I saw that, too-- "Jeopardy," as you note, does seem determined to keep Miss Lizzie at the forefront of pop culture, judging by the almost-once-a-week questions re the Whacky Miss B--
And I do see the parallels between the Misses B and D.
Fortunately for her, Miss D was blessed with a different family-- and a phenomenal gift for writing.
The Borden Case in Popular Culture
Moderator: Adminlizzieborden
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Bob Gutowski
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Bob Gutowski
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Sallie Wilson, who has died, was a fabulous Lizzie ("The Accused") in the ballet Fall River Legend in the 60's and 70's. I got to meet her at a later performance of the ballet after she'd retired from dancing.
Here is a link to a brief piece of Sallie Wilson dancing the role, filmed on 16mm in the outdoors, on YouTube. There is a complete, professional tape of Wilson in the ballet; I've seen excerpts in a documentary on choreographer Agnes de Mille, but I've been unable to track it down.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=n1sZRlxV_iQ
This obituary is from the NY Times, by Jack Anderson:
Sallie Wilson, whose performances with American Ballet Theater during the 1960s and ’70s established her as one of America’s finest dramatic ballerinas, died on Sunday at her home in Manhattan. She was 76.
The cause was cancer, said Diana Byer, artistic director of New York Theater Ballet, the company Ms. Wilson worked with most recently.
Ms. Wilson’s strong stage presence made her every role vivid, whether in classics or in modern ballets by Antony Tudor, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins or Alvin Ailey. In 1979, Jennifer Dunning, writing in The New York Times, said that Ms. Wilson had “etched herself indelibly on the consciousness of the New York balletgoing public.”
She was especially praised in the works of Antony Tudor, the great British choreographer of dramatic ballets who came to New York in 1940 and was long associated with Ballet Theater, now American Ballet Theater.
Ms. Wilson made history in a Tudor masterpiece on Jan. 20, 1966, when she portrayed the leading role of Hagar in Tudor’s “Pillar of Fire,” becoming the first dancer with Ballet Theater to do so since the role was created in 1942 by Nora Kaye.
Choreographed for Ballet Theater that year, “Pillar,” a brooding drama about a repressed young woman, had not been performed by the company for more than a decade. Ms. Kaye, who had retired by 1966, was so famous in the role that the dance historian Grace Robert wrote in her Borzoi Book of Ballets in 1946 that “the imagination quails at the task of recasting it.”
Ms. Wilson was competing with a legend but she achieved enormous success as Hagar, and as her interpretation deepened over the years, it became “extraordinarily powerful,” as Anna Kisselgoff wrote in The Times in 1971.
Ms. Wilson won praise in other Tudor ballets, including “Jardin aux Lilas,” “Dim Lustre” and “Dark Elegies,” and she again successfully competed with memories in another ballet associated with Ms. Kaye, Agnes de Mille’s “Fall River Legend,” which was inspired by the story of Lizzie Borden.
Over the years, Ms. Wilson staged Tudor ballets for various American and foreign troupes, and in February she supervised revivals of Tudor’s “Jardin aux Lilas,” “Little Improvisations” and “Judgment of Paris” for the New York Theater Ballet. She also taught at its training school, Ballet School NY.
Born in Forth Worth on April 18, 1932, Ms. Wilson, whose father was an architect, studied ballet with local teachers, went on to study dance in New York and joined Ballet Theater in 1949. Shy and lacking in stage experience, she was soon dismissed. Yet she had attracted the attention of Tudor, who was in charge of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, which was affiliated with Ballet Theater at the time. Although initially terrified of this notoriously demanding disciplinarian, Ms. Wilson danced at the Met from 1950 to 1955.
Tudor persuaded Ballet Theater to rehire her in 1956. But when financial problems forced the company to disband temporarily in 1958, she joined New York City Ballet, where she won praise in “Episodes,” a two-part production to music of Webern choreographed by Martha Graham and George Balanchine.
Whereas Balanchine’s contribution to “Episodes” was plotless, Graham devised a dramatic piece about the rivalry between Mary Stuart (played by Graham) and Queen Elizabeth I (Ms. Wilson), pitting the two against each other in a mimed tennis game.
Ms. Wilson returned to Ballet Theater after it was reorganized in 1960; she gave her last regular performance with it in 1980. She occasionally choreographed for regional troupes and in 1980 created an elaborate production in Venice of Benjamin Britten’s “Prince of the Pagodas,” starring the Italian ballerina Carla Fracci. She also danced from time to time with other companies. In 1983, she was dazzling as Queen Anne in the Capricorn Theater’s production of “The Vision of Delight,” a Ben Jonson masque of 1617.
