Forgot a title, so came back and did it just now

Thurs., March 13, 2003 - Talked to Myrtle in the a.m.  Katie came about 10:00.  She brought chicken, potato wedges and 2 "Long Johns" with choc. frosting.  Tom came for supper & brought barbecued ribs.  The usual routine with 2 games of Rummikub.

Fri., March 14, 2003 - The movie tonight was "The Big Fat Greek Wedding."  It was funny.

Sat., March 15, 2003 - Mary brought my groceries & ironed for me.  Nancy had to work at the office today.  Talked to Greta in p.m.

It's rare that I get to correct Grandma, but it's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".  She was right, though, it's pretty funny.  It has been many years since I've watched it, so I should maybe give it another go for a good laugh.

I would be remiss if I didn't note that today is Grandpa and Grandma's wedding anniversary.  Not that I need a reminder of how much I miss them, but I was going through the reunion book from the Nielsen/Iversen reunions, which started in 1988.  Looking at the very first sign-in sheet, there are several that were there for that first reunion that are not with us today.  But, so thankful that we had many of them for as long as we did.

Belated happy birthday to Grandma

Fri., March 7, 2003 - Talked to Jenny -- she said she's real busy so I'd better get a permanent here.  I really need one.  So I'll be getting one tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.  Nancy will take me.  Saw "Coal Miner's Daughter" in the evening.  Talked to Greta in evening.

Sat., March 8, 2003 - Nancy took me to get permanent.  Went to Stauffer's for dinner.  Nancy went home right away.  Dolores came in evening for several games of Rummikub.

Sun., March 9, 2003 - Nancy came at noon with dinner from Popeye's.  The usual Sunday chores.  Mitch and Anna were here in p.m. while Mary attended her writers' group meeting. 

I certainly meant to post on Grandma's actual birthday, but you know how things go. I did think of her often during the day.  Maybe it's weird, but I take comfort in birthdays that are past the age when the person would still likely be around.  So, 110 years isn't unheard of but certainly isn't usual.  Those birthdays aren't quite so bittersweet for me.

And bad news in 2022 with Kevin Andersen's wife, Mary, dying recently of pancreatic cancer.  She was one of my favorite family members.  She was always so pleasant and fun.  And it seemed that she and Kevin were at nearly every gathering we had; reunions, funerals, anniversaries, just everything.  Which nowadays with everyone so busy is quite the thing.  She will be sorely missed.  And now the Three Marys are down to two.  Someone needs to name a baby Mary just to get us back to three.

Laurel, but not Nebraska

Wed., February 26, 2003 - Mary took me to have my hair-do and Zoya brought me home -- we had planned to have lunch together but she wasn't feeling too well.  Went to Book Club in evening.

Thurs., February 27, 2003 - Called Marjorie C. -- today is her birthday.  Tom came in the evening for the usual reasons.  We played 2 games of Rummikub.

Fri., February 28, 2003 - Went to the movies in the library this evening.  Saw a Laurel & Hardy show and also a Roy Rogers show.  Called Helen.

And here's some information on Laurel and Hardy, most of which I absolutely did not know.  From Wikipedia:

    "Laurel and Hardy were a comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in the silent era, they later successfully transitioned to "talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully.  Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (by Hollywood composer T. Marvin Hatley) was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as emblematic of them as their bowler hats.

    Prior to emerging as a team, both had well-established film careers. Laurel had acted in over 50 films, and worked as a writer and director, while Hardy was in more than 250 productions. Both had appeared in The Lucky Dog (1921), but were not teamed at the time. They first appeared together in a short film in 1926, when they signed separate contracts with the Hal Roach film studio.  They officially became a team in 1927 when they appeared in the silent short Putting Pants on Philip. They remained with Roach until 1940, and then appeared in eight B movie comedies for 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1941 to 1945.  After finishing their film commitments at the end of 1944, they concentrated on performing stage shows, and embarked on a music hall tour of England, Ireland and Scotland. They made their last film in 1950, a French-Italian co-production called Atoll K.

    They appeared as a team in 107 films, starring in 32 short silent films, 40 short sound films, and 23 full-length feature films. They also made 12 guest or cameo appearances, including in the Galaxy of Stars promotional film of 1936.  On December 1, 1954, they made their sole American television appearance, when they were surprised and interviewed by Ralph Edwards on his live NBC-TV program 'This Is Your Life'. Since the 1930s, their works have been released in numerous theatrical reissues, television revivals, 8-mm and 16-mm home movies, feature-film compilations, and home videos. In 2005, they were voted the seventh-greatest comedy act of all time by a UK poll of professional comedians. The official Laurel and Hardy appreciation society is The Sons of the Desert, after a fictitious fraternal society in the film of the same name."

Sounds like winter for certain

Sun., February 23, 2003 - Started snowing during the night and snowed until afternoon.  Since Nancy worked yesterday Mary was going to help me today.  Because of snow she stayed home -- a wise thing to do. Ray called in p.m.  They are okay -- were having snow, too.

Mon., February 24, 2003 - Saw "Rose Marie" this p.m.  Some pretty songs.  Howard Keel was one of the cast.  Played cards in evening -- I won 2 games!

Tues., February 25, 2003 - Very cold this morning, -4 degrees!!!  Bill came to take me to the dental clinic -- appointment was 8:00 a.m.  Was back home by 10:00.  Played Rummikub with Delores in p.m. 

I hope it was truly bad snow for me to bail on helping Grandma.  I'm thinking the car I had then wasn't the best on treacherous streets, so maybe it was indeed a wise thing.

Here's what I found about Rose Marie, from good ol' Wikipedia:

    "Rose Marie is a 1954 American musical film adaptation of the 1924 operetta of the same name, the third to be filmed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, following a 1928 silent movie and the best-known of the three, the 1936 Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy version. It is directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Ann Blyth, Howard Keel and Fernando Lamas. This version is filmed in the Canadian Rockies in CinemaScope. It was MGM's first US produced film in the new widescreen medium (having been preceded by the British-made Knights of the Round Table), and the first movie musical of any studio to be released in this format. It was part of a revival of large-budget operetta films produced in the mid-1950s.  The story adheres closely to that of the original libretto, unlike the 1936 version.  It is somewhat altered by a tomboy-to-lady conversion for the title character."

That being said, here's what they had to say about the original operetta:

    "Rose-Marie is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a French Canadian girl who loves miner Jim Kenyon. When Jim falls under suspicion for murder, her brother Emile plans for Rose-Marie to marry Edward Hawley, a city man.

The work premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on September 2, 1924, running for 557 performances. It was the longest-running Broadway musical of the 1920s until it was surpassed by The Student Prince (1926). It was then produced at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London in 1925, enjoying another extraordinary run of 581 performances. It was filmed in 1928, in 1936 and again in 1954.

The best-known song from the musical is "Indian Love Call". It became Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy's "signature song". Several other numbers have also become standards, including the title song."

I'm back, finally

Wed., February 5, 2003 - Nancy came right after work -- she brought me some goulash -- she had made a big batch. She didn't stay long.  Went to Book Club meeting.

Thurs., February 6, 2003 - Lois Bowers called instead of sending a birthday card.  Tom came in evening for laundry & my showering.  He put up the shelves in the hall.  He & Nancy gave them to me for my birthday present.

Fri., February 7, 2003 - Baked a pecan pie.  Had Grace & Ethel come in p.m. for pie & to see the quilt.  Went to library in  evening to see a movie - "The Maltese Falcon."

How timely that Lois Bowers popped up in Grandma's journal.  Lois and Denny's 60th anniversary is June 10.  I still remember Grandma and Grandpa's 60th anniversary shindig.

