Feedback, Comments, Love Letters: 2000Subject:
Re: Copyright of "Some Came Running" Date:
Thu, 6 Jan 2000 14:01:23 -0500 From:
"Paul Mavis" My name is Paul Mavis; I'm a freelance writer interested in Jones' work,
and
I was wondering if you might be able to provide me with a contact name for
inquires concerning copyrights of "Some Came Running." I know the book is
out of print, and I'm having difficulty starting my inquireries. Any help
you could give would be most appreciated; I really enjoyed your webpage!
Thank you for your time.
Paul Mavis
Subject:
Date:
Sun, 30 Jan 2000 17:01:00 -0500 From:
"adtc" My father is Mike Holowecky and was in the 27th infantry and on the boxing
team in 1941. He had four fights and after a standing knock out, he
decided that boxing was not for him. My father does not remember Jones
specifically, but the time, places and some of the people are all the same.
My father knows that Jones switched names of people from the 25th infantry
with those in the 27th. My father is still alive and would like to know
more specific information about James Jones and the details of his time in
the army. If you could provide more details of this time period such as
the other soldiers that Jones associated with it would be greatly
appreciated. If their is any information that my father could provide for
you feel free to ask.
Subject:
Need Help! My daugther is doing a history project for a history fair in March. She
has decided to do her project on James Jones, since he was born in the
town next to us. She is 11, 6th grader, needing some articles or
information of any kind that would make her project stand out from
others. This is for a grade. We have some pictures we recieved of the
internet, but lacking articles. We are getting ready to interview his
best friend in the next town, hoping he will have some items. We
appreciate anyones help.
Subject:
Mrs. James Jones Can you tell me the maiden name of Mrs James Jones. Also did he have a
winter
home in Florida during the last years of his life?
Thank you
Lindab_29@hotmail.com
Wed, 09 Feb 2000 18:08:50 -0600 I wrote to you about my daughter doing a history project on James Jones. You
won't beleive this. Our family doctor is Dr. James Turner of Marshall, Illinois.
His father Andy was James Jones best friend. Dr. Turner said that we are
welcome to the history items that his father has given him. 17 edition book
with James Jones autograph, Time & Life's original copy of James Jones and
Andy on the cover. All sorts of neat history items that no one would even think
of having. I want to thank you so much for the help and the info. on the James
Jones Litrary page. Beth and Samantha Bennett
P.S. The History Fair will be in March at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson,
Illinois.
Mr. King, I meant to say that Dr. Turner is letting us use these items. He said he had the 17th
edition of one of the books that Jones had writen with his autograph in it. Plus alot of other
items. Beth Bennett
Subject:
Winter Newsletter Date:
Sun, 13 Feb 2000 13:58:03 -0500 Hi!
I'm trying to find the address for your on-line Winter Newsletter. I
didn't see a link to it on your home page, and I'm wondering if it's a
completely different address.
Nice website! A friend directed me to it, and I'm looking forward to
leisurely browsing it.
Thanks--
Lisa
Subject: Re: James Jones Hello Richard:
Thanks for your reply to my message Richard. Actually my name is David, for
some reason my wife's name came up on the message, I suppose because we
share this e-mail address.
Yes, I have read the Thin Red Line, and I agree that it is an outstanding
novel. I suppose for myself, I prefer From Here to Eternity because I was a
peace time soldier and can relate strongly to the vivid characters Jones
described. I think it's appeal though is that, regardless if one served in
the military or not, we can all relate to the characters. His ability to
bring us in to each character's life is nothing less than genius, in my
opinion.
I think I read somewhere, probably on your webpage, that his daughter
thought that the character of Prewitt was who she imagined her father to be
most like during his days in the army before WWII. Obviously I did not know
Jones, but I always thought that it was the character of Warden which was
the most vivid. Again without knowing Jones I felt that Warden was the one
he related to most closely.
I have also read Whistle, which I thought was terrific. Go Tell the Widow
Maker wasn't as enjoyable for me, but as I approach my forties I look
forward to reading it again, because I suspect there may be things in the
book which I have yet to understand about life. I have just borrowed A
Touch of Danger from the library, and am looking forward to reading his take
on detectives, being a police detective myself here in Canada.
Please feel free to add my previous message to your website, I would be
honoured. I had no idea that so many other people shared my feelings for
James Jones' novels. I guess that's a little naive of me, or perhaps it's
just that it's hard to understand sometimes how the same insights can affect
so many different people with so many different personalities. Sorry for
the long message, I'm not usually so verbose.
Dave Lalonde
----- Original Message ----- Michelle:
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments. I share your opinions about
James Jones and Fron Here to Eternity, as do many of the members of the
James
Jones Literary Society. For some reason, I tried to read the book several
times when I was young, but could not get into it at until until my mid-30s.
My father, a WWII veteran of the Pacific Theatre, said Jones was the only
writer who ever captured what the times and military life was like (and my
father is a well-read person). So, I always tried to read the book. Finally,
I
devoured it (or maybe it devoured me), but I had to hit a certain age for it
to work for me.
Have you ever read THE THIN RED LINE? I highly recommend this one, and
personally I have never been able to decide which books was better. THIN RED
LINE is so totally brutal the reading experience is unlike anything else I
have encountered. I have read THE THIN RED LINE twice, and will probably
reread From Here to Eternity some day.
I'd like to add your comments to the LOVE LETTERS section of the home page,
if
you don't mind.
Thanks again for writing.
Richard King >I stumbled upon From Here to Eternity during my first year of university,
just after leaving the army in 1982. I have read it several times since
then, along with a number of his other books. It is a profoundly moving
novel, and I can think of nothing else I have ever read which so clearly
describes the human thought process. I would have liked to have sat down
with him one day and told him that.
>Your website is very interesting. It answers many questions I have about
James Jones. In my opinion From Here to Eternity is the finest novel of
the 20th century. I look forward to reading more about him.
Subject: I need a little help I am doing an essay on From Here to Eternity, it was one of the better books
i've read. I chose it myself because we were supposed to pick a classic, and
I had heard a lot about the book. Anyways, I am having trouble finding good
quotes from the book. I could scan through the book, but I am afraid that I
would miss a key quote. So, if you could help me out by refering me some
web-sites that would have some good quotes, from the book.
If you reply to this please email to
harry_hurst@email.com
thank you very much for taking the time to read this and i hope to hear back
from you
From: Martha Perkins: Mr. King:
About twenty years ago, I inherited some photographs of the author James Jones, who I believe, lived briefly with my great aunt, Lucy Cross McGee, in Fort Myers, Florida. At the time I acquired the pictures, they were signed and in excellent condition. Unfortunately, I very foolishly had them framed. The ink has faded, and all that can be made out of the inscriptions is the imprint from the pen.
A few of the photographs are obviously promotional stills, and I have seen copies of them in biographies of Jones. (One is of Jones in a bathing suit beneath a palm tree; the inscription reads, "Shades of the South Pacific!" )
I am curious about the photographs for several reasons. My Aunt Lucy died when I was very young, and my mother, the source of most of my information about Jones' relationship with my great aunt, died in 1980. I find that in middle age I have difficulty remember many of the details of her stories. My guess is that Jones , possibly with members of the Handy Colony, may have vacationed in or near Fort Myers during the winter. I am also curious about the monetary and literary value of the photographs.
Despite my difficulty in finding any published account of Jones vacationing in Florida, I do believe that my great aunt and Jones had a close friendship; one of the photographs is inscribed with the words, "To Aunt Lucy: She knew I was coming, and she baked a cake." Any information you can offer concerning the questions I've posed in this e-mail would be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Martha Perkins, mperkins@3wave.com
On page 187 in
the book , World War II, I am the optometrist that Jim writes about.
.
While he was writting this book , living on Key Biscayne, Florida, we
became good friends and I am sorry that time seperated us so soon.
I was pleased to find your web site and thought this information would
be of interest.
Frank H. Pearce
From: michael hanson Richard,
What a marvellous website! I am still going through it, but I thought in particular the page regarding the Dedication at Schofield Barracks to be particularly moving.
I first read From Here to Eternity about 25 years ago, while at sea in the (Australian) navy. It has remained my favourite book since. I have also read The Thin Red Line and Whistle the former also being very good. I thought the most memorable part of Whistle was the end, but I expect this is obvious.
I have been Hawaii many times, and have spent a lot of time at Pearl Harbour. There are many places I feel I can recognize from the book. I have also seen Schofield Barracks a couple of times, albeit from outside the gate. I cannot to Hawaii without thinking of the characters in From Here to Eternity. To use the poetry of Rudyard Kipling was also very fitting.
The greatest thing about the book, I believe, is that he talks about ordinary characters...and people who have the strength to stand up for their principles. I cannot help but think that Robert E Lee Prewitt was crazy in going through what he did...not boxing..the stockade and the like, but you have to respect the guy. The ending is very moving.
I intend to read some more of his books..the detective book sounds good...and at the same time I am re reading from Here to Eternity. I am still looking for a second hand copy of The Thin Red Line, to re read, but I am sure I will find one in a bookshop somewhere. I shall also search libraries for an autobiography. James Jones seems to fit in so well with the romantic image of Paris.
Anyway a great website. I will keep up with the letters page. I am fairly new to the internet, and was hoping there would be something like this.
I may have to visit Robinson, Illinois, on a future trip to the USA. I expect the town must have a statue of the man?
