Random Cutting - H G Wells warns of Fascism (1934)

Reblogged from my newspaper collection blog 

(mhill46-holdthefrontpage.blogspot.co.uk)

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H.G. Wells, the author of classics like ‘The War of the Worlds’, ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘The Time Machine‘, succeeded John Galsworthy as President of the P.E.N. Club in 1933. The Club had been founded in 1921 to promote ‘friendship & intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere’.

Wells was a complicated man, basically a Socialist who, like many intellectuals of the 1930’s, let his hatred of Fascism lead to a blind approval of Stalinist Russia, but he was also anti-Semitic and believed in eugenics; both Fascists traits.

Film You may Have Missed (#19)

Beggars of Life (1927)

I saw the silent film ‘Beggars of Life’ augmented by a live soundtrack by The Dodge Brothers, a group of musicians who feature the film critic Mark Kermode on double bass, and experienced Silent Film Pianist Neil Brand. I admit that I went because of the music as I hadn’t heard of the film.

Richard Arlen and Louise Brooks

Beggars of Life stars Wallace Beery, Louise Brooks and Richard Arlen, and tells the story of Nancy (Brooks) who kills her step-father during an attempted rape then disguised as a boy runs off with a young hobo. They meet up with Oklahoma Red (Beery) who helps them in their attempt to get to Canada.

A couple of short sound sequences were added before its original release.

A surprisingly mature and gritty film for the time and shows how far silent film had progressed before it was wiped out by the Talkies. Louise Brooks is terrific in the lead role and did some of her own stunts including jumping on and off moving trains.

Beggars for Life is available on a DVD from Classic Video Streams but Amazon reviews warn of it being poorly recorded and obviously, it doesn’t include Mark Kermode playing in your sitting room!

The Dodge Brothers and Neil Brand

Random Forgotten Author (1943)

Reblogged from my newspaper collection blog (mhill46-holdthefrontpage.blogspot.co.uk)

Sunday Graphic dated Sunday April 4^th 1943

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There must be hundreds of authors who were household names in their day, but who are now all but forgotten.

Rex Beach was an American novelist, playwright and Olympic silver medalist water-polo player (1904 St Louis) who spent 5 years in Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush and wrote several very popular novels in the Jack London idiom. His second, ‘The Spoilers’, was filmed 5 times.

After the death of his wife he committed suicide in 1949.

Book You May Have Missed (#19)

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (2016)

Having successfully ‘done’ Conan-Doyle in ‘The Silk Road’ and ‘Moriarty’ and Ian Fleming in ‘Trigger Mortis’, Horowitz has turned his attention to Agatha Christie with ‘Magpie Murders’.

He uses a book-within-a-book to write both a contemporary murder mystery and one set in a typical Christie village of the 1950’s.

The fictitious Magpie Murders by the fictitious author Alan Conway is a 219 page whodunit manuscript printed in its entirety within the 400 page whodunit Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz.

In the modern day mystery, author Alan Conway is murdered and his editor Susan Ryeland believes that Conway planted clues to his murderer in the 1950’s mystery. We get to read the Alan Conway manuscript before joining Susan in her attempt to solve the murder.

A very enjoyable book.