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Losing-Trick Count

In the card game contract bridge, the Losing-Trick Count (LTC) is a method of hand evaluation that is generally only considered suitable to be used in situations where a trump suit has been established and when shape and fit are more significant than high card points (HCP) in determining the optimum level of the contract. The method is generally not considered suitable for no trump or misfit hands; also, the trump suit is generally considered to require at least eight cards in length with no partner holding fewer than three.

However, the LTC method of hand evaluation has been used successfully to evaluate unbalanced and balanced opening hands, and overcalls, since 1938 (combined with ‘quick trick’ evaluation and defined biddable suits), and by itself since 2017, before a fit and trump suit have been established based on the premise that a fit could usually be found later.

Based on a set of empirical rules, the number of "losing tricks" held in each of the partnership's hands is estimated and their sum deducted from either 24 (the result is the number of tricks the partnership can expect to take when playing in their established suit, assuming normal suit distributions and assuming required finesses work about half the time) or 18 (the result is the bidding level the partnership can expect to make their contract when playing in their established suit, assuming normal suit distributions and assuming required finesses work about half the time). F. Dudley Courtenay originally referred to the latter option as the “Rule of 18”.

History
The origins of the Losing Trick Count (LTC)—without that name—can be traced back at least to 1910 in Joseph Bowne Elwell's book Elwell on Auction Bridge wherein he sets out, in tabular form, a scheme for counting losers in trump contracts similar to the basic counting method given below.

The term "Losing Trick Count" was originally put forward by the American F. Dudley Courtenay in his 1934 book The System the Experts Play (which ran to at least 21 printing editions). Among various acknowledgments, the author writes: 'To Mr. Arnold Fraser-Campbell the author is particularly indebted for permission to use material and quotations from his manuscript in which is described his method of hand valuation by counting losing tricks, and from which the author has developed the Losing Trick Count described herein.'

The Englishman George Walshe and Courtenay edited the American edition and retitled it The Losing Trick Count for the British market; first published in London in 1935, the ninth edition came out in 1947. Subsequently, it has been republished by print-on-demand re-publishers.

The LTC was also popularised by Maurice Harrison-Gray in Country Life magazine in the 1950s and 1960s. "In its original British edition of years before, it had not been very lucidly presented and it seemed to suffer from a certain wooliness of definition of some of its concepts... With the blessing of Mr. Courtenay, Gray sharpened up the definitions, plugged some holes in the logic and made the whole conception intelligible to the average player."

In recent decades, others have suggested refinements to the basic counting method.

The original LTC
The underlying premise of LTC is that if a suit is evenly distributed, i.e. three players hold three cards in the suit and one player holds four, a maximum of three losers can be assumed in any one suit held by the partnership and, in turn, the maximum number of losers held by the partnership in all four suits is 24 (three in each of the four suits in each of two hands, i.e. 3 x 4 x 2 = 24). The LTC method estimates the total number of losers held by the partnership and deducts that total from either 24 to estimate the number of tricks which the partnership may expect to win or 18 to estimate the bidding level the partnership may expect to make their contract. Using either of the LTC method options thus provides guidance as to how high to bid in the auction.

Methodology
The basic LTC methodology consists of three steps:

Example
You hold and partner opens 1. If playing five-card majors, you know you have at least an 8 card heart fit. At this stage in the bidding, one estimates that the partnership can take at least 10 tricks and bid to the 4 level.

Refinements
Thinking that the method tended to overvalue unsupported queens and undervalue supported jacks, Eric Crowhurst and Andrew Kambites refined the scale, as have others:
 * AQ doubleton = ½ loser according to Ron Klinger.
 * KQ doubleton = 1 loser (obvious).
 * Kx doubleton = 1½ losers according to others.
 * AJ10 = 1 loser according to Harrison-Gray.
 * KJ10 = 1½ losers according to Bernard Magee.
 * Qxx = 3 losers (or possibly 2.5) unless trumps.
 * Subtract a loser if there is a known 9-card trump fit.

In his book The Modern Losing Trick Count, Ron Klinger advocates adjusting the number of losers based on the control count of the hand believing that the basic method undervalues an ace but overvalues a queen and undervalues short honor combinations such as Qx or a singleton king. Also it places no value on cards jack or lower.

New Losing-Trick Count (NLTC)
A "New" Losing-Trick Count (NLTC) was introduced in The Bridge World, May 2003, by Johannes Koelman. Designed to be more precise than LTC, the NLTC method of hand evaluation utilizes the concept of "half-losers", and it distinguishes between 'missing-Ace losers', 'missing-King losers' and 'missing-Queen losers.' NLTC intrinsically assigns greater value to Aces than it assigns to Kings, and it assigns greater value to Kings than it assigns to Queens. Some users of LTC make adjustments to the loser count to compensate for the imbalance of Aces and Queens held. Koelman argues that adjusting a hand's value for the imbalance between Aces and Queens held isn't the same as correcting for the imbalance between Aces and Queens missing. Because of singletons and doubletons [and because losing-trick counts assign losers for the first three rounds of a suit], the number of losers from missing Aces tends to be greater than the number of losers from missing Queens.

NLTC differs from LTC in two significant ways. First, NLTC uses a different method to count losers (explanation and loser-count lists below). Consequently, with NLTC, the number of losers in a singleton or doubleton suit can exceed the number of cards in the suit. Second, with NLTC the number of combined losers between two hands is subtracted from 25, not from 24 (explanation below), to predict the number of tricks the two hands will produce when declarer plays the hand in the agreed trump suit. As with LTC, the NLTC formula assumes normal suit breaks, it assumes that required finesses work about half the time, and it must only be applied after an 8-card trump fit or better is discovered. When counting NLTC losers in a hand, consider only the three highest ranking cards in each suit:

 * Count 1.5 losers for a missing Ace in a suit of at least 1 card in length
 * Count 1.0 losers for a missing King in a suit of at least 2 cards in length
 * Count 0.5 losers for a missing Queen in a suit of at least 3 cards in length
 * Count 0 losers for a void suit

The following hands highlight the differences between the LTC and NLTC methods:

- 8 LTC losers, but only 6 NLTC losers - 8 LTC losers, and also 8 NLTC losers - only 8 LTC losers, but 10 NLTC losers

Here is the basic NLTC list. For simplicity, cards below the rank of Queen are represented by "x":

All singletons, except singleton A, are initially counted as 1.5 losers, and all doubletons that are missing both the A and K are initially counted as 2.5 losers. Professional bridge player, Kevin Wilson, explains this concept of a suit that contains more losers than it contains cards: "Think about how much of declarer play is about timing. When you're missing an Ace, you're losing more than just a trick; you're losing timing because the King, Queen and Jack that you might hold can't score immediate tricks. First you must force out the Ace [and when the opponents win their Ace, they might immediately score more tricks, or they might establish winning tricks for later in the play]. The idea of 1.5 losers for a singleton [and 2.5 losers for a doubleton] should be within your grasp." In Kevin's article, he coins the term "modified" losing-trick count, or MLTC.

As with LTC, players seeking greater accuracy can also make adjustments to the NLTC. While the LTC normally uses only whole numbers and players who adjust with LTC commonly adjust in ½-loser increments, because NLTC uses fractions already, adjustments are usually made in ¼-loser increments or smaller. Players might prefer to adjust for the presence of Jacks and Tens, as these honor cards are assigned no value in the NLTC, but they're valuable holdings, particularly when they're together in the same suit, and especially when they're together and they support higher honors in the suit. Similarly, players might prefer to consider a singleton King as being more valuable than a singleton 2. As with other methods of evaluation, players can upgrade or downgrade the value of a given holding based on the ensuing auction.

As previously stated, NLTC uses a value of 25 (instead of 24 with LTC) in the formula for determining the trick-taking potential for two hands. Here's a basic pair of hands that helps illustrate why:

♠ xxxx ♥ xxx ♦ xxx ♣ xxx

♠ xxxx ♥ xxx ♦ xxx ♣ xxx

With both LTC and NLTC, the combined loser count with these two very weak and flat-shaped hands is 24 (12 losers in each hand). According to the LTC formula, there is no trick-taking potential with these hands (24-24 combined losers = 0 winning tricks). We must remember, however, that both forms of the losing-trick count are used only after the partnership knows it has an 8-card fit or better. In addition, losing-trick count predictions assume that all suits will break normally. In this example, given we possess an 8-card spade fit, and assuming the outstanding spades (trumps) split 3-2, the defenders can't prevent the (hypothetical) declarer from scoring one trump trick with these otherwise worthless hands. A losing-trick count formula that doesn't predict one winning trick with these two hands poses a theoretical concern. With NLTC we deduct the total combined losers from 25, not from 24, so the NLTC formula accurately predicts the trick-taking potential of these two hands (25-24 losers = 1 winner).

It's worth noting that these two example hands are flat shaped and are therefore poorly suited to considering losing trick counts, as losing-trick counts are not designed for notrump hand evaluation. Instead, losing-trick counts are intended primarily for suit contract evaluations, particularly when one or both hands are unbalanced. Indeed, when one partner has 12 losers - which can only occur with 4333 shape - basic LTC can't predict 13 tricks. NLTC however can predict a grand slam with balanced hands (examples below). For more information about NLTC, including new losing-trick counts in balanced hands, refer to Lawrence Diamond's Mastering Hand Evaluation.

Also similar to basic LTC, NLTC users may employ an alternate formula to determine the appropriate contract level for two fitting hands. The NLTC alternate formula is: 19 (instead of 18 with LTC) minus the sum of the losers in the two hands = the projected safe contract level when declarer plays the hand in the agreed trump suit. So, 7.5 losers opposite 7.5 losers leads to: 19-(7.5+7.5) = 19-15 = 4 (4-level contract). Players who use the basic LTC variation of this formula (i.e. 18 - total combined losers = suggested safe contract level) will recognize the difference between 25 and 19 as the number of tricks required by declarer to secure a "book", which is 6.

