Can You Believe We Are Two Thirds Of The Way Through 2025?????????????????????????

                                         It's that sad time of year, darlings, when Theater Queens think of Christine Ebersole singing "Another Winter In A Summer Town."  Yes, tomorrow marks the unofficial end of Summer.  Children go back to school this Wednesday.  But I can guarantee--since we have had a relatively cool August here, it is going to be a hot September.

                                           Ah, yes, the "ber" months.  That is when the year begins winding down, so, a s far as I am concerned, today is it.  My birthday is during one of the "ber" months, so Time is marching on.

                                           So, enjoy, today, darlings, because it is time to bid Summer a farewell, or, at least, August.  How fast the time flew!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            August is somewhat of a sad month.  So let us have some seasonal cheer in the"ber" months this year.

                                               See you next month, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Last Night, I Had A Dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Patti LuPone Was In It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                My dreams come out of nowhere.  There is no rhyme or reason.

                                In the dream, I was in a play, with Patti and about a dozen other actors.  All I can recall is that it was NOT a musical.  We had our first rehearsal, which went well enough, but when it was over, Patti gathered us all around and said, "Gang, come on over to my place.  We are going to fix this mess!"

                                  So, all of us went over to Patti's, who was a gracious hostess.  She proceeded to give us advice on how we should play our roles.  To me, she said, "Be yourself when you are on stage.  Like the way you are offstage, or on your blog.  Be yourself as the character, not the other way around."  I felt empowered.

                                  After giving fellow cast members their advice, Patti explained to us what she was going to do.  Some questioned it all, but Patti said it would work.

                                  The next day, we rehearsed the play the way Patti said.  The director thought it was great.  I went up to Patti, and thanked her, but also asked how the director had not known his direction had been completely changed.

                                   Patti answered, "Darling, most directors are idiots.  I have been doing this with all my shows!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                      I have to wonder how much truth there is to this.

                                     

This Was Baby Gojira's Cheesy Movie Pick This Past Week! Unfortunately, The Poster Is Better Than The Movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          "The Screaming Skull," though released in 1958 by American-International Pictures, borrowed heavily from William Castle and his gimmicks, while being a blend of both "Rebecca" and "Gaslight," without the artistry of these two.

                                             Someone must have seen something I did not see in Peggy Weber, who plays put upon wife Jenny.  She is from a wealthy family, which is why her widowed husband married her, to get his hands on her money.  His first wife, Marion, died, but was it an accident?

                                               Jenny is photographed in darkly lit imagery, and with her hair, takes on, at times a resemblance to Jennifer Jones.  But when seen plainly, she lacks Jones' acting chops or luminosity.

                                                Added to this, the couple live in a plantation type house that resembles less Tara, and more the former offices of Selznick-International Pictures.  I bet that was what this building had been, back in the day.

                                                  The plantation is so elegant, it has peacocks about the ground, and, girls, I am telling you, these peacocks give the best performances in the entire film!!!!!!!!!!!!!  When peacocks are the best actors, you know there are problems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                    Things really get campy, maybe, in the last fifteen minutes.  Someone with a skull face, dressed as the ghost of Marion, runs about the grounds, the skull surfaces from the pond where Marion supposedly drowned accidentally, and screams and turns, and really livens up this otherwise slow-moving film.

                                                        Jenny survives, and everyone who should get their comeuppance.  I could see this film turning up on "Svengoolie."  But having seen it already, both Baby and I agreed we would not watch it again.

                                                        The open obviousness of the plot is enough to make one scream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"On A Picnic Morning, Without A Warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                           It is Labor Day weekend, darlings, which comes all too fast, and signals the unofficial end of Summer.  How I long for the days when, on this Saturday night, ABC would show 1955's "Picnic" on the late movie.  I mean, look at Kim Novak!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That dress!  Wouldn't we all want to have it, darlings, and wouldn't we all want to look as lovely as Kim in it????????

                            This movie was such a delight, with everyone doing standout work, especially a then young Susan Strasberg.  Poor thing: what promise, and such a tragic life!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                So, whether you have your own picnic, or just get dolled up and dance to "Moonglow," like Kim, have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

                                 Sixty years ago, a musical version of this play and film was tried out on the road but did not make it to Broadway.  It was titled "Hot September," and I mention it not just for historicity's sake, but because, having had such a cool August, I think we will have a hot September.

