Key Largo

I hit my public library last night in hopes of finding a book or movie to chase away the Monday duldrums, and booyah, I hit the jackpot with a classic from Bogey and Bacall, 1948's John Huston directed "Key Largo" also starring Edward G. Robinson.

In "Key Largo" Bogart stars as Frank McCloud, a disillusioned ex-Major who served in Italy during World War II, who has come to the Largo Hotel in Key Largo, FL to pay his respects to the father, James Temple (played by Lionel Barrymore), of his deceased army buddy. Mr. Temple runs the hotel along side his daughter-in-law Nora (Lauren Bacall).

Upon his arrival at the hotel, Frank is confronted by a number of sketchy individuals of dubious character, loitering in the hotel lobby and bar who state the hotel is closed. After reassuring them that he's just passing through and actually there to visit James Temple, he's directed to the boathouse where he meets the wheelchair bound elder Temple, and the strikingly beautiful Nora. Mr. Temple is still coming to grips with the loss of his son and desperate for any information McCloud can share about his son's final days on the battle field. Frank shares a story which paints his friend as a war hero, though later Nora confronts Frank with the information that in fact the last letter she had received from her husband set the scene the complete opposite, and the one on the hill and in the line of fire had in fact been Frank.

After being invited to stay overnight, the Temple's and Frank begin preparations for a violent hurricane which is about to hit the Keys. As the storm's furor grows, the other hotel guests are revealed to be the infamous gangster Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson) and his goons. Rocco has been a fugitive exiled in Cuba, but he's crossed to the Keys by boat to make a drop to a like-minded business associate. Also at the hotel is Rocco's boozy mistress, Gaye Dawn (Claire Trevor), an ex-singer who never made it good. After an unexpected run in with local law enforcement, events begin to spiral out of control for Rocco, and Frank is placed in the situation of once again being the hero.

While I'd seen Bogart before in the classic "African Queen", "Key Largo" was my first Bogey and Bacall movie, and I loved it. Bogart and Bacall each gave wonderful performances and shared a palpable chemistry on screen, not surprising given that they had been married to each other for three years when the film was shot. "Key Largo" was the fourth and final film pairing for the two actors. Despite not having acted in another movie together, Bogart and Bacall remained married until 1957 when Bogey died of esophageal cancer. While Bogart and Bacall might have taken top billing for "Key Largo", in my opinion the two standout stars of the movie were Lionel Barrymore and Claire Trevor. I had never heard of Ms. Trevor prior to this performance, but she played the part of heartbroken lush brilliantly. It's no wonder she went on to win the Oscar for Supporting Actress for this role.

A great movie from when movies were movies. No CGI, no chase scenes, no sex scenes, just great acting from great actors.

The Beauty Love Left Behind

I found this photo posted on Pinterest.com, and the words brought tears to my eyes. It's originally from this site:

http://68.142.214.24/photos/cassiefoxphotography/307636090/in/set-72157594394174281/


If you can't read the words, it says:

"A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn. One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes and slept in the most perfect darkness. One for every time you had the hiccups. One for every dream you dreamed within me.

It isn't very pretty anymore. Some may even think it ugly. That's OK. It was your home. It's where I first grew to love you, where I lay my hand as I dreamed about who you were and who you would be. It held you until my arms could, and for that, I will always find something beautiful in it."

What If It Was You?

Your baby starts to cry. His little face turns red, tears in his eyes, as his little lungs give voice to his discomfort. He's not hungry, he's not tired, he has a dirty diaper. Your heart sinks as you try to do your best for your child, so you comfort him and resignedly clean out and reuse the soiled diaper. Crazy? Yes, but a sad reality for many. In fact, a study conducted by HUGGIES® which surveyed over 2,000 parents found that 1 in 20 American moms that are struggling with diaper need have cleaned out and reused wet or soiled disposable diapers. The study also found that 1 in 3 American moms have been faced with the dilemma of choosing between diapers and other basic necessities like food. Most moms want the world for their children. Can you imagine if you couldn’t even provide the most basic of needs for your child?

In response to these troubling findings, HUGGIES® started Every Little Bottom which looks to address diaper need in the U.S. by collecting donated diapers and getting them to babies in need by working side-by-side with community partners which serve as diaper banks, but they need our help. What can we do? Visit HUGGIES® Get Involved page to enter your zip code and search for diaper banks to donate to in your area, you can search for local diaper drive events, or you can host your own diaper drive, which is what I plan to do. In addition to getting the word out for this worthy cause on this humble blog, I'm also going to organize a small diaper drive in my office. HUGGIES® has made getting started extra easy, by providing on their site most of the files I might need, including drive posters, drop signs, drive flyers, etc.

As with most things, together we can make a greater difference, and hopefully help more moms and babies. I plan to reach out to my family, friends and co-workers this week, and hopefully report back soon on a hugely successful diaper drive. I hope you will do the same.

*Update: I ended up reaching out to just friends for the diaper drive, in order to avoid the red-tape involved in an office-wide drive at work. Obviously, this small drive won't solve the problems for all, but just like a small pebble tossed in a pond, the ripples from this small contribution can still make a significant difference in one person's life.

The Red Garden

"The Red Garden" by Alice Hoffman is a compilation of short stories which capture the history of the residents of Blackwell, Massachusetts covering a span of nearly 300 years. Each story is inexorably linked to the previous through the familial ties of the town's residents who are descendants of the courageous young British woman, Hallie Brady, that founded Bearsville in 1750 (changed to Blackwell in 1786).

Each story is magical, each a little fairy tale in its own right. From Eight Nights of Love which tells the tale of Johnny Appleseed's visit to Blackwell, and how he plants the Tree of Life in the center of town. A tree that blooms even during a snow storm, and which goes on to feed a starving town during a famine. To The Fisherman's Wife requiring the biggest stretch to your imagination, centering around a young beautiful woman rumored by the town gossip to be a mermaid. Each tale of family, love or loyalty, tug on your hearstrings, for me none more so than The Principles of Devotion, a beautiful tale of the love and devotion, even after death, between a dog and his owner. This brief passage is an example of the haunting beauty found in this particularly touching tale:

"They say that dogs may dream, and when Topsy was old, his feet would move in his sleep. With his eyes closed he would often make a noise that sounded quite human, as if greeting someone in his dreams. At first it seemed that he believed Sara would return, but as the years went by I understood that his loyalty asked for no reward, and that love comes in unexpected forms. His wish was small, as hers had been -- merely to be beside her."

I plowed through the "The Red Garden" and found each story to be beautiful and moving. My two favorites were The Principles of Devotion, as mentioned above, and The Truth About My Mother. My one complaint would be the abrupt end to the story, and the seemingly missing chapter which could've put a proverbial bow on the novel as a larger whole.

Striking Resemblance

Scorcese immediately came to mind the instant I spotted the photo of this kitty. If ever two beings belonged together, it's these two. It would be mind-bending to see them walking down a NYC sidewalk together.

SYTYCD Early Favorite

These past couple of weeks I've been enjoying the audition rounds of this season's "So You Think You Can Dance." As usual the auditions had their fair share of slightly delusional contestants risking bodily injury, while willing to make fools of themselves for the ego trip of appearing on national TV, but excitingly there was also a nice batch of ones to watch as we head into the Vegas round. I spotted one of my very favorites, Melanie Moore, in this season's first episode. Watch for yourself below.



Tune in this Wednesday at 8:00 pm on FOX to see how Melanie fares in Vegas, as well as all the other talented dancers to make it through.