"The Maltese Falcon" . . . I saw it long ago, liked it, but can't right now say much about it at all.  It's well-known, of course.  Years ago I got Dale a replica of the Falcon.  Some guy was making them based on his watching the movie over and over to get as many good looks at it as he could.  I'm sure it isn't around anymore, but it was rather cool-looking and perhaps a bit of a conversation piece.

Here's the plot ala Wikipedia:

"In San Francisco in 1941, private investigators Sam Spade and Miles Archer meet prospective client Ruth Wonderly. She claims to be looking for her missing sister, who is involved with a man named Floyd Thursby. Archer agrees to follow her that night and help get her sister back.

Spade is awakened by a phone call early in the morning and the police inform him that Archer has been killed. He meets his friend, Police Detective Tom Polhaus, at the murder scene and then tries calling his client at her hotel, but she has checked out. Back at his apartment, he is grilled by Polhaus and Lieutenant Dundy, who tell him that Thursby was also murdered the same evening. Dundy suggests that Spade had the opportunity and motive to kill Thursby, who likely killed Archer. Archer's widow Iva later visits him in his office, believing that Spade shot his partner so he could have her.

Later that morning, Spade meets his client, now calling herself Brigid O'Shaughnessy. She explains that Thursby was her partner and probably killed Archer, but claims to have no idea who killed Thursby. Spade distrusts her, but agrees to investigate the murders.

At his office, Spade meets Joel Cairo, who first offers him $5,000 to find a "black figure of a bird", then pulls a gun on him in order to search the room for it. Spade knocks Cairo out and goes through his belongings. When Cairo comes round, he hires Spade. Later that evening, Spade tells O'Shaughnessy about Cairo. When Cairo shows up, it becomes clear that Spade's acquaintances know each other. Cairo becomes agitated when O'Shaughnessy reveals that the "Fat Man" is in San Francisco.

In the morning, Spade goes to Cairo's hotel, where he spots Wilmer, a young man who had been following him earlier, and gives Wilmer a message for his boss, Kasper Gutman. When Spade goes to meet Gutman, alias the "Fat Man", in his hotel suite, Gutman will only talk about the Black Falcon evasively, so Spade pretends to throw a temper tantrum and storms out. Later, Wilmer takes Spade at gunpoint to see Gutman. Spade overpowers him, but meets Gutman anyway. Gutman relates the history of the Maltese Falcon, then offers Spade his pick of $25,000 for the bird and another $25,000 after its sale, or a quarter of the proceeds from its sale. After Spade passes out because his drink is spiked, Wilmer and Cairo come in from another room and leave with Gutman.

On coming round, Spade searches the suite and finds a newspaper with the arrival time of the freighter La Paloma circled. He goes to the dock, only to find the ship on fire. Later, the ship's captain, Jacobi, shot several times, staggers into Spade's office before dying. The bundle he was clutching contains the Maltese Falcon.

O'Shaughnessy calls the office, gives an address, then screams before the line goes dead. Spade stashes the package at the bus terminal, then goes to the address, which turns out to be an empty lot. Spade returns home and finds O'Shaughnessy hiding in a doorway. He takes her inside and finds Gutman, Cairo, and Wilmer waiting for him, guns drawn. Gutman gives Spade $10,000 for the Falcon, but Spade tells them that part of his price is someone he can turn over to the police for the murders of Thursby and Captain Jacobi, suggesting Wilmer, who, Gutman confirms, actually did shoot both. After some intense negotiation, Gutman and Cairo agree and Wilmer is knocked out and disarmed.

Just after dawn, Spade calls his secretary, Effie Perine, to bring him the bundle. However, when Gutman inspects the statuette, he finds it is a fake and Wilmer escapes during the tumult. Recovering his composure, Gutman invites Cairo to return with him to Istanbul to continue their quest. After they leave, Spade calls the police and tells them where to pick up the pair. Spade then angrily confronts O'Shaughnessy, telling her he knows she killed Archer to implicate Thursby, her unwanted accomplice. She confesses, but begs Spade not to turn her over to the police. Despite his feelings for her, Spade gives O'Shaughnessy up."

Ah, 1940s crime movies -- hard to beat with all the backstabbing and turns and twists , plus the great clothes.  I may have to watch this one again.

Christmas lights

Thurs., December 19, 2002 - Baked pumpkin cranberry bread.  Tom came in evening for usual routine.  He brought barbecued ribs from Famous Dave's.
Fri., December 20, 2002 - Saw "White Christmas" this evening in the library.  I took my bells to show.
Sat., December 21, 2002 - In a.m. Nancy took me to get my new glasses.  We ate dinner at Popeyes.  In evening she picked up Mitch & Anna & took us around the city to see the Christmas lights.  Talked to Greta in p.am.

As I recall, the driving around to look at lights took place more than once.  And maybe one time they took the city bus -- not positive on that, though.

Photo found on Google.

Getting back to normal

Wed., December 4, 2002 - Had Meals on Wheels today.  Nancy & I to the Lied Center tonight to see & hear The Three Irish Tenors.  Dale took us there & then came & took us home.
Thurs., December 5, 2002 - Meals on Wheels again.  Tom called in a.m. that they came home last night.  He came in evening & brought our meal -- barbecued ribs.  I showered.  We didn't play Rummikub -- Tom was to tired.  Myrtle called today.
Fri., December 6, 2002 - Meals on Wheels again.  The Home Nurse came in p.m.  Went downstairs this evening & saw "Heidi".

Ah, Heidi.  Such a fun book and movie.  I think it was one of Grandma's favorites.  I know I was young when I was first aware of it, but not sure how young, nor the when or where of it all.  I learned the following from wikipedia just now (where I also found the photo):

1.  It was written as a book "for children and those who love children" (as quoted from its subtitle).

2.  Heidi is one of the best-selling books ever written and is among the best-known works of Swiss literature.

3.  Thirteen English translations were done between 1882 and 1959, by British and American translators.

4.  About 25 film or television productions of the original story have been made, from 1937 to 2017.

Western, schmestern

Fri., October 18, 2002 - Went to main lobby & saw a movie - a Western with Dean Martin.  Residents with VCR are showing a movie on Fri. night.
Sat., October 19, 2002 - Dale came for me about 5:30 & took me to his place.  Kyleah was home, Lynn was in Omaha & Dane was at a banquet.  Dale went for Chinese food for our supper.  After supper we played Rummikub.  Lynn's mother came & visited a while.  When Dale went for Dane he took me home.  A real good evening.
Sun., October 20, 2002 - Nancy came in a.m with my groceries.  I showered & then we went to Boston Market for our noon meal.  We stopped at the Family Dollar Store!!! We didn't play Rummikub today -- too tired.

There is more than one western with Dean Martin in it, so I don't know what movie Grandma saw.  There's plenty of information to be found about the man himself, but I will stop at just this, from wikipedia:

"Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio, the son of Italian father Gaetano Alfonso Crocetti (1894–1967) and Italian-American mother Angela Crocetti (née Barra; 1899–1966). His parents were married in 1914. His father, who was a barber, was originally from Montesilvano, Abruzzo, and his mother's origins are also believed to be from Abruzzo, although they are not clearly known. Martin had an older brother named William Alfonso Crocetti (1916–1968). His first language was Italian and he did not speak English until he started school at the age of five. He attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, where he was bullied for his broken English. As a teenager, he played the drums as a hobby. He dropped out of Steubenville High School in the tenth grade because he thought he was smarter than his teachers. He bootlegged liquor, worked in a steel mill, served as a croupier at a speakeasy and a blackjack dealer, and was a welterweight boxer.

