Movie Monday: Carol

Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett discovered the wonder that is Cincinnati in 2014 as they filmed the 1950s-era love story "Carol" there. The actresses praised Cincinnati during the press build-up for the movie's nationwide release in 2016:   “It’s been phenomenal shooting in Cincinnati, actually,” Blanchett said. “The architecture here is phenomenal. There’s so many buildings that haven’t been ... gentrified. Everyone, the fire department and police, have been so cooperative.”

Carol interview with Cate Blanchett
Carol's filming locations

While the mise-en-scene and acting is beautiful, I was frustrated by Carol's seemingly cruel nature and therefore didn't realise the appeal of the film, especially to someone I love, until I found the following explanation from the author of the original work: 

When Patricia Highsmith allowed her name to be attached to the 1990 republication by Bloomsbury (she previously published such it under the pseudonym Claire Morgan), she wrote in the "Afterword" to the edition:

The appeal of The Price of Salt was that it had a happy ending for its two main characters, or at least they were going to try to have a future together. Prior to this book, homosexuals male and female in American novels had had to pay for their deviation by cutting their wrists, drowning themselves in a swimming pool, or by switching to heterosexuality (so it was stated), or by collapsing—alone and miserable and shunned—into a depression equal to hell.

Movie Monday: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

While watching The Killing of a Sacred Deer with friends in Scotland, the city and suburban imagery seemed familiar and at the very least midwestern.  After a little research, it became apparent that much of the film was set and photographed in Cincinnati.  The story is based on the ancient Greek tragedy Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides.   While we and others may not have enjoyed the film, it's nice to know that the Queen City was depicted favourably.  Filmed in Greater Cincinnati in fall 2016, The Killing of a Sacred Deer features many high profile landmarks throughout the city. The Christ Hospital, John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge and Fountain Square make appearances in the trailer. 

Ohio: The Birthplace of Serial Killers? (TBT)

Ted Levine as Jame Gumb in The Silence of the Lambs

From January, 2011:

The other day I heard a snippet of news regarding the sentencing in a kidnapping and murder case that took place in Mount Vernon around the time that I returned to Ohio this autumn.   
Ohio is often lauded for its production of U.S. presidents and astronauts but it is unsettling how many serial killers have an Ohio connection, whether it be by birth or where they perpetrated their crimes.
Strangely enough, even fictionalized serial killers are somehow connected to Ohio.  The manhunt in The Silence of the Lambs leads investigators to the killer's fictional hometown of Belvedere, Ohio and the serial killer Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb was portrayed by Ted Levine, who grew up in Bellaire, Ohio (also a filming location for the film).




Charles Manson - Self-styled guru and leader of the 1960s religious cult the Manson Family, Charles Manson is a convicted serial killer who never actually killed any of his victims himself.  Born "no name Maddox" on November 12th, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio.


Jeffrey Dahmer (Cannibal of Milwaukee) - (May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys – many of whom were of African or Asian descent – between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders were particularly gruesome, involving rape, torture, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism. On November 28, 1994, he was beaten to death by an inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institution, where he had been incarcerated.  Dahmer was born in Wisconsin but grew up in the affluent Bath, Ohio.


Neal Bradley Long - A native of Dayton, Ohio, born in 1927, Long was a violent racist who could not abide the specter of black progress in his home community.  Indicted on seven counts of murder, Long was found competent for trial in November 1975 and was eventually convicted of two counts, drawing consecutive terms of life imprisonment . To protect him from black inmates and vice versa - Long was confined at the U.S. Medical Center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, under conditions of maximum security.


James Oliver Huberty - Mass murderer who killed 21 people and injured 20 more in a shooting spree at a McDonald's in San Ysidro, California on July 18, 1984.  Huberty moved his family from Canton, Ohio to California after he was fired from his welding job and couldn't find new employment.


