The heat must be going to my head, girls, because, for no reason at all, the song, "To Sir, With Love," immortalized, of course, by Lulu, has popped into my head. I am almost embarrassed to say I have never seen the 1967 Sidney Poitier movie, nor read the E.R. Braithwaite novel.
But even I know what counts about this film is Lulu and Judy Geeson, as Pamela Dare, who was the one I wanted to be! And did you know that the movie kept the episode from the book where, in the classroom, --now get this, dolls!!!!--a used sanitary napkin is burned?????????? I am shocked just to write about it, now; think what a shock it must have been to movie audience, back in 1967!!!!!!!!! And did even half of them know what was being burned???????????
Yes, darlings, I really did want to be Judy Geeson, as Pamela Dare. I still want to, even now!!!!!!!!!!! But, oh, my God, that song!!!!!!!!!!!! I can still recall the Summer of 1967--just before going into seventh grade, when the song reached No.1 on the charts, and the local radio station--was it WABC???--would play the top hit every hour--or was it half hour???????? Minutes before the playing, my friend, Doug, and I would gather before the radio, which was on all day, on the back porch, in his back yard, just to hear this song! We never reacted like that to any other song--just this one! I think it had to do with Lulu, whom we were both crazy over, and I, who had a voice, wanted to be. Before the Summer was out, I would sing the song along with the radio, when it played!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And now I have graduated to using this song to provoke my rather inhibited upstairs neighbor, the one I call "Big Boy!!!!!!!!!" I just love singing Lulu, and then laughing myself silly!!!!!!!!! Who says you can't go back to youth??????????????????????
But I really should, after all this time, give myself a screening of "To Sir, With Love!!!!!!!!!!"
"Those schoolgirl days.........," darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you remember the B side of the 45 record? The Boat That I Row by Neil Diamond. It was fabulous also!
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ReplyDeleteMy friend had the 45rpm of "To Sir, With Love," but we never bothered considering the B side. Neil Diamond, huh? I don't remember that particular song!