“The whole conviction of my life now rests upon the belief that loneliness, far from being a rare and curious phenomenon, is the central and inevitable fact of human existence.” — Thomas Wolfe, “God’s Lonely Man.”

“I am alone…I’m not lonely.” — Robert Niro‘s Neil McAuley in Heat (’95).

Taxi Driver is one more in a long list of 20th Century movies that could never be made today. The woke commissars would never allow a 13 year-old actress to play a street prostitute. Not a chance in hell.

In Paul Schrader‘s original Taxi Driver screenplay, the pimp (eventually played by Harvey Keitel) was black and in the final reel shoot-out, Travis killed only black people.

“In the original script, it was just a racist slaughter,” Schrader recalls. “There was genuine concern. [The producers] came to me and said, ‘We’ve really got to change this. There could be a riot.’ It would have been socially and morally irresponsible if we had incited that kind of violence.” — from a 7.6.06 Guardian interview piece.

“Bickle Died in Shootout…Again,” posted almost exactly three years ago:

Strangely, curiously, there are still those who don’t understand (or refuse to accept) that Tony Soprano was whacked while sitting in that family restaurant booth in the final episode of The Sopranos. I’ve come to understand that these very same people have also fought against the obvious interpretation of the aftermath of that tenement shootout scene in Taxi Driver (’75).

For the 17th or 18th time, here’s the damn explanation (and there’s really no arguing this):

At the end of the Taxi Driver shootout sequence and just after the bleeding and mortally wounded Travis Bickle, sitting on that blood-spattered couch, pretends to shoot himself in the head as he goes “bawshhhh!…bawshhhh!”, director Martin Scorsese switches to an overhead crane shot of Bickle on the couch and the two cops standing at the doorway with guns drawn. Looking downward, the camera slowly tracks along the ceiling, over the cops and down the hallway and into the street.

Most would say this is just a cool overhead tracking shot and let it go at that. But it’s just as legitimat to call it the path of Bickle’s spirit as he leaves his body and prepares to merge with the infinite finality…remember Jeannot Szwarc‘s similar spirit-rising-out-of-the-body shot at the end of Somewhere in Time? Same basic idea.

What half-reasonable person could ever buy the denouement of Taxi Driver? Everything in this sequence screams “this is bullshit!” In what world would Bickle, suspected by at least one Secret Service Treasury guy as a potential assassin (“Henry Krinkle”) who nearly killed Sen. Charles Palatine…in what world would Bickle be portrayed as a hero by the media for shooting a corrupt cop and two pimps in an East Side tenement building? The idea is insane.

And this shooting in some way helps the parents of Jodie Foster‘s Iris to find her and bring her back home to Indiana? (Iris will never be restored as a normal Indiana teenager…she’s been ruined and corrupted forever.)

And then Cybil Shepard gives Travis a come-hither look in the rear-view mirror when he gives her a ride in his cab?

It’s all Travis’s death fantasy…the stuff he imagines would happen in a perfect world as he sits on that tenement couch, bleeding profusely and eyeballing the cops and slowly drifting off the mortal coil, etc. The very last shot in Taxi Driver is of a seemingly startled Travis looking into his cab’s rearview mirror, and then whoosh…he’s gone. No reflection. Because Travis isn’t actually there.

Are there really people out there who think that the denoument is somehow real? Yes, there are.

“I am McLovin’s fat dad, and no, I have no problem with wearing a black baseball cap and black shorts. Okay, I helped raise him so I guess I’m partly responsible. Yeah, I bought the weapon that he used to try to kill Trump with and left it lying around so I’m also responsible for that, I suppose. I knew he was a lonely strange kid and that he had been bullied and whatnot….yeah, I knew that. So a lot of what happened is my fault…I admit it, all right?

“No, I’ve never seen Superbad but I’m going to watch it soon.” — Matthew Crooks, father of deceased Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Read more

HE to Friendo: I have more motivation to despise the wokester totalitarian thought-police left than most. I’ve flirted with primitive fantasies I’d rather not speak of. Sometimes I feel as if I’m Travis Bickle talking to Peter Boyle in that scene outside the Belmore Cafeteria….”I don’t know…I’ve got some really bad thoughts.” Nobody despises these monsters like I do.

Friendo reply: “It’s probably too late to put the woke genie back in the bottle as an entire generation has been brainwashed by the gender-studies-and-identity-politics fascist-college-professor mafia, and the mainstream media has been infiltrated by this insanity as if eaten by termites. I grieve for all of this (and have for several years now), and I really do get it.

“But eventually backlashes are going to set in (did you see Bill Burr‘s opening monologue on SNL? — I was shocked that they allowed it). And once the fervor goes out of the whole idea of a ‘resistance’ (a term so despicable and narcissistic that it makes me almost physically ill), I think some of the wind may go out of the woke sails.

“Things go out of fashion, and then come back in. And vice versa. And wokeness, as destructive as it is, is nothing if not fashion. It has no more moral reality than buying a handbag to prove you’re cool.

“Basically, wokeness is white supremacy for hipsters. I assume that at some point people with IQs over 100 are going to start figuring that out.”

HE comment: How would it be possible for a Secret Service chief to not know and follow the logistical basics of protecting a President during a public event? Of course Kimberly Cheatle knew that you always block access to elevated potential shooting spots (roofs, high-up windows). Of course she did.

So why was “McLovin” allowed to crawl on top of that Butler fairgrounds rooftop? Because a Butler-based SS subordinate fucked up. Tired, unfocused, hung over, thought local law enforcement would handle it, etc. Doesn’t matter — the buck passing stopped with Cheatle so she had to fall on her sword, but what were the specific particulars behind this colossal scene-up?

N.Y. Times: The Secret Service director, Kimberly A. Cheatle, faced bipartisan calls for her resignation after a disastrous hourslong congressional hearing in which she declined to answer basic questions about the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump.

“Ms. Cheatle declined to say how many agents were protecting Mr. Trump when a gunman shot at him at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, or who decided to leave a nearby rooftop out of the event’s security perimeter.

“Nor would she tell members of the House Oversight Committee why Secret Service agents were not aware until the last seconds that people in the crowd had seen a gunman on that roof.

“At times, Ms. Cheatle seemed less informed than the lawmakers quizzing her. When Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, asked for a detailed timeline of events, Ms. Cheatle said she did not have one.

“’I have a timeline that does not have specifics,’ she said, eliciting laughter from the room.”

An hour ago HE finally visited the old Westport home of the late Gene Tierney, which is actually in the Greens Farms area. Built by her dad, Howard Sherwood Tierney, in 1929.

Posted on 1.3.24:

When the 58-year-old Gene Tierney sat for a chat on The Mike Douglas Show in 1979, she bore little resemblance to the beautiful, tres elegant femme fatale she played in Otto Preminger ‘s Laura (‘44).

The Douglas interview was 35 years later, of course, so why the shade? Because Tierney seemed altered by more than time.

She looked and sounded Lucille Ball-ish, to be honest — like someone who’d been smoking unfiltered cigarettes for decades and enjoying her nightly cocktails.

And she spoke with a slightly coarse accent that didn’t exactly scream “finishing school,” which was how she sounded in Laura. She pronounced “awards” as “awauhds”, Warner Bros. as Wauhnuh Brothuhs” and father as “fahthuh”.

Plus Tierney had sadly been grappling with mental issues off and on since the ‘50s, and given my own younger sister’s decades of battling schizophrenia I know what that shit looked like.

All to say that for those who’ve been blessed with good genes and have revelled in their youth and the fair-weather life that often results when people can’t stop talking about how ravishing your green eyes are, they don’t know what they’ve got ‘til it’s gone.

Tierney and her well-to-do family (her father, Howard Sherwood Tierney, was a flush insurance broker) began living in nearby Westport in the mid 1930s. Their home was in the Greens Farms region, and is located at 2 Tierney Lane, presumably christened in honor of her dad. (I’m wondering if Howard’s middle name was somehow connected in a family way to nearby Sherwood Island.)

I’ve been meaning to visit the Tierney homestead since moving here in the spring of ‘22. One of these days.

Gene Tierney made it to age 70. She died on 11.6.91.

…whenever a character wearing leather boots (lace-up or cowboy) walks into knee-deep water. I really hate that. I’m imagining doing this myself and feeling the water seep into the boots and soak the socks, and how my clammy feet would feel walking around with those soggies with little pools of water in the lower boot sole.

If I had to walk into shallow water I would take the boots and socks off, and then roll my pants up to my knees. I might even take the pants off entirely and fold them neatly next to the boots and socks.

Read more

…but this New Rules bit from three nights ago turned the tumbler switch.

…like “Shadows and Light” were to somehow fly into Taylor Swift’s head while she’s walking her dog or taking a shower, she’d probably have an anxiety attack. Or she’d break out in hives. I was going to say that songs like this are way beyond Swift’s comfort zone, but I don’t know her repertoire all that well. Has she ever performed or recorded a capella? I’m asking.

Friendo: “I give Harris a one-out-of-three shot of beating Trump. In other words: not good enough. But I think it’s already clear that she’s going to be the nominee. The Democrats can’t help themselves. Get ready for Donald Trump vs. Kamala Dukakis Hillary Harris.” HE sez:

If Biden had resigned the Presidency and therefore made Kamala the new administrative king of the country as well as a symbol of relative youth (certainly compared to Donald Trump) and renewal, she would have, right now, a reasonably good chance of being elected in November.  

President Kamala would be the new captain of the steamer with all the attendant power, and this would almost certainly install a feeling among voters that she’s due a certain deference…that this ceremonial figure and relatively untested commander-in-chief deserves her own term…a chance to show what she’s made of.

But Joe’s final act of Irish obstinacy and stubbornness — ending his campaign but insisting on serving his term out until 1.20.25 — means Harris is probably going to lose to Donald Trump on 11.5.24.

I’m glad that Joe is out and would like to see Kamala win, but I fear that average voters (outside of black women) don’t like or respect her enough, if they do at all.

The Kamala cabal can tapdance and shilly-shally all they want, but Harris was plopped into the Vice-Presidency because of gender and racial symbolism.

In the spring of 2020 candidate Biden, seeking the support of progressive women voters and especially the revolutionary #MeToo movement, had promised to choose a female running mate.  Most of us understand that Harris fit that bill because of an added layer of political calculation —Joe wanted to emphasize his devotion to DEI (i.e., racial score-settling) in the wake of the George Floyd outrage and upheaval that rocked the country in May and early June of that year.

Harris — face facts — has never been a popular figure.  She isn’t liked by a large swath of older, non-MAGA male voters (call them the Bret Stephens or Bill Maher community) and not just because of that terrible cackle.  Harris didn’t win a single state during the 2020 primary season, she has a rep of being testy and an ineffective team leader, she dropped the ball on the Mexican immigration issue and she’s not a great public speaker (i.e., that whiny tone).

I realize that the Democratic establishment is timid by nature and already traumatized by the Biden collapse, and that the XX chromosome allegiance feels that electing a non-white woman president would be a great symbolic achievement, but a Harris candidacy, I fear, is not going to placate anyone or anything.  

Unless, that is, she chooses Pete Buttigieg as her vice-presidential running mate, in which case all bets are off and the sky is potentially the limit.

Friendo #2: “I think you need to chill on this. If we are learning anything this unprecedented race is full of twists and turns. With the tables turned on Trump now (you can sense his unhappiness by his unhinged Truth Social in the past 24 hours) and him now being the oldest to ever run, PLUS a sentencing coming in September, debates, and the potential of a smart choice for VP (a governor from Midwest or Kentucky/NC being best.

“I love Buttigieg but America isn’t ready for a gay guy and also you don’t want someone from the administration already) her poll numbers could significantly increase. Most of all I am just counting on Trump to go more Trumpy than ever, blow that “unity” talk he lies about, and remind voters why he was so unpopular in the first place. It will be interesting to see what happens to RFK Jr.”

Posted on 7.8.21:

Working backwards from today, here are (a) Hollywood Elsewhere’s ten best fictional presidents and (b) best portrayals of historical presidents in feature films. Yes, I’m allowing for Saturday Night Live and other comedic portrayals.

FICTIONALS (in order of preference): 1. Lee Tracy, The Best Man; 2. Peter Sellers, Dr. Strangelove, 3. Jack Warden, Being There; 4. Donald Moffat, Clear and Present Danger; 5. Henry Fonda, Fail Safe; 6. John Heard, My Fellow Americans, 7. Harrison Ford, Air Force One; 8. Jeff Bridges, The Contender; 9. Walter Huston, Gabriel Over The White House; 10. Kevin Pollak, Deterrence.

JOE BIDEN: Jim Carrey on SNL. 2nd Best — Jason Sudeikis, SNL.

DONALD TRUMP: Thomas Mundy. 2nd best — Jeff Bergman, Our Cartoon President. 3rd best — Brendan Gleeson, The Comey Rule.

BARACK OBAMA: No opinion. Okay, SNL’s Jay Pharoah was fairly decent.

GEORGE W. BUSH: Josh Brolin, W., 2nd best — Will Ferrell, You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush (B’way)

BILL CLINTON: Darrell Hammond, SNL. GEORGE H.W. BUSH: Dana Carvey, SNL.

RONALD REAGAN: Phil Hartman, SNL. 2nd best — Tim Matheson, Killing Reagan. JIMMY CARTER, GERALD FORD: Nobody. (Chevy Chase made no attempt to impersonate Ford.)

RICHARD NIXON: Rip Torn, Blind Ambition.

LYNDON JOHNSON: Randy Quaid, LBJ: The Early Years (’87).

JOHN F. KENNEDY: There’s never been a truly first-rate JFK, ever. That said, Bruce Greenwood wasn’t too bad in Roger Donaldson‘s Thirteen Days. Worst — William Devane, The Missiles of October.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER: Nobody.

HARRY TRUMAN: James Whitmore, Give ‘Em, Hell, Harry!

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT: Ralph Bellamy, The Winds of War and Sunrise at Campobello.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT: Brian Keith, The Wind and the Lion.

ULYSSES S. GRANT: Justin Salinger, Grant.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln.