Trump and other stuff
They haven’t been back since. I saw game 2.
I got to see Elmore Leonard several times in bookstores in Washington, DC. One time, I barely made it there before the event finished because I had rushed from Baltimore. I told this to Leonard and he said I should have been there at his event in Baltimore earlier that day (which I didn’t know about). It was not well attended. I told him Baltimore’s slogan was “The city that reads”. He told me it must be a new slogan. The next time I saw him at a bookstore, I gave him a “The City that reads” bookmark.
At one point, when Baltimore was #1 in teen pregnancy, some folks said our slogan should be “The city that breeds”.
Leonard wrote so many excellent books. If you haven’t read them, I would start with Tishomingo Blues or Freaky Deaky. He is best known for crime novels which are written with a rambling, unpredictable plot and a great sense of humor. A three volume set of 12 crime novels is available from the Library of America.
They added a volume of his westerns in 2018.
There are several excellent films based on Leonard books:
Jackie Brown (based on Rum Punch – major changes from the book)
I would start with Horse Feathers and Duck Soup.
A box set with all five early Marx Brothers films made for Paramount is available.
Groucho had a great sense of humor – here are some of his quotes.
Jean Renoir, the great director, was born on September 15, 1894. His greatest film is Rules of the Game (1939) which I think is the best film ever. Romantic adventures among a group of wealthy people and their servants intersect with tragic consequences. Renoir is very compassionate and fond of his characters even with their flaws.
Many of his best films are in the Criterion Collection and online on Filmstruck.
Jim Abbott had a long major league baseball career even though he didn’t have a right hand. He threw a no-hitter 25 years ago today.
Sturges wrote and directed a great group of comedies in the early 1940s. My favorite is The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek. His other early films are on DVDs in this box set.
The Palm Beach Story and Sullivan’s Travels are available on Blu-ray and DVD from Criterion.
Criterion also offers DVDs of The Lady Eve and the later Unfaithfully Yours.
The picture above is from the set of The Lady Eve.
