included powering the three devices on and off, volume adjustment, and channel adjustment. I haven't done the math but there are eleven services in there somewhere. Oh yes, don't forget, this remote also <i>rejects phonograph records!</i> That sounds a bit rude, if you ask me.</div>
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I really want to know how Admiral came up with a remote that had no wires <i>and</i> no batteries. Was it, perhaps, like those survivalist wind-up radios? Did you turn the crank like Radar O'Reilly trying to energize the phone on <i>M*A*S*H</i>?</div>
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General Electric took a shot at winning the readers with their boast of a slim silhouette and an electronic tuner. Here you get some space-saving convenience coupled with a time-saver. A nice combination. Once you pre-tune each channel on the day you buy your set you'll never have to tune again. (Hmmm, that seems a bit hard to swallow.) Not only can you quickly change the channel from <i>Leave it to Beaver </i>to <i>Father Knows Best</i>, you'll also get these cool neon-like glowing coils of smoke pulsing out from the dial. A great incentive in the rocket age!</div>
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Philco waded in to the battle with this mobile device. No, not a mobile phone. But in 1957, this was the equivalent of a mobile TV. As their PR department says here: "Go ahead--put a Philco Slender Seventeener on your coffee table, room divider, <i>anywhere</i> in <i>any</i> room. This new Philco is fashion-styled to look stunning from every angle. It's the most compact, powerful, big screen table TV ever! And so easy to carry, it's like having a TV in every room!"</div>
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Well, it's like having a TV you can carry around to every room, but I get what they mean. And let's not forget it includes the exclusively developed <i>Philco Germanitron</i>, which is a long-life transformer. I will turn on the applause sign for their new colors peacock blue and charcoal, which were in addition to the usual mahogany and blond wood finishes. The price is certainly right: $159.95. A big RCA 21" color model was $495. Considering that the average income in 1957 was $5,500 and the minimum wage was one dollar, this price might just be worth it. And hey, even the back is beautiful! Just what you'd expect from a slender seventeener.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(I'm proud of this one. It took four scans and a lot of work to get this full spread so pristine.)</td></tr>
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Motorola steps up the war with this volley of glamour and technology. Forget about GE's auto-tuner. You can tune this TV <i>perfectly</i> from your easy chair across the room. And the remote has the added benefit of looking like a fine packet of cigarettes. In addition, the Golden Satellite has an electronic discovery that ends "warm-up shock" (which costs TV owners $10 million yearly.) This "Tube Sentry" eliminates 3 out of 4 service calles, brings on picture and sound simultaneously, and triples (!) the life expectancy of every tube and other parts of your set. (They should have reworded that. It sounds funny: every tube and <i>other parts of your set</i>. What does that mean, exactly?)</div>
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In the fine print we are assured that not only will the remote control your TV, but you can control it at the set, too. We should also note that the two hi-fi speakers are tilted up towards ear level, unless you're lying on the floor watching Captain Kangaroo with a bowl of Cheerios in front of you. The tinted safety screen is tilted down to eliminate glare, which is also useless if you're on the floor. And don't forget: the UHF is an optional extra, and specifications are subject to change without notice. But that's just the small print. And with that gorgeous blonde alongside the lean, lithe look of the television's rich-grained, satin-finished hardwoods, who will notice the small print? The dame in the dress helps to distract as well.</div>
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I'm not sure what is with the cowboy marionettes shown in the inset with the remote control. I do know that five of the top ten shows that year were westerns (also known as "oaters".) So this was a way to incorporate westerns, televisions, dames, dogs, and satellites all in one advertisement. A massive carpet-bombing aimed at wiping out the competition. However, I've never heard of the Motorola Golden Satellite. Perhaps, despite their winning the TV war in this issue of <i>Life</i> with this over-the-top, grandiose, superb advertisement, they lost the larger war for the hearts and wallets of the television-hungry buyers of 1957.</div>
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Which one would you have chosen?</div>
Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-45540541645138482302014-08-22T04:00:00.000-07:002014-08-22T05:22:14.531-07:00A Richer Life: The Image of the American Dream in 1950<div style="text-align: justify;">
General Motors and the American Dream</div>
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At the center of a small town people pass each other on the street, stopping to chat, kids show off their new toys to their friends, packages tucked under their arms, boxes wrapped in brown paper. At the supermarket the special is Rib Roast. Across the intersection at the appliance shop you can see a great white Frigidaire refrigerator displayed in the window. It is not a hot day; jackets are worn by all save a few ladies and children who grabbed a sweater that morning. But the sun is shining on the green hills outside of town.</div>
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It is a perfect day.</div>
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I forgot to mention the traffic. There are cars scattered around the intersection. A big dark Buick Eight has the right of way as it passes the post office. There are a few GMC pickups parked at the grocery store. A Pontiac or two, a few Chevys and Oldsmobiles. A Cadillac. What you won't see is a Ford or a Mercury. No Hudson, no Studebaker. Not in this town. Not a chance.</div>
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You see, this town was designed and created by General Motors. The town isn't real. It's just an image that is printed in brilliant color for magazine readers to enjoy. To look over. To imagine that their lives could be a little better, a little richer, a lot more like the American Dream.</div>
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Because when you buy a car from the General Motors family, you're getting a "key to a richer life". After all, their motto is <i>"More and Better Things for More People". </i>You can't argue with that.</div>
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Let's let the GM PR department give us their own take on the small town life.:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is Main Street, U.S.A. It is unlike any other Main Street anywhere else in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It is rich in contentment and well-being. It bustles with hearty and wholesome activity. And as you see and know firsthand, it revolves very largely around the family car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Along every Main Street in America, General Motors cars are a familiar and trusted part of the rich, full life Americans know. And this is so, very largely, because General Motors men have never ceased trying to improve on their best, have never flagged in their zeal to build better cars each year than they built the year before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Because of their practiced skill in Research, Engineering and Production, the key to a General Motors car is recognized today as the key to greater value. It is perhaps not too much to say that it is likewise the key to a rich and satisfying life.</span></div>
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It is, perhaps, too much to say. But they said it anyway.<br />
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I love these old illustrations. I can't find the name of the artist who did this great scene. If anyone out there knows it let me know. I'm also intrigued by the very small print which says "Hear Henry J. Taylor on the air every Monday evening over the ABC Network, coast to coast." I could Google his name, but I wanted to see if any of you readers know who he was. </div>
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So enjoy the rest of the day here in General Motors land. As you can see, it's just the right sort of day to take your toy airplane along on a trip downtown. After all, your dad bought a GM car, and that means your life will be better and even a little richer.</div>
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Well, at least that's what they said back in 1950.</div>
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<br />Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-80908165905725115362014-08-18T04:00:00.000-07:002014-08-18T04:55:41.241-07:00Is Coffee Ruining Your Marriage? Vintage Wisdom From Sanka<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sanka knew 64 years ago that coffee was a major contributing factor to marriages that were bogged down with fighting and arguing. And the experts at Sanka had a solution.</div>
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I first remember seeing Sanka on my grandparents' kitchen table, nestled on the wooden lazy Susan next to the pill dispenser and the butter plate. What I didn't know was that it was that jar of Sanka that kept my grandfather from shouting at my grandmother and pointing a surprisingly long finger at her. It also kept her from jamming her knuckles on her hips and yelling unexpectedly vile phrases in his general direction. Such, we learn, is the healthy marital benefits of Sanka. </div>
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Let's just allow the Sanka experts a chance to prove their point.</div>
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And there you have it. Proof positive! Sanka will remove those caffeine irritations from your marriage, bringing a halt to fights, ending your need to make rude gestures as you reject your wife's coffee. No more jumpy, jittery upsetting days for you! And you won't have to cut back on coffee. All the worry has been removed. Even better: Sanka has a new, improved flavor and economy! What more could you want? So enjoy your cup of Sanka and the sweet disposition that comes with it. Your spouse will be glad you did.</div>
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(The full Sanka ad ran in <i>Life Magazine</i>, the summer of 1950. Room With No View does not endorse nor condone the drinking of de-caffeinated coffee. We prefer to drink the hard stuff: caffeine-soaked coffee. No matter what it does to our marriage. We'll take our chances!)</div>
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Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-10954301747749521712014-08-15T13:07:00.000-07:002014-08-15T13:07:57.205-07:00Zippo Dating Tips: What a Woman Really Wants in Her Man<div style="text-align: justify;">
