Last Tango in Paris, Henry IV Part I, Jesse James, Harry S. Truman, Sacramento Or Bust
I note that today (April 3rd) is the day when in 1882 the notorious Wild West bandit Jesse James died at the age of 35, shot by a member of his own gang. Those were the days all right!
It's also the day Marlon Brando was born. I remember seeing his film "Last Tango in Paris" and being totally awed by his performance. It's a sign of the preoccupations of our society that this amazingly artistic film received far less publicity for it's artistry than for the overtly sexual nature of some of its scenes. Most people associate Brando with the Godfather nowadays, but his work is so much more than that.
And it's the day when, in 1948, the Marshall Plan was signed by Harry S. Truman. From then on, the Europeans all had to start drinking Coca Cola and eating hamburgers - and like it!
And the day when, in 1860, the Pony Express began its service. It was a fast horse staging system across some two thousand miles of bad lands full of hostile robbers and war parties, so it must have been far too expensive to be used by anyone except the very wealthy, but the idea of it is loaded with romantic appeal! When I first read about it, and the rallying cry, "The mails must go through!" ah how stirring it was. And the itinerary, from St Joseph Missouri clear across to Sacramento, how evocative were those place names. Somehow a journey from Bognor Regis to Watford didn't have quite the same ring.
Of course there are loads of other notable events, like the birth of Doris Day, the death of Brahms, Grahame Greene, and D'Oyly Carte, and the appointment of Stalin as general secretary of the communist party, but I'm not going to even mention them. This is not a catalogue, it's a wholly undisciplined ramble. Well all right just one more.
In1366 or 1367 no-one is quite sure which, Henry Bolingbroke was born who later became Henry IV of England. Actually as Shakespeare has shown, he was only Henry IV Part 1. Part 2 - the return, went down like a lead balloon at the box office. I remember having to study Henry IV Part 1 (this is all part of another story involving my first wife) and I can remember odd snippets of it, like "Riot and dishonour stain the brow," and "Banish plump Jack, banish all the world. - I do, I will," and "When I am King of England, I shall command all the good lads in Eastcheap." It was a while ago, so I may have misquoted them.
The one I remember best is when Owen Glendower says, "I can call spirits from the vasty deep," and Harry Hotspur replies, "Aye, so can I, or so can any man, but will they come when you do call for them?"
The author writes for the blog, "That Reminds Me" which you can visit by clicking on http://zencath.wordpress.com/
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/
Added: April 9, 2008
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