Washington Irving and James Kirke Paulding’s Salmagundi (1807)

Washington Irving and James Kirke Paulding’s Salmagundi (1807)

Being Anglophile and aware of London happenings, Irving probably picked up the aftermath of the Pic Nic Society scandal during his tour of Europe 1804-1806. The word stuck, but it’s used only once as an adjective to mean something silly. Under the heading “Fashions by...
Winslow Homer’s A Picnic in the Woods (1840)

Winslow Homer’s A Picnic in the Woods (1840)

Homer’s A Picnic in the Woods is a pleasant joke, suggesting that the usually staid picnic might also be tumultuous. The action here is everywhere. A large picnic blanket is spread and filled with food: a bowl of fruit, a large ham with a knife for carving, a...
Fred Zinnemann’s Oklahoma! (1955)

Fred Zinnemann’s Oklahoma! (1955)

Fred Zinnemann’s Oklahoma! is an adaptation of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Oklahoma! (1943) is an adaptation of Lynn Riggs’ Green Grow the Lilacs (1931).  Hammerstein wrote one (Act 2) to intensify the rivalry between Curly McClain and...
Walt Disney’s Donald Duck Beach Picnic (1939)

Walt Disney’s Donald Duck Beach Picnic (1939)

Donald Duck’s beach picnic makes a joke of expectations. Intending a pleasant day at the beach, Donald is upset and bedeviled with turmoil. Especially the ants, dressed in war paint like “Native Americans,” steal Donald’s picnic. The idea is...
Jean Renoir’s Partie de Campagne (1946)

Jean Renoir’s Partie de Campagne (1946)

Renoir’s close adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s Partie de Campagne is about the sad romantic consequences of a family picnic. Even the menu is Maupassant’s: fried fish, stewed rabbit [fricassee], salad, beer, claret, and coffee. However, Renoir...
Edward Dmytryk’s Raintree County (1957)

Edward Dmytryk’s Raintree County (1957)

Dmytryk’s picnic is a traditional affair on the rocky ledge of the Shawmucky River: a blanket, food, and a demijohn of corn liquor. It begins happily and ends with a kiss. The day’s happiness is a prelude to John Shawnessey’s love affair and unfortunate marriage to...
Alexandra Day’s  The Teddy Bears Picnic  (1983)

Alexandra Day’s The Teddy Bears Picnic (1983)

As they should, Day’s illustrations for The Teddy Bears’ Picnic emphasize a picnic where the bears are stocked with honey, bananas, pears, oranges, cake, soda, jellybeans, marshmallows, and chips. Inexplicably included are garlands of red peppers and garlic. See...