Sunday Salon: Favorite Fiction Heart-Yankers

...Sigh! Okay, how can a book that makes you cry be a favorite? Oh, easy. And I must say that usually, a favorite crybaby read has something or other to do with Romance - though not always. I listed some of my fictional happy ending favorites a couple of days ago. So how about those other books you love EVEN IF THEY MAKE YOU CRY, yank your heart out and throw it in the garbage. Know what I mean? Heart-Yankers. (Even if some of them do manage, somehow, to have 'happy' endings anyway.) Theoretic SPOILERS lie below.

Some of my favorite Heart-Yankers:

BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY by Robert James Waller.

The truth can now be revealed: I cried for an hour after finishing this book, AFTER I'd slammed it against the wall in fury. (A friend had lied to me and told me it had a happy ending although I should have read the writing on the wall early on. Maybe I did. But I so hoped against hope!)

ETHAN FROME by Edith Wharton

Yegads, who could fail to be moved by this disaster of an ending? I read this book in high school thanks to an exemplary English teacher named Miss Eisenberg. Loved it then and the great classroom discussion we had. (According to Miss E, the book fairly quivers with all sorts of dire symbolism and if we didn't find it, we invented it.) I re-read ETHAN FROME every few years and every damn time I get teary-eyed.

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This book doesn't make me cry so much as make me shake with outrage. The carelessness of Daisy Buchanan and her husband never fails to repulse me. Poor Gatsby never does realize that he is too good for Daisy - he never stood a chance.

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh

I was so influenced by the 1980's PBS series that when I read the book afterwards, I could hear the music and imagine Anthony Andrews as Sebastian. I wept for dear, disillusioned, self-indulgent and not very bright, Sebastian. To me, once he leaves the scene, the story becomes more about Charles who is, in my view, much less interesting than Waugh probably would have liked. (I think the character is a bit autobiographical?) The churchy aspects of the novel and film often get in the way of the human aspects but I assume that is what Waugh intended.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN by Annie Proulx

Though this is, technically, a short-story, it was published separately in book form after the hit film, so I include it. I cry even now when I read about Jack and Ennis - one reason why I can rarely bring myself to read it anymore. The film and story left me spent with sadness. Another reason why, though it is my favorite film of all time, I don't watch it as often as I might. The word 'brilliant' doesn't begin to cover this sad little tale of thwarted love.

Some other Heart-Yankers of a less 'literary' bent, though why I'm qualifying them I don't really know. Force of habit, I suppose. Didn't want Waugh and Wharton and Fitzgerald turning over in their graves. Yes, yes, I know: BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY is not a literary classic by any stretch of the imagination, but it's the first full-length book I think of when I think of books that made me weep.

ODD THOMAS by Dean Koontz

Again I should have read the writing on the wall. My heart ached for Odd and his lonely though sensible, self-imposed exile. Jeez, what a fabulous book by Mr. Koontz.

L.A. REQUIEM by Robert Crais

Yes, a thriller can be a heart-yanker, especially a brilliantly written one by a guy who understands that yes, men are capable of real emotion. Joe Pike, enigmatic and righteous soldier of fortune - another self-imposed exile of the heart, but in a different way from Odd Thomas. This book is best read after reading at least two of the previous Elvis Cole and Joe Pike books. THEN Joe (and the story) will really grab your heart and stomp it to bits. (If you're so inclined.)

BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON by Nelson DeMille.

Another 'thriller' writer who defies expectations. This was his debut book and boy does the ending make you crazy. I cried and cried imagining the whole heroic futility of it. This is a book full of violent upheaval, terrorism, high-jackings, plane crashes, hostages, bleak survival in the hills surrounded by enemies and in the middle of it all, a most improbable (or maybe not so) love story. You will never, EVER forget the ending. I love this book.

Three from Signet's Regency romance line and never mind the hideous covers:

LORD CAREW'S BRIDE by Mary Balogh

Yes, this has a well-deserved happy ending. But it's the getting to that ending that drags you through the wretched mire of heartbreak. (Wretched mire of heartbreak? I like it.) The Marquess of Carew is one of prolific romance author Mary Balogh's most memorable and in certain ways, most heartbreaking characters. Oh how I love that he FINALLY finds happiness. ....sigh!

DANCING WITH CLARA by Mary Balogh

I love this book. Though I don't read it often because, I mean, how many times can you stand having your heart broken? And yes, another one with a happy ending, but it's the getting to it that drags you through the...well, you know. Mary Balogh is such a wonderful writer of romances. She never passes up the opportunity to give each of her stories an unusual twist. And I believe she's one of the few of these type writers to take on forbidden subjects when the need arises. Probably because she does it so well.

THE DUKE'S WAGER by Edith Layton

Layton passed away a couple of years ago so there will be no more stories from this mastermind of the cunning plot and heartfelt characters. The thing that distinguished Layton from all the others is the soupcon of cynicism and social commentary she wove throughout her plots, yet she still managed to come up with the 'happily - more or less - ever after' ending. The male characters in this particular book are such real cads (all three of them) so infuriatingly men of their tired times, so filled with ennui and right of entitlement, so pleased with themselves that finally, when one of them gets his comeuppance, you cheer. After you wipe away a tear or two. And may I say that in this particular book the 'happily ever after' is always in doubt - hard to do when you're supposedly writing 'formula' romance. That was Layton's gift.

