Another fun card I made using my color bursts, water, a stamp and lots of fun. These color bursts are in a small plastic bottle which you just sprinkle a little bit down, add water and watch the colour explode. It's so much fun to see how the colours work. Once the pink and plum dried, I stamped the flower image and fussy cut it out. I adhered the green backing(OK not quite sage and celery but they are kind of around...use your imagination) to some pink cardstock and added the flower using pop up dots I coloured the leaves in sage and celery (honestly I did), added the border stickers, that I coloured in a pale pink, and the pink Crystals for the centre of the flowers.
I wish all of you a great last day of February. Please let's send our special thoughts to the people, and their pets, of Ukraine. This is, unfortunately, not the first time they have had to deal with Russia (They lost close to 7 million people in 1932/33, due to starvation and murder, at the hands of Stalin during his Russian rule. Ukraine has always been their own country in my eyes.
We have the TV edition and it is all about workplace romance. I could have gone the Love Boat route and, even Hart to Hart (I love that show), but I chose 3 that did take place in the office. Wandering Through The Shelves made me put on my thinking cap for this one...
1. CHEERS-1982-1993
I love this show which had a great cast from Ted Danson as Alcoholic, womanizing, Sam Malone, Shelley Long as repressed, neurotic snob Diane Chambers to many of the characters we meet at the bar-Norm, Cliff, Woody, Carla, Coach and, later, Frazier, Lilith and Rebecca who also had a fling with Sam. When this show started it was the lowest rated comedy...the lowest but, thankfully, the brain of NBC, Brandon Tartikoff, would not cancel it. By the end of season one, when Sam and Diane finally express their feelings, it shot up to #1 and stayed there. When Shelley Long left the show (she thought she would make it big in movies...zzzz), Kirstie Alley came in as Ice Queen Rebecca Howe and made the show even better. Woody was played by Woody Harrelson who became a big star and Kelsey Grammar was such a hit as Frazier Crane on this show that his 6 parter grew to be a regular and, finally, became the longest running character on TV because the actor went on to play Frazier in another excellent sitcom with his ex-wife, Lilith, reprising her role, on occasion, on the latter series. Ok that was a very long sentence.
2. ANYTHING BUT LOVE-1989-1992
This show is not well remembered but I think it was quite funny with Jamie Lee Curtis hired on a magazine with Richard Lewis as a fellow columnist. They meet on a plane and he is the one who gets her the job at the magazine. They are instantly attracted to one another but try to resist it because of the workplace situation. Many at the office don't buy into it. We see the comical manner these 2 create and, believe it or not, Jamie Lee Curtis makes Richard Lewis likeable and they have good chemistry. I have to say I loved the TV critic, played by Joseph Maher, who was so great as his snarky character.
3. JUST SHOOT ME-1997-2003
I started watching this show because George Segal was in it and he is funny as the wacky dad who owns a cosmo style magazine. His daughter comes to him for a job after being fired from her previous one and feels like she has to take a step down to work there. The photographer can match her but loves being "free". You have Wendy Malick as the former super model now working here but still loving the fun life of sex, drugs and rock n' roll often coming in late not knowing what day or year it is. David Spade plays the icky assistant to Segal who is always trying to get laid but never does because...well,....he is David Spade. This was another series that people have forgotten about but it is worth seeing because the characters are funny and it is well played. The lead gal is played by Laura San Giocomo who is excellent but I have not seen her in much since the show ended which is a shame.
Here, in Canada, we have our newest holiday, Family Day, which is the 3rd Monday in February. Jumping Junipers! We are at the end of February already and I can't get over it. Well, yes...I can but I can't believe we will be heading into March which brings birthdays but also a wonderful weather mix of WTF. It could be raining, snowing, ice, fog, warm temps to 70F but also -10 C and all in one day. I hate March. I created the Apfel Kuchen or, apple cake, for my hubby on Family Day and it turned out quite well. My mom and I often made this cake when I was growing up. Now I just need whipping cream (not the dreaded cool whip which is sugared oil in white) but the true blue whipping cream that I do whip up for hubby. He also like the cake with ice cream. This got me thinking about music that concerns family and here are my choices...
1. THE ADAM'S FAMILY-1964
Of course I will choose this song because haven't we all felt like we were born into this type of family on one occasion or another? For the series, I prefer the Munsters but The Adams Family is well known especially with the cartoon and the movies starring Angelica Huston and Raul Julia. This song was written by Vic Mizzy (Love that name) who wrote for many shows including this one.