Zippo Dating Tips as seen in <i>Life Magazine</i>, August, 1950</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3jVv_dvDDJdPj67GVT8_3qpnQMMqsYKzLpx7AyAsZqVrmuGgkVlHcDGym3LtvPeQ7iFfDt9sBZLuKFHyneFPDtQlr0Q-vXQ5oYBRHjvDmHfGjkF8VbhD9LjD1-JqG8o_A0FtDZFzZNw/s1600/Camel+Guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3jVv_dvDDJdPj67GVT8_3qpnQMMqsYKzLpx7AyAsZqVrmuGgkVlHcDGym3LtvPeQ7iFfDt9sBZLuKFHyneFPDtQlr0Q-vXQ5oYBRHjvDmHfGjkF8VbhD9LjD1-JqG8o_A0FtDZFzZNw/s1600/Camel+Guy.jpg" height="400" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From a 1965 <i>Popular Mechanics, </i>just one year<br />
before the first label from the Surgeon General<br />
warned of the dangers of smoking.</td></tr>
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I've always known that Hollywood glamorized the use of cigarettes in the years after World War Two. And any man who wanted to be a real man puffed away on Camels, Lucky Strikes, Chesterfields, Viceroys, Winstons, and a host of other brands in the feeding frenzy that was the golden age of smoking. We've all since learned how dangerous and destructive cigarettes are. But did you realize that one of the real dangers of smoking had nothing to do with the cigarettes but had everything to do with malfunctioning lighters? No, people weren't getting burned from these malfunctioning butane-fueled gadgets. They were <i>losing</i> their chances to date bikini-clad young ladies.</div>
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Really. Seriously. This was a problem. But there was a remedy for this terrible tragedy. And Zippo had the answer:</div>
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Okay, first they had the question, which is more like a question and statement mixed up in a single sentence:</div>
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That's right. Women wouldn't give you the time of day if your lighter wouldn't light up on that first zip. As you can see, this bathing beauty in the polka dots is far more attracted to the man with the zippo, despite his lack of hair, his lack of shape (I'm not kidding, take another look, the guy has no shape at all under that prison sackcloth) and despite the fact that he looks like C.S. Lewis. I mean, really, who smokes a pipe on the beach? The man's spindly legs are more narrow than his Zippo. And he's so white the white stripes on his shirt are darker than his skin. But who cares, right ladies? As long as his lighter strikes up on that first zip, he's a dream come true.</div>
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But if you don't see what the big deal is, then you just need to let Zippo explain it for you, which they are more than willing to do. And as you'll see, you can get a Genuine Calfskin or English Morocco leather crafted case. You have the choice of chrome or sterling silver, too. Even better, you'll never spend a penny for repairs. And it almost goes without saying that you can find Zippo lighters at <i>better</i> stores everywhere. But they went ahead and said it anyway.</div>
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Lest you think I'm making this up, here's the full ad below, all together. <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>And please remember that smoking is just about the best way to give yourself cancer and/or emphysema, which is a <a href="http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/lung-cancer-pictures#3" target="_blank">really awful way to die</a>.</b></span><br />
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Don't forget:</div>
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<br />Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-44135362245731299662014-08-11T20:36:00.001-07:002014-08-13T19:58:20.798-07:00Robin Williams: My View of a Man We Never Saw<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Robin Williams. As of this writing, just hours after the world learned of the death of Robin Williams, we have been told that the man who entertained millions has apparently died from suicide. Shock is hardly a worthy term. We are tempted to giggle; it must be a joke. Some hoax thrown at us from the zany man who gave us Mork from Ork and Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire. This is just the sort of gag he'd love to pull. And when we'd learn of the hoax, when we'd discover how we'd been hoodwinked, we'd laugh, just as hard as we ever laughed at the man's improvised iambic pentameter.</div>
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We are also tempted to get angry. How in the world could a man this successful, this accomplished, succumb to depression? Who is he to be depressed? How dare he? Did he not learn anything from his own movies? Wasn't he paying attention to what he'd been telling us all those years? Didn't we see how tragic it was when Peter forgot how to enjoy life once he'd become an adult? That we must seize the day and suck the marrow from its bones? That in a world at war we could still look around and find those who need to be shown a little love and respect? That we must never, ever, give in to despair lest we be damned in our own dismal hell for all eternity?</div>
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But we know that it matters little how successful the man was. It matters little what inspirational moments he gave us on the big screen or our little screens at home. We'll never know what was inside the man. We may have caught glimpses of him. We may have been witness to a few of the deeper recesses of his being. But for those of us who never knew him--his fans, his critics, his voyeurs--we'll never know who he really was.</div>
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We'll read plenty about him in the next few days, weeks, and even years from now. Exclusive interviews will tell us who he really was under all his Popeye muscles and Jumanji jungle clothes. We'll learn the real Robin Williams shined through in his performance as a frustrated professor of English in a mid-century boys school, or that he was revealing the true Robin Williams when he slipped into his child-like wonder-filled beloved alien role of Mork.</div>
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That will all come later. The sage co-workers and friends and estranged family members will nod wisely, speak softly, allude to inner demons, and finish with a profound anecdote that won't have a chance in Dante's hell of matching Williams' powerful delivery of such lines as "that the powerful play <i>goes on</i>...and you may contribute a verse."</div>
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I never knew this darker side of Robin Williams. But let me tell you what side of him I did know. You see, I raised five children from the early nineties until today, and Robin Williams played a part in that. His were the movies my children picked out time and again to watch, re-watch, then watch all over again. <i>Hook, Aladdin, Flubber, Jumanji. </i>That pixie smile that erupted on Peter's face at the end of <i>Hook</i> was the same smile that blossomed on everyone's faces watching his movies. All of us, adults included, were easily reminded of what it was to enjoy childhood, to imagine ourselves flying through the air, to see and partake of the wonders that surround us every day. To find a friend and hold on to him or her to the very end.</div>
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And yet, even as he laughed, he would occasionally frown and allow a tear to roll down that cheek where once a smile had flourished: <i>What Dreams May Come</i>, <i>Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam.</i> These movies also came along for our kids, as they grew older, learning more about the world and all its complexities. We didn't always agree with the world-views presented in them, but they were always invaluable for stirring debate and discussion with our teens.</div>
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And for this I would thank Robin Williams if I could. And while it is too late for that now, I can still do it here, in this shocking moment just hours after his passing. Only a few days ago I'd seen a movie listing with him in it and I said to my wife "you know, we haven't heard or seen anything about Robin Williams for a while." I don't know the whys and hows of what he went through these last few years. There will be plenty of people who will want to tell us all about it. And when that happens, and we think we've discovered the real Robin Williams, I suggest you take a little time to remember the man we did know. The man on screen. The man who entertained us. The man he gave us on the world's stage.</div>
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He did, indeed, contribute a verse.</div>
Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-85461049578484852822014-08-02T07:46:00.001-07:002014-08-02T07:46:21.391-07:00The Myth of Stranger Danger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Don’t talk to strangers. Every young child has been taught this.</div>
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Don’t take advice from strangers. Pinocchio learned this lesson the hard way.</div>
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There is safety within your circle of friends.</div>
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These maxims are lies.</div>
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Despite our determination to teach children the perils of Stranger Danger, we adults throw caution to the wind along with the above guidelines.</div>
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The easiest way for an adult to share what is on his or her mind is with a stranger. When something is really troubling us, we seek out someone who knows nothing about us. We go to a therapist, a psychologist—some sort of professional counselor. We do not go to a close friend. Sharing your intimate secrets with a close friend only opens the possibility of losing that friend. We have nothing to lose from an encounter with a stranger. You can tell a therapist anything and walk away. There is nothing invested there to lose. It is what drives this multi-million dollar industry. Talking with a stranger is simply easier.</div>
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Taking advice from them is easier as well. Instead of listening to family members, who know us intimately, and have an intimate perspective on our lives, we would rather take the advice of strangers, who don’t really know us at all. We can claim the expert knowledge of the professional as if it were some sort of prescription. If it works, we’re happy. If it proves to be useless, we can blame the professionals. Yet again, there is safety in the advice of strangers.</div>
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We’ll even turn to the advice of non-professionals, such as celebrities, talk-show hosts, and bloggers for tips and tricks to get through this thing we call life. This is even safer than using a professional. We don’t have to share our personal details with these sources. And since we don’t have to look any of them in the eye we don’t have to take their advice if we don’t like it. We can freely graze from any and all sources out there and nibble at, ignore, and devour whatever we come across.</div>
