May 7 - Our Town (1977)

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene set on May 7. I hope you will enjoy this motion picture and watch t tonight.

OUR TOWN                       

The Stage Manager introduces the audience to the Town of Grovers Corners, New Hampshire on May 7, 1901. [4:52 to 45:10] It’s an ordinary day and milk is delivered, Dr. Gibbs returns from a birth and children go to school. Mrs. Gibbs can’t decide if she should sell her grandmother’s highboy for $350.00. A professor talks about the geologic and ethnographic history of the town and Mr. Webb , the newspaper editor gives some demographic info and answers audience questions about alcoholism, social justice and culture.  The stage manager notes a time capsule is going in the cornerstone of the new bank and a copy of the play will give info about ordinary people. Emily Webb gives homework hints to her neighbor George Gibbs. The ladies go to choir practice and gossip about the organist, who drinks. Dr. Gibbs has a conversation with George and makes him feel guilty for not doing his chores. Three years pass and Emily and George are getting married. George has an awkward visit with his in-laws. The stage manager takes us back a year and we see the conversation where Emily takes George to task over his pride and they start to fall in love. At the ceremony, both George and Emily think that they are not ready to marry, but the services goes on. We now jump ahead nine years to the day of Emily’s funeral, as she has died giving birth to her second child. Emily talks to some of the other dead in the cemetery, but against their advice takes up the Stage Manager on his offer to let her relive one day. Emily picks her 12^th birthday, but it soon becomes too emotionally painful and she returns to the graveyard. She laments that most people never life live to the full and the story concludes. 

A good if somewhat depressing drama. This version uses minimal props and relies on sound effects. The stage Manager often breaks the “fourth wall”.

Our Town: A Play in Three Acts by Thornton Wilder (Perennial Press, New York, 1998) at page 4 and the film at 3:15 to 3:18 give this date

Awards – It won the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts Emmy. It was nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Tape Sound Mixing, in Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork, Art Direction for a Dramatic Special, Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy, Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special(Holbrook), Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special(Thompson) and Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy Emmys at the 30^th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Director - George Schaefer                         

Producer - George Schaeffer        

                                 

Screenplay - Thornton Wilder    

Running Time - 2 hours   

Released - May 30, 1977

                              

Starring –

Hal Holbrook as the Stage Manager

Ned Beatty as Dr. Gibbs

Sada Thompson as Mrs. Gibbs

Barbara Bel Geddes as Mrs. Webb

Glynnis O’Connor as Emily Webb

Robby Benson as George Gibbs

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

                       

May 6 - The Hindenburg

Today’s movie is a disaster film with scenes occurring on May 6. I hope you will enjoy this motion picture and watch it tonight.

THE HINDENBURG          

The zeppelin Hindenburg is a symbol of Nazi Germany and thus many people have a motive to destroy it. Franz Ritter and Martin Vogel are German agents sent independently on board to protect it. Their suspicion falls on Boerth, a former Hitler youth leader who has become disillusioned with the Nazi regime. When Vogel tries to arrest him, he appeals to Ritter, whose son died the previous year. Ritter agrees to help Boerth with his plot. When Boerth learns his girlfriend has  been killed trying to escape arrest in Germany, he decides to stay on board as his bomb goes off.  The bomb is set to go off when all passengers will be off the ship. Vogel becomes suspicious and again tries to arrest Boerth. Ritter and Vogel fight and Vogel is knocked out.  Boerth, who was injured in the fight, tells Ritter where the bomb is. He now wants to disarm it as delays mean that the bomb will go off when people are still on board. While trying to disarm the bomb, Ritter is attacked by an awakened Vogel and the bomb goes off. The film segues into the infamous newsreel showing the destruction of the ship on May 6, 1937. [1:23:00 to 2:00:45]   

                    

            Much better at special effects than character development. Not the greatest disaster film ever made, but it is watchable.  This is a fantasy, not a fact based film. To date no evidence has been found that there was a bomb on the Hindenburg.

