Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode #313

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Posted on March 2, 2020

Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode #313

Chapter Eighteen

LOOKING DOWN

…Call me Walt, call me Disney, call me Dizzy, and just don’t call me late for breakfast…

“Why thank you for your kind words, Mr. Disney, but I’m just a backward Southern girl.” A pretentiously shy Carolyn Hanes-Ford senses some form of amorous advance by THE Walt Disney. He has been gushing effusively about Lyn’s work on the movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still and further claims to have read nearly everything Lyn has penned. Had he not been able to name titles and themes, this chain smoking Hollywood playboy would be a prime candidate for a casting couch expert; ‘I could send your career through the stratosphere, baby.’ Perhaps she was mistaking schmoozing for seduction.

“Backward? Mrs. Ford… please! My people tell me that you are one of the leading experts on unidentified flying objects. That is why I invited you and… Your friend… where is the dashing Mr. Ford?”

“I believe you could find him at your TWA Rocket to the Moon exhibit in Tomorrowland. Knowing him like I do, he is trying to fly that thing.”

“It is not interactive,” injects the amused animator.

“That makes no difference to him.”

“Well okay,” he concedes. “Disneyland is all his… may I call you Carolyn?”

“Please do, Walt.” Familiarity abounds.

“Call me Walt, call me Disney, call me Dizzy, and just don’t call me late for breakfast.”

Lyn would not be calling him for breakfast anytime soon, but that last long draw on his Pall Mall cigarette had that ‘Thank you for a great night, sweetie’ feel to it.

“Getting back to my original reason for inviting you here… I’m talking about my memoirs and you writing them. You seem to be just the person to tell my story; the perfect combinations of grounded core values and wonderfully open imagination.”

Alpha Omega M.D.

Walt Disney Mickey Mouse Partners by Jennifer Hickey

Episode #313

page 295

Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode #312

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Posted on March 1, 2020

Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode #312

…The glitz and glamour, the long red carpet and the champagne wishes & caviar dreams, are all there for the taking…

Having endured an evening at the Atlanta Civic ballet, at which Sara Fenwick won the “Newcomer of the Year” award, and a stiff headwind at 10,000 feet, Ford finds Hollywood more to his liking. It’s not like he’s not used to the world of celebrity, he and Lyn being quite well known in several circles, but the nickname, “Tinsel Town”, is once again living up to its name, just as it had for Judith Eastman and Mary Pickford 40 years ago. The glitz and glamour, the long red carpet and the champagne wishes & caviar dreams, are all there for the taking.

Gort

As head screenwriter, Carolyn Hanes is involved in all phases of the production. The cameras are rolling on The Day the Earth Stood Still set and she is being treated like the queen of England. The executive producer has visions of his money quadrupling, the producer knows his company has hooked on with a winner, the director takes the script and makes it his own and the actors breathe life into the dialogue. Even the big dumb silver robot that Lyn had created is assembled successfully, almost exactly the way she had envisioned.

“What were your intentions with this line… here?” points the dashing alien from the flying saucer at a line from the script.

“‘You are on the path to self-destruction.’? Well, you have to understand that even though the aliens defend themselves with force, they also are here to warn humans about the danger of nuclear weapons. They will show a scene from the future that will show Earth’s leaders, of an utterly destroyed, smoldering planet. It is what will happen if we do not control who has and who uses the bomb.”

“Yes, I see now. Not so far from the truth, Miss Hanes?” Actor Michael Rennie is old enough to have been affected by WWII and the weapon of mass destruction that ended it.

“No, it isn’t, Michael,” then in the same breath, “and how many army guys did you kill today?”

“None today, the ray gun is in the shop.”

“I love your sense of humor. I think this is going to be fun!”

“Tell me Miss Hanes, you seem to know a lot about flying saucers.”

“Call me, Lyn and it’s actually Mrs. Hanes-Ford.”

“Two last names, how nice.”

