Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Complexity of Simplicity

I got the idea for this article because the motivation for my latest Intrigue villian was getting too complicated. When I realized I could strip them all away and nothing changed in the book...well, simple is always better.

Don't misunderstand, I love complicated, complex stories. LOOOOVE THEM !!  Those words don't actually do my excitement justice when I see a movie or read a book that kept me guessing until the end. One of the first things my husband asks at the end of the movie is, "when did you know?"

What can I say? I like puzzles.

Simple isn't boring. Simple is understandable.

Take the television show I Love Lucy. It has years of success and multiple generations of fans. A simple show, no big mysteries, comic relief, almost Vaudville-like in it's corniness. I've seen those shows hundreds of times. We have the series on DVD. And yet, Lucille Ball draws us into that show every time we flip the channel. Her corn-ball predictible actions are such a part of her. But did you know that she worked hours in front of a mirror, rehearsing and perfecting her simple expressions and actions? In one of her biographies, I discovered that she became great friends with Harpo Marx because she studied his non-verbal expressions (one of the reasons for the famous mirror episode with him).

Do you have a favorite simplistic film or television show? I'll be giving away a July Intrigue (your choice) to someone leaving a comment today.

~Angi
AngiMorgan.com

DANGEROUS MEMORIES February 2013
PROTECTING THEIR CHILD 2013

23 comments:

  1. Simple...hmmm...

    Do The Flintstones count??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, sure they count. Although they were modeled after the show THE HONEYMOONERS. The men were always getting into trouble, right?

      ~Angi

      Delete
  2. Simple shows... I have been enjoying alot of older show reruns lately... like The Waltons & Little House... it is amazing how many times you can watch their episodes and still enjoy them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahhh, THE WALTONS. You know, I called out into a young crowd as I was leaving and said, 'Night Johnboy.' Unfortunately no one knew what it meant. Sad... that was a very good show.

      ~Angi

      Delete
  3. Green Acres was one of my favorites. Gave us a new way of looking at things. Smile.
    Brenda R.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GREEN ACRES is the place to be.
      Farm living is the live for me.
      Land spreading out so far and wide...

      And yes, I know the rest. LOL
      Random fact: a guy in a piano bar tried to stump me on television theme songs. Uhm...he didn't. And the weird thing is that I didn't watch all these shows, I just know them. :-)

      ~Angi

      Delete
  4. I watch SpongeBob with my niece and it's become a favorite of mine. It's silly and entertaining.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never got into SpongeBob. Completely missed that submarine.

      ~Angi

      Delete
  5. Loves 2 Read Romance - LauraJuly 24, 2012 at 9:33 PM

    Hmm simple shows. I enjoy Phineas & Ferb and in the mornings I have Boy Meets World on while I am getting ready for work. What ever happened to sitcoms like Boy Meets World? It was a great show every once in a while they would deal with something heavy like abuse or cults. I still love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually caught some of the BOY MEETS WORLD on reruns and really enjoyed it.

      I can't stand sitcoms any more. An "attitude" invaded the dialogue. Guess I need a bit more kindness for that stuff.

      But hey, I saturate my day with "killing" people.
      :-)
      ~Angi

      Delete
  6. Hi Angi,

    love your new covers. I loved I Love lucy. Petticoat Junction was a fun simple show too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Tammy. These are just the temporary covers....place holders until I get the real ones. It's my website logo. Can't wait to see the hero and heroines marketing chooses.

      ~Angi

      Delete
  7. Simple shows....I still enjoy Little House and Luci. Too bad there really isn't any on today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right. It really is too bad that shows like these are no longer on primetime.

      ~Angi

      Delete
  8. I'm going to leave the comments open another day since everyone's at conference and there's not another blog post today.

    Any other shows that are missed?
    ~Angi

    ReplyDelete
  9. Angie,

    I love that so many of the old shows are on DVD. We bought Wild Wild West - all 4 seasons, Ellery Queen, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and The Nancy Drew / Hardy Boy Hour. Now if they would just put Maverick on DVD, I would be so happy. I do have some of the episodes on VHS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I grew up on WILD WILD WEST and ELLERY QUEEN (wow, just loved Hutten!) okay...grew up on all of these!

      Great tastes Tammy!
      ~Angi

      Delete
  10. How about the movie "It's a Wonderful Life". Frank Capra always seemed to make movies that were simplistic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great great movie and it's been re-made so many times. My favorite modern version is FAMILY MAN.

      Another great choice!
      ~Angi

      Delete
  11. thank you for this chance i just love a good old western
    gun smoke just something about miss kitty cant get enough of
    and a cowboy in a hat lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know that relationship totally confused me. Miss Kitty dresses like a dancehall girl, but was the saloon owner...right? So I wasn't ever (I mean as an adult looking back on it, cause I never questioned it as a child) certain about the implications of her job/dresscode. :-) Has anyone else ever wondered about that?

      ~Angi

      Delete
  12. CONGRATULATIONS BRENDA R.

    It's your choice of a JULY INTRIGUE !!

    Give me a shout at Angi@AngiMorgan.com

    THANKS EVERYONE FOR CHATTING WITH ME !
    ~Angi

    ReplyDelete
  13. A little late to the party, but THE SAINT with Roger Moore would be my choice...:)

    ReplyDelete