So, with 6.5 losers opposite 9.5 losers, we would calculate (19-16) = 3-level contract, or (25-16) = 9 tricks. With 4.5 losers opposite 7.5 losers: (19-12) = 7-level contract, or (25-12) = 13 tricks. This can help guide the bidding, as a standard opening hand typically has no more than 7.5 losers, and a typical hand with enough strength to respond typically has no more than 9.5 losers. So, when an 8-card or longer major-suit fit has been established, if the opening bidder holds a hand that has one less loser than a minimum opening hand, then opener can safely invite to game and bid to the three-level. If opener holds a hand that has two fewer losers than a minimum opening hand, then opener can force to game.

If an uncontested auction has proceeded as 1D-1H, then opener with four-card heart support would act according to the following guidelines:
 * 7.5 losers: minimum values (simple raise)
 * 6.5 losers: game-invitational values (a jump to three, for example)
 * 5.5 losers: game-forcing values
 * 4.5 losers: consider investigating slam
 * 3.5 losers: investigate slam

Next consider responder's hand. Opposite partner's 1H or 1S opening, with 3-card support, responder knows an 8+ fit exists and can bid according to the following table:
 * 9.5 losers: minimum values (simple raise)
 * 8.5 losers: game-invitational values
 * 7.5 losers: game-forcing values
 * 6.5 losers: consider investigating slam
 * 5.5 losers: investigate slam

N.B. since this response system focuses on major-fits, it can be seen that to reach a minor-suit game at the 5-level, the hand must have one less loser for each of the above-listed actions.

The NLTC solves the problem that the LTC method underestimates the trick taking potential by one on hands with a balance between 'ace-losers' and 'queen-losers'. For instance, the LTC can never predict a grand slam when both hands are 4333 distribution:

will yield 13 tricks when played in spades on around 95% of occasions (failing only on a 5:0 trump break or on a ruff of the lead from a 7-card suit). However this combination is valued as only 12 tricks using the basic method (24 minus 4 and 8 losers = 12 tricks); whereas using the NLTC it is valued at 13 tricks (25 minus 12/2 and 12/2 losers = 13 tricks). Note, if the west hand happens to hold a small spade instead of the jack, both the LTC as well as the NLTC count would remain unchanged, whilst the chance of making 13 tricks falls to 67%.

The NLTC also helps to prevent overstatement on hands which are missing aces. For example:

will yield 10 tricks. The NLTC predicts this accurately (13/2 + 17/2 = 15 losers, subtracted from 25 = 10 tricks); whereas the basic LTC predicts 12 tricks (5 + 7 = 12 losers, subtracted from 24 = 12).

Further bidding
Whichever method is being used, utilizing LTC evaluation need not stop after the opening bid and the response. Assuming opener bids 1 and partner responds 2; opener will know from this bid that partner has 9 losers (using basic LTC), if opener has 5 losers rather than the systemically assumed 7, then the calculation changes to (5 + 9 = 14 deducted from 24 = 10) and game becomes apparent!

A small number of modern bidding systems systemically utilize multiple responses and rebids after the opening bid to refine LTC evaluation and to allow further adjustments to be made based on combined suit length, shortages found, and high cards held. The Imperspicuity losing trick count bridge bidding system uses the Law of Total Losers, shape asking relay bidding, loser asking relay bidding, CROSS and CRO relay bidding, and LTC techniques, to systemically determine the final bidding level, after opening bids and overcalls are initially made based on LTC evaluation methods.

Limitations of the method
All LTC methods are only valid if trump fit (4-4, 5-3 or better) is evident and, even then, care is required to avoid counting double values in the same suit e.g. KQxx (1 loser in LTC) opposite a singleton x (also 1 loser in LTC).

Regardless which hand evaluation is used (HCP, LTC, NLTC, etc.) without the partners exchanging information about specific suit strengths and suit lengths, a suboptimal evaluation of the trick taking potential of the combined hands will often result. Consider the examples:

Both layouts are the same, except for the swapping of West's minor suits. So in both cases East and West have exactly the same strength in terms of HCP, LTC, NLTC etc. Yet, the layout on the left may be expected to produce 10 tricks in spades, whilst on a bad day the layout to the right would even fail to produce 9 tricks.

The difference between the two layouts is that on the left the high cards in the minor suits of both hands work in combination, whilst on the right hand side the minor suit honours fail to do so. Obviously on hands like these, it does not suffice to evaluate each hand individually. When inviting for game, both partners need to communicate in which suit they can provide assistance in the form of high cards, and adjust their hand evaluations accordingly. Conventional agreements like helpsuit trials and short suit trials are available for this purpose.

title: Losing-Trick Count


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Century of Progress

A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), celebrated the city's centennial. Designed largely in Art Deco style, the theme of the fair was technological innovation, and its motto was "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms", trumpeting the message that science and American life were wedded. Its architectural symbol was the Sky Ride, a transporter bridge perpendicular to the shore on which one could ride from one side of the fair to the other.

One description of the fair noted that the world, "then still mired in the malaise of the Great Depression, could glimpse a happier not-too-distant future, all driven by innovation in science and technology". Fair visitors saw the latest wonders in rail travel, automobiles, architecture and even cigarette-smoking robots. The exposition "emphasized technology and progress, a utopia, or perfect world, founded on democracy and manufacturing."

Context

A Century of Progress was organized as an Illinois nonprofit corporation in January 1928 for the purpose of planning and hosting a World's Fair in Chicago in 1934. City officials designated three and a half miles of newly reclaimed land along the shore of Lake Michigan between 12th and 39th streets on the Near South Side for the fairgrounds. Held on a 427 acre portion of Burnham Park, the $37,500,000 exposition was formally opened on May 27, 1933, by U.S. Postmaster General James Farley at a four-hour ceremony at Soldier Field. The fair's opening night began with a nod to the heavens. Lights were automatically activated when the rays of the star Arcturus were detected. The star was chosen as its light had started its journey at about the time of the previous Chicago world's fair—the World's Columbian Exposition—in 1893. The rays were focused on photoelectric cells in a series of astronomical observatories and then transformed into electrical energy which was transmitted to Chicago.

Exhibits

The fair buildings were multi-colored, to create a "Rainbow City" as compared to the "White City" of Chicago's earlier World's Columbian Exposition. The buildings generally followed Moderne architecture in contrast to the neoclassical themes used at the 1893 fair. One famous feature of the fair were the performances of fan dancer Sally Rand. Hal Pearl then known as "Chicago's Youngest Organist" and later "The King of the Organ" was the official organist of the fair. Other popular exhibits were the various auto manufacturers, the Midway (filled with nightclubs such as the Old Morocco, where future stars Judy Garland, the Cook Family Singers, and the Andrews Sisters performed), and a recreation of important scenes from Chicago's history. The fair also contained exhibits that would seem shocking to modern audiences, including offensive portrayals of African Americans, a "Midget City" complete with "sixty Lilliputians", and an exhibition of incubators containing real babies.

The fair included an exhibit on the history of Chicago. In the planning stages, several African American groups from the city's newly growing population campaigned for Jean Baptiste Point du Sable to be honored at the fair. At the time, few Chicagoans had even heard of Point du Sable, and the fair's organizers presented the 1803 construction of Fort Dearborn as the city's historical beginning. The campaign was successful, and a replica of Point du Sable's cabin was presented as part of the "background of the history of Chicago". Also on display was the "Lincoln Group" of reconstructions of buildings associated with the biography of Abraham Lincoln, including his birth cabin, the Lincoln-Berry General Store, the Chicago Wigwam (in reduced scale), and the Rutledge Tavern which served as a restaurant.

Admiral Byrd's polar expedition ship the City of New York was visited by President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he came to the fair on October 2, 1933. The City was on show for the full length of the exhibition.

One of the highlights of the 1933 World's Fair was the arrival of the German airship Graf Zeppelin on October 26, 1933. After circling Lake Michigan near the exposition for two hours, Commander Hugo Eckener landed the 776-foot airship at the nearby Curtiss-Wright Airport in Glenview. It remained on the ground for twenty-five minutes (from 1 to 1:25 pm) then took off ahead of an approaching weather front, bound for Akron, Ohio.

The "dream cars" which American automobile manufacturers exhibited at the fair included Rollston bodywork on a Duesenberg chassis, and was called the Twenty Grand ultra-luxury sedan; Cadillac's introduction of its V-16 limousine; Nash's exhibit had a variation on the vertical (i.e., paternoster lift) parking garage—all the cars were new Nashes; Lincoln presented its rear-engined "concept car" precursor to the Lincoln-Zephyr, which went on the market in 1936 with a front engine; Pierce-Arrow presented its modernistic Pierce Silver Arrow for which it used the byline "Suddenly it's 1940!" But it was Packard which won the best of show with the reintroduction of the Packard Twelve.

An enduring exhibit was the 1933 Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition that demonstrated modern home convenience and creative practical new building materials and techniques with twelve model homes sponsored by several corporations affiliated with home decor and construction.

Marine artist Hilda Goldblatt Gorenstein painted twelve murals for the Navy's exhibit in the Federal Building for the fair. The frieze was composed of twelve murals depicting the influence of sea power on America, beginning with the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607 when sea power first reached America and carrying through World War I. Another set of murals, painted for the Ohio State Exhibit by William Mark Young, was relocated afterwards to the Ohio Statehouse. Young also painted scenes of the exhibition buildings.

The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held at Comiskey Park (home of the Chicago White Sox) in conjunction with the fair.

In May 1934, the Union Pacific Railroad exhibited its first streamlined train, the M-10000, and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad its famous Zephyr which, on May 26, made a record-breaking dawn-to-dusk run from Denver, Colorado, to Chicago in 13 hours and 5 minutes, called the "Dawn-to-Dusk Dash". To cap its record-breaking speed run, the Zephyr arrived dramatically on-stage at the fair's "Wings of a Century" transportation pageant. The two trains launched an era of industrial streamlining. Both trains later went into successful revenue service, the Union Pacific's as the City of Salina, and the Burlington Zephyr as the first Pioneer Zephyr. The Zephyr is now on exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

Frank Buck furnished a wild animal exhibit, Frank Buck's Jungle Camp. Over two million people visited Buck's reproduction of the camp he and his native assistants lived in while collecting animals in Asia. After the fair closed, Buck moved the camp to a compound he had created at Amityville, New York.

Architecture

Planning for the design of the Exposition began over five years prior to Opening Day. According to an official resolution, decisions regarding the site layout and the architectural style of the exposition were relegated to an architectural commission, which was led by Paul Cret and Raymond Hood. Local architects on the committee included Edward Bennett, John Holabird, and Hubert Burnham. Frank Lloyd Wright was specifically left off the commission due to his inability to work well with others, but did go on to produce three conceptual schemes for the fair. Members of this committee ended up designing most of the large, thematic exhibition pavilions.

From the beginning, the commission members shared a belief that the buildings should not reinterpret past architectural forms – as had been done at earlier fairs, such as Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition—but should instead reflect new, modern ideas, as well as suggest future architectural developments. Because the fairgrounds was on new man-made land that was owned by the state and not the city, the land was initially free from Chicago's strict building codes, which allowed the architects to explore new materials and building techniques. This allowed the design and construction of a wide array of experimental buildings, that eventually included large general exhibition halls, such as the Hall of Science (Paul Cret) and the Federal Building (Bennet, Burnham, and Holabird); corporate pavilions, including the General Motors Building (Albert Kahn) and the Sears Pavilion (Nimmons, Carr, and Wright); futuristic model houses, most popular was the twelve-sided House of Tomorrow (George Frederick Keck); as well as progressive foreign pavilions, including the Italian Pavilion (Mario de Renzi and Adalberto Libera); and historic and ethnic entertainment venues, such as the Belgian Village (Burnham Brothers with Alfons De Rijdt), and the Streets of Paris (Andrew Rebori and John W. Root) where fan dancer Sally Rand performed. These buildings were constructed out of five-ply Douglas fir plywood, ribbed-metal siding, and prefabricated boards such as Masonite, Sheetrock, Maizewood, as well as other new man-made materials. The exhibited buildings were windowless (but cheerfully lighted) buildings. Structural advances also filled the fairgrounds. These included the earliest catenary roof constructed in the United States, which roofed the dome of the Travel and Transport Building (Bennet, Burnham and Holabird) and the first thin shell concrete roof in the United States, on the small, multi-vaulted Brook Hill Farm Dairy built for the 1934 season of the fair.

Amoebic dysentery outbreak
From June to November 1933, there was an outbreak of amoebic dysentery associated with the fair. There were more than a thousand cases, resulting in 98 deaths. Joel Connolly of the Chicago Bureau of Sanitary Engineering brought the outbreak to an end when he found that defective plumbing permitted sewage to contaminate drinking water in two hotels.

Extension
Originally, the fair was scheduled only to run until November 12, 1933, but it was so successful that it was opened again to run from May 26 to October 31, 1934. The fair was financed through the sale of memberships, which allowed purchases of a certain number of admissions once the park was open. More than $800,000 was raised in this manner as the country was in the Great Depression. A $10 million bond was issued on October 28, 1929, the day before the stock market crashed. By the time the fair closed in 1933, half of these notes had been retired, with the entire debt paid by the time the fair closed in 1934. For the first time in American history, an international fair had paid for itself. In its two years, it had attracted 48,769,227 visitors. According to James Truslow Adams's Dictionary of American History, during the 170 days beginning May 27, 1933, there were 22,565,859 paid admissions; during the 163 days beginning May 26, 1934, there were 16,486,377; a total of 39,052,236.

Legacy
Much of the fair site is now home to Northerly Island park (since the closing of Meigs Field) and McCormick Place. The Balbo Monument, given to Chicago by Benito Mussolini to honor General Italo Balbo's 1933 trans-Atlantic flight, still stands near Soldier Field. The city added a third red star to its flag in 1933 to commemorate the Century of Progress Exposition (the Fair is now represented by the fourth of four stars on the flag). In conjunction with the fair, Chicago's Italian-American community raised funds and donated a statue of Genoese navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus. It was placed at the south end of Grant Park, near the site of the fair.

The Polish Museum of America possesses the painting of Pulaski at Savannah by Stanisław Kaczor-Batowski, which was exhibited at the Century of Progress fair and where it won first place. After the close of the fair, the painting went on display at The Art Institute of Chicago where it was unveiled by Eleanor Roosevelt on July 10, 1934. The painting was on display at the Art Institute until its purchase by the Polish Women's Alliance on the museum's behalf.

The U.S. Post Office Department issued a special fifty-cent Air Mail postage stamp, (Scott catalogue number C-18) to commemorate the visit of the German airship depicting (l to r) the fair's Federal Building, the Graf Zeppelin in flight, and its home hangar in Friedrichshafen, Germany. This stamp is informally known as the Baby Zep to distinguish it from the much more valuable 1930 Graf Zeppelin stamps (C13–15). Separate from this issue, for the Fair the Post Office also printed 1 and 3 cent commemorative postage stamps, showing respectively Fort Dearborn and the modernistic Federal Building. These were also printed in separate souvenir sheets as blocks of 25 (catalog listings 728–31). In 1935 the sheets were reprinted (Scott 766–67).

From October 2010 through September 2011, the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. opened an exhibition titled Designing Tomorrow: America's World's Fairs of the 1930s. This exhibition prominently featured the Century of Progress fair in Chicago.

In popular culture

 * Nelson Algren's 1935 novel Somebody in Boots features the Chicago World's Fair of 1933–34, with the Century of Progress being described as "the brief city sprung out of the prairie and falling again into dust."
 * Jean Shepherd wrote about attending the Century of Progress as a boy in the 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash
 * Roy J. Snell, author of books for boys and girls, used Chicago, the building of the Fair site, the Fair itself -including the Sky Ride - and then certain portions of the Fair after it closed in several of his books. Publisher, Reilly & Lee.  Books now in Public Domain.
 * Beverly Gray at the World's Fair, originally the sixth book in Clair Blank's Beverly Gray series, was published in 1935 and is set at the Century of Progress. The book was dropped when the series changed publishers due to fears that readers would find it dated, and has since become a sought after volume by collectors of the series.
 * In True Detective, the 1983 private eye novel by Max Allan Collins, and the first to feature his long-running character Nate Heller, Heller is hired as a security consultant by the Fair, and a good deal of the novel is set there. The suspenseful action climax takes place at the Fair. The novel went on to win the Shamus from the Private Eye Writers of America for Best Novel.
 * Brief footage of the fairground sideshows is used in the 1933 film Hoop-La, the plot of which revolves around the fair. It was the last film made by Clara Bow. Also shown is a panorama of the Century of Progress concourse.
 * In her novel The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand describes a world fair named The March of the Centuries. Despite having taken place in 1936, The March of the Centuries bears a striking similarity to the Century of Progress exposition: it, too, is designed by a group of architects; architect Howard Roark was initially invited but later denied opportunity to participate in planning (as his prototype Frank Lloyd Wright was left off the commission), the fair opened in May. Rand described the fair as "a ghastly flop" and mentioned that its only attraction was "somebody named Juanita Fay who danced with a live peacock as sole garment" (a description clearly based on Sally Rand's performance).

Resources
The major archive for the Century of Progress International Exposition, including the official records from the event and the papers of Lenox Lohr, general manager of the fair, are housed in Special Collections at the University of Illinois, Chicago. A collection of materials including images is held by the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Century of Progress Collection includes photographs, guidebooks, brochures, maps, architectural drawings, and souvenir items. Specific collections with material include the Chicago Architects Oral History Project; the Daniel H. Burnham Jr. and Hubert Burnham Papers; Edward H. Bennett Collection; Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker photographs.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Century of Progress


text:
Talk:Viking Age

Viking heritage of the Rurik dynasty
The Rurik dynasty's Viking heritage, alluded to here, is a topic of substantial controversy amongst Russian historians. I am not qualified to speak out on the subject but a professional historian of Russia should craft a more nuanced and informed statement on the subject. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.53.198.50 (talk) 06:20, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

 * Rurik heritage here is completelly ignored, because it does not fit the narrative about Vikings, that came from Scandinavia and had Scandinavian heritage.
 * This whole article about vikings paint the picture, that only Scandinavians were doing viking things, while it seems, that in Baltic Sea everyone capable of seafaring were doing that.
 * There is no controvery among Russian historians - 30 years ago they already had very clear understanding of joint Viking-Prussian component(from eastern Baltic Sea), that was the basis of formation of Novgorod. The controversy about Viking Rus heritage is only among uneducated morons.
 * With Rus it seems, that they were local people, that were vikingized - similarly how it happened in Ireland, where vikings were few and over time assimilated into local culture. GrimDawn (talk) 13:55, 15 September 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Jjacob10.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 12:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

New findings to re-define years range of the Viking Age
Sciencedirect and other sources have published research on Salme ship burials of Vikings that move initial date back 50-100 more years to year 700-750. — Preceding unsigned comment added by D72 (talk) 09:20, 17 December 2021 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: HUM 202 - Introduction to Mythology
— Assignment last updated by Nursing202 (talk) 15:53, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

Academic criticism of article coverage
This article has been reviewed as part of an academic article on Wikipedia's coverage of the Middle Ages.

There's some very good points about the article suffering from certain forms of POV, for example categorizing information according to the borders of modern nations. Peter Isotalo 07:20, 26 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi, isn't this medieval period the time when several countries (or at least their core areas) became those countries? Spec. Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark; but something similar was afoot in England, wasn't it? Even the division of East and West Francia has its origin in this period, IIRC. So yes, referring to modern states is helpful, but also not (very) wrong, IMO. T 84.208.65.62 (talk) 04:39, 18 July 2024 (UTC)

 * I read the essays in "Forging the medieval on Wikipedia", thanks to a pointer from Gråbergs Gråa Sång elsewhere, and that is what inspired me to add content about Vikings in the Mediterranean and about women in Viking society. I disagree with the authors' contention that "Listing countries as they exist today as locations for Viking activity adds national borders to a history that had little to do with them, naturalising ideas of ethno-genesis and the nation-state as organising principles." Most scholarship on the subject refers to modern-day political boundaries or geographical concepts that were non-existent then, because doing so allows readers to place the geographical location of events. There was no geographical concept of "North America" or of an entity such as "Newfoundland" in the Viking Age, but those terms are useful to organize the information in our article, in my opinion. How else could we discuss L'Anse aux Meadows, or archaeologists such as Lucy Moore place the results of her fieldwork in geographical context? I think the discrepancy can be addressed by disclaimers and by providing context.

 * Also, when Moore writes, "The inclusion of three hundred words on 'Norse influence on the English language', but no other modern language, demonstrates this linguistic chauvinism", I'm left wondering why she didn't address the problem herself, since she says she has edited the article. Three hundred words is not many words, and obviously there is more to be said in that regard about other languages such as Swedish or Norwegian (where are the linguists?). Why, rather than writing what seems a postmodern analysis of the article's deficiencies, isn't she fixing those perceived deficiencies herself? Of course, if she did that, she wouldn't have anything to complain about in her analysis, would she?;-) Carlstak (talk) 14:21, 26 June 2024 (UTC)
 * @Carlstak, the part about languages is pretty obvious WP:UNDUE or WP:POV. If someone pointed it out here on the talkpage, it wouldn't be very constructive to reply "well, why don't you fix it!" Peter Isotalo 15:28, 26 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Eh, disagree, I subscribe to the "just fix it" ethos, not the "Somebody "Notme" Else" ethos; funny thing to say to the person who has been fixing some of the problems pointed out in the essay. I don't see anyone else doing it. Our article needs the input of more scholars. Moore could have amended it to address the points she raises with less effort than she invested in the "essay cluster". After all, she has been editing our article, and not to mention that many more people will read our article than hers—if she wants to enlighten the public, this is the place to do it rather than in the rarefied confines of a scholarly article that hardly anyone will read or care about. Carlstak (talk) 16:59, 26 June 2024 (UTC)
 * I agree about the "modern borders" issue - if only to locate places (a bit) for non-specialist readers, this seems fairly standard practice. In the ancient history of other parts of the world academics sometimes go full on with the ancient names, which many contemporary readers like myself find unhelpful. A sentence stating the dominant role ON played in modern Scandi languages could be added for sure, but one would expect this not to be news for most readers. English readers are likely to know less about, and be more interested in, the influence on English. Would mentioning what is apparently a single documented raid on Africa be WP:UNDUE? Quite possibly. Johnbod (talk) 21:59, 26 June 2024 (UTC)
 * I've already added a paragraph to the "Old Norse influence on other languages" section that includes: "Today Old Norse has developed into the modern North Germanic languages Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and other North Germanic varieties... " I think we should expand that section with more information about its influence on the modern Nordic languages. Per Peterson and Beers Fägersten in English in the Nordic Countries: "People in the Nordic states – Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland – rank as among the most proficient speakers of English in the world". English-speaking Nordic people read English WP, and quite a few of them contribute to it. People that I have known from those countries generally are much more proficient speakers and readers of English than Trumpers typically are here in the Southland of the US. Also, in my opinion mentioning a single documented raid on Africa at Nekor on the coast of Morocco is an interesting fact and not undue. Carlstak (talk) 01:55, 27 June 2024 (UTC)
 * The main influence the Viking age had on modern Nordic language is likely that they are spoken in the Northern Atlantic. I don't think it's appropriate to talk about "influence" on the languages themselves, when old Norse is an ancestor. It would be far more appropriate to speak about how old Norse was influenced by other languages during the period. What's also missing is influence on languages in other areas with strong Viking influence, such as Finnish, Russian, French, Scots and Irish. But I would expect that English would be the most detailed, not because this is enwp, but because English was the language most fundementally altered by Viking influence.
 * Hi, Wiki has https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_toponymy, if one wanted to avoid making this article too Anglo-centered =o) T 84.208.65.62 (talk) 04:39, 18 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Andejons (talk) 10:37, 27 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Good points. I'm starting a new real-world project today, and will not be able to reply in detail until tonight. Carlstak (talk) 11:43, 27 June 2024 (UTC)
 * I've changed the title of the "Old Norse influence on other languages" section to "Old Norse and other languages" at least for now. Perhaps someone can think of a better title. I agree that using the word "influence" in the subheading mucks it up. This one can encompass all the facets of language development you mention as well as its ancestral relationship to present-day Scandinavian languages. I think this should be done in short summary form with links to any pertinent main articles, but with enough information to give readers a basic outline. Carlstak (talk) 00:35, 28 June 2024 (UTC)
 * @Carlstak, linguistic influences of Old Norse seemed like a perfectly logical heading to me. It was a direct result of what happened during this period.
 * Proficiency in English among modern Nordic countries is a completely different and much later process. I don't see how it has anything to do with the period. Peter Isotalo 13:54, 1 July 2024 (UTC)
 * He's taking issue with my "English readers are likely to know less about, and be more interested in, the influence on English" above. True, it seems to be the case that, not for the first time, I'm the only non-Scandi person commenting in this section, but I doubt our actual readers have the same profile. Johnbod (talk) 14:16, 1 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Peter Isotalo, I guess you missed what I said about having a more inclusive title to include the expanded content I intend to add to the section. Johnbod, not sure why you think I'm Scandinavian. One of my grandmothers was German, but I'm a mutt like everyone else, no matter how "pure" they think their blood is. If it's my username that makes you think that, it's an anagram of one of my godfather's stage names, he was a movie star. There's a Danish book about fishing that mentions Carlstak fair. I do have long hair that's turned platinum blonde in my old age, blue eyes, red hair in my moustache, and spend a great deal of time aboard boats, but I'm not Scandi. I am an eighth Cherokee.;-) Carlstak (talk) 17:48, 1 July 2024 (UTC)
 * Oh, apologies - I suppose it was the username! Carlstak the Grim works .... Johnbod (talk) 23:59, 1 July 2024 (UTC)
 * @Carlstak, the North Germanic languages are direct descendants of Old Norse. That's straight up taxonomy. They haven't been "influenced" by Old Norse, they basically are Old Norse. We have an article on that already that can be summarized in (and synced with) this article.
 * The influence of English described in the article right now is not the result of it being descended from Old Norse but by invasion, trade, migration, etc. So a somewhat similar process to how Norman French made an impact. Peter Isotalo 09:19, 2 July 2024 (UTC)
 * ? Yes, I know, that's why I removed the word "Influence" from the heading title; you added it back. I even added the words "Old Norse has developed into the modern North Germanic languages: Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and other North Germanic varieties of which Norwegian, Danish and Swedish retain considerable mutual intelligibility while Icelandic remains the closest to Old Norse..." that I copied from the Old Norse article. I am subscribed to this section, so please don't keep pinging me. Carlstak (talk) 11:03, 2 July 2024 (UTC)
 * The evolution of Old Norse and the influence it had on various languages are two separate things. They should be kept under separate headings. Peter Isotalo 17:52, 2 July 2024 (UTC)
 * I didn't say otherwise. Peace out. Carlstak (talk) 23:42, 2 July 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Viking Age


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Developing (film)

Developing is a 1994 short film (28 minutes) directed by Marya Cohn, about the relationship between a girl and her single mother, who has breast cancer. The film, shot in 1993, stars Natalie Portman in her first film role and Frances Conroy. The short was Cohn's thesis film.

Plot
Photographer Clare (Frances Conroy) learns she has breast cancer and must have a mastectomy. Returning home post-surgery, she struggles against her feelings of self-consciousness but tries to act as if all is normal in order to protect her daughter, Nina (Natalie Portman). However, she begins to begrudge Nina, and Nina, in turn, begins to resent being used by Clare as a model in her photographs.

Clare puts together a show of her photographs mostly featuring Nina. The show is a success but Clare feels uncomfortable as people constantly mention both her illness and her surgery. At the gallery, Clare and Nina fight when Nina accuses her of not letting her in and runs away. Clare then has a meltdown where she screams at a photographer covering the event after he takes numerous photos of her.

Failing to find Nina after returning home, Clare begins to take self-portraits using a mirror, gradually stripping off all her clothes. After finally confronting her own image in the mirror, she cries profusely. Later, as she is developing her self-portraits in her darkroom, Nina enters and apologizes for running away. Clare gives her a prolonged hug and Nina listens to her heart beat.

Release
The film premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival.

title: Developing (film)


text:
Beautiful Girls (film)

Beautiful Girls is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Ted Demme and written by Scott Rosenberg. Its story follows New York jazz pianist Willie Conway, as he heads back to his hometown of Knight's Ridge, Massachusetts for his high school reunion, where he finds his friends evaluating their lives and relationships. It stars Matt Dillon, Noah Emmerich, Lauren Holly, Timothy Hutton, Rosie O'Donnell, Martha Plimpton, Natalie Portman, Michael Rapaport, Mira Sorvino and Uma Thurman.

The film was produced by Cary Woods and was released on February 9, 1996, by Miramax. It received positive reviews and grossed $27 million worldwide.

Plot
New York jazz pianist Willie returns to his hometown of Knight's Ridge, Massachusetts for his 10-year high school reunion, staying with his widower father and younger brother.

Willie reunites with three old friends: Mo is a successful family man, while Paul and Tommy, who own a snowplowing business, have relationship issues. Paul was recently dumped by his longtime girlfriend Jan because he refused her ultimatum of marriage. Believing that she is now seeing Victor the meat cutter, he vindictively blocks her driveway with snow every night. Tommy is cheating on his girlfriend Sharon with his married high school sweetheart Darian.

Willie meets 13-year-old neighbor girl Marty, and they strike up a witty rapport. She presses him about his relationship: he has been with his girlfriend Tracy for a year but is unsure if he wants to marry her. He is considering taking a steady job as a salesman, but Mo urges him not to quit his music.

Paul desperately proposes to Jan, but she turns him down. Sharon argues with Tommy about his infidelity and seeks advice from her girlfriends. The outspoken Gina advises her to break up with Tommy, but Sharon tries to salvage the relationship by planning a surprise birthday party.

When the attractive Andera comes to town from Chicago, the guys compete for her attention. The next day, Gina lectures Willie and Tommy about men's unrealistic expectations of women set by supermodels and pornography. Willie feels jealous when he sees that Marty has a boyfriend.

Darian shows up at Tommy's surprise party drunk and openly tries to seduce him, causing Sharon to leave, heartbroken. Tommy drives Darian home but refuses her advances, and unsuccessfully tries to patch things up with Sharon. Willie tells Mo about his feelings for Marty but is reminded how young she is and says that he just doesn't want to grow up.

