MICHAEL PALIN'S HEMINGWAY ADVENTURE: EPISODE 2 {CHICAGO; MICHIGAN; ITALY; PARIS} (TV)
Summary
The second in this four-part documentary series in which former Monty Python member Michael Palin visits sites that figured prominently in the life of legendary writer Ernest Hemingway.
The program begins in Chicago, ten miles from Hemingway's birthplace, the village of Oak Park, Illinois. With the assistance of Peter Thomas, a trader at the Chicago Stock Exchange, Palin looks for Hemingway "clues" in the city. Once in Oak Park, Palin visits the house in which Hemingway was born. There, Palin finds a notebook in which Hemingway lists his favorite pastimes, then sings with two of the home's guides to a song which Hemingway's mother wrote. Next, Palin visits a shooting range to try and understand Hemingway's love of guns, going so far as to fire the famous "Dirty Harry" .44 Magnum. Then, Palin visits rural Michigan, where the Hemingways used to "summer." There, Palin visits a gun shop where he is amused by some of the unintentionally-humorous products. He attempts shooting some pheasants, rabbits, and woodcocks but only "bags" a few clay pigeons. Next, he goes to Walloon Lake, where the Hemingways rented a cabin they called Windermere, then hikes to Horton Bay. There, he visits a general store to search for items on a list which Hemingway made out for a 1916 fishing expedition. One of the items -- potted meat -- makes the clerk mention that they stock Spam, which leads to Palin briefly breaking out in the famous Monty Python song about the canned meat. After going on an ill-fated fishing excursion, Palin heads north toward the Canadian border to mingle with the Native-American tribes that Hemingway befriended, but instead just ends up gambling at a casino owned by the Sault Ste. Marie tribe of Chippewa Indians.
Next, Palin crosses the ocean and visits Italy, where Hemingway worked as a Red Cross ambulance driver during World War I. With inspiration from "A Farewell to Arms," Palin goes to Milan, where he marvels at its massive train terminal before visiting a hospital which trains ambulance drivers. He attempts to drive his own ambulance, following up with a "stiff drink" at a neighborhood bar with fellow ambulance drivers. Next, near Venice, Palin bikes around the countryside, visiting a famous site where Hemingway once buried a thousand lire note to commemorate the spot where he'd been hit by mortar during the war.
Next, Palin visits Paris, France, the city Hemingway "loved best in all the world." Palin visits Shakespeare and Company, a unique bookstore near Notre Dame that offers lodging, before taking a tour of the city's landmarks. He also tracks down Hemingway's old flat before recreating a "Hemingway day" in the city. Ultimately, Palin finds himself riding in a tank through the Parisian streets, pretending to "liberate" the city as Hemingway once had. Finally, Palin recreates one of Hemingway's most infamous experiences, involving a Parisian bathroom and a skylight.
Details
- NETWORK: BBC (United Kingdom)
- DATE: 1999
- RUNNING TIME: 0:47:59
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:85607.002
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: International Collection - United Kingdom; Public affairs/documentaries; Travel; Writers; Chicago; Italy; Paris (France)
- SERIES RUN: BBC - TV series, 1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Anne James … Executive Producer
- Edward Mirzoeff … Executive Producer
- Martha Wailes … Producer
- David F. Turnbull … Director
- Michael Palin … Writer
- Howard Davidson … Music by
- Michael Palin … Host
- Ernest Hemingway
- Peter Thomas