James Doohan, best known for playing Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott on Star Trek, died yesterday of pneumonia at the age of 85. Doohan had suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years and had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last August.
James Doohan was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 3, 1920. At age 19 he enlisted in the Canadian military, eventually rising to the rank of Captain in the Royal Canadian Artillery. During World War II he led forces at D-Day, where he was wounded in the leg and finger. Following World War II, Doohan attended the veteran's school in London, Ontario. He won a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Among his classmates were Richard Boone (later famous for Have Gun--Will Travel), Tony Randall (best known for the TV series The Odd Couple), and fellow Canadian Leslie Nielsen.
Doohan's gift for dialects and voices made him very much in demand as an actor. He appeared in films, radio, and television in both Canada and the United States. Perhaps fittingly, his first significant television appearance was on a science fiction series, appearing in an episode of Tales of Tomorrow in 1952. Also perhaps fittingly, his first regular role was on a science fiction series; he played Phil Mitchell on Space Command. Doohan's first film role was in the 1957 Canadian film Strike in Town.
James Doohan made many guest appearances in television before receiving the role of Scotty on Star Trek. Among the shows he appeared on were Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, The Viriginian, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and Bewitched. He appeared in the films The Wheeler Dealers, Jigsaw, and Pretty Maids All in a Row.
In 1966 James Doohan auditioned for Gene Roddenberry for the role of the engineer on Star Trek. Doohan did several different dialects for Roddenberry, including a Scottish brogue. Roddenberry asked Doohan which dialect he preferred and Doohan said that he always thought that all the world's greatest engineers had been Scottish. The character of Lt. Commander Montogery Scott, also known as "Scotty," was then born. Initially, Scotty was conceived as a semi-regular. This changed very soon when it became apparent that many of the series' plots required action on the part of the Chief Engineer. Scotty not only became a regular, but third in command of the starship Enterprise. Doohan not only played Scotty on the original run of Star Trek, but in the animated series and seven of the movies based on the show. On the animated version of Star Trek, Doohan not only provided Scotty's voice, but many other voices as well.
Following the original run of Star Trek, Doohan continued to make guest apperances on television, including a memorable appearance as Scotty on Star Trek: the Next Generation. He was a regular on the Saturday morning TV series Jason of Star Command. On August 31, 2004, James Doohan received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I am very, very sad to hear of James Doohan's death. I have alwyas thought it was regrettable that following Star Trek he was somewhat typecast as the Scottish engineer. Before playing Scotty on Star Trek, he was a guest star on many TV series, playing a variety of roles. He even played heavies and played them well. There can be little doubt that much of the reason Scotty was such an interesting and three dimensional character was due to the talent of Doohan. Doohan portrayed Scotty as a fantastic enginner, yet at the same time very eccentric and very human. Besides McCoy, Scotty was always my favourite charaacter on Star Trek. Quite simply, James Doohan was one of the most gifted character actors on televison.
Doohan's last wish was for his ashes to be sent into space. Space Services Inc. will be sending Doohan's ashes into Earth's orbits aboard a Falcon I rocket. Given that Doohan was most famous for playing the engineer of a starship and his devotion to space exploration, I find this very fitting. At any rate, James Doohan will most certainly be missed.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Ice Cream
On hot, July days like today, I think there can be only a few things better than a nice, cold bowl of ice cream. I'm probably not alone in this, as it appears to be one of the most popular treats in the English speaking world (and probably much of the non-English speaking world as well).
The origins of ice cream are obscure. From all appearances it dates back to the 1600s. It is known that the ill fated Charles I of England enjoyed ice cream prepared by his chef. It is also known that by the 1700s much of the nobility and the rich ate ice cream. Recipes for ice cream accompanied the Colonists to the New World. Indeed, it seems to have been a favourite with the founding fathers of the United States. One summer George Washington paid $200 for ice cream. Thomas Jefferson paid a pretty penny for a recipe for vanilla ice cream. Ice cream was also served at James Madison's second inaugural ball. Throughout the 1700s, for the most part ice cream remained a treat that only the rich and the nobility could enjoy.
All of this changed in 1846 when a woman named Nancy Johnson invented the world's first hand cranked ice cream maker. The ice cream maker, not terribly different from hand cranked ice cream makers today, required lots of ice, salt, cream, and hand cranking. Nancy Johnson patented her ice cream maker, although she sold the rights to one William Young for a mere $200. While it would be William Young who would make all the money off the revolutionary device, it would be named for its inventor--"Johnson Patent Ice-Cream Freezer." Growing up on the farm, my parents owned an old ice cream maker (I believe it belonged to my maternal grandfather). I can remember many a hot summer evening spent turning the crank on the maker to be rewarded with nice, creamy, vanilla ice cream in the end. It was one case where something home made actually was better than the stuff bought in a store.
Speaking of store-bought ice cream, it was developed not long after the hand cranked ice cream maker. In 1851 milk dealer Jacob Fussell figured out a way to turn his cream into ice cream using a larger version of the hand cranked ice cream maker and a number of ice houses. Despite Fussell's ingenuity, it would be a number of years before store-bought ice cream would be common place. Indeed, it would take the invention of refrigeration before ice cream could be found in stores throughout North America. Once refrigeration had been invented, the production of ice cream took a quantum leap--from only 5 million gallons in 1899 to 150 million gallons in 1919.
One significant event in the history of ice cream was the development of the ice cream cone. Popular legend has it that it was invented at the 1904 St. Louis Fair by Ernest Hamwi, although this does not actually seem to be the case. A resident of New York City, Italo Marciony, filed a patent for an ice cream cone on September 22, 1903. He received that patent on December 15, 1903. This pre-dates Hamwi's claim to having invented the ice cream cone at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. That having been said, it is perhaps fair to say that Hamwi improved upon the ice cream cone (his cones resemble modern day cones more than those of Marciony) and that he popularised the ice cream cone at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Ice creem parlours started opening in the United States in the 19th century. The number of ice cream parlours would greatly increase with the invention of refrigeration. Ice cream was often served at soda fountains as well, often at the neighbourhood drugstore. Eventually there would develop chains of ice cream stores. In 1925, in Massachussetts, Howard Johnson bought a soda fountain. He did not particularly care for the way their vanilla ice cream tasted, so he replaced it with his own recipe. He met with such success that he eventually opened more stores and sold franchises to the "Howard Johnson" name. The Howard Johnson stores would also expand beyond ice cream to become full fledged restaurants. Eventually they would expand into the area of motor lodges as well. By 1970 there would be nearly 1000 Howard Johnson restaurants across the United States.
It was in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois that the first Dairy Queen was opened by Sherwood Noble, who had worked in dairy products all his life. By 1941 there were 10 Dairy Queen stores. By 1947 there would be 100. Not only was Dairy Queen one of the earliest companies to go into food franchising, they are also arguably one of the most successful. Another succes story is that of Baskin Robbins. The company was founded in 1946 in Glendale, California. Today there ae more than 2500 Baskin-Robbins stores across the United States.
Of course, with the chains of ice cream parlours also came innovations in ice cream flavours. Originally, there were only a few flavours of ice cream--vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry being most familiar. Howard Johnson would expand the number of choices to 28. Baskin Robbins went even further, making literally hundreds of different flavours. In fact, they had enough flavours to have a "Flavour of the Month." The past many years they have even developed new flavours associated with movies (the Shrek Sundae being an example). Nautrally, as the ice cream chains developed new flavours, new flavours of ice cream also became available in grocery stores. Today people have hundreds of different flavours of ice cream to choose from.
As a treat for the nobility and the wealthy, ice cream has been around for hundreds of year. It has been a treat that the common man could enjoy for over 150 years. I seriously doubt that ice cream will ever fall out of favour with the masses, especially on hot, summer days. I rather suspect that there will always be people somewhere in the world eating one of the hundreds of flavours of ice cream.
The origins of ice cream are obscure. From all appearances it dates back to the 1600s. It is known that the ill fated Charles I of England enjoyed ice cream prepared by his chef. It is also known that by the 1700s much of the nobility and the rich ate ice cream. Recipes for ice cream accompanied the Colonists to the New World. Indeed, it seems to have been a favourite with the founding fathers of the United States. One summer George Washington paid $200 for ice cream. Thomas Jefferson paid a pretty penny for a recipe for vanilla ice cream. Ice cream was also served at James Madison's second inaugural ball. Throughout the 1700s, for the most part ice cream remained a treat that only the rich and the nobility could enjoy.
All of this changed in 1846 when a woman named Nancy Johnson invented the world's first hand cranked ice cream maker. The ice cream maker, not terribly different from hand cranked ice cream makers today, required lots of ice, salt, cream, and hand cranking. Nancy Johnson patented her ice cream maker, although she sold the rights to one William Young for a mere $200. While it would be William Young who would make all the money off the revolutionary device, it would be named for its inventor--"Johnson Patent Ice-Cream Freezer." Growing up on the farm, my parents owned an old ice cream maker (I believe it belonged to my maternal grandfather). I can remember many a hot summer evening spent turning the crank on the maker to be rewarded with nice, creamy, vanilla ice cream in the end. It was one case where something home made actually was better than the stuff bought in a store.
