The 100th Anniversary of the Titanic Disaster

It was on 10 April 1912 that the RMS Titanic departed on its maiden's voyage from Southampton, Hampshire, England to New York City, New York, United States. At the time it was largest ship in operation. On board the ship were some of the most richest and most famous individuals in the world: businessman and inventor Colonel John Jacob Astor IV; American millionaire and philanthropist Margaret "Molly" Brown; Scottish landowner Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon; British fashion designer Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon; film actress Dorothy Gibson; American businessman Benjamin Guggenheim; J. Bruce Ismay, chairman and managing director of the White Star Line; Macy's co-owner Isidor Strauss and his wife Ida; and many others. Sadly, as history shows, the Titanic would not even survive its first voyage. It was 100 years ago today, on 15 April 1912, that the RMS Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Out of the 2223 people on board, 1,514 died.

Needless to say, given the magnitude of the disaster, the sinking of the Titanic was the biggest news story at the time. That having been said, in an era before radio was common place and television was yet to be invented, let alone communications satellites, the news of the disaster was much slower to spread than it was today. In fact, early on 15 April American newspapers were mistakenly reporting that the Titanic was being towed into New York City by the S. S. Virginian. It was later that day that the world at large learned that not had the Titanic been lost, but the majority of its passengers had died. Interest in the disaster was so intense that crowds of people actually gathered at the offices of the White Star Line, the British shipping company that had owned the Titanic, in London, Southampton, Belfast, New York City, Montreal, and its headquarters in Liverpool. A complete listing of survivors of the disaster would not be available until 17 April 1912. For the next several weeks news of the survivors' stories would fill the pages of newspapers and magazines worldwide.

Not surprisingly given the magnitude of the disaster, the sinking of the Titanic had an immediate impact on pop culture in the English speaking world and has maintained one ever since. Over the years there have been books, plays, films, songs, and even poetry inspired by the sinking of the Titanic. In fact, I rather suspect that it is safe to say that the Titanic has probably had a bigger impact on pop culture than any other ship ever built.

Given the outpouring of grief that naturally accompanied the sinking of the Titanic and the public's fascination with the ship and its survivors, it made an impression on popular culture almost immediately. In 1912 poetry was still a popular medium, so that perhaps the disaster's most immediate impact on pop culture was an outpouring of poetry commemorating the event. Much of this poetry was largely written by unknowns and much of it has since been, perhaps deservedly, forgotten. Well established poets would and did write about the disaster. Thomas Hardy wrote an eleven stanza poem entitled "The Convergence of the Twain (Lines on the loss of the Titanic)." Harriet Monroe wrote a shorter poem entitled "Titanic Requiem." Both Mr. Hardy and Miss Monroe's poems were published in 1912, but many poems would be published years later. E. J. Pratt's "The Titanic" was published in 1935.

Aside from poems, another immediate impact that the Titanic disaster would have on popular culture would be through songs. In John Wilson Foster's book The Titanic Complex, folklorist D. K. Wilgus was quoted as saying that the Titanic provoked "...what seems to be the largest number of songs concerning any disaster, perhaps any event in American history." In the years 1912-1913 in the United States alone over 100 songs were written about the disaster. The types of songs written about the Titanic were of a large variety, ranging from songs that were mere commercial exploitation of the disaster to love songs to outright religious hymns. One of the earliest and best known songs was the folk song "The Titanic (also known as ""It Was Sad When That Great Ship Went Down"). While its author remains unknown, the song has been dated to around 1915 or 1916.

The sinking of the Titanic would inspire a surprisingly large number of blues songs. In 1927 Rabbit Brown recorded the popular "Sinking of the Titanic." In 1929 Blind Willie Johnson recorded "God Moves on the Water." In 1948 Leadbelly released "The Titanic (Fare thee, Titanic, Fare thee well)." The Titanic would also provide inspiration for performers what might be called country music, but in some cases which  may be better described as "old time music" or "hillbilly music." Ernest Stoneman recorded "The Titanic" in 1924. In 1927 Frank Hutchinson recorded "The Last Scene of the Titanic." In 1938 The Dixon Brothers recorded "Down With the Old Canoe."

While the sinking of the Titanic would have an impact on folk, blues, and old time music, it has not had as a large an impact on rock music and other later forms of popular music. Seventies Norwegian rock band Titanic took their name from the ship. The song "Little Titanic" by alternative hip hop band Why? takes its inspiration from the disaster, as does "The Titanic (Let It Burn)" by blues and folk performer Ruthie Foster.

While poems and songs based around the Titanic disaster appeared almost immediately, it would take some time before plays based on the disaster would be mounted. Ernest Raymond's The Berg: A Play (1929) is set on a thinly disguised version of the Titanic. Noel Coward's Cavalcade (1931) would include a final scene aboard the ship. Perhaps the best known play based on the Titanic disaster was the musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960), which centred upon Margaret Brown, the American millionaire who worked to save many of the lives of those aboard the Titanic.

Of course, perhaps no other medium has produced better known works based on the sinking of the Titanic than film. It was only 29 days after the Titanic disaster that the first film based upon it appeared. "Saved From the Titanic" starred and was co-written by Dorothy Gibson, the silent actress who had actually been aboard the ship. The 10 minute film was loosely based on her actual rescue from the sinking vessel. While much of the account was fictionalised, Miss Gibson did wear the same clothing she had been wearing when she was saved. Sadly, the film was lost long ago in a fire in March 1914. The German film "In Nacht und Eis" was also based on the Titanic disaster and released in 1912. It too is believed lost.

