- This was delightful. I discovered Thurber early on, probably about the time I discovered Dr. Seuss. Their genius with words old and new fascinated me but the art captivated my imagination. Shel Silverstein was certainly impressed, by both I guessed. Any writer who can string together perfect sentences has always inspired but intimidated me no matter the genre since I can rarely write anything that isn't stilted or derivative. From Ms. Hurston to Ms. O'Conner to Ms. Wolfe and from Swift to Shaw to Dostoevsky a perfect sentence is a creation as grand as La Pieta. Thank you for this fill-in-the-gaps info about another tortured artist and a hearty ta-pocketa to you.
A few years ago, I was on business in Columbus and visited the Thurber home on a Sunday afternoon. He lived in the house as a teenager and it is filled with Thurber memorabilia. The narrow, twisting hallways upstairs are absolutely what I imagined reading "The Night The Bed Fell". I could almost see the pathetic pile of his aunt's valuables with the note "This is all I have. Take it, and please do not use your chloroform, as this is all I have". I was alone with the volunteer docent, and discovered that he had never read "The Greatest Man In The World". I found a copy on the for sale shelf and began to read. Suddenly a group of 40 lycra-clad bicyclists, members of a weekend cycling club, stopped in. I got to read about Jacky "Pal" Smertch a 41 people, in the Thurber home, on a sunny, summer, Sunday afternoon A great, great memory
Wonderful. As kids in an Australian rural town in the mid 1960s, we had an aptly named Labrador dog called Thurber. We woke one bright Sunday to find about 30 of a neighbor's chickens proudly displayed on our front lawn. Dad wrote him a cheque after a civilised chat, & we were informed he had been given away to a farmer. Yeah right! Just the work dog an Australian farmer would want.
Really fascinating as well as sometimes disturbing, and frustrating. Thurber's Secret Life of Walter Mitty is well known, but Thurber's life is not well known.
When I started my first job in engineering, involving sitting at a desk in an office, I typed up a text on a strip of paper and posted it above my desk. It is over my desk, now, yellowed typewriting, with many thumbtack holes and scotch tape residues. When the odds seem stacked against me, I look up at it, read it, and smile: "To hell with the handkerchief!" said Walter Mitty, scornfully. He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty The Undefeated, inscrutable to the last." Not only one of the finest examples of American prose, but perfect use of the semi-colon. E.B. White was surely delighted.
Hi Barbara, I actually drew all of the drawings and animations in the video. Some are replications of Thurber's drawings and others are replications of the book covers for his stories, but the animation, character drawings, settings, and the majority of the video was digitally drawn animation by me. I'm glad that you enjoyed it!! It took me several months of research and drawing.
His characters are two-dimensional; They shall be forever the cartoons he Made them out to be; they have truncated Inner lives, and their publicized secret Lives are merely their exposed make-beliefs.
I really liked what she was doing, but ten or twelve minutes of the music in the sound track was about to give me a seizure. Can you take that "music" out?
- This was delightful. I discovered Thurber early on, probably about the time I discovered Dr. Seuss. Their genius with words old and new fascinated me but the art captivated my imagination. Shel Silverstein was certainly impressed, by both I guessed. Any writer who can string together perfect sentences has always inspired but intimidated me no matter the genre since I can rarely write anything that isn't stilted or derivative. From Ms. Hurston to Ms. O'Conner to Ms. Wolfe and from Swift to Shaw to Dostoevsky a perfect sentence is a creation as grand as La Pieta. Thank you for this fill-in-the-gaps info about another tortured artist and a hearty ta-pocketa to you.
What a surprisingly charming little biography of James Thurber.
A few years ago, I was on business in Columbus and visited the Thurber home on a Sunday afternoon. He lived in the house as a teenager and it is filled with Thurber memorabilia. The narrow, twisting hallways upstairs are absolutely what I imagined reading "The Night The Bed Fell". I could almost see the pathetic pile of his aunt's valuables with the note "This is all I have. Take it, and please do not use your chloroform, as this is all I have". I was alone with the volunteer docent, and discovered that he had never read "The Greatest Man In The World". I found a copy on the for sale shelf and began to read. Suddenly a group of 40 lycra-clad bicyclists, members of a weekend cycling club, stopped in. I got to read about Jacky "Pal" Smertch a 41 people, in the Thurber home, on a sunny, summer, Sunday afternoon A great, great memory
Wonderful.
As kids in an Australian rural town in the mid 1960s, we had an aptly named Labrador dog called Thurber.
We woke one bright Sunday to find about 30 of a neighbor's chickens proudly displayed on our front lawn.
Dad wrote him a cheque after a civilised chat, & we were informed he had been given away to a farmer.
Yeah right! Just the work dog an Australian farmer would want.
A few years ago I attempted to read his biography. Authoritative, thorough but un-readable. This is much better. Thank you.
Thurber...inscrutable till the last. Greetings from India 🙏🙏🙏.
Really fascinating as well as sometimes disturbing, and frustrating. Thurber's Secret Life of Walter Mitty is well known, but Thurber's life is not well known.
Most Best ! Thank you !
Very well done. Thanks
I think this documentary is very well done. Thanks!
When I started my first job in engineering, involving sitting at a desk in an office, I typed up a text on a strip of paper and posted it above my desk. It is over my desk, now, yellowed typewriting, with many thumbtack holes and scotch tape residues. When the odds seem stacked against me, I look up at it, read it, and smile:
"To hell with the handkerchief!" said Walter Mitty, scornfully. He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty The Undefeated, inscrutable to the last."
Not only one of the finest examples of American prose, but perfect use of the semi-colon. E.B. White was surely delighted.
5/24/2020 10:50pm EST, much needed.
Thurber's main strength is his humanity.
my hero
since I was a child=-read everything...
My Dogs =My Favorite
Great video! thanks
I loved this documentary. Who did the charming drawings--I mean the ones that were not Thurber's?
Hi Barbara, I actually drew all of the drawings and animations in the video. Some are replications of Thurber's drawings and others are replications of the book covers for his stories, but the animation, character drawings, settings, and the majority of the video was digitally drawn animation by me. I'm glad that you enjoyed it!! It took me several months of research and drawing.
@@ElvinPearson0 You're very talented and I hope to see more of your work in the future!
Very nice!
Love Thurber, enjoyed the video and commentary. But the background music became so repetitive and invasive I couldn't finish.
Great video. Thurber's life seems to be a heavy mix of genius and pain. Is there any biographical book, about Thurber, that you would recommend?
I read a couple but remember laughter is a really good biography I used
You will enjoy "The Clocks of Columbus".
@@johnpotter8039 Thank you very much for the recommendation.
His characters are two-dimensional;
They shall be forever the cartoons he
Made them out to be; they have truncated
Inner lives, and their publicized secret
Lives are merely their exposed make-beliefs.
I really liked what she was doing, but ten or twelve minutes of the music in the sound track was about to give me a seizure. Can you take that "music" out?
THE BACKGROUND MUSIC IS AWFUL. VERY DISTRACTING. PLEASE OMIT IT.
...and to dodge the draft.