SeanPaulMurphyVille

Monday, September 20, 2021

Faith on Film Interview

Isaac Hernandez was an unseen hand throughout my entire career in faith-based films. He got a great price for my fist one, Hidden Secrets, from TBN, and he acted as a producer rep for my final one Open My Eyes. He even thought Holyman Undercover was funny. We finally met at the Churches Making Films Film Festival in New Jersey. We hit it off immediately because we'd both seen enough that we could talk with a candor often absent among practitioners of the genre.

I was delighted when he asked me to appear on his show. And he did the impossible: He kept me under thirty minutes. Check it out:

Subscribe to the YouTube Channel: Here

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Be sure to check out my novel Chapel Street. It tells the story of a young man straddling the line between sanity and madness while battling a demonic entity that has driven his family members to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting my family experienced.

You can buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about the book, click Here.

Watch the book trailer:

Listen to me read some chapters here:

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 24, Bad News Betty

Read about the true haunting that inspired the novel here:

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Thursday, September 9, 2021

Grave Tales #23: Mieczyslaw “James” Zacharski

I am an avid genealogist. The past is very important to me. I spend a lot of time in cemeteries photographing tombstones to upload on the website FindAGrave.

I enjoy recognizing long dead people by putting memorials to them online. However, every once and a while something grabs me about a specific grave. It could be the name, or the dates or a ceramic photo. In those cases, I feel compelled to dig a little deeper. That's what this series of blogs is about: The tales behind those graves. Some of my subjects will be heroes. Some will be villains. Some will be victims. And some will linger in between, like most of us. However, don't be surprised if the tales are inherently tragic. These are grave tales. They all end in death.

While I was photographing the grave of one of my earlier subjects, Ronald Pytel, the Vatican-approved miracle priest, in Holy Rosary Cemetery, I spotted the grave of Mieczyslaw “James” Zacharski. I am always moved by the graves of youngsters so I had to investigate how this boy died at the tender age of ten. Here's the tragic tale:

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 23 October 1904, Sunday:

BOY KILLED ON CAR

----------

James Zacharski Said To Have Been

Stealing A Ride.

James Zacharski, 11 years old, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Zacharski, 1733 Canton avenue, was killed yesterday evening while stealing a ride, it is said, on a Madison avenue car. Those who witnessed the accident said the lad jumped on the car at the foot of the Broadway Market about 6.30 o'clock, and while it was passing between Lancaster and Aliceanna streets he was caught between the car and the truck wagon of Joseph Volz, of Rossville, Baltimore county, which was standing beside the track.

The boy fell into the street in a semi-conscious condition and was picked up by Mr. Volz and Charles Miller, of 2219 Portugal court, who carried him to the office of Dr. John Rehberger, 1797 Aliceanna street, where he died in 30 minutes. Death was caused by a puncture of the left lung from a fractured rib, the physician said. The boy's left arm was also broken, and his face was bruised.

Coroner Sudler, of the Eastern district, was notified, and an inquest will be held this morning

Stealing a ride? Really? I don't think James was some sort of criminal. I'm sure it was just youthful hijinks, the same way skateboarders would hang onto cars decades later. Still, streetcars weren't to be trifled with, as my previous subject Hyman Greenberg learned.

I also can't help but wonder if his lung got punctured when they lifted James to take him to the doctors. I am not doubting their good intentions, but moving someone with those injuries is dangerous.

Here's the result of the inquest:

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 25 October 1904, Tuesday:

Jury Exonerates Motorman.

The jury summoned by Coroner Sudler to investigate the circumstances attending the death of James Zacharski, 11 years old, 1733 Canton avenue, who was killed Saturday night in the Broadway Market by being crushed between a trolley car and a wagon, met last night at the Eastern Police District and decided that Zacharski had been killed through his own carelessness. The conductor and motorman of the car were exonerated.

The story about the inquest made me wonder if there was more to the incident than initially reported. If James simply grabbed onto the side of the streetcar to take a ride, and was accidentally crushed against a truck, why were the conductor and motorman on "trial." It makes me conclude that they were aware of the boy's presence. Were they supposed to stop and remove him? It also makes me think that one or both of them must have interacted with the lad in a way which could have potentially resulted in the his death. What other explanation was there? Obviously, the motorman didn't steer into or toward the truck. The street car was on rails!

That said, the decision of the inquest jury couldn't change one thing: James Zacharski was dead. I'm sure his loss, and the dashed promise of his young life, lingered with his family until their own deaths. His parents both died in 1944, and all of his siblings are gone now too.

To me, the deceased remain a presence in this world as long as people remember them. I wonder how many people have thought about that eleven-year-old boy recently. Other than us that is. Everyone who reads this story is keeping his memory alive.

I like that.

The inscription is in Polish. Norm Wilhelm translated it as:

Here lies Mieczysław Zacharski

Born 9 February 1894

Died 22 October 1904

Asks for a sigh to God

Remember, there is a story behind every grave. You never know what you're missing when you walk past one...

