home school show and tell

home school show and tell

Movie Party...which flick do you choose?

OK...my best intentions for this blog were more ambitious than what actually took place...that is, the ambition of actually posting!

Two blogs- and two children- are hard to maintain all at once sometimes! ;)

Bur I'd like to do something different for this post...let's make it more interactive!
Pretend we're all together, eating popcorn, and trying to pick a movie to watch. But our movie night theme tonight is "romantic comedy"...what do you choose.
(And it has to have been made before 1963!)

We're talking Doris Day all the way back to Irene Dunn.

Speaking of Doris and Irene, you get bonus points if you can name the movies that they each starred in, where Doris Day did the re-make.
(Both of these are versions are favorites of mine!)

So...what's your favorite? And why?

I'll have to exclude myself because, well, this is my favorite genre and I'd pull out my hair trying to name just one! If you really must, then name two...OK three...and then don't forget the "why"!

My next post, I will be picking one of my favorite actors or actresses to spotlight!

Blessings!

"The Clock"...a perfect WWII romance

I know...it's been forever since I posted here! But since the school year started (I home school) it's all I can do to keep up with my Family Doin's blog!

But I'm going to try...really try...to post a little more often here!

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Ever since I was a little girl, I was drawn towards all of the Judy Garland movies she made with MGM. There was just something about her doe eyes combined with the way she could sing with such feeling.

But there's one movie where she doesn't sing a note. Not one little note! Actually, there's more than one, but I'm referring to a film she did when she was still very young...It's called "The Clock".

I love the "feeling" of this movie!
I am not going to give a whole plot summary, but I will mention the basic premise...

It's New York City during WWII and Judy's character literally runs into a lonely soldier on leave, played by Robert Walker, near the giant clock in Grand Central Station. Although she's pretty cautious at first, she ends up showing him around the city a bit, and he is so completely vuneralble and sweet and eager.
Slowly- or should I saw swiftly- they begin to fall in love.

I say swiftly, because the entire movie takes place during the course of a day or two. And given the fact that this is WWII, the story isn't that far fetched...many similar love stories probably unfolded in this way because of the intensity of the times and short durations that men and women had together.

This movie captures all of this....and is beautifully directed by Vincent Minnelli.
The story goes that Minnelli and Garland were falling in love during this filming (they later married, one of their daughters being Liza Minnelli) and it is almost obvious of thier romance in the way he brings out Judy's best. But it's more than that...I find the direction in this movie very unique for it's time...almost as if we're sneak-peeking on a real life romance between the two characters.

At one point in the movie, there is some emotionally intense moments when, just as they are starting to really like one another, they are accidently separated in the huge crowds of New York. They realized that all they knew about each other were their first names, so we see each of their panic as they desparately try to find each other.

I have probably seen this movie about 30 times, and each time I do, I'm still riveted to the screen through the whole film.

For those that are romantic at heart, and also appreciate this incredible WWII era, it is a truly heart-warming film.
A wonderful Valentine's Day story!

Long Trailer Musings

This isn't going to be a movie review or anything...just some thoughts relating to one of my favorite movies.

This past weekend, my family and I had the joy of going camping in a gorgeous area, ending with a drive up to Mt. Hood. I had never been there in the summertime, and the scenery was breathtaking!

However, we had to wind around some steep cliffs a few times...with me on the "view" side. Having seen The Long, Long Trailer...oh, about 75 times...you can imagine the scene that popped into my mind. To steady my nerves, I started talking about the movie to my husband, quoting line after line. He's seen it a few times too (but not 75) so he knew what I was talking about.

"This reminds me of the scene where they're pulling the trailer up the steep cliff, remember? They are both petrified, but trying to talk about something-anything- to keep their minds off of it.
Desi's character, Nicky, says, 'What's that book you're reading?'
Lucy's character (Stacie) informs him that she quit reading it when she realized that they had seen the movie.
'They didn't make a movie out of that, did they?' he asks, his hands gripping the steering wheel.
'Well, they didn't call it that...' she says, slowly.... her eyes nervously glazed, looking out the window.
Then she describes the movie that they saw ...
'and then she threw the drink in his face, see, and..." her mounting fear increases so much that she drops her sentence in mid-air.
Nicky pipes in, sort of to her rescue, 'Was that the one where...' "

OK, here I don't have the complete quote memorized, so I improvise a bit, as I also look nervously down the cliff...
" 'Was that the one where the woman didn't know she had a brother who wanted to marry the other woman?'
'Yes. But then the woman went back to the party...'
'Which woman?'
'The other woman.' Lucy's glazed eyes turn to sheer terror as she glances down below the side of the car into the canyon below, and adds frantically, 'Not the one who didn't know the brother!'
'You mean the one who knew the brother?!!!" he yells in return."

I start go giggle as I finish trying to quote this whole favorite scene of mine. Hubby is concentrating on driving along our own little cliffs, but I glance over to see a humorous smile playing on his lips.
My seven year old, who was listening to the whole thing, asks me about five minutes later..."So, what's that book you're reading, Mommy?"

She's such a card.

Oh...and one more reference to this movie took place.