Based on the play The Berg: A Play, the 1929 feature film Atlantic was also loosely based on the voyage of the Titanic. It is essentially a romance set aboard what is clearly a fictionalised version of the Titanic (the Atlantic). In 1943 Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels commissioned a propaganda film based on the disaster. Titanic (1943) was essentially Nazi propaganda that sought to discredit British and American businessmen while at the same time glorifying the bravery of German men. Needless to say, the film was not particularly historically accurate! This would also be true of another film entitled Titanic, released in 1953 by 20th Century Fox and starring Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck. Although a well done film, its primary concern is the relationship between an estranged couple, with the Titanic serving merely as a historic backdrop.

What may be the greatest film ever made based on the sinking of the Titanic was A Night to Remember, released in 1958. The film was a result of producer William McQuitty's fascination with the Titanic--who had actually witnessed the launch of the ship when he was a lad. The movie was based on the book A Night to Remember (1955) by William Lord, a non-fiction work still regarded as one of the best sources of information on the Titanic disaster. A good deal of research went into the making the film, so that very few historical inaccuracies appear in the film (the christening of the Titanic is one--the ship was never christened). To this day A Night to Remember is still regarded by many as the greatest film about the disaster.


In 1964 there would be a film adaptation of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, starring Debbie Reynolds in the title role. Like the musical, the movie was a highly fictionalised account of Margaret Brown's life up to and including her time aboard the Titanic. Raise the Titanic from 1980 was not about the sinking of the Titanic, but took inspiration from it nonetheless. Based on a book of the same name by Clive Cussler, the movie portrays a group of Americans who seek to salvage the wreck of the ship. The 1981 film Time Bandits, which involved time travel, included a sequence set aboard the Titanic. What may be the most famous film based on the sinking of the Titanic is Titanic (1997), directed by James Cameron. Titanic is perhaps best regarded as a cross between Titanic (1953) and A Night to Remember (1958). While a wealth of historical detail is portrayed to the look and operations of the ship, the movie itself centred around a fictional romance between a young, poor artist and a wealthy young woman. Among the movie's historical inaccuracies are some of the portrayals of the historical figures who were aboard the ship. Titanic would become the highest grossing film of all time before being adjusted for inflation (after being adjusting for inflation the highest grossing film is still Gone With the Wind), a position it held before being surpassed by Avatar  in 2010.

Perhaps because of the sheer cost in mounting such productions, television has dealt less with the Titanic disaster than film. The very first episode of the television series The Time Tunnel (1966-1967) was set aboard the Titanic. The episode found the lead characters, who travel through time in each episode, aboard the Titanic and attempting to prevent the disaster (never mind this would have dramatically changed history). In 1979 the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) aired a television movie titled S.O.S. Titanic. Unlike many version of the disaster, S.O.S. Titanic was for the most part historically accurate, with only a few inaccuracies being portrayed.  Nineteen ninety six would see two television movies, both of which were rife with historical inaccuracies. Titanic aired on the American network CBS. No Greater Love (based on a Danielle Steel novel) was not about the disaster itself, but used the disaster as the catalyst for a plot about a young woman who must raised her younger siblings after their parents died in the sinking of the Titanic.

The 2007 Christmas special of the long running television programme Doctor Who took inspiration from the Titanic disaster. The episode finds The Doctor aboard an alien spaceship named for and modelled after the historic Earth vessel. Unfortunately, this space bound Titanic also meets with disaster. Given that 2012 is the 100th anniversary of the disaster, it should come as no surprise that there would be two television serials based upon it. Titanic is a four part serial from the creator of Downton Abbey, Lord Julian Fellowes. The serial debuted on ITV on 25 March 2012 in the United Kingdom, 21 March 2012 on Global in Canada, and on 14 April 2012 on ABC in the United States. Titanic: Blood and Steel is a 12 part serial that has not yet aired in the United Kingdom or the United States.

Here I must point out that this article is by no means includes every poem, song, play, movie or television programme inspired by the sinking of the Titanic. Indeed, I have not even touched upon books at all. The fact is that the Titanic disaster has had such a extensive impact on pop culture in the English speaking world that it would take an entire book to even detail  a single aspect of it. Indeed, books have been written on the poetry and songs inspired by the sinking of the Titanic alone.

Of course, the question some might ask is why the Titanic disaster still maintains such a grip upon the imagination 100 years after it took place. The most obvious reason is the sheer magnitude of the tragedy. The death toll of the sinking of the Titanic matched that of many natural disasters. While the sinking of the Titanic was not the deadliest maritime disaster even at the time (I believe that would have been the sinking of the S. S. Sultana in 1865, in which 1800 people died), it was definitely one of the deadliest. When combined with the publicity surrounding the ship's maiden voyage, it should then not be surprising that to this day people would be fascinated by the sinking of the Titanic.

That having been said, it is not simply the sheer magnitude of the Titanic disaster that attracts filmmakers, television producers, and writers to the sinking of the great ship. The disaster itself provides for a good deal of drama, with tales of heroism and tragedy, but then one must consider that even if the Titanic had not sunk there would hold possibilities for dramatic interpretation. Not only was the Titanic the largest ship of its time, but it was also one on which the various classes intermingled. Individuals from the very rich and very powerful were on board the same ship as those who were very nearly paupers. The sheer variety of individuals aboard the Titanic has probably always made it attractive to artists in every medium.

