"The Phantom Killer" by James Presley (2014)

This is a case which they still speak of in Texas. It has never been solved. The Phantom Killer; so dubbed by the local press in Texarkana; is America’s Jack the Ripper. We think we know who did it; but then again, we’re not quite sure. And the fascination with the case may be more entertaining than actually finding out who really did it. It’s kind of like JFK and Dallas. We want to know, but then what would we do about it?

The town of Texarkana straddles the two states of Texas and Arkansas. The old joke was that a man could stand in the center of town with his mule and claim he was in Texas while his ass was still in Arkansas. With the advent of the oil industry; and later the war; work was plentiful and Texarkana was somewhat of a boomtown. But with all of the quick money came increased crime and a transient population. 

The author; James Presley; is the nephew of Sheriff Bill Presley; who was the the chief investigator on the case and; as a trained historian with a Pulitzer Prize nomination to back him up; has taken all of the eye witness accounts and affidavits from the investigation, distilling them down to a very convincing argument as to who the Phantom was. In addition he draws upon his knowledge of the local folk lore and geography to paint a portrait of the town; as well as the effects the crimes had upon the average citizen.

Eventually, after the town has been literally terrorized as they wait for the next killings; which occur with regularity; every African-American is pulled in for questioning. Eventually, though, the leads all point to a white man named Youell Swinney and his girlfriend Peggy. But catching him proves difficult, until his alibis don’t seem to match up. And just as the noose is tightening in the case against him, he marries Peggy, thus avoiding her having to testifying against her new husband. But, still their stories don’t match the facts and the investigation continues for years.

Swinney had a rap sheet going back decades by the time he was prosecuted again in 1981 for other violent crimes. Fans of CSI will be aghast at the way the investigation was done; with officers from 2 counties trampling over evidence and not roping off crime scenes. They even allowed the public to swarm all over the terrain where the killings took place; rendering any evidence gathered useless.

In the end Swinney walked free. But he continued to have problems with the law until 1981, when he was finally convicted of larceny. This is a great insight into the way that justice has changed; along with crime detection; over the last 6 decades. It is also look at what society was like in the heady days after the end of World War Two, when life sometimes seemed more perfect than it was. And to this day no one has been proven guilty of the 5 murders that terrorized the entire town in the summer of 1946.

  

Psalm 127 - A Song of Ascents - (Solomon)

The first verse of Psalm 127 is one of the most poignant passages in Biblical literature. And, although it is taken here; out of context; the words are so beautifully positioned so as to read almost as if they were poetry; which most of the Psalms are. It is often known as the Song of Ascent. It is attributed to Solomon.

This was the quote from the Psalm which President John Kennedy had planned on using in his speech at the Trade Mart in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. He never got to make it. 

In the context of the Psalm itself; printed in its entirety below; the Psalm pays homage to the Lord; and acknowledges that everything we do comes from that deity. It also exposes our own misconception that we are in charge of anything at all. After all, when the watchmen wake it is only in response to what has already been done.

“Except Jehovah build the house,

they labor in vain that build it.

Except Jehovah keep the city,

the watchman waketh but in vain.”

The next 4 lines deal with the frivolity of trying to do it all; staying up late; lamenting your troubles. God gave us the gift of sleep, and the commandment of a Sabbath to help us cope with the craziness of living. Rather than wrap yourself only in work and self-pity, look to your family for the comfort you desire. True happiness is more likely to be found there. That guy Solomon sure was smart.

Psalm 127 King James Version (KJV)

127 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Note: The illustration of God at the top is from Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel.

"To Spring" - Happy Harmonies (1936)

This is a repost from a couple of years ago. I was doing cartoons each weekend at the time. After such a cold and snowy winter, this cartoon will hit home with many people- especially those who got foot after foot of snow!

The MGM series of Happy Harmonies cartoons were really not preserved as well as many of the other cartoons of the era. However, there are still some real gems out there. Like this one, “To Spring”, in which the elves are awakened from their winter’s nap by the dripping of the melting ice which slowly sets off the alarm clock to awaken them to their annual task. It is a very important one, too.

You see, these elves are in charge of putting color back into the world after the bleak period of winter has passed. They seem to be enjoying themselves until Old Man Winter makes one final push to regain control over the elements, keeping things cold and bleak. But the elves are up to the challenge, restoring the world to its colorful array of beauty and its natural cycle of life.

"Mrs. Miniver" with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon (1943)

I’ve been watching a lot of my favorite old films this past week; and realizing that here is yet another one I have never posted about before. Odd; considering that it is among my favorite films. Within just 3 years of her film debut in “Goodbye Mr. Chips”, Greer Garson was an established screen presence on both sides of the Atlantic. There was a down to earth quality about her that could not be ignored.

In this film, directed by William Wyler, Ms. Garson plays the role of Mrs. Miniver, who is married to a man named Clem, played by Walter Pidgeon. They are the picture of the rising middle class in England before the advent of the Second World War. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey then you are familiar with the changes taking place at the time of the First World War. By necessity, England was becoming fairly democratic, and the old guard was yielding territory to the new.

The Miniver’s have 3 children; two boys and one girl. The eldest is Vin; played by Richard Ney; who is a student at Oxford and home for a visit when the war breaks out. Since he is of age to serve, he enlists in the RAF and enlists at the outbreak of the war. The other 2 are just children.

They are also neighbors to the formidable Lady Beldon; played regally by Dame May Whitty; along with her granddaughter Carol; played by the lovely Teresa Wright. We first meet them when Carol comes over to ask Mrs. Miniver if she would consider coaxing the local stationmaster Mr. Ballard; played wonderfully by Henry Travers; to pull his new rose from the competition in the upcoming flower show sponsored by her grandmother. Lady Beldon has won the prize for best rose for as long as the contest has been around. She is old, and Carol argues that it would break the old lady’s heart to not win.

This sparks a spirited debate between Carol and Vin; in which the young man is rude in his presentation of his argument that this is a perfect example of what is wrong with the world. It smacks of the feudal system as far as he is concerned.  He storms off after having made quite an impression on Carol. The Miniver’s are embarrassed at their son’s outburst, but Carol is very gracious and you can see the beginnings of a romance budding from the episode.

By this time the war is on and bombs are falling in nearby towns and villages. The British are cornered at Dunkirk and all available boats are rounded up to evacuate the troops and bring them home. Mr. Miniver takes the family boat and joins the others for the daring rescue of several hundred thousand soldiers.

While he is gone Mrs. Miniver is walking in the garden when she spots a pair of boots sticking out from beneath the bushes. She realizes that it is the enemy pilot who was shot down the previous day and is still at large. He commands her to take him in the house and demands food; which she gives him; before he passes out form his injuries. When he comes to he realizes that she has called the police and that he is now a prisoner. She has taken his pistol while he was out. But before the police arrive he harangues her with the superiority of the Nazi’s over the British and she slaps him. This is one of the best film slaps ever; until Sidney Poitier does his bit in 1967’s “In the Heat of the Night.”

When her husband returns from Dunkirk she is silent about her own adventure with capturing the German pilot, until the maid spills the beans. Her husband; just back from his own brush with the war; is flabbergasted that his wife handled the situation alone so well. Now he challenges her to go meet Lady Beldon, who has arrived for a visit. That, he opines, will take real courage.

Lady Beldon is old school and likes it that way. She lords her position as the dowager of the town. She was married when she 16 years old to a man who went off to fight in the First World War and didn’t make it home. Now, when Carol and Vin are planning to marry, she is opposed to it for two reasons. The first is that Carol would be marrying beneath her station; which Mrs. Miniver ejects as foolish.

The old lady then objects on the grounds that the boy may never come home. Mrs. Miniver; in her inimitable way; convinces the older woman that it is best to have a snatch at happiness than not. After all, didn’t she marry at an even younger age? And, secondly, would she trade that love now, even years later, for anything else in the world? Lady Beldon caves in and declares that if Vin has any class at all, she now knows where he got it from. That is as close to a compliment as the old woman has ever come.

