Great American From Cinema Still Going Strong at 103 May 26, 2010

John Wayne: American

Marion Morrison on the USC gridiron

On this Date in History:  John Wayne got fired on April 5, 1931 by Fox studios.   He mainly grew up in Lancaster, CA which later became known as Glendale.  He had a dog named Duke and, for some reason, the local firefighters would see the kid and his dog and so they started calling the youngster “Duke.”    He was a star football player at Glendale High School and went to USC on a scholarship.   But, he suffered an injury while body surfing at Newport Beach, CA and his athletic career came to an end.  To help pay his tuition, the now former tackle took a job at the Fox Hollywood movie studios.  He intially did manual labor at  but,  after two years, he quit school and in 1928 signed on with Fox. I guess the honchos at Fox didn’t see much of a future for him as he had several small roles but did star in The Big Trail in 1930.  

Jimmy Stewart, John Ford and John Wayne

He had been using the name Duke Morrison, taking the name of the dog and the nickname that the firemen had given him.   A director at Fox, Raoul Walsh claims he “discovered” Wayne and suggested he use Anthony Wayne, after a Revolutionary War Hero. Fox studios thought it sounded “too italian” so Walsh suggested John Wayne.  The first movie in which “John Wayne” appeared was The Big Trail.   He had befriended John Ford early in his career and after making several lousy movies for several years for Lonestar/Monogram pictures, including parts as a singing cowboy, Ford cast him in Stagecoach in 1939. The legend of John Wayne was born.

Dern as the Notorious Longhair

Duke Gives Dern ("Longhair") Some Real Justice

In short, Fox blew it. But they can claim to have at least given him his final name. See, he was initially given the name Marion Robert Morrison. But his parents had another child and they wanted to call him Robert. So, they changed Marion’s middle name to Michael. Then he became Duke and finally John Wayne. I suppose Fox probably trumpets that they gave John Wayne his name and Raoul Walsh claims he “discovered” Wayne but the truth is that Fox fired a treasure, both in culture and at the box office, and John Ford created Wayne. In my book, Fox Studio chief Winfield R. Sheehan and Bruce Dern and the bartender in The Shootist are all linked together in the netherworld. Sheehan fired John Wayne, Bruce Dern shot him in the back in The Cowboys as did the bartender in The Shootist. The trio are definitely the biggest scoundrels in cinematic history!!! 

Can You Believe that Someone is Trying to do a remake of True Grit? A travesty and a mistake.

The biography says that the legend of John Wayne was born with The Big Trail.   Nevertheless, the fact is that on this date in 1907, Marion Morrison was born in Winterset, Iowa and so the man we know as  John Wayne turned 103 today. I would say that “if he were still alive” but through his films, he is still alive and always will be. He’s been dead since 1979 but his name still shows up on the top ten of movie goers favorite movie stars. On some lists, he is the only deceased star to still be a top-ten star.   However, AFI only lists him as the 13th biggest male star of all time.  What do they know?  I have been watching lots of John Wayne movies over the past few weeks. I’ve seen Chisum three times in recent weeks…like I already don’t know all of the lines.  Alot of the same guys in that movie were also in Big Jake, including Robert Mitchum’s son.  Wayne’s own son, Patrick Wayne was in Big Jake.

John Wayne Legacy Lives On in Film and the John Wayne Cancer Institute(click for profile)

Of his 175 films,  John Wayne’s character only died in 7 of them.  As I mentioned,  he was killed in the most dastardly of manners in The Cowboys and The Shootist.  He goes down as a hero as Davy Crockett in The Alamo as well as in Sands of Iwo Jima.  Wayne’s character also takes the deep six in Wake of the Red Witch, The Fighting Seabees and Reap the Wild Wind in which he is taken out by a giant squid.  But, most of the time, he played heroic figures that inspired patriotism, toughness and doing the right thing.   I think there is the implication that he went down with the ship in Sea Chase.  He dies in a few others but no one sees it.  In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,   we see him kill Lee Marvin to save Jimmy Stewart but he’s last seen all bent out of shape because Stewart stole his girl.  I don’t count this one because we only see his coffin as he died from old age.  But still, he was a heroic, self sacrificing figure.  He did not serve in World War II but did his part at home by raising money for bonds and also performing in films showing the heroism and dedication of the American soldier.  Off screen, he was diagnosed with cancer but fought it publically.  He had part of his lung removed and continued to  make films as well as public service commercials highlighting the dangers  of smoking.  He finally succumbed in 1979 and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.  He did not serve in the armed forces but he inspired many an American in life and death. It’s probably pretty fitting that his birthday is on or near Memorial Day; a life memorial to all that America has been and can be again. 