Ms. Wilson married the dancer Ali Pourfarrokh in 1960; the marriage ended in divorce. She is survived by a sister, Octavia Labarthe, who lives in England.
Although usually quiet in manner offstage, Ms. Wilson made news in 1976 with a public display of anger directed at Clive Barnes, then the chief dance critic at The Times. He had written about Ballet Theater’s “Fall River Legend,” in which Marcia Haydée of the Stuttgart Ballet appeared as a guest artist. Ms. Wilson thought that Mr. Barnes had insufficiently recognized her own interpretative achievements in the work. Several newspaper at the time reported that Ms. Wilson threw a glass of Scotch at him.
Ms. Wilson always believed in total involvement in roles, even if the part was as an extra in a Wagner opera. “At the Met, I once had to stand still for 45 minutes as Tannhäuser’s page,” she once said.
“As far as I’m concerned, if you’re on stage in a ballet, you’re doing dancing,” she said on another occasion. “Any movement or non-movement on stage is dance.”
Here is a link to a brief piece of Sallie Wilson dancing the role, filmed on 16mm in the outdoors, on YouTube. There is a complete, professional tape of Wilson in the ballet; I've seen excerpts in a documentary on choreographer Agnes de Mille, but I've been unable to track it down.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=n1sZRlxV_iQ
This obituary is from the NY Times, by Jack Anderson:
Sallie Wilson, whose performances with American Ballet Theater during the 1960s and ’70s established her as one of America’s finest dramatic ballerinas, died on Sunday at her home in Manhattan. She was 76.
The cause was cancer, said Diana Byer, artistic director of New York Theater Ballet, the company Ms. Wilson worked with most recently.
Ms. Wilson’s strong stage presence made her every role vivid, whether in classics or in modern ballets by Antony Tudor, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins or Alvin Ailey. In 1979, Jennifer Dunning, writing in The New York Times, said that Ms. Wilson had “etched herself indelibly on the consciousness of the New York balletgoing public.”
She was especially praised in the works of Antony Tudor, the great British choreographer of dramatic ballets who came to New York in 1940 and was long associated with Ballet Theater, now American Ballet Theater.
Ms. Wilson made history in a Tudor masterpiece on Jan. 20, 1966, when she portrayed the leading role of Hagar in Tudor’s “Pillar of Fire,” becoming the first dancer with Ballet Theater to do so since the role was created in 1942 by Nora Kaye.
Choreographed for Ballet Theater that year, “Pillar,” a brooding drama about a repressed young woman, had not been performed by the company for more than a decade. Ms. Kaye, who had retired by 1966, was so famous in the role that the dance historian Grace Robert wrote in her Borzoi Book of Ballets in 1946 that “the imagination quails at the task of recasting it.”
Ms. Wilson was competing with a legend but she achieved enormous success as Hagar, and as her interpretation deepened over the years, it became “extraordinarily powerful,” as Anna Kisselgoff wrote in The Times in 1971.
Ms. Wilson won praise in other Tudor ballets, including “Jardin aux Lilas,” “Dim Lustre” and “Dark Elegies,” and she again successfully competed with memories in another ballet associated with Ms. Kaye, Agnes de Mille’s “Fall River Legend,” which was inspired by the story of Lizzie Borden.
Over the years, Ms. Wilson staged Tudor ballets for various American and foreign troupes, and in February she supervised revivals of Tudor’s “Jardin aux Lilas,” “Little Improvisations” and “Judgment of Paris” for the New York Theater Ballet. She also taught at its training school, Ballet School NY.
Born in Forth Worth on April 18, 1932, Ms. Wilson, whose father was an architect, studied ballet with local teachers, went on to study dance in New York and joined Ballet Theater in 1949. Shy and lacking in stage experience, she was soon dismissed. Yet she had attracted the attention of Tudor, who was in charge of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, which was affiliated with Ballet Theater at the time. Although initially terrified of this notoriously demanding disciplinarian, Ms. Wilson danced at the Met from 1950 to 1955.
Tudor persuaded Ballet Theater to rehire her in 1956. But when financial problems forced the company to disband temporarily in 1958, she joined New York City Ballet, where she won praise in “Episodes,” a two-part production to music of Webern choreographed by Martha Graham and George Balanchine.
Whereas Balanchine’s contribution to “Episodes” was plotless, Graham devised a dramatic piece about the rivalry between Mary Stuart (played by Graham) and Queen Elizabeth I (Ms. Wilson), pitting the two against each other in a mimed tennis game.
Ms. Wilson returned to Ballet Theater after it was reorganized in 1960; she gave her last regular performance with it in 1980. She occasionally choreographed for regional troupes and in 1980 created an elaborate production in Venice of Benjamin Britten’s “Prince of the Pagodas,” starring the Italian ballerina Carla Fracci. She also danced from time to time with other companies. In 1983, she was dazzling as Queen Anne in the Capricorn Theater’s production of “The Vision of Delight,” a Ben Jonson masque of 1617.
Ms. Wilson married the dancer Ali Pourfarrokh in 1960; the marriage ended in divorce. She is survived by a sister, Octavia Labarthe, who lives in England.
Although usually quiet in manner offstage, Ms. Wilson made news in 1976 with a public display of anger directed at Clive Barnes, then the chief dance critic at The Times. He had written about Ballet Theater’s “Fall River Legend,” in which Marcia Haydée of the Stuttgart Ballet appeared as a guest artist. Ms. Wilson thought that Mr. Barnes had insufficiently recognized her own interpretative achievements in the work. Several newspaper at the time reported that Ms. Wilson threw a glass of Scotch at him.
Ms. Wilson always believed in total involvement in roles, even if the part was as an extra in a Wagner opera. “At the Met, I once had to stand still for 45 minutes as Tannhäuser’s page,” she once said.
“As far as I’m concerned, if you’re on stage in a ballet, you’re doing dancing,” she said on another occasion. “Any movement or non-movement on stage is dance.”
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DJ
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Bob,
You seem like such a ballet enthusiast-- here's an anecdote.
I met Agnes de Mille in the spring of 1980, when she was a visiting artist at my college. She was touring campuses, presenting her program on the history of dance, which she ultimately recorded and which was presented on PBS, as well as I remember.
However, we-- the students-- were all wrapped up in "Oklahoma" and "Brigadoon," and nothing was mentioned about "Fall River Tragedy."
At the time, she was sadly and ironically unable to walk without someone assisting her. She also looked to be suffering from osteoporosis, with a hunched bearing.
Still and all, I'll never forget those piercing eyes and her commanding profile, along with her commanding voice. I don't remember her ever smiling!
I sat about six feet away from her at an informal Q & A, the day after she presented her program on the history of dance. She talked about reading for pleasure, and about how she and her husband enjoyed detective novels.
So-- is it any wonder she was ensnared by the Borden case?
You seem like such a ballet enthusiast-- here's an anecdote.
I met Agnes de Mille in the spring of 1980, when she was a visiting artist at my college. She was touring campuses, presenting her program on the history of dance, which she ultimately recorded and which was presented on PBS, as well as I remember.
However, we-- the students-- were all wrapped up in "Oklahoma" and "Brigadoon," and nothing was mentioned about "Fall River Tragedy."
At the time, she was sadly and ironically unable to walk without someone assisting her. She also looked to be suffering from osteoporosis, with a hunched bearing.
Still and all, I'll never forget those piercing eyes and her commanding profile, along with her commanding voice. I don't remember her ever smiling!
I sat about six feet away from her at an informal Q & A, the day after she presented her program on the history of dance. She talked about reading for pleasure, and about how she and her husband enjoyed detective novels.
So-- is it any wonder she was ensnared by the Borden case?
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DJ
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Just a weird piece of cultural ephemera related to the topic--
How did Lizzie affect the writing of "To Kill A Mockingbird"?
Michael Martin Brown-- whom Harper Lee befriended while struggling in NYC-- presented her with enough money at Christmas 1956, so she could quit her job and take off a year to write.
Brown composed "Fall River Hoedown" for the B'way smash "New Faces of 1952" (which introduced Eartha Kitt-- also, Paul Lynde and Alice Ghostley, who went on to costar with Liz Montgomery in "Bewitched"). The catchy ditty became a radio hit as well.
And, of course, Lee went on to help Truman Capote research that mother of all true-crime novels, "In Cold Blood."
How did Lizzie affect the writing of "To Kill A Mockingbird"?
Michael Martin Brown-- whom Harper Lee befriended while struggling in NYC-- presented her with enough money at Christmas 1956, so she could quit her job and take off a year to write.
Brown composed "Fall River Hoedown" for the B'way smash "New Faces of 1952" (which introduced Eartha Kitt-- also, Paul Lynde and Alice Ghostley, who went on to costar with Liz Montgomery in "Bewitched"). The catchy ditty became a radio hit as well.
And, of course, Lee went on to help Truman Capote research that mother of all true-crime novels, "In Cold Blood."
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Kat
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Here is a link to the "Hoedown."
If you don't mind the song banging around your brain for a few days...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qim5xxf4-2Y
If you don't mind the song banging around your brain for a few days...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qim5xxf4-2Y
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Bob Gutowski
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DJ, I'm happy tp report that de Mille visited the High School of Performing Arts, which I attended as a drama major, and addressed an assembly. We were encouraged to submit questions, and I asked if she would ever have anything else to say about the Borden case. She allowed as to how she'd always be interested in it, but that her ballet and the book she'd written were her statements.
