Tom Barnes's Blog: Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog - Posts Tagged "ebo-landing"

This Week
Tungee's Gold:
Writers Notebook: Duke Howard

Savannah Waterfront and the Legend
The idea for this historical novel came from an old slave tale, “The Legend of Ebo Landing.” I first heard the story at a Savannah waterfront bar while doing research and writing for my PBS Television Series, “Georgia’s Heritage.” The legend came from a story that tells of a number of West Africans that chose death rather than slavery. It is said that while a number of Ebo’s were debarking the slave ship they simply slipped into the water and drowned. The human tragedy got my attention and I followed up by going to St. Simons Island, the source of the story.
When I got to the island I asked some questions about the legend and was directed to an African-American woman known as the Voo Doo Lady. I located her house and introduced myself and was pleasantly surprised at the reception I got. After I explained what I was doing she led me on a walking tour of the island. Our first stop was a reed-covered estuary on the west side of St. Simons Island, which according to the Voo Doo Lady was the place called Ebo Landing, the scene of the actual tragedy. After that first stop my guide gave me a short history lesson of the place and we walked from one church and cemetery to another with the Voo Doo Lady talking and I taking notes.
At the end of the day I had only one nagging question – why? After a ton of research and ninety thousand words later I found the answer.

MEDIA RELEASE iUniverse
1663 S. Liberty Dr. Suite 300
Bloomington, IN 47403
For Immediate Release
Tungee's Gold
The Legend of Ebo Landing
by
Tom Barnes

Review Excerpt:
'With Tungee's Gold, I found myself eagerly reading, because it is such a compelling adventure – the kind of thing I remember from reading Zane Gray as a young man. You've got excellent character, a broad sweep of action – from gold fields to the high seas – and you've told the tale well by keeping the story in focus...'
Terry Kay author of 'To Dance with the White Dog.'
Tungee Cahill deposits gold in San Francisco bank in the morning, is shanghaied that night and wakes up on a Clipper Ship bound for Liverpool. The ship is rife with plots from mutiny to piracy. Tungee joins Captain Foster and they halt a bloody takeover of the ship. They make their way through the freezing rains and icy hell of Cape Horn, then up the east coast of South America to St. Katherine’s Island. However, at St. Kat the scurrilous ship owner issues new orders, and diverts the ship to West Africa for another slave run.
Despite a belligerent crew opposed to the slave run the ship sails on to West Africa where the Africans are herded on board. When the ship sets sail for America a British and American warship give chase, but Captain Foster elects to dodge into a heavy storm. When they come out of the storm some slaves are allowed to stay on deck. During several nights Tungee and others watch as the Africans participate in various rituals and incantations. Is it voodoo or witchcraft? Nobody knows, and by the time they find out, it’s too late. A tribal king called Kumi said, 'I may be prisoner now but I will never become a slave.' Using his presence and strong will, Kumi inspires a number of his people to follow his lead and make the ultimate sacrifice for freedom

About the Author:
Tom Barnes grew up in the South and studied English literature and drama at Middle Georgia College and the Pasadena Playhouse. After a hitch in the Navy, and a season with The Hurricane Hunters Tom did Theater and TV in New York. He has written documentaries for PBS and is author of The Goring Collection, Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone, The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.

Book is available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online venues and bookstores

Writers Notebook:
Review by Duke Howard
For those of you who like the taste of powder, fire and smoke with their stories and enjoy the company of men who have little or no control over their own fate, come join the half-breed, Tungee as he is shanghaied off the Barbary Coast and sail with him and his mates;Captain Foster, the Black Moses, King Kumi; the slave trader, Jeff Turner, the Crimp and the Aussie Duck Man, Alf Talbot on the 1851 slave ship, MFC for a rousing adventure of blood and violence. Tom Barnes is a master story teller.
--Duke Howard, author of THE DAMNATION OF MERCY KILWICK.

Civil War Journal feature begins on this blog the week of April 12.


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

This Week
The Legend of Ebo Landing
Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown
Civil War Journal May 1861
Writers Notebook

Georgia's Heritage and Ships of the Sea
Savannah, Georgia

New book Ideas – Where do They Come From?
Writers don't usually question where the idea comes from as long as it works for the plot. The idea for my latest historical novel came from an old slave tale, 'The Legend of Ebo Landing.' I first heard the story at a Savannah waterfront bar while doing research and writing for my PBS Television Series, 'Georgia’s Heritage.' The legend came from a story of, strong willed, West Africans that chose death over slavery. It is said that while that group of Ebo’s was debarking the slave ship they simply slipped into the water and drowned. The human tragedy got my attention and I followed up by going to St. Simons Island, the source of the story.
When I got to the island I asked some questions about the legend and was directed to an African-American woman known as the Voo Doo Lady. I located her house and introduced myself, and was pleasantly surprised at the reception I got. After I explained what I was doing she led me on a walking tour of the island. Our first stop was a reed-covered estuary on the west side of St. Simons Island, which according to the Voo Doo Lady was the place called Ebo Landing, the scene of the actual tragedy. After that first stop my guide gave me a short history lesson of the place and we walked from one church and cemetery to another with the Voo Doo Lady talking and I taking notes.
At the end of the day, after thanking my guide, I had only one nagging question – why? Several years of research and ninety thousand words later I found the answer.

Kentucky Derby
After nine years and 24 starters - trainer Todd Pletcher finally got his first Kentucky Derby victory. Saturday afternoon on a sloppy track a three year old named Super Saver, ridden by Calvin Borel, skimmed the rail to win the 136th Derby by 2 1/2 lengths in front of Ice Box.

Pletcher let out a whoop and slapped his hands together after his colt crossed the finish line, snapping a skid the Eclipse Award-winning trainer was eager to end.

He seemed to have a lock on his first Derby win until expected favorite Eskendereya was withdrawn last weekend with a swollen leg. That left Pletcher with four horses in the race, but none as highly regarded. His other finishers were: Mission Impazible, ninth; filly Devil May Care, 10th; and Discreetly Mine, 13th.

Pletcher's only other Triple Crown race victory was in 2007 at Belmont with the filly Rags to Riches.

“It's the one thing that was important to me,” he said. “The one thing I wanted to do while my parents were still here to see it.”

Super Saver and the second place finisher Ice Box probably had the best pedigres in the race. Super Saver qualified on dosage and he's an X-factor horse since his mom, Supercharger, is a double copy mare.

Good thing horses can't read their press notices. Monday following the Kentucky Derby the pundits begin their pot shots. Is Super Saver the best three year old this year or is he just a good mudder? And when you factor in Borail, Calvin Borel, it does give you pause.
For you folks that are a bit whimsy in your betting choices you might think about family names. Super Saver saved ground on the rail, there's Borel again. But what about his sire's name – Maria's Mom? What kind of name is that for a boy horse? And while I haven't found a good story about the name I do recall a song that Johnny Cash made famous called 'A Boy Named Sue.' No correlation, just a thought.
All kidding aside though Super Saver has a pedigre filled with horse racing stars that most racing fans will be familliar with: A.P. Indy, Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer, Secretariat, Seattle Slew and a super stud named Mr. Prospector.
But we'll have to wait and see if enough of his ancestors genes have been passed along to make Super Saver a threat to win the Triple Crown.
Next race is the Preakness at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on May 15, 2010.


Civil War Journal

Wednesday, May 1, 1861
President Lincoln in his walks around the Capitol always listened to what was being said by the people, and as he loved to talk made a few comments. This morning he was talking to some of the new arrivals in Washington, men of the New York 7th.
Lincoln critics are as easy to find as pebbles on the beach. He said, 'The government now needs to do three things; defend Washington, blockade the Southern ports, and retake government property. All possible dispatch is to be used in these matters, and it would be well if the people would cordially assist in this work before clamoring more.
The proclamation for calling out the troops is only two weeks old; no other people on earth could have surpassed what we have done in that length of time.'

News Headlines:
Army's Grow.
North and South continue to pour men into the Washington-Richmond area this week while beginning another buildup along the Mississippi River.

Added resignations.
Joseph E. Johnston quits; Lee's Son Out, Too.
Flurry of resignations of Union Army Officers who intend to join the Confederate forces.

Writers Notebook:

Product of last week's exercise.
I worked using Hemingway’s idea and here is one of the stories I came up with. It’s called: 'The Gin House Fire'

I yawned and opened my eyes from a deep sleep. The room was as bright as day, and I could see Uncle Marvin tapping on the window.
The cause of the bright light was somewhere in the distance. I opened the window and Uncle Marvin said, “The gin house is on fire.”
I woke my brother George and we quickly jumped into our clothes and joined a group of neighbors that had gathered in our back yard.
We all stood silently watching as the flames, fueled by the old wooden building, reached toward the sky.
And in less than half an hour the structure weakened and fell, along with the flames as the fire finally burned itself out.
The next day when we took a closer look, ashes were all that remained of a part of our little towns’ heritage -- ashes and our memories of the men, mules and cotton wagons from out of the past.

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.
Facebook and Twitter
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com

This Week
David Selznick at RKO
Tungee, Davy and Mama Sue
Writers Notebook: Steinbeck on dialogue

David O. Selznick Part 3
Hollywood Stonewall in New York
David Selznick's departure from Paramount was not so much a dead-end as was the case when was fired from MGM.
During the years at Paramount Selznick had put aside funds and built personal and business relationships with a large number of talented people in the Hollywood community.
David and Lewis Milestone, producer of All's Quiet on the Western Front and Front Page, had a hand shake agreement to organize a small production company. Ernst Lubitsch and King Vidor were to direct the first two films.
David went east to raise money for the project and also to arrange for a release for their films. He was unsuccessful in both instances. As it turned out he was blocked by his father-in-law Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM. Mayer and some of the other studio heads determined that if these small units were allowed to make pictures at will, they would would cut into the profits of the major studios.
So without a release for their films the fund raising went no where.
David understood why the big studios wanted to protect their turf, but his thinking was that he had to find a way to produce films without having to go through the studio system.
After weeks at a stalemate it became obvious that he needed someone with clout that was outside the Hollywood group. That someone turned out to be David Sarnoff the president of RCA, which at that time owned RKO Radio. David made his pitch and as it turned out General Sarnoff was sympathetic to his situation and after several days of negotiation David Selznick signed an agreement in October of 1931 to take over RKO Radio and RKO Pathe, and to merge the two companies into a production unit.
RKO was formed in 1928 when the Keith Albee Orpheum theater chains and Joseph Kennedy's Booking Offices of America studio were brought together under the control of the Radio Corporation of America. RCA chief David Sarnoff engineered the merger in order to create a market for the company's sound on film technology, RCA Photophone.

RKO was located just around the corner from Paramount Pictures. It's ironic but that was the case. The physical distance was two city blocks, to work out the the corporate details was a lot farther away. That took a trip to New York and almost a miracle to put Selznick and Sarnoff in a position to negotiate a deal.
Once they signed the agreement there was only one thing on David Selznick's agenda and that was the production of motion pictures.
'Bill of Divorcement' had been on David's mind as a possible film for a long time but he could never get anyone else interested. Now that he was head of a studio 'Bill of Divorcement' was one of his first acquisitions.
David wanted a fresh face for the leading lady and George Cukor talked him into testing Katherine Hepburn. Selznick wasn't sure her looks would pass public scrutiny and he took all kinds of abuse from people at the studio as they referred to Ms. Hepburn as Old Horse Face. David Selznick had a great instinct when it came to talent and something told him that Hepburn would be accepted. As it turned out the camera loved her face and there was something in her personality that transcended physical appearance, not to mention her quick wit and personality.
In spite of all the outside carping about Katharine Hepburn's looks the film was produced by David O. Selznick and George Cukor. And once the public saw the film Hepburn was not only accepted but declared 'a new star on the cinema horizon' by The Hollywood Reporter.
'Bill of Divorcement' cast included John Barrymore, Katharine Hepburn, Billie Burke and David Manners.

When Selznick took over RKO he immediately realized that the company had a large investment in an animation process conceived by Willis O'Brien. Selznick hired Merian Cooper, an executive he had worked with at Paramount, and one of his jobs was to study O'Brien's animation process with the idea of how best to utilize it in films. Cooper went a step farther and not only figured a way to put O'Brien's system to work, he came up with some ideas that would utilize the process and a jungle story as well.
Cooper pitched his idea to his boss and with great enthusiasm David Selznick gave him the go ahead.
King Kong was the film and it was co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernst Schoedsack, adapted for the screen by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman from a story by Merian Cooper and Edgar Wallace and produced by David O. Selznick. The film tells of an island dwelling gorilla like creature called Kong who dies in an attempt to possess a beautiful young woman. The film stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot and it opened in New York City on March 2, 1933 to good reviews.
Fred and Adele Astaire: Born in Omaha, Nebraska Adele and younger brother Fred were ushered onto the Vaudeville stage in the early teens by their stage mother.
During the 20s,the sister and brother act appeared on Broadway and on the London stage in Lady be Good, Funny Face and The Band Wagon. They won over theater audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and Fred's tap dancing got rave reviews by the critics. Robert Benchley wrote in 1930, 'I don't think that I will plunge the nation into war by stating that Fred Astaire is the greatest tap-dancer in the world.'
On January 13, 1933 Selznick wrote an internal memo to Associate Producer Louis Brock and director Mark Sandrich lamenting the fact that RKO didn't have the budget to buy a bankable star. However, in the next paragraph he was enthused by New York's suggestion that Fred Astaire be considered. 'If he photographs he may prove to be a really sensational bet...' '...Astaire is one of the great artist's of the day a magnificent performer. A man conceded to be perhaps, next to Leslie Howard the most charming in American theater...' ...'He would be in my opinion, good enough to use in a lead in a million-dollar Lubitsch picture – provided only he photographs.'
Selznick signed Fred Astaire to an RKO contract, but the test made back in New York was clearly a disappointment to him and he said so. 'I am uncertain about the man, but I feel, in spite of his enormous ears and bad chin line, that his charm is so tremendous that it comes through even on this wretched test.'
According to Hollywood folklore, the early screen test report from New York read: 'Can't sing, can't act, balding, can dance a little.'
(To be continued.)

