Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 2/16 - MacGuffin

Recognize that unforgettable mug? It belongs to one of Hollywood's all-time great character actors, Jack Elam, who has 206 credits listed under his name at IMDb. He made a career, says his bio, (edited a bit by me) "...with his eerie, immobile eye, which was caused by a fight with another kid at the age of 12. It happened during a Scouts meeting when a boy threw a pencil that jabbed Elam's eyeball. After WWII, he worked as a bookkeeper for Samuel Goldwyn Studios and then as controller for William Boyd's Hopalong Cassidy production company. Staring at small figures on ledger sheets for hours on end strained his good eye and doctors told him he risked losing his sight if he continued his lucrative accounting business. When a movie director friend was having trouble getting financing for three western scripts, Elam told him he would arrange the financing in exchange for roles as a heavy in all of them. The first was The Sundowners (1950), starring Robert Preston, which helped launch his long career." There is a discrepancy here, as the list cites three roles before this, one going back to 1944. There may be a blend of truth and Hollywood legend in the bio. Regardless, he made his mark, equally adept as a villain or sidekick, drama or comedy. He is a member of the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. He popped up in Kiss Me Deadly (1955), which PBS in NYC ran last night, and I recalled one of my customers mentioning his unique history. The film was not appreciated in its time. It is now hailed as innovative. IMDb ranks it #15 on its list of the top film noir titles. Although I enjoy it, I wouldn't rate it nearly as high, chiefly because of the revelation of what inspires all the killing, "the MacGuffin," as Alfred Hitchcock called it.  It's just too goofy for my tastes. The movie is an adaptation of Mickey Spillane's novel. According to Neil Gabler, host of Cinema 13, the final celluloid product bears little resemblance to the book. Ralph Meeker is fine as Mike Hammer, who has been described by literary critics as a "troglodyte." I chuckle at the scenes where he is smiling as he perpetrates physical cruelty. The film was directed by Robert Aldrich, who was at the helm of many notable features, including one of my favorites, The Dirty Dozen (1967). It opens with a shot of Cloris Leachman running barefoot along a highway. Strother Martin also has a small part -- and actually appears normal!

I rolled up to Bay Parkway not knowing what to expect. The area directly in front of the Chase bank was clear of snow and ice, and the sun was shining, so I waited for a parking space to clear. Ten minutes later I was setting up shop. Before I exited the car, Pat St. John, a djay on CBS-FM, said it was 23 degrees. It felt more like the 40's. Alas, although conditions were good, business was not. My thanks to the woman who bought a horror novel in Russian, to the gentleman who donated five paperbacks, and to those who stopped to chat.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx