ease had corrupted them

 

(left) American actor Broderick Crawford playing Willie Stark in the 1949 film  All The King's Men.  Movie based on the novel.  Willie Stark based on the real-life Louisiana politician Huey Long.

----- [excerpt from All The King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren.  Copyright 1946.  Harcourt Inc.] -----------

        But, speaking vulgarly, the Sheriff and Pillsbury were part of Willie's luck.  I didn't know it that night in Pappy's parlor, and I didn't know it when I got back to town and gave Jim Madison my tale.  Well, Willie began to appear in the Chronicle in the role of the boy upon the burning deck and the boy who put his finger in the dike and the boy who replies "I can" when Duty whispers low "Thou must."  

The Chronicle was turning up more and more tales about finagling in county courthouses around the state.  It pointed the finger of fine scorn and reprobation all over the map.  Then I began to grasp the significance of what was going on in that world of reasons high above the desk of Jim Madison, and caught the glint of those diaphanous spirit wings and the fluting whispers of the faint angel voices up there.  

In brief, this:  The happy harmony in the state machine was a thing of the past, and the Chronicle  was lined up with the soreheads, and was hacking away at the county substructure of the machine.  It was starting there, feeling its way, setting the stage and preparing the back-drop for the real show.

It wasn't as hard as it might have been.  Ordinarily the country boys in the county courthouses have plenty of savvy and know all the tricks and are plenty hard to pin anything on, but the machine had been operating so long now without serious opposition that ease had corrupted them.  They just didn't bother to be careful.  So the Chronicle was making a good show.

        But Mason County was Exhibit Number One.  On account of Willie.  He gave the touch of drama to the sordid tale.  He became symbolically the spokesman for the tongue-tied population of honest men.  And when Willie was licked at the polls of Mason County, the Chronicle ran his picture, and under it the line KEEPS HIS FAITH.  And under that they printed the statement which Willie had given to me when I went back up to Mason City after the election and after Willie was out.  The statement went like this:

        "Sure, they did it and it was a clean job which I admire.  I'm going back to Pappy's farm and milk the cows and study some more law for it looks like I am going to need it.  But I have kept my faith in the people of Mason County.  Time will bring all things to light."

-30-

if you think of 25 of them, you're a genius

 

On You Tube, find the video titled

Nice Mickey Rourke scene in 'Body Heat' (1981)

It is 2 minutes long.  Watch and listen.

viewer comments:

~  In every bar buddy conversation when this comes up and guys imitate Rourke in this scene, they pretend to be smoking - I've always found that interesting... "Hey! no smoking in here".

~  The Counselor brought me to this.  Thanks Ridley Scott and Dariusz Wolski.  And Cormac McCarthy

        ~  Same here.  Just now stopped the movie to You Tube this scene.

~  2 truly amazing actors.

~  ...Rourke always had a great screen presence and everything he says is intense.  It's scenes like this I remember from great movies.

~  General Thunderbolt Ross and Whiplash Ivan Vanko

~  "There's 50 ways you can F this up.  A genius might think of 50, and you ain't no genius, Councilor!"  Words to that effect.  This movie ran for 6 months straight in an Albuquerque theater, 44 years ago.  Walter White should have seen this scene!

~  Mickey was great, and so were William Hurt and Kathleen Turner.  Great parts for all three - roles that actors live-for.

~  ...Great scene in a great movie.

~  RIP William Hurt, eri un attore che ho sempre amato molto.  Grazie per I personaggi che ci hai regalato.

-30-

fragile systems

 

"Fragile systems bend toward the most dysfunctional person in them."

        I heard the above statement in a You Tube video, from a psychologist.  

---------------------------------------------------

As the current trial of Donald Trump goes along, there are all these courtroom sketches showing up in some of the news stories.

        I became interested in the artwork of the sketches.  Why do we see drawings instead of photographs?

I asked Google, and from what I can understand, in federal courts there are no cameras or recordings allowed, so if there are going to be any visual depictions, they are going to be drawings.

In state courts, some allow cameras, and some don't.

So anywhere cameras aren't allowed, the courtroom sketch artists are the backup.

-30-

"you look like Pine Haven"

 

I often feel that the 1981 film Body Heat doesn't receive the recognition that it should.  Some movies, you will find many (or several) videos on You Tube, analyzing them:  Taxi Driver, Rear Window, Citizen Kane...

Not much on there for Body Heat.  I did hear Mr. Sheffield on "The Nanny" mention the film, and then recently while watching clips of "Law & Order" episodes, fan favorite character Lenny Briscoe (portrayed by actor Jerry Orbach), in a conversation about whether someone had their spouse killed over money, says, "I watched Body Heat three times...!"

I felt like, "Finally!"

Finally someone besides me says it.

-30-

too funny

 

Under the video on You Tube of the Kennedys meeting the British royals in The Crown are Comments:

~  President first, President first.

No curtsy, no curtsy...

I love those two men.  XD

~  Bloody shambles

~  Almost like commentary at a sporting event.