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But we don’t just fear sharing our intimacies with our friends. After all, this would suggest that our friends are shallow, disloyal, and completely lacking in empathy. There may be some of us out there who believe this of our friends. (Which would lead to the question: why would such people be considered friends?) But there is something else at work here. A truth that we don’t like to face.</div>
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The more we know a person, the more we know about that person. And as much as we deny it, we are judgmental little nitwits, and the thought of going to our friends for help is sometimes just an impossible idea. “Ask him? The guy who can’t straighten out his own life?” “Her? She doesn’t know me!” (This last one is especially hard for us to swallow. We just don’t want to acknowledge that someone has our number. That someone can see us for what we really are. And if they can, they had better never say a word of it aloud!)</div>
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All of which leads us back to strangers. We don’t see them as dangerous; friends are dangerous, strangers are the safe bet. And despite the warnings, we are easily led astray by people we don’t know. Even worse, we ignore the friends who could lead us back on the right path.</div>
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Of course, the real trick here is to trust your friends. But that's often harder than trusting a stranger.</div>
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Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-50519075916370764592014-07-28T06:22:00.002-07:002014-07-28T06:22:56.573-07:00The Golem and the Jinni: A magical review of a book by Helene Wecker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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<b>The Golem and the Jinni: </b>Helene Wecker</div>
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Can you remember reading books as a child? Do you remember reading tales of magic and wonder that dazzled your mind with wild adventures set in faraway places? I sure do. And I think that as a reader, I'm always trying to retrieve that feeling I once had when reading Marguerite Henry's <i>King of the Wind</i> or Mark Twain's <i>Huckleberry Finn</i>. Late;y, I've been having trouble recapturing this experience. So many books are full of slick, quick-paced prose that leaves little chance a reader will become wrapped up in what he or she is reading. I think editors believe we don't have the time to read such stories any more. There seems to be this delusion that people won't read stories with detailed description and back stories. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a novel with these very elements just a few weeks ago.</div>
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In Helene Wecker's debut novel, Chava, a magical clay being called a golem, comes to New York City in 1899. Created to serve a master, she is adrift in this great city after her master dies before he can arrive on the shores of America. Chava is taken in by a kindly Rabbi who lives in the Jewish quarter of the city.</div>
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At about the same time, Ahmad, a jinni from the deserts of Syria (another magical being, though this one is made of fire), is released from his copper flask of a prison by a tinsmith in little Syria, an Arab section of New York City. The tinsmith helps Ahmad adjust to life in the city, for the jinni is not yet free. He is still bound by his jailer, though he has no memory of who that might be. He only knows he has been trapped for thousands of years.</div>
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And then, one night, these two creatures meet. Though people cannot recognize that they are not human, the golem can see that the jinni is made of fire, and the jinni can see that she is made of clay. But this does not mean they will immediately become the best of friends. Ahmad is lonely, and a bit reckless. Chava is timid, afraid of discovery. She is not willing to immediately befriend the man of fire. She is not sure if she can trust him.</div>
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And that is all I will tell you. From this point on the story goes its own way, full of enticing descriptions of Jewish baked goods and Syrian treats. We are allowed a glimpse of two exotic, pulsating ethnic neighborhoods at the turn of the twentieth century, all through the eyes of these magical beings who are as new to the city of that era as we would be. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author, Helene Wecker. (image source: helenewecker.com)</td></tr>
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Wecker is masterful at combining the fairy tale elements of these two mythologies with a turn-of-the-century period novel. As the story is a marriage of two cultures and mythologies, so too is the writing a marriage of simplicity and complexity. There were times I thought I was reading text from an old Child-Craft volume followed by times when I thought I was reading the poetic prose of Mark Helprin's <i>A Winter's Tale</i>. However, at no time does this sink into a childish Disney-like story, nor does it bog down with the weight of a period piece that is filled with too much detail. Wecker knows adult readers have a desire for mature prose and child-like wonder and magically keeps this balance throughout the whole of the novel.</div>
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There are many secondary characters in this book that complimented this balance; a wonderfully villainous Rabbi who practices dark, Kabbalistic arts; Saleh, a mad ice-ream vendor; Fadwa, a young Syrian girl; and many others. The ice-cream vendor really stood out in this mix. His story was fascinating. I can imagine that if this were ever made into a movie (a full mini-series would certainly be worth it here) the character of Saleh would be a juicy part for any veteran actor looking to pick up a top award.</div>
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I did feel that the end of the novel lost a bit of its originality at the end. I had the feeling an editor demanded that the end include a bit of a stereotypical Hollywood-climax. However, this did not have a negative effect on the book. It merely was not something I had hoped to find at the end. It would, however, make adapting this to a mini-series quite simple, and the screenplay could remain extremely true to the novel.</div>
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<i>The Golem and the Jinni</i> was nominated for a 2014 Nebula Award for Best Novel. There have been complaints about its length and pace but if you've ever read any of my reviews you know that I only consider these a plus for any book.</div>
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This is the sort of book in which you can really lose yourself, perhaps best read on a cold winter's night. If you love to read magical stories filled with exotic settings and empathetic characters, be sure not to miss this first novel from a very talented writer.</div>
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Check out Helene Wecker at her website: <a href="http://helenewecker.com/">HeleneWecker.com</a></div>
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Click below for the eBook version:</div>
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</iframe>Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-81281470485036766252014-07-18T08:57:00.001-07:002014-07-18T08:57:38.808-07:005 Fully Fabricated Facts to Feed the Frenetic, Trivia-Famished Folks on the World Wide Web<div style="text-align: justify;">
Because all of us love lists that allow us to learn the latest ludicrous trivial bon-bons as we surf the truth-challenged waves of the global information sea, I thought it would be best if I offered up this list of fictional facts that in no way relate to the truth. You'll be shocked at what you are about to read, and will wonder time and again: How is it I've never heard any of this before? And I hope that once your incautious appetite for counterfeit trumpery has been satiated, you'll merrily and recklessly pass this along for consumption on the World Wide Web.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hidden Messages lurking within...</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">5. Hidden Messages in the Songs of The Beatles.</span></b> When you take the notes of any Beatles song and assign numerical values to them based on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale" target="_blank">Beaufort Scale</a> then substitute letters from a backwards alphabet according to their numerical place value the resulting sentence reveals itself: <i>The Beatles are better than the Rolling Stones. </i>The only exception to this is in the song <i>I Am the Walrus. </i>The substitution cipher for <i>Walrus</i> reads quite differently, saying simply: <i>Our fans scream like little girls.</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best tip for removing coffee stains.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">4. The Best Way to Remove Coffee Stains.</span></b> Coffee stains on table tops are most effectively removed by rolling the table with an ivory tusk. Coffee is drawn to real ivory and will adhere to ivory indefinitely. Since ivory tusks are no longer available you might be forced to use a synthetic tusk, which will work as long as the coffee stains are from a synthetic coffee.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyF69qAVE_q70-Yik9KsQRsIA8laE9SUNE41HO9DFo_10V9Pbc-uHJ2AidnAmBD5mzfnXFLDbum2YRTLF60KTFKFkZvNwgeaYNiTtjFHPuG4PCOZV3xrHAi3e-n9f9-vLXx-9zD40VxU/s1600/no+sleep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyF69qAVE_q70-Yik9KsQRsIA8laE9SUNE41HO9DFo_10V9Pbc-uHJ2AidnAmBD5mzfnXFLDbum2YRTLF60KTFKFkZvNwgeaYNiTtjFHPuG4PCOZV3xrHAi3e-n9f9-vLXx-9zD40VxU/s1600/no+sleep.jpg" height="320" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleep? Never!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. </span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b> Children do not need sleep.</b></span> In a 2011 study conducted by Stanhope University's College of Psychology and Phrenology, children between the ages of six months and five years remained awake for seven straight months. The only adverse side effects observed were mostly related to the amount of noise coming from each child. Male children, while making far more noise than female children, showed less of an increase in noises made as their total number of sleepless days began to mount. Female children, on the other hand, showed a marked increased in noise level as well as variety of noises created by the second and third month without sleep. When asked how the researchers were able to keep the children awake, a spokesperson for the Department said they simply did not put the kids to bed. The study was originally meant to last for twelve months but the researchers found the decibel levels of the sixty-five children intolerable and it was determined that the children should finally be put to bed. No matter that the children had been awake for seven months, it still took the researchers three hours to settle the kids and get them to sleep.