Smiley Anders for Jan. 24, 2012

Much more than ‘just a movie’

I rarely go out to the movies these days because most of the flicks consist of “Wham! Bam! Boom! Crash!” and little or no story.

Seems the computer wizards and high-tech stunt folks have taken over the movie business at the expense of storytellers.

But sometimes you find a flick that tells a poignant, meaningful tale and still gets in the “Wham! Bam! Boom! Crash!” stuff.

Such a movie is “Red Tails,” about the Tuskegee Airmen, black fighter pilots in World War II and the prejudice they had to overcome before they were allowed to fight for their country.

There’s plenty of slam-bang aerial action in this George Lucas film, but there’s a lot to think about too — about the institutionalized racism of the ’40s, how far we’ve come in race relations and how far we have to go.

The fliers in the movie are heroes, but they’re not the usual run of movie heroes. They’re regular guys doing a tough and dangerous job because they believe in it. Their triumph over the Germans and over the prejudice of America’s military leaders is a triumph for all of us.

When the movie ended and the credits started to roll, applause burst out all over the theater.

When the lights came up, we saw that most of the audience was African American — as were the two ladies who stopped me in the lobby on my way out.

You could tell they wanted to talk about the film they had just seen, which had moved them to tears.

After telling me how much they enjoyed the film, one of them told me, “People need to see this. You should tell everyone you know about this movie.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied. “I’ll sure try. …”

Speaking Nawthun

“I swear on a stack of boudin that this is true,” says Ronnie Hotz, of Lafayette:

“In a conversation with an elected official from our homeowners’ association, who happens to be from the Frozen Nawth, he referred me to a neighbor to verify an issue, a certain Ms. Goo-dray.

“I said ‘Who?’ and he repeated, ‘Ms. Goo-dray.’

“I said, ‘How do you spell that?’

“When he spelled it for me, I chuckled and asked, ‘I wonder if she is related to Lafayette’s celebrity baseball icon, who pitched for the New York Yankees, Ron Goo-dray?’

“He said, ‘She might, since it’s spelled the same.’

“Sorry, Smiley, I gotta run to pick up a light bulb at Goo-dray’s Hardware before they close!”

Berry delicious

Ruby Juanita “Nita” Johnson, of Gainesville, Texas, says our Florida Street nostalgia items remind her of “the seasonal strawberry pies at the Toddle House near the downtown post office.

“I still have the plate one came in, and even though the pies I fix in it are not nearly as tasty, the memories are.

“And those chocolate cream pies? To dream about!

“When coming in late at night from an out-of-town trip, we always stopped there and had hamburgers, hash browns and slices of pie for breakfast.”

The corner store

Melissa Eastin, our “friendly neighborhood archivist” at the River Center Library, looked through old city directories to answer readers’ questions about what businesses occupied the northwest corner of Florida and Third in bygone days:

“Occupants of 301 N. 3rd Street were:

“From the late ’30s to 1950, Murray’s Coffee Shop No. 1.

“From ’50 to ’55, the Gingham Grill.

“In 1955, it became the Holiday Shoe Store, and remained a shoe or clothing store for many years.”

Martins have landed

Kenny Kleinpeter reports on one of our local signs of spring:

“I observed about 10 purple martins flying over Steve Covert’s martin houses on University Lakes Sunday afternoon.”

Thank-you notes

Mary Elizabeth and Nelson Goings thank James and Andrew McGaugh, twin 17-year-old sons of their neighbors, for giving their lawn a complimentary mowing.

The lads refused to take anything for the job, describing it as “a random act of kindness.”

The Goings say it’s “wonderful to know our youth have such great values.”

Special People Dept.

• Billie Wire celebrated her 95th birthday Monday.
• Lewis Guidry, a World War II veteran and Exxon retiree, celebrates his 93rd birthday Tuesday.
• Sam Calandro, of Amber Terrace Assisted Living (formerly Lakewood Quarters), celebrated his 93rd birthday Monday.
• H.J. and Nadine Cook, of Lafayette, celebrate their 70th anniversary Tuesday.

Horsing around

Harriet St. Amant has this to say about the furor over NFL quarterback Tim Tebow of Denver:

“The last time people were so interested in a white
Bronco, the LAPD was on a slow chase with O.J. Simpson.”

Friendly deletions

Dudley Lehew, of Denham Springs, says, “I used to think the most meaningful description of a best friend I ever heard was if both of you awake to find yourselves in jail one morning and the friend says, ‘God, that was fun!’

“But this modern-day description might be No. 1: ‘A best friend quickly clears your computer’s history if you die!’”

Write Smiley at [e-mail]. He can also be reached by fax at [phone] or mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.