On the Beach

It's 1964 and World War III has broken out with an arsenal of nuclear missiles launched from both sides.  This will mean the end of the human race on earth because of the resulting radioactive fallout.  So says the 1959 film On the Beach starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner.

In the film, the deadly radioactivity has not yet reached Australia.  The USS Sawfish, a submarine captained by Dwight Lionel Towers (Peck) arrives in Melbourne.  He and his crew are the only Americans left alive.

They and the Australians have a few weeks or months to live.  Dwight, through contacts with the local navy, meets Moira (Gardner), an unattached attractive Aussie.

Dwight and Moira spend a lot of time together while waiting for the inevitable.  Finally, as the end is in sight, Dwight's crew votes to return to America for their final days. 

Dwight asks Moira to meet him at the naval base.  When she arrives, they talk for the last time.  

Moira:  You're not going.  You're staying.

Dwight:  No.  

Moira:  You're staying.

Dwight:  We're going.  

Moira:  But...the Sawfish?  

Dwight:  Just across the bay...at the fuel depot.  The men kinda wanted to get home.  I can't explain it.  

Moira:  So I suppose it's time to say it's been nice Dwight Lionel.  It's been everything.  Oh, Dwight.  I'm so frightened.  

Dwight:  I know.  I'm so sorry for so many things.  I love you, Moira.  I love you.  I love you.

The following morning, Moira drives to a point on the coast where she can see the Sawfish before it submerges.  We can also see Dwight on the submarine's bridge before he has to go below.  And before he goes below, he looks up at the sun one last time.  In the background is the music of Waltzing Matilda, Australia's best known ballad.  How romantic!    

Two Women, Chapter 6

 Mona opened the door to Monica's dental office.  The two women smiled at each other.  

"Welcome, Mona.  Your first time here?"

Mona now knew Monica was indeed a beautiful woman.

"Yes.  I'm here for a concert at the University, so I decided to take advantage of a recommendation from one of your patients."

"Which one?"

"You remember Ted from Philadelphia?"

"Oh, are you a friend of his?"

"You could say that."

"How is he?"

"Fine."

"You mentioned a concert?"

"I'm a pianist.  I'll be performing tonight at Memorial Hall on campus."

"Very nice.  Now let me look at your teeth."

Mona sat in the chair and got a real close look at Monica.  Impressive!  And she smelled good, too.  

After some minutes of probing and examining, Monica said, "Your teeth and gums are in good condition.  I think all you need is a cleaning."

Twenty minutes later, Monica was done.  Mona enjoyed the experience. 

"Thank you, doctor."

"You're welcome.  Hope you come again.  Give my best to Ted."

"I will.  By the way, I'll leave a ticket for you at the box office tonight in case you're interested in hearing me play."

"That's very nice of you.  What time's your performance?"

Overdose

 One busy day, about ten years ago, while I was working at Kohl's Department Store in Durham, NC (where you can expect great things), I was suffering from a bad cough.  As such, I took some over-the-counter cough syrup.  However, I misread the instructions.  I took twice the proper dosage.

I was walking around the store when the result of my mistake hit me...like a ton of bricks.  I felt incredibly weak...like I wanted to collapse on the floor.  I leaned against a counter for support.

I told my supervisor I wasn't feeling well and needed a break.  I went to rest in the employees' room.  There I re-read the instructions and realized what I had done.  In some minutes, I felt better.  Never do that again.

But, I had done that before.  When I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 1966, my doctor told me I needed to take 8 pills a day to deal with my symptoms.   And as my illness was chronic, I would have to take pills for the rest of my life.  Bummer!

Taking pills had previously been a problem for me.  When I was a child and needed to take aspirin for a headache, my mother would dissolve a pill in a spoonful of water for me to be able to ingest it.

Thinking about what my doctor told me, I decided to use illogical reasoning to fix my condition.  If 8 pills were good, then 16 would be better and perhaps eradicate my ulcerative colitis...permanently.  

A few days later I started feeling bad and returned to my doctor.  He of course asked how I was dealing with the 8 pills a day.  I told him what I had done.  

My doctor berated me in no uncertain terms and told me to stick to the prescribed amount.  I learned my lesson.  Never again.  Maybe!      

  

Miranda

On March 13, 1963, Phoenix, Arizona police arrested Ernesto Miranda on suspicion he kidnapped and raped an eighteen year-old woman.  After being interrogated for two hours, Miranda signed a confession to the rape.

The document Miranda signed contained the following: "I do hereby swear that I make this statement voluntarily and of my own free will, with no threats, coercion, or promises of immunity, and with full knowledge of my legal rights, understanding any statement I make may be used against me."

"However, at no time was Miranda told of his right to counsel. Before being presented with the form on which he was asked to write out the confession that he had already given orally, he was not advised of his right to remain silent, nor was he informed that his statements during the interrogation would be used against him."

"At trial, when prosecutors offered Miranda's written confession as evidence, his court-appointed lawyer objected that because of (the above) facts, the confession was not truly voluntary and should be excluded. The objection was overruled, and based on the confession and other evidence, Miranda was convicted of rape and kidnapping."

"(Miranda) was sentenced to 20–30 years of imprisonment on each charge, with sentences to run concurrently."

 "(His lawyer) filed Miranda's appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court, claiming that Miranda's confession was not fully voluntary and should not have been admitted into the court proceedings. The Arizona Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's decision to admit the confession. In affirmation, the Arizona Supreme Court heavily emphasized the fact that Miranda did not specifically request an attorney."

