Old “Friends”
I find myself in a “strange” place these days. In the midst of redirecting myself after a recent, disappointing business set back, I find myself at home during the day more than I am accustomed to. While from an age perspective I guess I should be ready to call it quits work-wise, emotionally I am not. I mean I have so darned much energy, and I enjoy the daily wrestle for new business so greatly that I cannot seem to accept the thought of retiring from the work scene. Also, let’s face it, with the increasing cost of medical care, insurance, the fall of my IRA “401’s” to IRA “101’s” and the comforts that we prefer, the dough comes in nicely.
Looking for a new work assignment on the Internet (there are some great job opportunity websites out there), you need to take a break during the day or your eyes will pop out of their sockets. What I have been doing is performing some brief stretching with strenuous calisthenics, and, if there is something decent on, watching an old flick (usually out of the MGM or Turner library). I have to admit that this has been an enjoyable, nostalgic experience.
When I was a kid, I went to the movies every Saturday. There I saw my favorites, Laurel and Hardy, Jackie Cooper, Wallace Berry (the favorite), Errol Flynn, Victor McLaughlin and Gary Cooper. And now, at this time here they are again.
Let me tell you that Jackie Cooper (still with us?) was one heck of a good, kid actor. As corny as some of his old films were, he pulled it off. You actually sympathize with the tearful little guy as a fat, old slob of a father or friend, usually played by Wallace Berry, drifts off to eternity.
I loved Berry. Today it’s hard to believe that homely face was that of one of the most popular Hollywood actors. He usually played the part of a tough, old, no-nonsense, rough-spoken , earthy cowboy or country type who lived by the values of hard, honest work (if you could find it) or theft if he could not, with mutual trust and respect for his friends along with an almost belligerent self reliance. I have to admit also, that he closely resembled my father. Cooper made movies for many years, and as he literally grew to maturity, assumed roles that reflected his age. Berry played many parts from a grizzled old covered wagon driver to peg-legged Long John Silver in Treasure Island (again with Cooper). He also played a drunken, old, barnacle type in several comedies with Marjorie Main.
When you watch them in those old, b and w films, you not only drift into the story line (again corny and unacceptable by today’s standards), but you find yourself caught up in the nostalgia as well. You remember sitting in that filthy neighborhood theatre with pals or without, gripped in the drama of the screen moment. In spite of the generation changes in acting styles, those pros on the screen were darned good and convincing. My emotions have been juxtaposing from ridicule of the simplicity presented to the fear, excitement, humor, sympathy, sadness or whatever the projected images demanded. In short, you find yourself getting caught up in the darned things just like you did when you were young.
I have watched Sergeant York (Gary Cooper) capture ½ the German army, seen why Chaplain’s silent “City Lights” may have been one of the finest pictures ever made, and watched Emile Zola (Paul Muni) help gain Captain Dreyfus’ release from Devil’s Island. I have seen “Singin’ in the Rain” so many times I could do that dance sequence blindfolded (if I only had a knee). They even showed some old, refurbished Yiddish films one afternoon. If there are a lot of opportunities listed on the Internet, I tape a movie that looks interesting, and view it at night. It sure beats watching the Angels leaving men on base.
Look, we may look upon these old films with a little disdain and cynicism. A little too simplistic, sentimental and saccharine we complain. But remember those films, most made in the 30’s, were for a different society. We were a relatively poor society, with limited education, and certainly not broadly exposed to critical writing or theatre. Particularly in the 30’s people needed humor and sentimentality in their lives (they needed to know that someone was worse-off than they were). The so-called awareness and sophistication we seem to have achieved, generation to generation came from exposure to the various art forms (particularly TV) that became more broadly available and distributed to every element of our society. I remember watching Milton Berle on a 10 inch, b and w screen at one of my pal’s house (we did not have one yet), and laughing uproariously at every antic and line. If you were to watch those old shows today, you would have to wonder what all the fuss was about.
We’ve had so much more exposure that we have become acclimated to and demand more sophistication. And include the kids in that comment. I loved Laurel and Hardy; I still think they were funny. But show kids those old films now, and they will not stay until the end. There was brilliant, Stan Laurel-choreographed humor in those pictures, but there were also more slapstick and sentimentality than kids today find acceptable. In a way it’s kind of sad.
Well, anyway I should make some kind of connection fairly quickly that will keep me out of the house most of the day. While on the one hand I’ll be happy to get back in the battle, on the other hand, I’ll miss my escape back to another time and seeing my old “friends” do their thing.
Arnie Silverman
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Post Vice Commander
