Dispatch #383: A Killing on Babcock Drive, Part Two

Several of these billboard pleas for justice can be seen around town.

 Today's dispatch is a follow-up of sorts to a post from December 2023 about the extra-judicial killing of 20-year-old DaChe'na Warren-Hill by Fort Wayne police officer Mark A. Guzman.

 According to a local news report, now that the FWPD and Indiana State Police have completed their investigations into Ms. Warren-Hill's killing, Allen County Prosecutor Michael McAlexander's office will conduct an additional investigation.

  In other words, now that the city cops and state cops have finished stonewalling, the prosecutor's office—the best friend law enforcement ever had—will sweep the whole thing under the rug. 

  McAlexander doesn't like charging cops even when the evidence clearly points towards negligence (see Dispatch #246), so I'm not hopeful that DaChe'na Warren-Hill's family will ever see justice done, despite the recent billboards around town demanding just that—making an already tragic situation even worse.

  As I've said before, it's long past time for a citizens review board in the city of Fort Wayne. If local law enforcement continues to demonstrate they cannot adequately police themselves (and the Allen County Prosecutor continues to turn a blind eye to the issue) then Summit City residents need to get organized and demand a change.

 

 There's more to come in the next dispatch.

 ©2024 SummitCityScribe

Dispatch #382: Tucson's Century Park 16

 

Tucson's Century Park 16 multiplex

  In May of 1999, The Phantom Menace—the first new Star Wars film in 16 years—debuted on movie screens. I had moved to sunny Tucson, Arizona the year before but outside of work, I still didn't know many people in the city at that time. 

  I suppose that's one of the reasons I remember attending the opening day screening so fondly. Eager to see the earliest showing that day, I headed out to the Century Park 16 multiplex at 1055 West Grant Road, just east of 1-10.

  As one might expect, a sizeable contingent of Star Wars fans lined up outside the box office that morning. Fortunately—given Tucson's omnipresent sunshine and May temps averaging in the high 80s—the space outside the box office was covered by a shady arcade (with its multiple domes, the theater wouldn't have looked out of place in Theed, the Naboo capital city seen in the film)

  As I stood (and eventually sat) in the cool shade of that arcade with my fellow moviegoers, I struck up a conversation with some of them—and although complete strangers—we quickly bonded over our love for George Lucas' space sagas. 

  Once the doors opened, my new friends and I filed into the auditorium and sat together, remaining in our seats to hear Darth Vader's spooky breathing during the end credits. Episode One eventually had its share of online detractors, but I—and the people sitting with me that day—loved it.

Demolition of the theater complex in February 2023

  That May 1999 screening is a pleasant memory, so it was a little sad when the Century Park 16 closed for good in 2011. After sitting idle for over a decade, the theater complex was finally demolished in February 2023.

  The cineplex had opened October 6th, 1989, on the former site of the Tucson Five Drive-In. The land itself, of course, was historically associated with the region's Pascua Yaqui Tribe, which—through an act of Congress—they eventually reclaimed.

One of the cineplex's iconic domes is still visible on the right.

  The tribe has plans for a large casino on the site, with groundbreaking scheduled for late 2024. 

  Tucson has plenty of movie theaters, and during my 15 years there, I don't think I ever saw another film at the Century Park 16 other than that one time in 1999. Even so, it's a very happy memory of my early time in the Old Pueblo—and the camaraderie of Star Wars fandom, too.

 There's more to come in the next dispatch.

 ©2024 SummitCityScribe

Dispatch #377: Footprints Across Time

 

Ice Age Earth footprint, Apollo 11 lunar footprint

  It's hard not to be discouraged living in a modern world still plagued by war, superstition, sexism, and bigotry. 

  That's why it helpful to step back occasionally and look at the big picture—to remember where humankind began and just how far we've come. The photo at the top of today's dispatch illustrates that concept quite literally.

  On the left is a fossilized human footprint—said to be around 23,000 years old—found near a dry lakebed in New Mexico. Meanwhile, over on the right we have a boot print on the lunar surface, left by an Apollo astronaut in 1969.

