Si Hoc Legere Scis Nimium Eruditionis Habes

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Legal Issues

"I was married by a judge, I should have asked for a jury." (Marx)


Letter to Warner Brothers: A Night in Casablanca


Groucho Marx


Abstract: While preparing to film a movie entitled A Night in Casablanca, the Marx brothers received a letter from Warner Bros. threatening legal action if they did not change the film’s title. Warner Bros. deemed the film’s title too similar to their own Casablanca, released almost five years earlier in 1942, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. In response Groucho Marx dispatched the following letter to the studio’s legal department:






Dear Warner Brothers,


Apparently there is more than one way of conquering a city and holding it as your own. For example, up to the time that we contemplated making this picture, I had no idea that the city of Casablanca belonged exclusively to Warner Brothers. However, it was only a few days after our announcement appeared that we received your long, ominous legal document warning us not to use the name Casablanca.


It seems that in 1471, Ferdinand Balboa Warner, your great-great-grandfather, while looking for a shortcut to the city of Burbank, had stumbled on the shores of Africa and, raising his alpenstock (which he later turned in for a hundred shares of common), named it Casablanca.


I just don’t understand your attitude. Even if you plan on releasing your picture, I am sure that the average movie fan could learn in time to distinguish between Ingrid Bergman and Harpo. I don’t know whether I could, but I certainly would like to try.


You claim that you own Casablanca and that no one else can use that name without permission. What about “Warner Brothers”? Do you own that too? You probably have the right to use the name Warner, but what about the name Brothers? Professionally, we were brothers long before you were. We were touring the sticks as the Marx Brothers when Vitaphone was still a gleam in the inventor’s eye, and even before there had been other brothers—the Smith Brothers; the Brothers Karamazov; Dan Brothers, an outfielder with Detroit; and “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” (This was originally “Brothers, Can You Spare a Dime?” but this was spreading a dime pretty thin, so they threw out one brother, gave all the money to the other one, and whittled it down to “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”)


Now Jack, how about you? Do you maintain that yours is an original name? Well it’s not. It was used long before you were born. Offhand, I can think of two Jacks—Jack of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and Jack the Ripper, who cut quite a figure in his day.


As for you, Harry, you probably sign your checks sure in the belief that you are the first Harry of all time and that all other Harrys are impostors. I can think of two Harrys that preceded you. There was Lighthouse Harry of Revolutionary fame and a Harry Appelbaum who lived on the corner of 93rd Street and Lexington Avenue. Unfortunately, Appelbaum wasn’t too well-known. The last I heard of him, he was selling neckties at Weber and Heilbroner.


Now about the Burbank studio. I believe this is what you brothers call your place. Old man Burbank is gone. Perhaps you remember him. He was a great man in a garden. His wife often said Luther had ten green thumbs. What a witty woman she must have been! Burbank was the wizard who crossed all those fruits and vegetables until he had the poor plants in such confused and jittery condition that they could never decide whether to enter the dining room on the meat platter or the dessert dish.


This is pure conjecture, of course, but who knows—perhaps Burbank’s survivors aren’t too happy with the fact that a plant that grinds out pictures on a quota settled in their town, appropriated Burbank’s name and uses it as a front for their films. It is even possible that the Burbank family is prouder of the potato produced by the old man than they are of the fact that your studio emerged “Casablanca” or even “Gold Diggers of 1931.”


This all seems to add up to a pretty bitter tirade, but I assure you it’s not meant to. I love Warners. Some of my best friends are Warner Brothers. It is even possible that I am doing you an injustice and that you, yourselves, know nothing about this dog-in-the-Wanger attitude. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to discover that the heads of your legal department are unaware of this absurd dispute, for I am acquainted with many of them and they are fine fellows with curly black hair, double-breasted suits and a love of their fellow man that out-Saroyans Saroyan.


I have a hunch that his attempt to prevent us from using the title is the brainchild of some ferret-faced shyster, serving a brief apprenticeship in your legal department. I know the type well—hot out of law school, hungry for success, and too ambitious to follow the natural laws of promotion. This bar sinister probably needled your attorneys, most of whom are fine fellows with curly black hair, double-breasted suits, etc., into attempting to enjoin us. Well, he won’t get away with it! We’ll fight him to the highest court! No pasty-faced legal adventurer is going to cause bad blood between the Warners and the Marxes. We are all brothers under the skin, and we’ll remain friends till the last reel of “A Night in Casablanca” goes tumbling over the spool.


