I Hear the Sound of a Gentle Word

… on the wind that lifts her perfune through the air:

  • This is interesting:
    At least three Democratic congressmen have given to charities $26,000 in campaign contributions they received from embattled House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel of New York following inquiries by this newspaper [the Washington Examiner].
    According to OpenSecrets, NH pols receiving Rangel cash in the 2008 election cycle were Paul Hodes ($5K), Carol Shea-Porter ($10K), and Jeanne Shaheen ($10K). Were I a GOP candidate, I'd start raising a stink.

  • The nanny state has a long history. Katherine Mangu-Ward relates the status of one small skirmish between the nanny and her charges, the issue of raw (or, as its fans like to call it, "real") milk. It's a usual story of our alleged public servants throwing themselves between willing buyers and sellers.

    More information and advocacy can be found at http://www.realmilk.com/, including where-to-buy links. It's legal in New Hampshire—LFOD, baby—and my nearest source is practically within walking distance, so I might wander over to strike a blow for liberty and atherosclerosis.

  • Bubba the Love Sponge vs. Awesome Kong. That would be a movie I'd rent. But it's real life. Try reading this without smiling:
    Bubba, who legally changed his name in 1999 to Bubba the Love Sponge, (a name that even appears on his drivers license and passport), admitted …
    I am in awe of anyone who would even consider that name change, let alone go through with it. Treacher has more. Those are two people between which you don't want to be caught.


Last Modified 2012-10-04 8:02 AM EDT

Stagecoach

[4.0
stars] [IMDb Link]

[Amazon Link]
(paid link)

John Wayne. John Ford. What more do you want to know? For some inexplicable reason, I'd never seen this one. IMDB says this was John Wayne's eightieth movie. He still had about ninety left to go.

The movie isn't just John Wayne, though. He's part of an ensemble cast that have been jammed into a stagecoach taking a perilous trip through Indian country, where the fierce Apaches, stirred up by Geronimo, have been on the attack.

A couple travellers are being run out of town by the bluenoses: drunken Doc Boone and "Dallas". (Dallas's sins aren't explicitly mentioned, but the movie makes it pretty clear that her profession is the one where "with a heart of gold" is often appended.) There's Mrs. Mallory, a prim and proper lady from the east in search of her Army officer husband; she has an Undisclosed Condition; Hatfield, a southern gambling gentleman; Peacock, a meek whiskey salesman, to whom Doc Boone attaches himself like a limpet. And more.

But then the "Ringo Kid"—Mr. Wayne—shows up; he's busted out of jail, and he's off to settle a score with the Plummers, who drygulched his father and brother, and set him up for his prison term.

The storytelling is masterful, and the characters are deftly drawn by the script, and impeccably acted. Thomas Mitchell got a well-deserved supporting-actor Oscar for his portrayal of Doc Boone. The movie would have probably won more Oscars if it hadn't been competing against a few other little movies: Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington … 1939 was a pretty good year for going to the movies.


Last Modified 2024-01-30 3:53 PM EDT