Years later, I got a ticket to see The Dance Theatre of Harlem's debut performance of Fall River Legend after ABT had given them the rights to do the ballet. I sat in the Joyce Theatre watching as ABT notables of the past and present showed up and took their seats. After listening to the woman sitting next to me talk about the score of the ballet, I spoke to her, only to discover she was the daughter of the composer, Morton Gould!
Then, down the aisle came Agnes de Mille, elderly and bent, but impeccably dressed, seated in her wheelchair. After the first piece on the program, and before her ballet, I made my way over. Her caretakers scoped me out and apparently thought I was no danger. So, I got to briefly thank Miss de Mille for sparking my interest in the Borden case with her book about the crime and the ballet she'd made from it. She was polite and grand and just, well, Agnes. I'm still ecstatic that I got to meet her, given my love of her work in general, and her Borden ballet specifically.
Years later, I got a ticket to see The Dance Theatre of Harlem's debut performance of Fall River Legend after ABT had given them the rights to do the ballet. I sat in the Joyce Theatre watching as ABT notables of the past and present showed up and took their seats. After listening to the woman sitting next to me talk about the score of the ballet, I spoke to her, only to discover she was the daughter of the composer, Morton Gould!
Then, down the aisle came Agnes de Mille, elderly and bent, but impeccably dressed, seated in her wheelchair. After the first piece on the program, and before her ballet, I made my way over. Her caretakers scoped me out and apparently thought I was no danger. So, I got to briefly thank Miss de Mille for sparking my interest in the Borden case with her book about the crime and the ballet she'd made from it. She was polite and grand and just, well, Agnes. I'm still ecstatic that I got to meet her, given my love of her work in general, and her Borden ballet specifically.
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DJ
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Bob,
I like your story better than mine-- because you got to engage her specifically about the work, and to meet the composer's daughter!
I think you'd agree that she would have no difficulty "commanding" a corps de ballet--
Yes, Kat, listen to the "Hoedown" at one's peril! It would take Lizzie herself to get it out of one's head--
"with a brand new hatchet."
I like your story better than mine-- because you got to engage her specifically about the work, and to meet the composer's daughter!
I think you'd agree that she would have no difficulty "commanding" a corps de ballet--
Yes, Kat, listen to the "Hoedown" at one's peril! It would take Lizzie herself to get it out of one's head--
"with a brand new hatchet."
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Bob Gutowski
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DJ
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More than mere coincidence... .
Oh, one of my first cousins has a very redheaded granddaughter (I know Lizzie's passport describes her tresses as more of a medium brown) whose name is Elizabeth.
However, the parents call her--
Lizzie!
I guess it's taken more than a century for that name to "come back around." I've only met one other Lizzie in my forty-hum-hum years.
Oh, one of my first cousins has a very redheaded granddaughter (I know Lizzie's passport describes her tresses as more of a medium brown) whose name is Elizabeth.
However, the parents call her--
Lizzie!
I guess it's taken more than a century for that name to "come back around." I've only met one other Lizzie in my forty-hum-hum years.
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Bob Gutowski
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Kat
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In the book by Ann Rule, No Regrets, and Other True Cases, Vol. 11 in her "Crime Files" series, the main story is about Ruth Neslund, whose husband disappeared and it's thought she killed him, or helped dispose of his body. He was a rather "famous" character in the Pacific Northwest, being a well-respected ship's pilot. He was like a legend.
After he disappeared, Ruth opened their home as a B&B.
On page 194 Ann Rule writes:
"Whether the notoriety of what was rumored to have happened in the huge home drew visitors, who could say? The house that was once home to Lizzie Borden has been a successful bed-and-breakfast. Some said that Ruth's 'gimmick' was not her antiques at all, but the possibility that a grotesque murder had occurred on the premises. Ruth Neslund was beginning to need a larger income. Her legal expenses were substantial."
Then, in the photo section, the caption under one clams:
". . . The Neslund case has become the 'Lizzie Borden' mystery of the mystic Northwest."
No Regrets And Other True Cases
Ann Rule's Crime Files: Vol. 11
By Ann Rule
Thorndike Press
Thomson Gale
2006
After he disappeared, Ruth opened their home as a B&B.
On page 194 Ann Rule writes:
"Whether the notoriety of what was rumored to have happened in the huge home drew visitors, who could say? The house that was once home to Lizzie Borden has been a successful bed-and-breakfast. Some said that Ruth's 'gimmick' was not her antiques at all, but the possibility that a grotesque murder had occurred on the premises. Ruth Neslund was beginning to need a larger income. Her legal expenses were substantial."
Then, in the photo section, the caption under one clams:
". . . The Neslund case has become the 'Lizzie Borden' mystery of the mystic Northwest."
No Regrets And Other True Cases
Ann Rule's Crime Files: Vol. 11
By Ann Rule
Thorndike Press
Thomson Gale
2006
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Harry
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As if the first film "The Curse of Lizzie Borden" wasn't bad enough they've made a sequel, "The Curse of Lizzie Borden 2: Prom Night"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182340/
Note the name of one of the characters "Professor Bridget Sullivan".
Lots of gore (I mean LOTS) and lots of profanity. Poor Lizzie!
Here's a snap from the film. Now that's an axe!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182340/
Note the name of one of the characters "Professor Bridget Sullivan".
Lots of gore (I mean LOTS) and lots of profanity. Poor Lizzie!
Here's a snap from the film. Now that's an axe!
I know I ask perfection of a quite imperfect world
And fool enough to think that's what I'll find
And fool enough to think that's what I'll find
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Bob Gutowski
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Please celebrate with me by checking out my tale of finding where that shot in the LEGEND OF LIZZIE BORDEN movie came from, written as a guest piece on a terrific site!
http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2653lizz.html
http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2653lizz.html
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Susan
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Great find, Bob! I too have always wondered about that odd little clip. I've alternated between thinking that it looked like Andrew was having some sort of fit or that he was demanding Lizzie back to the table, due to the movement of his hand. Thank you for clearing up that mystery!
Now if you could just clear up one other pesky little mystery that has been on my mind for awhile, it involves a double murder that happened in the 1890s in old Fall River........
Now if you could just clear up one other pesky little mystery that has been on my mind for awhile, it involves a double murder that happened in the 1890s in old Fall River........
“Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever.”-Margaret Cho comedienne
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Bob Gutowski
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In today's New York Times, there is a very positive review about a new book, by Simon Baatz, on the Leopold and Loeb "thrill" murder.
The reviewer, John Steele Gordon, in discussing some classic crimes invokes the name of our infamous acquitted gal, writing in one instance "And if Lizzie Borden murdered her parents, well, the passions generated within unhappy families are the cause of a fair percentage of murders."
The reviewer, John Steele Gordon, in discussing some classic crimes invokes the name of our infamous acquitted gal, writing in one instance "And if Lizzie Borden murdered her parents, well, the passions generated within unhappy families are the cause of a fair percentage of murders."
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DJ
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Two nights ago, during the first week of the "Jeopardy" Teen Tournament, there was a question to which the answer was "Lizzie Borden," and it was given correctly by a young lady from Charlotte, N.C. To me, her answering was made more astounding by the fact that she had a Daily Double question and couldn't supply the name of the author of GWTW.
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Bob Gutowski
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The new Nov/Dec issue of HORROR HOUND magazine has a page on the Borden murders with a referral to the bed and breakfast. The account has a few errors (Little Lizzie calling Abby "Mrs. Borden," Uncle John leaving on the murder morning to run errands with Andrew, Lizzie burning a silk dress), but it's otherwise pretty good, for a change. Of course, the article does run under the mag's "Serial Killers" heading, which is inaccurate for this case, but the more Lizzie around the better, I sez!
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Bob Gutowski
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DJ
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Moreover, let's say Lizzie done the deed. Then, she would have committed double-homicide. Two murders, within a span of just about two hours. Period. Two people she knew well.
Even THAT would not qualify her as a serial killer, who would go on killing sporadically, across a lifetime or until apprehended, given the means and opportunity (the sole motive being that a serial killer derives some sort of gratification from the act itself). Also, a serial killer's victims are generally anonymous to him/her before they are targeted. Of course, a serial killer can begin with a family member, and branch out from there.
Even THAT would not qualify her as a serial killer, who would go on killing sporadically, across a lifetime or until apprehended, given the means and opportunity (the sole motive being that a serial killer derives some sort of gratification from the act itself). Also, a serial killer's victims are generally anonymous to him/her before they are targeted. Of course, a serial killer can begin with a family member, and branch out from there.
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Bob Gutowski
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Tina-Kate
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DJ
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"Don't look at me like I'm Lizzie Borden!"
(Judy Garland to Dirk Bogarde, from "I Could Go on Singing" [1963])
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In reading over these posts, I noticed all the refs to "Frasier," and remembered that producer/writer David Angell (who also worked on "Cheers") died at the WTC after taking one of the flights out of Boston.
Turns out Angell was from Rhode Island, attended college in Providence, and indeed lived in Boston. Wouldn't doubt if he were the source of some "Lizzie lines."
(Judy Garland to Dirk Bogarde, from "I Could Go on Singing" [1963])
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In reading over these posts, I noticed all the refs to "Frasier," and remembered that producer/writer David Angell (who also worked on "Cheers") died at the WTC after taking one of the flights out of Boston.
Turns out Angell was from Rhode Island, attended college in Providence, and indeed lived in Boston. Wouldn't doubt if he were the source of some "Lizzie lines."
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Tina-Kate
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Bob Gutowski
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Folks, I was just watching one of our best Lizzie enthusiast shows, "Jeopardy," tonight, April 3, when I took a really good look at the middle contestant as she looked impassively ahead, trying to reply correctly. Her name was Jennie-Rebecca and, aside from her nose, her facial features are eerily close to those of our girl - especially the slightly slanted, icy eyes, the long bowed-lipped mouth, and the strong chin. I sat up with a start, glad I had DVR'd the show and could compare pictures of Lizzie to this young woman.
If you have access to tonight's show, I ask you to check her out. To watch a Lizzie look-alike open her mouth and speak, revealing two prominent fromt teeth, was a trip!
Remember, she especially resembles Liz near the end of "Double Jeopardy," as she deals with a "Daily Double" concerning the zodiac. I hope someone out there with tech skills will be able to get a picture of the young woman up on the board.
She's not a dead ringer, but the bone structure is remakable! I looked at her frozen image through a tunnel I made with my hands, and it's very, very close!
If you have access to tonight's show, I ask you to check her out. To watch a Lizzie look-alike open her mouth and speak, revealing two prominent fromt teeth, was a trip!
Remember, she especially resembles Liz near the end of "Double Jeopardy," as she deals with a "Daily Double" concerning the zodiac. I hope someone out there with tech skills will be able to get a picture of the young woman up on the board.
She's not a dead ringer, but the bone structure is remakable! I looked at her frozen image through a tunnel I made with my hands, and it's very, very close!
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doug65oh
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Here's a link Bob, at http://www.jeopardy.com/showguide_thisweek.php
(Doesn't Fred Beukema look a lot like Bill Gates??)
(Doesn't Fred Beukema look a lot like Bill Gates??)
I staid the night for shelter at a farm behind the mountains, with a mother and son - two "old-believers." They did all the talking...
- Robert Frost
- Robert Frost
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DJ
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I missed my favorite program last night because a (nice) neighbor dropped by and "sat a spell." Fortunately, he left before "Friday Night Lights" aired.
Thanks for the head's up, Bob, and for the link, Doug65oh!!!
She's a Lizzie Lookalike, for sure!
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By the by, Bob & Doug & Co.-- if you saw the recent Tournament of Champions: Did you think Larissa was about to have a meltdown right after she lost? I did. She was very Lizzie-like in her demeanor. I'd buy her in the part, although she's not the dead-ringer (so to speak) that Jennie-Rebecca is.
Thanks for the head's up, Bob, and for the link, Doug65oh!!!
She's a Lizzie Lookalike, for sure!
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By the by, Bob & Doug & Co.-- if you saw the recent Tournament of Champions: Did you think Larissa was about to have a meltdown right after she lost? I did. She was very Lizzie-like in her demeanor. I'd buy her in the part, although she's not the dead-ringer (so to speak) that Jennie-Rebecca is.
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1bigsteve
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Everyone loves a good mystery, a "who dun it," but they also like closure. I think Lizzie has been woven through the media over the years because of several reasons:
1. Two innocent upstanding people were killed in a very bloody manner
2. They were murdered in broad daylight
3. They were murdered in the privacy of their own home
4. The killer entered, waited, and left without being seen
5. The killer was never found
6. The only suspect was a family member but we can't prove her guilt
7. The weapon was a "silent" weapon and that frighten's people
With the Borden case there is no closure and I think that is what interests people. There are several things there that people can dwell on, to think about and piece together. If it were an open and shut case I doubt it would be of any interest today.
-1bigsteve (o:
1. Two innocent upstanding people were killed in a very bloody manner
2. They were murdered in broad daylight
3. They were murdered in the privacy of their own home
4. The killer entered, waited, and left without being seen
5. The killer was never found
6. The only suspect was a family member but we can't prove her guilt
7. The weapon was a "silent" weapon and that frighten's people
With the Borden case there is no closure and I think that is what interests people. There are several things there that people can dwell on, to think about and piece together. If it were an open and shut case I doubt it would be of any interest today.
-1bigsteve (o:
"All of your tomorrows begin today. Move it!" -Susan Hayward 1973
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Bob Gutowski
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Shelley
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VERY interesting Big Steve, about a silent weapon. Never considered that before. Yes, we Americans like a good big bang -give us a bazooka, a machine gun, a shotgun- something that might give the victim a sporting chance. Absolutely right- sneaking up silently and stealthily whilst an old man is catching forty winks and giving him "40 whacks" with a quiet instrument of hasty dispatch is just plain Un-American!
