#steven mandel

[saveraedae]

★ New TMS icons! ★

8/11 of these were made for the upcoming website update, but since I was doing a near-complete set that missed a couple key characters I figured I should just draw them anyway lol. They've got fancy shading since they're just meant to be stand-alone eye-catching things.

Got 12 more character icons like this planned. (the upcoming site revamp won't include the additional characters until the next update.)

But yeah! Site revamp soon and more characters will be added to it this year! (est for site revamp: less than 2 weeks. trying hard to meet a specific deadline)

Now here are the icons lol:

[ashsartcorner]

Some tms characters reminding you how loved you are, and to stay hydrated!! If you have any comfort characters / kin any characters from tms and they’re in this post, then this post is for you! ♥️

————————

(Image descriptions in the comments)

All characters belong to @saveraedae .

Also, this piece above is what inspired me to make this! But Idk who the original creator is. If anyone knows, let me know.

[randomtmsfacts]

Random TMS Fact #9:

There are four canonical A-spec characters: Jonathon, who is greysexual; Darcy, who is demisexual; Steven, who is asexual; and Danny who is aroace!

[movie-titlecards]

The Shrunken City (1998)

My rating: 6/10

Utter bollocks, of course, but in rather a fun way - isn't it odd how 25000 years ago, there was a civilization that spoke fluent English and was really into baroque type interior design?

[girlactionfigure]

What Happens When You Can’t Simply Arrest the Jews For Defending Themselves?

by Seth Mandel

The morning after Easter Sunday in 1903, Yehiel Pesker went to his shop at the Kishinev market to inspect for damage. The previous day, the early rumblings of a pogrom had unsettled the city. On his way back home, he saw about 200 Jews armed with clubs and even a few guns—the second wave of one of history’s most notorious pogroms would come that day and Jews wanted to be prepared. When the pogromists came there was a standoff, until the police intervened against the Jews and the deadly violence continued.

Although these Jews merely presented a desire to defend themselves should they be attacked, and although this was one brief moment on the second day of a three-day blood-riot that would shock the world, “local antisemites and their sympathizers,” according to historian Steven J. Zipperstein, tried to argue that this was an escalation by the Jews and therefore the victims were really to blame for the pogrom. Elsewhere in town, a nearly 60-year-old Jewish man fought off four attackers, who then spread the rumor that a Jew had murdered Christians. For some, then, a literal blood libel in the middle of an extended massacre was transformed into the origin story of the whole riot.

“In arguments made by defense attorneys at the trials of pogrom-related crimes, Sunday’s rioting was dismissed as a ruckus that would quickly have come to an end… had Jews not overreacted,” writes Zipperstein. “In this version it was the all-but-unprovoked aggression of Jews and subsequent rumors of attacks on a church and the killing of a priest that set in motion the unfortunate but, under the circumstances, understandable violence.”

That all may sound ridiculous, because few pogroms are better known than Kishinev and because it had such a profound effect on history: It shaped the perspectives of important Zionist figures and it alarmed the world, even becoming an element of the civil-rights fight in America as an example of why racial and ethnic minorities needed protection from the state enshrined in law.

But leave out the names of people and places, and you’d be describing the response to Hamas’s October 7 massacre. The Jews had it coming; the attacks were essentially an act of self-defense; it would’ve been a minor event had the Jews not escalated by defending themselves.

The Russian police director tried to argue at least for moral equivalence, based on these lies, between the Kishinev Jews and their murderers. You can hear a direct echo of this in Karim Khan, prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, filing applications for arrest warrants for both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar: “if we do not demonstrate our willingness to apply the law equally, if it is seen as being applied selectively, we will be creating the conditions for its collapse.” That echo is arguably even louder in the New York Times, which describes the reactions to Khan’s stunt this way: “Mr. Khan’s decision to simultaneously pursue Israeli and Palestinian leaders was criticized by Israeli government ministers and Hamas alike. Both sides questioned why their allies had been targeted instead of their enemies alone.”

Ah yes, both sides. A month after the Hamas attacks, the author Sam Harris denounced this way of thinking on his podcast in a soliloquy that will stand the test of time. The key part:

Of course, the boundary between Anti-Semitism and generic moral stupidity is a little hard to discern—and I’m not sure that it is always important to find it. I’m not sure it matters why a person can’t distinguish between collateral damage in a necessary war and conscious acts of genocidal sadism that are celebrated as a religious sacrament by a death cult. Our streets have been filled with people, literally tripping over themselves in their eagerness to demonstrate that they cannot distinguish between those who intentionally kill babies, and those who inadvertently kill them, having taken great pains to avoid killing them, while defending themselves against the very people who have just intentionally tortured and killed innocent men, women, and yes… babies… If you have landed, proudly and sanctimoniously, on the wrong side of this asymmetry—this vast gulf between savagery and civilization—while marching through the quad of an Ivy League institution wearing yoga pants, I’m not sure it matters that your moral confusion is due to the fact that you just happen to hate Jews. Whether you’re an anti-Semite or just an apologist for atrocity is probably immaterial. The crucial point is that you are dangerously confused about the moral norms and political sympathies that make life in this world worth living.

And in Khan’s case, if you can’t or won’t differentiate between Hamas’s war and Israel’s, you possess a moral deficit that disqualifies you from any position of authority or responsibility over others.

More important, however, is the core idea behind this trend. For most of history you could simply punish Jews for defending themselves, for staying alive. A pathetic puffed-up prosecutor could watch in silence as Jews were murdered and then file charges against “both sides” as soon as a Jew picked up a club in self-defense. Because the law, you see, must be applied evenly. The world wasn’t going to do anything about Hamas, even after its demonic acts on October 7. A fair prosecutor must wait until there is a Jew to be put in the dock as well. That’s balance. That’s justice.

Karim Khan may be a feeble clown, but he makes an airtight case for the existence of the State of Israel.

[kwebtv]

Season 6 Episode 18

Bonanza - The Ballerina - NBC - January 24, 1965

Western

Written by Frank Chase (Barrie Chase's brother)

Produced by David Dortort

Directed by Don McDougall

Stars:

Lorne Greene as Ben Cartwright

Dan Blocker as Eric "Hoss" Cartwright

Barrie Chase as Kellie Conrad

Warren Stevens as Paul Mandel

Douglas Fowley as Ned Conrad

Hugh Sanders as Mine Owner

Read Morgan as Ted Blake

[burningexeter]

Let me give this show some attention since why not.

Here's a fairly solid amount of all the different kinds of media that I think both can fit well in and could share the same universe as Bede Blake & Robert Butler's Creeped Out, which you can both read and see below for yourself:

First off, here's the episodes from both seasons that are all set in the same universe as each other in this "Verse" —

Season 1

— Slapstick, Trolled, A Boy Called Red, Kindlesticks, Shed No Fear and Side Show 1 & 2

Season 2

— Itchy, The Many Place, The Unfortunate Five, No Filter, The Takedown & Splinta Claws

Eight downer endings and four good endings.

Second, now here's the actual universe —

• Dan Angel & Billy Brown's R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series

— Every episode of the entire series except Red Eye, Poof De Fromage, Bad Egg, Mrs. Worthington and Lotsa Luck

• Jeff Kline's Transformers Prime & Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising

• Dan Mandel & Chris Pearson's Dan Vs.

• Dan Cross & David Hoge's Pair Of Kings

• Amy Heckerling's Fast Times At Ridgemont High & Clueless (1995)

• David Mirkin's Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

• Lloyd Goldfine's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)

• Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories

— Every episode of the entire series except Guilt Trip and Family Dog

• Michael Lehmann's Heathers (1988)

• Stephen Herek's Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead (1991)

• Darren Stein's Jawbreaker (1999)

• Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan's Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

• Roberto Aguirre-Sarcasa's Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (Netflix)

• Alfred Gough & Miles Millar's Wednesday (Netflix)

• Edgar Wright's Don't (Fake Trailer)

• Rob Zombie's Werewolf Women Of The S.S. (Fake Trailer)

• Eli Roth's Thanksgiving (Fake Trailer & 2023 film)

• Neil Gaiman's Good Omens (TV Series)

• Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service

• Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys (1987)

• Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer

• New Line Cinema's Critters (1 & 2)

• Joe Dante's The 'Burbs (1988)

• Gil Kenan's A Boy Called Christmas (2021)

and

• Michael Dougherty's Trick r Treat & Krampus

[catlady5001]

4, 11 and 50!

hi nova :)

4. what is your favorite genre to read?

hmm idk. traditionally I enjoy more fantasy books but I’ve been kind of leaning away from the fantasy genre lately. although I am rereading The Raven Cycle at the minute so am I really?

but I’d say right now my favorite genre is maybe mystery/horror?

