Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 2, 1994 TAG: 9312300193
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
"Aren't we all?" he asks, reflecting on the 20 years he spent working in 20 jobs in 20 places around the world.
Now, one year after he said goodbye to the temporary jobs of his transient years and moved back to his parents' home in the New River Valley, Marlowe, 44, has specialized his hobby of film-viewing into a way of life, and his appreciation for the cinema has evolved into a passion for puzzle-making.
"You've got to become specialized in life, because that's the way society works," he said. "And most importantly, you've got to specialize in something you enjoy."
Although Marlowe's creative interests are diverse _ from writing to music _ he has found a niche in his love of old films, and he now spends most of his days at home in front of the television, creating trivia puzzles and quizzes based on films' plots and characters.
And he couldn't be happier.
"I'm just trying to get myself into the position where I'm doing something I enjoy," Marlowe said.
It's been a long time coming, he said.
Marlowe, who describes himself as the "least financially successful" middle-aged man ever to be voted "most likely to succeed" by his Blacksburg High School classmates, said his life up until this point has been a constant search to find enjoyment.
"I've been goofing off for 20 years," he said. "I've lived a very eccentric life."
Marlowe said the harsh realities of modern-day America did not live up to his expectations, and, after 20 years of nomadic living and unrewarding employment, he found himself "beat up, broke and burned out" halfway through life.
So he decided to make a change.
"It's a process of reinventing myself," he said. "Now, I'm just trying to become more free-flowing. I'm just not going to worry about the way other people operate."
When he returned to the New River Valley, Marlowe found an old friend in cinema.
He said he first began watching old films because of his interest in fiction writing and his admitted weakness in creating plot lines.
After taking pages and pages of notes while studying the plots of different films, Marlowe decided to create trivia puzzles to entertain himself and other film buffs.
"I thought I could provide that service and make some use of all these notes I made," he said. "It's fairly simple, and it might be fun for other movie fans."
But there is more to Marlowe's puzzles than simply trivial pursuits.
"My feeling is the pace of change is great and accelerating and creates economic and psychological stress," he said. "It also creates a division among generations."
Marlowe said one way to bridge the gap between the generations is to develop an appreciation of the art forms of the past _ such as old films.
"If we appreciate that kind of innocence in the arts, we might find it refines our behavior," he said. "I'm hoping this will make people aware in a very small way."
Marlowe said he doesn't necessarily believe the present is inferior to the past, but he does believe the best of the past should be saved for the benefit of the present generation.
Although Marlowe hopes to one day publish his cinematic brain-teasers, he said making money is not as important as the intrinsic rewards he receives from finally doing something he enjoys.
"Why not do what I want to do, whether it makes me any money or not?" he asks. "I work on the thesis that if you do the right thing _ that's something you enjoy _ maybe, eventually, the money will come."
If you enjoyed working this puzzle and want to say so, if you have some suggestions or just want to leave a question for the puzzle designer, call INFOLINE at 382-0200, then enter Code 3842.
Keywords:
INFOLINE INPUT FILE WAS 0139 OUTPUT FILE WAS
/ASST/CSI/1230/PASS2/0147
by CNB