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Hello Americans (Vi-
king, $32.95)
Cinema mavens and
simple movie fans can
rejoice: the second vol-
ume of Simon Callow's
scrupulouslyresearched
biographyofOrsonWelles
has been published. The
first volume, The Road
to Xanadu, took Welles
from his birth through
the release of his first
film,CitizenKane (1941).
Thisvolumetakesupim-
mediatelyafterKane,and
traces the arc of Welles' career untiIT94T
, when'he went
into self-imposed exile in Europe for more than 20 years.
Not only does the volume cover films-The Magnificent
Ambersons (sliced to a shadow of Welles' intention);
the Brazilian epic,It's All True, aborted and never really
completed; the spectacular The Lady from Shanghai ,
again destroyed by the studio with inept editing and
awful soundtrack; and the half-baked, yet fascinating
Macbeth -but it also covers Welles' career as a political
pundit,afuzzyleftist,just beforethehorrors oftheHouse
Un-American Activities Committee . . . an event that
contributed to his flight from the United States.
Callowisreally amagnificent biographer.Hiswork on
CharlesLaughton (Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor)
reallysetthebenchmarkforbothscholarshipandhuman-
ity in dealingwith a public figure in the arts.
That Callowisprimarilyknownasanactor anddirector
proves renaissance men reallydo exist.(For those ofyou
fuzzy on his looks, he was the hirsute gay man in Four
Weddings and a Funeral.) This massive,400-pages-plus
volume on the middle period of Welles'life is day-to-day
detailed beyond one's wildest wish, yet fully captures
both Welles'humanityandhisfollies. Callowisnot quick
to judge any of his subject's foibles, yet doesn't shrink
from reporting Welles' sometimes callous and outre'
work habits. Apparently,Wellessuffered from a chronic
inability to finish something, perhaps lest it be judged.
As a result, films were edited after he left a project to
work on another, then never edited as well as the only
film he ever really completed, Citizen Kane.
That Welles may have been an American tragedy
-destroyed by the potential engendered in his youth,
and never able to come up to the standard he himself
had set -is left unspoken by Callow, but Welles' genius
iskeenly illustrated. Simon Callow is a man who clearly
knowsthe entertainmentbusinessbetter thanmost,and
thisbiographyisilluminating,touching, and,ultimately,
heartbreaking.
Gone With the
(Windsors (Harper-
Collins, $24.95)
Laurie Graham's
fourth novel is billed
as "awicked comedy
about the romance
of the century." Told
in the form of a diary
by (the fictional) rich,
but dim, Baltimore
social climber May-
bell Brumby writing
between the years of
1932-1940 (with an
epilogue after World
War II), the work is
rich and strangely
moving - and far
[more bittersweet
[
than wicked.
"The Diary of Maybell Brumby" begins shortly after
she iswidowed by a somewhat older, very rich husband.
Maybell goes to London, where her sister is living, and
reconnects with her old school chum, Wallis Simpson.
Positioned to observe and record in her diary the ro-
mance of Wallis and Windsor -from their first meeting
throughthe abdication andbeyond -Maybell growsand
matures from a daffy, selfish, mean person to a warm,
loving,happy woman.Wallisand Windsor, in the course
of the book, are related to be the second- (not to say
fourth-) raters that they were. Walliswas an avaricious
harridan,Windsoranineffectual,infantile dimwit.There
waseven arumor that Walliswasactually a man, but no
such rumor ever surfaced about Windsor.
The book is rich in historical detail, and cleverly and
completelyresearched.Fortunately,agreatdealhasbeen
writtenabout "theromanceofthe century,"but Graham
skewers and nails time and events with diamond-hard
precision. The beginningof the book is a bit slow-going
because Maybell is so self-absorbed and stupid , but, as
she progresses to the position of lady-in-waitingto the
almost Queen of England,her growthinlove and humor
and humanity is delicately traced so that by the end of
the book, she has become an endearing old broad who
could easily serve as a model for Auntie Mame.
Thephrase"GonewiththeWind"was,ofcourse,coined
bytheEnglishVictorianpoet Earnest Dowson,andused
most famouslybyAmericannovelist Margaret Mitchell.
It suggestsapast that islost,never to be reclaimed,and,
ineveryway,substitutingthe word "Windsors"isperfect.
Like alost love,thisisapast -somewhat charming, but
ultimately an empty and silly part of history.The mad
carousingcharactersandmaddeningcustomsoftherich
and famous in that long-ago world seem strangely sad
CONTINUED ON PAGE C:2
THEWRITE STUFF
Leslie Meier.
Mailer, Meier and the Ice
Cream King
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
WHALE FOR SALE - Great Spirit is on
the village green in Hyannis. Bids for the
sculpture have reached nearly $1,000.
John Buffalo Mailer has Norman
Mailer.Leslie Meier has Lucy Stone.
But DickWarren may be the happiest
of all -he has ice cream!
The Cape Cod Writers' Center has
fined up a diverse bunch for next
Friday's"Breakfast withthe Authors"
at the Wianno Club in Osterville. For
$10, you can settle in at 9:30 a.m. for
beverages, pastries, presentations
and a Q & A session.
Mailer's recent book is The Big
Empty: Dialogues on Politics, Sex ,
God, Boxing, Morality, Myth . Poker
and Bad Conscience in America. It's
acollection of conversations between
two generations of Mailer men,touch-
ing on their own relationship as well
as the issues of the day.
Meier'sfictional sleuth Lucy Stone
makes her 13th appearance next
month in Bake Sale Murder. The
Harwich writer put a little of herself
(reporter and mother) into Lucy and
a little of her town into her protago-
nist's (Tinker's Cove, Maine).
What can you say about Dick War-
ren, a man who went from owning
Four SeasIce Cream in Centerville to
beingits official taster? The cherry on
the top of his career is The Complete
Idiot'sGuide to Homemade Ice Cream,
written with Bobbi Dempsey.
For reservations and directions,
call 508-420-0200 or send an e-mail
to writers(«capecodwrtierscenter.
org. You can pay at the door.
Pod cast heads to auction
They've delighted manyand puzzled
some, those colorful characters seen
alongthe Cape'smainstreets thissum-
mer. No, we're not talkingabout tour-
ists, but the pod of whale sculptures
painted to remind us of everyone from
John F.Kennedy to Edward Gorey and
Andy Warhol, as well as the intrinsic
worth of the creatures.
Tomorrow from 10a.m.to noon,the
artists and sponsors of whales at the
Lamb and Lion Inn on the Northside
and, in Hyannis, Bismore and Aselton
parks, TD BankNorth, and the JFK
museum,willbe onhandto chat about
their contributions. Then it's time to
getreadyfor the Sept.23auction ofthe
whales at the Four Points by Sheraton
in Hyannis.
Bidding is continuing at www.Ca-
peAndIslandsWhaleTrail.com,andthe
highest bidder for each of the whales
will be invited to the auction free of
charge. For everyone else, tickets are
$70 and available by calling 800-291-
7720.
Your dog belongs in a
museum
And you can take Rover there
Sept. 5 through 17 when Cape Cod
Maritime Museum presents, "Cape
Cod Seadogs," its exhibit of photos
of local pooches frolicking on the
water. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday to Saturday and noon to 4
p.m. Sunday.
CONTINUED ON PAGE C:2
ARTS NOTEBOOK
%Ji' The
Boy Who
Saved a Cape Cod
Town (and Other
Cape Cod Stories)
By Admont G. Clark
with illustrations by Richard M. Fraser
Self-published, Orleans, 2006
Paperback, 56 pages; $12.95
By Kathleen Szmit
kszmit@barnstablepatriot.com
Cape Cod is an area rich in his-
tory, but the question remains how
to interest the younger generation.
Orleans ant.hnr Arimnnt,G Clark has
the answer: write an appealing and
historical book.
The Boy Who Saved a Cape Cod
Townisacollection of true tales about
Cape Cod and the Islands. Spread
over 14 enchanting chapters, Clark's
account takesreaders of allages from
"TheFirstEnglish Settlement" to the
tragic "Sinking of the Andrea Doria ,"
events that shaped far more than the
Cape Cod landscape.
In language easy enough for the
younger generation to understand ,
yet engaging enough to draw in older
readers, Clark'sbook is an entertain-
ing and enlightening read.
Wash-ashores, natives and visitors
alike will appreciate Clark's book
for revealing aspects of Cape history
that were either not known at all,
or known but not in such a vibrant
perspective.
For example, in "The Loss of the
'Sparrow Hawk,'" Clark details the
wreck of the sailing vessel off the
shoals of Cape Cod. "When a gale
rose they lost their anchor and were
driven into the sand, but the ship
'sprung ye but of a plank or too and
beat out the occum' (oakum, stuffed
between planks)."
It isthrough the ideal combination
of Clark'sdialogand interspersed "old
world" recollections that the stories
unfold with a quiet magic.
Addingto the charmof the tales are
the simpleyet captivatingpen and ink
illustrations by Richard M. Fraser.In
his artistic renderings readers get a
clear image of life well before paved
roads and fast cars.
The Boy Who Saved a Cape Cod
Town will appeal to adults who trea-
surethe magnificent place that isCape
Cod and wish to learn more about its
early days. It will also appeal to stu-
dents wishingto learn more about the
true history of where they live.
The book also makes a lovely gift
for family and friends who live away
but might wish to know more about
this idyllic oceanic peninsula.
That Clark is truly appreciative of
the place he callshome is apparent in
the care with which he recounts each
of these classic tales. The Boy Who
Saved a Cap e Cod Town is a treasure
to be savored.
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Cape Playhouse saves
one of its best for last
By Courtney Staples
arts@barnstabl8patriot.com
KATHLEEN A FAHLE PHOTO
PUPPY LOVE - Frisky Sylvia (Nancy Anderson) isthe center of attention for Greg (Sam Freed), much
to the amusement of friend Tom (Peter Quinn) and irritation of Greg's spouse Kate (Linda Dano).
It'
s an all-too-
common
dilemma: a
young, perky , J
girl stum- -JL
fc, bles into -m
•T M. ¦*
*
S
the life of a married man, whose : -
wife grows bitter with jealousy. Ex- y > ;
cept in the case of Sylvia , that girl happens \
-4-
\T
i
to be a dog. wP
Sylvia follows the story of Greg, who
comes across a dog one day at the local
park . To his wife Kate's dismay, he insists on keep-
ing the flea-ridden , furniture-loving pooch. The
situation worsens as Greg devotes all of his free
m-*-
*
time - and some of his working hours -to
jjjk
^
his beloved dog, Sylvia (or Saliva, as
Pr lLr. -¦"¦¦ Kate calls her). Kate, of course,
j am ml- cannot' stand this, and tries
EL everything to get rid of the
mk mutt and save her marriage.
^^B bm. The charming and hilar-
ious play, written by A.R.
Gurney and directed by
Pamela Hunt at Cape
Playhouse in Dennis,
stars four superb actors,
three of whom have
appeared on Broadway.
The fourth, Linda Dano,
has won Emmys.
Dano works flawlessly
as Kate, a hard-working
teacher with a passion
for Shakespeare. Her
acting is superb, and
she provides Kate with
a quick tongue and
ambitious attitude. She
C0NT. ON PAGE C:2
Hfflltar cast makes Sylvia top doe