We Now Have Made It Through One Third Of 2021!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         Hard to believe, darlings, we have gotten this far into 2021.

                                         "FOLLIES," my favorite Sondheim musical, turned 50 on the 4th, so  I spent the week celebrating that, along with my beloved, David.

                                             The 4th was Easter.  So, of course, those out there who know me, also know what I did.  I watched "The Song Of Bernadette."  And  I cried REAL  tears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               There were some Cujo and Dexter sightings, this month.  I spent a lot of time being comforte by my feline friend, Nicholas, to whom  I gave  him  some  comfort he needed.

                                                  I had my quarterly Vanilla Milk Shake, this month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Looking  forward to the next time, when it  will be Black  And  White!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     Finally, both David and  I are innoculated.  And closer than ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      So, April was not an entirely bad  month,  girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        See you in May!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

This Is Kind Of An Ambivalent Day To Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          I know it is the end of April, and I will address that, but since 2017, and then 2018, this has been an ambivalent day, as far as I am concerned.

                                           First, and  foremost, it is  the  birhtday of my father.  He would have been 106 today, and while  I had  hopes  he  would make  it to 105, he clocked out, in  2018, at 102.  Of  his family, only his mother and he crossed the three digit threshold.  Pictured above is St. Josesph's Church, in Downingtown, PA, not  far from my sister,  and  right  near my nephew,  his wife,  and family.  It  is  where, in May of  2018, we had the funeral mass  for  my father. It was a sad day, but everything  went right.

                                               Still, the loss is  remembered  on  this day.

                                                Add  to that is  another  loss; on this date, in 2017, my childhood friend,  Doug, (we knew each other since kindergarten!!!!!!!!!)  died.  How I wished it had been another day. Alas...................

                                                   So, it  is a hard day for me.  Come  to  think  of  it,  so  is the month  of April.  My mother died on  April  2, 1979, her mother on April  22, 1978, and my sister's husband died on April 5, 2008.  So, for  our  family, T.S. Eliot was right, "April  is  the cruelest  month...."

                                                        Sigh......................................

Girls, The News Is Just Too Good NOT To Share!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Yes, darlings!  On September 7 of  this year,  my childhood icon, and our, Hayley Mills  will  be publishing her autobiography.   I think  "Forever  Young" is a great title,  because to so many of  us she will  always be just  that.  And those, like myself,  who  grew  up with Hayley, will  feel younger, ourselves.

                                                  I can't wait to  hear what it tells.  Hopefully, more than costume fittings for "Pollyanna," and working with Jane Wyman!  But, remember, Hayley is a good girl, and she always will  be.

                                                     I  mean, my God,  "Cobbler, Cobbler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                    Go  to your local  bookstosre, and place a hold on this  immediately!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              

                                                     "And what a  time  we'll have there, one and all,  at  the  Ugly Bug Ball."

Saturday Presents Us With A Real Dilemma, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do We Go With "The Ghost And Mr. Chicken?" Or "The She-Creature???????????????!"

                                               Did you know, girls, that "The She-Creature" was released as second billing  to  "It Conquered The World?"  Both were 1956 films.  Imagine, cute Cucumbo on the same  program as minxy Marla English, (of 1957 "Voodoo Woman" fame) morphing into a white monster with armor plated bosoms????????????????????????

                                                 The choice should be easy; what with those armor  plated  bosoms!  The  problem is, though that Svengoolie is showing  "The Ghost And Mr. Chicken," when I wish he  was  showing  "The She-Creature."  The other film  is a  1966 comedy--a follow-up to Knotts' hgihly successful "The Incredible Mr.Limpet"--wherein Knotts,  again playing a variation on Barney Fife, is a reporter angling for a promotion,  and elects to spend the  night in a supposedly haunted house,  which was the sight of  a  murder-suicide years before.

                                                      Honestly, darlings,  what  do  I do?  I hate being disloyal to Svengoolie, but Marla  English, and those white, armor  bosoms are sure to be more entertaining.

                                                        Who would have guessed selecting the highlight of our week would be a matter of pulchritude?????????????????????

Grayson Hall Steals The Show In "Gargoyles!" But, When She Disappears, So Does The Movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

              

                                               It was so easy to tell "Gargoyles" was a made-for  TV movie.  Those California desert locales, with the film equipment all  but visible, plus a cast that barely made it.  Cornell Wilde was on his last lap; had Jennifer Salt not landed Eunice in "SOAP," no one  would remember her at all. Same with Scott Glenn, who lucked out, three years later, by appearing in one of the greatest  movies ever made--Robert Altman's 1975 masterpiece, "Nashville."

                                                  Then there was Grayson Hall, here a long way from being nominated for an Academy Award.  As  Mrs.Parks, owner  of the "Cactus Motel"--a place I have just GOT to stay at,  darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!--she is such a good sport, over being  hanged  upside down, and plays every scene with a bottle or glass of liquor in her hand, guzzling it, that one has to hand it to her.

                                                     I had been really looking forward to seeing her play the Head Gargoyle; with that costume,  make-up and  wings, imagine what Grayson might have done!  Alas,  the role was enacted by some erstwhile football player, named Bernie Casey, whose voice was dubbed by former "Outer Space" announcer Vic Perrin.

      

                                                       The best set piece, next to  the motel,  was "Uncle  Willy's Desert Museum,"  which I have got to visit.    And those caves!  How many were real,  and how many were  sets?

                                                           What about  the Literary Gargoyle,  constnatly reading, and musing on  language?  Was he reading Jane Austen?  Why not just  find a book  group  in  Los Angeles,  or nearby????????????????

                                                               All  those elaborate wings,  and  no  one  flies, till a scene at the end, that looked similar  to  Margaret Hamilton, flying out of her castle, in  "The Wizard Of  Oz," which was in  silhouette.  But that was art,  and this was trash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                 A sequel was never made.  One look at this tells you why!

                                                    

           

Welcome Back, Annie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    While David works from home here, I read, and while both activities are going  on, we have WQXR on, listening to its midday broadcaster, Annie  Bergen. Her soothing voice is as comforting as the music played.  It just wouldn't be a day without Annie.

                                       Annie returned last Thursday, from almost a two week absence, due to a broken elbow!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!  Nevertheless, Annie is back, and both David and I  feel so much better, because of  it.  My books, this blog, and WQXR, plus Annie, are helping us both through this pandemic.

                                          Thanks to all at WQXR, and welcome back, Annie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As One Diva To Another!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         I could not let this week go by, girls, without mentioning Patti LuPone had a birthday this week.  She turned--who can believe it?--72, on April 21 of  this year, which, by the  way,  also marks the  44th anniversary of  the  original produciton of "ANNIE" opening at the Alvin Theatre.

                                           Patti and BARBRA the same week.  What house could the moon and  the  stars, have been in, I wonder?

                                           Nevertheless,  a Happy Birthday to Patti, still looking fabulous.

                                            Which song to feature.?  For me,  there can  be only one.

                                    Here is  Patti singing  "Meadowlark," from "The Baker's Wife."    Just listen to her when she gets to "Before my past....."Oh, my GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here Is Something To Comfort You, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             This is artist N. C. Wyeth's cover jacket illustration for Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' 1939 Pultizer-Prize winning novel, "The Yearling," published by Scribner.  It was made into  an  Oscar calibre film in  1946, for which Claude Jarman, Jr. won a Special Juvenile Oscar, for his performance as Jody, which, if  you haven't, girls, you simply MUST. 

                                               "The Yearling" is your standard children's animal story, that eventually ends up making one cry, which is why I have not seen it too often.   It  is also a meditation on childhood, and when it ends.  It was also a Broadway musical, which opened at the Alvin Theatre, on December 10, 1965, and closed on December 11,  1965.  I am not kidding.

                                                Nevertheless, it produced one standard song, "I'm All Smiles," made famous by BARBRA.  I don't know the context of the song in relation to the story, though it would be interesting to find out.  The music was published, but I am not sure the  scipt was, so I cannot say more.

                                                   But the illustration is highlighted here, because it best illustrates the  book, longing and hopeful, with  Jody and  the deer down  front, and darkness in  the background, showing that their love will  be  torn asunder--both  deer and boy--by puberty.

                                                   I only know this, having read the novel,  and seen the movie.

                                                   Another thing.  I am looking for a copy--hard  cover--with  this illustration on the  dust  jacket.   If anyone  has  leads, let me know.

