Steinbeck: Armed With The Truth (And A Colt Automatic)
Award winning screen writer and art historian Steve Hauk presents documentation for the fact that Steinbeck used hand guns for self protection. Steve's orignal article for Red Room about this exhibit is here.
He also presents art from Steinbeck's era and Steinbeck Country, Monterey and Salinas California.
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Belle Yang says:
This is wonderful
You really know your stuff so your storytelling flows beautifully. It great the information was visually captured in this video. Bravo, Steve! And it's so smart to have a documentation of the show, because once it's over, the pieces will be scattered.
Steve Hauk says:
I feel indebted to Longtimers for the video _
- because I know it's going to be painful to take the show down.
Ray A. March says:
Steinbeck and colts
Hello, Steve -- well you've pulled off another coup. A great show on Steinbeck. Barbara and I wish you well. I don't know if Max Gordon is still kicking, but when he was a reporter at the Salinas Calfornian he was Steinbeck's runner to the courthouse for Steinbeck's research. Max asked him why he needed to be so accurate in his research and Steinbeck said, "Because I don't want the son of bitches catching me in an error." That's a story Max told me once when I was at the Californian. When I published "A Guide to Cannery Row," Steinbeck had just won the Nobel and I was very surprised to get a letter from him saying "Who would have thought Cannery Row would get its own booklet." In 1936 The S.F. Chronicle ran a chilling story about a strike in Salinas so I can see why Steinbeck got himself a gun permit. Good to see you, even if it's video. Best to Nancy -- Ray
Steve Hauk says:
Ray, great story about the Guide _
_ do you still have the Steinbeck letter? What else does it say? On the story about Max, do you think Steinbeck was researching ``East of Eden''? That would seem to fit.
Ray A. March says:
Steinbeck and guns
Hello, Steve -- Yes, I have the letter. I was a rooky reporter at the Hearld at the time covering PG and writing a column called "Along the Waterfront," a revival of Rich Lovejoy's original which "The Colonel" thought would be a good idea since it was his idea and not mine. Steinbeck pointed out that my "guide" did not have a chapter in it on the controversy of labeling the sardines -- something, as I recall -- to do with anchovies. Which indicated to me that he actually read the entire little brochure. (I did have a chapter on what he was refering to but had to cut it for lack of space). Steinbeck said he and Ricketts went to Sacramento to argue the matter. I believe the question was over labeling sardines as anchovies, something like that. As for Max's researching for Steinbeck, I always assumed it was "East of Eden," beause as you know Steinbeck did much of his writing from NY. Incidentally, the ad dept. raised hell over my selling ads in the booklet and Ed Kennedy actually tried to intercept the publication because I was competing with the newspaper. In the end, I traded a number of copies with the owners of the Polygon Bookstore at 837 Cannery Row for Jeffer's signed linmted edition "The Loving Shepherdess." Keep up the good work. Best, Ray
Steve Hauk says:
As you know, Ray, your letter from Steinbeck
is valuable, in terms of dollars, of course, as well as its scholarly value. Don't sell it at a yard sale. I didn't know Rich Lovejoy began the Along the Waterfront column or I would not have been so cavalier about it when I wrote it!
What Steinbeck wrote about the sardines being labeled as anchovies is amazingly interesting, too. Do you think packers were doing that because sardines were being fished out, and they didn't want ``sardining'' banned? Ricketts had to be one of the first great conservationists. Love to know what happened when they went to Sacramento.
Your letter is a treasure.
Ray A. March says:
Steinbeck and guns and sardines
Steve --now I'll have to go to the bank and dig into the moldy safe deposit box and read that letter again! Just as important: I didn't know you wrote "Along the Waterfront," what a wonderful thread putting the deep past into present. I don't know exactly when Lovejoy started the column but when I arrived fresh from S.F. State in 1961 "The Colonel" wanted two columns started up. One was "Along the Waterfront" which I wrote until 1963 when I left to go to the Overseas Weekly in Frankfurt, Germany, and the other was a bird column which Vince Bradley got stuck with. It was one time I lucked out. Next time I am in Alturas, 24 miles distant over a 6,300-foot mountain pass in winter, I will take the key and open the secret box. Best, Ray & Barbara
Steve Hauk says:
Hello _ Alturas!
It will be worth the trip, I am sure. Steinbeck almost always wrote interesting letters. As to Along the Waterfront, I'm afraid I sank it _ I was approached by some shadowy types about what I was writing, and I said the hell with that. No one else picked it up.
Jennifer Burnett says:
Max Gordon
I am Max Gordon's granddaughter. Max passed away in 1992, but left us many remembrances including what we all refer to as the "Steinbeck Letter". Max was doing research for East of Eden for Steinbeck.
Jennifer Gordon Burnett
Steve Hauk says:
Jennifer, I'm sorry I picked
up on your comment so late. That's fascinating that your grandfather researched for Steinbeck. Would love to see a copy of the letter someday. Has the Steinbeck Review ever seen or published it?