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|label11 = Followed by: | |label11 = Followed by: | ||
|data2 = [[Work In Progress]] | |data2 = [[Work In Progress]] | ||
|data8 = [[:Category:Serious_Monologue|Serious Monologue]], [[:Category:Narrative_Monologue|Narrative Monologue]], | |data8 = [[:Category:Serious_Monologue|Serious Monologue]], [[:Category:Narrative_Monologue|Narrative Monologue]], 58 minutes | ||
|data4 = 1986 | |data4 = [[:Category:1986|1986]] | ||
|title = [https://www.joefrank.com/shop/pretender Pretender][https://www.joefrank.com/streaming/shows/?jfsearch=Pretender] | |title = [https://www.joefrank.com/shop/pretender Pretender][https://www.joefrank.com/streaming/shows/?jfsearch=Pretender] | ||
|data6 = Joe Frank | |data6 = Joe Frank | ||
|data10 = [[ | |data10 = [[Rain]] | ||
|data11 = [[ | |data11 = [[Talking About Love]] | ||
| | | | ||
}} | }} | ||
''Ok, here I am, four years old, sitting on the handlebars of our lawnmower.'' | ''Ok, here I am, four years old, sitting on the handlebars of our lawnmower.'' | ||
'''Pretender''' is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series [[Work In Progress]]. It was originally broadcast in [[ | '''Pretender''' is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series [[Work In Progress]]. It was originally broadcast in [[:Category:1986|1986]]. | ||
== Synopsis == | == Synopsis == | ||
Joe narrates a slide show of his life. He describes having an affair with fellow teachers: a woman with scars on her face who later marries a rich man, a woman who has her teeth capped, a half deaf hypochondriac librarian for whom he later pretends to be obese, an overweight woman who goes to gyms. "History is other people," and ending up "only a teacher." The fictionalized story of Marmouth, illegitimate son of the king and pretender to the throne of England, who lead a failed revolution in 1685. The story is interspersed | Joe narrates pictures from his childhood to the sound of a slide | ||
projector. | |||
1:30: Joe recalls teaching at a private school in Manhattan, the | |||
affairs he had with other teachers. | |||
1:40: Joe remembers Glenda, who had attended the school before | |||
becoming a teacher there. She lived with her wealthy parents. An | |||
auto accident had left her face scarred. 'She dated doctors, lawyers, | |||
businessmen, diplomats, members of high society.' She didn't take Joe | |||
seriously, but would 'sport' with him: get naked and in bed, but not | |||
make love. She married an Iranian millionaire. 10 years later he | |||
encountered her on the street; they went to a diner; Joe wanted to | |||
'sport' with her, a suggestion to which she took offense. | |||
5:40: 'History is other people.'<ref>This reminds me of Sartre's | |||
comment, 'Hell is other people.'</ref> I'll end up with my head in my | |||
hands, nobody's hero, only a teacher, only a teacher.' | |||
6:00: Joe recounts the history of James Scott (1649-1685), first duke | |||
of Monmouth, illegitimate son of King Charles 2 of England. Charles | |||
raised him as a prince. He was heroic in battle and popular. | |||
Because Charles had no legitimate sons his brother James was his heir, | |||
but James was a Roman Catholic while England had become decidedly | |||
Protestant. People unhappy about the prospect of having a Roman | |||
Catholic king focused their hopes on Monmouth, bruited a claim that | |||
Charles had secretly married Monmouth's mother, which would make him | |||
the true heir.<ref>Charles denied this.</ref> To allay these rumors he | |||
voluntarily exiled himself to Netherlands. He took up with English | |||
noblewoman Henrietta, Baroness of Wentworth. | |||
When Charles died in 1685 Monmouth knew King James would never let him | |||
back; Netherlands kicked him out for the sake of their relationship | |||
with England. Monmouth and Wentworth moved to Brussels. English | |||
dissidents tried to convince him to lead a revolt against his uncle, | |||
now King James 2. | |||
15:40: Joe narrates more pictures from his childhood. | |||
17:20: Joe remembers the next teacher with whom he had an affair, Kim, | |||
who looked like a cheerleader. She dated 'large good-looking athletic | |||
types'; Joe didn't think he had a chance. | |||
18:00: At the beginning of fall semester, he noticed that she had | |||
capped teeth that made her look like a chipmunk; she wasn't dating | |||
anyone. Joe chatted her up in the cafeteria. She's troubled. She | |||
invited him over for dinner. After dinner they cuddled on the floor | |||
by the fire. Joe ejaculated, was too embarrassed to tell her, went to | |||
the bathroom, splashed water on his pants, told her he was sick, left. | |||
He avoided her the rest of the semester. She didn't return after | |||
Christmas. A year later he told the story at a party, to great | |||
amusement. He never saw her again.<ref>Joe re-used this story in | |||
[[Higher Learning]], [[Journal]], and [[Karma Don't Deny Me]]</ref> | |||
24:40: 'History is other people. I'll end up with my head in my | |||
hands, nobody's hero, only a teacher, only a teacher.' | |||
25:10: Monmouth went to England, called for a revolt against James. | |||
Commoners supported him, but none of the nobility. | |||
28:20: Joe narrates more pictures from his childhood and one from his | |||
marriage. Joe says they were divorced 3 years later.<ref>Joe | |||
