tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post8477857534523066575..comments2024-03-24T13:26:57.317-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: PRINT, THE LEGEND: THE TRUE STORY OF MY LIFE WITH JOHN WILLIS' SCREEN WORLDDennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-58006557693110023742009-07-02T12:14:52.134-07:002009-07-02T12:14:52.134-07:00Fascinating stuff. As a schoolkid back in the mid-...Fascinating stuff. As a schoolkid back in the mid-70s, I had a copy of John Willis' 1974 Screen World on extended unofficial loan from a local reference library, and it must have remained on my bookshelf for a good couple of decades or more before mysteriously disappearing. Titles like <b>Sugar Cookies </b> (plus accompanying still photo), <b>Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears</b>, <b>The Arousers</b> (another suggestive still, if memory serves) and, for some reason, Rip Torn in <b> Payday</b> remain stubbornly ingrained in my psyche, along with obituaries for the likes of Constance Talmadge and J. Carrol Naish. If only I'd studied my school textbooks as religiously as the works of Willis, Maltin, Scheuer, Anobile, Everson and F. Maurice Speed ...Simon Bermudanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-48196608329929522382009-04-01T15:36:00.000-07:002009-04-01T15:36:00.000-07:00Thanks for sharing this great story, Dennis. I di...Thanks for sharing this great story, Dennis. I discovered the Willis books as a high schooler in the early '90s and I spent many afternoons in the public library poring over them. The convenience of online resources like IMDb cannot completely replace the tactile qualities of the Willis collection or Maltin's guide.Ned Merrillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15436251586131278302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-59556821261910943332009-03-29T13:26:00.000-07:002009-03-29T13:26:00.000-07:00I'm not sure what else to add, except that it's go...I'm not sure what else to add, except that it's good to read not only of someone who loved certain film books, and that crazy Movie Book Club (I joined around the time you were leaving the club), but someone who actually scrimped and found ways to buy the few gems you wanted. This was the way it was for me with CDs and laserdiscs. Did I want the used stuff bad enough to trade in my existing stock? <BR/><BR/>I've regretted a few of the items I traded in over the years. I've reacquired some of what I once sold off. But for the most part, it's the memories that matter, not the things themselves. I try not to over romanticize those things. That was half a lifetime ago now, and although I still love my various copies of "Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide" (and THANKS for showing some love toward that annual book, which is looked down upon by many of my younger film friends as being too commercial; if they only knew what we film buffs had to work with back in the 1980s and earlier!) I, too, have moved on to other film books, and, of course, other films. Tastes change. It happens.<BR/><BR/>And a wife is the greatest treasure of all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-71718321519277250682009-03-28T16:39:00.000-07:002009-03-28T16:39:00.000-07:00Everyone: My sincere thanks for your even taking t...Everyone: My sincere thanks for your even taking the time to read this bit of self-indulgence, let alone your enjoyment of it. It's really wonderful to be able to share a story like this with a group of people whom I have no doubt will understand why it was written and its meaning, both on a personal level and in terms of thinking about how the world of film books and research has so fundamentally changed, and yet how certain elements of it, though perhaps outdtaed, can still remain vital. <BR/><BR/>Chris: I once spent an entire afternoon in Brand Books talking with Jerome. I wandered in to buy a volume on sumo that was in the store window, and he talked with me for over two hours about the sport, regaled me with tales of his adventures in Japan, and even showed me photos of a Japanese warrior costume that was made for him which he wore in a traditional parade in the country years ago. I've always treasured the memory of that conversation and how easily he slid into it with a total stranger to whom he felt this slight but sure connection. And in thinking about it tonight, I've decided to stop in again, something I haven't done in a while-- and maybe have a steak at Damon's too!