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don Knotts: Too Violent for the <i>The Godfather</i>?</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. The Godfather that Could Have Been.</span></b> We all know that Tom Selleck was originally offered the role of Indiana Jones in <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark.</i> But did you know that Francis Ford Coppola first offered the role of Vito Corleone to Don Knotts? According to sources inside the production of Coppola's 1972 <i>The Godfather</i>, Don Knotts screen tested for the title role and had actually signed a contract before Coppola decided Knotts was too dark and violent. Mario Puzo supposedly fought against this change, as he felt the frighteningly psychotic Knotts was just the way he had imagined the head of the Corleone family. Coppola, according to some, refused to change his mind, even when Knotts stormed into his office and threatened to tear out Coppola's liver with his bare hands. An assistant to the director once admitted that four body guards were required to pull Knotts off the Academy Award-winning director, though he has since tried to say the incident never occurred.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Reading a Book is the Number One Activity of All Age Groups.</span></b> A recent poll, conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, in which every citizen of the United States was asked "what is your favorite way to spend time?", has shown that a stunning 89 per cent of the country's population prefers to read books over any other activity. This included eating (a mere 7 per cent), playing Candy Crush (a paltry 1.2 per cent) and watching "Dancing With the Stars" (which came in as the second most popular on the list at 11 per cent.) The dramatic increase in book readers is being attributed to the complete conversion of television programming to reality shows such as <i>Top Gear</i> and <i>Myth Busters </i>as well as Hollywood's refusal to produce any more movies unless they are connected to Marvel Comics in some way. Cultural watchdogs are calling this the single most important step for our society, suggesting we are no longer destined to descend into hell in a hand basket but rather we are ready to climb up yet again to the pinnacle of our hopes and dreams. One former Librarian of Congress has suggested that the increase in readers is directly attributable to the rise in sales of Kindle eReaders, saying "once the awful smell of books was removed from the reading process, and the thrill of playing with an electronic device was added to the thrill of reading, it was an unfair fight. Nothing was ever going to be, and nothing will ever be, more fun than snapping open an eReader and reading a book from cover to cover. There's no way to compete with that sort of experience."</div>
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And now you know. Now get out there and pass this along so everyone else will know what you know.</div>
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<i><br /></i>Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-9134272094907680542014-06-30T05:37:00.000-07:002014-06-30T05:37:46.366-07:00Electronics and Rockets: February, 1961<i>Electronics Illustrated</i>, February, 1961<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPoWSTafUjzkxlOcNcn0NHNN0C1gl8o_BVBZs8FqM5Y0x-3VslHePKi_vpBQhHYeU4MFohKSL6mKrFD5oEy4JiQcAOcPPnzgB842oqsxUe9hTB4dumFaDYhbhCAnsh_jZ8jhiJUh7ginc/s1600/Elec+Illus+Feb+61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPoWSTafUjzkxlOcNcn0NHNN0C1gl8o_BVBZs8FqM5Y0x-3VslHePKi_vpBQhHYeU4MFohKSL6mKrFD5oEy4JiQcAOcPPnzgB842oqsxUe9hTB4dumFaDYhbhCAnsh_jZ8jhiJUh7ginc/s1600/Elec+Illus+Feb+61.jpg" height="400" width="338" /></a></div>
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I'm not a big electronics expert. I can plug things in. When they quit working, I can throw them away. In between, I know how to turn most electronic things on and off. I may even know how to set the digital clocks on them. But that is about it. So I was never one to read magazines like <i>Electronics Illustrated. </i>But I did (and still do) like to look through them for the many cool pictures they had. And here is a great example of why. After all, if you didn't know, I'm the editor of Rocket Fire Books<i>, </i>and I love anything to do with rockets.</div>
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No, that's not George C. Scott dressed up like General Patton on the cover. It's a real military officer pointing to America's <i>Courier</i> satellite. And as it says, this satellite is "the communications brain that receives, remembers and rebroadcasts 75,000 words per minute!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrb_nGbMEgyUB9op2MogVva2g0tVtYbXrCHzZT3VznEqjd8DskvN0tDdgC3M2E-P02jQGo8UJueX-sPwqlCW_1LRzMBHM45EOfjCdNhwcIyYcEU-t4FgUoIYbt7FmYmXeZgpSwkbtSfE/s1600/rocket+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrb_nGbMEgyUB9op2MogVva2g0tVtYbXrCHzZT3VznEqjd8DskvN0tDdgC3M2E-P02jQGo8UJueX-sPwqlCW_1LRzMBHM45EOfjCdNhwcIyYcEU-t4FgUoIYbt7FmYmXeZgpSwkbtSfE/s1600/rocket+1.jpg" height="640" width="460" /></a></div>
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Sadly, you can see that the public in 1961 has missed the significance of this achievement as a new communications link. After all, it is a telephonic-telegraphic-facsimile repeating station. Considering it carries messages across the world through the sky at nearly 15,000 miles an hour, I can't see how all those people missed this achievement. Perhaps instead of recognizing the impact of this telephonic-telegraphic-facsimile repeating station, they were spending too much time watching <i>Gunsmoke</i> and <i>Wagon Train</i>, the two top shows on TV at the time. (What shocks me is discovering that <i>Have Gun Will Travel</i>, a show I've never enjoyed, eclipsed <i>The Andy Griffith Show </i>for third place. I wish someone would explain that one to me.) So at a time when we were launching this super-sophisticated telecommunications satellite into space, most of the people at home were watching western TV shows. In fact, there wasn't one science fiction show in the top twenty-five shows that year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakgcw-bRacSqbMmUo9JXB_fGdj6bhVc_QpBWOu92Bxqn1SUcuGk1lRG9RRLprckeEHe9W2-yyEPLwYRgAnI1XQ4oliceotLBrCrs0CLNBv6B__o03iLrc7-XPEN7cEKeLSNKQhjxqUB8/s1600/rocket+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakgcw-bRacSqbMmUo9JXB_fGdj6bhVc_QpBWOu92Bxqn1SUcuGk1lRG9RRLprckeEHe9W2-yyEPLwYRgAnI1XQ4oliceotLBrCrs0CLNBv6B__o03iLrc7-XPEN7cEKeLSNKQhjxqUB8/s1600/rocket+3.jpg" height="640" width="428" /></a></div>
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Here we see the <i>Pioneer VI</i> sitting atop an Atlas-Able 3-stage rocket. The plan here was to launch this one to the moon--well, at least into lunar orbit, where "it will stay there theoretically forever." Or at least as long as <i>Gunsmoke</i> remained on the air, which it seemed to do metaphorically forever. </div>
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Now here, you can see what the Pioneer VI will look like. I notice that the author of this piece says the satellite will orbit the moon <i>practically</i> forever, which seems quite different from <i>theoretically</i>. I wish they'd get their hyperbole straight. Of a more interesting note, you can see where he takes a shot at the Russians, claiming that the only pictures we have of the dark side of the moon are just "a few blurry pictures of the far side of the Moon as Russia's Lunik I made its single pass." We have here a double shot at the Russians. Not only is this an attempt to point out the poor quality of the the Russians' photography skills, but it also points out how they only made one little trip around the moon. And remember, the Pioneer VI will be orbiting the Grand Luna for all eternity (practically and theoretically speaking.)</div>
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In all fairness, Pioneer VI has been fairly successful. Though NASA does not regularly check on the telemetry of this satellite, it did make contact with it on December 8, 2000, to celebrate 35 years of continual operation. It is uncertain what Pioneer VI had to say on such an occasion or whether it felt proud of its achievements. Oddly enough, according to Wikipedia, JPL says the Pioneer VI design life expectancy was only six months. Which is no where near forever, whether you are speaking practically or theoretically, or even if you are talking impractically. The only time six months is akin to forever is when you are a kid, and summer is still six months away. Then yes, six months is practically forever.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGyB8jTof6Ti6jYDKj80xddCkZIjOfI0lZc6Q5SxJ4FGvU09Z5SzDVQDiKaNmVBYFTNWGAfTd-dLnLxGKOPGBXjrwnX5Xs6iex3uud07dF_Jg6Q8Mc4mETO1YhmjiniPhi5ZB__bPrM4/s1600/1961+comupter+nerds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGyB8jTof6Ti6jYDKj80xddCkZIjOfI0lZc6Q5SxJ4FGvU09Z5SzDVQDiKaNmVBYFTNWGAfTd-dLnLxGKOPGBXjrwnX5Xs6iex3uud07dF_Jg6Q8Mc4mETO1YhmjiniPhi5ZB__bPrM4/s1600/1961+comupter+nerds.jpg" height="640" width="422" /></a></div>
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Now, in case all of this electronics talk has left you with a desire to be a radio and TV repairman, here's a great little offer from Christy Trades School. Get your free illustrated book that shows you how to learn every phase of electrical appliance repair. It doesn't teach you electrical appliance repair, but it teaches you <i>how to learn</i>. In no time you'll be fixing your own appliances, and your neighbor's appliances, all for the amazing figure of $5.00 to $6.00 an hour. And, you'll learn so much, your head will be the shape of a beachball, you'll have no hair, and your eyes will give a clear indication that you've been sticking your finger into one too many light sockets. Don't wait! Write today!</div>
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Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-37305826578476846362014-05-12T04:00:00.000-07:002014-05-12T04:20:42.381-07:00David Morrell: An Interview with the Author of "Murder as a Fine Art" Part Two<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpw5spP_n_7cHdQgk4Mpr1zI36YD8XhjvAjOINp6dq_4BKAq945oPXN5qZJwmQmjHk5hH2h6lBezhTdwHp-guq_bPefO2s8yfUHmYIsR8zIyfZD2qgJcYaD1RQGov6pJkoWAQqmOnV3E/s1600/David1_2_2011%25C2%25A9_Jennifer_Esperanza.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitpw5spP_n_7cHdQgk4Mpr1zI36YD8XhjvAjOINp6dq_4BKAq945oPXN5qZJwmQmjHk5hH2h6lBezhTdwHp-guq_bPefO2s8yfUHmYIsR8zIyfZD2qgJcYaD1RQGov6pJkoWAQqmOnV3E/s1600/David1_2_2011%25C2%25A9_Jennifer_Esperanza.jpeg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International Best-Selling Author<br />
David Morrell<br />
(photo courtesy of David Morrell)</td></tr>
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Last month I had the chance to
talk with best-selling author David Morrell.