Obviously, I'm not embarrassed to admit before the whole wide world that I occasionally read Harlequins and Signets and make something of it if you will. Years ago I would have been embarrassed for sure, but not anymore. Now I don't care if you snicker - one of the few benefits, by the way, of reaching an advanced age and thinking of yourself as a 'righteous old broad.' Ha! Love that line from GUYS AND DOLLS: "...a righteous old broad." (Spoken in the film, by frog voiced B.S. Pully as gambling mob boss Big Jule from Detroit.)

These titles are subject to rearranging at any given moment on any given day. No list you will ever read on my blog is cast in cement. Maybe confounding to some of you, but there it is. I am fickle.

Note: Painting by Pietro Antonio Rotari

(I am never fickle in my love and admiration for Rotari's work.)

15 Films - 15 Minutes! Got this idea from a friend on Facebook, thought I'd post it.

Okay, same as we did with 15 Authors a while back: Right off the top of your head, think of 15 films that affected you specifically (for whatever reason) over the years, films that stay with you, films that, if you stop to think for a moment, always make you feel something, maybe undefined, but definitely worth remembering. Films in which you can still see certain scenes play in your head if you focus. Films that just plain live on in your memory, no matter what. (Even if all the memory you have is 'old-lady memory' just like moi.)

Here's the trick: You only have 15 minutes to do this, so the films must, obviously be ones that are sitting there just below the surface, waiting for you. (Not even the best films you ever saw, but films that are just there, hanging around and always ready to be talked about.)

Today's fifteen: (Subject to change at any moment.)

• BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal
• THE BLACK STALLION starring Kelly Reno and the most gorgeous animal God ever put on this earth.
• LAWRENCE OF ARABIA starring Peter O'Toole
• TOP HAT starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
• A NEW LEAF starring Walter Matthau and Elaine May
• STAR WARS starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Alec Guinness (The first film in the series, no matter what he hell they're calling it now.)
• THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and James Coburn
• TARZAN AND HIS MATE starring Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan
• GIGI starring Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier
• THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE starring Lawrence Harvey and Frank Sinatra
• Jean Cocteau's LA BELLE ET LA BETE (Beauty and the Beast) starring Jean Marais and Josette Day
• DIVA starring Frederic Andrei and Wilhelminia Wiggins Fernandez
• THE THIRTY NINE STEPS starring Robert Donat
• BLACK NARCISSUS starring Deborah Kerr, Sabu, Jean Simmons
• THE WIND AND THE LION starring Sean Connery and Candice Bergen

What are your 15?? Quick, quick, off the top of your head!

Speaking of Lips: 10 Romance Novels I Love

Okay, it's that month again. Valentine's Day approaches and for those of you with happy entanglements, have a good one. For the rest of us: let's watch a movie or read a book or, for that matter, eat a whole box of chocolates or a carton of Friendly's Caramelot Ice Cream. It's almost the same thing. (You could also work on a short story for my Short Story Challenge.

Just sayin'...

10 ROMANCE BOOKS I LOVE:

1) PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen. Yeah, I know, how dare I call this a romance novel, but - well, you know, it is. The fact that it's a brilliantly written book by a 19th century woman with an exceptional brain and that the book is really about human nature, doesn't mean it isn't a romance of the first water. The two can co-exist. Don't see why not.

2) JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte. Same reasoning as above though this time add the sweeping dramatic romance of the moors and the darkly brooding inclination of the mid 19th century hero. I could never imagine Mr. Darcy behaving quite like Mr. Rochester - can you?

The rest of the books on my list are less well known, less celebrated and certainly not literary classics. But that doesn't make them less worthwhile, at least in my view. A good romance = a good romance, if well written. Pure and simple.

3.) SCANDAL by Amanda Quick. This is one of the early Amanda Quick aka Jayne Ann Krentz books that I absolutely adore. I've read it countless times. My enthusiasm for it's wittiness, it's wry romance, it's delightful take on Regency romantic mores knows no bounds. Especially in view of the fact that, very regretfully, I stopped reading Krentz/Quick a few years ago. (Won't go into the reasons why. I don't like to deal in negativity. Let's just say, when her writing style and outlook changed, so did my interest.)

This book is so well constructed and so delightfully intriguing given that the couple in question, Simon Traherne, Earl of Blade and Miss Emily Faringdon, are married from the second or third chapter on. Usually an early marriage, unless the writer is very skilled, is the portent of doom for a romance. Yet, in this instance, the author keeps my interest and my need to know 'what happens next.' Not an easy feat let me tell you, especially in a romance novel where most of the tension is supposed to be of the 'will they/won't they' variety. I think, possibly, this is the author's best Regency novel, if you're going by sheer 'delight' quotient. Though she's written several other romances that I've loved almost as well.

