Tom Barnes's Blog: Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog - Posts Tagged "bermuda-triangle"
Through the Years With Oscar
This Week
The Early Years of Oscar
Judge Spicer Delivers his Finding
Writers Notebook: On rewriting.
'Open the envelope please.'
With the 72nd Motion Picture Academy Awards coming up this Sunday, March 7, 2010 I'd like to revisit and comment on some of the the early Oscar years.
Year, Film and Director:
1927/28 - Wings – William A. Wellman
1928/29 - The Broadway Melody – Harry Beaumont
1929/30 - All Quiet on the Western Front – Lewis Milestone
1930/31 - Cimarron – Wesley Ruggles
1931/32 - Grand Hotel – Edmond Goulding
1932/33 - Cavalcade – Frank Lloyd
1934 - It Happened one Night – Frank Capra
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty – Frank Lloyd
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld – Robert Z. Leonard
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola – William Dieterle
1938 - You can't Take it With you – Frank Capra
Choosing the best of the best every year just to be nominated is hard enough – then selecting one from that short list is almost impossible. Thankfully that winnowing process is done by several thousand academy members voting by secret ballot.
I suspect that through the years vote buying has been a minor problem, but all in all talent has generally won the day. And looking back to the early years, to make my point, I've looked up a few of those talented recipients from 1928 through 1938. I selected only four, beginning with Ben Hecht, Google them and maybe you'll make some changes – let me hear from you.
Ben Hecht won two writing Oscars for the Underworld and The Scoundrel.
Frances Marion won two for writing The Big House and The Champ.
Frank Lloyd won a directors award for Cavalcade and was nominated for Mutiny on the Bounty.
Frank Capra won three Oscars It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and You Can't take it With you. Capra was nominated for three others.
Next week we are going to concentrate on one single year 1939. Many contend that in 1939 more great films were produced in Hollywood than any other single year ever. We'll see what you think.
In the meantime, go to Oscar.com and see what the 72nd Academy Awards will be all about.
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Spicer Hearing: Tuesday morning, November 29th
Judge Spicer’s courtroom was filled to capacity, everyone anxious to hear, first hand, the judge’s ruling. However, the crowd was immediately disappointed when the prosecution requested and was given the opportunity to call one more witness.
Ernest Storm took the stand and District Attorney Price questioned and re questioned the witness regarding Tom McLowry as to whether he was armed or not at the time of the confrontation. Storm was not at all convincing and the defense had no questions on cross-examination.
It was early in the day when Ernest Storm stepped out of the witness box¸ however since Judge Spicer needed to consider that last piece of evidence, he recessed the court until two o’clock that afternoon.
As clock hands neared the appointed hour Tombstone residents crowded into Judge Spicer's courtroom. Will McLowry and Ike Clanton sat at the prosecution table along with District Attorney Lyttleton Price and his chief assistant Earl Smith. At the defense table Doc and Wyatt sat between Tom Fitch and T.J. Drum. The gallery was populated with more than a score of lawyers and legal experts representing both sides of the argument.
Judge Spicer entered the courtroom and even before he took his seat picked up his gavel, slammed it onto the desk top and growled, "Quiet in the courtroom! Bailiff, them that can't stay quiet, escort them out of the room."
The courtroom immediately went from a din of chatter to pin drop silence.
The judge took his time, adjusted his spectacles and deliberately put his papers in order. Then in a clear voice, he read, in meticulous order, the formal charges. Spicer then ticked off several of the prosecution’s assertions and defense rebuttals.
The issue that seemed most perplexing to the judge was basic and had to do with the fairness of the fight. Prosecution contended that the Earps and Holliday had taken advantage of the cowboys and shot them as they were trying to surrender... The defense believed the Earps and Holliday had been drawn into an ambush, set up by the cowboys, and that they had every right to defend their own lives.
Judge Spicer pointed out specific testimony in an effort to make his point. "Addie Borland saw distinctly the approach of the Earps and Holliday. This was only minutes before the altercation. This witness was directly across the street where she could observe all their movements. She could not tell who fired first, that the firing commenced at once from both sides upon the approach of the Earp party. And that no one held his hands up -- she would have seen them had they been over their heads." The judge then took a sip of water and continued. "Another unbiased witness, Sills asserts that the firing was almost simultaneous. He cannot tell which side fired first.
The defendants were officers charged with the duty of disarming brave, determined men who were experts in the use of firearms. As quick as thought and certain as death and who had previously declared their intentions -- not to be arrested nor disarmed.”
The attorneys and partisan gallery listened intently.
"The testimony of Isaac Clanton that this tragedy was a result of a scheme on the part of the Earps to assassinate him, and thereby bury in oblivion the confessions the Earps had made to him about "piping" away the shipment of coin by Wells Fargo & Co., falls short of being a sound theory. The most prominent fact in the matter, to wit, Isaac Clanton was not injured at all. If it was the object of the attack to kill him, he would have been the first to fall. But, he was believed to be unarmed. And was suffered, so Wyatt Earp testifies, told to go away and was not harmed.
(To be continued)
Writers Notebook:
Maybe I dwell too much on rewriting, but from my point of view rewriting is the most important part of our work.
That being said, there is no consensus on how to go about the task and that will probably never change.
However, here’s one system that I find very interesting.
‘Once you’ve begun a novel, finish it before you revise a word. Don’t polish as you go. Finishing not only gives you a sense of accomplishment, but you’ll really know your characters and can spot pitfalls. Make notes of necessary changes that occur to you as you write,’ says writer Jill Marie Landis.
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com
The Early Years of Oscar
Judge Spicer Delivers his Finding
Writers Notebook: On rewriting.
