This Day In History: Tuesday October 5

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LAST 60 YEARS 

Here are some October 5 events that have occurred since since my youngest brother was born in October 1960

2011
American businessman Steve Jobs, a pioneer of the personal computer era who cofounded Apple and transformed it into one of the world's most successful companies, died at age 56. In fact, at this point in time Apple is #1 in revenue and has a market cap of 2.3 trillion dollars, which makes it the largest company in the world.

A Review of Walter Isaacson's Book on Steve Jobs

Tech Tuesday: Lessons for Leaders from Brent Schlender's Becoming Steve Jobs

1970
On this day PBS aired its first broadcast on American television. Notable programs included Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. If you've not seen the film with Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, you should check it out. 

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

1969
On this day in 1969 Monty Python's Flying Circus debuted on the BBC. That same year, astronauts on the moon took one small step for man while Monty Python took a giant leap for comedy.  

1962
The Bond Franchise Begins

Daniel Craig: A more serious Bond.

Hard to believe we're nearing 60 years of James Bond on the silver screen. I doubt that anyone could have imagined that the release of Dr. No on this day in 1962 would launch a nearly endless revenue stream for the Bond franchise. In addition to endless debates over who was the Best Bond, there are probably trivia games in which people identify the which actors played Bond in the various films, as well as who played the various villains and "Bond girls." Of course it all began with Sean Connery, who is still voted #1 by many Bond fans. 

It was probably no accident that No Time To Die, the latest Bond film, was released this past weekend, Daniel Craig reprising the role. That first chase scene in Casino Royale created a lot of enthusiasm for Craig as Bond. In recent interviews he's stated that he's hung up his spurs and is finished with the role. 

It's hard to imagine that the budget for Dr No was barely a million dollars. The budget for No Time To Die exceeded a quarter of a billion dollars. 

Here are a couple blog posts from a decade ago along these same lines. 

Daniel Craig, License To Kill

Devil May Care, a new Bond novel released on the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming's birthday. (A review.)

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

1962
ON THIS DAY, the very same day as the release of Dr. No, The Beatles released their first single in the UK "Love Me Do" which reaches number seventeen on the British charts. When later released in the US in April 1964 it climbed to Number 1. 

Daniel Craig painting by the author. 18"x 24", latex, acrylic on panel.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood with Tom Hanks Is Beautiful

After a lifetime of watching movies one gets used to the experience of starting a film with higher expectations than the reality is able to deliver. Sometimes you know from the start, other times after the first plot twist that makes you wince.

Happy those moments when a movie you thought would be nice becomes marvelous. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is one of these.

I really didn't expect a lot when Susie asked if I'd like to watch her Netflix video that had come a few days earlier. (She's been busy with garden work and had another flick she was in the middle of.) I mean, I didn't think it would be a waste of time, but my interest was driven more by curiosity than expectation.

I remember talking about the Mr. Rogers film we'd watched last year at the Zinema and how impressed I was with this unusual man. I also know that the films Tom Hanks chooses seldom let me down, so I decided to watch it while doing some paperwork and other mindless matters on my desktop.

This has been a somewhat long preface to my point. This is a story with heart. I am one of those people who gets moist eyes once in a while which watching movies. Poignant beauty gets to me. I cannot remember a film moistening my eyes more than this one (unless perhaps it was Beauty and the Beast, which turned on the eye-faucets several times.)

The narrative goes like this. Lloyd Vogel (played by Matthew Rhys) is a journalist who writes for Esquire. Famous for his poison pen, which bites like a rattlesnake, he's asked by his editor to do a 400 word story on Mr. Rogers (Tom Hanks). He demurs. That's not his kind of story. She replies that she's trying to change his image and help him. Thus are our two main characters thrust together, with Vogel quite unhappy about it.

There is a third side to the story, which we can call a broken love triangle, Vogel's father Jerry (Chris Cooper). The beauty of this film is the manner in which Fred Rogers slowly uncovers the wounds at the heart of Lloyd's broken heart and the broken relationship with his father who failed both his mother and he himself.

If Won't You Be My Neighbor gave you a new appreciation for what Fred Rogers's life work was all about, A Beautiful Day seals the deal. I can't recommend this film enough. In this era of brokenness and bitterness, this story shows how patience, listening and love can effectively change the world far more than we realize, one broken heart at a time.

* * * *

The screenplay itself is well crafted. It begins with a clip from Fred Rogers' show showing what's involved in making a magazine. The magazine happens to be Esquire--not exactly a children's magazine--which threads through the film from beginning to end. Mr. Rogers then begins to share a few of his friends with his young viewers. When he opens a door to reveal Lloyd Vogel, with a wound on his nose from being punched in the face, it seems a bit different. This is how he introduces the story that becomes the basis for this film.

Hanks has had an amazing career and generated a lot of revenue for the Hollywood machine. He is #4 on the list in terms of cumulative film earnings--a modest 5.5 billion bucks. Splash, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Sully, Cast Away... He's certainly shown us his range. I had a hard time imagining him pulling off Mr. Rogers. Ha! From the start he made it look easy.

The supporting cast (Susan Kelechi Watson as Lloyd's wife, Maryann Plunkett as Fred's and every other player in the film) was flawless as well. Kudos to Marielle Heller for bringing out the best in everyone in every way.

I give it 5 of 5 stars and recommend it.