How Close is Disney to the Original Legend of Sleepy Hollow ?
Before the time of cable, we would all gather around the TV in anticipation for the Halloween cartoons before trick or treating. Early on, it was mostly Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin, but later Garfield joined the event. Disney even chimed in with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad , created in 1950 and narrated by Basil Rathbone (of Sherlock Holmes fame - who narrates Mr. Toad) and Bing Crosby. For the longest time, my cynical nature drove the thought the story the Legend of Sleepy Hollow had been modified to fit the stylistic whims of Disney and leverage Crosby’s singing ability.
Boy was I wrong.
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year !
As is tradition in the JES Campbell household, we are celebrating our (well, for me and “E”) our favorite holiday, Halloween. This year, we will be giving away free copies of both Blue Summer and Gruff Ending on Kindle during the month of October. The giveaway for Blue Summer will take place from 21 through 25 October, and for Gruff Ending from the 27th through Halloween !
A Christmas Post
Christmas Eve came on a Wednesday this year, and although school had been excused for over the past week and a half, with many more days off to come, the excitement of Christmas Day was almost palpable throughout the town’s youth. The adults had been well engaged, lights having been hung about the downtown La Plata area, decorating the streetlights and businesses down Main Street. Advertisements for A Christmas Carol were backlit on the Port Tobacco Player’s marquee, although the stage would be closed for the holiday in preparation for the 1981 season.
It’s the Most Creepiest Time of Year !
Winter has always held a, well, … “chill” … over my senses when it comes to comparing it with the other seasons. I think the first I noted it was when I saw A Christmas Carol (I think the earliest one I can remember was the 1984 version with George C. Scott, albeit I think I remember a black and white one from 1951 which I am sure I saw previous to this), and so always associated the winter season with tales of ghosts . This time of year also marked the family’s yearly trip to Massachusetts, and driving past the road signs to Sleepy Hollow as we passed through New York solidified this belief, and as we passed by the signs of Salem, ever drifting into Lovecraft country, my mind would race with wild tales.
Howard Moon had it right : Ice flow, nowhere to go…Lost in the blinding whiteness of the tundra….Arctic Death - Infinite night.
Conscription (Ch4) : A Short Story
Eric Joseph Stratton was pronounced dead on arrival at the Eastern County Medical Facility that morning. Toxicology reports found nothing within the system, nor were there any abnormalities found in the brain or any past psychological reporting that would account for his sudden end or the unprecedented amount of blood belonging to the two other citizens found upon his person.
Conscription (Ch3) : A Short Story
Eric Joseph Stratton was pronounced dead on arrival at the Eastern County Medical Facility that morning. Toxicology reports found nothing within the system, nor were there any abnormalities found in the brain or any past psychological reporting that would account for his sudden end or the unprecedented amount of blood belonging to the two other citizens found upon his person.
