Thursday Movie Films

 

I hope Wandering Through The Shelves doesn't mind me still using her logo since she went to bi-weekly...she is my inspiration to keep doing this weekly.  I was thinking of a theme and I thought of history, which I love. I looked up, " What happened in May," and found this quick history site about key events and birthdays and chose my 3 films and here they are...

1. CAREFREE-1938

This is a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical ( sorry Shady) with tunes from the great Irving Berlin who was born on May 11, 1888 and lived to be 101 yrs old. The songs may not be as famous as some of his others but I love the dance, "The Yam" and always dreamed of being swept off my feet like Ginger in this number. Now, ...no, because it would end up.more like “The Yuck.” Anyhoo, Ginger ends up going to a psychiatrist, played by Astaire and falls for him. This is not a good idea so he hypnotizes her to dislike him and it works out too well. This is the movie where Astaire finally kisses Rogers and it was done in slo-mo much to Astaire's dislike ( he thought it all too icky) but the public were dying to see them finally kiss. This film did not do as well and seems to break the spell of their golden partnership. I actually find this film quite funny and it really showcases Rogers ability at comedy. It's better than I thought it would be since I had always read it wasn’t as good as their other outings.

2. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON-1939

This is a classic amidst a number of classics because it is 1939 and books have been written about the amount of great films that came out that year. Jimmy Stewart plays a young senator who comes to Washington all innocent and virtuous hoping to prove he is worthy as a senator. ( my, how times have changed) Jean Arthur is his secretary who knows all too well that his starry-eyed look at the world of Washington is just not going to cut it. When Stewart wants to create a park for boys to go to to get away from it all, he has no idea that his hero, senator Paine  played beautifully by the great Claude Rains, is up to dung wanting the same land for a business man who wants to make it rich. Stewart finds out all too quick that he was a stooge but when he visits the Lincoln Memorial, he weeps, but finds the strength to fight. It is so well acted that Jimmy should have won the Oscar( well, many deserved it that year). The character actors are great like Thomas Mitchell and Eugene Pallette and the director is top notch, Frank Capra, who was born on May 18, 1897. The main reason I chose this film? The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on May 30, 1922. Truly, I thought that was built long before. 

3. THE KING'S SPEECH- 2010

I find so many people hate this film today and I just don't get it...maybe it's a generation gap thing. I found both Colin Firth as the reluctant future King with a stutter and Geoffrey Rush as his tutor superlative. This film is all about this gentle, future king who stutters and has seen all sorts of people who are supposed to cure him but don't. You meet his wife, the Queen mum, and their 2 daughters as well as his snotty brother King Edward and Wallas who has him under her thumb. You see how a friendship is born and how he must be prepared to become King when his brother abdicates. I love this film, the acting and the cinematography. King George VI became King on May 12th, 1937. Hmm, close to when Charles is to wear the crown in only a few days. 

So, dust off some history and what movies can you think of  where the events happened in May? Or someone born in May? This shall be interesting.

Music Week

 

Not a care in the world! Our Harley can almost always make me feel better and I have been sick the last week so he has been my companion. I just had a nasty head cold all in the sinuses but I'm on the mend and Harley slept with me with his head on my lap or shoulder. Over at Monday’s Music Moves Me, Shady, aka Tom, came up with a great theme- music is medicine for the soul. You can take this literally or in the spirit of it, which is what I chose. This is not for all of you but I hope you take a listen as I listen to your heavy metal stuff :) 

1. MAURO MALAVASI- PIANISSIMO WITH ANDREA BOCELLI AND CECELIA BARTOLI-2020

This is from Andrea Bocelli's CD called  "I Believe" which, I believe, I need to buy:). Cecelia Bartoli is a mezzo- soprano who just sings this enchanting piece with exquisite control next to this famous man. I'll take this over screaming Mimi Carey any day. This is how to control a voice and sing well rather than sounding like a banshee.

2. PIANO CONCERTO IN A MINOR BY EDVARD GRIEG-NIKOLAI LUGANSKY AT PIANO-2020

This pianist is amazing and my favourite part is the 2nd movement at about the 13 minute mark  or thereabouts if you wanted to skip the 1st and 3rd. I find the middle section so moving it brings me to tears from its sheer beauty. It’s the only concerto Grieg completed back in 1868.