11. what books have you read more than once?

so many omg. I’ve reread the Hunger Games series, the Percy Jackson series, I’m rereading the Raven Cycle + Dreamer Trilogy right now, I’ve reread the Villains duology (slash soon to be trilogy!) by V. E. Schwab, the Unwanted series by Lisa McMann, the Beartown series by Fredrik Backman, the Scholomance series by Naomi Novik, and the Extraordinaries series by T. J. Klune!

I’ve also reread a bunch of standalone books, like The Institute by Steven King, They both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinton, The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B Cooney, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Those are just SOME of the books I’ve reread. I actually reread books quite frequently. I read a lot, in general.

50. What was the last book to make you cry?

I’m pretty sure it was The Winners by Fredrik Backman. Not many books make me cry, but this one managed it. The whole Beartown series is really good, but really emotional, and it got to me. There’s one quote in particular that stood out to me:

Stories about boys like him only end with us no longer dreaming of time machines, because if one was ever invented in the distant future, it would already have been used to travel back here by someone who loved him

[saveraedae]

New TMS icons! (Pride month edition)

(2024 edition)

More / separate versions below!

In the chance that people request characters with specific flags, I'll reblog this with some added ones because Tumblr image limit. (Any requested ones are noncanon and just for fun / your icon use!!)

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Heath Bashnick, Henry Cowell, Mercer Ellington, Jimmy Fortune, the 1818 publication of Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, Nina Hagen, Shemp Howard, Terrence Howard, Jimmy Iovine, Rami Jaffee, Anissa Jones, Johnny Knoxville, Nancy Kovack, George Kooymans (Golden Earring), Lisa Loeb, Bobby Lyle, Graham Lyle, Benji Madden, Harvey Mandel, BeachBoystalk Matt, Bobby McFerrin, Steve Mendez, Miff Mole, Angelique Pettyjohn, Astor Piazzolla, Pink Floyd’s 1967 “Arnold Layne” single, Ric Rothwell (Mindbenders), Jan Schelhaas (Caravan), Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge), Andy Sturmer (Jellyfish), Verdi’s 1851 opera RIGOLETTO, William Vincent Wallace, Adam Wakeman, Raoul Walsh, Bruce Watson (Big Country), Lawrence Welk, our friend Fred Wikkeling, Anton Yelchin, and the under-celebrated actor, producer, and singer-songwriter Paul Korda. He was born in Singapore into a creative family of accomplished entertainers, singers, songwriters, and accomplished musicians. From there his family moved around the world but Paul was schooled in England. Around age 15, stoking his chops as a guitarist-pianist, he intersected professionally with P.P. Arnold, Sandy Denny, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, The Small Faces, and Cat Stevens—who became one of Paul’s best friends. Paul’s acting career broke out in 1968 when he was cast in the London musical production of HAIR. Concurrently he collaborated on a series of singles with my friend, singer-songwriter Tim a.k.a. Chris Andrews. Here’s an Andrews/Korda track featuring Paul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPTviPx3d8Y

 

Around 1970 Paul became an ecological activist and started to release solo albums. He continued to produce and write for numerous artists, most prominently with Roger Daltrey and Frankie Valli. Years later he returned to acting by appearing in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN and SPINAL TAP while becoming an activist for low-income inner-city youth. By all accounts, Paul had constant brainstorms and bright projects in the works, from musicals to non-profits. He might not be a household name, but his music has been heard around the world. Sadly, he passed away in 2020. Meanwhile, HB PK and thank you for sharing your huge creative spark.

