Dance marathons were phenomena that began in the 1920’s. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Horace McCoy’s 1935 novel is a dark tale of losers desperately attempting to hang on to impossible dreams. Just like in Nathaniel West better known novel, Day of the Locust the characters all have unreachable dreams of being in the movies. Continue reading “Depression Blues and the Dance Marathon”
Category: My Books
Niagara on TCM
Marilyn Monroe stars in the 1953 Henry Hathaway directed film Niagara. It will be on TCM Tuesday August 1st at 10 PM Eastern time.
Below is a short excerpt from my ebook, Film Noir at Twenty Four Frames Per Second. The book is available from Amazon.
Henry Hathaway’s “Niagara” opens with two great shots of natural beauty, first is the mighty Niagara Falls with millions upon millions of gallons of water falling with God given power. The second shot is our first view of Marilyn Monroe lying naked under a thin sheet in her motel bedroom. Light shines through the sheet giving us a silhouetted shape of her right thigh. In her hand, a cigarette dangles over the side of the bed. The look on her face is one of satisfaction making one wonder what she was doing while her husband, Joseph Cotton, was off admiring the Falls. We quickly come to learn this marriage is in trouble. When she hears her husband’s keys unlock the door, she puts out the cigarettes, rolls over, her back to the door. – Film Noir at Twenty Four Frames Pet Second.
Devious Tales
My thanks to author Carol Balawyder for the wonderful review of DEVIOUS TALES, my short story collection.
There’s a saying in writing: make every word count or at the very least have every paragraph/scene be relevant. This can be argued, especially for the novel where there is room for sub-plots and leisure strolls through gardens and having tea with a favorite aunt. Not so for the short story. Short stories are (generally) tight, concentrated and condensed.
John Greco’s latest collection of short stories, Devious Tales has all the technical markings of this form and Greco skillfully merges his skill as writer and photographer in these twelve snapshots of life.
His stories are also highly influenced by his passion for noir film and fiction. His short story Late Night Diner reminded me of the rural diner in James Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice and I immediately associated his story The Organic Garden to one Stephen King could have written because of its macabre and conniving ending.
John…
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The Steel Helmet on TCM
Sam Fuller’s gritty Korean War film, The Steel Helmet, will be on Turner Classic Movies on Saturday May 27th (4:30pm ET) as part of its annual Memorial Day Weekend tribute. Despite being over 60 Yeas old, the film is quite contemporary in its view of the high cost of war. Gene Evans, Steve Brodie, Robert Hutton and James Edwards star in this under the radar film.
You can read more about it in my book, Lessons in the Dark, available at Amazon.
Here is an excerpt…
“Fuller has filled the screen with brutal battle scenes presenting one of the harshest views of the realities of war. Bloody, horrific and deadly. The men are dirty and scared. There are no heroes and no cowards, just men trying to survive and survival is precarious. Fuller’s Americans are multi-cultural, from different backgrounds, filled with misfits and offbeat characters. From John Wayne’s patriotic war films to Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998), we have seen the unit composed of the misfit, the hotheaded kid, the kid from Brooklyn, the kid from the mid-west, the pacifist and so on. What makes The Steel Helmet unique is a coarse quality that filters throughout separating it from the others” – Lessons in the Dark
Devious Tales: 12 Short Stories is Now Available online at Barnes and Noble
My new collection of short stories, Devious Tales: 12 Short Stories, is now available as both a Nook ebook and in paperback from Barnes & Noble. The paperback contains two bonus stories!
You can also purchase it from Amazon, Kobo and CreateSpace.
Holcomb Bridge
Holcomb Bridge has been a secluded and romantic make out spot for the local teenagers for many years, but that changed one late night.
Amanda
Photographer Derek Shaw’s life changes in both good and bad ways after he meets Karen, the new love in his life, and her two kids, Gerald and Amanda.
Late Night Diner
Some people like working the over night shift. Others need to. It gives their demons and nightmares a place to escape.
Smart Like Dillinger
Love, even in old age, can take an unforeseen turn.
An Almost Perfect Woman
Judy was perfect…well almost. She did have one little problem.
Life Lesson
For young Bobby Smithfield there are some lessons you never recover from.
The Organic Garden
A bad marriage and an organic garden make for a delicious mix of ingredients that will make your garden grow.
An Office Romance
Office romances can be great; they can also be bad. However, sometimes it’s just what you need when your life is about to take a deadly turn.
The Anniversary Surprise
As Brad Hollis discovers, surprises do not always turn out quite as you anticipate.
The Old Man
Young Billy Atwood becomes friends with an old man who lives in his apartment building. Their relationship is short lived, but for Billy there’s an unexpected twist of fate.
A Merry Little Christmas Gift
The holidays can brings out the worst in everyone, and does in this Christmas treat.
Call Waiting
Can old lovers come back and haunt you? Well, not if they are dead…or can they?
New Release: Devious Tales
Devious Tales is my new collection of short stories consisting of 12 dark tales with a twist. It’s available as both an e-book and a paperback from Amazon and as a paperback from CreateSpace. The paperback edition contains two bonus stories. Check out the summary below.
Holcomb Bridge
Holcomb Bridge has been a secluded and romantic make out spot for the local teenagers for many years, but that changed one late night.
Amanda
Photographer Derek Shaw’s life changes in both good and bad ways after he meets Karen, the new love in his life, and her two kids, Gerald and Amanda.
Late Night Diner
Some people like working the over night shift. Others need to. It gives their demons and nightmares a place to escape.
Smart Like Dillinger
Love, even in old age, can take an unforeseen turn.
An Almost Perfect Woman
Judy was perfect…well almost. She did have one little problem.
Life Lesson
For young Bobby Smithfield there are some lessons you never recover from.
The Organic Garden
A bad marriage and an organic garden make for a delicious mix of ingredients that will make your garden grow.
An Office Romance
Office romances can be great; they can also be bad. However, sometimes it’s just what you need when your life is about to take a deadly turn.
The Anniversary Surprise
As Brad Hollis discovers, surprises do not always turn out quite as you anticipate.
The Old Man
Young Billy Atwood becomes friends with an old man who lives in his apartment building. Their relationship is short lived, but for Billy there’s an unexpected twist of fate.
A Merry Little Christmas Gift
The holidays can brings out the worst in everyone, and does in this Christmas treat.
Call Waiting
Can old lovers come back and haunt you? Well, not if they are dead…or can they?