                                                     And  finally, blog time limitations,  due to  David  working  at home, does not mean I have stopped reading.  I haven't.  It is just that nothing has really blown  me away since my recent, third re-reading of  Jane Smiley's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, "A Thousand Acres," which David gifted me  with a  beautifully conditioned first  edition  copy,  now a permanent part of  my collection.  It was also made into  a  vastly underrated film,  in  1997, starring Jason Robards, Jessica Lange, Michelle  Pfeiffer, and  Jennifer Jason Leigh.  The  plot is simply "King  Lear" on a twentieth century Iowa farm,  with  some issues of that time thrown  in.  Don't  miss either.

                               

                                     And here is BARBRA,  singing I'm  All  Smiles."  One of  her best!

From Arbor Day, To BARBRA Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Girls, can you believe that  BARBRA is 79 today?  Or that I still want to do Fanny Brice, at the Winter Garden, in "Funny Girl????????????"

                                     Today is for  Barbra to sit back, eat a tub of coffee ice cream, and have James Brodin service her on whatever terms she sets.  Which would be all terms,  because only BARBRA sets  the terms.  And poor James, by the end of the day, is  probably exhausted from  the rest of the year.

                                       So,  Happy Birthday, BARBRA!  Gay men who work Saturday; take the day off!

                                         I am including some special posts;  one is a  surprise, which I will  explain.

                              

                                        Religious Barbra--Oh,  boy!  When she  does "Ave  Maria," it  is like she is  channeling  Jennifer  Jones  in  "The  Song  Of  Bernadette," which is impossible.  But, then who dares  to stop BARBRA???????????????????????

                                                                               

                           

                                    Barbra Shows  A  Sense Of Humor--How many times does that happen?  But it did, in this unforgettable  SNL sketch!  And who knew Madonna had comic talent?

                                                                                

                                "Kyle's Mother Is A Bitch--"  Could  this song  be about BARBRA?  Some may agree, but my point is  I would love  to  hear BARBRA sing this song!!!!!!!!!!!  Surprise!

                                   Happy Birthday, BARBRA!  You bagel on a plate full of onion rolls!

I Know It Is Now Called "Earth Day!" But I Prefer Calling It Arbor Day, As I Learned From "The Little Rascals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                   Darlings, were it not for "The  Little Rascals," and this segment, and song, I would not have known what Arbor Day was.  They sure did not teach us this, in elementary school.  And I always liked the song these two  sang. I sing  it every year on Arbor Day.

                                     It is simply licentiious,  darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     You just have to live, to  hear it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        

                                            Keep you eyes on the song and dance number, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This is SO me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Join Us Saturday Night, As Svengoolie Presents "Gargoyles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                    This  was a TV movie,  first aired, back  in November of 1972.  I was still in  high school, then, so was probably too busy to stay at home, and watch a TV movie.  Which is how I missed this.

                                                       Imagine, Svengoolie, showing a made-for TV-movie.  This is a  first!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                        Aside from  the cast listed, it also features Academy Award  Nominee (Best Supporting Actress, 1964) Grayson Hall, best  known  for "Dark Shadows," but who played the role I  have always wanted to  play--repressed  lesbian schoolmistrress Judith Fellows in "The  Night Of The  Iguana." ("Chaarlotte!  You defied me! You DELIBERATELY defied me!")  But how does one  go  about playing a repressed  lesbian?  That is an actor's challenge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                           I think this will  be a blast!  And Kerwin will  be there, too!

                                                           So don't miss  this Saturday delight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                            It is sure  to  be a laugh riot!

                                                           Still the  highlight of our week,  girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sharing A Bit Of Memorable Theatrical Magic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      When I saw this photo, girls,  I knew I  had to share it with you.  It brought back memories of  that magical afternoon in October of  2013--almost eight years-- when David and  I saw Celia Keenan-Bolger's luminous performance as Laura Wingfield in John Tiffany's brilliantly staged production of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie--" to this  day, the best production of this work I have ever seen.

                                       I could not take my eyes off Celia, who mesmerized me with her dazzling transition here from musical  theater, to full scale drama.  Even though I  am happy she finally won  a TONY Award,  for playing  Scout Finch,  she also  deserved it here.

                                        Celia's performance as Laura was breathtaking,  beautiful,  and heartbreaking.

                                         I feel privileged to say I  have seen it.

                                          May you create more  theatrical  memories for  us,  Celia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls You Have To See It To Believe It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                One thing I have to give "The Crawling Eye" is originality.  Though the title characteer does  not appear till near the end of the film, what  comes befoe  succeeds in  building  up tension  and suspense.  We know there  is a  meanacing cloud atop Mount Trollenberg, that it moves,  and that climbers who vanish into it never come out. Why?

                                                   Supposedly, this inspired John Carpenter's 1980 film,  "The  Fog."  And, I wouldn't be surprised if Stephen King's 2007 film, "The Mist," (where Marcia Gay Harden walked off with the film, as Mrs.Carmody) came from this,  too.

                                                         Janet Munro gives the film's best performance, as Ann  Pilgrim, the telephathically gifted  traveler,  who  stops  in Trollenberg, with  her sister, Sarah (Jennifer Jaynes).  Janet at once channels Jennifer Jones  as Bernadette,  Audrey Hepburn, and Leslie Caron,  till the  viewer does  not know what the hell  she is  doing.

                                                          Again, the question must be asked--how did  American B-actor, Forrest  Tucker, get involved in  this British  cheapie?  This is  not "Black  Narcissus," darlings; the art  direction of  the mountains,  the cloud,  and the climbers on cheap sets, show a lack  of  art direction, let alone innovation.

                                                             The  rest  of  the actors  are props.

                                                             But--the filmi is worth sitting through for the most orginal  monster, next to  "Cucumbo" in "It Conquered The World."  And  how does a mother lose her  child? The  scene where the  litttle girl  gets entangled in The Crawling Eye is hilarious; she screams, as if  even she knows the whole thing is a joke.  Credit  to  the person who created, and those who designed, this monster--or  monsters,  as  it  turns  out  to be.

                                                               This was so much fun, after several decades.  It will never  see the  lights of  Broadway,  as  a musical,  but don't miss  this  cheesey thiing  when you  have  the chance!

                                                                  I  think  all  opthamalogists  should be  required  to see  it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do I Feel Old Today, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hayley Mills Turns 75!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       I feel like I grew up with Hayley Mills--I can remember wanting to be her--so,  for me, this photo will always epitomize her.  Beisides,  "Pollyanna" (1960) I remember was the first  movie I cried over, curled  in my mother's arms.

                                        Of course, the Catholic  part of  me will always have an affection for "The Trouble With Angels," but it never mattered to me what Hayley Mills was in, as long as she was  featured.

                                           To  think that she turns 75 today.  Which means  I will be 67,  come  November. That eight year gap  seems to narrow as I get older,  so I  feel  even closer  to  Hayley than  I did as a child.

                                              Happy Birthday,  Hayley Mills!!!!!!!!!!!!!   And have  a glorious 75th!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Meanwhile,  both of us will be glad we are still here!

                                          Stil looking good, Hayley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday Was The Feast Day Of Saint Bernadette!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           That's right, darlings.  I  am not talking about Jennifer Jones, who played Berenadette to Oscar winning perfection in the 1943 film,  "The Song Of Bernadette."  I am  talking about the actual person, Bernadette Soubirous, purportedly seen her  posing in the spot where  she was while the  Virgin, whose  statue was implanted above, appeared to  her.

                                              The  initial apparition was on Febraury 11, 1858.  That day is known as the  Feast Day Of  Our Lady Of Lourdes.  The sixteenth of  April was designated as Bernadette's feast day when she was canonized as a saint, in 1933.  It is also the day on which  Bernadette left this world,  in  1879, at the age  of 35.

                                              There is  a statue of  the Blessed  Virgin in the front yard  of this  home  I  pass each day on  76th Street, in Brooklyn.   I  always  stop  by and  pray to  Mary,  so  you can bet  on  Friday I prayed extra, for  Bernadette, whose  metal  I  also  wear around my neck, and who  I firmly believe  has been keeping watch over  David  and  myself, during the  pandemic,  and  when  he had  to have  his lithotripsy for kidney stones, and I  a  heart  ablation--all within  the  span of a week, in 2020!

                                                 So, thank you Bernadette, for all you did, and  continue to do.   I will always love  Jennifer Jones in  the movie, but will never forget  it  was you who paved  the way.

