Lizzie Borden Society Forum

If you had to choose only one... Either being able to read books or watch televison for an entire year, which one would you choose?

books, of course.

if i could choose films, that would make it a bit more difficult -- but television? no, tv is mostly trash -- something great manages to slip in occasionally.

ultimately, though, books are a safer bet for pleasure and edification.

i can't imagine that someone would disagree with this. but someone does, perhaps?

They may not agree and not admit it!

To me it has to be books as well. You get to choose what, when and where with a book, the what being the important part.

Except for the financial shows, a few shows on history, and Court TV there simply is not enough worth turning on the TV for except for background noise for those of us who live alone.

As for the current sit-coms my mind begins to numb after about 3 minutes of watching them. Then there's reality shows. Huh? A contradiction in terms if nothing else.

Of course a new show on the Borden case trumps a book. At least until we see it.

Books. I love that I can take a book anywhere and be entertained wherever I am.

Ditto......Books!!!
History channel every now and then. But with a book you can travel anywhere, be it in time or location, and never leave your comfy chair.

I voted books.

A lot of time I have the TV on for company. Sometimes I have QVC or HSN on for hours, not because I'm really watching, but because it is live and they take calls from real people. But I can definitely live without TV.

Books, however, are another matter. I read for learning; I read for enjoyment; as a hospice volunteer, I read to others as a form of comfort and companionship. Books make life better.

BOOKS!! Now if you had said Silent Movies I might have doubts...

-1bigsteve (o:

Yeah, silent movies............Fatty Arbuckle anyone?

Ad @ Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:53 pm wrote:Yeah, silent movies............Fatty Arbuckle anyone?

Yesss!!!... and John Bunny, Flora Finch, Florence Lawrence, Dorothy Davenport, Mable Normand, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Louise Brooks, Dorothy Bernard, Lillian Gish, Clara Kimble Young, Clarine Seymour, Chester Conklin, Eric Campbell, Mack Swain, did I miss anyone?

It's a tough choice, but books still rule.

-1bigsteve (o:

Emily is five and a half now and is reading a few books to us now. Yesterday afternoon at the library she picked up a simple book, one that had never been read to her before, and read it to me. She needed help with one word. (I don't think I could do that in kindergarten.) I said to her, "Em, when you can read, you can learn just about anything that you could want to know."

You can't say that about TV.

My mother's a librarian. One of my sisters is a librarian. My wife and I publish magazine.

Books it is.

It's hard to escape TV with a child in the house, though. Em sees much more TV than I did as a kid. (Then again, we only got about three cannels in B&W.) But children's programming has come a long, long way since Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room. The kids shows on Nick Jr., Disney and PBS are some of the only things on TV that aren't pure crap.

I didn't vote because I couldn't make up my mind! I love books (probably own 2000 of them). The worst thing I can imagine is losing my eyesight and not being able to read.

That said, I also like TV. I am into sports and that's what is mostly on. Although I love the History Channel, PBS, and HGTV. One of the best things I've ever seen was the the Civil War series. I also own the books but in this case, the TV was better.

I don't want to be without either!

BOOKS! How I would love to have a year to be able to sit and just read! I have shelves of books I have read bits and pieces of but work keeps interferring with my free time!
I admit, I have the TV on a lot, but I have either a news, history or decorating show on usually and don't really pay attention to it fully!

Regarding silent movies how about Renee Adoree, Agnes Ayres, Alice Brady, Clara Bow, John Gilbert, Richard Dix, Ramon Novarro, Lon Chaney, William Desmond Taylor, and Rudolph Valentino?

No, I'm not an expert. I've been reading a book entitled Cut! Hollywood murders, accidents, and other tragedies.

I also came across a silent film actress whose stage name was "Olive Borden."

Doug @ Sat Feb 04, 2006 3:00 pm wrote:Regarding silent movies how about Renee Adoree, Agnes Ayres, Alice Brady, Clara Bow, John Gilbert, Richard Dix, Ramon Novarro, Lon Chaney, William Desmond Taylor, and Rudolph Valentino?

