"Salesman" - A Film by David and Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zweria (1968)

This 1968 film, starring 4 real life salesmen, centers on the struggles of two members of the group, Paul Brennan and Charles McDevitt, as they target the poorer working class Catholic neighborhoods of Boston, and parts of Florida, door to door in 1967. They are trying to sell high end, expensive Bibles to working class families. The film is a combination of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and David Mamet’s “Glengary Glen Ross.”

There were no cell phones or laptops in 1967, when the film was shot, and beepers were still several years away for the average man. The film begins in the dead of winter in Boston. When sales plummet the team is called into the main office and given a verbal lashing, much as in the David Mamet film "Glengarry Glen Ross." Using a combination of the "carrot and the stick", the sales manager alternately praises and abuses the team, all in a vain attempt to increase sales.

From Boston, the group journeys to Miami, where they target the limited Catholic neighborhoods in an overwhelmingly Baptist state. The coffee shops where the men eat, the cheap motel rooms where they stay, are all part of the film, which at times serves as a detailed look back into the 1960's.

Paul's meltdown, mirroring those of Willy Lohman and Shelley Levene, the fictional salesmen in the two films mentioned earlier, is a sad thing to watch, as it is played out in real time. The only difference between those two fictional characters and Paul, is that Paul is a real person, as is his meltdown. It's not staged, it's not imagined. It's live. When you see this film you will understand those other two films so much more.

The film ends in a climactic way as Paul packs up to leave after experiencing a very bad sales period. While sitting on the motel bed, reminiscing about his days as an Irish kid in Boston, he laments that he could have done as his brother Charlie did, and been a cop, or like his sister Mary, worked for the phone company. If he had, he would be retiring by now, just like them. In other words, like Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront", he "could ‘a been somebody."

A very poignant film, made all the more interesting by the technology of 1966, this documentary underscores that, although in some ways it's a different world now, in other ways; as with the difference between success and failure; some things never change.

Three for the Road

I carry three books in my car. You never know when you might have to wait somewhere and need something to occupy your mind. I usually have a book with me that I am currently reading, but these are my "backup" books.

The first one is this "Pelican History of the World". It has given me many informative and enjoyable hours when I was waiting in line somewhere, or even in severe traffic when I have had to pull over on the shoulder to let time pass. It has taken me from a chapter called "Before History" to the last chapter, which is called "The Post European Age" and includes the Cold War and it's aftermath, as well as "The Asian Revolution". It has proven invaluable at times when fact checking the various radio talk show hosts for accuracy. They have fallen short of the mark several times. History is a good thing to know if you want to stay objective.

This book, although 4 years outdated, is still a valuable tool in judging trends and debunking myths. With a complete World Atlas it gives a unique perspective on the news. It helps to see that Iraq was a roadblock to unifying the Islamic World, Saddam Hussein notwithstanding. Somehow, when you view a map, along with the news, you see the strategies involved in some of the political decisions being made by our respective leaders. This may be the most dangerous book of all, as it can make you think.

Actually, this was one of the items originally listed in the Patriot Act as contraband on airplanes. I make it a point to carry one whenever I travel. With a copy of the Declaration of Independence, as well as a copy of the Constitution, it really seems to annoy certain people. It also has information and demographics on every state in the Union as well as all the countries of the world, making it an excellent traveling companion. Kind of like the ultimate guide book. With the sections on culture and art you have a very enjoyable and handy mini laptop at your disposal.

The last book in my threesome is the Bible. I employ this King James version (courtesy of the Gideons)as a means of defense against those who would misquote it in various efforts to force their views upon others. Genesis and Psalms are my favorite parts of the so called "Old Testament", while "Romans" is my favorite part of "The New Testament". This book is especially helpful when confronted by overzealous bigots masquerading as People of Faith. Sometimes you can actually educate them. But not often.

There's alot of history, and the story of our whole civilization, told in these three small books. And the best thing about them is that they invariably lead you to find other books, more detailed, on each subject. It becomes an ever lasting chain
of learning, until you learn enough to know that it is impossible for you to know everything. And I don't. But one thing I do know is that I love these books.

Sometimes Things Just Happen....Or Do They?

We have a store in Huntersville called "Nanny's Attic and Vintage Finds". They sell bric-a brac and antiques, etc. Sue walks across the street and browses there at lunchtime.

Now sometimes things just seem to "happen"... or do they.? Put this in the "It kinda makes me wonder" category.

The following article about the store is from the current issue of The Lake Norman Herald Weekly.

Grandma’s Bible a ‘Vintage Find’

Wendy Crim 14.AUG.09
news@huntersvilleherald.com

HUNTERSVILLE – Kathy Holland wasn’t trying last month to find a piece of her family’s history, but during a trip to Nanny’s Attic & Vintage Finds, it found her.

Kathy Holland and her husband, Dave, were looking for items to contribute to the Sept. 26 Historic Latta Plantation Bluegrass and Barbecue Fundraiser. Dave Holland is a Latta Plantation board member.

They spent about 20 minutes shopping before deciding on a blue vase. Dave Holland was ready to take the ornate antique home, but Kathy Holland wanted a few more minutes to look around the 2,500-square-foot shop.

Kathy Holland stumbled upon her grandmother’s Bible last month at Nanny’s Attic & Vintage Finds in downtown Huntersville after she said she felt “drawn to it.” Her grandmother wrote the names of family members inside the well-worn, black-leather Bible.

That’s when she found it.


Kathy Holland felt inexplicably drawn to a stack of well-worn, black Bibles with aged pages. When she opened one of them, a small handwritten note and an obituary of her long-deceased aunt fell out onto the floor.

She noticed some familiar handwriting in the inscription from the book’s previous owner.

The Bible had belonged to Julia Martin, Kathy Holland’s grandmother, who died nearly two decades ago. Martin had inscribed the names of her entire family in the Bible’s registry.

“I felt like I was stuck in mud or concrete,” Holland said.

Unable to conceal her excitement, she began to shout about her find to the other shoppers.

“This is my grandmother’s Bible,” she screamed across the building.

Holland asked shop owner Cathy Wiltcher for a price. Wiltcher knew the find was priceless.

“You can have it,” Wiltcher told Holland.

“I just gave it to her,” Wiltcher later said, “I couldn’t believe it was happening, that she found their family Bible.”

Kathy Holland felt like she was walking on air as she sauntered out of the store to her car. Dave Holland was waiting for her and felt just as dumbfounded by the discovery.

“It’s astounding,” he said. “It isn’t as if she was looking for it.”

Back at home, Kathy Holland began poring through old photographs of the relatives who are named in the Bible’s registry, and had a new appreciation for them. She still wonders how that Bible found its way to Nanny’s Attic.

“We didn’t inherit a thing (from my grandmother),” Kathy Holland said last week, “but I would much rather have this.”

Kathy Holland plans to restore the Bible and keep it in her family.

But she plans to make another trip to Nanny’s Attic, she said, to see if any other items grab her attention. - Lake Norman Herald Weekly