Indeed, the Titanic has been used as a springboard for exploring various themes. One of the earliest to be explored was the hubris of mankind with regards to technology. To a degree the Titanic became a symbol of man's arrogance in the superiority of technology over nature, with nature winning in the end. The Titanic disaster has also been used as a condemnation of class differences, with several different books, movies, and television programmes emphasising the divisions in the classes at the time. Even when filmmakers, writers, and television producers are exploring other themes, the element of tragedy is almost always present in portrayals of the Titanic disaster. If romance has always played a large role in portrayals of the sinking of the Titanic, it is perhaps because it brings home the sheer momentousness of the catastrophe.

Of course, much of the appeal of portrayals of the Titanic disaster for modern readers and viewers may well be the sheer heroism of many of those involved. In many ways, this could be summed up by the words of Benjamin Guggenheim, who said, "We've dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen." He later gave a survivor a message to give to his wife, "Tell my wife, if it should happen that my secretary and I both go down, tell her I played the game out straight to the end. No woman shall be left aboard this ship because Ben Guggenheim was a coward." Today it is hard to picture any millionaire willingly dying aboard a sinking ship--they would more likely push women and children out of the way to get to the lifeboats! Macy's co-owner Isidor Strauss also displayed similar bravery. He refused to board the lifeboats so that younger men could do so and sent his wife's maid aboard the boat. His wife Ida refused to board the lifeboat as well, stating, "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so will we die, together." Margaret "Molly" Brown helped others board the lifeboats until she was persuaded to leave the ship on Lifeboat No. 6. Even then she insisted that Lifeboat No. 6 return to search for survivors, against the judgement of Quartermaster Robert Hichens. The Titanic disaster was the setting for acts of heroism and a sense of noblesse oblige that is sometimes had to see taking place today.

Although it was not even the largest maritime disaster at the time, the sinking of the Titanic was a disaster of such greatness that it has held the public imagination ever since. As early as 1912 it had already become part of the collective unconscious of the English speaking world. The enormous loss of life in the tragedy will always evoke a sense of sorrow on the part of individuals. The many acts of heroism as the disaster unfolded will continue to inspire people. It is safe to say that the most famous shipwreck in history will continue to have a huge impact on pop culture in the English speaking world.

Luke Askew R.I.P.

Character actor Luke Askew, who appeared in Cool Hand Luke (1967) and Easy Rider (1969), passed on 29 March 2012 at the age of 80.

Luke Askew was born on 26 May 1932 in Macon, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia.

Mr. Askew made his film debut in Hurry Sundown in 1967. In the same year he appeared in The Happening and Cool Hand Luke. He finished out the Sixties appearing in the films Will Penny (1968), The Devil's Brigade (1968), The Green Berets (1968), Easy Rider (1969), Flareup (1969), and The Night of the Serpent (1969). He guest starred on the TV shows The High Chaparral and Mission: Impossible.

In the Seventies Luke Askew guest starred on such TV series as Bonanza, Bearcats, Longstreet, Cannon, Police Story, The Rockford Files, How the West Was Won, and Hart to Hart. He appeared in the films The Culpepper Cattle Co. (1972), The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid (1972), The Magnificent Seven Ride (1972), Slipstream (1973), Rolling Thunder (1977), and Wanda Nevada (1979).

In the Eighties Mr. Skew guest starred on such television shows as Quincy, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Matt Houston, Airwolf, L. A. Law, and Simon & Simon. He appeared in such movies as The Beast Within (1982), The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984), Bulletproof (1988), and Back to Back (1989). From the Nineties into the Naughts he guest starred on such shows as Murder She Wrote, Kung Fu the Legend Continues, Everwood, and Cold Case. He had a recurring role on Big Love. He appeared in such films as Dune Warriors (1991), The Friends of Harry (1995), The Newton Boys (1998), Frailty (2001), and The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005).

In many respects Luke Askew's career can be summed up by two of the earliest films in which he appeared. In Cool Hand Luke he played the cruel prison guard Boss Paul. In Easy Rider he played a stranger who guided Wyatt and Billy to a hippie commune. The two parts were so different as to be completely opposite each other, yet Mr. Askew played each convincingly. He was a versatile actor who over the course of his career played everything from soldiers to cowboys to police officers and played all of them well.

The Importance of Silents and Pre-Code Talkies

I will not go into what precipitated it, but yesterday on Twitter a group of us discussed the importance of a knowledge of silent films and pre-Code talkies to classic film connoisseurs. While everyone will have different tastes in film and not every era of film will appear to every classic movie buff, it seems to me that to truly be a classic film connoisseur one must have a working knowledge, if not an appreciation, of silent movies and early talkies.

The plain fact is that silent films and the early sound films hold an importance in cinematic history that will never,e ever be matched, let alone surpassed. It was during the silent era that the language of film was established. It was during the Silent Era that editing and cinematography were perfected. It was very early (The Great Train Robbery dates to 1903) that filmmakers learned how to shoot and edit film so that it not only told a narrative, but that it could do so with maximum emotional impact. By the late Teens and into the Twenties, which I think could be considered the Golden Age of Silent Film, the silent movies had become an art form.  It was during this period that such masterpieces as  Nosferatu (1922), The Gold Rush (1925), The General (1926), The Crowd (1928), and Die Büchse der Pandora (1929). And while much of the language of film had already been established by the mid to late Twenties, there was a still a good deal of innovation, particularly with regards to the genres of film. The General was not only one of the first of the big budget blockbusters (the direct ancestor of Gone With the Wind, The Great Escape, and the Star Wars movies), it was also possibly the first action comedy. The Crowd could be considered a forerunner of the kitchen sink dramas of the British, the French Nouvelle Vague, and Italian neorealism. Even the Western genre would be developed during the Silent Era, with such films as The Covered Wagon (1923).

