MISCELLANEOUS DICKINSON INFORMATION

Band
Books Week!

Band Books Week is sponsored by the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum and the American Library Association.
Above:  An "Our Gang" poster which states that the comedy was "Based on the Lives of Emmett Lee & Emily Dickinson."

Rhymin' Rascals

Although Hal Roach always said "Our Gang" was inspired by the lives of Emmett Lee and Emily Dickinson, the show was actually based on an earlier series called "Rhymin' Rascals" by Ernesto Cucaracha which was, in fact, based on the famous cousins.
Above left:  Zella Unger, who starred  in Ernesto  Cucaracha's series "Rhymin' Rascals" as "Li'l Em" (based on Emily  Dickinson).  Above right:  A vintage poster from Cucarcha's
classic series "Rhymin' Rascals."

Below:  Other child stars from "Rhymin' Rascals." Left: Percival Dewhurst as "Rhubarb" (based on Emmett Lee Dickinson). Center: Edger Jackdaw as "Knotweed" (based on Walt Whitman). Right: Leander Kink as "Punkie" (based on Robert Frost) is shown with the Rascals' adorable mascot, "Fatback".


Backyard Chickens

Although Emmett Lee Dickinson and Henry David Thoreau had quite a donnybrook in a pool hall in Mashpee, MA, when they first met (immortalized
in a rock song called “Barroom Blitz,” released in 1975 by the glam rock band
“Sweet”),  the two later became friends due to their shared interests
in flora and fauna, wildlife, agricultural reports, and corn. 

The photograph at the left is thought to be Dickinson (left),
Thoreau (center), and Ralph Waldo Emerson (right), in a dramatic portrayal
during Washerst’s annual Moss and Hornwort Jubilee entitled “Backyard Chickens  Cross the Road.”




Bazooka Joe Comics

Bazooka Bubble Gum ran a special series of comics that included hundreds of  Emmett Lee Dickinson's poems.  Below are two samples from the 150+ comics on  display at the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum (above the coin-op laundromat on  Dickinson Boulevard) in Washerst, PA.

Click on the comics at the right to enlarge.
Lucas Dickinson, one of Emmett Lee Dickinson's
older brothers, invented the first cross-word puzzle printing machine.

To the left is the schematic for Emmett Lee Dickinson's invention, the wood turning lathe -- destined  to "revolutionize the newel post industry." 

It is on display at the Washerst Newel Post Museum.
VH1's highest rated show EVER was the "Behind the Words" feature on the poetry  of Emmett Lee Dickinson -- read by celebrities who gathered in Washerst, PA, on  Dickinson's birthday in 2003. The Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum display includes the VH1 poster  (to the right), Judge Judy's gavel, William Shatner's dopp kit (left behind at the  Travelodge Motel when he departed), and Omarosa's sequined top (provided by the  Washerst Dress Barn). Controversy swirled after the airing of the show when  it was discovered that Milli Vanilli had lip-synced their renditions of  Dickinson poetry from a recording of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton.

At the left: In 1953 Life Magazine ran a special double issue devoted almost  entirely to  Emmett Lee Dickinson and his poetry to celebrate the poets 150th birthday.

In 1903, Dickinson was Time Magazine's Man of the Year.


Qwerty Jean Dickinson -- A Life

Harper Lee wrote QWERTY, Qwerty Jean Dickinson: A Life, the definitive biography of Emmett Lee Dickinson's daughter.  She later fictionalized the work  in her acclaimed novel To Kill A Mockingbird.  In that novel, she based  Atticus Finch on Emmett Lee Dickinson (as a lawyer instead of a poet), and she
patterned Scout on Qwerty Jean.  The character of Dill was based on Emily  Dickinson, although many readers have mistakenly identified that character with Truman Capote.



Actus No Facit Reum Nisi Mens Sit Rea

At the right is the crosstitch wall hanging that Susan B. Anthony sent to Emmett Lee Dickinson.  She had been in the courtroom the day Dickinson was fined for discharging a firearm at an outdoor wedding.  Earlier in her life she had received a similar fine for firing off a cannon at her cousin's bridesmaids' party, so Anthony rallied behind Dickinson with his courtroom protest, "Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea!"




1939 World's Fair Dickinson Pavilion

The 1939 World's Fair included the Emmett Lee Dickinson Pavilion -- one of the  more popular sites at the fair.  Readings of Dickinson's poetry captivated
standing-room-only crowds daily.



Dickinson on the Small Screen...

TV producers have translated Dickinson's work to the small screen on many  occasions.   In the 1963, Groucho Marx portrayed Emmett Lee Dickinson in a special Hallmark Theater presentation.  In 1969, Sherwood Schwarz created a TV  sitcom based on the family life of Emmett Lee Dickinson.  The series ran from 1969 - 1974.

...and on the
Silver Screen

Hollywood has filmed dozens of movies  based on the life and poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson.

On the left are three screen shots from D. W. Grittith's silent film classic, "Because I Could Not Stop For Debt," based on Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem.  The movie
starred Charlie Chaplin, and it was met with critical acclaim.



In 1983 Al Pacino starred in an epic crime drama based on the darker events of Dickinson's life.  The movie premiered at the Ned Sullivan Theater in Washerst, and Al Pacino signed autographs in the lobby.


Vintage Posters

At the left: One of Emmett Lee Dickson's earliest public appearances was when he read some of  his poetry at the Princeton Homecoming game in 1820 (Princeton lost to Bryn  Mawr, 27-3).

At the right:  A poster from the Calvert Theater in Baltimore advertising a  comedy show of Edgart Allan Poe and Emmett Lee Dickinson as "Izzy Sharp &  Moe."


Oprah's Book Club

Oprah  Winfrey said that the poetry of of Emmett Lee Dickinson changed her life, and her Oprah's Book Club feature of "The Poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson" generated  some of the highest ratings her talk show ever experienced. Because Oprah was so moved by Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for  Debt," she encored one of her "My Favorite Things" extravaganzas at the 2012 DOPE  conference.  Guests of the event were inundated with some of  Oprah's favorite things, including cinnamon waxed floss,  double-A batteries, bacon flavored tooth paste, fanny pack floppy flasks, tube socks, Scottish  shaving kilts, and full-body hooded unitards.



Two Dickinsons

At the left: Both Emmett Lee Dickinson and Emily Dickinson are included in murals at  most Barnes and Nobles stores.


Warhol and Dickinson

Andy Warhol was a great fan of the poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson.
Pictured at the right:  Warhol's homage to Dickinson, who invented candy corn.


Pictured at the right:
John Phillip Sousa's "Dickinson's March," named after poet Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed - at her request).



Dickinson Antiseptic

In the mid-20th century, Washerst Pharmacal Corporation marketed "Dickinson Antiseptic" with the tagline, "Because I coule not stop for breath mints!"



Dr. Seuss ~ Dickinson Classics

Also in the mid-20th century, Theodor Geisel – as Dr. Seuss – wrote a series of "Dr. Seuss ~ Dickinson Classics," all based on famous Emmet Lee Dickinson poems.
Because I could not stop for debt –
I could not, should not stop for debt.
I would not stop for debt with you.
I would not stop for debt for two.
I would not, could not with some cash –
I could not, would not in a flash!

Poetry Wars

The original concept for George Lucas' futuristic saga "Star Wars" was to be called "Poetry Wars," about the volatile relationship between third cousins Emmet Lee and Emily Dickinson.

The character known today as "Darth Vader" was "Emmett Lee" (who always wore black in his later years), and "Princess Leia" was Emily Dickinson (who always wore white).

The tagline for the movie:  METAPHORS BE WITH YOU!