Monday, April 18, 2011

The Backstory: July 16, 1940

Reading this post, a few items stood out to me. First, I had to laugh at myself (and all of us) with digital cameras. Remember when you took a picture and had no idea how it turned out until you went to pick up your prints? God knows I still have many a crappy picture, simply because I paid to develop the darn thing. I wonder how many of those fun, goofy pictures would simply have been deleted from my iPhone simply because it wasn’t perfect. Like this winner:


Notice how grandma looks great, Grandpa totally distracted, and me posessed. It's a classic Hastings family pose, pre-digital age.

Second, I thought this letter did a nice job of providing context of what was going on in the world at the time. Here are some details about an event and a move Jim references- Enjoy!

·        1940 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois – The big event took place at Chicago Stadium from July 15 – 18, 1940. President FDR was re-nominated for an unprecedented third term in office. Prior to the event, there was much speculation as to whether or not he would run for another term. Early indication was that he would not seek reelection, however, once Hitler’s rise in Europe starting to take off, FDR changed his mind. He desired to stay and see the nation safely through a Nazi threat.

·        “His Favorite Wife” – a 1940 Movie starring Irene Dunne, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott. Here’s the story line: Ellen Arden arrives 7 years after being given up for dead in a shipwreck, to find her husband Nick just remarried to Bianca. The overjoyed Nick awkwardly tries to break the news gently to Bianca. But before he can do that, an unpleasant surprise--news that Ellen has spent the 7 years on a deserted island with fellow-survivor Burkett. Nick's jealousy tries to find out the truth. Hilarious confusion reigns before Nick chooses his favorite wife. You can find out more details at IMDb here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029284/

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