When I started this series 2 years ago (!!), I originally had not seen/had no intention of ever seeing most of the movies on this list. It's a very eclectic list of shows, from musicals and comedies, to thrillers and children movies. How do I feel now? Some I'm glad I gave a chance. Others could have stayed unwatched.
What did I learn from it all?
It seems difficult to film on an ocean liner, especially interiors. Interiors can be cramped. Film crews oftentimes need space, in front and behind the camera. Film crews also need time to shoot and re-shoot. Liners cannot justify giving over one of their dining rooms or ballrooms for a film to shoot multiple scenes. It's not fair on the ship's passengers. Every space on board is already precious. It's easier for films to build their own ship set on a sound stage.
In movies in general, an ocean liner is a vehicle of transportation. People are getting on board so they can get going to somewhere else. It's the ship's job to advance the plot by advancing the characters to where they want to go. A boat only becomes a main setting when something major happens on board that changes the characters' life in some way. An Affair to Remember. The Poseidon Adventure. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Titanic. Unless that thing is present, there's no reason to chronicle life aboard a 5-7 day voyage at sea.
Why choose the SS United States? Some of the time, the ship was not even part of the story, just making a cameo because it was in port the time of the shoot. When she was cast as 'the ship' in movies, it was because she was a novelty, or recognizable with her patriotic funnels. Or maybe films shot on whatever ship was available; the Queens both still got plenty of movie work. She disappeared from the spotlight once she was laid up in Hampton Roads. That area of Virginia tends to not be a popular film area. Once the ship moved to Philadelphia, the ship started to appear in movies again, and in new ways. She became an excellent industrial/quasi-abandoned location. Yet what sets her apart from other locations is she can be easily accessed (with the right permissions) and is structurally sound and safe.
So, what were my Top 3 ranked movies? Combining their movie rating with their SS United States rating, it is as follows:
1. A Series of Unfortunate Events
2. Bon Voyage
3. Dead Man Down
What was the worst ranking movie? The Water Horse. Like there was any contest. I still can't believe I have that DVD laying around my house somewhere.
So, is the Silver Screen Review over? As long as the SS United States is around and popping into movies, the Silver Screen Review will not end!
This series is to bring awareness to the SS United States, a historic American ocean liner. She is currently berthed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, awaiting restoration. Learn more on her story at ssusc.org.
Let me let you in on a little secret: Gentlemen Marry Brunettes was a pain to find. There is an online video available, but the sound starts speeding up and goes out of sync with the visuals. You can't watch a movie like that. It's available on DVD... internationally. And international DVD's are not compatible with United States' DVD Players. I asked my local library to find a copy in their InterLibrary Loan system. They replied they exhausted all options and couldn't find it. I did a "Request A Movie" to Turner Classic Movies to play it on their channel (still waiting to hear back on that. Judging by the website's reviews, it was last played in 2010 in a Jane Russell marathon; it's clearly a movie in high demand). I was desperate. Then, out of the blue, another video appeared online, with audio and visuals in sync. It was a miracle. Thank you to the kind soul on the interwebs. Who knew the sequel to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes would be so unknown and obscure!
Is it actually a sequel? Only in name. It is an entirely new story and set of characters. The only ties between Blondes and Brunettes are the movies' titles and star Jane Russell (who plays an entirely new character).
This story - Two brunette sisters, trying to make it big in New York, aren't. They get a letter for an offer to try to make it big in Paris. Musical numbers ensue.
First things first -- there's no way to not compare Brunettes to its superstar predecessor. And it really can't hold a candle to it. This movie gives all it can, but it really doesn't go anywhere.
The characters feel lackluster. They don't have any big personalities. The sisters' agent in Paris is first characterized as a freeloader and thief of sorts, but then these traits don't even amount to anything. He falls in love and does his best to audition the girls around town, like any other agent. Jane Russell's character is supposed to be this dumb showgirl (the picture's answer to not having Marilyn Monroe here), but she only shows that when she can't say no to men proposing to her. Otherwise, she acts fairly normal. It would have been a stronger choice to say she was in love with love, rather than dumb.
Let's talk about a little more about love. The main characters are all thrown together in Paris. After briefly meeting for the first time, everyone is singing love ballads to each other the next time they meet. There isn't any build-up. If there's an instant love connection, the audience needs to see that. The audience saw that moment every time Marilyn heard a man had money in Blondes. If there's a slow build, the characters need to have the beats and moments to show that growth. The audience wants to see those magic moments. That's what they're here for, give them what they want!!