3. SIBELIUS'S SYMPHONY #5- JUKKE PEKKA SARASTE CONDUCTOR OF THE OSLO  SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA-2015

Way back in the mid 90s...ok, that feels like yesterday, my ex and I went into Sam the Record Man, a famous record store/ institution,  looking around at all sorts of records or cds to buy. As I wandered into the classical section I heard this ethereal music that seemed to come from a dream. I had to know what this peace was and once the surly snot saleswoman told me, I bought the CD. I can just sit back and listen to this piece and it makes me feel like gold.

So..one more...in honour of

GORDON LIGHTFOOT 

This man is a Canadian musical icon who died Monday at the age of 84. I love his smooth, haunting voice that can also bring me to tears, believe it or not. When I heard of his famous song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, written and performed by this great singer back in 1976, I thought it was like a dream and it transported me to another place. It’s one of the best tribute songs about men who make their living on the ships.

What music makes you feel better or any songs with a  more literal meaning?

Star of the Month

 

ALICE FAYE

BORN: May 5, 1915

DIED: May 9, 1998

AGED: 83 yrs

DIED FROM: Stomach Cancer 

REAL NAME: Alice Jeanne Leppert

MARRIED: Twice - Tony Martin; Phil Harris( until his death- 54 yrs)

AFFAIRS: maybe Rudy Vallee but she Vehemently denied this and I believe her. Valee's wife put Faye's name in the divorce proceedings. Rudy Vallee took her on as his protégé which sounds wrong but I have not heard too many others say the wifeceas right. Bob Stevens- a producer she dated before meeting her 2nd husband. Apparently, Phil  wanted to punch Bob's lights out.

CHILDREN: 2 daughters

NICKNAME: the Queen of Fox

FAMOUS PAIRINGS: Don Ameche and Tyrone Power often as a  threesome ..not that kind! And  John Payne 

TALENT: her beautiful voice

KNOWN FOR: giving up her career at the height of her fame. Except for a turn in the remake "State Fair", a couple of guest spots in movies and "The Love Boat", she did not come back to film but she did venture back to Broadway in 1974 with her old costar, John Payne. 

This is one strong lady who was born in the notorious Hell's Kitchen area of New York City. She said you either became a lady of the stage or a lady of the streets and she chose the former. She lied about her age so she could get on the stage as a showgirl  but she was only 13. She claimed she was 16. She already had a shapely figure and her voice was sultry, so she was good to go in the theatre. Rudy Vallee heard her sing and gave her a job in the George White Scandals and, when Lillian Harvey dropped out of the movie version, Alice became the lead. At this time, she was looking like a Jean Harlow type, brassy and tough talking, but Darryl F. Zanuck groomed her into a more wholesome looking gal which is why I have 2 photos of her. 

Her voice introduced 23 hits more than any other popular star of this time, even Judy Garland. Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin all preferred her singing and wanted her to introduce their songs. Her most famous is " You'll Never Know" which I showcased last week, but I didn't want her singing it because you would have guessed that won the Oscar for sure. That song and the song, " My Man" became her signature tunes even though she never made a recording of it due to her Fox Contract. 

She was a big name in the 30s and 40s but when Darryl Zanuck cut many of her scenes in " Fallen Angel" preferring Linda Darnell over her, she was deeply hurt because she thought she gave one of her best performances. She handed in her trailer keys, wrote a note to Zanuck using a few expletives and left! Fox put her on suspension but she flipped them the bird( not literally) and said she has more to do in life than be in pictures like taking care of her children and learning to cook. Her 2nd husband, known for being being on the Jack Benny show, a comedian etc... started a radio show with his wife which ran for 8 years and showcased her singing and comedic timing. 

She was a real trooper who did not think badly of people, had a great 2nd marriage that lasted 54 yrs, good children and a legacy that stands the test of time. More people need to know about her.