At 15, he was a boxer who billed himself as "Kid Crochet". His prizefighting earned him a broken nose (later straightened), a scarred lip, many broken knuckles (a result of not being able to afford tape used to wrap boxers' hands), and a bruised body. Of his 12 bouts, he said that he "won all but 11". For a time, he shared a New York City apartment with Sonny King, who was also starting in show business and had little money. The two reportedly charged people to watch them bare-knuckle box each other in their apartment, fighting until one was knocked out. Martin knocked out King in the first round of an amateur boxing match. Martin gave up boxing to work as a roulette stickman and croupier in an illegal casino behind a tobacco shop, where he had started as a stock boy. At the same time, he sang with local bands, calling himself "Dino Martini" (after the Metropolitan Opera tenor Nino Martini). He got his break working for the Ernie McKay Orchestra. He sang in a crooning style influenced by Harry Mills of the Mills Brothers, among others. In the early 1940s, he started singing for bandleader Sammy Watkins, who suggested he change his name to Dean Martin.

In October 1941, Martin married Elizabeth "Betty" Anne McDonald in Cleveland, Ohio, and the couple had an apartment in Cleveland Heights for a while. They eventually had four children before the marriage ended in 1949. Martin worked for various bands throughout the early 1940s, mostly on looks and personality until he developed his own singing style. He flopped at the Riobamba nightclub in New York, when he followed Frank Sinatra in 1943."

I didn't know Grandma was so fond of Family Dollar.  Glad she was excited to go.

Posted without a title, and now I'm fixing that

Wed., October 9, 2002 - Called Raymond Iversen.  Went to Book Club in evening.
Thurs., October 10, 2002 - Tom came in evening for the usual routine.  Cool enough to have chili soup.  Myrtle called in a.m.
Fri., October 11, 2002 - Have seen some good movies -- among them "The Pink Submarine" & "Casablanca".  Mary & kids here in evening.

Not finding a movie named "The Pink Submarine", I wonder if Grandma meant "Operation Petticoat".  In any event, I hope she saw the latter as I recall it being pretty funny.

Here's some information on the movie from wikipedia, much shortened from what was available:

The film tells in flashback the misadventures of the fictional U. S. Navy submarine, USS Sea Tiger, during the opening days of the United States involvement in World War II. Some elements of the screenplay were taken from actual incidents that happened with some of the Pacific Fleet's submarines during the war. Other members of the cast include several actors who went on to become television stars in the 1960s and 1970s: Gavin MacLeod of The Love Boat and McHale's Navy, Marion Ross of Happy Days, and Dick Sargent of Bewitched.

Some of the plot points of Operation Petticoat were based on real-life incidents, such as:

     The evacuation of one Navy nurse and several Army nurses from Corregidor to Australia by the submarine USS Spearfish;
     The sinking of the submarine USS Sealion at the pier at Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines;
     The torpedoing of a bus by the USS Bowfin;
     Captain Sherman's letter to the supply department at Cavite on the inexplicable lack of toilet paper (based on an actual letter to the supply department of Mare Island Naval Shipyard by Lieutenant Commander James Wiggins "Red" Coe of the submarine USS Skipjack);
     The need to paint a submarine pink because of a lack of enough red or white lead undercoat -- heat from the burning USS Sealion also scorched off the black paint on the nearby USS Seadragon; for a time, the submarine fought with only her red lead undercoat visible. This led Tokyo Rose to disparage American "red pirate submarines";
     Another possible source for the "pink" submarine is the decorated USS Harder, commanded by Samuel David Dealey. Under the belief that a pinkish tint would help with camouflage, especially near dawn and dusk, Dealey added pink to the light grey that was standard for the Navy's Measure 32 paint scheme.

Photo from wikipedia

Poor Grandpa

Wed., December 16, 1936 - Howard kept pestering me all day as to whether they were going to have a party for him.  The kids didn't -- they're waiting until next week when Iny is home.
Thurs., December 17, 1936 - Helen, Raymond,  Howard & I went to Elmer's for his birthday.  Myrtle had gotten some tickets to a free show in Pilger, so we went -- "36 Hours to Kill".  A gangster picture -- not so much shooting.
Fri., December 18, 1936 - I baked 7 kinds of cookies today.  We took some into town tonite & Mom & I packed a box for Ray.

I can't tell really if Grandma was putting Grandpa off -- if the later party was a surprise -- or not.  Or if the poor man just thought there was not going to be a party for him at all.  Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

Here's the movie plot summary, courtesy of wikipedia.  I got a bit lost, but it seems like it might be enjoyable to watch:

Duke and Jeanie Benson, an outlaw couple hiding out under assumed names in a calm, suburban community, read a newspaper article about a sweepstakes winner who has not yet claimed his prize. Duke realizes that he has the winning ticket and will win $150,000 if he can cash it in without getting apprehended. Fed up with suburban life, Duke decides to board a train to Kansas City, where he bought the ticket, while Jeanie plans to fly there and get a "stooge" to cash in the ticket. At the train station, reporter Frank Evers boards the train and starts a conversation with Duke, who calls himself "Downey." At San Bernadino, Anne Marvis boards the train, followed by Doyle, a process server. Finding the door to Duke's room open, Anne hides in his bed, and when Duke sees Doyle enter in pursuit, he pulls a gun on Doyle, who says that he mistook Duke's "wife" for the woman he was after. Duke is attracted to Anne, as is Frank. When Jeanie gets on the train because her plane was grounded, she suspects that Duke and Anne are having an affair and pulls a gun on them; however, Duke calms her fears by introducing Frank as Anne's husband. Anne and Frank go along with the ruse. Sometime later, Frank accompanies the conductor to a room next to Duke's, where they listen through a surveillance device to Duke and Jeanie bicker about their plans to have the "boys" meet him in Kansas City. Frank, in reality a G-man, hopes to nab the whole gang and decides to hold off arresting Duke. After Jeanie gets off the train at Albuquerque to board a plane to Kansas City, Duke tries to flirt with Anne, but she rejects his advances. That night, Frank and Anne agree to be honest with each other, and Anne reveals that she is really a Los Angeles reporter and has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury concerning a political scandal which she had unearthed. She says that she felt it would be "healthier" to go out-of-state for awhile. When Frank continues to claim that he is a reporter for The Telegraph , Anne indignantly reveals that she works for the paper and knows that he does not. In Topeka, after Flash, a porter, inadvertently finds the listening device in Duke's room, Duke knocks out the conductor. Anne receives a wire that it is all right for her to return to Los Angeles and gets off the train. When Duke sees Frank pursuing him, he gets into Anne's cab. They go to Borden's Sanitarium, where Duke meets Jeanie, who is unhappy to see him with Anne. When Duke reads in a newspaper that another man has surfaced to claim the lottery prize, he sends his shyster lawyer Rickert to dispute the claim to the insurance company that handles the contest. While Rickert is away, Duke kisses Anne and asks her to leave with him after he collects the money. Anne agrees, but he locks her in her room anyway. Jeanie then unbolts the shutters of Anne's room to help her escape, and Anne hitches a ride on a truck, but the driver works for Duke's gang and brings her back to the sanitarium. Upon deducing that Jeanie let Anne out, Duke slugs Jeanie. Frank, impersonating an insurance agent, accompanies Rickert to the sanitarium. Duke shoots Frank as a carload of G-men arrive and then unlocks Anne's door to take her with him, but Jeanie shoots him and then cries over his body. The gang is captured, and Anne is pleased to see that Frank is only wounded. On the train to Los Angeles, Flash comments that Frank and Anne have not come out of their cabin in two days. They kiss and it is revealed that they have recently married.

What I want to know is what happened to the $150,000?

Poster credit:  By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48538771

Very busy day

Tues., August 4, 1936 - We went to the matinee and saw "The Dancing Pirate" -- a picture in colors.  Rec'd a letter from Howard and one from Mom.
Wed., August 5, 1936 - Rec'd another letter from Mom.  Iny rec'd 4 letters today.  Were up to see Aunt Kate tonite -- we've been going up every night after supper to see her.
Thurs., August 6, 1936 - This p.m. Aunt Kate, Iny and I went sightseeing.  We were out to Lake Maurer, an amusement park, and to the Jesse Kennels.  Saw all kinds of pups there.  This evening Iny and I went to the show.  We saw "Dames" with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, and "Sins of Man" with Jean Hersholt and Don Ameche.

Photo above and this summery from lakemaurer.com:  Lake Maurer has rich history.  As early as the 1920’s-30’s, Lake Maurer was an amusement park where families spent their weekends.  In 1965, the Assemblies of God purchased the grounds and developed a camp and the Northern Missouri District offices.  In 2008, the NOMO District moved its offices to Columbia, Missouri.  The leadership appointed Lloyd and Bunny Hartzler as Executive Directors to further develop the grounds into a retreat center with year-round activities.

From wikipedia re "Dancing Pirate":  This movie is an American musical comedy film directed by Lloyd Corrigan. It is the third film shot in the three strip Technicolor process and the first musical in that format.  The film features the debut of stage star Charles Collins and the cast includes Rita Hayworth as one of The Royal Cansino Dancers. Other dancers in the film were Pat Nixon and Marjorie Reynolds.

Set in Boston in the 1820s, the film tells of dancing teacher Jonathan Pride, shanghaied by pirates and forced to be a slave aboard his own ship. Jonathan is able to join a provisioning party that lands on the coast of California, then a part of the Spanish Empire where he makes his escape; his only possessions being his umbrella and music box that he uses for his dancing lessons.

He is seen by a shepherd who warns the nearest town whose excitable population transform Jonathan's arrival into a full-fledged pirate invasion. The Alcade Don Emilio Perena leads the militia into shooting up their own town whilst Jonathan is later captured in the boudoir of Alcade's daughter Serafina. Jonathan is sentenced to death.

When Serafina and the women of the town discover Jonathan's profession of dancing teacher, his execution is delayed until he teaches the waltz to the women of the town.

Meanwhile, Serafina's suitor, Don Balthazar a Captain of the Guards of the Presidio of Monterey and some of his soldiers visit the town to not only marry Serafina, but unbeknownst to the town has been cashiered from the Army along with his men who seek to loot the town. Don Balthazar also plans on secretly executing his rival Jonathan.

Jonathan makes his escape and motivates the local downtrodden but peaceful Indians into an uprising through a teaching them a torrid war dance. The Indians use their only "weapons" their lassoes to capture the former soldiers now bandits. Don Balthazar challenges Jonathan to a duel with swords but Jonathan defeats and captures him with his umbrella and his dancing skills.

The photo was also found on wikipedia.

Another summary and photo from wikipedia:  "Dames" is a 1934 Warner Bros. musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright with dance numbers created by Busby Berkeley. The film stars Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts, and Hugh Herbert. Production numbers and songs include "When You Were a Smile on Your Mother's Lips (and a Twinkle in Your Daddy's Eye)", "The Girl at the Ironing Board", "I Only Have Eyes for You", "Dames" and "Try to See It My Way".

Eccentric multimillionaire Ezra Ounce (Hugh Herbert), whose main purpose in life is raising American morals through a nationwide campaign, wants to be assured that his fortune will be inherited by upstanding relatives. He visits his cousin Matilda Hemingway (ZaSu Pitts) in New York City, in Horace's view the center of immorality in America. What Ounce finds most offensive are musical comedy shows and the people who put them on, and it just so happens that Matilda's daughter Barbara (Ruby Keeler) is a dancer and singer in love with a struggling singer and songwriter, her 13th cousin, Jimmy Higgens (Dick Powell). On Ezra's instructions, Jimmy the "black sheep" has been ostracized by the family, on pain of not receiving their inheritance.

Matilda's husband Horace (Guy Kibbee) meets a showgirl named Mabel (Joan Blondell), who's been stranded in Troy when her show folds, and connives her way into sleeping in Horace's train compartment as a way to get back home. Terrified of scandal, he leaves her some money and his business card, along with a note telling her to not mention their meeting to anyone; but when Mabel discovers that Horace is Barbara's father, she blackmails him into backing Jimmy's show.

Photo from wikipedia, summary from imdb.com:  In this drama, Austrian church bell ringer Freyman loves music and wants his two sons (both played by Ameche) to love it too. The first goes to America and the second is born deaf-mute but gains hearing during WWI bombing.

I am really liking all of these movie posters.  Very cool.

More movies

Sat., August 1, 1936 - Usual routine.  Miss Linard, the foot specialist told us some places of interest to see.  Went to show -- Jane Withers in "Little Miss Nobody" and John Wayne in "Winds of the Wasteland."
Sun., August 2, 1936 - I took a bath and had a foot treatment.  Iny didn't take a bath.  We had dinner at the Lucerne - 4 tables each seating 12 - served like home - very good meal.  Slept all afternoon.
Mon., August 3, 1936 - Same round of drinking, eating, and bathing.  Got some library books to read.  Had 2 foot treatments.

So they got ideas on places to see, but went to the movies instead.  I can understand that.  From the wikipedia article about "Little Miss Nobody":

     Judy Devlin, a mischievous girl in the Sunshine Foundling Home, gets the best of grocer Harold Slade and his son Herman. After everyone enjoys a Thanksgiving meal with turkeys Judy stole from Slade, Mrs. Sybil Smythe and her son Junior look over the little orphan girls to adopt a sister and playmate for Junior. He makes nasty comments about all the girls until he sees Mary Dorsey, whom he insists on having his mother adopt despite her dislike of him. Judy and Mary are friends who have pledged to be adopted together. To discourage Junior, Judy starts a fire drill and turns the water hose on him. Hiding afterwards in the cellar, Judy finds the boxes containing the clothing in which the orphans were originally found, including her own. Later, Mrs. Martha Bradley, patroness of the home, threatens Judy with reform school if she does not behave.

     While Judy is cleaning the office, Mr. Gerald Dexter, district attorney for Springfield, arrives. Ten years ago, his pregnant wife left him after he prosecuted a relative of hers. He shows a crest that the infant born to his wife may have worn on her clothing, and Judy recognizes it as the same as the one on her outfit in the cellar. As she is about to explain, Mary calls her, and Judy goes to switch the clothing to save Mary from the Smythes. Everyone thinks that Judy was trying to make them believe she was Dexter's daughter, and she accepts the blame, sacrificing herself for Mary. Judy is sentenced to two years in reform school, but she escapes on the way there. When she is hit by a bicycle and a policeman insists on accompanying her home, she leads him to a pet shop whose owner she calls her uncle. The proprietor is John Russell, who avoided a prison sentence, and he listens sympathetically to Judy's story.

     Criminal Dutch Miller knows that John was a bank robber named Phil Ormsbey back in Kansas. Seeking a hideout, Dutch moves in on the happy John and Judy. Judy goes to the Dexter estate to see Mary and promises to return the next evening when her father will be away. Learning of this, Dutch knocks out John and drives Judy to the house, which he attempts to rob. The girls discover him, and John, arriving in time to stop Dutch, shoots him in a struggle. John then goes on the lam, and although Judy refuses to talk, John is caught. Examining the duplicate records on Judy's case, Dexter sees a notation about the crest found on her clothing when she was a baby. He realizes what has happened, and father and daughter are reunited.

I had to read that twice to get it right.

From the same source, as to "Winds of the Wasteland":

     The film is set in 1861. John Blair (John Wayne) and his partner, Larry Adams (Lane Chandler) are dismayed when the arrival of telegraph ends the Pony Express. Hoping to utilize their horse-riding skills, they decide to start a stage coach transportation business. They go to Buchanan City and ask local magnate Cal Drake (Douglas Cosgrove) if he is willing to sell them a stage coach. Instead, Drake offers them a franchise from his own stage coach line - a line out to bustling Crescent City.

     Upon arriving at Crescent City, Blair and Adams quickly realize that they had been bamboozled into paying for the line as Crescent City is a ghost town. The only residents are the mayor, Rocky O'Brien (Lew Kelly), and Dr. William Forsythe (Sam Flint). The mayor is thrilled to get not only new residents to double the size of the town, but a stage coach line too. Blair disparages as there are no customers to transport and will have to lose his business so quickly. The mayor says there is a way for Blair to get all the money he owes and more. There will be a contest in the next few days where the fastest team in a race will win a $25,000 government contract to deliver mail to the area. With Blair's luck returning, he also meets a telegraph crew, who he saves from poisoning after drinking from a local water hole. In appreciation, the telegraph crew offers to run the line through Crescent City if Blair will give them laborers to build the telegraph line.

     Blair is able to get laborers to build the telegraph line and the population of Crescent City begins to skyrocket. Drake, upset that Blair is actually a competing business out of his lie, then decides to hire Blair to drive a gold shipment to Sacramento only to ambush him. If Blair can get the gold to the destination, Drake will take $1,000 off of the original loan. Blair escapes the ambush and collects the money at gunpoint. Drake next hopes to stop Blair at the race. He gets his henchman to throw obstacles in Blair's way to defeat him by any means necessary. But despite all odds, Blair wins the race and the $25,000 reward.

It says the movie is sometimes shown on television with the title "Stagecoach Run".

As for the Lucerne, from exsmo.com:

     In a 1900 publication by The McLain Land and Investment describes the Arlington Hotel as follows: "Has a basement under the entire main part built of flat blue limestone rock, concrete bottom. All cornices and towers are galvanized iron, making it as fireproof as possible. On entering, to the right and left, the visitor who ever had the pleasure of being a guest at the Elms Hotel, will recognize the two elegant mantels saved from the wreck of that famous history."

     After a few years of operation, the McLains leased the Arlington to the Excelsior Club. It was a rather notorious club and information has it that it was so notorious the Gov. Folk had it closed.

     After that it was occupied by Harriett Lindsey, who operated the Lindsey Sanitarium (the city's first hospital). It closed and was later reopened as the Lucerne Hotel and operated by Mrs. C. P. McGaugh and, in 1920, by Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Adams. It served meals and before each meal, someone would appear on the front porch and ring a hand bell to call all diners in.

     Originally, the building featured lion heads decorating the porch, each of which held a light bulb in it's mouth. The lion heads were removed with a west portion of the porch, and donated to the Excelsior Springs Historical Musuem by Lindell Jarman.

The photo, also from exsmo.com, shows the building as the gray one right on the corner.  I cannot find why the Excelsior Club was so notorious, but we'll assume it was something nefarious.

Outing and abouting

Wed., July 29, 1936 - Iny's temperature O.K.  We went to the movies and saw Spencer Tracy and Walter Abel in "Fury" and Robert Taylor and Chester Morris in "Society Doctor."
Thurs., July 30, 1936 - 7:00 before we got up.  I got a letter from Mom.  The usual schedule of drinking, eating, and bathing.  Aunt Kate is feeling very good.
Fri., July 31, 1936 - We got up at 6:00.  Had rolls and plums for breakfast.  After baths and dinner we went to a chiropodist.  I'm going to take 12 treatments.  My feet are quite weak and may be the cause of the sciatica.  Went to see Aunt Kate.

I think I would enjoy both of these movies.

From wikipedia:  "Fury" is a 1936 American drama film directed by Fritz Lang which tells the story of an innocent man who narrowly escapes being lynched and the revenge he seeks.  The movie is loosely based on the events surrounding the Brooke Hart murder in San Jose, California.

En route to meet his fiancée, Katherine Grant (Sylvia Sidney), gas station owner Joe Wilson (Spencer Tracy) is arrested on flimsy circumstantial evidence for the kidnapping of a child. Gossip soon travels around the small town, growing more distorted through each retelling, until a mob gathers at the jail. When the resolute sheriff (Edward Ellis) refuses to give up his prisoner, the enraged townspeople burn down the building, two of them also throwing dynamite into the flames as they flee the scene. Unknown to anyone else there, the blast frees Wilson, but kills his little dog Rainbow, who had run in to comfort him in the cell.

The district attorney (Walter Abel) brings the main perpetrators to trial for murder, but nobody is willing to identify the guilty, and several provide false alibis. The case seems hopeless, but then the prosecutor produces hard evidence: newsreel footage of twenty-two people caught in the act.

However, Katherine is troubled by one piece of evidence. The defense attorney had tried to get his clients off by claiming that there was no proof Joe was killed, but an anonymous letter writer had returned a partially melted ring belonging to Joe. Katherine notices that a word is misspelled just as Joe used to spell it.

She discovers that Joe escaped the fire and that Joe's brothers are helping him get his revenge by concealing his survival and framing the defendants for his murder. She goes to see Joe and pleads with him to stop the charade, but he is determined to make his would-be killers pay. However, his conscience starts preying on him and, in the end, just as the verdicts are being read, he walks into the courtroom and sets things straight.

About "Society Doctor" from tcm.com:  At the Metropolitan Hospital, where Horace Waverly is Physician Superintendent, doctors Bill Morgan and Tommy Ellis vie for the attention of nurse Madge Wilson. One day, Frank Snowden, son of the wealthy and influential Harris Snowden, is brought in with an acute case of appendicitis, which requires immediate surgery. Harris insists on waiting for Dr. Harvey, their family physician, to arrive and give his opinion of the matter, but Dr. Morgan performs the urgent operation after quickly securing the consent of Frank's wife. When Dr. Morgan is reprimanded by Waverly for taking Dr. Harvey's patient and is dismissed from the hospital, he angrily criticizes Waverly's and Harvey's unethical behavior, accusing both of serving only the petty whims of the rich and obstructing basic medical care for the sick and injured. One of Metropolitan's wealthiest resident patients is the chronically lonely Mrs. Crane, who, after learning of the young doctor's dismissal, uses her influence to have him reinstated. Meanwhile, two reporters arrive at the hospital and wait for the impending arrival of gangster Butch McCarthy, who has been released from prison for one day to visit his hospitalized mother. The reporters try to get the story about how Waverly has kept the con's visit a secret, especially considering that police officer Harrigan, who is being treated for the gunshot wounds from Butch's gun, is on the same floor. Dr. Morgan spoils Madge and Dr. Ellis' plans for a date when a staff shortage requires him to instruct Ellis to stay at the hospital. The eager Dr. Ellis proposes marriage to Madge, but she tells him that she is in love with Dr. Morgan. Later, when Dr. Morgan learns that his reinstatement came not from his own merit as a physician, but from Mrs. Crane's doings, he decides to leave the hospital in the name of saving his self-respect. Mrs. Crane wants Dr. Morgan to be her physician, so she offers to set him up in a private practice and keep him in business by sending her rich friends to him. Seeing no other alternative, Dr. Morgan accepts the offer, but when Madge finds out about his decision and believes that he has acted out of greed, not self-respect, she spurns him and agrees to marry Dr. Ellis. Escorted by the police, Butch McCarthy is brought to the bedside of the woman who is supposedly his mother, but once his handcuffs are removed, he grabs the gun that was smuggled in by the phony patient and goes after Harrigan. After Dr. Morgan is shot by the convict while trying to stop him, Harrigan's wife succeeds in preventing her husband's murder by shooting Butch. Dr. Morgan is rushed to the operating table, where it is discovered that the nature of his bullet wound is so severe that all hope for his recovery is abandoned. However, the still-conscious Dr. Morgan pleads with Dr. Ellis to perform a method of operation that only they have studied at the hospital. Dr. Ellis agrees, and under Dr. Morgan's guidance, the risky operation begins. During the procedure, Dr. Morgan tells Madge that he had reconsidered Mrs. Crane's offer and turned it down, thus fully redeeming himself. When the operation ends successfully, Dr. Ellis insists that Dr. Morgan ask Madge to marry him, and she accepts.

