Rare Books by R.A. Dick/Josephine Leslie Part 1: Duet for Two Hands

A few years back I read the book, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (published in 1945), which is of course also a 1947 movie starring Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, and a young Natalie Wood.  The book and the movie are favorites of mine in both mediums, and I did at one point search for more books by the same author with no success.  I did however learn that R.A. Dick was a pseudonym for Josephine Leslie, but I have not yet discovered the reason for her writing under a different name.  In fact, there isn't much information about her online at all. 

In my quest for rare books, I came across this wonderful website called Bookfinder.com.  It doesn't sell books, but it is rather a search engine where one can type in information about a book, and a list of various booksellers all over the world that have the particular book will come up with the price plus shipping next to it.  I found it to be an excellent resource!  It was very handy for me because I was able to determine whether or not certain rare books were even available online at all without having to painstakingly check several different sites, many of which I of course wasn't even aware existed. 

Curiousity led me to type R.A. Dick into Bookfinder.com.  Much to my surprise and joy, I found that three of her books were available from different booksellers and at reasonable prices!  Although, they were out of print, and the number of copies were very limited (only one or two).  Furthermore, these particular books are quite rare and can apparently only be found in a few libraries throughout the world.  I was even unable to find a synopsis for all but one of the three books online, so except for that one, I had no idea what the books were about when I purchased them. 

The first book I read is called Duet For Two Hands.  The copy I have is a first edition, copyrighted in 1960, and it came without the dust cover.  I'm not entirely sure, but there might not have been any other editions published.  The book did contain about three typos that I can remember. It tells the story of Cynthia Halliday, a former pianist whose career was ruined by a failed debut performance due to complications with what I assumed to be a multiple personality.  The author never calls it that specifically (the synopsis inside the book calls it an "alter ego," but I don't believe that term was actually used in the text of the book), but Cynthia has a twin named Constancia with whom she shares a body.  The two are complete opposites in character, and sometimes Constancia almost acts as Cynthia's conscience.  The people in Cynthia's life know nothing of Constancia, but they talk to each other in their minds, and at any given time, one can go into a "trance" while the other takes over the body. 

Because Cynthia and Constancia are opposites in personality, they are both needed to make an exceptional pianist.  Cynthia provided the heart and soul of the performance while Constancia memorized the music, provided control, and kept wrong notes and mistakes out of Cynthia's sometimes overly passionate playing. Without Cynthia, Constancia gave rather perfect but musically dull performances.  At the time of the failed performance that rendered Cynthia disgraced within the musical world, Constancia and Cynthia's piano teacher felt that she wasn't yet ready to give the performance and that she needed another year of study.  The performance failed because Constancia, in protest of the too early performance, went into a trance, leaving Cynthia unable to remember the correct notes. 

This disastrous piano performance was eleven years prior to where the story is at the beginning of the book.  In that time Cynthia married, had a son, divorced, and completely gave up all thoughts of music and the piano.  Constancia remained in a trance for the eleven years, but at the beginning of the book, she has just returned because she thinks that Cynthia has become selfish and has made a mess of her life.  Constancia proceeds to intervene in all areas of Cynthia's life, and their vastly different personalities and habits cause them to eventually make a schedule that allows them to share their body equally. 

Without revealing the particular details of the book, ultimately Constancia's presence serves to reveal to Cynthia where she has gone wrong in her life since her embarrassing piano performance and sets her on the right track again. 

I found this book to be very engaging and enjoyable to read.  Many of the awkard scenarios, where Constancia and Cynthia were both awake and happened to come into contact with some of Cynthia's friends, were quite comical, and there is something of a love story involved as Constancia tries to get Cynthia to reunite with her ex-husband and their son. 

After having read The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, which is a paranormal romance, the somewhat supernatural nature of this book did not surprise me.  While I am sure that multiple personality disorder is quite legitimate, this book at one point indicated that our main character might actually have two separate brains.  A woman haunted by something is certainly a theme in the books of R.A. Dick, whether it be Mrs. Muir's ghost, Cynthia's inward twin, or a woman named Danielle haunted by Satan in The Devil and Mrs. Devine, the next book by R.A. Dick I plan to read!  More on that later! 

Duet For Two Hands also brought to mind the movies that I have seen in the past with similar themes of multiple personality disorder, twins at odds, or various other mental illnesses.  I have read that due to the work of Sigmund Freud, stories about mental illness became popular in the first half of the 20th century.  Here are some examples:

The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
Psycho (1960, the same year as Duet For Two Hands)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931, 1941)
The Snake Pit (1948)
Spellbound (1945)
The Dark Mirror (1946)
A Stolen Life (1946)
Dead Ringer (1964)
Mirage (1965)
Marnie (1964)
Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

This is obviously a very short list, and some are about amnesia or twin rivalry instead of multiple personality disorder, but all are great movies and worth seeing! 

