Friday, December 31, 2021

Well, That Wraps It Up For 2021, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                For a while, I thought we were on track in 2021.  But, then, Omicron hit us, and we became mired...just like Tawny, in the marshes, from Constance Savery's classic short story, "The Wastywych Secret."



                                                  But I did manage to read 124 books, have a loving year with my beloved David (to my Dora!) and the year moved faster than I thought.



                                                   Lord knows what awaits us!  I pray we get through 2022 in one piece!


                                                    So, another year for The Raving Queen.


                                                    Looking forward to more posts in 2022!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                    Happy New Year, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just A Word (For Now) On "David Copperfield!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


                                      I finished my sixth reading of the Dickens novel last night, and I am still in recovery.  Is there any reader of the novel who has not fallen in love with Dora?  And can anyone deny Maureen O'Sullivan's performance of that role in the 1935 film, was the definitive interpretation?  When I saw the film, at ten, I wanted to marry Maureen myself.  Or should I say Dora??????????



                                      How much more I would enjoy the story if I did not know her death was coming.  On a careful reading, and Dickens does couch it carefully, it is clear Dora dies of a miscarriage.  She suffers one, and not being very strong, gives way, with time.  Her parting pains me each time I read it; I so wanted happiness for David, Dora and Jip, and still do.   When I read it yesterday, it took me several hours to recover from the episode.  Poor Dora!  So loving to David, and everyone; her deficits could easily be excused.  She is one of the few genuinely good characters in the novel.  And she suffered--losing her mother at birth, or when young, losing her father before her engagement, and then losing her child and husband.  According to my calculations, the marriage lasted a brief eighteen months.  She died about the age of 20.  Much too young! 



                                         There will be more on Dora as I explore the novel further.  For now, let us remember as a shining treasure that brought joy to everyone, for a time.

                                 And how carefully nuanced, and deeply moving Maureen O'Sullivan's performance was.  Simply perfection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The Possibility Of Evil" Is Especially Real To Those Who Have Lived It!!!!!!!!!!!!! Listen To This Tale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                        Before her death in 1965, the great Shirley Jackson wrote one of her greatest works, "The Possibility Of Evil."  Set in a small town, it concerns Miss Adela Strangeworth, (great name!) a 71-year-old spinster, whom everyone thinks is just that.  What they don't know is she has a righteous sense of morality, having lived in the town all her life, and sets out to right things by composing and mailing anonymous letters to citizens she feels are guilty of varied offenses.  Gossip and truth intermingled.  She wants to stop the evil in the town, thinking she is doing this, not realizing she is causing evil, not stopping it.  You have to read this, darlings.  In true Jackson fashion, she gets her comeuppance.



                                          David reminded me of this, girls, when we watched a "48 Hours" program on "The Circleville Letters."  Between 1977 and 1994, various citizens of the Ohio town received poison pen letters, anonymously, for perceived, or not, offenses.  Many thought Paul Freshour, who was imprisoned for attempted murder of Mary Gillespie, the subject of some of the letters, was the writer, but I disagree.  I think the writer may still be out there, if not alive.  And I believe it was a woman.  Men just don't carry a grudge that long--they cannot sustain, as women can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                          Not that 

men cannot write such things.  While I still lived in Highland Park, I discovered that the father of one of my classmates had been arrested for writing a series of lewd letters to two women in the town.  Remember, dolls, this was way before the Internet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                             Even more horrifying was what happened to my family, particularly my mother and myself.



                                                It was the Spring of 1979, and my mother was hospitalized, where we all knew she was dying of lung cancer.  A horrible period.  I was visiting my mother every day--I was not working--and we waited for my father to arrive.  I would go through letters she received, from friends, relations, and well-wishers.



                                             One afternoon, a letter arrived, no return address, written in childish scrawl, addressed simply to--"Mrs. Hearn/St. Peter's Hospital/New Brunswick, New Jersey."  I am not even sure there was a zip code.  The text was composed in the same childish scrawl, in pencil, but the message was not childish.  It read-- "Dear Mrs. Hearn, I am very sorry that you have cancer, and you don't have long to live, but I want you to know we are all praying for you.  Now, maybe your son will be a man, and go to work, to help you and your husband.  Our best to you.  Your neighbors."



                                               My mother and I were devastated.  When my father arrived, we showed him the document, he put it in his pocket, and that was the last seen or heard of it.  But I started an investigation.  I questioned some of the neighbors I suspected on our street, but their shock at the text seemed genuine.  By process of elimination--it had to be someone who knew all the details of the letter, and not many did, I am convinced a family member, my Uncle Bill Liddy, was the writer.



                                                    He was a grade A rat bastard.  My poor Aunt Mary: I have no idea why she married him.  They raised seven children, who turned out all right, because, when things got bad a home, they were sent up the street, where lived my grandparents, and maiden aunt, Kathleen.  My aunt would also give Mary money, being she worked as an Exec Sec for the Mack Company.



                                                      With enough children and a wife to menace, why my mother and I.?  This was his way of getting even for what he did in 1978--setting me up for a deliberately false job interview at Johnson and Johnson, where the personnel rep, Lauren Schor, dressed me down in a way suggesting my ineptitude, and, though couched carefully in words, homosexuality.  I happened to be in a job counseling program, at that time, and when I got back and told the supervisors there, what transpired, they made a series of phone calls.  That evening, we were all upset around the dinner table, when a tearful Lauren Schor called me, trying to apologize but not really convincingly, as she thought she was merely doing a favor for my Uncle Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!  Huh?????????????????   Really!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                           The next call that came I wish I had written down the guy's name, because, if he is still alive, I would thank him.  The caller identified himself by name, then said he was the President/CEO of Johnson and Johnson. He apologized genuinely on behalf of the company, and I feel both Schor and my uncle got in deep trouble.



                                                               Now, my uncle had always resented my father, for having gone to college--when he (uncle) had no brains--and for marrying my mother, who was not Catholic, and whom he thought was above my father's station!  Well, we were all above his, I can tell you, which motivated all this animosity, culminating in the letter.  Did my aunt know about it?  I cannot be sure, though if my father confronted him, as I believe he did, she might have.  But she never said an unkind word.  As for his children, my cousins, probably not, but we don't speak to each other, anyway--after all, I am a homosexual who they see as going to hell, and I live in New York, so why would they want anything to do with me?



                                                                      So, you see, darlings, "The Possibility Of Evil," which I reread after watching "48 Hours," is more real than one might think.



                                                                        God bless Shirley Jackson!  She knew what was going on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




                                           

Let's Start The Countdown, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                  Just a short rundown on highlights of the past year, best and worst, that made 2021 stand out for yours truly.
                                        Book Of The Year--"Crossroads," by Jonathan Franzen--I mean, it's Jonathan Franzen.  What more can be said?  Well, more has been, and to check it out read some of my earlier December book posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                                                   

                                        Worst Book Of The Year--"Yes, Daddy," by Jonathan Parks Ramage--A bunch of dumb gay hunks--young, hung, and full of cum, get into a sex trafficking situation they should have been smart enough to steer away from. Yes, the situation is horrible, but they should have known better!


                                             Bitches Of The Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                                         

                                   Brian Laundrie--Talk about dumb, White Trash--him and the entire family!  I still want to know what was going on--why didn't Gabby just leave, and why did she not go and live with one of her parents?  None of which excuses Laundrie, for any remorse he may have had was surpassed by his overt cowardice in not wanting to face up to the consequences of his actions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                                            

                                   Ghislaine Maxwell--Oh, yeah, some socialite!!!!!!!!!!!!  She's no Lee Radziwill, but more like a PIMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Of young, vulnerable girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  All of those preyed on by her deserve a turn in line to smack her across the face!  She was Epstein's WHORE, using that to get into his social circle, as she had none of her own!  BITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                     Those are easily the best and worst of 2021.  Let's see what 2022 brings!!!!!!!!!!

