Are we a community? I must admit, I don't think of the blog's readership as such. They're not a group, but a collection of individuals. But maybe I'm not giving credit where due. Wednesday's column, ostensibly about leaves, but with a subtext of uncertainty at work, sparked a lot of response, including no fewer than five readers who mentioned an O. Henry short story, "The Last Leaf."
Like most people, I've read O. Henry's classic tale of ill-starred Christmas presents, "The Gift of the Magi." And from time to time I think of his "The Ransom of Red Chief," about bandits who kidnap a naughty little boy and then must contrive to somehow get his parents to take him back. I've contemplated writing a version of that story involving the harried management of a senior facility trying to get the children of a disorderly old couple to take them away.
I immediately read "The Last Leaf" and found much to recommend it. Published in 1905, it has some quite current aspects, starting with the heroes, a pair of cohabiting Greenwich Village artists named Sue and Johnsy — two ladies who live and work together, no more need be said.
There is almost Chekhovian yearning — Johnsy, sick with pneumonia, longs to go to Italy to paint the Bay of Naples. Their drunken downstairs neighbor is another artist, Old Behrman, ancient at "past 60," who has had no success, and never came near the masterpiece he suspected was within him. Not to mention the trademark O. Henry twist ending that I wouldn't dream of alluding to. A bit sentimental, sure, some stilted passages. But definitely worth the read.
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| Jean Peters and Anne Baxter starred in a 1952 film adaptation of "The Last Leaf." |
There is almost Chekhovian yearning — Johnsy, sick with pneumonia, longs to go to Italy to paint the Bay of Naples. Their drunken downstairs neighbor is another artist, Old Behrman, ancient at "past 60," who has had no success, and never came near the masterpiece he suspected was within him. Not to mention the trademark O. Henry twist ending that I wouldn't dream of alluding to. A bit sentimental, sure, some stilted passages. But definitely worth the read.
I read it about 3 p.m., when the sky was grey and the suddenly early dusk coming on fast. I realized it has been a long time since I read a short story — I used to do so all the time. It was gratifying to see all the places Wednesday's column took people —they shared songs ("The Last Leaf," by the Cascades) and other songs. Honestly, I worried the column was strange — something about leaves — and was heartened by how many people it touched. Thanks everybody for writing in.
Love O Henry stories.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good movie.
ReplyDeleteThe last leaf piece was so beautiful...sometimes I feel like you're my e-rabbi.
ReplyDeleteCute. Such a job for an avowed atheist!
Deletejohn
Who? Me? I've never been an avowed atheist. They're fanatics too. What I am is a person who never believed in God, not for a second, ever in my life. There is a real, if subtle, distinction.
DeleteWell, I'll try and step lightly here, if that's possible.
Deletedictionary.com:
"avowed: 1. acknowledged; declared.
atheist: 1. a person who does not believe in the existence of a supreme being or beings."
While I thought "avowed" had a preachier, more committed connotation, myself, it seems to me that even your reply here qualifies you as an avowed atheist by those definitions, NS.
Thus, I believe that Tate's quip was on target. Since I consider him the "patron saint" of this blog, I would expect no less! ; )
Yes, I knew that, but "such a job for a person who not for a second, ever in his life, believed in God" seemed more than a bit unwieldy.
DeleteThanks for the "Last Leaf," in all its permutations, most of all O'Henry's short story, which I don't remember ever reading before today. Sentimental? Yes, and I loved every tear drop of it.
Probably safer to declare yourself an agnostic. Just in case.
DeleteWhen it comes to anti-Semitism, there's no invisible protective shield, and here never really has been. The haters, especially folks like the Nazis, have proven that time and again. It's like choosing brown eyes or the color of your skin. You are what you are. Especially to the haters.To paraphrase Stephen Sondheim--when you're a Jew, you're a Jew all the way.
DeleteAwww
ReplyDeleteIt was a great read, thanks Neil.
ReplyDeleteI’ve loved that story for decades, much more than the schmaltzy ‘Gift of the Magi’!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the O Henry story, which I'd never read before.
ReplyDeleteI remember the O. Henry movie--it ran several times on network TV in the early Sixties.
ReplyDeleteIts title was "O. Henry's Full House"--and it was a 1952 American anthology film that consisted of five shorter films, each based on a story by O. Henry.
A long list of well-known actors appeared in this anthology, including Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain, Charles Laughton, Oscar Levant, Marilyn Monroe, Jean Peters, Dale Robertson, and Richard Widmark. The five O. Henry stories were: "The Cop and the Anthem"..."The Clarion Call"..."The Last Leaf"..."The Ransom of Red Chief"...and "The Gift of the Magi"--which was probably the one that viewers were most familiar with.
O. Henry's real name was William Sydney Porter (1862-1910). One of his hundreds of short stories included a character who later became quite famous--the Cisco Kid.
marilyn monroe stole the picture in about 2 minutes on screen
Deletethis sounds so lovely. I bought an edition of all of his stories a few years ago, and I think I'm going to pull it off the shelf to read.
ReplyDeleteI did pull it off my shelf, and give it a read. It's off it's time- brief, and to the point, with the kind of ending you would expect. That said, it was a nice little read, and sweet on its way. It's not the type of story you hear of anymore, but I'm happy that you introduced it to me.
DeleteI remember watching that O’Henry series on TV some time in the late 60’s. “The Last Leaf” was my favorite.
ReplyDeleteSandyK
I recall one O henry story, I think it was his, where this man wanted to get arrested so he can get into a warm place and get some food, even if it was in jail. No matter what odd thing that he did, the cop wouldn't arrest him. Till finally he realizes he will turn his life around, then gets picked up for some minor misdeed.
ReplyDeleteThat O. Henry story is called "The Cop and the Anthem." It's a good one, too! If you click on the link Neil provided to "The Last Leaf" you can also access "The Cop and the Anthem."
DeleteSandra
ReplyDeleteThe Necklace
by Guy de Maupassant, is another short story with a surprise twist at the end.