Thursday Evening

Weather Bottom Line:  If you noticed on Wednesday afternoon there was quite a bit more vertical development of the cumulus clouds than in previous days.  That tells me that any cap that was out there has been eroded somewhat and I would think that with the approach of a frontal system on Thursday that a combination of heating and moisture with the weak front in the region would elevate our rain chances from the isolated category to scattered.  Now the front is pretty lame and so it will be slow to move through.  Most of the energy associated is well north so severe prospects would be limited.  I would think that Thursday evening will be our best chance for rain and t’storms with perhaps some gusty winds.  Because the boundary is hanging around to our south, we may get some stuff Friday afternoon with the heat of the day.  Saturday there is still somewhat of an inverted trof nosing into the Ohio Valley but I’d pretty much discount this because high pressure will be building in.  It should be a tad cooler with highs in the low 80′s and humidity levels decreased.  In short, the Memorial Day Weekend looks pretty good. 

I’m not even going to mention Invest 90. It was bogus and still is.

No John Wayne Justice: Strong Storms Sunday April 5, 2009

No Justice For John Wayne and No John Wayne Justice

Marion Morrison on the USC gridiron

On This Date In History

John Wayne got fired on this date in 1931 by Fox studios. Wayne had been born in Iowa but moved to Glendale, CA as a child. He was a star football player at Glendale High School and went to USC on a scholarship. He quit school after two years and in 1928 signed on with Fox after working there doing manual labor. I guess the honchos at Fox didn’t see much in his small roles, so they canned him. He had been using the name Duke Morrison. His real name was Marion Morrison and he took the name of his family dog as a first name. A director at Fox, Raoul Walsh claims he “discovered” Wayne and suggested he use Anthony Wayne, after a Revolutionary War Hero. Fox studios thought it sounded “too italian” so Walsh suggested John Wayne. He had befriended John Ford early in his career and after making several lousy movies for several years for Lonestar/Monogram pictures, including parts as a singing cowboy, Ford cast him in Stagecoach in 1939. The legend of John Wayne was born.

 

Dern as the Notorious Longhair

Duke Gives Dern ("Longhair") Some Real Justice

In short, Fox blew it. But they can claim to have at least given him his final name. See, he was initially given the name Marion Robert Morrison. But his parents had another child and they wanted to call him Robert. So, they changed Marion’s middle name to Michael. Then he became Duke and finally John Wayne. I suppose Fox probably trumpets that they gave John Wayne his name and Raoul Walsh claims he “discovered” Wayne but the truth is that Fox fired a treasure, both in culture and at the box office, and John Ford created Wayne. In my book, Fox Studio chief Winfield Sheehan and Bruce Dern and the bartender in The Shootist are all linked together in the netherworld. Sheehan fired John Wayne, Bruce Dern shot him in the back in The Cowboys as did the bartender in The Shootist. The trio are definitely the biggest scoundrels in cinematic history!!!

Invaders Posed Before Going on Warpath

Bad Guys Even Lynched Ella Watson!

You’d Never See This Type of Justice in a John Wayne Movie: 

By the late 1880′s, cattle ranching in the west had already gone corporate.  The business was monopolized by companies headquartered in New York and London.  The big operators controlled the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and regularly grazed their cattle on government lands, which was illegal, and put the squeeze on the small, independent ranchers.  The Association used their money for political influence and gained the support of both US Senators and the acting governor as well as the state legislature.  The state passed the Maverick Law, which said that any unbranded cattle that was found became the property of the Association.   That allowed the cattle barons to run around seizing the little guy’s cattle that was unmarked.   So, the ranchers retaliated by rustling the barons’ cattle.  After a pretty tough winter that killed lots of livestock, the Association hired “cattle detectives”  who went out to “exterminate” the rustlers, meaning the small ranchers.  On this date 1892, these “detectives” went out into Johnson County, Wyoming with a few dozen Texas gunman as part of their firepower.   The Johnson County Range War was on.

TA Ranch Served As Fort

The first stop was the ranch of Nick Champion who had organized a homesteader round-up of maverick cattle.  Champion watched as his friend, Nick Ray, was gunned down and then held off the motley crew for several hours until they set fire to a wagon and sent it into his cabin.  Champion tried to flee but was cut down in a hail of gunfire.  Two down, more to go.  The mob went to the Johnson County seat of Buffalo.  But, Sheriff Red Angus got word of the impending onslaught and so he did what any good sheriff would do…he raised a posse!  The posse met the barons’ marauders head on and forced them into a make-shift fort at the TA ranch.  Other settlers came to the aid of the posse and soon there were 300 guns surrounding the holed up “detectives.” 

Angus Had a Great Moustache

Now, remember, the barons had lots of cash and influence.  So they got word to their Senators who in turn went in the middle of the night to roust President Benjamin Harrison from bed and tell him to send the cavalry.  Naturally, Harrison acquiesced and sent the cavalry to bail out the invaders.  Just as Red Angus’ men were moving toward the fort with a load of dynamite, the cavalry arrived.  The barons and their band of gunmen got thrown in jail.  But, the political power of the barons had the trial moved to Cheyenne, which was an Association stronghold.  People who witnessed the killing of Ray and Champion were taken out of the state prior to the trial and Johnson County ran out of money after paying for the invaders detention in jail.  Out of funds, the charges were dropped and the barons and their henchmen were set free.  As I said…this never would have happened in a John Wayne movie.

Sunday Convective Outlook SPC

I told you so

Weather Bottom Line:  Forecast continues on track.  Saturday was beautiful, though we only made it to the low 60′s.  Wall to wall sunshine though made it a great day to get out.  I guess the economy isn’t bad for people if they have a job because the mall parking lots were full.  When your in a position  like me though…you simply drive by the stores.  Anyway, I’ve been telling you all week that the SPC would change their tune and start acknowledging the severe risk for our area and, in fact, they finally are getting with the game.  The indecies all week on the vertical profile model runs have been quite impressive.  As I had mentioned earlier in the week, the timing of this system will be much better than the previous events which came as the sun was setting or had already set.  This one will come in the afternoon so I suspect the storms will be on the upswing, not dying out.    One possible inhibiting factor may be that there will not be ample time for a return of moisture which helps make the atmosphere more bouyant.  However, there should be sufficient moisture and warmth to provide some instability and potential energy to work with strong wind dynamics aloft to support strong storms. 

I’m using the 18Z runs from Saturday for this analysis and it probably won’t change much for the later runs.  If the GFS is correct, then we get hammered.  It has a SWEAT index of 563, Lifted

SPC Sunday Tornado Probabililty

Index of -5.3, Total Totals of 59 and a CAPE of 1164.  It brings the action in the afternoon.  But the NAM is far less aggressive.  It doesn’t bring the action in until sunset and the SWEAT index is a formidable, but far less menacing 432.  The other indecies with the NAM are also less ferocious.  My guess is that we will be somewhere in between with the activity getting here prior to sunset and therefore stronger than the NAM suggests.  However, I doubt if the CAPE gets that high.  There is pretty decent veering going on an a strong vertical wind gradient so we might see some tornado warnings but most likely hail and high winds will be the most prevalent danger.  While the veering is decent overall, as I had mentioned yesterday or the day before, there are some key areas in which it seems to be more unidirectional and I betcha these storms will be hauling ass at about 40 or 50 mph to the northeast while the line moves east at about 25 mph.  In any event, I would expect a tornado watch for Sunday afternoon and evening and suggest that you stay tuned to your favorite channel or the radio just in case it gets out of hand.  Remember, it’s Palm Sunday and I’ve told you about the tornado magnetism of Palm Sunday. 

SPC Sunday Damaging Wind Probability

After that, the GFS and the NAM want to throw out snow showers for much of Monday into Monday night.  It will be chilly but I don’t think that the ground will be cold enough to allow for much accumulation.  It may be tough to get to 40 though on either day, especially Monday.  Tuesday maybe low 40′s but by late Thursday into Friday, it would appear we may be in the mix for another round of strong storms. 

   DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK 
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1243 AM CDT SUN APR 05 2009
  
   VALID 051200Z – 061200Z
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS THE OH/TN VALLEY…
   
 

SPC Severe Hail Probability

  …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE GULF
   STATES AND SC…
  
   …SYNOPSIS…
  
   ANOTHER STRONG UPPER TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED SFC CYCLONE WILL EVOLVE
   OVER THE MID MS/OH VALLEY REGION DURING THE DAY1 PERIOD WHILE AN
   ACTIVE SRN STREAM WILL LIKELY ENHANCE ANOTHER BOUT OF STRONG
   CONVECTION ACROSS THE SERN U.S.  THE PRIMARY COMPLICATING FACTOR IS
   THE ABSENCE OF SIGNIFICANT BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE ACROSS THE WARM
   SECTOR.  EVEN SO…STRONG/SEVERE CONVECTION WILL LIKELY EVOLVE
   PRIMARILY IN A BIMODAL FASHION DUE TO AFOREMENTIONED LARGE SCALE
   PROCESSES.
  
   …OH/TN VALLEY…
  
   STRONG MID LEVEL JET…H5 100KT+…WILL EJECT ACROSS AR INTO WRN
   TN/KY BY LATE AFTERNOON SUNDAY WHICH WILL ALLOW UPPER LOW TO MOVE
   EAST INTO IL WITH SIGNIFICANT MID LEVEL COOLING ALONG CYCLONIC SIDE
   OF JET AXIS.  MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT BOUNDARY LAYER WILL
   WARM RAPIDLY AHEAD OF COLD FRONT/SFC LOW OVER THE TN/OH VALLEY SOUTH
   OF WARM FRONT.  THIS WILL PROVE INSTRUMENTAL IN CONVECTIVE
   DEVELOPMENT BY 18Z ALONG ADVANCING COLD FRONT AS WHAT LITTLE
   INHIBITION IS OBSERVED EARLY IN THE PERIOD WILL BE REMOVED
   QUICKLY…ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE STRONG FORCING WITHIN THE EXIT REGION
   OF THE JET.  FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST STRONG SWLY SHEAR VECTORS
   WILL SUPPORT STORM MOTIONS IN EXCESS OF 45-50KT…CLEARLY SUPPORTIVE
   OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS GIVEN THE STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES…IN
   ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL GIVEN COOL PROFILES.  AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS
   CONVECTIVE MODE WILL BE PRIMARILY LINEAR IN NATURE…THOUGH AN
   ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT…ESPECIALLY NEAR THE WARM
   FRONT.
  
   …GULF COAST/CAROLINAS…
  
   AN ACTIVE SRN STREAM WILL ONCE AGAIN ENHANCE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY
   ACROSS THE GULF STATES TODAY AS BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE RETURNS
   QUICKLY ACROSS SRN MS/AL/NRN FL INTO GA.  GFS/NAM ARE IN SOME
   DISAGREEMENT REGARDING THE EVOLUTION OF MCS THAT INITIATES OVER AL
   EARLY IN THE PERIOD DUE TO STRENGTHENING LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION.
   NAM INSISTS THIS CLUSTER WILL SPREAD EWD ACROSS SRN GA INTO SRN SC
   WHILE GFS IS A BIT FARTHER NORTH ACROSS GA/SC.  EITHER SCENARIO IS
   CERTAINLY POSSIBLE BUT WILL ACCOUNT FOR SLIGHT NWD EVOLUTION…THUS
   NWD EXPANSION OF CURRENT SLIGHT RISK INTO CNTRL GA.  OF SOME CONCERN
   WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR DESTABILIZATION IN THE WAKE OF THIS MCS
   DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE PERIOD AHEAD OF SURGING COLD FRONT.
   LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE WILL NOT BE PARTICULARLY STRONG ALONG WIND
   SHIFT…BUT STRONG WLY FLOW AND GRADUAL HEIGHT FALLS SUGGEST AN
   ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR TWO COULD EVOLVE AFTER MIDNIGHT.
   GIVEN THE WEAK MODEL SIGNAL WILL OPT TO KEEP LOW PROBABILITIES
   ACROSS NRN AL/GA.  ADDITIONALLY…SEVERE THREAT SHOULD REMAIN
   MARGINAL ACROSS NC UNTIL EARLY IN THE DAY2 PERIOD AS BUOYANCY
   SPREADS NORTH QUICKLY AHEAD OF UPPER TROUGH.  DAMAGING WINDS AND
   LARGE HAIL ARE THE GREATEST RISKS WITH MCS CLUSTER OVER THE GULF
   STATES…THOUGH ANY DISCRETE UPDRAFTS CERTAINLY WILL TRY TO ROTATE
   AND ISOLATED TORNADOES CAN BE EXPECTED WITH SUPERCELL STRUCTURES.
  
