Charmingly Bad Analogies

Claire and I, former teachers that we are, got a big kick out of reading a collection of really bad analogies picked out of stories written by high school students. I think you will as well.

Of course, some of these are so cleverly, exquisitely bad that the writer probably did it on purpose.  But then again, remembering papers that we graded back in the day, it is more than likely that these are unknowingly bad. Enjoy.

* Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center.

* He was as tall as a 6′3″ tree.

* He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

* The lamp just sat there, like an inanimate object.

* John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

* He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

* The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

* The red brick wall was the color of a brick-red Crayola crayon.

* Fishing is like waiting for something that does not happen very often.

* It came down the stairs looking very much like something no one had ever seen before.

A Wonderful Evening at the Prairie Creek Inn

Last night, in the midst of our Christmas rush, Claire and I experienced a wonderfully serene evening at the Prairie Creek Inn down in Walton, Nebraska.  Just 50 minutes away from Omaha, the Prairie Creek Inn is truly a remarkable retreat and, though we have known about it for years, it wasn’t until last night that we experienced firsthand the beauty and charm of the 110-year old Leavitt House as well as the quiet prairie and woods where the house and other remarkable facilities are situated.

Innkeepers Bruce and Maureen Stahr are an engaging, creative, visionary, and hardworking couple who followed the Lord’s leading in creating this remarkable hospitality ministry and they made our stay really terrific. Highlights?  Well, even though our stay was brief, there were several:

* Touring the elegant house which was grandly decorated for Christmas.

* Visiting with Bruce and Maureen and hearing their stories about the place’s history, furnishings, and varied activities.

* Accompanying Maureen into the night to feed the horses (an unusual treat for city folks like us).

* Checking out the huge, renovated Opry Barn which is now home to music and theatrical performances.

* Enjoying the aroma of gingerbread cookies fresh from the oven (even Paleo dieters can appreciate that oh-so-Christmas scent!).

* Reveling in the relaxing and warm ambience of the wood stove in the Western Room.

* Spending some time reading and writing letters in the fire-warmed parlor.

* Sleeping in a big, comfortable bed (with a huge headboard/footboard that is over 100 years old) in the Golden Sunset room (and hearing the cries and yips of a few coyotes before drifting off).

* Having morning devotions and then writing Christmas cards in the pre-dawn quiet next to the Christmas tree in the dining room.

* And, finally, digging in to a delicious (and plentiful) Paleo breakfast casserole accompanied by a fresh fruit medley and exceptional coffee that the Stahrs “import” from Mystic Monk Coffee, a group of Carmelite monks in Powell, Wyoming.

It was an absolutely restful (and thus energizing) time. Thank you so much, Bruce & Maureen.

One of the purposes of our visiting the Prairie Creek Inn was to check it out for our book club, the Notting Hill Napoleons, who schedule an autumn retreat every year.  You can guess that we will be strongly urging them to choose this place for our weekend getaway next November.  Beyond that, however, Claire and I were pleased to re-establish our friendship with Bruce and Maureen and to discover what will certainly become a favorite retreat for us throughout the year.  We highly recommend to you the same possibility.  Here is the link for more information. 

Doing Battle with the Nothing

In these wet and windswept evenings of autumn, just having returned from a rather wet and windswept couple of weeks of ministry in Great Britain, I am once again enjoying the provocative novel of Michael Ende, his masterful The Neverending Story.  The novel is a modern fairy tale, wonderfully filled with surreal characters, magic, heroism, and bold adventure. It is an extremely entertaining read. Nevertheless, it is much more than that. The Neverending Story is also a very special fantasy, one that provides a bountiful share of spiritual applications in its thrilling and memorable pages.

The Neverending Story has much to excite and inspire the reader — exemplary lessons about imagination, creativity, honesty, loyalty, bravery, sacrifice in the pursuit of virtuous causes, kindness, and friendship. But I find the most compelling arguments of The Neverending Story deal with the reality and character of evil. Evil truly exists. Evil has deliberate and sinister designs upon men and women, even boys and girls. Modernity’s prime evil spreads through the lies of nihilism. And evil must be fought hard and uncompromising.

In our age of moral relativism, to expose such evils is a daring thing. To dramatize the dire importance for men to actively resist those evils is even more rare…and thus more necessary.

Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story (first published in German in 1979 with the standard English translation by Ralph Manheim printed in 1983) is not a Christian novel.  But using classic fairy tale themes, he effectively presents realistic human problems in ways that Christians certainly can respond to, particularly how evil manipulates and uses people for its own ends, destroying them after their usefulness is up. He also dramatizes how evil thrives upon ignorance, confusion, hatred of moral tradition, and fear.

But standing in the way of the Nothing (Ende’s apt term for the evil force which is destroying the world of The Neverending Story) and its vicious servant, Gmork, are the young warrior Atreyu, a luck dragon, and a human boy who begins reading the book in a deserted school attic but who is drawn into the story himself. Their courage and resolve and loyalty to the prime cause; namely, service to the sovereign of Fantastica, ultimately wins the day.

As most of you know, I read quite a bit and my reading winds its way from novels to theology, from politics to popular culture, from mysteries to history and biographies.  Nevertheless, The Neverending Story remains one of the most inspiring and memorable books I’ve ever read. Probably because it inspires me to continue fighting the Gmorks of our own day, the servants of the Nothing who, like the devil himself, revel in lying, stealing, and destroying.

Reading the novel this time around has me thinking especially about parallels I see between The Neverending Story and the fairy tale tradition…also to other writers who have added their own spice to that literary genre, writers like Chesterton, Lewis, Tolkien, and Barrie.  Therefore, my reading of The Neverending Story is providing fresh and vivid inspiration to keep fighting the Nothing and the culture of death it spawns.

PS. If you don’t plan on reading The Neverending Story (it is 444 pages), at least consider watching the 1984 film version. It is a beautiful and remarkable film that effectively captures much of the spirit of the things I’ve written about above. It’s one of the very rare examples when a movie may be as good as the book. (Claire thinks it's even better!)

Klavan on Conservative Creativity

A few days ago, I finished (on my Kindle) Andrew Klavan’s brief but excellent and provocative book, A Crisis in the Arts: Why the Left Owns the Culture and How Conservatives can Begin to Take it Back. 

I highly recommend it. Klavan, himself a best-selling fiction writer, eloquently explains how politics and social policy is “downstream” of culture and that conservatives cannot hope for political success or social change if they continue to cede the arts to the far left as has been done for the last several decades.

 Instead Klavan writes...

We need to fight back. 

For those conservatives with artistic talent and ambition, this is a spectacular moment to take to the barricades. Big Media is tottering under the assault of new technologies. With electronic publishing and social media, books can be self-published and self-promoted. With the new video cameras, professional-looking films can be produced on the cheap and distributed online. YouTube, iTunes, smart phones, tablets, blogs -- all provide opportunities for new kinds of work and new ways for that work to be dispensed.  

To take advantage of this moment, conservatives have to come to grips with a situation that they naturally find uncomfortable: yet, to wit, we are now at the counter-culture. When it comes to the arts, radical leftists are The Man. We need to act like the rebels we now are and stop trying to win the favor of the big studios and publishers and mainstream reviewers. We need to make stuff. Good stuff. And get it out to the audience anyway we can…

The arts, even at their least, are one of humanity’s most noble enterprises. They have been hijacked by adherence of the low-end depressive ideology. They have been hijacked by the adherents of a low and oppressive. We should take them back.

How Well Do You Know Your Tolkien?

The photograph at left is an unfamiliar look at a very familiar 20th Century author. It is J.R.R. Tolkien, taken when he was a second lieutenant in the 11th Lancashire Fusiliers. A rather dashing fellow, what?

Anyhow, from an old New York Times I came across, here's a rather gentle trivia quiz to test your knowledge of that talented and perceptive Lord of the Rings author. The answers are printed after the quiz but, be fair now, no peeking!

1. What does the "J" stand for in J.R.R.?
A. Joseph
B. John
C. Jacob
D. Jerome

2. What is the correct pronunciation of "Tolkien"?
A. toll-KINE
B. TAHL-keen
C. TOLL-key-en
D. TOLL-KEEN

3. Of what ethnic origin is the name Tolkien?
A. Irish
B. French
C. German
D. Swedish

4. In what country was Tolkien born?
A. Scotland
B. South Africa
C. Australia
D. Wales

5. What was Tolkien's first job after serving in World War I?
A. Lexicographer
B. Hospital orderly
C. Accounting clerk
D. Newspaper reporter

6. What was Tolkien's "day job" for over 30 years?
A. Bus driver
B. Magazine editor
C. College professor
D. Philosopher

7. One of Tolkien's first published works was a scholarly treatment of:
A. Finnish etymology
B. German fairy tales
C. American folklore
D. Arthurian legend

8. As a result of the widespread popularity of "Lord of the Rings," Tolkien:
A. Became wealthy
B. Had to move
C. Had to have an unlisted telephone number
D. All of the above

Answers:

1. What does the "J" stand for in J.R.R.? The correct answer is B. -- John J.R.R. stands for "John Ronald Reuel." Reuel was his father's middle name.

