#john adair

[chuckbbirdsjunk]

[grimm-bot]

Something's wrong with your agent, Handler.

i can't wait to beat the second game. me and my friend may or may not be going ham on the AU/OC nonsense over discord.

[fourorfivemovements]

Films Watched in 2023:

08. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - Dir. Frank Capra

[no-side-us]

Letters From Watson Liveblog - July 11

The Empty House, Part 1 of 3

Nothing to apologize for, it's simply nice to get back in the swing of things. Feels good to be reading these again!

Watson's describing my own feelings here exactly upon seeing that I had finally received another of his wonderful letters after so long.

I don't believe we ever get any stories centered on Watson alone solving a crime, maybe with Lestrade or some other inspector alongside. It would be interesting though, and could even have been based on the real life case that Conan Doyle consulted on.

Although, I like to think that Watson managed to solve at least one notable case all on his own, if only so Sherlock might have been happy to see his old friend in the news and continuing his work.

Ah, Colonel Moran. One of the lesser well-known but still semi-popular Sherlock Holmes characters. Usually delegated to Moriarty's Watson, but that's not surprising considering his backstory and his debut story being overshadowed by Sherlock coming back to life and ironing out the last of Moriarty's machinations.

Watson's belief that the Ronald Adair murder would have been right up Sherlock's alley is proven correct! Though maybe not for the reasons he thinks.

This may be explained in the next letter, but I wonder how long it took Sherlock to decide to reveal himself to Watson. Did he decide to do it when he saw him at the crime scene? Or did he know he was going to do it much farther in advance?

And so Sherlock Holmes comes back to life in the most Sherlock Holmes way possible, in an unnecessarily dramatic manner.

Even he recognizes how theatric it was. To be fair however, it has been a few years since he died and he has the burden of telling the truth of his non-death to his closest friend. I can see the reasoning in his mind of doing it dramatically and suddenly, sort of like ripping the bandaid off.

I love how Watson immediately diagnoses Holmes' health. It really feels like a return to an old routine with these two.

What a tease of an ending. But that only means more to look forward to in the next letter!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

[denver-carrington]

I think this is the original photo taken of the stars of Aaron Spelling's shows that were airing on ABC c. 1984. The Dynasty cast members pictured include: John, Linda, Joan, Heather, Pamela Bellwood, Gordon, Jack, John James, Michael Nader, and Deborah Adair (who was on Finder of Lost Loves) at the time. And, of course, the man himself, Aaron Spelling. Other stars were later photoshopped in and can be seen in a similar photo I posted last summer.

[tiger-moran]

Still thinking about writing the sequel to my last fic but now I'm getting irate with ACD for all the canonical contradictions again

(How can Watson and the police not know who Moran is in The Empty House when they knew who he was in the late 1880s?

And if they did all know who Moran was in the 1890s then why did none of them seem to have any suspicion of him even when an acquaintance of his was 'mysteriously' shot dead? That would tend to suggest Moran was above suspicion because... he didn't actually do it?

And Watson never refers to the actual trial of Moran, he never states the actual motive for Adair's murder, Moran is specifically stated to be alive many years later. If Moran killed Adair he should be dead within weeks probably given the speed of trials then, and Watson should have some better idea what the motive for the murder was by the time he writes the story. But he still doesn't seem to know what the motive was and Moran is alive.

I mean... were we really, genuinely supposed to infer from this that there was a real possibility that Moran didn't do it? Because there seems to be more evidence that he didn't than that he actually did (also no witnesses and the physical evidence is all completely circumstantial or two badly mangled bullets which couldn't possibly have been compared properly due to the damage and also when forensics was in its infancy then, also no motive even suggested except some petty reason that doesn't sound at all like a reason someone like Moran would murder a man over. Some sort of lover's tiff between him and Adair or Adair being infatuated with Moran and Moran not being interested and having to take extreme measures to fend him off is still far more believable than 'Adair found out he was cheating and this threatened the income he got from cheating at cards' because, firstly how much money was he really going to be making from cheating at a few card games, he wasn't even seemingly playing for huge amounts anyway and secondly, Moran was rich, he had loads of money, what's he supposed to have done with that? The motive suggested is flimsy as hell. Also let's not forget that Adair had broken off his engagement not that long before he died too).

Were we supposed to suspect even that someone else might have organised the murder instead using one of their other contacts? Someone like Moriarty? I know a lot of stuff was just because ACD simply did not care but did he ever have it in mind that Moriarty had survived because it definitely feels like at the very least he was trying to keep his options open with him, the same as he probably was with never actually showing Holmes's death - everything is too vague, nothing is ever confirmed, a lot of details just do not make sense and Watson never sees anything that would confirm to him never mind to us the readers that Moriarty was dead, or that Moran was actually guilty of Adair's murder.

And whatever ACD thought, Watson has definitely lied to the readers somewhere - the same as with Moriarty, he cannot have both known about Moran and not known about Moran at the same time. So why has he lied, what is he hiding?

(He probably did know Moran even before Holmes knew anything about him - their army careers overlapped, they very likely came back to England at the same time maybe on the same ship. Watson, did you really fuck Moran in Afghanistan? Or on the ship. Is that what you're trying to hide?)

And then we get back to the 'why does Holmes specifically not want Moran charged with attempting to murder him even when the evidence of Moran's guilt of Adair's murder is so flimsy surely he'd want to throw everything possible at him?' thing. This also seems to tend to suggest maybe Holmes knew Moran wasn't actually trying to murder him then he was just making a point that he could do so? And what is up with the weirdly homoerotic antagonism between Holmes and Moran anyway?)

The relationships between these four characters - Holmes, Watson, Moriarty, Moran - are so much more complicated than it seems and there has to be a lot more going on there than Watson (or Holmes via Watson) ever lets on. I mean it's fascinating for the possibilities it raises but it is infuriating, all these plot holes and contradictions and just that... so little is ever actually shown to us. Also that so few people ever seem actually interested in exploring any of this, or what really went on between Moran and Adair either. So much gets taken at face value even when it actively contradicts something else but there is so much more to unpick there.)

[ozu-teapot]

Just One More Time | Maurice Hamblin | 1974

Jan Adair, John Hamill

[citizenscreen]

John Alexander, Josephine Hull, and Jean Adair as Teddy Roosevelt, Abby, and Martha Brewster respectively in Capra’s ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1943).

[claudia1829things]

"LINCOLN" (1988) Review

"LINCOLN" (1988) Review

Can anyone recall the number of Abraham Lincoln biopics seen in movie theaters or on television? I certainly cannot. In fact, I do not know how many Lincoln biopics I have seen. Perhaps this is not surprising. Hollywood has created more productions (both movie and television) about the 16th President of the United States than any other who has occupied the White House. One of those productions was the 1988 two-part miniseries, "LINCOLN".

Based on Gore Vidal's 1984 novel, "Lincoln: A Novel", "LINCOLN" followed Abraham Lincoln's years in the White House, during the U.S. Civil War. Actually, both the novel and the miniseries began with President-elect Lincoln arrival in Washington D.C. in late February 1861, at least a week before his inauguration. Although the limited series covered his complete four years in office, the majority of the production only covered his first years in the nation's capital. During those years, Lincoln not only faced his struggles in conducting a civil war against those Southern states that had succeeded, but also his political enemies (from both parties) and the mental condition of his wife, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

Without a doubt, I believe "LINCOLN" is one of the better Hollywood productions made about the 16th president. I would place it up there with Steven Spielberg's 2012 movie of the same title and the 1974-1976 limited series, which starred Hal Holbrook. In regard to the 1988 miniseries, director One aspect of this series that struck me as innovative was the cynical tone that seemed to surround Lincoln's portrayal and the miniseries' narrative. Past productions have touched on Lincoln's political oratory skills. Yet, these productions could not help but tried to portray the 16th president as some ideal statesman. Which would explain why I had occasional trouble finding him interesting in these productions.