2. FAMILY PORTRAIT BY PINK-2001
You didn't expect this one from me did ya? I actually really like Pink even if her pants are way, way too low in this video. I don't think it's appealing to see the hip bones and all that, no matter what sex you are. I'm not a prude but it is not aesthetically pleasing. Anyhoo, back to the song which is very hard hitting, sad but truthful. Many children had to listen to their parents argue and it stays with them. When I was a teen, my dad was in his mid 60s and truly was raised old school, literally in a log cabin with no running water, up north. We clashed because I was a teen (aka bratty) and he couldn't deal with me getting older so he could be very hurtful and used harsh words that still resonate with me. My mom was in the middle and he would blame me for their arguments. He died just before I turned 24 and we were coming to know each other, respect each other and grow up together. I bet he would have been proud of me and I would be more helpful to him and understanding. He could be very unfair at times but, if anyone would ask me if he was a fair man, I would state, without hesitation, "Yes." No person comes from a perfect family but some are blessed with better role models than others. I had 2 great role models. By the way, my mom was always the disciplinarian where no meant no!
3. WE ARE FAMILY BY SISTER SLEDGE-1979
You know I would pick this one because it is just so obvious. This song was written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers but sung by this sister group. No one thought it would become the mega hit it is today that has been used in many films like The Birdcage. I love dancing to this.
Any family songs? Maybe songs your whole family loved to listen to?
I am finally getting my mojo back with card making. When Covid hit and we had to work remotely, I was using my craft room to work in. It made me feel comforted and safe... until I was let go in a most mean way to be honest. A one sentence blurb through Zoom without even a word saying they would give me a reference or anything was a kick in the gut. Thankfully, I have saved my numerous google reviews from many clients. I didn't realize that I now looked at my craft room in a negative way until I got better from my operation and Christmas left. After Christmas, I just didn't want to go into my room of solace but...enough is enough! I straightened it out (it's a mess again but that's ok) and I am working on a scrapbook but I have created a couple of cards but only showing one today.
I took my inspiration from the Fusion Challenge because those birds are lovely. Nature is just amazing isn't it? I wasn't sure if I could use distress paste on the golden backing but it worked. I took a stencil and smeared the paste over it followed by gold embossing powder over top. Once the paste was dry, I heated the powder to get the nice finish. I took some glossy white cardstock and, using my tombow markers, I coloured in the image before stamping it onto the paper. I used the colours from the image for my birds and I took a sponge and coloured the white background with teal. I fussy cut the bird image out and adhered it to the card using pop up dots. Finally, I used a teal marker to colour the sticker and adhered that to the bottom part. The light shimmer gold with the bold mirror gold works well, I think.
It will be a while before I am done my scrapbook but, once it is done, I will share some pics. Now, let's hope I can do more cards as I feel the groove.
I have never had a second chance at love with the same person which is what, I think, Wandering Through The Shelves, was thinking about with this week's theme. I have had a second...and 3rd chance at love but with different men and the last is the best. He is my peaches and cream even when I wish I had a cream pie I could throw at him. I know there are, probably, many films out there about people who get a second chance but I had a tough time to come up with them. Anyhoo, here are my 3...+1:))
1. THE LADY EVE-1941
I chose this one last year but it fits for this theme too so, why not. Henry Fonda plays a naive (ha!) man who spent a year in the amazon looking for snakes or something like that. He happens to be rich as well and every woman on the boat is looking at him but only one knows how to steal his heart, good ole Barbara Stanwyck. The problem is that she and her dad, nicely played by Charles Coburn, are grifters wanting to con the poor schmuck out of his money. She ends up falling in love with him but, when he finds out who she truly is, he dumps her like a sack of wet cement. This gal does not take this lightly and sets about screwing with his brain(and that's it, remember it's 1941 and the censors are on big alert) by posing as Lady Eve to make him fall for her all over again. A great screwball comedy directed by the equally great, and often forgotten, Preston Sturges. A film worth seeing.
2. LYDIA-1941
I really like this unknown gem because it is about love and how the men all come to visit Lydia when they are now old and dried up like prunes..just kidding (am I?). Poor Lydia is a prune herself but we get to learn all about this beautiful lass, played by Merle Oberon, as she meets the main men in her life who are all good men but, although she cares for them deeply, she only ever loved one but did he truly love her. This is quite a good film and more mature given the time. How love can be so fickle.