Tungee's Gold: The Legend of Ebo Landing
Background...Central Georgia 1836
Tungee, Davy and Mama Sue.
Tungee sat on the end of the boat dock and thought about his mother's story regarding the whereabouts of Papa Cahill.
'He's gone to Scotland, to take care of Grandfather Cahill's will and the family estate.' That was the lie she told and it was only after the Indian braves talked about the war party and how Papa Cahill died that Tungee's twelve year old mind began to comprehend the gravity of their situation. Of course he already knew the truce between white's and Indians was over. Washington had made that clear as they pressured the Creeks and their neighbors, the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Cherokee land owners to give up their homes and relocate to some promised land West of the Mississippi.
Mama Sue walked down the hill, crossed the dock and knelt down beside her son.
He looked out past the river and said quietly, "That sure was a whopper you told, Mama."
"You mean about Grandfather Cahill?"
"Uh huh."
"It was your father's idea and since he left in the middle of the night, he said it was best that you boys didn't know. None of the whites knew your father was fighting on the side of my people and taking part in those raids. He knew if they found out it would put all of us in jeopardy. Why, the land speculators would swoop in like vultures and take our home and our land."
Tungee thought for a moment and said, "I understand, Mama."
"Your father was committed to the Indian struggle long before we were married. He was involved in Creek politics for years, but that had to be kept secret."
Tungee's eyes brightened, "I never guessed that."
"It wasn't always easy keeping that secret from you and Davy." Then she sat upright and said with pride and affection, "Your father was a hero and he did make a difference. Robert just kept on looking for some sign of fairness from the government. But all we ever got from Washington was worthless treaties and broken promises."
Tears ran down Tungee's face. "I never got a chance to tell Papa I loved him. The last thing I ever said to him was, I hate you."
"What was that all about, son?"
"Same as usual, his drinking and whoring around. I hated him for that."
"Your father wasn't perfect, he drank and he may have strayed from time to time." Then she took her son's hand. "But you must forgive your father, Tungee."
He wasn't quite ready for that, but he didn't want to disappoint his mother either. So he nodded and said, "Yes, Mama." Then he sat upright. "What do we do now?"
"Tomorrow morning, you and Davy make the rounds, collect the pelts and furs. We must carry on the business and if anyone asks about your father, talk freely about your Grandfather Cahill and Papa's trip to Scotland. A little gossip will help to keep the lie."
Their white neighbors believed Papa Cahill had gone to Scotland. And it stayed that way for the better part of the next year. Eventually, though, there was implied doubt in the questions concerning his whereabouts. Mama Sue listened to the gossip and when the truth became part of the rumor, she knew it was only a matter of time. There was no doubt about their fate. They would be rounded up like the others and forced to march West in shackles and chains. The trail that had already become an American tragedy. A trail littered with graves of the dead and marked by blood and tears of the survivors.
(To be Continued)
Writers Notebook:
Another thought or two from Steinbeck: If a scene or section gets the better of you and you still think you want it – bypass it and go on. When you’ve finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave you trouble is because it didn’t belong there.
If you’re using dialogue say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.
Here’s another wrinkle on Steinbeck’s dialogue line. Use his method, but when you’re finished take a little cassette tape recorder and record those pieces of dialogue you’re working on and play them back. Take it from me; you’ll know if they sound real or not.

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.
Facebook and Twitter
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com
www.tombarnes39.com