The New and Improved Shell Angel

 

I've been told by friends and family members that the shell angels in the last post look like either pregnant angels or turkeys, so I've made a new one with a different skirt!

Here she is!

The skirt is more textured this time, and the way the shell is shaped, it looks like there is more of a waist, so hopefully that will rid her of the pregnant look.  She still has the "elements of Swarovski crystal" necklace, but it's not showing up too well in the picture. 

That's all for now!  I hope whoever might be reading this has a good weekend!

Seashell Christmas Ornaments

I know it's Halloween, but since I live in an apartment where no one trick-or-treats, I spent my evening making Christmas ornaments out of shells! 

Most of my shelling adventures happen on the beautiful island of Sanibel, but I will occasionally purchase bags of smaller shells to use as filler on my creations. 

Here are two that I just made.  Except for the suggestion of a flower in the one on the left, they aren't supposed to be anything specific.  The ribbon and small pearls were purchased at Michaels. 

 

 

Here are a couple of shell angels.  They are comprised of a buttercup lucine for the skirt, two calico clams for the wings, a coquina for the slippers, and one smaller clam for the head.  The little necklace beads contain elements of Swarovski crystals.  I like that the little band of gold coloring on the head of the left angel kind of suggests a halo.  I probably should have used a shell like that for the other one as well. 

 

Well, that's it for now!  There will be more ornaments to come.  Happy Halloween!!





 



Three Novels By Robert Nathan

I recently saw a wonderful film called Portrait of Jennie (1948), starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten and produced by David O. Selznick, and I noticed in the credits that it was based on a book by the same title written by Robert Nathan.  I was not previously familiar with the works of Robert Nathan, but I loved the movie so much that I was intrigued. 

Fortunately, Portrait of Jennie (the novel) is still in print, and a new copy can be purchased on Amazon at a reasonable price.  After obtaining my copy, I began to read it.  It's a short novella and can be read in one or two sittings.  The story is of a struggling painter in New York City, Eben Adams, who meets a young girl in the park on a cold winter day.  He finds her fascinating and mysterious (she talks about the past, present, and future in a rather ethereal way and seems to belong to the past) and hopes to meet her again to paint her.  The continue to meet over the course of a year, but each time Jennie is significantly more grown up and they eventually fall in love.  Eben finally finishes his portrait of Jennie, and it is the best work he has ever done, but Jennie continues to experience things that could have only happened in the past.  There is much left unexplained in the story, and the ending in the movie is different from the book, though both are tragic.  On the whole, it is a beautifully written and haunting love story, and it made me want to seek out more books by Robert Nathan. 

Unfortunately, I realized that most of his books are out of print.  My search led me to Alibris.com, an online bookseller that seems to specialize in rare and out of print books.  I was very pleased to discover that they had several Robert Nathan books in stock!!

The next book I read was called The Enchanted Voyage.  It tells the story of Mr. Pecket, a lonely and unhappily married man who lives in the Bronx.  He isn't very successful in his business, so much that he is losing money, and his wife is constantly disappointed in him.  Mr. Pecket escapes reality by sitting in an old boat that he owns that supposedly would sink if it were put in water and daydreams about being a sailor.  In an attempt to make money, Mrs. Pecket sells the boat to a neighbor who plans to make a lunch counter out of it, and then she puts wheels on it so it can be transported.  While sitting in his boat with wheels on a stormy night and brooding about how his wife could do such a thing to him, the boat accidentally begins to sail away down the street, and Mr. Pecket's imagination runs away with it.  He picks up a lonely waitress who is also trying to escape her own reality, and eventually a young, struggling and traveling dentist joins them too.  The dentist and the waitress of course fall in love, but the three of them embark on a journey south, never leaving dry land but pretending to be sailing on the sea.  The themes of the book are clearly escaping reality, and doing rather than just dreaming.  The style and prose are lovely, but the story is a little too drawn out to be entertaining the entire time. 

I was also able to get a collection of five Robert Nathan novels entitled The Barly Fields.  Contained in the book are The Fiddler in the Barly, The Woodcutter's House, The Bishop's Wife, The Orchid, and There is Another Heaven.  The only one I have read so far is The Bishop's Wife.  This was of course made into a movie in 1947 starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven, Monty Woolley, and Gladys Cooper and since it is one of my all time favorite movies, I was excited to discover that Robert Nathan wrote the book! 

Because I know the film so well, I am more inclined to make comparisons here than with Portrait of Jennie, which I have only seen once.  The book and movie were also quite similar in that case.  Here, The Bishop's Wife novel was fairly similar to the movie, but the names were changed a bit.  The angel is called Michael in the book and Dudley in the movie, and Loretta Young's character is Juliet in the book and Julia in the movie.  In general, the book has less comedy than the movie and is more religious in nature.  The movie perhaps shows more weakness in the angel in his love for Julia, while the movie emphasizes the difference between a holy love and an earthly love between humans.  Juliet is also more conflicted in her feelings for the angel in the book than Julia is in the movie. 

Given the time period in which the book was written, I was surprised at the admission of Juliet's husband's shortcomings in their marriage.  Juliet is the somewhat neglected wife of a bishop plagued by financial troubles. In answer to a prayer, an angel is sent to remedy the situation but in the meantime falls in love with Juliet.  The movie provides more resolution at the end of the story between Juliet and her husband than the book, but the book contains very beautiful spiritual passages that the movie lacks.  All in all, both the book and the movie are very entertaining, enlightening, lovely, and worth reading and watching, especially at Christmas time. 

Also, a more recent movie was made based on the same story entitled The Preacher's Wife (1996), starring Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington.  I'm sure it is probably the most well known of the two films and book, and though many changes were made to the story and setting, it is a lovely film in many ways on its own. 

I'd like to close with a selection from a passage written by Robert Nathan entitled A Note to the Younger Generation. 

"The truth is that what we call real changes every time the world breathes.  My critics complain that I do not write about the real world.  To discuss the loves and disappointments of little girls and old men, of mice and roosters, seems preposterous to the young realists of today.  Yet what is more real than the hopes and griefs of children?  Is a labor union more actual than a doll?  Each signifies something in the human heart; neither one seems any more, or any less, significant. 

That is not as absurd as it sounds.  If little girls did not care to play with dolls any more, the world would be very different.  It does not take genius to make such a remark, there is nothing new about it, but it is comforing, because it is true. 

One of the most agreeable discussions of realism occurred recently, at luncheon.  My step-daughter, aged four, who was eating her spinach, looked up suddenly, and remarked in a dreamy voice, 'I know a little boy who turned into a flower.'  That, of course, was fantasy.  Her brother, aged six, is the realist of the family.  He exclaimed with energy, 'That's silly.  You have to say what he ate that made him turn into a flower.' 

I like the young writers of today.  I like the hard, clear quality of their prose.  But I do not believe that what they talk about is any more real than Little Red Riding Hood.  It is good and pleasant to be manly and strong, to have broad shoulders and a shaggy chest;  but it is inside the chest that the heart beats and the blood moves.

I know that falsehood and meanness, brutality and arrogance have increased in the world during these last ten years.  Still, there is no reason to make a cult of them.  They cannot continue to increase forever, since long before that they will have had to swallow one another like the snakes in the fable.  Merely to be muscular and violent proves nothing; unless the bones of the dinosaur can be said to prove anything. 

Perhaps it is not necessary to prove anything.  Perhaps it is enough to say:  We lived; and these were our hopes and our worries, our joys and our fears.  This is the way we spoke, if not altogether with our tongues, at least with our hearts."

Robert Nathan
New York, December, 1937

Two Greer Garson Films

In continuing my quest for Greer Garson films, I obtained and viewed two more that I'd not yet seen, also starring Walter Pidgeon.

The first one is called Blossoms in the Dust (1941).  It was something of a tear jerker based on the life of Edna Gladney, a woman who fought against the stigma of illegitimacy in orphan adoption cases and other situations at the turn of the last century in Texas.  She eventually succeeded in getting a bill passed in Congress that removed such information from court records and allowed adopted children the same inheritance rights as biological children. 

 

Edna's husband is portrayed by Walter Pidgeon (their first film together), and througout the film she loses her husband, adopted sister, and her own son, leaving her to devote her life to children's aid advocacy.  This was the film that marked Greer Garson's rise to stardom, and it set the tone for many of her subsequent movies with Walter Pidgeon where they played respectable married couples often fighting against some kind of odds or for a cause.  Incidentally, Greer Garson did not like Blossoms in the Dust and stated in a quote in the New York Times that "the screen is neither a platform or a pulpit."  I found her performance to be touching and heartfelt, and I also enjoyed the lush technicolor photography. 

 

 

 

This week I also watched Julia Misbehaves (1948).  Garson and Pidgeon's fifth film together, it is the first and only comedy of their eight total pairings.  It strongly deviates from the typical pattern of their previous films, and Greer Garson plays a woman who, estranged from her husband and daughter, is returning for her daughter's wedding after twenty years.  Antics and hilarity ensue when it is discovered that her husband (they never actually divorced) and mother-in-law didn't actually invite her to the wedding.  The daughter is played by Elizabeth Taylor, and Peter Lawford and Nigel Bruce are also a part of the supporting cast.  The film was a flop with critics and audiences, in part because people had come to expect a certain moral character from Greer Garson, and a chorus girl who leaves her husband and daughter for twenty years just didn't fit the bill.  I found the movie to be quite entertaining and funny and was happy to add it to my collection. 

