We closed the books on October 2015 two weeks ago, but I wanted to offer a final salute to one of favorite months in the calendar.
October always charges me with a revived sense of energy and eagerness. The arrival of cooler, less humid air is reinvigorating to those of us drained and weary after a few months of northern Illinois’ heat and humidity. October’s cool, dry air is a natural tonic, and I respond well to it.
The cooler temperatures also herald the change of seasons, as summer gives way to autumn. Temperatures on some October mornings dip to the low 40s and sometimes the 30s, delivering a chilly hint of winter’s approach.
October is particularly special to me, because we celebrate my birthday on Oct. 7 and my daughter’s on Oct. 9. We celebrated Megan’s 20th birthday this year.
Lori and I celebrate October with an annual visit to one of the area’s pumpkin farms, where we navigate a corn maze and always enjoy some pumpkin doughnuts. We purchase pumpkins and gourds at a nearby farm, and Lori decorates the house. We savor the sights, smells and tastes of autumn. In recent years, we have made a tradition of visiting my sister Jo in Galena, where the town marks Halloween with an annual parade in the early evening.
My Dad was responsible for developing my appreciation for October and autumn. I come from agricultural stock. My father’s father operated a farm during the 1920s and through most of the Great Depression. It was located in Schaumburg Township, a few miles south of where Woodfield Mall stands today. Dad frequently shared his memories of growing up on the farm. He seemed to reminisce more during autumn, when area farmers harvested crops from their fields.
He gave us an understanding of agriculture's complexities and benefits, and helped me to develop a deep appreciation for our natural bond with the land. I don’t think Dad ever considered himself an environmentalist, but he taught us to be good stewards and to value natural resources.
Those resources included the variety of foods produced by farmers and ranchers. He loved fruits and vegetables and developed my taste for them. I fondly remember accompanying Dad on visits to local farm stands during my childhood and listening as he explained the characteristics of apples, sweet corn, radishes and other items.
Dad always grilled bratwurst and other sausages in the fall and enjoyed roasting meats during the winter months. I can remember standing near the grill with him on cool October nights, listening as he shared humble tips for the successful grilling of beer-soaked bratwurst. The key was in controlling the burning charcoal. Dad was a master, grilling sausage to perfection while drinking beer and smoking Kent cigarettes.
I frequently reflected on these memories during October and wanted to share them here, in a final nod to a special month.
KB
Send email to kbotterman@gmail.com
Here’s a collection of films that always remind me of summer, in part because I first viewed almost all of them during the summer months, either on TV or in a commercial theater. Each film listed here also brings to mind special memories of friends and family members who were with me for the first viewing of these movies and added to the experience.
Alien (Released June 22, 1979) Director Ridley Scott’s science fiction horror classic is a tension-filled production that scares audiences with what is shown on the screen and with what is left to one’s imagination. I first saw this at the Woodfield Theatre in Schaumburg. The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ian Holm features supporting work by Veronica Cartwright, John Hurt, and Yaphet Kotto. For my money, this one was remains the best of the “Alien” franchise, but director James Cameron’s “Aliens” is a close second.
American Graffiti (Released Aug. 1, 1973) Director George Lucas’ highly entertaining tale about a two college freshmen and the last night they spend together with friends before the pair is scheduled to depart for their first semester at college. The cast includes Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfus, Paul Le Mat, Charles, Martin Smith, Harrison Ford, Candy Clark, and Bo Hopkins. The movie received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Candy Clark) and Film Editing. I first saw this one with my close friend, Lee, at the Rolling Meadows Theater on Kirchoff Road. This movie became an instant favorite of mine, because its soundtrack included a collections of popular rock and roll songs from the late 1950s and early 1960s. an era in rock's history that I developed an interest during my freshman year in high school.
Beach Blanket Bingo (Released April 14, 1965). Directed by William Asher. The film remains my favorite of the Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello “beach party” movies of the the 1960s. The movies were light on plot and character, and I’ve always enjoyed them as simple and silly distractions — by definition an ideal summer movie. The Chicago ABC affiliate made a summer tradition of screening a week’s worth of these movies during the 1970s, and I probably watched every showing of “Beach Blanket Bingo”. The cast also includes Paul Lynde, Don Rickles and the great Harvey Lembeck as Eric Von Zipper.
Dracula (Released Feb. 14, 1931) Directed by Tod Browning and stars Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Edward Van Sloan. For my money, Lugosi’s performance remains the best portrayal of Count Dracula. Watch a restored version of the film and you’ll will see a character as creepy and disturbing as Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter in “Silence of the Lambs”. I first watched “Dracula” in September of 1970, when it was the first film shown on WGN’s old “Creature Feature” presentations on Saturday nights, but I subsequently watched it whenever it was aired, which was usually during the summer months.