 Those Ice Age humans—who doubtlessly gazed up at the Moon each night—couldn't possibly conceive that their descendants would one day walk the lunar surface. In that same way, we modern humans have no idea what our forebears might accomplish in the future.

Lascaux cave painting, Van Gogh's Starry Night

  That's why it's good to remember that humans aren't always bent on finding new ways of hurting or killing each other. We're not always hateful, petty, or stupid. Sometimes we can do great things—inspiring things. 

  Here's to that next great thing.

 There's more to come in the next dispatch.

 ©2024 SummitCityScribe

Dispatch #363: Stop Motion Animation/Claymation

FX wizard Ray Harryhausen at work

   As a kid, I was enthralled by films featuring the FX wizardry of Ray Harryhausen. Whether it was the science fiction tale First Men in the Moon, a sword-and-sorcery epic like The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, or a steampunk adventure such as Mysterious Island, I dearly loved them all.

  Harryhausen brought all manner of fantastic creatures to life—from winged stallions to a towering cyclops—using Stop-Motion Animation, a process in which an object is physically manipulated by an animator in tiny increments between individual frames of film so that it has the illusion of movement when the film is played back.

  The creation of Harryhausen's creatures usually began with stainless steel or aluminum armatures that were then covered in foam latex. For show-biz appeal, he called his stop-motion process Dynamation.

  My pet peeve is when people refer to the painstaking effects process Harryhausen used to animate his fantastic creations not as stop-motion animation or even Dynamation but as Claymation instead.

  The term Claymation was coined by animator Will Vinton (of California Raisins fame) in the late 1970s to differentiate his FX work from that of his competitors. 

  Claymation—aka plasticine animation—is a form of stop-motion animation, but one using clay models—as seen in work by Vinton, Art Clokey (Gumby) and Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit).

  Since Ray Harryhausen's magnificent models were made of foam latex and not clay, it's proper to refer to his work as Stop-Motion Animation or even Dynamation but not Claymation.

  I doubt today's dispatch will do anything to correct this common mistake, but as a life-long fan of Ray Harryhausen, I had to try.

 There's more to come in the next dispatch.

 ©2024 SummitCityScribe

Dispatch #342: Reza Badiyi

 

  The late Reza Badiyi (1930-2011) was a showbiz legend who directed over 430 episodes of American television. Name a TV show that aired in the US from 1963 to 1999, and Badiyi was probably behind the camera for at least one episode.

  When I think of Reza, however, it's for the iconic openings he created for two of those shows: Hawaii Five-O in 1968 and The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970.

  After being hired by Hawaii Five-O's creator, Leonard Freeman, to create the tiles for his new cop series, Reza flew to the islands to shoot footage for the show's opening. In an interview with the Televison Academy, he spoke about the experience, which you can view here.

   Listening to that clip, it's incredible to think that the iconic big wave shot that's instantly familiar to any Five-O fan was almost lost. 

  Standing on a rocky outcropping (likely at Honolulu's North Point) Reza was drenched by the pounding surf while shooting wave footage—and his camera was filled with salt water. 

  Despite this potentially devastating setback, Reza sent the film off to be developed anyway—and TV history was made with the indelible wave image that survived.

  Almost as iconic as that big Hawaiian wave was Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat into the air with joyous abandon during the opening titles of her 1970s sitcom. 

 While shooting exterior footage at the Nicolette Mall in Minneapolis, Reza impulsively asked Moore to toss her Tam o' Shanter into the air, which she did, thus creating another iconic TV image—and inadvertently making a minor celebrity out of puzzled onlooker Hazel Frederick.

   Reza Badiyi had a long, impressive career and an interesting life. Early on, he worked with close friend Robert Altman, was the assistant director on the 1962 horror classic, Carnival of Souls, and was stepfather to actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. 

  If you'd like to watch the full 9-part Television Academy interview with Mr. Badiyi, you can do so here.

  Directing over 430 hours of entertainment is quite a feat, but as a kid who grew up on 1970s TV, I'll always remember Reza fondly those iconic openings of Hawaii Five-O and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

  There's more to come in the next dispatch.

  ©2023 SummitCityScribe

Dispatch #338: Stylish 1970s Logos

 

NBC logo (1976)

  Growing up in the 1970s, I was always intrigued by the decade's corporate logos—with their bold shapes and colors. Today's dispatch showcases some of my favorites.

US Bicentennial and Apple logos

  First up: Bruce Blackburn's patriotic star design for the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 and Rob Janoff's rainbow-striped Apple logo from 1977.

  Anyone who sipped a 7-Up in the 1970s will instantly recognize Thomas Miller's bold Futura Dot logo for the bubbly soft drink. Beside it is one of my all-time favorites: NASA's iconic "worm" logo designed by Bruce Blackburn and Richard Danne. Gotta love the worm!

  There are few more recognizable Rock and Roll logos than John Pasche's "tongue and lips"—which he designed for the Rolling Stones in 1970. Speaking of iconic, in 1972, Warner Brothers went with the legendary Saul Bass for their new corporate logo.

  Although it got very little love then (or now), I've always liked NBC's 1976 red-and-blue trapezoid logo from Lippincott and Margulies—it's bold, colorful, and futuristic. 

  Finally, when discussing graphic design in 1970s, it's impossible to overlook Milton Glaser's love letter to New York City. Along with the Rolling Stones logo, it's probably the most recognizable today.

  There's more to come in the next dispatch.

  ©2023 SummitCityScribe

Dispatch #334: A Killing on Babcock Drive

 

  Back in Dispatch #200, I wrote about winning tickets in a local radio contest to see a sneak preview of the very first Indiana Jones movie back in 1981.

  I attended that screening with my school friend Danny, who at that time lived on Babcock Drive, just off Winchester Road in southwest Fort Wayne. 

  A few years earlier, on a Friday night in either fifth or sixth grade, I'd slept over at Danny's house. The next day, he showed me around his quiet, residential neighborhood—a collection of modest, post-WWII homes with neatly manicured lawns.

  I suppose that's why news about the shooting of DaChe'na Warren-Hill by FWPD officer Mark A. Guzman in that very same neighborhood initially seemed so surprising—for its location—but sadly, not for its outcome.

  It is a grimly disturbing fact of life in the USA that Black Americans, who make up 13% of the U.S. population, face death through extrajudicial killings by law enforcement at nearly three times the rate of whites.

  Nearly a month after the shooting, details on incident are still frustratingly scarce and we may never know the exact circumstances surrounding Warren-Hill's death outside of official police statements. Attempts to view the body camera footage of the incident by the press have so far been rebuffed.

  At this point, all we know for certain is that a 20-year-old Fort Wayne woman is dead. Meanwhile, officer Guzman has returned to duty after five days of administrative leave.

  It's a disturbing reminder of the case earlier this year involving FWPD Seargent Joshua Hartup—who faced no repercussions for the death of attorney Henry Najdeski.

  Fort Wayne needs to acknowledge that it's long past time for a citizen's review board to hold local law enforcement responsible for their actions, because letting the FWPD police themselves is clearly not working.

  There's more to come in the next dispatch.

  ©2023 SummitCityScribe

   

Dispatch #331: The Music of John Barry, Part Two

 

  Today's dispatch continues my reflections on the film music of John Barry. You can read Part One here.

  By the time I became aware of John Barry's work in the early 1970s, he'd already won three Academy Awards—two for Born Free (1966) and a third for The Lion in Winter (1968). He would eventually go on to win two more—Out of Africa (1985) and Dances with Wolves (1990)—for a total of five Oscars.

  As I got older, I began seeking out Barry's work beyond the James Bond series, which led me to discover the wonderful music he wrote for films such as Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964), The Ipcress File (1965), Midnight Cowboy and The Appointment (both 1969), Monte Walsh (1970), and Robin and Marian (1976).

  While tracing the Barry's film career, I noted the evolution of his sound—from the early big, brassy, Stan Kenton-esque Bond films to his later, lushly romantic scores. 

  This later period produced not only his gorgeous work on the classic cinematic love stories Somewhere in Time (1980) and Out of Africa (1985) but even—believe it or not—a beautiful romantic theme for George Lucas' Howard the Duck (1986). 

  

  His work on the later Bond films reflected this evolution, which is evident in tracks such as Bond Lured to Pyramid from Moonraker (1979), Wine with Stacey from A View to a Kill (1985) or the evocative Mujahadin and Opium from The Living Daylights (1987).

  

  As a devoted John Barry fan, I love all of his wonderful film scores, but I suppose my personal favorites are The Lion in Winter, Somewhere in Time, and Out of Africa. 

  Like all great scores, they perfectly complement and enhance the images they accompany onscreen—but also exist as beautiful music that can be enjoyed by itself.

John Barry (1933-2011)

There's more to come in the next dispatch.

©2023 SummitCityScribe

Dispatch #330: The Music of John Barry, Part One

 

Composer John Barry

  As a long-time film score aficionado, Jerry Goldsmith and John Barry top the list of my favorite composers. Today's dispatch focuses on the Yorkshire-born John Barry.

  In the early 1970s, the James Bond films began airing on American television for the first time, usually on the ABC Sunday Night Movie. 

  The first of these broadcasts I remember watching was Thunderball in September of 1974, followed by Dr. No two months later. As a kid, I was thrilled not just by the action and exotic locales in both films, but by the stirring music, too—although at the time I didn't note who'd composed it.

   A year later, ABC aired Diamonds Are Forever in September of 1975, followed by You Only Live Twice in November. This time I watched the opening credits closely to learn the name of the composer: John Barry.

  Each film contained thrilling sequences set in outer space: in the climax of Diamonds, a satellite laser weapon wreaks havoc on military targets, while YOLT opened with the abduction of an American spacecraft in Earth orbit. 

  John Barry's lush score elevated both sequences: in Diamonds, it's his track 007 and Counting, while for YOLT, it's Capsule in Space.

  The following year, in December 1976, the Dino DeLaurentis remake of King Kong hit theaters. Although it paled in comparison to the 1933 original (which I'd already seen on TV by that point), I loved the '76 Kong for all its flaws. 

  In fact, King Kong became the very first film I ever went back to see more than once in the theater (it would be five months before I would do so again—when Star Wars came out in the summer of 1977).

  

  Aside from Kong himself, a big reason I returned to see the film was to experience the magnificent John Barry score. I mean, who'd have thought a movie with a guy running around in an ape suit would contain tracks as lovely as John Barry's Arrival on the Island?

  I'd recognized Barry's name in Kong's opening credits as the same fellow who'd done those terrific James Bond scores, and the burgeoning movie music fan in me quickly claimed him as one of my favorites. 

  A few months later, when I stumbled across the original soundtrack LP for Barry's On Her Majesty's Secret Service in the bargain bin at Musicland, it became the first film score I ever purchased—inaugurating a life-long hobby and cementing an appreciation for the talented composer—both of which continue to this day.

  There's more to come in the next dispatch.

  ©2023 SummitCityScribe

Dispatch #326: A Tragedy in Waynedale

 

  Yesterday there was a horrifying incident at a local Kroger grocery store that resulted in the tragic death of a long-time employee.

  I've shopped at that Kroger occasionally and remember seeing Ms. Nieto there. She always seemed to be in good humor—with just a hint of world-weariness that anyone who's ever worked in retail would instantly recognize. A candlelight vigil for her has been announced.

  Those who work in close proximity with the public regularly meet their share of troubled individuals, although most of those encounters end without tragedy—unlike yesterday's.

  I didn't know Ms. Nieto except to nod hello while scanning my items at the self-checkout but I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and co-workers in their time of grief. 

  As many learned during the pandemic, those toiling in retail are essential workers who work long hours, sometimes for subsistence wages.

   Those employees shouldn't have to fear for their safety—or their lives—as well. Kroger's current net worth is estimated at around 32 billion dollars. It would be nice if they spent as much money safeguarding their employees as they do their merchandise.

  There's more to come in the next dispatch.

  ©2023 SummitCityScribe