HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 

Is there anything better than sitting in a favorite chair from November through December, sipping some hot chocolate, and either watching a favorite Christmas movie or reading a book that evokes memories of the holidays?

            As far as books go, I have been fortunate to have had a short story included in a soon to be released anthology of holiday stories, entitled Holiday Spirits: a collection of eclectic stories written by authors from around the world.

            Movies? It is for good reason that many people enjoy binge watching all those Hallmark Christmas movies while they wrap presents, bake cookies, and make their way through ribbon and tinsel strewn carpets.

            While it’s true that these stories are somewhat formulaic to say the least, this seems to be irrelevant to viewers. Just as driving in one’s car listening to Nat King Cole crooning The Christmas Song or Mariah Carey belting out All I Want for Christmas puts one in the holiday spirit, so do Hallmark Christmas movies for many people.

            Of course, classic feature films that are aired perennially also elicit those feelings. Depending on your age and taste, there is a huge selection of Christmas movies guaranteed to make you want to take out those reindeer ears and pour yourself a glass of rum infused eggnog.

            I’ve compiled a list of 10 such films, some traditional, others not, that for a variety of reasons say Christmas. See if you can match the title with the logline.

Enjoy the quiz, and enjoy your Christmas movies:

1.    It’s a Wonderful Life                             7. Miracle on 34^th Street

2.    Home Alone                                          8. Diehard

3.    A Christmas Story                                9. Desk Set

4.    Holiday Affair                                     10. Going My Way

5.    White Christmas                                 11. The Bishop’s Wife

6.    A Christmas Carol                              12. Elf

 

a.   Two talented army buddies help out their former general who is now retired.

b.   Researchers at a broadcasting network library, whose job it is to come up with answers to callers’ questions fear they will lose their jobs to computer technology. (When Google came along their fears would be warranted).

c.    An angel comes down to answer a prayer, but the person who has made that prayer is irritated by the fact that his friends and family appear to prefer the company of the angel to his own.

d.   This story describes the exploits of a young boy, whose chief desire for Christmas is to get a “Red Ryder BB gun”.

e.   When left to his own devices, a young boy must use his imagination to fend off home invaders.

f.     Having contemplated suicide, a man learns the true value of his life and the positive impact he has had on others.

g.   While visiting his estranged wife over Christmas, a detective becomes involved in a terrorist takeover.

h.   A widow with a young son, must decide whether to start her life again with a somewhat dull, but solid, attorney or a charming and romantic ne’er do well.

i.      A young girl and her mother must be convinced that there is, indeed, a Santa Claus.

j.     An aging parish priest believes a younger priest with more energy is sent to him as an assistant, when in reality the younger priest has been sent as a replacement.

k.  A toddler ends up in the North Pole and is raised as one of Santa’s helpers.

l. The town curmudgeon learns there are more important things in life than money.

For the correct answers email me at VivianRhodes818@gmail.com

 Happy Holidays, Vivian     @VivianWrites

Holiday Spirits

https://www.facebook.com/Amazing-Holiday-Stories-102895412188229

Girl Obsessed (Spring 2022)

I'm Back To Blogging Again

I hope everyone has been well and keeping safe during these crazy times.  Personally, I've taken advantage of the time we were locked down to read more and to write more. It's been a while since I've posted, probably because I've been devoting more time to other outlets for my writing.

For those who are new to my blog, in the past I have chosen this platform primarily to discuss nostalgia, although if you go into my archived posts you will view subjects as diverse as baseball, mistresses, classic movies, and Harry Houdini.

Since I last blogged, I have found myself returning to the kind of writing I enjoy most: mystery and suspense.  Several years ago I wrote a screenplay that aired on Lifetime Television as Stolen from the Womb and more recently, I had one air as My Mother's Killer Boyfriend (a terrible title, I know, but my original title, The Narcissist, was changed by Lifetime for Marketing purposes.)