Willie again encounters Marty, who says she has broken up with her boyfriend because she is interested in him, asking him to wait five years until she is 18 and they can be together. Willie declines, saying that she will outgrow her feelings for him as she matures.

Paul takes Andera out, trying to make Jan jealous. Andera plays along, but when Paul tries to kiss her she smacks him and leaves. Willie chastises Paul about his obsession with supermodels; he responds that beautiful girls represent hope and promise. Tommy breaks things off with Darian, but she states her intent to win him back at the reunion.

Andera approaches Willie, turning down his flirtations but accompanying him to Paul's ice shanty, where they discuss their respective relationships. He misses the emotional rush of new love, but she feels truly happy with her boyfriend and returns to Chicago the next day. Tracy arrives from New York, and Willie's feelings for her are rekindled. Marty is downhearted by this, but Willie assures her that she will grow up to do amazing things.

At the reunion, Darian is confronted by a former classmate who she bullied; he tells her that she was beautiful, but "mean as a snake". Tommy skips the reunion to avoid Darian but encounters her husband Steve and his friends at a bar. Steve reveals he knows about the affair; a fight ensues, and Tommy is badly beaten. Learning of this, the guys rush to Steve's house to confront him. Steve calls his friends, but Willie pushes their car into a snowbank using Paul's snowplow. Mo is about to beat Steve up but stops when Steve's daughter comes to the door. Darian arrives home in the aftermath of the confrontation. Tommy ends up in the hospital with a concussion and two broken ribs. Sharon stays with him overnight, and they make up. Paul, overcome with emotion, clears Jan's driveway of snow.

Willie says his goodbyes the next day, having decided to head back to New York with Tracy and not take the sales job. Paul announces that Jan and Victor are engaged. Willie introduces Tracy to Marty and kisses Marty on the cheek before departing.

Cast

 * Matt Dillon as Tommy "Birdman" Rowland, a former high school football star turned snowplower
 * Noah Emmerich as Michael "Mo" Morris, a textile plant manager and family man
 * Annabeth Gish as Tracy Stover, an attorney and Willie Conway's girlfriend
 * Lauren Holly as Darian Smalls, Tommy's high school girlfriend, now married with a daughter and having an affair with Tommy
 * Timothy Hutton as Willie Conway, a New York City pianist visiting his hometown
 * Rosie O'Donnell as Gina Barrisano, the outspoken friend of several of the characters
 * Max Perlich as Kev, a snowplower employed by Tommy and Paul
 * Martha Plimpton as Jan, Paul Kirkwood's ex-girlfriend
 * Natalie Portman as Marty, the Conways' 13-year-old neighbor, a witty, self-described "old soul" who connects with Willie
 * Michael Rapaport as Paul Kirkwood, a snowplower
 * Mira Sorvino as Sharon Cassidy, Tommy's girlfriend
 * Uma Thurman as Andera, Stanley Womack's attractive cousin from Chicago
 * Pruitt Taylor Vince as Stanley "Stinky" Womack, proprietor of a local bar
 * Anne Bobby as Sarah Morris, Mo's wife
 * Richard Bright as Dick Conway, Willie's father
 * Sam Robards as Steve Rossmore, Darian's husband
 * David Arquette as Bobby Conway, Willie's younger brother
 * Adam LeFevre as Victor the meat cutter, who is dating Jan
 * John Carroll Lynch as Frank Womack, a bartender
 * Tom Gibis as "Peter the Eater", a former classmate of Darian's whom she bullied about his weight
 * John Scurti as a Greyhound Lines ticket agent
 * Greg Dulli, lead singer of the Afghan Whigs, as himself in a scene with the band performing
 * Harold "Happy" Chichester, lead singer of Howlin' Maggie, as himself in a scene with the band performing

Additional minor roles were played by Kristen Rossmore as Steve and Darian's daughter Kristen; Camille D'Ambrose as Sharon's mother; Martin Ruben as Jan's restaurant boss Chip; Allison Levine as a waitress; Earl R. Burt as a bartender; Trent Nicholas Thompson and Nicole Ranallo as Mo and Sarah's children Michael and Cheryl; Joyce Lacey and Matthew Nathen Castens as classmates at the reunion; Ollie Osterberg, Sterling Robson, and Edward Kaspszak as Steve's friends who beat up Tommy; Herbert Ade as a bar owner; Ben Gooding as a customer; and Frank Anello as Irv. "Lucky the Saint Bernard" is credited as Paul's dog "Elle Macpherson", named after the supermodel.

Production
Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg was living in Needham, Massachusetts, waiting to see if Disney would use his script for Con Air. He said in an interview, "It was the worst winter ever in this small hometown. Snow plows were coming by, and I was just tired of writing these movies with people getting shot and killed. So I said, 'There is more action going on in my hometown with my friends dealing with the fact that they cannot deal with turning 30 or with commitment'—all that became Beautiful Girls."

Originally, James L. Brooks was interested in directing the film, according to actress Leslie Mann, who auditioned for a role but was not cast.

Ted Demme had the entire cast come to Minneapolis and live together for two to three weeks so that they could bond. Filming took place in the Twin Cities Metro Area communities of Edina, Marine-on-St. Croix and Stillwater, with Demme wanting to make sure that the setting was a character unto itself. He "wanted to make it look like it's Anytown USA, primarily East Coast. And I also wanted it to feel like a real working-class town". To this end, Demme drew inspiration from Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978). "The first third of the film is really an amazing buddy movie with those five actors. You could tell they were best friends, but they all had stuff amongst them that was personal to each one of them".

Principal photography took place between February and May of 1995.

Box office
The film was released on February 9, 1996, in 752 theaters in the United States and Canada, grossing $2.7 million on its opening weekend. It went on to gross $10.5 million in the United States and Canada and $27 million worldwide.

Critical response
The film received fairly positive reviews and has a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 48 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "A warm, thoughtful dramedy about male insecurity, Beautiful Girls is buoyed by an excellent cast - particularly Natalie Portman in a stunning early role". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "What's nicest about the film is the way it treasures the good feelings people can have for one another." In The Washington Post, Desson Howe praised Natalie Portman's performance: "As a self-described 'old soul' who connects spiritually with Hutton (they're both existential searchers), she's the movie's most poignant and witty presence."

However, Jack Mathews, in the Los Angeles Times, wrote that the film was "about as much fun as a neighborhood bar on a Tuesday night. Its crisis: not much happening." In her New York Times review Janet Maslin wrote that Natalie Portman got the film's "archest dialogue", and called her "a budding knockout, and scene-stealingly good even in an overly showy role."

October Road
Scott Rosenberg co-produced and co-wrote for the 2007-2008 TV series October Road. The show is loosely based on what happened after Beautiful Girls came out and how his friends reacted to a movie about their lives. Both Beautiful Girls and October Road take place in the fictional Massachusetts town of Knight's Ridge, and have similar characters, jobs, plot lines.

title: Beautiful Girls (film)


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Ted Demme

Edward Kern Demme (October 26, 1963 – January 13, 2002) was an American director, producer, and actor.

Early life
Demme was born in New York City, the son of Gail (née Kern) and Frederick Rogers Demme. He grew up in Rockville Centre, New York on Long Island and attended South Side Senior High School. He graduated from SUNY-Cortland in 1985. He was the nephew of film producer and director Jonathan Demme.

Career
Demme's media career may have begun with a radio show at WSUC-FM (SUNY-Cortland), a mix of comedy and talk radio with the usual sidekick, as well as some music and was widely listened to on and off campus. His career had modest beginnings—starting as a production assistant at MTV, he later became a producer in the On-Air Promotions Department and created the cable network's hip-hop show Yo! MTV Raps (with Peter Dougherty), and directed other projects for them, including the black-and-white rants starring then-unknown chain-smoking comedian Denis Leary.

Over the course of his career, he established a group of actors that he chose to work with on more than one occasion. The most frequently used of these was Leary, whom he directed as a lead or star in Leary's stand-up specials No Cure for Cancer and Lock n' Load, as well as the films Who's the Man?, The Ref, and Monument Ave. Leary produced the 2001 crime drama film Blow, which starred Johnny Depp as George Jung and was directed by Demme.

Personal life
Demme was married to Amanda Scheer, with whom he had two children. Scheer later opened several popular Los Angeles bars, including Teddy's at the Roosevelt Hotel, named in honor of her late husband. He was a fan of the Green Bay Packers.

Death
On January 14, 2002, while playing a celebrity basketball game, Demme collapsed and died of a heart attack which may have been related to cocaine later found in his system during an autopsy. Demme was cremated and his ashes were given to his family.

Tributes
Much of one edition of the IFC program Dinner for Five was given over to a description of Demme's last night and fond reminiscences about his life, mostly by Denis Leary and the show's host Jon Favreau. This touched on Demme's being a fan of the Green Bay Packers and his fondness for playing practical jokes.

At the 2002 Golden Globe awards show, one week following Demme's death, Kevin Spacey wore a picture of Demme on his suit jacket. He was also in the 74th Academy Awards In Memoriam tribute that was also presented by Kevin Spacey.

The Truth About Charlie, his uncle Jonathan Demme's remake of Charade, was dedicated in his memory.

The 2003 album Blackberry Belle by The Twilight Singers led by Greg Dulli, was written in tribute to Demme, Dulli's close friend. Dulli had been working on another project, titled Amber Headlights (which would later see the light of day in 2005), but abandoned those sessions due to Demme's death. The recordings which followed, fueled in part by the memory of Demme, resulted in Blackberry Belle.

The 2002 film Punch-Drunk Love, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is dedicated to Demme.