2. What is the correct pronunciation of "Tolkien"? -- According to the Tolkien Society of England, there is equal stress on both syllables.

3. Of what ethnic origin is the name Tolkien? The correct answer is C. German -- Tolkien is derived from the German language, from a word meaning "foolishly brave".

4. In what country was Tolkien born? The correct answer is B. South Africa. -- His father had moved to South Africa for better job opportunities. Tolkien returned to England when he was four years old.

5. What was Tolkien's first job after serving in World War I? The correct answer is A. Lexicographer. -- He worked on the Oxford English Dictionary as an assistant lexicographer.

6. What was Tolkien's "day job" for over 30 years? -- Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon and English literature at Oxford from 1925 to 1959.

7. One of Tolkien's first published works was a scholarly treatment of: The correct answer is D. Arthurian legend. -- His "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" was published in 1925, 12 years before the publication of "The Hobbit".

8. As a result of the widespread popularity of "Lord of the Rings," Tolkien: The correct answer is D. All of the above. -- Tolkien and his wife could no longer bear the crowds gawking at his house and the middle-of-the-night phone calls.

And, by the way, if you want some really challenging Lord of the Rings trivia quizzes, try these put together by the Tolkienites over at Quintessence Designs. But be forewarned, they are extremely tough.

Christmas Quiz --- Number Three

By the way, the first two parts of this Christmas quiz can be found here and here. 

1) In what year did Charles Dickens write A Christmas Carol? A) 1790 B) 1843 C) 1890 D) 1933

2) Which popular Christmas song was actually written for Thanksgiving? A) “Frosty the Snowman” B) “Winter Wonderland” C) “Jingle Bells” D) “It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” E) “Deck the Halls”

3) In A Charlie Brown Christmas, Linus reads about the real reason for the season from what book? A) The gospel of Luke B) The gospel of Matthew C) “The Little Drummer Boy” D) A Christmas Carol

4) After worshiping the baby Jesus, the magi from the east were warned by God in a dream not to return to: A) Egypt B) Parthia C) Jerusalem D) Bethlehem

5) “Adeste Fideles” is more commonly known as: A) “Oh, Come All Ye Faithful” B) “Frosty the Snowman” C) “The Christmas Song” D) “Silver Bells”

6) Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus the Savior literally means: A) Salvation B) House of bread C) Without a home D) Anointed home

7) Who wrote the short story, “The Gift of the Magi”? A) Charles Dickens B) Lewis Carroll C) O. Henry D) Clement Moore E) Mark Twain

8) The Messiah, George Frederick Handel's beloved Christmas oratorio, was first performed in 1742. In what city was it performed? A) London, England B) Jerusalem in what was then known as Palestine C) Dublin, Ireland D) Berlin, Germany

9) One of the marvelous adventures of the great detective, Sherlock Holmes, is set in the Christmas season. The story involves: A) The murder of a man disguised as Father Christmas B) A valuable gem discovered in a dead goose C) A secret message hidden in a child's doll D) A bomb in a Yule log designed to assassinate the King of England.

10) The first people to receive a “formal announcement” of Jesus' birth were common laborers who were looked down upon as social inferiors. Who were they? A) Shepherds B) Tax collectors C) Reporters D) Actors

11) How many wise men visited the stable on the night Jesus was born? A) 3 B) 7 C) 12 D) None

12) In the poem, “”Twas the Night Before Christmas,” what headgear was worn by the Momma? A) Nightcap B) Red towel C) Christmas stocking D) Kerchief

13) In Victorian times, Londoners would have been familiar with a “goose club.” What was that? A) Holly boughs wrapped up and set on the fire B) A three-stringed musical instrument C) A method of saving to buy a goose for Christmas D) A group of Christmas merry-makers, usually involved in mischief

14) For what singing cowboy was “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” a smash hit? A) Gene Autry B) Tex Ritter C) Hank Williams D) Roy Rogers E) Rex Allen

15) The flight into Egypt was: A) Saint Nicholas' escaping from the Turks B) The magi fleeing from Herod C) The nation of Israel being delivered from Pharaoh D) The Holy Family traveling to safety after a message from God