4) THE NIGHTINGALE LEGACY by Catherine Coulter. I wrote briefly, about this book in my Fairy Tale Mysteries post a while back, but it's worth posting about again and again and again. And again, I use the word: delightful. I'm big on being delighted, especially if the storyline is preposterous and the book is, basically, a parody of the romance genre. There's something about Coulter's Regency voice that is like no other writer of the genre. (It's odd that she loses that 'uniqueness' when she writes her modern thrillers. But that's fuel for another post.)

Nightingale is part of a trilogy of books: The Wyndham Legacy, The Nightingale Legacy and the Valentine Legacy. Though all are pretty wonderful - of the three, Nightingale is the jewel in the crown. It concerns the misadventures of 19 year old Caroline Derwent-Jones, on the run from her odious guardian Roland Ffalkes - holding her guardian's grown son Owen, hostage as they both flee in the night - on the eve of coming into her inheritance. A sizable inheritance that Ffalkes wants to wrestle from her, by hook or by crook - mostly by crook. When Owen becomes ill (he's a wimpy sort given to catarrh), they're forced to stop at a roadside inn. When the previously mentioned odious guardian catches up with them, another traveler at the inn, a handsome, enigmatic sort, comes to her aid. Frederick North Nightingale, Earl of Chilton. (I know, I know, there's always an Earl or two hanging about these tales. But it wouldn't be any fun without 'em.) sees the way the wind is blowing and offers to escort Caroline and her hostage, Owen to the home of Caroline's aunt which, coincidentally, happens to be near his own estate. Of course, at the time, Caroline doesn't know he's got a title, or anything else about him except that he's appears to have a melancholy nature. Unlike most Regency novels, this story takes place on the moor. The book is a total hoot from beginning to end, even if there are murderous doings and hints of tragedy hang heavy over the Nightingale legacy. Read it. You'll thank me.

5) GRAND PASSION by Jayne Ann Krentz. This is Krentz (aka Amanda Quick) at her best and she's written quite a few modern romances that are absolutely top notch. I love this moody story set in Washington state, at an inn by the coast. (Well, I do love books set in Washington state, most especially in or near Seattle if possible.) The hero is your usual broodingly mysterious loner bristling with cynicism and good looks. His name in this instance is Max Fortune. (I love it!) The heroine's name is Cleopatra Robbins (Krentz is known for her quirky names.). She's the owner of the inn on the coast and a newly published writer. Max is the head of the Curzon Hotel chain. He has arrived at the inn incognito, to see about some paintings which he believes are hidden or have been stolen by either Miss Robbins or one of her employees. He is also under the impression that Miss Robbins was the mistress of his recently deceased boss Jason Curzon, an older gentleman who'd taken Max under his wing as an orphaned kid. The paintings that Max is searching for are, he believes, the legacy Jason left him.

The main reason this book works so well is the characterization of Max Fortune, pure and simple. He is the fulcrum. A wonderfully conceived character, written very, very well. One of Jayne Ann Krentz's best creations. Fabulous book.

6) TIM by Coleen McCullough. This is a quiet love story by the author of THE THORN BIRDS. (Another great romance in a totally different vein - a blood and thunder romance which, if you haven't read it and you love a great, thumping good love story, you should. The television movie with Richard Chamberlain is almost as good.)

TIM was also turned into an Australian TV movie. (The story is set there.) It starred a very young and very beautiful Mel Gibson (before he got old, lost his looks and went nutso) and the wonderful Piper Laurie. Even later it was turned into a so/so film with Candice Bergen. (Skip the Bergen and watch the Piper Laurie one, even if you dislike Gibson's latest persona. He was young and beautiful and worth watching, once upon a time.)

This is a May/December romance with a twist. The heroine is an older business woman, Mary Horton, who hires a young man to do some landscaping work around her property. The twist is that the young man, Tim Melville, is 'slow'. He has the intelligence of a kid. He has always been protected by his family who at first, are uneasy about him working, unsupervised, for Mary. When they perceive (from something Tim says in passing) that she's elderly (she's not, she's merely in her forties, I believe), they are okay with the arrangement. The inevitable happens, as time goes by and Tim begins to focus all his attention on Mary, unaware that he should not be doing so. Mary too finds herself being drawn in. The ending is both surprising and sensible. Though with a final episode that hints at the possibility of trouble to come because of Tim's child-like grasp on life.

This could have easily been an uneasy, 'icky' sort of love story if done by a less talented writer, but Coleen McCullough makes it work. It is a wonderful book.

7) RAVISHED by Amanda Quick. Another from aka Jayne Ann Krentz. This is a sort of re-telling of Beauty and the Beast - it has a lot of the old fairy tale feel about it, most especially in the creation of the hero, Gideon Westbrook, Viscount St. Justin (Viscounts and Earls are very necessary to these sorts of tales), known to the local villagers as the Beast of Blackthorne Hall for his scarred face and lecherous past. Hardly husband material for the likes of Miss Harriet Pomeroy, spinster and 'ancient skeleton' fancier. And yet, somehow, it all comes together thanks to Amanda Quick's dexterity but most especially thanks to her exceptional talent for characterization. I surely miss the way she used to work.