Actor

 * Gun (1 episode)
 * Blow (2001)
 * John Q. (2002) Himself (Cameo) (Posthumously released)

Director

 * Yo! MTV Raps (1988, Unknown episodes)
 * APAB: Oh My God... It's the News! (1991)
 * The Bet (1992)
 * No Cure for Cancer (1992)
 * Who's the Man? (1993)
 * The Ref (1994)
 * Beautiful Girls (1996)
 * Homicide: Life on the Street (2 episodes, 1994–1996)
 * Gun (1 episode, 1997)
 * Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground (Segment: "Manhattan Miracle", 1997)
 * Denis Leary: Lock 'n Load (1997)
 * Monument Ave. (1998)
 * Life (1999)
 * Action (1 episode, 1999)
 * Blow (2001)
 * A Decade Under the Influence (Posthumously released, 2003)

Producer

 * Yo! MTV Raps (1988, Unknown episodes)
 * Hangin' w/MTV (1992, Executive producer)
 * Monument Ave. (1998)
 * Rounders (1998)
 * Tumbleweeds (1999, Executive producer)
 * A Lesson Before Dying (1999, Executive producer)
 * Action (1 episode, Executive producer, 1999)
 * Blow (2001)
 * A Decade Under the Influence (Posthumously released, 2003)

title: Ted Demme


text:
Anywhere but Here (film)

Anywhere but Here is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy drama film based on the novel of the same name by Mona Simpson. It was directed by Wayne Wang from a screenplay by Alvin Sargent, and stars Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, and Shawn Hatosy.

Filming began in late June 1998. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 17, 1999, before being released in the United States on November 12.

Plot
Adele August and her reluctant teenage daughter, Ann, leave their small town in Wisconsin and move to Beverly Hills. Adele hopes Ann will become a Hollywood actress despite Ann's interest in going to Brown University. They rent a run-down apartment and Adele becomes a speech-language pathologist at a high school in a bad part of town.

While at the beach one afternoon, Adele meets a handsome orthodontist, Josh; they date and have sex, leaving Adele to fall in love with him, but he later dumps her for a younger woman. Adele improvises day to day, often unable to pay bills, and eventually quits her job. Adele and Ann spend their days hanging out together but over time, Ann grows tired of her mother's eccentric behavior and dreams of running away.

Ann's cousin Benny arrives in Los Angeles for a visit. Upon his return home, Adele is notified that Benny has tragically died in a car accident, leaving Ann distraught. They attend his funeral in Bay City, and Adele argues with her intoxicated brother-in-law. Back home, Ann begins dating her crush, Peter, interested in experiencing sex for the first time after she turns seventeen. Her friends also help her reach out to her estranged father, but he isn't pleased to hear from her.

Meanwhile, Adele gets a new job in a care home as a speech therapist and gives makeup and style tips to its elderly residents. Ann works part-time in a supermarket and attends acting auditions, but continues to emphasize her desire to go to Brown. Adele rejects the idea, telling her they cannot afford the tuition. However, soon, Adele sells her expensive Mercedes and decides to help her, eventually accepting her dream.

Adele and Ann part ways at the airport as Ann goes off to college. They express their love for one another, and Ann admits that, even though her mother drives her crazy, she cannot imagine life without her.

Production
Mona Simpson's novel Anywhere but Here was first optioned by Disney in the late 1980s and envisioned as a star vehicle for Meryl Streep, but Streep chose to do Postcards from the Edge instead and the adaptation did not materialize. The project stalled for nearly a decade until 20th Century Fox revived it and cast Susan Sarandon as the lead. Natalie Portman became attached to star as the co-lead and left her role on Broadway's The Diary of Anne Frank to commit to the film. However, Portman, who was then 17, said she would not do the film if it required her to do a love scene with nudity. Sarandon, who had co-star approval, made Portman's casting a condition of her own participation. Alvin Sargent did a rewrite of the scene, enabling Portman’s involvement.

Director Wayne Wang initially kept some of the book's darker elements in the film, such as a suggestion of domestic abuse. Test audiences reacted negatively to this version, so Wang and Sargent went with a version that softened the dynamics of Adele and Ann's relationship.

The film was primarily shot in Los Angeles locations, including Beverly Hills High School, the Beverly Hills Hotel, LAX Airport, and Westwood Village.

Release
Anywhere But Here was initially slated for a spring of 1999 release, but Fox deemed the film was not ready for release until that September. Fox then set an October 22 release date, which ultimately changed to November 12.

Box office
The film opened at #5 at the North American box office and made $5.6 million USD in its opening weekend.

Critical reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 64% based on reviews from 89 critics. The website's consensus reads: "The strong chemistry between Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman as a mother and daughter trying to make a fresh start in L.A. helps to elevate Anywhere But Here above its occasional forays into melodrama."

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars and noted "The movie's interest is not in the plot, which is episodic and 'colorful,' but in the performances. Sarandon bravely makes Adele into a person who is borderline insufferable. Sarandon's role is trickier and more difficult, but Portman's will get the attention. In 'Anywhere But Here,' she gets yanked along by her out-of-control mother, and her best scenes are when she fights back, not emotionally, but with incisive observations."

Accolades
Golden Globe Awards Young Artist Awards Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards
 * Nominated - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Natalie Portman
 * Nominated - Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress - Natalie Portman
 * Nominated - Best Contemporary Hair Styling (Feature) - Paul LeBlanc

Soundtrack
A soundtrack to the film was released on November 2, 1999, ten days before the theatrical release. The soundtrack was distributed by Atlantic Records and Wea.

The soundtrack features original music by Lisa Loeb, Bif Naked Danny Elfman, and k.d. lang. It also featured tracks by artists such as LeAnn Rimes, Sarah McLachlan, and Pocket Size, as well as other various artists. Rimes' song, "Leaving's Not Leaving", was released as a B-side track with her single, "Big Deal", on September 28, 1999.

title: Anywhere but Here (film)


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Everyone Says I Love You

Everyone Says I Love You is a 1996 American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It stars Alan Alda, Allen, Drew Barrymore, Lukas Haas, Goldie Hawn, Gaby Hoffmann, Natasha Lyonne, Edward Norton, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Tim Roth, and David Ogden Stiers. Set in New York City, Venice, and Paris, it features singing by actors not usually known for musical roles. The film was a commercial failure, but is among the more critically successful of Allen's films, with Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert even ranking it as one of Allen's best.

Plot
The emotions of an extended upper-class family in Manhattan are followed in song in New York City, Paris, and Venice. Many characters act, interact, and sing in each city. They include young lovers Holden and Skylar, Skylar's parents, Bob and Steffi, Steffi's ex-husband, Joe, Steffi and Joe's daughter, Djuna "DJ", a lady Joe meets named Von, and a recently released prison inmate, Charles Ferry.

Music
The film uses classic songs for each scene, in some cases with unexpected dance routines.
 * 1) "Just You, Just Me" (Jesse Greer, Raymond Klages) — Edward Norton
 * 2) "My Baby Just Cares for Me" (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) — Edward Norton/Natasha Lyonne
 * 3) "Recurrence/I'm a Dreamer, Aren't We All" (Ray Henderson, Lew Brown, B.G. DeSylva) — Dick Hyman/Olivia Hayman
 * 4) "Makin' Whoopee" (Donaldson, Kahn) — Tim Jerome
 * 5) "Venetian Scenes/I'm Through with Love" (Kahn, Matt Malneck, Fud Livingston) — Dick Hyman/Woody Allen
 * 6) "All My Life" (Sam Stept, Sidney Mitchell) — Julia Roberts
 * 7) "Just You, Just Me" (Salsa Version) (Greer, Klages) — Dick Hyman and the New York Studio Players
 * 8) "Cuddle Up a Little Closer" (Karl Hoschna, Otto Harbach) — Billy Crudup/Sanjeev Ramabhadran
 * 9) "Looking at You" (Cole Porter) — Alan Alda
 * 10) "Recurrence/If I Had You" (Ted Shapiro, Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly) — Dick Hyman/Tim Roth
 * 11) "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later than You Think)" (Carl Sigman, Herb Magidson) — Patrick Crenshaw
 * 12) "Chiquita Banana" (Leonard McKenzie, Garth Montgomery, William Wirges) — Christy Carlson Romano
 * 13) "Hooray for Captain Spaulding/Vive Le Capitaine Spaulding" (Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby, Philippe Videcoq) — The Helen Miles Singers
 * 14) "I'm Through with Love" (Kahn, Malneck, Livingston) — Goldie Hawn/Edward Norton
 * 15) "Everyone Says I Love You" (Kalmar, Ruby) — The Helen Miles Singers

Most of the performers sing in their own voices, with two exceptions: Goldie Hawn, who was told by Allen to intentionally sing worse because she sang too well to be believable as a normal person just breaking into song, and Drew Barrymore, who convinced Allen that her singing was too awful even for the "realistic singing voice" concept he was going for. Her voice was dubbed by Olivia Hayman.

The title song was written by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby and was used as a recurring theme song in the Marx Brothers film Horse Feathers (1932). Allen is a well-known Groucho Marx fan. Marx's theme song from Animal Crackers (1930) "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" is featured, sung in French by a chorus of Groucho Marxes. The songs, film score, and subsequent album were recorded, mixed, and co-produced by Dick Hyman and Roy Yokelson.

Box office
On its opening weekend, the film grossed $131,678 from three theaters, with an average of $43,892 per theater. It ended with its run with $9.8 million.

Critical response
The film was well received. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 77% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "A likable, infectious musical, Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You is sometimes uneven but always toe-tapping and fun." Janet Maslin wrote a strongly positive review in The New York Times, describing the film as "a delightful and witty compendium of [Allen's] favorite things." Among the film's strongest detractors was Jonathan Rosenbaum, who described it as "creepy" and claimed, "this characterless world of Manhattan-Venice-Paris, where love consists only of self-validation, and political convictions of any kind are attributable to either hypocrisy or a brain condition, the me-first nihilism of Allen's frightened worldview is finally given full exposure, and it's a grisly thing to behold."

Accolades
The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 54th Golden Globe Awards.

title: Everyone Says I Love You


text:
Ben-Hur

Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to:

Fiction

 * Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace
 * Ben-Hur (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899
 * Ben Hur (1907 film), a one-reel silent film adaptation produced by Kalem Studios of New York
 * Ben-Hur (1925 film), an MGM silent film adaptation starring Ramon Novarro
 * Ben-Hur (1959 film), an MGM sound film adaptation starring Charlton Heston; winner of eleven Academy Awards
 * Ben Hur (2003 film), an animated direct-to-video film adaptation featuring the voice of Charlton Heston
 * Ben Hur (miniseries), a television miniseries that aired in 2010
 * Ben-Hur (2016 film), directed by Timur Bekmambetov and starring Jack Huston
 * Judah Ben-Hur, the main character of the novel and adaptations

People

 * Ben-Hur Baz (1906–2003), a Mexican painter of pin-up art
 * Ben-Hur (footballer) (born 1977), a Brazilian football midfielder
 * Benhur Salimbangon (born 1945), a Filipino politician
 * Ben Hur Villanueva (1938–2020), a Filipino sculptor

Places

 * Ben Hur, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in Newton County, Arkansas
 * Ben Hur, California, an unincorporated community in Mariposa County, California
 * Ben Hur, Texas, a town
 * Ben-Hur, a settlement in the district capital of the Kalahari Constituency, Namibia
 * Ben Hur, Virginia, an unincorporated community in Lee County, Virginia

Other uses

 * Ben Hur (album), an album by Bitch Magnet
 * Ben-Hur Museum, renamed the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum
 * Club Sportivo Ben Hur, a sports club in Argentina
 * Ben Hur (automobile), an early car
 * Ben Hur trailer, a nickname for the World War II G-518 one-ton U.S. Army trailer
 * Tribe of Ben-Hur, an authorized fraternal order based on the book, later an insurance company
 * Paradelta Ben Hur, an Italian paraglider design

title: Ben-Hur


text:
Everleigh Club

The Everleigh Club was a high-class brothel which operated in Chicago, Illinois, from February 1900 until October 1911. It was owned and operated by Ada and Minna Everleigh.

Opening
Ada Everleigh, the elder, was born in Greene County, Virginia on February 15, 1864, and died in Charlottesville, Virginia on January 5, 1960. Minna was born in Greene County on July 13, 1866 and died in New York City on September 16, 1948.

Initially born with the surname Simms, the sisters took the name Everleigh, which was inspired by their grandmother's tradition to sign her letters, "Everly yours." According to the sisters, after two unsuccessful marriages (of which there is no record), the Everleigh sisters left the small town they were raised on in Kentucky (another story concocted by the sisters) for Omaha, Nebraska. It was there where Minna and Ada established their first brothel using money they invested from their $35,000 estate inheritance. In only two years, the women doubled their investment in addition to earning a considerable profit. Minna and Ada closed the brothel, and with their recent earnings, sought more lucrative investment opportunities.

Before relocating to Chicago, the Everleigh sisters toured brothels in many cities, trying to find a location which had "plenty of wealthy men but no superior houses." They were directed to Chicago by Cleo Maitland, a madam in Washington, D.C., who suggested they contact Effie Hankins in Chicago. After buying Hankins's brothel at 2131–2133 South Dearborn Street, they "fired all the women and completely redecorated the entire building with the most luxurious appointments available. Silk curtains, damask easy chairs, oriental rugs, mahogany tables, gold rimmed china and silver dinner ware, perfumed fountains in every room, a $15,000 gold-leafed piano for the Music Room, mirrored ceilings, a library filled with finely bound volumes, an art gallery featuring nudes in gold frames—no expense was spared. While the heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson thought the $57 gold spittoons in his café were worth boasting about, the patrons of the Everleigh Club were obliged to expectorate in $650 gold cuspidors."

The Everleigh Club was described by Chicago's Vice Commission as "probably the most famous and luxurious house of prostitution in the country".

Before the opening of the Everleigh Club, Ada was responsible for recruiting staff for the club. She started by contacting her former employees in Omaha and spreading the word through brothels across the country. She conducted face-to-face interviews with all the applicants. The brothel opened on February 1, 1900 with little fanfare, and turned away many of the clients who initially appeared because the Everleigh Sisters did not deem them to be the suitably upscale clientele they were seeking. Once the club was open, Ada, who was quieter and more reserved than her sister, took on the responsibility of making sure the club was kept up to standard. She oversaw cleaning and renovations.

Expenses
After the club was closed, Minna Everleigh claimed in testimony that she "always entertained state legislators free in the club."

The sisters' separate responsibilities
The Everleigh sisters Minna and Ada—the madams of the Everleigh Club— carried out very different duties in the operation of the club. Ada, the soft-spoken sister, mainly focused on handling all the business transactions, which included handling the books and allocating finances. She not only took care of the logistics the club required but she also was responsible for hiring new girls. On the other hand, Minna, the outgoing sister, was responsible for carrying out lessons to teach the new girls charm and culture. Her sass lent her the ability to effortlessly interact with guests. Often Minna was seen socializing with guests near the parlors or welcoming them with a friendly greeting into the club. Any duty that required personal interactions was handled by Minna.

Interior layout
The Everleigh quickly gained a reputation as an upscale gentlemen's club, so much so that the Everleigh sisters were forced to turn away prospective clients even on opening day on February 1, 1900. The club's extensive popularity afforded Minna and Ada the opportunity to select their clientele. Only those men deemed suitable by Minna and Ada gained admittance into the Everleigh Club. The Everleigh sisters deemed a prospective client "worthy" to be admitted into the club if: the prospective client provided a letter of recommendation from an existing member, an engraved card, or through a formal introduction by Minna or Ada. These standards made the club extremely exclusive, indulging the desires of only the wealthy and influential men. Author Karen Abbott wrote, "The cachet of being able to go there, just because they turned down so many people. It became an exclusive badge of honor just to be admitted."

On March 3, 1902, Prince Henry of Prussia visited the club while in the United States to collect a ship built for his brother, German Kaiser Wilhelm II. Although the city had sponsored numerous events for Henry, his main interest was a visit to the club. The sisters planned a bacchanalia for the visiting prince, including dancing, dining and a recreation of the dismemberment of Zeus's son. During one of the dances, a prostitute's slipper came off and spilled champagne. When one of the prince's entourage drank the champagne, he started the trend of drinking champagne from a woman's shoe.

The club employed 15 to 25 cooks and maids.

Scandals
On November 22, 1905, Marshall Field, Jr., son of department store founder Marshall Field, suffered a gunshot to the abdomen; he died of complications several days later. Although newspapers reported it was an accident and occurred at his home, there is some evidence that he was shot by a prostitute at the Everleigh Club. A rival madam maliciously accused the Everleigh sisters of murdering Field.

On January 9, 1910, Nathaniel Moore died of natural causes in the Chez Shaw brothel in Chicago's Levee district after spending much of the previous night at the Everleigh Club.

Closing
The Everleigh sisters operated their brothel as a place of luxury and royalty, made available only to the wealthier and more prominent clients. This made it more difficult when it came time for reform. Other brothels during this time period simply were raided by the police and shut down, but because the Everleigh Club in particular had such a reputation for its high standards and exclusivity, officials were not able to dismantle the club so easily.

The Chicago Vice Commission sought to close the Everleigh Club and the entire red-light district of Chicago in an attempt to rehabilitate prostitutes, curb the spread of venereal disease, and cease the crime and violence that often were associated with prostitution (not necessarily within the Everleigh Club). Because of the Everleigh sisters and their lavish club, prostitution during this time period became a glamorized activity, which made it harder to eradicate. Local politics played a large role in deciding how and when the club would be shut down. The Everleigh sisters were known for their tendency to bribe local aldermen to look the other way when it came to legal manners. Following a 1910 Vice Commission report that noted there were nearly 600 brothels in Chicago, Mayor Carter Harrison, Jr. ordered the Everleigh Club to be closed on October 24, 1911. The sisters retired with an estimated $1 million in cash and traveled in Europe, then eventually changed their name back to Lester and settled in New York City. When their brothel business closed, Ada was 45 years old and Minna was 47 years old.

Minna, always the more outspoken of the two, responded philosophically, stating "If the Mayor says we must close, that settles it...I'll close up shop and walk out with a smile on my face." And so they did. She later stated "If it weren't for married men, we couldn't have carried on at all, and if it weren't for cheating married women, we could have made another million."

Shortly after the brothel was closed, Minna Everleigh testified against Chicago aldermen "Bathhouse" John Coughlin and "Hinky Dink" Kenna. Although Everleigh announced she would make her testimony public, threats by "Big Jim" Colosimo to kill Minna and her sister if the testimony were made public kept her silent. Nevertheless, Chief Justice Harry Olson of Chicago's Municipal Court released her testimony that outlined the schedule of graft due to the aldermen in return for allowing operations to continue in the Levee District.

The building that housed the Everleigh Club eventually was razed in July 1933. Today, the Chicago Housing Authority's Hilliard Homes, designed by Bertrand Goldberg, stand on the site.

In popular fiction
The novel The Golden Room by Irving Wallace (1989) gives a fictionalized account of the events surrounding the visit of Prince Henry of Prussia to the Everleigh Club, taking great liberties with dates and historical characters.

The fictional novel “The Race - An Issac Bell Adventure“ by [Clive Cussler & Justin Scott](2011) includes a reference in Chapter 26 to the Everleigh Club.

title: Everleigh Club


text:
Purushottam Laxman Deshpande

Purushottam Laxman Deshpande (alternatively written as Pu La Deshpande; 8 November 1919 – 12 June 2000), popularly known by his initials ("Pu. La.") or as P. L. Deshpande, was a Marathi writer and humorist from Maharashtra. He was also an accomplished film and stage actor, script writer, author, composer, musician, singer and orator. He was often referred to as "Maharashtra's beloved personality".

Deshpande's works have been translated into several languages including English and Kannada.

Early life
Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was born in Gamdevi Street, Chowpati, Mumbai in a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) family to Laxman Trimbak Deshpande and Laxmibai Laxman Deshpande. His maternal grandfather, Vaman Mangesh Dubhashi, was a Marathi poet and writer. He had translated Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali into Marathi, with the title, "Abhang Gitanjali".

The family used to stay at Kenway House, Procter Road in the Grant Road locality in Mumbai. His family then moved to Jogeshwari. His first 8 years at the newly formed Saraswati Baug Colony are described in the story titled 'Balpanicha Kaal Sukhacha' or Bālpaṇicā Kāḷ Sukhācā (translation: the happy days of childhood) in his book Purchundi. The family then moved to Vile Parle.

