"One Crowded Night" (1949) w/ Gale Storm

 "One Crowded Night" (1940) is a story of pre destination. In 107 minutes of straight drama, this film, in it's low key fashion, brings together the unseeming relationship of all the characters involved.

At a restaurant in the Mojave Desert the daily mail brings a registered letter that affects not only the recipient  but the lives of all who live, work and pass through there. When Brother Joseph, a Patent Medicine man, who barters his elixir for food and shelter, arrives the story begins to unfold.

By the time he leaves, it proves not only the connections which bind us all, but a baby is born, a man is set free, lovers are united and Brother Joseph recovers his former skills as a real physician. And, as a bonus, he shows that, with the addition of a little water, his elixir can indeed, run his vehicle. Remember, this film is a straight drama.

"Man on a Tightrope" (1953)

 "Man on  A Tightrope", directed by Elia Kazan, is one of those films easily lost to the ravages of time. But, thanks to modern technology it was restored beautifully. 

Although based on a short novel, the story is indicative of the fate of so many private enterprises which fell victim to collectivism when the Soviet Union took control of Eastern Europe after World War Two ended. The the film industries there needed a "jump start". Many Western stars made films overseas to help in that endeavor. (Paul Muni in Italy and Peter Lorre in Germany are two of the more notable stars who did just that.) 

What makes this film so special is that it is based on a true story of a Czechoslovakian, Karel Cerník, who  struggles to keep his beloved Cirkus Cerník together, which belonged to his family before and even during the war. 

He is fiercely devoted to artistic freedom, as well as his performers, at a time when even the simple antics of his clowns are being scrutinized for hidden political meanings. His problem is how to leave the Russian occupation, and get across the border to the West, with his circus intact. To that end he devises an ingenious, yet simple, plan. The film has a lethargic feel to it which mirrors those hopeless years. And that's what provides the contrast and the joy of Cernik's sucess. Light illuminates darkness.

Starring Fredric March, Gloria Greene and Terry Moore, the film is a testament to what people will do in order to live free. Richard Boone, Cameron Mitchell and Adolphe Menjou also put in great performances. The film was a contender at the 3rd Berlin Film Festival in 1953.

Voltaire, Zadig, The Queens Dog, Deductive Reasoning

While reading a book about A. Conan Doyle and the real life Gilchrest Murder in Glasgow,  Scotland in 1908 I have been delving into Deductive Reasoning. Doyle became involved in the Marion Gilchrist Case and was able to use Deductive Reasoning to effet the release of Oscar Slater who was falsely accused and convicted of the crime. He served over 17 years before being released, largely based on Conan Doyle's efforts.

If you scratch the surface of Sherlock Holmes you will find A. Conan Doyle, his creator. And if you scratch that surface you will find his Professor at Glasgow University, Dr. Joseph Bell, who was Doyle's model for the fictional Holmes. But if you go even further back you will come to Voltaire and his 1747 novella "Zadig." 

Note: I have taken the liberty of leaving out the part of this narrative which deals with the King's horse, as it is in all manner the same situation which regards the Queen's dog. I hope that this will not offend anyone, especially Voltaire, or the horse! For the full account, including the horse, you can easily Google the full story. Here then is the edited version. 

"One day, as he was walking near a little wood, Zadig saw one of the queen's eunuchs running toward him, followed by several officers, who appeared to be in great perplexity, and who ran to and fro like men distracted, eagerly searching for something they had lost of great value.

"Young man," said the first eunuch, "hast thou seen the queen's dog?"

"It is a bitch," replied Zadig, with great modesty, "and not a dog."

"Thou art in the right," returned the first eunuch.

"It is a very small she-spaniel," added Zadig; "she has lately whelped; she limps on the left fore-foot, and has very long ears."

"Thou hast seen her," said the first eunuch, quite out of breath.

"No," replied Zadig, "I have not seen her, nor did I so much as know that the queen had a bitch."

The first eunuch never doubted but that Zadig had stolen the queen's bitch. They therefore had him conducted before the assembly of the grand desterham, who condemned him to the knout, and to spend the rest of his days in Siberia. Hardly was the sentence passed, when the bitch was found. The judges were reduced to the disagreeable necessity of reversing their sentence; but they condemned Zadig to pay four hundred ounces of gold for having said that he had not seen what he had seen. This fine he was obliged to pay; after which, he was permitted to plead his cause before the counsel of the grand desterham, when he spoke to the following effect.

"I was walking toward the little wood, where I afterward met the venerable eunuch. I observed on the sand the traces of an animal, and could easily perceive them to be those of a little dog. The light and long furrows impressed on little eminences of sand between the marks of the paws, plainly discovered that it was a bitch, whose dugs were hanging down, and that therefore she must have whelped a few days before. Other traces of a different kind, that always appeared to have gently brushed the surface of the sand near the marks of the fore-feet, showed me that she had very long ears; and as I remarked that there was always a slighter impression made on the sand by one foot than by the other three, I found that the bitch of our august queen was a little lame, if I may be allowed the expression."

