Photo Friday - Bells Part 27

Welcome back to Photo Friday. Here, I one or more photos each Friday. I will do my best to relate it to It's a Wonderful Life.

This week’s entry is a bell outside of the St. James Lutheran Church in Bradner, Ohio. These photos were taken March 29, 2015.

Book Review - Jimmy Stewart: A Wonderful Life

In my book reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I read. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. I could go into detail about what the book is about, but a lot of people have already done that. You can read their descriptions of the book, plus the official description on Amazon.

Jimmy Stewart: A Wonderful Life, by Frank Sanello. 1997.

This book seems to have been finished in a rush following Stewart's death in July, 1997. 

Stewart's life from 1908-1969 spans 271 pages. The years 1970 to his death are covered in just 9 pages, including his own death and that of his wife. Those last nine pages also quote heavily from the barely more than one-page afterword by Stewart's daughter. 

I found at least three errors in this book, including a misspelled word, a repeated word. Sanello also is very repetitious, constantly repeating the same old stories, such as when Stewart was awarded for failing during a WWII bombing mission, which saved some historically significant items. 

The book also touches only briefly on the friendship between Stewart and Ronald Reagan. Save your money and your time. Invest them instead on another Stewart biography...ANY OTHER Stewart biography.

Book Review - Jimmy Stewart: A Wonderful Life

In my book reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I read. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. I could go into detail about what the book is about, but a lot of people have already done that. You can read their descriptions of the book, plus the official description on Amazon.

Jimmy Stewart: A Wonderful Life, by Jonathan Coe, 1994.

I am not a happy man. I had used this book for research when I wrote a lengthy college paper about the portrayal of capitalism in the film It’s a Wonderful Life. I did not read it all at that time, and upon reading it now, I am very angry with Coe.

It's a Wonderful Life, along with several other Stewart films, such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and You Can’t Take it With You, are distinctly American films portraying distinctly American ideals, so it is preposterous (yet intriguing and enlightening) to see Coe, who lives in England, review Stewart and his films. 

This book is a quick run-through of Stewart's films, telling few anecdotes about the films, and ignoring most of the rest of his life. The birth of his twin daughters received only a sentence or two. Coe brings up a few good points arguing that the main argument of It's a Wonderful Life and other Stewart-Capra films are flawed. However, I can refute these claims and show how these films DO work under an American ideology. 

Coe pans most of Stewart’s films and tosses them off generally as just more half-hearted films that fail in their sentimentality and half-baked scripts. Coe apparently only liked a handful of Stewart’s films, according to what he wrote in his book. A sample sentence on page 188, offering a summary of Stewart’s film career, states “It’s a long time now since he (Stewart) made a film, and an even longer time since he made a really good one.” 

My question to Coe is: Wouldn’t it have been more fun for you to write a book about someone who’s work you overall enjoyed, as opposed to someone who’s work you have a hard time finding much good to talk about? This book is worth reading for die-hard Stewart fans, only to get a non-American perspective of Stewart and his films. 

Fair warning: Prepare to be angry.

Photo Friday - Bells Part 26

Welcome back to Photo Friday. Here, I one or more photos each Friday. I will do my best to relate it to It's a Wonderful Life.

This week’s entry is a bell outside of the St. Louis Catholic Church in Custar, Ohio. These photos were taken March 29, 2015.

This church is special to me because my grandparents attended here and may have been married here.

My parents and my aunts, and one of my cousins were married here. My aunts went to school here. My grandfather's funeral was held here, and he is buried in the cemetery right down the road from the church.

Movie Review - Lost Horizon

In my movie reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I watched. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. You can read plot descriptions on Internet Movie Database or on Amazon.

Lost Horizon. Starring Ronald Coleman, Jane Wyatt, Thomas Mitchell and H.B. Warner. Directed by Frank Capra. (1937).

An airplane full of escaping Americans crash-land and are saved by people who live in what seems like a utopia. However, things are not as they appear.

It is supposed to be a very good movie, but I found it confusing. However, I admit I was distracted.

There are several comparisons to It's a Wonderful Life, including the following:

• It's a Wonderful Life begins with pages showing film credits being turned. Lost Horizon starts with opening credits, followed by turning pages.
• Both films star Thomas Mitchell and H.B. Warner.
• Mitchell's character in Lost Horizon tells another "don't take any wooden nickels." In It's a Wonderful Life, his character tells another "don't take any punk nickels."
• Both films have bells ringing in them.

I watched a restored version of the film. At the beginning, they explained that over the years, the film has been shortened and many parts have gone missing or have deteriorated. During the restoration process, the entire soundtrack was located, along with some of the lost footage. That footage was re-inserted into the restored film in order to make it as complete as possible. In order to fill the blank areas where there was no film to match the soundtrack, still photos were used to fill the gaps. The method was distracting but understandable and appreciated. It was done in an effort to restore the film to as close to Capra's original vision as possible.

3 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review - An American Tail: Feivel Goes West

In my movie reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I watched. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. You can read plot descriptions on Internet Movie Database or on Amazon.

An Ameican Tail: Feivel Goes West. 1991. Starring Phillip Glasser and Jimmy Stewart.

Ehh...it's okay, but...ehh. It starred Jimmy Stewart as Wylie Burp, so that's a good thing!!!

I give it 2 stars out of 5. The kids might fight me for more.

 

Photo Friday - Bells Part 25

Welcome back to Photo Friday. Here, I one or more photos each Friday. I will do my best to relate it to It's a Wonderful Life.

This week’s entry is a hand bell former located at the Bruns family home in Pemberville, Ohio. It was sold at auction on May 9, 2015. This photo was taken May 8, 2015.