 
                                      Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Have A Swinging New Years Eve, Darlings.....However That May Be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                    I want all readers on here to drink champagne, or something, in the honor of the passing of Betty White, just 17 days short of her 100th birthday.  Talk about the last big loss of the year!



                                    Here, at our house, David, Baby Gojira, Kerwyn, Cumcumbo, and others are going to watch the ball drop, and sample some Veuve Clicquot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Then, we will fall asleep, because tomorrow is David's birthday, and we cannot wait for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                        So, here is to a happy, and equally important, 2022!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                         This is it, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Darlings, Why Can't We Have Actresses (Or Actors) Today, Like The Kemble-Cooper Sisters??????????????????





                                                                                   
               
                                                            The Kemble-Cooper Sisters were the products of a British acting family from the late nineteenth, into the latter twentieth century.  They were as unattractive as can be; but, unlike today, where, if one does not look like Ryan Reynolds or Blake Lively, forget about having any kind of acting career!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                              Why have character actors seemingly become extinct?  In another era there was a plethora of them--Walter Brennan, Donald Crisp, Beulah Bondi, Anne Revere, Gladys Cooper (no relation to the Sisters!), Mary Wickes, Roland Young.....I could go on.


                                                                None of the above were beauties by any conventional definition of the word, but they were glorious actors.  Whom can be counted among their like today??????????


                                                                  The Kemble-Cooper Sisters worked steadily, more than many, including myself known.  But both managed to distinguish themselves, in several iconic films.  Violet, pictured first, portrayed Miss Jane Murdstone in Selznick and George Cukor's definitive 1935 film adaptation of "David Copperfield--" and no other exists, as far as I am concerned.


                                                                    The final two pictures are of Lillian, and film mavens may know both these roles--first, as Bonnie's Nurse in 1939's "Gone With The Wind."  Her best line, on being discharged, was "As you say, sir!"  The second photo, twenty-five years later, and directed by George  Cukor, was the Lady Ambassador, in  1964's "My Fair Lady."  The one who says, upon appraising Eliza's beauty, in the ballroom scene, to Rex Harrison...."Such a faraway look, as if she's always lived in a garden."  On such things careers were made.


                                                                         Not now.  If you thought things were bad during the Julia Roberts era, they have gotten worse.  No ordinary person has a chance making it as an actor!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                                          Like Bebe says, in "A Chorus Line," "Different is nice, but it sure isn't pretty/Pretty is what it's about."


                                                                          Bring back more, like the Kemble-Coopers!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                                    


  


      

                                 

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Not Wanting To Be Outdone, Gojira Wishes All A Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                             This has been a busy week, for Gojira.  His cabana is in the courtyard, just outside our apartment windows, so we have seen a lot of hustling and bustling this week. He has been carting gifts and packages to and from the Sisters on Long Island, especially Sister Camille, and he brought them Christmas joy, and, of course, to all the children, because he loves them, and is happiest giving them gifts.  And he always lets them slide down his tail!!!!!!!!!!  Isn't that nice of Gojira????????



                                                He wanted me to post on here to let all know that those on here are not forgotten.  He sends holiday greeting, love, and hope for the New Year!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                     And Baby Gojira, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nicholas Sends Christmas Greetings To All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                            Nicholas is getting to be quite the star on here, darlings, and he is not a bit camera shy!  Being the loving fellow he is, he wants to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas.  Who could resist those eyes?  



                                               He will have a field day, playing with the toys I gave him, and he wants all you out there to have the happiest and merriest of days.  And in 2022, as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                Merry Christmas, with love, from Nicholas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas To All!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                    Well, darlings, here we are--December 25, The Miracle Of The Birth Of Baby Jesus; yes, it is Christmas, 2021, and what a Christmas it is.  We just opened the presents, and all was bliss, especially with Baby Gojira, who was happy about everyone's gifts.



