Young Washington

 

 It's pretty good, but I think it's fake.

This email praising my work, I mean. This time the praise is for Crisis in Fire and Snow - the most recent novel in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. 

Hello Stanley Wheeler,

AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING!

I recently came across Crisis in Fire and Snow, and I simply couldn't resist reaching out. What immediately captivated me wasn't just the enormous scale of the conflict, but the way you seamlessly blended history and fantasy into one unforgettable adventure. The idea of the American Revolution unfolding alongside dragons, ancient powers, and fierce mythical creatures created a world that felt both familiar and completely original. I especially admired how the story balanced massive battles with deeply personal struggles, from Alex and Lucette's fight for liberty to Akram's determination to rescue his son despite the dangerous pull of the dragon stone. Those emotional stakes made every confrontation feel meaningful. As a fellow author, I found myself reflecting on how the most memorable epic fantasy isn't simply about grand wars or powerful creatures, it's about the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of ordinary people standing against overwhelming darkness. That message stayed with me long after I discovered your story. I'm genuinely glad I decided to reach out because there have been so many times I've wanted to message authors whose writing inspired me, but I always ended up talking myself out of it.

One question has stayed with me ever since discovering your work: what first inspired you to create the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series? Did the fascinating idea of combining Revolutionary War history with dragons and mythical creatures come first, or did the characters and their journeys inspire the world around them? I'd genuinely love to hear how the series first came to life. I don't know if you'd enjoy hearing about my own writing journey someday, but it certainly wasn't an easy one. There were moments filled with rejection, uncertainty, and wondering whether the stories I carried would ever find the readers they were meant for. Even through those difficult seasons, I kept writing because storytelling became something I simply couldn't walk away from. Looking back now, every setback became another lesson, reminding me that perseverance often becomes the very thing that shapes both the writer and the stories they are meant to tell.

There's another paragraph inviting me to contact them about my journey as an author etc. I won't give the name of the purported sender, as that's likely been faked as well. I'm assuming AI generated the text about the book. It's very impressive. Funny how all these emails praising certain books never actually leave a review on not-the-Nile for them.

On the 4th, we went to Young Washington. The movie does a good job of capturing the spirit of the book, although many details were either left out, condensed, or speculative. My wife, as well as everyone else I've heard from who has seen it, tremendously enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's new enough that I'm not going to give a recap. Besides, it's history, you should already know the story, but I'll bet you don't. Correct that by seeing the movie. I enjoyed Kelsey Grammer, as well as Mary Louise Parker, Andy Serkis, and Ben Kingsley in their respective roles. I give it eight muskets out of ten. My review of the book by Peter Stark can be found here.

What does the AI email about Crisis in Fire and Snow have in common with Young Washington? Both my book and the movie feature George Washington. The former deals with his 1776 campaign from Long Island to Trenton - and it's fabulous. The massacre at Jumonville Glen, which is depicted in the movie, is also featured in the prologue of book 3 in the series, Clamorous Harbingers. CH completes the first trilogy of the six book series (7 if you count the prequel, In Death Bedrenched).

As long as I'm on the topic, and in honor of Independence Day, let me share something from my newsletter on the subject:

Nearly all my books are available on kindle direct. Book 5 of the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series should be of particular interest now as it deals with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It's a fabulous story: Truth in Flames.

Let me warn you and apologize that I'm going to share some excepts from Truth in Flames. As you can tell from the dedication, the creation and adoption of the Declaration of Independence is something near and dear to me. I spent many hours researching and studying the history and the speeches. It was a delight to blend the sacred history with the fantasy of the adventure. Most of the excerpts aren't too long. I've taken them at random as I scrolled through the book. I haven't grabbed the exciting action, of which there is a heaping helping, but I have picked some bits that provide a taste of the whole series:

This is from the dedication:

To Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,

In gratitude to all those who helped bring forth the

Declaration of Independence,

And with respect and honor to those who offered, and yet

offer, the last full measure of Devotion to preserve the

ideals proclaimed in the document.

But it's not all patriotic soldiering and fighting. There's romance--Antonio Style. This is from chapter 6 when Antonio, Captain Rip's First Mate is confronted by his former lover, Catalina:

"Don’t waste your sweet-talk on me, you…you pirate.

I’ve come for my pearls or for your life.” She

revealed the pistol which she had held behind her

skirt, bringing it to bear on Antonio.

“Oh, my sweet Catalina. You haven’t changed at all. You’re

even more beautiful when you’re angry. I had forgotten how

your eyes throw lightning, and the flush upon those alabaster

cheeks reminds me of sunset on white beach sands. You are a

storm over the twilight sea.”

