Announcing the Two Jacks Blogathon

On November 22, 1963, Clive Staples Lewis and John Fitzgerald Kennedy died within an hour of each other, with Kennedy’s death vastly overshadowing Lewis’s for obvious reasons.

These two men, in some respects, couldn’t have been more different, although they had quite a bit in common. Lewis was born in Ireland and Kennedy’s family came from Wexford (On a side note, so did my ancestors on my dad’s side). Both were great readers and published authors. Both were war veterans; Lewis was a British Army veteran of the First World War, while Kennedy captained a PT boat for the United States Navy during the Second World War. Lewis converted to Christianity from atheism, while Kennedy was a lifelong Catholic.

That’s where the similarities end. Kennedy was a politician while Lewis was a man of letters. Kennedy’s dalliances with women were legendary, while Lewis, before marrying Joy Gresham, lived so quietly with his brother, Warnie that he was practically a monk. Kennedy had children while Lewis did not, although he became a stepfather to Joy’s two boys, Douglas and David. Lewis didn’t watch TV, considered reading newspapers a waste of time and rarely went to movies, while Kennedy helped shape foreign policy and regularly hobnobbed with famous personages, not the least among them, Marilyn Monroe.

However, on one point they were identical: Both Lewis and Kennedy were nicknamed “Jack.”

With the sixtieth anniversary of Kennedy and Lewis’s deaths coming up, I thought it would be nice to honor both of them with a blogathon. JFK has been portrayed in popular culture many, many times (see a partial list here), and while C.S. Lewis can’t say the same (see a list here), his influence on pop culture is still very much felt.

This blogathon won’t be limited to film appearances but also books and documentaries, biographical information about Lewis and Kennedy, movies and TV shows released during 1963, the general culture of that era, and even about the Kennedy assassination.

And now would be a good time for…

The Rules

1. The blogathon will take place from November 21st until November 23rd, with a wrapup post on the 24th. Posts can be sent to me on or around those days, and participants are limited to three posts apiece.
2. Posts can be sent to me via the Comment section of this blog, my Contact page, my Twitter and Instagram pages (both @TakingUpRoom), or e-mail (rebeccadeniston@gmail.com)
3. Possible topics can be movie or TV show portrayals of John F. Kennedy or C.S. Lewis, maybe both, reviews of their books or movies made of their books, documentaries made about them, fictionalized portrayals, their influence on popular culture, the culture of 1963, other events that happened at the same time as Lewis and Kennedy’s deaths, movies and TV shows from 1963, biographical information, Kennedy and Lewis’s families and friends, JFK’s assassination, and so on. Posts about metaphorical portrayals are fine too, such as Treebeard in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, or related topics, such as the 1992 film, Ruby.
4. Nothing derogatory will be accepted, and political opinions must be kept as diplomatic as possible.
5. Since potential topics are a little bit limited, duplicates are allowed. Different angles on the same topic are allowed as well, such as including the topic in a listicle.
6. If anyone is interested in signing up, please leave a comment here or by any of the other avenues listed above.
7. Grab a banner and advertise the blogathon!

The Roster

Taking Up Room: JFK: 3 Shots That Changed America (2009), a selection of C.S. Lewis poems

The Stop Button: In the Line of Fire (1993)

MovieRob: The Missiles of October (1974), Early Edition (The Wall Parts 1 & 2) (1997)

A Full Rich Blather: Thirteen Days (2000)

Classic Film and TV Corner: Jack Kennedy’s Hollywood Connections

Silver Screenings: Fun In Acapulco (1963)

Phyllis Loves Classic Movies: TBD

Whimsically Classic: JFK and Jackie on The Simpsons

The Midnite Drive-in: Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)

Dubsism: PT-109 (1963)

18 Cinema Lane: Shadowlands (1985)

The Banners