                                        May today's Christmas at your place be as wonderful as it has been at ours.



                                         Blessings on this day. If only my hair could grow as long and perfect, as pictured!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, December 24, 2021

This Is The Night Of Nights, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                       Girls, I always maintained Radio City's Nativity had such spectacular staging I don't think it could have topped the Real Thing.  Well, maybe if around the stage periphery there were kicking Rockettes, but when staging an historical replication, there is just no room for the Rockettes.



                                          This is a big night.  The Miracle Of Jesus, and a lot of work for Mary to do!



                                          From childhood on, I always thought the Star Of Bethlehem appeared in the sky on this night.  A part of me still believes that.



                                              So, to all my girls on Christmas Eve, the happiest of nights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                              As the days slowly grow longer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Don't Let The Holidays Get You Down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                      Really, there is no reason to drive oneself as crazy as this woman, who has more pressing problems to deal with.



                                         Which is my way of telling you that Svengoolie's Christmas Movie this Saturday, will be that 1958, AIP favorite, "Earth Vs. The Spider."  The one where Carol and her boyfriend find her dad in the spider's cave, drained; where the woman pictured gets her fabulous Fifties dress stuck in her car, as the spider bears down upon her.  And how the spider comes to life in the high school gym, because it digs the crazy beat of the rock band, rehearsing there.



                                             Sweeties, it is so much fun, you have got to join us.  It is the last Svengoolie movie of the year.



                                               Don't be caught short, like the woman above!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Join Us Tomorrow Night For An Evening By The Fire, Tree, And Egg Nog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                   That is right, dears; tomorrow we all gather and drink.  Non-alcoholic, that is.  Whatever you do is up to you.



                                                        What would add to all this would be a TV broadcasting a Yule Log!  We can hope for the best, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                           So, raise a glass of Christmas cheer with us tomorrow, dolls!

Another One I Thought Would Not Die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                        Not even a month after Sondheim, we lose Sally Ann Howes, and now, today, Joan Didion.  Thriving for years on cigarettes and alcohol, she died this morning at the ripe old age of 87; all the more surprising, as I did not know she suffered from Parkinson's.   Poor Joan.



                                             I may not have been drawn to her work, but I cannot deny the talent she had. And the heartbreak she suffered throughout her life.  It threw all it could at Joan, but still she managed to survive.  How?


                                                For this, and the body of work she leaves behind, she deserves a tribute.


                                                 Rest In Peace, Joan.  You earned it, and your work follows in your wake.

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Darlings, She Really WAS Truly Scrumptious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                               "I'm Truly Scrumptious.                                                                                                                                       Truly, Truly Scrumptious.                                                                                                                                  Scrumptious as a Cherry Peach Parfait!"                                                                                                        Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious in                                                                                                          "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (1968)   Music by                                                                                         Richard M. And Robert B. Sherman, and Irwin                                                                                                  Kostal (uncredited)


                                           When this film came out, I was thirteen years old, and I just HAD to see it.  Those kids ten and up did not call it "Chitty," but something else.  I never did, because the film, which I rewatched as an adult several years back, is far from it.  It holds up remarkably well.



                                             And, girls, didn't we all just want to look like Sally Ann Howes, as Truly Scrumptious?  That hair, those dresses, and that song, "You're My Little Choochie Face?"  It was all we could ask for.



                                              I am sad to report that three days ago, on December 19, Sally Ann Howes died, at at the age of 91.  Meaning she was only sixteen in the murdered child sequence in 1946's "Dead Of Night," which I also urge you to see.



                                                  But to those of a certain age, she will always be Truly Scrumptious!



                                                   Rest In Peace, Sally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                   And, girls, treat yourselves to a Cherry Peach Parfait, or something equally scrumptious, tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                                                                                                                            

 

For The Shortest Day Of The Year, I Did A Lot Of Running Around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                             It all started yesterday, darlings, when Dr. Valderama cancelled the medical appt. I was supposed to have with him today.   That changed my whole therapy schedule, and the day was lost.  Plus, I had to run into the city to Three Lives, to pick up some books.  So, for what I recognize, as was taught, to be the Shortest Day Of The Year, I got a lot of milage, after today.  But I still cannot figure out which is the Longest Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                 For those who look upon this as the Winter Solstice, to you I wish a happy one.   For those who don't, I wish you to be like Sleepy Bear, in your nightie, cap on head, sitting by the fire, drinking tea, and reading a book.  My suggestion is "Hangsaman," by Shirley Jackson.  For me, it will be "David Copperfield," by Charles Dickens.  Another genius.



                                                      Now, the days will get longer, till we build to June 22.  Hope springs eternal, at this point, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                          And Proserpina is past the halfway point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, December 20, 2021

Farewell To Autumn....A Confusing Time, This Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                       Maybe because tomorrow is the First Day Of Winter, and having dealt with Covid for almost two years, it feels like Winter has been here already.  Add to that, Wednesday is The Shortest Day Of The Year, so tell me, girls, which is The Longest Night?????????????????  I hope it is one, where I can sleep till 10AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                        We had some lovely day trips in Autumn, saw "West Side Story," compiled book lists, wrote book posts, watched "All About Eve"--a movie one can always learn something from, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!--but mostly just appreciated each other (David and I) for all the blessings we have, namely us.



                                          Now, it is time to hunker down for the Winter.  



                                          May this season of oft discontent, be white and bright, for  you all!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Welcome To Christmas Week, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, Let's Take It Up A Notch, With BARBRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                           If ever there was a better time to bring out Religious BARBRA, it has to be Christmas Week.  We have arrived, dolls, and I intend to go full throttle.  Wait till you hear BABS do Gounod's "Ave Maria."



                                            I am telling you; it is like she is channeling Jennifer Jones in "The Song Of Bernadette."  Which is plain impossible, as no one could.   But that has never stopped BARBRA before!



                                              So, let it out, BARBRA!  And, to my readers, a Happy Christmas Week!

                                              Take it away, BABS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, December 17, 2021

Welcome Our New Home Arrival!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                             He arrived yesterday, darlings, and isn't he just the cutest?  I finally have my own Cucumbo doll, from "It Conquered The World." Drone not included.



                                               Really, darlings, the things you can find online.



                                             Now, all I need is a Mrs. Voorhees doll.  Complete with machete!!!!!!!!!!!

Heaving Bosoms, Darlings! Join Us Tomorrow Night For Svengoolie's Encore Presentation Of Roger Corman's 1958 "The Undead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


                                     Girls, this one is too much.  Despite the heaving bosoms of Allison Hayes--The Femme Fatale Of Fifties Fright Films, no less--not to mention those of the Dancing Witches, whose costumes foreshadow Donna McKechnie in "A Chorus Line,"--this is a rather slow-moving film.



                                        To think it was shot in eleven days, inside a supermarket!  I wonder if the dance sequence was done in the produce department????????????



                                           This is the one about a prostitute, well dressed, like a secretary (I guess this is how prostitutes dressed in the Fifties!) who seeks self-help through hypnosis.  She is transported back to Medieval times, with witches, heaving bosoms, Allison Hayes as Malivia, with heaving bosoms, dancers, with heaving bosoms, and an Imp who look like he failed to make the casting call for "The Wizard Of Oz," back in 1939.  Plus, a visual style that foreshadows Mario Bava's "Black Sunday!"



                                            If you have not seen it, darlings, it is a MUST!  If you've seen it before, the bosoms and visuals are worth it.



                                             Camp fun, for the gay and straight!