Answers: 1) B 2) C -- James Pierpont composed the song in 1857. It's original title? “One Horse Open Shay.” 3) A 4) C – King Herod (in Jerusalem) had told the magi to return to him and give a report on Jesus' whereabouts. However, he wanted not to worship Jesus (as he had lied), but rather to murder him. 5) A 6) B 7) C 8) C -- Handel wrote the work to aid charities in Ireland. 9) B -- In “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle,” Holmes recovers a gorgeous diamond and, in the charitable spirit of the Christmas season, allows the repentant thief to escape imprisonment if he promises to leave England forever. 10) A 11) D – The Bible does not say how many magi there were who came to visit and worship Jesus. Most Bible scholars believe it was probably several. However, the visit of the magi almost certainly did not occur on Christmas night but many months after Jesus' birth. 12) D 13) C -- “Goose clubs” were popular with the working-class of London, who paid a small amount every week towards the purchase of a goose or turkey to eat for Christmas dinner. 14) A 15) D

Christmas Quiz --- Number Two

Again, from the pages of our “Making the Most of Christmas” packet, here's the second Christmas quiz.

(Here is the first.)

Christmas Quiz --- Number Two

1) Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in: A) 1776 B) 1895 C) 1914 D) 1933

2) The boar's head was a favorite dish in the traditional English Christmas feast. According to legend, the choice of this dish dates back to the Middle Ages when a particularly rowdy boar was killed by: A) St. Nicholas B) St. George C) King Wenceslas D) Choking to death on a book of Greek philosophy

3) Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, and Father Christmas are all names referring to what genuine Christian hero? A) Alexander the Great B) Saint Nicholas C) Joseph of Arimathea D) Old King Cole

4) What plant is called “Flower of the Holy Night” in Mexico? A) Winter's Rose B) Navidad de Valencia C) Poinsettia D) Piccolino

5) Most countries commemorate the visit of the Magi on what day? A) December 8 B) December 14 C) December 25 D) January 6

6) What traditional Christmas dish has a name that means “to swell or raise” A) Egg nog B) Plum pudding C) Divinity D) Marzipan

7) On Christmas Eve in 1944, a terrible tragedy occurred but accurate news of the event was unavailable for a long time afterwards. What was it? A) The sinking of the S.S. Leopoldville B) The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria C) The Boxer Rebellion in China D) Amelia Earhart's airplane crashed in the South Pacific

8) The famous defense of Santa Claus' existence written by the New York Sun in 1897 was written in response to a letter written by a little girl named: A) Belinda B) Mary C) Brooke D) Virginia

9) The first film version of Babes in Toyland starred what comedy team? A) The Marx Brothers B) Laurel and Hardy C) Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland D) Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis

10) When Santa is in Finland, he chooses a different form of transportation than the sleigh he uses in the U.S.A. What is it? A) A magic carpet B) A horse C) A goat named Ukko D) A white elk named Grizel

11) The details we have about the Advent of Jesus come from what New Testament books? A) All four gospels B) Matthew & Luke C) The gospel of John D) The epistles of Peter

12) In both Idaho and Indiana there is a town named: A) Christmas City B) Yuletide C) Tiny Tim D) Santa Claus

13) The day after Christmas, December 26, is known as Boxing Day in England and elsewhere. It is also the holy day associated with what saint? A) St. Stephen B) St. Nicholas C) St. Boniface D) St. Jerome

14) This traditional Christmas item was popularized by St. Francis of Assisi in 13th Century Italy. A) Crèche (nativity scene) B) Advent calendar C) Mistletoe D) Holly wreathes E) Lighted Christmas trees

15) In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which spirit leads Ebenezer Scrooge to a cemetery? A) Christmas Past B) Christmas Present C) Christmas Future D) None of the spirits took Scrooge to a cemetery. It was Tiny Tim.

Answers: 1) B. American inventor, Ralph E. Morris is credited with the first use of electric Christmas lights. His purpose was to find something safer than candles which started more house fires than one could count. 2) D. Yes, the story suggests a student saved himself from a charging boar by throwing a book of Aristotle's writings at it. The boar greedily gulped down the book, choked itself, and thus became a meal for the student and his colleagues. 3) B 4) C. The Poinsettia is named after an American ambassador to Mexico who “discovered” the pretty flower in the 1820's. 5) D. January 6 is Epiphany 6) B. By the way, there are no plums in traditional plum pudding! 7) A 8) D 9) B 10) C. Ukko is supposedly made of straw. 11) B 12) D 13) A 14) A 15) C

Christmas Quiz --- Number One

The following is just one of the Christmas quizzes we put together for our “Making the Most of Christmas” packets many years ago. I'll post the other two in the days to come. Please consider using them in your holiday get-togethers as icebreakers and conversation starters. We created these fun, non-threatening quizzes to use with friends, family members, and neighbors who may not know very much of the biblical accounts of Christmas. This way you can impart some meaningful Christmas information to them without making them feel on the spot. In fact, we will be using them at our party this weekend when we have neighbors over for a cookie exchange and to watch our Christmas edition of “When Swing Was King.”

