Tag Archives: The Time is Ripe

Clifford Odets and John Garfield, 1940

Excerpts from The Time Is Ripe, the journal that Clifford Odets kept during the year 1940. That was the last year of the Group Theatre, which closed after the production of Odets’ Night Music (starring Elia Kazan), and Odets was … Continue reading

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The Books: “The Time Is Ripe: The 1940 Journals of Clifford Odets”

Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: The Time Is Ripe: The 1940 Journal of Clifford Odets : With an Introduction by William Gibson Clifford Odets (playwright in the 30s and 40s – inspiration to Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, a generation of … Continue reading

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Odets: “the superb old German actor”

Entry from Journal April 25, 1940 Every [movie] studio has its own style in writing. A Warner Brothers picture always has an interesting linear quality about it, but is always dead in parts. The picture I saw last night, Dr. … Continue reading

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Lee Strasberg on “the blight of Ibsen”

I always thought the following anecdote from Clifford Odets’ 1940 journal was hysterical, and also thought-provoking. Entry from Journal April 17, 1940 In the early evening went to Lee Strasberg’s house for dinner. Paula’s mother was there, preparing the dinner, … Continue reading

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Odets on Beethoven, once again

Entry from Journal April 12, 1940 Perhaps the main activity of the romantic, often idealist, is that of giving, that of offering himself up, of throwing himself at the world. The trouble beings when the world coldly refuses him. Nothing … Continue reading

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Odets on Mozart

Entry from Journal April 9, 1940 Mozart, in his best work, has the profound sadness of a man trying to break out of a form not his own personally: which is to say a man trying to break out of … Continue reading

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Odets on Berlioz

Entry from Journal April 8, 1940 In the music of Berlioz you will find something petulant, like a man with a toothache. I write this because I am thinking of the “Roman Carnival” overture which I played this afternoon. There … Continue reading

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Odets on Dostoevsky

Entry from Journal March 29, 1940 The man of genius walks, talks, sleeps, eats, loves, and works with a load of dynamite in him. If he carries this load carefully — balance — its power for good work and use … Continue reading

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Odets on Romanticism (Beethoven, Haydn, Stendhal)

Entry from Journal March 25, 1940 Life was mysterious and impressive to Beethoven, and like a true artist, he was gratified when it showed his face to him. The caprice of fortune he understood very well, the uncertainties of life … Continue reading

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Odets: on “form”

Entry from Journal March 24, 1940 Form, form. I go crazy when I hear some of these goofs say I have no form! Debussy had no form? Certainly not — he had none of Beethoven’s form! And some of Beethoven’s … Continue reading

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