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1bigsteve
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Shelley @ Mon Apr 06, 2009 6:54 am wrote:VERY interesting Big Steve, about a silent weapon. Never considered that before. Yes, we Americans like a good big bang -give us a bazooka, a machine gun, a shotgun- something that might give the victim a sporting chance. Absolutely right- sneaking up silently and stealthily whilst an old man is catching forty winks and giving him "40 whacks" with a quiet instrument of hasty dispatch is just plain Un-American!
Have you ever wondered why horror film villians usually use knives, hatchets, axes and ice picks? Getting chopped up or de-gutted creeps people out more than getting shot for some reason or other. Would Bruce Dern's demise in "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlote" have been as "creepy" if he had been shot rather than the hatchet job done on him? Or would Joan Crawford look as menacing totting a .45 instead of that ax in her film, "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?"
If the Bordens had been shot I doubt there would be as much interest in the case as there is. The thought of two people being "chopped up" in there own home would probably get more attention than two neat little bullet holes. Silent weapons seem to raise people's "creep factor." When I see someone pulling out a knife or an ax I get a bit of a creepy feeling but I don't feel that as much when a gun is pulled out.
I recently saw a creepy movie in which all the victims were killed using screw drivers, a hatchet and a shovel. Two guns were in the film but they were never used.
-1bigsteve (o:
"All of your tomorrows begin today. Move it!" -Susan Hayward 1973
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Bob Gutowski
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I'm continuing to detect a Lizzie Borden fan streak in playwright Eugene O'Neill. You'll recall that I was happily surprised to find that among the townspeople people of MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA are a Mr. and Mrs. Borden, the wife named Emma. Well, today, upon reading the reviews of the new production of O'Neill's DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS, I was reminded that the name of the father's second wife is "Abbie."
Doubtless, O'Neill, as a New Englander of his time, knew of the famed murder case.
DJ - I just read your very funny "Jeopardy" reference to the melt-down!
In other news, Kate Winslet is still within Lizzie age!
Doubtless, O'Neill, as a New Englander of his time, knew of the famed murder case.
DJ - I just read your very funny "Jeopardy" reference to the melt-down!
In other news, Kate Winslet is still within Lizzie age!
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DJ
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Bob, that's fascinating-- a dissertation topic, methinks.
Speaking of "Jeopardy"-- about three nights ago, there was another meltdown in the making-- the contestant (female, with glasses, on the right) who did not do her math properly, and therefore lost when she could have won big. She had been fairly smug up to that point. The expression on her face when she discovered her mistake was one of the great moments in "reality TV." Also, earlier on the same program, the guy in the middle missed something and stomped his foot quite audibly.
"An Audio Daily Double"-- there used to be way more when Art Fleming was host, and the little cards would flip up-- "I'll take Potent Potables for ten."
Speaking of "Jeopardy"-- about three nights ago, there was another meltdown in the making-- the contestant (female, with glasses, on the right) who did not do her math properly, and therefore lost when she could have won big. She had been fairly smug up to that point. The expression on her face when she discovered her mistake was one of the great moments in "reality TV." Also, earlier on the same program, the guy in the middle missed something and stomped his foot quite audibly.
"An Audio Daily Double"-- there used to be way more when Art Fleming was host, and the little cards would flip up-- "I'll take Potent Potables for ten."
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Bob Gutowski
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Yes, yes! I sympathize with her, though, as math under pressure is not one of my strengths, either.
I thought I'd fall off the chair when I saw "Clue Crew" member John come jogging onscreen as part of an "answer." He looked so uncomfortable.
Supposedly Ambrose Bierce wrote about the Borden case, but I've never been able to track it down.
I thought I'd fall off the chair when I saw "Clue Crew" member John come jogging onscreen as part of an "answer." He looked so uncomfortable.
Supposedly Ambrose Bierce wrote about the Borden case, but I've never been able to track it down.
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DJ
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Bob-- Lizzie was the $2,000 answer in the ballet ( re "Fall River Tragedy") category, two nights ago, on "Jeopardy!"--
Also, was catching a bit of the "Jimmy Fallon" bio, and he once belonged to a comedy troupe called "Forty Whacks" (no overt relation to LAB, though).
Also, her name has turned up in two very recent mysteries, "Dare to Die" and "Patterns in the Sand."
Also, was catching a bit of the "Jimmy Fallon" bio, and he once belonged to a comedy troupe called "Forty Whacks" (no overt relation to LAB, though).
Also, her name has turned up in two very recent mysteries, "Dare to Die" and "Patterns in the Sand."
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Bob Gutowski
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Imagine if Lizzie had had a wound on her body from the attack like Candy did! I guess we wouldn't all be here discussing the case! The TV-film of the book Evidence of Love is quite fine, with an Emmy-winning performance by Barbara Hershey* as the killer.
It's cruelly ironic that the victim's name was Gore, don't you think?
*I saw the first airing on CBS, and the next day I told friends who'd also seen it "A sure Emmy nomination for Hershey!" Maureen Stapleton beat Liz Montgomery the year they were both up for the award, for The Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.
It's cruelly ironic that the victim's name was Gore, don't you think?
*I saw the first airing on CBS, and the next day I told friends who'd also seen it "A sure Emmy nomination for Hershey!" Maureen Stapleton beat Liz Montgomery the year they were both up for the award, for The Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.
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Kat
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What language is this?
http://www.ovejaselectricas.es/?p=832
Oh I figured out how to Google Translate a Web site:
http://translate.google.com/translate?p ... ry_state0=
http://www.ovejaselectricas.es/?p=832
Oh I figured out how to Google Translate a Web site:
http://translate.google.com/translate?p ... ry_state0=
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SteveS.
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Thanx for posting the link.-
Bob Gutowski
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"Maggie, get off, quick!"
"Miss Lizzie, I'm not back on duty 'til noon - moind yer own business!"
It's Spanish, and I can make my way, slowly, through a lot of it, but the telling is as incorrect in Spanish as it is in that bizarre translation. Abby was, of course, not just above Andrew's head, however interesting an image that makes.
This weekend I watched a good but too short TV movie about the Michael Peterson case, "The Staircase Murders," starring Treat Williams. I have sat through the entire "The Staircase" documentary, the making of which is depicted in the tele-film.
"Miss Lizzie, I'm not back on duty 'til noon - moind yer own business!"
It's Spanish, and I can make my way, slowly, through a lot of it, but the telling is as incorrect in Spanish as it is in that bizarre translation. Abby was, of course, not just above Andrew's head, however interesting an image that makes.
This weekend I watched a good but too short TV movie about the Michael Peterson case, "The Staircase Murders," starring Treat Williams. I have sat through the entire "The Staircase" documentary, the making of which is depicted in the tele-film.
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Bob Gutowski
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Today EMI Classics released a CD called AMERICAN BALLETS. These are ballet scores or suites recorded by the original Ballet Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Joseph Levine. This is only of note here because the disc includes the first version of Morton Gould's FALL RIVER LEGEND I ever heard (on an LP I borrowed from the Lincoln Center Library). You can see the garish artwork for the LP cover in the Archives elsewhere on this website (or on my wall at home, framed!).
In any case, this selection of cues is more true to the actual ballet than what Gould later recorded as the officical suite, since he saw fit to reinsert music in his version which had been rewrittten prior to/or cut from the performance version. I'm thinking of developing this mini-mystery into a piece for THE HATCHET.
It's wonderful to hear the actual orchestra which first played the music performing it, even in a shortened and slightly peppy-in-tempo (originally to fit more of it on one side of an album, I'd suppose) rendition.
In any case, this selection of cues is more true to the actual ballet than what Gould later recorded as the officical suite, since he saw fit to reinsert music in his version which had been rewrittten prior to/or cut from the performance version. I'm thinking of developing this mini-mystery into a piece for THE HATCHET.
It's wonderful to hear the actual orchestra which first played the music performing it, even in a shortened and slightly peppy-in-tempo (originally to fit more of it on one side of an album, I'd suppose) rendition.
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Constantine
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This is, of course, due to the imperfections of the translating software. "Matrimonio" can mean marriage in Spanish, but it can also mean "married couple."Tina-Kate @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:01 pm wrote:"The mysterious murder of marriage Borden". Too funny. At least his boots didn't stain the upholstery.
:lol:
The Spanish of the article is correct. Though it has its factual errors (the second photo of "Lizzie," for example), the article is certainly a responsible attempt.
A man ... wants to give his wife ... the interest in a little homestead where her sister lives. How wicked to have found fault with it. How petty to have found fault with it. (Hosea Knowlton in his closing argument.)
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Bob Gutowski
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I finished Shirley Jackson's famous novel WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE last night. It concerns two sisters, one of them acquitted of murdering family members, living on in a New England town in which they are scorned. There is a nursery rhyme-like quatrain the townspeople use to torment the ladies.
You think...?
You think...?
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stuartwsa
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stuartwsa
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I have such fond memories of the book that I went right next door to the used book store, picked up a copy, and started reading. It's just as good as I remember. Coincidentally, around the time that I first read it, I also read Lincoln's "A Private Disgrace." Back then, one was fiction, and one "fact." And now?