Christmas Quiz --- Number One

1) Which Latin singer had a big Christmas hit in the 1960's with “Felize Navidad”? A) Julio Iglesias B) Desi Arnaz C) Jose Feliciano D) Carlos Santana E) Edward Schwartz

2) In what year were poinsettias first sold in Philadelphia as Christmas decorations? A) 1833 B) 1910 C) 1927 D) 1945

3) In which of these Christmas movies did Bing Crosby star? A) The Bishop's Wife B) Rudolph's Ride to Glory C) It's a Wonderful Life D) Going My Way

4) The music for what Christmas carol was written in 1818 by an Austrian priest to be played on a guitar? A) “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” B) “Adeste Fidelis” C) “Oh Holy Night” D) “Silent Night”

5) What Christmas work was originally written for the entertainment of the author's own family and was not published for 26 years after its writing? A) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens B) “A Visit to St. Nicholas” ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) by Clement Moore C) “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss D) “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin

6) The first one of these was made in 1844 and they began to be sold commercially in 1860. Now, over 2 and 1/2 billion are used every Christmas season. What are they? A) Christmas trees B) Outdoor lights C) Candy canes D) Christmas cards

7) Who announced to Mary that she had been chosen to be the virgin mother of Jesus? A) The angel Gabriel B) Elizabeth C) She learned it in a dream D) John the Baptist

8) What is the popular Christmas custom that is attributed to Martin Luther?
A) Yule log B) Hanging stockings C) Attending church D) Christmas tree lights

9) In the story and film, A Miracle on 34th Street, who is put on trial?
A) Santa Claus B) The mayor of New York City C) A guardian angel named Clarence D) An elf named Hardrock

10) Good King Wenceslas hailed from what country? A) Syria B) England C) Bohemia D) Alsatia

11) The name of Scrooge's deceased business partner in Dickens' classic story, A Christmas Carol, was: A) Bob Cratchit B) Jacob Marley C) Mr. Posey D) Martin Chuzzlewit

12) What familiar Christmas object comes from a word meaning “to shine”?
Hints: there were seven of them in the Old Testament tabernacle and it is an important part of the Advent wreath. A) Candle B) Yule log C) Crown D) Holly wreath

13) In Tchaikovsky's beautiful ballet, The Nutcracker, the main enemy of the handsome hero is: A) Drosselmeyer the magician B) The King of the Mice C) The puppet maker D) The Blue Dragon

14) Long before Scrooge or the Grinch, there was a real villain who could be called “The Man Who Tried to Kill Christmas.” Who was he? A) Genghis Khan B) Caesar Augustus C) Ivan the Terrible D) Herod the Great

15) When did “Good King Wenceslaus” look out? A) Christmas morning
B) Epiphany C) Feast of Stephen D) Candlemas eve

Answers:

1) D 2) A 3) D Bing starred in several Christmas movies (Bells of St. Mary's, Going My Way, Holiday Inn, and White Christmas. 4) D -- “Silent Night” was written hastily for a Christmas Eve service after the priest discovered the organ was broken and that the service would have had to go without music. 5) B 6) D 7) A 8) D 9) A 10) C -- Wenceslas was actually only a 10th Century Duke of Bohemia, not an actual king. 11) B 12) A 13) B -- The King of the Mice, usually represented with seven heads, leads his troops against the nutcracker's toy soldiers, but loses the battle when Clara, the heroine, stuns him with a hurled shoe. 14) D -- Herod was Rome's “puppet ruler” over Israel at the time Jesus was born. Paranoid, vicious, and an insanely jealous tyrant, Herod murdered hundreds of people to secure his throne. It was he who ordered the murder of the infant boys of Bethlehem in an effort to end the life of Jesus, Who had come to save mankind (even Herod himself) from the curse of sin. 15) C

Drummin' and Dancin' -- The Incomparable Fred Astaire

First, a scene from A Damsel in Distress (1937)


From Easter Parade (1948)

The Maltese Falcon Quiz

For fans of the great movie, this quiz can be fun. But it will appeal even more to the readers of Dashiell Hammett's fine detective novel. Have at it...and, of course, don't look for the answers until the end!

