StanleyWheeler

     The Master of Ballantrae (1953) is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's book of the same name. It's directed by William Keighley and stars Errol Flynn, Roger Livesey, and Anthony Steel.  If you're not familiar with the summer of '45, when the young pretender did arrive and the defeat of the Jacobins in April of 1746 at Culloden Field, you might still enjoy this movie. Errol Flynn plays one of two Scottish brothers at the heart of this story. He elects to support Bonnie Prince Charlie, leaving his younger brother to side with the British so that whichever side prevailed, one of them would be on the winning side. The plot is complicated by the fact that Jamie (Flynn) is in love with or perhaps even engaged to Lady Allison (played by Beatrice Campbell) and yet also favors a comely serving wench, Jessie Brown (played by Yvonne Furneaux). When Jamie is on the run from the British, Jessie, angered by Jamie's willingness to cast her aside to marry Lady Allison, slips wor...

 Showing without telling: When I was in grade school, we sometimes had show and tell. Somebody would have something cool to show, a new toy or a fossil or a new puppy, and they would show us the cool new thing and talk about it. Some of us never had anything cool to show, but we did have an experience to share. I'm reminded of the time I told the story about getting cow manure in my mouth but blew the ending when in my excitement I said "on my foot" instead of "in my mouth" and thus didn't get the response I was expecting. Anyway, it's a short and not-all-that-entertaining-tale, but I still remember the taste. My point, if I had one, was that now we're told over and over "Show. Don't tell." I'm firmly committed to doing whichever one I want. No one is the boss of me. Seriously, I think it's better to show than tell, most of the time. However, if that show takes three chapters, three pages, or three paragraphs of boring details o...

 I'm trying something different today. Today's post can be   found on my substack. Check it out.  

   I don't know why this book came to mind today. Maybe I've still got the  Five Card Stud  movie on my mind. I know the theme song comes into my head a couple times per day. Whatever the reason, I opened Justice Resurgent , the sequel to Justice in Season , and reviewed the first chapter. The excerpts below don't do the chapter justice (no pun intended) but I think they do provide a peek at the initial trauma set up for my Trama, Drama, and Dream theory/system for creating memorable stories. Sheriff Upton has gathered a posse to make a surprise visit to our hero, McBride, and the other members of the vigilance committee. Harmony Rivers has discovered the corrupt sheriff's plan and needs to warn McBride.   Excerpts from Justice Resurgent, Chapter One: Harmony Rivers, from behind the open door of her balcony overlooking the street, watched them ride out. Although she would not be performing until the evening, she had pulled her red tresses back and had placed a c...