It's a Wonderful Life: The Real Bedford Falls

Distinguished journalist Ted Koppel takes us to the town that may have inspired the setting of that wonderful movie.

I think of it not so much as a Christmas movie as an inspirational one. Your Head Trucker saw this film in the student union theater during my first term at a big university, nearly half a century ago. Mine was not the typical college experience:  I was broke, friendless, and terribly homesick for a place I could never return to. But the quiet inspiration of Frank Capra's magnum opus gave me comfort and lit the way ahead; it was the grace of God that I needed in that lonely time. I am still grateful for that.

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on tight.  When you come to the dark tunnel of despair, go through it -- and at the other end, you will find Hope.  

Keep on; do what you can.  Your life matters more than you know.

-----

In Memoriam: Doris Day (1922-2019)

Doris Day, the beloved singer, dancer, actress, and comedienne - and one of the Pork Boys' all-time favorites - has died at her home in Carmel, California, at the age of 97.  God rest her soul.  Although she was one of the brightest lights and greatest talents of the twentieth century, her personal life was unfulfilling to some extent, and she spent the last thirty years in seclusion, far from the bright lights of Hollywood, having quiet dinners at home with old friends and running her animal-welfare foundation,

She occasionally granted telephone interviews, however, including one with the Hollywood Reporter on the occasion of her birthday last month.

Charles Osgood summed up her life and career in this segment of CBS News Sunday Morning in 2008:




Here are a few of her greatest hits to remind my truckbuddies of her incomparably lovely golden voice that now swells the angel chorus above, as we may piously believe:

Sentimental Journey, 1945, with Les Brown and His Band of Renown




It's Magic, 1948, from Romance on the High Seas




Secret Love, 1953, from Calamity Jane




Que Sera, Sera, 1956 - which became her theme song - from The Man Who Knew Too Much




Pillow Talk, 1959, from the eponymous motion picture, which earned Doris an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress

Sunday Drive: Magic

Your Head Trucker in his salad days, far too many summers ago.

This lovely song transports me back to the idyllic summer of 1980, when I had just come out and, after a long, hard struggle, just graduated from college too - a time when it was easy to believe in magic, love, and destiny.  Ah, youth!

Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?





Really, it was like coming to life, a sleeper awakening, full of light and song and hope, while the enchantment lasted. I can yet recall, when I hear these tunes, the happy anticipations I felt, the future a shining road at my feet. Ah, joy!

Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?





But age we must. In the end, of course, memory is all that remains of smiles and tears alike, and that too must sink into oblivion one day and leave no trace - and who can say what becomes of the soul, once shed of all its precious freight of earthly hope and desire?  Ah, humanity!

Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?

The Academy Awards, 1965

The 37th Academy Awards were emceed by the indefatigable Bob Hope on April 5th, 1965, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium; that year, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, and Zorba the Greek took the lion's share of awards. Here are a few highlights, including some famous faces my truckbuddies will remember fondly:








Curiously, Dick Van Dyke, who gave an unforgettable performance in Mary Poppins, was not nominated for any awards. But just so my truckbuddy Tim from England won't be disappointed, here is Dick singing his smash hit, which I'm sure Tim told me is his all-time favorite too - isn't that right, Tim?




Bonus: Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye present the awards for documentary films, and these two old pros are a hoot:

Haute Cuisine

If you like good food and a glimpse of the high life in Paris, your Head Trucker recommends this charming film that premiered last fall and is now available on Netflix.  A summary from the official trailer:

Hortense Laborie (Catherine Frot), a renowned chef from Perigord, is astonished when the President of the Republic (Jean d'Ormesson) appoints her his personal cook, responsible for creating all his meals at the Elysée Palace. Despite jealous resentment from the other kitchen staff, Hortense quickly establishes herself, thanks to her indomitable spirit. The authenticity of her cooking soon seduces the President, but the corridors of power are littered with traps...

Keep an eye out for the delicious-looking Nicolas (Arthur Dupont), who is Hortense's assistant. The film is in French with English subtitles, but delectable nonetheless.

Brideshead Revisited, Again

Charles and Sebastian nod off in a gondola during a sun-kissed trip to Venice.

This week I was looking around on Netflix for something nice to watch in the evenings while getting ready for bed, and I rediscovered the original 1981 version of Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh's story of love, sex, guilt, religion, and redemption in the golden years of prewar Britain - and like a fine bottle of wine, this portrayal by a superb cast has only improved with age since I last saw it years ago. M.P. and I saw the 2008 film version with Emma Thompson as the iron-lady matriarch when that came out, and it is very good too - but the original TV series is done across eleven episodes, allowing much more time to savor the atmosphere and absorb all the nuances of character development.

Much of the series was filmed at the magnificent Castle Howard in Yorkshire.

Anthony Andrews is charming as the haunted Lord Sebastian, and Jeremy Irons is touchingly naive as his admiring middle-class lover. Nor must I omit to mention the late, great Sir Laurence Olivier as the middle-aged but still quite studly paterfamilias in exile. And many more fine characterizations by a first-rate ensemble. If you've never seen it before, I highly recommend you pour yourself a nice glass of wine, cuddle your teddy bear, and settle in for a delicious treat. If you don't have Netflix, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube - here's a teaser with some skin to entice you, from Episode 2:



PS - I see from googling around that some reviewers are still debating whether these boys had a homosexual relationship, or were just "good friends." OMG. What do you say, fellas?

Aloysius joins the boys in a dapper pose beside the fountain at Brideshead.

"Rahther Keen on Old Dick"

Happened to come across this amazing clip from the 1936 Australian film (they made movies in Australia?  who knew), Rangle River.  And it's w-a-y g-a-y for the thirties, y'all.  Check it out:



Victor Jory (at right), btw, played overseer Jonas Wilkerson in Gone With the Wind - you remember, the guy who after the war came rolling up to the front door of Tara with that white-trash Emmie Slattery, wanting to buy the place. And Scarlett threw a clod of Georgia red clay in his face.

All About the Boys in the Band

Young'uns today have no idea how shocking this poster was in 1970.

The other day I stumbled upon this short feature on the making of The Boys in the Band, the play and the movie, which is a fascinating piece.  I well recall hearing about the movie, somewhere around the summer of 1970, at the time when I had just realized a few months earlier, to my horror, that I was gay.  Lots of sensational movies had come out in the late sixties, but this one seemed like the most shocking of all - though in truth, as one of the participants in this documentary says, there is nothing pornographic to be seen in the film.    It was just the very idea of a whole movie about those - those - ugh, those nasty, ugly, filthy degenerates - those h o m o s e x u a l s ! - that was enough to fill everybody with disgust. 

Including me.  As a young, frightened, totally isolated gay teen living way to hell down in the provinces, I was nowhere near ready to embrace my gayness - or, God forbid, let anyone else think I was gay.  I used to pray every night for years that God would never, ever let me even meet a homosexual, lest I be tempted to, um, do something with that kind of wicked sinner.   It took a long time to get over that brainwashing, and in fact, it was another ten whole years before I came out, my senior year in college.  I don't recall whether the movie actually played at any of the theaters in my small city, but I would have just as soon signed a pact with the Devil as go see it, if it had.

Still, as Leslie Jordan says about some other things in his growing-up-gay autobiography, I was totally repulsed at the thought of this movie . . . but fascinated by it at the same time.   Many years later, somewhere around 1986, I happened to find a paperback edition of the script in a used-book store - and was captivated by it.  Not only is it very funny in places, and a well-crafted story, but I was also struck by its verisimilitude:  the dialogue, the sayings, the bitchy attitudes, the personalities, all are so true to life, and still very much with us.  Which helped me realize that gay people in earlier times probably talked and acted much as we do today - there is a gay personality that runs through us all, though we may emphasize one facet or another of it individually.

One amazing thing I learned from this feature is that four of the actors were straight men - can you believe?  If you haven't seen the film in a while, go watch it on YouTube, or get the disc from Netflix, and see if you can guess which ones aren't really gay.  You may be very surprised with some of them.  Sadly, most of the gay guys died later, in the AIDS epidemic.  But the film lives on, preserving a slice of pre-Stonewall gay life for the ages.  Thank God we now have happier endings to look forward to, especially the younger generation.

Stocking Stuffers

A public service from your Head Trucker:  some gift ideas for those hard-to-buy-for people on your Christmas list.  First, for all ages and sexes:

City Slickers, 1991.  One of my all-time favorites.  Just saw it again last night, and it's still as hilarious as ever, with the wisecracking Billy Crystal at the top of his form.  Jack Palance is a trip as the scary, grizzled trail boss Curly.  And then there's Crystal's sidekick, the late Bruno Kirby, who has a studly stache and a spunky guy-next-door persona that winds my crank.  $13.99 at TLAvideo.com.

TLAvideo review:

An often hilarious and heartwarming farce about three adventure-seeking Manhattanite buddies who sign up for an "authentic" Western cattle drive. Along the way, they confront their fears, unfulfilled childhood fantasies, and their respective mid-life crises. This may sound like a recipe for cheap sentimentality, but thanks to solid performances and razor-sharp, quick-witted dialogue, the film is a fun-filled and poignant examination of the disillusionment of middle age. Palance (who won an Oscar) steals the show as the real-life cowboy who leads the round-up. (Sequel: City Slickers II)

Quote:  Women need a reason to have sex.  Men just need a place.

Or, for that mature gentleman on your list you'd like to, um, get to know a little better:

Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona cigars, medium-full body, 6.75 x 48, pack of 5, $15.75.

