Introducing Gay Film #2--1939's "The Wizard Of Oz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                  Perfect.  What more can be said?

                                 Quite a lot, actually.  During my recent viewing--and I reckon I have seen this film pretty close to my actual age--I found myself asking a question I never asked before.

                                    When Dorothy and the Scarecrow are attacked by the nasty apple trees, are the trees really that way, or was this a spell put on them by the Witch?  Because, just as Dorothy and the Scarecrow approach the area, a slinking Margaret Hamilton (her iconic role) has been hiding behind a tree and tries to distance herself from Judy Garland and Ray Bolger.  I really do think the Witch is seen there, because she did cast a spell on those trees.

                                           That thought had never occurred to me before.

                                           Now, how is this a gay film?  It has always been labeled a children's film, but I disagree. I think it is more adult than realized.  Margaret Hamilton herself said no child should see this before the age of 10, and I agree.

                                               However, I was a very different child.

                                               Back in 1959, my parents were concerned because all I was watching were cartoons.  Nothing with real people.  So, my mother sat me down one afternoon, saying there was a program she wanted me to watch.  It was "The Wizard Of Oz."  Even in black and white, I was transfixed, and I even then noticed how even on our set the Kansas scenes were lit differently than the Oz scenes.

                                                   Who knew that my first movie would become the leitmotif of my life?  But it did.

                                                       At the time, the one I most related to was the Witch.  I loved her costume, flying on a broom, and her spooky castle.  In fact, the morning after my first viewing, to my mother's consternation, I would take my toy broom, fly off the top of one of our love seats, crying, "To the Emerald City, as fast as lightning!"  The whole Judy Garland/"Over The Rainbow" thing did not hit me until sometime after reaching the double digits.

                                                            "The Wizard Of Oz" is the perfect film for a burgeoning gay child, and if any children respond similarly to how I did, they are well on their way.

                                                                First, it is the most dazzling use of Technicolor in film history.  I stand by that statement today, and, darlings, if it is one thing gays respond to it is color.

                                                                 Being different and set apart can lead to loneliness.  Here we have an unfortunate child whose only real companion is her dog Toto, who turns out to be a real hero.  A gay child, more than others, would get the Dorothy-Toto bond.

                                                                     The film is effusively emotional from the start.  I maintain the MGM lion roared louder for the picture than any other MGM film.  Perhaps the lion knew something and was ahead of his time!  It begins with a series of short notes followed by a very intense opening overture.  Then there is the austerity of the Kansas scenes, adults who seem not to care for the child amidst them, who is so yearning for love she concocts a world beyond the rainbow.  No wonder when I first saw the film, I wondered why Dorothy did not just stay in Oz, especially Munchkinland, which is the best designed Hollywood set of all time.  By the time Dorothy gets there, and Glinda appears in that pink dress--oh my God, if you are gay, darlings, you gravitate to that!!!!!!!!!!!! Who wouldn't want to wear that dress?

                                                                      Fear of being an outcast, common to many gays, infuses "The Wizard Of Oz."  Even in Oz, Dorothy still feels an outsider, and a child's fear of loss is clearly felt when Aunt Em appears in the crystal ball, followed by the Witch!

                                                                          Not only is the film a litmus test for gays, but for, shall I say more normal, or straight children, it can be an intense and frightening experience.  They are the ones who should wait longer before seeing it.  When they can appreciate its artistry.

                                                                             "The Wizard Of Oz" is for everyone, but, having lived my life, I maintain it is especially resonant for gay children.  As I can attest.

                                                                                 But in the pantheon of cinema, there never will be anything like it.

                                                                                   How many films can be called perfect?  This one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings, Enhance Your Garden By Filling It With Giant Hollyhocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                   

                                                                 

                                                                                 

                                       When I first proposed this idea to David, he said, "Who are you trying to poison?"  I had no idea hollyhocks were poisonous, so I looked it up, and actually they are not.  But they can cause stomach problems to those who eat them.  But who in the world would eat a hollyhock?

                                       Within some work of fiction, I read as a child, but now forget, there was a passage about "the acres of giant hollyhocks," and the idea fascinated me.  Imagine a garden full of these beautiful flowers. Or imagine if they came to life and turned lethal, like the famous Triffids.  The idea of lethal plants has always fascinated me.

                                          But, girls, aren't these photos beautiful?  Such gorgeous colors; who wouldn't want to have such loveliness radiating in your gardens??????????  I am telling you, if you do this, it will be the talk of the neighborhood.  You may even get nominated for President of your Women's Club!

