suddenly precious
in the age of violence –
tough gent on our side
Adapted from the passage in the book, Six Men by Alistair Cooke (New York, Penguin, 1985), where Mr. Cooke writes about Humphrey Bogart:
There was nothing now to offend the most respectable suburban patriot in a hero who used the gangster’s means to achieve our ends.
And this character was suddenly very precious in the age of violence, for it satisfied a quiet, desperate need of the engulfed ordinary citizen.
When Hitler was acting out scripts more brutal and obscene than anything dreamed of by Chicago’s North Side or the Warner Brothers, Bogart was the only possible antagonist likely to outwit him and survive.
What was needed was no knight of the boudoir, no Ronald Colman or Leslie Howard (whose movie careers compensatingly slumped) but a conniver as subtle as Goebbels. Bogart was the very tough gent required, a murderously bland neutral who we knew, if the Germans didn’t, would in the end be on our side.
I am waiting.
Waiting for that person.
Waiting for that person, that kid, that someone, anyone, to say “But he has no clothes!”
Someone on our side.
What was needed was no knight of the boudoir, no Ronald Colman or Leslie Howard (whose movie careers compensatingly slumped) but a conniver as subtle as Goebbels.
The very tough gent required, a murderously bland neutral who we knew, if the Germans didn’t, would in the end be on our side.
This character is suddenly very precious in our age of violence.
Very precious and very rare.
Where is that person today?
Let me ask you a question.
In the movie, Casablanca, which side do you line up with?
In the movie, Casablanca, who do you identify with?
Now ask yourself this.
If the current president was in that movie, who would he be?
I can’t see the current president playing chess, stopping the arrogant German from entering his casino, helping out the couple from Bulgaria or allowing the band to play the La Marseillaise.
But I sure can see him marching across the room, leading his entourage of cabinet secretaries to the piano and singing German marching songs.
I feel he would love and embrace the role of Major Strasser.
So again I ask, who can watch Casablanca and want to choose that side.
The OTHER side.
Who?
Who wants to stand and be counted with that side?
I don’t know.
Not me.
Me?
I am waiting.
Waiting for the very tough gent,, a murderously bland neutral who we know, in the end, will be on our side.
And this time, I know, our side will win.
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Our nation turns it lonely eyes to you.
No Haiku For You 