Famous U. S. Buildings

 

I was going to talk about architects but, aside from that slog of. Film, “The Fountainhead”,  I couldn’t think about my others that I have seen. I decided to go with famous buildings and went with some icons that really hit me when I watched it. There is a hidden theme, that I didn’t mean to happen, but it did. Let’s see if you can guess…

1. KING KONG-1933

I still remember, and I may have been 5, when my dad told all of us to sit and watch “ Movies for a Sunday afternoon”. King Kong came on and I was mesmerized just like my dad must have been when he saw this film in the theatre when he was 20 ( yup, he saw it in the theatre!). When I finally saw Kong look at the screaming Fay Wray, taking her into the forest to his lair. The shipmates including her new love, are hot on their tail meeting many dangers from nasty dinosaurs to creepy crawlees( this occurred when Kong dumped the log full of men into the gorge. These creepy worms and spiders came out to finish them off. Later I heard that this sene was considered lost, yet I know I saw it. Since then, they found this lost scene and is now included back into the film.). They capture Kong and bring him to New York City to be paraded but don’t count on him breaking free, taking Wray up the famous landmark, the Empire State Building. This building was just built between 1930 to 1931. I believe this film helped make this building famous and remain so to this day. A great film with many iconic images.

2. THE AMITYVILLE HORROR-1979

This film stars James Brolin( Barbra Streisand’s husband) and Margot Kidder as real life husband and wife, George and Kathy Lutz who move into their dream home only to find out that their home contains evil forces plus they find out that a horrible murder(s) took place in 1974 when Robert DeFeo killed his entire family in this home. I haven’t seen this in years, but I remember it being ….stupid. I would have left that home in the first night. This home takes centre stage with the way the film looks especially those windows( sadly they have been altered due to all the tourists coming to see the house). For me the best acting is this home and I would get so scared….but I was not scared at all which is very strange since I get scared very easily. I will watch this again.

3. THE SHINING-1980

Well, of course, this iconic hotel is a must on this theme. It is Timberline Lodge in Oregon used in this very scary film that stars Jack Nicholson as a writer to take his family up to this lodge to make sure everything will work well through the treacherous winter. His wife, Shelley Duvall, and their weird, young boy, played so well by Danny Lloyd, settle into this strange hotel enjoying the big halls and the maze outside of the building. Jack is becoming more and more unhinged as he starts talking to the former janitor, has a drink at a 1920s club and makes out with one f-ed up gal in a hotel room. The young lad loves his big wheel( who didn’t have one back in the 70’s) rolling through all the halls before coming cross the 2 freakiest girl ghosts which scared the hell out of me and still does. The kid uses his special powers to contact the head chef, played so well by Scatman Crothers, who gets onto the next plane, gets into a snowcat reaching the hotel only to be axed by the now, deranged Jack. Oops, spoiler alert. Now Jack wants to murder his family. This is directed by Stanley Kubrick who know style. The colours and looks all contribute to the story of this film and enhances it in ways that is brilliant. 

Did you guess my other theme that I have and didn’t mean to?

Let me know what iconic buildings, in films, left you with an impression. 

To my Canadian friends, Happy Thanksgiving!

My ADHD Man

 

I love my hubby so much. He stood by me when my mom developed dementia and, at the same time, he lost his job and his rheumatoid arthritis came roaring back. Through thick and thin, we stuck together and have been together for 20 years. He is my ADHD man because this disease ( is it a disease?) is very much part of our lives. For the past 2 months, his ADHD has been in the forefront and it has been tiring. It is hard to explain, because it represents itself differently in each person but his is the classic- he is bouncing off the walls, interrupts, quick to anger, has no time, very tired plus more. His mind is exploding because he is thinking of all the things needs to do all at once and can’t shut it down. He is working on the old home plus he fixes the landscaping at an Esso station that his best friend manages. He takes care of me and the every day house stuff despite his severe arthritis. He sis Speedy Gonzales on steroids…lol. With this in mind, he can exhaust me but how I love him. I am entering the Monday Music Moves Me which is Freebie Week.

1. YOU SPIN ME ROUND BY DEAD OR ALIVE-1984

This song pops into my head, often, when he is talking to me, then takes off to take care of something, tells the cats to settle down, veers downstairs to get something, comes up with something else, comes back to me to continue telling me the story, but takes off outside to tend to something only to come inside to go downstairs to get the item he originally was going to pick up. He comes back to me finishes the story, which takes an additional 10 minutes. When I start telling him a similar story which would take 3 sentences, he tells me he has no time, because he has to walk to dog, tend to the garden, clean the cat litter, cut up some wood and then he asks me what I was going to say. I tell him it’s not important and with tht, he gives me a quick kiss and off he goes…

2. YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY SUNG BY FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS-1988

My hubby will talk, a lot, about politics and what he has seen on the various news channels he watches. When he asks me if I know about such and such, and I don’t, he   Says, “ how do you NOT know? You should know this.” He tells me that I should not drink my orange juice and soda water as much and should drink more water. I have told him that the water sits in my stomach and I have thrown up when I drank too much water. I can jump up and down and I sound like a jug of water because you can hear it swishing around. He criticizes, with the best intentions, that I eat the same thing and that may not be the best thing. If I leave something on the table, he brings it to me and tells me to stop doing that as it drives him crazy. I start not doing that but if I do it once after 3 months of not doing it, he tells me that I am constantly doing this. I always stand up for myself, but he disagrees with me and tells me that I am always doing it. Time and memory are selective. He can drive me nuts!

3. WIPEOUT SUNG BY THE SUFARIS-1963

I can come home, dead tired from working and counselling 7 people per day plus the paperwork after. Last night, I got home around 9pm. Hubby is amazing because he made me a salad-a very nice and rich salad with the chicken in the microwave ready to be heated and placed on my salad. He worked at the Esso station and was recuperating from his day. Remember, he is on major drugs which keep him vital. And if he was not on these, he probably would already be in a wheelchair with all his joints swollen. I sit down to eat in the TV room and turn the TV on only to have my hubby get upset because he was watching  YouTube video on his phone. I told him when I had something on my IPad, he got angry because he was watching the TV and I should move to a different room. He does not remember this and starts a rant which I ignore and eat my delicious salad. When he asked me, again about something, I lost my cool and did raise my voice saying the day and time again. He gets all upset, tells me he can’t talk to me(lol), that he is tired and goes upstairs to brush his teeth. He comes down, gives me a kiss goodnight and goes to sleep. He has wiped himself out….and me. 

For all this, he makes me laugh, he stands by me, takes care of the house and garden, walks the dog and makes sure I have dinner when I come home. We can talk about everything and, once we realize we are in agreement, we are aok and laughing. He tells me how lucky he is and that I am his angel. 

Star Of The Month-Janet Gaynor

 

JANET GAYNOR

BIRTH: October 6, 1905

DEATH: September 14, 1984

AGED: 77 years old

DIED FROM: Pneumonia as a result from a devastating car crash

REAL NAME: Laura Augusta Gainor

NICKNAME: Lolly

MARRIED: 3 times most notably Adrian ( 2nd  marriage)

AFFAIRS: Charles Farrell, Tyrone Power and possibly, Margaret Lindsay and Mary Martin

CHILDREN: 1 child, with Adrian

OSCAR WINS: Won 1 Oscar but for 3 films, the first and only time this occurred- Sunrise, 7th Heaven and Street Angel

OSCAR NOMINATIONS: A Star Is Born

TALENT:  Oil Painting, she loved this over acting.

KNOWN FOR: her diminutive size- maybe 5 ft. Her quiet strength against the studio system. Possibly gay or bi-sexual..who cares.

Janet is the very first recipient of the Oscar when she was only 22 years old. She was the youngest winner until Marlee Matlin won her Oscar in 1986. The year was 1929 and for the first, and only, time she won for 3 film roles. She was a huge star and one that easily adapted to sound films from the Silent era. This was a huge event because so many big stars lost everything when sound films took hold. Some, like Karl Dane, committed suicide and others, went into alcoholism, like John Gilbert and Marie Prévost. Janet, dammit! Made it! Her dad was one who saw her as something more than just his little girl and trained her in song and dance, acting etc.. when her parents, sadly, divorced, her step-dad took over the reins and they moved to Hollywood. Janet made such an impression on her first film that she went from an extra to a co-star and a star was born. 

She was the sweetheart of America and was teamed with Charles Farrell in 11 films! People couldn’t get enough of these screen lovebirds which carried on offscreen. They had a passionate affair with their mutual friend, Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. Often leading reporters astray. Charles proposed marriage but they broke up instead and she quickly married a lawyer. That didn’t last and during the mid-30s, she was often seen with Margaret Lindsay, another big star of the 1930s. Now Margaret was known to lean towards the ladies so there has always been speculation that these 2 had an affair. Oddly, Janet had, what one calls, a lavender marriage with Gilbert Adrian. He was/is a celebrated costume designer and well known gay man but they had a son together and stayed married until his death in 1959. Her last marriage was also  nice one and, also, apparently, a lavender marriage to her friend and stage Producer, Paul Gregory and remained together until her death. The biggest speculation of a lesbian affair was with her close friend Mary Martin (Larry Hagman’s mother). Mary was also a screen star and a big theatre star playing Peter Pan to perfection. Robert Cummings( another actor) famously quipped, “Janet Gaynor’s husband was Adrian but her wife was Mary Martin.”  You know, this could be the case and why not! I just think about my deep friendship with my best friend and we love hanging out with each other and we both feel we are soul mates but I am not gay. If we were in the entertainment field, I bet there would be speculation.

Janet made great films, both silent and sound and, after 17 years, she decided to call it a day although she did show up in some tv spots including, yes, The Love Boat, but she truly enjoyed oil painting. She considered herself a painter first and acting done on the side. One of her final films she made was “A Star Is Born”  and, although not her final film, this film was a high point in her career. Sadly, she had a difficult ending. Janet, her husband, Mary Martin and her manager were in a taxi when a van ran a red light, hitting the taxi ramming it into a tree. Mary’s manager died. Mary suffered 2 broken ribs and a broken pelvis. Janet’s husband suffered 2 broken legs but Mary suffered a fractured collarbone, 11 broken ribs, pelvic fractures, a punctured lung and bladder and injuries to her kidneys. She was in the hospital for months. The driver of the van, a former policeman, was charged with drunk driving and went to prison for…3 years. Janet never truly recovered from these injuries and died of pneumonia 2 years later. 

She was effervescent, sweet but strong in such a small frame. I wish more people would know her but both “A Star Is Born”  and the great F. W. Murnau film, “Sunrise”  will keep her in peoples’ minds for many years to come.

FILMS

1. Sunrise-1927

2. A Star Is Born-1937

3. 7th Heaven-1927

4. Street Angel-1928

5. The Farmer Takes a Wife-1935

6. State Fair-1933

7. 4 Devils-1928

8. Daddy Long Legs-1931

9. Johnstown Flood-1926

10. Sunnyside Up-1929

One of her paintings

Ahoy, Matey’s

 

Over at Monday Music Moves Me, this week was all about Pirates and it got me thinking about all the Pirate movies that are out there. Thank you Cathy, from Curious As A Cathy, for this inspiration. 

1. JAMAICA INN- 1939

Believe it or not, this is an Alfred Hitchcock film, but considered one of his lesser works. This stars Charles Laughton, who helped produce the film, and it co-stars Laughton’s protege, Maureen O’Hara in her first film role. This young gal wishes to live with her Aunt at Jamaica Inn which is right on the coast where many ships have run aground. She is caught in a storm and the kindly, rich man, played by Laughton, gives her shelter in his very large home. When she finally meets her Aunt at the Inn, she is, unwittingly, brought into a den of thieves who follow a pirate deliberately crashing the ships onto the rocks to steal their loot. As in all Hitchcock films, not everything is as it seems and this is a good movie to find out all that is going on. 