The Graduate (Released Dec. 22, 1967) Directed by Mike Nichols. The cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, and two great character actors, Murray Hamilton and William Daniels. The film won an Oscar for Best Director and received six additional Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Writing. I first saw this one during the summer approaching my junior year in high school. It really fed my sense of teenage angst and remains one of my favorite films.
Meatballs (Released June 29, 1979) Director Ivan Reitman’s screwball salute to summer camp stars Bill Murray, Chris Makepeace, Harvey Atkin, Kate Lynch and Matt Craven. It’s a lightweight comedy that showcases Murray as the leader of an unruly group of camp counselors. I first saw this with a high school friend and his two sisters. It was a good evening with a lots of laughs.
Mr. North: (Released July 22, 1988) Director Danny Huston’s little-known film is based on a Thornton Wilder short story and takes place during a summer on Long Island. It has the feel of a summer stock production, and I think that’s one of reasons I find it memorable. The cast includes Anthony Edwards, Robert Mitchum, Lauren Bacall, Harry Dean Stanton (another great character actor), David Warner, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lawford, Virginia Madsen, and Mary Stuart Masterson. I first saw this movie with my brother, Patrick, another reason why it stands out in my memory.
Psycho (Released Sept. 8, 1960) Director Alfred Hitchcock’s unsettling masterpiece about a motel operator with a mother obsession stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, Martin Balsam, and Simon Oakland. The movie was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Director, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Cinematography. This movie scared the hell out of me the first time I viewed it, and that experience involved a version that was highly-edited for TV presentation. I next saw an unedited version of the film during a late-night screening at a commercial theater and became a fan of the movie for life.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Released June 12, 1981): Directed by Steven Spielberg. Lawrence Kasdan, George Lucas, and Philip Kaufman wrote the screenplay. The first installment in a franchise series is typically the best, and “Raiders” does a fine job of proving the point. I first first saw this during the summer of 1981. Some of the cinematography is so good it remains impressive to this day, I think. The cast includes Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, and Denholm Elliott. The production received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. It won for Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Effects/Visual Effects.
Star Wars (Released May 25, 1977) Written and directed by George Lucas. The first installment in the franchise series is my favorite of the bunch. The cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher and Alec Guinness. The film received nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing and Best Supporting Actor (Guinness). It won six Oscars. I first saw this one during the summer of 1977, during its first run in commercial theaters.
Yankee Doodle Dandy (Released June 6, 1942). Directed by Michael Curtiz. A classic featuring the great James Cagney as showman George M. Cohan. It opens with Cagney’s Cohan sitting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and discussing the showman’s rise to stardom. The cast includes Joan Leslie and Walter Huston. The movie received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Huston). It Won for Best Actor (Cagney), Best Music, and Best Sound. I first saw this in the summer of 1969, during a late-night screening on Chicago’s WGN-TV. My sister, Kate, had seen it previously and encouraged me to stay up to watch it. I did and became an immediate fan of its lavish musical productions and undiluted patriotism. The movie is considered a standard for the Independence Day holiday, but I can watch it at any time of the year.
— Kevin Botterman is responsible for the content and opinions presented in "Fireside Notes". Please email comments and questions to kbotterman@gmail.com
February in northern Illinois demands patience, and for those with patience impairment, like myself, coping with the calendar’s shortest month can require some creative self-deception.
Snow is charming in December, particularly in the lead up to Christmas Day. We welcome snow’s arrival here in December and consider it part of the region's Christmas decorations.
We can endure January’s brutal cold temperatures because it’s January and this is the upper Midwest, and we know it’s suppose frozen and harsh. This awareness allows us to be mentally prepared to accept days of limited daylight and long nights that breed a sense of desperate isolation.
Despite our familiarity with January’s cruel realities, most of us have had enough of the snow and cold temperatures by the end of January. We are ready to say farewell to winter. That’s why February can be so challenging for the patient and the impatient alike.
By the first of February I am ready for temperatures that are climbing steadily warmer with each passing week. I’m not talking about temperatures in the 70s. Northern Illinois is cold in February; I get that. If it was 78 degrees here every Valentine’s Day we could give the place a new name, perhaps Northern Miami Beach.
No, I’d be fine if we were enjoying temperatures in the low 40s in mid-February. That's just not the way things are going to be here, and that’s why a reservoir of patience is so valuable. Those blessed with an abundance of patience have little trouble waiting until May for warmth to arrive.
The chronically impatient must spend February distracting themselves from the hard weather realities they see and feel.
I myself count down the days to when major league pitchers and catchers report for spring training camps, usually in late February. Perhaps this will be the year I join them In Arizona or Florida.
I fantasize about ways to celebrate the Spring Equinox (March 20). I’m considering a pig roast for this year’s event.