What it boils down to is I don't care about any of these characters. Blonde's characters were big enough and had obvious foils. I felt bad for Marilyn when she got herself stuck in a porthole. I felt bad for Jane when she found out the Olympic Team she had been eyeing had to be in bed by 9pm. Brunette's characters were too vague that they didn't make me care for their struggles.
Who I do feel bad for is Jane Russell. In Blondes, she got to showcase her comedy and talent better. She had a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her lips. She was more in her element. Brunettes felt more like she was going through the motions.
Not helping any of the characters is the plot. There's not enough drama, and what little there is doesn't have enough gas to go on for long periods of time. These characters aren't put in any truly trying situations. It just feels like a lot of annoying buzz. Why are they going to Monte Carlo? I couldn't be bothered. Who is giving them all these expensive presents? I'm sure it will all be revealed at the end, so can we get there now? Towards the end of the movie, the little bit of conflict is mostly caused by a diabolus ex machina character entrance. This plot is downright lazy. Most of the drama is in quick shock-value moments and gimmicks. The club owner wants them to be topless/wear almost nothing? Nightmare dream sequences based on ethnic stereotypes? A musical number with actors in blackface portraying an African tribe, and the main singing star is wearing a gorilla costume? (To say the least, this movie didn't age well)
Both me and the person I was watching this with turned to each other halfway through and said we didn't care for this. We both love musicals and we're both brunettes, but we weren't fans.
This movie felt like a quick cash grab. Because it is a watered-down version of the first movie, it was never going to be as huge a success.
Okay, let's flip this discussion. Does Brunettes do anything better than Blondes? Well, they had a bigger budget. Blondes went to "Paris," but their Paris was limited to interior locations that were on sound stages. Brunettes made sure you knew they were shooting outside, inside, on location in France. They shoot at a museum, they're up on the Eiffel Tower, they even have a scene by the Seine!
Another thing Brunettes did better than Blondes? They used an actual ocean liner for their shots... the SS United States!
This is the second film the SS United States ever appeared in, but the first one on the list in color! GLORIOUS TECHNICOLOR AND CINEMASCOPE!!
The ship is mentioned early-on in the movie as the liner the sisters take from New York to France. At the end of the film, the girls are sailing back on, what else? The SS United States. Their lovers run aboard before it leaves port so they can proclaim their love to the sisters, or something.
The path the gentlemen take to find the ladies doesn't make sense ship-wise. They get on the ship midway down the port side. They then come out on the starboard aft side of the Sun Deck and head forward.
Still from Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955).
A silver stern cargo davit can be seen on the far left.
Pretty cloudy day.
In their next shot, they are mid-ship on the starboard side coming downstairs to the Sun Deck again and find the girls.
Still from Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955).
Going down to the Sun Deck... again? Aft funnel cameo.
Then, there's the case of the mystery stairs. The men come down the stairs after the sisters. They pass a smaller staircase, which is facing the longer stairs they just came down from.
Still from Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955).
Oh look, the sun came out!
To the right of these two stairs is a vent, where the main confrontation takes place:
Still from Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955)
So far, everything is fine and dandy. Mimi, the sisters' mother, is also there. She has a separate shot from her daughters:
Still from Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955)
Awkward shot to try to get most of the architectural details.
Mimi is situated between two staircases; one long, one short, both going down the same direction. These staircases are not near the sisters' shot. I have been looking at aerial/drone videos of the ship, and I cannot find where these stairs could be. It is possible one of these stairs were removed at some point. I have ruled out the shot was flipped to reuse the gentlemen's previously-passed stairs; the shorter staircase is facing the other way.
Finally, the movie ends with a beautiful shot that pans up from the water to the stern sailing away. I wish this movie was more accessible just for this shot to be seen by more people.
SS United States' stern in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955)
And it's completely cloudy again. Weird weather we're having.
So let's tally it up. We have establishing shots of the ship at the pier, shots of actors running towards her at the pier, a shot of her leaving said pier, shots of actors running around the Sun Deck, and a beautiful panning shot of the stern sailing away. There was a lot of filming going on!
BONUS: SHIP(S) IN GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes mostly takes place on an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic. In the 1920's book which the movie is based off of, their ship is the RMS Majestic. By the 1950's, the Majestic was long gone. Although all the scenes were filmed on sound stages, a ship still had to be cast as the 'only way to cross.' Which one would they choose? Depends where you stop the movie.
