Come Live With Me (1941)

This film is absolutely delightful!

Illegal immigrant Johnny Jones (Hedy Lamarr) needs to get married for a visa. The man she loves is already married, so when she meets down on his luck Bill Smith (Jimmy Stewart), she offers to settle all his bills each week, in return for a marriage.

He accepts.

But then Bill begins falling in love with this mystery woman who comes by on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, her heart is with another man who happens to be a wealthy book publisher. 

Our hero Johnny Jones happens to be a struggling author. Inspired by his mysterious wife, he pens a great novel about their bizarre relationship. It's so good that the publishers get interested. 

Of course, when book publisher Barton Kendrick reads the story of a Viennese woman who has married a man for a Visa, it strikes a chord, it's too coincidental to be fiction.

Here's where it gets hilarious. The publisher, Barton, wants to meet this author who is clearly writing about his woman. Bill comes to the office, excited about the prospect of being published. One problem, they disagree on the ending. Bill wants a happy ending, whereas Barton thinks she should run off with the other guy. Barton's wife Diane (Verree Teasdale) watches them argue in the meeting, wondering why they're both so passionate about these characters.

Barton pays Bill an advance for the story; and then asks his wife for a divorce. He's going after his true love Johnny Jones.

But of course; now the poor author Bill has a big advance! So he goes to see Johnny and demands she take a trip with him. Barton had unwittingly played a part in his own demise.

And on it goes and various other things happen to take the film to its ending. I'll hold back taking you directly to the finishing line, just in case you decide to watch it, which I think you should.

Don't you just love old movies? Give me some black, some white, a Jimmy Stewart and a beauty like Hedy Lamarr and I'm the happiest guy in the world. 

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Tuesday Dialogue #2 - Joshua Lyman and Amy Gardner

Setting the scene: Joshua Lyman is Deputy Chief Of Staff in the Whitehouse. Amy Gardner is the Director of the Women's Leadership Coalition. Josh is good with politics, good with arguments. 

Being in a relationship with a woman is not a luxury he's allowed himself in a long time. He was able to ignore this problem until Amy Gardner came along. 

AMY

You owe me half a million dollars and a drink. 

JOSH

I paid for the drinks.

AMY

Alright, five hundred grand.

JOSH

What are you doing here?

AMY

I'm just hanging out. Why, do you live here?

JOSH

I do. I'm sorry I had to leave quickly before, I still can't tell you why.

AMY

Was it a matter of national security? 

JOSH

No. 

AMY

Would you tell me if it was a matter of national security?

JOSH

No.

AMY

Okay. You didn't talk to me much at school.

JOSH

You was having quite a lot of sex with Chris.

AMY

There were times I wasn't

JOSH

I studied a lot in school. I studied hard in high school, and at Harvard and in law school. My IQ doesn't break the bank and I wanted to do this, so I studied all the time. And -- I missed something, or it's like I skipped a year, Cause I never learned what you do after you think you like somebody, what you do next. And everyone did learn, a lot of other people anyway. I didn't walk out tonight. When my phone rings at eleven o'clock it's important. Not important to me, important-- and I'm not puffing myself so you that you're--

AMY

You know what? Maybe not so much for you with the talking. 

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New Logo / Banner

Here is the newly designed logo for Kid In The Front Row. Many of you have asked in the past for a banner so that you can link to my site. If you want to do that, please use this image. I hope you like it.

You may also have noticed a modified header at the top of the blog, which I'm extremely happy with! Credit goes to my wonderful friend Elena.

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Catching The Wave

A spark can come from anywhere. Being an artist is not just about producing the art, but learning how to catch it, bottle it, and release it. I would imagine there isn't a writer reading this who hasn't often had the experience of profound insight, followed by a horrific attempt at getting it down on the page. 

Art touches us the most when it captures a piece of who we are on the page, the screen, the stage, the canvas. But how does the artist get it there? This is perhaps the hardest thing of all. That's why artists aren't impressed when someone says "I have an idea". We all have ideas. The professional gets it down on the page. 

But I don't mean professional in a traditional sense. This isn't about the discipline of starting your masterpiece every morning at 9am. This is about catching the waves however they may come.

It's as if there are thousands of spirits floating up in the sky; some of them are beautiful and hazy, some are like fierce rockets. You have to be a martial artist, adept at attracting the falling stars.

The information is in the moment. Remember your first kiss? First job offer? Remember when someone you love died? Remember when your favorite team scored? Remember when you were fired? They carry the juice. But how to get into those feelings? How to indulge in them, enjoy them, and then turn them into your art? 