   ..DARROW/JEWELL.. 04/05/2009

alphainventions

Kentucky Oaks/Kentucky Derby Forecast On Track May 2, 2008

This is the late day Thursday SPC update on the severe threat. I’ll update this when a new one comes out. Here’s the link for the details.

Storm Prediction Center Link

 

The general forecast as presented all week is holding.  Friday, we have a boundary approaching.  As we warm to the upper 70′s to low 80′s, there may be some scattered showers or t’storms wandering through in the afternoon ahead of the main action.  So, there will be a chance for something to pass over Churchill Downs from time to time in the afternoon.  Then again, if something pops up, it may not affect the downs at all.  The main line will be to our west during the afternoon heating and so that is where the best chance for severe weather will be…let’s say St. Louis to Evansville to Little Rock to Memphis.  The line  would move through here overnight on Friday into early Saturday.  There will be some dynamic wind energy to support the storms but not nearly as impressive as the presentation of earlier indices. 

The SPC has the slight risk for the western half of the viewing area I suspect largely in case some of the storms hold together but as they progress east they should diminish in punch.  Mostly likely we will have some thunder and lightning and some gusty winds but nothing overly disconcerting.  I would probably be more concerned with one or two of the isolated guys in the afternoon getting a bit out of hand than the line overnight.  It’s not out of the question for one or two afternoon guys may be up to no good if we can diminish the cap.  I suspect that the cap will reassert itself for the overnight hours.

Rain for the first part of Saturday as the boundary moves east out of the area.  Now, this boundary isn’t really the cold front.  You’ll be able to tell because the winds will still be out of the Southwest.  Temperatures will be comfortable.  Now, as the vortlobe swings around the main storm to our north, that will be the real front.  It comes through in the afternoon and may produce some scattered activity in the afternoon on Derby Day.  There is nothing to indicate anything worthwhile.  All of the dynamics will be out of the area.  Bottom line is that the first part of Derby Day there will be lingering rain.  Overnight rain totals won’t be all that excessive but the infield will most likely be wet.  Should be interesting.  Afternoon stuff shouldn’t be too impressive but a passing shower can’t be ruled out. 

I used to deal Black Jack at the fraternity house.  Here’s the advice that I gave my brethren:  Bet Big, Win Big.  They took my advice and most of my weekend activities were paid for.  So, take my gambling advice at your own risk.

On This Date In History:  Confederate General Stonewall Jackson took one for the team on May 2, 1863.   Trouble was it was his own team that took him down.  The night after his greatest victory at Chancellorsville, Jackson led a recon mission and as he returned to his lines, his own men shot him.  His arm was shattered and the surgeon amputated it.  The next day they buried his arm complete with a headstone that reads, “Arm of Stonewall Jackson May 3, 1863.”  To hold down Jackson’s fever, the general ordered a servant put cold, wet towels over his body.  A week later, Jackson died of pneumonia.  They buried most of him about 100 miles away near Lexington, Virginia…and 100 miles from his arm.  It’s possible that he would have survived had they not put cold towels on his body.  One might say that Jackson’s arm got taken out by his soldiers and the rest of him went at the hands of his servants.

Good Housekeeping magazine was founded on this date in 1885. It was one of several ladies magazines that got started between 1880 and 1890. But…it’s the only one that has a segment today on WLKY Newschannel 32! (shameless plug)

What you see here is from The Cowboys John Wayne is whipping up on Bruce Dern. Right after this part, the Duke gets shot in the back by Dern. It’s one of the most despicable moments in cinematic history. I’m watching it right now. Dern is forever cast as one of the most low down vermin in my book. I cannot continue.