I have had two mysteries published: Groomed for Murder (Ballantine Books) and If You Should Read This Mother (Black Opal Books). Both books are available on Amazon (although at present Groomed for Murder is out of print and only available as an e-book)

My newest thriller, Girl Obsessed (Black Opal Books) is due to be released in a few weeks.  Some might consider it a story of "Fatal Attraction" in the 21st Century.  Here is a brief summary of the plot:

        "In order to exonerate his client of murder charges, Defense Attorney Sam Paris enlists the aid of Shannon Clark, an attractive psychiatrist best known for her bestselling, but controversial, book about the effects of oxytocin, a hormone that can presumably cause a woman to become dangerously attached to and obsessed with the man with whom she is sexually intimate. As Sam becomes romantically involved with the doctor, he learns that she has issues of her own and indeed may be more dangerous and violent than the woman he is defending."

I will be posting more information about this book upon its release (as well as a Christmas anthology in which a story of mine is included) -- just wanted to give everyone a heads up.  Until then,

Have a great weekend, discovering Rhodes Less Traveled - Vivian

50 YEARS OF HITCHCOCK

Turner Classic Films is celebrating 50 years of  Hitchcock all this month, so I thought I’d pay tribute by re- posting my blog on Hitchcock along with a quiz for true Hitchcock fans (where did he appear in that movie?)

     Alfred Hitchcock is probably my all time favorite director, followed
closely by Billy Wilder and Fritz Lang.  I have enjoyed Hitchcock films my entire
life, both as a kid and later as a cinema student, when I learned more
about the man and his maverick techniques.
      Hitchcock’s style was unique and easily recognizable, so much so
that Mel Brooks tenderly paid homage to it in his film High Anxiety.
Hitch (as he was known to colleagues) pioneered numerous innovative
shooting and editorial techniques to create suspense. When asked how

he created suspense Hitchcock once said that seeing a bomb, for example,

then watching it explode did little in the way of creating suspense. Instead,

one creates suspense by cutting between the bomb set to go off, a clock,

and, say, the fearful eyes of the intended victim.  He was able to do this by

first, meticulously creating a storyboard depicting his shots, scene by scene.

     Also, by allowing our eyes to be that of the camera and by moving slowly

around his subjects, he engaged us in a form of voyeurism.  We felt the

actors’ fear, their anxiety. And let me assure you, his characters usually

had much about which to feel fearful.
    A common thread running through his films was that of a man wrongly
accused of a crime (ie. The Thirty-Nine Steps, Saboteur, The Wrong Man,
North by Northwest, and Strangers on a Train) and Hitchcock’s
experiences as a child came into play here.
     He apparently had a lonely, isolated childhood, made worse by his
obesity. Lots of time for his imagination to grow and fester, I would imagine.

When he was a child his father “punished” him by sending him to the local

police station with a note asking that he be “locked up for ten minutes for his
”infraction”. This was undoubtedly done as a way to teach a lesson that
wouldn’t be easily forgotten. If that was the case, it worked. It developed in

Hitchcock a lifelong fear of being locked up and a distrust of the police in general. 

His Jesuit upbringing influenced him as well and many of his films dealt with

religious, or at least morally ethical dilemmas (Vertigo, I Confess).
    In addition to his “man-on-the-run-having-been-wrongly-accused” themes,
Hitchcock’s films shared other similarities. Most of them starred “icy
blondes” such as Eva Marie Saint, Vera Miles, Doris Day, Grace Kelly
and Tippi Hedren, with Grace Kelly probably having been his personal
favorite. His daughter, Patricia, appeared in bit parts and his wife,
Alma, was the editor of most of his films. Another element common to his

pictures was the use of well known places of interest such as The Statue of

Liberty in Saboteur, Mt. Rushmore in North by Northwest, Royal Albert

Hall in The Man Who Knew Too Much and the Forrest Hills Tennis Stadium

in Strangers on a Train. (Incidentally, Robert Walker’s performance as socio-

path, Bruno Antony in this film, is chilling).

     Hitchcock also introduced what came to be known as the “MacGuffin”, vague,

unimportant devices whose sole purpose was to move the story forward.  These

might come in many forms ranging from a formula whispered by a diplomat (Foreign

Correspondent) to hidden microfilm (North by Northwest), to a bottle of wine
containing uranium (Notorious).
      It’s difficult to state my favorite Hitchcock film, I’ve enjoyed so many. If pressed,

I would probably have to say that The Lady Vanishes, Shadow of a Doubt, The

Man Who Knew Too Much (the second version starring Jimmy Stewart and

Doris Day), and North by Northwest are amongst my favorites. Hitchcock’s

unique blend of psychological suspense, sexual undercurrents, and ironic

humor are what made him an icon. (Though he never achieved an Oscar for a

particular movie, he did ultimately receive a Lifetime Achievement award).

