Golden Age of Hollywood Book Club discussion

that's like the Leo Reisman Orchestra singing, 'Without that Gal'

("I might forgive, but I can't live without that gal")

Leo Reisman, not as well known a stylist as Artie Shaw or Benny Goodman but he was a perfectionist as much as any of the bigger names

His boys pound out the definitive version of some tunes. To my way of thinkin', he wuz the schnizz.

'Without that Gal' ... 'What is This Thing Called Love', ...etc etc etc

These antique "phon-o-graphs" are not only astounding but beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=524GC...

I've been lucky enough to attend a 1940s swing dance bar back when I was in school. I was regular there. What a hoot. Men in zoot-suits and women in ostrich feathers. All the music was from the 40s.

Jill wrote: "Herbert Marshall to his cheating wife, Bette Davis in The Letter (1940)

If you love a person, you can forgive anything"

I'm afraid that I can't agree with that. There are some things that are unforgivable.

H'mmm. I kinda feel 'judgment' is ultimately not for fallible humans to render. Being hurt --holding a personal grudge --turning away from a wrong-doer --that's all very well. But it might belong to a higher power to hand down someone's final comeuppance. History is rife with example of villains who would otherwise escape scot-free, if it were left merely to weak-willed mortals to fully denounce them.

If that were true then we wouldn't have developed a court system and laws. Mistakes are sometimes made, but if we just say 'a higher power will judge' then we deserve the chaos and tyranny that will develop. The guilty sometimes get off scot-free, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to achieve justice.

Courts and law -- notoriously inconsistent --as are all human institutions. Doesn't ultimately matter whether we have them or no.

A good court ruled Socrates guilty; a good court ruled Oscar Wilde guilty; a good court ruled Sacco & Vanzetti guilty, a good court ruled Leopold & Loeb not guilty, a good court ruled Leo Frank guilty. A good court found John Scopes guilty.

In the medieval times up through the Early Modern period, criminals were maimed & tortured as punishment. Tongues and fingers severed off, convicts were beheaded. To no lasting purpose.

Courts may do some little good in some small way; but they've never prevented evil's steady and unchecked progress onward from as far back as pagan times.

All in all --inefficient human jurisprudence is hardly enough of a deterrent to modern day fiends (whether cinematic or real life) --never enough to halt their maleficent careers.

But what even the most primitive mind frequently does balk at, is meeting with sterner judgment in the great beyond.

As simple as it sounds, even the most hardened criminal fears retribution from the unknown and the supernatural.

"Quit slumming ! ! !"

John Hodiak repeatedly jeers at Tallulah Bankhead in 'Lifeboat'.

I occasionally use this curt retort myself when opportunity presents itself.

"Would you enjoy some music during your meal, Tuco?"

"Such impudence never came my way ...!"

"Generosity! That was my first mistake!"