My wife and I have watched three "Jesse Stone" movies in as many days, and I'm finding myself "channeling" the character today, sounding sometimes, to my inner ear, like him talking (even subvocalizing things I'm writing). I've had similar experiences leaving a movie theater, finding myself physically imitating a character I've just seen on the big screen, like Rico Ratso from "Midnight Cowboy," for instance (Dustin Hoffman).Jesse Stone is the chief of police of the small (fictional) town of Paradise, Massachusetts. He ends up there as his last stop (he says) after losing his job as a Los Angeles homicide detective, nostalgically divorced, a drinker (but never drunk on the job). The character was created by the popular "crime novelist" Robert B. Parker (b. 1932). I read two of his Jesse Stone novels last week (home sick with a cold), Sea Change (2005) and Stranger in Paradise (2008). They're fairly simple, with few complications, just the sort of thing to read when you don't feel up to snuff.
The three movies, all directed by Robert Harmon, were made for television, their titles (in narrative sequence) "Jesse Stone: Night Passage" (2006), "Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise" (2006) and "Stone Cold" (2005).We watched the three movies on DVD from our local library, so there's no "big screen" effect, but I guess the three-day immersion is having its effect on me. Mostly, though, it's just the power of the character in my imagination. Jesse Stone is such a fair, calm, truth-telling man, always completely "there" in the moment, strong and ruthless when he needs to be, cordial and first-name even with assholes and murderers. And Tom Selleck, who contributes as a writer and producer, is absolutely perfect for the role.
I think it's mainly Jesse Stone's character that resonates with me. I've noticed myself sounding like him mostly as I've written professional email this morning, wanting to be especially fair, truthful, respectful, just like Jesse Stone. As my friend Ken says (much better than I could):
When it comes to masculinity, Jesse Stone is the Gold Standard. His attitudes toward justice, women, and dogs define manhood.Right, Jesse Stone even has a dog!
I highly recommend all of the movies, even confidently the ones we haven't seen yet: "Jesse Stone: Sea Change" (2007), "Jesse Stone: No Remorse" (2009), and "Jesse Stone: Thin Ice" (2009). The latter was on TV just a couple of weeks ago, but its broadcast seems to have been delayed, as our DVR caught only the first half. But that was all it took to hook us. We plan to watch "Jesse Stone: Sea Change" this evening. That's the last of our library's current holdings, alas.
Next day. Well, I was quite surprised last night, watching "Sea Change," it is so different from the book, most of whose plot has disappeared. For example, in the book, Stone's ex-wife is on the scene as a broadcast news correspondent, and a significant amount of stuff happens in Miami, where the movie never goes. And a larger subplot (about a 13-year-old cold case) has been added for the movie, whether from another Robert B. Parker novel or from Tom Selleck and the other screenwriters, I know not.
But I'm not going to read more Robert B. Parker novels to find out, at least not now. The library has already got a Rebecca Newberger Goldstein for me to pick up.
I saw a couple of those a few years ago and enjoyed them. the made for TVness is obvious but they are still decent movies. Of course Tom Selleck is great. :)
ReplyDeleteHELP! My friend Fred reminded me (and Ken) that we overlooked Jesse Stone's attitude toward baseball. (Jesse Stone could have been a major league short stop if he hadn't injured a shoulder, and he has a photograph of Harry "Suitcase" Simpson on his wall.)
ReplyDeleteFred also advanced a challenge question for my consideration:
Speaking of baseball, I give you a theoretical baseball question (taken from a collection of Scientific American quiz items—the old Martin Gardner column):
Casey is the lead-off batter for the Mudville team. In one particular game (not the famous one), he comes to the plate in every one of the nine innings. What's the least number of runs that the Mudville team can score and still have this happen? (There are no tricks with the lineup. The original 9-man order stays the same for the whole nine innings.)
After I came up with an answer, I checked Fred's, and mine was wrong. Can you get the correct answer?
Reply by comment, and I'll eventually let everyone know the correct answer. I'll write a limerick if there are any winners.
By the way, in "Sea Change" last night, a reflection off the glass over the Suitcase Simpson photograph saved Jesse Stone's life.
Correction! The photograph on Jesse Stone's wall isn't of Harry "Suitcase" Simpson, but of shortstop Ozzie Davis, who Jesse Stone regards as the greatest of them all.
ReplyDeleteI realized this this morning while out driving (and thinking about Jesse Stone, wondering where that 13-year-old cold case plot came from, wondering whether the local library will act on my request to acquire the remaining two, released Jesse Stone movies).
The Suitcase Simpson connection is that Jesse Stone has an officer named Simpson whom he nicknames "Suitcase." Asked why, Jesse Stone replies, "Why not?"
Two errors on the same play! Once again, Ken to the rescue:
ReplyDeleteMorris, are you sure this is right? Harry "Suitcase" Simpson was indeed a MLB player, although not a shortstop. I don't know of an Ozzie Davis, but there was an Ossie Davis, an actor, and an Ozzie Smith, an MLB Hall of Famer. And he played shortstop.
Ken's right, I conflated the name of the actor with that of the baseball player, and I'm grateful to him for pointing this out.
According to the Wikipedia article linked to in the comment where I committed my first error, Suitcase Simpson played first base and outfield.
Here's the Wikipedia link to its article on Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozzie_Smith.
By the way, I played infield, but never first base. Third base was challenging; a well-hit ball can get there so fast. Second base and short stop were my favorite positions. I loved the double-play where you go behind the bag to flip backhand to your colleague racing toward the bag for the first out.
Yes I've enjoyed the Jesse Stone
ReplyDeletemovies as well, course I'm a huge fan of Tom Selleck whose 65th birthday is Jan 29th.
Dawn
P s Love Tom in Westerns best
Yes, Tom Selleck's very appealing. Thanks for letting me know his birthday, just two years younger than I am (or two years less old <smile>).
ReplyDeleteI can't remember any westerns he's in. Examples? Long list of his movies on IMDb.com.