3. LOVE AMONG THE RUINS-1975
I haven't seen this film in decades, probably since I was 11 yrs old which is when this TV movie came out. This is when the regular TV channels had some great movies. This stars Katherine Hepburn, Lawrence Olivier and it was directed by George Cukor about a famous actress who is being sued by her, very much younger, fiance because she decided not to marry him. She hired one of the best lawyers forgetting that they, too, were once lovers when they were much younger. He has not forgotten but she has. It's a very nice movie that deals with love in a more mature way than what we often see now because most love movies are with people in their 20s. John Barry composed the score to this as well. I mention him because he composed 2 scores I spoke about in my post the day before.
Bonus...
4. MCLINTOCK-1963
This is an excellent Western comedy starring the great John Wayne as George McLintock anxiously awaiting the train that is bringing his daughter (played by Stephanie Powers) to visit him. What he does not know is that his long-separated wife is also on the train. The whole town is aware of their volatile marriage and her grandiose, snooty way of living and all wish McLintock would bring her down a peg or 2. What they don't know is that he could use it as well and she is the only one to do it. There are many funny scenes especially the one in the mud where many of them took a steep slide down into this very, very cold mud. The stars, both Wayne and O'Hara both did their own stunts including the last big fight scene between them when O'Hara lands in a horse's trough. Today, people will be aghast at the hairbrush to butt sequence but, personally, she deserved it...the character not the actress who did get the brunt of the brush but was all in for the reality. I would never take that for real but, this is a movie and it is not to be taken seriously. I would even say it is like a screwball comedy western.
You have seen this picture before but, since I am going all lovey-dovey,, I thought seeing 2 people in love (my parents) just fit. Love is in the air and I went the movie route...big surprise.
1. LOVE THEME FROM SOMEWHERE IN TIME BY JOHN BARRY-1980
I saw this film when it first came out because I had a big crush on Christopher Reeve and I thought Jane Seymour was so beautiful plus it had the fantasy element. An old lady comes to Richard, after his play's success, hands him a watch, and says "Come back to me." 8 years later, he decides to take a side trip to an old hotel and comes across a picture of a once famous actress and learns it is the same old lady that came to see him many moons ago. He falls for the lady and finds a way to travel back in time. A love story ensues which is one that I do like. This song is throughout the film as well as the "Theme of Paganini" by Rachmaninoff an equally great piece of music.
2. THEME FROM OUT OF AFRICA BY JOHN BARRY-1985
I love this theme so much as well as the soundtrack, which I have in CD (yes, I still own CDs, my preferred way of listening to music). This was also composed by John Barry for which he won an Oscar for best score. It is loosely based on the love affair of Baroness Karen Von Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton while she was married to Baron Hans Von Blixen. I have tried to watch this long, epic love story but ..ughhh. First, I found Meryl Streep boring as dirt and her Danish accent irritating. I loved the cinematography but I don't like seeing the killing of any animal even if none were hurt during the making of this film. It's just deplorable how many animals have been taken for trophies. Robert Redford is nice to look at but I loved Klaus Maria Brandauer as her husband. I will try to watch this again but, we shall see.
3. LARA'S THEME FROM DR. ZHIVAGO BY MAURICE JARRE-1965
Oh man, yes, I picked this song and the film more than once, but I just love it and it works so well with my theme. I didn't want to go full John Barry anyway. Boris Pasternak wrote the story based, somewhat, on his great love affair with Olga Ivinskaya. He wrote the book in 1957 which was smuggled out of Russia where it won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. To save his family and mistress, he had to decline the award. To keep them apart, the Russian government often had either Pasternak arrested and sent away or Olga was sent to the gulags. After he passed away, with thousands of people attending his funeral, Olga asked for the love letters Boris sent to her but the Russian government declined. This is a very famous piece that runs throughout the film and justly so which also won for best score, as well, at the Oscars.
Which Romantic score from the movies captures your heart?
I found this one a bit tough because my brain kept going to that flick, "Nodding Off", oops I meant "Notting Hill". Ok, It's not that bad, it has its charm except when she talks about a girl meeting a boy blah blah... I finally came up with 3, that I don't believe I used before, for this theme, that was selected by Wandering Through the Shelves. Here are my 3...
1. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE-1944
I love this movie where a famous writer, claiming that marriage is for ninkompoops (or is that nimkampoops?) is marrying the girl next door. He avoids the press wanting a big scoop as they venture back home to pack and spend their honeymoon at Niagara Falls (Hey, I know they can get a great deal at the Rendezvous motel, an actual motel!). Poor Mortimer Brewster, played by Cary Grant, finds out his dear sweet aunts kill old men and have their nutty loon of a brother, who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt, dig another grave for a yellow fever victim. Crazier still, Mortimer's brother, the nasty Raymond Massey, decides to pay a visit with his sidekick (Peter Lorre) since he is trying to hide from the police. Mortimer forgets all about his wife since he must deal with all these bodies. A very funny, black comedy that makes me laugh every time I watch it. The 2 old aunts just about steal the picture. I love that Raymond Massey's character is compared to Boris Karloff who played Massey's part on Broadway.
2. PLAY MISTY FOR ME-1971
Client Eastwood made his directorial debut with this classic nutjob after famous person movie. Clint plays a disc jockey with a loyal group of followers, one being the fruitcake Jessica Walter(who passed away last March) who calls and asks for him to play the song "Misty". They end up meeting and like all good men, he takes her to bed and they get all misty. He thinks, that is that and see ya around baby, but he has no clue what is in store. He messed with the wrong gal especially when she buys him white shoes. You know she's gotta be nutso ipso facto when she buys someone white shoes, like WTF? This is quite an intense thriller about "love" and the sad thing is that this happens for real. How many famous people have been stalked, hurt or even killed because of a person with major delusions. If you want to know more, just read about Rebecca Schaeffer who died from her injuries at 22 years old or Theresa Saldana who survived her attack.
3. AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS-2001
Let me start off with saying, this is a dumb movie. Ok, we got that out of the way, plus it stars John Cusack who can be annoying for some reason but so can any of the stars in this movie and there are a lot-Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta Jones, Christopher Walken, Billy Crystal, Stanley Tucci (whom I love). John and Catherine are famous, married movie stars who have made many successful films together but now they are heading for divorce. Billy Crystal wants them back together, just for now, to make sure her latest film, from director Christopher, will be a hit. They decide to go along with the charade even though Catherine's boytoy, played by Hank Azaria, is not happy about it. In the mix is Julia who plays Catherine's sister and her gal Friday. Of course, it has been found that John likes Julia and vice versa but issues come into play. I can watch this more than "Nodding Off" for some reason (it must be that speech that Julia says about a girl meeting a boy...zzzz) even though this is more of a mess despite the cast. If it's on TV and you want to just sit back and not think, this is a good movie to watch. I like Christopher Walken in this movie.
My mom's birthday is tomorrow, February 10th and she was born in 1928 so I thought I would cover 3 musical pieces that were big hits from that year. Sorry for the weird photo but I took this from a photo already in an album I created for her. This was taken in 1985 when she was 57 and I am now 57 and can't believe that I thought she was older then (not old as she was never old). My mom loved to clown and she often had her mouth open in pictures from eating to talking. How I miss her...
1. I WANNA BE LOVED BY YOU SUNG BY HELEN KANE
OK, I don't think my mom cared for this song because she thought it was stupid and hated when women talked like a baby..to babies and to men especially. She just thought it was the dumbest thing and "to act your age." I had to put this one in because I find it funny and it was a huge hit from the musical "Good Boy" where the great Helen Kane sang it. This became her signature tune and, in the clip above, it is Kane's voice, not Debbie Reynolds (from the film "Three Little Words"-1950) that you hear although Debbie makes me laugh every time she grabs this guy's shirt and pops his bowtie (well, that sounds suggestive) Carleton Carpenter was the young man who just passed away on Jan. 31st. The film was written by Herbert Stothart & Harry Ruby with lyrics by Bert Kalmar (yeah, I don't know them either) and has been sung many times over the years. One of the more famous times is Marilyn Monroe singing it in "Some Like It Hot." By the way, Helen Kane became the inspiration for Betty Boop!