And there we have it

Thurs., April 23, 1936 - Howard took me to town tonite.  Mom and I saw Will Rogers in "In Old Kentucky".  Howard's eyes hurt so he didn't care to go.  We decided tonite to tie the knot June 7.
Fri., April 24, 1936 - Mr. Nieman took me into town after school.  Went to Lodge.  We initiated Mrs. Larson for the Carroll lodge.
Sat., April 25, 1936 - Went down town this a.m.  Washed and ironed my school clothes.  Went to Card Club at Wackers'.  Howard stayed home to get some rest, so he said.

I would guess (and hope!) that Grandma's saying "so he said" was not intended to sound the way it does.  Quite frankly, it cracked me up when I read that -- so much for newly-engaged bliss.

It's more of a teaser than a plot summary, but this is what I found on IMDB about the movie:

     "Horse trainer Steve Tapley is caught between the feuding Martingale and Shattuck families. He sides with young Nancy Martingale and her grandfather Ezra, and the feud is to be resolved by a horse race between the favorites of each family. Unfortunately, the Martingale's horse, Greyboy, only runs well in mud. And it hasn't rained in a long time."

And from wikipedia:

     "In Old Kentucky is a 1935 American comedy film starring Will Rogers, Dorothy Wilson and Russell Hardie. Two feuding families decide to settle a dispute with a horse race. It was Rogers' last film and was released posthumously, after he was killed in a plane crash on August 15, 1935."

Movie poster found at IMDB.

Cane be gone

Sat., April 11, 1936 - Mom and I went to Wayne again in Edwin's car.  This is my last treatment.  Orders are not to sit too much nor lift too heavy things.  Went to Card Club at Davis' tonite.  We all had to dress like kids.  Had a good time.
Sun., April 12, 1936 - Beautiful Easter Sunday.  Ray in for church again.  Martha had her baby baptized.  We were going out to Harry Kahler's this p.m. because they're moving tomorrow, but Aunt Emma, the boys, Sophia & John came down. Howard and I went to the show tonite, Dick Powell in "Thanks a Million."
Mon., April 13, 1936 - I'm really much improved.  I left the cane at home this week.  Very, very dusty and windy today.  Reviewed with seventh grade.

The movie sounds like fun, and it was a musical to boot.  Who doesn't like a good musical?

     From wikipedia:  Stranded in a small town in a downpour, the manager of a traveling musical show (Fred Allen) convinces the handlers of a boring long-winded local judge running for governor (Raymond Walburn) to hire his group to attract people to the politician's rallies. When the show's crooner, Eric Land (Dick Powell), upstages the judge, he's fired, but on a return visit he saves the day by standing in for the judge, who is too drunk to speak.

     Impressed by his poise, the party's bosses ask Eric to take over as candidate. The singer, knowing he has no chance to win, agrees for the exposure and the radio airtime in which he can showcase his singing. Soon, though, his girlfriend Sally (Ann Dvorak) becomes annoyed at the amount of time Eric is spending with the wife of one of the bosses, and she leaves when she thinks he has lied to her.


     When the bosses ask Eric to agree to patronage appointments that will lead to easy graft for all of them, he exposes them on the radio, telling the voters that voting for him would be a huge mistake and urging them to vote for his opponent. At the end Eric is, of course, elected governor, then reunited with Sally.

     Thanks a Million was nominated for the Academy Award for Sound (E. H. Hansen) in 1935.  It was remade in 1946 as If I'm Lucky, with Perry Como and Phil Silvers in the Powell and Allen roles.

Movie poster from Twentieth Century.

Feeling better

Sun., April 5, 1936 - Mom and I went to church.  Slept quite a bit this p.m.  Howard and I saw "Show Them No Mercy," a picture about kidnappers.  Came out to Nieman's.
Mon., April 6, 1936 - I feel better today than I have for 3 weeks.  I really think I'm getting better at last.  Reviewed after school.  Mom called and said she would take me to Wayne tomorrow.
Tues., April 7, 1936 - Am still feeling good.  Mom came about 3:30.  Dismissed school then.  Went to Wayne, did some shopping, took a treatment from Joe Smolski, and then got a permanent at the same place.

I like the ending of this movie.  Go, Sport.

From https://catalog.afi.com:

The kidnappers of young Tom Hansen demand $200,000 in unmarked five, ten and twenty dollar bills from the boy's family. The boy's wealthy uncles and a family friend agree to contribute large sums, but they and the boy's father refuse to allow FBI investigators to furnish marked bills to track the criminals.

During a thunderstorm, a young married couple, Loretta and Joe Martin, get stuck in mud with their baby Trudy and dog Sport, and find an abandoned house to wait out the storm. The four kidnappers arrive at the house, after having picked up the ransom money and delivered the boy. Tobey, the leader, locks Loretta, Joe, Trudy and Sport in a bedroom. Because Trudy needs medicine for a cold, Tobey dedides to go with Joe to buy the medicine and have Joe pass some of the money in a few nearby towns, so that Joe will be suspected if the money is marked.

While they are gone, Pitch, a gang member who was in favor of killing the Martins right off, gets drunk and irritated as the baby cries. When Tobey and Joe do not return at their scheduled time, Pitch points his gun at Gimp, a gang member who sympathizes with the Martins, and demands the key to the bedroom so he can kill them. As Pitch is about to shoot, Tobey and Joe arrive. Irritated at Pitch's drinking, Tobey announces that they passed every bill and will leave in the evening.

Meanwhile Reed of the FBI reveals to an assembled group of law enforcement officers that they were secretly able to substitute serially-numbered bills for the Hansen's money and that any bill whose serial number begins with the letters L, M, N, O or P and ends with the numbers 5, 7 or 9 is a ransom bill. This information is broadcast across the country. As the kidnappers prepare to leave, they hear one of the broadcasts and learn that the bills Joe passed have turned up. Although Pitch wants to kill the Martins, Tobey decides they can lay low for maybe a month and then pass the bills far away.

While Joe, using Loretta's scissors, tries to enlarge a hole in the bedroom floor leading to a cellar, Sport grabs a piece of Pitch's clothing. Pitch throws a wad of bills at the dog, who then runs outside with the money. As the dog begins to tear up the money, Pitch shoots him. After Pitch runs back to the house, Sport crawls away, leaving some of the torn bills in the open. Tobey then orders the others to leave. Pitch and Buzz, the fourth gang member, pull out before Gimp is ready, leaving him to walk.

After Pitch and Buzz pass money at a gas station, a young attendant calls in their license plate, and a roadblock is set up. Buzz is killed, while Pitch, shot in the arm, escapes. Gimp, seeing an ad for a twelve-dollar train ticket to Phoenix, exchanges bills at a few church collection plates, but when he goes to buy the ticket, he finds that the twelve-dollar rate has gone up. After he pays the difference with a marked bill, he is shot as he tries to board the train.

At the house, Loretta calls for Tobey to unlock the door so that she can get hot water for the baby. Joe waits to attack Tobey with a scissors, but before Tobey opens the door, Pitch returns and apologizes. When he suggests that he and Tobey use the phony passports that he has in San Francisco to leave the country until everything has settled down, Tobey agrees.

Meanwhile, Sport is attended to at a hospital, where he was taken after an old man found him. Reed orders 500 men to the location where the dog was found. As they prepare to leave, Pitch offers to kill the Martins, and Tobey hands over his gun. Pitch, however, shoots Tobey and then kicks in the bedroom door. Joe creates a diversion by running outside so that Loretta can grab the machine gun. After Pitch shoots Joe in the shoulder, Loretta mows Pitch down and then the police arrive. Later Reed tells Joe and Loretta about a reward, while Sport is awarded a medal for heroism.

Movie poster from wikipedia.

School on the weekend

Fri., March 27, 1936 - Edwin up here again.  Mom did the usual work at school.  Howard came after me and I went to lodge.  My ankles are swollen.  I guess this is caused from sleeping in a chair and having my feet hang down.
Sat., March 28, 1936 - Seemed funny to go to school today.  We hurried with classes and dismissed at noon.  I sorted school junk and took 3 boxes of stuff home tonite.  Card club at Mann's but I couldn't go.
Sun., March 29, 1936 - Ray came home last nite.  He and Mom went to church.  Annie, Ola, and family came in this a.m. and stayed for dinner.  Howard and I saw Will Rogers in "Steamboat Round the Bend" here in Winside tonite.  Went out to Nieman's after the show.

School on Saturday must have meant there weren't substitute teachers at the ready for Grandma to call up on short notice.  The kids probably weren't thrilled, but at least it was over quickly.

From wikipedia and IMDB re the movie -- "Steamboat Round the Bend" is a 1935 American comedy film directed by John Ford, released by 20th Century Fox and produced by Fox Film, based on the 1933 novel of the same name by author Ben Lucien Burman. It was the penultimate film of star Will Rogers and was released posthumously.  It is about a Louisiana con man who enters his steamboat into a winner-take-all race with a rival while trying to find a witness to free his nephew, about to be hung for murder.

Known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son", Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee family in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). As an entertainer and humorist, he traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"), and wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns.


By the mid-1930s, the American people adored Rogers. He was the leading political wit of his time and was the highest paid Hollywood film star. Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post, when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska.  He went on the outing in search of material for his newspaper columns.  He brought his typewriter along and typed as they flew.

Outing and abouting

Sun., December 15, 1935 - Ray didn't have to work today.  Howard came in tonite.  We went to Wayne and saw James Cagney in "Frisco Kid".  Ray went along with us.
Mon., December 16, 1935 - To Leffler's party tonite.  Rews, Iversens, Gladys R., Ethel, Lydia Kant and myself were there.  We had an exchange of gifts.  Howard's 28th birthday.
Tues., December 17, 1935 - The kids were going to Elmer's tonite for his birthday but I stayed home to get some much needed sleep.

Grandma doesn't say if she liked the movie.  From the summary (taken from wikipedia), I have to say I do not think it would be one of my favorites -- way too much going on to keep straight.  Great movie poster, however.

     "In San Francisco in the 1850s, a city where gold fever has left shipowners short-handed, Bat Morgan, a sailor come ashore is robbed and nearly shanghaied aboard another ship. Managing to escape, he sticks around town to pay back those responsible and then to take a cut in the action in the vice district. Organizing the various gambling houses (and other forms of vice implied but, for Code reasons, not explicitly stated) into a consolidated enterprise in alliance with a corrupt city boss, Jim Dailey, he comes into conflict with a crusading newspaper, run by Jean Barrat, the daughter of the late murdered publisher, and Charles Ford, the idealistic editor.

     Loyal to his friends, even when they are on the other side, Bat Morgan protects the editor, when Jim Dailey orders him eliminated. He also falls in love with Jean, but his way of life and lack of any morality beyond looking out for number one make a permanent relationship all but impossible.

     Riled at a judge's snub, he determines to bring his Barbary Coast crowd to the opening night at the Opera House, which the Judge has opened as an alternative place of amusement to the gambling dens. A gambler, Paul Morra, shoulders his way into the judge's box and on a flimsy excuse, murders him. The outrage provokes a public outcry, and when Morra is arrested and jailed and a lynch mob gathers, crying for his blood, Bat arranges his release, not so much because he likes him as because he owes him a debt of gratitude for having started him on the upward rise.

     Soon after, Ford is murdered by Jim Dailey in a bar-room fight. Jean blames Bat, holding him responsible for all the evil done by those who work with him. A vigilance movement sets out to clean up the town, rounding up Morra and Dailey, and hanging them both. When the lowlife of the Barbary Coast determine to pay it back by wrecking the press and burning the city, Bat Morgan convinces them to do otherwise. Trying to keep them from fighting back as the vigilantes come to destroy the Coast, he is shot in the back by one of the underworld forces and captured by the vigilantes. Jean Barrat saves him from hanging, and he is permitted to go free, on her parole."

The real Annie Oakley

Thurs., December 12, 1935 - We went to card club at Walker's tonite.  Plans were made for an oyster supper at our place Jan. 1.
Fri., December 13, 1935 - Lodge tonite.  Alma, Carrie Hansen, and I are on the committee to fix the Christmas treats for the next meeting.  I was elected secretary last meeting.
Sat., December 14, 1935 - I went to Norfolk on the train.  Did my Christmas shopping.  Met Lydia Wittler, we shopped together all afternoon.  Met Mildred Walker later in the afternoon.  Mom and Ray came up about 7:30.  After buying a few more things we went to the show.  We saw "Annie Oakley."

Instead of my usual movie poster, I researched the real Annie Oakley instead.  Here's information about her, her husband and her dog from centerofthewest.org:

"Annie Oakley was born Phoebe Ann Moses—called Annie by her family—on August 13, 1860, in Darke County, Ohio. This unassuming woman, who would perform before royalty and presidents, came from humble beginnings. When Annie was 6, her father, Jacob Moses, died of pneumonia—leaving her mother, Susan Wise Moses, with six children and little else. Annie’s mother remarried but her second husband, Dan Brumbaugh, died soon after, again leaving her with a new baby.

At the age of 8 or 9, Annie went to live with Superintendent Edington’s family at the Darke County Infirmary, which housed the elderly, the orphaned, and the mentally ill. In exchange for helping with the children, Annie received an education and learned the skill of sewing from Mrs. Edington, which she would later use to make her own costumes. Perhaps this early experience of working in such a sobering place aroused Annie’s lifelong compassion for children. She remained with the Edington’s until she was 13 or 14.

When she returned to her family, Annie’s mother had married a third time to Joseph Shaw. Even with this remarriage, the family finances were marginal. Annie used her father’s old Kentucky rifle to hunt small game for the Katzenberger brother’s grocery store in Greenville, Ohio, where it was resold to hotels and restaurants in Cincinnati, 80 miles away. Annie was so successful at hunting that she was able to pay the $200 mortgage on her mother’s house with the money she earned. She was 15 years old.

Her noted shooting ability brought an invitation from Jack Frost, a hotel owner in Cincinnati who had purchased her game, to participate in a shooting contest against a well-known marksman, Frank E. Butler.

Annie Oakley video anecdoteButler was on tour with several other marksmen. While on the road, he typically offered challenges to local shooters. Annie won the match with twenty-five shots out of twenty-five attempts. Butler missed one of his shots. This amazing girl entranced Butler, and the two shooters began a courtship that resulted in marriage on August 23, 1876.

