The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity
20th century greats: James M. Cain, author of…
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Tags"Mildred Pierce" author behind the scenes Beverly Hills book Classic Movies Dashiell Hammett Double Indemnity fiction film history Hollywood James M. Cain Lillian Hellman Los Angeles Movie Star novel Pentimento: A Book of Portraits photography playwright screenwriter The Children's Hour The Continental Op The Little Foxes The Maltese Falcon The Postman Always Rings Twice The Thin Man
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Poor Joanie in Mildred Pierce! I was flipping through the original novel a while ago and meant to quote the last lines to you because I thought they were pretty fantastic – and, well, George’s goofy!
Well, just don’t leave us hanging… What were the last lines?
I’m afraid I’ll have to as they have departed the old brainbox! Noooo! Mildred’s inamorata was telling her to forget her rotten daughter, pouring her a drink, and saying they still had each other; Mildred replied by saying something like “We do, don’t we?”. Trust me, it was much better than that. Toldja it was goofy, Ms Lester. 😉
Through the tears, the woe, Mildred
seemed to sense what he meant. What it cost
her to swallow back her sobs, look at him,
squint, and draw the knife across an
umbilical cord, God alone knows. But she
did it. Her hand tightened on his until her
finger nails dug into his skin, and she said:
‘OK, Bert. To hell with her!’
‘Goddam it, that’s what I want to hear! Come on,
we got each other, haven’t we? Let’s get
stinko.
‘Yes – let’s get stinko.’
Yes you’re a genius! That whole passage is brilliant with the”Yes – let’s get stinko!” being a supah topper.
But perhaps not quite as elegant as, “The wines were too various… it was neither the quality nor the quantity that was at fault. It was the mixture. Grasp that and you have the root of the matter. To understand all is to forgive all.” Evelyn, anyone?
That is, of course, absolutely exquisite. And you know quite well I’m aware of whence that comes… (winks)
I do! 😉
I did NOT expect James M. Cain to look like this.
I wonder if he did…
Just a drive by random, “I love it here.” The photos are starting to take second billing to the comments. My apologies for saying that Ms. Vickie but it just might be true…
Ms. Heather, we love it when you jet in from overseas for a visit! And, I’m still thinking about those martinis you make with the anchovy stuffed olives…
It doesn’t take a genie to reproduce them…just open up the vermouth in the same room as the vodka or gin (no judgement either way as I love them both) then add the fancy olives. With vodka, I have even done a fancier version with sun-dried tomato pieces as well…a liquid entrée so to speak!
But, that said, if you really need to fly over here for me to make them for you…sigh…well…allllrriigght. 😉
Dearest V
Staring at Mr Cain, I found he reminded me of someone…. then it came to me, it’s a famous British politician of the middle of the last century…. He’s Ernie Bevin’s cousin!
See…
http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/73/6473-004-4999565A.jpg
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Whoa, definitely! Although I wonder why Mr. Cain is looking up and off… Imagining his next novel? Or, his next drink.
“I kissed her. Her eyes were shining up at me like two blue stars. It was like being in church.”
-The Postman Always Rings Twice
As a teenager, I lived in Malaga,Spain for a few months. I brought the following books in English: A Dorothy Parker Omnibus, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Valley of the Dolls. Lacking access to other books in my native tongue, I read them over and over again. I’ve never been the same.
Your comment threads are often more enjoyable than a lot of other bloggers actual posts.
Good morning, Mr. Keys. You caught me pre-coffee and before I got to work on the manuscript—the peeps who comment here are wonderful. I feel a bit guilty that I’m recycling posts but the book must be finished. I have a feeling you know what that tug between writing a weblog and writing a book is like 😉 . Cheers! To writing!
The writing definitely takes the front seat. That’s why my original posts have slowed down. Mostly I’m just re-blogging other people’s hard work! I’m feverishly working on a new story and trying to gear myself up for a big slog of revisions on the last one I finished.
Anyway, get to work, Ms. Lester!