Education
Deshpande studied at Parle Tilak Vidyalaya. He attended Ismail Yusuf College after high school and then Fergusson College in Pune for BA. Later, he attended Government Law College, Mumbai for LLB. He completed Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1950 and then a Master of Arts (MA) degree from Willingdon College, Sangli. He also took lessons in playing the harmonium from Dattopant Rajopadhye of Bhaskar Sangitalaya.

Personal life
His first wife, Sundar Divadkar, died soon after their wedding. On 12 June 1946, Deshpande married his colleague, Sunita Thakur. She (Sunita Deshpande) was to go on to become an accomplished writer in her own right. The couple did not have any children of their own. They raised Sunitabai's nephew, Dinesh Thakur as their own son. Pu La wrote on Dinesh in his book Gangot.

Books
1."Vyakti Ani Valli" (व्यक्ती आणि वल्ली): This book is a collection of character sketches, portraying various eccentric personalities from Deshpande's life. Each character is brought to life with humor and wit, reflecting the diverse and colorful spectrum of human nature.

2."Batatyachi Chaal" (बटाट्याची चाळ): A humorous depiction of life in a chawl (a type of communal housing) in Mumbai, the book captures the quirky and endearing lives of its inhabitants, illustrating their daily struggles and camaraderie with a comedic touch.

3."Apoorvai" (अपूर्वाइ): This is a travelogue recounting Deshpande's experiences in Europe. Written with his characteristic humor, the book offers insightful and amusing observations about European culture and lifestyle.

4."Asa Mi Asami" (असा मी असामी): A satirical autobiography, this novel presents the life of a common man through a series of humorous episodes, highlighting the absurdities and ironies of middle-class existence in India.

5."Ti Phulrani" (ती फुलराणी): An adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion," this Marathi play tells the story of a flower girl who is transformed into a refined lady under the guidance of a professor. It retains the original's critique of social class distinctions while adding Deshpande's unique comedic flair.

6."Jave Tyanchya Desha" (जावे त्यांच्या देशा): Another travelogue, this book describes Deshpande's visit to various countries, filled with humorous anecdotes and reflections on the cultural differences he encounters.

7."Guna Gaiin Awadi" (गुण गाईन आवडी): A collection of essays that blend humor with philosophical insights, showcasing Deshpande's ability to find comedy in everyday situations while pondering deeper meanings.

Educator
Both Deshpande and his wife served as teachers in Orient High School, Mumbai. He also worked for some years as a college professor in Rani Parvati Devi College, Belgaum in Karnataka and Kirti College in Mumbai.

Television
He also worked for Doordarshan, the state-owned TV channel. He was the first person to interview the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on Indian television. He was seconded to the BBC for a year-long training. After this, he spent some time in France and West Germany. It was this specific period and stays in these countries that his later travelogue "Apoorvai" was to be based upon. His other travelogues are "Poorvaranga" and "Jave Tyanchya Desha".

Film and music
Deshpande was a man of many talents. Apart from writing, the talents he used in filmmaking included writing  screenplays, directing, acting, composing music, and singing. He was instrumental in establishing the iconic Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir in Pune. He was a proficient in Hindustani classical music.He composed music for many marathi films of 1940s and '50s including 'Amaldar', 'Gulacha Ganapati', 'Ghardhani', 'Chokhamela', 'Dudhbhat', 'Dev Pavla', 'Devbappa', 'Navrabayako', 'Nave Birhad', 'Manache Paan' and 'Mothi Manase'. He was also the composer for many popular non-film songs in the "bhavegeet" genre sung by singers such as Jyotsna Bhole, Manik Varma and Asha Bhosale.

Death
Deshpande died in Pune, Maharashtra, on 12 June 2000, due to complications from Parkinson's disease. He was aged 80. He died on the couple's 54th wedding anniversary.

Most of Deshpande's literary contributions are in the Marathi language. Although he wrote across several genres, he was particularly well known for his works of humor. He also adapted prominent works from other languages into screenplays - scripts - for films in the Marathi. Prominent examples include: The Marathi book eka koliyane ( एका कोळीयानें ) is a translation ( भावानुवाद ) of earnest Hemingway's book old man and the sea.
 * The 1952 film अंमलदार (Ammaldar), based on Nikolai Gogol's Inspector General,
 * The 1962 book काय वाट्टेल ते होईल (Kay Wattel Te Hoeel), based on the translation of Helen and George Papashvily's script of Anything Can Happen).
 * Teen paishyacha tamasha based on The Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper) by Bertolt Brecht

He referred to his adaptations as भावानुवाद (Bhawanuwad or paraphrasing) instead of as conventional "translation"s or "adaptation"s.

Filmography

 * कुबेर (Kuber) – 1947: actor and playback singer
 * भाग्यरेखा (Bhagyarekha) – 1948: actor and playback singer
 * वंदेमातरम् (Wandemataram) – 1948: actor and playback singer
 * जागा भाड्याने देणे आहे (Jaga Bhadyane Dene ahe) – 1949: screenplay and dialogues
 * मानाचे पान (Manache Pan) – 1949: – story, screenplay, and dialogues; co-music director in collaboration with Ga Di Madgulkar
 * मोठी माणसे (Mothi Manase) – 1949: music director
 * गोकुळचा राजा (Gokulacha Raja) – 1950: Writer of Story, Screenplay, and Dialogues
 * जरा जपून (Jara Japoon) – 1950: Writer of Screenplay and Dialogues
 * जोहार मायबाप (Johar Maybap) – 1950: Actor
 * नवरा बायको (Nawara Bayako) – 1950: Music Director and Writer of Story, Screenplay, and Dialogues
 * ही वाट पंढरीची (Hi Wat Pandharichi) – 1950: Actor
 * पुढचे पाऊल (Pudhache Paool) – 1950: Actor and Writer of Screenplay and Dialogues in collaboration with Ga Di Madgulkar
 * वर पाहिजे (Var Pahije) – 1950: Actor and Writer of Screenplay and Dialogues in collaboration with Achyut Ranade
 * देव पावला (Dewa Pawala) – 1950: Music Director
 * दूध भात (Doodh Bhat) – 1952: Music Director and Writer of Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, and Lyrics
 * घरधनी (Ghardhani) – 1952: Music Director and Writer of Screenplay, Dialogues, and Lyrics
 * नवे बिर्हाड (Nawe Birhad) – 1952: Writer of Story and Screenplay
 * माईसाहेब (Maisaheb) – 1952: Music Director and Writer of Screenplay and Dialogues
 * संदेश (Sandesh) [in Hindi] – 1952: Writer of Story, Screenplay, and Dialogues (translated by Mir Asgar Ali)
 * देवबाप्पा (Dewabappa) – 1952: Music Director and Writer of Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, and Lyrics
 * गुळाचा गणपती (Gulacha Ganapati) – 1953: Director, Music Director, actor, and Writer of Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, and Lyrics
 * फूल और कलियाँ (Phool Aur Kaliyan) [in Hindi] – 1960: Story writer –
 * सुंदर मी होणार (This novel was adopted to make Hindi movie Aaj aur Kal) [in Hindi] – 1966: Story writer –
 * चिमणराव गुंड्याभाऊ (Chimanarao Gundyabhau) – : Narrator
 * एक होता विदूषक (Ek Hota Vidushak) – 1993: Screenplay and Dialogues

Awards and recognition

 * Punyabhushan – 1993
 * Padma Bhushan – 1990
 * Maharashtra Gaurav (Bahurupi) Award
 * Padma Shri – 1966
 * Sahitya Akademi Award (Marathi for Vyakti Ani Valli) – 1965
 * Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – 1967
 * Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship – 1979
 * Maharashtra Bhushan Award – 1996
 * Kalidas Samman – 1987
 * Honorary Doctor of Literature Degrees from Rabindra Bharati University (1979), University of Pune (1980) and Tilak Maharashtra University (1993)
 * First interviewer to interview Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, for the then newly founded Doordarshan
 * The "P. L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy" was established by the Government of Maharashtra in Mumbai to honour his contributions to Marathi literature– 2002
 * A garden, Pu. La. Deshpande Udyan (also known as "Pune-Okayama Friendship Garden"), in Pune was named after him in commemoration
 * On 8 November 2020 (his 101st birth anniversary), Google honoured him with a Google Doodle
 * A computer font titled PuLa 100, which mimicked his handwriting, was made available in 2020

Social work
Pu La Deshpande donated and participated in several social and philanthropic causes.

 * Seed donation to Muktangan Deaddiction and Rehabilitation Center
 * Donation to IUCAA Muktangan Vidnyan Shodhika
 * Donation to Neehar, a hostel for the children of sex workers
 * Donation for closed-door auditorium and an open theatre for the blind students at Baba Amte's Anandvan
 * Supporter of Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (Committee for Eradication of blind Superstitions), promoting cultivation of scientific temperament

Pu. La. Deshpande's wife, Sunita Deshpande, donated Rs.25 lakhs to IUCAA towards Muktangan Vidnyan Shodhika, a building aptly named as "PULASTYA" (a name of a star and memory of PULA.) After the demise of Sunita deshpande, the copyrights of most of Pu. La's books were given to IUCAA and the royalties received from Pu La's works is used to spread Science awareness among young kids by IUCAA.

Films and television

 * Gola Berij, a 2012 Indian Marathi-language film directed by Kshitij Zarapkar, presents a fictionaized account of his life.
 * Bhai: Vyakti Ki Valli is the film released on 4 January 2019 on P L Deshpande directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. The film was criticized by many for taking cinematic liberty. A sequel Bhai - Vyakti Ki Valli 2 was released a month later.
 * Namune, a television serial on Sony SAB based on Deshpande's literature, has the actor Sanjay Mone play the role of Deshpande. Along with Sanjay Mone, there are various actors from the Hindi and Marathi film industry.

Documentaries
Documentary on Pu. La. Deshpande: This is a Govt. of India Films Division documentary, in which Pu La himself reveals his life journey. It was filmed on the occasion of his 60th birthday. There are two other documentaries made on Pu La:
 * One by Mukta Rajadhyakshya and Sudhir Moghe called Ya Sama Haa on his 75th birthday and
 * Pu La Vruttant, made by Jabbar Patel, in which Pu La himself talks about his life.

title: Purushottam Laxman Deshpande