                                                 See you tomorrow, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

It Is Not Too Early To Think About New Year's Eve--So Make Sure There Is Veuve Clicquot On Hand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           Girls, I am telling you; nothing livens up New Year's Eve better than a bottle of Veuve Clicquot!  This is potent stuff, darlings; one glass, or flute, of this, and I am off to Dreamland, Wonderland, or wherever.  For others, it may take two or three flutes; for others still, two or three bottles.  Don't let that money and liquid go to waste, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                             I actually prefer this to Dom Perignon.  With 'Veuve', and a television, one can feel themselves in Times Square, from the comfort of their own room, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                              That is the way we will do it, this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                        

The Self-Destruction Of A Closet Case!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                       Really, darlings, as one of my more learned readers pointed out, the homosexuality in 1958's "How To Make A Monster is far from subtextual, it is clearly overt.



                                         Consider--



                                          Peter Dumond (the great Robert H, Harris), and his assistant, Rivero (Paul Brinegar) have worked together for twenty-five years.  Even before Dumond, goes psycho, it is plain he likes being dominant to Rivero, (who I think is lonely and asexual, rather than gay) and then look out for the tender way he handles the Teenage Frankenstein and Werewolf actors (Gary Clarke and Gary Clarke).  When he invites them to his home--oh, girls, let's face it, is about much more than showing his collection-- though his obsessively calling his make-up creations "his children" clearly is a way to repress his homosexual desires.  Creativity has been a sexual repressor since the beginning of Time.



                                            Drumond is sympathetic when let go, but when termination unleashes psychotic impulses, he loses that, until the end when he is burnt to death, screaming, "I must save my children."  There is seen the lifelong consequence of being a closet case--lovelessness.



                                                AIP was really pushing the envelope with this one, and it is amazing, to me, how much they got away with.  I only wish Rivero had not been killed; he was a true innocent.  Special needs, maybe, but harmless.  I disliked Dumond for this, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                  It takes several viewings to appreciate this film beyond its campy aspects.  But once the viewer gleans other things at work here, it may not be artistic, but it turns out to be more intelligently written than most film of this type.



                                                     All this, and Cucumbo too, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Girls, With The Holidays Closing In, I Thought I Will Put This Out--I Have GOT To Have That Hairstyle, Fur Coat, Beaded Dress, And Pearls Tied Exactly As Seen!


                                    I have always been interested in the character of Karen Richards, played by Celeste Holm, in 1950's "All About Eve."  She is from the most ordinary of backgrounds--a former Radcliffe grad, who later marries professor/playwright Lloyd Richards (Hugh Marlowe, at his most good looking!).  As Addison (George Sanders) says, in his opening monologue, "Nothing in her breeding or background should have brought her closer to the theater than Row E, Center."  Even Karen herself says, to Eve, "I'm the lowest form of celebrity."



                                   So, why am I drawn to her, more than the others?  Well, for starters, as a character she is fascinating.  As one with the least theatrical background, she sets so much of the story in motion--befriending Eve outside, bringing her in to meet Margo and Company, arranging to have Margo miss a performance, so Eve can go on, and later facing those consequences when she is blackmailed by Eve.. Oh, and there is that laugh.... but I have said enough, already.



                                       Many might argue, but with my fashion sense, and an awareness of how I would look, she has the most interesting wardrobe in the film. I just LOVE her outfits, darlings!!!!!!!!!!



                                           The hair style is classic Fifties, but I am sure a good stylist, like Sally (Hershberger) could do it, so that it would fit on me



                                             Now, about that fur coat.  I want it, but I am not so cruel as to kill animals for it.  So, I am willing to have the same look and color--but with synthetic fur.  As for the dress, surely a good designer, or even a copy artist could replicate it, though without color, I am not sure what shade it would be in.  Has this film ever been colorized?  I hope not, nor would I ever look at it that way.  However, if someone out there has seen it such, perhaps I could be filled in on the color of the gown.  And I would need a dresser to get me in this outfit, and tie the pearls (white) perfectly!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                I can't wait to see how I look!  Eve was too deceiving and manipulative.  Unlike Eve, I just put it out there.  It is called honesty!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                               As Bette Davis once said, "How does any Eve do it?"