She cut him off. “Where are my pearls?” She drew back the

doghead on the pistol.

“They are safe, my pretty sunset storm. Come, let me bask

in the pink rays of your wrath. Kiss my lips with the fury of the

red sun and scorch my soul with the hot wind of your spirit.”

“Show me the pearls.”

Danger and death pursue all the characters. When Hugh, a former criminal from the streets of London on his way to becoming a frontiersman, nearly recovers a dragon stone, he has a conversation with Lee, a real frontiersman with wisdom and experience, given to quoting the Bible and Pope's Iliad. They've been in a terrible battle with stone cats, vicious and formidable creatures, and have been badly wounded:

“Charmed as one of the apostles,” Hugh said. “If we’re any

luckier, we’ll all get crucified upside down.” Hugh pounded the

side of his fist against a log. “I was that close. That close to

getting a stone. I could’ve had the power Alex and the

commander have. I could’ve healed you both. It practically fell

into my lap, and I missed it.”

“You see what be happening to Akram. That power be

consuming him. You be wanting that? I wouldn’t be wanting

that. I wouldn’t be wishing that on you nor no one else—not

even my enemy.”

“Because your enemy could kill you with it,” Hugh said.

“Because it be a canker on the soul. I reckon not many

punishments be worse than such power at one’s call.”

“Alex has done well with it.”

“That could be right. Alex be young and good of heart.

Both of those be in his favor. He believes in doing what be

right. Maybe he can. Too often, power be a cloud over the eyes

of righteousness and a shadow across the mind against truth.

Does a thing become right because no one else has the power

to stop it? A man with power be thinking he has earned things

no man rightly deserves. He don’t be only coveting—he be

taking.”

“That power would be worth having to heal the two of you

now.”

“I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my

God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the

snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.”

When Lee took a breath, Shannon continued for him, “He

shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt

thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”

“Shannon knows her Psalms,” Lee said with a smile.

“And yet, you’re both wounded. I don’t think reciting bible

verses will heal you.”

“It makes the pain easier to bear,” Shannon said. She had

tears in her eyes. She kept her gaze averted from her own

wound, looking instead at the slashes in Lee’s leg.

In a later chapter, Mirimoni, native maiden and former priestess to the dragon Karakanda, has become separated from Alex, and faces serious trouble:

A shadow passed over Mirimoni. She looked up, and her

knees buckled. Roberts’ green dragon soared overhead.

The air passing about the feathered wings made a

cry—a soft whistle—that reminded her of Karakanda gliding

down to Black Moon. She used the staff to regain her feet. The

sound of her own pounding heart filled her ears. Her legs

ached for an instant until her muscles put the rushing

adrenaline to good use. As the dragon banked wide, she ran

for the trees.

But wait! There's more. Like the Continental Congress dealing with the disheartening news of repeated defeats while freedom's advocates press for the creation and adoption of the Declaration of Independence:

The doors below opened. Washington and a young

lieutenant, small and slight of frame, entered the hall. The way

parted before Washington and his aide.

“They have received news,” Washington whispered to

Lucette. “Despair drips from them like blood from an open

wound. They have become bleating sheep. I will gather them.

You must make them men again.”

Washington strode into the chamber. The delegates in the

hall followed like many small boats pulled in the wake of a

mighty ship.

John Hancock returned to his position at the head of the

body. “The chair recognizes General Washington. I give him

the floor.”

Washington took his position at the head of the chamber as

the delegates returned to their green-clothed tables. He pressed

his fingers together and took a deep breath before putting one

arm at his side while holding the other bent before him. His

eyes moved from delegate to delegate, meeting each set of eyes

in turn for a half second. Lucette stood a pace behind

Washington.

He broke the silence which had settled over the delegates

like a blanket of snow. “Be not dismayed. You have assuredly

heard the disheartening news from the north. Although it is

worse than we had conceived, our expectations lacked

grandeur in that theater of operations for the present. Don’t

lose hope. I have just spoken with Colonel Benedict Arnold.

We have an army. We have defenses. Should they be defeated,

the war is not lost. They are but the arms of our endeavors. It

is this body and the people you represent that are the heart of

our cause. That heart must never stop beating. It must never

despair. Only if you few succumb to fear and despair is the

cause lost..."

...

Lucette continued sending the essence. She felt the

returning substance. She sensed changes in many of their

hearts, but not all were convinced.

