Sunday, April 20, 2008

Bill, Rob, Bob, and Pete

What a beautiful image to which to awaken--the man of my dreams, Buffalo Bill Cody. Michelle Martin was at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City and snapped this photo of my favorite guy in bronze. Yes, dear reader, I have a crew stationed across America just for Buffalo Bill sitings. Michelle gets the gold star for the day. The rest of you, get busy.
____________________________________________
The Cruelest Month

Filmmaker Rob Hodge and I were visiting a few days ago, and the conversation quickly turned to "Civil War April." The war sort of began, and sort of ended, in April; Lincoln's Assassination occurred in April; Richmond fell in April--every day of this cruel month is filled with "on this day in the American Civil War. . . ." Rob mourns each year in early April for the fate of the Army of Northern Virginia, Lee's supreme fighting force that was attrited every day until final surrender.

Speaking of the noble general, I was reading Jim Miller's blog this morning, the Civil War Notebook. The headline is priceless: "Editing Can't Win a War, but It Might Improve This Movie." Yes, do I even have to name the movie? (Hint: It's Gods and Generals.) For those of us who love Lee, love Jackson, love the Battle of Chancellorsville, we'd sit through it again and again, but he is so right! For folks who live in the real world, it desperately needed shortening and tightening. Jim discusses Robert Duvall's performance as Robert E. Lee. . . . Duvall has always considered himself a Virginian and has always had the proper reverance for General Lee. For those reasons, I cannot bring myself to be too critical. Read the blog for details:http://civilwarnotebook.blogspot.com/
_______________________________________
Email:

Did you know that James Arness of "Gunsmoke", and Peter Graves(Mission Impossible) are brothers??

Freddy, Mount Airy, NC

DG: Yes, Freddy, I know everything! What a couple of hunks that family produced. While many readers recall Peter Graves from the TV show, Mission Impossible, I first fell in love with the tall drink of water on Fury. Remember this TV western? Hmmm. . . nice horse.
_________________________________________
On This Day in Civil War April . . .

. . .
in 1861, Col. Robert E. Lee resigned his commission in the Union Army. Below, on the movie set of Gods and Generals, Sen. Phil Gramm, Director Ron Maxwell, Robert Duvall --still in Union blue.

5 comments:

Si's blog said...

Glad you all reminded me of "Gods and Generals". have not seen it and need to.

And let's all of us raise a julep to Marse Robert. Strike the tents. Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.

Leslie Shelor said...

I'm afraid there won't be any Buffalo Bill sightings in Patrick County, but I'll keep my eyes open. You never know!

Jim Miller said...

Deb, thanks for the nice mention. Yes, I hate to admit it and know I'm in the minority, but I preferred Martin Sheen to Robert Duvall in the roll of R. E. Lee...

Deb Goodrich said...

Yes, let us raise a mint julep. . .Yes, Leslie, keep your eyes peeled for my man Bill, and Yes, Jim, perhaps Sheen was better than Duvall. . . .Wait! No Way, Jim!!!

Chris F. said...

Yes, James and Peter are brothers although they don't exactly resemble each other.