 

#paulkorda #catstevens #hair #timandrews #chrisandrews #parlophone #rogerdaltrey #frankievalli #spinaltap #piratesofthecaribbean #activist #birthday #angelface

[pearlpool]

tagged by @gideonthefirst to share my top 9 books of 2023 or 9 books from my tbr list for 2024!! to be honest. i’m not sure i have NINE top books from 2023 bc most of my reading for the year was books for school that i didn’t Love so i’ll give 4 books from 2023 and 5 books on my tbr that im excited about, so nine total. quick maths

2023 books i loved:

- bad cree by jessica johns

- the traitor baru cormorant by seth dickinson (teeeechnically i started monster in 2024 but it was literally january first and i finished it in a week so. i kinda feel like lumping it in with traitor because i really loved it as well)

- we have always lived in the castle by shirley jackson

- an unkindness of ghosts by rivers solomon (maybe the only book i read for class in 2023 that really stuck with me. i think of it often!!)

2024 tbr!

- the tyrant baru cormorant by seth dickinson

- heaven by mieko kawakami

- station eleven by emily st. john mandel

- my heart is a chainsaw by steven graham jones

- the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson

tagging @sofhtie @blackgumball @silkchiffon @marsjoram and anyone else who wants to do this ! xoxoxoxoxo gossip girl

[dorothydalmati1]

The Simpsons Season 24 Episode 2: Treehouse of Horror XXIII

Directed by Steven Dean Moore

Animation directed by Myung Nam Chang

The Greatest Story Ever Holed:

Written by David Mandel

Storyboard by Brad Ableson

UNnormal Activity:

Written by Brian Kelley

Storyboard by Steve Fonti

Bart & Homer's Excellent Adventure:

Written by Brian Kelley

Storyboard by Steven Dean Moore & Stephen Reis

[pigspeetsandhooflikefeets]

Strong believer in the "no repeats" rule, and I wanted to see if I could do it twice. Spoilers... I'm unstoppable. The more characters you recognize the more powerful you are. List for every single character under the cut

Bingo 1:

Column B: USAHANA (Sanrio), Shinji Weber (Yugioh), Raggedy Ann and Andy (Raggedy Ann), Inspector Gadget (Inspector Gadget), Cheer Bear (Care Bears)

Column I: Sidon (LoZ), Luigi (Super Mario), Lightning (Teen Titans), Emma (Total Drama), Nancy Drew (Nancy Drew)

Column N: Roadhog (Overwatch), Star Catcher (MLP), [free space], Bijou (Hamtaro), Badge Bunny (Nintendo Badge Arcade)

Column G: Koala Princess (OK KO), Leonardo (Animal Crossing), Joxter (Moomin), Frog and Toad (Frog and Toad), Blue (Blue's Clues)

Column O: Rosa (Pokemon), Bushroot (Darkwing Duck), Guy Towers (You Don't Know Jack), Karli (Muppets), Ryuu Zaou (Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!)

Bingo 2:

Column B: St Jimmy- portrayed by Billie Joe Armstrong (American Idiot the Musical), Rapunzel (Disney Princesses), Sam-I-Am (Green Eggs and Ham 2019), Angel Cake (Strawberry Shortcake), Dan Mandel (Dan Vs)

Column I: .GIFfany (Gravity Falls), Courage (Courage the Cowardly Dog), Angie Yonaga (Danganronpa), Sam n Max (Sam and Max Freelance Police), Superman (DC Franchise)

Column N: Gatomon (Digimon), Juliet Starling (Lollipop Chainsaw), [free space], Driller Killer (Slumber Part Massacre II), Junior (Ridonculous Race)

Column G: Creepie (Growing up Creepie), Seymour Krelborn (Little Shop of Horrors), Bagpuss (Bagpuss), Erika (Barbie Cinematic Universe), Opal (Steven Universe)

Column O: Bill n Ted (Bill and Ted), Garfield (Garfield comics), Winslow Leech (Phantom of the Paradise), Kimiko Tohomiko (Xiaolin Showdown), Princess Demurra (Wander Over Yonder)

[mariacallous]

Now that we’ve all had experience with large language models, their limitations are all too visible. Yes, they can write. But their prose doesn’t explode in the mind like the words of Jennifer Egan, Emily St. John Mandel, or David Foster Wallace do. Yes they can make music. But Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar are sleeping very well at night. And they sure can summarize history speedily and neatly, but not with the perspicacity of Barbara Tuchman or Ron Chernow. LLMs are just getting started, though. They’re bound to get better.