2. BOLERO COMPOSED BY MAURICE RAVEL
You know my mom loved Andre Rieu and I was so happy that I could bring her to see him twice. Later, when she was in a long-term care home, she called him her boyfriend and would smile like a little devil. This is one of my favourite pieces of music which fits since the Olympics are on and Torvill & Dean won the Gold Medal ice dancing to this piece. When I watched this with my mom, we were floored! It's a great piece of music done many times over.
3. DIE MORITAT VON MACKIE MESSER OR MACK THE KNIFE SUNG BY LOTTE LENYA
I could have gone with the famous version done by Bobby Darin or Frank Sinatra etc.. but this song was composed by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Bertholt Brecht, for his wife Lotte Lenya. This song was featured in the musical "The Threepenny Opera" and which, thankfully, came out before the man who shall not be named. rose to power. I know my mom was not a lover of this song either but, hey, it came out the year she was born and was a huge hit in Germany and everywhere else. By the way, Lotte Lenya played the evil Gal in the James Bond film, "From Russia With Love."
Yup, we got some more snow, probably another foot or so but it is pretty and i just love how the snow crunches as I walk. By the way, the city, after I kept bitching..er...complaining, clear that side of our sidewalk. Yesterday, the plow went through and I stood on that sidewalk waving my finger back and forth. He smiled and tipped his hat to me and I gave him a big smile waving thank you!
Now, Brittani over at Rambling Film posts about TV Shows she has watched in the past month and I thought I would do the same but more centred on movies. You should check out her blog where she centres on more recent films/TV shows or films out in the theatre/Netflix/etc:))
MOVIES
1. DEAD OF NIGHT-1945
I spoke about this film just recently about a man who travels to a cottage for a renovation job but he has been there before and knows all the people there. The people end up talking about an eerie episode that happened in their life. Enjoyed this British flick.
2. IT HAPPENED TOMORROW-1944
Anyone ever watch the TV Show, Early Edition? Well this show is based on this movie where a man, who works at a newspaper, gets tomorrow's paper from an old man who has worked at the paper forever. It really is a nice movie that stars Dick Powell in the lead who take full advantage of the paper and the beautiful Linda Darnell as the young lass who works the people over with her Uncle as a clairvoyant in a show that Dick takes in. I am trying to see more Linda Darnell films and this was on TV so I was glad to see it.
3. THE PARIS EXPRESS-1952
I just love Claude Rains even if the film is not up to par which is this film. It seems to be a paler imitation of the great Fritz Lang film, Scarlet Street, but it is still worth a look. Claude plays an accountant (and a train watcher) to a Dutch firm who finds out his boss has been pilfering the funds from his own firm bankrupting it in the process all for the love of a tramp. Claude takes the opportunity to flip the tables, take the money, take the train and head off to Paris to meet this tramp. He, too becomes infatuated with her but, he is not as stupid and hides the mulah with her, her boyfriend and the police hot on his trail. A fun flick to take in one rainy/snow day.
4. TIDAL WAVE-2009
Ughh..I don't know but I just shake my head at this South Korean flick that was a big money maker for them. It might be better if I didn't see it in its dubbed version but it was like a comedy with annoying people that switches to drama but goes back to comedy before the tidal wave hits. ughhh...no.
5. JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN-2018
This is the 3rd instalment in this franchise starring Rowan Atkinson(Mr. Bean) as an idiotic spy who seems to kill more of his own men than the bad guys. I was feeling blue and this came on at the right time. Yes, it's stupid so, right up my alley:)). I also like Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, who plays his partner and Emma Thompson as the PM of England.
6. HUNTER/KILLER-2018
Gerard Butler saves the day as the Captain of a submarine who must try and save others on a sub and soon finds out there is a Russian coup going on headed by Putin and his faithful dog, Trump. ok, ok- just kidding on the last part(not really). This is better than I thought it would be with a good cast and some quite tense scenes.
7. THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD-2018
A must see documentary on World War 1 by Peter Jackson, who spent years creating this film from archival footage from the British war Museum. He had to figure out how to match the timing of the old film footage to today's plus he decided to colourize it to add emphasis to the immenseness these soldiers endured. I still remember sitting in the theatre with my brother watching the film and, about 20 minutes in, the full colour came in and my brother just said "Oh My God!" Other people in the theatre gasped. It is a film that should be shown in history class.
TV SHOWS
1. DOWNTON ABBEY-2010-2015 PLUS MOVIE 2019
You know that both hubby and I love watching this whole series and, each Christmas time and into January, we re-watch the whole thing because it's just that delectable. Follow the Crawley Family headed by Robert Crawley and his American wife Cora as they try to get their 3 daughters married-cool lady Mary, Poor Edith and sweet Sybil but it just is not that easy. You have the downstairs crew too from the great voice Mr. Carson and no nonsense head housekeeper Mrs. Hughes and the sad lovebirds of Mr. Bates and great crier Anna. It is a divine series well acted and you have great costumes and don't forget the home which, we hope, we can visit one day.
2. BOARDWALK EMPIRE-SEASON 1 AND 2-2010-2014
I bought the first 2 seasons for my hubby for Christmas and we enjoyed watching these notorious characters make it rich on the extremely stupid idea of banning alcohol making it the 19th Amendment. This gave rise to the mafia which included a-holes like Capone, Luciano and others. This show focuses on "Nucky" Thompson played by Steve Buscemi and all the players around him as he controls the Boardwalk in Atlanta. It can be gruesome at times and, sometimes, you blink your eyes and go "What the F...?!" but I highly recommend it. Now we must get the other DVD's:))
3. WORLD WAR 1: THE GREAT WAR-2014
I found this DVD in Giant Tiger, a store similar to Walmart, but Canadian. It is smaller but still holds everything there from food, fashion etc..I found this for only $30 which comes with a book, mini posters and 2 DVDs and I knew it was a great bargain. The book and other info inside is just as great as the DVD's. The first is a nice play by play on the war where it is simplified so one can follow it nicely. The 2nd DVD you hear actual voices of the people who lived through the war either as soldiers, civilians or nurses. Worth every bit.
I want to show you what our backyard looked like in summer (before hubby cut the grass)
Now here is the same view, today, with some additional snow heaps made with hubby's shovelling.
Hubby has to put the snow somewhere but there were drifts in there already and more snow on top.
February...love is in the air this month and Wandering Through The Shelves loves this time of the year for movies. I am certain Hallmark will throw up all kinds of flicks starring whoever as they fall in love with another person ending up in each other's arms after much consternation. Yup, sounds like a typical love life. They will never show a man and woman meeting at a bar, getting it on and, the next morning, he makes her breakfast before saying,"So long Olive. I'll call you." "My name is Alice," she replies before he shuts the door on her face. Ahhhh love. Anyway, here are my 3 picks...
1. DESTRY RIDES AGAIN-1939
You have James Stewart as a young man(Destry) come to this derelict and corrupt town to become sheriff and create a more peaceful atmosphere. Little does he know how corrupt it is and little do the townsfolk know how good this sheriff is. He may not want to wear his gun but that doesn't mean he doesn't get his point across even when he meets the grand Frenchy, played by Marlene Dietrich. He has a soft spot for Ms. Frenchy but she is with Corrupt Kent (no relation to Clark) and uses her wiles on Stewart not thinking he might know more than she realizes. This is Stewart's first western and Dietrich came back from being called "Box-Office poison" to win many accolades as the trampy Frenchy. She also sang 2 of her, now, signature tunes, "See What The Boys In The Backroom Will Have" and "You've Got That Look" that she would sing in her later cabaret acts. When she saw Stewart, the sex hungry Dietrich wanted him and tried everything but nothing seemed to work because he seemed to have his head stuck in the Flash Gordon comics so she made a life size replica of Flash for him and showed it in his dressing room...where she showed him even more. They had quite the affair and, apparently, she became pregnant but, without him knowing, had an abortion and that was that. On another note, the cat fight between her and Una Merkel was not choreographed. Marlene and Una got together and decided to not use any fists but everything else was fair game. The fight was done in one take but they both were quite bruised up. It is a fun-filled comedy with dramatic overtones and worth seeing.
2. I WAS A MALE WAR BRIDE-1949
I finally saw this film a couple of years back and, it was and is, delightful. It stars Cary Grant as Henri, a Frenchman(yeah, disregard this as Grant is as French as I am as pure as the driven slush) who must bring in Schindler, a lens maker. He is assigned with an American Lieutenant, Catherine, to be his driver as he is not allowed to drive any army vehicles. They know each other from previous clashes and are not amused that they must travel together on a motorcycle with a sidecar no less. Needless to say, they find their inner amore for each other and wish to be together but what will the army do to interfere. I love Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan is a pleasure. I wish more people would know about Ann Sheridan because she was quite famous in the day. I will say that Cary Grant makes the most unconvincing woman I have ever seen but that is nearer the end of the film which is ok. It's a good laugh with great shots of Germany etc.. right after the war plus the language that the army uses gives us a feel for how it was back then. D.P. (I grew up hearing that term from my dad and my mom would call herself that and laugh) means Displaced Persons for people who come from another country. I was surprised that many people, my age, have no clue what that meant.
3. THE BANDWAGON-1953
I could show a trailer from this film but who doesn't want to see Cyd Charisse slink her way around Fred Astaire. This gal had legs for ages and exuded sensuality in her dancing. Just note that Fred was 54 when he dances all his numbers. Yes, (sorry Shady), this is a musical but, along with "Singing In The Rain", it can stand on its own as a funny comedy. It stars Fred Astaire as a, once famous, now forgotten song and dance man who comes to NYC to meet up with his old pals, played by Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray. They are writing a show and want him to star in it and have the great Jeffrey Cordova (played so well by the British song and dance man, Jack Buchanan) direct it. They also want Gabrielle Gerard(Charisse), the famous ballerina, to be his love interest in the show. Of course, the 2 leads don't hit it off when her snobbish looks at Fred get the better of him as he claims she is too tall and has no understanding of Broadway since she is a ballerina. The 2 begin to gel when they decide to take a carriage ride and dance in central park (that makes me swoon) but everyone is concerned about Cordoba's flair for the too dramatic. Buchanan plays his role so well as a Jose Ferrer meets Orson Welles ego character that he is a highlight in the film. At the time the film was made Jose Ferrer had several shows on Broadway directing and starring in them and Orson is known to be ...well...Orson. Even the director, Vincente Minelli makes fun of his former film, The Pirate, when he stages the "Faust" scene. I love the backstory that Oscar was being too Oscar berating Nanette any chance he got until she told him off in every expletive she could muster to the cheers of everyone on set. Oscar behaved after that. A very funny, musical film that is worth seeing. Can you imagine dancing like Fred at 54 years old? Yikes!!
Madeline Kahn as Lily Von Schtupp from "Blazing Saddles"..a hilarious take on Marlene Dietrich. Brilliant!
Nope, this pic is not of me and my brother but this is showing what happened during the Blizzard of '77 which hit with a vengeance between January 28th to February 1st with hurricane force winds forcing people to stay in their cars, homes with no heat, or work and many people died. We lived in the heart of this storm but, thankfully, we never lost our power. I got home, by bus, just in time and my brother was home as well. Many kids were not so lucky and had to stay at the schools. My ex's brothers were out on snowmobiles trying to rescue people trapped in their cars and they had no clue if they were driving over a car, home or ready to plunge over a huge drift. The drifts were 30 to 40 ft and I had great fun, with a couple of friends, dipping below the hydro wires to slide down with my snowsuit on.
2 weeks ago we got hit with, almost, 2 feet of snow and, I know, many of you on the East Coast got blasted with snow, rain, ice or a mix...just lovely. We are supposed to get more snow this Wednesday but not near what we had 2 weeks back. So, in honour of the areas we live in, here are 3 songs to put a smile on your face or you can rant at what you will hear. Since we can't travel much, let's embrace where we live...
1. BLIZZARD OF '77 SUNG BY JOHN MCDERMOTT-1977
I like John McDermott who is just a great Canadian singer and I found out he sang this song written by Doug Wass & Michael P Lococo. Have any of you been in a horrible storm, snow or not? Let me know:)
2. LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW- SUNG BY VAUGHN MONROE-1945
Yes, we think of it as a Christmas song but, there is no mention of Christmas in this song written by Sammy Cahn (lyrics) and Jules Styne (composer) in 1945. There was a major heat wave going on in the summer of '45 so these 2 men decided to think of cooler temps and created this song. So many people have recorded this that it would be interesting to see how many are actually out there. Which ones, do you feel are the best and which are the worst, in your opinion?
3. SLEIGHRIDE BY ANDRE KOSTELANETZ-1959
I love this beautiful song written by Leroy Anderson back in 1946 during a heatwave (hmm...sounds familiar) and finally finished it in 1948. There are lyrics to this song but I prefer the one without lyrics. Again, this always comes on at Christmas, but it is just about having a joyous sleighride. I had one, once, when I was a kid, and it was not that snowy, quite mucky actually, and my feet were freezing. I prefer the memory my mom told me. Her grandfather (on her mom's side), would hook up the sleigh, add plenty of blankets plus warmed up bricks for the feet, and travel through the snowy wonderland while her grandfather would sing. That is a much nicer memory. Have any of you ever been on a sleighride?
So, I hope all of you are having a nice time, inside or out, maybe with a nice hot toddy or, my favourite, Feuerzangenbowle(I dare you to say this 10 times fast). If you want to know what this is read it here.
On a sombre but, hopefully, joyous note, there is a blogger that passed away at the beginning of January, from covid, sadly and his name is Jeremy Hawkins. I did not know him nearly as well as many of you did, but I always liked looking at his blog and he was a huge help with the Blogging A To Z and the IWSG site where he created logos, banners, t-shirts etc.. He loved some zany movies and heavy music which may not have always been my style but I appreciated his creativity. he will be missed by many. I hope you go and check out his blog to get a sense of the man. Enjoy all you can up in the heavens...
Hi there everyone! I am thinking about featuring a film/TV star once per month for people to become acquainted or re-acquainted with some of the greats of yesteryear. I will try (the big word is try) to post this on the first Tuesday of each month. This month is my mommy's birth month so I chose a star that was born on her birthdate (not the year though). If you have anything to add, please do so in your comments as I do always read them even if I am shamed to say I don't respond right away (slapping my hand for that one). So, without further ado, here is my first entry...
JIMMY DURANTE
BORN: February 10, 1893
DIED: January 29, 1980
AGED: 86 Years
DIED FROM: Pneumonia. Had suffered a stroke in 1972 and retired after this.
MARRIED: Twice to Jean Olsen in 1921. She died , suddenly, in 1943 on Valentine's Day. She did have a heart ailment but was not expected to go so quickly. He was devastated. He married Margaret Little in 1960. There was a 26 year age difference(anyone surprised at this?) and stayed together until his death.
CHILDREN: Adopted a girl, Cecelia nicknamed "CeCe" who became a champion horsewoman.
NICKNAME: The Big Schnoz or The Schnozzola. I think you can see why:)
This was a big man, not just in nose and comedy but, in heart. He started in Vaudeville ending up with Eddie Jackson & Lou Clayton where they sang and Jimmy would burst out with a joke in between the songs. This became a trademark for Jimmy. Later on, as he became famous, he made sure his old friends were always on his payroll, no matter what, and they would often appear in his films or TV shows. He starred with Buster Keaton in 3 big hits of the early 1930s, but Keaton's comedic style was snuffed out by Jimmy's, not by Jimmy's doing either(think studio interference), and, along with Keaton's drinking, the studio stopped making films with them as a team.
He was known for his great love of children and would often give his time and money to their needs. He would often help the "Fraternal Order of Eagles" (helps kids who are abused or handicapped) never asking for a fee when he performed nor ever asked them to pay for his travel or lodging but to take that money and give it back to the kids. This order changed their Children's Fund to Durante's name because he had, personally, raised over 20 million.
His distinctive voice, Lower-East Side mixed with screwing up the English language talking, and boisterous play made it easy to caricature him in animated shorts plus he was a hit on radio and TV never mind movies. On his Radio and TV Shows, he always ended the program with, "Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are." For decades, people wanted to know who this lady was. There have been more than one theory but I believe it is the one where his first wife could not say Calabasas, CA and shortened it to Calabash, when they drove through the city. It became an in-joke for the two of them and he continued this on his show. Many of you heard his voice as the narrator of "Frosty The Snowman" and singing the songs from "Sleepless in Seattle". Actually, his musical recordings have been heard on many films even that dreadful "Joker" flick.
FILMS:
Blondie Of The Follies-1932
What? No Beer?-1932
George White's Scandals-1934
Sally, Irene & Mary-1938
Little Miss Broadway-1938
The Man Who Came To Dinner-1942
It Happened in Brooklyn-1947
The Great Rupert-1950
Bill Rose's Jumbo-1962
It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World -1963
This just cracked me up when I watched this movie (Jumbo)
His signature tune that he composed and Ben Ryan wrote the lyrics.
A classic
I hope you enjoyed this read and if you have anything new to share (or correct) be my guest. Have a great day!
