Prophet of the Airwaves The Guardian Take a look at an interesting article we found.
In the Bronx, a Parting Shot Wall Street Journal Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Critic at Large: Palin’s Story Conjures Movie Analogies Daily Gazette (Schenectady, N.Y.) Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Gluttony, still considered one of the 7 Deadly Sin, is under scrutiny. But it may be evolving into something worse.
October 17, 2008
Since this is the season for speeches, I thought, as a change of pace, it might be refreshing to listen to some other kinds of speeches.
Rhetoric at its highest level: the kind Aristotle, in his study on rhetoric, said was the art of persuasion.
And who knows how to do that better than Hollywood.
A speech could be summed up in a line: Rosalind Russell, as “Auntie Mame:" ”Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.”
Or it could take all day and all night. Real time, this scene took less than 15 minutes.
James Stewart, as Jefferson Smith:
"Just get up off the ground, that's all I ask. Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something...There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties."
Charlie Chaplin, as “The Great Dictator,” knew how to hold an audience:
“We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; more than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.”
Al Pacino, as blind Lt. Col. Frank Slade in "Scent of a Woman,” confronting a crooked expulsion hearing, had his say:
"There was a time I could see. And I have seen. Boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn't nothin' like the sight of an amputated spirit."
Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington in “All About Eve:“Funny business, a woman's career— the things you drop on your way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you'll need them again when you get back to being a woman. That's one career all females have in common, whether we like it or not: being a woman. ”
Peter Finch, as unhinged (and doomed) newscaster Howard Beale in "Network," dishing it out in one grand, possibly suicidal gesture. "I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot. I don't want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first, you've got to get mad."
I'm sure I've left out your favorites. I've probably left out mine. Who made you laugh or cry? The ones that make you sigh, knowing you're hooked for the umpteenth time, and turn the volume up...just a bit for?
I hope I haven’t left you, well, speechless
Share the Eye:
Sorry, Mr. Peterman but I must correct you in public. In Joseph L. Mankiewicz's masterpiece, All About Eve, Anne Baxter plays Eve Harrington. Bette Davis plays Margo Channing.
To start this days topic off on an irreverant note, I've always been partial to the apeeches by R. Lee Ermey's character in Full Metal Jacket:
"Today... is Christmas! There will be a magic show at zero-nine-thirty! Chaplain Charlie will tell you about how the free world will conquer Communism with the aid of God and a few Marines! God has a hard-on for Marines because we kill everything we see! He plays His games, we play ours! To show our appreciation for so much power, we keep heaven packed with fresh souls! God was here before the Marine Corps! So you can give your heart to Jesus, but your ass belongs to the Corps! Do you ladies understand?"
Anyone else notice that you can do a single space return now?
I'm a movie quote addict, I could go on about great movie speeches for days. I hear a great monologue and it makes me WISH I had said it, I guess that's why I remember them.
Favorite non-movie speech from a friend, delivered to a hotel room full of people at 3am:
"May you work like no one's watching, may you dance like you've never been hurt, and may you love like you need the money. Parties over, get out of my room before I call the cops."
On the line of Marines in movies, Jack Nicholson's psychotic courtroom rant " in a few good men" is pretty good too. It seems like there are an awful lot of good movie speeches that take place in courtroom settings; Matt Damon in "Rainmaker", Gregory Peck in "To Kill a mockingbird", the brothers in "Boondock Saints". Or great war speeches. Or great parting monologues.
Some movies begin with great speeches. The poll includes the admirable choice of Patton:
"Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country. Men, all this stuff you've heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans traditionally love to fight. All real Americans, love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big league ball players, the toughest boxers ... Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in Hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war. Because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans. Now, an army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The Bilious bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality for the Saturday Evening Post, don't know anything more about real battle than they do about fornicating. Now we have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. You know ... My God, I actually pity those poor bastards we're going up against. My God, I do. We're not just going to shoot the bastards, we're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel. Now some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not you'll chicken out under fire. Don't worry about it. I can assure you that you'll all do your duty. The Nazis are the enemy. Wade into them. Spill their blood, shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo, that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do. Now there's another thing I want you to remember. I don't want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position. We're not holding anything, we'll let the Hun do that. We are advancing constantly, and we're not interested in holding onto anything except the enemy. We're going to hold onto him by the nose, and we're going to kick him in the ass. We're going to kick the hell out of him all the time, and we're going to go through him like crap through a goose. Now, there's one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home, and you may thank God for it. Thirty years from now when you're sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee, and he asks you, What did you do in the great World War Two? You won't have to say, Well, I shoveled shit in Louisiana. Alright now, you sons of bitches, you know how I feel. I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere. That's all."
From the same period, The Godfather begins with a very different speech:
"I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion. I gave her freedom, but I taught her never to dishonor her family. She found a boyfriend, not an Italian. She went to the movies with him, she stayed out late, I did not protest. Two months ago, he took her for a drive, with another boyfriend. They made her drink whiskey. And then they tried to take advantage of her. She resisted. She kept her honor. And so they beat her, like an animal. When I went to the hospital, her nose was broken. Her jaw was shattered, held together by wire. She couldn't even weep because of the pain. But I wept. Why did I weep? She was the light of my life, my beautiful girl. Now she will never be beautiful again. I went to the police, like a good American. These two boys were brought to trial. The judge sentenced them to three years in prison, suspended sentence. Suspended sentence! They went free that very day! I stood in the courtroom like a fool. And those two bastards, they smiled at me! Then I said to my wife, 'for justice, we must go to Don Corleone.'"
Some great cinematic speeches are inspiring, like Merlin in Excalibur:
"Stand back, be silent, be still. That's it... and look upon this moment. Savor it! Rejoice with great gladness! Great gladness! Remember it always, for you are joined by it. You are One, under the stars. Remember it well, then... this night, this great victory. So that in the years ahead, you can say, 'I was there that night, with Arthur, the King!' For it is the doom of men that they forget."
