Friday, July 30, 2021

Carson McCuller's "A Domestic Dilemma"

Carson McCullers' collection The Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories was first published in 1951. One of the stories has an Alabama connection.

McCullers is probably best known for two novels, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter [1940] and Member of the Wedding [1946]. She was born on February 20, 1917, in Columbus, Georgia, and died in Nyack, New York, on September 29, 1967, only 50 years old. After high school graduation, she moved to New York City to study music at Julliard. The story "Wunderkind" in this collection, her first published work, is probably autobiographical from that experience. 

She soon abandoned music and began to study creative writing. Besides the two novels already mentioned and this collection, she published two others novels and a variety of plays, poems and other items. Her relatively short life was characterized by chronic health problems, marriage, divorce and then remarriage to aspiring writer Reeves McCullers, and infatuations with various women that were never consummated. 

Many of McCullers' writings explore the loneliness of her characters and its effects on their lives, and that applies to her story "A Domestic Dilemma". The story first appeared in the magazine section of the New York Post newspaper on September 16, 1951. As the tale begins, Martin Meadows leaves his New York City job for the journey to his suburban home and wife Emily and two small children. When he arrives, he finds the kind of chaos that's become all too frequent in his life. His wife is day drinking more and more, often neglecting the children to the point of problems.

Martin's company had transferred him to New York. "The change from Alabama to New York had somehow disturbed her; accustomed to the idle warmth of a small Southern town, the matrix of the family and cousinship and childhood friends, she had failed to accommodate herself to the stricter, lonelier mores of the North. The duties of motherhood and housekeeping were onerous to her. Homesick for Paris City, she had made no friends in the suburban towns. She read only magazines and murder books. Her interior life was insufficient without the artifice of alcohol."

Emily's husband even hired a maid from Alabama, but that doesn't help. The secret drinking continues, with Emily often calling him at work the next day to apologize for her behavior the night before. She is totally lost in her new environment, and Martin has been unable to help her. 

I wonder if some of McCullers' own experience when she moved to New York just out of high school found its way into this work. "A Domestic Dilemma" is well worth reading, like all the items in this collection. McCullers was a wonderful writer. You can read a more detailed analysis of the story here














A film based on McCullers' first novel was released in 1968. Although the work is set in small town Georgia, the movie was filmed in Selma. You can see the Edmund Pettus bridge in the background of this title card below. I'll be doing a future post on the film and novel, both of which are excellent. 
















Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Alabama History & Culture News: July 27 edition

 


Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!


Fourth Avenue, Civil Rights District transforming amid Birmingham's 150th anniversary
In the Fourth Avenue Business District, the historic center of Black ... re-envisioning of the historic Carver Theatre and Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Civil Rights trail keeps Tuscaloosa history alive
That includes attractions connected to Alabama's civil rights history, like Tuscaloosa's Civil Rights History Trail. The pandemic shut down these tours in ...

Jesse Owens' granddaughter visits Alabama museum
Dortch met an English teacher who said that learning about Jesse Owens made her a better teacher, specifically regarding the novel “The Book Thief.”.


Mountain View Baptist Church celebrates 100 years in Phil Campbell
Jimmy Austin of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission and Larry Dover, director of missions for Franklin Baptist Association, presented the ...

Loachapoka has a Walking Trail, 30 Years in the Making
... years with the financial assistance from the Alabama Historical Commission, Vulcan Materials, Adams Construction, Superior Lawn and Sign World.


Ocmulgee Baptist Church, Selma celebrates 200th anniversary
He presented the church with a certificate, as did Lonette Berg, executive director of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission. A potluck lunch ...

History of Almeria School Building distributed
"When the Almeria School, closed the State of Alabama deeded the land (2 acres) and building to the officials of the community club (1955).


Company plans to bottle Mineral Springs water
Mineral Springs has been a popular spot in the history of Chilton County ... The actual spring is getting attention again as Alabama Mineral Springs ...


Fossil found in Alabama resembles reptile skin, but looks are deceiving, experts say
A rare fossil that resembles the skin peeled from an extinct creature has been donated to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, and experts say its ...


Heritage House Museum begins construction in Mobile's Africatown neighborhood
The Alabama Historical Commission released a request Tuesday seeking a contractor to provide divers who can assess and document the remains of .


Saturday's Market Day offers a new take on slavery in Old Alabama Town
Old Alabama Town has a new take on some of its history, and the tale of it will be a highlight of Saturday's Market Day. Along with the music and many ...


This historic Alabama bridge is one of only a few like it in the world
A preserved bridge in Alabama is a reminder to locals of terrifying crossings, in which cars, trains and a span raised for barges might cause a collision ...


