What a great big Sundae you have!

Salutations! I am delighted you are here.

Valentine’s Day has never been one of my favorite holidays (in case you were wondering… it’s Halloween) however, I have always tried to make the best of it. Prior to being with Benjamin, I struggle to recall a time when I received an unsolicited Valentine. Of corpse, I did experience the brimming shoebox in grade school filled with messages of admiration and fondness. Quite the racket that was.

There is one Valentine’s Day in particular that has not left my mind though. During my college days I was single and working at a movie theater in Philadelphia’s Old City. This was a time in my life in which I walked everywhere. I decided on my way home I was going to grab some Chinese food, a bouquet of flowers, an adult beverage and watch Casablanca. In true Kicks fashion, I didn’t read the weather report. While leaving the Chinese restaurant, there was a torrential downpour and I was without an umbrella. I remember not being salty about it. Instead I just pondered how this could quite possibly be how I meet my true love… just like in the movies!

Well. The only true love I experienced that night was the romance between Rick and Ilsa. If I learned anything from that evening, it is that dead people never let me down. They are always around waiting for me. If you find yourself alone this Valentine’s day, I recommend making a big bowl of spaghetti, climbing into some comfy clothes and curling up with your favorite flick. Escape in the magic of the movies. I guarantee you’ll feel less lonely.

I dabble in filmmaking with my best friend forever, Katie McBrown. In 2021 we released our first short, a slasher flick, Pizzaman which you can purchase digitally here.

We have started working our next project entitled, Compannequin and are in the beginning stages of the writing process. As part of my blueprints for The Grand Fanstastical Escape to Become Film, I wanted to start partaking in writing prompts. Essentially, exercising my brain and getting the creative juices flowing by scribbling down words to get in the practice of writing more often. With Katie’s blessing, I have decided to start sharing the backstory of our main characters in my newsletter.

“Death ends a life… not a relationship.”

There are couples that you meet in this life that simply were made for one another. Their romance is straight out of a Tracy and Hepburn picture. Much like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, they exhibit perfection. This was Flossie and Herbert, otherwise known to his friends simply as Herbie.

The two were inseparable. As teenagers of the fifties, they enjoyed the drive-in theater, roller rink and regular visits to the malt shop for a milkshake. Their favorite was a black ‘n white, no whip and extra cherries. It was their senior year, 1959, and they had such glorious plans for their future. Herbie and Flossie would attend college together locally. He would study to be an architect, while she would pursue a mystery writing career and study English. After college graduation, they would marry.

When Flossie wasn’t necking with Herbie, she would undoubtedly have her nose in a book. She started with Nancy Drew mysteries and eventually moved on to Agatha Christie. In October 1959 she found a new obsession in the sci-fi televison program, The Twilight Zone. She would speak endlessly to Herbie about it along with her twin sister, Martha. The show sparked much curiosity and provided creativity for the young writer. Martha, who happened to be a spitting image of Flossie found the show equally intriguing, but for more devilish purposes. While Flossie was out canoodling with Herbie (a man that Martha secretly pined for) Martha was at home studying the supernatural and dabbling with her Ouija board. Unbeknownst to their mother Ruthie, the “demonic” game had not hit the trash.

Martha and Flossie were often compared to Hollywood starlets of the golden age. Brunettes such as Gene Tierney, Ava Gardner or Elizabeth Taylor often came to mind. On the outside the two were identical, but it was the inside in which they were vastly different. Martha lived in a world filled with light, sunshine, puppies and kittens while Flossie was in the dark amongst the shadows with the snakes.

On June 10 1960, a rainy evening, Martha and Flossie gathered around the telly with a gigantic bowl of buttery popcorn to watch the new episode of The Twilight Zone, “After Hours”. The episode shares the adventure of a mannequin that is on a holiday of sorts. It is learned that, for one month at a time, mannequins of a department store take turns to live amongst humans. Sadly, the young girl on adventure forgets the truth and becomes quite upset when she has to live a wooden life of inflexibility.

After the program ended the twins were brimming with conversation. Flossie found herself a bit creeped out, “Imagine not being aware you are a mannequin!”. She wondered if one still had thoughts while stationary. Martha was intrigued and believed that with a little bit of hocus pocus she may have just found her way to Herbert’s heart.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Have you checked out some of my latest dispatches? I’ve been writing up a storm lately over at MovieJawn.com. Here are some of my writings, musings and other sweet stuff that you may have missed.

My Sundance coverage continues. You can find my latest dispatch here. I still have more full reviews that I will be posting in the upcoming weeks and months as the flicks start to release.

During the era of pre-code romance (motion pictures that were made in Tinseltown during 1927-1934) there was more to life than love, baby carriages and dinners on the table at five. After 1934, film stories would begin to change and with that so would their representations of love. Here you can find some of my favorite, sizzling Pre-Code romances that showcase sassy ladies, thrilling flings and stories with moxie.

TOMORROW! under the pale moonlight Batzinia Belfry (ME) will host THE CINEMATIC CRYPT LOVE BITES VALENTINE RADIO SPECIAL from GRAVESLAND, TN with special appearance from the vampire about town, Bela Lugosi. You don’t want to miss this, creepies… subscribe where ever you snag pods or download here at MovieJawn.com. Don’t forget your cape!

The Spring 2023 print issue of MovieJawn is now available for pre-order here. This edition celebrates cinema inside the squared circle from boxing to wrestling. Single issues and subscriptions are available in the shop. Or consider supporting MovieJawn through Patreon here. Our $5 per month tier includes a subscription to the zine after three months along, with a bunch of other cinematic goodies. xx. goodbye