#frank h. spearman

[claudia1829things]

"WHISPERING SMITH" (1948) Review

"WHISPERING SMITH" (1948) Review For years, I had assumed that Alan Ladd starred in only three Westerns - one of them being the acclaimed 1953 movie, "SHANE". Yet, while perusing his filmography, I discovered that he had either starred or co-starred in a good number of "oaters". One of them was the 1948 film, "WHISPERING SMITH".

Based upon Frank H. Spearman's 1906 novel, "WHISPERING SMITH" told the story of a railroad detective named Luke "Whispering" Smith who is assigned to investigate a series of train robberies in late 19th century Wyoming Territory. However, the case becomes personal for Luke when his oldest friend, a local rancher and railroad employee named Murray Sinclair becomes involved with the gang responsible for the robberies. Superficially, "WHISPERING SMITH" seemed like the typical Western made by Hollywood studios during the studio era. If I have to be honest with myself, Westerns with any real depth seemed rare to me during the so-called "Golden Age of Hollywood" and now. I seriously doubt that any movie critic would regard "WHISPERING SMITH" as something unique. The movie possessed traits one could easily find in mediocre Westerns and a few really good ones: *Outlaw gang robbing either locals or businesses that dominate the neighborhood *Corrupt local businessman or rancher leading the outlaws *Rancher or businessman's main henchman, who happens to be a proficient killer *Lawman assigned to hunt down outlaws *Posse chases outlaw around neighborhood/county Yes, "WHISPERING SMITH" possessed these traits. It also possessed a first-rate dramatic narrative that elevated the movie from the usual Western tropes - namely the love triangle between Luke Smith, his best friend Murray Sinclair and Murray's wife Miriam Sinclair. This triangle was set five years in the past when Miriam, frustrated by Luke's reluctance to propose marriage to her, married Murray. The latter never realized that Luke and Miriam still harbored lingering romantic feelings toward each other . . . until the film's midway point. Between his resentment toward Luke and Miriam, and being fired by his railroad boss George St. Cloud - whom he disliked - Murray made a choice that proved to be disastrous for his marriage and his friendship with Luke. The developing estrangement between Luke and Murray also proved to be difficult for the former as well. This was especially apparent in the film's second half of the film. Due to his close friendship with Murray; Luke not only struggled and failed to save the other man's job, but also convince the latter to give up his new alliance with the main villain, rancher Barney Rebstock. "WHISPERING SMITH" not only benefited from this complex narrative regarding the Luke-Miriam-Murray relationship, but also the fine performances from its cast. Once again, Alan Ladd proved he was a better actor than many believed he was in his performance of the leading character, Luke Smith. What made Ladd's performance first-rate his ability to not only convey Luke's contrasting personality traits - soft-spoken, yet friendly demeanor and an intelligent ruthlessness - but also his varying array of emotions with a fluidity that still impress me to this day. Another superb performance came from Robert Preston, who portrayed Luke's best friend Murray Sinclair. Superficially, Murray came off as a one-note personality. But thanks to Preston's performance, Murray proved to a complicated character that transformed from a genial, yet sometimes pushy man to an embittered one, who had allowed his bullheadedness and temper to lead him to a bad choice. Brenda Marshall's portrayal of Miriam Sinclair also struck me as equally impressive. Her Miriam proved to be an emotional and complicated woman, who struggled to repress her lingering feelings for Luke and determined to save Murray and her marriage. Marshall conveyed these aspects of Miriam's emotional state in two excellent scenes. One of them featured her never ending frustration and resentment toward Luke's failure to propose marriage all those years ago. And other featured a quarrel between Miriam and Murray in which she finally convinced him to sell their ranch and move away from the neighborhood . . . and Barney Rebstock's orbit. There were other performances I enjoyed. One of them came from William Demarest, who gave an emotional, yet satisfying portrayal of Bill Dansing, a railroad employee who had been friends of Luke and Murray for years and served as their father figure. Donald Crisp gave an amusing and entertaining performance as Barney Rebstock, the rancher who hid his criminal and ruthless behavior behind a genial mask. Another came from John Eldredge, whose portrayal of George McCloud, the railroad official who clashed with Murray, struck me as subtle and intelligent. I also enjoyed the solid performances from the likes of Fay Holden, Murray Vye, Ward Wood and Will Wright. I have to say a word about Ray Rennahan's cinematography. What can I say? I thought it was beautiful looking. Rennahan, who had won an Academy Award for his work in 1939's "GONE WITH THE WIND", also shot "WHISPERING SMITH" in Technicolor. I have seen other films shot in Technicolor that struck me as rather garish. I cannot say the same about "WHISPERING SMITH". I found the photography sharp and colorful, without being garish, as shown in the image below:

Although I found myself impressed by the narrative regarding Luke's relationship with the Sinclairs, I cannot disregard some of the film's action sequences. There were two that really impressed me. One proved to the final sequence that featured the posse chasing Murray, Rebstock and the latter's gang around the countryside following a train robbery. Sure, I thought it was an unoriginal trope to use in a Western. But I thought it was exciting and well shot by director Leslie Fenton. However, I was more impressed by Fenton's work in the sequence that featured Luke's encounter with the Barton boys - members of Rebstock's gang - at a rail junction in the rain. It featured good action, good acting and great editing by Archie Marshek. As much as I enjoyed "WHISPERING SMITH", there are some aspects of it that I found unappealing. One of them proved to be actor Frank Faylen's portrayal of henchman Whitey DuSang. I realize that Faylen was a first-rate actor. I have seen him in other productions. But . . . I found his portrayal of DuSang rather one-dimensional. Faylen spent most of the film hovering around Donald Crisp with his arms folded and staring at people with squinting eyes. If this was his way of looking intimidating, I did not buy it. I do know whether to blame Faylen, the director Fenton, screenwriters Frank Butler and Karl Kamb or Frank Spearman's portrayal of the character in his novel. Another major problem I had with "WHISPERING SMITH" proved to be Mary Kay Dodson's costume designs for the female characters. Exactly what was this film's setting? Some of Dodson's costumes seemed to indicate the 1880s. And some of her costumes - especially for Brenda Marshall - seemed to indicate the 1890s. Nor did it help that the women's hairstyles seemed to reflect the late 1940s. Despite my quibbles with Frank Faylen and Mary Kay Dodson's costume designs, I enjoyed "WHISPERING SMITH" very much. Not only does it happen to be one of my favorite films starring Alan Ladd, I actually like it more than his more famous film, "SHANE". I am certain that many would find this sacrilegious. However, thanks to Leslie Fenton's direction, a screenplay that conveyed a complex love triangle and excellent performances from a cast led by Ladd, Robert Preston and Brenda Marshall; I cannot help how I feel.

[graffjamie]

Gloucester county NJ $600 6mo cost of waiting on rates to buy median $216k home James Graff 732 500 MUTE NMLS# 19734758   Get no hassle/obligation mortgage help: http://JGraff.AdvisorsMortgage.com/prequalify 732-500-MUTE Cost of waiting for rates to buy a home  If you’re shopping for a home today, you know it’s kind of hard work. You might not find something right away and it’s easy to get fatigued. Sometimes buyers get discouraged and say, “Let me take off a few months, maybe I’ll come back 6 months later.” Here’s the thing: while you can take some time off, the market isn’t taking time off! And it’s hot right now in your area of Gloucester County, New Jersey. The forecasted appreciation is 0.3% in just the next 6 months; let’s quantify that. A home worth $217,000 today (median price) would be worth $600 more in 6 months. Additionally, if you were planning on putting the same percent down, you would have to borrow more because the home is more expensive. And how about interest rates? Even though rates are at very attractive levels, does it make sense to wait for rates to go down further? No, the monthly savings with a lower rate are nice but are dwarfed by the missed appreciation and amortization, and it would take many, many years to recoup what you would have lost. Should rates drop significantly, we can always refinance you in the future. Stick with it, keep shopping, and you will find something!  I’m James Graff and that’s this week’s Mortgage Minute.  Gloucester county N.J.  James Graff 732 500 MUTE NMLS# 1974758 Advisors Mortgage Group, L.L.C. NMLS# 33041  2899 Rte. 35, Hazlet N.J. 07730  In 34 states of The United States  Government ] As of 2020, Gloucester County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger (D, West Deptford Township; 2021)] Deputy Freeholder Director Frank J. DiMarco (D, Deptford Township; 2022),[28] Lyman J. Barnes (D, Logan Township; 2020),[29] Daniel Christy (D, Washington Township; 2022),[30] Jim Jefferson (D, Woodbury; 2020),[31] Jim Lavender (D, Woolwich Township; 2021),[32] and Heather Simmons (D, Glassboro; 2020). Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term).[35] Gloucester County's constitutional officers are: County Clerk James N. Hogan (D, Franklinville in Franklin Township; 5-year term ends 2022), Sheriff Carmel Morina (D, Greenwich Township; 3-year term ends 2021)] and Surrogate Giuseppe "Joe" Chila (D, Woolwich Township; 5-year term ends 2022). The Gloucester County Prosecutor is Charles A. Fiore.[46] Gloucester County is a part of Vicinage 15 of the New Jersey Superior Court (along with Cumberland and Salem counties), seated in Woodbury in Gloucester County; the Assignment Judge for the vicinage is Benjamin C. Telsey. The Gloucester County Courthouse is in Woodbury.[47] Gloucester County is included in the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts.[48][49] For the 116th United States Congress, New Jersey's First Congressional District is represented by Donald Norcross (D, Camden).[50][51] For the 116th United States Congress, New Jersey's Second Congressional District is represented by Jeff Van Drew (R, Dennis Township).[52] The county is part of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Districts in the New Jersey Legislature.[53] For the 2018–2019 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 3rd Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Stephen M. Sweeney (D, West Deptford Township) and in the General Assembly by John J. Burzichelli (D, Paulsboro) and Adam Taliaferro (D, Woolwich Township).[54][55] For the 2018–2019 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 4th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Fred H. Madden (D, Washington Township, Gloucester County) and in the General Assembly by Paul Moriarty (D, Washington Township, Gloucester County) and Gabriela Mosquera (D, Gloucester Township).[56][57] For the 2018–2019 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 5th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D, Barrington) and in the General Assembly by Patricia Egan Jones (D, Barrington) and William Spearman (D, Camden).[58][59] Spearman took office in June 2018 following the resignation of Arthur Barclay.[60] Notable people See also: Category: People from Gloucester County, New Jersey Corey Clement (born 1994), running back for the Philadelphia Eagles and Super Bowl Champion his rookie year in the NFL (Glassboro).[91] Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, that plays indie pop gospel music. Seymour W. Duncan, is an American guitarist and guitar repairman and a co-founder of the Seymour Duncan Company (Paulsboro) Linda Fiorentino, actress (Mantua Township).