Speaking of store-bought ice cream, it was developed not long after the hand cranked ice cream maker. In 1851 milk dealer Jacob Fussell figured out a way to turn his cream into ice cream using a larger version of the hand cranked ice cream maker and a number of ice houses. Despite Fussell's ingenuity, it would be a number of years before store-bought ice cream would be common place. Indeed, it would take the invention of refrigeration before ice cream could be found in stores throughout North America. Once refrigeration had been invented, the production of ice cream took a quantum leap--from only 5 million gallons in 1899 to 150 million gallons in 1919.
One significant event in the history of ice cream was the development of the ice cream cone. Popular legend has it that it was invented at the 1904 St. Louis Fair by Ernest Hamwi, although this does not actually seem to be the case. A resident of New York City, Italo Marciony, filed a patent for an ice cream cone on September 22, 1903. He received that patent on December 15, 1903. This pre-dates Hamwi's claim to having invented the ice cream cone at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. That having been said, it is perhaps fair to say that Hamwi improved upon the ice cream cone (his cones resemble modern day cones more than those of Marciony) and that he popularised the ice cream cone at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Ice creem parlours started opening in the United States in the 19th century. The number of ice cream parlours would greatly increase with the invention of refrigeration. Ice cream was often served at soda fountains as well, often at the neighbourhood drugstore. Eventually there would develop chains of ice cream stores. In 1925, in Massachussetts, Howard Johnson bought a soda fountain. He did not particularly care for the way their vanilla ice cream tasted, so he replaced it with his own recipe. He met with such success that he eventually opened more stores and sold franchises to the "Howard Johnson" name. The Howard Johnson stores would also expand beyond ice cream to become full fledged restaurants. Eventually they would expand into the area of motor lodges as well. By 1970 there would be nearly 1000 Howard Johnson restaurants across the United States.
It was in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois that the first Dairy Queen was opened by Sherwood Noble, who had worked in dairy products all his life. By 1941 there were 10 Dairy Queen stores. By 1947 there would be 100. Not only was Dairy Queen one of the earliest companies to go into food franchising, they are also arguably one of the most successful. Another succes story is that of Baskin Robbins. The company was founded in 1946 in Glendale, California. Today there ae more than 2500 Baskin-Robbins stores across the United States.
Of course, with the chains of ice cream parlours also came innovations in ice cream flavours. Originally, there were only a few flavours of ice cream--vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry being most familiar. Howard Johnson would expand the number of choices to 28. Baskin Robbins went even further, making literally hundreds of different flavours. In fact, they had enough flavours to have a "Flavour of the Month." The past many years they have even developed new flavours associated with movies (the Shrek Sundae being an example). Nautrally, as the ice cream chains developed new flavours, new flavours of ice cream also became available in grocery stores. Today people have hundreds of different flavours of ice cream to choose from.
As a treat for the nobility and the wealthy, ice cream has been around for hundreds of year. It has been a treat that the common man could enjoy for over 150 years. I seriously doubt that ice cream will ever fall out of favour with the masses, especially on hot, summer days. I rather suspect that there will always be people somewhere in the world eating one of the hundreds of flavours of ice cream.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Billy Wilder's Golden Age
Billy Wilder is one of my all time favourite screenwriters and directors. Indeed, I doubt very many critics and film buffs would disagree with me when I say that he was one of the greatest directors of all time. By 1957 he had already co-written and directed a number of films now considered classics: Double Indemity, The Lost Weekend, Sunset Blvd., Stalag 17, and Sabrina. By that time he already had a clutch of Oscars for The Lost Weekend (Best Director and Best Screenplay) and Sunset Blvd. Even so, I believe that in 1957 Wilder entered his best period, when every single movie he co-wrote and directed was a classic.
Nineteen fifty seven saw the release of the first film which Wilder co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, Love in the Afternoon. Love in the Afternoon was a romantic comedy featuring Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn. Set in Paris, it centred on a rich playboy (Gary Cooper) who falls in love with the daughter (Audrey Hepburn) of the private eye hired to investigate him. Love in the Afternoon had all the hallmarks of Wilder and Diamond's comedies: sharp, witty dialogue; realistic characters; and impeccable timing. And Cooper and Hepburn's performances were great.
Although well known for his comedies, Wilder's next film would be a courtroom thriller. Released in 1958, Witness for the Prosecution was based on the Agatha Christie play of the same name. The movie was Tyrone Powers' last film, in which he played the alleged murderer whose only alibi is his wife. Witness for the Prosecution has one of the best casts for a film of its type, with Marlene Dietrich as the wife of Power's character, Charles Laughton as the defence attorney, and Elsa Lancaster as the nurse.
It would be with his next film, however, that Billy Wilder would reach the peak of his career. Released in 1959, Some Like It Hot was a comedy set in the Roaring Twenties, co-written by I. A. L. Diamond. It centred on two musicians (played by Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) who have the bad luck to witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. To avoid being killed, the duo dress in drag and join an all-girl band with a performance scheduled in Miami. Quite simply, Some Like It Hot is one of the funniest movies ever made. The comedy does not have a slow moment, with some of the best dialogue Wilder and Diamond had ever written. Curtis and Lemmon's performances are priceless, assisted quite well by one of the best casts ever assembled for a comedy. Indeed, Some Like It Hot topped the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Comedies in American film.
Some Like It Hot would seem to be a difficult movie to top, but somehow Wilder and Diamond did it. Released in 1960, The Apartment featured Jack Lemmon as C. C. Baxter, an insurance company employee who loans his apartment to the company's executives for their various romantic rendevous. Unfortunately for Baxter, this set up (which had naturally gotten him in good with the higher ups) is complicated when he falls in love with elevator girl Miss Kublik (played by Shirley Maclaine). In m humble opinion, The Apartment is not only one of the funniest movies of all time, but one of the most romantic as well. Lemmon and Maclaine have a great rapport as Baxter and Kublik. and Fred Macmurray plays one of his few bad guys, the older, oily head of the company, Mr. Sheldrake. The Apartment boasts great dialogue, convincing performances, and a realistic plot that mixes comedy and drama. It's no wonder that it won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and so on.
Wilder's next film, One, Two, Three, released in 1961, would not match The Apartment, but it was inspired nonetheless. It featured James Cagney (in his last role until Ragtime) as a Coca-Cola executive in West Berlin who winds up taking care of the company president's daughter. The comedy came at a rapid pace, with more and more outrageous situations developing one on top of the other. The dialogue is some of Wilder and Diamond's best, with great lines coming almost non-stop and plenty of pop culture references. I have always thought that One, Two, Three was one of the funniest films of the Sixties.
With One, Two, Three, Wilder's streak of classic films came to an end. His next film, Irma La Douce, was released in 1963. An adaptation of the Broadway musical without the music, it is not equal to the films he had made in the previous years. Even reteaming Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine didn't spark the ususal Wilder magic.
Billy Wilder would create a few more classic films in his career, among them Avanti! and the 1974 version of The Front Page, but it seems to me that his career peaked from 1957 to 1961. It was during that period that he created five of his greatest films, all in a row. To me this was a most remarkable feat, perhaps matched only by Alfred Hitchcock in the Fifties and Stanley Kubrick in the Sixties. It is perhaps all the more remarkable given that Wilder co-wrote nearly all of his films (not that many screenwriters have written five classics in a row either...). I very seriously doubt that any director will match the run of classic films Billy Wilder made from 1957 to 1961 any time soon.
Nineteen fifty seven saw the release of the first film which Wilder co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, Love in the Afternoon. Love in the Afternoon was a romantic comedy featuring Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn. Set in Paris, it centred on a rich playboy (Gary Cooper) who falls in love with the daughter (Audrey Hepburn) of the private eye hired to investigate him. Love in the Afternoon had all the hallmarks of Wilder and Diamond's comedies: sharp, witty dialogue; realistic characters; and impeccable timing. And Cooper and Hepburn's performances were great.
Although well known for his comedies, Wilder's next film would be a courtroom thriller. Released in 1958, Witness for the Prosecution was based on the Agatha Christie play of the same name. The movie was Tyrone Powers' last film, in which he played the alleged murderer whose only alibi is his wife. Witness for the Prosecution has one of the best casts for a film of its type, with Marlene Dietrich as the wife of Power's character, Charles Laughton as the defence attorney, and Elsa Lancaster as the nurse.
It would be with his next film, however, that Billy Wilder would reach the peak of his career. Released in 1959, Some Like It Hot was a comedy set in the Roaring Twenties, co-written by I. A. L. Diamond. It centred on two musicians (played by Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) who have the bad luck to witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. To avoid being killed, the duo dress in drag and join an all-girl band with a performance scheduled in Miami. Quite simply, Some Like It Hot is one of the funniest movies ever made. The comedy does not have a slow moment, with some of the best dialogue Wilder and Diamond had ever written. Curtis and Lemmon's performances are priceless, assisted quite well by one of the best casts ever assembled for a comedy. Indeed, Some Like It Hot topped the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Comedies in American film.
