Who won the Oscar for 1946 for best song? I'm often surprised which song was left out. I'm still going to join over at Monday Music Moves Me. Next week, I'm away on a small vacation with the hubby, staying with his Aunt and Uncle on the Richelieu River. I'll try to listen to some tunes but I hope to relax and I'll be away from work! Now...on with the show. Take a guess at who won the Oscar, who was nominated and who was unlucky in both.
1. ALL THROUGH THE DAY SUNG BY BING CROSBY
This is a lovely song from the film, " Centennial Summer" with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein 2nd.
2. PUT THE BLAME ON MAME SUNG BY RITA HAYWORTH( NOT REALLY)
Alas, Rita was an excellent dancer but her voice was dubbed, here, by Anita Ellis for the film, "Gilda". This was quite sexy and daring for its time and still packs a wallop, I think.
3. ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTE FE SUNG BY JUDY GARLAND
This is a fun song from the film, "The Harvey Girls" that starred Garland and Ray Bolger ( he played the Scatecrow in "The Wizard of Oz"). Angela Lansbury is in this musical as well. The music was by Harry Warren with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.
So, take a guess...who hot the Oscar, who was nominated and who struck out on both counts?
I’m getting late writing this but I still love doing it. My pain has been bad and hate smelling the smoke from the forest fires, mind you, if I liked it, I would need to see a shrink. So, watching less movies but watch TV when I get home from work which is, often, late. I’ve been enjoying watching some shows I already spoke about plus the news. I don’t really enjoy watching the news but I like to keep abreast of what is going on. Here is what I have watched in June.
1. THE LADY IN WHITE-1988
I saw this in the theatre back in 1988 and really like this small time film. It centres on a small boy, played by Lucas Haas, who is trapped in the school closet by a couple of bullies. He sees the ghost of a little girl and sees her being murdered by an invisible killer. Terrified, he almost dies when the all too human killer comes into the closet trying to retrieve something that fell into the grate. He sees the boy and tries to kill him but, thankfully, is unsuccessful. Now, the boy tries to find out who the girl is when he finds out she was the first victim of a serial killer. It is a ghostly murder mystery but it is endearing because it takes place in a small town with kids and adults who live a simpler life in the 1960s. There is a sweetness to this movie despite the seriousness of the topic. I highly recommend it.
2. THE GREAT OUTDOORS-1988
I just spoke bout this film last week. It’s stupid, dumb but I enjoy it especially since it has John Candy in it.
3. TITANIC-1953
This is not “ A Night To Remember”, which is the best film about the Titanic, but this is a good film that stars Barbara Stanwyck who has decided to take her children back to America and teach them about true manners and to work for what they want. The kids have been spoiled because their dad is filthy rich. The dad, played so well by Clifton Webb, is able to get on the Titanic to prevent his estranged wife from taking his kids away from him. We also meet young students, one played by Robert Wagner, who takes a shine to Stanwyck’s and Webb’s daughter. We get to meet other fellow passengers and we see what happens when the ship is sinking. It is well acted with Thelma Ritter as a Molly Brown character, who shines in her role. I love this movie because the acting is great with some real dilemmas that, I’m surprised, the censors didn’t pounce on the topic. The special effects are quite good for its time too so it is well worth a look.
3. THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE, TWO, THREE-1974
This is a taut thriller with 4 older men taking a subway train full of people, hostage. The head of the subway, played by Walter Matthau, is now trying to deal with the hostage taking without any passengers dying. The leader of the hostage takers, played by Robert Shaw, is icy cold and demands money or he will kill a hostage. It’s. Exciting, gritty with no movie star look to it. I prefer this version over the remake which seems to have some gloss to it. This is the better film.
TV SHOWS
1. IMPOSSIBLE ENGINEERING-2015- PRESENT
This is a pretty cool show, on the Smithsonian channel, that showcases buildings, bridges etc.. built in unique ways. It’s hard to describe but pretty cool seeing a high rise with greenery taking centre stage. Mirrors to make sure parks below still receive sunlight etc…
2. DEPARTURE-2019-PRESENT
This is a Canadian backed TV show starring Archie Panjabi ( a woman) who is a chief investigator on a plane crash and finds out more than she bargained for. Christopher Plummer plays her mentor/boss who helps her. This was his last role before he died which is a shame because he was such a great actor. You find out all the intrigues and double dealings that take place. Hubby and I enjoy this show because it’s not a simple plot but there are various double dealings and other mishaps along the way.
3. A SMALL LIGHT-2023
This is about the Anne Frank family but through the eyes of the real life Miep Gies who kept the family hidden for over 2 years at Otto Frank’s business. She has help of course, but you are on the edge of your seat how Miep and her, equally courageous husband, Jan, who was part of the resistance, helped save other Jewish people and their children. The Frank family and the others in the Annex actually take second billing because it is based on Miep who died at the age of 101. The only negative thing I have to say is when they were liberated. It was the Canadians who liberated Holland…CANADIANS!! Do they mention this…nope they just say they are liberated so it makes people think that it was the Americans but it was us! My dad was part of the liberation.
This is a popular theme over at Wandering Through The Shelves who loves reading as many of you do out there in the dark…oops sorry, I was channeling Norma Desmond. There are so many films that I decided to do a theme within a theme. Here are my picks…
1. ROMEO AND JULIET-1936
We all know the famous story of those young teenage lovers who are part of 2 feuding families-the Montagues and the Capulets. They meet during a masquerade ball and fall hopelessly in love but their affair is doomed and ends tragically because, well, it is Shakespeare and it’s a tragedy. This wonderful( hahaha) adaptation stars 43 year old Leslie Howard as Romeo and 34 year old Norma Shearer as Juliet as those Dooey-eyed teens..hahahaaaa…. Sorry as dooey-eyed oldies who fall in love. You have Basil Rathbone and John Barrymore as the friends who fight one another. Basil was an expert swordsman and Barrymore was an expert drinker often drunk while doing his scenes who were also way too long in the tooth to play youngins. The sad reality is that Shearer’s husband, Irving Thalberg, who wanted this film as a showcase for his wife spring no expense, died the evening it premiered at the young age of 37 which cast a giant shadow on the film.
2. ROMEO AND JULIET-1968
This is the best version of this tragedy starring actual teenagers, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting as the doomed lovers. It was directed by Franco Zeffirelli who deserves the accolades for making this film a success. The music is beautiful as well as the cinematography and costumes. For decades and decades, Olivia Hussey had nothing but praise for her director and always claimed she was perfectly fine with the nude scene….same for Whiting so it’s a shame that just a year or so ago, they decided to sue the estate of Franco Zeffirelli for what they claimed was a deafening blow to their emotional well being for the nude scene. Now, they were young, she was 14 and Hollywood was not one to care about the feelings of young people especially girls but it just seems weird that after everything, they come out now. I a, one for the Me Two movement but this doesn’t ring right to me.
3. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE-1998
Ok, yes, this stars Goop, aka Gwyneth Paltrow, as a wealthy chick betrothed to a jerk ( luscious Colin Firth) who dreams of being an actress but there is one problem…she’s a girl and no girl ever acts on the stage. The performances, at that time, were played by men. Can you imagine a male Juliet? Well, neither can Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes ( Ralph’s brother) who owes money and is poor as dirt. He meets Goop and they fall in love. She pretends to be a boy so she can play the girl, Juliet, opposite Joey, playing Romeo. This is quite good, to be honest, but Goop never should have won the Oscar ( it should have gone to Cate Blanchett). It is actually quite funny especially with Geoffrey Rush who plays Shakespeare’s agent. Judi Dench won an Oscar for her very short role as Queen E #1. I don’t think she should have won here either ( I would have chosen Brenda Blethyn, Lynn Redgrave or Kathy Bates) but this is a good movie to watch. It won best picture…no, it shouldn’t have won, if I had to chose from the nominees, I would have chosen “Elizabeth”.
This was a fun one to think about. There are so many ways one could go with this. You can see the various ways over a Monday Musics Moves Me. I almost chose a Beach Boys song but it ends with " this is the worst trip I've ever been on". I can't say I have been on a bad trip and I'm not talking about magic mushrooms. By the way, the picture shows my friend who travels during the winter months usually involving an ocean. So here are my songs I chose...
1. I'M OFF ON THE ROAD TO MOROCCO SUNG BY HOPE AND CROSBY-1942
When I saw this theme, this was the first song that came into my head. I love the many road pictures Bob Hope and Bing Crosby made, this one being one of the best. It was written by Jimmy Van Heusen(music) and Johnny Burke( lyrics).
2. IF IT'S TUESDAY, THIS MUST BE BELGIUM SUNG BY R. P. RAGS-1969
Love the movie and this song was right in the middle of it when the young daughter can't wait to be with the hippies and listen to Donovan's song. I always thought Donovan was the guy singing it.
3. BEACH BLANKET BINGO SUNG BY DONNA LOREN- 1965
You can't have a summer vacation without these 2 swinging teens and their friends shaking their booties and ta-tas. Annette was quite the double D cup but still innocent and ladylike. This song was written by gal Donna Loren and is just perfect for the summer vacations.
My friend is somewhere in Malaysia, just not sure where. Right now he is working, non stop being a Travel host either on a bus loaded with tourists who want to see Lake Louise, Jasper and Banff or taking day trips to Victoria, BC, Whistler or anywhere near Vancouver. He is off during the winter when he 5ake off to explore different parts of the world. I thought of my friend and the end of school and the start of summer vacation. So many families decide to take the kids on a trip during the summer and either go camping, take off to Disney, rent a cottage or go on a trip where they may meet my good friend V.J. With that in mind, I chose staying at a cottage/home with the family and here they are…
1. MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION-1962
I did talk about this film before but I love Jimmy Stewart and I really enjoy this film about a father, Stewart, who takes his beautiful wife, Maureen O’ Hara, and their 2 kids to an old home right on the beach. The home has seen better days from the dust to the plumbing but they decide to enjoy what it has to offer. When a luscious blondie decides to sunbathe near their home, Stewart is polite and his son in law is a bit too nice. We have some great character actors in this movie and I love the bird watching scene. It’s sweet, funny and the start of a few movies Stewart made in this vein.
2. THE SPIRIT IS WILLING-1967
I have to see this movie again because I really liked it when I watched it many, many years ago. Sid Caesar and Vera Miles are a married couple who, along with their teenage son, rent a home for their summer vacation not realizing that it is already inhabited by 3 unruly ghosts whom only the teenage son can see. The ghosts do what they can to be disruptive and the teenager gets blamed for the ghosts’ antics. I found it funny, cute and worth a few looks. I miss these types of films that were made during this decade with the character actors often seen in many of the other comedy movies.
3. THE GREAT OUTDOORS-1988
This is the weakest of the 3 but it’s still fun…dumb, but fun. You have John Candy who takes his wife and sons up to the cabin he used to go to and they are enjoying their time together until Candy’s brother and sister-in-law come up with their freakish twin girls. They all decide to enjoy the area even though they must deal with raccoons, bears and each other. Watching this again made me realize how much I miss John Candy who, apparently, was just the nicest to the people in the town who worked as extras ( as opposed to Annette Bening, in her first film role, who was a real b&@*). I love Bart the Bear, a famous bear who worked in quite a few movies, as the bear who causes some damage to Candy but gets a bum wrap ( nyuck, nyuck…you have to see the movie to get the pun). Whoever was the stuntman for Candy when on the waterskis, is amazing.
School’s out for summer! This is what I dreamed of doing when I was done with school since I was not a fan. Since school ended last week, I thought this was a perfect time to talk about music with school in mind. I was going to write about a brilliant piece of music, Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” but, I think, I already talked about this song so I chose another I enjoyed. I will sign up to the Monday Music Moves Me post over at Curious As A Cathy since I enjoy it even though this is Wednesday. Here are my picks…
1. SCHOOL’S OUT BY ALICE COOPER-1972
There’s something about Alice Cooper I really like. He intelligent, loves old movies and songs and beats to his own drummer. I my not listen to all his songs but I bloody love this one.
2. SCHOOL DAYS BY CHUCK BERRY-1957
I always had fun listening to this song and dancing to it and I would dance and dance.
3. HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL BY ROUGH TRADE-1980
This was a Canadian anthem for finishing the school year. It was written by Carole Pope and Kevin Staples and sung, brilliantly, by Carole Pope. It got a lot of flack when it was on the airwaves and even censored but, thankfully, it isn’t anymore…at least not in my neck of the woods.
So there you are. Aside from Pink Floyd, what other school songs would you pick?
NICKNAME: The Helen Hayes of TV and, also, Bubbles
MARRIED: Once, to Jeffrey Hayden from 1951 to 2016, his death
CHILDREN: 2 Children
OSCAR WINS: Best Supporting Actress for “On The Waterfront”
KNOWN FOR: being one of the nicest actresses/people in the film industry
Since she could blow bubbles from inside her mouth, she was called Bubbles which stuck with her in high school even when she was a cheerleader ( of course, she was). She fell into doing theatre and got a job in TV before landing a role, opposite Marlon Brando, in On The Waterfront. She found working with Brando quite fine and just thought of him as an actor, nothing more. She learned so much from the director, Elia Kazan, and just grew from there. Speaking of growing, she was 9 months pregnant when she won the Oscar and gave birth to her son 2 days later…talk about cutting that close! She starred in many movies before switching to, mainly TV although she did star in many TV productions from the 50s. I didn’t showcase all her TV appearances but she was nominated for 5 Emmys finally winning for “People Like Us” from 1990.
She loved working with most people including Hitchcock, Brando and Colin Farrell who found her a Dream. She didn’t warm up to Warren Beatty who seemed aloof nor Montgomery Clift who was so painfully shy that it brought out her shyness so neither of them really spoke to one another.
She is one of the rare actors to have had a healthy, happy and loving marriage to Jeffrey Hayden who was a director and producer and both remained faithful to each other for over 60 yrs before he died at age 90.
She is still acting and loves it! It is as a voice over but, who cares because she is bloody 99!
MOVIES
1. ON THE WATERFRONT-1954
2. THAT CERTAIN FEELING-1956
3. A HATFUL OF RAIN- 1957
4. RAINTREE COUNTY-1957
5. NORTH BY NORTHWEST-1959
6. EXODUS- 1960
7. ALL FALL DOWN-1962
8. 36 HOURS-1964
9. SANDPIPER-1965
10. THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING-1966
