Month: July 2019

Forties on 181

. . .the cars stand out on their own, irrespective of plot.

A recent film shoot brought an array of interesting, old-timey cars. There was a similar yet smaller array a few months ago, for what I later learned was a shoot for a film version of Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America, which is set in the early 1940s, in an alternate history wherein Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin Delano Roosevelt for President, largely on an isolationist and anti-semitic campaign platform.

While that sounds bleak, the cars stand out on their own, irrespective of plot.

  • Cadillac
    Black Cadillac, Film Shoot. July 2019
  • Blue Dodge.
    Blue Dodge. Film Shoot. July 2019
  • Buick Eight
    Buick Eight. Film Shoot. July 2019
  • Old Car
    Old Car. Film Shoot. July 2019
  • Box Truck
    Box Truck. Film Shoot. July 2019

It’s the Caddy that really caught my eye. That thing was a beaut.

Cadillac
Black Cadillac, Film Shoot. July 2019

“Long, black Cadillac,” indeed.

While the Dodge was equally gorgeous, I was able to get closer to a Buick Eight, not quite as shiny, but seemingly all the more lovable for it.

Buick Eight
Buick Eight. Film Shoot. July 2019

Look at that grille!

Buick Eight
Buick Eight. Film Shoot. July 2019

And now, the interior:

Buick Eight (interior)
Buick Eight (interior). Film Shoot. July 2019

Back to a time of bench seats and solenoid buttons. I had to wonder, what would people then make today of our touchscreens for everything from music to phone calls to navigation?

There were some more cars staged down the block. Here’s the rest.

Old Cars
Old Cars. Film Shoot. July 2019

Forbearing Witness

I received a handwritten letter the other day from a Jehovah’s Witness. From the envelope, the purpose and contents were unclear; the return address as well as mine were handwritten. Of course, the return address is a JW hall in Harlem, approximately thirty blocks south.

It’s a friendly letter, succinct and to the point. Important information to share, and our work is not commercial. There’s an expression of hope someday soon I will be able to speak to it personally.

Perhaps this is how Jehovah’s Witnesses solicit in an urban environment? I’m more familiar with them going door to door; that happened to me in college, as well as to a friend around that time. In a city full of apartment buildings, though, access to front doors of homes is challenging, and in some cases might result in legal action. So, I suppose writing letters makes sense, and the handwritten approach certainly caught my attention in a way that a mass flyer would not.

Yet, I’m wondering: how did they get my mailing address? It is addressed to me by name, not “resident” or something similarly generic. Certainly, in this age of information processing, innumerable sources of mailing addresses are available, but just how did they come by my information? Was this a one-time transcription or is there a database owned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses?

I don’t know very much about their theology, other than that they don’t celebrate birthdays or several other holidays, including those based in mainstream Christian traditions. I take that they’re a more austere sect, and from the pamphlets are focused on bible study.