'Open the envelope please.'
With the 72nd Motion Picture Academy Awards coming up this Sunday, March 7, 2010 I'd like to revisit and comment on some of the the early Oscar years.
Year, Film and Director:
1927/28 - Wings – William A. Wellman
1928/29 - The Broadway Melody – Harry Beaumont
1929/30 - All Quiet on the Western Front – Lewis Milestone
1930/31 - Cimarron – Wesley Ruggles
1931/32 - Grand Hotel – Edmond Goulding
1932/33 - Cavalcade – Frank Lloyd
1934 - It Happened one Night – Frank Capra
1935 - Mutiny on the Bounty – Frank Lloyd
1936 - The Great Ziegfeld – Robert Z. Leonard
1937 - The Life of Emile Zola – William Dieterle
1938 - You can't Take it With you – Frank Capra
Choosing the best of the best every year just to be nominated is hard enough – then selecting one from that short list is almost impossible. Thankfully that winnowing process is done by several thousand academy members voting by secret ballot.
I suspect that through the years vote buying has been a minor problem, but all in all talent has generally won the day. And looking back to the early years, to make my point, I've looked up a few of those talented recipients from 1928 through 1938. I selected only four, beginning with Ben Hecht, Google them and maybe you'll make some changes – let me hear from you.
Ben Hecht won two writing Oscars for the Underworld and The Scoundrel.
Frances Marion won two for writing The Big House and The Champ.
Frank Lloyd won a directors award for Cavalcade and was nominated for Mutiny on the Bounty.
Frank Capra won three Oscars It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and You Can't take it With you. Capra was nominated for three others.
Next week we are going to concentrate on one single year 1939. Many contend that in 1939 more great films were produced in Hollywood than any other single year ever. We'll see what you think.
In the meantime, go to Oscar.com and see what the 72nd Academy Awards will be all about.
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
Spicer Hearing: Tuesday morning, November 29th
Judge Spicer’s courtroom was filled to capacity, everyone anxious to hear, first hand, the judge’s ruling. However, the crowd was immediately disappointed when the prosecution requested and was given the opportunity to call one more witness.
Ernest Storm took the stand and District Attorney Price questioned and re questioned the witness regarding Tom McLowry as to whether he was armed or not at the time of the confrontation. Storm was not at all convincing and the defense had no questions on cross-examination.
It was early in the day when Ernest Storm stepped out of the witness box¸ however since Judge Spicer needed to consider that last piece of evidence, he recessed the court until two o’clock that afternoon.
As clock hands neared the appointed hour Tombstone residents crowded into Judge Spicer's courtroom. Will McLowry and Ike Clanton sat at the prosecution table along with District Attorney Lyttleton Price and his chief assistant Earl Smith. At the defense table Doc and Wyatt sat between Tom Fitch and T.J. Drum. The gallery was populated with more than a score of lawyers and legal experts representing both sides of the argument.
Judge Spicer entered the courtroom and even before he took his seat picked up his gavel, slammed it onto the desk top and growled, "Quiet in the courtroom! Bailiff, them that can't stay quiet, escort them out of the room."
The courtroom immediately went from a din of chatter to pin drop silence.
The judge took his time, adjusted his spectacles and deliberately put his papers in order. Then in a clear voice, he read, in meticulous order, the formal charges. Spicer then ticked off several of the prosecution’s assertions and defense rebuttals.
The issue that seemed most perplexing to the judge was basic and had to do with the fairness of the fight. Prosecution contended that the Earps and Holliday had taken advantage of the cowboys and shot them as they were trying to surrender... The defense believed the Earps and Holliday had been drawn into an ambush, set up by the cowboys, and that they had every right to defend their own lives.
Judge Spicer pointed out specific testimony in an effort to make his point. "Addie Borland saw distinctly the approach of the Earps and Holliday. This was only minutes before the altercation. This witness was directly across the street where she could observe all their movements. She could not tell who fired first, that the firing commenced at once from both sides upon the approach of the Earp party. And that no one held his hands up -- she would have seen them had they been over their heads." The judge then took a sip of water and continued. "Another unbiased witness, Sills asserts that the firing was almost simultaneous. He cannot tell which side fired first.
The defendants were officers charged with the duty of disarming brave, determined men who were experts in the use of firearms. As quick as thought and certain as death and who had previously declared their intentions -- not to be arrested nor disarmed.”
The attorneys and partisan gallery listened intently.
"The testimony of Isaac Clanton that this tragedy was a result of a scheme on the part of the Earps to assassinate him, and thereby bury in oblivion the confessions the Earps had made to him about "piping" away the shipment of coin by Wells Fargo & Co., falls short of being a sound theory. The most prominent fact in the matter, to wit, Isaac Clanton was not injured at all. If it was the object of the attack to kill him, he would have been the first to fall. But, he was believed to be unarmed. And was suffered, so Wyatt Earp testifies, told to go away and was not harmed.
(To be continued)
Writers Notebook:
Maybe I dwell too much on rewriting, but from my point of view rewriting is the most important part of our work.
That being said, there is no consensus on how to go about the task and that will probably never change.
However, here’s one system that I find very interesting.
‘Once you’ve begun a novel, finish it before you revise a word. Don’t polish as you go. Finishing not only gives you a sense of accomplishment, but you’ll really know your characters and can spot pitfalls. Make notes of necessary changes that occur to you as you write,’ says writer Jill Marie Landis.
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com
Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog
I do a variety blog and post every Wednesday. I am an actor, writer and hurricane hunter and my subjects are generally written about those fields. During Hurricane Season I do at least one story every
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