When one thinks of the actor Robert Mitchum, one immediately thinks of his films Cape Fear, The Big Sleep, The Night of the Hunter, and One Shoe Makes It Murder. Reading the list of 117 big screen and 15 made-for-TV movies and mini-series brings back memories of why he was such a popular actor.
Watching him on The Dick Cavett Show in a 1971 interview made me a bigger fan. [Parts 2, 3, and 4, are not to be missed.] He was such an understated guy. Married to Dorothy since 1940, he died in 1997 when he was 79.
But the best role Mitchum ever played was Victor “Pug” Henry in The Winds of War, 1983, a role he reprised for the 1988 follow-up War and Remembrance based on the novels by Herman Wouk (“The Caine Mutiny”).
Masterpieces of historical fiction, Wouk’s wide-ranging epics of one family in World War II were hard to put down and gave readers an understanding of what the wars were all about and why the struggles were worth it. The mini-series, cast beautifully and acted very well, brought the tales to life. Who could forget the It Girl of the day, Ali MacGraw, as a prisoner in a boxcar eating every last bit of an apple that came her way? The juxtaposition of beauty, starvation, and imprisonment were powerful indeed.
Even in the US during WWII, shortages of everything made the use of ration stamps necessary to make available supplies to all, all of whom were forced to tighten their proverbial belts. I’m sure there was whining about those shortages, but not much and it didn’t last long because there comes a point when whining itself is a luxury and/or a sign things aren’t that bad.
But things were that bad in WWII and, while stateside shortages were not fun, everybody sucked it up and got through it.
We haven’t had ration stamps since then, and there has been a plenty of everything for everyone. That means that the concepts of tightening the belt, pinching the pennies, making do or doing without, and using it up and wearing it out have left the collective consciousness of the US citizenry.
Those who are so used to stopping for their $5.00 cuppa every morning without giving it another thought and conveniently grabbing what they want and need from any store, aren’t used to not getting when they want it.
For instance, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal could not be found during the Christmas season because everybody was making Rice Krispies Treats from scratch. People were hitting one grocery store after another looking for any toasted rice cereal yet couldn’t find any. Finally, some enterprising souls, those who knew how to make do or do without, found other crispy cereals and used those to make their treats. Overheard conversations in cereal aisles spread the good news about the substitution and the kiddies were happy.
Now with the Jimmy Carter Gas Price Hikes Redux, far Left and Right media personalities are screaming in a frenzied rapture about the hikes thus intimating how civilization as we know it will come crashing down around our ears. I wish they would shut the hell up. Their rabble-rousing rhetoric isn’t helping anything but their ratings…if that.
This regime will pass and, while their “Wheee! We are big kids now!” attitude will cause problems, once those pretenders are gone the adults in the room will fix it like we always do. It is our job now not to whine about real or perceived hardships, but to be The Staying Hand of the Sheepdog to minimize their idiocy and put plans in place to recover from it.
At the grocery store a cashier said rather dejectedly, “Oh, those gas prices are going up!” My reply was, “Time to make them pennies scream until this idiocy and manipulation passes. I refuse to let those nutjobs make me run scared. Let’s show ’em how tough we are.” This was not the response she expected…
…but it was the one she needed.
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Born and raised in Georgia, Angela K. Durden is an author, publisher, editor, songwriter, performer, and more, living in the Metro Atlanta, Georgia, area. Support your Citizen Journalist by visiting her Consolidated Author Page and buying a book or three. See more about Angela here. Want to watch a fun video? Click here.