 

 

One more interesting tidbit:  All of the Greer Garson/Walter Pidgeon films were made at MGM, and Louis B. Mayer, so impressed with Greer Garson's manners and propriety, nicknamed her "Duchess." 

Lucy

Hello again! I'm still sort of getting the blog off the ground, but I thought I would use this post to introduce my bird, Lucy!

She's a blue Indian ringneck and 14 years old.  I have to specify that she is blue, because Indian ringnecks can be a whole variety of colors:  green (most common), blue, white, yellow, and grey. 

I’ve always preferred birds to cats and dogs, and Lucy does talk.  One of her favorite phrases is “What doin’?”  I am convinced that she knows what this means because she always asks it at really appropriate times, like when I am cleaning for instance. 

She loves to be wet and enjoys going in the shower and being misted with a water bottle.  She also likes it when I just hold a hose on her to completely soak her!  And sometimes she still wants to be even more wet! 

We've always had a special relationship.  Many believe that birds aren't really affectionate pets, but that is just not true!  Lucy cuddles with me every day;  she likes to hide in my hair, give little birdie kisses, and even cuddles with me in a blanket. 

Here are a couple pictures of her, wet and dry:

 

 

 

I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes.  - Charles Lindbergh (1902 - 1974), Interview shortly before his death, 1974

Hope, by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

A Visit With Mrs. Miniver

A few weeks ago, my apartment complex was having the roofs replaced due to damage that occurred in a hail storm back in June.  The noise was outrageously loud, and I simply had to get out of the apartment. 

The night before, I had watched Madame Curie, an enjoyable biopic (however lacking in fact) starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon.  I've always been a fan of Greer Garson, especially in films such as Mrs. Miniver and Random Harvest.  As a result of a bit of googling, I learned that Greer Garson is actually buried in Dallas!  I am moving in January, but I thought that visiting her grave would definitely be something I'd like to do before leaving Texas. 

After looking up the address for the Sparkman - Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery, I set out on my quest to visit Ms. Garson's final resting place.  I made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some flowers. 

One thing I learned on this adventure is that one must always know a plot or site number for whomever you are looking to visit before just wandering into a cemetery.  I did not know this information however, and I ended up walking around for quite awhile.  I also came across the grave of Tom Landry, and anyone who knows me at all knows how I feel about Texas and Texas sports teams.  Out of respect for the dead, I didn't think Mr. Landry would enjoy a Miami Dolphins fan visiting his grave anyway, so I moved on.  :)  Apparently Mickey Mantle is also buried in this cemetery, but I never happened upon that site. 

Finally I reached the burial site of Greer Garson and her husband.  Apparently in 1949, she married E.E "Buddy" Fogelson, a Texas oil millionaire.  They have their own section of the cemetery known as Fogelson Triangle. 

I spent a few moments reflecting on Greer Garson, and the joy that her movies have brought me personally.  She often portrayed strong, but graceful women with high ideals and an unpompous and gracious sense of propriety. 

Later in the day, I began wanting to see other Greer Garson films that I had not yet seen, which led me to The Valley of Decision and Mrs. Parkington.

The Valley of Decision is a wonderful story that takes place in Pittsburgh in the late 19th century about a young, Irish house maid who falls in love with the son (played by Gregory Peck) of her employer who owns a local steel mill.  The film is based on a book by Marcia Davenport, which I plan to read very soon! I loved the movie.  What could be a better combination for a story like that than Greer Garson and Gregory Peck?!   Also a part of the cast was Donald Crisp, Gladys Cooper, Dan Duryea, Lionel Barrymore, and a very young Jessica Tandy.  Whew! 

Mrs. Parkington is another movie based on a novel, but this time by Louis Bromfield.  And I of course also plan to read that book very soon, as I loved this film as well!  It basically tells the tale of a family saga through flashbacks of an elderly Mrs. Parkington's memories.  Greed and personal failures/successes are major themes.  Greer Garson is joined once again by Walter Pidgeon (they made 8 films together) as well as Gladys Cooper, Dan Duryea, Peter Lawford, Tom Drake, Edward Arnold, and Agnes Moorehead, who won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.  Greer Garson plays both the young and elderly roles of Mrs. Parkington, and as usual does an enormously classy job! 

I am in the process of seeking out a few more Greer Garson films that have thus far eluded me:  Blossoms in the Dust, and Julia Misbehaves.  More on those later!

Incidentally, Greer Garson is credited in the Guiness Book of World Records for delivering the longest Oscar acceptance speech for Best Actress in Mrs. Miniver.  Clocking at 5 min. and 30 seconds, the speech prompted the Academy to institute a time limit. 

Thanks for reading, and I'll close with this lovely image of Greer Garson, herself.  :)