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Vintage 1950s Movies THE KING AND I by Janet Elizabeth Lynn

August 3, 2019 by in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger

Our latest book, GAME TOWN, begins with the 1957 Emmy Awards celebration and ends with the Academy Awards ceremony, I had to research the winners of both. Talk about a waltz down memory lane!! The King and I was the most nominated of all the movies released during the year of 1956. Then, of course, I just had to check out the history of the movie. I was so enlightened by its background I thought I would share it with you.

The King and I, a musical film by 20th Century Fox was released in 1956.  The screenplay by Ernest Lehman was based on the 1951 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical of the same name. This popular musical was based on the 1944 novel by Margaret Landon titled Anna and the King of Siam. Ms. Landon based her novel on Anna Leonowens’ published memoirs, The English Governess at the Siamese Court. The film starred Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.  

While the musical was written for Gertrude Lawrence, she was diagnosed with cancer while playing the role on Broadway and died before the show ended. After Ms. Lawrence’s death, both Dinah Shore and Maureen O’Hara were considered for the movie role of Anna. Deborah Kerr was ultimately casted as Anna at the recommendation of Yul Brynner.  However, her voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon. 

The movie was success with both critics and the public.  The King and I received 9 Academy Awards Nominations and won 5 of them.

Winners

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Yul Brynner
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Color – John DeCuir, Lyle R. Wheeler, Walter M. Scott, Paul S. Fox
Best Costume Design, Color – Irene Sharaff
Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture – Alfred Newman and Ken Darby
Sound Recording – Carlton W. Faulkner; 20th Century Fox Sound Department

Nominated


Best Picture of the Year – Charles Brackett
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Deborah Kerr
Best Director – Walter Lang
Best Cinematography, Color – Leon Shamroy

Here is a clip of the song GETTING TO KNOW YOU. Enjoy!

Some images from The King and I

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Writing and Visual Arts: What Do They Have in Common? by Will Zeilinger

July 3, 2019 by in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger tagged as , , ,

I’ve been a graphic designer/illustrator/cartoonist for most of my adult life, but as I approached fifty years on this earth, I finally began writing. The first things I wrote made no sense because I had no idea what I was doing. My writing experience had involved writing headlines and snippets of ad copy, as well as a stray brochure here and there.

What I learned from this transition was that different forms of writing are like creating artwork in various media.

Novel Writing and Oil Painting

Take writing a novel, for instance. I compare that to making an oil painting on canvas.  First, a sketch and color study is made of the proposed image.  The paint is selected and applied according to the artist’s plan. If alterations, changes, or corrections are needed, oil paints can be very forgiving as they take quite a while to dry.

The artist may want to repaint a section or replace parts that don’t work.  While the rest of the painting can remain undisturbed, one can use little paint thinner or turpentine in a cloth, and voila, the area can be repainted, over and over until it is just right. Some parts of the painting may be finished, but others may still be in a rough state.  Keep in mind; the oil paints take a long time to dry – days sometimes weeks to be totally dry.  A novel is much like that in that the writer has many pages to develop the story and create the story arc or arcs, while other parts of the story can develop separately until it is blended, shade, and glazed, and it all comes together.

Flash fiction and Water Colors

A short story or flash fiction I compare to making a watercolor painting. While both appear to be somewhat spontaneous—although they aren’t. Much preliminary planning must take place. First, quality watercolor paper must be selected and what colors will be applied first. Watercolor paints dry very quickly. Certain areas must be given a few minutes to dry, so when transparent layers are added, the whole thing does not become a muddy mess. Once it is on the paper, that’s it! No going back and changing it.

Some stunning watercolor art can be created with proper planning and bravery on the artist’s part.  Next time you look at a watercolor painting in a museum, look at how the artist makes the images with as few strokes as possible.  In writing, plots need to be simplified, and the number of characters reduced because the story has to do its job with fewer words on fewer pages quickly.  The story arc is going to be right up front.  Next time you read a short story or flash fiction, look to see how quickly the writer has to make their point.

Each type of writing requires a different mindset. The same goes for painting in various media.

Co-Writing and Fold Doodles

Now, how do these approaches apply to co-writing?  Have you ever played the “Fold Doodle” game? Someone takes a sheet of paper and folds it horizontally into narrow sections then draws the head of a person or thing on the top section. They fold that section under and another adds to the drawing on the next section then folds it over and passed it on. This process continues until the paper is used up. It is then unfolded to reveal the drawing by many different hands. Sometimes it is hilarious, other times a disaster.