While the Silents before them would establish much of the language of film with regards to cinematography and editing, it would be the pre-Code talkies that would establish the use of sound in film. Here I must point out that this went far beyond the use of sound effects, as it also included the musical score. Perhaps no film was more influential in establishing the importance of the music score than King Kong (1933). The score Max Steiner composed for the film was like none other composed for film. Not only did music punctuate many of the key scenes in the film, but Mr. Steiner made use of leitmotifs and even gave the primary characters their own themes. Quite simply, it was the first modern film score. And while the Silent Era would see the emergence of such film genres, it would be in the days of the pre-Code talkies that such genres as the musical (impossible during the Silent Era), the horror film (it had existed all throughout the Silent Era, but was perfected in the pre-Code era), and the gangster film (like horror movies it had existed all throughout the Silent Era, but was perfected in the pre-Code era) would be developed or refined.

Indeed, in my opinion to dismiss silent films or pre-Code talkies is essentially to dismiss some of the greatest films ever made. Many films of the silent era are works of art that could probably be appreciated by modern audiences if they were only given a chance. As pointed out earlier, The General is both one of the early blockbusters (while it did poorly at the box office, it did cost a mint) and possibly the first action comedy. It is a rather sophisticated film that combines comedy with poignancy, romance, and action. The Crowd could well be as close to kitchen sink drama as the United States ever came, following a young New York City office employee as he gets married and then struggles with financial problems, marital difficulties, and tragedies. The Battleship Potemkin (1925) is best known for director Sergei Eisenstein's innovative use of montage, but it would also prove influential in the development of action films. Even today Metropolis (1927) is a technical marvel to behold, but it was also one of the first (if not the first) science fiction film about a futuristic dystopia.

I rather suspect modern audiences might actually appreciate many of the pre-Code talkies than many of the films made later in the Thirties. Free of the strictures that would come with the rigorous enforcement of the Hays Code, filmmakers were free to deal with subjects that would later be forbidden under the Code, not to mention to tell their stories in a much more realistic fashion. Indeed, it is for this reason that many  of the talkies made between 1930 and 1934 seem much more modern than films even made ten years later. During this period when film was relatively free of the Code, several classic films emerged. Indeed, it was during this period that the horror film, a genre that had been around since the 1890s, really came into its own. James Whale's classic Frankenstein (1931) would not only establish the look of Gothic horror films for decades, but it would also establish many of the tropes of the horror genre as well. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) may well be the best adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale ever made. Not only did the film have the benefit of Fredric March's incredible performance, but it was able to include some fairly strong sexual content (mostly in the form of Miriam Hopkins' character, Ivy Pearson) that one does not see in the 1941 film made just ten years later. Many of these early horror films are intense even by today's standards. Island of Lost Souls (1933), an adaptation of H. G.Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, caused a furore in the United States when first released. It remained banned in the United Kingdom until 1958, when the BBFC finally passed it with an "X" certificate.  Much like horror movies, gangster films had existed in the Silent Era, but they really came into their own in the pre-Code era. Little Caesar (1931), The Public Enemy (1931), and Scarfare (1932) all became classic and also established many of the tropes of the genre.

While the horror film had existed since the 1890s and gangster films nearly as long, it was with sound that the musical became possible. The genre swiftly came into its own. In fact, by 1933 one of the greatest musicals of all time would be made--42nd Street. This is the musical that established the cliché of a girl from the chorus emerging as a star after the lead breaks her ankle. Despite having created this and other tropes of musicals, 42nd Street feels fresher than many musical made in the past twenty years. There are classic songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. There is choreography by Busby Berkeley. And there is a screenplay filled with witty dialogue, one-liners, and sexual innuendo that would vanish from the screen for the next thirty years. 42nd Street was not the only classic musical to emerge during the pre-Code Era, as there was also Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade (1933), and Let's Fall in Love (1933).

In the end, many might be surprised by the number of classic films that were released in the pre-Code years. Beyond those named above, there was also Duck Soup (1933), The Front Page (1931), Baby Face (1933), I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Red Dust (1932), A Farewell to Arms (1932), Design for Living (1933), and many others. Both the Silent Era and the pre-Code era produced many great films that modern audience really should see.

Of course, I realise that everyone has different tastes. Silent films require the reading of title cards, something everyone may not particularly like doing. And I know everyone may not care for the lack of spoken dialogue. I also realise that not every pre-Code talkie is necessarily going to be a great film, even when it may be well known. In the early days of talkies the film industry was still learning how to deal with sound. For that reason many films seem rather static for this reason. A perfect example of this is Dracula (1931), which almost comes off like a filmed stage play. Here I have to ask people to give silents and pre-Code talkies a chance. One can learn to appreciate title cards and the lack of spoken dialogue. And I must point out that not every early talkie is Dracula.

It was during the Silent Era and the pre-Code era that film became a true art form. It was during this period that much of what we take for granted today in movies was developed. It was also during this period that many truly great films were made. If one truly wishes to be a connoisseur of classic film, then I think he or she must really seek out and see such films. I also think he or she must develop an appreciation of them. Even if he or she prefers films made a little later, he or she must appreciate the fact that it was with the silents and the pre-Code talkies that film came into its own. Without them we would not have the classics from later years.

The 50th Anniversary of Stu Sutcliffe's Death

It was on this day fifty years ago that Stu Sutcliffe died from a brain haemorrhage at the young age of 22. For those of you who have never heard of Stu Sutcliffe, he was the legendary fifth Beatle. For a brief eighteen months Mr. Sutcliffe was the band's bassist. While he may be best known for his tenure as one of The Beatles, he was also a talented painter. His art was displayed at an exhibition in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and he sold at least one painting before he joined what would become the most famous rock band of all time.

Stuart Sutcliffe was born in Liverpool on 23 June 1940. He was attending the Liverpool College of Art when mutual friend Bill Harry (later the founder of Mersey Beat) introduced him to John Lennon. Messrs. Lennon and Sutcliffe soon became best friends. It was perhaps an eventuality, then, that he would join John Lennon's band. John Lennon and Paul McCartney talked Mr. Sutcliffe into buying a Höfner President 500/5 bass guitar so that the could play bass in the band. It was then in January 1960 that Stu Sutcliffe became a member of The Beatles.

As their bassist Stu Sutcliffe would join his fellow Beatles when they went to Hamburg. It was while in Hamburg that Mr. Sutcliffe met Astrid Kirchherr and the two became involved in a relationship. In November 1960 the two became engaged. Stu Sutcliffe would remain with The Beatles until June 1961, when he left the band to continue his studies in art and so he could remain with Miss Kirchherr. He enrolled at the Hamburg College of Art. He studied under pop artist and sculptor Eduardo Paolozzi. Unfortunately, Stu Sutcliffe had started having headaches and developed a sensitivity to light. Doctors were unable to make a diagnosis and even suggested to Mr. Sutcliffe that he return to England where he could check into a hospital with better facilities. Instead of returning to England, Stu Sutcliffe remained in Germany where his condition worsened. On 10 April 1962 he collapsed and was rushed to hospital. He died on the way there. The cause of death was later revealed to be an aneurysm in the right ventricle of his brain.

While others have been members of The Beatles (the most notable besides Stu Sutcliffe perhaps being former drummer Pete Best), it is quite possible than Stu Sutcliffe had more impact on the band than any member besides John, Paul, George, and Ringo. It was during an afternoon in Renshaw Hall bar that John Lennon, John's future wife Cynthia, and Stu Sutcliffe thought of names for Mr. Lennnon's band similar to Buddy Holly's "The Crickets," leading to the creation of the name "The Beatles." It would also be through Stu Sutcliffe that the other Beatles would meet Astrid Kirschherr. Miss Kirschherr would take some of the earliest photographs of The Beatles. She has also been credited with creating The Beatles' mop top. She disagrees, pointing out that many German boys had the haircut and that Stu Sutcliffe adopted it. The others then followed his lead. When Mr. Sutcliffe left The Beatles, he lent his bass to Paul McCartney with the agreement that Mr. McCartney did not change the strings on the bass around (Mr. McCartney is left handed, so he simply played the bass upside down).

It has often been common for the media to characterise Stu Sutcliffe as a bad bassist. This may well be due to the book The Man Who Gave The Beatles Away in which Allan Williams claimed that when The Beatles auditioned for Larry Parnes at The Wyvern Club in Liverpool, Mr. Parnes would have employed the band if only they got rid of Stu Sutcliffe.  Larry Parnes himself has denied this, stating that the reason he did not hire The Beatles was their lack of a regular drummer. Bill Harry, friend to both John Lennon and Stu Sutcliffe and founder of Mersey Beat, thought Mr. Sutcliffe was a competent bassist. Another friend of Stu Sutcliffe, Klaus Voormann (bassist for Manfred Mann and a session musician for many musical artists) thought that Mr. Sutcliffe was a great rock 'n' roll bass player. British saxophonist Howie Casey, who played with The Seniors in Hamburg, has said that Mr. Sutcliffe was a great live bassist. Even former drummer Pete Best has said that Stu Sutcliffe was a good bass player. It would seem that while Allan Williams characterised Stu Sutcliffe as a bad bassist, most musicians and others who heard him play thought he was at least a competent, if not a good bass player.

It is perhaps a moot point whether Stu Sutcliffe was a good bassist. The evidence of his talent for art really cannot be questioned. As stated above, even before he joined The Beatles, Stu Sutcliffe had a painting displayed at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. He sold that painting for the then unheard of sum of £65. Eduardo Paolozzi regarded Mr. Sutcliffe as one of his best students and very gifted. Stu Sutcliffe's earliest artwork was in the realm of kitchen sink realism. It was not long before he would turn to abstract painting. Indeed, many of his later works resemble that of American abstract expressionists. His painting, "Hamburg Painting No. 2," would later be purchased by the Walker Art Gallery. His artwork would also later be displayed at the Victoria Gallery and Museum. While some might claim that interest in Stu Sutcliffe's art is largely due to his status as the Fifth Beatle, the fact that he had actually had artwork displayed and a painting sold before The Beatles even became famous would seem to prove otherwise.

Had John Lennon never met Stu Sutcliffe, the history of The Beatles would have been very different. In fact, for all we know they might not have even been named "The Beatles" and they might never have worn their famous mop top hairstyles. While it is difficult to say what would have happened had he lived, it also seems very likely that Stu Sutcliffe could have become a very famous artist. In fact, it seems quite possible that had he lived, Stu Sutcliffe would have been famous even if he had not joined The Beatles. He may have only been a good bassist and that may have all he ever would have been, but the was already a great painter.

Character Actor Warren Stevens R.I.P.

Character actor Warren Stevens, who appeared in movie roles including Doc Ostrow in Forbidden Planet and Kirk Edwards in The Barefoot Contessa as well as numerous television roles, passed on 27 March 2012 at the age of 92.  The cause was chronic lung disease.

Warren Stevens was born on 2 November 1919 in Clarks Summit Pennsylvania. During World War II he served as a pilot in the United States Army Air Force. Following the war he trained at the Actors Studio in New York City. He made his debut on Broadway in Galileo in 1947. He would appear again on Broadway in Six O'Clock Theatre (1948), Sundown Beach (1948), The Smile of the World (1949), and Detective Story (1949).  He made his television debut in 1948 in episodes of Actor's Studio. In the late Forties he also appeared in the TV shows Robert Montgomery Presents and Starlight Theatre.

It was in 1951 that he made his movie debut in an uncredited part as a radio announcer in Follow the Sun. In the Fifties he appeared in such films as The Frogmen (1951), Deadline-USA (1952), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), The Man From Bitter Ridge (1955), Forbidden Planet (1956), Accused of Murder (1956), and Intent to Kill (1958). On television he was a regular on the series Tales of the 77th Lancers as Lt. William Storm. He appeared on such shows as The Web, Suspense, The Philo-Goodyear Television Playhouse, Studio One, Inner Sanctum, The Millionaire, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, Have Gun--Will Travel, One Step Beyond, Men Into Space, and The Alaskans.

In the Sixties Mr. Stevens appeared in such shows as The Untouchables, The Twilight Zone, The Defenders, Wagon Train, Route 66, Gunsmoke, 77 Sunset Strip, Have Gun--Will Travel, The Outer Limits, The Virginian, Honey West, Man From U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, The Big Valley, Combat, Daniel Boone, Star Trek, Bonanza, and The Outsider. He was a regular on The Richard Boone Show and Bracken's World (although, like Charlie on Charlie's Angels, only his voice was heard). He appeared in such films as 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), Gunpoint (1966), An American Dream (1966), The Sweet Ride (1968),  and Madigan (1968).

From the Seventies to Naughts Warren Stevens appeared on such shows as Adam-12, Mission: Impossible, Ironside, Get Christie Love, Marcus Welby M.D., M*A*S*H, Police Woman, Wonder Woman, Quincy, Falcon Crest, the Eighties version of The Twilight Zone, and ER He appeared in such films as The Student Body (1976), Stroker Ace (1983), Samurai Cop (1989), The Solicitor (2007), and Carts (2007).

Warren Stevens was a versatile actor, which explains why he was a frequent guest star on TV shows.  He frequently played villains, from THRUSH operative Captain Denis Jenks in the Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Children's Day Affair," to Rojan, an invader from the Kelvan Empire, on Star Trek. At the same time, however, he played many roles that were not at all villainous. In the Bonanza episode "The Ballerina" he played a master at ballet who becomes a mentor to a young woman wanting to be a ballerina. On an episode of Marcus Welby M.D. he played the Chief of Obstetrics. Of course, his most famous role was perhaps that of Dr. Ostrow, the kindly if unfortunately overly curious medical officer of United Planets Cruiser C57-D. Warren Stevens played these diverse roles well. He was an actor who could be convincing as the agent of a criminal organisation intent to taking over the world as he could a gentle doctor or an artist. It is little wonder he was in such demand as a guest star on TV shows for many years.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Today my allergies have been particularly severe, so I do not feel like writing a full blog post. With Easter soon upon us, then, I will leave you with a fitting song: "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" by Gene Autry.

The name "Peter Cottontail" originated in the pages of Thorton Burgess' series of "Old Mother West Wind" books, of which the first book was published in 1910. The "Old Mother West Wind" books featured animals as characters, among them Peter Rabbit (not to be confused with Beatrix Potter's character of the same name). For whatever reason Peter Rabbit's name would later be changed to "Peter Cottontail." He would be the star of his own book, The Adventures of Peter Cottontail (published in 1921), in which he ultimately returns to his original name of "Peter Rabbit."

It was in 1950 that Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins composed the song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail." The two composers asked Gene Autry, fresh from his success with "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," to record the song. It would prove to be a hit, going to #3 on the Billboard Country chart and to #5 on the Billboard singles chart. Since then the song has become an Easter standard, to the point that "Peter Cottontail" is identified with the Easter Bunny. Here it must be pointed out that the Easter Hare/Easter Bunny traditionally had no other name than "Easter Hare" or "Easter Bunny," and that Thornton Burgess never identified Peter Rabbit/Peter Cottontail as the Easter Hare/Easter Bunny.

The Psychology of Betty Draper Francis

If there is one character on Mad Men that almost everyone loves to hate, it is Betty Draper Francis (January Jones), ex-wife of advertising account executive Don Draper and current wife of political advisor Henry Francis. She has been described as "self-absorbed," "emotionally immature," "petulant," "abusive," and even "psychotic," and that is just a short list of the more polite terms used of her. A Google search for "Betty Draper" or "Betty Francis" reveals that she could easily be the most disliked character on Mad Men (even more than Pete Campbell).

I must admit that there was a point where I outright hated Betty.  At times Betty seemed wholly indifferent or even hostile to her children. She was constantly telling them to, more often than not yelling at them to, "go watch TV," "go outside," and "go upstairs." Betty could also be verbally abusive to her children, a situation that increased as the seasons of Mad Men passed. She once famously told Bobby, "Go bang your head against the wall." While that comment Betty made to Bobby might seem shocking, most of her vitriol is reserved for her daughter Sally. Betty once told her friend Francine Hanson that Sally looked fat. One has to wonder that she hasn't said the exact same thing to her daughter. After Sally is caught touching herself while watching The Man From U.N.C.L.E. at a friend's slumber party, Betty threatens to cut Sally's fingers off.