The first ship you see is a model of the RMS Queen Mary, but look closely:
Model of the RMS Queen Mary in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
The ship is outfitted with the Mary's name, stacks, vents, and other details. But her body is unmistakably the RMS Titanic. It's a nice money-saving idea to reuse a model, and creates a very... interesting ship.
When they dock in France, the following shot is briefly shown:
SS Conte Di Savoia in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
The SS Conte di Savoia, back from the grave?! This ocean liner was bombed in 1943 and sank in shallow waters. In 1945, her burned hull was raised in the hopes of restoring her to some sailing use. When repairs were deemed too costly, she was scrapped in 1950 (source). How is she here then? Probably some stock footage from the late 30's/early 40's was used. Still, weird.
In the next shot, the movie fades to a black-topped smokestack whistling its steam horns. Didn't we just see the funnels were red on top?? Later, when the the ladies sail back to the States, a shot of the RMS Titan Mary appears again. These shots are shown very briefly and [mostly] spaced far apart from each other, which helps to overlook their inconsistencies while watching the movie.
This series is to bring awareness to the SS United States, a historic American ocean liner. She is currently berthed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, awaiting restoration. Learn more on her story at ssusc.org.
35/15 is back, two years later! Should this post actually be titled 35/17? Who knows! Let's move on!
One of my favorite Williamsburg discoveries from the 35/15 Photo Project would have to be the existence of Governor's Palace Wallpaper.
In my first post, I wondered where it had gone? What had happened to it? One does not simply give up. This is iconic wallpaper that was on display in a major tourist attraction. There had to be some trail.
So, I used the best tools in my arsenal -- Google and Pinterest image searching. I was looking for hours, getting distracted by very artistic Chinese wallpapers, finding dead ends, trying new keywords. Someone had to have a picture online somewhere.
One of my wallpaper "well that looks fancy" excursions led me to de Gournay. de Gournay is a premiere custom wallpaper company. Their wallpapers have been featured in Vogue, perfume commercials, interior decor magazines, even called upon for use in the 2015 Met Gala.
Looking through their extensive online collection, I came across a design that was very, very similar. So, I inquired about it.
It turns out, the design was based off the Governor's Palace wallpaper. de Gournay had seen some panels of the wallpaper being auctioned off, and created their own design, "Earlham," based off of it. (Many of de Gournay's wallpapers are named after historic English estates/homes.)
Some time later, they were approached by Michael S. Smith, a well-known US interior designer. He had a client that had 6 original Governor's Palace panels that they wanted restored, as well as ordering new panels to go along with the old ones. So, there you go! A good amount of it is still out there, being used, in good condition, and surrounded by immaculately-designed surroundings.
Clicking through de Gournay's website, it is fascinating to see the different variations on the design that they can do. While the original Williamsburg colors (which de Gournay named "Sung Blue Williamsburg" in honor of its past) will always be my sentimental favorite, de Gournay and their clients are not consigned to always replicate it. Check out this one in a light gold. Do you like the color green? How about colored flowers? How about we ditch wallpaper altogether and go with a cushion? The possibilities can be endless.
So, it is great to hear the wallpaper is still being used. It's also amazing I could one day own my very own Governor's Palace-inspired wallpaper!
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a dismal, sad, depressing story. Its author, Lemony Snicket, advises everyone to avoid the tale at all costs. I advise otherwise.
I read this book series when it was first coming out in bookstores. I owned the whole series. I think I was into the mystery surrounding everything and the premise that this was indeed going to be a series full of unfortunate events. It was something you didn't see in the youth genre, and on some level I appreciated that. I did enjoy it, but I only read it once. Odd, because I usually reread books I liked. I think I was left a little miffed at the questionable ending. I actually got rid of the books, another weird move on my part.
When the 2004 movie came out, I only saw it once (Am I sensing a pattern here?). I remember I did not enjoy it, probably because it deviated so much from the book series. I was a real stickler for sticking to the source material. Still am, but I'm now a little more forgiving.
So, I was not super crazy excited when the Netflix reboot was announced, only pleasantly excited. Netflix has done some great series, and reboots of recently filmed stories are still in vogue. It sounded like a good idea.
Then everything changed with one teaser trailer:
0:01 through 0:19, I was nodding my head. Ah yes. Netflix does not disappoint. At 0:20, I would have done a spit take if I had been drinking something. The SS United States?? Here??