People have asked us many times how we write together, and the answer is communication and planning.  Whether we are writing a novel, a short story, or a blog post, the best thing to do is check in with your co-writer along the way to make sure you are both in the right mindset for the story at hand and the results will be beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

~Will

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VINTAGE 1950s: 15 Minute Television Shows of the 1950s by Will Zeilinger

June 3, 2019 by in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger tagged as , , , ,

15 Minute Shows

Throughout the 1950s, short local television programs popped up all over the airwaves. The majority were only fifteen to thirty minutes in length. Some of the programs were musical, comedy, or children’s radio programs that were ported over to the TV screen.

 

As in the transition from silent movies to talkies, moving from radio to television wasn’t always easy. The talent sometimes did not possess “screen appeal.” Unless a program was sponsored by a large corporation, the cost to produce a program was prohibitive. Studio time, talent and crew were all expenses that had to be worked into the budget, so most early television programs were limited to fifteen minutes in length.

 

Who knows? Maybe that was the seed for Andy Warhol’s famous statement, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

 

Here are a few of the fifteen minute programs I discovered:

 

 

Through Wendy’s Window

(1948–1950), began as a short cartoon-sketch program, it evolved into a longer interview series. It starred Wendy BarrieDave DavisMorey AmsterdamRusty Arden

 

 

 

 

The Cliff Edwards Show

(1949– ) Television pioneer Cliff Edwards,also known as “Ukelele Ike,” hosted and began with his own radio program in the 1930s. He brought his musical talents to the new tiny screen in 1949. You may have heard his voice in many cartoons. Remember Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney’s Pinocchio?

 

 

 

The Gabby Hayes Show

(1950–1954) was a western television series that showed clips from old westerns, or told tall tales for a primarily children’s audience. The star and Roy Rogers sidekick, George “Gabby” Hayes hosted the show that ran on NBC at 5:15 p.m. Eastern for fifteen minutes.

 

 

 

The Hazel Scott Show

(1950– ) Classical pianist turned jazz pianist Hazel Scott hosted the music series. She was the first African-American woman to host her own TV show. It starred Hazel Scott, and featured Gloria Lucas.

 

 

 

The Jaye P. Morgan Show

(1956– ) Her first big hit song, “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries” in 1951. She made her debut as a regular vocalist on Stop the Music (1949). She was a consistent guest performer on all the best variety showcases, including Perry Como and Ed Sullivan‘s shows, and managed to hostess her own variety program, The Jaye P. Morgan Show, accompanied by her singing siblings “The Morgan Brothers” (Duke, Bob, Charlie and Dick.)

 

 

 

The Spade Cooley Show

(1957– ) Beginning in June 1948, Cooley began hosting a variety show on KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, California. It was broadcast from the Santa Monica Pier Ballroom. The show became a mainstay of television in the area, and won local Emmy awards in 1952 and 1953. Some notable guests included Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore.

 

 

Other well-known stars had their own short television programs as well, including Dinah Shore, Patti Page, Jonathan Winters, Walter Winchell, Jo Stafford. Tony Martin and, Vaughn Monroe.

 

Gradually, the most popular programs grew in length to thirty-minutes and ultimately, to the sixty-minute format we know today.

 


Books by Will Zeilinger and Janet Elizabeth Lynn

 

SLICK DEAL

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SLICK DEAL

GAME TOWN

Buy now!
GAME TOWN

STRANGE MARKINGS

Buy now!
STRANGE MARKINGS

SLIVERS OF GLASS

Buy now!
SLIVERS OF GLASS

DESERT ICE

Buy now!
DESERT ICE
STONE PUB: An Exercise in Deception

 


 

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Starting a Novel with a Partner

May 3, 2019 by in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger tagged as , , ,

My husband, Will Zeilinger and I have been writing together for more than five years. We co-write the Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries, a hardboiled detective series that takes the reader to 1950s Los Angeles and other areas of the west. Our newest book, GAME TOWN, the fifth in the Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series, was released April 15!

book cover of Game Town shows silhouette of man with gun and a woman in a long gown with palm trees in the backrougnd

Without organization, writing with a partner can be a disaster. Some partners just start writing and go paragraph, by paragraph each checking the paragraphs as they go. With this method, a book would take forever to finish, like a millennium!

So, outlining is the best way to get started on a novel with a partner.

But there are things you need to prepare prior to outlining. The important part is that you both agree and see the story in your heads as it unfolds.

Here is the process we follow:

1. Discuss when and where the story will take place. We chose to follow the seasons of the year. SLIVERS OF GLASS, which started the series, takes place in winter of 1956. Our latest book GAME TOWN takes place in early spring of 1957, with three books in between following the seasons of the year.

