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beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Beck Jones
@beckjoneshere.bsky.social
1.1K followers 750 following 1.4K posts
Writer

#books, #booksky
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beckjoneshere.bsky.social
What with the announcement of Operation Southern Spear, seems like.a good time to appreciate a very funny movie while we can still laugh. Real life: Hard to know what Trump will do as the story unfolds.

#moviesky #filmsky
November 15, 2025 at 11:54 AM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Caldecott and Newbery winner William Steig, #botd in 1907, was 61 before he wrote his first children's book. He was the King of Cartoons at the New Yorker, contributing more than 2,000 beginning in 1930. He wrote more than 30 children's books, including Shrek.

#booksky, #cartoons #writers #movies
Image from the children's book Shrek, showing Shrek talking to Donkey. The text is "Hey Donky, let's kick up our heels. It's William Steig's birthday."
November 14, 2025 at 1:54 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Call him Ishmael: Moby Dick was published #otd in 1851 in America after publication in London a month prior. The novel's reception was disappointing; Melville worked for the next 20 years as a customs inspector. Life sucks, then you die but sometimes masterpieces live on.

#booksky #writers
Sepia print of painting of a ship tossed on a stormy sea. A quote from Moby Dick is positioned at the top "I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts."
November 14, 2025 at 1:50 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
#jobsreport #trump
Color image of Kevin Hassett with a chef's hat photoshopped on his head. Headline is "Eat it, America!" Text below is "Kevin Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council, says they've "cooked" the. jobs number and they're ready to "concoct" the report."
November 13, 2025 at 8:12 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
#botd this day in 1938, Jean Seberg (below with Jean-Paul Belmondo in Breathless) got her start in St. Joan, which was maybe predictive: She committed suicide at 40, hounded to her death by a coordinated campaign by the FBI because of her support for civil rights.

#filmsky #moviesky
Black and white still from Breathless with Jean Seberg in the foreground and Jean-Paul Belmondo behind her with his face against hers and a hand on her shoulder.
November 13, 2025 at 12:19 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
After all the sound and fury surrounding the project (pre Fox News!) the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, dedicated #otd in 1982, would go on to become one of the most popular attractions in Washington, and a deeply meaningful experience for many. It's never been easy to have good things.
#resistance
photo by the National Park Service of the Vietnam Memorial at sunrise, showing side view of wall with etched names visible; trees are also reflected in it, with Washington Monument in the background.
November 13, 2025 at 12:09 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
He was more well known for his satirical works; the quote below is from a 2005 essay collection subtitled "A Memoir of Life in George W. Bush's America" It was his final work. Kurt Vonnegut, #botd in 1922.

#booksky #writers #libraries
Color image of Kurt Vonnegut from the 60s. He's sitting on a bench with leafy trees behind him, a cigarette between his fingers. Adjacent quote is "So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House, or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries." Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country.
November 11, 2025 at 12:47 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Robert Ryan, #botd in 1909, brought quiet intensity to every part, whether as a vicious killer in Crossfire, a star-crossed lover in Clash by Night, an over-the-hill boxer in The Setup or a world-weary outlaw in The Wild Bunch. Westerns, modern dramas, leading man or supporting.

#moviesky #filmsky
Color photo of Robert Ryan in the Wild Bunch. Headline is Robert Ryan. Adjacent text "He put the character into character actor."
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was Bardot's shtick, but this is Sir Richard Burton, #botd in 1925, he of prodigious talent, charisma, and that voice. Below, a still from Sea Wife (which co-starred Joan Collins as a nun!) He died at 58, no surprise given his prodigious drinking.

#moviesky #filmsky
Still of Richard Burton in Sea Wife. He's wearing a white shirt with the sleeve torn away, and a palm tree is behind him. The headline is "On the sixth day God made Richard Burton. And on the seventh day, he just sat around admiring his handiwork."
November 10, 2025 at 1:38 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
The great Claude Rains #botd in 1889, made movies a bit more interesting, and honestly, more fun. He played the villain often but with elan and also great humanity. Below, in Casablanca, he's a villain turned ally. (nothing to do with Trump).

#moviesky #filmsky
Black and white image of Claude Rains and Humphrey Bogart taken from the film Casablanca. The headline is "I tell you I'm shocked, shocked, shocked that Donald Trump's second term has been a disaster."
November 10, 2025 at 1:23 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Photographer and documentarian Robert Frank, #botd in 1924, showed photographers a new way forward even as he showed America a side of themselves they may not have seen, or wanted to see.

#booksky #photography
Black and white image for The Americans, a book of photographs by Robert Frank with an introduction by Jack Kerouac.
November 9, 2025 at 1:53 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Poet Anne Sexton, #botd in 1928, also wrote plays and children's books, and although she was a confessional poet, her specific feelings in "Her Kind" below resonated with many women then and now.

#booksky #poety #writers
November 9, 2025 at 1:48 PM
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Poet Anne Sexton, #botd in 1928, was as troubled as she was talented, and may have caused as much pain to her children as she herself suffered. She died by suicide at age 45. Below, The Black Art.

#booksky #poetry
November 9, 2025 at 1:41 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Kay Thompson, #botd in 1909, may seem an unlikely person to have written a beloved children's book series, but Thompson was many things: Singer, actress, composer, dancer, choreographer. Movie fans remember her fondly as the indomitable editor Maggie in Funny Face.

#booksky #writers #moviesky
Illustration of Eloise from the children's book. She is standing with her skirt spread out, with her turtle and pug standing next to her. The headline is "Weenie and Skipperdee and I are having a party today. If you are at the Plaza, you can come. Maybe. (It's Kay Thompson's birthday.)"
November 9, 2025 at 1:37 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Bram Stoker, #botd in 1847, whose work will never die.....

#booksky #writers
Still from the newest film adaptation of Dracula; in shrouded darkness what appears to be a woman is being carried by what a man. The headline beneath is "Have some friends over tonight to celebrate the birth of Bram Stoker."
November 8, 2025 at 12:49 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Nobel and Booker Prize-winning novelist and screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro, #botd in 1954 in Nagasaki, moved to Great Britain as a child. His novels are heartbreaking, and the two that have been adapted--The Remains of Day (referenced below) and Never Let Me Go--are, too.

#booksky #writers #moviesky
Color still from The Remains of Day. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson sit side-by-side in the dark. The headline above is, "Why, Mr. Stevens, why, why, why do you always have to pretend."
November 8, 2025 at 12:46 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Prosecutor actually said he threw the sandwich "at point blank range." (I love this movie, so think of this as promotion rather than defacement of a poster!)
November 6, 2025 at 9:22 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
The prosecutor actually said he threw the sandwich "at point blank range."
November 6, 2025 at 9:20 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
The prosecutor actually said he threw the sandwich at "point blank range." Sorry to deface poster for a great movie, but this is also a reminder to watch if you haven't! Peak Marvin! Peak Boorman! Angie Dickinson! Vintage tough guys and scum bags!
#sandwichguy #resistance #moviesky #filmsky
Poster for film Point Blank, with Lee Marvin marked out with Sandwich Guy, and to the film's line "There are two kinds of people in his up-tight world, the added text reads "People who will throw a sandwich and people who won't."
November 6, 2025 at 9:11 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
She broke into television as the cheery Gidget and Flying Nun, but her memoir revealed some less than cheery experiences. Two Oscars (reference in headline below), two Golden Globes, three Emmys, a BAFTA and Tony nomination: Sally Field "did the work." #botd in 1946
#moviesky #filmsky #television
Still from film Norma Rae showing Sally Field holding up a Union sign in a dramatic moment from the film. The headline is "Yes, we really, really like you. So we're going to vote you a really, really, happy birthday!"
November 6, 2025 at 12:28 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Reality Bites: The young heartthrob of that movie--the wispy budding poet of Dead Poets--is now 55! Fifties have been fab for him, though. New novel, more commercial success (Black Phone, still below), and now Blue Moon is said to be a career highlight.

#moviesky #writers #booksky
Still from film Black Phone showing a telephone hung on a wood paneled wall apparently stained with blood. The headline is for God's sake, Ethan, don't answer the phone. It's another birthday calling."
November 6, 2025 at 12:20 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
With collaborator Ben Hecht, MacArthur, #botd in 1895, wrote classic plays turned classic movies like Twentieth Century and The Front Page, a version of which, His Girl Friday, is below. Husband of Helen Hayes, brother of the guy who started the "genius" awards.

#moviesky #film #writer #drama
Still from the black and white film "His Girl Friday" with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell both talking into the receivers of telephone. The caption underneath is "Hold the presses!! It's Charles MacArthur's birthday!"
November 5, 2025 at 1:00 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Fear not, good sir. For the brazenly illegal act of voting Anthony was arrested two weeks later, eventually convicted and fined $200. Voting is a right that was hard fought--and now we have to convince people to do it.

#vote #midterms
A black and white illustration of a man sitting at a table writing with an oversized quill pen. In handwriting type, the adjacent text is "November 5, 1872 That hussy Susan B. Anthony dared to cast a vote in today's presidential election. There must be consequences!"
November 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
Owen was killed #otd in 1918 as his unit crossed the Sombre-Oise Canal just one week before Armistice; he was just 25. One of half dozen poets killed in that war, Owen, like friend and fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon, wrote of war's reality. Below, Anthem for a Doomed Youth.

#booksky #writers #poetry
November 4, 2025 at 12:10 PM
beckjoneshere.bsky.social
No point in nostalgia, but still worth a mention, given recent events.

#CBS #CBSnews #media
black and white image of Walter Cronkite at a podium speaking. Adjacent text is a quote from him "Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy." Walter Cronkite born on this day in 1916.
November 4, 2025 at 12:03 PM