Sincerely,


Groucho Marx




Unamused, Warner Bros. requested that the Marx Brothers at least outline the premise of their film. Groucho responded with an utterly ridiculous storyline, and, sure enough, received another stern letter requesting clarification. He obliged and went on to describe a plot even more preposterous than the first, claiming that he, Groucho, would be playing “Bordello, the sweetheart of Humphrey Bogart.” No doubt exasperated, Warner Bros. did not respond. A Night in Casablanca was released in 1946.


Monday, May 10, 2010

Granddad and God



The other day I went to Silver City with Patti and she went into Walgreens while I waited. I was looking at the traffic going by, and saw a familiar red and white blazer with a step side pass. It was granddads old blazer... I don’t think I have seen it since the late mid to late 90s, but it took me back. I got to thinking about him, and the times we had together. Here is an entry from my journal that I wrote September 14th, 1996.

It has been a Number of months since Granddad died, and it seems like a think about him a little every day. I don’t know, I loved grandma every bit as much, but I find myself thinking of granddad more. I think it was because granddad and I did more things together, especially in those first few months after grandma died. From the time I was a small child I remember doing things with granddad, and enjoying being with him. We would ride together, go hunting, fishing, sightseeing, he and grandma would take me camping quite a bit.

I remember when I was 5 years old, I had just started school (I was nearly 6) in August of 1969. One day mom drove up after school picked me up and asked if I wanted to go camping with grandma and granddad. I had never been camping before that, and it sounded like fun. Yes, I went. We drove to a place near the Grant and Catron county line, and turned off into the river bed (big or little dry), and followed it for a mile or two till we came to the spot where big dry and little dry come together, and run into the Frisco river (San Francisco River).

I don’t know how long I was there, but I had the time of my life, literally. 25 years ago (41 now), and it is still a clear picture in my mind. Fishing (as well as an impatient 5 year old could), swimming (my first time in deep (3’) water), and sleeping and eating outside. The scene is a beautiful one in my mind. It was right after the rainy season, and everything was green and beautiful. Norm, Terry and I slept on Army cots around the campfire, while grandma and granddad slept in the bed of their Ford pickup.

One night granddad went to bed early, and I went to lie down next to him in the back of the pickup. He told me there was nothing better than lying out under the stars, and looking at the heavens. He then said something like “I’m not a religious man, but I believe in God, and out here is where I feel the closest to him.” He pointed to the stars and said, "after looking at that, you couldn’t tell me there is no God."

I’m sure that I had heard about God, as a matter of fact, I attended Sunday school regularly at Ft. Sam prior to that. However, never in my life to that point, had I ever really considered God, and never did it have such an impact on me as it did the night my granddad bore his testimony of the existence of God. He wasn’t trained in religion, although I know he went to church with Grandma Olivia. He wasn’t a churchgoer until later on in life, but there was never any question of his belief or faith in God.

As I lay in the back of that ol’ Ford, I stared at the stars and considered God for the first time. That night I don’t think there was a moon because the stars were highly visible, and they filled the sky. I stared at the stars till I fell fast asleep, and woke up about dawn on my cot. Thank you granddad for helping me gain a foundation, and belief that an “unseen God” is not a myth, and if we really look, we can see him.


Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentines Day Patti

Patti I love you, and I am proud of you every day. I thank God and all my lucky stars that I was given such a wonderful lady to walk with me on my journey, and letting me walk with you on your's.

I love you and am in love with you "You're my bread when I'm hungry. You're my shelter from troubled winds. You're my anchor in life's ocean, but most of all, you're my best friend."

Forever Your's.
Treb
Till the rivers all run dry,
till the sun falls from the sky,
Till life on earth is through,
I'll be needing you.

I know sometimes you may wonder
from little things I say and do,
But there's no need for you to wonder
if I need you, cause I'll need you...

Till the rivers all run dry,
till the sun falls from the sky,
Till life on earth is through,
I'll be needing you.

Too many times I don't tell you,
too many things get in the way,
and even though sometimes I hurt you,
still you show me in every way...

Till the rivers all run dry,
till the sun falls from the sky,
Till life on earth is through,
I'll be needing you.

Don Williams

Monday, February 1, 2010

Fashion Statement?

Patti is wearing a wonderful ensemble complete with poofy hat and nonslip socks. The gown is fastened in the back and opens down the sleeves (I believe my design I never saw one before 1994 when I designed one). It comes with it's own identitiy bracelets. MMC Total cost $1800.00.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Dusting of Snow


This is the extent of the snowfall in Lordsburg. I am on my way to work , and yes I forgot my coat in the back seat of the car. It is nice and frosty waiting for me. Not that I am complaining, I want to get my roof patched before it snows or rains much more.