But how much better? We’ve seen multiple instances where AI has conquered regions thought to be impenetrable by robots, from chess to the LSAT. Could it do the same in the creative arts? Lately I’ve been obsessed with that question. Can something generated with AI be truly brilliant?

Given that, I was easy pickings for a PR release I received last week. The subject line: “AI book reviewers?” The press release touted “the first book to ever be reviewed by AI avatars.” I’ve written book reviews, and my books have been reviewed, and I know that the best examples of that art are penetrating and illuminating. Had someone cracked the code to do that via AI?

So I followed up, and I found that the touted “book reviews” weren't quite what I had in mind. It turns out that a PR firm was promoting a novel called The Cloud, one of those dystopian scenarios where a heroic human fights back against AI overlords, and the firm had come up with some AI gimmickry. It created a set of AI-generated characters—a rogue android, a time traveler, etc.—and had those characters offer assessments of the book.

Sounds great, until you hear the details. The two- or three-sentence, ChatGPT-generated “book reviews” only drew on the jacket copy and some Amazon reviews. The avatars did not get access to the actual text of the book, “for copyright reasons.” Since most reviewers prefer to actually put eyes on the pages of the book they’re judging, these AI-generated comments would seem to not qualify as actual reviews. Indeed, they come off like promotional blurbs dashed off by a friend of a friend who hadn’t bothered to read the book or even ask what it was about. One typical example: “As a survivor of the post-apocalyptic empire, I can tell you that The Cloud by Robert Rivenbark is an enthralling read. With its gripping storytelling and memorable characters, I highly recommend this book.” Not one of these comments invokes the name of a single character, the theme of the book, the quality of the prose, or a glimmer that a mind was at work. Henry Roi, one of the PR execs in charge of the promotion, concedes that most authors do want actual humans to review their work. “But afterwards they want more content,” he adds, presumably for social media posts on TikTok and elsewhere. AI-generated content fits that bill.

So much for the avatars. Still, the experience got me thinking about whether it might be possible in the future for AI to create real book reviews. To get a baseline on the state of the art, I asked ChatGPT to review my own first book, Hackers. Since the book has been around for a while, there’s plenty of material for a large language model to chew on. Maybe ChatGPT could compensate for that lousy review Hackers got in the Sunday New York Times Book Review! (The Washington Post review was better.) ChatGPT prefaced its work with a disclaimer that, as an AI model, it didn’t have opinions or emotions. Nonetheless, it dove into the breach. The first paragraph read:

"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution" by Steven Levy is a classic exploration of the early days of the computer industry and the pioneering individuals who shaped its development. Originally published in 1984, the book provides an insightful and engaging look into the world of computer enthusiasts, tinkerers, and programmers who were instrumental in laying the foundation for modern computing and internet culture.

Not bad. But some people have told me they loved Hackers. Those fans might think that review was insufficiently enthusiastic. So for those loyal readers—not for me, you understand—I prompted ChatGPT to be more positive. It complied within seconds.

"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution" by Steven Levy is an absolute gem that transports readers to the exhilarating and transformative early days of the computer revolution. Originally published in 1984, this book remains a timeless masterpiece that celebrates the brilliant minds and boundless creativity that laid the foundation for the digital world we inhabit today.

Much better. Still, with its admitted void of emotions and opinions, ChatGPT didn’t do what a great review does—open up a book in a new, insightful way. Could that ever happen? To further ponder this, I consulted with Jennifer Senior, a Pulitzer Prize–winning writer who for several years wrote fantastic book reviews for The New York Times. “It seems weird to outsource book reviews to AI,” was her first reaction. But then she began asking ChatGPT to review books she’d written about. While the output was credible, she sensed that it was paraphrasing what others had written—including her. “If I found a particular passage of a book to be too marshy and kind of rough going, the review would say, ‘Some of the book was hard to understand,’” she says.

