The Writers Block

Eastern State Penitentiary
Author's note: My son and I recently took a tour of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and we would like to share the experience with you.

You are walking down a long, dimly lit corridor. Slowly, a bead of sweat forming on your forehead, you reach the end. You stand before a table with a single chair. On the table, a blank piece of paper and a pencil.
But let's back up for a minute. It is the early 1800's and the prison system in Pennsylvania left a lot to be desired. In 1776, in the city of Philadelphia, the jail on Walnut Street housed criminals until they could be processed and sent to other jails better equipped to handle them. The problem with the Walnut Street jail was that it consisted of a single large holding cell. Young and old, first time offenders, hardened criminals, murderers, prostitutes and juveniles were all thrown in together. There had to be a better way.
The answer was Eastern State Penitentiary or "Cherry Hill" as it was nicknamed. Opened in 1829 and lying on the outskirts of the city of Philadelphia, the city has now grown to the front door of the massive castle-like structure. Abandoned in 1971, Eastern State was once the most famous prison in the world. It was also the most expensive building in the United States costing nearly $780,000.
Built in the 1820's, Eastern State became a model for prisons the world over. The building itself, originally consisted of seven cell blocks, holding 250 inmates, radiating from a central hub or rotunda. As the need for more room arose, more "spokes" were added to the wheel and second and third floors were built on top of some of the original cell blocks.
Initially, Eastern State was quite economical to run. The idea was the entire system could be managed by a warden located in the central rotunda and seven guards, each in charge of one cell block. Sound in theory, but not practical when you consider the unique type of prison this was intended to be.
Eastern State was based on the Quaker ideals of reform through strict isolation and labor or what we now know as "solitary confinement." This type of correctional system would come to be known as the Pennsylvania System. It was believed that being deprived of contact with other human beings would cause a person to change his life. Some indeed, may have seen the error of their ways but some went mad when they couldn't cope with the loneliness.
Inside these walls was an almost evil sense of deprivation. The cells approximately 12 x 6, contained bed, sink and toilet. A small skylight in the ceiling was the only ventilation. Prisoners ate and slept in their cell. A small exercise yard (about the size of the cell) was located behind every two cells. This courtyard was accessed by a door in the cell which allowed one prisoner to be let out for a period of one hour without coming in contact

with their neighbor. Also, walls a foot thick helped to prevent conversation between prisoners. Guards were discouraged from talking to prisoners and the only contact was with clergy or medical personnel.
As far as visitors there were none but prisoners were allowed to write one letter per year. On rare occasions when the prisoner was out of his cell, a mask was worn which prevented eye contact or speech.
When in later years the second and third floor cells were added, these were filled with minorities and women because it was believed women didn't need the use of the exercise yards.
Eventually, the strain on the guards was too much. Remember, they had to deliver three meals a day and let prisoners out to the courtyard along with all the maintenance chores around the prison. So it was decided certain model prisoners would be taught skills in order to help ease the strain on the guards. This required the guards to teach the prisoners and began to break the barrier of isolation. Also, during the Civil War, it was necessary to double up prisoners in the cells. Some prisoners were released in order to serve in the army.
Some of the more notorious criminals that were "guests" at Eastern state were bank robber Willie Sutton and gangster Al Capone. Capone was allowed luxuries that were unheard of in the stark cells, such as oriental rugs and oil paintings. Willie Sutton was part of an escape plan masterminded by another inmate. A sculptor who was doing time made a plaster model of Sutton's head. This was placed in the bed while a tunnel was being dug to the outside. The tunnel took two years to dig but freedom was short-lived as the group emerged on Fairmount Avenue in front of the jail and surrounded by police! In another more successful escape, a prisoner was on the loose for five months before the cold Pennsylvania winter got to him and he came knocking on the front door of the prison begging to be allowed back in.
As time went by, demand for space forced changes in the system. Cells were enlarged by knocking down walls down and closing off courtyards. Communal dining rooms and workshops occupied the space instead, as well as a chapel and laundry. A far cry from it's beginnings, Eastern State became an evaluation center for the state prison system. Prisoners were kept for a short period of time before being sent to other prisons around the state. Finally, in 1971, Eastern State closed it's doors and an era ended.
You reach for the pencil and consider your life. Are there things in your life you've done that have gone unpunished? Would you like to get them off your chest? Confess! But be aware that your confession might just hang on the wall in this corridor for all the world to see!
If you would like to learn more about Eastern State Penitentiary, you can visit 10:00-5:00 PM daily May-October at 22nd St and Fairmount Avenue in Philadelphia or at www.EasternState.com

—Chris Kunkle

Movie Review - WILD, WILD, WEST
With this segment, Ron Troup (R) and Sherry Robinson (S) begin a series of articles in which they will discuss current movies. If you have any requests, let us know!