Last week, my seven year old spotted a long trailer and pointed it out to me. (Can you guess she also likes this movie? Like mother, like daughter!)

"Can we get one like that someday?" she askes.
"No, that would cost way too much money," I answer. "Much more than the trailer cost in the old movie."
"How much did the trailer cost in the movie?" she asks.
I'm trying to think, when hubby suddenly answers, "$8,000."
"Wow, I'm impressed- you remembered how much it cost!" I exclaim.
So this week, my girls and I were driving to an errand, and I reminded them that it was the anniversary of the day Daddy and I had met. (We celebrate that!)
I added, in an excited voice for drama, "I wonder if he'll remember!"
My little girl thought for a moment. "I don't know if he will, Mommy. But he sure remembers the price of that trailer!"

But...to place the proper ending on this story, he did actually remember, surpising me with roses that night.

I guess I can relate to the couple that Lucy and Desi portrayed, who squabbled a bit now and then as they traveled through the curves and mountains of life, but who loved each other passionately. And, of course, see some wonderful beauty along the way.

The Parent Trap- the original!

In case you all are wondering, I don't usually keep up this blog as regularly since I have a family blog that keeps me pretty busy. But I will try and update this several times a month, if not more.

I was just watching the original version of The Parent Trap this evening with my seven year old. She had seen the second version several times, thanks to the Disney Channel, but I kept telling her she just had to see the first one! I finally found it in our public library and happily took it home with us. She wanted to watch it right away, and frankly, I did too!

Just as I hoped, she loves this original just as much- if not more- than the re-make. (And I have to say, overall I thought they did a pretty nice job updating and remaking such a famous childhood classic in 1997. But like a lot of modern remakes, it just doesn't capture the pristine magic of the original.)

Never mind, the obvious flaws...such as why does Hailey Mills have such a strong British accent as both the California girl and the Bostonian? We can easily brush that aside, to enjoy the pure fun and chemistry that the movie brings. And then there is the storyline itself of both versions...would a couple really consent to each never seeing one of their kids...ever? OK, that's a big hurdle for me now, but when I first saw it at age twelve, I never gave it a thought.

Others on the young end of the Baby Boom have had the same experience as I have- even my own husband. We seem to all remember first watching the movie on TV at around eleven or twelve, and being completely swept away into the magic of it all.

Perhaps it was because we could identify with the kids so well, and loved the sense of power they acheive as they switch places and later work to bring their parents back together after all those years. As kids, we don't have too much athority at our fingertips, so it probably made us giddy to see what these twins could accomplish! And better yet, it was all for good!

It's fun to see the scenes at camp when the girls initially run into each other and quickly become rivals. One revenge leads to another until they are punished by having to share a cabin. And when they rivalry turns to sisterhood, it is so touching to see. From there, the little plan to bring thier parents back together is hatched.

Brian Keith plays the gruff but lovable dad, while beautiful Maureen O'Hara plays the fiesty (as always- she's Irish AND a redhead) mother from old family wealth in Boston. When the couple meet up again at his ranch house, the fireworks fly. They are obviously still attracted to one another but each has a fiery personality- and the fact that he is preparing to re-marry a gold digger doesn't help matters.

Made in 1961, The Parent Trap is one of those movies that I don't mind seeing over and over again throughout my life. Some movies are just like that. Especially, when I became so drawn into it's charm once as a child. Especially, too, when I can see it all over through the eyes of my own children.
*And would you believe as I was editing this, my husband and girls are watching it yet again?

A legend passes away...

One of my all-time favorite MGM musical stars passed away a couple days ago- June Allyson. You may even notice that one of my daughter's name spelling is due to her! And when I was in my 20's, I bought her autobiography...and I highly recommend it!

Something about her...she had an innocent quality and a twinkle in her eye...and I just loved her.
Please click on the link to her website: http://www.juneallyson.com/

Besides pictures and listing of her credits, there's a schedule of the movies that TCM will be showing Sunday, June 16th in her honor. Check it out!


Farewell, Junie. You'll be missed...

It Should Happen to You

Today I was passing by a little building in our suburbs with the sign, "Your Name Here" printed boldly across. I've passed by it a hundered times, and still, it remains the same. It made me suddenly think about an old movie I have always liked a lot, called "It Should Happen to you".

Made in 1954, this cute comedy stars Judy Holiday and a very young and handsome Jack Lemmon, whom when I first saw him in this movie, became an object of a little crush! (By the way, it's his film debut.)
Judy, who seems to always play the quirky, dumb but smart blonde, sees a large empty billboard in the city and decides, on a whim, that she wants to place "her name here". No reason. Just to see her name in print and let the world see it, too. Her wish comes true as she does, indeed, become famous...as the name "Gladys Glover" soon is found on signs everywhere. Jack Lemmon is the long-suffering friend who falls in love with her, in spite of her obsession with signs.

So, I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I drove past this still unclaimed sign with my kids today...it certainly wouldn't have had a chance if Gladys lived in my hometown!
If you haven't seen this film yet, be sure to catch it next time it's on... or better yet, order it on-line. It's a true comedic gem.

CAST: Judy Holiday, Jack Lemmon, Peter Lawford
Directed by George Cukor