#((its why i get defensive when people act like martha was less intelligent for being driven by her unrequited crush))
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Good lord I wish I had the skills to write a one-off episode fic of Donna, Martha, and Rose solving some kind of scifi mystery. Where's the Doctor? Idk. Refueling the Tardis in Cardiff and he dropped the girls off to go shopping! Girls like shopping! [Post JE AU so they're like...."shopping. sure. How about group therapy instead?"].
Any concern about the Doctor's well-being alone is taken care of when Martha texts Jack to essentially supervise him while they're gone. They're at some little cafe, and a conversation is had about the Nonsense of s3, and then the conversation goes off the rails into something that actually passes the Bechdel test, Rose talking about her Torchwood (great start and going dark) vs Martha's (dark start going...better), and the latter's time with UNIT, and Donna saying that absolutely none of it topped the evil of some of the tech companies she's worked for which gets a laugh in agreement
....then across the cafe they overheard something about something weird being seen in the bay. The three women look over to them, then to each other. Then all stand up at the same time to ask about this weird thing, that definitely is going to turn out to be alien.
#i just CANNOT write Donna's voice#i'm not great with Rose's either#annie writes things#martha i've always been alright with#(been there done that)#((its why i get defensive when people act like martha was less intelligent for being driven by her unrequited crush))#(((i have done some really fucked up stuff at the cost of my own mental wellbeing and sometimes physical because I was in love with a#really truly fuckin awful hipster jackass when i was her age [god i'm getting old] and yeah!!!! if your'e friends with them too its the#absolute worst and honestly...the whole ''if i'm not watching him he's gonna off himself'' GIRL. WE'RE GETTING DRINKS TOGETHER.)))#doctor who
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All Twisted Up Inside: Arthur Kennedy and Frank Sinatra in Some Came Running (1958)
This is about Kennedyās performance in Some Came Running (1958), directed by Vincente Minnelli. Kennedy scored his fourth Best Supporting Actor nomination for his portrayal of Frank Hirsh, the embodiment of small-town small-mindedness and hypocrisy.Ā
I am thrilled to be writing this as part of the Arthur Kennedyās Conquest of the Screen Blogathon, hosted by Virginie at Wonderful World of Cinema, and today is Kennedyās 105th birthday, which makes the celebrating all the sweeter.
Some Came Running was adapted from James Jonesās second novel. The first Hollywood adaptation of Jones, From Here to Eternity (1953), had been the vehicle for Sinatraās comeback, and had won him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Minnelli writes a little bit about it in his memoir, I Remember It Well, but he doesnāt mention Kennedy.Ā Ā If youāre not familiar with the movie and want a plot synopsis, here you go.
Iām going to look at the movie, its themes, and how Kennedyās character Frank fit into the bigger picture.
Some Came Running was Jonesās sophomore effort, and it took him seven years and 1,200 pages to say what he felt needed to be said. Minnelli writes that some critics felt the book was unfocused and lacked strong themes. Jones told Minnelli that the bookās basic theme is the failure of people to ultimately connect, and how much more people want to be loved than they want to love.
Its protagonist, Dave Hirsh (Sinatra), finds himself in his hometown, Parkman, Indiana, with a wicked hangover and no memory of getting there. The book is set in 1948, and Dave is still wearing his army uniform. He is a writer, but Minnelli makes it clear that Dave doesnāt feel good about himself or his work. He says heās quit writing.Ā
Ā Minnelli makes it clear why Dave is so lost: older brother Frank, a wheel in the small town who owns a jewelry shop, is on the board of directors at a local bank, and is on the local planning commission, sent 12-year-old Dave to a boysā home when he married his well-to-do wife, Agnes. Dave doesnāt even know if their father is alive or dead. Itās easy to believe that with a complete lack of family and the betrayal of being sent away to fend for himself, Dave doesnāt have much in the way of relationship skills beyond card games and bars. Heās intelligent and talented, but he feels so unwanted, such an outsider, that though he knows it was Frank who jettisoned him, that it had nothing to do with him, heās, to use one of my favorite phrases for describing such characters, all twisted up inside. He has no reference for feeling loved, so he will need a lot of help learning to give and receive it.
Frank is not the guy who can provide it. Frank is as messed up as Dave, though he would protest mightily if he heard me say it. After all, heās a pillar of the community, a successful local businessman, married for the past 18 years to Agnes, who is as superficial and materialistic as he is (so theyāre well suited). While Dave doesnāt pretend to be anything heās not, so authenticity is one thing he wonāt have to learn, Frank has made his way in little Parkman by acting the part of the guy who belongs. He will do anything to preserve what heās got, and Daveās showing up in town terrifies him. Heās afraid Dave is going to show him up for the utterly phony and emotionally and spiritually bankrupt empty suit he is. Frank is a little sweaty, always afraid, always watching for an opportunity or imagined danger.
This is a classic Kennedy portrayal of an unsympathetic character. Kennedy could play any kind of man, from a hero to villain, and all points between. His honesty allows him to construct an unpleasant man like Frankāvain, self-pitying, self-involved, always on the make, unable to feel any remorse for abandoning Dave or to offer him any honest way to rebuild their relationship.Ā
To Frank, Dave is merely a threat to be managed. Frank and Agnes never really rest. All their energy goes into managing appearances, faking emotions, and avoiding bad press. Dave has Frankās number, but to his credit he is able to relate to Frankās daughter, Dawn, as a fond, protective uncle. When, inevitably, Frank and Agnesās dishonest life leads to a family crisis that threatens their daughter and their spotless reputation among Parkmanās wealthy, itās Dave who steps in to offer Dawn the benefit of his experience, and a way out of the inevitable false step that so many mixed-up girls in ā50s movies seem all too ready to tumble into. She avoids that, thanks to Dave, but still follows through on the sidestep such movie teen girls make: She leaves Parkman and goes to New York City, just like her spiritual sisters in Picnic and Peyton Place.Ā
Frank is loathsome. I wonder if the writers considered making him a little less so, perhaps softening him slightly toward the end of the movie. But itās an honest choice to depict him this way. There are people like Frank, who when they have left tire marks on your back, have the nerve to ask you to feel sorry for how bad they feel as they pull the knife from your back.
Anyway, Kennedy isnāt the only morally compromised character in Some Came Running, but as Daveās big brother he carries a lot of the storyās weight. Other characters have their own limitations. Gwen (Martha Hyer) is massively conflicted about her feelings for Dave, and āBama (Dean Martin), Daveās gambler friend, breaks with him when he decides to marry Ginny (Shirley Maclaine), whom he calls a āpig.ā Ginny, the girl who followed Dave to Parkman from Chicago, is the only person in the story who is able to love unabashedly. That is, itās messed up that she loves Dave, who is only nice to her when heās drunk, but her love is unconditional, something Dave has never before experienced, and he wants to allow her to love him even if theyāre poorly matched in just about every way.Ā
Thereās a chaotic quality to this movie, perfectly expressed in its final bravura sequence, which Martine Scorsese highlights in a TCM featurette about CinemaScope. A fair at night, all brightly colored lights, noise, and chaos. Itās as if Daveās emotional confusion has finally exploded, and it doesnāt end well.Ā
One more thing: Some Came Running is about gamblers, drunks, small-time hoods, and their more respectable opposites. Itās squalid, and Minnelli found the bars and louche characters intriguing. Itās another reminder that even in the ā50s, a decade before Bonnie and Clyde was said to have been the final nail in the Production Codeās coffin, directors continued to pick away at the Code. Ginny isnāt exactly a prostitute, but she is called ātrampā and āpig.ā āBama is a gambler, living at the edge of the law, but he still feels morally superior to Ginny. Frank tries hard to convince himself of his own virtue, but his frustration and letās just say it, horniness almost destroys his carefully cultivated lifeāhis, not any of the shame he so operatically fears Dave will bring upon him. A question: In this tiny town, where everybody knows everybody elseās business, isnāt it a little strange that people donāt remember Frank sending Dave off to the home? And those who knew Dave when he was a kid, like Connie Gilchrist in a terrific small partāwouldnāt they perhaps bear Frank a little ill will for throwing his brother away so his ascent wouldnāt be dragged by caring for his only living relative?
Hereās two of Kennedyās early scenes with Sinatra. They lay out the relationship dynamic and let viewers get to know Frank, his sad, dishonest way of life, and how emotionally barren he is.Ā
Frank, pushing open the hotel room door: Dave? Dave, shaving at the mirror: Cāmon in. Frank: Howād you know it was me? Dave: I figured itād be you. Frank, extending his hand: Dave, you old son of a gun, welcome home. [Forcefully pats Daveās shoulder] Oh itās good to see you, boy. ā¦ Itās been a long time.Ā Dave: Sixteen years. Frank: Oh, you dog you, 16 years and not even a postcard.Ā Dave: I didnāt think youād worry about me. Frank, trying again: Ohā¦youāre looking fine, Dave. ā¦ Oh, I know, I know, [fiddles with his hair] itās getting a little thin on top. But like they say, not much grass on a busy street. Dave: You may be losing your hair, but you havenāt lost your razor-sharp wit. You want a drink? Frank: At 10:30 in the morning? Ā Dave: I donāt watch a clock.Ā Frank [chuckles mirthlessly]: What ever happened to your writing? When we used to see your name in print, at least we knew you were alive. Dave: I gave it up. Frank: Why? We heard you were doing pretty good, you got someā Dave [interrupting]: The old man still alive? Frank: Oh, ohā¦you didnāt know. No, no, God rest his soul, he passed on four or five years ago. Towards the end, Dave, he was just hell on wheels. Dave: ā¦booze. Frank: Well, what else?