Worse yet, by the fourth season of Mad Men it appears that Betty is even being physically abusive towards Sally. When Sally cuts her hair because she wants to look beautiful (something most parents would laugh about), Betty responds by slapping her daughter across the face. After Betty catches Sally smoking with neighbour boy Glen Bishop, she locks her daughter in a closet as punishment. When Betty and her new husband Henry Francis have Thanksgiving dinner at the in laws, Betty forces Sally to eat sweet potatoes, even though Sally dislikes sweet potatoes. Henry's mother, overbearing though she may be, makes an observation many probably have but never spoken aloud--Betty's children are terrified of her.  Even in the Sixties, when spanking was still widely accepted as a punishment for children, slapping a child across the face (especially for something so minor as cutting his or her hair) or locking them in a closet would have been considered abuse.

Not only does Betty treat her children poorly, but she is not much better to the adults around her. Oh, I think most people can forgive her for yelling at Don given his treatment of her, but it seems more often than not Betty's wrath is reserved for people who are good deal nicer to her. Betty's treatment of the Drapers' housekeeper Carla is often unforgivable (Carla continued to work for Betty after Betty had divorced Don and married Henry Francis before being fired). Indeed, it goes much further than Betty ordering Carla around as if she were more a slave than the hired help. When Carla allowed Glen Bishop to say goodbye to Sally, Betty fired her, even though Carla had kept the Draper house for years and had more or less raised the Draper children. Worse yet, Betty does not even give Carla a written reference, something for which she must go to Henry (who is justifiably disgusted by his wife's behaviour). Of course, Henry is also the victim of Betty's vitriol more often than not. Despite the fact that he is much more emotionally accessible than Don ever was, despite the fact that he has never cheated on her as Don has, despite the fact that he is not verbally abusive as Don sometimes was, Betty treats Henry worse in many ways than she did Don. Sadly, while Henry does stand his ground with Betty many times, there are many other times that he simply stands there and takes it.

Given Betty's behaviour, particularly as the seasons of Mad Men passed, it should be no surprise why many have treated her as a bad mother, if not an outright monster. Now it is true that there are other characters on Mad Men who are equally despicable. Pete Campbell would seem to have little in the way of redeeming qualities and, in fact, I have always despised him more than I ever have Betty. Roger is openly racist and self centred to the point that only his charm and his concern for his friends makes him even a little likeable.  I suspect Betty has garnered so much more attention than either Pete or  Roger is because of her treatment of children and individuals who certainly do not deserve such mistreatment (Carla and Henry).  It is hard to imagine even Pete or Roger mistreating children (in fact, both seem to be fond of them). While Betty has often been treated as a monster or a younger version of the  characters from a psycho-biddy film, she is hardly either. It is not entirely Betty's fault that she is the way she is, as whatever personality disorders and psychoses she may have are largely the product of her life from the day she was born through her marriage to Don Draper.

First, we must consider Betty's upbringing. Betty was the victim of what even at the time would have been considered child abuse at the hands of her mother, the beautiful Mrs. Ruth Hofstadt. In the episode "The Arrangements," Betty's father Gene told Sally how her grandmother (Betty's mother) would take Betty shopping and then force her "fat" daughter to walk all the way home to keep the weight off (here I must say that until recently I very seriously doubt Betty was ever fat...). In the episode "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" Betty told Sally how whenever she was bad as a little girl, her mother would threaten to cut her hair off. While Betty is giving birth to youngest son Gene Draper, she has hallucinations (probably more due to her own psychosis than the twilight sleep she had been put under) that are quite revealing about her mother. While holding a bloody rag, Ruth Hofstadt told Betty, "You see what happens to people who speak up?" In the hallucinations she also told her daughter to shut her mouth or she would catch flies. It is in the first season that Betty stated, "My mother wanted me to be beautiful so I could find a man. There's nothing wrong with that. But then what? Just sit and smoke and let it go 'til you're in a box?"

Unfortunately, it would appear that Betty would take her mother's words to her and her treatment of her to heart. Quite obviously Ruth Hofstadt thought that it was important for a woman to marry and she must be beautiful to insure that she did. Betty's mother did not simply tell her daughter this, but she also reinforced it with actions. She made her walk home in order to keep any extra weight off and threatened to cut her hair if she was bad. At the same time that Ruth Hoftstadt was indoctrinating young Betty with the idea that physical appearance was everything, one must also suspect that she was teaching her that women are better seen and not heard. "You see what happens to people who speak up?" As sad as it might seem, I could rather see Ruth Hofstadt telling her daughter that a woman must know her place. It does not seem inconceivable that Ruth Hofstadt was responsible for her daughter's conflicting views on sex. From Betty's reaction to Sally's unfortunate behaviour at her friend's slumber party, it would seem Betty has definite ideas on what good girls do and do not do. Given everything else we know about Ruth Hofstadt, it would not be surprising if we found out that she is not where Betty got these attitudes from.

While Ruth Hofstadt was downright abusive towards her daughter, it seems likely that Eugene Hofstadt spoiled Betty.  In fact, Betty's brother William indicated that Betty was their father's favourite child. In "The Arrangements" Eugene Hofstadt tells Sally that he believed that he had shielded Betty from too much. He expounds on this by explaining that he wanted Betty to be a princess, to be "Scarlett O'Hara."  In the same episode Betty responded adversely to her father Eugene explaining his final wishes to her with words to the effect of "I'm your little girl!"  Whether this was because Betty was their only daughter or because Eugene Hofstadt was trying to make up for his wife's abuse of her is hard to say, but it is clear that he may have spoiled Betty.