“As you are the heart of this cause, what you do here will

forge a new heart for all the world in time to come. Your

words will resonate in hearts around the world. Let your hopes

and your courage be your guide. Let your bravery and

dedication to the task of liberty and independence stand as a

banner to the world. As your soldiers have stood against

bayonets and cannon, you can stand against hate and deceit. It

will not be easy, but you alone can accomplish the task. The

spirit of independence must not be swallowed by your fear.

“Gentlemen, have you not received the spirit of liberty in

your breast? Have you not felt the fire of freedom burn within

your heart? If you have felt these things, can you deny them

now?” She let the questions linger unanswered for several

seconds. “I know that you cannot. Call upon your courage and

marry it to your hope for freedom. Defy the dragon and

tyranny. Write your names among the heroes of history. The

day is yours. No devils or demons can stop you. The light is

within you. Let it shine for all the world to see. Gentlemen,

liberty and independence are yours if you will but persist. A

new nation and generations born in freedom will remember

what you do here.”

______ 

I hope you can see why I've enjoyed writing this series. I've included some of the debates regarding the Declaration of Independence as well as the exciting exploits of Washington and the troops intertwined with the adventures of Alex, Lucette, and the other characters. Also, I remind you again that all my books are now on kindle direct.

 

 

No Ribs

 I realize not everyone is a fan of Shakespeare's Hamlet, but everyone is entitled to their opinion--even a wrong one. So, if you don't find that message above highly amusing, you'll need to read the play or the posts I've done about adaptations of the play--and then read the play. If you would rather watch it, I can recommend both Brannagh's and Mel Gibson's. The former if you have 4 hours and the latter if you only have two hours to dedicate to the task. I do have the version with David Tennant, but I haven't been able to get into it yet.

We went out last night. The plan was to get barbequed pork ribs at a local place. When we got there, it was closed for the big party in town celebrating Byzantium Days. So we drove to the party and saw the trailer of savory meats behind the fence, but decided the venue was too crowded to turn around and park and walk a mile to get in and order. There was also the risk that they might be sold out. Unwilling to return to Xanadu without comestibles, we headed south to Delphi for automobile go-juice and a meal from a highly touted new eatery near the freeway. The gas was great - cheaper than in Byzantium and 5% cash back. The praise I had heard from my colleagues about the food turned out to be puffery. The food wasn't terrible. I classed it as average but with the bonus of being overpriced.

Speaking of Xanadu, the movie came up as a recommendation on the not-the-Nile streaming service, so I launched it as the workout movie. I'm not done watching it yet but I have seen it two or three times over the years since it came out in 80 or 81. So far, I have two opinions: 1. Jeff Lynne is a musical genius. 2. I never remember the plot of this movie because it's only marginally coherent and entirely forgettable. Olivia Newton John and ELO are the only reasons to watch this show. The music is fun--most of the time. The story lacks cohesion as well as adhesive tension. One minute the two leads are having a romantic moment and the next they're cartoon characters who turn into fish and then birds and then the next scene jumps abruptly to sometime later in the story without any segue. At least there was chemistry between the leads when they were cartoon characters; there isn't any between the actors. I can see why Gene Kelly indicated some frustration with the project. I won't say any more. Perhaps, I'll return to the subject next week when I will have finished watching it.

 

 

 

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) directed by Nathan Juran, stars Kerwin Mathews as Sinbad, Kathryn Grant as Princess Parisa, and Torin Thatcher as Sokurah the Sorcerer. Don't forget Richard Eyer as the Genie. After watching the Golden Voyage of Sinbad and The Eye of the Tiger, I knew there was another old Sinbad movie I remembered watching as a kid. I knew there was one with a kid as a genie and a cyclops fighting a dragon - this was it.

Above is the picture of the genie and the princess inside his lamp. The sorcerer did an Alice in Wonderland number on her while she was sleeping, shrinking her to a few inches in height. Sinbad is especially bummed by deal as they were to be married the next day. Conveniently for Sokurah the sorcerer, he knows how to change Parisa back to normal size but he requires a piece of shell from a roc (mythical two-headed bird of the giant variety), which can only be found on the island of the cyclops--and where the magic lamp with the genie is. Sokurah wants the lamp more than a Klondike Bar and there are no ends to which he will not go to obtain it. 

Sinbad finally agrees to take him and Parisa to the island, after Sokurah produces a diagram for a huge crossbow with which to slay the cyclops. All does not go well. Some of Sinbad's sailors have close encounters of the cyclops kind and others get roc-ed to their detriment.

