California is ripe for the burning, as wildfire season kicks in. Last
year was a record for the wildfires suffered in California. One fire
lasted two months, finally reaching containment in December. It was
huge in the numbers of deaths and acreage of land burned. We will remember the names of those cities and people. What kept more from dying and homes from being burned? Firefighters. Heroes.
from the 1920s.
History of Firemen from 1920s, 6 minutes long
Fireman Week was on June 15, but every week should be considered this by all. Please remember this, and thank every firemen you see or meet.
Brave then, and brave now.
They don't even flinch. 3 minutes long
Our
community of elderly people depends
on the vigilance of the firemen just down the street. They are
live-savers, literally.
YouTube, available but not always in original format black and white
Yesterday was the 82th year since D-Day, when the Allies powers landed on the beaches of Normandie, which set in motion the end of the war. Hitler had such plans and they possibly could have come to fruition if not but two simple decisions made:
The Allies had always landed when the weather was good, reasonable for better battles.
Don't wake Hitler. He has taken a sleeping pill. This is big decision that only he can approve the release of the Panzer tank division.
We watched The Longest Day yesterday, but this time we watched as adults with an understanding developed over many decades of learning and life.
Then we could pull together our smatterings of knowledge and watched with amazement. The sheer logistics of such a plan! The numbers of soldiers ready to go? The eagerness they felt, with fear yet genuine desire to get on with it! The bravery and willingness of these men who would go
"Once more unto the breach” taking it to an incredible level.***
The cast was on a massive scale of acting talent and included actual D-day veterans, who were there and knew the utter overwhelming odds were almost too overwhelming.
Cast was 200++, with many big acting names like Ricard Burton, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery...Cast of known actors
Obviously we were ourselves overwhelmed as we watched this film, filmed on site in 1962. It won two Oscars, which was meaningless. No other film had ever done what this film did: set before all who saw this film the truth of war and its desperate victory over Fascism that had the advantage and lost it for two simple reasons:
Hitler was taking a nap.
The lack of respect the heads of the Wehrmacht held for the Allies powers and their willingness to risk all to defeat the evil that could take over civilization.
***Once more unto the breach” is King Henry V’s rousing speech urging his troops to attack the French at Harfleur, exemplifying courage, leadership, and patriotic fervor.
Obviously I admire this movie, and the event that brought this world changing accomplishment to the people who sat in theater seats watching a b/w movie.
Heroes can help us lift our eyes a little higher. Immanuel Kant said that "from the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made." That may well be true. But some have used that warped, knotted timber to build more boldly and beautifully than others, and we may all benefit by their examples.
Heaven knows we need those examples now. Heroes now
Sometimes
we get lucky in our home movie watching. We may have wandered off to
watch a bit of "A Team" or we wander on to this, Les Miserables, if we
are lucky.
This
is history, bloody and messy. The whole story is about surviving, being
in love, fighting for beliefs, and having some tremendous music.
Big
scene, sets up the conflict and the students manning the barricade.
The poverty of the poor is a shock for our sweet society.
Of all the songs to watch, this one is a lynch pin.
As
is expected, people will die tragically, lovers almost miss their
window of love opportunity, the villain throws himself into water, the
hero rescues the lovers. The music grabs a hold of the audience and will
not let go until the curtain falls.
Victor Hugo was the author, THE author. There is so much that can be told about him and what he wrote.
There
are movies that are worth watching, several times.Okay, I could not
leave this song, which every one in the music world enjoys.
Colm Wilkinson is the famous performer that
sets the whole tone of the musical.
This segment is 7 minutes long.
I know, long. This song was written for Colm Wilkinson, specifically. But
Please
listen to some of this song.
So,
there you go. I did not want to make this a movie review, and it is now. This
is a review of how awesome the actors are and pure music can be.
Chris had never been known to be a “waiter”; instead he always threw himself headlong into many diverseadventures…here, there, here...He loved the adrenalin rush, the way it drove him. After that rush came his pride and carelessness.
Who and what Chris was then changed radically when he became a man whose greatest desire in life was to wait upon the Lord. Be intense, diligent… …taking on the most mundane of tasks. Wait upon the Lord…were the words running through his mind when the alarm bell rang.
“Take it, Chris!” cried out a fellow fireman. At the clunk sound of hose thrown to him, adrenaline surged. Gripping the heavy hose tightly, Chris reminded himself ”Time to serve!” as he raced into the blazing house.
YouTube from movie "Fireproof". Video is about 4 min. long.
The 1950s was an amazing time for many reasons. Too many reasons that can be numbered. There is one that may have changed the face of modern culture:
The Television
Willie Nelson always delivers.
About 3 minutes long
My memories of television programming of that time were COWBOY SHOWS!
Oh boy howdy. I loved them. I still do. High Noon, Stagecoach, The Magnificent Seven, The Searchers---So good.
But it was the TV shows that were the candy for children. How many can say they know of or have seen Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Rifleman, Have Gun--Will Travel, Rawhide, Wagon Train, and others?
Why did they impact so many generations? Heroes, we wanted heroes. Not just heroes, but these were from a glamorized era called the Wild West. Heroes rode horses (hi-ho Silver, Let's get 'em Trigger), cooked over a wood fire, slept on the ground, called women "Ma'm" and treated them protectively and with respect, and mostly didn't drink. Heroes had high standards of behavior, which the bad guys didn't. Heroes shot shiny guns, only because they had to. Heroes sometimes had gunfights, which they always won.
Gunsmoke ran for twenty seasons! The opening of the show:
James Arness was 6'6" tall.
I watched this every week. Now that it is on cable, Gunsmoke is available for another generation of young cowboys to hitch up their horse and ride off into the sunset.
Bill Peck: 1955-1999
My brother Bill Peck with his horse Sonny. This is Bill, all 6'4" of him. He grew up to be a cowboy in Texas with his own horses, a scraggly dog, a shiny gun, and a few acres of land. Oh. I miss him so.
California is ripe for the burning, as wildfire season kicks in. Last year was a record for the wildfires suffered in California. One fire lasted two months, finally reaching containment in December. It was huge in the numbers of deaths and acreage of land burned. What kept more from dying and homes from being burned? Firefighters. Heroes. This week is Fireman Week, and should be honored by all. Please remember this, and thank every firemen you see or meet.
History of Firemen from 1920s, 6 minutes long
Brave then, and brave now.
They don't even flinch. 3 minutes long
Our community of elderly people (we are the age of their children) depends on the vigilance of the firemen just down the street. They are live-savers, literally.
There is a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie from my kitchen with their names on it.