At the same time that Eugene may have spoiled Betty, he also appeared to be disappointed that she turned out simply be a housewife. Betty's father quite obviously had some very progressive views when it came to women. In "The Arrangements" he told Sally that her grandmother Ruth was a drafting engineer in the Twenties and went onto tell Sally, "You can really do something. Don't let your mother tell you otherwise." In the hallucinations Betty had during son Gene's birth, her father Eugene told Betty,"You're a housecat. Very important with not much to do." While Betty's mother Ruth appeared to have simply wanted her daughter to be beautiful and get married, her father Eugene appeared to want a life for her beyond being a housewife. Indeed, it is quite possible that Betty could have become something other than a housewife, difficult though it may have been at the time. She attended Bryn Mawr College and received a degree in anthropology. Betty has also been shown to be fluent in Italian. Betty may not be the sanest person in the world, but she is quite clearly very intelligent.

Given Betty's upbringing, it should be little wonder if she had a few mental problems. This would only be complicated by the fact that she married the wrong man, namely Don Draper. Don may be a great person with whom to work, but he is not exactly someone to whom a woman would want to be married. First one must consider the fact that Don has an entire hidden past about which he wants no one to know. Because of this Betty actually knows very little about her husband. Indeed, it was one of the reasons that Betty's father disliked Don. In the episode "The Inheritance," he complained to Betty that Don had "...no people. You can't trust a person like that." It should have been no surprise that Don's secret life should play a pivotal role in the break up of their marriage. Second, perhaps in a large part because of his secret life, Don is emotionally distant with Betty. It is a rare thing for Don to express his feelings to Betty and a rare thing for him to confide anything to her. Betty then does not receive much in the way of communication from the person who should be closet to her in her life. Third, Don was often verbally abusive towards Betty. It is not hard to find episodes in which Don does not yell at or at least talk condescendingly towards her. This obviously grew worse after their marriage fell apart. In The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" Don yelled at Betty and accused her of being a bad mother (well, it is true that she is a bad mother, but then he did not have to yell to get the point across). In "Tomorrowland" Don yelled at Betty for not being honest with him (the man with an entire secret life is actually angry at someone else for not being honest...).

Fourth and finally, Don had all the marital fidelity of a tomcat. During their marriage Don had at least five affairs that we know of, and one has to suspect that there weren't more. So much cheating on the part of a husband would seriously damage a marriage in which the woman was totally sane. In the case of Betty, one has to wonder if it was not one of the primary factors in pushing her over the edge. Consider that Betty was taught that she had to be beautiful in order to get a man. Once she does get a man, the handsome and charming Don Draper, he does not remain loyal to her. This would not only been a blow to her already fragile ego, but it would also have an outright insult to her. This particularly appears to have been the case with Don's inexplicable affair with Bobbie Barrett, as Betty rather undiplomatically says, "She's so old!"

Even though Don never, ever raised a hand to Betty, his relationship to her would almost have to be considered abusive. He never really communicated with Betty, whether it was confiding his own feelings or dealing with the problems in their marriage. He constantly berated her and spoke to her condescendingly. He cheated on her multiple times. When combined with her upbringing (the conflicting messages of "get a man" from her mother and "do something" from her father), it is actually surprising that Betty did not have a complete psychotic break. It also explains why Betty often treated Carla and Henry Francis so poorly. Angry at Don and unable to direct that anger towards Don (who would only yell back), she directs that anger at people who are unlikely to yell back or will at least still accept her if they do. If Betty abused Sally and Bobby because her mother abused her, she perhaps abused Carla and Henry because Don abused her.

Of course, here we must take into account that it probably was not only her upbringing and her marriage to Don that pushed Betty over the edge. It was probably also the times. While feminism had existed in some form since the late 19th Century and started to gain ground in the 1960's (Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique was published in 1963), it was still expected that women would marry and become housewives. Even as recently as the Sixties there were only a few occupations generally open to women, such as nursing, teaching, or office work. Even then it was often expected that if a woman got married, then she would give up her career. Even though Betty was a model when Don first met her, it should not be surprising that she gave up her career when they married. It should also not be surprising that Betty should go from her marriage to Don almost immediately to her marriage to Henry Francis. It was not simply that her mother had programmed her that a woman's primary purpose in life was as wife and mother, society also dictated that this was ideal for women at the time as well. While there can be little doubt that Betty would have had problems even if she had remained a model or became an anthropologist, I cannot suspect that they would not have become quite so severe. First, she would not have been a disappointment to her father. She would not have been a "housecat" and would have had plenty to do. This would certainly eliminate one source of stress in her life. Second, she would have been able to put her considerable intelligence to use in something that she actually enjoyed. One has to suspect that many of Betty's problems stem from the simple fact that she has little to do that actually challenges her. Third, if she had pursued a career in anthropology or something else, she would have never married Don Draper. As pointed out above, Betty would have probably had problems without marrying Don, but in doing so it only exasperated what was already a bad situation.

While Betty would appear to be a monster, then, she is not one of her own creation. Any psychoses and personality disorders were the creation of multiple factors. Her upbringing, her marriage to Don, and even the milieu into which she was born all played a role in Betty's mental instability. While Betty is still not a very likeable character, then, I think she is still one who is worthy of some degree of sympathy. To a large degree Betty's behaviour is not something for which she was responsible. She is simply behaving in the way that her parents, Don, and society had taught her to.

It is difficult to say what the fifth season of Mad Men holds for Betty. The second episode of the season, "Tea Leaves," finds her calmer and to a small degree more at peace. She actually shows affection towards her children. And while she is still a bit cranky with Henry Francis, she is not the screaming harpy she once was. Unfortunately, she is also overweight and quite obviously depressed. It is difficult to say what happened to Betty. Perhaps therapy dissolved much of the anger in her life, but not the unhappiness. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what has brought Betty to this point in her life as the season unfolds.