Air and Space Disasters of the World by Xavier Waterkeyn (New Holland Publishers, London, 2007) at page 31 and the film at 1:23:10 give this date for the disaster

Screenplay- Nelson Gidding, Richard Levinson & William Link

Awards- It won the Best Sound Effects and Best Visual Effects Oscars. It was also nominated for the Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound Oscars at the 48^th Academy Awards

Director -  Robert Wise

Producer - Robert Wise

Running Time - 2 hours and 5 minutes

Released -  December 25, 1975

Starring -         

George C. Scott as   Col. Franz Ritter

Anne Bancroft as  Ursula, The Countess

William Atherton as Boerth

Roy Thinnes as Martin Vogel

Gig Young as Edward Douglas

Burgess Meredith as Emilio Pajetta

Charles Durning as Capt. Pruss

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014. 

May 5 - My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Today’s movie is a romantic comedy with a scene that happens on May 5. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

MY BIG FAT GRΣΣK WEDDING     

Toula Portokalos, a 30 year old Greek-American woman, is a failure, as far as her family is concerned, since she is not married. Her father obsessively promotes Greek culture and believes Windex is a cure all. She works day in and day out in her families Greek restaurant, with no end in sight. Then one day, Ian Miller, a WASP schoolteacher eats in the restaurant and is noticed by Toula. This inspires her, with her mother’s help, to persuade her father to let her take a computer course at a local college and she spruces up her appearance. Toula persuades her aunt to hire her to work in her travel agency. Ian notices her in the travel agency and asks her out on a date. They begin a relationship, which Toula keeps secret from her family, since Ian is definitely not Greek. Her family  eventually finds out of course, and a huge row occurs. Her father tries to set her up with older (and stranger) Greek men, but Toula is in love with Ian and they take their relationship to the next level. He introduces Toula to his parents and proposes marriage. Toula wants to elope, because she’s afraid of the upcoming cultural clash. Ian volunteers to convert to the Greek Orthodox Church, so he and Toula can be married in the church. Ian is introduced to the rest of Toula’s family on Orthodox Easter, May 5, 2002, [50:31 to 55:29] where his vegetarianism causes some consternation. Toula’s male relatives take to Ian, but have fun at his expense, by prompting him to say inappropriate things in Greek.  A dinner where Ian’s parents meet all of Toula’s family results in hilarious culture clash.  Toula is upset when her family tries to take over all the planning for her wedding. Ian and Toula are married amid much happy chaos. At the reception Toula’s father surprises them by giving the couple a house as a wedding present. However, the house turns out to be next door as we see in the epilogue, when Ian and Toula’s daughter goes off to Greek school to study Greek culture.

This is a very funny movie. The culture clash here is played for all its comedic value, but shouldn’t offend anybody.  It’s also a story of personal growth and breaking out of  a rut. 

Orthodox Easter was on this date in 2002 as per The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000 ed. by Robert Famighetti (Primeda Reference, Inc., New York, 2000) at page 695

Awards - The film was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar at the 75^th Academy Awards.

Producer - Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson

Director - Joel Zwick 

Screenplay - Nia Vardalos   

Runtime - 1 hour 35 minutes                   

Released - April 19, 2002

Starring –

Nia Vardalos as "Toula" Portokalos

John Corbett as Ian Miller

Lainie Kazan as Maria Portokalos

Michael Constantine as Kostas "Gus" Portokalos

Andrea Martin as Aunt Voula

Gia Carides as Cousin Nikki

Louis Mandylor as Nick Portokalos

Fiona Reid as Harriet Miller

Bruce Gray as Rodney Miller

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

May 4 - A World Apart

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene that happens on May 4. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

A WORLD APART         

In June, 1963 South Africa, Molly Roth is upset because her father has to flee the country to avoid arrest for his anti-apartheid activities. Molly wants to enjoy a normal middle class life, but her mother, Diana Roth  works for an anti-government newspaper and is so involved in her work that Molly doesn’t think she pays attention to her. Molly sees where her Mom keeps secret documents hidden in her desk. Molly is friendly with their Maid Elsie, but wonders why her brother Solomon comes to see her mother.   The police raid a mixed-race party held on Diana’s birthday May 4, 1964. [20:16 to 24:24]. The other girls at Molly’s private school start abusing her because of her father. One morning her mother takes Molly to a protest march. One day her grandmother picks her up at school and when they return home find that the police are searching the house and her mother is being arrested and Molly is heartbroken and upset. Diana is held in solitary and Molly refuses to go to school. Diana resists interrogation and when Molly returns to school, everyone ignores her except for her one friend, Yvonne. Soon even Yvonne tries to distance herself and her family keeps her away from Molly. One day Molly goes with their Maid Elsie to her home in Soweto and attends a protest meeting led by Solomon.  The police come, break up the meeting and arrest Solomon. Then her grandmother has to go away for a rest and Molly has to go to boarding school. Muller tries to get Diana to confess. Molly and her sisters finally get to see her mother. Diana is let out after 90 days, but is immediately rearrested. Diana tries to kill herself and so is released to 24 hour house arrest. Then Elsie gets word that her brother Solomon has died in police custody. Molly finds her mother’s hidden suicide note. She and her mother have an emotional argument about her suicide attempt and Molly’s feelings of being ignored. They both go to Solomon’s funeral, even though Diana is not supposed to leave the house. At the end Molly raises her fist in the Black Power salute along with her mother, signifying she has finally come to accept and support what her parents are doing.   The police arrive to arrest everyone at the funeral.   

A very good political drama and coming-of-age story. The film tells the story of the anti-apartheid movement, while also telling the story of a girl who grows up. Molly finally come to realize that neither her country nor her parents are perfect.

At 1:25 we are told this film is based on a true story. At 23:52 we are told it’s Diana’s birthday. Ruth First, whom Diana was based on, was born on May 4, 1925.

Director - Chris Menges                      

Producer - Sarah Radclyffe                                   

Screenplay - Shawn Slovo                                    

Runtime – 1 hour 53 minutes        

Released - June 17, 1988                                      

                       

 Starring –

Jodhi May as Molly Roth

Jeroen Krabbé as Gus Roth

Barbara Hershey as Diana Roth

Linda Mvusi as Elsie

Carolyn Clayton-Cragg as Myriam Roth

David Suchet as Muller

Albee Lesotho as Solomon Mapusa

Nadine Chalmers as Yvonne Abelson

Kate Fitzpatrick as June Abelson

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014. 

May 3 - The Conspirator

Today’s movie is a period courtroom drama with a scene that happens on May 3. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

THE CONSPIRATOR          

Frederick Aiken is wounded in the Civil War. Two years later he, his wife Sarah and friends William Hamilton and Nicholas Baker celebrate the end of the war at the Century Club. That night President Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Payne stabs Secretary of State Seward, but George Atzerodt doesn’t try to kill Vice-President Johnson. Mary Surratt and others are arrested. John Wilkes Booth is trapped and killed. Lincoln is mourned by the nation as a train carrying his body crosses the nation, finally arriving at his hometown of Springfield Illinois on May 3, 1865. [16:11 to 16:26] Senator Johnson has agreed to represent Mary Surratt and talks Aiken into assisting. The Senator is upset at civilians being tried in military courts. Aiken is ordered to defend her alone after the Senator(who’s from Maryland) quits the defense, telling Aiken that only with a northern lawyer like him will Mrs. Surratt have a chance.  The prosecution’s first witness is Lewis Weichmann, who lived in Mrs. Surratt’s boardinghouse.  His weak testimony is further attacked by Aiken who shows that he had visited Richmond, capital of the Confederacy. The Senator tells Aiken if he can prove Mrs. Surratt is guilty, he can quit. Mrs. Surratt admits her son John and Booth conspired to kidnap Lincoln, but swears on the Bible that she did not conspire to kill Lincoln. There is testimony that Mrs. Surratt denied knowing Lewis Payne, one of her boarders, but Aiken shows she has poor eyesight. Secretary of War Stanton tries to get Senator Johnson to give up on defending Mrs. Surratt, but he refuses. Senator  Johnson advises Aiken to implicate John Surratt if necessary to save Mrs. Surratt, as he thinks she has been arrested to try and ‘smoke out’ her son, who had escaped the roundup. The prosecutor Holt next calls John  Lloyd to the stand and he testifies that on the day of the assassination Mary Suratt brought him a set of binoculars and told him to have guns and whisky ready that night for two men, one of whom was Booth. Mrs. Surratt denounces this testimony as a lie and Aiken tries to show Lloyd is a drunk. An army officer lies to Aiken and then gives damaging testimony at the trial.  Aiken is tossed out of the Century Club and his wife leaves him. Aiken tries to get Stanton to do the right thing and free Mrs. Surratt, but he refuses. Aiken calls Anna Surratt to establish it was her brother John and not their mother who was involved in the conspiracy. Mrs. Surratt is convicted and sentenced to hang. Aiken gets Judge Wylie to issue a writ of habeus corpus so she can get a civilian trial, but the President suspends the writ. She is hung. 18 months later John Suratt is caught, but acquitted in a civilian court.    

