"Witness For The Prosecution" with Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power

This is an adaptation of the Agatha Christie play written for the screen and directed by Billy Wilder. The story is a murder trial in London at the close of the Second World War.

Charles Laughton stars as the beleaguered and aging Barrister Sir Wilfrid, who has just been released from the hospital. He is recovering from a severe heart attack and cannot take on any more important and exciting cases. A private nurse, played by Elsa Lanchester, follows him about to ensure that he takes his pills and does not smoke his favorite cigars. Much of the film has him outwitting her efforts.(Laughton and Manchester were real life husband and wife.)

Tyrone Power plays an innocent man accused of a capital crime. He meets and befriends an elderly widow who turns up dead one week after having named him heir to her estate. The only person who can provide him with an alibi is his wife, Marlene Dietrich, who plays her character with an icy coldness. She claims that her marriage to Leonard Vole (Power) was a sham and this allows her testimony to be used against her husband, much to his detriment.

Billy Wilder drew remarkable performances from both Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich. Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester are superb in their respective roles and the whole production is flawless.

Ultimately setting her husband free with false testimony and a surprise witness, the ending is explosive as the full realization of what has transpired is laid bare before your eyes. In a climactic scene worthy of Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder pulls off an ending in which the schemers become their own victims.

With one of the best courtroom scenes ever filmed, this is a movie not to be missed.

Sam and Me- Looking for Clues

This is the only close up photograph I have of Sam. He was my frog from July of 1966 until his untimely death due to a fungus sometime late in the summer of 1967. Sometimes I think he just didn't take to life in the city.

I have some other photos of me holding him in a coffee jar right after his capture. I look so happy with my new acquisition, with no thought of the poor frog, who must have been very upset with the jar and the smell. I can still remember that it was a Maxwell House jar.

I used to get water for him from Prospect Park on the weekends and fed him live meal worms which he seemed to be very fond of. He also liked raw chop meat, to which I would add his liquid vitamins. And when he eventually got sick I took him to the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan.

It still makes me laugh to think about filling out the form for the intake process. I was alone, having taken the subway with Sam. They asked questions that simply did not apply to my particular pet, but the one Sam and I had the most fun with was when they asked for his color and I wrote "green." Man, we had our fun, Sam and I.

After a bit of initial confusion we were ushered into a Veterinarian's office overlooking the East River below the 59th Street "Feeling Groovy" Bridge. The vet came in and took a look at the two of us and wondered, almost aloud, if this was some kind of joke being played on him by his fellow vets. I assured him that we were in earnest, Sam having been sick for several weeks at this point. I had tried every homeopathic remedy known to reptiles and humans alike, all to no avail.

The vet gave him an injection which he claimed would either help him or not. I paid the $8 and left. Sam never made it home alive. The next day I rode my bicycle to the Old Mill on Avenue U in Brooklyn, and set him adrift in a fur lined cigar box hoping that the tide would carry him away. Kind of like a Viking funeral without the flames.

There's no moral here; no trauma involved. It’s just me going through my photos and memories; still looking for clues to who I was and where I've been. I’ll keep you posted.

"Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" with Laurence Fisburne (2010)

Walter Mosley’s short stories come to life with the flawless acting of Laurence Fishburne in the title role of Socrates Fortlow, an ex-con living in the Watts section of Los Angeles. The screenplay is also by the author, so nothing is lost in the way of character development and the film is a seamless companion to the book.

When Socrates moves into the neighborhood he forms an unlikely bond with an 11 year old boy who is living with a secret; much as Socrates is. There is a violent incident in the boy’s past which haunts him. Realizing that holding this secret in will only lead the boy down wrong path he sets out to encourage the boy to face up to the fear and put it behind him; before it follows him, forever shadowing his life.

While looking for an honest job at a supermarket, he collects aluminum cans which he redeems at the grocery store. Pushing a shopping cart with the rest of the homeless and disenfranchised affects Socrates in a predictable way; he is angry at the seeming injustice of the whole system.

His best friend is sick and cannot afford the medicine he needs to allay the pain of dying; much less the medical bills to be treated. But Socrates knows someone who can provide the relief his friend needs, and he is happy to provide the money necessary. His friends wife is a woman who does not trust men; particularly African-American men; underscoring the gauntlet which many African-American men must navigate within their own communities. Disenfranchised from without and scorned from within.

As Socrates struggles to accept his past, he also needs to fight for his future. But that future depends on the job at the grocery store, and his lack of a car prevents his being hired there. Meantime his friend; who is too proud to take a job in a lesser position than the one he lost; struggles to keep his marriage together. Socrates wants to help him, but can’t understand why he needs to be encouraged; after all he has a wife and child to take care of. Isn’t that motivation enough?

This movie; and the book by Walter Mosley; both serve to underscore how little we have moved forward socially; as far as economic progress is concerned; since these stories were written almost 20 years ago. If you have never read the stories then this book will serve as an excellent introduction to a the character of Socrates Fortlow, a man who is emblematic of not only the African-American struggle socially; but also of the every man in America today who all fight to keep our heads above water and provide a future for our families, as well as our communities.

The stellar cast of this film includes the following accomplished actors; most of whom appear out of their usual characters;

Laurence Fishburne - Socrates Fortlow

Bill Cobbs - Right Burke

Natalie Cole - Iula Brown

Daniel Williams - Darryl

Cicely Tyson - Luvia

Bill Nunn - Howard M'Shalla

Bridgid Coulter - Corina M'Shalla

Isaiah Washington - Wilfred

Bill Duke - Blackbird Willis

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, the man who gave us "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Martian Chronicles", among many other great works, really outdid himself when he wrote this book. The subsequent movie with Jason Robards, is no slouch itself. Set in the Midwest of the late 1920's, the book concerns the arrival in town of a Carnival. The carnival arrives on the heels of a mysterious lightning rod salesman who predicts that a storm is coming their way. And it is..

The two main characters are Will Halloway and his friend, Jim Nightshade. They are both 14, which is a magical age for boys. I used to be one. Will's Dad is also at the center of the story, as a middle aged man who works at the library and, like Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird",is all too conscious of the fact that he is no longer young. When he learns of the Carnival due to arrive the next day the story is set in motion.

Will and Jim plan on setting out at 3 AM in the morning to watch the Carnival set up just outside of town. What they witness, in the way of the Carnival coming to life, upsets them and they run home. The next day they return to explore the mystery that they have witnessed. It is there that they encounter their 7th grade teacher,Miss Foley, whom they find dazed and confused after coming from the "Hall of Mirrors." When Jim ventures inside, Will is forced to pull him out. Scared, but still not satisfied, they return again that night after finding the lightning rod salesman's bag and wondering what happened to him. More importantly they wonder about his connection to "Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Show", which is the name of the Carnival.

That night, when they return, they search all of the tents and exhibits, finding no trace of the missing man. When they go to board the Carousel they are seized by a man who tells them that the ride is broken. This is Mr.Cooger, of Cooger and Dark's. Another man appears and directs Cooger to release the boys. He is Mr. Dark, a man covered in tatoos that mesmerize the boys. He then instructs them to return the next day as his guests, and the boys agree. But instead of leaving, they remain hidden. What they see shocks them, as Mr. Cooger rides the Carousel backwards, to backwards music. And when the ride is finished, he is 12 years old!

Following him to Miss Foley's house he is introduced to them as her nephew. The 12 year old Mr. Cooger is now on to them and a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. When the boys encounter a young girl crying in the street, they realize that this is their teacher! What connection can there be between the Carousel, Mr. Dark, the young Mr. Cooger and the teacher?

Mr. Dark has, by now, realized the danger that the boys pose to him, and to that end he has organized a parade which he leads through the town in order to find them. When he meets Will's father and realizes who he is, he attempts to find out their whereabouts. But the elder Mr. Halloway feigns ignorance. He does, however, notice the faces of his son and Jim on Mr. Dark's tatooed hands.

The trio retreat to the library where Mr. Halloway researches the Carnival with disturbing results. Hiding the boys in the library he waits for Mr. Dark to show up. When he does, the two shake hands, with Mr. Dark attempting to stop Mr. Halloway's heart. The appearance of the "Dust Witch" ensures that the boys will be unable to help the Will's Dad. Just as he is about to die, Mr. Halloway, who has discovered that love is the only weapon against the evil Carnival, looks at the Dust Witch and laughs hysterically. This spooks her and she disappears. The boys have, by now, been taken to the Carnival, where an untimely fate awaits them.

Mr. Halloway then goes to the Carnival to confront Mr. Dark and get the boys. During the following battle of wits between Good and Evil, Mr. Halloway must defeat the "Dust Witch", destroy the Mirror Maze, and get the boys back safely. And he must do so using only the powers of laughter, happiness and love. When Jim is caught on the Carousel, Will tries to free him, but they both end up on the ride with no way off. Will finally manages to pull them both free and they lay on the ground next to the Carousel, with Jim nearly dead.

Mr. Dark still has one trick up his sleeve, and disguising himself as a child he comes to the trio begging for help. When Mr. Halloway recognizes the evil within the boy, he hugs him tightly, killing him with love. The Carnival collapses before their eyes and Jim is finally revived by the joyous singing of Will and his father.

This book was first written in the 1940's by Mr. Bradbury as a short story. When it was filmed in 1983 he wrote the screenplay. He considered it to be one of the best adaptations of his works.

The book is short, a little over 200 pages. The film is true to the narrative, with the Direction tightly conceived. Jason Robards was at his best in this film, playing a man searching for something that has eluded him for so long. This story ranks alongside "Moby Dick" in it's treatment of the subject at hand - Good versus Evil. And although Science Fiction/Fantasy are rarely my cup of tea, this book, as well as the movie adaptation, have drawn me back, time and again, to this truly remarkable tale.

A Quote From Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"A self sufficient human being is sub human. I have gifts that you do not have, so consequently, I am unique - you have gifts that I do not have, so you are unique. God has made us so that we will need each other..."

My Mona Lisa - NYC 1845

I found this little treasure back in 1980 in the basement of Jackie Onassis' apartment building on 5th Avenue across from Central Park. I was doing some work for my Dad at the time. We installed anti-pollution controls on incinerators.

Rich people throw away some pretty cool things. This pencil drawing from about 1845 is a good example of some of the things I found.

Just look at this picture. She stares with beauty in her eyes and just a hint of a smile plays across her mouth. I snatched her up in her black wood shaved matting with a matching black frame. She has been with me for the past 30 years.

Was this a portrait done for a loved one? Or perhaps it was just a sketch by an amateur artist?

I find her mysterious, yet so real. There is something flirtatious about her that captivated me long ago. She hangs on the wall beside my bed. She is the only woman that my wife doesn't object to my seeing on a regular basis.

The pencil strokes, when the sketch is held at an angle to the light, are vivid and exact. They give life to the portrait. I must admit to being in love with this woman - our age difference notwithstanding.

"Out of the Furnace" with Woody Harrelson, Christian Bale and William Dafoe (2014)

Woody Harrelson stars as Harlan DeGroat; a degenerate modern day outlaw;  in this engaging drama about the modern criminal underworld. Russell Baze; played by Christian Bale; and Rodney Baze; played by Casey Affleck; are two brothers from a steel mill town in Pennsylvania. Rodney  is just back from his 4^th tour in Iraq and is not interested in following his brother and father into the steel mills just outside Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has seen their lives degenerate into poverty and illness, and he vows to make something better for himself. But what can he do?

After coming back from his last “stop loss” extension in Iraq Rodney has a lot to be angry about. And a local fight promoter named John Petty; played by Willem Dafoe; is there to exploit that anger as he loans the boy enough money to force him to work off the debt in the ring. Of course Rodney owes Petty more money than he can ever earn in these local fights; unless he takes a “dive” to ensure that Petty wins. But this is something he just cannot seem to make himself do.

Looking at a long future of small time fights leaves him longing for the chance at one big fight to free him from the clutches of his debt to Petty. Petty warns him of the dangers involved in going up against some of these other men, but his warnings go unheeded and Petty sets up the match. The man who controls the fighting game in the area of New Jersey where they go is named Harlan DeGroat and is played brilliantly by Woody Harrelson. From the opening scene in the drive in theater you will loathe this character.

Forrest Whitaker plays local Sheriff Wesley Barnes, who arrests Russell for a DUI. Russell had just paid off Rodney’s gambling debts to Petty. His brother doesn’t know this and so thinks he is still indebted to the loan shark/promoter. In addition, his girlfriend Zoe; played by Lena Taylor; thinks he has abandoned her and is now pregnant with the Sheriff’s child.

When everything goes wrong at the fight in the hills with Harlan DeGroat and his crew, Petty is killed and Rodney goes missing. Russell sets off to find him, mistaking the Sheriff’s methodical ways as stonewalling due to the tangled relationship they have concerning Zoe. In reality that is not true. Knowing that chasing down someone like Harlan DeGroat will get him killed he tries to dissuade Russell from going after him.

But trying to stop Russell from looking for his brother is like trying to stop the wind; it can’t be done. And when he does find him the results are almost predictable, as Russell’s anger seems to have leapt out of the furnace as he extracts his revenge.

This film is written, filmed and directed in a way which will keep you engrossed in the plot and have you feeling involved and sympathetic with the Baze brothers as they attempt to navigate the waters of fate which ultimately come to engulf them.