Bad Movies, Good Poetry

Since we were on the subject of good poetry being quoted at length in a bad movie - often in what becomes the only memorable scene of the film - I might as well also treat you to the following poem by ee cummings. In a 1988 movie called Plain Clothes which was so bad, it got Arliss Howard where he is today, the actor (playing a cop undercover as a high school student) recited this poem in English class, while gazing seductively at the pretty teacher. There's no way the innuendo was lost on anybody. It was an island of verbal sensuality in an otherwise forgettable flick. Here is "she being Brand"--and be sure to read it in a punctuation-sensitive manner:

she being Brand

-new; and you

know consequently a

little stiff i was

careful of her and (having

thoroughly oiled the universal

joint tested my gas felt of

her radiator made sure her springs were O.

K.) i went right to it flooded-the-carburetor cranked her

up,slipped the

clutch(and then somehow got into

reverse she

kicked what

the hell)next

minute i was back in neutral tried and

again slo-wly;bare,ly nudg. ing(my

lev-er Right-

oh and her gears being in

A 1 shape passed
from low through

second-in-to-high like

greasedlightning) just as we turned the corner of Divinity

avenue i touched the accelerator and give

her the juice,good

(it

was the first ride and believe i we was

happy to see how nice she acted right up to

the last minute coming back down by the Public

Gardens i slammed on

the

internalexpanding

&

externalcontracting

brakes Bothatonce and

brought allofher tremB

-lingto a:dead.

stand-

;Still)