A good courtroom procedural and historical drama with lessons for today. The Constitution was trampled on to get these defendants convicted. As Benjamin Franklin said “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” A lesson for today.

Mrs. Lincoln: A Life by Catherine Clinton (HarperCollins, New York, 2009) at page 251 gives the date Lincoln’s funeral train reached Springfield.

Producers - Robert Redford, Brian Falk, Bill Holderman, Greg Shapiro and Robert Stone

Director - Robert Redford

Screenplay - James D. Solomon

Released  - September 11, 2010

Runtime – 2 hours 3 minutes

Starring –

James McAvoy as Frederick Aiken

Robin Wright as Mary Surratt

Justin Long as Nicholas Baker

Evan Rachel Wood as Anna Surratt

Johnny Simmons as John Surratt

Toby Kebbell as John Wilkes Booth

Tom Wilkinson as Senator Reverdy Johnson

Norman Reedus as Lewis Payne

Alexis Bledel as Sarah Weston

Kevin Kline as Edwin Stanton

Danny Huston as Brig. Gen. Joseph Holt

Stephen Root as John M. Lloyd

Jonathan Groff as Louis Weichmann

John Cullum as Judge Wylie

Brent F.G. Feasel as Lord Dundreary

Kirk Sparks as Edmund Spangler

Colm Meaney as Maj. Gen. David Hunter

Shea Whigham as Capt. Cottingham

James Badge Dale as William Hamilton

Jim True-Frost as Brig. Gen. John F. Hartranft

Gerald Bestrom as Abraham Lincoln

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

May 2 - The Six Wives of Henry VIII: Part 2 - Anne Boleyn

Today’s film is a period drama with a scene that happens on May 2. I hope you will enjoy this movie and watch it tonight.

THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII: PART 2 – ANNE BOLEYN         

After the birth of the Princess Elizabeth, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn are happy for a while. However, Anne soon begins to suspect Henry is involved with other women.  Anne becomes pregnant again, she hopes with a son. Lady Rochford, the wife of Anne’s brother George, out of spite, plots with Thomas Cromwell, the Chancellor  to bring Anne down. Cromwell speaks to Henry about Anne, saying that the people blame the King for the deaths of Catherine of Aragon and Thomas More, which they think were caused by  Henry’s involvement with Anne. Anne gives birth to a stillborn son, sealing her fate, as Henry blames her for this. He begins to listen to those who accuse Anne of infidelity. Cromwell starts pressing various men under torture to admit they had sexual relations with Anne.  Anne is arrested and taken to the Tower of London on May 2, 1536. [38:56 to 41:13] Anne’s alleged lovers are convicted of treason. With her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk presiding, Anne is put on trial for treason and convicted. Henry has already selected Jane Seymour as wife number three. Cromwell and the King want Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to get Anne to agree to a divorce, but she refuses. Anne’s accused lovers are executed. Cranmer hears Anne’s last confession in which she steadfastly denies her guilt. Anne is executed by being beheaded. 

A tragic story of injustice. Anne dies because of something outside her control, the inability to have a son. A classic case of a political show trial because as Anne says the verdict was determined before her trial ever started.

The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir (Ballantine Books, New York, 2010) at pages 136-144 gives the date she was arrested

Director  - Naomi Capon

Producer - Mark Shivas and Ronald Travers

Awards - . The film won the Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a leading Role (Keith Michell) Emmy award. It was also nominated for the Outstanding   Drama Series, Outstanding New Series, Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a leading role in a dramatic series (Keith Michell) and the Outstanding Single Program, drama or comedy at the 24^th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Screenplay - Nick McCarty 

Runtime - 1 hour 30 minutes                  

Released - January 8, 1970                         

Starring –

Keith Michell as Henry VIII of England

Dorothy Tutin as Anne Boleyn

Patrick Troughton as the Duke of Norfolk

Bernard Hepton as Archbishop Thomas Cranmer

Sheila Burrel as Lady Rochford

Michael Osborne as Mark Smeaton

Jonathan Newth as George Boleyn

Wolfe Morris as Thomas Cromwell

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014. 

May 1 - A Civil Action

Today’s movie is a courtroom drama with a scene that happens on May 1. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

A CIVIL ACTION            

Jan Schlichtman is a high powered, high profile, personal injury attorney who’s so good that most of his cases settle before trial. One of his associates is asked to handle the case of children who died in Woburn, Massachusetts, allegedly from contaminated water. Jan thinks this case is a loser so he volunteers to go to Woburn and tell Anne Anderson why he won’t take the case. On the way out of town he gets a speeding ticket on the bridge over the river. He walks around and discovers that subsidiaries of Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace, deep pocket companies operate in the area. He files a lawsuit against them and Cheeseman , the lawyer from Grace files a Rule 11 frivolous lawsuit motion against him, that is denied by the judge. Jan starts geologic investigations of the area and deposing the defendants. One defense witness, Al Love says he saw dumping of toxic waste, but refuses to name names. The plaintiffs are deposed by the defense attorneys. Jan gets a court order that allows him to examine the defendant’s land and drill test wells on it. The expenses of the case are soon putting a heavy strain on the firm’s finances and Jerome Facher, attorney for Beatrice offers to settle by paying Jan’s expenses to date, but Jan refuses. Then on May 1, 1985 Al Love visits with and talks to Anne Anderson, who lives across the street from him. [43:54 to 45:33] Al and another witness testify that there was large scale dumping of chemicals. A settlement conference is unsuccessful and the trial starts. There is months of presentation of boring scientific testimony showing how the chemicals could have gotten into the drinking water as Jan’s firm slowly goes bankrupt.  At the end of this testimony the judge asks the jury to find if the contamination was caused by the defendants. While the jury is deliberating Facher offers Jan $20 million to settle with Beatrice, which Jan refuses.  The jury finds no contamination was caused by Beatrice and they are dismissed from the case.  Although the case continues against W.R. Grace, they are finally forced to settle the case for $8 million, which barely pays their expenses and gives each family only $375,000. Jan’s firm dissolves. Later Al Love reveals that he was paid to haul off illegally dumped chemicals from the site. Jan ships all his documents to the EPA which indicts Beatrice on criminal charges and makes Grace and Beatrice pay for a cleanup. Jan ends up filing bankruptcy, but later starts  practicing environmental law.  

An interesting courtroom procedural on one of the pioneering private environmental law suits. Manages to keep the storyline moving so it doesn’t become a snoozer. Has some touches of self-deprecating humor that keep it fresh. Travolta’s slightly sarcastically toned narration makes this film.

A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr (Random House, New York, 1995) at page 168 gives this date for their meeting

Producers - Scott Rudin, Steven Zaillian, David Wisnievitz, Robert Redford, Rachel

                    Pfeffer, David McGiffert and Henry J. Golas

Director  - Steven Zaillian

Screenplay - Steven Zaillian

Awards - The film was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall) and

                 Best Cinematography Oscars at the 71^st Academy Awards.

                       

Released - December 25, 1998

Runtime - 1 hour 55 minutes

Starring -

John Travolta as Jan Schlichtmann

Tony Shalhoub as Kevin Conway

William H. Macy as James Gordon

Zeljko Ivanek as Bill Crowley

Kathleen Quinlan as Anne Anderson

Mary Mara as Kathy Boyer

Robert Duvall as Jerome Facher

Bruce Norris as William Cheeseman

Peter Jacobson as Neil Jacobs

Sydney Pollack as Al Eustis

John Lithgow as Judge Walter J. Skinner

Dan Hedaya as John Riley

James Gandolfini as Al Love

Stephen Fry as Dr. George Pinder