Interesting that Einstein is represented!

Mr. P.

That isn't Einstein -- it's Mark Twain. It's from an old animated film in which a couple of kids go on an adventure with Mark Twain through some of the scenarios in his novels and short stories. There's even a reference, at the very end, as to how he picked his pen name. That particular episode represents "The Mysterious Stranger", as indicated at the very beginning. It's a bizarre little film, but interesting, and worth checking out if you can find a copy.

MadArchitect wrote:That isn't Einstein -- it's Mark Twain. It's from an old animated film in which a couple of kids go on an adventure with Mark Twain through some of the scenarios in his novels and short stories. There's even a reference, at the very end, as to how he picked his pen name. That particular episode represents "The Mysterious Stranger", as indicated at the very beginning. It's a bizarre little film, but interesting, and worth checking out if you can find a copy.

Ah!!! I can see Mark Twain now...and I thought Einstein was a one of a kind look...guess he and Twain do share a similar visage.

Mr. P.

I know this is a bit after the fact, but thanks for the link Mr. P. I'm going to admit though that I probably wouldn't have recognized Twain's The Mysterious Stranger in this clip without the reference. I loved the shot of the little girl holding the apple in her mouth while she's making the clay figures. I also liked the little boys: "You murdered em!"

Mad wrote:It's from an old animated film

Title? BTW, is your middle name "Obscure"?

There's even a reference, at the very end, as to how he picked his pen name.

Which story? Is it a clip of Life on the Mississippi?

My middle name is "Stupendous", if you must know.

Yeah, that's right. Mad Stupendous Architect.

The title of the animated film is "The Adventures of Mark Twain". Not all that exciting a title, really, but the movie itself is bizarre enough to warrant some interest.

The reference to how Samuel Clemens chose his pen name is a sequence in which the protagonists attempt to reach a particular speed on their zeppelin/space ship. They pass through mark one and mark one and a half and eventually reach mark twain -- twain meaning two, of course. Clemens used to hear the call on Mississippi river boats, and that's how he chose his pen name. Maybe you knew that, but I figure some people following this thread don't, so it's worth recalling for them, at least.

"The Mysterious Stranger" might be worth revisiting for an additional book discussion. It's been upwards of twenty years since I've read any Twain, so it's probably high time I revisited and reassessed the author.

Yeah, as far as I understand, "mark twain" as in noting a depth of two fathoms of water is most usually quoted as Twain's source for his pen name. I am told, though I haven't read it, that there is a slightly different story about where he acquired his pen name in Life on the Mississippi. And there is a whole other group who seems to insist that Mark Twain was a name Clemens used for a bar tab. Though that could still be true along with the other story, I imagine. I was just wondering if, b/c the clip Mr.P. posted is the animation of a Twain story, the reference to Twain's pen name was depicted by the animation of Life on the Mississippi.

I'd be up for a rereading of The Mysterious Stranger. It's short and, as I recall, fairly humorous. Though I think it would have to be after the Arendt discussion dies out. Actually, Mr. P., if you haven't already read it, at a guess I think you might enjoy The Mysterious Stranger too. It's different than Twain's more familiar work.