"Driftwood" (1947) with Natalie Wood and Walter Brennan

Here's a gem of a film which has great application to the ongoing debate about vaccinations. In this case the disease is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which is spread by tics. Until the 1920's the disease killed about 10% of those infected. After the vaccine was discovered that rate was pretty much cut in half. With the advent of anti biotics  the vaccine is no longer necessary, and is treated with Doyxcelin, or other forms of the Tetracycline family. If caught in time the rate of mortality is the same as using the vaccine. 

This is a fictional story, but it carries quite a wallop. Natalie Wood plays a little girl who lives with her Great Grandfather, played by H.B. Warner, a preacher who lives a long way from any town. When he dies she travels by foot to the nearest town all alone. Halfway there she witnesses a plane crash. Alone in the woods, surrounded by coyotes and mountain lions, she encounters a seemingly stray dog, who is burned. They quickly become close and continue on the journey together.

While sleeping by the side of the road she is found by a doctor from the town where she is headed. Doctor Steve, played by Dean Jagger, takes her to the town and the Sheriff, whom her Great Grandfather always told her to see if/when he should pass away.

Doctor Steve, who has been working with tics in order to find a cure for Spotted Fever, is about to leave for San Francisco where he hopes to find work conducting research for a cure. The town he comes from doesn't even have a hospital. And the people there are not interested in trying the vaccine he has not yet perfected. That all changes when one of the children in the town dies from the disease.

The little girl has a secret. The dog, whom she calls Hollingsworth, actually comes from the plane she watched crash. And that dog is immune to the Fever. For how all this plays out you will have to watch the film. Beautifully written, acted and directed, this film, which also stars Walter Brennan and even Margaret Hamilton as the lovable town spinster, will capture your heart.

"The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker" - Edited by Robert Mankoff (2004)

The cartoons from the New Yorker magazine were pretty intriguing to me as a kid. They covered some political subjects with which I was unfamiliar, but also delved into the world of social interaction on an everyday personal level.

For instance, in the cartoon posted below; which is actually the original I clipped and saved decades ago; a grownup faces his own social anxiety when confronted with a situation where he will have to mix with others who are just like him. This was humor I could identify with. We’ve all been 12 years old at some time; when stepping into a room felt as if all eyes were upon you in judgement. Obviously, it struck a chord with me. I identified with the sentiment enough to save the cartoon for all these years.

Anyway, this is just one of the cartoons in this fantastic collection from New Yorker Magazine. I got it as a gift several years ago, and am still enjoying it today. With two CD’s containing every cartoon; as well as the book which has some of the best cartoons arranged by year and subject; this is the complete collection from 1925- 2004; which is over 68,000 very witty cartoons by some of the greatest political cartoonists of the 20^th century.

If you have a favorite New Yorker cartoon in your memory; it’s here in this collection. Here’s one more of my favorites; a bit more modern in theme;

"The Pooch" with The Little Rascals (1935)

This is the first time I have ever seen an episode of the Little Rascals in color. I didn't think that I’d enjoy it as much as I did. I was the same way with the colorization's of many of the classic movies when that was first being done in the 1990’s, but I have come to really enjoy it with some films. Of course, certain movies; like “Casablanca”; should always be viewed in black and white, but for the most part, the colorization process does lend a certain clarity to the old films. It’s also kind of interesting to see the color patterns of the home furnishings, as well as the clothes. There’s a lot more detail to be appreciated, which I did not expect.

In this 1935 episode, the gang struggles with the everyday struggle to find enough food to eat. In the midst of the Great Depression this was not an isolated problem, but one with which audiences could readily identify. Even if they themselves were not on some sort of Public Assistance, fully 25% of the country was.

Woven into the story is a bit of Social Injustice, as Stymie loses his dog to the Dog Catcher, and unless he can come up with the $5 necessary for a license, the dog will be gassed by the end of the day. With no money for food, it’s a stretch of the imagination to figure out where he is going to get that money. But, they say the Lord hears the prayers of the little children first, so when Stymie prays for that $5, and it floats in on the wind, it is really no surprise. Neither is the policeman who chases him thinking he has stolen the money.

When they finally arrive at the Pound with the money, they are told by the sadistic Dog Catcher that their dog is dead. He actually smiles when he tells them. But things usually work out in these old shorts, and this one is no exception.  I used to watch these old shorts every day before school. As a kid I readily identified with their problems and the injustices heaped upon them by the adults. And, at 58 years of age, I still do.

"Rescue Ink" by Rescue Ink with Denise Flaim

This is one of those books that give you hope in mankind. Just when you think the whole world has gone nuts you manage to stumble across these guys. With their common sense and hands-on approach to a despicable problem, animal abuse, Rescue Ink (Ink being a reference to their tatoos) is a breath of fresh air in a world that sometimes seems to have gone stale.

From the misssing dog to the house with 150 cats and on into the world of dogfighting, these guys go wherever their presence is requied to protect our furry little freinds. And along the way they manage to educate the reader on why it is imprtant to treat animals well and in accordance with their needs. Do YOU really want to be chained to a tree all day in the sun? Wouldn't YOU prefer to sleep indoors during the dead of winter?

Like I said, it may seem like common sense to you or I, but some people just don't get it. I hope one of them reads this book!

Visit their website at www.RESCUEINK.org