[biblioncollection]

Laramie Holds The Range | Frank H. Spearman | Westerns | Audiobook full unabridged | English | 1/7 Content of the video and Sections beginning time (clickable) - Chapters of the audiobook: please see First comments under this video. As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA) This is a Librivox recording. If you want to volunteer please visit https://librivox.org/ by Priceless Audiobooks

[graffjamie]

Gloucester (GLOSS-stir!) county Real Estate Community Report James Graff 732 500 MUTE NMLS# 1974758 Advisors Mortgage Group, L.L.C. NMLS# 33041   Gloucester (pronounced: GLOSS-stir!!! so very, very sorry!!) county NJ  Real Estate Community Report demographics Jobs Education Housing Crime Rates Houses by Decade etc. James Graff 732 500 MUTE NMLS# 1974758 Advisors Mortgage Group, L.L.C. NMLS# 33041 2899 Rte. 35, Hazlet N.J. 07730 In 34 states of The United States  Government ] As of 2020, Gloucester County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger (D, West Deptford Township; 2021)] Deputy Freeholder Director Frank J. DiMarco (D, Deptford Township; 2022),[28] Lyman J. Barnes (D, Logan Township; 2020),[29] Daniel Christy (D, Washington Township; 2022),[30] Jim Jefferson (D, Woodbury; 2020),[31] Jim Lavender (D, Woolwich Township; 2021),[32] and Heather Simmons (D, Glassboro; 2020). Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the New Jersey State Constitution, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as "constitutional officers." These officers are the County Clerk and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term).[35] Gloucester County's constitutional officers are: County Clerk James N. Hogan (D, Franklinville in Franklin Township; 5-year term ends 2022), Sheriff Carmel Morina (D, Greenwich Township; 3-year term ends 2021)] and Surrogate Giuseppe "Joe" Chila (D, Woolwich Township; 5-year term ends 2022). The Gloucester County Prosecutor is Charles A. Fiore.[46] Gloucester County is a part of Vicinage 15 of the New Jersey Superior Court (along with Cumberland and Salem counties), seated in Woodbury in Gloucester County; the Assignment Judge for the vicinage is Benjamin C. Telsey. The Gloucester County Courthouse is in Woodbury.[47] Gloucester County is included in the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts.[48][49] For the 116th United States Congress, New Jersey's First Congressional District is represented by Donald Norcross (D, Camden).[50][51] For the 116th United States Congress, New Jersey's Second Congressional District is represented by Jeff Van Drew (R, Dennis Township).[52] The county is part of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Districts in the New Jersey Legislature.[53] For the 2018–2019 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 3rd Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Stephen M. Sweeney (D, West Deptford Township) and in the General Assembly by John J. Burzichelli (D, Paulsboro) and Adam Taliaferro (D, Woolwich Township).[54][55] For the 2018–2019 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 4th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Fred H. Madden (D, Washington Township, Gloucester County) and in the General Assembly by Paul Moriarty (D, Washington Township, Gloucester County) and Gabriela Mosquera (D, Gloucester Township).[56][57] For the 2018–2019 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 5th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D, Barrington) and in the General Assembly by Patricia Egan Jones (D, Barrington) and William Spearman (D, Camden).[58][59] Spearman took office in June 2018 following the resignation of Arthur Barclay.[60] Notable people See also: Category: People from Gloucester County, New Jersey Corey Clement (born 1994), running back for the Philadelphia Eagles and Super Bowl Champion his rookie year in the NFL (Glassboro).[91] Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, that plays indie pop gospel music. Seymour W. Duncan, is an American guitarist and guitar repairman and a co-founder of the Seymour Duncan Company (Paulsboro) Linda Fiorentino, actress (Mantua Township). Grace Helbig, comedian, actress, author, talk show host, and YouTube personality (Woodbury/Woodbury Heights). Michael Johns, health care executive, former White House speechwriter, conservative policy analyst and writer (Deptford).[92] Tara Lipinski, Olympic gold medal winner, figure skating (Mantua Township). Bryant McKinnie, professional football player, Minnesota Vikings (Woodbury). J. Hampton Moore, former Mayor of Philadelphia (Woodbury). Milt Plum, former professional football player, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants (Westville). Jimmy Rollins (born 1978), professional baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies (Woolwich Township).[93] Patti Smith, punk rock musician (Woodbury). Steven Squyres, scientist, Squyres is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He is principal investigator of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission (MER) (Wenonah). Charles C. Stratton, served as Governor of New Jersey, former Member of Congress (Swedesboro).