No, I'm not an expert. I've been reading a book entitled Cut! Hollywood murders, accidents, and other tragedies.

I also came across a silent film actress whose stage name was "Olive Borden."

You got some good ones there Doug!

Alice Brady came from the stage and got bounced around from studio to studio. Renee Adoree was a real dish. Pretty thing. John Gilbert was better known for his casting with Greta Garbo. Ramon Novarro was murdered by a couple of punk thiefs in 1968 if I remember right. Agnes Ayres was another good looker. Don't remember much about her. I liked Lon Chaney. He could transform into anybody. I enjoyed that '55 movie on his life with James Cagney. Lon Jr. had a large head that always bugged me.

I never liked Rudolph Valentino. His nostrils were always working over time although I saw him on the tube a few nights ago and he seemed OK. Richard Dix rings a bell but I can't place him. William Desmond Taylor was killed in his home under mysterious circumstances. The scandle ruined Mary Miles Minter and Mable Normand.

Clara Bow was a real sad case. Louise Brooks met Clara at a Studio office and said Clara was so insecure and frightened in her heyday. Toward the end of her life she sent Christmas cards to Hedda Hopper with the inscription: "Do you still remember me?" She died lonely. Marie Prevost was another sad case. Went on a diet to get parts and died of starvation. Her locked-in dog tried to make a meal of her. Florence Lawrence swallowed rat poison. Olive Thomas was another sad one, dying young. Olive Borden was a leggy good looker. I think she was signed with Fox. Always showing her legs.

There were a lot of good ones. I guess their all gone now.

-1bigsteve (o:

I grew up without television. My parents were 'against' it and the only television in the entire house was in a small room near the kitchen and when I was young, I avoided the kitchen as much as possible!

I loved TV when I was a kid. We had an old B&W with rabbit ears, two channels and plenty of snow. We saw everything on that for many years. Father Know's Best, Make Room For Daddy, Leave It To Beaver and my favorite, The Rifleman. I just dug that trick Winchester the most. I loved those Japanese horror flicks, Mothra, Godzilla, The H Man (remember the blob going up that guys pant leg in the sewer scene? Cool.) and the best one was Attack Of The Mushroom People.

I see these old films now and they look so much older now than they did when they first came out. Leave It To Beaver looked as old then as it does now. Cheap film stock I guess. There wasn't the sex and garbage like there is now. When Ann and Donald were dating in That Girl there wasn't any foul stuff going on. Even kid's cartoons have nudity in them now. I often wonder where it will all end. Kids now days don't know what they're missing. Too bad.

The Golden Age of television is long gone. At least we can all curl up to a good old fashioned book and let it take us where it will...

-1bigsteve (o:

"The Golden Age of Television" is gone... but it's also the reason God invented dvd's!

What are DVD's?

Just as I got most of my favorite movies on VHS along come the DVD's. Now I'm eyeballing all of my favorite movies on the DVD'ers and agonizing over whether I should up-grade or not. Of course the minute I do they will come up with something to replace DVD's. My luck. At least I missed the big laser discs. Fetch, Rover...

-1bigsteve (o:

I know what you mean! We are currently doing some home make over stuff and I have boxed up all the old VHS tapes that we have since replaced with DVD. .50 at Yard Sale I guess this spring!

Hey Steve...most every one of those Japanese films you mentioned can be had on dvd - at least one is dirt cheap as they go...less than $10. (Amazing what you find if you type "Mothra" in the right places - or Godzilla.)

I guess I'll have to get cranking Doug. Thank you. Can DVD's play in a computer drive without downloading a bunch of drivers and such? My HP keyboard says "CD/DVD/mp3. It's 3 years old.