“Yes, uses more ink, but I like it.” It does and she does. “Let’s just say that writers often draw from their personal experiences.”

“Indeed, that would be one hell of a personal experience.”

“I have a friend who knows far more than me, but unfortunately, she can’t remember a thing.”

“Can we talk about this later? They’re calling me for a scene, thank you for your insight.”

The Day the Earth Stood Still opened in American theaters late in 1954. It frightens some, dazzles others and entertains all. The flying saucer thing is taking off. People will gaze at the heavens in a different way, wondering, looking up.

Alpha Omega M.D.

hollywood2-001

Episode #312

page 294 (end ch. 17)

Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode #311

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Posted on February 28, 2020

Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode #311

…”I can’t seem to let the flying saucer thing go.” Carolyn Hanes is fascinated with this new medium. “Writing for the movies is so fun. I can make, what I imagine in my head, materialize on the screen.”…

“When did you write this and why didn’t I know about it?” A husband is asking his wife about something she chose not to share with him.

“The Clipper story is in the can and with you out flying, I get bored. With Constance on the shelf, I needed a challenge, something new. So, when Robert Wise approached me, I couldn’t turn him down. I wanted this to be a surprise.” Carolyn Hanes is pleading guilty for the crime of omission.

“Surprise? The Day the Earth Stood Still?” This is really far out.”

“What do you mean? My fiction can hardly keep up with our reality. I can’t seem to let the flying saucer thing go.” She is fascinated with this new medium. “Writing for the movies is so fun. I can make, what I imagine in my head, materialize on the screen.”

“I know our story of the Pacific Clipper wasn’t all that exciting for you, but I have to hand it to you Lyn, you really know how to make up for it. Hollywood? Wow!”

“I was hoping we could visit Sara in Atlanta before going out to the left coast. It’s opening night of the ballet festival and I promised to be in the front row, cheering her on.”

“Geez, Lyn, the ballet? I’d rather be sitting in a dentist chair. Isn’t my tuxedo at the cleaners? I hear my mother calling me. I was going to grease the muffler bearings tonight.”

“Robert Ford!” That works every time.

Alpha Omega M.D.

Episode #311

page 293

Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode #203

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Posted on October 23, 2019

Alpha Omega M.D. – Episode # 203

…Woodrow Wilson does what he had hoped could be permanently avoided. The addition of American forces changes the Great War into the 1st World War…

The United States of America is about to be pushed to the brink. That very January, the crafty British have intercepted what amounts to a German proposed alliance with Mexico; making promises of regained territory and financial aid, in return for Mexican aggression should their neighbors to the north lose neutrality. Unrestricted submarine warfare is added to that brazen new strategy. They will be sinking a few more ships, but they are going to find out that Poncho Villa is no Attila the Hun.

Even a dove has its breaking point; kindly cooing will turn into fearsome protection of its nest. Woodrow Wilson does what he had hoped could be permanently avoided. The addition of American forces changes the Great War into the 1st World War.

Ironically, April 1917 also marks the opening of the Pearson-Eastman Journal’s War Bureau in Paris. The war, whichever tag you place on it, has dominated their pages ever since the untimely demise of John Ferrell. Never mind the fighting, the string of human interest stories is unending and Harv Pearson has inserted personality into an otherwise faceless and grossly inhuman exercise.

And for the first time since their meeting, back in ‘01, they are working independent of the other. It is not a palatable arrangement, each month of life apart is subtracted from their total, but they will find that spreading out their unique talents is expeditious.

Judith is handling the domestic front, watching the nation pull together for a patriotic cause. With most of the healthy men rushing to save Europe from advancing German forces, women take up the slack, working in the factories and shipyards, tilling the land, caring for the sick. Some of the pictures she takes are strangely surreal, the face of America changing in unrecognizable proportions.