Movie Review - Click

In my movie reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I watched. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. You can read plot descriptions on Internet Movie Database or on Amazon.

Source: http://goo.gl/u1GLTW

Click. 2006. Starring Adam Sandler and Christopher Walken.

This is a movie about not missing out on life by being so busy and trying to speed through it. Unfortunately, you get smacked with the message within the first five minutes and it just keeps smacking you over and over again. The cool thing about this movie is that it's a lot like It's a Wonderful Life, especially toward the end.

I give this movie 3.75 stars out of 5.

My Collection Part 1 - Harvey

Last week, I posted three different blog entries about Harvey. I continue that posting today.

One of the best parts of living in Bowling Green Ohio is the fact that we have Bowling Green State University nearby. While the college kids can be reasonably obnoxious on move-in-day, graduation day, and just about every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, they have also helped to foster a home-grown, local coffee shop and used book store called Grounds for Thought.

My copy of Harvey: Acting Edition

It's such a great place that I have picked up a lot of stuff there over the years, including more books than I can count, more coffee than I dare to measure, some shirts, coffee beans, and a wife. Yes, I met my wife there in 2006.

Part of their used book section includes a section for stage plays. And it was there that I found my copy of Harvey, the Acting Edition script by Mary Chase. It's a very cool find and a rarity in Bowling Green.

So now that I've shared another part of my collection, please allow me to gush just a little bit longer about Grounds for Thought.

There is a reason that the store was recently named the Best Coffee Shop in Ohio.

Check out the awesome feature the local PBS station put together about Grounds for Thought by clicking here.

Photo Friday - Harvey House

In Bowling Green, Ohio, across from the Wood County Court House, is a home in which resides Harvey. Really.

As you drive past, you can see him looking out upon the courthouse from an upper-story room of the home. Sometimes he moves to a different window.

In the early 2000s....maybe even in the late 1990s, I interviewed the woman who lived there. I think I was writing a story about a dog issue in the neighborhood. Harvey in the window is only a portion of what makes the charm of this home.

There also is a Civil War cannon on the front porch. Additionally, if you have seen the film Harvey, you are familiar with "the painting." Well, the woman who lives here also has a painting of herself and Harvey hanging over the fireplace. It is surreal.

Harvey, the pukka in the upstairs window, was loaned to the local acting troupe, the Black Swamp Players, one year for their production of Harvey. I attended one of their performances of Harvey, as well.

I'm not sure if I ever wrote a story about this woman's fascination with Harvey, but if I ever did....and if I can find it....I'll post it here.

In the meantime, here are the photos I took on April 1, 2015:

"The Harvey House" in Bowling Green.

How much is that Harvey in the window?
How many accidents has he caused?

The Civil War cannon on the porch.

Movie Review - Harvey (1996)

In my movie reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I watched. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. You can read plot descriptions on Internet Movie Database or on Amazon.

This is part two of a three-part Harvey-themed week. Check out my post from Monday about the 1950 version of the film, and check out Friday's entry for Photo Friday. It's a real treat.

Harvey, Starring Harry Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, and Swoozie Kurtz (1996).

"My mother used to say to me...in this world, Elwood, you must be either oh so smart or oh so pleasant. For years I was smart. I recommend pleasant."
-Elwood P. Dowd

Source: http://goo.gl/5uByRu

A painting by any other name is still Dowd...Elwood P. Let me give you my card.

And yet this 1996 version is 15 minutes longer than the original starring Jimmy Stewart.

It's not fair to compare the Stewart version to the 1996 version. One isn't a remake of the other. Instead, both of them are simply interpretations of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play written by Mary Chase.

This one is equally good. However Stewart and Anderson bring different aspects to the character of Elwood P. Dowd. Stewart is more innocent, if not naive. Anderson is more playful.

Check it out and decide for yourself which one is your favorite.

I give this version 4 out of 5 stars.

Movie review - Harvey (1950)

This is a special week for this blog. This week, is completely dedicated to the film Harvey. Be sure to check it out on Wednesday and Friday. I will even take a break from my pictures of bells in order to post a Harvey-related photo. I hope you enjoy.

Source: http://goo.gl/PHpcU

In my movie reviews, I give my brief thoughts on what I watched. Sometimes I will expound on those thoughts, but more often than not, I will just give a brief opinion. You can read plot descriptions on Internet Movie Database or on Amazon.

Harvey. Starring Jimmy Stewart and Josephine Hull. 1950.

This is a great film, though a bit mysterious.

Based on a play written by Mary Chase, there is absolutely no doubt that Stewart's character, Elwood P. Dowd, an easy-going drinker, is absolutely nuts.

And then you get to the end of the film and question everything you have seen.

Who is crazy? Who is sane? How are those terms defined? Who defines them? What makes them so qualified? What quality of life do you want; that of the "sane" or that of the "insane"?

They are amazing questions to ponder.

This is a must-see for fans of Stewart and for fans of Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway plays.

4.5 out of 5 stars

This Harvey poster used to hang in my IAWL/Stewart Tribute hallway,
and is part of my personal collection.

Here is the trailer:

Stewart reprised his role in the made-for-TV version of Harvey in 1972 for the 

Hallmark Hall of Fame. I have never seen this version all of the way through .... nor can I find it anywhere to buy or rent .... but I post links to it here for you:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Photo Friday - Bells Part 24

Welcome back to Photo Friday. Here, I one or more photos each Friday. I will do my best to relate it to It's a Wonderful Life.

This week’s entry is a bell outside of the St. Paul's Lutheran Church in New Rochester, Ohio. These photos were taken March 29, 2015.