                                               Wish me luck, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


 

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

And Now, Darlings, For The Only Book List That Matters--MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                           To hell with "The New York Times."  Here are my "Top Five Fiction Picks For 2021."  Through references and other posts, some of you may have gleaned this list already, or not be so surprised by it.    For my money, not to mention reading time invested, this was the best of the best.



                                                    "The Five Best Works Of Fiction Of 2021"



                                                                                  

                                             1. "Crossroads," by Jonathan Franzen--Not only Number One, but Book Of The Year!  With Franzen writing at the height of his powers, how could this be overlooked?  If you have not yet read it, it is high time you did.



                                                                                

                                                2.   "The Lincoln Highway," by Amor Towles--Never have I had a year with so many easily chosen gems.  For the first eight months, I feared nothing would show up, and then WHAM!  I had a hard time not making this choice a tie with Franzen; it is that good.  Adventurous, with strong characters, driving narration, all reminiscent of the boys' adventure books of some of our youths, Towles goes for something different--and wins!!!!!!!!!!!!  Get on this wild ride quick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                                                   
                                         3. "Cloud Cuckoo Land," by Anthony Doerr--Beautiful, poetic prose, cloud filled castles in sky, guaranteed to take readers somewhere beyond where we are living now--and can't we all use that? --Doerr scores another triumph.  I cannot wait to see what he does next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                                                         
                                            4.  "The Magician," by Colm Toibin--The author does an even better job with Thomas Mann, than with Henry James, in "The Master," good as that was.  This will have readers reaching for their Mann--especially those, like me, who have not read him yet!  What are all of us waiting for????????????


                                                                                
                                          5.  "Black Buck," by Mateo Akaripoor-- Hey, how come the high and mighty, agenda oriented "New York Times" did not have this listed anyway?  This tale of a barista worker's rise to power speaks as much about racism on both sides, Black and White, and if the Millennials or Gen Z crowd would take the time to read and develop insights, a powerful message awaits all, at the end of this novel.


                                             Pay no attention to "The New York Times" behind the curtain!  The great Raving Queen book list has SPOKEN. To date, I have read 120 books this year, and I am currently two thirds of the way through book number 121.


                                                 Have a merry, girls, and read some of my picks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                           


                  


                                                                            










Monday, December 13, 2021

All I Want For Christmas Is My Cucumbo Doll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                      Isn't it cute, darlings?  And it comes complete with its own drone; the soldier, too, but I really don't care about that.



                                         The bad news--and I don't know what this means--is that this is a "Beulah"  monster, suggesting it is some kind of model kit that has to be put together.   Take a look online, girls, and see if this is true.



                                            It would be worth putting it together, and painting it to have it. But are the paints supplied.?  By the way, according to info on the film, its actual color is beet red.  It has been eons since I put models  together.  Yes, girls, believe it or not, I did.  The Universal Monster Models, of course!!!!!!!!!!!  And a model Gojira!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                             Cucumbo may very well within my grasp.  Then I can stand before it, pretend to be Beverly Garland, and pretend to recite her immortal line--"You think you're gonna conquer the world.... I'll see you in Hell first!"



                                                Really camp, dolls!  But Cucumbo is so cute.



                                                Wouldn't we all just love to have our personal Cucumbo,  and drone?


   

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Oh, My God, Girls, How Could I Have Forgotten???????????????????????????


                                                  The post I am ending with today is where I should have started.  But it has been a busy, and occasionally sad time, so I became flustered, as I was anxious to get the book information out to you.



                                         That said, it is time for us to welcome a new reader, which has not been done in some time.  The follower indicator is now at 118, and I see an unfamiliar name, Kimber Pelsor, so, welcome, Kimber.  I don't know how you found your way here, but, on behalf of my girls and myself, welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I hope you find entertainment, amusement, and information in these posts, and feel free, if inclined, to comment on anything along the way.  And this blog goes great, with coffee!



                                              So, a BIG welcome to Kimber, followed by the official induction, via this blog's unofficial theme song.