After discussing his latest book <i>Murder
as a Fine Art</i> and its forthcoming sequel <i>Inspector of the Dead</i>, our conversation turned to his early
influences. (Be sure to read part one if
you haven’t already.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Television, Hollywood, and art of Turning Novels into Movies<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Read any book of David Morrell’s and you’ll likely come
across a foreword, afterword or author bibliography that begins with the story
of Morrell’s early inspiration found in the television show <i>Route 66</i> and one of its creators and
head writer, Stirling Silliphant. The
series was about two young men in a Corvette convertible as they traveled
across the country in search of America and themselves.</div>
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<br /></div>
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“I was 17 and aimless when <i>Route 66</i> premiered,” he admitted. “I had a troubled childhood. My widowed
mother was forced to put me in an orphanage for a while because she couldn’t
work in a factory and take care of me at the same time. When she remarried, my
stepfather turned out not to like children. He and my mother argued a lot. Afraid, I used to sleep under my bed. As I
grew up, I spent most of my time watching television—sometimes 10 hours of it a
day. My high-school principal told me that I’d never amount to anything. Then I
happened to watch the first episode of <i>Route
66</i>, and it showed me what life could be like if you wanted to bust out (to
use a favorite expression from the series) and make life your own instead of
surrendering to it.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Morrell was not just drawn in to
watching a television show. He was drawn
to the writing, and the man who did the writing—Silliphant.</div>
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<br /></div>
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“It had an amazing mix of action
and ideas. I sent a hand-written letter to him (thanks to a librarian who found
the address for Screen Gems, the series’ distributor), telling him that I
wanted to be him. He sent me a two-page
typed letter in return, encouraging me, and I was on my way.”</div>
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Out of that initial
correspondence, they eventually became friends.</div>
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“We exchanged more letters over
the years. I sent him congratulations when he received a 1968 Oscar for
adapting John Ball’s novel, <i>In the Heat
of the Night</i>. When my debut novel, <i>First
Blood</i>, was published in 1972, he phoned me to tell me how thrilled he was.
But we didn’t meet until 1985, during the height of the Rambo phenomenon. He
was working on the miniseries for James Michener’s <i>Space</i> at the time. I happened to see a TV piece about the
historical highway Route 66. It featured a clip from the series. On impulse, I
phoned the Writers Guild and asked them to contact Silliphant and gave them my
phone number. He called me a half hour later and suggested that I spend the
Fourth of July weekend with him. So I flew to Los Angeles, and he introduced me
to his family. He showed me the places where he used to live. At one point, we
went to Malibu and had a photograph taken by his wife, Tiana.”</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJxSBF30sCJVhaorzLk-kogRvlI_24BZ-RYtoToOEVAyH_nxoQ1wceIgcisLYhWt4GmAfKm9LDBsQ9vMIWHGadBBmIB6Skkb647ZzCNqNiOVeb5xZcKxJuGLVyMw0vmKb4xFZ3M5uKSo/s1600/DM+with+Stirling+Silliphant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJxSBF30sCJVhaorzLk-kogRvlI_24BZ-RYtoToOEVAyH_nxoQ1wceIgcisLYhWt4GmAfKm9LDBsQ9vMIWHGadBBmIB6Skkb647ZzCNqNiOVeb5xZcKxJuGLVyMw0vmKb4xFZ3M5uKSo/s1600/DM+with+Stirling+Silliphant.jpg" height="470" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Morrell with Stirling Silliphant in Malibu<br />
(photo courtesy of David Morrell) </td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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This was only a few years before
they would collaborate on the mini-series <i>Brotherhood
of the Rose</i>.</div>
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“My espionage novel, <i>The
Brotherhood of the Rose</i>, was published the year earlier. It was the first novel to combine the British
and American espionage-novel traditions. Stirling took the book to NBC, who
bought it as a miniseries. I did four drafts
of the script. Stirling did one. Someone else finally got the credit. (That’s
how television works.) It was the only
miniseries to be broadcast after a Super Bowl, and Stirling was the executive
producer. Working with him was the highlight of my writing life.”</div>
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In his short story collection <i>Nightscape, </i>Morrell based a character in the short story “Front
Man” on Silliphant. Morrell explained:</div>
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“When Stirling was in his 60s, he didn’t get as much work as
he once had, because TV networks thought he was out of touch with the culture
because of his age. When he went to pitch an idea to a network executive, his
agents warned him not to bring a list of his hundred credits, because no one
would believe his amazing productivity.
Anyway, I used the anecdotes he told me about his meetings with
executives. I combined them within my own weird meetings (a barefoot
twenty-something executive swinging a golf club in a tiny putting green in his
office), and “Front Man” was the result, about an aging screenwriter who hires
a young writer to front for him, with disastrous consequences. It’s a primer
about the negative aspects of the business.”</div>
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Weird meetings?</div>
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“I went to the office of a woman who was the head of
production at a major studio. She was just under five feet tall. She sat on the edge of her desk and indicated
that I should sit on a nearby sofa. As I
sat, I realized that the sofa had no springs. I sank until my backside was
literally on the floor. In that fashion, she was able to tower over me for the
meeting.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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He continued to talk about the movie-making process, and I
would have to say that while it was fascinating to me, it was both funny and
discouraging. A case in point was his
sotry about the efforts to make a film version of his book <i>The Fifth Profession.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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“It’s funny in retrospect. I should add that more than half
my novels have been optioned by studios or sold outright, but it takes a
miracle to get a picture made. Too many
people need to share the same goal, but directors and actors come in and out of
favor, and packages of talent keep falling apart. About <i>The Fifth Profession</i>, there were numerous screenplays, none of
which I wrote. One of them depicted black-clad ninja warriors descending ropes
into an extinct volcano that had been turned into a rocket-launching site. This nonsense wasn’t in my novel. I warned the producers that they risked a
possible lawsuit from the producers of the James Bond film, <i>You Only Live Twice</i>, which used the same
ending. The producers had no familiarity with that film. As they told me,
‘That’s a Sean Connery Bond movie. We’ve never seen the Connery films. We’ve
only ever seen the Roger Moore ones.’ In the end, the picture was never made,
but the screenwriter stole the central plot element and used it in another
film. It wasn’t blatant enough for me to sue him, but he definitely stole.”</div>
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I was even more intrigued when he told me Pierce Brosnan was
scheduled to be in the adaptation of his novel <i>Burnt Sienna</i>.</div>
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“When Pierce was James Bond (odd how the character shows up
here), MGM optioned that novel for him, partly because the novel is a thriller
about a painter and Pierce is a painter who wanted to feature some of his work
in the film. But then the screenwriter
turned it into a horror movie about a painter whose work predicted the future
(which isn’t in my novel). Then Pierce stopped being James Bond, and MGM lost
interest in the project.”</div>
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“Does this drive you crazy?” I asked him.</div>
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“It’s show business. By its nature, it’s unpredictable. But
I had a great relationship with Carolco, the company that made <i>First Blood</i> and the first two Rambo
sequels. And I had a great relationship
with NBC’s miniseries department. Also I loved working with Laurel
Entertainment when I did a script for their <i>Monsters</i>
series. One of the projects that I
really regretted not reaching the screen was an adaptation I did of Michael
Palmer’s <i>The Sisterhood</i> that Laurel
Entertainment was going to produce. When
my schedule got weird, the producers actually flew to Iowa City where I then
lived rather than asking me to come to a story conference in New York.
Unfortunately the novel became lost in a rights issue, with another studio
claiming involvement and the film never got made. But the experience of working on it was
wonderful. Currently I have three books
in development, <i>Creepers</i>, <i>The Brotherhood of the Rose</i> (for a
feature), and <i>Murder as a Fine Art</i>
(for a TV series). There are so many variables in getting a picture made that
I’ve learned not to have expectations. And then, of course, there’s the risk
that the finished films will be poorly made. In the end, I can control what
goes into my novels, whereas the movies are in the hands of Fate.”</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6Bfa8-praNA3xgtf5RkD2GU2OXGDu877Y_fA6Z3yW31hMweQRojZziDqxP60vl_bzJMzARdXWVrIdnrUJ5PAH0gtB9_X6puUBXXUhOH1L5h_shlv1vAxgjiHT1r3UkKeHXlU1bNsclA/s1600/Morrell-Stallone-HR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6Bfa8-praNA3xgtf5RkD2GU2OXGDu877Y_fA6Z3yW31hMweQRojZziDqxP60vl_bzJMzARdXWVrIdnrUJ5PAH0gtB9_X6puUBXXUhOH1L5h_shlv1vAxgjiHT1r3UkKeHXlU1bNsclA/s1600/Morrell-Stallone-HR.jpeg" height="458" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Morrell and Sylvester Stallone<br />
(photo courtesy of David Morrell)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Donald E. Westlake, Sinatra, and Irons in the Fire<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I had once read that Morrell knew
Donald E. Westlake. I’m a big fan of
Westlake’s work, which includes his hard-boiled detective novels as well as his
hilarious crime-caper novels featuring John Dortmunder, the hapless New York
thief. I asked him how they’d met.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“In 1968, I was a graduate
student at Penn State. My fiction-writing teacher was Phillip Klass (pen
name—William Tenn), who had an agent named Henry Morrison. Morrison also represented Westlake. Klass had bought a house near Penn State, and
Morrison and Westlake drove out from New York City for a house-warming party.
At the party, Klass introduced me to them, told them that I was working on a
novel (<i>First Blood</i>), and then
suggested that they let me tell them about it. So in the middle of this
housewarming, party, the first pitch I ever did, I had to sit down on the
stairs with people going up and down to the only bathroom and I described <i>First Blood. </i>Morrison asked Westlake,
‘What do you think?’ Westlake answered, ‘I think it’s a helluva idea.’ Morrison
said ‘I think it is too. David, you have an agent.’”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Westlake ended up reading the
first draft of <i>First Blood </i>and passed
along some advice.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“At that time, I was still
learning about structure. I began the novel, wrongly, with a chase scene in the
middle of the plot. I figured that I ought to start with action, but as
Westlake pointed out, the reader didn’t know anything about the characters and
hence couldn’t feel involved. I restructured the novel and began with the first
time that Rambo and the police chief meet.”</div>
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<br /></div>
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Did they ever meet again?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Every couple of years, most memorably at a Mohonk mystery weekend that he organized in upstate New York. He invited several of his author friends, including me, Brian Garfield, and Justin Scott to be guest speakers. He was the funniest man I ever spoke to. No one ever spoke more amusingly or more wisely about writing than he did. In October, the University of Chicago Press will release a collection of his non-fiction, <i>The Getaway Car</i>, in which he talks about his approach to writing.”</div>
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<o:p> </o:p> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRuEIOxqvmq8dfqlbofTs9iklTYWxXDAhKaxw9CPD4cxLidypIEXW11PrDIF5XYhnwP4KUWhMRjOnPeRZfCNmjTNqscdfBTXabW-U0bvpdSIebdrsao2d_gx9xw45tPXX87OvAQ-wk4Q/s1600/Westlake,+Scott,+Garfield.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRuEIOxqvmq8dfqlbofTs9iklTYWxXDAhKaxw9CPD4cxLidypIEXW11PrDIF5XYhnwP4KUWhMRjOnPeRZfCNmjTNqscdfBTXabW-U0bvpdSIebdrsao2d_gx9xw45tPXX87OvAQ-wk4Q/s1600/Westlake,+Scott,+Garfield.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A real treasure supplied by David Morrell for this interview: The Mohonk Mystery Weekend organized by Donald E. Westlake. From left to right: David Morrell, Donald E. Westlake, Justin Scott, Alice Turner, Christopher Newman, and Brian Garfield on the far right. Newman is the author of the Joe Dante police thrillere. Scott is a veteran writer who is now co-writing with Clive Cussler. Garfield, who got his start cranking out westerns, is best known for his novel "Death Wish", the book that started the film franchise of the same name. At the time this picture was taken, Turner was the fiction editor for Playboy magazine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Just as I was surprised to learn
that Morrell had written a Victorian murder mystery, I was also surprised to
find that he had written an eBook about Frank Sinatra. I asked him about <i>Frank Sinatra; the Artist and His Music.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Just before I discovered <i>Route 66</i>, I considered a career in
music. At an early age (16-17), I took lessons in musical theory, harmony,
counterpoint, and orchestration. I wanted to be a composer/arranger like Nelson
Riddle, who wrote charts for Sinatra and, ironically, later wrote the music for
<i>Route 66</i>. By studying Riddle, I came to realize what a
genius Sinatra was as a vocalist. I’ve been studying Sinatra for more than 50
years and finally wrote the e-book about him, just about his singing, about his
breath control and phrasing and how he copied the lyrics of the songs he sang,
writing them again and again on sheets of paper until he internalized
them. My hope was that anyone who reads
my analysis of Sinatra’s technique will think of singing in a new way. I wrote a companion e-book, <i>Nelson Riddle: The Man behind the Music.</i>
I once wrote a similar piece (for <i>Absolute
Sound</i> magazine) about Bobby Darin, another genius. I think that my interest
in arranging music helps me understand structure in storytelling.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“And you’ve written similar
eBooks on John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe,” I added.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Morrell surprised me yet
again. “Those are more of the magazine
pieces I wrote. I have dozens of similar
essays—about Steve McQueen, Rod Serling, and Richard Matheson, for example. One day I’ll collect them in a book.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I was amazed at how many irons
Morrell had in the fire. I brought up
his involvement with Marvel Comics. How
did he manage to do it all?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Well, I learned from Stirling
Silliphant. He wrote 5 pages every day.
Sometimes he did TV scripts in a week.
In the 1960s, there was a joke, ‘How can Stirling Silliphant writes so
fast?’ The answer was, ‘He has an
electric typewriter.’ I have a lot of
stories to tell, and whenever I feel lazy, I ask myself what Stirling would do.
The answer is ‘Keep writing’.” </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And he certainly does. <i>Murder
as a Fine Art</i> is a runaway hit (<i>Publishers
Weekly</i> called it “One of the ten best summer detective/thrillers of 2013), his
fans are eagerly awaiting the release of its sequel <i>Inspector of the Dead</i> next year, and he has a new Wolverine comic coming
soon. He’s been at it since the day he
had an idea to write about a Vietnam veteran who goes to war with a local
police chief. Since then he’s never
really taken a break. But despite the
odds in this shaky publishing business, he’s kept his writing career relevant
and vibrant for over forty years. And
like both characters in his famous debut novel—John Rambo and Chief Wilfred
Teasle—he obviously isn’t one to give up.
Even in the face of tragic events he’s found the inspiration to try new
things and provide his readers with something fresh and exciting, infused with
his never-dying passion for a great story.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p>Be sure to read <a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/05/david-morrell-interview-with-author-of.html" target="_blank">Part One</a> of this interview.</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
(David Morrell is a New York
Times bestselling writer who holds a Ph.D. in literature. He has been nominated
for numerous awards, including the Edgar, Macavity, and Anthony, and has
received 3 Bram Stoker awards. The
International Thriller Writers organization honored him its prestigious
career-achievement Thriller Master Award.
With eighteen million copies in print, his books have been translated
into 26 languages. I consider it an
extraordinary honor to have been able to interview Mr. Morrell.) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>For more information on David Morrell, visit his website at <a href="http://davidmorrell.net/">DavidMorrell.net</a> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>I highly recommend the following:</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rocfirboo-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B008TUNSUW&asins=B008TUNSUW&linkId=LVCOD4IB4UHX6WYA&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rocfirboo-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0057AOWVG&asins=B0057AOWVG&linkId=D3YRL5YDMSTIUOAZ&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rocfirboo-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B005NIYRCG&asins=B005NIYRCG&linkId=M2V3LFO276FXLOXU&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rocfirboo-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00B51QYOE&asins=B00B51QYOE&linkId=SBT3IV4ABMVBETHY&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rocfirboo-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B00B527WX0&asins=B00B527WX0&linkId=URNFUDP2CDYUOW3V&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>At the end of this month, Marvel is releasing a collection of Spider-Man stories, which will include David Morrell's <i>Spider-Man: Frost</i> series as well as an essay on writing comic books written by Morrell.</o:p><br />
<o:p><br /></o:p>
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=rocfirboo-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=0785190104&asins=0785190104&linkId=IJQLFW3BFZAWIL5F&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe>Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3812035202995955458.post-6333400315889710462014-05-05T05:24:00.002-07:002014-05-12T04:16:10.417-07:00David Morrell: An Interview with the Author of "Murder as a Fine Art" Part One<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhT1OVVwDSlnJSweUrpUj4jMadKm3ZWAtO_ycb98VTXQncYpZSjPKKPUS_bDh4iEiTLc8kqWlSYHvzlv6TAC_-7tAvNxf3etz2HK55QnkRNwXugh1EisdSKWzz7MnphFKHQCP9399IJrE/s1600/David1_2_2011%C2%A9_Jennifer_Esperanza.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhT1OVVwDSlnJSweUrpUj4jMadKm3ZWAtO_ycb98VTXQncYpZSjPKKPUS_bDh4iEiTLc8kqWlSYHvzlv6TAC_-7tAvNxf3etz2HK55QnkRNwXugh1EisdSKWzz7MnphFKHQCP9399IJrE/s1600/David1_2_2011%C2%A9_Jennifer_Esperanza.jpeg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International Bestselling-Author<br />
David Morrell<br />
(photo courtesy of David Morrell)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When I first saw the book <i>Murder as a Fine Art, </i>I was intrigued by
the author’s name: David Morrell. Known
the world over as the father of Rambo, Morrell had authored <i>First Blood</i>, a book that many people
mistakenly call “Rambo” since its principle character became one of the most
recognizable pop-culture icons in the world.
A Victorian murder mystery written by the father of Rambo? Was this a bad mash-up of testosterone and
fog-shrouded streets? <i>Murder as a Fine Art</i> turned out to be a
well-crafted, complex novel about the 1854 gruesome murder of a family that
mirrors the unsolved Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811. Morrell’s foray into Victorian London was
richly decorated with what was obviously a great deal of research. The story and the characters were lots of
fun. Morrell had delivered a
crackling-good Victorian thriller.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But I kept returning to my
original question: A Victorian murder mystery written by the father of Rambo?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I was curious enough to request
an interview. At the time, in the fall
of 2013, Morrell had to turn me down.
His schedule was full. He was
right in the middle of working on a sequel to <i>Murder as a Fine Art.</i> We
eventually agreed to reconnect in the spring of 2014.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
During the interval I began to
research Morrell’s diverse career. Look
him up online and you’ll find short stories, thrillers, comic books, and essays
in addition to his twenty-five-plus novels.
Morrell has completely embraced the eBook revolution. In fact, he holds the rights to most of his
books in the eBook market, since so many of the original contracts he signed
were written before the days of digital reading platforms. One short story that caught my eye was <i>They</i>.
Available as a single, this thriller is something like <i>Little House on the Prairie</i> meets <i>Wolfen</i>.
(Morrell explains in the foreword how Laura Ingalls Wilder’s stories
influenced this particular piece.)
Another single, <i>My Name is Legion</i>,
is a World War II adventure involving the French Foreign Legion. These are only a few of the titles
available. It is impossible to read
everything out there; the man’s been writing for more than four decades.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I had never read any of Morrell’s
books until I picked up <i>Murder as a Fine
Art</i>. One of the benefits of Morrell
writing a Victorian murder mystery is that it is drawing in readers who are
unfamiliar with his early books. He had
certainly drawn my attention.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0KlUyPIXDshM3rvqBFDyu-zpV7Ajr5x-TFQaSN64RNwte-KaRX5A5uCF6r0CobCfC6Bzr8B7hxVyT0jXawcgHV_7R6Z72Kpt66TJ6v6bpotg5lVnJ1RMEJJ75Sl1HafYdYpP6Jch5U8/s1600/Morrell-MurderasaFineArthighres.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0KlUyPIXDshM3rvqBFDyu-zpV7Ajr5x-TFQaSN64RNwte-KaRX5A5uCF6r0CobCfC6Bzr8B7hxVyT0jXawcgHV_7R6Z72Kpt66TJ6v6bpotg5lVnJ1RMEJJ75Sl1HafYdYpP6Jch5U8/s1600/Morrell-MurderasaFineArthighres.jpeg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
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<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Murder as a Fine Art</i> and the
Art of Time-Travel<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We finally talked over the phone
once Morrell had finished a major revision of the text to <i>Inspector of the Dead</i>, the sequel to <i>Murder as a Fine Art. </i>Understandably,
it was foremost on his mind.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Most of the time, editors of
mainstream fiction are looking to cut down the word count of any and all
manuscripts that come across their desks.
His Victorian novels, however, bucked this trend. According to Morrell, every time he sent <i>Inspector of the Dead</i> to his Mulholland Books editors, Josh Kendall and Wes Miller, they would send it back, asking for more detail. This was encouraging to hear. The
prevailing line among writers, editors, and anyone else associated with the
publishing industry is that readers today just won’t read anything with
detailed descriptions. They don’t care
about them, won’t spend the time it takes to read them, and they haven’t the
intelligence to absorb them. Did this
mean there was a new wind blowing through the halls of publishing houses? Well, there’s more to it than that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We’ll start at the beginning; how
a renowned writer of modern thrillers came to publish a Victorian novel, how
the author who gave us John Rambo turned his attention to the London, England
of the 1850s, and how this beginning, as with so many beginnings, started with
the tragedy of death.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In 2009, Morrell explained, his fourteen-year-old
granddaughter, Natalie, died from a rare form of bone cancer known as Ewing’s
Sarcoma. This in itself was a terrible
blow. It is often said no man should
outlive his children. To experience the
death of a child’s child is to experience an exponential grief. But there was a greater despair to be found
here. Morrell had already lost a son to
this rare bone cancer in 1987. The
number of people who fall to this sickness in the United States is only a few
hundred every year, yet the Morrell family had lost their second loved one to
this disease. Morrell’s response was to
retreat. “I wanted to get away from the
modern world,” he admits. “I wanted to
disappear into another era.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Morrell is known as a tenacious
researcher, having been trained in hostage negotiation, assuming identities,
defensive/offensive driving, and many other skills he incorporates into his
novels. At times it might even appear he
goes a little overboard in this area. He
is a graduate of the G. Gordon Liddy Academy of Corporate Security and the
National Outdoor Leadership School for Wilderness Survival. Not only did he become a private pilot
subsequent to his research for <i>The
Shimmer</i> but he has also earned honorary lifetime memberships in the Special
Operations Association and the Association of Intelligence Officers.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Retreating into the past, he
brought this nearly manic obsession for research with him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Still dealing with grief over his
granddaughter’s death, he followed his daughter’s advice to watch a film about
Charles Darwin. The film, <i>Creation</i>, explores Darwin’s breakdown
after his own daughter’s death, and includes a mention of Thomas De Quincey and
his theories in the same vein as if he were a precursor to Freud. Morrell was intrigued; soon enough, he was
hooked.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Thomas De Quincey was a
journalist and essayist best known for his <i>Confessions
of an English Opium-Eater</i>, published in 1821. It is an autobiographical account of De
Quincey’s laudanum addiction and the effect it had on his life. Not only did this work influence the literary
efforts of such writers as Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, and Nikolai
Gogol, but it also influenced the study of psychology and abnormal
psychology. And now we can add David
Morrell to that list of influences, especially after he read De Quincey’s <i>On Murder Considered as One of the Fine
Arts.</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Once the idea of a book began to
take shape in his mind, Morrell admitted to his agents what he intended to
do. According to Morrell—“They said
‘Well, it’s a big risk’ and I said ‘I know, but you know what? If I don’t write this I don’t think I’m ever
gonna write anything.’” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Surprisingly, and to their
credit, they agreed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He was soon in the midst of
writing an imitation Victorian novel.
