Another Excerpt From “Marlene”

We stopped in Lone Pine for lunch. Melvin pointed across the highway to a rounded rock formation. “The Alabama Hills is where old Western movies were shot, Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, and John Wayne, among others. They made two reelers, technically the term for silent comedies, but any short B movie including talkies is a two reeler these days.”

“On Saturday mornings at Marlene’s house in Baldwin Park I watched Randy Rides Again with John Wayne and serials like Flash Gordon. Her dad usually woke up on the couch and watched with us. A nice man for a hopeless drunk. I was sure the outdoor cattle ranch scenes were shot up in Calabasas and Santa Suzanna.”

“In your father’s words, this is all useless mind candy. He has always been a killjoy when it came to having fun for its own sake.”