"Be in a Movie. Ten Shekels."

From Paul

Sorry for the two-week hiatus, but I’ve been under the weather and limping. I’ve suffered a summer flu bug; my formerly good knee is clicking like an old teletype with bone grinding on bone; and I can’t seem to write anything except checks to Los Angeles Water & Power. [In August, air conditioning cost more than my first car. And no, Jim Born, it wasn't a Model-T].

Many thanks to Jim Grippando for ably filling in last week.

Today, let's talk about some really talented people. For starters, how about David Mamet, Otto Preminger, and Christopher Hitchens?

MOVIEMAKING 101: WHEN YOU RUN OVER BUDGET...

This comes from David Mamet’s “Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business.”

In 1960, Otto Preminger lacked the budget to hire the 10,000 extras he needed to shoot a huge crowd scene in Jerusalem in “Exodus,” the movie about Israel’s fight for independence. So how did he get the extras?

“I charged them,” Preminger explained.

He papered the town with posters: “Be in a movie, ten shekels.” As Mamet comments, “That’s what I call a producer.”

My favorite Preminger film is “Anatomy of a Murder,” released one year before “Exodus.” It’s widely available on DVD, and I recommend it highly.

Many years ago, I was a pen pal of the late John Voelker, the Michigan judge who wrote the novel that was the source material for the movie. In one letter, I asked Voelker (who wrote under the name “Robert Traver”) if he was upset that Preminger, though faithful to much of the story, completely revised the ending. Voelker’s reply was, “Yes, Preminger changed it quite a bit. Made it better, don’t you think?” Unusual reaction for an author. Clive Cussler recently sued the studio over the adaptation of “Sahara,” which is sort of like complaining that the Dumpster messed up your garbage.

The film version of “Anatomy,” though tame by today’s standards, was something of a sensation nearly 50 years ago. The words “rape,” “girdle,” “panties” and “bitch” were pretty racy at the time.

There are a lot of quotable lines in “Anatomy of a Murder,” including this wonderful soliloquy about juries by the old, boozy lawyer Parnell Emmett McCarthy (Arthur J. O’Connell):

“Twelve people go off into a room: twelve different minds, twelve different hearts, from twelve different walks of life; twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes, and sizes. And these twelve people are asked to judge another human being as different from them as they are from each other. And in their judgment, they must become of one mind - unanimous. It's one of the miracles of Man's disorganized soul that they can do it, and in most instances, do it right well. God bless juries.”

I agree...unless the Phil Spector jury returns an acquittal (highly unlikely) or cannot reach a verdict (a possibility).

LEE REMICK & JAMES STEWART IN "ANATOMY OF A MURDER"

Here's a wonderful courtroom colloquy between defense lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) and witness Alphonse Paquette (Murray Hamilton).

Biegler: “Mr. Paquette, what would you call a man with an insatiable penchant for women?”

Paquette: “A what?”

Biegler: “A penchant... a desire... taste... passion.”

Pacquette: “Well, uh, ladies' man, I guess. Or maybe just a damn fool!”

Judge: “Just answer the questions, Mr. Paquette. The attorneys will provide the wisecracks."

“Anatomy” was nominated for a passel of Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (James Stewart), Best Supporting Actor (both George C. Scott and Arthur J. O’Connell), Best Adapted Screenplay (Wendell Mayes), Best Cinematography (Sam Leavitt), Best Film Editing (Louis Loeffler), but didn’t win any. Of course, 1959 was a banner year for films, including “Some Like It Hot,” “North by Northwest,” “The Diary of Anne Frank,” “Room at the Top,” “Compulsion,” “Rio Bravo,” and Jim Born’s favorite movie, “Pillow Talk.” The winner in the Best Picture category was “Ben-Hur,” with Charlton Heston riding his chariot to the Best Actor award without the use of any firearms.
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A MODEST EXISTENTIAL QUESTION

I've been reading about religion lately, a first for me. So, today's question for readers. Does God exist? We report. You decide.

"You're born. You suffer. You die. Fortunately, there's a loophole."
–The Rev. Billy Graham

“Religion is man-made. Even the men who made it cannot agree on what their prophets or redeemers or gurus actually said or did.”
–Christopher Hitchens, “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything”

“Reason is the devil’s harlot, who can do nought but slander and harm whatever God says and does.”
–Martin Luther

''In my soul I feel just that terrible pain of loss, of God not wanting me -- of God not being God -- of God not existing.''
–Mother Teresa’s private journal, 1959

“I am a man of one book.”
–Thomas Aquinas

“Cave ab homine unius libri.” (Beware the man of one book).
–Latin proverb.

Finally, in news from the world of sports & religion, Notre Dame is 0-3 with an offense that has yet to cross an opponent's goal line. That's right. Touchdown Jesus is AWOL.

(Click the envelope below to send this post to a pal. It won't cost you a shekel).

Vive, vale...

Paul