AtD (37) p, 1047, Little Rascals, casting, method acting and selling

[Mark Kohut]

Deeper than I got.....must reread and rethink, but you sound right on, as
used to be said...

--- On Tue, 7/22/08, Ian Livingston <igrlivingston at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Ian Livingston <igrlivingston at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: AtD (37) p, 1047, Little Rascals, casting, method acting and selling
> To: markekohut at yahoo.com, "pynchon -l" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 12:16 PM
> I was thinking more the politics of fear-mongering "The
> Lightning Rod Man"
> pedalled.  And the rage it aroused in the narrator. 
> Visions of Merle meets
> Howard Beale.
> 
> On Tue, Jul 22, 2008 at 9:05 AM, Mark Kohut
> <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> > "The Lightning Rod Salesman" story, ya mean?
> >
> > Natch, as Laura likes to say noirly, but Merle is not
> such a fraud as that
> > story in that time suggests, yes? But I betcha TRP got
> the first notion of
> > lightning-rod salesman from it. (I might argue that
> that is the way he sees
> > Merle's major occupation---photography. He
> don't seem to like it much, as
> > we know...)
> >
> > I might argue that Merle is just a struggling victim
> in the wake of?
> >
> >
> > --- On Tue, 7/22/08, Ian Livingston
> <igrlivingston at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > From: Ian Livingston
> <igrlivingston at gmail.com>
> > > Subject: Re: AtD (37) p, 1047, Little Rascals,
> casting, method acting and
> > selling
> > > To: markekohut at yahoo.com
> > > Cc: "pynchon -l"
> <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> > > Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 11:54 AM
> > > Uh, Herman Melville register anywhere here?
> > >
> > > On Tue, Jul 22, 2008 at 5:39 AM, Mark Kohut
> > > <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > some words well-defined on the p-wiki if
> needed.
> > > >
> > > > L'il Jailbirds. I think that this is
> more an
> > > allusion to Our Gang, known as
> > > > The Little Rascals in a Hollywood
> allusion---orig. in
> > > 1922---but with an
> > > > internal allusion to the Chums??
> > > > I.E. going around doing good deeds, although
> they are
> > > not reform-school
> > > > escapees---although we might call them
> immature
> > > juveniles when they start in
> > > > AtD. Dunno, maybe too too kutely
> korresponding (on my
> > > part) but
> > > > ???[Nah]....maybe an amalgam of The Little
> Rascals and
> > > the others mentioned
> > > > on the p-wiki, but none of them seems to
> have this
> > > plot framework.
> > > >
> > > > Hollywood ignores real identity to cast by
> > > 'looks' and reflected light.
> > > > More 'daylit' fiction? Continuing
> metaphor for
> > > America fictionalizing
> > > > history, life?
> > > >
> > > > Cici practioing jabbering "Chinese
> style"
> > > for a silent movie. Getting "in
> > > > character". Hilarious method acting,
> overacting
> > > joke [imho]. Hollywood's
> > > > irreality continued.
> > > >
> > > > Merle, photographer and traveling salesman,
> here is
> > > what Time Magazine in
> > > > 1930 wrote about his work as a lightning rod
> > > salesman:"About the turn of the
> > > > century, "lightning rod salesman"
> became
> > > synonymous in New England with
> > > > "horse thief" in Kansas.
> > > > Most industries in such a situation would
> form an
> > > association, hire a good
> > > > publicity man, set things right. But the
> > > lightning-rod-makers, while they
> > > > published sales booklets filled with
> startling
> > > pictures of lightning and
> > > > burnt houses, did not have to do this. In
> 1915 the
> > > National Board of Fire
> > > > Underwriters set standards for equipment and
> ever
> > > since has urged the use of
> > > > lightning-rods."
> > > >
> > > > Merle is not a citizen of any state but all
> of America
> > > is home. Merle,
> > > > deracinated American who 'missed'
> home and
> > > family.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> >
> >
> >
> >