                                                                                     


                                        Welcome, Kimber, and everyone else, as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The New York Times Top Ten Book List (Really 5, As I Only Cover Fiction)" Is So Woke, It Put Me To Sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                           Which is not to say some of them are not worth reading.  What bothers me about the list this year, is the omission of so many varied and quality works!  Whatever happened to literature for quality's sake?   Recently, I looked at some syllabi of AP English classes in random high schools, and was appalled.  The assigned readings given out as AP were books that, in my day, were given to whom we uncharitably called the "dumb kids."  So, have students gotten dumber, teachers lazier, or what?  I suspect technology has dumbed down today's students, and the quality of their thoughts, if they have any of their own, to begin with.  But, getting back to The Times, why is this list so agenda heavy? When mine is revealed, in the next post, it may seem more populist, but all the authors are A-listers, their works sound, and I am alarmed that not one of them made it to the final list.  What does it say about The Times?  Or how that paper is using itself to formulate peoples' perceptions of literature?  Sure, fiction can have social meaning, but does it have to be so pointed and PC?  Why not a little narrative skill along the way?  God forgive me, had Dickens produced a book this year, it would never have made this list.



                                                Now, maybe you have already heard what has been chosen.  But, as George Sanders says in "All About Eve," "For those of you who know nothing of the world around you," it is worth taking a look at.  You have seen some of them in my post on "The 100 Most Notable Books."



                                                      Here we go--



                                                                              

                                         1.  "How Beautiful We Were," by Imbolo Mbue--Really, this is the best of the lot.  As stated, I read it earlier in the year, having loved the author's previous work, "Behold The Dreamers."  Set in Africa, centering on the issues of climate change and corporate greed versus the good of the people--a battle, which, short of a miracle, will go on indefinitely--the novel's issues, combined with the wonderful writing style is one of the few examples of justification for placing this book on the list.




                                                                                 

                                               2.  "Intimacies," by Kate Kitamura--As I said elsewhere, fuhgeddaboudit! I cannot fault the writing, but feel it is emphasized more than the narrative, which kept me disengaged throughout my reading.  Go and attack me, but this one does not belong on ANY list.  Except maybe the scrap heap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



                                                                               

                                         3.  "The Love Songs Of W.E.B. Du Bois," If only it had been Blanche Du Bois!  Really, girls, am I expected to read this?  An enormous tome, devoted to someone I am not especially interested in, and, as you girls know, I am no right winger, but would this book have been listed or published in any other time than the one in which we are now living?  Believe me, there were plenty of Black-centric books--how about "The Prophets," by Robert Jones, Jr.--so why this?  The selection panels badly need me on it to knock some heads together.  A little pretension goes a long way, and too much is ostentatious.  Like this list. 


                                                                              

                                               4.  "No One Is Talking About This," by Patricia Lockwood--I recently purchased this, darlings, so I guess I am bound to read it.  Honestly, till it started turning up on lists, no one talked about it to me.  Supposedly poetic, it sounds like an alternate version of the movies "A.I.," and "Her," both of which I hated.  Is this book really that good?  Are any, with the exception of "How Beautiful We Were?"


                                                                                      
                                            5.  "When We Cease To Understand The World," by Benjamin Labatut--Huh?  Never heard of it, till now.  It is on my reading pile, but really, if, as I suspect, it is too much Aldous Huxley like, I will gag.  I guess you can tell I am not really looking forward to reading this one. Sadly, all that I was looking forward to, I have already read.


                                             Several things to be grateful for.  No Gary Shteyngart on the list; amazing since the book reviewers slaver over every word he writes.  Guess this year they were ordered to be more politicized, because that is what the list amounts to.


                                                I will read and let you know.  But this list has me worried about the future not only of books, but those who write them.


                                                 If The Times keeps this standard of selection up, they will lose readers, ceasing to be influencers and guiders, and more dictatorial, pretentious pedants, governed by the times around them, and not their own sense of quality.


                                                   Heaven help us, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!