Slivers of Glass | Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger

2. Research locations both of you would like to use, then pick one. This, we find, is where many stories fall apart. Many partners we know who write together can’t seem to agree. We usually pick 3 locations, Google them for the 1950’s, and pick one that we think will be the most interesting to the reader and us as writers. If we can, we visit these places.

3.Character Development is another thing that partners seem to have difficulty with. We each come up with a couple of character personalities and see which personalities we can use or combine into one. Usually we end up laughing over some of the characters we come up with. Then we get serious.

4. Outlining starts with me. I follow the three-act method. I rough it out then give it to Will. He goes through it, adds scenes, changes a few things and gives it back to me. This “back and forth” continues until we are satisfied, about ten times.

It is important to understand that an initial outline doesn’t mean it is carved in stone. The outline and story morphs as we do research and as the story unfolds. But the outline is something you both agree to then watch it develop.

The results, The Skylar Drake Murder Mystery series, SLIVERS OF GLASS, STRANGE MARKINGS, DESERT ICE, SLICK DEAL , and just released GAME TOWN.

Janet

Website Blog


The Skylar Drake Murder Mystery Series

SLICK DEAL

Buy now!
SLICK DEAL

GAME TOWN

Buy now!
GAME TOWN

STRANGE MARKINGS

Buy now!
STRANGE MARKINGS

SLIVERS OF GLASS

Buy now!
SLIVERS OF GLASS

DESERT ICE

Buy now!
DESERT ICE
STONE PUB: An Exercise in Deception

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Featured April Authors: Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger

April 29, 2019 by in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , ,
book cover of Game Town shows silhouette of man with gun and a woman in a long gown with palm trees in the backrougnd

Published authors Will Zeilinger and Janet Lynn wrote individually until they got together and created the Skylar Drake Mystery Series. These hard-boiled tales are based in old Hollywood of 1956-57. Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.

The next Skylar Drake Mystery, fifth in the series, GAME TOWN is available now and yes…they are still married!

Game Town

Excerpt

Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger

Two o’clock in the morning. I’d just left the Emmy Awards ceremony at the NBC Television Studio in Burbank. All of Hollywood and its finest had shown up to honor the best of television for 1956. The winners and losers were either at a party celebrating or hiding somewhere licking their wounds. My partner, Casey Dolan was in the passenger seat. It was pouring rain when we left Burbank, but seemed to be lessening as we headed away from the valley.

We’d been hired by Epic Studios to escort a couple of their up and coming starlets to and from the event. In truth, we were their bodyguards. The motion picture and TV studios weren’t taking chances with their human investments.

The two young ladies in the back seat were passed out cold. I suspected they’d had a little too much Champagne before and during the ceremony.

I drove through one of the most exclusive and expensive neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Ahead we spotted a lot of activity on the street. Dolan sat up and stared at the mess ahead, “What the Hell?”

Several police cruisers and what looked like government cars were lined up in front of a house. As we got closer, I saw the address. 859 in brass letterabove the front door – the address where I was to deliver the girls.

I parked at the opposite corner. Dolan said, “I’ll stay here and keep watch on the girls.”

When I sprinted up the wet sidewalk and ducked under the yellow police tape, I heard a familiar voice.

“Drake, over here!” It was FBI Agent Olivia Jahns

I followed Jahns into the mansion where the body of a woman in a pure white coat with a white fur collar was sprawled on the hardwood floor at the foot of a marble staircase. Her light blonde hair and fur coat were soaked with blood. The handle of a knife protruded from her waist.

“Who is…?”

“The victim’s name is Silver Brovor-Smith. She’s the mother of Holly Becker, one of the young ladies in your charge.”

We looked out the front door. The press had already gathered on the front lawn which didn’t help the chaos as the street.

The two starlets came running past me, “No!” Holly yelled when she saw her mother’s body on the floor.

Theresa, the other young lady, shouted, “Oh my God. Oh my God!” She struggled to join her friend Holly, but Dolan had his hands full, holding her back from the scene.

I took Holly by the shoulders and turned her away from the bloody scene. She looked toward the stairway.

“What did you do to her?” Holly shouted at an older man wearing a white tuxedo coming down the stairs. Holly broke away from me and ran toward him. She began kicking and punching him, screaming, “What did you do to her?”

Several officers pulled her away, but she continued kicking and flailing, “You killed her!”


The Skylar Drake Mystery Series

SLIVERS OF GLASS

Buy now!
SLIVERS OF GLASS

STRANGE MARKINGS

Buy now!
STRANGE MARKINGS

DESERT ICE

Buy now!
DESERT ICE

SLICK DEAL

Buy now!
SLICK DEAL

GAME TOWN

Buy now!
GAME TOWN

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