Some Like It Hot would seem to be a difficult movie to top, but somehow Wilder and Diamond did it. Released in 1960, The Apartment featured Jack Lemmon as C. C. Baxter, an insurance company employee who loans his apartment to the company's executives for their various romantic rendevous. Unfortunately for Baxter, this set up (which had naturally gotten him in good with the higher ups) is complicated when he falls in love with elevator girl Miss Kublik (played by Shirley Maclaine). In m humble opinion, The Apartment is not only one of the funniest movies of all time, but one of the most romantic as well. Lemmon and Maclaine have a great rapport as Baxter and Kublik. and Fred Macmurray plays one of his few bad guys, the older, oily head of the company, Mr. Sheldrake. The Apartment boasts great dialogue, convincing performances, and a realistic plot that mixes comedy and drama. It's no wonder that it won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and so on.
Wilder's next film, One, Two, Three, released in 1961, would not match The Apartment, but it was inspired nonetheless. It featured James Cagney (in his last role until Ragtime) as a Coca-Cola executive in West Berlin who winds up taking care of the company president's daughter. The comedy came at a rapid pace, with more and more outrageous situations developing one on top of the other. The dialogue is some of Wilder and Diamond's best, with great lines coming almost non-stop and plenty of pop culture references. I have always thought that One, Two, Three was one of the funniest films of the Sixties.
With One, Two, Three, Wilder's streak of classic films came to an end. His next film, Irma La Douce, was released in 1963. An adaptation of the Broadway musical without the music, it is not equal to the films he had made in the previous years. Even reteaming Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine didn't spark the ususal Wilder magic.
Billy Wilder would create a few more classic films in his career, among them Avanti! and the 1974 version of The Front Page, but it seems to me that his career peaked from 1957 to 1961. It was during that period that he created five of his greatest films, all in a row. To me this was a most remarkable feat, perhaps matched only by Alfred Hitchcock in the Fifties and Stanley Kubrick in the Sixties. It is perhaps all the more remarkable given that Wilder co-wrote nearly all of his films (not that many screenwriters have written five classics in a row either...). I very seriously doubt that any director will match the run of classic films Billy Wilder made from 1957 to 1961 any time soon.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Evan Hunter AKA Ed McBain
It seems that July 2005 has not been a particularly good month for Alfred Hitchcock's screenwriters. Ernest Lehman, who wrote North by Northwest died this month. Now another man who wrote one of Hitchcock's movies has died as well. Evan Hunter, also known by his pen name Ed McBain, died July 6, 2005, of larnyx cancer at the age of 78. Among other things, Hunter wrote the screenplay for the classic Hitchcock horror movie The Birds, although he is perhaps better known for his series of 87th Precinct novels, which he wrote under the pen name "Ed McBain."
Evan Hunter was born as Salvatore Albert Lombino in New York City. He served in the Navy during World War II, which was when he also took up writing. In 1952, feeling that publishers were biased against writers with foreign sounding names, he changed his name to "Evan Hunter." His breakthrough novel was The Blackboard Jungle, drawn on experiences from his own life. It would be made into the motion picture of the same name in 1955. His greatest success, however, would come with the series of 87th Precinct novels, which he wrote under the pen name "Ed McBain." The series centred on a police precinct in New York City, focusing on both police work and the personal lives of the police themselves. In some respects the series was a forerunner of the police procedurals so popular today. The first novel in the series was Cop Hater, published in 1956. The final 87th Precinct novel, Fiddlers, is set for release this September.
Although best known for his 87th Precinct novels, Hunter covered a number of different genres with his works. His novel Streets of Gold focused on an Italian American family. He even wrote a Western, The Chisholms. Hunter is perhaps unique as being one of the few writers to co-write a novel with himself. Candyland was credited to "Evan Hunter" and "Ed McBain." The first half, written by Hunter, was a character study. The second half, written by McBain, covered a murder investigation.
Hunter saw several of his works adapted as movies and for television, and he also wrote screenplays and teleplays. The Ed McBain short story "The Deadly Tatoo" was adapted for an episode of Climax in 1954. He also wrote two episodes for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Hunter would later write episodes of both Ironside and Columbo, as well as adapting The Chisholms as a miniseries. Hunter broke into screenwriting with an adaptation of his novel Strangers When We Met in 1960. He would write the screenplay for The Birds and also worked on Marnie before Hitchcock abruptly replaced him.