It doesn't have to be the signposted life moments that provide the juice. The quieter moments are often more profound. Ever been sitting in the garden staring up at the night time sky, and felt a big wave of the essence of yourself and life? That feeling is unique to you. That essence you need to get into your art. 

There are times when I write in a very purposeful and disciplined way, like my recent post about Bridesmaids. Sometimes I just catch a feeling and write from that place in me, like with new york gone. The feeling came without capital letters, without traditional sentencing, it was like a wave, a memory, a feeling. I tried to capture that.

and the last time i left new york i left all my favourite people. and the guy who showed me around queens moved to la and the guy from the plane could be anywhere now and me and the artist kinda fell out and the girl who waited for me that time in jfk packed up her bags and got gone across the world and now i could go back, and i will go back, but so much is gone.

Sometimes you need to be open to exploring the wilderness, to not block any thought that comes, to jump on the wave and see where it goes. Those moments are often the most truthful.

But the thing about my New York post is that it didn't resonate with many people, even though it did resonate with me. This is where you see your own limitations as an artist, or perhaps a lack of experience. It takes people ten, twenty or thirty years to be great. It's a balancing act -- matching your insights with skills and understanding. 

There's so much in those extremities. The misery. The hope. The excitement. The romance. The depression. The confusion. There's gold to be mined -- but you can't be too disciplined or writerly about it, because then you miss it! Or crush it! Or scare it away! You need to deeply experience things for them to be of any true use. 

That's the problem with blogs. The writers get addicted to their followers, addicted to the comments, comforted by their place on the interweb. The posts become by-the-numbers, shop-front-profound but never quite real. 

It's a thing we all struggle with, staying true, capturing the real essence of the life we're going through. That's why we admire the greats, they lived life and reflected it back to us. The geniuses did it again and again. 

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Conversations With PETA

PETA recently wrote to Cameron Crowe about his new movie "We Bought A Zoo". They said:

"We Bought a Zoo conveys the misleading and downright dangerous message that no special knowledge--just a lot of heart--is needed to run a zoo."

Here is their email correspondence in full:

EMAIL 1
Dear Cameron Crowe,

Your film claims that all you need to run a zoo is "a big heart", whereas actually you need specialized training, as well as a place to store all of the food.

Please put a permanent subtitle across the lower part of the frame (around Matt Damon's chest area) reminding people not to start their own zoos.

Yours Sincerely,

Pam Bird
PETA

EMAIL 2
Dear Pam,

I totally understand where you are coming from (due to you providing your mailing address) but I feel the need to remind you that of course I would never mean to imply that ordinary people (or Europeans) should own animals traditionally found in a zoo. If we make a sequel, I would certainly like your advice, as the lions are particularly dangerous and have a tendency to flirt with the make-up artists.

We'll see you all again next year!

Cameron Crowe

EMAIL 3
Dear Cameron,

You don't seem to comprehend the importance of what I am saying. Help me, help you.

Regardless, I just want to check if you will indeed be carrying the subtitle reminding people not to own a zoo or a monkey without adequate training? This will need to appear towards the lower part of the screen, roughly near Matt Damon's stomach on a mid-shot.

Pam Bird

EMAIL 4
Dear Mrs Bird,

I have called Matt Damon's agent, but unfortunately she has been unable to get through to him. It would appear that ever since I gave Matt a giraffe, ostrich and wild panda he's been awfully busy. They cause a lot of hassle when he takes them to IHOP.

Despite leaving the ultimatum with his agent, whose identity I can't reveal, I don't feel I can commit to carrying your caption on my movie. I am not sure the general public needs to be warned against owning lions and tigers.

It's a slippery slope. If we start warning people about zoos,  we'd soon have to start warning them about drugs and guns, and frankly there'd be nothing fun left for us all to do.

By the way, what would you feed a poisonous python? Just curious.

It's all happening!

Cameron Crowe

EMAIL 5
Dear Cameron Crowe,

I am troubled by your casual approach to this issue. Maybe I should speak to Matt Damon personally. What's his number?

The treatment of animals in your film concerns me. Animals deserve equality, the same opportunities as humans. That's how I got my job.

I must demand you place a caption on your movie reminding people about the dangers of wild animals. I'd feel much more comfortable speaking to Matt Damon personally about this. I really enjoyed 'The Departed'.

I'm not letting you get rid of me. How about that?

Pam Bird

EMAIL 6
Dear Pam,

Sorry for my delay in responding. I was just out buying a boat packed with radar equipment and a cage. I knew I shouldn't have watched Jaws.

I would like to end correspondence with you. I would also like you to put a notice on your website reminding pet owners not to accept popcorn in a cinema if it is not provided in a box or bag, just in case they think its wise to carry the popcorn in their bare hands.

We'll see you all again on 1974,

Cameron

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