~  Your royal highness is for princess / prince, your majesty is for king / queen.

~  Hilariously awkward scene

~  The way the president says "your Royal Majesty" with such confidence [3 laughing emojis]

~  and loud!

~  I love that the Queen's face is a combination of ever so slightly annoyed, surprised, and amused.  And then she's gracious enough to go and save Mrs. Kennedy from wherever she's going lol.

~  I'll never get over this [laughing emoji] "Your Royal Majesty" omg

~  "Lord knows!"  That was too funny.

~  When she said your Grace I cringed so hard

"Your Royal Majesty" [6 laughing emojis] I can't

~  Honestly, Charteris  and Adeane's reactions make this scene.  I was chortling Britishly to myself throughout.

~  Charteris and Adeane are a TOTAL MOOD here...

~  Prime Minister:  "Oh, for goodness' sake!"  I howled.

~  bloody shambles

-30-

Lord knows

In this scene from The Crown U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at an "informal" dinner.  (What the royals call informal looks very very formal to many of us!)

It's a big room with tables, and people, dressed up.  Near the door are the Queen and her husband, waiting to greet the Americans.  There's a whole "right way - wrong way" of greeting and moving about:  you don't walk in front of the Queen, for example, and the correct way to address the royals...  Their ancient traditions that are supposed to give "stability."

 Off to the side near the door are two men:  Martin Charteris and Michael Adeane.  Adeane is the Queen's private secretary and Charteris is the deputy.  They try to make everything go right.

        A little ways into the room is British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and his wife.

INT.  Castle's dining hall - Evening

The Queen and Prince Philip stand watching the large, grand doorway, awaiting the Kennedys' arrival.  Before they (and we) see the Kennedys and their entourage, we can hear them walking in the hallway.

Philip (in a low voice, to his wife) -

Come on, it's like royalty.

Queen -

Very funny.

The Kennedys enter the room.

Philip -

Gosh.

 

Michael Adeane (sotto voce, to Charteris) -

President first, President first.

Jackie (who has gone first) -

Your Majesty.

Adeane (in a tone of ominous foreboding) -

No curtsy.

Charteris -

No curtsy.

Queen -

(startled - and with a look of faint disapproval)

Mrs. Kennedy.

Jackie (to Philip) -

Your Grace.

Adeane - 

Your royal highness.

Philip -

Mrs. Kennedy.

President Kennedy -

Good evening, Your Royal Majesty.

[Queen nods her head, a little stunned]

Charteris -

Oh dear.

Prime Minister Macmillan (to his wife) -

Oh for goodness' sake.

Queen -

Mr. President.

[staring, transfixed]

Philip -

Mr. President.

Kennedy -

Your Grace.

Adeane -

Did he not get the protocol sheet?

Charteris -

Yes!  He obviously didn't read it.

Queen (brightly) -

Yes!  Well - shall we?

Kennedy -

Uh - Jackie?

[Jackie walks on further into the room.]

Charteris -

Where do you think she's going?

Adeane (resigned tone)

Lord knows.

[The Queen catches up with Jackie and then we hear her voice from off-screen]

Queen (in a tone of warm politeness) -

Mrs. Kennedy.

Kennedy -

I feel like that went wrong in about ten thousand different ways.

Philip -

I've seen worse.  Though I'm not sure when.

[The president laughs, and Philip joins in.

Philip -

Drink?

Kennedy -

Please!

Charteris -

Sorry, sir.

Adeane -

Bloody shambles.

-30-

we'll see

 

------- [excerpt from All The President's Men.  Carl Bernstein / Bob Woodward.  1974.  Simon & Schuster] ------

        Maybe she could convince him?  Bernstein smiled, trying to suggest a good-natured conspiracy.

        She laughed.  "We'll see," she said.

        There was a pretty fair bike shop in McLean, and Bernstein drove there to kill a couple of hours and look halfheartedly for a replacement for his beloved Raleigh.  But his mind was on Jeb Magruder.  He had picked up a profoundly disturbing piece of information that day:  Magruder was a bike freak.  

Bernstein had trouble swallowing the information that a bicycle nut could be a Watergate bugger.  And Magruder really was a card-carrying bicycle freak who had even ridden his 10-speed to the White House every day.  Nobody would ever steal Jeb Magruder's bike, at least not there.  

Bernstein knew that, because he had ridden his bike to the White House on July 14--not the Raleigh, but a Holdsworth that he had had built in London--and as he went through the gate he knew no one would get near it.

        So Bernstein had rested his bike against the wall of the little guardhouse at the entrance and not bothered to lock it.  He was there to hear Vice President Agnew talk about cutting red tape to get help to victims of the Great Flood caused by Hurricane Agnes.  And he had run into Ken Clawson in the hallway.

        "You guys back at the  Post are going to bark up the wrong tree one too many times on Watergate," Clawson had said.

_______________

on You Tube, find the video titled

Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away (1957)

uploader / channel:  Marvin Pollei

...and listen.  It's the Bo Diddley beat!

-30-