One horror flick that stands out in my memory is The Brain That Wouldn't Die. It's on DVD with goodies added in. It's one of those films that jump up and down on your "gross button" with all the blood and the 8 foot monster but I read an article on the making of the film and the actors and crew actually had a blast making it. You wouldn't think that is possible when you see the film. I have a behind-the-scenes photo of Virginia Leith in that pan (it took 6 guys to get her into that thing) looking at the camera grinning from ear to ear. She auditioned for that role wearing a turtle neck sweater. She wanted that roll real bad. It took thirteen days to make in the fall of '59 but was so gross it couldn't be released until '62. The "blood" in the pan was vegetable dye and paint. The whole head brace and scientific doo-dads cost $100.00. Hollywood today would spend a million bucks for it.

I love those old flicks!

-1bigsteve (o:

Ayup...sounds like you're fixed up for that. All that's left is popcorn ...

hey, you said "The Brain that Wouldn't Die"?? $5.98 at Barnes & Noble... and they have books, too, hehe

Although she spanned both silent and sound motion pictures, nobody has mentioned Thelma Todd from Massachusetts.
There is a book about her in the True Crime section of your library. Read it if you wish. Suicide, accident, or murder?

Oh yes, Thelma Todd aka Hot Toddy. She lead a very interesting life indeed. Her death was thought to have been linked to gangster Lucky Luciano.

There is a brief summary of her case at this site:

http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/la/scandals/todd.html

Can't help it but that long stair case reminds me of the hilarious Laurel and Hardy film of them trying to deliver a piano up a similar flight.

Thanks Harry. I was actually looking at sites too because I was not that familiar to her. Lucky Luciano reference sparked my interest and I was reading that she refused to let him bring his illegal gambling to her club.

While searching I found a great photo gallery of Silent Screen Stars and thought I would share them here for those Silent Film Fans!

http://www.silentladies.com/Ladies.html

I want to say I read more than I watch TV, but I can't. I love Animal Planet, and A and E. I like watching ER too. The forensic science shows are good too.

Although I am now getting back into my 'voracious reader' habits. It was after college that I lost interest in reading for some reason. I have been so busy with teaching over the past nearly 15 years that I just have not had the time to read. Now, I am at a point where I am able to allow myself some "me" time...and I am starting to read for my own enjoyment on a more regular basis.

In the past couple of years I have taken time to do some Lizzie reading, but it was like I was in school again...I was reading to learn. Yes, the reading about Lizzie is very enjoyable. The Hatchet in particular. I do love learning.

As I have mentioned before, I am now reading (only about 20 pages left) Wicked. It's a story about the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It's a weird read...but I am glad I stuck with it.

I know there is more Lizzie reading I need to and will do, but sometimes a break...just to clear my head and get refocused, is a good thing.


Tracy...

Harry @ Sun Feb 05, 2006 8:11 pm wrote:There is a brief summary of her case at this site:

http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/la/scandals/todd.html

Can't help it but that long stair case reminds me of the hilarious Laurel and Hardy film of them trying to deliver a piano up a similar flight.

That was "The Music Box" 1932. Those stairs are still there at at 923-27 Vendome Street, Los Angeles. That was a funny movie!

-1bigsteve (o:

Elizabeth Ann @ Sun Feb 05, 2006 8:40 pm wrote:Thanks Harry. I was actually looking at sites too because I was not that familiar to her. Lucky Luciano reference sparked my interest and I was reading that she refused to let him bring his illegal gambling to her club.

While searching I found a great photo gallery of Silent Screen Stars and thought I would share them here for those Silent Film Fans!

http://www.silentladies.com/Ladies.html

That is a cool site, Elizabeth. I go there often to check on updates. Never liked Colleen Moore for some reason. Liked Louise Brooks much better. The "Bob Girls."

Thelma was killed by the mob but the police could not admit it then so it was ruled a "suicide." The police won't admit it now because it would make the police look incompetent. It's the usual S.O.BS. There's a book on her called "Hot Toddy." I never really cared much for her myself. I liked the guys and gals from the pre 1920 era best.

-1bigsteve (o:

Thank's Doug. I'll check into it. I like that movie. I often wonder what happened to Virginia Leith. Jason Evers died last year and the giant, Eddie Carmel died in early '70's.

-1bigsteve )o: