Since we are wandering around off topic, I thought I would mention another movie, "Three Secrets." Filmed in 1950, it starred Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker, Ruth Roman, and Frank Lovejoy.
A small plane crashes high on "Thunder Mountain", a 12,000' peak north of Los Angeles. Airplane overflights determine that there is a lone survivor, a boy, injured. But he is on a steep cliff, and a rescue must be mounted to get there and save him before he dies. The story is particularly poignant because today is the boy's 5th birthday. The media reports it and the fact that he had been adopted at a particular home for unwed mothers.
The "three secrets" are that three women--each of whom had given birth to a boy at that home that very same day--read about it in the newspapers. They had all opted for adoption to unknown couples. Each goes to the rescue base camp in hopes of being reunited. Of course, none of the women knows about the others...until they get there.
The story is interesting because of the three women's individual histories, their interpersonal dynamics after they meet and as the rescue efforts proceed. As they anguish over who's son he really is, and of the surprising final revelation. Also for the '50s view of how mountain rescues are carried out.
An old friend of mine, a graduate student at UCLA at the time, was hired as a technical consultant to make sure that they portrayed the rock climbing rescue details accurately. You can read about him
here, on page 5. But Ray, along with a few of his rock climbing friends, were not paid. Their compensation was simply a cameo appearance as the rescue team was getting their gear ready to start up. The "radio announcer" came by each one, with his microphone, and each got to say his real name for the film and state where he was from. I think the memory of this must have been more meaningful than any few hundred bucks.
The director was Robert Wise, who also directed "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "West Side Story," and "The Sound of Music."
Anyway, I thought it was an interesting and entertaining movie. 'Course, I'm unabashedly a romantic. VHS copies are
available from Amazon.Oh, and why am I telling you all this? Early in the movie, we get a view of "Thunder Mountain." You guessed it, it is our good friend--Mr. Whitney--and considerably higher than 12,000'. And, if all goes well, I will be shaking Mr. Whitney's hand once again, on Saturday.
It's been a slow day. I have a zillion stories like this. Sorry.
BTW I got wise to using Lone Pine after a similar flatland residence experience... probably the same one: in Livermore, CA.
