THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion

great info. Rick. My impression from my parents that it was a phenomenon is correct. I will print this out. I like to collect great info. like this and insert it into a folder. Orsen Wells? I know that name but can not ascertain how else besides the relation to the radio program. Have you ever seen T.V. adaptations of it or motion pictures? I sure wish I had! If you did, did you enjoy it? That is old school. However, by now, you know I love old school! It more than helps Rick!

Brian wrote: "great info. Rick. My impression from my parents that it was a phenomenon is correct. I will print this out. I like to collect great info. like this and insert it into a folder. Orsen Wells? I know ..."

Orson Welles is best known for his first film- CITIZEN KANE- although I like his second THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS better- that is based on a novel by Boothe Tarkenton- Wells went on to a very prolific hollywood career- I believe his daughter recently wrote a biogrpphy on him
here is some info Brian
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985), best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, writer, actor and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television, and radio. Noted for his innovative dramatic productions as well as his distinctive voice and personality, Welles is widely acknowledged as one of the most accomplished dramatic artists of the 20th century.

Welles first found national and international fame as the director and narrator of a radio adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds which, performed in the style of a news broadcast, caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an actual extraterrestrial invasion was in progress. His first two films with RKO, Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons, are widely considered two of the greatest films ever made. His other films, including Touch of Evil and Chimes at Midnight, are also considered masterpieces.[1:][2:] In 2002 he was voted the greatest film director of all time in the British Film Institute's poll of Top Ten Directors.Welles was also an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety spectacles in the war years.

as far as The Shadow movies- a handful were made in the 1930's with ex silent screen star Rod LoRocque as the star- they were very much B movies- 60-65 min each- I love B movies so I liked them- but they are a matter of taste

here is a free online download of one of the movies you can watch
http://www.archive.org/details/intern...

Rick; the provided website will be very useful. You made a comment about my thoughts of teachers being mandated on what they can teach. It is true that the whole sytem is aimed at standardized tests. The situation is worse whereby the govenment projects the need in the next five years for nurses, doctors, automotive, etc. Their whole thinking is to guide students in that direction. I can not believe that our local library has thousands of books and of them only ONE book on Sylvia Plath, FOUR by Hemmingway, and a few of Emily Dickinson. I asked the librarian about classic books and they are being deleted from the public library system. HOW can classic literature be deemed unnecessary in advanced English? I am sure happy I received info. on Amazon. Our local used book store has thousands too, only ONE Dickens book. This digusts me greatly. I had my heart set on 1,000 poems by Emily Dickinson, something I immensely enjoyed as a boy and can not be obtained even through the "lending" library exchange. Unbeleivable!

Oh yeah Rick, I watched some documentary on that incident that caused widespread panic of an alien invasion. I would not want to be Orson Welles when he had to explain that. Of course,"War Of The Worlds", the orginal movie and the much more recent one. "Citizen Kane" is another movie I watched. It is great how it ties in with the movies i have watched. Personally I like "B" movies, a low budget meant little theatrics. Although off topic, my fav. "B' movie was "Slapshot". I still laugh every time I watch it. www.archive.org. must be a great resource for information. I have to keep that in mind. Perhaps that source may have one broadcast of "The Shadow Knows". Silent films..watched many Charlie Chaplin, now that is old black and white or what?

Brian wrote: "Oh yeah Rick, I watched some documentary on that incident that caused widespread panic of an alien invasion. I would not want to be Orson Welles when he had to explain that. Of course,"War Of The W..."

Brian- if you go to that website I provided- you will have access to all public domain movies- - including 2 Shadow movies- I wish I shared your enthusiasm for poems- I have tried so much to appreciate them-
the one that stands out is.......

