Getting to grips with America...continued.

Thursday 18 June 2015

Start of a More Critical attitude towards Hollywood films

I think 'Brigadoon' set me off. Despite a couple of memorable tunes, it was crass stuff! Then, Mary Queen of Scots was 'murdered' by Elizabeth and Lord Chancellor Burleigh in so many ways, I lost count. 

 Mary Queen of Scots

The (first) film about 'Greyfriars Bobby' passes muster. It's about the faithful little dog that slept on its masters grave every night until it also passed away. The dog's statue still stands outside the Kirk of the Greyfriars, in Edinburgh, where his master lies.

Greyfriars Bobby

They did better with RLS's 'Treasure Island' and 'Kidnapped', but a foul job with his 'Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'. 

 Robert Louis Stevenson

Also, it seems to have completely missed Americana that Sir Walter Scott's imagination provided the substance for countless 'sword, shield and buckler' type of presentations, like 'Ivanhoe';

Ivanhoe

that Arthur Conan Doyle's life in Edinburgh laid the basis for his Sherlock Holmes character;

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes

or that J M Barrie created 'Peter Pan, or the Boy who wouldn't Grow Up'. 

J M Barrie

Perhaps I should be thankful that Hollywood eyes have not yet fallen upon the poet, Robert Burns! Or have they?

Robert Burns

Another, almost unforgivable trait is the feeble perception by Hollywood moguls of what

Scots have brought to the world. Despite having been at the forefront of almost every field of endeavour in the political, commercial and industrial worlds; in discovery and the mapping of the earth; in engineering, inventiveness, medicine, education and botany.

 What  is usually served is a re-hash of haggis, shortbread, tartan, kilts and bagpipes.

The unvarnished truth is that Scots (learning a great deal from others, and especially from the Dutch) developed professionalism in every major field from the 1680s: such as in medicine, education and botany. This was long before the rest of the world was even aware of such a word as 'professional'.  

The nearest to any form of recognition from American producers are the feats of Andrew Carnegie and that of 'Scotty' in 'Star Trek' (the one an industrialist, the other an engineer). 

Andrew Carnegie

Have they never heard of the finance genius, John Law and the founding of New Orleans; of Mackenzie and the North-West passage; 

John Law of the Mississippi Scheme

of Dr Livingstone - other than Stanley's "Dr Livingstone, I presume". 

 Livingstone

When will they 'do' a production that appraises the Scottish Enlightenment—and of the impact this had on founding America?

Alexander Graham Bell, although the invention was made in America where he had settled, was a Scot. So was Pinkerton and his detective agency, who hailed from Glasgow; protecting Presidents was one of his duties.

Alexander Graham Bell

To me, the 'daddy of them all' (i.e. the best) was James Clerk Maxwell, who really laid the ground work for all future inventions in electricity, magnetism and optics. He inspired Einstein and was regarded as the middle man between Isaac Newton and himself.

James Clerk Maxwell

What the above really says, readers, is that I had discovered who I really am. No longer was there a prism always in front of my eyes, directing my vision and thought through the projections of Hollywood, England, Europe or elsewhere.

In the words of yet another incredible Scot, Sir Patrick Geddes, I am now able to: 'Think global, act local'. 
I am a Scot.

Conclusion,,,for the time being...of Getting to grips with America

Getting to Grips with America...continued...

9th June 2015

Hotelier Experiences,,,continued...

In Edinburgh, at breakfast, one morning, we had the comical sight of two mature Americans in pursuit of our milk man on his pony and cart, who had just delivered the daily supply. The reason for this? Well, we just happened to mention it was the same horse and cart used by Sean Connery when he delivered the milk!

'Big Tam's' Edinburgh St Cuthbert's Milk Cart?

Later, we moved on to own another hotel, where two Canadian sisters, with their husbands in tow, tracked us down for a second visit.We liked that!

We also had the old French gentleman, whose snores could be heard issuing from his open window a mile up the street. No; he didn't snort with a French accent!

Then there was the great figure of our stand-out Egyptian guest. I discovered he liked a taste of 'the cratur' (whisky) and he would sit in the dining room at breakfast time (believe it or not) sipping away peacefully.

Our very own Pharaoh was a great hunched figure, all jowls and heavily-lidded eyes. The other visitors tried not to look as they breakfasted, but failed dismally.

I still don't know if he was Muslim. 

Even when the sign said "Full-up", he wouldn't go away. On one occasion we fixed him up elsewhere with overnight accommodation—but he was back with his tooth brush at 9am next morning.

He owned or was director of an Egyptian newspaper, and the night before leaving asked if we would arrange a call through to his Cairo office regarding travel arrangements. This we duly did, informing the operator at our end to make sure the Egyptians at the other end "Arranged for Hannay Camel to collect him from the airport". You couldn't make it up!!

Friendship with our Virginian family continues to this day. It now incorporates all our family members, and many wonderful neighbours of theirs.

One of these amazing people, in her 90s, stems from the Doswell family of Virginia, famous as great horse breeders.

In the 1700s, their horse, 'Planet', a 'Great Red', was the first 'cuddy' (horse in the Scottish language) to win every leading track event of the day.

There is also a connection with 'Secretariat', the other 'Great Red', which in more recent times has also won every top race in the US; and has even had a movie made about him.

 Virginia rail track. Where a main part of the Civil War was fought

The European and World Cultural Fight Back

Around this time in my life, if I have managed to recollect everything in their proper sequence, my attitude to things European—which until then was positively secondary to American culture—shifted somewhat.

This was certainly the case as far as literature, music and art were concerned. 'Gargantua' and 'Pantagruel', from the pen of Rabelais were now more than appreciated; Dumas, Heine and Goethe as well, together with countless other authors from all over the Continent.

In music, it was the same, a recognition of what I had been missing: Mascagni's Intermezzo from 'Cavalleria Rusticana'; Puccini, Tschaikovsky, Mendelsshohn, Brahms, Schubert, Chopin and Mozart—the list of geniuses goes on and on.

Singers—such as Caruso, Jussi Bjorling (especially with Robert Merrill in 'The Pearl Fishers'), Melba, Callas, Tebaldi, Netrebko, Te Kanewa, Pavarotti, Placido Domingo—and even Richard Tauber—were now a part of my life.

Visits to art galleries made me more than aware of European treasures and of other wonders from the world at large.

I now appreciated the skill, the genius and intelligence stored for posterity in the form of sculptures: such as those of Rodin or the statue of 'David' by Michaelangelo; the matchless canvases of Van Dyke, Renoir, Monet and Manet. 

I have been left speechless by the Dutch masters: Van Gogh, the Vermeers, Breughel the Elder, Bosch, Hals, and above all, Rembrandt.

Rembrandt

In Amsterdam I had the pleasure of seeing just about every painting by this master in an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum located in the Dam square; an experience rounded off by an insightful analysis of 'The Night Watch', by an expert.

Another change in me—horror of horrors—was that I now saw fit to question my beloved American film industry. That said, I can still defend Hollywood as having produced more pure entertainment than any other medium; and on the whole, despite all I have to say, still comes out on the plus side.

Brigadoon was a pure murder of anything really Scottish.

The Music was good though!

More about Brigadoon and Hollywood in the next installment...

Getting to grips with America...continued...

2nd June 2015

From Academic (Ph.D. and College Lecturer) to Businessman

From what you have read so far—starting with Hollywood films and even my conversations, latterly, with real Americans—it is clear some sort of association with America had been going on all my life, long-distance, so to speak. 

From 1984, however, this long-distance arrangement would change. I became an hotelier, in Edinburgh; and such is the allure of this magnificent city, crowned by its Castle on a rock (Wimpey didn't build it) I now began to meet and speak to many. 

Edinburgh, with a spectacular setting of mountains, sea and sky, is inundated with American tourists. The hotel experience, on the whole, was a good one—if you like people, and they like you. Fortunately, both descriptions fitted my wife and I. We were hoteliers until 1999.

Most American visitors were courteous, interested and had a streak of laughter in them. 

Obviously, we had the exceptions, and as usual they are the ones you remember: those who were expecting a 5 star hotel, while paying ordinary bed and breakfast rates; the psychotic, psychologist, who wanted my kids to take her to their school, where she would show the teacher how to teach. We gave her three beds to choose from: hard, medium and soft. She slept on the floor—or so she said. 

The wonderful US Attorney and his wife, who hailed from San Francisco and kept comparing Edinburgh, The Forth Rail Bridge, our hills and scenery, to his city. I told him, 'We have a better bridge than the 'Golden Gate. So there!!' He agreed.

The Assistant DA, from Phoenix, entertained with his hairy stories of the hoodlums he had met. You should have seen my kids' eyes go pop! The Doctor from Los Angeles, when we asked about his city, could only mutter 'L.A. is a Zoo'. 

Just a little road junction in LA

The man from Seattle, who we only found out later, was incredibly rich, because he left his digital camera behind. This showed his power boats, massive houses and lawns. In his note of thanks for sending the camera to him, he said that he had just wanted to stay with an ordinary Scottish family. 

Are we ordinary? I dunno!! 

Earlier in this tourism and catering business, we were rather forced to 'look after' a New York guy, Jeff Silver. He had run out of money, and, we found out, had also run away from Manhattan. 

His was only one of many similar cases—but at least he didn't 'do a runner'; he was honest and above board about everything. I often wonder what became of him.

Chrysler Building, New York

The most wonderful thing of all, I have to say, was the genuine friendships we made, with

fellow-Britons, Australians, Canadians, Europeans, Egyptians and, for sure, Americans. 

Before going on to tell you about our hook-up with the Virginians, who became our friends, let me say a bit about one or two of the others. 

Bill and Helen Marshall, from the Gold Coast, just south of Brisbane, Australia, would hurry back to us, after touring the Highlands, the lochs and glens. They always talked about returning to their 'home' in Scotland, i.e. us. Needless to say, they visited on more than one occasion, and Bill and I were able to share once more our love of golf. 

'The Holy of Holies' St Andrews

To be continued...