The question was whether a future AI book reviewer could make such judgments itself. “Could AI ever isolate a sentence and parse its terribleness, or use a quote from the book to demonstrate why a writer can’t write?” Senior wonders. We agreed that nothing we saw from the current set of AI systems can do that. But I suspect that future ones might. Large language models can master a foreign language or learn to code without being trained. So I don’t see anything stopping a future system, trained on just about every word ever written, from identifying examples of what we humans regard as good writing.

What I’m still not sure about is whether an AI could make judgments as fresh and perceptive as the reviews from Senior and other elite reviewers. For those people, the act of reading evokes echoes from their own lives and triggers thought processes that lead to their observations. Senior doubts that this could happen with a robot. “I don’t see how AI can recreate the experience of reading a book, which is what the best critics do,” she says.

I guess that a variation of the Turing test would be whether a robot could do just that. But that would be falling into the trap of assuming that AI, once it performs a task as well as humans, won’t level up from there. An AI book reviewer might not bother to recreate the human experience of reading a book. Drawing on its comprehensive knowledge of everything ever written, including treatises on what makes great criticism, a future AI bibliophile might indulge in a form of hypercriticism, with insights exceeding what mere mortals could produce. By then, of course, many of the books up for review will probably be written by LLMs.

In the meantime, humans still rule. Don’t cancel your subscription to the London Review of Books just yet. Still, ChatGPT reviews do have their charms. In fact, I have a new hobby: asking LLMs to write better and better reviews of my books. Here’s the latest variation on Hackers:

Though the world of computing has evolved since the book's publication, its luminescent resonance remains undimmed. The predictions laid bare in its pages, even as they interact with the tapestry of history, remain a testament to Levy's foresight and uncanny ability to discern the pulse of progress. In summation, "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution" is not merely a book; it is an odyssey—a journey through time, intellect, and the very essence of human potential. Steven Levy's magnum opus deserves a sanctuary on the bookshelves of those who seek not only to understand the past, but to be inspired by the audacity of pioneers who sculpted the future.

If only a human wrote that! A human reviewing books … for The New York Times.

[dd20century]

The New Formalist: Edward Durell Stone

“A great building should be universal, not controversial.” --  Edward Durell Stone

New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote in his obituary of architect Edward Durell Stone:

Edward Durell Stone's career as an architect was marked by a dramatic reversal of direction. He gave up a position as one of America's leading advocates of the International Style just as that austere modern style was gaining wide public acceptance, and he began instead to evolve a personal style that was lush and highly decorative, the very opposite of the International Style. (1)

This shift would be influenced by a woman, Durell Stone’s second wife, Italian designer Maria Elena Torch. As Durell Stone said, “Maria's fine Italian hand began to show in my attire and my work. Both began to move toward elegance.”

Edward Durell Stone on the right having dinner with (left to right) architect William Wesley Peters, Stone's then-wife Maria Torch Stone, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Photo credit: Charles Rossi.

Edward Durell Stone’s Early Years

Architect Edward Durell Stone was born on March 9, 1902, in the college town of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Durrell’s grandfather Steven K. Stone was a successful businessman, Durrell’s father “Benjamin Hicks Stone (1852-1942) graduated from Emory & Henry College, in Virginia, in 1873 and returned to Fayetteville to run his father's business” (2). In 1885 Benjamin Hicks Stone married Ruth S. Johnson, an English teacher. The couple “had four children, the youngest..., Edward Durell Stone” (2).

Young Edward showed early artistic promise. His mother encouraged him to take up drawing and woodworking. J. William Fulbright was one of Edward’s childhood friends. Fulbright would go on to become a United States Senator. The two men remained life-long friends. Stone attended the University of Arkansas in the early 1920s but was unsuccessful in all of his courses except drawing. His talent came to the attention of the head of the “university's art department, [Elizabeth Galbraith who] recognized Stone's talent and encouraged him” (2).