Grave Tales:

Grave Tales #1: Leopold W. Gilden

Grave Tales #2: Emanuel & Ruby Snell

Grave Tales #3: Philip "Pinky" Kandell

Grave Tales #4: Bobbi Jo Eaddy

Grave Tales #5: Anthony "Tony The Tiger" Brown

Grave Tales #6: Isidore & Solomon Gold

Grave Tales #7: Louis "Kid" Dorbert

Grave Tales #8: Maurice Goldberg

Grave Tales #9: Maria Monteferrante

Grave Tales #10: Oscar Goldstein

Grave Tales #11: James Tully

Grave Tales #12: Solomon Goldman

Grave Tales #13: Survilla Elizabeth Braverman

Grave Tales #14: Ernest & Dora Blumenfeld

Grave Tales #15: Terri Lea Sain

Grave Tales #16: Hyman Greenberg

Grave Tales #17: Sunshine Marie Royston Hillegas

Grave Tales #18: Samuel Shlian

Grave Tales #19: Gertrude Parnaby

Grave Tales #20: Susan Lynn Nasdor

Grave Tales #21: Rev. Ronald P. Pytel

Grave Tales #22: Dr. Maurice Chideckel

Grave Tales #23: Mieczyslaw "James" Zacharksi

Grave Tales #24: Yetta Palatnik

Grave Tales #25: Oscar N. Slitzer

Grave Tales #26: William Ashbie Hawkins

Grave Tales #27: Benjamin Kulpe

Grave Tales #28: Henry Nicholas John Gunther

Grave Tales #29: Philip Friedel

Grave Tales #30: Walter Ross Jester

Grave Tales #31: Thomas Bright

Grave Tales #32: John P. Brandau

Grave Tales #33: Norman Myers "Chubby" Chaney

Grave Tales #34: Isaac Winder

Grave Tales #35: Meyer Sacks

Grave Tales #36: "Commodore" Thornton Rollins

Grave Tales #37: John H. "Johnny Eck" Eckhardt

Grave Tales #38: Helena Mignon Zeigler

Grave Tales #39: Dr. James M. Morrison

Grave Tales #40: Morris M. "Miles Murphy" Snyder

Grave Tales #41: Regina Marie LaBanz Milewski

Grave Tales #42: Captain James Hooper, Jr.

My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble. Chapel Street is the tale of a young man battling a demonic entity that has driven members of his family to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting.

Learn more about the book, click Here.

Listen to me read some chapters here:

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 24, Bad News Betty

Read about the true haunting that inspired the novel here:

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 25, Joe's Tale

Let's stay in touch:

Follow me on Twitter: SeanPaulMurphy

Follow me on Facebook: Sean Paul Murphy

Follow me on Instagram: Sean Paul Murphy

Subscribe on YouTube: Sean Paul Murphy

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #79: Nightcrawler

Here's another COVID free ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a lively discussion of the movies that sometimes devolves into a group therapy session.

In this episode, we continue in our classic, deep dive mode as Drew brings the 2014 Dan Gilroy film Nightcrawler If you like Jake Gyllenhaal, and you like him really creepy, you definitely have to check this film out. A great discussion.

Here's the trailer for the movie:

Here's the podcast on YouTube:

Our Podcast is now available for download on iTunes: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast

Subscribe to our YouTube page: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast

Check out our webpage: Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast

Like us on Facebook: Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast.

Check out Wojo's webpage: Wojo's World

And follow her on Twitter: @TheMicheleWojo

Check out our other episodes here:

Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast Episode List

My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about the book, click Here.

Watch the book trailer:

Listen to me read some chapters here:

Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast Episode List

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #78: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Here's another COVID free ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a lively discussion of the movies that sometimes devolves into a group therapy session.

This episode is a reunion of the original Mother Podcasters. The four founding members, Ralph, Hassan, Uncle Al and yours truly haven't gotten together since the pre-COVID Episode 19: The Princess Bride. Now, fifty-nine episodes later, we have a great time looking at the1964 Stanley Kubrick classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. We're also joined by Drew, who couldn't resist joining in on the fun.

I hope we do another one of these after another fifty or so episodes!

Here's the trailer for the movie:

Here's the podcast on YouTube:

Our Podcast is now available for download on iTunes: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast

Subscribe to our YouTube page: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast

Check out our webpage: Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast

Like us on Facebook: Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast.

Check out Wojo's webpage: Wojo's World

And follow her on Twitter: @TheMicheleWojo

Check out our other episodes here:

My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about the book, click Here.

Watch the book trailer:

Listen to me read some chapters here:

MovieStrange Show: Lost Highway

I was recently invited to appear on the MovieStrange Show, a sister channel of the Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast. This YouTube show is an exploration of darker, more obscure and cult-oriented films. The original conceit was that Mother Podcaster Drew Gould and founding member Uncle Al would share their transgressive favorites with Podmaster Ralph. It's fun. You should definitely check it out.

I was invited on the show to discuss the 1997 film Lost Highway by director David Lynch. It has been described as the most Lynchian of his films -- and it does crank up the Lynch to eleven. The film is also well-known for defying all rational explanation. However, I think Drew and I figured it out. Ralph, on the other hand, remains lost on the highway.

Check it out:

Subscribe to The MovieStrange Show: MovieStrange Show

Subscribe to The Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast

My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about the book, click Here.

Watch the book trailer:

Listen to me read some chapters here: