Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Characters in The Seven Second Kiss: Jim Baskett

I named that character after Jim Baskett who played Unlcle Remus in Disney's Song of the South. In The Seven Second Kiss, when I introduce him, Jim's personality emulates that of the Uncle Remus character but rapidly shifts as the story unfolds.

Jim works in a night club on New York's 42nd street. He is in charge of the crew who wash dishes in the back. Until Connie shows up looking desperately for a job all the dishwashers are black. Connie comes from a place where there are no black people. Jim is the first such person she has ever met. Connie is the first white person over whom Jim has been a boss. She works hard for him proving her worth and the two become good friends.

Jim had been a coronet player with King Oliver's band at one time. For a long time that band was well respected and successful but due to hard times it broke up. Joe Oliver ended up working a menial job as a janitor. Jim suffered his own hardship and for some reason became unable to play his instrument in a band in front of an audience. He ended up washing dishes and then became the person in charge of washing dishes.

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