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Bandits Part 3

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The effort to rid the city of vice brings to mind the Batman movies and Gotham City except that here, there wasn’t a caped crusader fighting the sinister dark elements of the criminal underworld. But much like watching a movie for the second time, reading back through events that have already transpired, in this case more than 90 years ago, we can know the ending from the beginning. And the ending in this particular story was very interesting.

While my grandfather may have been just one of many individuals caught up in local efforts to control vice, there were other factions involved that eventually took center stage. The long list of names covered in the newspaper at the time also included one of the arresting officers, along with the recently elected mayor and his appointed Chief of Police. There were others as well, including the county sheriff, but the mayor, police chief, and deputy police chief were at the center of the investigation.

Mayor Seccombe had been elected in April with a substantial plurality of votes out of a field of six candidates for mayor. He had been a city councilman running against several other businessmen, a lawyer, and others who all vowed to “cleanup the city”.

Upon election, the new mayor chose for his chief of police Dan Murdock, a deputy sheriff in the county. Speculation at the time had him choosing another individual and the choice eventually came down to Murdock or another San Bernardino policeman, C. Lawrence Jordan. With Murdock as Chief, Jordan was named the night Chief of Police.

By December of 1933 a grand jury was conducting an inquiry into city vice and gambling during which Mayor Seccombe, Murdock, Jordan and others were called to testify.

At the heart of the investigation were allegations that the police department, or some individuals therein, had been operating a “pay-off” system in regards to gambling in the city, which perhaps had related to the low number of raids and arrests conducted that year. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, no indictments were returned as a result of their investigation.

In March 1934 assistant chief Jordan was suspended by Chief Murdock over accusations of receiving kickbacks regarding the operation of lotteries in Chinatown. Jordan did not resign and the Chief ended up filing charges with the civil service commission which would eventually call both men, and others, to testify regarding the accusations.

The police chief filed charges of extortion against his assistant in what must have felt like a bit of payback in that, the previous year, both had been considered for the position of Chief of Police. Awkward! The extortion charges relied on testimony from three lottery game owners who basically stated that assistant chief Jordan had accepted money from them in exchange for immunity from arrest. How much was he accused of having received in consideration for allowing their operations to continue unabated? $1.50 per week. Well then.

In answering the allegations, assistant chief Jordan maintained that $1.50 per week payoff for a gambling operation that reportedly netted thousands of dollars a week was absurd. He also maintained that it was the chief of police who “expressly forbid” him to raid those or any other form of vice in the city “except under his direct and detailed command.” So then, now we have a very awkward situation! Whom to believe?

So then it seems that the individual responsible could be the police chief and not his deputy. But wait! After the civil service commission hearing regarding his suspension, Jordan was exonerated and his job reinstated. He was however reprimanded for “frequenting of questionable places other than in the performance of his duty as an officer and the intimated purchase by him of lottery tickets.” Result? Suspension without pay for thirty days.

Several weeks later, two members of the city council sought to have the chief of police removed from office; the move was blocked by the mayor but taken up a week later at a special session. During that session, one of the councilmen who had voiced opposition to the chief changed his position. The inquiry ending up with yet another exoneration, this time for the police chief who ended up retaining his job. Following his exoneration, the city councilman who had spearheaded the drive to have the police chief removed was himself facing a recall effort by voters in his own ward. Those efforts proved to be short lived and the councilman not only kept his seat but shook hands with (forgive and forget) with the police chief he had attempted to have removed.

It seems with that last city council session, the dust-up involving the assistant chief, the chief of police, and the city council had come to an end. Chief Murdock continued to make periodic arrests for gambling and other forms of vice within the city; assistant chief Jordan was reinstated though not at his previous position; and the councilman who was at the center of the police chief recall movement managed to retain his seat. Arrests continued to result in hefty fines being added to the city’s treasury. All-in-all, it reads like another episode of Law and Order in Gotham City. Admittedly my grandfather’s part in all of this was quite small, but in researching him I did get a very up-close look at small town politics, intrigue, and the way public morals have shifted over time here in the US. Ninety years ago but it sounds like today.