Other of her photojournalistic endeavors take on a familiar pretense, as she rubs elbows with stars of silent motion pictures; some rocketing to larger than life status. Movies have captured the imagination of America and indeed the world, giving millions of people shared experiences. Theaters may be hundreds of miles apart, but the magical motion sequences are the same.

One easy way to support the boys “over there”, is to buy Liberty Bonds, even though investors would get a higher rate of return from railroad issued paper. To further entice greenbacks from prosperous pockets, movie stars are asked to be headliners at bond rallies. The biggest names in silent films answer the call, taking time out of their busy schedules to contribute to bolster moral: Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Buster Keaton, and Rudolph Valentino.

Alpha Omega M.D.

Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Charlie Chaplin selling Liberty Bonds

Episode # 203

page 190

Constance Caraway P.I. ~ Episode 229

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Posted on February 10, 2019

Constance Caraway P.I. ~ Episode 229

…It may have been fun to witness from the ground, but there is no way I am going to crash a perfectly good airplane…

Photo by Richard Lund

Samuel Goldwyn Jr. swoops in to provide an up-to-the-minute update on what it’s like out in the stadium proper, “The place is packed Connie girl. Billy has just knocked their socks off with his sermon set-up. Man, can that man get a crowd riled up!”

He loves the good theater, provided by a good man, right out the pages of the Good Book.

“It’s time to saddle up. The filmed interviews are rolling as I speak… and I might add Ace old boy, that plane crash of yours? Worth the price of admission!! Any time you want to do that again, for more movie footage, me or my dad would love to film it.”

“I just got the Angel back in the air and Billy is getting tired of bus rides, so I will take a pass.”

“How about our plane and no passengers…?”

“No, no and did I mention absolutely not!? It may have been fun to witness from the ground, but there is no way I am going to crash a perfectly good airplane.”

“I was just saying,” you can’t blame a guy for trying. “But seriously, we need to get those carriages out into the good-light, which is perfect this time of the day!”

The time has come to enter the coliseum, an arena of battle where good and evil are on a collision course. It isn’t often that neither side in a conflict knows exactly what the other is planning. Like enemy submarines patrol the same water, trying to be as quiet as possible, even in normal conversation, lest they give away their position or tip off what they have planned.

The only being who knows what is going on is God Himself, and maybe a couple angels. Everybody else is just ???guessing???

Constance Caraway P.I.

Forever Mastadon

page 193 (end Ch. 19)

Constance Caraway P.I. ~ Episode 178

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Posted on December 11, 2018

Constance Caraway P.I. ~ Episode 178

…Seated a few seats down from Constance is a man with a bulky motion picture camera next to him…

Photo by Richard Lund

From her vantage point in the main terminal, Constance is not the only one wondering what is going on; there is an army of flashing red lights on an otherwise ordinary weekday evening. The public address announcements will tell you where to pick up your baggage or that meatloaf is the special in the cafeteria, but mum is the word on what the fuss is about.

The taxiways are empty and there hasn’t been a takeoff or landing for 15 minutes and as 7:30 has come and gone, Constance is getting that sinking feeling. She begins to pray, unwittingly joining in the rising chorus of believers, here on the ground and especially in the air.

Seated a few seats down from her is a man with a bulky motion picture camera next to him, but very much asleep. She is compelled to roust him to ask the obvious, “Is this entire hullabaloo for a movie? You’d think they’d tell someone.”

“Oh, my no! I am shooting footage for a documentary on the air travel boom, now that ordinary people can afford to fly,” he appears seriously tired, perhaps why he was nodding off earlier, after a long day of filming at Midway.

“I don’t mean to be forward,” yeah right, “but I believe there is something very serious about to happen. Maybe you should load some fresh tape into that thing and get ready.”

“This is 35mm nitrocellulose film, not tape and I’m on my last reel Ma’am.”

“My name is Caraway, Constance … and yours?” she extends her hand.

“Goldwyn, Samuel Jr.,” he returns the inside-out salutation.

Constance isn’t an expert on Hollywood, but she does keep track of things out of Tallahassee, “Is your father _____?”

“Yes, the bigtime filmmaker, but he’s in Europe, doing his movie star thing. I am my own man, thank you… and a newlywed. My wife is back home in L.A.”

“It is nice to meet you, but while you were napping, I think something big is going to happen.”

Constance Caraway P.I.

Forever Mastadon

page 151

WABAC to Love – Monroe and Dimaggio

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Posted on August 7, 2014

“Where is the WABAC Machine going to take us this time, Mr. Peabody?

“Let’s go to 1954 and witness a love story between a baseball hero and a Hollywood Starlet.”

1954 to 1962: Marilyn and Joe – A Love Story

Unfortunate History

On August 5^th, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her home of an apparent drug overdose. No definitive cause of death has ever been determined. Suicide could not be conclusively proven, and there were some indications of foul play, murder, or perhaps even a cover-up.

Behind the scenes…

Much has been written about her final days. Although neither the coroner nor the investigators could with certainty say what happened, what is certain is that her death allowed Joe DiMaggio to show to the world his undying devotion and loyalty to her.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio married in January of 1954.

Their timing was less than perfect; Joe had recently retired from the New York Yankees as one of the greatest ballplayers of all time, and Marilyn was an up-and-coming studio starlet. Whereas Joe wanted to finally settle down, Marilyn wanted to become a full-fledged Hollywood star.

Joe was an intensely private man, and felt uncomfortable in the Hollywood scene. He wanted Marilyn to leave Hollywood and become a homemaker. He felt the studio heads exploited her and once said, “Can’t you see that those Hollywood swine are using you? You’re nothing to them but a piece of meat.”

Although Marilyn’s Playboy pictorial which had been published a month before their marriage should have been a sign of things to come, Joe could not stand the thought of other men ogling his wife and felt that the revealing outfits she wore in public made her look like a whore. He nearly lost it when she filmed the iconic skirt scene in The Seven Year Itch. The marriage became increasingly volatile as a result of Joe’s jealousy and unhappiness with Marilyn’s decisions, such as interrupting their honeymoon to entertain the troops in Korea, and Marilyn began to feel increasingly controlled and sought comfort in other men’s arms. Joe obsessively followed her around and spied on her. Marilyn could not take it anymore, and they divorced after less than a year of marriage.

Over the next few years, despite Marilyn’s marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, Joe tried to win her back, loaned her money when she needed it and even attended anger management. He did everything to prove his commitment to her. When Marilyn was forcibly institutionalized in 1961 because of her fragile emotional state and drug and alcohol use, he was the only one to come to her aid and rescue her from the clinic after he threatened to tear it down if they did not release her. To help her recover, he then took her on a vacation to Florida. His dedication to her and the stability he provided her did her good. She appreciated his efforts and said, “If it weren’t for Joe, I’d probably have killed myself years ago.” She was not ready to return to him though.

Joe continued to fear for her mental state and well being, and became especially worried when she began hanging with the wrong crowd; Marilyn was socializing with the infamous Rat Pack and had begun affairs with both President Kennedy and his brother, Robert Kennedy. Her phone was even tapped. To get her out of this mess, he asked her to marry him again; Worn out by Hollywood and scandal, she agreed. On the 2^nd of August, he left his job to begin the preparations. The wedding was set for the 8^th. Marilyn was found dead on the 5^th. Since Marilyn did not have any other family, it was Joe who claimed her body and took over the funeral arrangements. He held the Kennedys responsible for her death and ensured that neither they nor any of Hollywood’s elite attended. At the funeral service, which took place on the day they were supposed to marry, he broke down crying. He then arranged for a bench to be placed in front of her grave for visitors to sit, and, in accordance with her wishes, made arrangements that flowers be regularly delivered to her grave. He kept this up three times a week for the next 20 years. Joe believed that no one could love her as much as he did. She was the one woman he truly loved, and he never got over her death. He grieved her until the day he died and never remarried. He also never spoke publicly or negatively of her, and his final words were, “I’ll finally get to see Marilyn again.”

If a second marriage between the two would have worked out is uncertain. Marilyn obviously had insecurity issues that made her drink, take drugs and look for love with the wrong men. It is a shame, especially since Joe offered her stability. At the beginning of her career she was not ready, and then when she was, she died. This fact makes it all the more tragic.

WABAC to Love – Monroe and Dimaggio

WABAC to Technicolor – Pre-HD

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Posted on June 17, 2014

WABAC to Technicolor – Pre-HD

“Where is the WABAC Machine going to take us this time, Mr. Peabody?

“Our friends Rocky & Bullwinkle want us to visit the movie set of the first Technicolor film. So set the WABAC to 1939 Hollywood California.”

June 12, 1939: Dr. Cyclops, The First Technicolor Horror Film Begins Production

Cut & print that….

On June 12, 1939, for the first time production began an a horror film filmed in “three strip” Technicolor. At this time, color movies were just beginning to reach the masses and were still quite a novelty, so Dr. Cyclops was expected to make quite a stir.

On the Cutting Room floor……

The plot centers around a mad scientist (Dr. Thorkel) deep in the South American jungle that sends for several other scientists. When they arrive, he has them look at samples under a microscope, is delighted by what they see, and then asks them to leave.

Irritated that they traveled so far just to be dismissed, the scientists snoop around and find the Dr. Thorkel has apparently discovered rich deposits of radioactive material. To their shock, they also find that he has discovered a way to shrink living things, a fact revealed by Dr. Thorkel under pressure from the others. Thorkel then tricks the other scientists into his radiation chamber and shrinks them down to about a foot tall. When they attempt to flee, Thorkel’s cat menaces them and they are saved by a dog. (Which is why dogs are man’s best friend, not cats.) When one of the scientists attempts to reason with Thorkel, Thorkel discovers the scientist is growing, meaning the shrinking effect is temporary. Thorkel then kills the little man, while the others attempt to escape through the jungle, having little people adventures along the way. The fugitive scientists sneak their way back to Thorkel’s lab and manage to smash a lens of his eyeglasses, hence the moniker,

Dr. Cyclops. As Thorkel/Cyclops chases the 3 remaining scientist into a mine, he breaks through a board and dangles by a rope. The relieved scientists cut the rope, causing the evil Dr. Thorkel to fall to his death. In true Hollywood fashion, 2 of the surviving American scientists grow back to regular size and fall in love. The film was directed by Ernest Schoedsack, the man that directed King Kong. It was nominated for an Academy Award for special effects. Not the blockbuster that King Kong was, at least the film maintains a somewhat positive rating by Rotten Tomatoes and the IMDb. If you are a horror movie fan, or if you are in the mood for a few good laughs at the expense of pre-World War II Hollywood, watch this film. Without all of today’s graphic gore it is hard to believe this movie terrified audiences back then, but of course times were different.

WABAC to Technicolor – Pre-HD

Top Ten Movie Musical Montages

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Posted on August 6, 2013

Top 10 ’80s Musical Movie Montages

All hail the glorious ’80s musical montage! Perfect for depicting long passages of time in a matter of minutes, the montage has come to be one of the defining characteristics of popular ’80s cinema. Many of the most beloved movies from the decade have them. So which are the best? Luckily, questions like that are what we’re here for. So, in chronological order, here are our favorite ’80s musical montages.

10. Chariots of Fire (March 30, 1981)

chariots-of-fire-olympics

Since we’re going in chronological order, let’s begin with one of the first great ’80s montages, the “Run In God’s Name” scene from Chariots Of Fire. With the sound of Vangelis’ Academy Award-winning soundtrack blazing in the background, this scene depicts the training of Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, two athletes bound for the 1924 Olympics. This is one of the first great training montages of the decade, depicting an athlete’s rise from mediocrity to greatness. Many of the entries on this list are training montages, so clearly, the first would have to among the most important.

9. Scarface (December 9, 1983)

scarface

“First you get the money. Then you get the power. Then you get the women.” This immortal line from Tony Montana, the antihero of Scarface, summarizes the business ethics of both ’80s America and the cut-throat Miami drug trade. Set to the pumping synths of Paul Engemann’s “Push it to the Limit,” this montage shows Tony’s rise to power and glory. Who knew that high crime could look and sound so cool?

8. Ghostbusters (June 7, 1984)

ghostbusters-music-video

If you were alive during the ’80s, then you knew Ray Parker Jr.’s theme from Ghostbusters better than the National Anthem. And who can blame you? It’s one of the catchiest songs of the decade! And it was given a killer montage in the film, too. During the film, the song plays while we watch the eponymous group of paranormal crusaders rise to fame and riches. Well, maybe not riches, but definitely fame!

7. The Karate Kid (June 22, 1984)

karate-kid

If this list wasn’t in chronological order, then there’s a good chance that this would be much, much higher. The tournament montage featuring Joe Esposito’s “You’re The Best Around” is one of the most famous and beloved of the decade. Who didn’t want to see Daniel-san wipe the floor with those Cobra Kai bullies? This montage depicts part of the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament, where we see the two months of training with Mr. Miyagi pay off. It only stands to reason that one of the best underdog sports movies of the ’80s would have one of the best montages, too.

6. The Breakfast Club (February 15, 1985)

the-breakfast-club

One of the defining teen movies of the ’80s, The Breakfast Club is one of director John Hughes’ true masterpieces. For a film that is so dialogue-heavy, one would think that there wouldn’t be cause for an awesome musical montage. But Hughes proved the world wrong with a scene where the five students dance to Karla DeVito’s “We Are Not Alone.” The shots of the teens dancing together ranks not only as some of the most iconic images of the film, but of the decade in general.

5. Teen Wolf (August 23, 1985)

teen-wolf

1985 was a huge year for Michael J. Fox. Not only did he star in Back To The Future, he also appeared in the incredible Teen Wolf. While the former wasn’t short on music, the latter would be the film to deliver a kickin’ musical montage. With Mark Vieha’s “Way To Go” blaring, this montage combines two things that ’80s movies loved: sport competitions and becoming popular. It’s pure ’80s goodness!

4. Rocky IV (November 27, 1985)

rocky-4

You knew that the Italian Stallion would show up eventually on this list. Of all of his movies (and montages), Rocky IV might well have been the best. Why? Because it perfectly captures the spirit and over-the-top glory of the ’80s. Who didn’t love watching Rocky beat the tar out of Drago and, simultaneously, Communism?

3. Dirty Dancing (August 21, 1987)

Dirty-Dancing

Another great training montage, the scene in Dirty Dancing where Patrick Swayze teaches Jennifer Grey how to dance, is a classic teen romance moment. The song that plays, Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes,” is unfortunately usually overshadowed by the award-winning smash hit “The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. But it is still a great song from a great movie with, of course, a great musical montage!

2. Bloodsport (February 26, 1988)

bloodsport

Sylvester Stallone isn’t the only ’80s action god with an entry on this list. Enter Jean-Claude Van Damme, the Belgian martial arts expert that rose to fame in Newt Arnold’s Bloodsport. Stan Bush performs “Fight To Survive” during a montage depicting several fights from the film’s central tournament. This is one scene that is sure to get the blood pumping and the masses chanting “KUMITE! KUMITE!”

1. The Naked Gun (December 2, 1988)

the-naked-gun

Let’s end this list with a montage from the delightfully hilarious Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad. A magnificent spoof (before “spoof” was a dirty word that became shorthand for “add farts to everything”) of police dramas, the film features a montage where Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley fall in love and cavort throughout town to the sound of Herman Hermit’s “I’m Into Something Good.” This scene is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, and a catchy tune in your head.