I got the collector editon DVD of “Wonderland” recently, and there is a second disc with a John Wad Holmes documentary.  They interview an L.A. Times critic a number of times sitting in front of his bookshelf.  The most prominent book on the shelf, and it’s the only book you can read the title easily, is Get Shorty.  Got any sightings?

No, but what Elmore Leonard film director did a little film about a motorsport mentioned in Up in Honey’s Room?

Actually, John Frankenheimer (52 Pick-Up) did a film about Formula 1 racing called “Grand Prix.”  The sport mentioned in Up In Honey’s Room is Grand Prix racing, which is not the same.  Formula 1 did not start until 1950, while Grand Prix racing started in 1906 with the first French Grand Prix and was not a recognized series as such as GP races were series independent.  GP races were run with formulas (rules for the engine, chassis, etc.) for the cars.  Grand Prix just means “Great Prize” and many sports have Grand Prix as part of their title.  The Grand Prix type cars from the late ‘30s were the most powerful GP cars of all time until the late ‘70s when Formula 1 finally exceeded the ‘30s GP cars’ horsepower output.  A driver of GP type cars in the ‘30s (and early ‘40s in South America when there was no GP racing in Europe anymore) was at the top of the racing food-chain and had big cajones.  It helped to be German as the Mercedes and Auto Union (Dr. Porsche designed cars) GP cars were the best.  Brit Dick Seaman was an exception in driving Nazi-sponsored GP cars better than most Germans.  This review of the German Grand Prix of 1938 you might find of interest . . .

http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/ger1938.htm

The book isn’t even out and you guys are citing references?  I know Gregg’s read it, but you too, f1reverb?

I can’t claim to be one of the priviledged few.  Ah well…

I have not read “Up in Honey’s Room.”  Don’t forget what Mssr. Sutter’s job is—researching for Elmore.  Actually it’s a lot more than just a job for Gregg.  There is a tiny element of the book that has something to do with grand prix racing and Gregg is a friend of mine, so he asked me some questions about GP racing.  Why ask me?  Notice my avatar and board name.  That’s my photo on the cover of the book in the avatar as I shot Formula 1 as a freelance photographer for Road & Track and other publications.  The photo is of Didier Pironi driving a Ferrari 126C2 at the 1982 Detriot GP, and it was selected by the Sporting News editors as the best color sports photo of 1982 (and on the cover of Best Sports Stories 1983).  So Gregg finally found a use for my racing knowledge as I can’t utter a sentence without getting in a grand prix racing reference.  In reality I’m the last person who’d get the inside scoop, as Gregg has to get his revenge for my GP obsession.  Gregg hates my avatar too.  I think your avatar (not Gregg’s) is one of the best I’ve seen.  I have a photo of Gregg that would be the perfect avatar for him IMHO, but I would end up in EL’s body-count if it saw the light of a noir night.

In the interest of full disclosure, you don’t have to ask f1reverb about Formula 1 or Grand Prix racing, you just have to say, “hello”.  But he’s a good friend and a treasure trove of info from the ridiculous to the sublime.  And if he published the photo he’s talking about, no harm will come to him but he may end up in The Twilight Zone…again.

My sister’s an amateur photographer.  She’s 14 years my junior, but can click me right under the table.  She’s done a few paying gigs, so I don’t know if that messes with her amateur status, but the whole idea of shooting pictures for pay intrigues me.  Especially sports photography.

Are you still shooting freelance, Reverb?  Go ahead and post that pic of our esteemed administrator.  This site could use an ass-whoopin-qualifying event to stir things up a bit.  ;-D

Only trouble is, any ass whooping will be done via the pen inistead of an actual weapon of choice of any self respecting EL character.