*UPDATE*

In a surprising, somewhat ironic note, my Mom wrote this to me:
“When your dad and I got married, the former mayor’s  grand daughter, Evelyn Seccombe, was my maid of honor.  Her mother and my mother had been close friends in San Bernardino High. They were both in the very first graduating class…1918, of the new High School.” Lora Lea (Willis) Chamberlin 9/10/2024

Bandits Part 2

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Some Comparisons…

It started with an election, as these things often do, and a new mayor promising to “clean up the city.” The election in April of the that year brought in a new mayor and with him, a new chief of police with a renewed emphasis on curbing vice in the city. And so they took action: 60 people were arrested in a series of raids in July, 1933. While 60 doesn’t seem to be such an extraordinary number to us today, in 1933 there were only 39,000 people living in San Bernardino, California. That seems like quite an effort.

In a campaign to “rid the city of vice and lawlessness”, the mayor added two additional police members to the vice task force, “and the drive will include gambling establishments, houses of ill repute, boot legging places, and other similar dens of vice in our community.”

In December of 1933, Police Chief Murdock reported that he had made an initial survey of gambling establishments in the city after he first took office in April and found 20 of them. So something was going on that needed looking into.

A postcard from the 1933 Chicago World Fair

A chatty social article in the San Bernardino Sun mentioned that Mr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Hilbig left in late June, driving out to Chicago. It was understood that they would be visiting the Century of Progress Fair (Chicago World Fair) and later visit with relatives in Michigan where Ralph Hilbig grew up. 

On the 8th of July nine San Bernardino business men were placed under technical arrest during a slot machine war. The District Attorney had issued 10 complaints at the request of a private citizen who attested that the machines were gambling devices as he had played all of them. Arrested were a bar owner, cigar store owner, several cafe owners and a billiard hall owner. My grandfather Ralph A. Hilbig, who was out of the city at the time (the Chicago trip) could not be brought in. All the men were fined $25. While the police had raided 11 establishments, they only seized 9 slot machines, two of which were at my grandfather’s pharmacy. I can only imagine now why he would “assertedly” have gambling devices in his drug store (what could they possibly pay off in 1933?!). But later news articles never indicate the eventual disposition of the seized machines.

When my grandparents returned from Chicago on the 14th of July, they assumed that the drug store had been burglarized while they were away; however two slot machines had been seized from his drug store and a warrant had been issued for his arrest on charges of possession of gambling devices. He pleaded not guilty to the possession charge and was released on $50 bail with a trial set for the following Monday.

An article from December 12, 1933 has Ralph A. Hilbig listed again with a group defendants who were charged with possession of slot machines and released. Additionally, there were arrests for running a poker game, a domino gambling game in chinatown, penny ante games—all in all 48 individuals arrested. He forfeited the $50 bail when he failed to appear in court. Nine other businessmen forfeited their bail as well for the same offense in a series of gambling and vice raids which had netted almost 60 individuals. Looking back, it seems my grandfather took the fine and bail forfeiture rather than the trial.

That seems to have been my grandfather’s last close brush with the legal system. In 1934 his name appeared in a rather long list of individuals who had been selected to serve in a jury pool and indeed, he ended up serving on two juries.

But the story doesn’t end here; what was happening behind the scenes is often more interesting than the actual drama. And next week we will finish up this three-part story with a look at the police officer, the chief of police, and the new mayor. Oh! And their appearance before the grand jury. That’s when things really get interesting.

One-Armed Bandits

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In 1895 a German immigrant in San Francisco by the name of Charles Fey invented a mechanical device consisting of several metal cylinders which, when activated by a coin, would spin in random sequence until they stopped and an image displayed on the cylinders would appear in a window. Whether the original five cylinders or the later three, when two or more of the same image appeared inline, you were a winner. The slot machine had humble beginnings but would eventually make a huge impact on the California and neighboring state of Nevada’s economy and later, much of the world.