                                             I can't even get into one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            But really, girls, this is a must!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            More attention must be paid to hollyhocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Sad Farewell To My Beloved And Former Bay Ridge Animal Friend, Dexter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    I am sad to report that our former neighbor canine, Dexter, passed last week at the age of 16 1/2.  He died in Hickory, North Carolina, where his former owner, Michael had moved, from our apartment building in Bay Ridge.

                                    This picture was taken three years ago and was Dexter's last visit to our place.  How I missed him then and miss him even more now.

                                      Dexter was a mixture of a pointer and a beagle.  He was so loving, and one thing he loved was visiting our apartment, particularly our bedroom.  I daresay if he had been allowed, he would have stayed overnight with us there, and it would have been our pleasure to have him.  But his owner was a bit of a micromanager, and I think that was part of why Dexter loved visiting us, and our bedroom.

                                        He found ways to challenge his owner.  I recall one day I was visiting Dexter, and he was sitting by me, happily nibbling on a bone.  Michael kept calling him to come over to his side.  Dexter just looked at me, threw back his head, and I swear it looked as though he were laughing.  Dexter and I were in on the joke.

                                          When he left us, in 2023, a void was left not only in me but in residents of our building, all of whom adored Dexter.

                                             And now he has been laid to rest.  May he rest in peace.

                                            I recall something my former therapist, Renaldo, once said about Dexter.

                                           He said, "When you get to Heaven, Dexter will be waiting for you."

                                          I truly believe that.

Happy Anniversary To Woodstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         Today is the 57th anniversary of Woodstock.  No, darlings, I was not there, though I got as far as the Jersey Turnpike.  But I know people who were there.

                                          Nothing has equaled or topped Woodstock.  While the talent is out there, it cannot match what Woodstock had.  Now those performers are either gone or out of the business.

                                            Today is a day to remember music.  I will try to include Grace Slick's rendition of "White Rabbit," when she was there.  Grace really nailed it.

                                                Wake up, girls, smell the coffee, and remember Woodstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Here is Grace at Woodstock!  Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, In Order To Be Pure, Your Taste Buds Have To Tingle When You Eat Kretschmer Wheat Germ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   Forget losing your virginity, darlings!  Who counts that anymore?

                                                    Even without it, you can still stay pure.  If your taste buds tingle when you eat Kretchmer Wheat Germ, you are still pure.  I have been pure for a long time!

                                                     Admittedly, the honey flavored Kretschmer Wheat Germ has more flavor, and I used to love it, but as a diabetic, I cannot eat it anymore.  So, I take the plain kind and mix it with fruit and yogurt, and cereal, and it really has some flavor.

                                                        Darlings, I am so everlasting pure it can be nauseating.  On some days I feel like Shirley Temple in "Little Miss Marker!"

                                                          It really is a health help, girls!   And it gives the non crunchy food you put it on a bit of crunch and that is so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                              So don't worry so much about virtue, dears.  Just make sure your taste buds tingle when you eat Kretschmer Wheat Germ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                  Mmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O.K., Girls, Here's The Story! If You Have Never Seen It, The Movie Is A Hoot! If You Have Seen It, A Second Viewing Gets Stale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Do not be fooled by this poster, darlings.  If only the movie were this good!

                                           "Svengoolie", or I should say, "The House Of Svengoolie," meaning his staff--Gwengoolie, Nostalgiateratu, and Imp--are showing "The Land Unknown" tonight.  It is a film from 1957 that should have been left on the shelf.  I have seen better dinosaur effects in children's theater productions!

                                                 It's the same old crap.  A group of guys and a woman--because there always has to be a woman--land by accident in this mysterious land, only God knows where it is, only it is not Secaucus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   Perhaps if the film had had the talents of Willis O'Brien or Ray Harryhausen it might have been something, but the bunch of know nothings who made this only succeeded in turning out a clunker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                       Those who have seen it before are advised not to watch.  David, Baby Gojira, Kerwyn, Little Pippin and I are going to watch something else.  Baby and I have talked about it, and we have selected not only a surprise but a real gem.  If you can guess what it is, I advise you to watch the same film we are at the same time.

                                                           Sometimes, it is good to have options, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Darlings, This Is The Feast Of The Assumption!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         What this means is this is the day Mary left this life, but unlike the rest of us was taken into Heaven, body and soul.  For the rest of us, the soul goes first.

                                            If Jesus lived the most exemplary life on Earth, Mary came in second.  But she is the one so many of us reach out to in moments of need.  She is our mother.  Even Paul McCartney was on to something when he wrote, "When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me."  The Beatles knew what was going on.

                                              So, today remember Mary and think of all she has done for us, and that she is there for us.  We wish her a Happy Assumption and a happy celebration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                We love you, Mary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!