8) THE OUTSIDER by Penelope Williamson. A love story set in Montana of the late 1800s with a heart wrenching ending that will leave you breathless - no less. Rachel Yoder is a young widow left alone to raise her boy after the vigilante murder of her sheep herder husband. She is a member of the 'Plain People', a strict Amish sect that values simplicity and 'plain' living. One winter afternoon her life is changed forever when she watches a wounded stranger - the outsider of the title - struggle to make his way across her land, barely walking, barely alive.

His name is Cain. He is a hired killer, wounded in an ambush.

I loved this book and have reread it several times. Again, characterization is so key here.

9) THE WAY HOME by Sandra Kitt. This is another re-read of mine - one of those Harlequin American Romance books that is probably very hard to find at this late date, but what the heck, I love it. This is an intriguing story of a woman living in limbo, unsure if her husband is alive or dead. He'd disappeared on a trip to London and she hasn't had word since. When a business trip (she works for a rare book dealer) sends her to England, Taylor Ashe sees her chance to try and find out what's happened to her husband. At Heathrow, she's held up for a couple of reasons: her American passport has expired and her explanation of why she's in England seems fishy, especially since her missing husband's name (she's using her married name, but the name on the expired passport is different) rings a bell for the interviewing official. In a Kafka-esque few scenes, she is passed along to another official - of the embassy, she assumes - while she waits at Heathrow for an emergency passport to be approved and issued.

In this last and most curious interview, she notices a man sitting on the sidelines, not taking part in the conversation, but watching and listening intently to her story. He is tall, dark and handsome and never takes his sunglasses off during the whole time they're indoors. His name is Dane Farrow and through a series of circumstances, he becomes a sort of guardian/bodyguard for Taylor, watching over her as she gets too close to the truth of what happened to her husband - a man who, apparently, never existed. Great love story.

10) THE DREYFUS AFFAIR by Peter Lefcourt. I reviewed this book a while back and hopefully conveyed my enthusiasm for a story which is a heady mix of satire, comedy, drama and romance. What happens when the Golden Glove-winning short-stop of a professional baseball team headed for the post-season, finds himself falling in love with his equally Golden Glove-winning second baseman? To add even more fuel to the incendiary mix, the short-stop is white and the second baseman is black. Oh, and the short-stop is married and the father of two. Read the book if you want to know what happens next to these very likable characters who suddenly find themselves in the eye of a very volatile storm. It is a terrific love story even if the characters and the setting are not what you'd expect. Here's a link to my review.

Artwork at the very top of the post is by the one and only: J.C. Leyendecker.

10 Favorite Western Films

Since I seem to be in a western film frame of mind today, what with the snow and everything - my mind wanders when it's cold. I thought I'd post 10 favorite western films that you might or might not be familiar with. Next to books, I like nothing better than talking about old movies. In case you hadn't guessed that already. Okay, here's my ten (with two additional) - not necessarily in the order of preference, just as they occur to me. I could easily do another ten at the drop of a hat, since you'll notice that later films are not on the list. Some of my favorite westerns from the 70's, 80's and 90's are missing and yet to be catalogued. As excessively fond as I am of lists, I'll get to it at some point.

1) The Magnificent Seven (1960) starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, Charles Bronson, Horst Bucholz and Eli Wallach. The 9th member of the cast is the stirring and almost universally recognized dynamic film score by the great Elmer Bernstein. I am embarrassed to say that I can recite dialogue from certain scenes almost verbatim. I can also hum the music from most every scene.This is the first and only film I ever played hooky from school to see. I sat in Loew's Canal and watched it about four times (you could do that then). John Sturges directed.

2) The Big Country (1958) starring Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Burl Ives, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston, Charles Bickford and Chuck Conners. This is Gregory Peck at the peak of his perfection, if you care about such things. (I saw the man in person once in NYC, I know what perfection looks like.) Jean Simmons, too, looks great. Come to think of it, so does everyone else in the film. The opening credits are a Saul Bass must-see. Not the usual Saul Bass, but great nonetheless. The score by Jerome Moross is brilliant. Burl Ives won an Oscar. William Wyler directed.

3) Stagecoach (1939) starring John Wayne, Claire Trevor and John Carradine. John Carradine as a refined southern gentleman gambler almost steals the picture. He is incredibly good. John Wayne's first appearance in the film is shot in a way guaranteed to make him a star then and there. I never did like Thomas Mitchell in anything, but I put up with him in this because the rest of the cast is so fine. John Ford directed.

4) Blood on the Moon (1948) starring Robert Mitchum and Barbara Bel Geddes. I don't remember ever seeing Barbara Bel Geddes in any other film and it's a shame, she is so good and such a different kind of female movie presence. Throughout this entire film, Mitchum looks like he needs a good bath and maybe needs to lose a couple of pounds, but he carries it off. Mitchum could carry just about anything off. Physically he seems to overpower Bel Geddes, but they make that work as well. Walter Brennan is in this too, I think. Well, Walter Brennan was in just about every western made around that time. Robert Wise directed.

