I do not recall this scene from the film. I must have been getting popcorn or perhaps someone was covering my eyes. At any rate, gruesome. Linking this brief scene for its comments.
We still visit Catch 22 beach in San Carlos occasionally. The Mexican government, bless their heart, has made the border states "free" travel for us gringos. No longer have to wait in line at the 13 km checkpoint for visas and car permits. Just pick up Mexican insurance, pay a few tolls, negotiate Hermosillo, and bingo, we're in paradise.
It's not like the wild old undergrad days when we could just camp on the beach and buy burros and beer and swim and drink and try our best with the coeds. It's better now, with wife, kids, and a clean place to sleep. I love Mexico.
It seems physically improbable to me. The airplane propeller has angular momentum (a circular shedding force) coupled with the forward momentum tied to however fast the plane was traveling which must be triple digits per hour?. The man's pelvis and legs needed only the slightest force to push them over instead of leaving them standing; it's not like a pulling a tablecloth from under a set table trick.
I was reminded of a story I heard at a European chemistry lab: a man was standing in front of a ventilated workspace which left him exposed from the waist up. Something went awry with the highly explosive materials he was working with and an explosion blew his upper torso away leaving his legs standing. Bullshit, I say. The tensile strength of his disintegrating spine alone would have tipped his legs over.
I've read the book and have seen the movie at least twice. But it's been many years. Both are excellent.
I don't remember that scene, though.
And now I have it on audio for car trips. I've listened to the first couple chapters. Don't know if it's the narrator, or maybe the book doesn't read well. But I will give it a chance some trip.
True story about Catch 22: A college friend of mine (now a prominent Sr Partner in New Orleans' largest and best Law Firm) was out drinking in the Quarter with his best friend his Sr year in HS when he began to get a pain in his gut. Natch, the ans was more booze to sooth the pain, right? But it got worse, so his friend suggested perhaps it was lack of food, so they ate at the "Buck 49" steak-house on Bourbon (this was 1960, remember? Can you imagine getting a steak meal with all the fixins' for $1.49 in any maj American City today? Just goes to show how much our currency has been debauched) But no go, Bob tossed it all almost as soon as had eaten it. Well,................ back to the "more booze" formula his friend convinced him, and so it went into the wee hours and Bob returned home in pain around 4am, but the pain got worse, became unbearable, and Bob's parents checked him into the ER. Turns out that he had an intestinal blockage caused by a birth defect and the Drs told Bob's parents he might die within two hours from the bacterial infection but they couldn't operate for four because of all the alcohol in his system. My friends parents were not amused by the advise Bill, Bobs partner-in-crime, had given him and he quickly became a "doubleplusunfavored" friend of the household.
However Bob did survive, but, the state of the art in surgery being what it was in those days, they had to open him up with a huge incision which left a huge lengthy scar across his abdomen. While Bob was in the Hosp convalescing, his friend Bill (he of the almost fatal advise) in order to make amends, brought him a book to cheer him up while Bob was whiling away his time. It was--wait for it--Catch 22. But Bob laughed so hard while reading it he burst his stitches and they had to wheel him back to surgery to close the wound. LOL!
Thus endeth my true "Catch 22" Shaggy Dog story...
16 comments:
Should'a read the book Chip.
I couldn't beat the youtube comments so I won't try.
We still visit Catch 22 beach in San Carlos occasionally. The Mexican government, bless their heart, has made the border states "free" travel for us gringos. No longer have to wait in line at the 13 km checkpoint for visas and car permits. Just pick up Mexican insurance, pay a few tolls, negotiate Hermosillo, and bingo, we're in paradise.
It's not like the wild old undergrad days when we could just camp on the beach and buy burros and beer and swim and drink and try our best with the coeds. It's better now, with wife, kids, and a clean place to sleep. I love Mexico.
I do not recall this scene from the film.
Funny, it's the only scene I remember from the movie.
It seems physically improbable to me. The airplane propeller has angular momentum (a circular shedding force) coupled with the forward momentum tied to however fast the plane was traveling which must be triple digits per hour?. The man's pelvis and legs needed only the slightest force to push them over instead of leaving them standing; it's not like a pulling a tablecloth from under a set table trick.
I was reminded of a story I heard at a European chemistry lab: a man was standing in front of a ventilated workspace which left him exposed from the waist up. Something went awry with the highly explosive materials he was working with and an explosion blew his upper torso away leaving his legs standing. Bullshit, I say. The tensile strength of his disintegrating spine alone would have tipped his legs over.
That's the kind of thing you see in the comics. They try to replicate in the movies.
It doesn't seem real to me either, the plane would be affected badly by hitting anything.
He wanted to try out his new swim trunk.
But he was plane divided on the issue of Speedos or knee-length.
Actually he's just a hipster.
So he winged it.
He would sue for damages but didn't have a leg to stand on.
Damnit Chip - you got here an hour before I woke up - I was going to use that line. I guess I should have stood in bed.
Anyway, I never saw that movie, but friends who did told me of that scene. They said it was side splitting.
No they didn't - I just made that up. Trying out some cutting edge humor.
The movie didn't understand the book.
The movie thinks it's about war and the horrible military.
The book thinks it's about organizations in general, and survival in them.
Orr had the trick. He was practicing water landings, not fighting the system.
I've read the book and have seen the movie at least twice. But it's been many years. Both are excellent.
I don't remember that scene, though.
And now I have it on audio for car trips. I've listened to the first couple chapters. Don't know if it's the narrator, or maybe the book doesn't read well. But I will give it a chance some trip.
True story about Catch 22: A college friend of mine (now a prominent Sr Partner in New Orleans' largest and best Law Firm) was out drinking in the Quarter with his best friend his Sr year in HS when he began to get a pain in his gut. Natch, the ans was more booze to sooth the pain, right? But it got worse, so his friend suggested perhaps it was lack of food, so they ate at the "Buck 49" steak-house on Bourbon (this was 1960, remember? Can you imagine getting a steak meal with all the fixins' for $1.49 in any maj American City today? Just goes to show how much our currency has been debauched) But no go, Bob tossed it all almost as soon as had eaten it. Well,................ back to the "more booze" formula his friend convinced him, and so it went into the wee hours and Bob returned home in pain around 4am, but the pain got worse, became unbearable, and Bob's parents checked him into the ER. Turns out that he had an intestinal blockage caused by a birth defect and the Drs told Bob's parents he might die within two hours from the bacterial infection but they couldn't operate for four because of all the alcohol in his system. My friends parents were not amused by the advise Bill, Bobs partner-in-crime, had given him and he quickly became a "doubleplusunfavored" friend of the household.
However Bob did survive, but, the state of the art in surgery being what it was in those days, they had to open him up with a huge incision which left a huge lengthy scar across his abdomen. While Bob was in the Hosp convalescing, his friend Bill (he of the almost fatal advise) in order to make amends, brought him a book to cheer him up while Bob was whiling away his time. It was--wait for it--Catch 22. But Bob laughed so hard while reading it he burst his stitches and they had to wheel him back to surgery to close the wound. LOL!
Thus endeth my true "Catch 22" Shaggy Dog story...
Great story, Virgil. It's one hell of a book.
virgil, that's a keeper.
Virgil - omo- That is the best real Catch 22 story ever.
I never read the book and hve not seen the movie. Will put in my Netflix Q.
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