Damn History | Issue 78 | May 2024

What is it like to be on a movie set? I had no idea, until I traveled last month to Budapest, Hungary, to visit the production of Nuremberg, a film adapted from my book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist.

I spent time with director and screenwriter James Vanderbilt, cinematographer Dariusz Wolki, many of the producers, members of the cast, and people who comprised the enormous filmmaking crew. I watched the shooting of six scenes – some repeated more than twenty times to try out different camera angles, various lighting effects, and nuances of dialogue – set in the main hall of Nuremberg prison, Herman Göring’s cell, and a military transport plane.

A couple of weeks later, my wife Ann and I flew to San Diego to see the premiere performance of playwright Jake Broder’s Sense of Decency, also based on The Nazi and the Psychiatrist. (I had earlier participated in three days of rehearsals.) The sharp audience at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach much appreciated this exploration of U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas M. Kelley’s downfall – a vastly different focus on the story than in Nuremberg.

In both cases, it felt overwhelming to see scenes I had previously only described on the page play out on the screen and stage. I loved witnessing how other creative people interpret and tease out aspects of the story. These were the most fun works trips I’ve ever taken. Sense of Decency will remain in production through May 12. Nuremberg may appear in movie houses by the end of this year.

Here in Damn History you'll find, as usual, recommendations on good and popularly accessible historical reading, with tips on writing and links to my own work.

 — Jack El-Hai

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Jack_ElHai

Contact me at [email protected]

Personal Notes

From my tips on giving history talks: Don’t read aloud – “doing so puts people to sleep.”

If you will be near Madelia, Minn., on May 13, please stop by a talk I’m giving about my book The Lost Brothers. (And I will read aloud only for a minute or two!)

And if you are attending the annual conference of Biographers International in NYC, I am in the “From Books to Film” panel discussion on May 17 with biography luminaries Kai Bird and A’Lelia Bundles.

For a bountiful collection of my popular-history book, article, and audiobook recommendations, search X (formerly known as Twitter) for the hashtag #popularhistory.

Recent Popular History from All Over

You may find some of these articles behind a paywall if you’ve exceeded the publisher’s allowance of free views.

The sidewalk grate that Marilyn Monroe famously stood above in NYC continues to vent air.

A pirate king bearing stolen treasure ignited the world’s first global manhunt.

The Aztec Death Whistle has terrified people for centuries.

Clara Bow’s important silent film The Pill Pounder has been rediscovered.

Ian Fleming, reporting on a Soviet show trial, declared that “Russia is ruled by an army of executioners.”

Pay homage to the verbal rhythms of Jimmy Breslin and other vanished newspaper columnists.

Too little has been written about the eighteenth-century baron who gave his name to Munchausen Syndrome.

“The hidden history of the Cold War adoption complex.”

Leopold and Loeb were considered “too young to be executed.”

If you believe Ellis Island officials routinely changed the names of immigrants, read this.

From Shakespeare to Walter Cronkite, the pun has been powerful.

The theft of Hollywood’s most iconic memorabilia, Dorothy’s ruby slippers, is both tragic and comic.

Resources

Learn the intellectual value of excruciating tedium.

Contrary to social media memes, books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Catch-22, and Fahrenheit 451 have not topped lists of banned books for years. Titles with LGBTQ themes now dominate.

Do you know the crime history writing of Jeff Maysh? You should.

“We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others.” – François de la Rochefoucauld

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Housekeeping

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About me: I'm a writer whose beat is history. I've contributed hundreds of articles to such publications as Smithsonian, The Atlantic, Wired, Scientific American, Discover, GQ, The Washington Post Magazine, Longreads.com, and many others. My books include The Lost Brothers: A Family’s Decades-Long Search, The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness, Non-Stop: A Turbulent History of Northwest Airlines, and The Nazi and the Psychiatrist: Hermann Goering, Dr. Douglas M. Kelley, and a Fatal Meeting of Minds at the End of WW2. I often give presentations to groups of writers, readers, and others.

Please feel free to get in touch.