5) Tall in the Saddle (1944) starring John Wayne, Ella Raines and Ward Bond. John Wayne looks great in this and I love the black shirt he wears almost throughout the whole film. The interesting thing for me, in this otherwise run of the mill western, is the relationship between the simpering blond Audrey Long and Wayne and the dark and comely Ella Raines and Wayne. There's a bit of an obvious triangle, light and dark, good and evil, get it? Not that Ella Raines' character is evil, she's just more 'out there' - makes her preferences known, she (gasp!) wears pants and can shoot a gun. She's terrific. Who will Wayne choose? The answer is rather obvious, but it's fun to watch. Edwin L. Marin directed.

6) Red River (1948) starring John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Joanne Dru, John Ireland and the ubiquitous Walter Brennan. Monty Clift at the height of his good looks, no question. John Wayne has to age from youngish man to older man and does it with style and a certain relish. You wonder, in the film, why a man like him never marries. (I think he's a widower from the beginning and stays that way, far as I remember.) To tell the truth, Joanne Dru looks like she'd be too much for Monty Clift to deal with, she looks better next to Wayne, but that's not how the story works out. John Ireland is unintentionally funny in a scene where he and Monty Clift compare the size of their guns. This is a great film with a great score. Howard Hawks directed.

7) Yellowstone Kelly (1959) starring Clint Walker, Andra Martin, John Russell, Ray Danton and Edd Byrnes. This film starred three of the handsomest men in the business: Walker, Russell and Danton. You see where I'm going with this? I'm a fan of big handsome men cluttering up the screen, and even better, riding horses. That is my weakness. John Russell took my breath away as Gall, a Sioux chief determined to behave with honor....sigh! Andra Martin is incredibly beautiful in this as an Indian maiden, and it's amazing to me she never became any kind of a star. I tolerated Edd Byrnes (late of 77 Sunset Strip) since he was there to appeal to the teens in the audience. Hey, I was 17 when I saw this and even then I knew that Walker, Russell and Danton were choice. Gordon Douglas directed.

8) Yellow Sky (1948) starring Gregory Peck, Richard Widmark and Anne Baxter. Gregory Peck plays an outlaw with a heart, Richard Widmark plays an outlaw without one. They both look good, especially Peck in a nice black shirt and very cool hat. (Hey, these things are important.) John Russell is in this too, but hardly visible as a henchman. Anne Baxter gets caught up in a mad dash to freedom when a band of bank robbers on the run, hide out in a ghost town where she and her grandpa (James Barton) are prospecting. William A. Wellman directed.

9) Three Godfathers (1948) starring John Wayne, Pedro Armendariz and Harry Carey Jr.

This is such a classic story. (George Clooney made an update of this idea set in, I think, Iraq.) Three outlaws on the run find a woman about to give birth. She dies, but the baby lives. They are left with an infant to deal with. The thing is they must cross some sort of desert, they have little if any water and no way to feed the baby. How they manage makes for such a heroic and splendid tale. I defy anyone not to be moved by the ending. John Ford directed.

10) One Eyed Jacks (1961) starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden and Pina Pellicer. Brando directs his first and only film and it's pretty damn good. He looks great in it and rides and shoots like he was born to do so. This is an unusual western set first in Mexico then in a California town near the Pacific ocean which is very much in evidence scenery-wise. It's a brutal story told in unexpected ways. Not your standard western. Some people complained that Pellicer's thick Spanish accent was hard to decipher, but I thought it added a lot of charm to her characterization of an innocent caught in the middle of a deadly feud. (The actress later committed suicide, so it's hard, with that knowledge, not to view her as especially delicate. This was her first film.)

Two honorable mentions that I would love to see again, but haven't been able to in years and years. So I'm only going by long ago memory.

A Bullet Is Waiting (1954) starring Rory Calhoun, Jean Simmons, Stephen McNally and Brian Aherne. This is the film that convinced me that Rory Calhoun would bear looking into. I mean, the man was gorgeous! I used to sit in the darkened theater and just swoon. Jean Simmons looks great in this little known film as well. She had the most fetching short haircut, pixie-like. But Calhoun was so unbelievably good looking that he stole every scene he was in. You couldn't take your eyes off him. A simple-minded script, but who cared? I didn't. John Farrow directed. (Mia Farrow's dad, I think.)

Four Guns to the Border (1954) starring Rory Calhoun and Colleen Miller. Another Rory Calhoun feast for the eyes. Yes, I know, I am shameless, but hey, I was an impressionable kid then. Nowadays I hope I would be more circumspect. (Ha!) Colleen Miller is another actress I always wondered about - why she never became a big star. I guess there were lots of these B-movie actresses around and some just got lucky and some didn't. This film contains the best screen kiss - between Calhoun and Miller - I've ever seen. Whenever anyone asks me and I respond with this scene from this film, they look at me as if I'm crazy cause no one but me has ever seen it. (I exaggerate, but you get my drift.) Richard Carlson directed.

Note: the painting at the top of the post of the lone rider is, I believe, by Remington.

15 Authors / 15 Minutes

You all know that I love lists, both reading them and making them, so thanks to Bev over at her My Reading Block blog for giving me the idea for a new list just a few moments ago. Please use the link to see Bev's list.

