In the beginning, the Don Camillo Mailing List was processed via "Coollist," which, as far as I know, doesn't maintain an online archive of list posts (although let me know if you discover one out there, as I can always use this megabyte or so for other purposes!). So I've compiled all the posts and put them on this one long page in chronological order (oldest message first). They cover the period from July 10, 1998, to January 7, 1999-- i.e., until we moved the list from "Coollist" to "ONElist"-- and provide a pretty good picture of a small group of Guareschi fans trying to get something started.

Our current listserver, Yahoo!Groups, does maintain an online archive, so if you get to the bottom of this page and want to continue catching up, follow the link there to the Yahoo!Groups "doncamillo" list archive (first post went out January 8, 1999).

Here goes:

From: Vajrang Parvate
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998, 16:28:31 +05:30
Subject: The Don Camillo mailing list

Greetings fellow Don Camillo fans,

I've created a mailing list where you can write in any GG related stuff.... With my limited resources, it's a free web-based mailing list. Instructions on how to subscribe/etc. to the list are at http://members.tripod.com/~vajrang/littleworld/....

-Vajrang
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From: Karen Welbourn
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998, 09:13:34 -04:00 (EDT)
Subject: Testing, 1,2,3 ...

Hi!

Is anyone else signed up yet? What shall we talk about? A particular book each month, or story each week, or nothing so structured? Hope to hear from you all soon!

A very enthusiastic Karen Welbourn
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From: Karen Welbourn
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998, 16:15:25 -04:00 (EDT)
Subject: Don Camillo Films; Off to the Little World

Hello, fellow Don Camillo List Members (both of you)!

Well, just this past weekend I finally saw all five of the "Don Camillo" films with Fernandel and Gino Cervi. Strictly speaking, it was films #2-5 that I "finally" saw, as I already owned an English-dubbed copy of the first film in the series. But what I mean is, I decided to drive to Washington, DC, where there's a "French Video Club," and rent the complete set in French. No, I don't speak French. But my research suggested that the only way I'd ever see films nos. 2-5 was in a "foreign" language. And I had to get said foreign videos here in the US, as European-videos-from-Europe don't play on American TVs. That I didn't have to go all the way to New York to get them was pretty amazing. Anyhow, I enjoyed the films immensely! There were, of course, plenty of things I didn't understand (I have a long list of questions for someone), but it was surprisingly easy to follow the stories in general. And I think Fernandel, despite not being the physical type suggested by the stories, was a perfect Don Camillo. It's a shame that only the first movie was ever dubbed into English (of course, it's a shame it was dubbed rather than subtitled, but that's a different issue ...).

And now it's off to the Little World for me!  I leave Thursday night for a vacation to "Guareschi country"...

Karen Welbourn
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From: Karen Welbourn
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998, 12:37:22 -04:00 (EDT)
Subject: Shall we talk? "Top ten"

Hi!

I don't know whether I'm only writing to Vajrang and Matteo, or whether others have joined the list... but I'm going to toss out a conversational gambit. Ever tried to name your ten favorite Don Camillo stories? I've been trying to come up with a list, thinking I'd post it at my website, but it's really not an easy task. In fact, I can't do it! And that's with only the hundred-and-thirty-odd English-translated ones to choose from; I can't imagine choosing only ten from among all 350 of the stories. But here are ten I really, really like a lot, listed in no particular order

-- "The Procession" (The Little World of DC)-- a classic; the Reds try to boycott the annual blessing of the river

-- "The Meeting" (The Little World of DC)-- a mild-mannered Liberal Party speaker is greeted by hecklers when he comes to town, and Peppone finds himself the man's unlikely defender (I love the part with the red handkerchief)

-- "Red Letter Day" (Don Camillo and His Flock)-- in one of Don Camillo's meaner tricks, Peppone receives a supposedly official letter inviting him to move to Russia ... which suddenly doesn't seem like such a promised land

-- "Technique of the Coup d'Etat" (Don Camillo and His Flock)-- the Reds think they've won the election, and Peppone's men are off to warn the folks on the Party's hit list (starting with DC)

-- "The Stranger" (Don Camillo's Dilemma)-- Peppone's old army commander shows up in reduced circumstances and in need of car repairs, but Mayor Botazzi finds himself unable to take advantage of the potential for revenge inherent in the situation (I really love this story)

-- "The Excommunicated Madonna" (Don Camillo's Dilemma)-- a classic; a visiting artist chooses a godless woman as his model for a painting of the Virgin, with interesting results

-- "Peppone Goes Back to School" (Don Camillo's Dilemma)-- another classic; Don Camillo helps Peppone pass the eighth grade

-- "Peppone's Pilgrimage" (Don Camillo Takes the Devil By the Tail)-- Peppone's son is sick, and Don Camillo ends up escorting him to a shrine for prayer

-- "Victims of War" (Don Camillo Takes the Devil By the Tail)-- Milco is made guilty by the annual visits of the widow of Sergeant Fritz, a German soldier he secretly killed during the occupation

-- "Three Stalks of Wheat" (Comrade Don Camillo)-- one of the comrades on the USSR tour has come to pay his respects to his brother, who died there in the war; Don Camillo says a Mass for the Dead

Anyone else want to name some favorites?

Karen Welbourn
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From: Matteo Castelli
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998, 22:24:54 +01:00
Subject: Re: Shall we talk? "Top ten"

   > Ever tried to name your ten favorite Don
   >  Camillo stories? I've been trying to come
   > up with a list, thinking I'd post it at my
   > website, but it's really not an easy task.

No, it's very difficult. When I started my site, I thought about a top ten but later I gave up. In fact this "list" should change very often following my mood, my interests and so on. Sometimes I also "discover" a new story that I did not consider very good in the first reading, but later I find something in it that seems to fit with my current feelings and it becomes one of my favourites.

   > "The Procession" (The Little World of DC)--
   > a classic; the Reds try to boycott the
   > annual blessing of the river

This is also a very good episode in the first film. The desert town, Don Camillo that carries the cross alone, the Communists that wait for him along the river, Peppone that let Don Camillo pass only because he is carrying Christ, the speech of Don Camillo etc...

   > "The Meeting" (The Little World of DC)-- a
   > mild-mannered Liberal Party  speaker is
   > greeted by hecklers when he comes to
   > town, and Peppone finds himself the man's
   > unlikely defender (I love the part with the
   > red handkerchief)

I like this one a lot, too. This story always reminds me another one, but I don't remember the title and the book it was published in. The Reds of Peppone strike a speaker of another party, then Peppone realizes the speaker was his commander when he was a partisan and tries to help him. The word of the speaker are something like that "It was better if I were died when we were on the mountains together together with our friends. At least they did not see what happened to Italy".

   > "The Stranger" (Don Camillo's Dilemma)--
   > Peppone's old army commander shows
   > up in reduced circumstances and in need
   > of car repairs, but Mayor Botazzi finds
   > himself unable to take advantage of the
   > potential for revenge inherent in the
   > situation (I really love this story)

Me, too. I especially like the description of Peppone's feelings. They are described using the point of view of Peppone himself, but we can realize that they are not "true". For example, he didn't want to repair the car immediately because he is afraid to kill the sergeant but because he want to demonstrate him how a good worker he is.

   > "Peppone Goes Back to School" (Don
   > Camillo's Dilemma)--another classic; Don
   > Camillo helps Peppone pass the eighth grade

This is one story that I like more in the film than in the book (incredible!). In the book, Camillo suggests Peppone to write the essay on his Confirmation, while in the movie he describes his first meeting with Don Camillo (very funny). By the way eighth grade? are you sure? at what age do you attend the eighth grade?

   > "Three Stalks of Wheat" (Comrade Don
   > Camillo)-- one of the comrades on the
   > USSR tour has come to pay his respects
   > to his brother, who died there in the war;
   > Don Camillo says a Mass for the Dead

Very moving. I think Comrade Don Camillo is a book very different from the others. There are many moving situations (this one, the old woman that wants to see the Pope etc...) that are not always "tempered" by Guareschi's humourism.

   > Anyone else want to name some favorites?

One of my favourite (by the way I just re-read it yesterday) is [long summary because I thing it's not translated in English, correct me if I'm wrong]:

--- "In the town of <melodrama>" (L'anno di Don Camillo -The year of Don Camillo -)--- a salesman arrives in Peppone's town, but he has no more money to fill the tank of the motorbike he uses for visit the towns of la Bassa. He is very sad and disappointed and did not see a way to improve his life condition. The war took away his house and almost all his belongings and selling items is becoming always more difficult. So he decided to suicide in the Po, but before committing suicide he decides to make a sort of "adventure" going to a restaurant (-trattoria-) without having the money to pay for the dinner. At the money request of the owner, he tells the only thing he could give him was a song (-during the war, in a lager a German soldier gave him some bread for "Oh sole mio"-). He starts to sing watching very deeply the eyes of Giuseppe Verdi, painted in a picture on the wall. Then he finishes to sing and... [please forgive my translation of Giovannino's words]

"The guy moved and went towards the door because the river waited for him. When he passed in front of the counter, Ganassa (-the owner's name-) woke up he stand up, opened the desk and browsed and put on the marble 390 Liras. 'Mister, the change for the 1000 liras,' said Ganassa with a deep voice. The guy turned and was amazed by that extraordinary situation. Than he also feeled the atmosphere of melodrama and smiling said 'change, tip.' 'Thanks, mister,' said Ganassa. He was very happy and amazed because he has never received such a big tip in the whole life."

He decides not to die and in the town meets Peppone that has repaired his motorbike free because he has heard the song, too.

--- "The eye of Stalin" (Ciao, Don Camillo) --- The imaginary death of Don Camillo & Peppone that tried to save their town from a Russian invasion.

--- "The band" (Ciao, Don Camillo) --- A land owner decides to create a musical group so that he could play his favourite instruments the clarino (?). When he dies he left his wonderful clarino to "Il falchetto", a communist activist that once played in the group even if there were many discussion between them. During his funeral, Il falchetto played with the entire band the "Inno del Fiume" (Song of the river), the best musical composition of the land owner. The best part of this story is the description of the song "Inno del Fiume"... if you spend a day near the Po, you can feel all the situation described in it.

--- "The old teacher" (The little world of Don Camillo) --- Another classic in my opinion. The last desire of the old teacher is to have a funeral with the old Italian flag, the one with the symbol of the king...what to do ?

etc... etc... etc...  :-)

Ciao!
Matteo Castelli
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From: Karen Welbourn
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998, 18:26:13 -04:00 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Re: Shall we talk? "Top ten"

Hi!

Matteo said,
   > When I started my site, I thought about
   > a top ten  but later I gave up.  In fact this
   > "list" should change very often following
   > my mood, my interests and so on.

Yes, I agree.

Re: "The Procession":
Like Matteo, I also liked the cinematic rendering of "The Procession," with that ultra-dramatic music which is used again in the second film when Don Camillo carries the cross up the mountainside to his exile parish.

MC said,
   > This story ["The Meeting"] always reminds
   > me another one, but I don't remember the
   > title and the book it was published in. The
   > Reds of Peppone strike a speaker of another
   > party, then Peppone realizes the speaker 
   > was his commander when he was a partisan ...

In English, that one's "The Sun Also Rises," and it's in Don Camillo and His Flock. At the beginning of the story, Don Camillo is enraged when it looks like the Communists are promising to return prisoners-of-war from Russia to their grieving mothers, in exchange for votes. Peppone is disillusioned with the Party's methods throughout the story.

Re: "Peppone Goes Back to School":
As far as Peppone and the eighth grade, that's the way it's rendered in English. Eighth grade is completed at the age of 14, here [in the US]. It's the last milestone before "high school."

Re: "In the Town of ...":
And thanks for that plot summary! I must either learn to read Italian, or get my hands on some more Spanish versions (since I think more of the stories exist in Spanish than in English). We miss out on so much!!!

Karen
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From: Roland F. Hirsch
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998, 03:18:34 -04:00 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Re: Shall we talk? "Top ten"

I am a subscriber also and will eventually add my suggestions for the 'top ten'. Some of my favorites are already on the list[s mentioned]!

Roland F. Hirsch
Germantown, Maryland, U.S.A.
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From: Karen Welbourn
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1998, 23:34:54 -04:00 (EDT)
Subject: Another topic of conversation

Hello, again!

Well, fellow list-members, what shall we talk about next? I think there are at least five of us here now. I haven't heard from Vajrang lately, and I certainly don't want to take over the list in his absence, but I'll be happy to suggest topics if anyone's interested.

We could go for something silly--for instance, has anyone ever tried to work out just how many children Peppone must have? :-) I haven't been able to do it, not even from just the stories in English.

Or would you prefer a "deeper" topic--such as whether GG's Christ, though Guareschi said He was simply to be read as the voice of the author's own conscience, is or is not also a fairly "sound" portait of the Lord?

Or we could trade "How I discovered Don Camillo" stories. Mine's at my website, so you've probably already seen it [she says, naively assuming that everyone who looks at the site reads every word of her text :-) ]. But what about the rest of you?

Or does anyone else have some favorite stories to list? I've thought of more since posting my ten!

I had originally intended to post to this list a brief account of what I saw on my August vacation to the Little World, but that, too, has been going up to my Guareschi site, in bits and pieces; see the "Visiting the Little World Today " pages of my site, if interested.

Hoping to start some traffic :-) ,

Karen Welbourn
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