[biblioncollection]

Laramie Holds The Range | Frank H. Spearman | Westerns | Audiobook full unabridged | English | 2/7 Content of the video and Sections beginning time (clickable) - Chapters of the audiobook: please see First comments under this video. As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA) This is a Librivox recording. If you want to volunteer please visit https://librivox.org/ by Priceless Audiobooks

[biblioncollection]

Laramie Holds The Range | Frank H. Spearman | Westerns | Audiobook full unabridged | English | 3/7 Content of the video and Sections beginning time (clickable) - Chapters of the audiobook: please see First comments under this video. As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA) This is a Librivox recording. If you want to volunteer please visit https://librivox.org/ by Priceless Audiobooks

[biblioncollection]

Laramie Holds The Range | Frank H. Spearman | Westerns | Audiobook full unabridged | English | 4/7 Content of the video and Sections beginning time (clickable) - Chapters of the audiobook: please see First comments under this video. As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA) This is a Librivox recording. If you want to volunteer please visit https://librivox.org/ by Priceless Audiobooks

[biblioncollection]

Laramie Holds The Range | Frank H. Spearman | Westerns | Audiobook full unabridged | English | 5/7 Content of the video and Sections beginning time (clickable) - Chapters of the audiobook: please see First comments under this video. As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA) This is a Librivox recording. If you want to volunteer please visit https://librivox.org/ by Priceless Audiobooks

[biblioncollection]

Laramie Holds The Range | Frank H. Spearman | Westerns | Audiobook full unabridged | English | 6/7 Content of the video and Sections beginning time (clickable) - Chapters of the audiobook: please see First comments under this video. As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA) This is a Librivox recording. If you want to volunteer please visit https://librivox.org/ by Priceless Audiobooks

[biblioncollection]

Laramie Holds The Range | Frank H. Spearman | Westerns | Audiobook full unabridged | English | 7/7 Content of the video and Sections beginning time (clickable) - Chapters of the audiobook: please see First comments under this video. As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA) This is a Librivox recording. If you want to volunteer please visit https://librivox.org/ by Priceless Audiobooks

[itsfreeaudiobook]

As with most of Frank Spearman's novels (and non-fiction), "Laramie Holds the Range" is set in the West during our early railroad days. He used the best of the illustrators of the day, such as N.C. Wyeth. Occasionally, a character would appear in more than one of his stories. The strongest elements of his novels, including this one, are his outstanding descriptions of the landscape and the physical elements of his characters. In this story, Kate Doubleday travels West to join her father, whom she has never seen. Laramie is a mountain rancher, who is opposed by Kate's father and all of the large cattlemen of the range. While it is a familiar struggle, Spearman effectively weaves a plot that holds the reader's interest. (Summary by Bob Rollins, Augusta GA) via Libricox

[itsfreeaudiobook]

Whispering Smith, like most of Frank Spearman's western novels (and some non-fiction as well) are set in the world of railroads, in the late 1800's. The main character, Gordon Smith, is a railroad detective; he first appears in this novel, then later in others. This novel was popular enough to be made into film eight times (four being silent) and into a TV series. In this novel, Smith finds that the culprit of the railroad mishaps he is investigating is a close friend, Murray Sinclair. That plot may seem overworked, but Spearman makes it nuanced enough for it to be quite interesting; two interwoven romances are included. The strongest feature of Spearman's novels is probably his beautiful descriptions of the American western landscapes. His character descriptions and plots also hold up well against the other writers of westerns of the early 1900's. (Summary by Bob Rollins) via Libricox