Hemingway in the Autumn

Dead authors trolling for tourists? You betcha. The strangely titled Hemingway in the Autumn is a weird combination of tabloid TV ("all too soon tragedy struck"), literary biography, and travelogue, with a plug for Sun Valley and a pitch to hunt where Hemingway hunted at the end of the video. Hosted by Carolyn Holly in singsong news-speak, the program lightly glosses over Hemingway's pre-Idaho career (in about a minute) and then visits with friends, scholars, and Hemingway's son Jack, who all basically recite the Hemingway myth while viewers watch home video footage of Papa--mainly hunting in Idaho--and listen to grandiose music that sounds as if it belongs in a John Ford epic western. Fans of all things Hemingway will gain insight into the Idaho years--and larger collections will surely want to consider; for others, this is an optional purchase. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)