When the flower show comes up it is a true test of the changes the war is bringing to Britain. The old woman is adamant about winning and has stepped up her campaign to have Mr. Ballard pull his rose; which he has named the “Mrs. Miniver”; from the competition. He refuses. In his own way the old man is in love with Mrs. Miniver and this is his only way to show that. He is equally adamant about leaving the rose in the competition.

When the day arrives the judges judge and the old lady waits for the results she knows will be forthcoming. After all, this is her contest and always has been. She is the sponsor and feels she is entitled to win. But the judges have figured out a way to make her do what is right.

When Lady Beldon gets up to announce the winner, she has in her hands the judges written decision; which shows her in first place and the Miniver Rose by Mr. Ballard as second. To be sure she gets the message they place the two roses side by side where the audience can clearly see them. They then place the trophy behind the Miniver Rose; as if to underscore their true feelings.

Lady Beldon hasn’t got a chance. She can claim the prize or admit that the other rose is the better of the two. But will pride let her? In a wonderful scene, which always leaves me a bit teary eyed, she does the right thing and even manages to endear herself to the people of the town, while still holding on to her revered place in society. She is surprised that giving can bring so much joy to everyone; including herself.

There is one last dark chapter left in the film. That comes during an air raid when Carol is killed. Vin returns home and the family bury her. The next Sunday finds everyone at the bombed out church where the Vicar; played by Henry Wilcoxon is holding services under an open roof. The Miniver’s file in and fill their pew. But Lady Beldon; with all of her wealth; is accompanied by only a footman who covers her with a lap robe and then retreats to the rear of the church, leaving the old woman alone in her pew.

Vin cannot help but notice that with all her wealth she really has nothing. As the Vicar leads the congregation in a hymn Vin crosses the aisle and shares a hymn book with Lady Beldon and the two are almost united by their love of God, Country and the recently deceased Carol. Once again, this scene leaves me teary eyed as they two close the gap between the classes with their common grief.

This movie is a beautiful tribute to the changing of the guard in England after the war, as well as a salute to the perseverance and charm that have always managed to carry the British people through whatever crisis has beset them. And did I mention that it’s also a great movie?

John Prine - "The Happy Enchilada Song"

If you are a John Prine fan then you will know this song as “That’s the Way the World Goes Round.” It’s a staple of any John Prine concert and a favorite of his audience; which ranges in age from 9 to 90. But this is not the version you generally hear on the radio. It is, however, the one you will hear when you are in my car. 

We have all misunderstood the lyrics to different songs at various times in our lives. Usually the mistaken words are fairly innocuous; as in my own version of “Shine Little Glowworm.” I used to sing it as “Shine little glow worm, liver”, rather than “glimmer.” Hey, I was only 4 years old at the time and not yet familiar with the word “glimmer.”  Also, liver was a big thing in my life at the time; my parents were always at me to “eat my liver.”

There have been others along the way as I grew up that were equally banal. And I’m sure you have had some of your own, too. But, in this video of John Prine singing “That’s the Way the World Goes Round” he tells the story of a woman in San Francisco who just may take top prize for mistaken lyrics. 

The Yellow Kid - (1895)

It’s amazing what you can learn from a comic strip. March 2^nd marked the day in which a cartoon character was first introduced on a daily basis in the newspaper. That character was known as the Yellow Kid and appeared in the New York World regularly on March 2^nd, 1895.

Richard F Outcault's had previously been drawing a comic known as “Hogan's Alley” for Truth Magazine. It was actually his “Fourth Ward Brownies”, published on February 9, 1895 and later reprinted in the New York World February 17^th, which began one of the first comic strips in an American newspaper. The character of the Yellow Kid was at first incidental to the strip but in short order he became the focus of the entire strip, which even took his name. His balloons containing the dialogue were not the first to do so; they had long been in use for political cartoons; but his use of them in this manner set the stage for every strip that came after.

The Yellow Kid was emblematic of the slum kid; the child of parents who worked long hours in factories; leaving the children to fend for themselves. In a 1902 interview Outcault is quoted as saying, “The Yellow Kid was not an individual but a type. When I used to go about the slums on newspaper assignments I would encounter him often, wandering out of doorways or sitting down on dirty doorsteps. I always loved the Kid. He had a sweet character and a sunny disposition, and was generous to a fault. Malice, envy or selfishness were not traits of his, and he never lost his temper.”

The Yellow Kid had a name; Mickey Dugan. He was bald just as many of the children in the slums were due to the prevalence of lice and the lack of adequate bathing facilities. Most of the apartments of the time had nothing but a sink to wash in, with a toilet down the hall or in the backyard. 

Drawing the Yellow Kid in such a manner drew attention to the dire poverty which so many of the children grew up in at the turn of the 20^th Century. His shirt was meant to depict an old hand me down night shirt, which was at first drawn in white or blue. At first the dialogue was printed on the Kid’s shirt as a way of making fun of the myriad “sandwich board” advertisers of the time, but soon this gave way to the more popular dialogue balloons.

Outcault was eventually lured away from the World and went to work for Hearst’s Journal American at a much higher salary. His time at the Journal was marked by a shift in the character from the hapless victim to a more activist; and some say vulgar; character. Hey, he was working for Hearst, right?

The Yellow Kid was never copyrighted by Outcault and so Pulitzer was still able to run the comic in the World; which meant that Outcault was competing with his own character for about a year; from 1896-1897; when the strip appeared in both papers.

The only mention I have seen of the Yellow Kid was in Monday’s paper in the comic strip "Mother Gooses and Grimm"; which I usually skip. It was only the familiar profile of Dick Tracy which drew my attention to the strip. It was the only one that gave a nod to its roots in the work of R.F. Outcault and the adventures of the Yellow Kid. As a result I will be looking at this strip more regularly in the future.

Ike Turner, Rocket 88 and the Invention of Rock and Roll (1951)

It was March 3, 1951 when Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats; featuring Ike Turner on lead guitar; recorded what many believe to be the first real “rock and roll” record; “Rocket 88”. But, that’s like saying Chuck Berry invented the guitar break when he did his bit on “Maybelline.”

So many people had a hand in developing rock and roll; each one taking a little piece from here and there; that it would be just about impossible to credit any one individual with the feat of creating the genre. I think that’s true of all art. Shakespeare refined it; but the play had been around previous to his efforts. He just took it in a new direction.

But it would be hard to ignore the influence that this one record had; and continues to have; on music fans all over the world. It ranks alongside of “Rock Island Line” by Lonnie Donnegan as one of the rare records which influenced many future rock and rollers to buy that first guitar and learn to play.

I saw Ike Turner with Tina in Central Park back in the early 1970’s. It was one of the Schaefer Beer Festival concerts. They were always lively affairs. Between the excitement of the concert itself, along with the people trading acid and weed; which sometimes included me; plus the actual beer vendors, the crowd was; to put it mildly; very loose.

And the police were always on hand to guard “the rock” which overlooked the Wolman Skating Rink and offered a very clear; and free; view of the concert form the side of the stage. So, there was always kind of a friction between the police; who were trying their best to get the people off the rock in a civilized manner. But sometimes; depending on the combination of beer, acid and weed; this did not go smoothly. But it was all part of the attraction for these concerts.

 

Then there was the night I saw Ike and Tina Turner and someone tried to get up on stage to get to the Ikettes; the scantily clad New Orleans looking backing group known for their modest way of dressing. Ike saw the guy get past the security and climb up the stage front; then, between chords he managed to get his Stratocaster off and using the neck just bashed this guy in the head. The guy went down and Ike missed nary a note.

I think Keith Richards learned some of his moves from Ike. He had the same problem at a concert in Europe and did the same thing. By the way, Ike Turner was one of the opening acts for the Stones at the Garden in 1969. In his book, “Life”, Richards describes Ike pulling him into his dressing room at knife point; demanding to be shown “That 5 string open tuning shit.” Richards says it took him 45 minutes to get it down. The next Ike and Tina Turner album was done all in 5 string open tuning.

Anyway, whether or not you consider this recording to be the first actual rock and roll recording; or not; it’s one fine record and definitely a step ahead of all that followed.