So, A Series of Unfortunate Events instantaneously became one of my newest obsessions!
So let's get down to it. The series chronicles the tale of the three Baudelaire orphans whose parents are killed when their mansion mysteriously catches on fire. The Baudelaires are sent to live with their relative Count Olaf, who will do anything to get his hands on the orphans' family fortune. A series of unfortunate events ensues.
Season one of the Netflix series covers the first 4 books, with each book being covered by 2 episodes. There are 13 books in the series altogether, so there should be at least 2 more seasons.
This was a book lover's dream. ASOUE was everything Harry Potter fans were asking of their adaptation to film. No detail was skipped, no character was angry when they were supposed to be calm (I'm still bitter, Goblet of Fire), and there was enough time to cover everything significant and showcase the little details. There were changes and small additions, but every change/addition felt natural, like it could have always been that way. It dissolved into the world like a tasteless, odorous poison into a drink. They didn't contradict major plot points in the book, unlike the 2004 movie did. Everything felt authentic. I was pleased.
The world that was created had a huge Pushing Daisies feel to it. Quirky, morbid, artistically stunning visuals, stoic children, zany one-off characters, timeless fashion, an amazing narrator, and architecture to the T. Pushing Daisies is one of my favorite series, so the feeling was welcomed with open arms. Stills from each show could be confused with each other, except PD took the color saturation to 11, whereas ASOUE muted colors. ASOUE also made everything dingy and run-down-looking. [Feb 2019 Update: I have since learned that Barry Sonnenfeld was executive producer on both series, and is probably the reason for this artistic connection. Thanks go to Zenith Haas for alerting me to the connection :)]
Let's be honest, I was only here for the ship, you're only probably reading this because of the ship. I have dawdled long enough. Let's depart to the dreary dock.
I didn't remember a ship of her magnitude in the book series, so I was interested in how the Big U would fit in. The SS United States first appears briefly in the opening credits of each episode of the season. It's an image of the ship on a cork board, covered with strings tied to thumb-tacks. You later infer it is a montage of Lemony Snicket working, researching and figuring out how the different pieces of the story go together. I was pleasantly surprised to see the ship appear so soon.
Then we get to episode 3 & 4, aka "The Reptile Room." The SS United States stars as the SS Prospero, a ship headed towards Peru. Not much else is stated about the ship itself. It is supposed to take the orphans and their current guardian to Peru to finally get some answers and safety. What actually happens is the exact opposite. No one rides the boat, no one gets any questions answered, no one is safe (especially the guy that dies), and the season of unfortunate events continues on for 4 more episodes.
The SS Prospero in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
In the teaser trailer, she doesn't have a name on her bow.
In the episode, you can see "SS Prospero"
The ship enters the story (a-la the magic of CGI) in her current rusty state. The rust fits the look of the series well. Everything looks like it's been through a couple hurricanes. Only problem... like the current SS United States, there are no lifeboats on the SS Prospero. They should probably add some for future voyages, just in case...
Towards the end of the episode, Count Olaf boards the SS Prospero (as seen in the teaser trailer above). The inside of the ship is a set, and is not based on any of the SS United States' innards. One reason: wood. The stateroom walls look like wavy wood veneer, while the hallway you can see out the door is paneled wood. You can get a glimpse of the stateroom in the trailer below, 2:10-2:21.
Something has felt off. The SS United States feels like an odd fit. A very specific real world place was placed in this otherworldly series. There are no connections to the real world, except the SS United States and Peru. I can overlook Peru, because that was in the book series. The boat could have been any turn of the century steamship, and no one would have batted an eye. But no, they chose the SS United States. This is a very fine detail, but it won't stop bothering me, so I intend to get to the bottom of its mystery.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Season: Absolutely Dreadful. 4/4
SS United States: It's CGI... but you see it a lot, relevant to plot, and you briefly go on it. 2.9/4
February 2019 Postscript:
The unfortunate Netflix series has concluded after three unfortunate seasons, so it is time to do a final review.
Should I have looked away? I believe I looked away at the right moment, during the end credits. It was a good adaptation through and through. The series stayed consistently superb.
Television/streaming series seem like the best adaptation medium for books that are dense/long/13 novels in length. It's a medium that can please old and new fans alike, and give every nitty, gritty detail. Everything can breathe, so you don't have to hit points every minute like you're decimating a checklist where everything on it has to be done in 2-3 hours. Simile, check!
Again, I have not reread the books, but I was surprised by what I could remember (They're actually triplets? Nailed it.). There was also a lot I had forgotten, so as the story progressed, it was harder to tell what had been added or changed. The changes I noticed (like adding VFD in earlier) seemed to enhance the story, rather than detract from what the original books were.
They slightly changed the ending of the series for Netflix. In the final book, the Baudelaires set sail away from the island into the unknown, and the fate of everyone is left up in the air. The contents of the infamous sugar bowl were never revealed. In the previous book, the plot that had been building up over multiple novels sharply about-faced and disposed of multiple storylines in one fell swoop of a fire.
It was frustrating to go that far in a series and not have answers, or a satisfying ending. I suppose that was the point: You don't always find out. You don't always get closure. You don't always find the ending of each story you come across. Life is nonsensical, and not always in a Dr. Seuss way. ASOUE was a series that was created to overturn the typical children's story, and its book ending did as well. I can appreciate that, but as a reader it was a hard pill to swallow.
For the Netflix series, the ending mostly stayed the same, but there were caveats. As Lemony's narration concludes, you get a montage of minor characters receiving happy endings and reunions for their stories. The Baudelaire's story is still left to mystery, but with Beatrice Snicket meeting Lemony and recounting the orphans' stories, it suggests they all did survive and at least made it to the mainland. And the contents of the sugar bowl were finally revealed.
There wasn't a thrilling conclusion, and it still ended with many open-endings. But just enough was answered to call the story concluded. Was this a concession to fans and for better ratings? I don't know, but I don't care. I am at peace with it.
Ending aside, from the actors to the makeup, costumes, sets, and more, it was a great series and should be commended for it.
As for the SS United States, it only appeared in episodes 3 & 4 of Season 1. After that season, the opening credits were changed, so the SS United States no longer appeared.
I did try to find an answer to why the SS United States was in the series. Multiple paths led to dead ends. My favorite attempt involved writing a letter to Lemony Snicket. I purchased a postcard with a picture of the SS United States on it, then charred and burned it to look like it had been through a fire.
Before & After charred SS United States
postcard
Back of charred postcard
Note was as follows:
Dear Mr. Snicket, As a famed researcher + storyteller, I am humbled to be writing to you. I hope this letter reaches you in one piece. My enemies know no bounds to prevent me from learning the truth. I suffered through the newest adaption of your work "A Series of Unfortunate Events" on Netflix. I apologize I did not listen to your numerous warnings to look away. I have a very fine detail I would like to question you about that is crucial to my own personal investigations. In Episode 4 in the recent adaptations, the SS Prospero is portrayed by a CGI SS United States. The Netflix series avoids any specific tie-ins, except for Peru (but what is one more rope to an already tied-up country?) + the SS United States. My question, why was the SS United States chosen to appear as the Prospero? With all due respect, -A.J. Jelonek
The letter was sent, but no reply was received. I can only assume with the reignited interest in the Baudelaires' story, Snicket is on the lamb from his enemies.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My final thoughts remain unchanged.
This series is to bring awareness to the SS United States, a historic American ocean liner. She is currently berthed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, awaiting restoration. Learn more on her story at ssusc.org.
The new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
I had the exciting opportunity to visit the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture a week ago with my department. A Washington, D.C. museum on African Americans was first proposed in 1915, authorized by congress in 2003, and was finally opened this year. It's been a long road.
Our ticket entry time was at 2pm. By closing time, I had only seen 2/3 of the History Galleries, and fleeting snippets of the Culture galleries. I missed approximately 3 floors of galleries. I also missed the gift shop, one of my must-do's at any museum I visit. It didn't matter. I loved it.
The Grand Staircase
(taken after the museum closed for the day)
This particular museum has the problem other museums would kill to have: the museum is at capacity every day, with visitors viewing the exhibits for hours and hours.
Why?
(SPOILER WARNING: The history itself is available elsewhere, but if you want to wait and be surprised on the museum experience, don't read any further.)
Dead Man Down. It's an action drama movie with gangsters, snipers, romance, death, Albanians, and the SS United States! What more could you want during an afternoon escaping the heat and humidity?
Colin Farrell stars as mostly-mute Victor, who is employed in NYC as a gangster and seeks revenge in his spare time. Along the way, he catches the stare of his disfigured neighbor Beatrice (Noomi Rapace). Love, death, and retribution ensue. Terrence Howard and Dominic Cooper also star.
