Well, it has been neat to be doing my music challenge. I am currently listening to a CD from old Hollywood musicals. In my younger years (when I was a preteen and teen), I was an absolute Hollywood musical buff! Seriously!! I read books on my favorites: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Julie Andrews, Gene Kelley, Danny Kaye, Debbie Reynolds, Bing Crosby, Jack Benny (okay, he was not an old-time musical star!), Marilyn Monroe--and the list goes one. I was somewhat obsessed. I can still tell you to this day some useless facts about certain movies and actors/actresses.
For example, did you know that Gene Kelley was a terrible perfectionist and brought poor Debbie Reynolds to tears several times during the making of Singin' in the Rain? She took hours of dance lessons every day, and it was Fred Astaire who encouraged her. And yet he was nice to Judy Garland (who had her share of troubles) and saw her almost as a sister! Julie Andrews was terribly overlooked for the movie My Fair Lady, and poor Audrey Hepburn got the worst of it. She lost out to Julie Andrews for an Oscar that year because people felt that Audrey Hepburn had "stolen" the movie from her and Julie Andrews should have been in the film since she was the original London and Broadway star. I mean, come on! Julie Andrews won and Oscar for best actress for her role in Mary Poppins???
I have to admit that my mom and I love to sit and watch Turner Classic Movies when no one else is around. My favorite film is probably still The Sound of Music. I have probably seen it 50 times at least, and I have had it memorized since I was very young. In fact, when we first got a VCR, we used to go to the local library every week and check out The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady because they were the only ones we could get on a regular basis! I used to do all my homework (and I was an A student) while watching classic musicals and films I had seen countless times. I used to record all the good films--they were always on late at night.
When I look at the films they make now, it is really sad that they don't have the truly romantic films and musicals like they once did. Everything now is about special effects and dealing with social issues. Romantic comedies have people jumping in and out of beds right and left. It is rare for people to get married in films any more. Why get married when you can live together?
Okay, so maybe the old films had affairs, but they didn't show everything! Goodness, a woman and man couldn't even be filmed in bed together! Even Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (who were married in real life!) couldn't be filmed in bed together!
That reminds me of a film that Bob Hope and Lucille Ball made together. I had to look it up!! In the film, Bob Hope and Lucille Ball are happily married to other people. Their families go on vacation together, and it ends up that their spouses are sick. So Hope and Ball end up vacationing together. And they fall in love! They begin to meet each other after the vacation, and they are even planning on running away together. It is all set up. But they discover at the last minute that there are things that really bug them about the other person. They decide to remain faithful to their current spouses, and the "affair" is broken off. It is really a good movie, and if you get a chance to see it, check it out! My dad was highly offended by the family, but I think it dealt with the subject of marriage and divorce in a really good way. Isn't it true that the grass is always greener in someone else's yard until you get there and see it up close!!
So what is my purpose in this post? Don't overlook the old films! If I were to list some of my all-time favorite films, I would mainly list films that were made many years ago. I love the old films--Gone With the Wind, White Christmas, It's A Wonderful Life, Singin' in the Rain, Camelot, It Happened One Night, Topper, Show Boat, Oklahoma, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Kiss Me Kate, I could list so many! I guess I'm old-fashioned at heart! These movies will always hold a special place in my heart. If you haven't seen an old film recently, go check one out. Relive the old times! Relive those times when some things were considered sacred and morals were at least a part of our culture.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment. I will try to do more postings about France. This week has been the cyclone of chaos in my house.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day.