Morrell felt early on that the style would have to match the story. “I’m very big on form and content. That what a book is about should match how it
is written.” He enjoyed the challenge of
using techniques that no one uses anymore, including the Victorian habit of
inserting journal entries into the story.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As excited as he was about the
book, there were those who questioned his judgment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“When I told some fellow authors
what I was doing they were horrified.”
They assured him he would lose his readers, and destroy his career. Morrell simply didn’t care. He was already known for not allowing himself
to be pigeonholed as a one-trick genre writer.
He had dabbled in Westerns, Psychological Horror, and even Super Hero
comics during his forty plus years as a writer.
And with his current issues of grief and a need to step back from the
pain of this world it was easier to follow his heart in this endeavor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRPsqMCNKRhIwDUjZ8FPVqyKhC-EV8xytbqTTMIOWZ6ncLAZ-Rvz9_TVMCiVkNCgycoQ-r54aEMdOd31JvJHIezzwRCRmnvZwP29g3ejyw2wh34VxR-2QIsA98D3OoqUpKqUVfmFTqzU/s1600/MURDER+AS+A+FINE+ART+high+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRPsqMCNKRhIwDUjZ8FPVqyKhC-EV8xytbqTTMIOWZ6ncLAZ-Rvz9_TVMCiVkNCgycoQ-r54aEMdOd31JvJHIezzwRCRmnvZwP29g3ejyw2wh34VxR-2QIsA98D3OoqUpKqUVfmFTqzU/s1600/MURDER+AS+A+FINE+ART+high+res.jpg" height="400" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Murder as a Fine Art</i> artwork by<br />
Tomislav Tikulin, courtesy<br />
of David Morrell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Once the book was completed, it
caught the interest of then head-editor at Mulholland Books, Little, Brown by
the name of John Shoenfelder. In
Morrell’s words, Shoenfelder “told me that he went in to his boss at Little,
Brown and told him that this was an important book and it needed to be
published, no matter that it seemed a departure for me.” Shoenfelder was given the green light.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And that was it. With the publishers on board, the book, or to
be more precise, Morrell’s passion for the book became contagious, drawing in
more supporters. Morrell told me people said,
“You know he’s done this weird thing but, my heavens, you know, it’s really
interesting.” Gaining more attention
than many of his more recent books, <i>Murder
as a Fine Art </i>was chosen by <i>Publisher’s
Weekly</i> as one of the top ten Mystery/Thrillers of 2013. Even better, it made the top five for <i>Library Journal.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Morrell knew his gamble had paid
off. “God knows it could have gone the
other way,” he gamely confessed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Morrell says the email response
to <i>Murder as a Fine Art</i> from readers
was tremendous. The good news was that
his fan base had joined him as he led them down this new path. But the better news was that he was hearing
from readers who had never read his books before. They were loving it and asking for more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So were his publishers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Morrell is not a series
writer. It is part of what has kept him
from being stuck in a rut, like so many of his contemporaries. (Realize that his <i>contemporaries</i> consist of writers from the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, <i>and</i> the 2010s. Many of them can no longer be listed as his
contemporaries, since their time came and went long ago.) That he has more often than not found a way
to reinvent himself is a big factor in his longevity. But his tendency to shy away from recurring
characters did not prevent him from dipping his quill back into the inkwell for
another adventure in Victorian London.
(Morrell was willing to acknowledge that a close friend read the first
book and immediately told him he had a trilogy in the making. Though he didn’t jump at the idea, he says
her suggestion has always remained nestled in the back of his mind. But he’s not making any promises.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And that brings us back to <i>Inspector of the Dead</i> and his editors’
requests for more detail. You see, in
his modern thrillers, Morrell never felt the need to provide much detail to the
world around us, since readers were already familiar with the day-to-day elements
that make up our modern lives. In his
opinion, writers don’t need to add details that would be understood by a
reader. But since he had chosen the
alien world of Victorian London, and he had learned so much about it, he just
felt that readers needed a little help to get them to take the trip with him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As he wrote that first book he
had kept a note by his computer which read: <i>Try
to make readers believe they are truly in 1854 London. </i>Using shelves and shelves of research
material on the time period, and at the same time befriending and relying on
several historical experts in that era, Morrell began to fill his story with
these rich details that would facilitate the reader’s ability to co-exist with
him in that bygone London, something unnecessary for writer’s from that era. Their readers were well acquainted with such
things as the hygienic customs of the day and the cultural habits of all the
classes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was this desire to recreate
the past accurately that aided him in avoiding the recent steampunk fad. I have teenagers who introduced me to
steampunk around the time Morrell would have been writing <i>Murder as a Fine Art</i>. It’s
true I enjoyed that little sub-genre for a time, but its overuse in books and
movies shortened its lifespan. I told
Morrell I was glad he had avoided giving Thomas De Quincey a steam-powered
airplane in which to run around. Morrell
was amused at such an idea but said wasn’t the least bit tempted to go that
route. While he was aware of the
steampunk revolution, as it has been called, he was determined to remain true
to his goal and that note by his computer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Morrell wasn’t ready to begin
sharing too much of the story of <i>Inspector
of the Dead</i> but he did make sure I understood that it wasn’t a simple
matter to insert the details as requested by the editors. Most importantly, it had to be done in such a
way as to insure that the pace of the novel remained consistent. In fact, this last round of edits brought
more than a few new details to the book.
According to Morrell, he realized that he needed to change and expand a
portion of the book, and it meant an increase of nearly 15,000 words. While it meant a great deal of time had to be
spent getting it right, he was able to complete it in time. Deadlines, after all, and his ability to meet
them, are a personal pride of his. He
emphasized this by repeating something he’d once told a fellow author. “We all know authors who are more talented
than we are, there’s always someone more talented, but can they meet the
deadline? Can they perform
professionally and be part of the team in order to take this very complicated
process and bring it to fruition?” His
experience has taught him that if you can’t do that, your career will never get
off the ground. “Deadlines are the
absolute,” he said, adding off-hand, “I’ve never missed one.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So we can be assured that if his editors ask him for
yet another edit of the second book in his Thomas De Quincey series, Morrell
will get the job done in time for his readers to catch that return trip to
Victorian London. I know I’m looking
forward to tagging along.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UXnskLLwTIJY2ras3G9hTTOuefurfIl0jMHcQlOIPWxaDkK_QkADKxsysSeQyYpEbmpPlVlrGw8KYaruYmmOy0Ix_5ExzwpZsO77a-mIe3pjx1weqtuOIL1ZfEhcHSDLaI5UnV-9hjc/s1600/MURDER+AS+A+FINE+ART+3+high+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UXnskLLwTIJY2ras3G9hTTOuefurfIl0jMHcQlOIPWxaDkK_QkADKxsysSeQyYpEbmpPlVlrGw8KYaruYmmOy0Ix_5ExzwpZsO77a-mIe3pjx1weqtuOIL1ZfEhcHSDLaI5UnV-9hjc/s1600/MURDER+AS+A+FINE+ART+3+high+res.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Murder as a Fine Art </i>artwork by<br />
Tomislav Tikulin, courtesy<br />
of David Morrell.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On June 14, <i>Murder as a Fine Art</i> will come out in trade paperback as a book-club edition. Added material will include study questions, an interview between David Morrell and Thomas De Quincey biographer, Robert Morrison, and an essay by Morrell in which he discusses his approach to writing thrillers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><i>Inspector of the Dead</i> is scheduled to be released on March 24, 2015. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">(Part Two of this interview, in which our discussion turns to Frank Sinatra, Stirling Silliphant, and Rambo, is available at <a href="http://roomwithnoview.blogspot.com/2014/05/david-morrell-interview-with-author-of_12.html" target="_blank">this link</a>.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">For more information on David Morrell, visit his website at <a href="http://davidmorrell.net/">DavidMorrell.net</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">eBooks by David Morrell: I <i>highly </i>recommend his short story <i>They</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>Jason Phillip Reeserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12027302680675834725noreply@blogger.com0