Evan Hunter has been one of my favourite writers for many years. Indeed, as "Ed McBain" he was probably my sister's favourite writer of all time (I swear she has read every single 87th Precinct novel). Whether writing as Hunter, McBain, or another one of his many pen names, Evan Hunter had a gift for realistic characters. This can be seen in the 87th Precinct series, in which the detectives of the precinct are not simple cardboard cutouts, but complex characters with their own beliefs and motivations. Hunter also had a gift for creating realistic settings. In the 87th Precinct novels, the city of Isola (which is pretty much New York) is as much a character as any of the precinct. The strength of Hunter's settings can also be seen in his other works, from The Blackboard Jungle to The Chisholms.
I must say that I am truly saddened by Evan Hunter's death. He was one of the best and most prolific writers of the late 20th Century. His work has had a lasting impact. The 87th Precinct series helped shape the police procedural genre. The Blackboard Jungle brought new levels of realism to the portrayal of youth in fiction. Evan Hunter has had a lasting influence that only a few of his contemporaries can boast.
Evan Hunter was born as Salvatore Albert Lombino in New York City. He served in the Navy during World War II, which was when he also took up writing. In 1952, feeling that publishers were biased against writers with foreign sounding names, he changed his name to "Evan Hunter." His breakthrough novel was The Blackboard Jungle, drawn on experiences from his own life. It would be made into the motion picture of the same name in 1955. His greatest success, however, would come with the series of 87th Precinct novels, which he wrote under the pen name "Ed McBain." The series centred on a police precinct in New York City, focusing on both police work and the personal lives of the police themselves. In some respects the series was a forerunner of the police procedurals so popular today. The first novel in the series was Cop Hater, published in 1956. The final 87th Precinct novel, Fiddlers, is set for release this September.
Although best known for his 87th Precinct novels, Hunter covered a number of different genres with his works. His novel Streets of Gold focused on an Italian American family. He even wrote a Western, The Chisholms. Hunter is perhaps unique as being one of the few writers to co-write a novel with himself. Candyland was credited to "Evan Hunter" and "Ed McBain." The first half, written by Hunter, was a character study. The second half, written by McBain, covered a murder investigation.
Hunter saw several of his works adapted as movies and for television, and he also wrote screenplays and teleplays. The Ed McBain short story "The Deadly Tatoo" was adapted for an episode of Climax in 1954. He also wrote two episodes for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Hunter would later write episodes of both Ironside and Columbo, as well as adapting The Chisholms as a miniseries. Hunter broke into screenwriting with an adaptation of his novel Strangers When We Met in 1960. He would write the screenplay for The Birds and also worked on Marnie before Hitchcock abruptly replaced him.
Evan Hunter has been one of my favourite writers for many years. Indeed, as "Ed McBain" he was probably my sister's favourite writer of all time (I swear she has read every single 87th Precinct novel). Whether writing as Hunter, McBain, or another one of his many pen names, Evan Hunter had a gift for realistic characters. This can be seen in the 87th Precinct series, in which the detectives of the precinct are not simple cardboard cutouts, but complex characters with their own beliefs and motivations. Hunter also had a gift for creating realistic settings. In the 87th Precinct novels, the city of Isola (which is pretty much New York) is as much a character as any of the precinct. The strength of Hunter's settings can also be seen in his other works, from The Blackboard Jungle to The Chisholms.
I must say that I am truly saddened by Evan Hunter's death. He was one of the best and most prolific writers of the late 20th Century. His work has had a lasting impact. The 87th Precinct series helped shape the police procedural genre. The Blackboard Jungle brought new levels of realism to the portrayal of youth in fiction. Evan Hunter has had a lasting influence that only a few of his contemporaries can boast.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
The Local Grocery Store
Yesterday I had to walk downtown and stop by the bank to get change to get a soda from the machine at the car wash (it was hot and I really didn't feel like running down to the convenience store). Unfortunately, we only have Pepsi machines downtown (odd, as Coke outsells Pepsi around here) and it was out of everything except Diet Pepsi. There was a time when I could have simply walked from my house to a grocery store, bought a soda there, and been home within ten minutes.
At one time Huntsville had no less than two grocery stores downtown. One was Summer's, where my parents often shopped. The other was Temple Stephens. Both stores were in many respects the same. They were both long and narrow, with a bin up front for the soda bottles one would return for the deposit in those days. Not being particularly large, they didn't carry the selections in food and other goods that a supermarket would, although they did carry the basics. At the two stores one could buy milk, eggs, meat, soda, and other neccessities.
Unfortunately, Summer's burned down. I seem to recall that was in the late Seventies, although it might have been the early Eighties. Temple Stephens simply shut down in the mid-Eighties. Like many small grocers, I suspect that they simply could not complete with the larger supermarkets. Supermarkets spread like wildfire throughout the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century. They carried a much wider array of goods than the small, local grocers did, often at competitve prices. It is little wonder that many of the small, neighbourhood grocers then closed in the mid to late Twentieth Century.
I must say that in some ways I find this sad. While I don't know about other places, it seems to me that in Randolph County, the supermarkets aren't always conveniently located. In Moberly most of the supermarkets were on Morley Street--Business 63 (also known as "the Magic Mile," it is the town's "strip"). The exceptions to this were Krogers, which was located on Reed Street (which is the main street of the town), Van's, which was located on Concannon Street (right amidst a residential neighbourhood), and Save More (formerly Safeway and Food Barn), which is located on South Morely (again, right amidst a residential neighbourhood). Krogers closed down when I was about five years old. Van's closed down many, many years ago, leaving Save More as the only neighbourhood supermarket. In fact, the only other place to buy groceries in Moberly now is the WalMart Supercenter. Here in Huntsville our local supermarket is out on the edge of town--it takes about five minutes to drive there from my house! It's too far to walk in anything less than forty minutes or more.
At any rate, it seems to me that in small, local grocers closing, it actually decreased the convenience with which one could buy groceries. In some respects, people in Huntsville and Moberly are lucky in that we really don't have that far to drive to a supermarket. I remember when my brother lived in Columbia. The nearest supermarket was a ten to fifteen minute drive away (okay, I know people in larger cities are laughing at this, but ten to fifteen minutes is a long drive in a smaller city....)! Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that we will ever see small, local grocery stores ever reopening, even in small towns. The sad fact is that they could not possibly compete with the supermarkets, and especially not with such places as WalMart Supercenters and other similar stores. As sad as it may be, it seems to me that the small, local grocery is always going to be a memory from a bygone era.
At one time Huntsville had no less than two grocery stores downtown. One was Summer's, where my parents often shopped. The other was Temple Stephens. Both stores were in many respects the same. They were both long and narrow, with a bin up front for the soda bottles one would return for the deposit in those days. Not being particularly large, they didn't carry the selections in food and other goods that a supermarket would, although they did carry the basics. At the two stores one could buy milk, eggs, meat, soda, and other neccessities.
Unfortunately, Summer's burned down. I seem to recall that was in the late Seventies, although it might have been the early Eighties. Temple Stephens simply shut down in the mid-Eighties. Like many small grocers, I suspect that they simply could not complete with the larger supermarkets. Supermarkets spread like wildfire throughout the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century. They carried a much wider array of goods than the small, local grocers did, often at competitve prices. It is little wonder that many of the small, neighbourhood grocers then closed in the mid to late Twentieth Century.
I must say that in some ways I find this sad. While I don't know about other places, it seems to me that in Randolph County, the supermarkets aren't always conveniently located. In Moberly most of the supermarkets were on Morley Street--Business 63 (also known as "the Magic Mile," it is the town's "strip"). The exceptions to this were Krogers, which was located on Reed Street (which is the main street of the town), Van's, which was located on Concannon Street (right amidst a residential neighbourhood), and Save More (formerly Safeway and Food Barn), which is located on South Morely (again, right amidst a residential neighbourhood). Krogers closed down when I was about five years old. Van's closed down many, many years ago, leaving Save More as the only neighbourhood supermarket. In fact, the only other place to buy groceries in Moberly now is the WalMart Supercenter. Here in Huntsville our local supermarket is out on the edge of town--it takes about five minutes to drive there from my house! It's too far to walk in anything less than forty minutes or more.
At any rate, it seems to me that in small, local grocers closing, it actually decreased the convenience with which one could buy groceries. In some respects, people in Huntsville and Moberly are lucky in that we really don't have that far to drive to a supermarket. I remember when my brother lived in Columbia. The nearest supermarket was a ten to fifteen minute drive away (okay, I know people in larger cities are laughing at this, but ten to fifteen minutes is a long drive in a smaller city....)! Unfortunately, I seriously doubt that we will ever see small, local grocery stores ever reopening, even in small towns. The sad fact is that they could not possibly compete with the supermarkets, and especially not with such places as WalMart Supercenters and other similar stores. As sad as it may be, it seems to me that the small, local grocery is always going to be a memory from a bygone era.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Elvan Queen
Today I don't have too much time to be online. Rather than writing a whole entry, then, I thought I would simply publish another one of my poems. I wrote this one last year.
Anyhow, I must apologise to those who don't care too much for my poetry. I never have professed to be a good poet....
It was in a wood so very dark
that I saw the elvan queen.
She was so beautiful she stole my heart,
the fairest maid I have seen.
I wondered if I should approach her
and delcare undying love,
but my legs would not take me to her.
I was paralysed with love.
Then she turned her green eyes to me
and spoke as if in song.
It seemed as if she was in love with me.
I hoped that I was not wrong.
I went up to her on undsteady feet
and slowly granted her a kiss.
It was then that my heart skipped a beat,
the heart that I would surely miss.
She took me away to her elvan home,
where I have since spent my days.
Happy together and never alone,
in love for the rest of our days.
Anyhow, I must apologise to those who don't care too much for my poetry. I never have professed to be a good poet....
It was in a wood so very dark
that I saw the elvan queen.
She was so beautiful she stole my heart,
the fairest maid I have seen.
I wondered if I should approach her
and delcare undying love,
but my legs would not take me to her.
I was paralysed with love.
Then she turned her green eyes to me
and spoke as if in song.
It seemed as if she was in love with me.
I hoped that I was not wrong.
I went up to her on undsteady feet
and slowly granted her a kiss.
It was then that my heart skipped a beat,
the heart that I would surely miss.
She took me away to her elvan home,
where I have since spent my days.
Happy together and never alone,
in love for the rest of our days.
Monday, July 11, 2005
North by Northwest Screenwriter Passes On
The man who wrote the screenplays for Sabrina, North by Northwest, and other classic films has passed on. Ernest Lehman died at the age of 89 on Saturday, July 2.
Lehman was born to a wealthy family in New York City on December 8, 1915. He attended the College of the City of New York. Following college he launched his career as a freelance writer, writing for both radio and a theatrical publicist. Eventually, he would have novellas and short stories published in such magazines as Colliers, Cosmopolitan, and Redbook. One of his novelettes, The Comedian, would be adapted for an episode of Playhouse 90 in 1956. Lehman broke into screenwriting when he adapted the novel Executive Suite for the movie of the same name, released in 1948. It would be his next screenplay that would establish Lehman as one of the top screenwriters of his generation. He co-wrote the screenplay for Sabrina, the classic 1954 film directed by Billy Wilder. Over the years Lehman would write the screenplays for several more classic films, among them North by Northwest, The King and I, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Lehman directed Portnoy's Complaint in 1972, as well as wrote the screenplay. He also co-wrote three Academy Awards ceremonies. He also produced films, starting with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966.
Lehman was nominated for an Oscar for his screenwriting four times, for Sabrina, North by Northwest, West Side Story, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He lost all four times, but was given an honourary Oscar in 2001 for Lifetime Achievement.
I have to say that Ernest Lehman was one of my favourite screenwriters, having written three of my all time favourite films: Sabrina, North by Northwest, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. In fact, he seems to have had a gift for dialogue. The exchanges between Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina and Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest are priceless. Lehman was also versatile. He worked in romantic comedy (Sabrina), suspense (North by Northwest), drama (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf), and musicals (The King and I). Very few screenwriters can lay claim to having worked in as many genres as he did. He was certainly one of the greats.
Lehman was born to a wealthy family in New York City on December 8, 1915. He attended the College of the City of New York. Following college he launched his career as a freelance writer, writing for both radio and a theatrical publicist. Eventually, he would have novellas and short stories published in such magazines as Colliers, Cosmopolitan, and Redbook. One of his novelettes, The Comedian, would be adapted for an episode of Playhouse 90 in 1956. Lehman broke into screenwriting when he adapted the novel Executive Suite for the movie of the same name, released in 1948. It would be his next screenplay that would establish Lehman as one of the top screenwriters of his generation. He co-wrote the screenplay for Sabrina, the classic 1954 film directed by Billy Wilder. Over the years Lehman would write the screenplays for several more classic films, among them North by Northwest, The King and I, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Lehman directed Portnoy's Complaint in 1972, as well as wrote the screenplay. He also co-wrote three Academy Awards ceremonies. He also produced films, starting with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966.
Lehman was nominated for an Oscar for his screenwriting four times, for Sabrina, North by Northwest, West Side Story, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. He lost all four times, but was given an honourary Oscar in 2001 for Lifetime Achievement.
I have to say that Ernest Lehman was one of my favourite screenwriters, having written three of my all time favourite films: Sabrina, North by Northwest, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. In fact, he seems to have had a gift for dialogue. The exchanges between Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina and Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest are priceless. Lehman was also versatile. He worked in romantic comedy (Sabrina), suspense (North by Northwest), drama (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf), and musicals (The King and I). Very few screenwriters can lay claim to having worked in as many genres as he did. He was certainly one of the greats.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