LOST
ONE GOLDEN HOUR
SET WITH SIXTY DIAMOND MINUTES
NO REWARD IS OFFERED
FOR IT IS GONE FOREVER

not sure who wrote that- but I copiedit and carried it in my wallet for years- it affected me so

That is great Rick, I wrote it down. Poems is an aquired taste. Look at it from my angle, I sure wish I had the knowledge you have of movies between the 1930's-1950's. I have watched a number of them, nowhere near the films you have watched. The interest is certainly there though. I am an information junkie for the books, movies, plays by authors I enjoy and those I have not discovered yet. You do a wonderful job of moderating. I actually printed out much of the information you shared for my file. I think I mentioned that. I guess you can tell I am peeved by the oppression of classic literature. Can not help it, at least the venues you mentioned will fill the void I could never via public library or store access. I am passionate about the systematic destruction of beloved literature.

Hi Rick; profound meaning in one stanza, from American educater Horace Mann-1796-1859.

Brian wrote: "That is great Rick, I wrote it down. Poems is an aquired taste. Look at it from my angle, I sure wish I had the knowledge you have of movies between the 1930's-1950's. I have watched a number of th..."

really appreciate your enthusiasm Brian- you are a kindred spirit!

thanks very much Rick, I do not think I ever heard that from anyone. Kind of you! There is a massive book that one just has to know the first line of a poem and it will provide the poem and author. Many years ago I remembered only one line of what turned out to be my favorite poem.."Two Roads Diverge In a Yellow Woods", looked up the line in that huge reference book and it appeared, "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost with the whole poem of course. Like yourself I research much through books like the "Unified Field Theory".

public libraries suck because the people running them are young, and think classic literature has no merit, brian. you better buy your copy of emily dickinson poems, buddy.

i don't use public libraries anymore, for that reason!

A wonderful book for wandering through and finding all kinds of gems - poetry, essays, epigrams, speeches, excerpts from longer pieces - is A Treasury of the Familiar edited by Ralph L. Woods -

when I turned 14, my stepfather gave me a copy for my birthday, and I was disappointed and disgusted, because I'd wanted a microscope. Nothing against microscopes, but I'm sure that if he'd given me one it would long since have disappeared, been broken, etc., but I still have the book and couldn't tell you how many hours of enjoyment I've had browsing through it in the decades since.

Brian wrote: "Rick; the provided website will be very useful. You made a comment about my thoughts of teachers being mandated on what they can teach. It is true that the whole sytem is aimed at standardized test..."

The library will often purge books to make way for newer volumes due to space restrictions - in other words, they're running out of room. One way the determine what to keep and what to get rid of is how often a certain volume is requested or checked out. If the volume is still being asked for on a regular basis it will be kept. However, if it hasn't been asked for in years, it will probably be sold off. Hence the most popular of Hemingway's novels remain along with the collection of Dickinson and Plath.

Now, as someone who enjoys poetry, I'll just say this: Once you read Dickinson, you're going to want to own your own copy anyway.

It is true Ivan, for some libraries. We had a modern library contructed in about 2005. Space is not an obsticle. You are right as I was told it is lack of demand. It is not a public resource for classic books. Even the library sharing program in Ontario is not particularly helpful. Thanks to Rick and Gary who provided online resources, I will be able to obtain the books I want. For sure, some books I will have to purchase and will do. I can envision the day where it will be cheaper to reproduce books at a fraction of the cost on DVD. Two reasons, the digital age we live in and downloading is threatening the writing profession. So many authors are struggling to get their books published.

Gary wrote: "public libraries suck because the people running them are young, and think classic literature has no merit, brian. you better buy your copy of emily dickinson poems, buddy."

Not all do. In New York the libraries here are great and filled with people who have vast knowledge. And then again, I just order everything on line and pick it up when it comes in. I like doing my own research anyway.

James wrote: "A wonderful book for wandering through and finding all kinds of gems - poetry, essays, epigrams, speeches, excerpts from longer pieces - is A Treasury of the Familiar edited by Ralph..."
Thanks for the wonderful Recommendation, James
very much appreciated!!!

I have to admit that I almost never use the public library, and yet I'd be heartbroken if they ever closed. I do buy most of my books used from Amazon. There is a great little book store here in Tallahassee called The Paperback Rack - I enjoy shopping there. However, must of what I want is never on the shelf (it's not on the shelf at Borders, B&N or Books-a-Million either).