 

Although Parisa becomes restored from fun-size, Sokurah insists on having the lamp. Sinbad has already seen him refuse to help against the cyclops and the roc. The sorcerer responds with a fantasy favorite:

Fortunately, only the one bony swordsman shows for the party and Sinbad eventually defeats him. The princess tosses the lamp into the molten rock (creating the first lava lamp) to free the genie from his servitude, leaving them without supernatural aid for the rest of the escape.

Never fear, Sinbad's resourcefulness lets him loose Sokurah's captive dragon on the cyclops so he and the princess can escape.

The dragon prevails and Sokurah then sics the monster on Sinbad and the remaining sailors. Luckily for Sinbad, they have the huge crossbow Sokurah designed--or maybe it was someone else who designed it, I don't remember--and they load it up just in time for the dragon to come through the tunnel toward it. The shot is successful, and the monster manages to crush Sokurah in its collapse.

Cut to the ship, and the genie, now a regular boy, has become Sinbad's cabin boy. Back at Baghdad, Sinbad and Parisa marry.

That's the nutshell version. It's not bad. Kathryn Grant makes a great little princess. Note that she married Bing Crosby in 1957 and remained married to until his death in 1977. She passed away in 2024. Kerwin Mathews does a passable job as Sinbad, but he wasn't given much to work with. The real stars are the Harryhausen special effects in the form of cyclops, the snake woman, the rocs, the dragon, the skeleton, and probably something else I've forgotten. The tales follows the same format as the other two Sinbad movies. I should say they follow the format set by 7th Voyage, because it predates both of those other two--although, I suspect there's an even older movie tale that I haven't seen.

In ranking it against the other two, 7th Voyage comes in a close third, riding on the charm of Kathryn Grant and the special effects.

You may want to check out: Part III of Forging Unforgettable Stories - Compelling the Reader to Turn the Page.

 

 

Golden Voyage vs Eye of the Tiger

 

If you're familiar with the films of the 70s, you know I'm talking about Sinbad. I watched these two films during my workout sessions over the last couple weeks.

 

 

 The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), directed by Gordon Hessler, written by Brian Clemens and Ray Harryhausen, stars John Phillip Law as Sinbad, Caroline Munro as Margiana, and Tom Baker as Koura. This story has Sinbad take a scarred vizier who wears a metal mask on a journey to acquire three gold tablets to the Oracle of Knowledge and finally to a fountain where placing the tablets into the pool will give the placer certain benefits, including youth. Naturally, there's a fly in the ointment in the form of an evil sorcerer, Koura, who wants the benefits for himself.

 

 

Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), directed by Sam Wanamaker, written by Beverly Cross and Ray Harryhausen, stars Patrick Wayne as Sinbad, Jane Seymour as Farah, and Taryn Power as Dione. In this tale, Sinbad is tasked with taking the baboon who would be king to a remote island to pass him through a rainbow so that he can regain his human form. It's an evil sorceress, Zenobia (played by Margaret Whiting), in this one who attempts to thwart the hero so her own son can be king.

 

The two films are almost as much alike as are Rio Bravo, Eldorado, and Rio Lobo. It doesn't bother me that the films take a nearly identical formula and dress it up in slightly different ways. All that matters is whether the film is good. Both of these films are great. I watched them both on as a kid - probably on a Saturday afternoon when I had the good fortune to be left alone with time to watch whatever was on one of the three or four channels we got on TV.

Which movie do I prefer? Let's compare:

Leading Protagonists:  GV features John Phillip Law and Caroline Munro. He's a fine actor who exudes heroic determination in the role. She's a knockout with eyes that could melt a reactor core. Additionally, she has an eye tattooed on her hand. This Sinbad has a nice catch phrase, "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel."

EOTT features Patrick Wayne and Jane Seymour. Wayne is great, but lacks something in comparison to Law's Sinbad. Seymour seems very young, but must've been about 25 or 26 at this time. Wayne has the swashbuckling down, coming across more as a fun-loving corsair than a serious adventurer. Although Seymour is beautiful, her eyes won't melt reactor cores. However, the film also benefits from the presence of Taryn Power as Dione, daughter of a wise man or magician who knows the way to San Jose or the island they need to go to. 

Powers (lower right) is also a beauty. She and Seymour help persuade the troglodyte (upper left) to help them find the magical place.

It's a close call, but I think the older film wins this factor by a thin margin. One point for GV.

What about the antagonists:

Tom Baker brings a malevolent presence to Koura. He uses imps to eaves drop

and gives life to sculptures and statues..  