Ā Dave: Tchew, what a familyā¦ Frank: Oh, wait till you see the new generation, Dave, why that niece of yours is a real lady. ā¦ Say, why donāt you pack up and move out to the house, huh? We got plenty of roomā¦ [Dave regards him] Well, Iām pretty sure we have. Dave: No thanks, Frank. Iām okay right here. Frank: Well then let me call Agnes and have her get aāa fatted calf out of the deep freeze. Youāre gonna have dinner with us tonight, Dave, you know that, donātcha? Dave: Sorry, Frank, I got plans. Frank: Oh. Uh, well, what are your plans, Davie? Uh, what made you decide to come back to Parkman? Dave: Cause I shot my big fat mouth off to a couple of drunken friends of mine and told them where I was born.Ā Frank [slightly defensive]: Well, whatās wrong with that? Parkman is your homeā¦ Dave shoots him a look. A long pause. Dave: Howād you know I was here?Ā Frank: Practically everybody in town knew you were hereā¦before I did. [aggrievedly, again] You might have called me, Dave. You owe me that much.Ā Dave: No, I owe you more than that. Four hundred and ten dollars, to be exact, Iāve got the check all made out.Ā [Frank looks anxious] Frank: Whatās that for? Dave: This little check represents room and board for Mrs. Dillmanās home for little boys. Three dollars and fifty cents a week from the time I was about 12 until I read a travel folder.Ā Frank: You canāt still be brooding about that. Ā Ā Dave: Iām not brooding, Iām grateful. I was a little better off than most of the kids. I had a generous big brother. I was what they called a semi-charity boy. Frank, jumping out of his chair: What the devilād you expect me to do, have the whole family move in with me? You knew I had just married Agnes.Ā Dave is silent. Frank: Good Lord, Dave, youāre a man now. You know that a man has to live his own life.Ā Dave: How is Agnes, Frank? Frank: Ohā¦Davie, I did what I thought was right. Nobody can do any more than that. Sure it was tough on you, but how do you think I felt, putting you in the home, my only brotherā¦ Iām not made of wood, Dave. [theatrically] If you only knew the nights I couldnāt sleep.Ā Dave smiles maliciously: Your story moves me to tears. Take the check, cāmonā¦ Frank protests, then takes the check: Oh all right, if itāll make you feel any better. Iām not gonna fight with you, Dave. Lifeās too short for that. Say, why donāt you have dinner with us, Iād like it very much. ā¦Not that itāll look funny if you didnāt, you know, butā¦will you do it? Dave, quietly: What time? Frank: You mean, youāll come? Dave: If youāre sure Agnes wonāt throw up. Iām not her favorite relative. Ā Frank: Ohhhhh, what talk. Uh, meet me at the store, say, at 5, and Iāll call Agnes and have her fix something real special. [pats Dave on the shoulder again, all brisk and manly, reaches for the doorknob, then stops, chuckles to himself] Uh, Davie, about that little gag of yours of putting your dough in the other bank, and all thatā¦ Dave: I thought it would break you up. Frank [opens the door]: See you at 5.Ā
Ā Ā * Ā Ā *Ā
Frank enters, sighs heavily: If you could just see yourself. Dave: And a good morning to you, sir. Frank, sarcastically: That was nice going, Dave, Iām real proud of you. One day in town, just one day, and youāre picked up in a drunken brawl with a floozy and tossed in jailā¦like a common hoodlum.Ā Dave: I know all about it. Frank [pacing]: I just donāt understand you.Ā Dave: Is that your problem for this morning? Frank, putting his hand over his heart: What have you got against me?Ā Dave: Not a thing. Frank: Oh, yes you have. I take you to my home, I introduce you to the best people in town, like the Frenches, and this is the thanks I get. You seem to resent my position. Itās no crime to be successful. Iāve worked hard for everything Iāve got. Nobodyās helped me. Dave: Is this gonna be another one of those long lectures? Frank: Oh, I might have knownā¦.Ā Dave: Frank, Iām not trying to needle you, I donāt feel well. I got a headache, and I have to be in court.Ā Frank: You wonāt have to be in court, Iāve squared it. And that mobster friend of yours has already skipped town. You both forfeit bail.Ā Dave: Ohhhh, thank you. Frank: I didnāt do it for you, Dave. Iām raising a decent girl [however, it is Frank who presents the moral hazard to his daughter, not her Uncle Dave].Ā Dave: That she is. Sheās a fine girl. Frank: And Iāve told the judge youāll be leaving town.Ā Dave [pauses]: Did you tell him where I was going? Frank, raising his voice: How do I know where youāre going? Dave: How did you know I was leaving? Frank: Arenāt you? Dave [pauses]: Yeah, I guess so. Frank, aggrievedly: I wish I could say I was sorry, Dave.Ā Dave: I wish you could say so, too. Frank: Well, I suppose it will be in all the afternoon papers. Thatās all I need. Just when my name was beginning to amount to something. ā¦ How could you do this to me? Dave: Me, me, me, me! Donāt you ever get tired thinking about your dull, greedy, small self? [Frank does not reply] Now get out of here, Iām tired of listening to you, get the hell out of here.Ā
Ā Ā * Ā Ā *
This was written for the Arthur Kennedy Conquest of the Screen blogathon, hosted by The Wonderful World of Cinema. Go on over and read about more of his work.Ā
from Second Sight Cinema | http://bit.ly/2STeFAH via http://bit.ly/1om9FS6
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