Thursday, April 23, 2009

Young Women, Young Women!

I am pushing 40. Actually, I have been pushing/shoving 40 since I turned 35. I catch myself thinking I am 40 even though it is over a year away. This being oddly stated- some moments in my life make me want to gulp and exclaim, " I did not originate with the dinosaurs!!!" Cause of this little rant:


Scene location and set up: Comfortable old Suburban schlepping almost 13 year old daughter to Beehive activity.

Mom (me) glancing down-" Wow, those Personal Progress books are a lot smaller than the ones they had when I was your age. Very convenient."
Daughter- " Did you get your Young Women's medallion or did they not have those back then- 'cause you can still earn one?"
Mom- " Yes, I earned my award. We could get it when we were a little younger when I was in Young Womens. I think I was 16. You know that ugly pink, brown , and green log cabin quilt in the closet? I made that as part of my project."
Daughter- " Wow. So....did you keep a hive of bees, too?"
Mom- "No, beloved daughter."
Daughter- " How about riding a horse for 30 miles?"
Mom, slightly exaggerated-" I didn't know Brigham Young, either."


Good grief!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Out of the Loop

I have some cherished friends with whom few people seem familiar. On occasion, when their names are mentioned I draw blank looks, and wonder if I am from another dimension....or have dementia.

Maybe, it's because I spent large quantities of time with my grandparents (no dementia) when I was a kid, or a fascination/delight with history, or..... who knows.

So I don't feel alone, and out of curiosity- Do you know or have you been introduced to:


Greer Garson

Walter Pigeon

Myrna Loy

Irene Dunne

William Powell

How about:

Gary Cooper

Rita Hayworth

Clark Gable

Cary Grant

Carol Lombard

Jimmy Stewart

Obviously these are all movie stars. I am not trying to be patronizing. I just want to spread the love AND these people are a delightful answer to today's mucky media options. After hounding my family and dear friends over and over and over and over again- inquiring if they had seen certain films- I thought I would just post a list of some of my favorites and leave theImage poor people alone. So, thank you for allowing me to indulge. Here goes:

*My latest favorite: "I Remember Mama"- with Irene Dunne. About a turn of the century Norwegian family in San Francisco.

"You Can't Take it With You"- Centers around a quirky family -staring Carol Lombard and a young Jimmy Stewart.

If you like Carol Lombard (wife of Clark Gable and sadly died young in a plane crash) check out "My Man Godfrey" also, with William Powell.Image

William Powell can also be seen in the "Thin Man" series with Myrna Loy. I think there are five movies in all. They are sort of "Perry Mason" meets a mild Lucille Ball mysteries.

Some of you may be familiar with Greer Garson in a very loose adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice", but have you seen her in "Goodbye Mr. Chips", "Mrs. Miniver" with Walter Pigeon, or "Random Harvest" . Very good movies, a bit more on the emotional side bring a hanky. Image

We have all seen Clark Gable in "Gone with the Wind", but have you seen him do comedy? Check out "It Happened One Night" where he stars with Claudette Colbert. I think she has the biggest eyes in Hollywood history.

Gary Cooper is one of my favorite leading men. I am a sucker for a soft spoken man. "Sergeant York" is a movie worth watching- about a pacifist who was drafted into WWI- based on a true story.

Others:

"On Moonlight Bay" & "By the Light of the Silvery Moon"- with Doris Day

"The Ghost and Mr Chicken"- with Don Knotts- a very silly family favorite

And- you can never lose with "Singing in the Rain" or "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" if you are into musicals.

I will get off my box now.

*Disclaimer: Children may react adversely to black and white movie media. They may convulse and show signs of Turrets.