Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 111

Actor Wrote Own Obit

It turns out that the great character actor James Rebhorn--most recently Claire Danes' father in "Homeland"--who died a a few days ago at the age of 65 wrote his own obituary, which has now been published on his New Jersey's church's Web site.  He got the idea from a character in the last play in which he performed in New York.  It's quite moving, and it follows:

"His Life, According to Jim"

James Robert Rebhorn was born on Sept. 1, 1948, in Philadelphia, PA. His mother, Ardell Frances Rebhorn, nee Hoch, loved him very much and supported all his dreams. She taught him the value of good manners and courtesy, and that hospitality is no small thing. His father, James Harry Rebhorn, was no less devoted to him. From him, Jim learned that there is no excuse for poor craftsmanship. A job well done rarely takes more or less time than a job poorly done. They gave him his faith and wisely encouraged him to stay in touch with God. He is survived by his sister, Janice Barbara Galbraith, of Myrtle Beach, SC. She was his friend, his confidant, and, more often than either of them would like to admit, his bridge over troubled waters.

He is also survived by his wife, Rebecca Fulton Linn, and his two daughters, Emma Rebecca Rebhorn and Hannah Linn Rebhorn. They anchored his life and gave him the freedom to live it. Without them, always at the center of his being, his life would have been little more than a vapor. Rebecca loved him with all his flaws, and in her the concept of ceaseless love could find no better example. His children made him immensely proud. Their dedication to improving our species and making the world a better place gave him hope for the future. They deal with grief differently, and they should each manage it as they see fit. He hopes, however, that they will grieve his passing only as long as necessary. They have much good work to do, and they should get busy doing it. Time is flying by. His son-in-law, Ben, also survives him. Jim loved Ben, who was as a son to Jim, especially through these last months.

His aunts Jean, Dorothy and Florence, numerous cousins and their families, and many devoted friends also survive Jim. He loved them all, and he knows they loved him. Jim received his BA at Wittenberg University and his MFA at Columbia. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Nu Zeta 624, a life-long Lutheran, and a longtime member of both the AMC and ACLU. Jim was fortunate enough to earn his living doing what he loved. He was a professional actor. His unions were always there for him, and he will remain forever grateful for the benefits he gained as a result of the union struggle. Without his exceptional teachers and the representation of the best agents in the business, he wouldn’t have had much of a career. He was a lucky man in every way.

Nixon Wanted 'Dirty Tricks' to Cover Up My Lai

Apparently CBS has new evidence--which turns out might have been available since 1987--that shows that H.R. Haldeman might have ordered actions to discredit witnessses and other steps to sabotage prosecutions after the Vietnam massacre of villagers.  As it happens. the only soldier convicted of a serious crime was Lt. William Calley, and all he got was three or so years of house arrest.  More here at "60 Minutes" site.

Why Jimi Went Along the Watchtower

Great new piece goes in-depth on how and why Hendrix came to record "the greatest cover record ever."  And how he met Bob once or twice or maybe three times.  

Below: Isolated guitar tracks for  "All Along the Watchtower."

Cash Found

UPDATE:  You can now hear full album streaming.  Plus cut-by-cut review by his son. It's due out next week.  

Earlier:  I've written previously about a "great lost Johnny Cash album," from the early 1980s, during his down period, with tapes recently found.  It includes duets with Waylon Jennings and wife June, and more.  Now the first fine cut has been released, listen here and read about it.

Venice Votes to Secede

In an unofficial online referendum that took place over five days last week, 89 percent of the residents of Venice (my photo, above) voted to split from Italy to become a sovereign state again (the city has only been part of Italy for 150 years, after all). Reportedly the floating city has tired of sending far more in taxes to Rome than it receives in investment and services. The Daily Mail quoted one advocate, Paolo Bernardini, a professor of European history at the University of Insubria in Como, northern Italy: "Although history never repeats itself, we are now experiencing a strong return of little nations, small and prosperous countries, able to interact among each other in the global world."
The online poll was organised by local activists and parties, who want a future state called Republic of Veneto.  More than 2 million residents voted, which represents 73 percent of those eligible to take part. The Veneto region's president said: "We are only at the Big Bang of the movement-- but revolutions are born of hunger and we are now hungry. Venice can now escape."  h/t @julliadellacroce  -- Barbara Bedway

My New Book on Hollywood Politics

Later tonight or early tomorrow my new e-book When Hollywood Turned Left will appear, and it's something borrowed, something new, and all very entertaining (and revealing).  It answers the question:  Okay, we all know Hollywood has been pretty damn liberal for a long time, but how did it get that way?  So this book traces it back to the 1934 race for governor of California when the outrageous actions and stunts by the conservative studio bosses pretty much forced left-leaning (but powerless) actors and screenwriters to fight back--in spades.  And the rest is history.

If this sounds pretty familiar--at least to my fans and/or longtime readers--it's because most of the book is taken directly from my 1992 "classic" The Campaign of the Century, although with a new Introduction and fresh material elsewhere.  Ever since that earlier 620-page book (winner of the Goldsmith Book Prize and much other acclaim and notice) appeared, many readers or would-be readers have requested that I create a smaller, although still very substantial, volume focusing on the wild and wooly Hollywood angle.  So, after a couple decades of hearing this, I've finally done it, thanks to the brave new world of e-publishing.

So now there's no excuse (such as "I just won't read any doorstop books") to not enjoy this story and it's wonderful cast of characters,  including Will Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Louis B. Mayer, Katharine Hepburn, Billy Wilder, W.R. Hearst, Jimmy Cagney, and on and on (and on).  As some know, one of my major discoveries were the faked newsreels produced by the saintly Irving Thalberg to destroy Sinclair--the first full use of the screen to destroy a candidate, and precursors of TV "attack ads" today.   Here's my video that covers some of that.

"Ode" in Odessa

And the hits just keep coming.  Just thus morning, bolstering claims in our new film and book of the "Ode to Joy" as the universal anthem,  I posted recent video of students in Tunisia singing, amazingly well, almost the entire final movement of Beethoven's Ninth.  Now, just up today,  a flash mob in a crowded market in Odessa, Ukraine....of course, the "Ode" also serves as the European Anthem, giving this performance, shall we say, added depth?  Of course, I'm also proud that we helped contribute to this new "Ode to Joy" global flash mob phenomenon with our own quite successful one here in tiny Nyack, N.Y.   h/t @AndreaChalupa

A Wolfowitz at the Door

In one of the most infamous quotes of the entire Iraq debacle, deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz (who continues today to defend the war), told the House Appropriations Committee eleven years ago this week that oil revenue earned by Iraq alone would pay for Iraq's reconstruction after the Iraq war. "The oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years. Now, there are a lot of claims on that money, but ... We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon."  How did that turn out?

Greg Mitchell’s new edition of So Wrong for So Long includes a preface by Bruce Springsteen, a new introduction and a lengthy afterword with updates right up to this past week.

The Universal Anthem

In case I haven't convinced you head of the claim in the headline above:  Here's new video of students in Tunisia singing, with only piano accompaniment, not only the "Ode to Joy" but nearly the entire final movement of LvB's Ninth Symphony.  Our current film and book on the subject.

Staying Out of a Draft

Happy to post Kickstarter vid for planned doc on the Vietnam generation (that would be me) and the draft.  I'd still a little draft counseling myself back in the day.  Film focuses on the many who resisted.  The eternal problem, of course, was that someone (perhaps less savvy and from poor background) had to go in their place.  And all college students got four-year deferments in any case.  And today?  No draft, and a force again largely made up of young people from non-privileged backgrounds.