                                                "O Bernadette, if  I  live to be a hundred, never                                                                                                shall I forget this hour...."                                                                                                                -- Prayer recited in the 1943 movie

                                             

       

Girls, For A Barrel Of Laughs, Join Us Saturday Night, As Svengoolie Presents "The Crawling Eye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                       Back when I was a child, in the early to mid-Sixties, Channel 9, in New York, on  Saturday nights, ran something called "Supernatural Theatre," from 8:30 to 10PM.  One evening, my grandmother, who lived with us, and was taking care of  me, when my parents went out, let me stay up that night to watch  "The Crawling  Eye!!!!!!!!!"  Darlings, we laughed our heads off.

                                          Even though I probably have seen it within the last twenty years, that first viewing remains most memorable.

                                            It takes place in a fictional Swiss town called  Trollenberg.  The film's original title  was "The Trollenberg Terror," but I  think "The Crawling Eye" is  more  catchy!

                                             The film features a pre-"F-Troop" Forrest Tucker, (how the hell did he get involved in this?) and wait till you see Jennifer Jayne and Janet Munro, as the Pilgrim Sisters, Sarah and  Anne, and their amazing mind reading act.   Right!  Anne, of course, catches  on to  what is  going on.

                                                And  when the  title  character makes its  entrance--WOW!  I wish  I could  have this set prop in my living  room!  What a conversation piece!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Yes, the eye really crawls, darlings!  And there is more, which I am not  telling.

                                                     Now  older,  it will  make  me  think--

                                                      What if  it  gets cataracts? Glaucoma?  Or even pink eye?

                                                        Find out with us, this Saturday!

                                                                               

                                                                                   

                                      See you this Saturday, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!  Toodles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Neva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Early in 2017, David and I went to a service at  The  Actors' Temple in Manhattan, where I  met one of its members, and a favorite performer of mine, Musical Theater Legend, Neva Small.  She was as charming and gracious as I could  have imagined.

                                    Later that year, on the evening of  June 14, David  and I  were at Feinstein's 54  Below,  where  Neva was hosting and narrating a concert version of  the show that made her a legend--1967's "Henry, Sweet Henry."

                                    I  still  recall that evening, and how wonderful it was to hear people sing that  score  live--my only chance, thus far.

                                     I  bought with me my  copy of the  Original Cast Album, with the show's  poster on the cover.  After the performance,  I gave  it  to  Neva,  asking her to sign it,which  she  graciously  did.  The album is now framed, and hangs on the wall, in the foyer of our apartment.

                                       When I met Neva in the temple,  we learned her daughter,  Barbara Fetig, was getting married that next week.

                                         Well, guess what, darlings???????????????

                                          Four years later, Neva is  now  a grandmother!  Barbara and  her  husband, Patrick  Cline, (no relation to Patsy, or  is he?) recently had a baby girl,  Neva's granddaugher, whose name  is  Ellie.

                                             Welcome to  the world, Ellie, and  congratulations,  Neva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               You are still  a  legend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    
 

Girls, I Am Telling You, The Spider Had A Good Agent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        It was Saturday night, just a half hour before the highlight of our  week, "Svengoolie."  He was showing 1957's "The Incredible Shrinking Man," adapted  by Richard Matheson,  from his classic novel,  which, unfortunately, seems  to  be out  of  print.

                                        The film was a tour  de force  for  Grant  Williams,  who, outside of  "The Monolith Monsters," (remember, the giant turds?) I don't think did much else.  He never married, so hmmmmmmmm....Could being gay have cost him a  career?  He was easy on the eyes.

                                          It was such a cute moment when he shrinks so  small his wife, Louise (Randy Stuart) buys him a  huge,  two floor  doll house for  him  to live  in.  He even has a romantic fling  with a circus midget, named Clarice Bruce,  played  by April  Kent, who turns  out to be the half sister of Gypsy Rose  Lee.  She  looks  a little  like June Havoc.

                                            Never are the questions of  wardrobe, bodily functions, or sex questioned.  To  make up for this, the cat and the spider steal the show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              The  spider, I am convinced, was the same one used  in  Universal's 1955 "Tarantula," and AIP's "Earth VS. The Spider."  This arachnid  must have had an iron clad contract; every  time a spider was needed forr  a Fifties monster film, there it  was.

                                                The cat, whose name is Butch, is cute at first, but once Williams  starts shrinking, his predatory instincts come out.  The  shot  of him peering into the doll house is priceless. Here--take  a look!

                                               Back to the  spider, for a moment.  The lead shot shown suggests-- May God forgive me!!!!!!!!!!!--a huge, gaping vagina!!!!!!!!!!!  Gasp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Gay men are sure to have  nightmares!!!!!!!!!!  Maybe that is  why Grant  Williams  did not do  so many movies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                Added to  this, the  film was  not what we  expected, for two reasons.  First, it  was not campy enough, save for  the doll house,which was cute.  Second, it  had  a  metaphysical, nihilistic outlook, and ending, which left us cold.

                                                   Second, due to our wonderful SPECTRUM cable service, the sound went out, so  we had to watch it captioned.  And this was  a mood piece, where music  was  often  more  important  than dialogue.

                                                    Wouldn't you know, the  sound came  back, just  after the film ended!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                     But, however much the spider and cat got  paid,  it was not  enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After 56 Years, This Shot Still Takes My Breath Away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          I thought you might need some cheering up, girls, so when I saw this classic shot from "The Sound Of Music," I knew this would do  it.

                                           That is Heather (Menzies), third from behind Julie. Heather  left  us all too soon,  back in December of 2017, and I still miss her.  And, of course whenever I see tthe  film, or even shots,  she is  the one I  want to be.  

                                             Actually,. thanks to Heather's  co-star,  Debbie Turner, (Marta) I  can.  I  have my fabric curtained mask, designed  by Debbie.  So does my husband, David, and when we wear them, we look like  Honorary Von  Trapps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Eventually, this madness will  end,  and then  I  can use  it  as  a kerchief, just like Heather did, with this outfit, in the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Cherish the beauty of this shot, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   Thanks, Debbie, and always remember  Heather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sad News For Those In Bay Ridge--Mr. Tang Is Out Of Business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          The news is shattering, girls.  And it started Monday evening.

                                          After our Passover and Easter celebrations, David had had it with cooking, so we went for some take-out.  I opted for Pete's (Pizza), while Daavid chose Mr. Tang.

                                          Now, we know Mr. Tang is closed on Tuesdays.  But we were surprised, not to see Mr. Tang closed on Monday, but, inside, it looked like the place had been abandoned, or was about  to be cleaned.  There was no sign, and we had no idea.

                                            Last night, we tried again.  This time there was a sign--"Mr. Tang  is out of business."

                                           After 39 years?  What happened?  My younger self lived in Bay Ridge,  from  1983 until 1997.  And all during that time, there was  Mr. Tang--the best Chinese food in Bay Ridge, by far!!!!!!!!!!!    In the early days, which I rememeber, they had a  sit-in dining room.  But, sometime between leaving and then returning to  Bay Ridge, that area was  sold, and  is now Tanoreen, a Middle Eastern restaurant.   Thankfully, Mr. Tang still offered take-out.

                                             But we have  no idea,  and  I  wish someone would explain.  It  survived 2020, which was the worst,  and  if they could get through that, then why not 2021, when things are slightly looking up.  Or, at least, have made enormous improvements,  since last  year.

                                               Bay Ridge will  never be the same, without  Mr. Tang.  But we still  love  it  here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                Fer'well, Mr. Tang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday Is Coming! Be Sure And Join Us, As Svengoolie Presents "The Incredible Shrinking Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                                  Yes, girls, it is almost time for what has become the highlight of our week.

                                                   This started out as a 1956 novel, by veteran Richard Matheson.  At the time of publication, it was called "The Shrinking Man."

                                                     As the poster says, "Not Suitable For Children."  Just like "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?," right???????????  Wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      I have never read the novel or seen the film,  but I am familiar with the story.  What I am curious about is what causes him to start shrinking, and  whether he is saved,  or vanishes altogether.

                                                       I am sure Svengoolie and Kerwin will interject their own brand of camp into the proceedings, but even many of us have never seen the film, some, such as I,  have seen clips or photographs of him menaced by the gigantic black cat, which is no kitty now,  but a monster.  And, of course my favorite--the Black Widow spider who comes creeping across the floor, toward him,  and................

                                                          Hey, what about wardrobe?  Washiing, and going to the bathroom? How about sex?????????????????????

                                                           Tune in with us, and find out,  girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                             Will this Ken find his Barbie???????????????????

                                                    
 

Hey, Celia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Baby Gojira And I Want To Be On "Sunday Pancakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                    Since March 21, girls, Celia Keenan-Bolger has been doing her own podcast, with members of the Theater Community as guests, for discussion and fun.

                                     Now, I have been a memory of that community since 1981, and Baby Gojira is my faithful companion and Nurse Practicioner.  We both have stories of our own to tell, and have had many experiences to share.  And we both have been keen on sitting down with Celia.

                                       So, Celia, if you read this, check out my email address, and book  me a session!

                                        Oh, and I like my pancakes plain!  Baby Gojira likes blueberry!!!!!!!!!!!

"A-Five, Six, Seven, Eight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                  Girls, you may well ask, "What the hell is this?

                                   A re-imagining of "A Chorus Line?"  God forbid!

                                  Three of the  Diana Nellis Dancers, the year before they made their signature  appearance in "She Demons???????????????"

                                    That might be closer to the answer.  Actually,  this  is a clip  from the highly abreviated dance scene in Roger Corman's 19557 film, "The  Undead," which has  to be seen,to be believed.

                                       These girls, dressed in costumes foreshadowing  Cassie's in 1975, writhe on the  floor, and heave their bosoms.  Actually,  there  are a lot  of heaving bosoms in this  film, what with Pamela Duncan, as Diana Love, the most well dressed Fifties prostitute of them all.  This was when a woman could still look classy as a prostitute;  unlike today, where torn skirts, legs exposed almost to  the cooch, and torn stockings spell out SLUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        But, don't  worry!   When we get  to  the medieval story, Allison Hayes appears in all  her  pulchritudinous glory, as  Livia,  supposedly a  most  powerful  witch, yet  one who  is easily done in by a knife stabbing.  Hons,  I am telling  you, her  bosoms  heave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          The two  best performances in the film are Billy Barty,  as The Imp,  (Why he  was not in  "The Wizard Of Oz" eludes me.) and Dorothy Neumann  as Meg Maud,  a sort of  good  witch,  who can't  make up her mind what type of film she is in--a fantasy or  a  comedy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           The  whole thing was filmed in an abandoned supermarket, by director Roger Corman, in just eleven days!  Maybe that  was one day too many.

                                            Interestingly,  the film foreshadows  the  visual style  of  Mario Bava's  much superior 1960 film, "Black  Sunday."  Wonder if  this influenced him??????????

                                               "The Undead" is turgid, fun in spots, but not enough to be highly successful camp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  Those heaving bosoms make up for  it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

"Follies" Turns 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can You Believe It????????????????????????????

                                                 When I was sixteen years old, on April 4, 1971, the lights in the Winter Garden Theatre auditorium dimmed, and a drum roll arose into  the  air.  And thus began the musical that soon became, and still remains,  the dream of Theater Queens everywhere--"Follies."

                                                    With its perfect score, dramatic allegory, stunning costumes and sets,  and a cast few could match--Alexis Smith, Dorothy Collins, Gene Nelson,  John McMartin, Yvonne De Carlo, Mary McCarty, Fifi D'Orsay, Ethel Shutta, Harvey Evans, and Victoria Mallory--those who saw  this monumental original production I felt were chosen, and their descriptive handing down to younger and younger Theater Queens, fueled their dreams, and gave the show a still existent cult following.

                                                         I am proud to say I have seen six productions of "Follies" in my lifetime, and hope to see several more.  If any show cries out for a live  TV presentation, it is this one. But casting is  CRUCIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                           Even at sixteen, "Follies" hit me.  I remeber being overwhelmed by the lyrics of  John McMartin, singing  "The Road You Didn't Take--" "Dreams you didn't dare/ Are dead.  Were they ever there?/Who said?"--oh, my God,  it  hit me full in the face at this tender age.  And  I have loved it  ever since.

                                                             I am proud to be here to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of this  show.  Back in 1971,  it was hard to imagine this day coming.  Now, seemingly all too soon, here it  is.

