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Cool it. This August it should be quite easyBy MIM ANN HOUK
© St. Petersburg Times, If you think it's hot now, try to imagine living here during summers without air conditioning. Back in the mid 1950s, only two public places in Clearwater had A/C -- the old Fort Harrison Hotel (now the Scientology headquarters) and the Capitol Theatre (now the Royalty Players Theatre) on Cleveland Street. It was fairly unusual for a private house or apartment to have a window unit; when they did, it was usually in the bedroom. Life slowed down a bit, and people stayed put and stayed quiet in the early afternoon. By the time the town started stirring again, afternoon thunderstorms had built up. If they came late enough in the day, they guaranteed a cool, pleasant evening, which you could enjoy on your screened porch, playing bridge or watching TV with neighbors. For a lovely look back at this America of the '50s and earlier, we can visit the Florida International Museum for the "Norman Rockwell Family Life Series" exhibition through Nov. 9. Organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., the show consists of 78 prints commissioned by the Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Co. The museum, at 200 Second St. N, St. Petersburg, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Call (727) 822-3693 for information, ticket availability and reservations. Seniors get a special price break. Also in downtown St. Petersburg, the Museum of Fine Arts is presenting classical music, with two impressive piano performances next month. At 2 p.m. Sunday , Brian Ganz, popular with audiences worldwide and a favorite at the museum, will perform Chopin and Beethoven. A soloist with world-class symphony orchestras and a greatly respected teacher, Ganz adds a warm stage presence to his impeccable musical interpretations. At 2 p.m. Aug. 12, the museum hosts another outstanding pianist, Ning An, a 25-year-old star of the keyboard. Born in China to a musical family, he attended the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and came to the United States with his family at age 9. When he was 16, he made his concerto debut performing the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra. St. Petersburg can be pleased to have a chance to hear him in the intimate confines of the Marly Room. Tickets are $15, and it's a good idea to make reservations for this small venue. Call (727) 896-2667 for information and reservations. The Tampa Theatre is in the midst of its summertime custom of showing classic movies every Sunday afternoon at 3. Rebecca, the mystery-love story featuring Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, is scheduled Sunday ; Pillow Talk, with Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Aug. 12; H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, with Claude Rains, Aug. 19; and The Sparrows, the great silent heart-breaker with Mary Pickford, accompanied by the theater organ, Aug. 26. If you haven't paid a visit to the theater, now's the time. Call (813) 274-8981 for information. Videos of three "small" movies that work well on television and do not require the big screen for full enjoyment now are available. O Brother, Where Art Thou? features George Clooney and a wonderful cast in a playful comedy about small-time grifters, accompanied by a great bluegrass and country music sound track. In State and Main, a small New England town is invaded by a Hollywood movie outfit that threatens to upset every apple cart in sight. It is David Mamet at his best and lots of sly fun. Laura Linney was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for You Can Count on Me, in which she plays a young single mother trying to deal with job, child and problem brother on the run from his past mistakes. It is well done, with laughs, tears and honest insights. Three very different kinds of books should be on your summer reading list. Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand is the story of three working-class guys with big dreams and an unlikely looking horse ("smallish stature, knobby knees and slightly crooked forelegs") that made them all come true in the Depression-era America of the 1930s. It is better written and more exciting than most novels. Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table by Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet and former restaurant critic for the New York Times, is a memoir that spends almost as much time with her love life as with famous restaurants the world over. It includes some marvelous recipes. If you like interesting women, absorbing narratives and good food, you'll love this book. A Heart of Stone by Renate Dorrestein, the first novel of a prize-winning Dutch author to be translated into English, will have you gasping in disbelief before you finish it, both for the excellence of the story, which some reviewers have compared to the best of Alfred Hitchcock, and for its amazing similarity to current real-life crime scenes. It is a spellbinding example of suspense and anguish. Web sites:
Try to have a cool August. And take note. - Write to Mim Anne Houk c/o Seniority, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Or send e mail to MHouk@tampabay.rr.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times Seniority pages |