2. THE PRINCESS AND THE PIRATE-1944

This is. Funny Bob Hope comedy that co-stars Virginia Mayo as a princess who is kidnapped by a pirate. Bob Hope plays an actor who takes cowardice to a new level. When the pirates’ men take on a ship where Hope is on, he disguises himself as a Gypsy. He is one butt ugly Gypsy! It is very funny and the ending is pure gold.

3. THE PIRATE-1948

This is a technically, beautiful film with rich colours especially the reds and oranges. Vincente Minelli has his mark on the cult film. It did tank at the box office but it is now a cult film that stars Gene Kelly and Judy Garland as a circus performer (Kelly) who falls for the unhappily engaged lady(Garland). When he dins out she has the hots for the mysterious pirate, Macoco. Kelly knows who the real pirate is and blackmails him so that Kelly can play the pirate. Things do not go as planned and he is looking at the noose meant for him. He dances with the famous Nicholas Bros. In the “Be A Clown” scene which is a highlight. Sadly, this could easily be cut from the film so it could be seen in the Southern States since they are still very prejudicial and would not see this film because of the dance scene. 

O these re my pirate picks. What are your’s. Sorry for being late, I am writing this this morning and I keep dozing off. I have a bit of narcolepsy and ran out of my meds. My dr. Gave the wrong meds to my pharmacist so I have been out for 2 days now. I hope I don’t sleep at work but I probably will. It sucks!

Pirates Ahoy!

 

Why am I showing Kaspar this week, over at Monday Music Moves Me, which is all about the Pirate? Well, I was watching a documentary about WW2 ships and the sinking of them by German subs. When one ship was sunk by a torpedo, they not only saved many soldiers, but they saved their mascot, a tuxedo cat ( sorry, I forgot his name). The cat is considered a good luck charm( I thought it was the opposite), well, this cat went to another ship which was, also, torpedoed and sunk..but the pussy cat survived and lived a nice long life. So, hats off to that tuxedo cat and to my Kaspar. Here are my 3 picks for the good ole’ pirate songs..

1. THE DEVIL’S SON BY THE JOLLY ROGERS-1997

I was looking for Pirate songs and heard this song about Blackbeard and thought this sounds great. I hope you enjoyed it.

2. GRACE O’MALLEY BY ROWDY BUNCH-2026

I love this Celtic style song about the famous Irish, female pirate from the 1500’s  who defied convention  and became a famous pirate. How cool!

3. MACK THE BLACK SUNG BY JUDY GARLAND-1948

This is a song, by Cole Porter, for the innovative film, “The Pirate”  that starred Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. I always liked this song and Judy did a great job lusting after this mysterious pirate. 

Hope you enjoyed my choices for Pirate songs…

Bonus..

GEORGE HARRISON SINGS A PIRATE SONG-1976

This is from some British TV show where George surprised everyone including his musicians, by singing a pirate song. He caught everyone off guard and I love it!

Oh, of course, I forgot to let you know last week’s Oscar guess for 1938. So, yup, “Thanks for the Memory” won the Oscar, “Jeepers Creepers” was nominated and “In September” received nuttin! 

There is a Theme

 

September is Suicide Awareness Month so I thought my theme would be about this jocular  event that has touched ll our lives in one form or another. I decided to look at this in a more humorous vein and chose 3 films that strike a funny bone…

1. MEET JOHN DOE-1941

This Frank Capra film stars Barbara Stanwyck as a disgruntled former newspaper reporter who writes her last story, a fictional tale told as truth, about an ordinary man who decides to commit suicide on Christmas Eve as a protest against the ills of the world. Little did she or the men at the newspaper realize that this tale would create a storm amongst the readers. Now another Newspaper wants to show up the story as the fraud it is. Stanwyck and the guys look for the perfect bum to sell the story as true and in walks Gary Cooper. At first, he’s against this but soon convinces himself that he could be a force for good plus use the money he would make to get the operation he needs so he can play baseball again. When he wishes to tell the truth and holds a rally, the money men pull the plug so the average joes can’t hear him and believe the money men becoming a mob against Cooper. Of course, Stanwyck falls for this man and believes in the common man, even when they can turn against someone so quickly. I do like this movie but I  became disenchanted with the average joes who could turn so easily against their “hero”. I just didn’t buy into the common folk being nice people when they could turn on someone at a drop of a hat. Love the acting from everyone even though I am not a big Cooper fan and it is quite funny in parts even though it deals with suicide. It is worth checking out.

2. THE END-1978

This is one funny picture that stars Burt Reynolds who finds out he has only a few months to live. Upset by how his last days will be, he decides to take his life into his own hands by committing suicide. The only problem is he sucks at it. He wakes up in a mental asylum and is pissed off that he is still alive. He meets a real nutjob, played so, so perfectly, by Dom DeLuise and asks this crazy to kill him because he does not want to die the way the Doctor decried. Dom is all too happy to oblige even when they escape from the asylum, Dom keeps trying and Burt wants it but they keep fowling things up. This was very well written and quite funny. Burt was great in this role and this film deserved to win more than it did, which wasn’t much. I need to see this again.

3. A MAN CALLED OVE-2015

This is not the Tom Hanks film, which is good, but I prefer this Swedish film that stars Rolf Lassgard as the ornery goat who is not well liked in his neighbourhood which is fine because he doesn’t care for most of them. Little does anyone realize how much pain he is in from losing the love of his life, his beloved wife. He decides to end it all, but just when he is about to do the deed, a new neighbour knocks on the door and she, played by Bacar Pars, needs Ove’s help. Every time he tries to commit suicide, she needs him which wakes him up that his life is not over and he can let go his anger and sadness becoming part of the new family. I love this film because of the acting, writing, directing and that wonderful orange cat. Tom Hanks is excellent but I love this movie more.

bonus…

4. HARD LUCK-1921

I love Buster Keaton and this was supposed to be a lost film until parts were found, not sure where, and it was reconstructed but the pivotal last part was still missing until it was found in some Russian archive. Buster is down on his luck who loses his job and his girl and decides to end it all. After many, funny attempts, he joins some troop trying to catch a poor armadillo bolstering his confidence. He just is beginning to love life when he dives off a pool, missing it and hits the ground so hard a hole appears. It doesn’t end there and it is very funny. Remember, Buster Keaton did all his own stunts and it is very real since  there was no real trick photography and you find out how brilliant Keaton was because he had to be precise or, in my cases, he would have died. I hope you enjoy this famous short.

Which Song Won The Oscar-1938

 

I don’t think I have done 1938 yet, which will conclude the 1930s so, since it’s freebie week over at Monday Music Moves Me, I thought this will be the perfect time for you to figure out which song won the Oscar, which song was nominated and which came up with lint,,,,you know, empty pockets. Here we go…

1. SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN SUNG BY JULIE LONDON

OK, this is  a great song written by Harry Warren and Al Durbin and was in the film, “Melody For Two”  originally sung by James Melton. I love Julie London( no kidding)  so I chose her version from her album, “Calendar Girls” which I would love to own. This is a famous song that has been done by numerous singers and musicians and I understand why.

2. JEEPERS CREEPERS SUNG BY LOUIS ARMSTRONG 

Who doesn’t love the great Satchmo, Louis Armstrong’s nickname, in case you don’t know. He introduced this song in the film, “Going Places”  which was written by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. We get, not only his unique voice but his great trumpet playing. I always loved this song which seems to go with the mood of the upcoming month of October.

3. THANKS FOR THE MEMORY SUNG BY BOB HOPE AND SHIRLEY ROSS

This song became Bob Hope’s signature song that followed him on his many, many excursions to the wars to entertain the troops from World War 2 to the Persian Gulf. I always heard it on his many TV specials and when he did the talk show circuit. It first appeared on the, “ Big Broadcast of 1938” and it was written by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin and it’s such a Sweet moment in this movie. 

So…can you guess which song won the Oscar, which was nominated and which came up with nuttin’?