At that time Edward’s older brother James Hicks Stone was an architect practicing in Boston, MA. Elizabeth Galbraith reached out to the brother asking him “to take an interest in the boy” (2). Edward spent the summer of 1921 in Boston visiting the city’s architectural landmarks with James. The experience made an impression on the young Edward, leading him to his calling. In 1922 Edward moved to Boston and found work as an office boy at the architectural firm of Strickland, Blodgett & Law while he studied at the Boston Architectural Club at night. There Edward met architect Henry R. Shepley who hired him to work as a draftsman at Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch and Abbott. Shepley would become Stone’s most valued mentor. (2)

Edward Durell Stone, Radio City Music Hall, Auditorium, (1932), New York City. Image source.

Stone’s Early Architectural Career

“In 1925, Stone won a scholarship to Harvard University's School of Architecture” (2) and also studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1927 Stone won the Rotch Travelling Fellowship which gave him the resources to study in Europe for two years. (1, 2) Stone returned to the United States he moved to New York City, just before the start of the Great Depression in October 1929, where he was hired by, “a consortium of architects designing Rockefeller Center. There he worked on what was to be considered his first major early achievement, the design of the interiors of Radio City Music Hall” (2).

 “In December 1930, [Stone] married Sarah Orlean Vandiver (1905-1988), an American tourist he had met and courted in Venice. The couple had two sons, Edward Durell Stone, Jr. (1932-2009), and Robert Vandiver Stone” (2).

Donald Deskey was one of the architects that Stone worked with on the Radio City Music Hall project. This association led to Stone’s ‘first independent commission in 1933, the Mandel House, in Bedford Hills, New York, built for owners of a prominent department store” (2). Deskey served as the interior designer on that project. (2) “The Ulrich Kowalski House, also in Mt. Kisco” (4) was built the following year. With the success of the Mandel and Kowalski Houses, many more commissions followed, and in 1936 (3) Stone established his architectural firm at Rockefeller Center (2).

Edward Durell Stone, Richard M. Mandel House (1935), Bedford Hills, New York. Image source.

Stone and The Museum of Modern Art

From 1936 to 1939 Edward Durell Stone worked on what Newsweek magazine called, "the first large museum in America to be built according to the streamlined, ultra-modern 'international' style of modern architecture."(5) The project was the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. Stone collaborated with Phillip L. Goodwin. Stone served as design architect while Goodwin produced the architectural drawings. (2) During this time Stone was also designing a home in Old Westbury, NY for MoMA president Anson Conger Goodyear. (4)

In 1940 Edward Durell Stone drove across the United States. Traveling to Arizona and Wisconsin, he met with architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright’s use of materials and decorative patterning manifests itself in some of Stone’s later work. In San Francisco, Stone appreciated the use of natural materials used in regional architecture. His greatest takeaway from the trip, however, was his disappointment at how extensively Americans had marred the natural landscape. Quoting Durell, “I scarcely encountered a place where land was used wisely and where what has been built is beautiful” (6).

Edward Durell Stone's Service in World War II

As the United States had entered World War II, Edward Durell Stone enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in the summer of 1942, “and was stationed in Washington, D.C. Stone entered as a captain and was promoted to the rank of major in November 1943. At his instigation, the Army Air Forces established a Planning and Design Section in July 1944” (2).

As chief of this section Stone was responsible for “the master plans for airfields in Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas” (2).  He also designed the Continental Air Command headquarters at what is now known as Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. (2)

Edward Durell Stone, William Thurnauer House (1949), Englewood Heights, New Jersey. Image source.

Stone’s Post-war Work

After the war, Edward Durell Stone reopened his architectural practice. Most of Durell’s commissions during this time were residential. The most notable were the David Stench House (1947) Armonk, NY and the William Thurnauer House in Englewood, New Jersey (1949). (2) Stone’s homes of the late 1940s ‘indicated the increasing influence of Wright — his buildings became lower, more horizontal, and relied more on the use of wood” (1).

 His non-residential projects included the 300-room El Panama Hotel in Panama City, Panama, “notable for its pioneering use of cantilevered balconies in the construction of a resort hotel” (7). In 1948 Stone designed Fine Arts Center for the University of Arkansas in his hometown of Fayetteville, AK. The center featured works by Alexander Calder and Gwen Lux, friends of the architect. (2)

Postcard photo of Edward Durell Stone's El Panana Hotel (1946), Panama City, Panama. Image source.