FILMS

1. George White Scandals of 1935-1935

2. Poor Little Rich Girl-1936

3. King of Burlesque-1936

4. On the Avenue-1937

5. In Old Chicago- 1938

6. Alexander's Ragtime Band- 1938

7. Rose of Washington Square-1939

8. Lillian Russell- 1940

9. That Night in Rio-1941

10. Hello, Frisco, Hello- 1943

Thursday Movie Picks: TV Edition- Lukewarm Second Season

 

This week is a tough one for me because it’s about TV shows that had a great first season only to go Meh for their second season. I have no real clue, to be honest, if I picked the right tv shows but I did my best. Wandering through the Shelves chose a doozy, for me anyway. It will be fun to see what other people have chosen.

1.  SPACE 1999- 1975-1977

This was a TV show I watched when Star Trek wasn’t on and nothing else. I always thought Martin Landau hit bottom with this British ( I think it’s British) tv show co-starring with his wife, Barbara Bain and David Morse as scientists on the moon base Alpha. There is an explosion which sends the moon off into the Peter Pan Netherland of outer space. It seems, from what I remember, they meet different aliens plus are always trying to get home, kind of like Gilligan’s Island. The second season came and they brought in Catherine Schell as a beautiful alien who can become any animal to help out these castaways of outer space. This didn’t help and the show was cancelled.

2. LIE TO ME-2009-2011

I really liked this show that stars Tim Roth as a scientist who has a business with people who are experts in reading body language to find out who is lying and who isn’t etc.., I love watching people and have always been told I’m uncanny in figuring out people. I take that as a high compliment as I have made some big mistakes. Anyhoo, I really enjoyed the first season but the second season was moved around, by the network, so I had a hard time to locate it but, when I found it, I felt they changed it up. They would make a field day today with all the crap out there today.

3. DESIGNATED SURVIVOR-2016-2019

Kiefer Sutherland stars as a low level politician held in some bunker never thinking he would be leading the country when…blammo!! The President, Vice- Pres and everyone else is bombed out of existence. He now must lead the country. I thought it was quite interesting and enjoyed how he has to learn the hard way with the love and support of his wife but soon it became a confusing, paranoid intrigue where everyone he loves is killed and he can’t trust anyone …I gave up before the first season ended.

Can you think of any TV shows that fit this theme or are you baffled like me?

Wednesday Music Fest

 

Yes, this is my dear friend, VJ, who travelled around the Himalayas, as you can see and I would love to have been there but not the way he got there. He was on a bus travelling on one of the precarious roads, sandy roads and, at one point, another bus came from the other direction and each tried to pass one another. My friend looked down a 3,000 ft drop and he did not see any edge because they were right on the edge..a few inches from going down…far down. Nope! No way! No how would I be on that bus! I would be walking or just not going which is what I would be doing….or not doing:). I love The Alps and always have, even though I am so scared of heights..go figure, but I just love the mountains. This was my motivation for this weeks’ music choices which I decided to join in the Monday Music Moves Me.

1. CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN SUNG BY MARGERY MACKAY FOR PEGGY WOOD-1965

I always thought Peggy Wood sang this but, once I read about this song I found out that it was too difficult for her, especially at her age, so they brought in Margery MacKay. Dame Peggy had trouble to lip sync at the beginning of the song too so they shot her in reflection not realizing it added to the scene. Pretty cool. Oh and this is from The Sound of Music by Rogers and Hammerstein. 

2. DREI BERGL LANDLER BY MANFRED SCHULER FROM A TRADITIONAL FOLK SONG-1993

I found this CD and fell in love with the whole thing because I love folk music fr9m around the world. This just makes me think of the Alpine mountains and how magical they look and I have been so lucky to be in and travel through by train and car ( with my crazy ass aunt who thinks it’s fine passing people on a small mountain road while pointing to castles, talking about them and not looking at the road). The traditional instruments were used like the zither and it was played in a an old fashioned hall in a small mountain village.

3. MOUNTAIN GREENERY SUNG BY BING CROSBY-1956

I just really like this song…it’s fun, and puts a smile on my face. This was created by the famous team of Rogers and Hart back in 1926 and originally sung by Sterling Halloway. 

Do you love the Mountains? Hills? Oceans? Etc…what music do you think of?

Thursday Film Picks- Friends’ Travels

 

The picture, above, is from my dear friend, VJ, who travelled to Malaysia and the foot of the Himalayas as seen above. I had another friend go on a Cruise and another has just left to the Dominican. Me? I to a cruise in my Honda Civic to the local supermarket to get screwed up the ass by the greedy prices set by our Loblaws A-Hole who just gave himself a raise from $7 million to $11 million. Thankfully, the jerk had to step down but probably kept his raise. Meanwhile, butter is around $7.99 which I refuse to pay so I wait for sales. Oh, getting back to travel, I wish I was, but I’m glad my friends could and can so I can live through them. With that in mind, I chose 3 films inspired  by their travels...

Man, I forgot to include the Oscar songs here, from yesterday's post. The one that won the Oscar wad " You'll Never Know"; " That Old Black Magic" was nominated and " One For My Baby" got nadda!

1. LOST HORIZON-1937

I just love this film and I read the book as well but find this film version better than the book. It stars Ronald Colman as British diplomat trying to get out of China along with his brother and a few other characters who board a plane to take off and out of harm’s way. They realize that the plane has been hijacked and it crashes in the very snowy Himalayas where they are met by a group of men who take them on a perilous journey to Shangri-La. This is a magical place where money doesn’t matter nor does age only beauty, art, education and peace. There Colman meets a young schoolteacher and the man who founded this mythical valley. The others also find a purpose except for the dumb ass brother who believes a girl he meets there and falls for. The girl and the brother want to leave and convince Ronald despite every fiver in his being that he belongs in this valley. It is a stunning film, it really feels magical and looking at Ronald Colman helps. I love this film.

2. OUT TO SEA-1997

This stars Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, a great team on and off film, as a widower and his dead wife’s no good brother who end up on a cruise ship. Matthau plays the dead beat brother in law who swindles Lemmon to take a cruise without telling him that they are to be dancers for the lonely old ladies on the cruise. He only finds out after they set sail but must now be dancers or else the evil cruise director will throw them off the ship after charging them for the cruise. Of course, Lemmon meets the lovely Gloria DeHaven and Matthau meets the vixenish Dyan Cannon and her mother both, who think he is a wealthy millionaire. This is not an earth shattering comedy but a nice one that I can always watch and turn off my brain. You can’t help loving these 2 old codgers.

3. THE OTHER WOMAN-2014

I am not a fan of Cameron doze-off, I mean, Diaz, but I do like this comedy more for the performance of  Leslie Mann as the hapless wife married to a narcissistic jerk of a husband. It starts off that successful lawyer, Dozey, um, Diaz, is in love with handsome guy until his wife shows up all crazy and wanting to get even. It becomes quite funny when the 2 gals decide to gang up and follow the numbnut to the Caribbean only to see him with yet another gal, buxom ta-tas Kate Upton. They bring her into the fold and decide to bring the S.O.B down. I laughed quite a bit and was wondering if they had watched the marriage of my best friend and her narcissistic ex husband. I found this funny although Nicki Minaj needs to stick to whatever she …does. 

Which 3 films would you choose when you think of friends’ who have been travelling to places and you are not?

Oscar Songs 1943

 

I decided to stay in the 1940s because I always loved a song that made me think of black cats, sultry ways and just a sexy feeling. This seems to go with the Monday Music Moves me list which are about songs that make you feel magical. This works well with my, “Who won the Oscar” list. 1943 was quite the year for music because there were 9 nominees. Let’s see if you can guess who won, who was nominated and  which one had 0 Magic.

1. THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC SUNG BY SARAH VAUGHAN-1954-1956

I first heard this song sung by Marilyn Monroe in the film “Bus Stop” and thought it was done well as a girl who can kind of hold a note but she created a real girl in a seedy bar trying to make a living. Since then, I have heard several renditions  and decided to choose the great Sarah Vaughan but there are so many one could choose. Oh and this song comes from the film “Star Spangled Rhythm.”

2. ONE FOR MY BABY SUNG BY FRANK SINATRA -1958

I…am not. Big Frank Sinatra fan but, for some reason,  this song  just suits him. It originally was sung by Fred Astaire in the film, “The Sky’s The Limit” but Sinatra made this song his own.

3. YOU’LL NEVER KNOW SUNG BY RENEE FLEMING-2017

This song comes from the film, “Hello, Frisco, Hello and became Alice Faye’s signature tune but I decided to go with the great Renee who just has a magical voice, to me anyways.

So, which one won the Oscar, which was nominated and which came up with nuttin’?