1) Does the story of the falcon tribute have any factual basis?

2) Who was originally cast for the film role of Sam Spade? A) Ronald Reagan B) Robert Taylor C) George Raft D) Alan Ladd E) Gary Cooper

3) The Shakespeare reference at the end of the film (“Ah, the stuff which dreams are made of”) was suggested by A) Director John Huston B) Jack Warner C) Peter Lorre D) Humphrey Bogart

4) What previous occupation made Dashiell Hammett so effective in writing The Maltese Falcon? A) Detective B) Screenwriter C) San Francisco Probation officer D) Cleaned cages at an aviary

5) Which actor in the cast was playing their first film role?

6) How many successful novels did Dashiell Hammett write in his long career?

7) Hammett’s novel was dedicated to Jose. Who is this?

8) The Maltese Falcon was a major Hollywood hit, both with the public and the critics. How many Academy Awards did it win?

9) Where was Dashiell Hammett buried? A) Colorado B) Virginia C) California D) His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

10) After Hammett sold the rights to the Sam Spade character (at a bargain price), a very popular radio series was created called The Adventures of Sam Spade. It starred: A) Howard Duff B) Orson Wells C) Humphrey Bogart D) Jack Webb E) William Conrad

ANSWERS

1) Yes, according to Dashiell Hammett’s own introduction to the 1934 edition of the book ---- “Somewhere I had read of the peculiar rental arrangements between Charles V and the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.”

2) C. George Raft. Raft was one of Warner’s contract players and was originally offered the part. He apparently turned it down because a) he didn't want to be directed by new director John Huston, and b) it was to be a low-budget, “unimportant” film. He had also turned down the starring role in High Sierra (which eventually fell to Bogart) because he didn't want to die at the end. In fact, Raft would go on turning down roles that Bogart would play and subsequently make famous, including the cynical and unforgettable hero of Casablanca.

3) D. Humphrey Bogart

4) A. Hammett was a detective for the Pinkerton agency.

5) Sydney Greenstreet. To play the part of sinister Fat Man Gutman, the film’s producer Hal Wallis suggested that Greenstreet do a screen test. Huston liked it and cast the longtime character actor of the stage. Greenstreet was thus 61 years old when he made his movie “debut.”

6) Only 5: The Dain Curse, The Maltese Falcon, Red Harvest, The Thin Man, The Glass Key. Besides a few other short stories, Hammett’s career was largely a disappointment. The causes? TB and a generally dissolute lifestyle, complete with drunkenness, lack of discipline and self-control, abandonment of family, and the influence of radical leftists (especially Lillian Hellman).

7) Jose was Hammett’s first wife and mother of his two children.

8) None

9) B. Virginia. More specifically, in Arlington National Cemetery.

10) A. Veteran actor (and husband of Ida Lupino) Howard Duff. Duff's most famous roles were in television, especially Mr. Adams and Eve (1957-58), Felony Squad (1966-69), and a whole gang of guest spots.

A Maltese Falcon Quiz

Fans of the classic movie, The Maltese Falcon, will find this quiz interesting; I
hope, even fun. But it may well appeal even more to the readers of Dashiell Hammett's fine detective novel. Have at it...and, of course, don't look for the answers until the end!

1) Does the story of the falcon tribute have any factual basis?

2) Who was originally cast for the film role of Sam Spade? A) Ronald Reagan B) Robert Taylor C) George Raft D) Alan Ladd E) Gary Cooper

3) The Shakespeare reference at the end of the film (“Ah, the stuff which dreams are made of”) was suggested by A) Director John Huston B) Jack Warner C) Peter Lorre D) Humphrey Bogart

4) What previous occupation made Dashiell Hammett so effective in writing The Maltese Falcon? A) Detective B) Screenwriter C) San Francisco Probation officer D) Cleaned cages at an aviary

5) Which actor in the cast was playing their first film role?

6) How many successful novels did Dashiell Hammett write in his long career?

7) Hammett’s novel, The Maltese Falcon, is dedicated to Jose. Who is this?

8) The Maltese Falcon was a major Hollywood hit, both with the public and the critics. How many Academy Awards did it win?

9) Where was Dashiell Hammett buried? A) Colorado B) Virginia C) California D) His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

10) After Hammett sold the rights to the Sam Spade character (at a bargain price), a very popular radio series was created called The Adventures of Sam Spade. It starred: A) Howard Duff B) Orson Wells C) Humphrey Bogart D) Jack Webb E) William Conrad

ANSWERS

1) Yes, according to Dashiell Hammett’s own introduction to the 1934 edition of the book, “Somewhere I had read of the peculiar rental arrangements between Charles V and the Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.”

2) C. George Raft. Raft was one of Warner’s contract players and was originally offered the part. He apparently turned it down because he didn't want to be directed by new director John Huston and because it was to be a low-budget, “unimportant” film. He had also turned down the starring role in High Sierra (which eventually fell to Bogart) because he didn't want to die at the end. In fact, Raft would go on turning down roles that Bogart would play and subsequently make famous, including the cynical and unforgettable hero of Casablanca.

3) D. Humphrey Bogart

4) A. Hammett was a detective for the Pinkerton agency.

5) Sydney Greenstreet. To play the part of sinister Fat Man Gutman, the film’s producer Hal Wallis suggested that Greenstreet do a screen test. Huston liked it and cast the longtime character actor of the stage. Greenstreet was thus 61 years old when he made his movie “debut.”

6) Only 5: The Dain Curse, The Maltese Falcon, Red Harvest, The Thin Man, andThe Glass Key. Besides a few other short stories, Hammett’s career was largely a disappointment. The causes? TB and a generally dissolute lifestyle, complete with drunkenness, lack of discipline and self-control, abandonment of family, and the influence of radical leftists (especially Lillian Hellman).

7) Jose was Hammett’s first wife and mother of his two children.

8) None

9) B. Virginia. More specifically, in Arlington National Cemetery.

10) A. Veteran actor (and husband of Ida Lupino) Howard Duff. Duff's most famous roles were in television, especially "Mr. Adams and Eve" (1957-58), "Felony Squad" (1966-69), and a whole gang of guest spots.

42nd Street: A Review

In this month's volume of "When Swing Was King," our ministry in nursing homes and senior living centers which combines original big band music, hundreds of photographs, an interesting and fun commentary, and (most important of all) the development of personal friendships, we include in the mix of 12 songs a lively recording of "42nd Street" by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.

It's a terrific song, instruments only. But we know the lyrics well from a homemade recording we have enjoyed for years of Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks in a New York nightclub. The vocalist in that performance was Vince Fitzpatrick, a fellow who we came to know later as a good friend and pro-life colleague in the Washington area. He is now known, by the way, as Father Vince Fitzpatrick. That's right; Vince went from nightclub crooner to becoming a Roman Catholic priest. Great story, right.

But back to "42nd Street."

After last Thursday's "WSWK" presentation at Immanuel Assisted Living Center, I decided to see if the film version of "42nd Street" (made way back in 1933) was available anywhere. And it was -- right here on Amazon for a $1.99 rental.

We found the movie fascinating, much more profound and compelling than what we were expecting from a musical. Yes, there were big and elaborate musical numbers from Busby Berkely and featuring the talents of Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, and Ginger Rogers in the chorus. But the primary plot of the film was quite serious with themes of love, ambition, despair, and jealousy front and center. We were particularly impressed with the characters of Julian Marsh (played frantically by Warner Baxter), the doe-eyed innocent (Ruby Keeler) and the much abused stage manager (George E. Stone.)

The movie was based upon a novel by Bradford Ropes (forget about it -- a copy is available on eBay, but starting at $1,500) but the film follows Ropes' basic plan. It shows the plight of successful Broadway director Julian Marsh. Marsh was the Great White Way's biggest light but he has lost his fortune in the stock market and is desperate to mount a successful stage production of a musical extravaganza. But it won't be easy. It's the Great Depression. And he's broke and physically ill. Will he even survive?


The leading lady (with a real prima donna attitude) is in love with a broken down vaudeville player, her former partner. But she must hide that relationship as she pretends to be sweet on a rich rube who is the play's angel. In fact, mobsters are called in to drive her real lover out of town to protect the show's interests. But that's not all. There's an intriguing subplot involving the talented rookie (Ruby Keeler) and the romantic juvenile (Dick Powell), a raft of clever one-liners from Una Merkel, Ginger Rogers and company, and then those remarkable big stage musical numbers.

We loved "42nd Street" and may well travel it again with friends soon.