   
    Hitchcock’s “signature” was the cameo appearances he made in all his
films.  See if you can “find Hitch” by ithmatching the film below with the scene

in which he turned up.

1.  THE LADY VANISHES                            A. Being pushed in a wheelchair at an airport

2.  STRANGERS ON A TRAIN                       B. In the center of a crowd wearing a “bowler” hat

3.  THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH       C. Walking down the street carrying a trumpet case

4.  LIFEBOAT                                              D. Missing a bus during the opening credits

5.  TO CATCH A THIEF                                 E. Winding a clock in a songwriter’s apartment

6.  SHADOW OF A DOUBT                          F. In a crowded Victoria Station, smoking a cigarette

7.  THE BIRDS                                           G. At “a hunt”, walking a horse across the screen

8.  DIAL M FOR MURDER                         H. In a Moroccan market place watching acrobats

9.  NOTORIOUS                                          I. In before and after pictures in a newspaper ad *

10.REAR WINDOW                                     J. Coming out of an elevator

11.PSYCHO                                               K. In silhouette, behind a door marked “Registrar of   

                                                                         Births and Deaths”

12. TOPAZ                                                 L. Seen through a window wearing a cowboy hat

13. FRENZY                                               M. Boarding a train carrying a bass fiddle

14. TORN CURTAIN                                    N. Seated in a hotel lobby holding a small child

15. FAMILY PLOT                                       O. In a class reunion photo

16. NORTH BY NORTHWEST                     P. On a train playing cards

17. VERTIGO                                               Q. Seated on a bus beside Cary Grant

18. REBECCA                                           R. Posting a letter at a mail box

19. SUSPICION                                         S. At a big party sipping champagne

20. SPELLBOUND                                     T. Leaving a pet store with two white terriers

*Note of trivia: The ad in question was for Reduco Obesity Slayer.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE ANSWERS.

1F; 2M; 3H; 4I; 5Q; 6P; 7T; 8O; 9S; 10E; 11L; 12A; 13B; 14N; 15K; 16D; 17C; 18G; 19R; 20J

To learn more about Alfred Hitchcock, I would recommend reading “The Dark Side of Genius” by Donald Spoto. It’s the most comprehensive book on Hitchcock I’ve read to date.

If you enjoy suspense, a reminder to check out my newest psychological thriller, If You Should Read This Mother (Black Opal Books)

https://www.amazon.com/You-Should-Read-This-Mother-ebook/dp/B07214BLW5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498410445&sr=8-1&keywords=If+You+Should+Read+This%2C+Mother

RHODES LESS TRAVELED

Vivian

My Radio Interview

 Hi Everyone:

I hope by now you've been able to check out my newly released psychological thriller, If You Should Read This, Mother.  It is available on Amazon, (on the publisher's website (www.blackopalbooks.com), as well as in book stores.

I invite you all to tune in to The Kim Pagnano Show next Saturday 7/15, when Kim will be interviewing me about my book. The interview will be played between 7-8 AM (PT) next Saturday on KVTA  Radio 1590, and it will be posted on www.kimpaganoshow.com starting at 9:00 AM (PT).

Hoping you'll have a chance to listen and to spread the word.

If someone should ask you to suggest a good summer read, please keep If You Should Read This, Mother in mind. https://www.amazon.com/You-Should-Read-This-Mother-ebook/dp/B07214BLW5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498410445&sr=8-1&keywords=If+You+Should+Read+This%2C+Mother

And you haven’t already read my first mystery, Groomed for Murder, it is available as an e-book at https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=groomed+for+murder+by+Vivian+Rhodes&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Agroomed+for+murder+by+Vivian+Rhodes

Happy reading!  Vivian

#IF YOU SHOULD READ THIS, MOTHER

It’s been quite a while since I last blogged, primarily because I’ve been focused on writing and editing other material.  To that end, I’m pleased to announce that my psychological thriller, If You Should Read This, Mother (Black Opal Books), has just been released.

                I’m often asked how I come up with the stories that drive what I write.  I guess the best answer is to say that it varies.  For example, my first novel, Groomed for Murder, was about the murder of a  Beverly Hills hairdresser.  I came up with the idea for GFM after having had an argument with my Beverly Hills hairdresser.  He was extremely good-looking and very much taken with himself, and in fact, was very likely one of the prototypes upon which Warren Beatty’s character in Shampoo was based.  He was also a player, and I suspect he had rubbed more than one person the wrong way.  I’m not sure that I won the argument that day, but I did find a way to get back at him.  I had him murdered (on paper of course).

                Groomed for Murder was a mystery with comedic overtones, unlike If You Should Read This, Mother, which is a straightforward mystery.  I came up with the idea for IYSRTM one November day when I realized that the number of people who could actually recall where they were when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated was diminishing.  Today, it is safe to say, that only a small demographic, those in their sixties and older, can vividly remember what they were doing when they heard the astounding news. 

What about those people who were alive at the time, but who were very, very young?  Surely they could feel that something was different about that day, even if they didn’t know why.  Few cartoons on television over the weekend, if at all.  Adults, both men and women, sobbing audibly.  The look of disbelief in their parents’ eyes.

The protagonist of my story, Megan Daniels, was only three years old the day John Kennedy was assassinated, but flashes of that day begin to trigger other disturbing memories that have lain dormant within her.  At first they are merely snippets, but as they begin to appear more frequently Megan has difficulty separating what is real from what is imagined.  When she sets out to find her biological mother, she keeps hitting brick walls. No adoption papers exist, and all she has to go on is her possible birthday: November 22. In the small town of Meredith, Megan’s search takes on a dire, domino effect—one woman has already been murdered as a result of her inquiries. As she digs for the truth, Megan eventually unravels a sinister plot that began decades earlier, but in doing so she places her own life in jeopardy.

I have begun working on edits for my next book, Girl Obsessed, but hope you will take the time to read If You Should Read This, Mother and spread the word, particularly on social media. The book will be available in book stores and can be purchased as an e-book or in paper back on Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/You-Should-Read-This-Mother-ebook/dp/B07214BLW5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498136213&sr=8-1&keywords=If+You+Should+Read+This%2C+Mother

Purchases can also be made directly at the publisher’s website: www.blackopalbooks.com

Groomed for Murder is available as an e-book only on Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/Groomed-Murder-Vivian-Rhodes-ebook/dp/B007CDLCVO/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=149712147

Thank you all for your support.  Hoping you’ll give me a positive review on Amazon.

Happy reading, Vivian

PATTY DUKE

Like many of you, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Patty Duke.  I met the woman over thirty years ago when I was working as a receptionist at the then relatively small talent agency, Creative Artists, which represented both her and her husband, John Astin.

                I knew her as Anna, her given name and one which everyone at the agency was requested to use.  If I didn’t know the actress, Patty, I did come to know the woman, Anna.  She was gracious, funny, and warm.  And she spoke in an almost gravelly voice.

                I loved her in the role of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, for which she won an academy award for Best Supporting Actress.  I was also a faithful viewer of The Patty Duke Show which aired in the early sixties (I can still remember most of the lyrics to the theme song.)

                Probably my best memory of Anna/Patty is the time my sister came to Los Angeles to visit with her son, Jonathan, who was about to celebrate his fifth birthday.  I offered to throw him a little party and then realized that I didn’t have too many friends with little ones back then.  I managed to “scrape up” a few kids, not wanting his party to be a disaster. When I mentioned this to Anna, she and John immediately offered to bring their two sons, Sean, who was a year older than Jonathan, and Mackenzie, who was a year younger.  I accepted their generous offer and John brought them to the party. Both parents were down to earth and very approachable.

                Patty Duke, or as I knew her Anna Astin, was a lovely woman who left us far too soon.

                                                           The Patty Duke Show Theme Song

Meet Cathy, who's lived most everywhere,
From Zanzibar to Barclay Square.
But Patty's only seen the sights
A girl can see from Brooklyn Heights -
What a crazy pair!

But they're cousins,
Identical cousins all the way.
One pair of matching bookends,
Different as night and day.

Where Cathy adores a minuet,
The Ballet Russes, and crepe suzette,
Our Patty loves to rock and roll,
A hot dog makes her lose control -
What a wild duet!

Still, they're cousins,
Identical cousins and you'll find,
They laugh alike, they walk alike,
At times they even talk alike -

You can lose your mind,
When cousins are two of a kind.

Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
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