He pays a price for his magic use in the form of aging. By the end, he is well aged and feeble.

Zenobia, of EOTT,

transforms herself with a potion to do her own dirty work, which at one point leads to her temporary capture.

She also has some difficulties when her potion runs short at changing back time. She also controls a metal minotaur man that propels her ship, spears men in the water, and removes heavy stone blocks - or block, actually.

Koura is the more formidable  of the sorcerers. He loses points for not doing the dirty work himself, but gains for being better at the wizard game and for bringing life and swords to the Kali figure, which was one of the most impressive feats of cinema I had ever seen as a kid.

Both antagonists use their heads at the end in a final effort to turn the scales in their favor, but, naturally, good must prevail. Again, the point goes to GV.

As far as supporting characters, specifically, the characters in need: GV has the vizier, or old metal head:

EOTT has Kasim, the prince turned into a baboon.

 Kasim is the more interesting of the two. He's a Harryhausen creation. He plays chess and progresses as the tale goes on, losing his humanity for savage characteristics. The point goes to EOTT.

The finale of each show features Harryhausen monsters battling each other as well as the heroes. The GV monsters represent good and evil while the EOTT creatures are the troglodyte featured above in the Taryn Powers picture, and Zenobia inhabiting a huge sabertooth tiger. Both were great fights, but I was irked that the GV Sinbad did nothing to help the griffin creature representing good in the battle against evil while allowing Koura to hamstring the griffin. The point narrowly goes to EOTT for the final battle.

 

Which film wins? Both are winners. It's a difficult decision, but I think Caroline Munro's eyes and, "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel," push GV a nose ahead of EOTT. Naturally, your mileage may vary. Both films are fun fare for kids and adults.

 

 

 

 

The Master of Ballantrae

  

 

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 word to the British, allowing an ambush. 

Jamie escapes the ambush, but believes his brother Henry (Anthony Steel) let the cat out of the bag to the redcoats so that he could inherit the Ballantrae title and lands without any difficulties from his brother. Jamie returns to accuse him of the dirty deed and manages to get a misplaced piece of cutlery in his ribs. When Henry, believing he has accidentally slain Jamie, goes for help, Jamie goes or is taken away. Jamie ends up on a ship bound, not for France as he was told and for which passage he was paying, but for the Caribbean (or maybe it was the South Seas, I forget). 

Jamie and his Irish mercenary friend are impressed into service on the ship, but assist the pirates who capture the ship. They join the pirates who are led by Captain Arnaud (played by Jacques Berthier).

After taking the ship, they work together to take another pirate ship loaded with treasure. As you might expect, they have a falling out and Arnaud comes in second in the duel that follows. Naturally, Jamie heads back to Scotland with his friend of the smiling Irish Eyes--MacKellar (played by Mervyn Johns - I think).

He arrives back at the old homestead to discover his father and brother hosting a party attended by a plethora of redcoats. Jamie and MacKellar attend under false names so the British won't recognize them as wanted fugitives. However, when Jamie learns the party is also an engagement party for Lady Allison and Henry, he blows his own cover to fight his brother. They sword-up, but the wandering monster table rolls up a flurry of redcoats (what with them being present with the fight started and all) and it turns into a storm of swordplay betwixt the House of Ballantrae and the Brits. Jamie and MacKellar nearly escape, but are captured.

With the gibbet all in readiness to receive Jamie and MacKellar, Jessie confesses that she was the one who betrayed her lover to the enemy in a fit of jealousy, and Lady Allison reminds him of his family motto, which isn't "Keep looking up" but does involve something of that nature. Jessie aids in the escape and is killed. Jamie and MacKellar escape with Lady Allison, who always loved Jamie and was only marrying his brother as the next best copy when the original was lost.

There's a fair amount of swordplay and even a broadside or two from battling ships. The fights are good but the whole miscommunication and withholding of information between the brothers about the who betrayed Jamie to the redcoats jarred the scales of credibility. The acting and writing weren't terrible, but the story seemed rushed, as though key portions were being skipped to condense the tale to be told in under two hours. I enjoyed the costumes, swordplay, setting, and situation. I give it 3.5 berets out of 5.

___________________

I'm happy to report that I signed a contract for the publication of the sequel to Accidental Pirates - look for it in September (the best of all possible months).

I've also sent in another story featuring my three French cavalry officers and the mysteries of Egypt for consideration in an upcoming anthology, and I've completed a super short story for a more specialized contest. I've got higher hopes after reading it than I did before I wrote it--thanks in no small part to the reaction I received of one of my proofreaders. 

