PICAYUNE —
Q: I was watching a DVD of the movie “A River Runs Through It.” Where was the movie filmed? — V.A.D., Carson, Calif.
A: “A River Runs Through It” is a film based on the Pulitzer-nominated short story collection by Norman Maclean. Robert Redford directed, produced and narrated the film. The movie tells the story of Norman and Paul Maclean (played by Craig Sheffer and Brad Pitt), sons of a Scottish Presbyterian minister growing up in turn-of-the-century Missoula, Mont.
While the movie is set in Missoula and on the Blackfoot River, it was actually filmed in and around Livingston, Bozeman and Big Timber, Mont. Many of the fishing scenes were filmed in the Gallatin Canyon on the Gallatin River, south of Bozeman. The waterfall shown is Granite Falls in Wyoming. The church scenes were filmed in the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Livingston, Mont.
Q: A few years back, my wife and I were traveling through the southwest United States when we noticed Snowflake, Ariz., on the map. The name conjured wintery scenes in our mind. Not so: It was pretty much a desert community with a confusing name. Can you tell us how the town got the name? — K.U., Silver Springs, Fla.
A: Snowflake, Ariz., was founded in 1878 by Mormon pioneers and colonizers Erastus Snow and William Jordan Flake. Today, about 5,000 people call Snowflake home.
Q: What is the origin of the phrase “hurts like the dickens"? — P.R.H., Bradbury, Calif.
A: Surprisingly, this phrase has nothing to do with Charles Dickens. Dickens is used as a euphemism, specifically a minced oath, for the word “devil” or any other curse words.
One of the earliest known uses of the phrase is in William Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” (1600): “I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my husband had him of.”
Q: When did the TV show “Card Sharks” debut? What can you tell me about two of the hosts, Jim Perry and Bob Eubanks? — L.R., Peoria, Ill.
A: “Card Sharks” debuted in April 1978 on NBC.
Jim Perry was born in 1933 in Camden, N.J. He was a talented athlete in high school. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Perry became a singer, taking over for Eddie Fisher at Grossingers in the Catskill Mountains. He teamed up with Sid Caesar for several years as the straight man. He later became a popular game show host in Canada and the United States. He retired in 1990 and spends time with his wife of 52 years, June, in Florida and North Carolina.ˇ
Robert “Bob” Eubanks was born in 1938. He became an incredibly popular television and radio personality, probably best known for hosting the show “The Newlywed Game.” In 2000, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his television work. In 2005, he received a lifetime achievement Emmy award. He continues to make guest appearances on TV shows.
Q: What is the origin of the shopping cart? — S.R.M., Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
A: In 1937, Sylvan Goldman, a grocer from Oklahoma City, acquired several Humpty Dumpty grocery stores. This was during the Depression, and his sales were slow. One day he noticed that customers would stop shopping when their hand-carried basket got too full or heavy. Goldman had the idea to have wheels attached to a folding chair, then added hand baskets to the top. It was crude, but it was a shopping cart.
Unfortunately, shoppers shunned the unusual-looking contraption. Being ever resourceful, he hired greeters who offered patrons a cart when they entered the store, and models hired to act like shoppers walked around the store pushing and using his new invention. The idea caught on. Today, we find grocery carts in stores, parking lots and in parts of cities far removed from any retail outlets.
Features
Mr. Know it all: ‘A River Runs Through it’ Montana
- Features
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southern gardening
Every spring the home gardener is bombarded with new and improved petunias for the garden and landscape, making it hard to decide which to bring home from the garden center. In my opinion, you simply can’t go wrong selecting any of the Supertunias.
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arboretum paths
Spring is now in full swing at the Crosby Arboretum, and the show is well on its way toward a crescendo. The blooms of native purple Iris can be seen along the edge of the Piney Woods pond, pink “honeysuckle” azalea is flowering near the Pinecote Pavilion, and the yellow blooms of the pitcher plants — called “buttercups” by local residents — are beginning to carpet the south Savanna Exhibit.
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USM set to host Children’s Book Festival
One of the most anticipated events celebrating children’s literature, the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival at The University of Southern Mississippi, will be held April 10-12 at the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus.
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Amber Bounds breaks six-year-old state swimming record
The Southern MS Aquatic Club (Mantarays) participated in the Santa’s Best Swim Invitational in Biloxi Nov. 30-Dec. 2. The Mantarays finished 6th out of 22 teams competing from LA, AL, FL, and MS.
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Capitol Pages
Jonathan Fail of Picayune, and Lorrie Warren of Poplarville recently served as pages for the Mississippi Senate.
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Yellow jasmine brightens yards
According to the calendar, we are just a few days away from the official start of the spring season. But if you have been watching the garden and landscape like I have, you’ve seen signs of spring for at least several weeks. The plants are starting to wake up.
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Native blooms abound at the Arboretum’s spring plant sale
The long-awaited weekend is upon us – that time which comes but once a year. Yes, it’s the Crosby Arboretum’s spring native plant sale.
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Welcome Center celebrates arts and literature in March
The Mississippi Development Authority, Division of Tourism will be celebrating “Arts and Literature” during the month of March. Each of the Welcome Centers will be decorated differently for this celebration.
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Lamont Rowlands house important to historical heritage
Pat Crosby first moved to the Lamont Rowlands house in 1992.
Although she found the home in disrepair, she couldn’t imagine not living there and knew that was her new home.
“It just spoke to me, and it still does,” said Crosby, the wife of the late Tommy Crosby, son of R.H. Crosby. Tommy Crosby completely renovated the home and grounds. -
Pearl River County Arts League Art Show and Sale
Pearl River County Arts League Art Show and Sale will be held on Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. and Sunday, March 24, from noon till 4 p.m. at The Knights of Columbus Hall, 408 Carroll Drive. The show is open to all artists and admission is free to the public.
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