Telling the story of my granduncle, a priest murdered by the KKK in Alabama in 1921
Despite the gap of more than 100 years from the main action of the novel to the present day, I knew Marcella in her old age. She moved in with us when I ...

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Movies with Alabama Connections: Henry Browne, Farmer [1942]

Usually the films I examine in the "Movies with Alabama Connections" series are fictional, but this one is a "documentary" short made during World War II. I ran across it recently and thought it featured several interesting elements. The film was released in 1942 by the Agricultural Adjustment Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Created during the New Deal, the agency promoted modern agricultural methods and agriculture's importance to the nation. Henry Browne, Farmer was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award in 1943. 

In its nearly eleven minute running time, the film has three parts. The first is a brief opening that sets the context of agriculture's importance to the nation's effort in World War II. We see marching soldiers, tanks, a scene in a factory. Then the narrator tells us agricultural production is just as vital. The second, main section depicts a day in the lives of Henry Browne and his family on the farm. Finally, we see the family make a special visit to Tuskegee

Below are some screen shots and further comments. This film, along with three earlier ones from the Agriculture Department dealing with African-Americans, are  given extensive analysis in J. Emmett Winn's 2012 book, Documenting Racism: African Americans in US Department of Agriculture Documentaries, 1921-42 [Continuum, 2012]. You can find the detailed chapter on Henry Browne, Farmer and the rest of the book here

Winn notes, "As with the other films addressed in this book, the filmmakers constructed a reality that informs and persuades the audience to understand and accept the content as accurate and believable. Henry Browne accomplishes these goals by showing the Brownes as they go about their lives on the farm; segments include the introduction of the members of the Browne family and their farm, the family eating a nutritious breakfast, the merits of the family garden, the importance of raising livestock, the preventive maintenance and reusing of materials, and the careful use of the land. Each of these segments demonstrates that the Brownes are model farmers who utilize the best judgment and practices in managing their farm and home." He also observes that unlike the other agency films about African-Americans, the race of the Brownes is never mentioned.

Despite the realism, the family is apparently fictional. No one is named except the father and his son Henry Jr. The individuals playing the father, mother, children and older brother may have been Macon County residents, but are not credited in the film. I presume the Agricultural Adjustment Agency would not have had the budget to bring in actors from elsewhere. I did not find a Henry Browne and family in the 1930 or 1940 U.S. Census for Macon County. 

In the final pages of his chapter, Winn addresses the ultimate irony of Henry Browne, Farmer. "The Brownes live in a black America that is separate from white America, and the film suggests that the situation is not just okay; it is good. I argue that the film is deceptive in its support of the doctrine of separate-but-equal Jim Crow racism. The Brownes thrive in a racially separate world where everything is not only going well but also improving. In the last year the Brownes have improved their meals, livestock, and crops. In comparison with the other USDA films about rural black populations, Henry Browne presents favorable conditions for African American farmers in Alabama." The Browne family seems to exist in its own successful world outside the realities of segregation and the real status of blacks in America at the time.

The film was a success in that it was shown to many black audiences around the country by extension agents and distributed to some 500 theaters by Republic Pictures. Walter White, who was Executive Secretary of the NAACP for many years, wrote to the Agriculture Department praising the work. You can watch the film at the U.S. Library of Congress' web site.












Three men are credited on the film. Roger Barlow [1912-1990] has various director and cinematographer credits listed on the IMDB between 1937 and 1973. Gene Forrell [1915-2005] was a composer and conductor with various credits--mostly documentary shorts--on the IMDB between 1942-1965. His Wikipedia entry has a bit more information. 

After working as a jockey, boxer and musician, Canada Lee [1907-1952] became an actor in the Federal Theatre Project and worked in Orson Welles' 1936 production of Macbeth featuring an all-black cast. Before World War II Lee was also active in civil rights causes. After the war he was blacklisted and died just before he was to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. 

After the scenes of marching soldiers, tanks on the move and industrial factory production, the camera moves to a rural scene and pans from the Browne's barn to the house. 





We see farmer Browne washing his face first thing in the morning. 




The younger son is shown milking a cow. 




After their initial household and barn chores are done, the husband, wife, and two younger children sit down to a hearty breakfast.




Then Henry Browne heads to one of his fields to begin plowing after checking soil conditions. 




Before she and her mother head to the garden to weed, the younger daughter goes to the hen house to collect some eggs. 





These stills have an artistic feel, foregrounding the iron pot and ax with the hen house/barn in the background and the bucket and tools hanging on a wall. 