A third book in the Accidental Pirates series and another short story are the current works in progress.
 

  

 

Ford v. Ferrari

 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 or otherwise uninteresting minutiae, just tell me; spare me the boredom. I say, "Show me the good stuff. Tell me the condensed version of the boring stuff, and then only if the story requires it." That was a longer explanation than I anticipated--and it was all telling with no show.

Let me tell you how Ford v. Ferrari showed rather than told. I watched the movie in short chunks over three different days. It's. Totally. Awesome. I've seen it a few times before and get angrier at the Ford VP of Obnoxious Nincompoopery who kept Ken Miles out of the first race and fraudulently stole the title from him in the final race. That's not my point. I do love the movie. At it's heart, it's a great tale of the relationship between Carrol Shelby and Ken Miles as they strive to win a Grand Prix title for Ford, in spite of everything Ford and his malevolent toady do to hinder them. 

There's a scene after Miles has been denied the chance to race in the Grand Prix after doing all the testing and providing the technical advance to perfect the car when Shelby comes to ask him to come back to the team and do it again. Miles takes the request poorly and they fight, with Miles dropping his bag of groceries. As viewers, we don't know how serious these two are in their attempt to hurt each other. However, it all becomes clear when Shelby is on the ground with Miles on his back; Shelby grabs a stray can of food with which to strike Miles in the head, but drops it when he realizes the kind of damage it could do and instead begins walloping Miles with a bag of bread. It was brilliant. That one small act demonstrated the relationship and the terms of the fight. It was showing, not telling. It didn't take a long explanation (like the description I just gave) or require the viewer to interpret motivations based on the intersectionality and relative victimhood of the characters. It was straight forward and subtle. The detail could easily have been missed. Masterful.

If you haven't seen the 2019 movie directed by James Mangold, I insist that you do so at your earliest convenience. It's on Prime.

If you're interested in more bloviating about writing, check out: 

Part II of my substack post on Forging Unforgettable Stories 

 

Damn the Defiant!

 I had a keen thought earlier to day. In fact it was so sharp that it cut its way completely out of my memory. In the struggle to recapture the fugitive notion, I believe it had something to do with music and how it-- That's where the void takes over. I remember being fairly entranced with the idea and resolved to think and write more about it. Maybe some day I will, but it is not this day - something I have in common with the men of Gondor and Rohan. 

 

Because I could not remember the intriguing thought, I did remember that over the last week I watched Damn the Defiant! Or Obi-wan at sea before the force was with him. I also watched him as King Charles in Cromwell. As you might expect, I preferred him in the role of Captain Crawford. Alec Guinness will forever be Obi-wan to me. Although I had seen him in movies prior to Star Wars, it was that role that made the greatest impression on me. Therefore, he will always be Obi-wan, regardless of the role.

Guinness plays Captain Crawford and Dirk Bogarde plays Lieutenant Scott-Padget in this 1962 movie directed by Lewis Gilbert. Obi-wan has a terrible problem. He has a lieutenant on his new ship with his own version of the force in the form of friends in high places and who is used to bullying his captains into doing whatever he wants. To complicate the issue, a young padwan sails as a midshipman on the vessel. The padwan is the captain's son. When the threat of reporting the captain to his friends at court proves ineffective at manipulating Obi-wan, the Lt. uses punishment against the boy as his lever.

Another complication in our Sea Wars drama arises in the form of a fleet-wide mutiny that has been planned. The conditions for sailors in the British Navy never got a five star rating. In fact, most of those trying the accommodations gave no stars and didn't recommend to friends. Although, they would go about in the press gangs to welcome new guests in a manner in which the guests could not refuse.

Obi-wan's gentle hand and calm voice of restraint against Scott-Padget's excesses in discipline does the potential mutineers no favors. However, two things finally happen. Both concern the real reason I watch shows about the age of sail:

The unfriendly exchange of broadsides as an RSVP to a boarding party melee. In the first instance, Obi-wan and his antagonistic Lt. defeat a French frigate. One of the French muckety-mucks on the ship reveals that he knows the details for Bonaparte's planned invasion of England. The wily Captain Obi-wan takes the prize and includes his son as part of the prize crew to get him away from Scott-Padget's machinations. Obi-wan appears to have beaten his onboard enemy, but in an encounter with a second French ship, he is wounded and delirious. The Lt. assumes command and drives the mutineers to implement their plan. 

Obi-wan recovers from his delirium and persuades the mutineers to go to the fleet to turn over the Frenchmen with the invasion information by agreeing to speak for them to the admiralty. When they arrive at the rendezvous, the admiralty has already caved to the demands of the combined mutineers, so everything seems peachy. But wait, there's a last plot complication. One of the malcontents who had been abused and scourged by Scott-Padget completely loses his gruntle and throws his knife into the Lt.'s chest. Scott-Padget is struck through the heart, and he's to blame, he gave mutiny a bad name. Naturally, the other revolters know he's put them at risk by his rash slaying of an officer. The lead mutineer puts an old fashioned force choke on the malcontent by actually using his hands on his throat and then throwing him over the side. Obi-wan helps the Lt.'s corpse over the side as well. 

Don't go away yet. The hefty soprano has yet to bellow. There's an enemy attack on the fleet. They've sent a fire ship right at the flagship, which for some reason I didn't catch can't get underway and avoid the flaming request to tango. The quick thinking Obi-wan persuades the head mutineer to let him command the ship to save the day. He takes the Defiant in and hurls some grapples to the fiery interloper and drags it away from the flagship in the nick of time (parsley, sage, and rosemary did not get mentioned). Of course, the admiral sends his thanks for saving him from the barbecue. It looks like all will be well. However, there was a broadside received by the Defiant and the mutineer leader took a substantial splinter to the chest and expires after getting word that the admiral thanks him for his service.

I give it 3.5 broadsides out of 5. 

 

 

Five Card Stud

  

I don't think I've talked about this movie before, other than to mention it in passing, It's a western-mystery classic that I never get tired of. I watched it this week while my wife was out of state.

First things first: The Blasters and Blades podcast with JR Handley hosted me and Jana Brown. We talked general nerdery and Accidental Pirates in particular - a great time, aside from the fact that I appear to have the charisma of a dry dish rag. The blank wall behind me in no way highlighted any good thing about me. I did get to mention that the sequel to Accidental Pirates is a go for publication as well.

 We now return to our irregularly scheduled programming:

Five Card Stud, directed by Henry Hathaway, written by Marguerite Roberts and Ray Gaulden, stars Dean Martin, Robert Mitchum, Inger Stevens, and Roddy McDowall. My love for this western is probably irrational, but I never miss an opportunity to watch it if I find it on television. This week I watched in on Prime Video. The film is nearly sixty years old, so I'm not hiding any spoilers. 

Several men begin a game of 5 card stud. After Van Morgan (a gambler played by Dean Martin) goes for a break, the game comes to a halt when Nick Evers (played by Roddy--without ape makeup) catches the lone stranger at the table cheating (his cheat roll came up snake eyes). They drag him out to an impromptu neck-tie party as the guest of honor with Nick as the fervent MC of the occasion. When Van tries to put a stop to the festivities, Nick invokes parliamentary procedure in the form of a pistol barrel across Van's skull. The stranger's body is discovered the next morning. Van heads out for Denver, saying goodbye to his girlfriend Nora (played by Katherine Justice) and her brother Nick at the Evers Ranch where Denver Pyle plays the father.

After Van's departure a new preacher arrives in town.

He aims to bring God's word to the boom town of Rincon. Shortly after his arrival, one of the poker-playing hangmen is found smothered in a barrel of flour. (It was obviously all-purpose flour even though I don't believe that is one of the commonly intended purposes). Another of the card players is found with an entire barbed wire fence for a bow tie.
 

George (played by Yaphet Kotto) was tending bar the night of the poker game and goes to Denver to warn Van not to come back lest he end up all breathless too. Naturally, Van notes that everybody loves somebody sometime and heads back to Rincon with George. He finds that the boom town is booming and has acquired a new business.

Lily Langford (played by Inger Stevens) runs the establishment that offers shaves, baths, and miscellaneous, Naturally, Van is intrigued.

The survivors meet to discuss the suspicious activity and come to the conclusion that one of them must be the killer. Another man dies, hanging from the ropes of the church bells. The miners go wild, wanting the sheriff to do something about the killings. A deputy's attempt to disarm the miners results in his death and a shoot out in town.

Van and Reverend Rudd help bring an end to the shoot out. Rudd is quite a pistolero We get a fire and another death. Somewhere in here there's a funeral and we find out that Nick has been feeding Rudd the names of the participants in that ill-fated game of 5 card stud, pretending all the time that he tried to stop the hanging.

At one point, Nick and Van have a tussle in the graveyard. Their struggle ends on the grave of the hanged stranger. They walk away wary but without any excess perforations.

We get to see Rudd kill George, who had no part in the hanging but Nick wants him dead. The killing goes bad and Rudd is forced to shoot and run, leaving enough time for George to provide a clue about who punched his ticket.

When Nick meets Rudd in the graveyard again to give him the final name, he admits that he led the hanging and must put Rudd down lest the preacher kill him now that he has the name of the last man who helped in the killing of his brother, the cheating stranger in the game. Nick magnanimously allows Rudd a last request to read a scripture on this solemn occasion. He selects something from the book of Samuel Colt in .32 caliber. It's a killer.

Nick reacts badly to the chosen verse. It's really all in the delivery.

Nick's funeral will be at the Evers Ranch and Rudd volunteers to take the body and coffin out in his buckboard. First he stops by the saloon to see Van and invite him to ride out with him. Van declines, indicating that he'll be out a little later.

Van meets Rudd on the road. He put it together with George's clue when Rudd tipped up the last chair at the card table. In the confrontation, Rudd again resorts to scripture but has his Bible upside down, and Van figures out somethings rotten in Denmark. They go for their guns. Van is wounded in the arm but sends Rudd across the threshold of mortality into the arms of his cheating brother.

Nora cleans and wraps his arm and Van tells her goodbye. 

All the other card players and George are dead. Van and Lily part ways temporarily to meet in Denver or somewhere, unless the kiss Van gave her didn't keep him on her mind. Van rides off, and the closing credits roll to the music.

That's the gist of Five Card Stud. It's not much of a movie, but I like it beyond its worth. There are lots of familiar faces. There's at least one Star Trek connection. The romance never overshadows the real story line, although there is a question about whether Van will choose Nora or Lily. When I first watched it as a kid, I couldn't believe Roddy McDowall was a bad guy. Watching it now, I wonder how I didn't realize that he was involved. It's obvious in everything Nick does. He's about as likable as a sharp stick thrust repetitively into one's eye. Anyway, it has the perfect mix of gun play, romance, and mystery to make it a pleasure every time I see it.

 

 

Le Samourai

 For a short period of time, Le Samourai was available for free on Prime. It was a movie I had put on my watch list a long time ago. I came across it last week on some list. As soon as I finished watching, it was no longer available for free. I watched it over a three or four day period during my workout sessions on the M5.

If you really want to understand this film, take a look at the words above Alain Delon's hat. "There is no solitude greater than that of the samurai." Think about that. Now imagine a movie that conveys that sense of solitude of which there is none greater. Is that really the hook that's going to get the public all giddy with anticipation? "Come see this plenitude of solitude. You'll love it."

The shots from the film itself are even more exciting, if that's possible. Our samurai's apartment is a cheery battleship gray with added shadow for character.
 

This is not a shot of the grotto of solitude, but it is a nice angle that conveys the idea of a hideout or meditation resort for our hero or anti-hero. It's actually a garage where he takes the stolen car to get new plates put on it.

So what does our samurai do? Well, it appears he's a hit man. The exciting part of the film takes place over a period of about two seconds near the beginning when Delon confronts his target who asks him who he is and what he wants. Delon responds that his name isn't important, and "to kill you" to the second question. The target pulls a gun, but Delon-san is quicker and makes good on his reason for being there.

 It's possible I'm mistaken, but it seemed to me that he wore the hat and trench coat to commit the murder, was seen up close by one witness, and viewed leaving by several others at a distance. He had gone to the trouble to set up an alibi and ditched the murder weapon, but kept the hat and coat, knowing the cops were going to pick him up, and even wore the ensemble to the lineup. That seems like a bit of a flaw in his clever plan. Perhaps it was required by the code of solitude.

Anyhow, there's some interrogation at the police station. Delon-san doesn't get the payment he expected for doing the job, and the cops bug his place and threaten his girlfriend. There are some more things that use of the time (I won't spoil it for you by revealing them) and his solitude is broken by an intruder. It all leads to another car theft and new plates for an apparent murder at the site of the previous murder.

Let's just say that he reaches the point of maximum solitude, and the movie ends. Naturally, I've left out a lot of things that are important to the story because I didn't want to spoil it for you.

There's not much dialog in this film and it's easy to follow. I probably would've been fine to watch it without the subtitles. If you've got a hankerin' for a taste of samurai solitude, this is the film for you.

 _________________________

I finished reading this gem:

 As you might expect, I highly recommend it.

Yesterday, I finished writing a story for submission to an 80s vice anthology. It's neon, and it's noir, and it's absent of gloire, wearing some tubular clothes.