James P. Hosty, Lee Harvey Oswald's FBI Interrogator -- RIP

James P. Hosty (photo), the FBI special agent who interviewed Lee Harvey Oswald in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy's murder, passed away Friday in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City Star's obit provides a very simple overview of the man's life and significance in the JFK story.

Hosty's professional connection to the lurid JFK assassination saga led to an unrelenting light on him that severely diminished his personal privacy for the remainder of his life. Just about any theory about Kennedy's death, no matter how dimwitted, would include Hosty. He spent many years trying to clear his reputation after director Oliver Stone smeared him in the movie JFK. Hosty also submitted his documentation about the Oswald affair to the National Archives.

That this most unfortunate FBI special agent lived and ultimately passed away in Kansas City was not an accident. J. Edgar Hoover had him transferred there one year after JFK was buried. I happen to like Kansas City (my parents lived there). However, it strikes me that, for special agents in the limelight, KC is the FBI's equivalent of the Witness Protection Program.

Hosty's life, with its suggestion of Greek tragedy, has finally ended. May the man rest in peace.

Hollywood Directors Pan for TV Gold

A trend in the American movie making business is the movement of big-name Hollywood directors to television. The LA Times offers an interesting story on the topic in today's editions, including quotes from Curtis Hanson, Neil Jordan, and Michael Mann.

Intriguingly, the directors note that the current cable TV formats allow them to tell stories, develop characters, and use naturalistic locations. In contrast, they noted the current big screen tendency toward leveraging special effects, having characters straight from Fantasyland, and cutting corners on storytelling craft.

The Times story also notes some strong reasons why big screen pictures maintain their allure. Oliver Stone provides the quotes, and they're surprisingly reasonable.