Larry Ralston - convicted for murdering four women in the 70s in southern Ohio (Cincinnati area)


Thomas Dillon - serial sniper/spree killer who shot and killed five men in southeastern Ohio from 1989 to 1992


Michael Swango (Doctor of Death) - intern and resident at OSU Medical Center, where one of his four admitted murders took place


Gary & Thaddeus Lewingdon - plagued the city of Columbus, Ohio and outlying areas with a series of indiscriminate and brutal murders that claimed the lives of 10 people in the late 70s.  


Alton Coleman & Debra Brown - carried out a six-state killing spree in 1984; Coleman was executed in 2002 in Lucasville's Southern Ohio Correctional Facility and Brown is still in prison in Marysville


Eric Elliott & Lewis Gilbert - responsible for cross-country crime spree, that included three murders and a kidnapping and began in Newcomerstown, Ohio (their hometown)


Moreland Baby Killer - Authorities in Dayton, Ohio, took four children from the custody of Regina Moreland's after the death of her 2-year-old grandson, the fourth child to die in her home in the past seven months. "The Morelands believe from the bottom of their hearts that no one is to blame for this tragic occurrence," said Jon Paul Rion, the family's attorney. In contrast, Sgt. Carl Bush said investigators believe Regina might be somewhat responsible for the dying children and plan to review the previous three deaths that, pointedly, were ruled as probable homicides. 


Anthony Sowell - strangled a series of women in his Cleveland home


William K. Sapp - sentenced (in 2004) to death for raping and killing at least three women in Springfield, Ohio


Donald Harvey (self-proclaimed 'The Angel of Death')


Cincinnati Strangler, Posteal Laskey - raped and strangled seven mostly elderly women in Cincinnati, Ohio between 1965 and 1966


The Cleveland Torso Murderer (aka Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run) - responsible for 12–13 murders in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the 1930s






Blog posing the question, 'Why are there so many serial killers from Ohio?'


What is it about Ohio and serial killers?


Another day, another Ohio serial killer

Fun Fact Friday: Dickens in Ohio

While nowadays, I encounter more Charles Dickens in Rochester and surrounding parts of the United Kingdom.  Yet, Dickens does have a history and left a lasting impression in the Buckeye State.  Plus, my mom is a huge fan!

Dickens called Ohio "all that America had been, is and would be" following his month-long visit in April 1842 to Cincinnati, Lebanon, Columbus, Upper Sandusky, Tiffin, Sandusky and Cleveland.
Drinking in Ohio with Dickens

Dickens in America

Ohio is everywhere (even on the Southbank under cookies)

Campbell Soup Company crate from Napoleon, Ohio

Barq Bottling Company crate from Cincinnati, Ohio

After visiting Vauxhall City Farm (my friend Lauren and I wanted to have our own Morrissey "Vauxhall & I"* moments and I also wanted to check out other London city farms), we stumbled upon the Real Food Festival at the Southbank Centre in a near ravenous stupor.  While waiting for our falafel wrap, I thought I caught the letters O-H-I-O from out of the corner of my eye but also thought it could be attributed to slight delirium from low blood sugar.  Yet, I had to be certain that I wasn't losing my mind quite yet and walked over to the nearby stand to find old packing crates from Cincinnati and Napoleon, Ohio being used for cookie displays.

The appearance of Ohio in my life sometimes seems so prevalent that others believe that I must make some of it up but here is photographic proof of this particular instance.

* The album "Vauxhall & I" always fondly reminds me of Stephen Szolosi, who achieved a great coup by surprising me with the album as a birthday gift just 2 weeks after its release date in March of 1994.

*The album also reminds me of my friend Jess, because her favorite Morrissey song 'The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get' happens to be on it.

Ziggy's Legacy

Although Ziggy may not be my favorite comic (and yes, it also has an important Ohio connection), I do have fond childhood memories of the sweet down-trodden guy, who is now know the world over. It is therefore very sad news to hear that the funny little everyman's creator passed away on Friday.  Tom Wilson was born in West Virginia and raised in Pennsylvania but spent the majority of his adult life in Ohio with secondary homes in Hollywood and New York.  His son, who graduated from my alma mater and now lives in Loveland (a northern Cincinnati suburb), has been drawing the comic strip since 1987.

