Morning Update, June 11, 2009

The_Kitchen_Guy

There were no new developments in Paige's case yesterday. No news, no new developments.

In news of Candles for Paige we had 90 candles as of this post. Remember, candles go out after 48 hours so keep lighting candles for Paige, her family and her three children.

Instructions for lighting candles for Paige are in the Missing thread, in this post.

On this date in History...

...in 1962, Frank Lee Morris, along with John and Clarnece Anglin, made an attempt to escape from The Rock, as the Alcatraz Federal Prison was known. While they were never found, the fact that they were never heard from again reinforces belief that the three drowned in the cold water of San Francisco Bay. The story was written into a book called [i[Escape From Alcatraz[/i] by J. Campbell Bruce that was made into a movie by Clint Eastwood. The three found a weakness in the design of the prison, along with a way to exploit it. The damp air had deteriorated the brick and mortar that comprised the cell block, and the three men used stolen tools to chip away at the wall around a ventilation vent. They made fake grills out of cardboard to fool the guards, and they made dummy heads, complete with hair salvaged from the barber shop, to fool the guards. On the given night, they put the dummies in their beds, climbed through the grills and replaced them with their cardboard grills, and went over the wall. They made their way out into the bay using life preservers made from stolen raincoats. They were never seen again, but a bag of personal belongings of Clarence Anglin was found floating in San Francisco Bay.


Have you seen this man? Probably not. This is
Clarence Anglin, one of the three who went over the wall.

...in 1933, Jerome Sliberman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He began acting for his mother when he was six years old. His first film roll was a bit part in Bonnie and Clyde but he got his break in 1968, after he changed his name to Gene Wilder and was given a starring role with the great Zero Mostel in Mel Brooks' The Producers. He went on to star with Richard Prior in Silver Streak and scored with Mel Brooks again in Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. He was married to the late Gilda Radner, with whom he co-starred in The Lady in Red and to many, he will always be THE Willy Wonka.


Gene Wilder in 2007

...in 1979, John Wayne lost his decade-long battle with cancer. In four dacades, he appeared in 250 films.

...in 1963, a showdown in a battle of wills came to a peak when President John F. Kennedy ordered Alabama Governor George Wallace to desegregate Alabama schools. Wallace had vowed that he would stand in front of any school and personally block any American of African descent to try to enter that school. President Kennedy sent his younger brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, to Alabama to negotiate with Wallace, but to no avail. On June 10, President Kennedy federalized the National Guard and deployed them to the University of Alabama to force desegregation. Wallace knew he was beaten and stepped aside. Vivian Malone and James A. Hood enrolled on this day in 1963.

...in 1950, Ben Hogan won the US Open golf tournament by beating Lloyd Mangum and George Fazio in an 18 hole playoff. The tournament was held at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. At first glance, this seems like no big deal. It becomes far more interesting when you realize that on February 2, 1949, Hogan and his wife, Valarie, were involved in a head-on collision with a Greyhound Bus. Valarie escaped with minor injuries, but Hogan suffered a broken collarbone, ankle and ribs, and when a blood clot appeared in his leg, veins were tied off to keep the clot from getting to his heart. His legs atrophied and doctors said he would never walk again. He just ignored them and went on an aggressive rehabilitaion regimen. Just 11 months later, Hogan played in the Los Angeles Open. Critics all said he'd only last a day or two and that his weak legs couldn't carry him four days. But after four days, he was tied for first and lost a playoff to Sam Snead. Six months later, he won the US Open. Ben Hogan became the second man (after Gene Sarazen) and therefore, one of only five men to win all four Grand Slam titles, the US Open, British Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters. (The other three are Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.) Hogan is recognized as being one of the greatest golfers of all time. Hogan won 63 PGA tournaments, including 4 US Opens, 2 Masters, 2 PGA Championships and a British Open. That's some pretty rare air, especially for a man who was hit by a Greyhound Bus and not only lived to tell about it, but excelled at his game afterwards.


"Every day you miss practicing, it will take you
one day longer to get good." --Ben Hogan
You can learn more about this amazing man at
his company's website.

That's it. That's all we know as of 12:01 AM, EDT.

raebates

I love Gene Wilder. And, you're right--he IS Willie Wonka.

ChefBeckyD

Even my 5 yr old knows that Gene Wilder is Willie Wonka.

He refuses to watch the Johnny Depp version.

The_Kitchen_Guy

Not too shabby for a kid from Milwaukee, along with that other kid from Milwaukee, lessee, what was his name again? I think he made a couple o' movies, too. Oh, yeah. Spencer Tracy.

raebates

Now I have the Oompa Loompa song stuck in my head.

BTW, the Oompa Loompas in the Johnny Depp version were just wrong. Wrong, I say!

The_Kitchen_Guy

Of course, remember that the Oompa-Loompas in the Johnny Depp version were actually Oompa Loompa. Deep Roy played all of them.

ChefBeckyD

I had high hopes for the Depp version, because I think he's an amazing actor, but I thought the whole movie was lacking. At first I figured it was just because I had seen the Gene Wilder version so many times, and so I was just stuck on it....but DS LOVED the Wilder version, and didn't make it 30 minutes into the Depp version. It was too scary, he said.

raebates

They lost all the whimsy in the Depp version. Wilder's Wonka was weird, but he was mostly a big kid. Depp's Wonka was a creepy jerk.

The Furry Guy LOVES the original. He has a sequel pretty much completely cast in his head. Gene Wilder as Willie Wonka and Mel Gibson as the grown-up Charlie are the leads.

ChefBeckyD

That's it - exactly! There was no joy in the Depp rendition, so the fun was gone.

raebates

The Furry Guy and I have spent a lot of time over the last 24 years discussing that movie and what makes it so appealing. So, it didn't take long for us to spot the problems with the newer version.

And, yes, KG, I knew that there was only 1 Oompa Loompa in the Depp version. That's part of what made it so wrong. It added to the creepiness.

The_Kitchen_Guy

I agree with you all, the Depp version is just too dark. And while the Oopla Loompas in the Depp version are creepy, I do greatly admire Deep Roy for the work he did. He's the one shining star, albeit a creepy one, in the film.

Some films are just better off not being remade.

For example, I felt mislead and ripped off when I first saw Roxanne because I thought it was both an insult to Jose Ferrer (not to mention, Edmond Rostand) and that it wasn't marketed as Cyrano de Bergerac. Technically, it wasn't a remake, just Steve Martin's version of Cyrano. I have since relented and I have to say that Martin was brilliant in the soliloquy, using a tennis racquet instead of a foil, but I still prefer the 1950 version of the story.

chefann

hmm... I can't stand the Wilder version, but really enjoy the Depp one. Of course, the film titles are big clues to who the focus is on in each version- "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" vs. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

The fact that Saruman/Count Dooku played Wonka's father was just a bonus.

raebates

The Furry Guy says that he still likes you, but he's concerned about you.

chefann

I perceive Wilder's Wonka (whether it was his decision or the director's) as less whimsical and more drug-induced. The film is a definite product of the 70s. Ick. But that's just my opinion. I understand that many people prefer that version.