Thursday, April 9, 2015


That was a response to my analysis of the two Wiegman Doormen by OIC senior member Michael Pinchot. And, I greatly appreciate it because Michael is an accomplished writer. 

I have read one of Michael's books: Mary Mary and JFK. If you're wondering about the title, it's based on the fact that it is really two books in one. The first part is a biography of Mary Pinchot Meyer (who was a distant cousin of Michael's), and it is more detailed and thorough than that which was provided by Peter Janney in his magnificent book, Mary's Mosaic. You might even say that it is like a prelude to Mary's Mosaic. So, that accounts for the first "Mary".  Then, the "Mary and JFK" relates to a novel which follows the biography, and it concerns what might have happened had JFK survived the assassination attempt in Dallas. And I can tell you that it is a very interesting take on that scenario.   

http://michaelpinchot.com/2013/05/30/mary-mary-and-jfk/

And having written two stories myself, I can tell you (and I am sure Michael would agree) that what you have to constantly ask yourself is, "Is my story credible?" Because if it isn't credible, then you are going to lose your readers, and the story is going to fall flat.

And that's what they needed to do but failed to do when they doctored the Wiegman film. They stuck that extra Doorman into this frame without thinking about the "story" of the frame and whether he fit into it.



And, he does NOT fit into it. This is one of the most poignant images from the JFK assassination, and it is a world apart from the Altgens photo. In Altgens, none of the spectators act like they are aware of any problem- let alone a catastrophe.  But in the above frame, the people are acting very concerned. THEY KNOW that something is wrong, and they fear it may be horrendous. That's pretty obvious from reading the picture. But, what about the Doorman? He appears to be oblivious to it all. He is just standing there- stilted, frozen, and detached from the scene. It is not a normal reaction. It wouldn't be normal for Lovelady any more than for Oswald. It has NO credibility within the context of the story being told by the picture. It does not fit in. 

They stuck him in there because Oswald left for the lunch room, and they didn't want to leave the spot empty. And they thought that they could get away with just sticking him in there to fill the space even if he wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing. Well, they thought wrong because he sticks out like a sore thumb- to any intelligent observer.   

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