(Like Bev's, my list is, of course, subject to change from day to day.)

Within 15 minutes list 15 authors - writers or poets - who have influenced you or who have stuck with you over the years.

Don't take too long to think about it.

List the first 15 who come to mind, no particular order required.

Here are mine:

Agatha Christie
Laurie R. King
Richard Adams
Jane Austen
Carolyn Keene
William Blake
Lewis Carroll
Astrid Lindgren
Thomas Wolfe
Rex Stout
Arthur Conan Doyle
Robert Ardrey
Evelyn Waugh
Josephine Tey
Robert Crais

Saturday Salon: Favorite Animated Films

I must not be an adult. Honestly, I'm looking at a list of animated features for adults and noticing I've only seen two of the films listed (SPIRITED AWAY and TRIPLETS OF BELLE VILLE, liked them well enough though I found them both too long) and that the rest of them, except for PERSEPOLIS and WALL E, hold little interest for me. Although I have wanted to see PRINCESS MONONOKE, having heard great things about it. I think I've got it on my Netflix queue.

By the way, thanks to Healigan's blog Movies at St. Marks for the link to the piece by Matthew Baldwin in The Morning News. I like his comments, gosh I wish I could be all young and hip and with it about the movies. But I can't. So, I hope you'll bear with my old folks at home, routine.

My own list of Favorite Animated Films (whether they're deemed good or tolerable for adults or not) goes like this:

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951) - Yes, the Disney version. I can't help it. This is the film that convinced me I wanted to be an illustrator. Two scenes still live in memory: the talking and singing flowers scene ("You can learn a lot of things from the flowers...lalala!) and the scene where the guards (really a deck of cards) march out of the Queen of Hearts' castle to the tune of a nicely done, memorable march that I still hum to this day. I'm also fond of the upper, UPPER crust speaking voice of the Alice character. I would have given anything to sound like that. This is probably the very beginning of my love for all things British.

FANTASIA(1940) - The original version with the stirring and memorable Night On Bald Mountain sequence that convinced me I loved Mussorgsky's music then and now. Actually, it was my first exposure to that particular composer, so for that alone, I view FANTASIA as memorable. I also loved the scene of Mickey Mouse greeting the conductor Leopold Stokowsky in silhouette. Also loved The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence primarily because of the catchy music by Paul Dukas. (It was my late mother's favorite music.) Also loved the Nutcracker Suite scenes. A very impressionable film, I think, if seen at just the right time.

PINOCCHIO (1940) - Yeah, I'm a sucker for Papa Gepetto. But there's something so touching about this story even now. And I remain a big fan of Jiminy Cricket and 'When You Wish Upon A Star'. Lovely moment. This Disney film is remembered, I think, for the touches of darkness inherent in the Pinocchio story - the debauchery on the island of lost boys. (I think that's what it's called in the film.)The eventual redemption of Pinocchio and the moment when he is made 'real'. Not a film for very little kids.

DUMBO (1941) - Okay, I am obviously a lost cause. But I love this film, still. I cry, always, when Dumbo's mom, in chains, caresses her boy with her long trunk. I worry, still, that something dreadful will happen to her - knowing now and perhaps even then, the plight of elephants in circuses around the world. "But I guess I've just seen everything when I've seen an elephant fly." Love the singing crows on the phone wire befuddled by the little elephant. A film I would not take very small children to see, either. The separation of mother and child is just too harrowing.

PETER PAN (1953) - I did mention that perhaps, I have adulthood issues. My favorite scenes in this film are in the first half, the London half, the rest of the film I tolerate. Though I love the scene with the mermaids in the lagoon and I absolutely love Captain Hook. I have his figurine on my desk and it makes me smile every time I see it. The alligator gives me a chuckle too. But the scene of Peter and the Darling kids flying over London is so beautiful I could watch it over and over and over again, humming the music I've never forgotten. That makes the film for me.

ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS (1961) - Great story, even if just the slightest bit unbelievable. Coats from Dalmatian skins? C'mon....No! Really? Cruella DeVille is one of the great film villains, bar none. I even liked Glenn Close in the live actor version of a few years ago. She really gnashed her teeth in that one. Very fun. My favorite scenes in the animated film? The midnight bark sounding across the English countryside at night. I hear that bark now and then, when the dogs in my neighborhood pick it up and I always wonder what they're announcing. Terrific film.

TOY STORY II (1999)- There are not many of these computer animated films on my list simply because I don't like computer animation. For me it always gets in the way of the story. When it works, as it does wonderfully in this second of the Toy Story films, it works very well indeed. But I have a feeling it's probably because the script for this one was so good. I haven't seen TOY STORY III, but I've heard great things about it.

SHREK (2001) - What's not to like about this? The voices are perfection. The animation okay. It's the music and the speaking voices that carry the day though. Just an exuberant film full of puns and fun, not to mention a spoonful here and there of satirical wit. Fairy tales have never had it so good. (Or maybe I should say, 'bad'.)

THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED (1928) - Lotte Reiniger - Germany

I saw this only a couple of years ago on pbs and could not believe my eyes. The entire film is silent, the story told in silhouettes - paper cutouts. AMAZING and beautiful and incredible to watch. A true work of art. If you can find this online or elsewhere, I urge you to see it.