I am so on the fence with this movie. I do enjoy the action and the revenge-seeking, but when it tries for romance, I don't think it knew what to do. I thought there was a little too much focus on the relationship, and not enough fighting taking place. My advice: why not tie the two plots more together?
Speaking of the romance, it was a lot more awkward than it needed to be. I get it, okay? They're both really, really rusty.
A lot of the focus for Beatrice and her story is on her scars from a car accident. It seems to really bother her, but honestly... it's really not that bad. She says she had to have facial reconstruction surgery after the accident, but her face looks amazing except for the lines on her face (which stand out less depending on the kind of lighting). The before-accident photos of her could have been taken after the accident. It could be argued that her perception of her disfigurement is in more in her head, but that doesn't explain the neighborhood kids. They call her "Monster," taunt her, and assault her every time they see her leaves the building (Who raised these kids??). It's a little excessive for a couple faded lines. It's a case of the makeup team failing meet the script's requirements. Also Hollywood afraid that the female lead cannot be too unattractive. It's a shame, and it brings the movie's realism down.
This movie wasn't all bad. The fighting and shooting, while few and far between, were fun to watch. The final one rocked. You have my girl hostage? Okay, I'll drive my truck right through your mansion's front door and crash through to the basement. It's ridiculously amazing.
That ship though? She's the star we're all here for.
Hollywood let all the ship's blemishes show, but that's what helped her get cast in the role of abandoned luxury liner/secret hostage holding location. Victor heads to an abandoned part of the city, driving past abandoned, overgrown piers. Moored to one of these piers is the SS United States (placed there via the magic of CGI). You see an aerial shot and a stern shot while he is driving and walking towards it.
Then, Victor gets on the ship. You see him walking around the ship, first going down the promenade deck, then going down the first class staircase, eventually wandering through the ballroom.
There are some chandeliers and bar props placed in the ballroom. I guess they were added to give some sense as to what that room was, or what kind of ship this was. With the whole ship gutted, it is hard to get a sense of any of the ship's grandeur (other than size). It's probably also there to give people (not obsessed with ocean liners) something to look at instead of bare yellow walls.
Victor then ends his journey through the ship in a hallway to unlock a door. In the next shot, he is in a pool, but it is a movie set. The SS United States' actual pool, deep in the bowels of the ship, is perpetually in darkness. With no power available and no available light like the other locations filmed, the pool understandably was unusable as a movie location.
The whole SS United States screen time is approximately 25 seconds, but it covers multiple locations. If you include the movie pool location as part of the "ship," the time on board totals around 5 minutes.
This is the first time feature film-goers have been given a peek inside the ship after her layup in 1969. The ship's current state helps give the scene an eerie, decaying atmosphere. I have seen videos and pictures of the ship, so I wasn't surprised in her condition, but it's still a little sad. I am glad a film studio found value in the ship, even in its current state. It just goes to show, even at the worst she has ever been, she is still usable and still has the potential for greatness.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Movie: Needed more action, and everything else was problematic. 2/4
SS United States: Used exterior and interior as a filming location relevant to the plot. 4/4
This series is to bring awareness to the SS United States, a historic American ocean liner. She is currently berthed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, awaiting restoration. Learn more on her story at ssusc.org.
Two weeks back, I volunteered for one of my favorite Colonial Williamsburg programs - "DIG!: Kids, Dirt and Discovery."
When I worked at Colonial Williamsburg, the DIG! site was my favorite site to oversee (you can read some my enthusiasm from last summer at the end of Part 5 of the 35/15 Photo Project). Luckily, they liked having me, so they invited me back this summer as a volunteer!
From the first summer, a lot of progress has been made. For little legs, there are now stairs for entering the site.
Dig site early summer 2015
Dig site late summer 2015
Dig site July 2016
Let's walk through a day at the DIG!. Each day is broken up into four 50 minute sessions. Each session consists of a brief introduction, digging, sifting, and categorizing.
Digging
This is pretty self-explanatory. Each archaeologist-in-training is given a pair of gloves, a trowel, and a bucket. Using their trowel, they scrape away the dirt. Everything they find, from dirt to artifacts, goes into their bucket.
Due to site excavations in the 1940's with less-detailed archaeological practices than today's, there are plenty of real artifacts in the soil, with none of the normally-found dirt layers. This site is the perfect place for kids to get a first taste for archaeology.
There are three groups, each one is led by one of CW's archaeologists. Each has their own section of where to dig.
Kids getting last minute instructions before
they get digging!
Dig time!
Looking down the stairs at the dig
One one side of the excavation, you can start to see some of
the higher brick features of the Archibald Blair storehouse
peeking through the soil. The bottom of the foundations
are 7 feet below the ground level!
Sifting
Once the digging portion has ended, the dirt collected in the buckets is dumped onto a screen over a wheelbarrow. Even if you think you found everything you dug up, there could be something you missed hidden in the dirt. The dirt gets pushed through the holes, while the artifacts stay behind. All the artifacts found get bagged for future analysis.
Sifting!
Pushing dirt through the screen
All the excess dirt from each session is wheeled away to a pile in a corner. Every month or so, a truck comes by to take the dirt away so it doesn't take over the property.
Mount Sifted Dirt. Not a catchy name.
Categorizing
After everything is screened and bagged, the leaders bring the archaeologists-in-training back to a shaded picnic table to go through what was found. They help guide the kids to discover and identify for themselves the different kinds of artifacts that are present.
Sorting artifacts by types
These kids are using wands with magnets in
them to see if any rusty-looking globs have
metals inside.
DUG!
After the last DIG! session, the site closes down for a quick clean-up, then reopens as a free-flow site for DUG!. As the name suggests, this program centers around things archaeologists do after they dig everything up, so there is no digging during this time. The program is different every day. Sometimes, it's cleaning artifacts, or putting together broken pottery examples. Sometimes, it's a Q&A with an archaeological expert or a special guest (The Father of American Archaeology, Thomas Jefferson, has visited from time to time). The day I was there, it was cleaning artifacts. Artifacts can be delicate, so wet toothbrushes are used to wash off the dirt. For smaller nooks and crannies, we used a long toothpick-like stick.
Cleaned artifacts!
More treasures found
It's always fun to answer people who ask, "What did you find today?" "Oh, you know," I say, "Lots of broken glass, rusted nails, bones..." And they seem perfectly fine with children handling these normally-abhorred objects because they are artifacts. Ah, well. The present's trash is the future's treasure.
Other objects usually found at the site are pieces of tobacco pipes, oyster shells, broken ceramics and porcelain, buttons, bricks, mortar, and, of course, plenty of dirt.
The Prentis Store next door was a car repair shop before it was restored, so there have been a few automobile items found. It can be an interesting mix. There have been other oddities, but you will have to come by the site yourself to learn about them!
It's like a puzzle with lots of scattered and missing pieces.
After the dig, check out the DIG! artifact display case in the Visitor Center. It has had at least three changes since being established.
Visitor Center Artifact Display
Fall 2015
Visitor Center Artifact Display
Winter 2015/2016
The latest update has been "Curated By KIDS!"
Visitor Center Artifact Display Summer 2016
I think this is a great program that allows the future another opportunity to learn from the past.
It's a fascinating site. Most of what you see around Williamsburg is a final product of hours and hours of behind-the-scene work. Here, you get a peek at how it's done. I'm so glad DIG! came back for a second summer. Hopefully, it will continue after the Archibald Blair site has been excavated.
For DIG!, a free ticket reservation can be made the day of at any ticketing location with a valid admissions pass. Ages 5-16 are welcome. Capacity is limited to 20 kids/session, so the earlier you get your ticket, the better. The 9:30am session requires no ticket, it is first-come, first-serve. I recommend coming earlier in the day, as the sun heats things up, shadows disappear, and the soil become harder to dig into.
For DUG!, the site is free-flow 3-4:30pm, no ticket is required.
A little background on me and Archaeology. I love archaeology. It's still on my list of things I want to do when I grow up. I was a master sandbox digger starting at a toddler age. I proudly boasted I would find the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island (that's still on my to-do list). I was fascinated by Pompeii. Around the turn of the millennium, I did a CW kids dig at Carter's Grove. Apparently I also toured the house, but I can only recall the dig. That dig's artifacts were all planted, and the dirt had layers, so it was a bit different than DIG!.
Me digging at Carter's Grove
June 26, 2000
After that, I don't think I had any other archaeological experience before last summer. It has been great to reconnect to (or should I say, dig up?) a lost part of me.
Me sifting for overlooked artifacts
with CW Archaeologist Libby
Thank you to Meredith, Libby, and Victoria for letting me help you DIG!
