The wind is finally starting to die down a bit, thank goodness. The fires in Sylmar and Santa Paula are still raging however. It will probably take a couple more days to get them under control. CSUN was closed today, due to what they called "emergency conditions" (wind & bad air quality, mostly), and so there was no Cinematheque tonight, and no Buster Keaton. Instead, I watched a movie at home : "Conquest Of Cochise" (1953), starring John Hodiak and Robert Stack. It was directed by the famous B-Movie Horrormeister William Castle, who - from the looks of things - was actually given a budget this time that enabled him to make a pretty decent Western. The story was similar to another Cochise film that I saw early in the year, called "Broken Arrow", which starred Jeff Chandler as Cochise. Both movies had a similar storyline, in which Cochise tries to make peace with the American army, which was in the process of buying territory from Mexico that would put Apache lands inside the United States, in Arizona. The fact that both movies followed the same plot suggests to me that there is a historical background to the scripts, and it is interesting to me that Cochise - a former warrior who wanted peace - lived until 1874, just 11 years before my Grandma Louise was born. So he was a fairly modern dude, and a visionary in his own way. He could see what was coming, and that he and the Apaches were outnumbered, and he decided that a peace treaty was the way to go.
We all know the history of our ancestors in America, and the US Army, and the Native Americans. I will say that I am not one to feel what I will call "white guilt" for what happened 150 years ago. It happened before I was born. But by the same token I understand it, and these movies - to their credit - portray the situation fairly. What I like about it is the alliance that was formed, at the time, between the Apaches and the American Army. We became friends, and I think that America has always been at it's best when it seeks peace with other nations and forms alliances with former or potential enemies in the name of strengthening the peace. That is the attitude portrayed in "Broken Arrow" and "Conquest Of Cochise", and it is inspirational, especially in these times. Cochise is rightly known today as a great man, a seeker of peace and friendship.
Another cool thing about the movie tonight was that it was filmed at some especially neat locations. One was Vasquez Rocks, the site of many Western and Sci-Fi shoots (including "Star Trek"). You can Google that location, and you can also see some pics if you go to my 2014 (or maybe 2013) photo album on Facebook.
But there was an even cooler location than Vasquez Rocks. When they show the area around the Apache village, I was going, "I know that place.......it's Corriganville"! And sure enough, when the movie was over, I checked it on IMDB : Corriganville it was, almost 65 years ago.
"Conquest Of Cochise" gets two thumbs up. I am gonna see if I can find any more movies about his life. The two I have seen so far have been both educational and also really good in the Western Movie sense. :)
It is imperative to watch a regular quotient of Western Movies, as you know. Western TV shows, too.
Elizabeth, I hope your day was good. I saw the two-word post by James a little while ago, and I know you know that I know you got me. You may have been trying to get me....
I don't know if there are any 12 Step Programs for Grilled Cheese. Maybe James can start one. :)
Or he can get some backing and start the McDonald's of Grilled Cheese fast food restaurants. He too will be seen as a visionary. Just like Cochise! Or maybe.......um, er.........well I dunno.
But he is now, arguably, the foremost promoter of The Grilled Cheese Sandwich in the Western Hemisphere, so there is that much. He never lost focus.
I also saw the post of one of your friends with Madison's own Butch Vig. That is super cool, especially since we were just talking about Kurt the other day. It's also cool because the post is about "talking about music". That made me think of 2012, when me and the SB used to talk about music! That was a blast........
Just to talk about music, and to get into the fine points. Not just the technical points; those too, of course, but also how we each perceive music in non-technical yet still precise language that describes what we are trying to say.
That rules!
I think so, anyway.
See you in the morning. :):)
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