Thanks and regards,
Michael Hanson From: Nathan Markham I am a great fan of both James Jones and Terrence Malick, so I was very
pleased when I heard that The Thin Red Line was to be Malick's first film in
twenty-something years. When I first saw the film I have to admit I was
disappointed, especially by the changed ending, but after viewing it a
second time on video I see it as a great adaptation. Most people I know who
have read the book have stated that they did not like Malick's pretentiously
poetic style, especially considering Jones' novel was unpretentios gritty
realism. I tend to agree and see Malick's film more like Mailer's The Naked
and The Dead then James Jones' book. However, if you view the film as a
stand alone work of art, you see the greatly layered depth of Malick's
personal vision. He has turned The Thin Red Line into a modern retelling of
Homer's war epic The Iliad, with Witt representing Achilles, and Bell as
Odyesseus. Also, has anyone else noticed that in the film when Bell wires
back for the artillery barrage on the Japanese bunker on Hill 210, it is
almost a work for word plagiarism of Frank Sinatra's 1958 war film 'Kings go
Forth'?
Nathan Markham, Post my e-mail on your love letters page by all means. The Sinatra reference
refers to a war film he made in 1958 called 'Kings go Forth' with Tony
Curtis and Natalie Wood. There is a scene in it where Frank and Tony lead an
attack on a German Hilltop bunker in France which is very similar to the
scene in The Thin Red Line; some of the dialogue is even word for word. The
reason I think this is interesting is that I'm suprised that Malick would
borrow from that film because Frank Sinatra was also in From Here to
Eternity, and therefore any Sinatra fans would spot it easily.
Thanks, From: Cicman69@aol.com Dear Richard-I've recently been corresponding with Sally Parry, an English
professor at Illinois State University. She is part of a group that run a
Sinclair Lewis web site, which is very similar to the James Jones site. I
directed her to our site and she being an English professor was very
interested in finding another site dedicated to an author. She even said she
would mention the JJLS in their next newsletter. I thought perhaps we would
be interested in linking the respective sites together. If you would, please
pass this on to Ray Elliot too. Thanks.
Here is the link to the site:
James Cicman
From: jeffrey.tompkins@mciworld.com To Whom It May Concern:
I just posted an appreciation of James Jones' 1957 epic "Some Came
Running" on my Web zine. The article may strike you as a little long for
a Web piece, but I feel very strongly that the subject warrants it. You
can check it out at:
http://www.yawpmag.com/running1.htm
I try to make a case for a reissue of the original 1,268-page edition...
and hope I can sway some other readers out there!
Anyway, I've also included links to both the James Jones Literary
Society page and the First Novel Fellowship at the end of the article.
(As a Jones fan, I'm exceedingly happy to have found both.) If you think
you could add the above address to your "Literary Links" section, I'd be
most appreciative. Some day we'll get this baby back into print--the way
it was meant to be read, too!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Tompkins
From: memello@aol.com Dear Sirs -- I recently discovered that James Jones collaborated with
legendary filmmaker Nicholas Ray (REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, JOHNNY GUITAR) in
the 1960s on a couple of screenplays when Ray was living in Europe. One of
the screenplays UNDER WESTERN EYES (aka UNDER WESTERN SKIES) was discussed at
some length in one of Jones' biographies. My question is this, do you know
who I can contact to try and locate these screenplays Jones worked on with
Ray? Do you know if anyone might have them available to read? Can you tell me
what colleges or universities might house collections of Jones's papers and
screenplays? I found one smalll collection which had a couple of screenplays,
but not the ones I was looking for. I am researching Nicholas Ray's projects
done in Europe in the 60s, which were written but never produced. Thanks
again -- RICK MENELLO (menello@aol.com).
From: memello@aol.com Dear sirs -- Are you aware that Mr. Jones was involved in some way in writing
the 1968 French production THE SICILIAN CLAN, which was critically and
commercially successful in Europe and the USA? It was shot twice, with famous
French stars Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura and Amedeo Nazzari
speaking French and then English. A number of scripts for THE SICILIAN CLAN
by Mr. Jones are located at a small Archive in a US University. Since Mr.
Jones has no credit on the final film, I would imagine he wrote the English
adaptation of the French screenplay for money. Of course, work like that
could net him a tidy sum to continue working on his novels in peace. On the
other hand he seemed to be genuinely interested in the script he wrote with
Nick Ray, UNDER WESTERN EYES which was a loose western adaptation of HAMLET.
And of course as you know, there was the screenplay for director John
Frankenheimer which Jones actually reworked as a novel in the 60s. Thanks for
reading this, and I hope you can help me find that script or scripts done
with Nicholas Ray. -- RICK MENELLO (menello@aol.com)
From: JoHan Billow (HuYaoBang@excite.com) Can you tell me something about Hemingway's animosity towards James Jones
and how Jones may have reacted to this? I am also interested to know how
"From Here To Eternity" and "The Naked and the Dead" were compared by James
Jones. I know that Mailer thought highly of FHTE but thought Jones "sold
out" later and possibly had a problem with the friendship between Jones and
William Styron more than anything else.
Thanks a lot.
Regards, |