Mother, son and daughter hoe the garden; Henry Browne can be seen at the plow in the background. This scene shows the family working together as a team to make their land as productive as possible. 







Here the family climbs into their wagon for the trip to Tuskegee. No rest for the mules!






In the background we can see the marquee of the Macon Theater which opened in 1935. The facility featured two auditoriums, one for whites and one for blacks. Of course, restrooms, drinking fountains, ticket offices, entrances and concessions were also duplicated. 




The Brantley grocery store apparently began operation in 1933. 





Their son is at the gate to meet his family, and they walk toward the airfield. 






Here the son is being helped into his parachute before his practice run as a pilot. 










The rest of the family watches proudly as his and other planes take off.







Washington [DC] Star 18 Nov 1942

Source: Chronicling America/Library of Congress



Michigan Chronicle 12 Dec 1942

Source: Chronicling America/Library of Congress





Northwest Enterprise [Seattle] 30 December 1942

Source: Chronicling America/Library of Congress












Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Alabama History & Culture News: July 20 edition

 


Here's the latest batch of links to just-published Alabama history and culture articles. Most of these items are from newspapers, with others from magazines and TV and radio station websites. Enjoy!


Author bases book in Phil Campbell
After talking with friend Judy Hale about a town in Alabama where she grew up, Richardson-McGhee decided to set part of her book, “A Harlot's Hope ...


A Conversation With Author Of New Civil Rights Trail Book
Author Lee Sentell is among the nation's longest-serving state tourism directors, having led Alabama's agency for nearly two decades and he ...


Photos show historic moments of animals and humans flying to space
Photos show historic moments of animals and humans flying to space ... she was buried at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.


'The Wonder Years' Reboot Set in 1960s Alabama to Debut on ABC This Fall
Meanwhile, the historical context of the show gave it depth. Although Kevin didn't seem to realize the importance of the events taking place around him ...


'Sweet Home Alabama' Cast: Where Are They Now?
After winning over Jake (and moviegoers) in Sweet Home Alabama, the ... In 2018, she authored the book Whiskey in a Teacup, and the following year ...


'Dangling Between Heaven & Earth': Tuscaloosa's Violent History
Disclaimer: This story includes subject matter, language and accounts of violence that may not be suitable for all readers. VANCE, AL — Elmore Clark ...



Will Africatown State Park finally happen 36 years after the Alabama Legislature created it?
Ludgood, a commissioner since 2007, has spearheaded efforts to showcase the distinct cultural and historical significance of the neighborhood ...


Huntsville show 'Rooted in History' spotlights Alabama folk art including Jason Isbell
A new show and sale of Alabama folk art – much of it by Black artists – is bringing people to Harrison Brothers Hardware, a Huntsville fixture on the ...


Gorgas Baptist Church celebrates 100th anniversary
... on behalf of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission, and David Miller, ... after lunch, and everyone present received a booklet of church history.


Birmingham group gets funds to assist civil rights sites
“By preserving Alabama's African American historical sites, we begin to craft a more accurate historical picture,” he said. “Alabama has some of the ...


Birmingham Mineral Railroad Signs Project points the way to Magic City history
Alabama NewsCenter is presenting a continuing series marking the 150th birthday of the city of Birmingham. RELATED: Birmingham birthed from ' ...


Novelist Joshilyn Jackson to keynote 16th annual Clarksville Writers Conference
Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 10 novels, including “Gods in Alabama,” “Never Have I Ever” and “Mother ...

He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy. An eternal flame illuminates his grave 24 hours a day. Appropriately, it is furnished by the City of Troy ...


Clarke County Historical Society resumes monthly meetings, schedule of speakers announced
Paula Webb is a tenured librarian at the University of South Alabama. Her first book was “Mobile Under Siege: Surviving the Union Blockade.”.



Living History Crew to drill Saturday August 7 at USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park
MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — The USS ALABAMA and USS DRUM Living History Crews will be in the park on Saturday, August 7, for their summer drill.

Head in clouds: 5-year-old Alabama boy writes first book
Head in clouds: 5-year-old Alabama boy writes first book ... Julius Alexander Marshall, of Mobile County, has published a book about weather that ...


Alabama elects first Black Republican to House in 140 years
I think they were looking for an outsider,” Paschal said in a statement. Insight by HackerOne: Download this exclusive e-book and learn how the idea of a ...


New novel shines light on incredible family story
It is fitting then that Fr Coyle's tragic death far from his native Drum in Birmingham, Alabama, 100 years ago next month at the hands of a Methodist ...