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988) This recognizable style of animation is out of Japan - the films all feature a similar look and 'feel'. Some work this much better than others. I stumbled unto a few of these films by accident but damn if I can remember where and when. I have a feeling it was during one of Turner Classic Films' monthly 'memes' MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO is a particularly good one, though it has that same typical 'manga look'. These films usually feature small children or young teens who are having some sort of family trouble and are alienated from something or other. The only way out for these kids seems to be with the help of an often benevolent fantasy figure. Some of these films feature a dystopian view of the future and can be a bit unsettling and not really for small children. MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO takes place in the rural (and beautifully realized) countryside of Japan where a father and his two young children have gone to be near the hospital where the mother is languishing of some unspecified illness.

PORCO ROSSO (1992) - Another Japanese film I enjoyed very much. (This is possibly my favorite of this style of animation.) It features a kind of pig who is a WWI flying ace (really a man with the face of a pig - don't ask, it's never explained). The film follows the high flying adventures of its disillusioned 'hero' who is now a bounty hunter guarding shipping lanes from pirates. A delightful, bittersweet and often nonsensical film very well done.

I realize I've left a lot of films off this list, but I've only chosen from films I've ACTUALLY seen and while there are other animated features I may have affection for, there aren't many I would willingly sit through more than once or twice, now. Sacrilege as it may seem, I am not a big fan of RATATOUILLE or THE INCREDIBLES (Contrary to popular opinion, I found THE INCREDIBLES incredibly boring except for the little Edith Head character). Of this spate of films, I preferred FINDING NEMO and ROBOTS, though not enough to list them as very favorites.

I haven't seen UP or BOLT or the last SHREK or, as I said, TOY STORY III. I expect to like these based on their reviews, but you never know. I am not really REALLY fond of computer animation. I much prefer the hand-drawn stuff.

If you have a moment, check out the ASIFA Hollywood Animation Archives for lots of interesting stuff about the art of animation and other related topics.

Other Beauty and the Beast Concepts

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. These are some of the various concepts and interpretations done of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST over many years. Since we discussed Jean Cocteau's brilliant film, LA BELLE ET LA BETE, I thought it would be interesting to see what other creative minds had come up with. Where I have a source, I've included it. If you recognize a source I have omitted, please let me know and I'll add it. Read more about the origin, story and other interpretations of Beauty and the Beast here.

1) This is artist Angela Barrett's very sensitive and beautifully rendered version of the tale. I love her interpretation of the Beast. Read more about artist Angela Barrett and see more of her work here.

2) I have no source for this illustration. It features the Beast as a lionesque or cat-like creature which is probably the most popular or familiar version.

3) This is the well-known Walt Disney interpretation. The Disney film version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was a huge hit, starring as it did the voices of Angela Lansbury and Jerry Ohrbach among others. Not my favorite Disney film, but I must admit I do tear up whenever I see Beast and Beauty begin their waltz.

4) Art by Walter Crane. The beast in this illustration might have possibly influenced the Disney version?

5) Art by Marianna Mayer. The Beast again has the cat-like face here. I think the feline face is most popular because of the inherrent lines of nobility in the cat.

6) Well Vogue had to get into the mix at some point or other. This is a beautiful photo. Again we have the noble lion as Beast. Portfolio by Annie Leibovitz.

7) This is famed painter Arthur Rackham's interpretation and my least favorite. His Beast looks too much like an alien from outer space for my taste.

8) Art by Warwick Goble. Here we have what looks like an equine interpretation of the fallen Beast. Interesting.

9) Art by Eleanor Vere Boyle.This time the Beast is interpreted as some sort of saber toothed cat.

10) The Beast as a bear by an artist named Bowley. Another interesting, though, perhaps not as successful interpretation. Maybe the Beast looks too cuddly?

11) I was very fond of the 80's television show. It's really too bad that Linda Hamilton left the show just after her character and Beast had come together. Didn't do her career much good and I often wonder whose advice, if any, she was following. Obviously, though they tried to carry on without her, the show didn't last long.
(I understand now, from a comment left on this post, that Linda Hamilton was pregnant at the time and had some health issues which precipitated her leaving the show.)

Gift Books for Young and Old Alike

As you may know I love books of all shapes and sizes, written for all ages. So this Christmas list of books is applicable to kids and to those adults who still love the stories and the artwork - as some of the best artists are and were working in childrens' books - and collect books of all sorts. At my house, you'll find my 'grown-up' books sharing shelf space with books meant for children. I make very little distinction between the two.

In my list you'll notice two hard-to-find Little Golden Book covers: Baby's Christmas and Jingle Bells. Well, I just had to include two of the beautifully illustrated Golden Books of old. These two, particularly (Jingle Bells illustrated by the one and only J.P. Miller - my favorite illustrator then and now - and Baby's Christmas illustrated by the incredible Eloise Wilkins), are so joyfully done, they are well worth hunting ebay or wherever to see if you can find them. Flickr has a good portfolio of Golden Book covers. They're all fun to look at even if you can't actually find them to buy. All children young and old should know about these wonderful books.

