Christian fantasy literature, and commentary on assorted subjects
From June 21, 2013
It may be you’ve never heard of this gem: The Brotherhood of the Bell, starring Glenn Ford and Dean Jagger, with a blow-the-doors-off supporting performance from William Conrad. It was broadcast back in 1970, and my wife had to work hard to add it to our video collection. But now it’s available on youtube, and anyone with a computer can see it.
One of my readers informs me that the United States government, society, and economy is run entirely by the Skull & Bones fraternity, out of Yale–doubtless with a little help from the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderbergers, the Masons, Opus Dei, Mystic Knights of the Sea, and Lizard People. You all know what I think of conspiracy theories. How, then, do I give a rave review to a movie that’s all about a vast conspiracy?
Well, if you’re gonna go conspiracy, you might as well go in style. The Brotherhood of the Bell is the conspiracy; it doesn’t need any help from any of those others, who are all just amateurs by comparison.
So we have here a tight, suspenseful plot, a great script, and superb acting. Conrad as a talk-show host is just spectacular, Glenn Ford is totally believable as the protagonist whose worldview is shattered when he discovers he’s just been a patsy, all along, and Dean Jagger makes a splendid villain. I don’t think there are any actors anymore like Conrad and Jagger.
If you’ve got 96 minutes to spend on a really cool movie, don’t miss The Brotherhood of the Bell.
This strikes me as very strange. The cat is trying to take a nap; the bird is trying to get him up. Parrots or parakeets might do this–but a dove? Why is this dove so totally unafraid of this cat? Why doesn’t the cat harm the bird? Honk if you can explain what’s going on here.
This morning I had to nip out to the store. No anxiety. No apprehension. No nothing. Go figure.
We are supposedly in for some wild weather tonight, with heavy thunderstorms. Hope they don’t materialize. I can do without them.
Never did get that pizza last night. They seemed to have a delivery issue.
Today I looked up another place in town, which is supposed to be pretty good. Their menu, however would not let me edit the time I wanted the delivery–even though they have a specific window on their form for that. Don’t you really hate it when technical stuff just does not work? Should ordering a pizza require that you be a Microsoft-credited coder? Or programmer?
You used to just pick up the phone and someone with a pleasant Italian accent would answer and that would be that. There seems to be less and less human contact in all our activities.
Rant over.
Have a good night, all.
See you tomorrow.
God bless everybody.
Patty
From September 14, 2012
Would you like to read something that’s clean and wholesome and playful enough for children, but also witty, subtle, and clever enough for any adult who doesn’t take himself too seriously?
I had to go back to my childhood for these treasures–the various adventures of Freddy the Pig, by Walter R. Brooks (d. 1958). Brooks created Mr. Ed, the talking horse, but the Freddy books were his magnum opus. I loved them when I was in grammar school. I love them even more now.
Freddy is a talking pig who is a poet, a detective, banker, newspaper editor, polar explorer, magician, and several other things. He lives on the Bean farm near the Adirondacks with many other talking animals. The farmer, Mr. Bean, has never been quite comfortable with this.
If you’ve ever wondered how a spider might deliver a lecture, how a cow might cope with a swing, or how a pig might fare at flipping flapjacks, these books are for you. You might wish to start with the first of the series, Freddy Goes to Florida, and read them in order. Or simply grab the first one you can get and just dive in.
Among my favorites are Freddy Goes Camping, Freddy Plays Football, and Freddy and the Ignormus. There are dozens of these, and to this day I haven’t read them all–which gives me something exquisitely pleasant to look forward to. All are illustrated by the great Kurt Wiese.
If you’re a sophomoric sap committed to a vision of radical despair, maybe the Freddy books can’t do much for you. You won’t be interested in Mr. Webb the spider’s movie career, or Uncle Solomon the screech owl’s penetrating criticisms of Freddy’s poetry. But if your breath can still fog a mirror, I suspect these books will do you good.
I’m not sure I can get away with classifying these as fantasy. Then again, I don’t know what else you’d call them… other than a gift from God.
An amazing story. Real patience and dedication.
Another life saved. Thank heaven.
This was truly a miracle.
Sometimes a rescue comes along at just the right time.