But I think my favorite speech of all cinematic history belongs to Robert Shaw in the immortal role of Captain Quint in Jaws:
"Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, Chief. We was comin' back from the island of Tinian to Leyte... just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in 12 minutes. Didn't see the first shark for about a half an hour. Tiger. 13-footer. You know how you know that when you're in the water, Chief? You tell by looking from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn't know, was our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent. They didn't even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, Chief, sharks come cruisin', so we formed ourselves into tight groups. You know, it was kinda like old squares in the battle like you see in the calendar named "The Battle of Waterloo" and the idea was: shark comes to the nearest man, that man he starts poundin' and hollerin' and screamin' and sometimes the shark go away... but sometimes he wouldn't go away. Sometimes that shark he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. And, you know, the thing about a shark... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin'. The ocean turns red, and despite all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they... rip you to pieces. You know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men. I don't know how many sharks, maybe a thousand. I know how many men, they averaged six an hour. On Thursday morning, Chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player. Bosun's mate. I thought he was asleep. I reached over to wake him up. Bobbed up, down in the water just like a kinda top. Upended. Well, he'd been bitten clean in half below the waist. Noon, the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us. He swung in low and he saw us... he was a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper here. Anyway, he saw us and he come in low and three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and starts to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened... waitin' for my turn. I'll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went in the water; 316 men come out and the sharks took the rest, July the 30th, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb."
"We're going to need a bigger boat"
Would the constitutional peasant sketch be considered a skit?
How about this one?:
Otter: Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules or took a few liberties with our female party guests -- we did. But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the actions of a few sick, perverted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you ... isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do what you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America!
And I CAN'T do a single-space return, dammit!
I already submitted this one, earlier, but it's worth repeating:
"This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
Make him a member of the gentry, even if he is a commoner.
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day."
Shakespeare
Henry V, Act 4, Scene 3
I also like Theoden's speech before the charge of the Rohirrim in Return of the King, and Aragorn's speech before the Black Gate. Two pretty good ones...
I know my life is quite 'petit bourgeois' as when reading the Posts on the Forum a couple of days back (and several other times, as well) I will just admit here that I HAD NO IDEA what MOST of them were even TALKING ABOUT or at times insinuating! I had that 'lost' feeling, yet again, that I am 'outclassed' here, socially, educationally, etc., and that I REALLY DO NOT BELONG on here, yet I have 'hung in' for SOME reason, clearly confused but captivated all the same. . . . I remind MYSELF a bit of the Clampett's seeing the 'cement pond' behind their mansion in Beverly Hills and thinking their pool table was the formal dining and the pool sticks were 'pot-passers'. . . . Oh, yes, I CAN and VERY OFTEN DO laugh at myself!!! I KEEP telling myself though that THIS (Forum) is a new 'habit' that I REALLY NEED to BREAK from, especially as I REALLY WANT TO re-focus on my DEEPEST priorities for my own personal life, of which Posting on here is not even on that LIST. On previous posts (well, almost ALL my Posts, really) I spoke of SOME of the (list of) CHALLENGES that I am facing just now; I just wanted to let you know my intentions for myself currently so none would be unduly concerned (such as, dear man, Mark Swaim). If I am ANYTHING I have MORE THAN PROVEN I am a 'survivor' which is SAYING ALOT; I have just always HOPED (yes, AND PRAYED!) that SOMEDAY, SOMEHOW I will KNOW what living life on more than a survival-level actually FEELS like, AND even MORE THAN THAT, will know the experience of LIVING at least ONE of my DEEPEST DREAMS-COME-TRUE. . . . I KNOW in that way I am likely just a silly, foolish, naive woman; perhaps a 'hopeless romantic'? . . . . The carrot in front of the rabbit DOES keep it hopping onward around and around and around, but how long will it KEEP chasing it when the sheer growing hunger from the exertion to even reach the carrot collides with and is overtaken by the dawning belief that the carrot can actually never even be caught up to? Being that 'bunny', I am pragmatic as a survivor, and LEAVE the FAST TRACK to go munch on some plain, dewy blades of nurturance IN MY OWN BACK YARD. . . . I DO think living even in 'survival' mode is ALWAYS better than the ALTERNATIVE of not trying at all or just giving it up altogether. I am living life as best I can as I find it, while trying to figure out or find a way to make it better. My brother wrote a note, tagged all of his belongings for desired disbursement, called a girl who rejected his love (for understandable reasons of her own, including that she was only his co-worker and never even a romantic partner with him), and made her listen as the one gun shot of his own hand tore through his heart. My feeling on THAT type of 'solution' for life's pain and disappointments is that it is NO solution; it 'ends' what is perceived as BAD but ALSO ENDS ALL the GOOD things in life, too (and WHAT ABOUT the afterlife? Everyone answers that themselves, in their own way, and everyone lives with whatever the consequences are to be for their belief and decision). I still truly believe the GOOD things about life are THE MAJORITY, no matter how tough or discouraging it gets in some seasons! Inasmuch as I was not allowed to return to NC for my brother's burial, but was kindly sent one color photo of him lying in his casket (this was 14 years ago, now), THAT PAIN, and several OTHERS, MORE THAN QUALIFIES ME as a TRUE SURVIVOR and NOTHING--- BUT GOD in His Own Time--- is going to 'take me out'! I JUST WISH I could REMEMBER far enough BACK to a time when life was MORE than scratching for survival, humiliations, and long-term unmet needs being such a CONSTANT PART of 'the MIX', to SOME time when it REALLY WAS more about living some 'chapter' (or even just 'verse') of a HEART'S DESIRE, for me. How many people are living their dream? How many people are living their nightmare? What is that saying? . . . "MOST people are living lives of QUIET DESPERATION". . . . I am going to exit this Forum, at least for awhile, and try to gear up more to what I CAN DO to improve my life HERE where it IS, as the lives most of you describe here I cannot fathom at all or in many cases relate to very well from any point of reference in my own experience. THANK YOU for your graciousness in including me, while I stopped by to visit awhile with you all; your hospitality WAS MUCH APPRECIATED and VERY WARMING! : ) So, in parting, at least for now, I have really only TWO small observations to make about today's Forum: I ADORE Jimmy Stewart--- MY DREAM GUY would BE a cross between HIM and Bing Crosby, NO DOUBT, in appearance, character, humor, . . . but I truly just don't THINK 'they make them' like THAT anymore and MUCH that is contemporary LEAVES ME COLD. . . . My final thought here is that "All About Eve" was one of my FAVORITE movies, and I DO much PREFER the older, classic movies to MOST current releases. The Bette Davis commemorative postage stamp, issued here in the U.S. in September, is a very well done rendering of Miss Davis and much 'in keeping with' her look in "All About Eve". . . . Instead of 'fastening my seatbelt for the bumpy ride', however, I am now unhooking mine, and stepping out of this fascinating, well-traveled vehicle (that sometimes resembled the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile, thanks to Peter Lake), but it was an interesting, charming, fun, and enlightening ride with all of you! Take care and Happy Holidays!
Ah Candle Light... embrace the confusion!
Enjoy yourself.
So THIS is what you people are up to while I am asleep!
Candle, I won't deny that there are some pretty smart folks on this forum, but there are a lot of pretty average folks like me. We look way up to the smart ones like you. If you need a few days off, we will manage, but we shall indeed look forward to your return.
In the spirit of every bad vampire movie, let me just say "You're one of us now," and no matter how far you may roam, part of you will know that you should be coming back here.
I'm with you, Olivia, St Crispian's is a great one. THE Great One. But how could you invoke the Bad Boys of Faber College and leave out
OVER? WAS IT OVER WHEN THE GERMANS BOMBED PEARL HARBOR?
And does anybody remember Alec Baldwin, not in Glengarry Glen Ross, which was certainly a good one, but in MALICE, as Dr. Jed Hill:
I have an MD from Harvard. I am board certified in cardio-thoracic medicine and trauma surgery, I have been awarded citations from seven different medical boards in New England and I am never, ever sick at sea. So I ask you , when someone goes into that chapel and they fall on their knees and they pray to God that their wife doesn't miscarry or that their daughter doesn't bleed to death or that their mother doesn;t suffer acute neural trauma from postoperative shock, who do you think they are praying to? Now, go ahead and read your Bible, Dennis, and you go to your church and with any luck you might win the annual raffle, but if you're looking for God, he was in Operating Room Number Two on November 17 and he doesn't like to be second guessed. You ask me if I have a God complex. Let me tell you something I am God.
And then there's Willie Nelson in THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN, when he refers to Keno girls who can suck the chrome off a trailer hitch.
Or the "I'm not too particular" speech in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
ain't the internet great?
Shakespeare offered such a variety of speeches.... and I'm old enough to remember being required to memorize both Portia's 'Quality of Mercy' speech (from The Merchant of Venice) and -- of course -- Hamlet's soliloquy.
Another feature of 'the old days' (as my son refers to them) was the requirement (in English class) for each junior high school student to give three speeches: persuasive, informative, and demonstrative... (these are still an accepted typology: http://www.ezilon.com/articles/articles/1931/1/Learn-about-the-Different-Types-of-Speeches .
Making 'middle school' students give speeches has its upside and -- given the mentality of the average 13-year old -- a downside. My best friend and I competed on our 'demonstrative' speeches... He gave one on making miniature 'rockets' by covering strike anywhere matches with tinfoil (and inserting a pin alongside the wooden shaft of the match to allow the flaming 'propellant gases' to shoot out). I one-upped him by demonstrating making a dart out of a wooden matchstick and a pin with two pieces of paper inserted at the other end acting as vanes. (The pin was held in place by wrapping the head of the dart in thread). My speech was wildly successful (unfortunately). Over the next few days, the technology spread through the school as the male half of the inmates built and tested their own darts in the hallways on each other.
And then the technology advancement began. It was about a week later that Tom Richfield and I were called to the principal's office. Tom had brought in a 'dart' consisting of a length of dowel with a knitting needle insterted in front and two plexiglass vanes in back.... It went 'THUNK' when he threw it into the announcement board -- but unfortunately our teacher was not as impressed with his 'new, improved, and upgraded' dart as we students were.
It wasn't the chewing out in the principal's office that hurt as much as the one I got the next day in 'wood shop' class from Mr. Spilatro. He basically told me I was an idiot to have given my speech. Never having given much thought to the possible ramifications of my speech (I was in junior high! Home of the brainless!) I was mortified. And on we all went, humbled but wiser.
Oh, yeah, except when we later began making gunpowder in my next door neighbor's basement (saltpeter, carbon, and sulphur)... and then there was the triammonium iodide. Oh well..... we survived.
One of my crazy brothers had a Home Chemistry set. The very first thing he made, of course, was gunpowder. It blowed stuff up GOOD! He proceeded to blow up a whole LOT of stuff, until his supply of materiel ran out, and not only was replacement denied, but his allowance and many other privileges were suspended for some time. He withdrew to his makeshift treehouse, where he often went to escape admonishment and the Board of Education, and sulked there for a season, only descending to take what nourishment was on offer.
I know he tried a lot of fast talking, but I can't remember any of the speeches...
I remember haviong to give speeches in Public Speaking class ( The/Spee 101, I believe) which just shows how much less advanced we were, learning as college sophomores what every 8th or 9th grader knew in the Land o Nolan. I recall one of my speeches was on Huey Long, as a matter of odd coincidence.
And no, he was not still governor.
Remember the Army Model for speaking?
1) Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em
2) Tell 'em
3) Tell 'em what you told 'em.
LUFF Roz Russell as the CRAZY Auntie Mame ~ Acutally while in Bayfield I found a glass gift shop called Oulu glass. I laughed aloud, GF couldn't figur eout what was SO funny so I had to explain to her that the Danish Designers name in Auntie Mame was Oulu.... I found it to be too just too funny & then thinking how Mame most likely would neve be caught dead there, I jsut had to chuckle to myself & say LIVE LIVE LIVE.....
I seriously when my nephew is about 7 years old give him a paper pad & pencil & tell him to write down all the words he doesn't understand....
As for other famous favorite film speeches This one seems to ALWAYS be mentioned in accordance with Ms. Katharine Hepburn ~ "The calla lilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower, suitable to any occasion. I carried them on my wedding day and now I place them here in memory of something that has died."
mark swaim said...
I like Friar Laurence's soliloquy in Romeo and Juliet, act III.
It includes the lines
I must up-fill this ossier cage of ours
with baleful weeds and precious-juiced flours:
Oh mickle is the powerful grace that lies
in plants, herbs, stones,
and their true qualities;
For naught so vile on the earth doth
but to the earth some special good doth give.
mark swaim said...
The penultimate line should be "for naught so vile on the earth doth live" Sorry.
mark swaim said...
Hmmm---is that our-very-own Nachista on the cover of Vanity Fair this month?
Dang it Mark Swaim ~ I spent the whole month trying to get free of my obession with VF... Now you had to go & post that & of course the cover photo has to be a rip off of the Rita Hayworth Life Magazine form the 40's.... Dang it dang it dang it, NOW I HAVE to go & buy it...
I swear Mark Swaim I'm begining to think you're trying to in a very 21st century way "gaslight" me....
I am not a huge movie buff, but if asked what movie had the most impact contained speeches for me, I would certainly choose "It's a Wonderful Life with the late, great, Jimmy Stewart's portrayal of George Bailey. There were so many memorable speeches but I always go back to the "richest man in town" speech whenever I need a little boost. Although Mr. Stewart was always an incredible actor, his performance in this particular movie was brilliant, unparalleled, and the "richest man speech" speech certainly has influenced my life. I am tearing up...gotta go.
excuse my typo!
Gotta tell you, Mark, that I fell in love with the word 'penultimate' the first time I came across this 'mysterious' word. Of all places, it was in Dietrich von Bonhoeffer's 'Ethics'.
And the person who insisted on including this work of the German theologian and activist under Hitler was the Benedictine monk who was teaching our theology course... In 'the old days' I got a heck of a religious education... in a Catholic college. It pains me to see the sorry examples of indoctrination practiced today under the guise of 'theology'. In those days, the seminarians used to take courses in 'speech making', aka delivering sermons. Somehow almost none of the sermons I suffered through were as stirring as those of my Korat, Thailand, chaplain, Father Don. His words echo: 'If you want to play, you've got to pay! Amen!
Pardon me for being too recent, but I've always loved that speech from the beginning of the film V for Vendetta:
"Voilà ! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villian by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengence; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."
Have I no manners? Early this morning it suddenly dawned on me that I was quite rude inviting myself into your cyber-neighborhood yesterday, without even so much as a how-do-you-do. Please forgive me. I apologize if I offended anyone. For about a month now, I have been “listening†to all of you. The daily topics, varied opinions, diverse personalities, and (mostly) the respect and support all of you have for each other is refreshing. I have learned much. Thank you for supplying me with so many ideas and concepts to ponder. Thank you for all the links to so many interesting web sites. I’ve especially enjoyed the mental gymnastics and friendly repartee. All of you unknowingly enticed me to take part in your daily banter. However, my fear reigned supreme. I find that I feel great anxiety over committing my spontaneously written words to anyone without the option of revision. Even now I still feel a slight panic…maybe more than slight, to be honest.
more on the honor rollWhat finally encouraged me to register at Peterman’s eye was an article written by Andrew Sullivan, in the November edition of The Atlantic Monthly, entitled “Why I Blog†www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/andrew-sullivan-why-i-blog
I am, and always have been, what Mr. Sullivan terms a ‘traditional writer.’ Before I let my words leave my domain, to be read by others, I thoroughly research every detail, document all sources, review, revise, edit, etc…In some fairness to myself, the kind of work I do demands this kind of writing style. But it occurs to me that I can all too easily hide in my world, where it is safe. I remember a quote from Emerson to “Do the thing that you fear, and the death of fear is certain.†So, here I am, venturing outside my comfort zone. I hope you’ll let me stay around.
To contribute to today’s topic, perhaps this is apropos:
From the Wizard of Oz (1939) The Cowardly Lion's (Bert Lahr) speech/song on courage: "What makes a King out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the Sphinx the Seventh Wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the ape in ape-ricot? What have they got that I ain't got?"; when the others reply "Courage!", he sheepishly quips: "You can say that again!"
So many movie speeches, so little time to look them up.
Field of Dreams: "Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. "
Bull Durham (unedited version):
Crash Davis: "Well, I believe in the soul, the cock, the pussy, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days. "
And I'm not even that big of a baseball fan, but Ron Shelton wrote two outstanding baseball movies.
Last one for now, from one of my all time favorite movies, "Hoosiers."
Coach Norman Dale:
"Forget about the crowds, the size of the school, their fancy uniforms, and remember what got you here. Focus on the fundamentals that we've gone over time and time again. And most important, don't get caught up thinking about winning or losing this game. If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game. In my book, we're gonna be winners!"
Anybody notice how much Jimmy Stewart looks like Hugh Laurie in the photo above?
Kindlee: Welcome!
mark swaim said...
rings90:
I once had a brief face-to-face conversation with the film director John Waters (Pink Flamingoes, Hairspray).
He is a funny, ebullient, strange, very happy man. I forget how I worded the question, but in essence it was the "What's the secret to long life/happiness/satisfaction?"
He replied, "That's easy! You just have to BE OBSESSED!!"
The picture of Jimmy's Mr. Smith makes me think of Jean Arthur's speech in the same movie. I love her voice. It's so bubbly and light. When she's drunk on champagne in Mr. Smith, forlornly wondering about marriage, and I believe hiccuping, it's a perfect match. That's the scene I always remember most vividly from that movie. Just the sound of her voice as she stumbles through the dialogue.
Something's Gotta Give has two of my all time favorites. One is the pancake scene, but not really a speech. Makes me cry every time. I relate to her character so much. Rhetoric, dialogue and just plain words, in life and movies, are generally exhausting. So much meaning and understanding is lost between most exchanges. People just don't get each other, generally. So when someone does, when someone responds to something you've said and you realize that not only did they understand you, but they see more of you than you even do, it makes you breathe fully, if even for a minute. You walk away feeling lighter, shoulders sitting higher. Even if it's a movie, when language speeks to a part of you and says, "I get you. I feel what you feel," it's visceral.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkn7CExj_8M
The other is when Keaton is running from Nicholson on the street and she grabs him and says, "See this? This is heartbroken." It tears me up every time. Both scenes do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxZu0NiUxns
And pretty much anything Robert Duvall says. Like in Lonesome Dove.
Call: What do you want legs for anyway? You don't like to do nothing but sit on the porch and drink whiskey!
Gus:
I like to kick a pig every once in a while. How would I do that?
Or in Costner's Open Range when he reveals that his real name is Blue Bonnet. You have to see him say it, though. His gestures are perfect. Not to mention how that scene precedes the best western gun fight ever. Love it.
MACKDADDY1: Thank you.
mark swaim said...
In answer to the trepidation expressed by Candle_Light and by Kindlee, I would quote Guillaume Apollinaire:
Come to the edge.
"No, we will fall."
Come to the edge.
"No, we will fall."
They came to the edge.
He pushed them,
And they flew.
Kindlee,
Alas, it is I who has failed. Perhaps it was because you entered the discussion so seamlessly that it seemed like you've been here since the beginning.
It is the honor, and duty, of every member of this forum to heartily welcome one and all newcomers to Peterman's Eye; but even if it wasn't a duty, I happily welcome you and all your thoughts.
Be well
Thank you everyone. I'm certain I will be glad I came to the edge...
Yes, welcome Kindlee. PeterLake was spot on about your seamless entrance.
A conversation with John Waters ~ THE JOHN WATERS?! The Cast Divine as Tracy'Turnblad's Mom JOHN WATERS?!!!!!! What I would Give for 2 minutes for a few ?'s, I have NO CLUE what I would ask him... Color me Impressed.... Of course that musical remake with Travolta in Divine's role was a casting travesty (I refuse to see it for that reason)
But if that's his Philopshy & I am a fan than what kind of a fan would I be not to following it?...
Okay, I have a lot to say.
First of all, Kindlee, we are delighted to have you. As I have said to other newcomers, there are no strangers here. We are a long, communal banquet table where you bring your drink, sit down in an empty chair, and join in. That's what it's all about. And, by the way, great choice on the Cowardly Lion. One of my first paying gigs in show business was playing that character at a theatre on Long Island.
Secondly, Mr. Peterman, I see you took my note on Anne Baxter as Eve Harrington and I thank you. That's the good news. The bad news is that you have misattributed the quote. While it is true that Anne Baxter played Eve, the quote was delivered by Margo Channing, played by Bette Davis. You want your paragraph to read as follows:
Bette Davis as Margo Channing in "All About Eve:"Funny business, a woman's career- the things you drop on your way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you'll need them again when you get back to being a woman. That's one career all females have in common, whether we like it or not: being a woman. "
Thirdly, there are a lot of great speeches mentioned here. I have shied away from Shakespeare because I tend to think of those speeches as being from his plays rather than the movies based on them. But yes, technically, if you make a movie from a Shakespeare play, then the speech becomes a movie speech. Mark Swaim mentioned Friar Laurence. My favorite speech of his is the one that comes late in the play:
What, rouse thee, man! thy Juliet is alive,
For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead;
There art thou happy: Tybalt would kill thee,
But thou slew'st Tybalt; there are thou happy too:
The law that threaten'd death becomes thy friend
And turns it to exile; there art thou happy:
A pack of blessings lights up upon thy back;
Happiness courts thee in her best array;
But, like a misbehaved and sullen wench,
Thou pout'st upon thy fortune and thy love:
Take heed, take heed, for such die miserable.
Doc Nolan, I am curious as to which of Hamlet's four soliloquies you had to recite in school. I've always been partial to "conscience of the king" even though "to be or not to be" is far more famous. And thank you for mentioning the late great Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the great martyred heroes of the last century.
Lastly, The One at the Desk need not apologize for quoting the recent masterpiece, V for Vendetta, one of the great anti-tyranny movies of our day. As great as that speech is, my favorite line comes shortly afterward: "People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people."
To all new comers: WELCOME! Jump in, the water is fine. We don't on ceremony here, I just butted my way into the conversation and now they couldn't make me leave if they wanted to. (Uh guys this is your cue "No, we wouldn't want you to go" "you're fabulous" "You're our queen, all hail queen of the Echo people" *gigglesnortgiggle*, I'm great in my own mind!)
Candle_Light, never EVER doubt yourself or your class. You are a beautiful and unique daughter of God and your faith and your shining personality are most welcome here, no one outranks you at this, our round table. You have reminded me of an Ann Landers column, while not exactly a speech, I feel it should be posted here today...
"Class has a sense of humor. It knows that a good laugh is the best lubricant for oiling the machinery of human relations. Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps and learns from past mistakes. Class bespeaks an aristocracy unrelated to ancestors or money. Some extremely wealthy people have no class at all, while others who are struggling to make ends meet are loaded with it. Class is real. You can't fake it. Class never tries to build itself up by tearing others down. Class is already up and need not attempt to look better by making others look worse. Everyone is comfortable with the person who has class because he is comfortable with himself. If you have class, you've got it made. If you don't have class, no matter what else you have, it won't make up for it."
Hmmm that should read "We don't STAND on ceremony here" My brain moves faster than my hands.
Me, personally, I'm into the speeches without words.
i.e. Bill Murrays dazzling performance of the ROTC spectacle/dance routine at the end of the unforgettable, "STRIPES."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR-PFQWOJWQ
Nice one Awesomelisa, very true. How many looks or movements can convey more than a speech?
One of my favorites from Mad Men is Don's "Carousel" speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2bLNkCqpuY
My other favorite one is Titus Andronicus pleading for his son's condemn'ed souls. One of Sir Hopkins best performances
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_97LyhU9cg
Hear me, grave fathers! noble tribunes, stay!For pity of mine age, whose youth was spent
In dangerous wars, whilst you securely slept;
For all my blood in Rome's great quarrel shed;
For all the frosty nights that I have watch'd;
And for these bitter tears, which now you see
Filling the aged wrinkles in my cheeks;
Be pitiful to my condemned sons,
Whose souls are not corrupted as 'tis thought.
For two and twenty sons I never wept,
Because they died in honour's lofty bed.
[Lieth down; the Judges, &c., pass by him, and Exeunt]
For these, these, tribunes, in the dust I write
My heart's deep languor and my soul's sad tears:
Let my tears stanch the earth's dry appetite;
My sons' sweet blood will make it shame and blush.
O earth, I will befriend thee more with rain,
That shall distil from these two ancient urns,
Than youthful April shall with all his showers:
In summer's drought I'll drop upon thee still;
In winter with warm tears I'll melt the snow
And keep eternal spring-time on thy face,
So thou refuse to drink my dear sons' blood.
[Enter LUCIUS, with his sword drawn]
O reverend tribunes! O gentle, aged men!
Unbind my sons, reverse the doom of death;
And let me say, that never wept before,
My tears are now prevailing orators.
Missive,
I'm afraid I must argue the point about Open Range featuring the best Western gunfight ever. I know, de gustabus est non disputandem. But you have, in the past, mentioned another great Western and should consider it as a candidate: Tombstone. The final fight between Holliday and Ringo is way up there, primarily because of the interesting fact that the fatal gunshot is not the final shot fired. Also, there's an obscure little Western from 1958, called The Law and Jake Wade with Robert Taylor and the recently departed Richard Widmark. The final gunfight in that film is done in total silence with the two men running, hiding, and looking for each other, only at the very end are two shots fired. Two shots in the whole fight but the suspense that builds up to them is what makes the fight work. And how about the comedy, Alias, Jesse James where Bob Hope gets help from all the old Western stars in their cameo appearances. Definitely one for the ages.
Awesomelisa and nachista make a great point about certain silent moments conveying more than a speech could. I'll have to think about that. In the meantime, let me share another favorite. Edward G. Robinson as the insurance investigator in Double Indemnity:
"You ought to read the statistics on suicide sometime, you might learn a thing or two about the insurance business. Come on, you never read an actuarial table in your life. They've got ten volumes on suicide alone. Suicide by race, by color, by occupation, by sex, by seasons of the year, by time of day. Suicide, how committed: by poisons, by fire-arms, by drowning, by leaps. Suicide by poison, subdivided by types of poison, such as corrosive, irritant, systemic, gaseous, narcotic, alkaloid, protein, and so forth. Suicide by leaps, subdivided by leaps from high places, under wheels of trains, under wheels of trucks, under the feet of horses, from steamboats. But Mr. Norton, of all the cases on record there's not one single case of suicide by leap from the rear end of a moving train. And do you know how fast that train was going at the point where the body was found? Fifteen miles an hour. Now how could anybody jump off a slow moving train like that with any kind of expectation that he would kill himself? No soap, Mr. Norton. We're sunk, and we'll have to pay through the nose, and you know it."
OMG! Bob Ross LIVES!!! *falls at bob ross' feet* "We're not worthy, We're not worthy"
"I think a happy little bush lives over here, annnd what the heck, let's give him a little friend too. Now isn't that nice? Ok, let's make a happy little path leading to the waters edge..."
DPR,
Tombstone's really good. I'll give you that. But I'm referring to the 'epic' fightout scenes in all westerns. I really think Open Range has it. I hate to say that, too, because Costner always seems so bloody arrogant when interviewed, especially his Fresh Air interview for that pic.
But it's so satisfying to see him just walk right up, no hesitation and take the deadliest gun out first. Isn't it? I HATE how they always make them so predictable, holding the best 'cards for last.'
Oh, and back to speeches, Annette Bening's in the garden at the end about age and waiting—love that, too.
But tombstone is really good. I don't think there's another movie so full of fantastic quotes.
Ah, Bob Ross.... TITUS ANDRONICUS! If high school kids had been exposed to this work of Shakespeare (1) all the kids would read a lot more Shakespeare; (2) the parents would have been livid (thereby getting their kids to read even more Shakespeare!); and (3) the school board would have gone absolutely nuts (amusing curmugeons like me to no end!).
For those who have never read this work, check out a plot summary (spoiler alert!): http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xTitus.html
Missive,
Ah, you don't mean a mere gunfight. You're talking about an all-around shoot-out. Hmmm, you may be right.
A lot of people chastise Costner for arrogance but it always strikes me as a decision to single him out because they have already made up their minds to dislike him. Costner does have an arrogant streak but it is the same arrogant streak you will find in virtually any actor-director with a strong sense of what he wants and loves about his art... including me.
To do this work at all, you MUST have an outsized ego and Mr. Costner is no exception. There are those who insist that he doesn't have the talent to match that ego and they may have a point but that is a different issue. Deep down, arrogance goes with the territory.
So many of my favorite speeches have been mentioned already. Here are a few others that made an impression on me for better or worse.
From Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven:
As he succumbs to his wounds, Godfrey of Ibelin makes his bastard son Balian, a knight and his heir:
Balian of Ibelin to the people of Jerusalem as they ready to defend the city:
From Martin Scorcesese's "Gangs of New York"
Amsterdam Vallon's dialogue at the movies end:
And finally, for now at least, I would like to add to MissIves ode to great westerns with a speech from the HBO series "Deadwood".
In the immortal words of Al Swearengen during a meeting held in Al's officea bove the Gem Saloon, with his cohorts Johnny Burns, E.B. Farnum, and Jimmy Irons:
Surprising no one who knows me, some of my favorite speeches come from the original MASH movie (slightly different from the speechs in the book).
"Oh come off it, MAJOR! You put me right off my fresh fried lobster, do you realize that? I'm going to go back to my bed, I'm going to put away the best part of a bottle of scotch... and under normal circumstances, you being normally what I would call a very attractive woman, I would have invited you back to share my little bed with me you might possibly have come. But you really put me off. I mean you're what we call a regular army clown."
"Look, mother, I want to go to work in one hour. We are the Pros from Dover and we figure to crack this kid's chest and get out to golf course before it gets dark. So you go find the gas-passer and you have him pre-medicate this patient. Then bring me the latest pictures on him. The ones we saw must be 48 hours old by now. Then call the kitchen and have them rustle us up some lunch. Ham and eggs will all right. Steak would be even better. And then give me at least ONE nurse who knows how to work in close without getting her tits in my way."
It almost makes me want to be a doctor . . .
Favorite silly movie speech, Craig Ferguson's character in "Saving Grace"...
Women like cuddly toys, don't they? They like to hug and squeeze them, poke their eyes out and rip off their limbs. I avoid confrontation, I know it. But if you grew up in Glasgow in the 7O's, you'd do the same.
All I want is an easy life. Grow some vegetables, smoke a little reefer, sing some carols at Christmas time. One day, I'd like to be a dad and raise a couple of calm f***ing children. But that's it, I've f***ing had enough. I'm gone. No more Mr. Cuddly Toy, no more whipping boy for Ganja Grace and Cap. Nicky, the lobster queen. I'm f***ing gone! I'm gone! I'm f***ing out of here! Before that, I'm gonna see both of them and give them a piece of my mind. Nice shot!
So no one noticed my Rubin and Ed quote, am I the only person here sick enough to have watched it all the way through and had enough brain cells left to remember that I watched it?
"But you have to admit your cat's dead! He's deader than a doornail! That cat is colder than a well digger's ass! Pretty hard to deny that isn't it, Mr. Smartypants? Yep. Deceased. El morto. No more Mr. Kittycat. "
DPR,
Agreed. Be as arrogant as you want if you're making good things happen. I can be a bit of a handful myself. It's just that I never hear him laugh or self-deprecate. Ever. It's a little creepy. That's all. He can be whatever he wants, I'm just not itching to have HIM over for Thanksgiving, if you know what I mean.
M.I.
Which leads me to...
"Mr. Praline: 'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!! "
BobRoss,
I love the carousel speech. I love how Draper sells ads like he believes them, in a flow-of- consciousness sort of way. He gives advertising a good name.
And I loved it when Harry Crane had to leave the room, because after night after night of sleeping on his office couch away from his estranged wife, he couldn't handle the sentiment.
Good call.
"Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now." Later, a rousing rendition of the Lumberjack Song..and there was great rejoicing!
When awesomelisa and nachista both mentioned how silence may convey more than words, it brought to my mind the old proverb "A picture is worth a thousand words." My vote for that moving picture would have to be "Lawrence of Arabia." From the dust blowing in the wind, the mirage, the ripples formed on the face of the sand, and the director's cut from the match to the sun, the desert world was wordlessly portrayed as both enticing and hostile. No great speeches here, yet it spoke volumes.
drdgscott said...
Despairing of Presidential ineloquence a few months ago, I found recordings of FDR's Fireside Chats somewhere on UVa's webiste, and listened to all of them. It's amazing what an effect speaking intelligently can have on people -- they begin to think intelligently as their frontal lobes have to decipher, analyse, and response to complex ideas.
In today's climate, however, politicians aim directly for the amygdala, simply trying to generate fear and apprehension ("Senator Snodgrass will raise your taxes! Senator Bupkis will make you lose your healthcare!"). It's not really surprising that those listening respond agressively, as they are never invited to rise above their baser emotions into the relatively lofty and rarified realm of ideas.
I suppose that the cynical side of me has come to believe that folks like Roosevelt and Churchill worked from the assumption of the nobility and intelligence of humankind, and addressed us accordingly in times of distress and sacrifice. Today's vote seekers think of us as the undisciplined rabble that must be incensed or enraged into action and address us accordingly. I'm sorry, Mrs. Palin, but most of us are NOT Joe Sixpack, focused on only our brew and our team, attempting only sate our appetites and secure our hoarded resources. We are, in fact, compassionate, intelligent, and complex beings who are capable of aspiring to the highest and noblest ideas and actions.
Don't speak to us like animals motivated only by instinct and emotion! Assume our intelligence, not our ignorance or apathy. Use multisyllabic words and wrap them around noble ideas and ideals that urge us toward something higher and better. And, for God's sake, pronounce those words correctly!
Oops...meant there was much rejoicing!
BobRoss,
One more. Now that I am thinking of my favorites from Madmen. There's a similar speech in that series.
When Don sets up the meeting with Rachel because he wants to see her and claims it's business, but just wants to see her. She is still resistant to an affair with a married man and she is describing Zion to him.
It's the Babylon episode.
She says, and I found this so cutting, that most people only know one of the meanings of 'Utopia.' That it is the place where we all want to be. Perfection.
And then she tells him that in the Greek language, it also means the place "that can never be."
And then she pulls her hand away from his.
Crushing. But true.
I think it echoes his carousel speech.
I've really got to get cable or satellite or something.
The quotes that Olivia mentioned earlier, the one from Henry V and the others from The Lord of the Rings; they truly have the effect of punching me in the chest and quickening my heartbeat.
The the words that come to mind that describe my feelings whenever I hear these words spoken in the context of their scenes, . . . . well they awaken in me a desire to rise above myself, to be surrounded by comrades who's only goal is to accomplish that which they deem to be noble and great, at any cost to tourselves. To be completely caught up in, and part of, that kind of moment that kind of day. . . . and to have already endured many obstacles just to reach that point in time.
Ahhh well.... back to raking leaves
Kindlee: Welcome aboard, glad to have ya!
Glad to be aboard, Capt.
MissIve,
Mad Men is my favorite. The end of Babylon makes me tear up a little... I just watched it again:
Great show, great writing, great acting, GREAT CLOTHES
Yes, BobRoss, I cried too.
Happy weekend, all. Meeting with director tonight to write some memorable 'rhetoric.'
Will be pinching all your recommendations.
It's certainly one of the most sophomoric movies ever made, but it is one that has always made me laugh uncontrollably. In the movie Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold is talking to cousin Eddie and he says "Can I refill your eggnog for you? Can I get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?" I absolutely fall over in hysterics everytime I watch this movie, and especially at this part. I swear this movie is about my family. My husband's nickname is even Sparky. Sorry... I don't know any Shakespearean (?) or highly intellectual speeches to share. I am a simple person, and I love to laugh.
My boys love all the Chevy Chase movies. One of my sons is a Marine stationed in California. When we went to visit him, they had to have my husband and I take all of them to Vegas. One son brought a cd of the theme music from the movie and had us play it as we drove past the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada" sign. Another of them tried to find and order "some of the yella", at one of the many buffets. We also were obliged to take them to Hoover Dam for, you guessed it, the 'damn' tour! It was great fun. Lots of laughs. A good family memory.
Kindlee, is he at Pendleton or 29 stumps?
29 stumps! Such a garden spot!
Although, Joshua Tree National Park was a fascinating place.
He and his wife have both had tours in Iraq. His wife is probably deploying again, to Afghanistan, after the New Year. I noticed some of your references to the Marines...someone in your family?
Ewww I'm sorry *just threw up in my mouth a little bit*. No sane person would live at the stumps if they had a choice. Some friends of mine that were in the sandbox a while ago like to tell me that the stumps was hotter than Iraq and the only upside to stumps was that they didn't have camel spiders.
If you don't mind my asking, what is your son's MOS? Sir Boyscout is Infantry, saw machine gunner.
My son agrees with you wholeheartedly about the location! He's so acclimated now that any temperature under 80 degrees causes him to shiver. My husband and I found it kind of a hoot to play golf there with the road-runners. He's in MotorT - a driver of trucks, humvees, and basically anything else with wheels.
voodookitty said...
"No matter where you go, there you are."
Buckaroo Bonzai
Shoot, y'all,
People at Parris Island talk about "Hollywood Marines" as in anybody who hasn't been where the only reason the temperature is higher than the humidity is this:
humidity only goes to 100.
Speaking of goes to, can a speech be only 4 words long?
Has anyone ever said ANYTHING more moving and profound than
"Ours go to eleven." ?
LUFF Mad Men ~ Nachista ~ YOU WILL LUFF it also ~ Get Cable just for the run of the series, worth it I promise you just for the Joan vs Roger scenes.
Who by the way have GRAND speeches of their own both in the first season & the current one. There's 1 in particular this season between them but I don't want to ruin it for those who aren't caught up (miss Ive, catch up ALREADY WILL YA!!!!)
Lathough while out runnin errands today I was wondering how long does the peice have to be to considered a "speech" per say?
I LUFF speech Cary Grant gives to Roz Russell in the begingin of MyMan Friday, LUFF all the speeches Harlow gives in Bombshell, & all the double talking in M*A*S*H makes it one of the best sitcoms ever produced IMHO... But are those really considered speeches?
unhinged said...
I wont even attempt to quote anything, despite finding much on YouTube. Martin Sheen, Marlin Brando, Robert Duvall, directed by Francis Ford Coppala (sure I spelled that wrong) in Apocalypse Now. Pure Joseph Conrad. Each had a moment in their own right. Not sure I could sit through the whole thing anymore, pretty disturbing.
Kindlee and BobRoss-WELCOME! I've said it before, and I'll say it again (Dr. Johnson): Sir (or Madam, as the case may be), we are a nest of singing birds!
Your added harmony is welcome! And way to go, Mark-what a lovely welcome!
Miss Olivia is exhausted tonight. I spent the day as my college's Hostess (sadly, not with the mostest, I shouldn't think) for the Arkansas Department of Health's Hometown Healthcare Improvement Conference on Smoking and Obesity. Dr. Stanton Glantz, a superstar in tobacco control if there ever was one, spoke, and was magnificent in his tirade against the dark forces of Big Tobacco. Here's a couple of links, if anyone's interested. No, he REALLY was good-no kidding! Apparently, we're doing something VERY right here-other states are studying our childhood obesity data gathering and attempts to make schools, at least, places where kids can avoid the inducements to obesity...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanton_Glantz
http://www.healthyarkansas.com/hometownhealth/history.html
You'd all enjoy Glantz-he was a HOOT! Some of the anti-tobacco ads they did in California were roll-in-the-aisles funny...
Doc Scott-Awesome post! You're for sure on MY honor roll!
Peter-Awesome post too! I'm SO loving this series!
Voodoo-Buckaroo Banzai is one of my FAVORITE movies!! What're y'all lookin' at?... We're on the clock,