                                                               The 2011 Broadway production--the 40th Anniversary--was as definitive for those of us who saw it, as the Original was for 1971 audiences.

                                                                  I  ask, what does the future holds for "Follies??????????"

                                                                   For it will endure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               And now, girls, a  treat!  For a glimpse of what the Original was like, here are Mary McCarty and Company, performing  "Who's That Woman," the number that  when and whereever "Follies" is performed,  blows the roof off  the theater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Watch the dancing carefully; choreographed by none other Michael  Bennett, you can see the coming of  "A Chorus Line" in some of the  steps.

                                                   Ready???????????????????????

                                                  "Hit it, baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"                                  

                                                              

Oh, My God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Return Of Elliot Stabler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Long overdue, the reunion was no fall into each other's arms,"Wuthering Heights," "Spelendor In The Grass" type.  The mood was prickly between Stabler and Benson,  and  Mariska, as the latter clearly looks upstaged by it all.  Well, it is about time.

                                          A number of iconic locales were used, like Brooklyn Bay, by the Verazano  Bridge; actually not too far from where I reside.  And then there was Wonder Wheel Park, at Coney Island,  with a ride along with Chris Meloni, and Dylan McDermott, who appears to be set up as  the show's regular villain.  Could get repetitious.  As to the new staff members, no sparks there.   Nothing  to  compare with Kelli Giddish, and Peter Scanavino.  But, time will tell.

                               But, oh my God, girls, without question, the dramatic highlight was the return of  the Stabler family.  Isabel Gillies came back, as Kathy Stabler, but no sooner was she back on  screen, when  a car she stepped into exploded, rushing her to the hospital, where the scriptwriters had her rushed  to the hospital, where  she lingered for a bit, then went into cardiac arrest, and died.

                                  This was the most abomiinable thing done on this show since the killing off of  Sister Peg.  Fortunately, all the actors playing  Elliot's kids--Maureen, Kathleen, Elizabeth, Dickie, and  Eli--were on hand, and their scenes were heart rending, and the funeral scene, pictured above,  had me  slumped to the floor, crying and sobbing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The rest of the show hardly mattered.

                                     Chris Meloni still looks great, as do the actors portraying the kids, who  by now must be on their own, or, at least, enrolled at Hudson University, the official school of the "SVU' universe.

                                         How things will work  out is too early to tell.  But keep the focus on  Elliot and the kids.  They are who viewers care about.

                                           And thank God Elliot,  not Olivia, got the last shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Easter, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Just forty six minutes remaining, girls, till  the annual screening of "The Song  Of Bernadette."  If you own the DVD, or have access to it, like I do, then why not join us at 1PM, as we all watch it?

                                         Easter celebrations change as I get older.  I used to rise at dawn,  to re-enact Mary Magdalene carrying spices to the tomb, to annoint the body of Jesus.  Well, hons, that ship has sailed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           I  did arise early enough to hear Sister Camille's message, which was about kindness, and how more of that is needed in these times.  Amen to that, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            So, Happy Easter to one and all, no matter how you choose to recognize it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Don't forget to dress in your finery, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Farewell To Beloved Children's Author Joan Walsh Anglund!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 One of the earliest books I ever took out by myself, at the Highland Park  Public Library, was by her.  It was called "Love Is A Special Way Of Feeling."

                                                   During my childhood, someone gave me a copy of the book shown above,  "Christmas Is A Time Of Giving."  It was one of my favorites of  that period, especially the pages shown below.

                                                

                                                     Observe it carefully.   It taught me compassion for the elderly, like  my grandparents, and aunts and uncles,  as they aged.  How I wish they were still here now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                      Now, let us skip some years.  Decades, in fact!  Some days, I  feel  like I have reached the point of the old woman in the chair.  In any case, Christmas HAS  become for me a time of remembering.  And I  owe  this  to  Joan Walsh Anglund.

                                                         She passed away on March 9, 2021, at her home in Connecticut.  Litchfield  County, to be exact.  She was 95 years old.  The cause was a heart ailment.  Even so,  she lived a long and fulfilling life,  being also an artist and a poet.

                                                          But it was the above  photo and text I will remember her for.  She preparerd me both for childhood, and age.

                                                          Rest in peace, Joan Walsh Anglund!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!