Bits 'n Bobs

Pal Paul

From James MacDonald:
Paul Reuben, of Perspectives on American Literature, has just added John O'Hara to his index of authors. The only thing is, he's included him in the Theatre section. (I guess because I told him I work in Drama). Anyway, Reuben also invited me to write an entry, and I will do, but it may take some time. So if any other Society member wants to do it, the invitation applies generally, I'm sure.

Editor: Contact James via jamesmacdonald7@blueyonder.co.uk for details.


O'Hara Abroad

Within the week, I will be in Montreal and at Mt. Tremblay on various writing assignments, not any, among them, unfortunately, related to O'Hara. As many of you know, I like to follow in O'Hara's footsteps when I am away from Philadelphia, and have done so in Los Angeles, New York, London, and, of course, in Pottsville. Canada isn't on the itinerary.

From what I can tell, O'Hara wasn't particularly well travelled. His overseas trips only included France, England, and Bermuda, if I'm not mistaken. (Interestingly, Ireland was a big gap in this small line-up). Can anyone improve upon the list?


July in Pottsville

To those who have asked, and to those who have waited patiently in silence, I still don't have any additional word regarding the July 17 and July 18 Pottsville event. The highlight of the occasion will be a performance of 'Short Stories by O'Hara' by the Schuylkill Actor's Guild. If anyone has further details, please alert me ASAP. I plan on contacting Erica Ramos, an organizer of the event, this week, hoping for more info.

-- Richard Carreño

O'Hara in Blogosphere

Updates from the Net

Richard Rabicoff reports:

The bloggers are finally getting around to O'Hara.

This one is pretty good.
http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/john-ohara-appointment-in-samarra/

This one is ludicrous and I could not resist commenting. Or is this something everyone knew about but me?
http://canecdotes.blogspot.com/2008/04/canadian-literary-orgies-anecdote-1.html

Richard Rabicoff
Perry Hall, MD 21128

Dinner Theatre in Pottsville

John O'Hara Dinner Theatre

at Sweet Arrow Lake, Pine Grove

Erica Ramos in Pottsville reports:

July 17 & 18 (Thursday & Friday) Time to be announced

Four Short Stories by O'Hara, performed by the Schuylkill Actor's Guild

These are the same stories performed 2 years ago at the Pottsville Club. Same format: stories, dinner, lots of fun!

Prices, times to be announced.

It's a beautiful setting for a summer performance. Anyone interested can email me for ticket information and I'll put you on a list.

Erica Ramos

Good Story, Never Mind the Facts

Fact Checked

• Bennett Cerf, right
  
• Richard Rabicoff responded:
  
• This is rather curious. I do not find a book by Bennett Cerf titled Living to Laugh, though Amazon lists some 80 titles of his with the word laugh. Is Mr. Adler referring to a book or an article; or is the anecdotist someone other than Cerf?
  
  Watson's The Double Hook came out in 1959 and was an experimental fiction of the type O'Hara would never read, much less admire, especially at age 54.
  
  In 1959 O'Hara was happily married to his final wife and was notoriously faithful to her. While such an orgy could have taken place during his various bachelorhoods, or especially in Hollywood, it is terribly unlikely he would have partied like this in 1959 or thereafter. (He died in 1970.)
  
  That said, it is a delightful anecdote delightfully told. But is sure sounds spurious.
  
• Richard Carreño responded:
  Philadelphia::1 May 2008
  Rubbish, of course. Facts don't square. Never mind. Good story.
  
  Richard Carreño
  John O'Hara Society
  OHaraSociety.blogspot.com
  John.OHara.Society@comcast.net
  +(00)1.267:253:1086
  
• Styron was a Random House author, But hardly a friend of O'Hara.


• Cerf was a prude. I doubt that he'd be relating stories like this.


• Watson at the time would be more than 50 years old.


• The train from Toronto connects in New York. Allentown?????


• Cerf never wrote anything called Living to Laugh.

Canadians Gone Wild!

O'Hara Joins Canadian Literary 'Orgy' in Philadelphia. Sure, Right!

Right. Styron and Watson, photographed at about the time of the Philadelphia 'orgy'

Bennett Cerf writes in Living to Laugh of a party at John O'Hara's house; a party attended by Sinclair Ross, Robert J.C. Stead, and Sheila Watson. O'Hara, the author of Appointment in Samarra, Butterfield 8, and Hope of Heaven, had read Watson's The Double Hook and had asked Cerf to dig up the author's address and pay her fare to Philadelphia, which was where O'Hara was living at the time. Cerf obliged, and soon Watson and O'Hara were conducting a friendly correspondence. Watson would come to O'Hara's party; she looked forward to meeting her new friend.

O'Hara, who was not a patient man, was expecting Watson at five o'clock on a Saturday. She'd sent him a telegraph Friday afternoon letting him know when she'd be arriving and where to meet her on the platform. The next day he went to 30th Street Station, following her instructions, and was incensed when the express arrived and Watson was not on board. He waited for an hour, hoping that Watson would be on a subsequent train, but the next one came...and still no Watson.

O'Hara sped home, railing against the Canadian author all the way. When he pulled into his driveway there was Watson at the foot of the steps, sitting on her suitcase. "I missed my transfer in Allentown," Watson said, "so I had to drive down. I hope you weren't just waiting for me."

O'Hara feigned delight, but was secretly fuming. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's alright. I'm just glad you're here."

Later that night, during the party, William Styron got drunk and made a pass at Watson. O'Hara, who had been hanging on Sheila's elbow all night, watched in horror as Styron twisted his pinky into the corner of her mouth, his other hand massaging her ass through layers of turquoise silk interwoven with a pattern of bowing Japanese virgins. O'Hara turned his back to vent, and when he looked again for Styron and Watson they were gone.

As the night progressed, more and more guest began disappearing; disappearing upstairs into O'Hara's large carpeted bedroom. O'Hara navigated his way through the writhing literary bodies, finding Styron and Watson half-way under his mahogany bedstead, their legs locked in embrace. Both were obviously smashed.

O'Hara did the only thing he could do: he dropped his pants and joined in. "Nice to see you, John," Styron said. "There's a little room north of the shoulders."

Watson fellated O'Hara, but was still lucid enough to insist on one condition: "Don't come in my mouth."

"Don't worry," O'Hara said. "Just stop talking. I don't smoke cigars, and I don't come in women's mouths."

But, a few minutes later, O'Hara's limbs shuddered, and he ejaculated on Watson's hard palate. She pulled back, shocked, and slapped her palm against his bare thigh.

"You said you wouldn't!"

"And you said you'd meet me at the train station," O'Hara said. "Now have a cigar

(See blog for attribution and details).

Lost in LA

The Other Side

Right, Hi Neighbour! Oops, Wrong House

The Editor responds:

Damn! Many, many thanks for correction. Will try to get it when I'm in LA this summer. Or, if you're already there, perhaps you could be good enough to snap the right house pix.

Again, thanks for the update.

Richard

From an LA reader (who knows more about Hancock Park than the Editor does) :
Hi there,

Not that we need anymore visitors, but the blog from Aug.1, 2006 has photos labelled the last home of F. Scott Fitzgerald. In fact, they are photographs of the building across the street. Just thought you should know :).

Returns of the Day

Birthday Greetings

Robert Saliba reports:
Last night I was re-reading to my wife passages from A Rage to Live only to discover that yesterday was Grace Caldwell Tate's birthday: April 29, 1883.

Excerpts read were: New Year's Eve 1899, the first meeting between Grace and Roger Bannon, Grace's wedding, Sidney's errands on the day of his 10th wedding anniversary - the barber, the jeweler and the harness maker, Roger's speech to the auxillary and the later fling with Grace, the parade in Fort Penn when the soldiers go off to war.

The critics focused too much on Grace's adultery. They paid little attention to the incredible descriptive social history.

Looking forward to visitng Pottsville this spring/summer. We should line up a date soon.

Robert Saliba
Morristown, New Jersey