Fey pioneered many innovations of coin operated gaming devices in his San Francisco workshop at 406 Market Street, including the original three-reel bell slot machine in 1898. The international popularity of the bell slot machines attests to Fey’s ingenuity as an enterprising inventor whose basic design of the three reel slot machine continues to be used in mechanical gaming devices today. (Winkslots)

Fey’s workshop is no longer standing. The Liberty Belle Saloon and Restaurant owned by Mr. Fey’s grandsons, Marshall and Franklin in Reno, Nevada, had many slot machines, including the first three-reels, the first draw poker machine and the first three-reel dollar slot on display. Sadly the Liberty Bell is no longer standing either, torn down to make room for a parking lot for the convention center. The slot machines were moved to the Nevada State Museum in Carson City.

California the “Golden State” is the US’s largest Indian gaming state, with yearly casino earnings of around $9 billion. California has 76 Indian casinos and five mini-casinos, owned mainly by its 109 tribes. (playtoday.com) Today nearly everyone is familiar with slot machines, the original “One-Armed Bandit” and they can be found in many states which now have legalized gambling of one type or another. Below is a machine from the collection of a family member, an early 1940’s Mills Diamond Front Slot Machine, originally produced in 1933 by the Mills Novelty Company of Chicago. Mills was one of the few companies which manufactured both gambling and vending machines.

But their rapid adoption also became the key to their eventual downfall. In 1911, 16 years after the invention of the slot machine, slots were outlawed in California.

The first few decades of the 20th century saw rapid social changes as well as industrial and technological ones. The proliferation of gambling devices, though regulated to some extent, saw them popping up “everywhere,” along with lotteries and card games. And gambling was considered to be one of the chief vices, often found in proximity with alcoholic beverages and prostitution, numbers rackets, off track betting and other “vices.” Reformers managed to get laws passed to control if not outlaw many of these. But whether legal or illegal, many of these activities simply went underground, available but not “too” visible.

Due to the ban, cash prizes would not be distributed any longer, but the fruit machine found a way to work around the ban. To emphasize that they were vending machines, not gambling machines, fruit symbols–cherry, orange, lemon–replaced the poker symbols and then the prizes were given out as sweets and chewing gum according to the corresponding slot flavor.

The headline couldn’t get any more graphic: “Grand Jury Summons Mayor in Gambling Probe.” The date of the newspaper, December 12, 1933. That attention-grabbing headline overshadowed three other articles on the same page. The editorial, “City’s Intolerable Gambling and Vice Must be Stopped,” gave some indication of what was going on in the city of San Bernardino that year. A smaller headline read “Seek Teeth in Gambling Law”. But the one that caught my attention simply stated “Raid Suspects Before Court”. And there in the second paragraph, in the last sentence, was my grandfather’s name. Ralph Hilbig, Highland Avenue and E Street. 

What on earth is going on here?

Caught up in the sweep to rid the town of vice, gambling, and lotteries were any number of small business owners in possession of slot machines which were paying out in coin, not sweets or candies. With the legalization of gambling in the neighboring state of Nevada in March 1931, Californians may have felt emboldened, expecting their state too would take up the cause. Or perhaps just thinking that gambling, in small venues or as a side hustle, would be overlooked, tolerated even in communities that prided themselves on being “progressive.” After all, with the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the cultural climate did seem to be changing dramatically.

With gambling being illegal at the time throughout the US, one wonders how, or why there were so many slot machines in use. According to Nevada Magazine several California novelty companies made their own versions of the slot machine. Shortly after the slot machine’s invention California law banned cash payouts. For a time winners were paid in redeemable trade checks, chewing gum, candies, and sometimes cigars.

My grandfather’s pharmacy was one of several small businesses in San Bernardino, California during the 1930s which had a slot machine on their premises. The Mills Diamond Front machine introduced in 1939 which is pictured above and owned by a family member, is an example of the slots in use at the time. This beautiful Mills Gooseneck Silent, also known as a Mills Skyscraper machine, was produced by Mills beginning in 1932 (below). It is available on eBay from a vendor who lives in Escondido, California (ironically, my grandparents’ home city).

An article from the 1904 edition of the Hanford Weekly Sentinel spoke to public opinion at that time. Slot machines had been abolished in nearly every California city by that time, though still legal in California. The Hanford notes that “the contrivances were the outgrowth of the gambling spirit which abounds among the people, not only here, but everywhere. The machines were robbers, not doubt; all gambling schemes are robberies.” (Thursday, June 2, 1904)

It wasn’t until February of 1911 that a bill would be introduced to the California State Legislature which would criminalize possession or operation of slot machines. The bill was signed by Governor Johnson in April after having been amended, reducing the penalty of possession from a felony to a misdemeanor.

One would think that all of these laws would have been sufficient to shutdown gambling for good. Yet 12 years later, my grandfather was one of many who were arrested in his home town of San Bernardino for possession of two slot machines. What happened? Stay tuned! We will take a deeper look next week.

Prohibition

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One hundred years ago, just four years into what would eventually become 13 years of Prohibition, my grandfather came into direct conflict with the Volstead Act.

In 1933 Congress adopted a resolution that, once passed by two-thirds of the states as the 21st amendment, repealed the 18th amendment. Prohibition, which had ruled the nation from 1920 thru 1933, had come to an end. All of this would have remained an abstract history lesson for me (Elliot Ness! The Untouchables! Al Capone! Bonnie and Clyde!) except for a recent online search which revealed a bit of hidden family history.

The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was an act of the 66th United States Congress designed to execute the 18th Amendment (ratified January 1919) which established the prohibition of alcoholic drinks. Long title: An Act to prohibit intoxicating beverages, and to regulate the manufacture, production, use, and sale of high-proof spirits for other than beverage purposes, and to ensure an ample supply of alcohol and promote its use in scientific research and in the development of fuel, dye, and other lawful industries.

Form 1403: The standard alcohol prescription used during the prohibition era. Courtesy of smithsonianmag.com

“However, many are unaware that alcohol was actually being distributed legally in one specific place: the community drug store. Under the guidance of the U.S. Treasury Department, physicians were granted the authority to prescribe medicinal alcohol. The notion of alcohol prescriptions or ingestion for medicinal benefit may seem astounding today, but in years past this was not the case.”

“Beyond the requirements of the prescription form, there were still other restrictions. First, patients could only receive a pint or less of liquor every ten days (clearly, this was not often enforced if 1 fluidounce was recommended every 2-3 hours for some conditions).  Second, records had to be maintained by both the physician and the pharmacy.” https://aihp.org/remembering-pharmacys-past-prohibition-era-medicinal-liquors/

And here is where the story of my grandfather and Prohibition intersect. According to the July 13, 1924 edition of the San Bernardino Sun, my grandfather Ralph A. Hilbig was one of 16 individuals arrested for breaking prohibition. At that time he was working as a pharmacist at A.B.C .Pharmacy in San Bernardino, California.

In the July 13th article, 25 officers struck simultaneously across the city of San Bernardino after a two month investigation, arresting sixteen accused bootleggers and an additional six from two nearby localities. S. Sakamoto, owner of the A.B.C. Pharmacy, along with my grandfather who worked as a druggist at that location, were charged with conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act–a felony offense which would result in imprisonment in a federal penitentiary if convicted. The complaint charged that the physician (Dr. FR.X. Fiegel) furnished a prescription for whiskey which the druggist (R.A. Hilbig) filled. Along with the others arrested, a 400 gallon still and 1600 gallons of mash were also seized in the raids at a nearby town. The raids were directed by Edwin E. Grant, president of the State Law Enforcement League at the request of an anonymous committee of concerned citizens.

Ralph HIlbig had just married Emma May Hargrave, my grandmother, on 29 June 1924. His arrest only two weeks later must have been quite a shock to a woman I had always known as very provincial, as straight-laced as one could imagine. What a way to begin their life together!

At the end of December the San Bernardino Sun reported that the case had been dropped due to lack of evidence. In their reporting, The Sun wrote at the time: “The dismissal of the charges against the physician and pharmacist marked another collapse of the liquor ‘cases’ in which Grant conducted a sensational series of raids last July in San Bernardino, arresting 17 persons, none of whom were convicted.”

My grandfather passed away nearly 50 years ago, in 1975. He and my grandmother, who was also a pharmacist, had owned several drugstores in the San Bernardino area, eventually working with their son Ralph W. Hilbig who was also a pharmacist. It’s quite surprising to read of this close brush with law enforcement. My grandfather was 31 years old in 1924, the same year J. Edgar Hoover was appointed Acting Director of the national Bureau of Investigation at 29 years old.

