HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOD
By Effey
Back in the 1930's Hollywood helped
Americans get through the Great Depression by providing jobs for thousands of
people as movie extras as well as dancers and singers by creating a diversion
which gave Americans a brief respite from the daily, depressing news of the
times.
Movies, such as "Gold Diggers of
1935" and "42nd Street" had a cast of hundreds in great dance
routines choreographed by Busby Berkley with eye catching overhead shots of the
dance routines. The movies themselves
had transparently simple plots, but great music, great dances, great costumes
and both, men and women, had great appealing figures. "Hollywood Hotel" (1937) was
another one of those movies featuring the song "Hooray for Hollywood" which is
performed as the overture to the Academy Award ceremonies to this very day.
This movie introduced a new concept to
the genre, famous big bands, with famous musicians of the time and again simple
transparent plots.
But then in the mid 1940's Hollywood
grew up and tackled socio-psychological issues, like the "Best Years of
our Lives" about the challenges facing war veterans returning home, or
"They Were Expandable" about the frustrations the Navy faced as it
was forced to hop from island to island to escape from the advancing
Japanese. Mrs. Miniver" was another
significant war movie, dealing with the disruptions of life for an English middle
class family living through the German Rocket Blitz over London and the rescue
of trapped British Troops in Dunkirk.
"Gentlemen's Agreement" was the forerunner for movies dealing
with racial or ethnic prejudices such as anti-Semitism and racism against African-Americans
("Imitation of Life").
But one movie in particular, rings true especially
in these, our very challenging times: "The Caine Mutiny" The film was based on the 1951 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Herman Wouk,
about a captain of a Navy destroyer (Captain Queeg) who accuses his crew of
Mutiny at a time when he himself couldn't fulfill his responsibilities of the
moment and refuses to accept responsibilities for his mistakes.
The movie starred Van Johnson, Humphrey
Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Fred MacMurray, Robert Francis and Jerry Paris.
During a heavy typhoon the officers of
the ship, in order to save the ship from sinking, take control of the ship and
are faced with a court martial trial for mutiny. When Captain Queeg finally gets to testify he
distinctly shows symptoms of a paranoid, schizophrenic personality
The members of the court just sit there
quietly and realize what is going on and that the crew acted responsibly and
not foolishly.
The courtroom episode reminds me very
much of what our country is going through right now. We have challenges, lots of them. But Donald Trump keeps on rambling and
spouting lies that he is the only one who can "save" this
country. He hasn't got the foggiest
ideas, real ideas, on why there is an "establishment" and a
"system" and how they have evolved over time for various different
reasons. We know that in general terms both
work! Can they be improved? Probably!
In fact, yes! There is always
room for improvement. But he pretends to
have all the answers. But so far he has
not given us one idea that would work.
His mantra is that only he can fix our problems. He is enamored with himself and is both an
egomaniac and a megalomaniac!
In fact, if you ever have a chance to
rent the movie "The Great Dictator" starring Charlie Chaplin and Jack
Oakley in the roles of Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini you will see exactly
why I accuse Donald Trump of being a demagogue or a latent dictator.
If truth be told, the problems we face
were not created by President Obama or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. They were created by a Republican Congress
which undermined the two wherever and whenever possible. We need a democratic president and a
democratic congress, so that the President can create whatever policies this
country needs to get out of our gridlock which has paralyzed our country. Only then will we be able to tackle our
challenges. Having a democratic
president who is progressive and a congress which wants to stand still and freeze
in time will not work. It is time that
Americans wake up and not accuse our President of having failed to move the
country forward but put the blame where it really belongs, with our Republican Congress.
Nevertheless, I am glad that Trump tried
to run for the office of the president!
Why? Because inadvertently he
exposed the Republicans, who even though they did not like Donald Trump, they
did not do anything to stop him. They
found all kinds of excuses to excuse his rude behavior, his true character and
the fact that he is one of the biggest crooks who ever ran for the office of
President of this country. They
overlooked the fact that he cheated hundreds of workers out of their salaries,
built his empire on the backs of the middle class, without paying Federal
Income Taxes, and duping people into signing up for his Trump University which
did nothing for them, except extol Trump's virtues and treating women like
chattel! In comparison look at President
Barack Obama who is beyond reproach and has integrity and has moved the country
forward despite the Congress! And also look
at Clinton who has worked for the people who had no one to represent their
rights, all her life! Nobody is perfect. But some are more perfect than others and
vice versa, some are less perfect than others.
Donald Trump is the least perfect of all. He lives in the gutter.
Stay Tuned.
Red Beans and Ricely Yours
Effey