JRCigars.com review:

Hoyo de Monterrey is a legendary Cuban marque, however, since the early 1970's, this brand has been crafted in Honduras by Villazon's master maker, Estelo Padrón, and it has become a legend in its own right. Beginning with tobacco seeds smuggled out of Cuba in a diplomatic pouch, this was the first true Habana-style cigar made outside of Cuba. For three plus decades, this full-flavored, earthy smoke has been the cigar of choice for those who crave old-world-style Habanas.

Hoyo de Monterey is a fine brand any cigar man would appreciate.  Add a miniature bottle - or two - of brandy in his stocking, and you'll probably end up at the top of his list to get stuffed in return.

He probably already has these if he's a cigar aficionado, but it wouldn't hurt to add a cigar cutter and a cigar punch, both available for just a penny apiece from JRCigars, one of the country's leading cigar sellers.

If you'd like to get into cigars yourself, but aren't sure how to begin - it's pretty easy to get the hang of, actually, just take it slow and don't inhale - for some great tips, check out howtosmokeacigar.com.  Woof.

I Kissed a Girl

My first movie date . . . a chilly day, a warm theater . . . what could be better than Shakespeare's finest? Which led to going steady . . . giving her my ID bracelet, a big deal at that time . . . first kiss . . . young love . . . and all that goes with that . . . smiles, thrills, tears . . . finally, just a memory. You never forget the first one.

Forty years ago today. How strange to say. My God, where does the time go?

Prayers for Bobby

The Advocate calls this a must-see movie; it airs tonight on the Lifetime channel, with encores on Sunday and Tuesday nights. Sigourney Weaver stars in this film of a true story about a young gay man driven to suicide by his mother's unrelenting religious attitude; but after the shock of her son's death opened her eyes, she became an advocate for acceptance of gay kids.

You Gotta Give 'Em Hope

The movie Milk seems destined to be a classic; I can't wait to see it. An excerpt from Andrew Sullivan's review:

And so this movie was really about two gay men and the journey between them. The two gay men are Harvey Milk and Dan White. The two gay men are Barney Frank and Ted Haggard. The two gay men are Tony Kushner and Larry Craig. The two gay men are Frank Kameny and Roy Cohn. And as the years have passed by and HIV churned the gay world as powerfully as plagues and wars often do, these polarities were complemented by any number of variations in between.

What I've tried to express in my life is that there is a part of both these traditions within me and within most gay people. I can no more stop loving my church than I can stop laughing with drag queens. I can no more abandon my political conservatism than I can my cultural liberalism. I can no more disown my own Catholic family than I can my dead gay friends. And the struggle of these years has been the insistence that all of this is true and none of it should be denied. Because we are human before we are gay; and humans are complicated, fascinating, vulnerable creatures. We are all virtually normal. The goal of the movement Milk helped propel is not to allow everyone the freedom to be gay so much as it is to allow everyone the freedom to be themselves. . . .

The movie's brilliance is not that it begins and ends with his death as a reflection on the first and last things; it is that it begins and ends with Milk's love for another human being as well. This reach for intimacy - always vulnerable, always intimate, never safe - endures past movements and rallies and elections. These manifestations of the political are the means to that merely human end.

Which is why, in so many ways, the gay movement, at its very best, is something holy.

Roger Ebert makes these observations on the soul-warping power of the closet and the ennobling power of individual courage in his review of the film:

[Milk's] most fateful relationship was with Dan White, a seemingly straight member of the Board of Supervisors, a Catholic who said homosexuality was a sin and campaigned with his wife, kids and the American flag. An awkward alliance formed between Milk and White, who was probably gay and used their areas of political agreement as a beard. "I think he's one of us," Milk confided. The only gay supervisor, Milk was the only supervisor invited to the baptism of White's new baby. White was an alcoholic who all but revealed his sexuality to Milk during a drunken tirade, became unbalanced, resigned his position and on Nov. 27, 1978, walked into City Hall and assassinated Milk and Mayor George Moscone. . . .

"Milk" tells Harvey Milk's story as one of a transformed life, a victory for individual freedom over state persecution, and a political and social cause. There is a remarkable shot near the end, showing a candlelight march reaching as far as the eyes can see. This is actual footage. It is emotionally devastating. And it comes as the result of one man's decisions in life.

Sean Penn never tries to show Harvey Milk as a hero, and never needs to. He shows him as an ordinary man, kind, funny, flawed, shrewd, idealistic, yearning for a better world. He shows what such an ordinary man can achieve. Milk was the right person in the right place at the right time, and he rose to the occasion. So was Rosa Parks. Sometimes, at a precise moment in history, all it takes is for one person to stand up. Or sit down.

The real Harvey Milk giving his Hope speech in 1978, from Wikipedia