This did not seemed to be the case in both Gore Vidal's novel and the 1988 miniseries. I tried to recall any moment in which Ernest Kinoy's screenplay and Gore Vidal's novel had dipped into some kind of sentimental idealism toward Lincoln, his Administration and even his family. The closest to any kind of idealism I could find proved to be two scenes. One included a conversation in which the First Lady revealed her abolitionist views to the biracial modiste, Elizabeth Keckley. Another also featured Mrs. Lincoln's militant response to Confederate troops attacking Union installations on the outskirts of Washington D.C. Instead of the noble and ideal statesman forced to guide the country through a civil war and a social revolution, Vidal's Lincoln seemed to be an astute and at times, cynical man who seemed to be a bit possessive about his presidential power. Part One featured one marvelous scene in which Lincoln smartly nipped in the bud, his Secretary of State William Seward's attempt to transform him into a powerless head of state. And there were those moments in Part Two that featured Lincoln's clashes with the Army of the Potomac's commander, George McClellan.

Lincoln's pragmatic nature seemed to permeate his dealings regarding emancipation and with his family. Many are now aware of the president's initial support of the American Colonization Society, an organization formed to encourage free African-Americans to immigrate to and form colonies in West Africa. His support had continued during the early years of the Civil War and the miniseries featured it in an interesting and emotionally complex scene that involved Lincoln's White House meeting with a delegation of African-American leaders during the summer of 1862. What made this scene even more interesting was Lincoln's disappointed response to the delegates' refusal to convince many Blacks as possible to resettle in Chiriquí province of Panama. Lincoln's interactions with his immediate family proved to be more emotional, especially with his wife and younger sons. Yet, even in some scenes with the First Lady, the President could be cool, sardonic and sometimes dismissive. I find it even more interesting that the next major production about the President - namely the 2012 Spielberg movie - seemed to have adopted some of the miniseries' ambiguous portrayal of him.

One of the major issues I have with "LINCOLN" is its production values. I found them to be a mixed affair. I certainly had no problems with R. Lynn Smartt's Emmy nominated set decorations. They struck me as a strong recreation of mid-19th century interior decor. However, William Wages had received an Emmy nomination for his cinematography. I must admit that I am at a bit of a loss at this nomination. I never found his photography particularly mind-blowing. Not even the photography featured in various montages featuring well-known Civil War battles. And I disliked his use of natural lighting in many night time shots - both interior and exterior. Both Joseph G. Aulisi and George L. Little had received Emmy nominations for the miniseries' costume designs. I believe both had deserved the nominations, namely for those beautiful costumes worn by the female characters. Aulisi and Little did excellent jobs in re-creating the fashions worn by high-ranking women during the early and mid-1860s. As for those costumes worn by male characters . . . I was not that impressed. The men's costumes looked as if they had arrived directly from a costume warehouse for second-rate stage productions.

I thought the casting director did a pretty decent job in finding the right actors and actresses for the roles. Mind you, I noticed that a good number of the cast bore little or no similarity to the historical characters they had portrayed. This seemed to be the case for the likes of Deborah Adair (Kate Chase), John McMartin (Salmon P. Chase), Richard Mulligan (William H. Seward), Ruby Dee (Elizabeth Keckley), James Gammon (Ulysses S. Grant), and especially Mary Tyler Moore (Mary Todd Lincoln). But . . . I cannot deny that all of them either gave solid or excellent performances. I was especially impressed by Adair, Mulligan and Moore. The miniseries also featured first-rate performances from the likes of Stephen Culp as one of Lincoln's secretaries, John Hay; Gregory Cooke as the Lincolns' oldest son Robert; Jeffrey DeMunn as William Herdon, Lincoln's former law partner; Robin Gammell as Stephen Douglas; Cleavon Little as Frederick Douglass; and John Houseman as Winfield Scott.

I had a problem with two particular performance. I had a problem with Thomas Gibson's portrayal of Kate Chase's future husband, William Sprague IV during Part One. I thought Gibson gave an exaggerated performance that was further marred by a questionable New England accent. And although Ruby Dee had received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Elizabeth Keckley, I could not find anything particularly outstanding about her performance. Do not get me wrong. The actress gave a very solid performance as Keckley. But the miniseries gave Dee little opportunity to truly display her skills as an actress. Because of this, I found myself more impressed by Gloria Reuben's portrayal of the modiste in 2012's "LINCOLN".