Miranda's lawyers appealed the above decision to the United States Supreme Court.  "On June 13, 1966 (55 years ago today), the Supreme Court issued a 5–4 decision in Miranda's favor that overturned his conviction and remanded his case back to Arizona for retrial."

As a result of the Miranda US Supreme Court decision, police throughout the US are required to say the following to all criminal suspects:  "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning begins."

In 1967, Miranda was retried.  "This time the prosecution, instead of using the confession, introduced other evidence and called witnesses. One witness, a woman with whom Miranda was living at the time of the offense, testified that he had told her of committing the crime."

"Miranda was convicted a second time in 1967 and sentenced to serve 20 to 30 years.  The Supreme Court of Arizona affirmed and the United States Supreme Court denied review."

"Miranda was paroled in 1972.  After his release, he returned to his old neighborhood and made a modest living autographing police officers' Miranda cards that contained the text of the warning for reading to arrestees."

 "Miranda was stabbed to death during an argument in a bar on January 31, 1976.   A suspect was arrested, but due to a lack of evidence, he was released."

    

Ace in the Hole

In 1925, Floyd Collins "was trapped inside Sand Cave, Kentucky, following a landslide.  (A local reporter's) enterprising coverage turned the tragic episode into a national event."

In 1951, based on the above real life story, six-time Academy Award winning director and screenwriter Billy Wilder (plus two others) wrote the script for the film Ace in the Hole, which stars Kirk Douglas as Chuck Tatum, a fiercely ambitious reporter for the Albuquerque Sun-Bulletin.  Tatum is waiting for a big story that would send him back to a big city newspaper.

One day, Tatum learns that Leo Minosa, a collector of artifacts, is trapped as a result of the collapse of a nearby cliff dwelling.  

"Sensing a golden opportunity, Tatum manipulates the rescue effort, forming an alliance with an unscrupulous sheriff, by depicting him favorably in the newspaper to ensure his re-election." 

"The pair coerce the construction contractor charged with the rescue into drilling from above, rather than the quicker method of shoring up the existing passages, so that Tatum can prolong his own stay on the front pages of newspapers nationwide. Tatum also directs (the sheriff) to prevent any other reporters from encroaching on the story, keeping it as his exclusive."

Minosa's wife, who operates a restaurant and trading post near where her husband is imprisoned, benefits financially as Tatum's reporting draws thousands of tourists to view the effort to free Minosa from his entrapment.  As a result of the delay in the rescue effort, Minosa dies of pneumonia before he can be extricated.

In a dramatic climax, Minosa's wife stabs Tatum with a scissors in self-defense.  He survives until he reaches his newspaper's office where he falls dead on the floor.       

According to one critic, "The story is a biting examination of the seedy relationship between the press, the news it reports and the manner in which it reports it. The film also shows how a gullible public can be manipulated by the press."

 

Two Women, Chapter 5

Mona became very curious about Monica, Ted's one-time dentist.  She did some research on the Internet.

Mona was unable to find a picture or too much information about Monica.  She was only able to find an address and a telephone number for her office in Chapel Hill.

Mona was not satisfied.  She asked her agent to get her a booking for a performance at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).  

Due to a cancellation, Mona got a booking in three weeks.  She then called Monica's office for a dental appointment, simply a cleaning and a check-up.  

Three weeks later, Mona flew to the Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU).  She checked into the Carolina Inn in the heart of the UNC campus.

Mona's dental appointment was for the following morning.  Her performance the following evening.

After breakfast the next day, Mona called an Uber to take her to Monica's dental office.  She arrived ten minutes early.  Her mood was a combination nervousness and excitement.  

Finally, the receptionist called for Mona to see the dentist.  Mona stood up and walked to the door of Monica's examination room.    

   

Sterling Hayden

 Many believe the best scene in the 1972 classic film, The Godfather, is when Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) and New York City Police Captain McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) are having a dinner meeting at Louis Italian American Restaurant in the Bronx.  While McCluskey is there as security for Sollozzo, the other two are discussing (in Italian) a business relationship going forward, at least that's what Sollozzo thinks.

Michael takes a bathroom break and finds the gun planted there by a member of his crime family.  He returns to the table and shortly thereafter shoots Sollozzo in the head, killing him instantly.

Michael then turns to McCluskey, who is momentarily stunned.  Michael shoots him once in the neck and once in the head.  McCluskey falls forward dead, tipping over their table, while Michael drops the gun and walks out of the restaurant. 

Sterling Hayden was born in 1916 in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.  As a young man, he worked on ships which sailed around the world.  

A photo of Hayden taken as a young man wound up on a magazine cover.  This led Paramount Pictures to offer him a screen test and then a seven-year contract to act in their movies.

Some of his other memorable films are The Asphalt Jungle (1950), a crime drama with Sam Jaffe and Marilyn Monroe, Johnny Guitar (1954), a western with Joan Crawford and Ernest Borgnine, The Killing (1956), another crime drama with Coleen Gray and Vince Edwards and Dr. Strangelove (1964), a black comedy with Peter Sellers and George C. Scott.   

Sadly, Sterling Hayden died of prostate cancer May 23, 1986 at age 70 (35 years ago today).  Let's use his memory as a reminder for men to get their prostates checked annually.