Here's just one scene as a teaser. I'm sorry, it's colorized but don't worry. The Amazon film is in its original black and white.

Book Notes

* Talk about the utter foolishness of political-correctness. Check out the "warning label" put on a new edition of Immanuel Kant.

* If you think the new “green advocacy” movie (Noah) plays out anything close to the biblical account, you’ve been munching on too many Colorado brownies. Check it out.

* What's this? A new book by J.R.R. Tolkien? Actually, it's a very old book translated by Tolkien and edited for a new, never before published edition by his son. Less than $20 buys you your own copy of Tolkien's Beowulf right here.

* Ready for a reading challenge? Several friends of Vital Signs have committed to completing one of two reading tracks by the end of the summer. (In fact, some have signed on to both!) The first track is the seven short books of The Chronicles of Narnia. The second involves three books: Heaven by Randy Alcorn, The Heart of Prayer by Jarram Barrs, and Teaching to Change Lives by Howard Hendricks. Those involved in each project can “talk” about their reading with others on Facebook or, from time to time, talk in person over coffee at the gatherings we will announce. Also, come August, Denny & Claire will host a barbecue dinner at their house for everyone who was involved in either project. Let us know if you are interested.

* And speaking of old books, did you ever get round to reading Ben Shapiro's Primetime Propaganda? Mark Levin says of it, “Vitally important, devastatingly thorough, and shockingly revealing. After reading Primetime Propaganda, you’ll never watch TV the same way again.” It's going really cheap these days.

* The Associated Press reports on a major fraud in which consumers paid artificially inflated prices for e-books published by Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Simon& Schuster, Penguin Group and Holtzbrinck doing business as Macmillan. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Tuesday. "Companies engaging in such anticompetitive conduct will be punished, and starting today those injured by their actions will start to receive full and fair compensation." The goal amount is $166 million. Yipes. Here’s the story.

* “An interview with Paul Kengor, Reagan biographer and author of 11 Principles of a Reagan Conservative” (Benjamin Weingarten, The Blaze)

* Beginning at 7 o’clock on Monday evening, April 7th, Denny & Claire will be hosting the first of  four L’Abri evenings, featuring the four lectures of the recent L’Abri conference in Rochester, Minnesota that Denny & Claire thought the best. April 7th will be “The Biblical Basis for True Spirituality” by Jerram Barrs. On April 14th, we will listen to “Spirituality According to Francis Schaeffer” by Bill Edgar. “Three Theories of Everything” by Ellis Potter is the lecture for April 21st. And we will finish off on April 28th with “The Christian Life: An Other-Centered Walk” by Dick Keyes. They are all stimulating, illuminating and inspirational. We hope you can come.

* Here's an article that purports to have found the best book store in America. In Wichita, Kansas, no less. Very interesting.

* And finally, the Quotation of the Day for today at "Into the Wardrobe (A C.S. Lewis Site)" is one quite relevant to Facebook users.

“I cannot quite understand why a man should wish to know more people than he can make real friends of.” (C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy.)

An Upscale Flash Mob: Banco Sabadell Celebrates A Birthday

The music is, of course, Beethoven's Ninth. And the event is a commercial of sorts for the Bank of Sabadell in Sabadell, near Barcelona in Spain. Very cool!

(Reposted at Vital Signs Blog)

Spin the Wheel, Wickham

Books and mind games often go together, right? Think mysteries, thrillers, textbooks.

Well, here are some book games of a much different type that you might find fun: 10 Literary Board Games for Book Nerds.

The games shown here are (at right, Pride & Prejudice and below, A Christmas Carol).

The Writer as Creator...and Subject

A Most Moving "Edwardian" Experience

Among the best viewing pleasures we have had with Netflix options in recent months has been the sterling ATV mini-series from 1975, "Edward the King" starring Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria, Timothy West as the adult Edward VII, Robert Hardy as Prince Albert, Helen Ryan as Princess/Queen Alexandra, Michael Hordern as Gladstone, John Gielgud as Disraeli and many other superb performances.

Both Claire and I found the long series enthralling. It's certainly better than most when it comes to historical accuracy (being conscientiously based on Sir Philip Magnus' excellent biography) and, as thoughtful and compelling viewing, it would be very hard to top. The writing, acting, editing, sets all represented a level of excellence that moderns rarely reach.

The 13-episode series is currently available on the Netflix instant download feature or via CD discs. We couldn't recommend it more highly.

Andy Willams Talks About His TV Christmas Shows