Mary Tyler Moore had also received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. And I can honestly say that she had more than deserved it. Moore did an excellent job of conveying the First Lady's volatile personality, sharp wit and political astuteness. And while I had a small issue with the transcript's portrayal of Mrs. Lincoln, a part of me wishes that Moore had won that Emmy. I was astounded that Sam Waterston did not receive an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln. Astounded and disappointed. Perhaps the competition for the Emmy's Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series category had been too heavy for Waterston to garner a nomination. You know what? I still believe the actor had deserved that nomination. I believe Waterston gave one of the best on-screen interpretations of the 16th president I have ever seen on film. And his portrayal of Lincoln had fortunately avoided the usual sentimental idealism that have dangerously come close to making Lincoln a one-note saint. Waterston's performance sharply reminded me of Lincoln's real skills as a politician.

Aside from two performances, I have few other issues with "LINCOLN". What film stock was this miniseries shot on? Because visually, it did not age very well. I already had a problem with Wages' use of natural lighting. But the miniseries looked as if it had aged a good deal over the past thirty-six years in compared to other television productions filmed during the same decade. Over the years I have learned to tolerate historical inaccuracies in dramas like "LINCOLN". But there were three inaccuracies that did not sit well with me. One of them featured black activist/abolitionist Frederick Douglass at the August 1862 White House meeting between Lincoln and five leading members of Washington's black community regarding colonization. One, Douglass did not live in Washington during the war years. And two, he was never at that meeting.

The other two inaccuracies involved former law clerk-turned-Union officer and close friend of the Lincolns, Elmer E. Ellsworth. Following his death at the hands of a Virginia tavern owner, the miniseries had the First Lady having an emotional fit during his funeral. I believe this scene was supposed to indicate Mrs. Lincoln's mental instability. The thing is . . . this never happened, especially since Ellsworth was closer to the President than the First Lady. And it was Lincoln who had emotional difficulty accepting the officer's death, not his wife. The miniseries also indicated that following Ellsworth funeral, Mrs. Lincoln had passed out and remained unconscious for three days, waking up during the outbreak of the First Battle of Bull Run. I have already pointed out that the First Lady had never been traumatized by Ellsworth's death. I would also like to point out that Ellsworth had been killed in May 1861. The First Battle of Bull Run occurred on July 21, 1861. So, Mrs. Lincoln had remained unconscious . . . for two months? Seriously? One more thing, why did most of the miniseries' narrative occurred during the twelve months between February 1861 and February 1862? By the time the miniseries had moved beyond this time period, one-quarter of Part Two had played out. By the time the narrative had reached 1863, only 45 minutes had remained of the production. And the next two years were practically rushed. I believe this problem had stemmed from the 1984 novel, in which the majority of it had only covered those twelve months.

As I had just pointed out, "LINCOLN" was not a perfect production about the 16th president. The miniseries had its flaws. But I cannot deny that I believe it was one of the better ones ever produced by Hollywood. Based on Gore Vidal's novel, "LINCOLN" gave a deep and lively account of Abraham Lincoln's four years in the White House. And one can credit Ernest Kinoy's transcript, Lamont Johnson's Emmy winning direction and excellent performances from a cast led by Sam Waterston and Mary Tyler Moore.

[terrians]

My Earth 2 Fanfiction

I keep most of my stuff on anon so I thought this would be a neat way to compile what I've done.

seasons change and i decay - Devon Adair - 292 words - G-889 didn't seem to like her very much.

Princess - Devon Adair/Bess Martin (one-sided) - 263 words - Everyone assumed her dream had been about another man.

Pouring from an Empty Cup - Devon Adair/Julia Heller - 973 words - Julia works day and night to find a cure when the crew gets sick again. Devon thinks she should rest instead.

Stages - Devon Adair & Uly Adair, Devon Adair & Yale - 635 words - If it weren't for Yale, Devon would come home to an empty unit. He's there when Uly isn't, when Devon had permission to be a person who's hurting rather than a mother who's strong.

Wildflower - Bess Martin - 898 words - On the road to New Pacifica, Bess reflects on her life.

Come So Far - John Danziger & True Danziger - 1,380 words - Danziger never took care of himself right, and True never let him get away with it.

Desiccation - Bess Martin - 749 words - "Have you ever watched anyone trying to eat dirt? Trying to suck the moisture out of mud?"

Possessed - Julia Heller - 1,291 words - Danziger's actions while possessed bring back unpleasant memories for Julia.

[thecraggus]

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) Review

Beverly Hills Cop II is a worthy sequel to the illustrious original that overcomes a familiar plot with an injection of Tony Scott's signature style. #Review

[gameofthunder66]

'Beverly Hills Cop II' (1987) film

-watched 7/20/2024- 4 stars- on Paramount+

49% Rotten Tomatoes

Thought I had seen this before but don't remember seeing any of the scenes in this one. To me, this BHC movie was even funnier than the first.

[wornoutspines]

Arsenic and Old Lace (Movie Review) | Fun & Captivating

When I went to see Arsenic and Old Lace I didn't expect to be as delightfully entertained as I was, there's a reason why it's a classic movie fan favorite. Check my review #ArsenicAndOldLace #ClassicComedy #FilmReview #CaryGrant #ClassicFilm #MustWatch

Frank Capra (Director)CASTCary GrantPriscilla LaneRaymond MasseyJosephine HullJean AdairJohn AlexanderPeter LorreBased on the play “Arsenic and Old Lace” by Joseph Kesselring Review This was my first Cary Grant movie. I kind of knew the name, I’d heard about him, even though I thought his first name was Gary. This 1944 movie is amazing, I went in blind, I knew the time of the showing – yes I…

[gnome-adjacent-vagabond]

The best part is so many of the guys and gals in this movie skitter and scuttle at some point. If Peter Lorre weren't the subject of the post, who knows which character this tag is referencing?

Jonathan crosses a room with all the grace of a crazed antelope as he tries to beat Mortimer to the window seat.

Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha have some sort of Three Billy Goats Gruff trip-trappery going on when they get excited.

Einstein meanders to and fro like a sleepy puppy and then books it out the door when it really counts. He follows Jonathan as if they're tethered together.

Mortimer is CONSTANTLY running. He has absolutely no chill, and not even a whole armchair can stand in his way.

Teddy Brewster fucking charges, which doesn't count as a skitter or scuttle but is still worth a mention.

And because Mr. Witherspoon is played by Edward Everett Horton, he scuttles and skitters inherently.

finally watched arsenic and old lace (1944) and man, if peter lorre doesn't win that scrungly poll, i don't know what to tell you...

[jessaerys]

"But I finished [Near and Mello] together as a set, and although they aren’t particularly laid out as such, I still feel a bit like they’re twins." —Obata Takeshi

whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same:

i. low sky, mahmoud darwish. ii. the world is a sphere of ice and our hands are made of fire, ritika jyala. iii. kadan, 2008. iv. the dreamers, gilbert adair. v. @nathanielorion vi. nagiko, 2016. vii. elektra, sophokles (tr. anne carson). viii. wishbone, richard siken. ix. inbred, ethel cain. x. the boy who, tirol. xi. monster portraits, del samatar and sofia samatar. xii. in the field, @nathanielorion xiii. death note, "use" ch77. xiv. gut symmetries, jeanette winterson. xv. mystic union; fire and wine: poems, john gould fletcher. xvi. @inukai_0055, twitter. xvii. the carnivorous lamb, agustín gómez-arcos. xviii. my sister, the serial killer, oyinkan braithwaite. xix. the beatrice letters, lemony snicket (text); a quiet visitor, holly warburton (art); @unpardonablesins (edit). xx. ada, vladimir nabokov. xxi. this is how you lose the time war, amal el-mohtar. xxii. the borgias, s3e10, showtime. xxiii. @antaarf xxiv. @vilicity xxv. @boymiffy

[denver-carrington]

Many thanks to Darren for sending me this Season 4 cast photo.