I make up possible brackets for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament weeks before the team selections are announced for March Madness.
I listen to hours of Beach Boys music. Yes, “I love the “colorful clothes she wears, and the way the sunlight plays upon her hair.” I dream of a “surfin’ safari”. Jimmy Buffett’s “Boat Drinks” is something of an anthem at my house, and I often catch myself chanting, “I have to go where it’s warm.”
All the distractions and self-deception are a bit sad, but they work for me. They sustain me from one day to the next, and help move me steadily closer to warmer days in northern Illinois.
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February is the shortest month with just 28 days, but you can make each one count by viewing this collection featuring some of Hollywood’s longest films. Pour yourself a tall drink, prepare an extra large serving of popcorn and enjoy these gems.
The Best Years of Our Lives: (1946) Running Time: 172 minutes. Director William Wilder’s classic film follows three World War II veterans as they adjust to post-war life. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Fredric March) and Best Supporting Actor (Harold Russell, an actual World War II veteran). The cast also includes Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright and Virginia Mayo. While the male characters take center stage, the female actresses all deliver fine performances. The film is near the top on my list of favorite films. Wyler’s direction moves the nearly three-hour production along at steady pace.
The Bridge on the River Kwai: (1957) Running time: 161 minutes. Director David Lean’s epic set in a Japanese POW camp during World War II, featuring Alec Guinness as Col. Nicholson, the senior British officer, Sessue Hayakawa as Col. Saito, the Japanese commander, and William Holden as Shears, an American POW who escapes the camp only to be sent back to help destroy a bridge being built by British POWs. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Guinness) and Best Director. The soundtrack includes Mitch Miller’s catchy “Colonel Bogey March”. Memorable line: "What have I done."
The Godfather: (1972) Running time: 175 minutes. Francis Ford Coppola’s brilliant work about an aging crime boss and his family won three Academy Awards in 1972, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Marlon Brando). Coppola presents a near-seamless story, featuring outstanding cinematography. The terrific cast includes James Caan, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Richard S. Castellano, John Cazale, Richard Conte, Sterling Hayden and Abe Vigoda. It tops my list of favorite films. It’s one I can watch again and again. Memorable line: “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”
How The West Was Won: (1962) Running time: 164 minutes. John Ford and three other directors collaborated on this episodic epic that follows the Prescott and Rawlings families through several decades as they move across the country, from Ohio to Arizona. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Writing and Best Film Editing. The ensemble cast includes James Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck and John Wayne. Memorable line: “They went west in search of beaver.” (Clumsy, but an accurate summary of westward expansion.)
Lawrence of Arabia: (1962) Running time: 216 minutes. Director David Lean delivers another Academy Award winning film. This time Lean tells the story of T. E. Lawrence, a controversial British Army officer and his efforts in the Middle East during World War I. The cast includes Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn and Jose Ferrer. As with most Lean productions, the scenery in the film is impressive. The film received 10 Academy Award nominations and won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Director.
The Longest Day: (1962) Running time: 172 minutes. The film adaptation of Cornelius Ryan’s book delivers a comprehensive presentation of the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. The film features an all-star cast, including John Wayne, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Curd Jurgens, Jeffrey Hunter, and Robert Wagner. While not historically accurate in every detail, the film gets the main points right. I think the screenplay spends too much time on the story leading up to the invasion. That aside, it’s still an entertaining movie. Memorable line: “They’ll be talking about this day long after we are dead and gone.”
Reds: (1981) Running time: 195 minutes. Warren Beatty stars, directs and shares writing credits in this epic tale of American journalist Jack Reed and his involvement in the Communist revolution in Russia. The cast includes Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson (Best Supporting Actor nomination), E. Emmet Walsh, Edward Herrmann and Gene Hackman. The film received 12 Academy Award nominations. It won three Oscars, including Best Director for Beatty and Best Supporting Actress for Maureen Stapleton. Memorable line: “You and Jack have a lot of middle class dreams for two radicals.”
The Right Stuff: (1983) Running time: 193 minutes. Director Philip Kaufman presents an engaging and highly entertaining adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s bestseller about the Mercury Project and America’s early days in the space race with the Soviet Union. Sam Shepard’s portrayal of Chuck Yeager dominates the show, but Dennis Quaid and Fred Ward deliver fine performances as astronauts Gordon Cooper and Gus Grissom, respectively. Also watch for Donald Moffat as Lyndon Baines Johnson. The cast also includes Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Pamela Reed, Barbara Hershey, Veronica Cartwright, and Levon Helm. The film received 11 Academy Award nominations and won four, mostly for technical achievement. It also features Bill Conti's great musical soundtrack. Memorable line: Ambulance driver: “Is that a man over there? Ridley: “You’re damn right it is.”
The Sand Pebbles: (1966) Running time: 182 minutes. Steve McQueen perfected the role of the quiet (almost sullen) loner, and he’s in top form here as Jake Holman, a misfit sailor sent to serve in the U.S.S. San Pablo, a Navy gunboat patrolling the Yangtze River in China in 1926. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (McQueen), Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. Richard Crenna delivers a strong performance as the ship’s captain and Candice Bergen is first-rate as a missionary worker. The cast includes Richard Attenborough, Simon Oakland, Mako, Joe Turkel and Gavin MacLeod. Memorable line: “What the hell happened?”
Spartacus: (1960) Running time: 197 minutes. Director Stanley Kubrick’s sprawling tale of the slave Spartacus and the revolt he leads against Rome. Kubrick presents a nice mix of action, drama and scenery. The cast includes Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Peter Ustinov, Woody Strode and Tony Curtis. Produced long before computer-generated images became available, “Spartacus” includes thousands of extras. The climatic battle between the Romans and Spartacus’ army included 8,500 extras. Memorable line: “I am Spartacus.”
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With temperatures near zero in northern Illinois today, I offer these film suggestions for keeping you entertained and to help warm your imagination.
The Guns of Navarone: (1961) Gregory Peck, Davin Niven and Anthony Quinn star in this yarn about a commando team sent to destroy a large German gun emplacement in Nazi-occupied Greece. The movie has a run time of 158 minutes, but director J. Lee Thompson keeps the story moving with a nice balance of action and plot twists. Novelist Alistair MacLean penned the screenplay from his novel.
Kelly's Heroes: (1970) Clint Eastwood stars in a wildly entertaining movie about U.S. soldiers World War II who go behind enemy lines to grab Nazi gold. Donald Sutherland steals the show as Oddball, but the supporting cast delivers fine performances and includes Telly Savalas, Carroll O’Connor, Harry Dean Stanton, Stuart Margolin and Jeff Morris. There’s plenty of action, including depictions of the U.S. Sherman tank at work. Turn up the volume, sit back and enjoy.
Pork Chop Hill: (1959) Gregory Peck stars in director Lewis Milestone’ oft-overlooked yarn about one of the last major battles of the Korean War. It’s a gritty and entertaining tale about a U.S. unit’s effort to take and hold a hilltop while an end to the war is being negotiated. The action is supported by a talented cast, including Harry Guardino, Robert Blake, Norman Fell, Woody Strode and George Peppard. Watch for Rip Torn as Lt. Water Russel. If you’ve never seen this one, put it on your watch list.
The Professionals: (1966) Here’s another frequently overlooked gem. Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Woody Strode and Robert Ryan play four mercenaries hired by a rich Texan to enter Mexico and rescue his kidnapped wife. Marvin and Lancaster are fantastic here. The supporting cast includes Ralph Bellamy, Jack Palance and a sultry Claudia Cardinale. The film received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Director (Richard Brooks) and Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall).
Rambo: First Blood Part II: (1985) Sylvester Stallone reprises his John Rambo character from 1982‘s “First Blood” for this action vehicle about a Vietnam vet who is released from prison to return to Vietnam on a secret government mission to locate American POWs. The movie is light on story and heavy on action. Directed by George P. Cosmatos, the movie was nominated for an Academy Award for best sound editing. Watch this and you’ll understand why.
The Siege at Firebase Gloria: (1989) As an action movie, it’s entertaining, but it is also an uneven movie. The action scenes are good, but the dialogue and some of the acting fall short. However, Vietnam veterans praise it as a highly accurate depiction of the war. R. Lee Ermey and Wings Hauser star as recon Marines who arrive at Firebase Gloria just in time to fight off the Vietcong at the start of the 1968 Tet Offensive.
The Thing: (1982) Director John Carpenter delivers some intense thrills with this sci-fi horror story about scientists at an Antarctic facility battling a shape-shifting alien that assumes the physical appearance of the individuals it kills. The cast includes Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David and David Clennon. The movie is a loose remake of director Howard Hawks’ "The Thing from Another World" (1952).
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Where Eagles Dare: (1968) Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton star in director Brian Hutton’s tale about a commando raid on a German castle to rescue an American general — and a lot more. There’s enough action in this production for two movies. Film trivia: British novelist Alistair MacLean wrote the book “Where Eagles Dare” and the screenplay for the movie simultaneously.
The Wild Bunch: (1969) Director Sam Peckinpah presents a stunning, frenetic homage to the American western with this tale of an outlaw band looking to make a final score. William Holden and Ernest Borgnine lead the impressive cast, which includes Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, Edmond O’Brien and Robert Ryan. Emilio Fernandez is terrific as the sinister, sadistic Mexican general. The American Film Institute ranks “The Wild Bunch” at No. 79 on its list of 100 Greatest American Films of All Time.
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