All the judges admired Zadig for his acute and profound discernment. The news of this speech was carried even to the king and queen. Nothing was talked of but Zadig in the anti-chambers, the chambers, and the cabinet; and though many of the magi were of opinion that he ought to be burnt as a sorcerer, the king ordered his officers to restore him the four hundred ounces of gold which he had been condemned to pay.

The Registrars, the Baliffs, and the Attorneys came to his house with great solemnity to restore him his four hundred ounces of gold; and kept back only three hundred and ninety-eight ounces for legal expenses."

Note: The name Zadig is derived from the Germanic spelling Tzaddik, which corresponds with the Hebrew word for a righteous person. A Tzaddik is someone who not only aheres to ethical and moral standards but also exemplifies these ideals in their daily lives.

"The Sea Captain's Wife" by Tilar J. Mazzeo (2025)

 Before Women's Lib there was Mary Ann Patten, the 16 year old wife of Captain Joshua Patten, both of Maine. She was a product of her time and place, schooled in the art of homemaking and someday becoming the wife of a Sea Captain. When they met he was several years her senior, which was not unusual for the times. But what was unusual was the woman she would become, and the role she would play in her husband's life.

This is a book which will have you cheering at times as you learn of her accomplishments and trials. Joshua was the Captain of the last generation of Clipper ships, known as "Extreme" clippers, designed for speed and revenue. They could transport goods from Maine to Liverpool in as little as 13 days, or down around the Cape of South America through Drake's Passage and on to San Francisco in 100 days. These ships could make you rich. Or they could leave you broken and stranded on a foreign shore.

Mary Ann and Joshua had a plan. They would Captain his ship, " Neptune's  Boxcar", and circumnavigate it around the world, from Maine to New York,on to San Francisco, then China and India and back again. If they were sucessful they could retire by age 30 with a farm and the means to live well for the rest of their lives.

But Mary Ann and Joshua were so in love that they would not be parted, and though it was not unusual for a Captain to take his wife with him on a perilous voyage; where convention would see the women confined to the Captain's quarters for much of the voyage; what was unusual was the timber of this particular woman.

Mary Ann had only a rudimentary education, but at age 17, in an age and world dominated by men,  she would teach herself the mathematics necessary to navigate by the stars, read the Nautical Charts, determine ocean currents and everything else necessary to not only assist Joshua, but to take his place when their fortunes turned. And this is the meat of the story, as well as the measure of the woman.

In their planned 2 year voyage she would become the first woman, at age 19 and pregnant, to Captain their ship when Joshua took deathly ill with Tuberculosis and "Brain Fever", brave the perilous voyage around the Horn and through Drake's Passage, nurse her dying husband, put down a Mutiny and bring her man home. It is an extraordinary tale; and true.

Written by Tilar J. Mazzeo; another ten decade native of the area in Maine, as well as an accomplished Mariner and author in her own right; this book will inspire and then anger you when Mary Ann, 8 months pregnant, and suffering from Malaria, is cheated out of her husband's wages on a technicality. As a woman she had no right to accomplish what she had. The ship's owner's took the position that because Joshua had been ill for most of the voyage, he had done little of the work he had been contracted to do. And since there was no contract with Mary Ann, they were owed nothing.

The story of how this 19 year old woman who taught herself to navigate, was able to bring her husband home, have her child and survive is compelling. It is also an infuriating one. Why are there no statues, or Commemorative Coins to honor this woman? And why is there still no Equal Rights Amendment for Women? This book is food for that thought.

The Clock in St. Mark's Square - Venice, Italy

Someday I hope you will all travel to Venice, Italy and see this clock. Built in the 1490's it is one of the most extraordinary in the world. And considering when it was built it is still a marvel of engineering and architecture. In 1998 it was cleaned and all the beauty of the facade was made visible again. Big difference from what it looked like in the 1970's when I saw it.

I was watching an old Italian film called "The Assassins" from 1952 in which the clock is shown. Piqued my memory. I do not recommend the film, only the clock, located in St. Mark's Square in Venice.

There is a great Wikipedia article about this clock and the family who maintained it from 1497 until 1998. 500 years. One family, one clock. They actually lived in the tower! There are 2 different links, both worth reading.

To me one of the most extraordinary aspects of the clock is the astronomical feature, which involves 5 planets and the Sun. This was 40 years before Copernicus proved that the Earth revolved around the Sun. And 100 years before the Catholic Church banned Copernicus! 😂

And here are the 2 "Moors" who actually strike the hours. They are located several stories above the actual clock face.

Also of interest is the fact that this extraordinary clock also pre dated the 1707 Scilly Island disaster, in which a British fleet was lost due to the need for understanding the principles of "arc to time". 

In 1714 Parliment passed the Longitude Act, which offered a big reward for anyone who could solve the problem. Still, it took another 57 years for a man named John Harrison to accomplish this feat. Without his accomplishment it was really an educated guess as to where your ship actually was. Even today's sophisticated Navigation Satellites owe a huge debt to Harrison's H4 timepiece.

"Annie Christie" - Grets Garbo, Marie Dressler and Charles Bickford (1930)

 

Anna Christie (1930) is a pre-Code film of the Eugene O'Niell play. Starring Greta Garbo, this was her first "talkie". The advertisements all said "Garbo Talks!" Directed by Clarence Brown, it is the story of an alcoholic woman with a past in prostitution who reunites with her long estranged alcoholic father. 

She then falls in love with a sailor, which infuriates her father, who is a sailor himself and deserted his family. He fears for her future based upon his own past. With both men holding her up on a pedestal, and both telling her what to do with her life, she is forced to confront her past. 

The film was a huge success, and was also released in a German-language version with Garbo in both, and is notable for its gritty and powerful performances. Garbo and Marie Dressler were exceptional, as well as Garbo's would be lover, played by Charles Bickford.

The film garnered 3 Academy Award Nominations including Best Actress for Garbo in her riveting performance. All doubts about her ability to act in "talkies" disappeared with this fim.

3 Books: "George Washington", "Charles Sumner" and "Midnight on the Potomac."

 

I don't post as often as I used to. But these 3 books, which Sue picked for me at the library, are the 3 I read this past month. And they are well worth reading. I chose to read them in the order in which the events occurred, beginning with the one about George Washington. An extraordinary book, considering how many books have been written about the Father of Our Country. It deals with Washington's time between the War and his return to Politics, the years when he was a Plantation owner. The Shay's Rebellion is what made his countrymen call him back into service. This was our first Insurrection and the event which highlighted the weaknesses in our Articles of Confederation. And the 10 months which followed were the time in which our Constitution was created. A fascinating time in our early history, as well as a view of what a real Insurrection looks like.

The next was the book on Charles Sumner, which encompasses the years leading up to, and after the Civil War. It includes an illuminating chapter on the Roberts vs Commonwealth of Boston trial (1846) and it's appeal two years later. Roberts was the first African-American attorney in our country. The case involved his daughter being denied admission to an elementary school 900 feet from her home on what was known as "Nigger Hill". She had to pass 5 whites only schools to get an education. 

When Roberts appealed Charles Sumner argued the case for Roberts. He lost, but not before being the first person to use the term "Equality Before the Law." That phrase later became associated with the Emancipation Proclamation. Sumner was a rabid Abolitionist in a town like Boston, which gave much "lip service" to the cause. But in actual practice it was like many other Northern states. You just didn't see the chains.

He later argued for the Defense on the case of a runaway slave named Sims. This had national repercussions in connection to the Fugitive Slave Laws. It also exposed the hypocrisy of the North when Sims was returned to his Masters in a slave state. The Fugitive Slave Laws were an abstract before this trial. But when the citizens in the North saw this miscarriage of Justice acted out in their own Courts, it heightened the Abolitionist cause.

Sumner then became involved in the case of 70 odd slaves who escaped from Washington, D.C. aboad the Pearl in 1850. After quickly being captured, they were found quilty of Violating the same Fugitive Slave Laws as in the Sims case. They were then returned to bondage in Washington, D.C., where slavery was legal. At the time slave trading took place right in the shadow of our Nation's Capitol.

As if this all were not enough he then took on the Trent Affair. The Trent Affair was a major crisis in the opening days of the Civil War. In 1861 the U.S. Navy illegally captured two Confederate diplomats from the RMS Trent, a British vessel. The incident nearly caused war between the Union and the England, as Britain deemed it a violation of it's neutral rights. We lost that case as it was in direct contradiction to our own complaints which caused us to fight the War of 1812. We seized the diplomats, in effect "impressing them", while leaving the documents they carried, which were the actual "contraband" we intended to seize, behind on the vessel. Had Britain declared war on the Union the Civil War would have been lost even as it had just begun.

The Sumner book reads like poetry. Masterfully written and well documented, it was a sheer pleasure.

And the third book was another home run, concerning itself with only one year during the Civil War. We often think of 1863 and Gettysburg as being the turning point of the war for the Union, when in fact it was the Victories in 1864, and the capture of Atlanta which really turned the tide. This book was also a shining example of history in the hands of a skillful author.

And all 3 books had connections to some of today's most pressing issues, as we again battle internally over State's Rights. As such, they are well worth the time to read.