I've been busy working on the Great American Novel lately, so very little blogging, but here are two blogathons upcoming in November I can't resist: the Great Silent Recasting Blogathon (November 1-4) hosted by Carole & Co.; and the What A Character Blogathon (November 9-11) hosted by Outspoken & Freckled, Paula's Cinema Club, and Once Upon a Screen. In honor of the former, I'll be serving up posters for four modern movies I'd like to have seen made during the silent era; for the latter, three days of lists pertaining to my favorite silent character actors.
A couple of teasers, the first a movie I didn't include in the blogathon, Lillian Gish in Carrie, the second, my favorite silent actor who was quite a character but not a character actor:
The painting of Lillian Gish is by Paul Lovering. I added the drop of blood. The latter is Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., of course.
See you in November.
"I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn't possibly meet anyone else."—Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn), Charade (1963)
From time to time, we here at the Monkey receive e-mails requesting that we (I) (there's just one of me) carry some particular advertisement, presumably in exchange for money or services. But the fact is, this is an ad-free blog. Not, mind you, because I believe art should be free (any more than I believe soup should be free), or because I don't believe in corporate America, man (I own s#!t-loads of stock in corporate America, man), but because (1) carrying ads would also, I assume, require me to carry content, which I am too lazy to do; (2) I'd feel obligated to make sure all the pictures I post are in the public domain, which I try to do anyway but don't always succeed (see: lazy); and (3) I'm lazy.
I'd reply with an e-mail saying as much, but I'm (4) anti-social and (5) lazy. So (6) don't take it personally.
As for all you faithful monks and monkettes hungry for that good Monkey writing, I'll have content for you in November. Probably.
The Metzinger Sisters over at Silver Scenes are hosting the Great Imaginary Film Blogathon this week, from October 1st to the 3rd. The rules are simple enough: imagine a movie you wish had been made and then blog about it.
Here's mine, a movie that not only has never been made, but I can practically guarantee you will never be made—Model Railroader Magazine: The Movie, directed and written by and starring the ultimate movie train guy, Buster Keaton:
If you're a regular reader of the Mythical Monkey, Keaton's connection to trains should require no explanation—The General, about a locomotive chase during the Civil War, is the greatest silent movie ever made. He loved trains, big and small. Here's a picture of him with his own model railroad:
"Music & Lyrics by Rod Stewart" probably does require an explanation. Maybe you didn't know this, but Stewart doesn't just sing for his supper—after the show, he sits quietly in his hotel room and builds museum-quality structures for his model train layout. He's twice been featured on the cover of Model Railroader, and deservedly so.
As for Keaton's co-stars, John Astin as Gomez Addams has blown up more trains than Lawrence of Arabia. He also teaches acting just up the road from here. Great man, funny man. I'd happily have him in any movie I was making.
The others on the list starred in some of the greatest train movies of all time—I'll leave it to you to match them to their movies—except possibly for Orson Welles (did he make a train movie?). He did once call RKO studios "the biggest electric train set a boy ever had!" so close enough. Here's Welles speaking in favor of train travel:
Boy, with a testimonial like that, no wonder everybody drives!
And how would a Buster Keaton movie about a man with a hobby play? About like this, I imagine:
As a bonus for fans of NCIS, that should answer how Gibbs gets the boat he's building out of his basement. As always, click on the photos to see them full size.
