Commentary by Kendall Whitehouse
Category: Travel Tales
The Maltese Falcon begins with the murder of Sam Spade's partner Miles Archer, a crime that takes place in a fog-shrouded San Francisco alley. As portrayed in John Houston's 1941 film, however, the location of the murder seems rather puzzling. After an establishing shot of a street sign -- the intersection of Bush St. and Stockton … Continue reading The Maltese Falcon: The Scene of the Crime
On October 24, 1938, playwright Howard E. Koch had less than a week to write the script for the next episode of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre on the Air. Producer John Houseman had given him the assignment: Dramatize H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds as a radio play. Koch knew he would have to … Continue reading Return to the Scene of the Martian Invasion
Sometimes We Communicate A Great Deal When We Don't Say What We Mean Indirection is an essential tool of the stage magician. The right hand flourishes a wand to draw your attention as the left hand lifts a card from a hidden pocket inside the magician's coat. Outside the magic hall, indirection can serve as … Continue reading Indirection and Coded Language
Following Adobe Systems' MAX developer's conference in Los Angeles in late October of last year, I attended a performance by singer/songwriter Kat Parsons at a private home in Los Angeles' storied Laurel Canyon. It was an apt location for an intimate evening of music. While the history of Laurel Canyon reaches back to the dawn of the … Continue reading The Spirit of Laurel Canyon
On Technology and Media 