Weird n Wonderful n Wacky Tips!: Heroes

I have had this particular blog post on a few different blogs and not quite sure where it would fit best. But, it IS a wonderful tip, an ideal that seems almost lost amongst the newer generations
So here, is where I have moved it to.

My hero, or rather, Richard Widmark, who played one of my heroes in the movies, Jim Bowie.

Richard Widmark 1914-2008

Richard Widmark was a very fine actor that I had come to admire since I was a little girl. I spent the morning he had died reading all the links I could find on-line about him and his life and all the while, the tears just flowed.
One of the things he was quoted for having said was how tough it was in thinking that he would be remembered for a giggle as he played Johnny Udo in Kiss of Death. A wonderful movie and made him a star. Here is a pic of the scene in that movie where he pushes the lady in the wheelchair down the stairs.

To me, I will remember him most as playing Jim Bowie in The Alamo. That is when I first saw him when I was about 9 years old. That is when Jim Bowie became my hero and Richard Widmark became one of my favorite actors.

One of his favorite films he did was Cheyenne Autumn where he brought the plight of the American Indians, the Cheyenne to light.

It got me to thinking that day of how the time for heroes has long gone. Who are our children's heroes today? What sort of qualities or morals or values do they give our children?

My father's hero was Hopalong Cassidy. My father had always encouraged us to have a hero.

Hearing about Richard Widmark's death, was like hearing of my father dying all over again. For it was my father who introduced me to it all and instilled this within me as I was growing up.
To me, these men, all of them, were about honesty, integrity and standing up for what you believe in. Fighting for it no matter what, even if it means dying for it. I have held onto those thoughts for all my life.

I read how some said they don't make actors like Richard Widmark anymore and that many were sad to hear of his death for to them, it felt like it was one of the last ones to pass away who were from that time when men were men. Even Richard Widmark himself said that today, Hollywood movies are about the bottom line...they lost the intellectual storytelling and I know I am paraphrasing here, but I understand what he was saying.

You just don't see too many or at least not hear of too many 'dramas'. Now if you hear that, you think daytime drama or soap operas and not some of the movies they made back then like Pickup on South Street or The Bedford Incident.

I watched a few videos on-line about Richard Widmark, one was a game show called: "What's My Line?". I saw a glimpse into the man behind the name and his humor and easy smile as he tried to disguise his voice. The 'gentle' man behind all those great roles both hero and villain alike.

I only wish I had had the chance to meet him. Just to say thank you for giving up that pool and being in the movies he was, for the ones I saw as I was growing up, had such an impact on me. Ones that I will never forget and will hold close to my heart always.

Thank you Mr. Widmark. You were a fine actor and handsome gentleman and you will always be remembered.

Of course, I could not talk of heroes or Richard Widmark, without talking about my own father. I do miss him a great deal. He was such a large part of my life and when he died so unexpectedly 8 years ago, it just broke my heart. I was very close to my father throughout my life, as his first born, I was the apple of his eye. He often teased me of Jim Bowie being my hero but what he may not have known, was that he too, was also my hero.

My father taught me many things in life and I used to follow him around when he was fixing things in the house or out cutting wood for the woodstove or making things with his hands. He was a roofer's son and he also was a roofer himself and worked as a dispatcher for the police for over 30 years. I was always so proud of my father and his name. He took us travelling and camping all across the U.S. and taught us how to fish and even shoot, how to play games that really sharpened our minds and how to have fun and kid around. I had a rich childhood for all the wonderful and joyous memories growing up. I have been most blessed in my life to have been brought up with such a solid foundation.
He instilled in me the worth of honesty and integrity and gave me such values that I carry to this day. He never liked to owe anyone a penny and he would keep his word as best as he could. He too, was a strong man and of a time as Richard Widmark said, when men were men.
Thank you Daddy, for such a grand childhood and being such a great father! I love you!

My father had three brothers. Two are passed as well and I would be remiss to not speak of them. The two that are gone, one younger, I don't remember a great deal as he died when I was very young. I can barely remember him holding my hand and I remember coming across a castle he had made out of paper that I thought was just the most magnificent castle I had ever seen. It was tucked away in our attic in a closet.
The older brother who has passed, I was not very close to but he too, like my father was a man's man and also served in the military. We had a shared interest in our family ancestry and I was never more touched than to have received a letter with pics of the shore place from him while I was in basic training.

The other brother who is still living, my other uncle, is one who I always idolized and looked up to as I was growing up. Seeing him on our home movies on the rings and diving alongside my father always had me enthralled. My father used to tease me as he knew I looked up to his brother. They were both very close growing up and often our families would go camping together and do things together. When my father died, it was he who stood at my side and was there for me. I know I could not have gotten through it all were it not for him. We have grown very close and he has become like a second father to me. He also instills that same honesty and integrity and strength. Kind, thoughtful and would do anything for you, he reminds me alot of my father. With all he has been thru in his life and how he is, he too, has been a hero to me. I have been so very lucky to have had these men in my life as my family.

Lastly, my other hero, Jim Bowie. Jim Bowie has been portrayed in the movies and tv series over the years and another fine actor who played him was Alan Ladd in The Iron Mistress. What a great movie that is too and Alan Ladd also became a favorite actor of mine!

When I saw this one about Jim Bowie's earlier life as a young man, I was enthralled and had to learn how to throw a Bowie knife just like he did and used to go up into the woods with my own Bowie knife strapped to my hip and practice. I learned all I could about Jim Bowie and the Alamo, where he died on March 6th, 1836.

I have visited San Antonio many times over and of course always take time out to step inside the mission itself. Often, I feel a tear fall as I stand in the center and close my eyes and remember. A huge thank you to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for taking care of the Alamo so that all who may come to her doors, may remember.