On this day in television history - Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss (2023)

 

Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss

documentary directed by Niharika Desai,

written by Eric Weiner,

based on the book by Eric Weiner,

was released in the United States on May 18, 2023.

 
Cast:

Rainn Wilson, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Ari Meyers, Jón Gnarr, Georgi Gospodinov, Ivo Dimchev, Hreimur Örn Heimisson, Margaret Liefsdóttir, Tinna Thorlacius, Jewells Chambers.

I'd been unfamiliar with Rainn Wilson's work -- had never seen him on The Office but had seen his appearances on Six Feet Under and found his dry, self-deprecating style endearing.

After watching Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, and even more so after reading his book Soul Boom, I'm a fan.

In this series, based on Eric Weiner's book The Geography of Bliss, Rainn explores areas around the world and engages with the people and communities in which they live, learning their stories, and sharing his, all in a quest to find happiness.

Rainn's openness, curiosity, and authenticity are so heartfelt, it makes the series worth watching time and time again. 

#RainnWilson #SoulBoom #TheGeographyOfBliss 

R. A. Salvatore, on writing:

 

If you can quit, then quit.

If you can't quit, you're a writer.
- R. A. Salvatore.

Recommended reading - The Empty Copper Sea

 

The Empty Copper Sea

by John D. MacDonald.

Introduction by Lee Child.

Filmed as Travis McGee (1983), directed by Andrew V. McLaglen.
# 17 in the Travis McGee series.

Published by Random House Trade Paperbacks.
First published 1978.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0812984080
ISBN-13: 978-0812984088
 
Description:

“John D. MacDonald is a shining example for all us in the field. Talk about the best.” - Mary Higgins Clark.

From a beloved master of crime fiction, The Empty Copper Sea is one of many classic novels featuring Travis McGee, the hard-boiled detective who lives on a houseboat.

Asking for help is something a proud man like Van Harder would never do. So when he shows up at the Busted Flush, Travis McGee knows that he must be the man’s last resort. What Harder wants salvaged is his reputation. After a long career as a seaman, he was piloting a boat the night his employer fell overboard. Harder is certain he’s been set up, but to help him, McGee must prove that a dead man is actually alive.

The fateful ride started with Harder at the helm of Hubbard Lawless’s luxury cruiser. 

It ends with him coming to, fuzzy and disoriented, and Hub lost to the water. Now everyone is saying that Harder got drunk, passed out, and is negligent in his boss’s death. The thing is, Van’s not a drinker . . . at least, not anymore.

Who would want to frame the good captain, and to what end? Dead or alive, Lawless is worth a lot of money. People are always eager to get a piece of that action – including some, as McGee soon finds, who are willing to take a piece out of anyone who gets in their way.

Features a new Introduction by Lee Child.

Born on this day – Mary Charleson:

 

Mary Charleson

Actress

May 18, 1890 – December 3, 1961

Credits:

A Bit of Blue Ribbon (1913); A Corner in Crooks (1913); A Matter of Matrimony (1913); A Sentimental Burglar (1914); After the Honeymoon (1913); Bedelia Becomes a Lady (1913); Bill Wilson's Gal (1912); Burning the Candle (1917); Cutting Down Expenses (1915); Doctor Smith's Baby (1914); Etta of the Footlights (1914); Fate and Three (1913); Four Days (1913); Her Great Scoop (1914); His Lordship Billy Smoke (1913); His Robe of Honor (1918); His Weakness Conquered (1913); Human Stuff (1920); Humdrum Brown (1918); In Love's Own Way (1915); Iron and Steel (1914); Love the Clairvoyant (1914); Matrimonial Manoeuvres (1913); Mr. Barnes of New York (1914); Natoosa (1912); No Other Way (1915); Northern Hearts (1912); Out of the Shadows (1912); Passers By (1916); Polly of the Pots and Pans (1915); Satan's Private Door (1917); Sealed Lips (1915); Silent Trails (1914); The Acid Test (1914); The Actor (1913); The Ancient Bow (1912); The Call of Motherhood (1915); The Country That God Forgot (1916); The Courage of the Commonplace (1913); The Crisis (1916); The Deceivers (1913); The Education of Aunt Georgiana (1913); The Girl Who Waited (1912); The Golden Pathway (1913); The Hat (1912); The Heart of a Heathen (1913); The Honeymooners (1914); The Intruder (1913); The Little Shoes (1917); The Long Lane's Turning (1919); The Mystery of the Silver Skull (1913); The Prince Chap (1916); The Reckoning (1912); The Road o' Strife (1915); The Road to Yesterday; or, Memories of Patio Days (1912); The Saint's Adventure (1917); The Sale of a Heart (1913); The Sea Maiden (1913); The Silent Accuser (1915); The Smoke from Lone Bill's Cabin (1913); The Spell (1913); The Spirit of the Range (1912); The Strange Story of Sylvia Gray (1914); The Transition (1913); The Troubled Trail (1912); The Truant Soul (1916); The Two Brothers (1913); The Warmakers (1913); The Whispered Word (1913); The Winning Hand (1913); The Woman in Black (1914); The Wrong Pair (1913); Think Mothers (1915); Timid May (1912); Tony and Marie (1915); Una of the Sierras (1912); Upstairs and Down (1919); What Happened to Jones (1915); When California Was Young (1912); When Men Love (1912); When the Desert Was Kind (1913); When Youth Is Ambitious (1915); With Hoops of Steel (1918); Without Hope (1914).

Born on this day – Frank Capra:

Frank Capra

Director

Producer

Writer

May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991

Born on this day – Meredith Willson:

Meredith Willson

Flutist

Composer

Conductor

Musical arranger

Bandleader

Writer

May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984

Born on this day – Phoebe Atwood Taylor:

 

Phoebe Atwood Taylor

Writer

May 18, 1909 – January 9, 1976

Credits:

Banbury Bog (1938); Beginning with a Bash (1937); Cold Steal (1939); Dead Ernest (1944); Death Lights a Candle (1932); Deathblow Hill (1935); Diplomatic Corpse (1951); Figure Away (1937); File for Record (1943); Going, Going, Gone (1943); Murder and Mystery in Boston (1987); Murder At the New York World's Fair (1938); Octagon House (1937); Out of Order (1936); Proof of the Pudding (1945); Punch with Care (1946); Sandbar Sinister (1934); Spring Harrowing (1939); The Annulet of Gilt (1938); The Cape Cod Mystery (1931); The Criminal C. O. D (1940); The Crimson Patch (1936); The Cut Direct (1938); The Deadly Sunshade (1940); The Hollow Chest (1941); The Iron Clew / aka The Iron Hand (1947); The Left Leg (1940); The Mystery of the Cape Cod Players (1933); The Mystery of the Cape Cod Tavern (1934); The Perennial Boarder (1941); The Six Iron Spiders (1942); The Tinkling Symbol (1935).