Annie and Frank Butler first appeared in a show together May 1, 1882. Butler’s usual partner was ill and Annie filled in by holding objects for Frank to shoot at, and doing some of her own shooting. It was at this time that Annie adopted the stage name of Oakley. Off stage, she was always Mrs. Frank Butler. For the next few years, the Butlers traveled across the country giving shooting exhibitions with their dog, George, as an integral part of the act.

At a March 1884 performance in St. Paul, Minnesota, Annie befriended the Lakota leader Sitting Bull. The victor over George Armstrong Custer at the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn, Sitting Bull was impressed with Oakley’s shooting, her modest appearance, and her self-assured manner. Although Sitting Bull was still a political prisoner at Fort Yates, he was in town for an appearance, and had arranged to meet Oakley. They became fast friends. It was Sitting Bull who dubbed her “Little Sure Shot.”

In 1884, the Butlers joined the Sells Brothers Circus as “champion rifle shots,” but only stayed with the circus for one season. After a brief period on their own, Butler and Oakley joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West in 1885. This was a significant turning point in Annie Oakley’s life and in her relationship with Butler. Until this time either Butler had received top billing or they had shared the limelight. However, with the Wild West, Oakley was the star. It was her name on the advertising posters as “Champion Markswoman.” Butler happily accepted the position as her manager and assistant. Oakley and Butler prospered with the Wild West and remained with the show for sixteen years.

In 1887, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West toured England to join in the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. When the show opened that May, Oakley was the subject of considerable press due to her shooting skills and presence. This tour also helped Oakley increase her growing collection of shooting medals, awards, and trophies.

When the Wild West returned to Europe in 1889, Oakley had become a seasoned performer and earned star billing. The troupe stayed in Paris for a six-month exhibition, and then travelled to other regions of France, Italy, and Spain. Oakley proved especially popular with women, and Buffalo Bill made the most of her fame to demonstrate that shooting was neither detrimental, nor too intense for women and children.

Oakley and Butler’s desire for less extensive traveling, as well as a serious train accident that injured her back, caused them to leave the show in 1901. However, she continued to perform and eventually joined another wild west show, “The Young Buffalo Show,” in 1911. During this period, Butler signed a contract as a representative for the Union Metallic Cartridge Company in Connecticut. This was a position that allowed both Butler and Oakley to make endorsements for the company and to continue their shooting exhibitions. Finally, in 1913, the couple retired from the arena and settled down in Cambridge, Maryland.

While in Cambridge, the Butlers welcomed a new member into their family, their dog Dave. Named for a friend, Dave Montgomery of the comedy team of Montgomery and Stone, Dave was to be a constant companion to the Butlers. When they returned to the arena, Dave was to become an important part of the act—one trick was Annie shooting an apple from the top of Dave’s head. In 1917, they moved to Pinehurst, North Carolina. That same year, Buffalo Bill Cody died. Annie Oakley wrote a touching eulogy for Cody, and the passing of a golden era.

The United States was pulled into World War I in 1917, and Oakley offered to raise a regiment of woman volunteers to fight in the war. She had made the same offer during the Spanish-American War; neither time was it accepted. She also volunteered to teach marksmanship to the troops. Oakley gave her time to the National War Council of the Young Men’s Christian Association, War Camp Community Service, and the Red Cross. Dave became the “Red Cross Dog” by sniffing out donations of cash hidden in handkerchiefs.

Oakley began making plans for a comeback in 1922. Attracting large crowds in Massachusetts, New York, and major cities, she had plans to star in a motion picture. Unfortunately, at the end of the year, she and Butler were severely injured in an automobile accident. It took Oakley more than a year to recover from her injuries. By 1924, she was performing again, but her recovery did not last long. By 1925, she was frail and in poor health. She and Butler moved to her hometown in Ohio to be near her family. They attended shooting matches in the local area, and Oakley began to write her memoirs, which were published in newspapers across the country.

In 1926, after fifty happy years of marriage, the Butlers died. Annie Oakley died on November 3 and Frank Butler died November 21, within three weeks of each other. Both died of natural causes after a long and adventuresome life.

From her humble roots as Phoebe Ann Moses to taking center stage as Annie Oakley—champion shooter and star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West—this remarkable woman is remembered as a western folk hero, American legend, and icon. Throughout her career, Oakley maintained her dignity and propriety while quietly proving that she was superior to most men on the shooting range. Thanks to Hollywood and history, the legend of Annie Oakley endures into the twenty-first century through motion pictures, television, on the stage, in history books, and in museums."

I am guessing (and hoping) that's Dave in the photograph.

Movies on Thanksgiving Day

Tues., November 26, 1935 - Foggy today.  I came home early from school because it acted as if it might rain any minute.
Wed., November 27, 1935 - Snowed about all day.  Ray took me to school this a.m.  Mr. Nieman put on storm windows. Howard took me home in the "puddle jumper", rather a breezy ride.
Thurs., November 28. 1935 - Thanksgiving Day.  Ray worked this a.m.  Annie, Ola, kids and Howard here for dinner.  This evening Ray, Howard and I went to the show at Wayne.  We saw Gary Cooper in "Peter Ibbetson" and "Moonlight on the Prairie."

Turns out our recent movie-going on Thanksgiving has it roots back in 1935. 

I found quite a bit of information about the one movie, but not nearly so much on the other.  From wikipedia about "Peter Ibbetson":

     The picture is based on a novel by George du Maurier, first published in 1891. In 1917, du Maurier's story was adapted into a very successful Broadway play starring John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Constance Collier and Laura Hope Crews. The story had also been filmed in 1921, as a silent film called Forever (1921), directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring the popular Wallace Reid. In the years that followed, a Ford Theater television Peter Ibbetson (1951) starring Richard Greene, and a Campbell Playhouse radio Peter Ibbetson (1951) directed by and starring Orson Welles were produced.

     Gogo is a young boy of English extraction growing up in Paris. He is friendly with the neighbor girl, Mimsey. After his mother dies, Gogo is taken to England by his uncle who gives him an English name based on his mother's maiden name, transforming Gogo into Peter Ibbetson.

     Now an adult Englishman, Ibbetson (Gary Cooper) is an architect working in Yorkshire on a restoration job for the British Duke of Towers (John Halliday). He falls in love with Mary, Duchess of Towers (Ann Harding), and she with him, although she is already married. When the duke discovers this, he callously demands they explain themselves. Peter then realizes that Mary is his childhood sweetheart. All these years, Mary has kept, in the dresser beside her bed, the dress she wore at their last childhood meeting.

     The Duke becomes jealous and pulls a gun on Ibbetson. Ibbetson manages to kill the Duke in self-defense.  Ibbetson is unjustly convicted of murder, sentenced to life in prison, and despairs that he will never see Mary again. However, the lovers are reunited in one another's dreams, which connect them spiritually. Peter can leave prison to join Mary in sunlit glades and meadows, but only in his slumbers.


     Though the years pass, Peter and Mary remain youthful in their dreams. Mary eventually dies of old age, but she goes to her usual dream rendezvous one last time and speaks to Peter from beyond. Then Peter joins her there.

Imdb.com revealed the following about Moonlight on the Prairie, and states it is a musical:

     Ace returns to the town where he is suspected of murder. He quickly become involved in the scheme to keep Barbara Roberts from reaching her ranch. To inherit the ranch she must reach it by midnight. Ace agrees to get her there knowing she is the widow of the man he supposedly killed.

Sounds a bit grim for a musical, but what do I know?

Movie poster images from the above-referenced websites.