You'll also see two books, The Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland that aren't, necessarily, thought of as Christmas books, but I included them because when I read them they make me think of the Holiday Season everytime - they are just so festive in tone. Far as I'm concerned both these books should be in every home, whatever the season.

Christmas Shopping: More Book Ideas

More bookish Christmas ideas for the art, book, or film lover on your list. Again, I have no finger in any of these pies - shop where you will. These are mostly books I've read (except for one or two) and think would make great presents. A few are new this year, most are old favorites. Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday, so you might think of patronizing any of the small, independent bookstores in your area.

THE ART OF NOIR by Eddie Muller.

Muller is a film noir guru, author of mysteries, film books and lecturer of all things having to do with film, most especially noir. This is an older book but definitely worth hunting down. Worth looking for too, are his other film noir book, DARK CITY and two of his noir-ish mysteries featuring boxing writer Billy Nichols: THE DISTANCE and SHADOW BOXER.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE EXQUSITE An Anecdotal History of Elegant Delights by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins. For the esoterically inclined, the Francophile, the Anglophile, for anyone who is inspired by the glamorous and delightful.

PIPPI LONGSTOCKING by Astrid Lindgren.

The book for the young girl on your list who hasn't, so far, met Pippi. This is the book that opened up the world of adventure to me when I was a kid thinking that girls couldn't do anything, that boys had all the fun. Pippi Longstocking quickly disabused me of that notion, thank goodness!

CHRISTMAS AT THRUSH GREEN by Miss Read.Well, you can't go wrong with a Miss Read novel about the quiet country doings in the village of Thrush Green. I love Miss Read. Haven't read all of them, just a few, but I'll keep reading until I've finished all of them.

THE ART BOOK.

This is such a brilliant concept: a quick introduction to painting. Each page shows one painting and a short explanation of the work, the school of painting and the painter. Open to any page and you're bound to find something of interest. I've had this for years and I'm still finding new things in it.

MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND by Helen Simonson.

One of the best books I read this year. A love story for the grown-up who still believes in romance. A charming story that proves that just when you think life has passed you by, it hasn't.

THE LOST CITY OF Z by David Grann.

Another terrific read from this year. A non-fiction account of the search, in the Amazon, for the lost city of El Dorado and the fate of the father and son explorers who went missing in the early part of the 20th century. Fabulous, hair-raising story.

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES published by DK Publishing.

I've included these because, to my mind, they are the most splendid guides for the actual or arm chair traveler. Each book features gorgeous photography, maps, artwork, unique points of interest, architecture, museums, you name it. All in a beautifully designed and easy to read (and hold) format. I love to sit and pretend I'm traveling and these books make it seem as if I'm there. They're a little pricey at about 20 - 25 bucks each, but far as I'm concerned, it's worth it to feel as if you've gone somewhere. These books are as close as you can get to a foreign country without actually being there. I love them.

THE AFFAIR OF THE MUTILATED MINK COAT by James Anderson.

Anderson wrote two classic satires of the Agatha Christie school of mystery writing (I most associate these books with Christie's SECRET OF CHIMNEYS - if you loved CHIMNEYS, you'll love the Anderson books). His second book THE AFFAIR OF THE BLOOD-STAINED EGG COSY is more or less the same sort of tale as the title above. Both books are bustling with eccentric British wits and nitwits. The stories take place in large country houses filled with servants and suspicious doings. TONS OF FUN.

A BOOK LOVERS DIARY is a wonderful journal filled with witty quotes and plenty of space in which to jot down titles or lists or whatever book-related things your heart desires. I have one. I love it.

ONE GOOD DOG by Susan Wilson.

The extraordinarily touching and life affirming story of a man and a dog who both get a second chance at life. I didn't think I'd like this book when it was recommended to me, but I wound up loving it.

61 HOURS by Lee Child.

This is the first of a two book year for Lee Child - you can't go wrong with either of them. For the thriller lover on your list, these are the books to have. I give a slight edge to 61 HOURS, but WORTH DYING FOR is terrific as well. Either/or. Next to Robert Crais, Lee Child is the best thriller writer working today.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll, exquisite illustrations by Helen Oxenbury. The two volumes in one gorgeous slip-case. A gift that couldn't fail to please any reader on your list, young or old.

THE GREAT MOVIES III by Roger Ebert.

This is the latest book of movie essays, after Book I and Book II, by the movie maven extraordinaire and, far as I'm concerned, head honcho of the critic establishment.

THE DICTIONARY OF IMAGINARY PLACES by Alberto Manguel, Eric Beddows and Gianni Guadalupi.

A guide book that defines the places that never were from all the books we're read or are familiar with: Middle Earth, Hogwarts, Narnia, Oz, you name it. I can't think of any imaginative reader who wouldn't enjoy this.

A DOG ABOUT TOWN by J.F. Englert.

Meet Randolph, dog raconteur and wag about town. I happen to know that Santa is bringing me this Christmas morning. How do I know? Well, that would be telling.

Read my other Christmas Shopping Ideas for the Book Lover, here and here.