US News and World Report has posted John McCain's account of his 5 1/2 years at the Hanoi Hilton, which they first published in May of 1973, on their website. After a few pages of reading, I really think he could have made it a lot zippier with a bit more humor. Guess 35 years ago people didn't know as much about making personal essays as we do now.
The Link.
ALSO: Here's an idea I had for a movie, or possibly a tv show: There's this guy, he's in the war (uhm...probably World War II) and he's in a prison camp for a real long time. He is the hero of his fellow Joes because he's the guy that makes up this long story that he tells every night for days and days and years and years. His stories were pretty much the reason everyone kept their sanity and will to live while they were in the jail. After the war and his return home, our hero decides to take his talent for storytelling to the work world, kind of thinking he's unique and brilliant...but he shows up at every ad agency or television writing agency and discovers there are dozens of Ex-POWs just like him trying to get their foots in the door with their tale-telling. Pretty much it's the tale of the long hard battle to get ahead in advertising, or tv writing, or something, while surrounded by a bunch of cut-throat Earnest Hemingway types with more gruesome prison-tales than you.
It could be a comedy or drama, depending on the director.
1 comment:
Isn't that essentially what trying to be popular in college is like? All these horror stories from high school ready to amp or maintain their cred?
"Oh I was class vice president, valedictorian, homecoming queen, MVP, star of the school play, piano soloist, seminary president, started my own business and dated the quarterback."
"Me too."
Except let's not do a show about that. Television needs to shut up about teenagers and movies need to stop with the college.
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