R: The Wild, Wild, West (hereafter WWW) is another in a long series of big-budget films that raid old television series for storylines. I thought WWW was mostly true to the original series premise of James Bond in the American west. The most noticeable change is in the relationship between James T. West (played by Will Smith) and Artemis Gordon (Kevin Kline). The television series had them as good friends and co-workers. In this one they have just met, and they have to work through not hitting it off. And this West and Gordon are definitely different then the old ones. Gordon is portrayed as the inventor/intellectual who doesn't like smash-mouth violence, while West is the loose cannon who comes in shootin'. I find this tinkering most unwelcome; it repeats the now stale plot device of two very different persons being forced to work together as a team. Another ‘unlikely buddies' movie; who needs it?
S: I agree. All I can say is that I hope there is a sequel just so they can try again without the getting-to-know-you nonsense.
I was especially put off by the characterization of Arty. Ross Martin (the original Artemis) exuded class and was a suave intellectual. Kevin Kline tried, but he just couldn't pull it off. The closest he came to appearing sophisticated and charming was in the cardboard cutout at Burger King. But I can't blame it all on Kevin - the script was equally at fault. The character was cheapened by making him more like a nutty professor. Perhaps this, too, would disappear in the sequel because this annoying Arty would have matured.
R: This Artemis was set up to be comic relief; it was the writers, not Kevin (see his wonderful work in Grand Canyon). You hope for character development? In big-budget Hollywood?
Of course WWW had to 'play' with this James West being black. There was a lot of verbal banter around this issue throughout the movie. Actually the whole notion of a black man as a trusted Federal agent in the late 1860's is implausible; but hey, what's one more in a movie like this?
S: I really didn't mind this. If we accept the premise that James West was black (yes, implausible, but let's go along with it), then he probably would have used the jokes to his advantage. I think it was a choice between ignoring race completely (perhaps even more unbelievable than Jim being black, considering the post-Civil War setting) and using it as a tool, such as when Artemis, posing as a southerner, suggested they lynch West. What's more, I really liked Will Smith as Jim West. He had the right combination of daring and debonaire. He looked good in his suit, too.
R: Sorry; no matter how good he looked or how witty he was, I have a hard time picturing a black man talking a crowd out of a lynching in the 1960's, let alone the 1860's.
I am not sure what to think about Kenneth Branagh (the master-mind villain) and his southern accent. There is a long and noble history of 'serious' actors having some fun in doing 'bad' villains in popular films. Branagh does bring a quirky touch to his role, along with chewing the scenery. But who came up with that beard?? Branagh's character (and others in the film) does continue the television's series use of bizarre and even grotesque villains.

S: That beard! I found it distracting because I couldn't take my eyes off it. I think they were trying to carry out the spider theme, but it just looked odd. It was obvious from the overblown accent that he was not a native southerner. However, I thought the character was true to the typical psychopathic televison villain who wanted to take over the United States, and had a special abiding hatred for West. I would have preferred the 90's update (making Loveless into a sex fiend) had been left out. Despite violent plots, there was always an innocence to the televison show - Jim never got more than a kiss from the heroine.
R: But let's not forget the James Bond roots behind the television show; the ladies did 'reward' him handsomely, and those villains were every bit as deranged as the television variety.
One thing that was lost from the television series was the trade-mark 'twist' in the story every fifteen minutes. WWW is more standard action/adventure (with some twists I should add, but they do not seem as clever). I found the action did a fair job of holding my interest for the most part; there was a tiresome series of fights involving West near the end of the movie. This was somewhat balanced by the superior production values. The special effects are first rate, the scenery rich; very much like the differences between the original and later Star Trek series.
S: What I missed most was the original TV theme song. I kept waiting and waiting, - dozens of measures of music sounded like they were about to lead in to the original theme, but then continued on with the new score. Finally, a good hour into the movie, we hear the original as Jim and Artie are riding horseback across the buttes. "Yes! This is it!" for all of about 5 seconds. Come on, you're spending millions of dollars on a picture, how much could it have cost to get the rights to the original (it's still one of my all-time favorites).
R: Yes, that music was wonderful; surely one of the 'top ten' in television history.
S: While we're talking about sound, once during the movie the full effects of the surround sound were evident. It sounded as though the train was in the theater going onto the screen. Again, all that money and they only use that effect once?
R: Speaking of the train, one of the good changes from the television series is the increased use of the agents' train. Like a James Bond car, this one was a lovely machine, with a full set of neat gadgets and gizmos. I also liked working the train's engineer into the plot.
S: Oh, yes, the addition of the engineer character was an improvement. In the series, it was almost as though the train ran itself. The engineer had to be as much of a secret agent as Jim and Arty or how else would he have known to have the train at the right place at the right time (I never saw an episode where Jim and Arty were left standing around wondering where the train was).
R: Overall I give WWW a positive but not enthusiastic 'thumbs up;' 2 ½ stars.
S: This movie could easily have earned a 3 ½ in my book - it had the potential, but blew it, so I have to agree with you - thumbs up, but only 2 ½ stars.
—Ron Troup & Sherry Robinson

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