Fun Fact Friday: Bueller? .....Bueller?

I had such high hopes for Without A Clue, a comedy with Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine that's an alternate representation of Sherlock Holmes as a fictional concoction of Dr. Watson, but it just wasn't that funny or engaging.  Yet, it did have Jeffrey Jones as Inspector Lestrade, which reminded me of an important John Hughes film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off (well to be fair, Ferris has also come up in many conversations recently).  Jones is probably best known for his role as Ed Rooney, the principal determined to track down the charming and elusive truant Ferris.  This was one of those seminal films in my adolescence and was in a constant viewing rotation with The Goonies and The Lost Boys.  It may be set in Chi-town but it wouldn't have been much of anything without Ohio.  Well, at the very least, some of the most memorable characters would perhaps be quite different in our minds today if Ohio wasn't a factor:

1.  Alan Ruck (Cameron Frye) was born in Cleveland and attended high school in Parma.
2.  Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller) is married to Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City fame), who was born in Nelsonville, Ohio and later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio before moving to New York to further her career as a child actor.  SJP attended The School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) when her family was based in Cincinnati.
3.  Jennifer Grey's (Jeannie Bueller) father is Joel Grey, who is perhaps best known as the Master of Ceremonies in the film version of Cabaret.  Joel grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and began his career as a child actor in the Cleveland Playhouse.
4.  Charlie Sheen's (Boy in Police Station) dad, Martin Sheen, grew up in Dayton, Ohio

FBDO Trailer
Cameron Montage
Broderick interview with focus on FBDO
Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Grey in FBDO
Obama campaign ad Ferris Bueller-style

Doris Von Kappelhoff: A Little piece of Ohio in Hackney, London

Albums displayed in case at V&A Museum of Childhood, May 2011

During my visit of the V&A Museum of Childhood last week, which was either prompted by my homesickness or my feeling a bit old lately, I was surprised to stumble upon at least two Ohio-related items.  One was part of a display that had interview snippets from Hackney residents about their family and childhood.  A resident mentioned that some of her happiest childhood memories was listening to the radio and to singers like Doris Day.

Doris Day was born 'Doris Mary Ann Von Kappelhoff' on April 3, 1924 in Evanston, Ohio (neighborhood of  Cincinnati).  Little Doris aspired to be a professional ballerina but an automobile accident dashed that dream by crushing her leg.  Fortunately, this setback led to the discovery of her gift for singing and after some lessons she began singing professionally at the age of 15 with the Les Brown Band.  After a screen test with Warner Bros (more Ohioans), she would become America's sweetheart and star in over 39 films in the 50s and 60s with the likes of Clark Gable (another Ohioan) and Rock Hudson. She is currently staging a musical comeback at the age of 87.

Talking about homesickness:  Doris Day singing 'Ohio'
Fun Doris Day Trivia

‎"I have found that when you are deeply troubled, there are things you get from the silent devoted companionship of a dog that you can get from no other source." -- Doris Day

Fun Fact Friday: Granny Snuffle

Granny Snuffle, the grandmother of Aloysius and Alice Snuffleupagus of Sesame Street, is a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hmmmm, according to her wiki profile, she enjoys making spaghetti soup.  I thought that was more of a northern Ohio thing.

Cincinnati Woman Regains Voice After 35 Years

Heard this inspiring story on NPR while driving from Cincinnati to Columbus the other day.

I am the band

For whatever reason (let's leave that for my future psychoanalyst to uncover), I'm not a huge fan of female musicians but one of the few that I do enjoy and respect is the pretty, tough and confident rocker Liz Phair.  While listening to her music today, I decided to do a little research on her motivations and background and whaddya know, she spent a good deal of her formative years in Ohio.  

Liz Phair was born on April 17, 1967, adopted by John (physician and AIDS researcher) and Nancy (instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago) Phair and spent her early childhood in Ohio. In 1976 the family, which includes an older brother, relocated from Cincinnati to the posh Chicago suburb of Winnetka where Phair grew into a creative adolescent who wrote songs at the family piano but displayed a rebellious streak.  She left Winnetka to attend the quirky liberal Oberlin College in Ohio, where she studied art history and studio art. At Oberlin, she became fascinated with underground indie rock and eventually became friends with guitarist Chris Brokaw, who would later join the alt-rock outfit Come. 


The effect of Oberlin on Phair's music 
(from Contemporary Musicians | 2004 | Brennan, Carol; Gibner, Jason |
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning.) :  Oberlin, like other isolated outposts of middle-class intellectual rebellion, bred bands like other schools breed keg parties; Phair's art studies were supplemented by her informal education in the local music scene. "Oberlin is a really indie rock type of college," Phair told Annette Petruso of Detroit's Metro Times. "It was very much left of center, intellectual and scrawny. Those are the three really good markers of guyville. All of my boyfriends were guyville. They still sort of are." Her first album (Exile in Guyville) was full of songs inspired by this phase of her life. "I was really just trying to impress a bunch of guys," Phair noted of her early musical ambitions. "I am not the band wife. I am the band."  
Liz Phair revisits 'Guyville'In classic Phair fashion, Oberlin grad performs during Fall BreakLiz Phair on Tavis SmileyCinco de Mayo - Liz Phair

Baby, I Love Your Way

Apparently, there's just something about Ohio women when it comes to English rock veterans. While Eric Clapton is raising his young family in a Columbus suburb, Peter Frampton (of Frampton Comes Alive) has been raising his in the affluent Cincinnati suburb Indian Hill.  Frampton grew up in Beckenham, Kent, England and attended Bromley Technical School where his father was an art teacher and David Bowie was a classmate (more about Bowie later since he too has ties to Ohio).  At the age of seven he taught himself to play the banjolele, by the age of ten he was in a band, at the age of 16 he was chosen 'The Face of 1968' by the UK Press, at 26 he was named Rolling Stone's 'Artist of the Year' for his biggest-selling live record in history and at the age of 60 he is still creating new music.

Frampton on living in Cincinnati (excerpted from Bankrate.com interview):

"My wife comes from Cincinnati. When all is said and done, I go off for two weeks and then I'm home for one week. I have a daughter at Kent State, I have a son who lives with his mother in Miami. I have a daughter at a local college. I have a 7-year-old with me. We made a family pact, that we would spend all 12 of her school years in one place. Also, I researched it: Cincinnati consistently has the top five school districts in the nation. I didn't go to boarding school. My wife didn't either -- we both went to public school. Now, when we lived in L.A., we had to put them in private school. You have to there, it's just too bad. I hope Arnold can fix that up!"

Show Me The Way

Peter Frampton official website

Thank You Mr Churchill album

Frampton Biography

Peter Frampton & Tina Elfers

Frampton's Frustration over Obama sign theft

The Goonies: Brainchild of Ohioans

This year marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most beloved children's films of the 80s, The Goonies. Nearly all kids of the 80s, including myself, can recite whole scenes from this endearing classic about a band of misfits searching for pirate treasure in order to save their homes from demolition. Although the film's setting is Astoria, Oregon, the basis of the whole production was on the imagination of two Ohioans. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus (perhaps better known now as the director of Home Alone and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), who grew up in Warren, OH, and was based on a story by Steven Spielberg (you really should get out more if you don't know who that is), who was born in Cincinnati, OH.

This should not to be confused with the other Brainchild from Youngstown, Ohio.

Cyndi Lauper - The Goonies 'R' Good Enough (Part 1)

Part 2

My favorite Goonie: Data

Sweet blog entry about the 25th anniversary