I tend to check the one good independent bookstore in our part of town first, then Borders and B&N, and then if I end up looking online, Amazon is good but I also go to bookfinder.com; it searches the inventories of a large number of new and used book sellers (including Amazon) and gives you a list with links of places selling new and used copies, along with prices, and for the used ones, notes on condition. One other place I've sometimes found the best deal on a given book was on eBay, too. There was a textbook my son needed for one of his college courses, and it cost about $60 new - Amazon had some used copies of the current edition for between $45 and $50, but someone was selling it on eBay for 95 cents plus about $3 for S&H! So I bought it and just had them send it to his address.

There are so few independent booksellers- but in Delray Beach,FL- where I am- there is a wonderful Mystery Bookshop called MURDER ON THE BEACH
They have author readings almost every week- and so many wonderful current and classic titles- plus an atmosphere that the large chains can never replicate

The indie places I go here have websites, too - they are Page One http://www.page1book.com/ and Title Wave http://www.titlewavebooks.com/ - Page One sells both new and used books, also DVDs, jewelry, and other stuff, and Title Wave is all used books and movies, both VHS and DVD.

Marge wrote: "I am currently reading "North and South" by Elizabeth Gaskell. I really like it. I thought I would give Mrs. Gaskell as chance after watching "Wives and Daughters." She has become an enchanting ..."

Marge- I agree that Mrs Gaskell was a wonderful writer- her last book - Wives and Daughters remained unfinished since she died before writing the very end- how did you find that fact affecting your overall enjoyment of the rather long book?
Also you must read Cranford by her- it is supurb!

James wrote: "The indie places I go here have websites, too - they are Page One http://www.page1book.com/ and Title Wave http://www.titlewavebooks.com/ - Page One sells both new and used books, also DVDs, jewelr..."

thanks for the websites James- both very interesting!

Thanks Rick, Gary and James for those great websites. They are so valuable to me as I know little about Amazon and other sites pertaining to buying books, DVD's, etc. I have good bargain sense and I am sure I can purchase what I wish for a fraction of the retail price.

After 35 years, I finally can daydream within the pages of Emily Dickinson's poetry once again. I never thought I would be able to...THANKS GARY!! The best gift I received in 2010!

So, you got your own copy of her poems, brian? enjoying them?

The one I really want is not available locally. January is a tough month for many. I will have to wait until February to order it through one of the sites mentioned. That is when I will purchase "1,ooo poems" by Emily Dickinson and Vincent Price narrating Edgar Allen Poe. Can not wait. I am content with "Final Harvest" one of the few from the library for now. It is a cross-section of her poems. Also, I lent the only one by Sylvia Plath, "Ariel". You can bet the bank I will get it (1,000 poems)! In "Final Harvest" I recognize bits and peaces of her work, I am surprised I remember anything. Oh, I never read Sylvia,s poems before, looking forward to it. I am open minded to other poets you like also.

Brian wrote: "The one I really want is not available locally. January is a tough month for many. I will have to wait until February to order it through one of the sites mentioned. That is when I will purchase "1..."

Brian
Until Feb- maybe this link will suffice
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12242/...

my favorite Dickenson Poem

A BOOK.

He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book. What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!

Hi Rick; Hmmm..you really know so many great websites. My sincere gratitude! What a profound poem. It really reflects how I feel, sometimes I only have enough money for a coffee. Many times it is all I need as I am able to block out a very noisy place like Tim Hortons and focus so intently on a book. At times it is like I am experiencing a book. It is like liberty or freedom in exploring a book. Sounds too sentimental, it is the best I can describe it. One big reason I am so ethusiastic about goodreads is that for years I had no outlet on the topics I comment on. Only my wife and I. I felt all alone often with ideas, questions, need for info, topics, etc. Goodreads is the best thing to happen for me in years. Finally a group I can voice my passion with. There is no group like this where I live and no one I know this interested.

so happy youlike group- you add alot to it Brian

Oh I forgot, beautiful poem Rick. Never read that one that I know of. For someone whom poems is not their forte, you sure pick great ones. Your favorite you mentioned in a previous post, I will print out the whole poem. If a poem can capture my attention in one stanza it usually is very good.

Yes Gary I agree with you totally on this one.The younger generation don't seem to care like we do about literature.They buthched the english language with shortcuts like BRB, WTG, L8tr stuff like that.The computer lingo now made it so kids would rather play x-box games or text message instead of picking up a Charles Dickenson, Sylvia Plath etc.They need to make reading fun and interesting and stop demolishing our libraries.

I like to think of it this way: Our thinking can only be as precise as our ability to express it in words, and clear oral and written communication make it much harder to act on wrongheaded or stupid ideas and values.
English is a big, complex language and a hard one to master - for example, the number of words in English is more than in just about any other language. In that respect, if languages were instruments, English might be the grand piano. That makes it potentially both more powerful and more precise, though, and if we do the work of mastering it, English can enable us to create verbal symphonies that can transform people who hear or read them.
By comparison, a lot of what passes for English in popular culture today is to real fluent English as a kazoo is to that grand piano.
When my son was in high school, he got an assignment to write a poem, and at that he rebelled. He thought it was stupid and had no relevance to his life then or in the future. He and I are both stubborn types, so I wasn't going to accept that from him, and he wasn't going to knuckle under to me. I told him that I couldn't make him write a poem, but I could make sure he didn't do anything else when he should be writing it. So for three nights, we sat after dinner until bedtime in the den with his schoolbook on a table in front of him - I told him I was ready and would like to help him with the assignment whenever he felt like starting it, but in the meantime I sat reading a book.
On the fourth night he cracked, and said that he just saw no use for poetry in his life, and that he'd never read a poem that he didn't think was stupid. So I told him that if I had to pick one asset that had helped me most in my career, it was my ability to speak and write clearly and forcefully; I added that I knew of no better way to practice writing well than to write poetry, which had no room for fluff or cliches if it was to be any good. Further, I told him, there were a lot of poems he'd probably enjoy because of their humor and their jaundiced slant on various issues. I went and got that Treasury of the Familiar and read him a couple of things, and the logjam was broken - he ended up writing something pretty good.

James, you're absolutely right in what you say about the importance of facility in the use of language, and that's a really inspiring story. And Brian, you encapsulated perfectly how I (and probably a lot of the rest of us) feel about Goodreads --I couldn't have said it any better if I'd tried for a million years!

I can understand one having an affinity for literature and the theatre - but network television is such garbage.

To Werner, I am happy you wrote that most feel the same way about goodreads. I was wondering if I should delete the post as I thought my comments are too sentimental, or to be frank, whimpy. That is great, I certainly know better to say that to many people where I live. Gary gave me the perfect comeback line for critism, " A CREATIVE MIND IS NEVER BORED".

To Rick, agree 100%. We have 100's of channels and network television is mind numbingly boring. Except for channels like "Discovery". Hope I can obtain the channel you mentioned. My T.V. is never on in the daytime. I just have to show a printout of "Only The Shadow Knows" to my mother, she would really like it!

To James: You analysis of the English language is quite true and I could not have stated what you wrote any better!

Brian wrote: "To Werner, I am happy you wrote that most feel the same way about goodreads. I was wondering if I should delete the post as I thought my comments are too sentimental, or to be frank, whimpy. That i..."

Brian
in my James Mason Group- you need never fear any of your comments are too sentimental, or whimpy - it is your very passion that makes your posts so wonderful!

There are a few programs on TV that are consistently good. I like Mythbusters - they teach the scientific method better than anything else I've seen on television, and have a lot of fun in the process. Time Warp is another. They use high speed cameras to show phenomena that take place very quickly, slowed down by up to 10,000 times; the images are always interesting and sometimes beautiful, and they're teaching some science fairly often. The Science Channel tends to be good; the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, the National Geographic Channel, History Channel, Documentary Channel, and History International come up with some good things mixed in with some stupid stuff. I like the Military Channel, except for a couple of gripes - they have too many repeats and not enough new material, and the guys (they're always male) who narrate a lot of their shows sound like idiots - it's a tone-of-voice thing, hard to explain but if you heard it you'd know what I mean.

Hi James; the programs you like are the same as mine, intellectual ones. I would like to add I am a huge fan of "Supernatural". It is not a typical vampire series as the characters, Sam and Dean (mainly) have to figure out so many more entities than vimpires. It is my favorite T.V. show in that genre and is wildly poupular as it airs on prime time mostly.

Brian wrote: "Hi James; the programs you like are the same as mine, intellectual ones. I would like to add I am a huge fan of "Supernatural". It is not a typical vampire series as the characters, Sam and Dean (m..."

Brian
Here is a site where your folks can download free Shadow radio shows- or many other original shows from that era....

http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/templ...

I am reading Stephen King's "Under the Dome". I'm reading it for 2 reasons: I am his #1 fan (lol) and I'm reading it via my Kindle app on my iPhone to test this app and the e-book reading experience. :-)

Cheryl Kaye Tardif
bestselling Canadian suspense author
http://www.cherylktardif.com

Cheryl wrote: "I am reading Stephen King's "Under the Dome". I'm reading it for 2 reasons: I am his #1 fan (lol) and I'm reading it via my Kindle app on my iPhone to test this app and the e-book reading experienc..."

my sister in law is reading Under the Dome- She said it is one of King's best

I have just started "We Two, Victoria and Albert" Rulers, Partners, Rivals" by Gillian Gill who also wrote the life of Florence Nightengale. It has started out very well and I think it is going to shed some light on their complex realtionship. I'll let you know.

Jill wrote: "I have just started "We Two, Victoria and Albert" Rulers, Partners, Rivals" by Gillian Gill who also wrote the life of Florence Nightengale. It has started out very well and I think it is going to..."

I look forward to your review
have you read any of the Allison Weir Royal history books?
she wrote several excellant ones on Henry VIII

I strongly recommend all of you look up Stanley Grauman Weinbaum and his tragically short writing career- he passed away of cancer at age 32- but left behind 6 wonderful sci-fi stories- written in the early 1930's
just discovered him

sounds great Rick, I will dig up info. on Stanley. I think it is great to discover these kinds of authors that are not as well known. What was the exact name of those discs you ordered? I think among them is the movie of James Mason as a very good villian. That is funny "very good villian", an oxy-moron for sure. Also can you tell me the exact site you ordered them. The public domain sites are magnificent! Before this club, I had no idea they existed. If I was a betting man, I would pick Amazon.

Brian
here is the site to read his work for free
http://manybooks.net/authors/weinbaum...

Stanley Grauman Weinbaum (April 4, 1902 - December 14, 1935) was an American science fiction author. His career in science fiction was short but influential. His first story, "A Martian Odyssey", was published to great (and enduring) acclaim in July 1934, but he would be dead from lung cancer within eighteen months.

I have an Amazon Kindle- so I downloaded his complete works for .99
I have about 600 books on it now
for example- I downloaded complete works of Dickens, Trollope, Wilkie Collins, Sir Waliter Scott, Twain ect
each had tons of books and stories ect
each cost $4.97

The Kindle is great but it does cost about $180.00

Well, it pays for itself in a short time. Can you describe what Amazon Kindle is? It has to be an added device kinda like "Fushion". Also did you buy it through Amazon too. I am positive Kindle can not be bought locally. Thanks, I can see it would be so useful!

Rick wrote: "Jill wrote: "I have just started "We Two, Victoria and Albert" Rulers, Partners, Rivals" by Gillian Gill who also wrote the life of Florence Nightengale. It has started out very well and I think i..."
I have read Ms. Weir's books and enjoyed them. I am a fan of anything about British history. The Jan Morris books are quite good.......well written and researched. Jan used to be James Morris so there are some books written under that names as well.