Read part two of The New Formalist: Edward Durell Stone.

References

Goldberger, P., (7 August, 1978). Edward Durell Stone Dead at 76; Designed Major Works Worldwide. https://www.nytimes.com/1978/08/07/archives/edward-durell-stone-dead-at-76-designed-major-works-worldwide-a.html

R. L. Skolmen and H. Stone, Edward Durell Stone: Life. https://www.edwarddurellstone.org/

Smart, G., (2024). Edward Durell Stone, FAIA (1902-1978). https://usmodernist.org/stone.htm

Wkikpedia.com, (7 February, 2014). Edward Durell Stone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Durell_Stone

"The Glass-Temple Museum: Modern Art Display Takes Over Own Building in New York," Newsweek (22 May 1939): 32.

Edward Durell Stone, The Evolution of an Architect, (New York: Horizon Press, 1962), 92.

Britannica.com, (n.d),.Edward Durell Stone, American architect. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Durell-Stone#ref81069

[docrotten]

GREMLINS (1984) – Episode 250 – Decades Of Horror 1980s

“Ai-yah. You teach him to watch TV?” Do you mean there was a fourth rule? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr, along with guest host Ralph Miller – as they take an effects-focused dive into Joe Dante’s Gremlins (1984).

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 250 – Gremlins (1984)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1980s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

  Director: Joe Dante

Writer: Chris Columbus

Produced by:

Michael Finnell (producer) (produced by)

Kathleen Kennedy (executive producer)

Frank Marshall (executive producer)

Steven Spielberg (executive producer)

Music by: Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by: John Hora (director of photography)

Editing by: Tina Hirsch

Casting By: Susan Arnold

Production Design by: James H. Spencer

Special Effects:

Chris Walas (creator: Gremlins) 

Bob MacDonald Jr. (special effects foreman)

R.A. MacDonald (special effects supervisor) (as Bob MacDonald Sr.)

Selected Cast:

Hoyt Axton as Randall Peltzer

John Louie as Chinese Boy

Keye Luke as Grandfather

Don Steele as Rockin’ Ricky Rialto (voice)

Susan Burgess as Little Girl

Scott Brady as Sheriff Frank

Arnie Moore as Pete’s Father

Corey Feldman as Pete

Harry Carey Jr. as Mr. Anderson

Zach Galligan as Billy

Dick Miller as Mr. Futterman

Phoebe Cates as Kate

Polly Holliday as Mrs. Deagle

Belinda Balaski as Mrs. Harris

Edward Andrews as Mr. Corben

Judge Reinhold as Gerald Hopkins

Chuck Jones as Mr. Jones

Glynn Turman as Roy Hanson

Tracy Wells as Schoolchild

Jonathan Banks as Deputy Brent

Frank Welker as Stripe / Mogwai / Gremlins (voice)

Howie Mandel as Gizmo (voice)

Fred Newman as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice)

Mark Dodson as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice)

Michael Winslow as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice)

Peter Cullen as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice)

Bob Bergen as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice) (as Bob Berger)

Michael Sheehan as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice) (as Mike Sheehan)

Bob Holt as Mogwai / Gremlins (voice)

Richard Carlson as Dr. Research (archive footage) (uncredited)

Jerry Goldsmith as Man in Telephone Booth Glancing at Camera (uncredited)

William Schallert as Father Bartlett (uncredited)

Steven Spielberg as Man in Electric Wheelchair (uncredited)

Kenneth Tobey as Mobil Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)

Effects artist Ralph Miller joins the Grue-Crew to add his experience working on Gremlin’s creature crew, led by Chris Walas, the designer of Mogwai and the gremlins. Though the crew focuses on the film’s effects, they also delve into the cast, cameos, crew, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

In July 2014, Doc Rotten and Thomas Mariani covered Gremlins before the Monster Movie Podcast became Decades of Horror 1980s. Check it what they had to say at this link: 

Monster Movie Podcast Episode 68 – Gremlins 1984

As of 21 January 2024, Gremlins is available for streaming from many PPV sites and on physical media in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray formats. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Jeff, will be Slaughterhouse (1987). They may need a shower after this one.

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

Check out this episode!