PDF “Wartime Prohibition Is Held to be Legal” December 15, 1919, Evening Star
PDF “Every Dry Law Upheld” June 7, 1920, Evening World

They Were Pioneers

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She was born July 6, 1899. Today she would have been 125 years old; as it was, she outlived my grandfather by 24 years and was just shy of her 100th birthday by two months when she died in May 1999.

Ira Hargrave was a fruit farmer in San Gorgonio Township, Riverside County, California according to the 1900 Census record. He died Christmas Eve in 1903. The 1910 US Census lists my grandmother then ten years old and her brothers Jay and Ira, eight and six years old. Her mother Betsy Alavander “Alla” Blackburn is listed as head of household in 1910, a fruit farmer. Later years her occupation would be rancher. Youngest brother Ira was born January 13, 1904, three weeks after his father had died (24 Dec, 1903).

San Gorgonio township in Southern California which included Banning had a population of 356 in 1900. By 1920 the population had risen to 2,507 (US Census documents). It’s hard to picture how a young woman from such a small agricultural community was able to attend the University of Southern California in that time period: our preconceptions of the era might have us believe that “a woman’s place was in the home.” Never-the-less, Emma May Hargrave managed to graduate high school and was awarded a degree from USC School of Pharmacy in 1924.

1917 was a small graduating class in Banning Union High School. In the photo above, Emma May stands in the backrow, one of six women in a class of nine. (photos from Calisphere). Three years later, in 1920, Emma was working as a clerk in a drugstore. My grandfather Ralph Allan Hilbig is listed in the 1923 Redlands City Directory; Ralph was working at DH Frazer Pharmacy at that time, some 20 miles northeast of Banning. This might have been where he met Emma after his first wife passed away in 1922.

Emma May (Hargrave) Hilbig graduated with a degree of Graduate in Pharmacy from USC in 1924, married my grandfather that same year and became stepmother to his two children from an earlier marriage. Two years later my father Floyd Allan was born, and then the twins. By 1933 the San Bernardino, California City Directory has them listed along with their son Ralph with Hilbig’s Pharmacy which would service the surrounding area for many years. Emma Hargrave Hilbig grew up as a daughter of a single mother. They were pioneers, I tell you.

Coming to America

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It started with a name on an antique document, well two names actually. The document is the German-language wedding certificate of my great grandfather and grandmother, Paul and Clara (Stork) Hilbig from 1892. There are the usual witness signatures and the pastor’s name as well: J Hetzel. And a second name I couldn’t quite make out: who was this Leisa Boening? Why was she included on the certificate? A bridesmaid or cousin of the bride perhaps? And who was the pastor, J Hetzel? The name of the church wasn’t included in the document but since I had a timeframe and approximate location, I had enough to begin my research.

The document indicates the wedding was performed in Resort Township, Charlevoix, Michigan. A quick Google search and it turns out that Resort Township is next to Petoskey Michigan which is where my relatives originated. Family legend was correct in that regard, though Resort Township is now included in neighboring Emmet County, no longer a part of Charlevoix. 

My family name is German, again family lore has us coming from Berlin, Prussia sometime in the late 19th century with the great wave of German immigrants. We’ve never had a year for that though it had to be between 1893 when my grandfather was born here in the States, and 1870 when his father was born in Prussia. 

Many of the German immigrants were Lutheran and so it seemed like a safe assumption that my great grandparents were married in a Lutheran church near Petoskey. On Google maps I located Zion Lutheran Church and emailed them for any information they might have from the 1890s and if J. Hetzel could have been their pastor. It turned out he hadn’t been, but the church administrator referred me to the Petoskey Museum website which might be helpful for further research. And it was. 

Looking through their online photo archives I found an image of a group sitting on the front steps of Evangelische Emmanuels Kirche. The caption named the individuals in the photo which included Pastor Hetzel; Mrs. Hetzel; and their daughters ; Lydia Hetzel; Frieda Hetzel.

“Women on the steps of the Evangelische Immanuels Kirche. November 8, 1861.,” Little Traverse Historical Society Collection https://collections.petoskeymuseum.org/items/show/2262.

So now I knew the pastor’s first name and more importantly the name of his church. A quick Google search for that name in Petoskey revealed Emmanuel Evangelical Church. After finding their website, and reading through their history page, I was pretty confident that this was the same church from 131 years ago. Amazing. I contacted them through their website and was surprised to not only receive an email from their current pastor but a phone call as well confirming that, indeed pastor Jacob Hetzel had been their pastor during the 1890s and that today they continue to hold services in the very same building. 

Emmanuel Evangelical Church, Petoskey MI (website: https://www.meetemmanuel.com)

But what of the second mysterious name? Who was Leisa Boening? Searching through online census records, I found the Boenings living in Petoskey in 1880. Leisa was the daughter of Charles and Mary Boening, both born in Germany and having immigrated to the US in 1874. There were seven children listed on the census record, three of whom had been born in Germany and four in New York. 

Surprisingly my great grandfather’s name was included as a son; even more surprising to me was the addition of a brother two years older than he, also born in Germany. And a sister, Anne born in Germany as well. My genealogy had just become more complicated! Who ARE these people? And more importantly, how and when did they come to America?

June 1880 Census, Michigan

More research has yielded some surprising finds. My great great grandmother had married her husband, Carl August Hilbig, at Luisenstädtische Kirche in Berlin (which was destroyed in the Allied bombing in 1945). They had two children, Herman August and Paul Herman, born in 1868 and 1870 respectively. Carl Hilbig died in 1871 and Mary (Maria ) remarried a year later to Charles Boening. The boys’ sister was born the following year, in 1872. In 1874 the family set off for America and lived for a period in New York state before settling down in Michigan where they had four more daughters. Leisa and her twin Lizzie were born in 1874, their younger sisters in 1876 and ‘78. 

There is still much to learn about my family’s early history. Apparently they lived somewhere in New York state between 1874 and 1880, after which they relocated to Michigan. But where had they lived? And what did they do? Charles Boening is listed as a farmer on the 1880 census. Sometime before the 1910 Census, the entire family relocates to Los Angeles where we pick up the story as it relates to my Grandfather and his descendants.

1910 Census, Los Angeles

Before leaving for my Army post in Heidelberg, Germany in 1984, my Grandmother penciled a rough genealogy for me in a note which I have carried around for the past 40 years. It is only now beginning to make some sense: I know who the Herman is who is listed above my great grandfather Paul. Not sure what the date 1873 refers to as Paul was born in 1870. Regardless, it has been quite the journey of discovery as I learn more about their Coming to America story.

Note: Census photos taken from https://www.familysearch.org/

It’s Just Hair

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It’s just hair. Is it? Is it really, just hair?

This morning I got a haircut at the same barbershop I’ve been using for the past three years. Invariably the first thing the barber will ask me is, “How would you like it cut, sir?” My answer is always the same: just a trim.

And yet…and yet, it’s never the same. Just about every six weeks I stop in at the same local shop, I take the first available seat, and the routine is always the same. A little small talk, generally about the weather; perhaps that I’m retired and can come in early in the day, oh? Your wife is still working?  how are your children—grandchildren, what do you think of this or that current topic? 

And then, always, every single time: your hair is very thick (meaning hard to cut). Yes I know, it’s a blessing, thank you Mom. But when we are finished, it’s always a mystery, a bit like Monty Hall and the reveal: what’s behind Door Number One? Always different. 

My older brother has sandy blond, curly hair. My younger brother has wavy hair, not blond but not quite brown, though all of us sport more gray these days. My hair used to look more like my late Dad’s, dark and full, though he wore it longer than I do and he styled it a bit like Elvis Presley, swooping it back with a generous amount of VO5 cream. I’m salt and pepper now, or “mostly gray” (it was a shock to see that on my drivers license description), and I keep it short. But I never know what it will look like on leaving the barbershop.

This morning I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation of the patron seated in the chair next to me. He carried on quite a dialog with the barber (stylist?) and it was obvious he wasn’t happy with the progress. Fearful of cutting it too short—she had been warned of that—it seemed now it wasn’t short enough. And uneven. He continued to guide and direct the process even after I had finished and was on my way up front to pay. But I noted that he let her know that he would be returning (this was his first visit) and that he expected they would get to know one another, his expectations, how best to achieve the desired goal. Looking good!

It’s been quite a sport of mine wondering what my haircuts would look like when finished. And really? I’m fine with however they turn out. Hairs grows fast and I generally wear a baseball cap anyway. My sympathies are with those guys who are follicularly-challenged: hopefully they aren’t paying the same amount that I do, or at least they get the hot towel and neck rub after the buzz cut. Where are you with your cuts? Very particular in how it’s styled or comme ci, come ca? Do you always make an appointment for the same stylist or do you take the next available chair? It’s just hair, right?

Gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen

Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair

The musical Hair, 1967, lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni. Broadway poster from postermuseum.com

Post-Apocalypse Now

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There seems to be no end to “end of the world” movies and TV shows recently. A twist in the plot here or there but they all share similar DNA. Whether it’s an individual (“only you can save the world!”) or a group of survivors just trying to make it to the end of that night’s episode alive— they all explore how we might react under the harshest of conditions.

The director M. Night Shyamalan has a new movie out, Knock at the Cabin that updates the biblical End of the World story. I haven’t seen the movie yet, and this isn’t really a movie review, but it’s premise and themes are oddly tracking with a show that I am watching, The Last of Us, over on HBO. While the one is about ushering in or preventing the Apocalypse, the television series is about living in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world structured around a quest narrative. Love, loss, sacrifice, vengeance, judgment, and hope are some of the big themes both shows work through in varying ways.

However, before we compare and contrast these two shows, I want to take a side trip. For the past several months I have been reading and hearing ALOT about AI and ChatGPT. So in the interests of trying something new I thought I would interview the bot and let it (he/she/them?) write my blogpost today. The results were very…interesting. My questions below in bold type, the Chat’s answers follow.

I asked the Chatbot to write a paragraph describing the similarities in the apocalyptic worldview of the movie “Knock at the Cabin” and the HBO series “The Last of Us” and the presence, or lack thereof, of hope.

Both “Knock at the Cabin” and “The Last of Us” present a bleak and devastating world, post-apocalyptic and characterized by the collapse of human society due to a catastrophic event. The movies depict a world where survival is the main priority and people are struggling to make ends meet while facing various obstacles and threats, including mutated creatures and hostile human factions. Despite the grim reality, there is still a glimmer of hope in both stories, as the main characters work towards rebuilding and preserving what’s left of humanity. However, this hope is often fragile and uncertain, constantly tested by the harsh realities of the new world.

Overall, both works present a similar bleak worldview of a post-apocalyptic world but with a nuanced portrayal of the presence of hope.

“Knock at the Cabin” portrays the four figures of the Apocalypse demanding a sacrifice. How does this subvert our normal reading of the Four Horsemen?

“Knock at the Cabin” portrays the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as demanding a sacrifice, which subverts the typical interpretation of the Four Horsemen as symbols of destruction and judgement in the book of Revelation in the Bible. In the movie, the Horsemen are not just passive symbols of the end of the world, but active agents who require a sacrifice to be made in order to bring about the end. This shift in the role of the Horsemen adds a new layer of meaning to the story, as it emphasizes the idea that the end of the world is not just a inevitable outcome, but something that can be actively brought about through the actions of human beings.

By presenting the Horsemen as demanding a sacrifice, “Knock at the Cabin” challenges our conventional understanding of the Four Horsemen and their role in the end of the world, suggesting that the end is not just a matter of fate but also a result of human agency.

Are there any biblical themes in “The Last of Us” show on HBO?

Yes, “The Last of Us” series on HBO draws on various biblical themes. For example, the story of a father-daughter relationship and the theme of sacrifice, can be seen as references to the story of Abraham and Isaac from the Bible. The concept of a pandemic bringing about the end of the world can also be interpreted as a commentary on the biblical notion of judgement and the end times. Additionally, the idea of a chosen one or messiah figure, who must sacrifice themselves for the greater good, is also a recurring biblical theme that appears in the show. These themes add depth to the story and bring a spiritual dimension to the post-apocalyptic world portrayed in “The Last of Us.”

If the character of Ellie in “The Last of Us” is portrayed as a messiah figure, what would be her likely future?

If Ellie in “The Last of Us” is portrayed as a messiah figure, her future would likely involve her making significant sacrifices and facing significant challenges in her quest to save humanity and bring about a better future. In such a portrayal, Ellie would be seen as a symbol of hope, who brings about change and redemption in the bleak and desolate world of the post-apocalyptic setting.

However, her journey would also likely be fraught with difficulties, as she would face resistance from those who are unwilling to change, as well as the harsh realities of the post-apocalyptic world, such as the threat of infected creatures and hostile human factions.

Ultimately, the future of Ellie as a messiah figure would be shaped by the choices she makes and the sacrifices she is willing to make in the pursuit of a better future. Whether she succeeds in bringing about a new dawn or not, her journey as a messiah figure would likely be one of struggle, sacrifice, and ultimate redemption.

If the character of Ellie in “the last of us” is accurately portrayed as being immune from the cordyceps infection, how would her condition be exploited by the ruling authorities?

In a world where the majority of the population is affected by the cordyceps infection, a person who is immune would be considered a valuable asset. For example, the ruling authorities might try to use Ellie as a source of information and research to better understand the nature of the infection and find a cure. They may also try to use her as a weapon, forcing her to venture into infected areas to gather information or carry out dangerous missions.

Additionally, the ruling authorities may try to use Ellie’s immunity as a means of maintaining control over the population. By exploiting her condition, they could manipulate the public into following their rules and regulations, or even use her as a propaganda tool to promote their own interests.

Overall, if Ellie is portrayed as being immune from the cordyceps infection, her condition would likely be exploited by the ruling authorities in a variety of ways, as they would see her as a valuable asset in their attempts to maintain control over the world and find a cure for the infection.

If the cordyceps infection controls the victims brain, and if Ellie is immune, would examining her brain likely reveal clues to her immunity?

Yes, if the cordyceps infection is portrayed as controlling the victim’s brain and Ellie is immune, examining her brain would likely reveal clues to her immunity. As the cordyceps infection takes over the victim’s brain, it would likely leave its mark on the brain’s structure and function. By comparing Ellie’s brain to the brains of infected individuals, researchers could potentially identify the differences that confer her immunity and gain insights into the mechanism of the cordyceps infection.

This information could be crucial in developing a cure for the infection, as understanding the basis of Ellie’s immunity could provide a starting point for developing a vaccine or other treatment. Additionally, by examining Ellie’s brain, researchers could gain a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the control of the cordyceps infection, which could be applied to developing more effective therapies.

Overall, examining Ellie’s brain would likely be a valuable tool in gaining insights into the cordyceps infection and developing a cure for those affected.

So a likely scenario would be the sacrifice of Ellie, her resulting death, in order to save the rest of the population?

It is possible that a scenario could emerge in which Ellie’s death is seen as necessary in order to save the rest of the population. If her immunity is crucial to understanding the cordyceps infection and developing a cure, the ruling authorities or scientific community might believe that the only way to obtain this information is to sacrifice Ellie through dissection of her brain or other means.

Such a scenario would likely be a difficult and controversial decision, as it raises ethical questions about the value of one life versus the potential to save many others. It would also likely have a profound impact on the characters and the world of the story, as the decision to sacrifice Ellie would be a significant turning point in the narrative.

Ultimately, the outcome would depend on the specific details of the story and the motivations of the characters involved. While a sacrifice scenario is possible, it is not guaranteed and could be challenged or avoided altogether by the characters in the story.

My interaction with ChatGPT raised a number of ideas regarding both the movie and the TV show that I had not considered initially. The amount of agency and control over their individual destinies the characters exhibit and how their decisions could possibly affect the outcome of the scenarios was very intriguing to me. Both shows present similar End of the World viewpoints. However “The Last of Us”, perhaps because it seems more grounded in real-world (recent?) or plausible events, holds out a hope for the future that I was not expecting, especially from an adaptation of a video game. What do you think? Is there hope at the End of the World?

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