Hulu, O. Henry, Steinbeck & God

A couple of days ago my 4th grade son and I were poking around on hulu.com. He loves to watch Modern Marvels and I'm a vintage movie gal.

I found an old show called, O. Henry's Full House. It is a film version of the some of the best stories of O. Henry.
We watched the first vignette and both of us decided to settle in for the whole show.

The surprise element was that it was hosted by John Steinbeck! John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors! I had never seen film footage of him, I had only seen pictures. The O. Henry stories were fairly well interpreted and the acting was vintage 1950s with some 1950s star to boot! I think it was waaaaay cool to find this classic but! it was the host, John Steinbeck, that had me glued to the screen.

I told my son how I loved Grapes of Wrath and Tortilla Flat. I assured him that he would love the stories when he was a little older. I think he was a bit put off because I did not want him to read the stories just yet. And, I understood his frustration. . . his Mom just raved about an author and then tells him, "Oh, but you can read the stories in a couple of years."
Well, today I was unpacking (yes, still unpacking - and we will be "still unpacking" until we get every room painted so we can then secure shelves to the walls) . . . . where was I?

Oh yes . . . .
Today while unpacking I found a Prose and Poetry anthology published in 1965.
A little side note here . . . I have a weak spot for 3 types of books:

1. Classic classroom readers - primers and anthologies
   
2. Unique Alphabet Books
3. Good Catholic publications - from picture books to Papal encyclicals and everything in between.
   

I had planned to use the 1965 Prose and Poetry anthology (and many more I have packed away) in our homeschooling. I just hadn't planned on the fire, moving and living out of a suitcase with all our things in storage for two and a half months. So, I am, very randomly, discovering things here, there and everywhere.

Where was I?
Oh yes, the anthology that I found.

I flipped it open to a random page and viola! -- a story by John Steinbeck! A story apprpriate for my 10 year old! The Red Pony.

God is so good! He is just so good! I keep smiling at the way He puts things in our paths. Puts 'em there so we sometimes stumble over them!
We started the story today . . . . I know there will be tears at the end, I am getting the tissues ready.

O. Henry's Full House

Feature Film |1:57:36

A dozen top stars (including Charles Laughton, Marilyn Monroe and Anne Baxter) and five famed directors (including Howard Hawks and Henry Koster) join forces to present filmed versions of the best stories of O. Henry, all narrated by John Steinbeck.


cross posted at A Catholic Notebook