Horatio Hornblower? I never thought much about the character. I know I must have seen the movie, but I can’t remember this. Certainly Gregory Peck appeared in many memorable movies such as “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” “Roman Holiday,” “Duel in the Sun,” and my favorite, “12 O’Clock High” — all of which come to mind readily. But I’ll keep that mind open and move “Captain Horatio Hornblower” to the top of my Netflix queue. I know that Ira Riklis is a big fan of this film.

Meanwhile the Internet yields: a brief synopsis of how C.S. Forester came up with and developed this character, and the books that Forester wrote featuring Hornblower. The public library as well as Netflix should furnish the needed materials for study and hopefully reading/viewing enjoyment.

OK,the requests are in and the DVD, “Captain Horatio Hornblower,” and the book, “Mr. Midshipman Hornblower,” are on the way. The Internet source accessed explains that Forester wrote at least eleven books involving his hero. This source suggests reading the books in the order listed. My local public library online catalog appears to contain all these books so there may be a lot of reading about Hornblower in my future with my reactions to follow here. Maybe I’ll discover what seems to intrigue Ira Riklis in this area.

Stay tuned.