<BR/><BR/>Bill: Patty and I saw Warren Zevon together three times during the course of our relationship-- including what was probably one of his last performances, a benefit concert at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium some 10 years ago with Jackson Browne, David Lindley, Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash and David Crosby. It was hilarious to watch Browne nudge this great curmudgeon into singing "Werewolves of London," a song he was clearly sick of. And speaking of "WOL," on our honeymoon back in 1993 Patty and I were milling around London's Soho Chinatown in a late-night drizzle, very hungry, and damned if we didn't round a corner and stumble right onto the stoop of a Chinese restaurant called Lee Ho Fuk's. Of course we went in and ordered a big plate of beef chow mein... and it, unlike the werewolf's hair, was not perfect-- it was lousy! But the waitress confirmed for us that were indeed where we thought we were!<BR/><BR/>Brian: Thanks especially for your comment. I have always wanted you to write about some of the library discoveries you've made!<BR/><BR/>Larry: Your comment meant more to me than you might ever imagine. <BR/>My sincere thanks, my friend.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-1262543231209962852009-03-27T12:20:00.000-07:002009-03-27T12:20:00.000-07:00Echoing all the comments left here: what a wonderf...Echoing all the comments left here: what a wonderful, beautiful, terrifically-told story (I was in suspense too). Dennis, you've outdone yourself once again. <BR/><BR/>Working in a library, I always find January a difficult month on the pocketbook. The Christmas season has just passed, but it's also the month out of the year when the Friends of the Library bookstore makes film books its featured subject, putting a great deal of great deals on its display shelves. Some of the books I've picked up there are among my most cherished: <I>Movie Journal</I> by Jonas Mekas ($4), <I>the Haunted Screen</I> by Lotte Eisner ($6), and Jerry Beck and Will Freidwald's <I>Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons</I> (for some ridiculously low price) come first to mind. And I still kick myself for failing to pick up Tadao Sato's <I>Currents in Japanese Cinema</I> at a very reasonable price, given its scarcity.<BR/><BR/>This past year I treaded into dangerous waters: they had an unsullied copy of John Douglas Eames' <I>the Paramount Story</I> available for $15 (plus my employee discount). I've always wanted to own one of these beautiful, coffee-table-sized but text-laden tomes. And Paramount being the first Hollywood studio I ever thought of as a "favorite" (after realizing it was home to Preston Sturges, Marlene Dietrich and the Marx Brothers in their best period), I couldn't pass up a chance to own this one. The question is: can I stop at one, or will I find myself compulsed to follow up with Ronald Bergan's <I>the United Artsists Story</I>, Richard Jewell's <I>the RKO Story</I>, etc? Perhaps if I find them for a comparable price next January...Brian Darrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17693169310367670898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-31670282926118438532009-03-26T13:34:00.000-07:002009-03-26T13:34:00.000-07:00Damn, Larry beat me to the O. Henry comparison! An...Damn, Larry beat me to the O. Henry comparison! Anyhow, I'm all verklempt. ("Verklept"?) Talk amongst yourselves.Bob Westalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17515868620255715845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-59307293821951143412009-03-25T20:22:00.000-07:002009-03-25T20:22:00.000-07:00Dennis, this is a film lover's "Gift Of The Magi."...Dennis, this is a film lover's "Gift Of The Magi." Bless you. I'm going to call you O. Dennis from now on. You're a very lucky man, and I'm not talking about finding those books, either.WelcometoLAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05490618592042119755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-27479591098306043232009-03-25T09:01:00.000-07:002009-03-25T09:01:00.000-07:00What a lovely, lovely story, Dennis. Thanks for s...What a lovely, lovely story, Dennis. Thanks for sharing it with all your faithful readers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-63542002744416245452009-03-24T07:08:00.000-07:002009-03-24T07:08:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.TALKING MOVIEzzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11621046844665110326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-76972085295974201432009-03-24T07:00:00.000-07:002009-03-24T07:00:00.000-07:00That's a hell of a story, Dennis. I still haunt u...That's a hell of a story, Dennis. I still haunt used bookstores and library sales with great frequency, and every so often -- every couple a years, probably -- I find something I've been searching for for years (a decade or more, sometimes). I remember finding a copy of Thomas Ligotti's <B>The Nightmare Factory</B> at a thrift store for a dollar, when the going price on-line was something like 55 bucks. It's the kind of thing that can make my whole week.<BR/><BR/>But selling your prized books for date money...I don't even know what to say about that, other than that you're a better man than I am. The reaction you describe to finding those books, out of the blue, is one I can relate to, and I can also relate to seeing a similar look of joy on your wife's face when you told her (my wife gets excited for me, too, and, in the old days, so did my mom). But I never had a backstory like yours. You're a good man.<BR/><BR/>Oh, but also:<BR/><BR/><I>on our way home from a Warren Zevon concert</I><BR/><BR/>Damn you!! I'm jealous beyond words.bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-83378448270638984552009-03-24T06:11:00.000-07:002009-03-24T06:11:00.000-07:00This piece read like a first-grade suspense novell...This piece read like a first-grade suspense novella with a heart-poundingly romantic apotheosis. Patty and you are my heroes!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-66554117978811849352009-03-23T21:32:00.000-07:002009-03-23T21:32:00.000-07:00Mm, so I suppose this is the best blog post I've r...Mm, so I suppose this is the best blog post I've read all year. As a former library page, the sweet twist of the climax has an added oomph, when the library discard sale room -- normally a house of pain for bibliophiles -- becomes a house of healing. But really? My favorite detail is the cameo by Jerome at Brand Books in the middle. He just sold me a vintage copy of Robert Anton Wilson's PROMETHEUS RISING about five hours ago. Truly do I love that store. Plus it's by Damon's so you can get a mai tai while you peruse your reading matter.Chris Stanglhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06300723935864517305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-82718519925132753852009-03-23T19:46:00.000-07:002009-03-23T19:46:00.000-07:00Great story, Dennis. It's this type of intimate pe...Great story, Dennis. It's this type of intimate peek into everyday life that makes me smile with gratitude for the "blog" every now and then.<BR/><BR/>I remember buying Amos Vogel's "Film As Subjective Art" and several of Jonathan Rosenbaum's books back in the early 90's and being torn up that I couldn't see so many of the films mentioned. I'm trying to rectify that now. And yes, I collect "Film Comment" and am currently 4 issues away from having the full collection from 1975 up.Joe Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160822944514723178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-54965563709892805982009-03-23T12:59:00.000-07:002009-03-23T12:59:00.000-07:00This was great. But I have to say, I was in agony ...This was great. But I have to say, I was in agony for the paragraphs between when you picked up some of the books and when you got the rest of them. Having left used books behind, been stricken with non-buyer's remorse, and returning only to find they'd been sold, I sat in front of my computer, cringing, hoping to God they would please <I>please</I> PLEASE still be there.<BR/><BR/>I'm very glad you had a happy ending.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-56306384483023086722009-03-23T12:23:00.000-07:002009-03-23T12:23:00.000-07:00This fantastic essay sent me on a roller-coaster o...This fantastic essay sent me on a roller-coaster of emotions and I am now in tears. My family has a shared obsession of used bookstores and we are always sending each other old favorites that we find in some Used bin with frenzied notes: "Didn't you use to love this book?" My father, a book lover and book collector, who just passed away in January, taught us well, dragging us from second-hand bookstore to second-hand bookstore, wherever we went.<BR/><BR/>Not to mention your vivid description of your wife, and what it meant to HER that you found your old treasures again.<BR/><BR/>What can I say. I'm a wreck. Well done.Sheila O'Malleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859697259996394827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-10952572180341025772009-03-23T07:43:00.000-07:002009-03-23T07:43:00.000-07:00Great piece Dennis and I imagine Thom McGregor wil...Great piece Dennis and I imagine Thom McGregor will be quite impressed by it as well. <BR/><BR/>Anyone who reads my blog knows my love of the used bookstore and the continuous bounty of movie books I get there. I've never sold any (but I have sold comics for a few hundred) but was glad to see you did it for love. And then found them again. <BR/><BR/>And Thom, give Altman another chance, although I'm with you on <B>Vincent and Theo</B> if, as I assume, you didn't like it. Not a favorite Altman of mine by a stretch.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.com