mentions having a young wife when he was in Iowa (1960-3?) in | |||
[[Cocktails Before Dinner]] (1986); he tells Lorraine Wilson he was | |||
married until about 15 years ago in [[No Show]] (1986)</ref> | |||
29:30: Joe recalls his affair with Becky, the school librarian, | |||
'Irish... [with] intense blue-grey eyes, pale freckled complexion, and | |||
long red hair.' Her father was a radical writer and reprobate who had | |||
abandoned his family. | |||
Years later Becky called, wanted to come over. Joe stuffed 2 pillows | |||
under his shirt, thinking it would be a good joke. Becky wanted to | |||
borrow $5,000 for an operation for her father. Joe knew he wouldn't | |||
get the money back, wouldn't lend it to her. As she left, he pulled | |||
out the pillows. She didn't get the joke.<ref>Joe re-used this story in | |||
[[Karma Redux]].</ref> | |||
34:30: 'History is other people. I'll end up with my head in my | |||
hands, nobody's hero, only a teacher, only a teacher.' | |||
34:50: The poor quality of his recruits discouraged Monmouth. Hoping | |||
for surprise, he attacked the King's troops at night near Sedgemoor. | |||
Monmouth was soundly defeated, fled. | |||
41:30: Joe narrates more pictures from his childhood. | |||
42:30: Joe recalls his relationship with Susan, the science teacher, | |||
self-conscious about being 30 pounds overweight. She resented | |||
prejudice against fat women. Joe tells her story of a visit to a spa, | |||
then the time they were jogging and Joe got a fly in his eye. | |||
48:30: 'History is other people. I'll end up with my head in my | |||
hands, nobody's hero, only a teacher, only a teacher.' | |||
49:10: Monmouth is captured. Joe reads an account of his execution | |||
(abridged) from <i>[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1468 The History of England from the Accession of James II]</i> by Thomas Babington Macaulay, Volume 1. | |||
55:10: Joe narrates slides of pictures from girlie mags and some women | |||
he knew. | |||
56:40: Woman: 'You're the most beautiful man I've ever met; every | |||
single part of you is beautiful: your eyes, your hands, your hair, | |||
your entire body - it's like a painting. When you touch me - I feel | |||
like crying. I feel all of your strengths coming into my body. | |||
You're my king - you're my master - I worship you - I adore you. | |||
Don't go - don't ever, ever leave me.' | |||
57:40: Sounds of battle. | |||
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%; overflow:auto;"> | |||
<div style="font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6;">Legacy Synopsis</div> | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible-content"> | |||
Joe narrates a slide show of his life. He describes having an affair with fellow teachers: a woman with scars on her face who later marries a rich man, a woman who has her teeth capped, a half deaf hypochondriac librarian for whom he later pretends to be obese, an overweight woman who goes to gyms. "History is other people," and ending up "only a teacher." The fictionalized story of the [[Wikipedia:James Scott, Duke of Monmouth|Duke of Marmouth]], illegitimate son of the king and pretender to the throne of England, who lead a [[Wikipedia:Monmouth Rebellion|failed revolution]] in 1685. The story is interspersed with the song [[Wikipedia:The Great Pretender|"The Great Pretender"]]. Slide show includes women in nude magazines. Woman speaks a brief second person monologue to her lover. Sounds of battle. | |||
</div></div> | |||
== Commentary == | |||
Joe used the story of his relationship with Kim in 4 shows. I think | |||
that's the most times he used any story.[[User:Arthur Peabody|Arthur Peabody]] ([[User talk:Arthur Peabody|talk]]) 23:36, 8 January 2023 (EST) | |||
Who's the woman at 56:40? Is it meant to be someone talking about | |||
Joe? Someone voicing the sentiment of Lady Wentworth to Monmouth? | |||
Who's the actor?[[User:Arthur Peabody|Arthur Peabody]] ([[User talk:Arthur Peabody|talk]]) 23:36, 8 January 2023 (EST) | |||
The singer in the version of 'Great Pretender' sounds like | |||
Eric Idle to me. It sounds like a British parody, or one of those | |||
awful British band versions. BBC wouldn't pay royalties in the '50s | |||
for popular American songs so people made do with uninspired versions | |||
by uninterested bands. I heard Paul McCartney comment recently that | |||
he never heard Etta James's version of 'At last' until he came to | |||
America.[[User:Arthur Peabody|Arthur Peabody]] ([[User talk:Arthur Peabody|talk]]) 23:52, 8 January 2023 (EST) | |||
== Music == | == Music == | ||
<!-- | {{More Colours (Eberhard Weber)}} [intro]<!-- unknown synth drone with clicking @1:18--> | ||
* "The Great Pretender" - unknown | * [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Pretender "The Great Pretender"] - unknown version [14:58] | ||
== | == Footnotes == | ||
[[Category:Serious_Monologue]] | [[Category:Serious_Monologue]] | ||
[[Category:Narrative_Monologue]] | [[Category:Narrative_Monologue]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:1986]] | ||
[[Category: Work In Progress]] | [[Category:Work In Progress]] | ||
[[Category:Unknown_air_date]][[Category:Show]][[Category:Show_by_date| | [[Category:Unknown_air_date]][[Category:Show]] | ||
[[Category:Show_by_date|19860003]] {{Airdate|airdate=1986}} | |||
{{Series|series=Work In Progress}}{{Cast|cast=Joe Frank}} |