Non Fiction?

[SLogan]

From YahooIn a very bizarre turn of events, it seems that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is all riled up over Clint Eastwood 's latest movie, J. Edgar. Which, of course, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the FBI's founding director, J. Edgar Hoover.So when the bureau's not chasing down Scarlett Johansson 's nude pics, it's all up in Clint's business! What's up with the FBI going all Hollywood these days?Color us not surprised it has everything to do with Eastwood's portrayal of The Hoov. And remember we first criticized Clint for failing to make the character "gay-enough."Now it seems the FBI is all peeved at C. for his "false" portrayal of J. Edgar's sexuality and, according to USA Today , even Assistant FBI Director Mike Kortan tried to persuade Eastwood from depicting Hoover's rumored relaysh with right-hand-man, Clyde Tolson:"Vague rumors and fabrications have cropped up from time to time," Kortan said, "but there is no evidence in the historical record on this issue."Well, duh, there's no evidence. The dude was infamous for digging up other's secrets! Ya really think he's going to keep a record of his, shall we say, indiscretions?And leave it to William Branon, chairman of The J. Edgar Hoover Foundation to take the matter one step further in a letter he wrote to Eastwood:"These allegations spun by an author of questionable repute and sensationalized writings were 'based' upon information provided during a paid interview of an unreliable individual with past convictions for perjury. To discount the truth and portray a sexual relationship between Mr. Hoover and Clyde Tolson would truly be a miscarriage of the facts and overshadow the many contributions of Mr. Hoover."You can read the entire letter for yourself, but their gist is that Edgar wasn't gay, and portraying a homosexual relationship will only damage his reputation. Forgot that showing every side of Hoover might help us better understand the man, and our country for that matter, since the dude did forever change the way we fight crime. And in case you were wondering, the "author of questionable repute" is indeed out-and-proud Dustin Lance Black, who recently won an Oscar for his screenwriting in Milk (guess those credentials mean little in the eyes of the FBI?).So while Eastwood reassured the big guys there is no cross-dressing or portrayal of a homosexual relaysh, we beg to differ, and know there is at least one major smooch scene between Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) and Armie Hammer (Clyde Tolson) in the flick. So is it an honest portrayal what Eastwood's after or is he just catering to the Oscar's love of a little guy-on-guy action?

[Shane]

Good post. I haven't determined whether I will see the film or not. First, I am not a fan of Hoover (though I am a fan of Leo's movies). Hoover did change crime fighting forever, and many of his methods are still used. But he kept his batting avergage high by avoiding tangling with the mob (because, I believe, they did have something on his homosexuality, and because he got kick backs at casinos, etc). But mostly I don't like Hoover because, as anyone who has visited this website knows, the man looked the other way when he had knowledge of the JFK assassination, and his "investigation" forever tainted the investigation of JFK...and sold Oswald down the river. And because I seriously doubt the movie will cover this aspect of Hoover's career, I'm not sure I care to watch. But, the good thing about the film is this: there are people that actually don't know the shady side of Hoover, and if this film opens people's eyes to this side of Hoover, maybe it will make it more possible to believe he had a huge hand in the killing of JFK.

[kenmurray]

I plan to go see the movie. Eastwood has directed several good ones like Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. DiCaprio needs an education on the JFK assassination though instead of buying into the Waldron/Hartmann BS books.History's Conspiracies: J.Edgar Hoover:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq2Dj185oSE

[SLogan]

Clint Eastwood shot the majority of Mystic River in my home town .I actually watched them shoot the kidnap scene and the closing shot. The irony is that it is also the city where Joseph P Kennedy was born . East Boston , Massachusetts.

[Davyjones]

I would LOVE to see a Clint Eastwood movie on JFK.....I reckon he has got the balls to do it..and do it good. Come on Clint start casting J Files!

[Bob]

Good thread Mr. Logan. I'll definitely watch the movie, but as Ken says, we need to start educating the folks in Hollywood about what really happened in Dallas. I talking mostly about Tom Hanks, but Leonardo DiCaprio also needs to get more educated. I've been impressed by both of their careers on the screen...thus far. Hanks is also a producer and has done fine work there as well. Up to this point. The guy in Hollywood that seems to really see the whole picture about the JFK assassination and what's happening in the world in general is Richard Belzer. He started as a comic and became a fine actor. I know one thing...I would love to see Belzer and Chris Matthews debate on Real Time with Bill Maher about the JFK assassination. Belzer would tear Matthews a new one.

[Phil Dragoo]

J. Edgar Hoover was complicit in the coverup of the coup d'etat accomplished by the crossfire.One will find ample proof in Gerald D. McKnight, Breach of Trust: How the Warren Commission Failed the Nation and Why.One simple item will suffice, that the Dallas Police paraffin test result of negative for Oswald's cheek was confirmed by the sophisticated testing of the Atomic Energy Commission Oak Ridge Laboratory.Further, the lab tested seven shooters of the Mannlicher-Carcano type alleged to be the assassination weapon and all seven presented with the antimony and barium not found on Oswald.Oswald was not the shooter. There was a conspiracy. Hoover concealed it. He is at the least an accessory after the fact.Anthony Summers' Official and Confidential, Putnam, 1993, is of interest as is Mark North, Act of Treason, Carroll & Graf, 1991.In James Douglass, JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, we see Hoover destroying the life of Leon Yates who picked up an Oswald impersonator with curtain rods on Wednesday the 20th, relegating Yates to three mental hospitals for the remaining eleven years of his life, forty-two electroshock treatments, thorazine--in short, behold the closet queen and sadist.A vile little man, the tool of the mob, the poseur and destroyer of better men (JFK, MLK) through the low use of blackmail.Do we care that JFK had mistresses if his murder killed 58,000 American soldiers in a cause they were misled to serve, let alone the destruction of a subcontinent and the curse of the nation ever since.Regarding Clint, God love him, his Line of Fire (1993) with Rene Handcuff Me, Baby Russo and Fred Bleeds Gravy Thompson depicted another Clint, Hill, as the noble striver trying to prevent the eevil sniper in the nest blah blah blah.Is the DiCaprio Waldron farce any less disinformation. I have the first 904-page sleep inducer. A super secret plan for a coup that everyone yet no one knew of. We do need a fiftieth anniversary combining Douglass' Unspeakable with the blacked out occipital, perhaps a fellow from Laos wheelman to the goodfellas in the Dal-Tex.At any rate, Hoover gets no pass. He was heart attacked in 72, Johnson in 73, Nixon torpedoed by Helms, resigned in 74, GHWBush appointed DCI 75, along comes Jimmy in 76 attempting to portray himself as Mr. Clean yet on his watch in 77 the HSCA blew off Sprague and installed the CIA asskisser Blakey.The year Mssrs. Nicoletti and DeMohrenschildt went down on the same day.What are the odds, asks Jay Leno, with an Italian shrug.

[kenmurray]

More on Ralph Leon Yates from Don Roberdeau's site:http://droberdeau.blogspot.com/2011/05/page-7.html