Edison, the Man, 1940

Two years after he was Father Flanagan and ten years before he was Father of the Bride, Spencer Tracy played Thomas Edison, Father of Electric Light, in a movie about the struggles of getting inventions accepted by others. This film shows the inventor as a poor single guy who has to make money in order to continue developing his inventions. As he begins meeting with success, he finds a love interest and men who want to help him in his work.

This film showcases the sixty-year career of Thomas Alva Edison, as remembered by Edison on the night he is honored as an 82-year-old inventor. Edison’s fight to bring electric lights to a city park showed his determination to achieve success. Other inventions such as the stock ticker and the phonograph are also given important screen time.

Tracy was fabulous as Edison. His acting made everything seem like I was being invited to eavesdrop.

A Better Life

Children can be called Forces of Change. I use that phrase because adults have to adjust their schedules and habits when children come to live in their home. Becoming a parent causes us to take a closer look at ourselves and the decisions we make.

Today at Seek God With Me, I’m taking a closer look at myself to find out if I’m showing the character of God. If I’m learning from God, it should show up in my decisions. New attitudes taken from a wise teacher will change how we see, but also how we are seen. Join me today at Seek GodWith Me to take a closer look at a better life.

Laugh and Get Rich, 1931

Mrs. Austin must rent bedrooms to boarders to keep money coming in to pay bills. However, her kind-hearted, happy-go-lucky husband invests her money in everyone else’s projects. While the woman tries to keep her family afloat, her daughter is sought-after by two men: a young inventor and a charming liar.

Mrs. Austin, played by Edna May Oliver, reminds me of the Carol Burnett Show. Carol Burnett could’ve easily played this mother – and probably came very close in one of the many comedy sketches she was in.

Hugh Herbert is Mr. Austin. He’s always into something, a little odd, but likable. Russell Gleason is the very appealing inventor Larry Owens who’s sweet on Miss Austin.

I loved the party at Mrs. Austin’s sister’s house. There was a dance, and there was conflict. That scene added a good mixture of awkward, funny, uncomfortable, and sweet.

A Better Word

Here we are, mid-January, trying to set up new routines in order to fulfill new promises we make to ourselves. We get frustrated with our bodies because they don’t lie. They tell the secrets of our dessert-eating past. They make us and everyone else fully aware of our lack of fitness.

How are we going to be happy with ourselves in this new year?

We have to learn to let go.

God gave us Jesus so that we could learn to let go of what we’ve been in control of and accept what he’s in control of. God has a better handle on things than we do. By far. And we know it. But we still try to control our own lives with our feeble little plans.

Meanwhile, God waits for us to run to him.

So this year, let’s run.

Let’s run to Jesus since he’s made himself available for everyone. We can all rush forward to him and be accepted. We don’t have to drag our feet anymore through our old lives, trying to make things better on our own. Because of the blood of Jesus, we have a new life to be thankful for. New direction. Instead of hiding from God, we can run into his arms.

Run with me this year as we seek God together. Today on my devotional blog, Seek God With Me, I’m sharing about this new life that we have with Jesus. Thanks for joining me.

 

 

So Goes My Love, 1946

Myrna Loy plays Jane, a woman who is ready for a new life. She’s a smart, determined country girl on a mission to find a rich husband. Jane has a plan, but a neighbor foils her plan.

Don Ameche is Hiram Steven Maxim, a charming inventor who promises no fortune nor notoriety, but he succeeds in turning her head. Ameche plays this quirky character well. The matter-of-fact part of Maxim's personality doesn’t overwhelm his compassion.

The story, “A Genius in the Family”, was written by Hiram Percy Maxim. The screenplay credits go to Bruce Manning and Clifton James. The film doesn’t spend much time on specific inventions, but emphasizes the inventor’s family life instead. The happy ending shows that happiness requires patience and adjustment. Although we can easily identify with the characters, they’re certainly not a cookie-cutter family.

New Stuff

Last January, I reviewed some Edith Head movies (The Sting, A Place in the Sun, Sabrina, and Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid) and paired the movies with devotionals about clothing. We took a look at garments of skin in Genesis, David trying on Saul’s armor in 1Samuel, the full armor of God in Ephesians, and Aaron’s priestly garments in Exodus.

February of 2012 was Girl Power month. I reviewed four movies from the 1930s with powerful female characters. I think a lot of people like to see a girl with strength and grit. Imitation of Life, Reckless, The Mad Miss Manton, and Too Hot to Handle all showed that kind of girl who, when she is down, that doesn’t mean you should count her out. My February devotionals were about powerful women of the Bible: Hannah, Deborah, Lydia, and a powerful mother from Matthew 15.

March was about World War II, and April was about murder. But I lightened things up a bit and discussed food in May. My devotionals were about the food issues of Jacob and Esau, Mary and Martha, Samson, and Jesus. My May movie reviews covered The Harvey Girls, The Lady and the Tramp, and That Touch of Mink.

June, July, and August gave me time to share the Psalms on my blog. Together, we read through 150 Psalms in 92 days.

September came along and helped me discuss convincing others of the truth. Truth is something that is sometimes amazingly difficult to persuade people about, at least in Alfred Hitchcock’s films. Therefore, I reviewed four of his films from the 1930s.

Last October, I encouraged us all to face the scary things in life. My devotionals covered topics like facing demons, facing disease, facing God, and facing self-will. I reviewed classic scary movies like The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

November was an important month for voters, so I covered ways of praying for our leaders. Some political-themed movies were highlighted: Kisses for my President, Goodbye my Fancy, and Meet John Doe. There were a lot of movies to choose from, so it was hard narrowing them down to only three.

December seems like a long time ago, now that Christmas is behind us. I helped us all get our Christmas wish list together by reminding us of how to pray for stuff. We prayed for God to help us make personal changes. We prayed for stuff like: being near God, allowing God to speak through us to our neighbors, and speaking helpful words. I reviewed movies that we see on TV every year: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and It’s a Wonderful Life.

So now, it’s January again. What will we see this year? I can imagine good things for this year. But we’ll need to set good goals in order to see good things happen.

In order to help us get in the mood for welcoming good changes and working to make things better, I’ll review movies about inventors. My devotionals will cover Bible verses that relate to a topic I’ll call New Stuff.

I will start today with a post about the new covenant. Join me at Seek God With Me and let me know what you think.