The Thin Man, 1934



It’s interesting what happens when you’re taking a break. Nick Charles, a successful private detective who retired when Nora’s father died and left them his money, tries very hard not to go back to detective work, but when no one can figure out who the killer is, he’s the only one who can unveil the truth.

At a Christmas party in the Charles’ home, a couple of reporters asked Nora, “Is he working on a case?” She replied, “Yes. A case of Scotch. Pitch in and help him.”

William Powell and Myrna Loy, who played Nick and Nora Charles, began a series of Thin Man movies with this successful film about the private detective and his very helpful wife. The chemistry between Loy and Powell demanded attention and five more movies in this series. This film was a surprise success since Myrna Loy’s previous roles were not such innocent, playful wives. The duo brought their A-game to the films, and not surprisingly, they keep gaining fans through the decades.

Rest from Vacation

We’re back from our family vacation, and we’re enjoying a few photos and videos that we took. The images remind us of all the fun we had. Frankly, we need that reminder while we’re doing all the laundry and cleaning up and getting back into the routine again. It’s a lot of work to come home from a road trip.

Join me at Seek God With Me for a look at how to find peace after the chaos of fun gets to you.

Blue Hawaii, 1961

This film lets you vacation in Hawaii with Elvis Presley as your tour guide. Blue Hawaii thrilled Elvis fans with plenty of songs and the famous left-sided smile.

This movie did a good job of taking us on a brief highlight tour of Hawaii’s magnificent landscapes. I enjoyed the beach scenes on Oahu, the horseback riding on the shores of Kauai, and even the night time car chase.

The first thing Elvis does, as the charming Chadwick Gates, is try to make his girl jealous by kissing another girl. He explained to his girl that he was just having a little fun, but I was getting a little ticked off at him. Thankfully, the playboy attitude stopped after the first section of the movie. And I really must say that Chadwick was a gentleman after all. He had plenty of opportunities to go for other women during the rest of the movie but, being a gentleman, his role with the other women was one of Protector and Guide. Tour guide, that is.

Although born in London, Angela Lansbury worked hard on her performance as Mrs. Gates (Chadwick’s mother) a woman from Atlanta, Georgia. The movie was certainly all about Elvis, but Joan Blackman (as Maile Duval) put in a great performance as Chadwick’s girl. I especially liked the fact that Edith Head designed the costumes.

Everyone who loves Elvis movies loves the songs. My two favorites were “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” and the last song of the movie “Hawaiian Wedding Song”. I read that Elvis himself felt the wedding scene was so real that ten years had passed before he realized he wasn’t married to her. He sings well and has a sense of humor.

Speaking of songs, Elvis’s character got into a brawl at a luau and ended up in jail – with his Hawaiian buddies AND their instruments. How convenient. Elvis admits in a quote found on imdb.com, “I get tired of playing a guy who gets into a fight, then starts singing to the guy he’s just beat up.”

Elvis was nominated for a Grammy award for his performance in Blue Hawaii.

Rest from Struggles

Have you been dealing with personal struggles so long, you just don’t know what to do? Many people have personal struggles. Parents struggle with raising kids to be a consistently kind and productive member of society. Single adults struggle with finding the right spouse. Jobless people struggle with finding the right employment.

Working hard to achieve a worthy goal takes dedication. But when your goal is met, there will be an enjoyable rest. Join me at Seek God With Me to find out what God says about resting.

Do you know what resting has to do with trusting God? Check out my devotional blog today.

The Great Escape, 1963

When you feel like escaping from your daily routine, check out this classic film set in a WWII German POW camp. One of the prisoners was called The Cooler King because he was given many opportunities to rest in the “cooler” when he was caught doing something wrong.

In this film, POWs from several Allied forces work together to attempt an escape from an “escape-proof” German camp. Aided by various experts like The Scrounger, played by James Garner, and The Tunnel King, played by Charles Bronson, the men stubbornly persist in their plans. They require some to work on the tunnel system and some to work on distracting the Germans so they won’t be found out. With help from The Forger, played by Donald Pleasance, and The Manufacturer, played by James Coburn, many were able to leave the camp. The Cooler King, played by Steve McQueen, was able to steal a motorcycle and lead the Germans on a chase that includes a famous leap over a barbed wire barrier.

This film was based on the book by Paul Brickhill, who participated in the most famous WWII POW escape, the escape from Stalag Luft III. It took the real POWs over a year to prepare for the event.  Having built a camp similar to Stalag Luft III near Munich, Germany, the crew did what was necessary to recreate the setting and film the entire movie in Europe. The cast members even helped build set pieces by tying rubber strings together to make the barbed wire.

Several cast members brought their experience to the film. Donald Pleasence, among others of the cast, was actually held in real POW camps during the war. Playing a chief tunneler was easy for Charles Bronson, who had been a coal miner before working as an actor.  

Even Steve McQueen brought his motorcycle experience to the film. He not only did most of his own stunts, but he also played one of the German motorcyclists in his chase scene.  According to imdb.com, the real escape actually occurred on Steve McQueen’s 14th birthday.

Rest from School

Is there someone in your home who just finished a year or a semester of school? Whether you’re a teacher or a student, you need a break from all that hard work. Join me at Seek God With Me for permission to rest from months (or days) of hard work.

I have good news. It’s okay to rest when you’ve given your best.

Volunteers Rest After A Good Day


Volunteers give their time and effort because they believe in the organization they’re helping. My family and I have chosen to volunteer occasionally throughout the year at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. We do our best to help out in whatever way we’re directed, but we’re not there every day.

So on those scheduled volunteering days, we devote ourselves to helping others. The volunteer coordinator explains jobs for us to do and makes sure we have any tools necessary to complete the task.

We work hard. But at the end of the day, we are able to rest with a contented sigh. We know we were able to improve the store in our own little way, and that makes us want to return and help some more.

This month, let’s consider a well-deserved rest.

What are you resting from?