The Apartment! & The Devil in the White City

[thoreau]

David and I will head out tomorrow to the historic Stanford Theater to see 1960's "The Apartment" with Jack Lemmon and Shirley McClaine.

Synopsis:

An ambitious clerk (Jack Lemmon) has been lending his apartment to his firm’s philandering executives for their secret trysts. He himself has his eye on the elevator girl (Shirley MacLaine).

Voted Best Picture of 1960, this film also won an Oscar for Wilder as director. With Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, Joan Shawlee, Edie Adams, David Lewis. Directed and produced by Billy Wilder. Written by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond. Photographed by Joseph LaShelle. Music by Adolph Deutsch. United Artists/Mirisch. 125 minutes.

Other than plans to snuggle and sleep in; have a romantic breakfast each morning over the morning paper with fresh bagels and coffee.

We have no other concrete plans. and I plan to make the best of it!

I'm reading a fascinating novel The Devil in the White City : Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson. It's a grisly book about two parallel careers of men before the worlds fair in Chicago - one who is a driven architect - and another who is a serial killer setting up shop before the thousands of people show up for the fair. It's a pretty gruesome look into the life of one of America's most ruthless killers. I've only just started - but it can't be a very helpful note to see that the killer is building his home complete with a dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. That simply can't lead to 'nice' things. So we'll see. It was David's pick for the book club.

Comments

[bearzendurham.livejournal.com]

The apartment is such a wonderful film. A favorite.

[joebehrsandiego.livejournal.com]

"Devil in the White City" is a great, page-turner read.

While I was most engaged by the Worlds' Fair/"City Beautiful" thread, the way the author ties that to the way-freaky serial killer thread is crazy, and brilliant.

Excellent choice by your sweetie!

[eric-mathgeek.livejournal.com]

Interesting... I was very disappointed in it. I could say more but I don't want to until Robert's finished.

[cogitoergozoom.livejournal.com]

LUV "The Apartment" Fred McMurray is great as the "bad" guy. Probably Shirley MacLaine's best film.

[drood.livejournal.com]

Make sure you read Larson's Thunderstruck, about Marconi's invention of the wireless telegraph and its involvement in the capture of the murderer Crippen. I thought it was even better than Devil in the White City (and the two stories had a little more to do with each other).

[xianjessen.livejournal.com]

"Devil in the White City" is a fantastic book; I've read it a few times. It is just as engrossing when it is focused on the landscaping of the fair grounds as it is when it it turns to to the story of the serial killer. It is painstakingly researched and detailed.

It does get graphic and gruesome, though. Don't read it before bed if you are sensitive to that sort of thing.

[budmassey.livejournal.com]

Leo and I read The Devil in the White City. We did some research on some of the sites mentioned in the book, and even found the site of one of the houses he staid in here in Indianapolis, although there is a new structure on it now. Very fascinating story. It's being made into a movie!

[allanh.livejournal.com]

It's a "love it or hate it" book. I was definitely in the "love it" camp, not the least reason of which is that I'm from Chicago, and went to K-12 school at the University of Chicago Lab School, of which said campus was the fairgrounds described in the book. The "Midway" is still there, a solid one block wide two block long grassy field, and sits across the street from my former grammar school.

[septimuswarren.livejournal.com]

I miss the Stanford! Such a great place. Get there in time to see the organist. Love The Apartment.

Devil is worth reading. I found, as did many of my friends, more interest in the building of the fair. Wait until you get to the building of the first Ferris Wheel. Amazing specs on size and the weight of cars. Astounding it ever ran.

[tonethbone.livejournal.com]

One of my all-time favorites --->

http://tonethbone.livejournal.com/556536.html?mode=reply

Devil

[poodler.livejournal.com]

I've always been a devotee to the Columbia Exposition, having picked up several stereoptican cards of it as a kid. I found the book fascinating for it's detail about the exposition. Years ago there was an exhibition regarding the expo in Washington DC. The exposition led to the beautification of mainstreets all over the United States, and had a huge impact upon how the District of Columbia would later come to look (most significantly with the creation of the mall and the surrounding beaux arts buildings).

What fascinates me about the exposition, though, is that it took place at a time when Chicago was the leading exponent of modern architecture, yet the exposition is nothing but a time capsule of Rome and Palladian architectural styles. Except, that it is, for Sullivan's contribution. Interestingly, Frank Lloyd Wright was inspired by the Japanese pavilion to explore eastern building styles, leading him to the prarie style and beyond, to the organic and horizontal forms which came to define him.

Larson's next book, Thunderstruck, was also an interesting read but lost steam and, in my opinion, sank 1/2 way through.

[balanceinchaos.livejournal.com]

I love "The Apartment"... such a sweet movie.