                                   Happy Labor Day, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Here is The McGuire Sisters' classic rendition of the song.  Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, "Svengoolie" Wraps Up August With A Dan Curtis Anthology Film!!!!!!!!!!!! Join Us At 8PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          While it may not be as good as "Trilogy Of Terror," with Karen Black--how could it? --this trio of stories by Jack Finney and Richard Matheson are worth watching, especially if you have never seen them before

                                              The fun starts with Finney's story "Second Chance," about a car owner, played by a young Ed Begley, Jr. who travels back in time to see how destiny influences our present-day happenings.  Then we get the two Matheson stories.  The first, "No Such Thing As A Vampire, is loads of fun, but the best is "Bobby," where a grief-stricken mother, wonderfully played by Joan Hackett, longs for the return of her deceased child, Bobby--and gets more than she bargained for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Girls, for this final Saturday night in August, it is fun enough, and I hope Nostalgiaferatu is featured.  I just love him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               So, join us at eight for this entertaining delight. Baby Gojira will be there, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 See you then, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Lethality Of Grief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Grief is the worst of human experiences.  And people handle it differently.  When my mother died, which was my worst encounter with death, I dealt with it by acting out sexually.  Anytime, anyplace, anyone--as long as it was guys!--because the temporary release from reality it gave me was worth it.  Or so I thought, then.  Do I regret this?  Yes.  But all of this, and subsequent recovery, led me to David, who was worth all the aggravation I had to face.  Like my relations telling me I was holding my father back because I could not find a job.  Well, I did, worked for 35 years, and proved them wrong.  Now, where are they?

                              Which is to say people handle grief differently.  Sometimes the grief is turned inward, as mine was.  It could have been worse.  I might have committed suicide.  I never thought of it, but I know some people have done that in reaction to grief.

                               Where grief becomes dangerous is when it turns lethal, and the grieving acts out by blaming someone for their situation.  Two dramatic stories accurately represent this point, so let us start with "Chicago MED."

                                  The season 10 opener, entitled "Sink Or Swim," sent the ED into casualty mode when a capsized ship brought in more patients than could be handled.  Blood supply was low, and some patients had to be given it, over others.  I should add here that two specialized terms are used.  What we all know as the ER, is here, on this show called the ED.  And the room where the most traumatic patients are put is called Baghdad.

                                     As the season progressed, it became apparent that an unknown someone was stalking Sharon Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson).  Viewers find out who the stalker is in the season's final episode.  It is a woman named Cassidy, played wonderfully by Tiff Abreu, and hers is a sad story. I cannot condone what she does to Goodwin, but I can understand where she is coming from.

                                     Cassidy was one half of a lesbian couple.  Her wife, Wendy, was one of the capsized brought to ED, having been crushed in some debris.  The blood needed did not go to Wendy but another patient.

                                       Cassidy is having trouble moving on. How does one do so, from the love of one's life?  I understand that.  But her solution is wrong.  She projects all her misery and blame onto Sharon Goodwin, confronting her in her office, where she eventually stabs her.

                                           Now Sharon knows who her stalker was.  But she does not know why Cassidy is taking things out on her.  Cassidy tells Sharon the above details, saying that Wendy did not matter to Sharon at all, because she gave the blood to the man who caused the accident, and was the reason Wendy was crushed by debris.

                                            Cassidy's hatred is palpable, and she carries a knife in her hand.  Sharon tries to reason with her, but in the wrong way, explaining she was handling things by corporate protocol.  Even if this is true, no one in Cassidy's situation wants to hear this.  Which leads to Sharon being stabbed by Cassidy.

                                              What follows is interesting.  Because, after Sharon is stabbed, lying on the floor, seemingly dying, instead of being happy, Cassidy becomes anxious and concerned.  Having gotten her revenge, she does not get gratification; some part of her realizes she has gone too far, which indicates she has some degree of remorse.

                                                   Cassidy's deed was inexcusable.  But Abreu's performance makes the viewer feel her pain, so that I had much sympathy for Cassidy.  In the end, Sharon is operated on, recovers, Cassidy is arrested, and I hope she will get some professional help.

                                                    I have to wonder about her relationship with Wendy, as we get no indication of that.  Was Cassidy a loving partner?  Or, when she does not get her way, or things become complicated, as sometimes they do, does she get unhinged?  One wonders, from what is seen of Cassidy if this is what Wendy had been living with.

                                                      I also have some questions for the writers, as to why the boat driver causing the accident was chosen over Wendy.  Was it homophobia?  Did the driver have a wife, children, and grandchildren?  I am not sure if we ever know, but I would like to for the sake of context.

                                                       Nevertheless, like "The Sleepover" and "A Dollar, A Dream," in "Cold Case," this episode of "Chicago MED" pressed buttons in me.  To all the Cassidys out there, I urge you to get professional help.  Lethality does not guarantee satisfaction.

                          Now, Robert Javison, brilliantly played by James Murtaugh in the 1987 film "The Rosary Murders" is a different matter.  His unhinged grief turns him into a vengeful serial killer.  But his story is worse, because he is his own worst enemy.

                             The Javison family unraveled when their 16-year-old daughter, Kathy, committed suicide three years before the actual story takes place.  She did this because, from the time she was 16, her father, Javison, was regularly abusing her sexually.  She wanted it to stop.  She talked to a high school advisor, a nun, who chastised her for having foul thoughts and spreading false rumors. She could not conceive of a father doing such a thing to his daughter--until a month later, when it is learned Kathy killed herself, and the nun knew then she had been telling the truth. Guilt ridden, she retreats to a cloister, taking a vow of silence as penance

                              Mr. Javison is grief stricken by his daughter's death, and the breakup of his marriage, as his wife eventually leaves him.  What he cannot handle is being the cause of all this, and instead he blames it on the Catholic church, whom he feels gave him no help at all.

                              He is a scary man, as no one in the Detroit diocese, where the story takes place, has any idea who will be next, or when.  When Javison confronts his chief antagonist, Father Ted Nabors, played by Charles Durning, he tells Father Robert Koessler (the sleuth priest, played by Donald Sutherland) that Kathy's soul is in Hell.  I do not believe that; it is Javison who is more deserving of that, because he drove Kathy to do what she did.  And in the end, Javison becomes a suicide, as when he goes to shoot Nabors, a police shoots Javison; hence suicide by cop.

                               As Javison lies dying, Koessler gives him absolution, as the dying man squeezes his hand.  So, redemption may be possible.

                                The entire Javison family needed as much professional help as Cassidy did.  I have to wonder, as it is never stated, if his wife knew about the abuse, or did she look the other way.?  She could not look past her daughter's suicide, and on some level may blame herself and her husband, indicating she might have known but was afraid to deal with it.  Hence, she departs.

                                Grief can do horrible things to people, and these examples are just fiction.  But there are real people out there.  If you are grieving, seek professional help.  If you know someone who is grieving, reach out to them.

                                  All of this just might make a difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  

                                     

This May Be The Shortest Blog Post I Ever Write!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        No author, living or dead, has plumbed the depths of darkness in human nature as effectively as Emily Brote, with "Wuthering Heights!"

Girls, You Are Going To LOVE Aunt Gladys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Not since John Waters' Aunt Ida, played by Edith Massey, has there been an aunt like this one.  The moment Aunt Gladys appears in the movie "Weapons," which my movie historian friend Chris and I went to see, the action is livened up.  Skillfully directed by Zach Cregger, "Weapons" chronicles how 17 third grade children, one night at 2:17AM, vanished.  And no one knows where they went.

                                   The movie is structured like a novel; I kept hoping this was based on a novel, but it is an original screenplay.  I would have loved to have been at the casting call for this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   The film tells the story through different characters' stories, finally intersecting with a little boy named Alex, and the particulars going on at his house.  And that is all I am going to say.  You have to see this one for yourselves, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     But I am telling you, Aunt Gladys is going to be the new horror icon.  Her magic voodoo tree, her parasitic--she is a parasitic voodoo witch! --interference in peoples' lives can be dangerous!!!!!!!!!  Not since Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees has there been such a delightfully campy villainess!!!!!!!!!!!!  And guess who plays her?  You will never guess.  I kept looking at her all through the film, especially the eyes, and thinking her familiar, but imagine my surprise at the end credits when I discovered it was--Amy Madigan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Amy, who is married to Ed Harris, I remember best for her Oscar nominated turn in the 1985 film "Twice In A Lifetime."  My God, has it really been forty years?

                                     She is now seventy-five.  Can you believe it, dolls?  Whomever did the make-up for this film deserves credit for making Amy look as unrecognizable as possible, and as creepy looking as can be as Aunt Gladys.  Though when she first came on screen with that faux Bette Davis look, I thought it was a man

                                      Aunt Gladys could well become cinema's next favorite aunt.

                                     And what do we say, when Auntie comes over?

                                    "Hi, Aunt Gladys!  What did you bring me?"

                                      

What If The Union Rat Was Real????????????

                            It's something to ponder, isn't it, darlings???????????  Especially for those of us who may be members of a union.  If the rat were this size, it would be interesting to see which union he would go after first!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I know all you union members out there hope he would go after theirs.   I know I do.

                             Really, now, but isn't he kinda cute???????????  Who would have thought a giant rat could be this personable.  The ones that pass me by in the subway stations sure are not.

                             If this photo is any indication, rats are growing bigger, and the giant union rat is coming to every major city!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I bet New York will be one of its top targets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Let's all welcome him, girls, with a grievance list of what we want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Cheers, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, It Is Up To You Tonight On This One!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              Tonight, at 8PM, darlings, "Svengoolie" is showing 1957's "The Curse Of Frankenstein."  This was actually the first Hammer redo of a Universal classic, followed in 1958 by the far superior "Horror Of Dracula," which we saw last week.

                                                 Cushing and Lee do their customary professional work.  Poor Charistopher Lee is more encumbered here than he was as Dracula.  In this film, he has no speaking lines, and his make-up and presentation are dreadful, because Universal rightly would not allow him to replicate the Karloff look.  But couldn't Hammer have come up with something better??????????

                                                  Mary Shelly would have been appalled.  So would Elsa Lanchester!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   If you haven't seen it, dolls, and are curious then take a look.   Those having seen it, like me, may be compelled to seek other entertainment.

                                                    How about "The On-Camera Execution Of Ghislaine Maxwell??????????????"

The Things A Movie Star Has To Do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Last Sunday, David and I went to see "Shin Godzilla" at the Alpine, because we all love and admire our reptile friend, Gojira.  And we have Baby Gojira at home.

                                 The script was awful.  Gojira was forced to enact the role of a crawling, reptilian mollusk, only to have him grow into his true self before our eyes.  Big deal: who thought this up?  When will the filmmakers learn that what Gojira fans want to see is Gojira, not some facsimilia thereof.

                                   I love how radiation emanated from his entire being, but the ending, with him standing catatonic was unworthy of this 70- plus- year- old star.

                                     I demand more respect for Gojira.  I am sure he had to make this film in 2016 to honor a contract, and the only reason it is being shown now is because "Godzilla Minus One," which was practically a work of art, unlike this film, was such a big hit last year.

                                     Gojira demands and should get better material.  Remember, when he comes up from the ocean, he comes in peace, and it is usually at night.  He just wants to experience Tokyo night life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       I felt sorry for him, forced to make this crap!

                                        But I bet he donated his salary to Sister Camille D'Arienzo and The Sisters Of Mercy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is Mickey Hart Special Needs?????????????????

                            Anyone who watches Carol Burnett's "Eunice" sketches, or Vicki Lawrence on "Mama's Family," knows Raytown is the White Trash capital of America, situated somewhere in the Midwest.   You have to hand it to Eunice, though, knowing who Ruth Roman is!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            But what about Tim Conway as Mickey Hart?  His performance is brilliant, but is he supposed to be special needs?  And what about when, as Eunice says, he and Ed Higgins "make goo goo eyes at each other?"  Is there more that is going on than what is being said????????????

                            I have to wonder about all this, because why would Ed keep on a moron like Mickey?

                              Maybe Mickey is meant to be a spokesperson for the special needs and disabled, showing them to be capable of holding a job.  At least, that is what I would like to think.

                                 But there has never been a backstory for Mickey Hart, and I think the time has come for one.

                                    Same with Aunt Fran on "Mama's Family!"  Because she is Rue McClanahan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Equal Rights For Peacocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Darlings, I can be as politically correct as anyone, but sometimes things are taken a bit too far.

                               Every one of my age knows Pearl Milling Pancake Mix is really Aunt Jemima; she is gone but the box design says it all.  And I have to confess I miss her.  And she was updated to where she had a permanent.  I get the racial angle, but some of us loved Aunt Jemima, she was like a figure of comfort for many.

                                  Same with Uncle Ben.  Said people know Ben's Originals Rice is really Uncle Ben's, only he is missing.  The same thing with Rastus, the chef on the Cream Of Wheat Box.  Again, I get the racial thing, but some of us miss these figures, having had a real affection for them.

                                     OK, racism is one thing.  But now NBC is getting rid of its peacock??????????  A symbol of my TV viewing for over sixty years?  What is this, a war on birds?????????  Who is going to be next.  The Quaker Oats Man????????????????????

                                       Do not let NBC get rid of the peacock.  Peacocks should have rights, and for NBC to do away with this is to deny peacocks their rights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          The fowl world should rise up in protest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Has Been Going On!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           August has been such an on and off month for me and this blog.  First, there was a tremendous heat wave, next I have been so dissatisfied by current fiction that I am going back to the Victorians.  I just finished "Jane Eyre," and have begun "Wuthering Heights."

                             I am going through a series of what I call Comfort Classics to settle me, because on the 13th David had his diagnostic procedure.  All went well; according to what we understand nothing has spread, but we talk to the doctor next Tuesday.  And I have a doctor appointment of my own next Monday, so this has been a month of doctors, doctors, doctors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                The Sunday before the procedure we went to see "The Naked Gun."  David really wanted to see it, and I indulged him.  I have to say I thought I would be bored, but it was entertaining in a check-your-brain-at-the-door way, and I was curious to see how Liam Neeson would handle comedy.  He did a superb job.

                                 So, last week was a priority week.  I did make it to Mass to celebrate The Feast Of The Assumption, one of Mary's biggest days, on August 15th, and on the 17th, we met my niece, her husband and great-niece, who is college bound, at a charming East Side French Bistro called Deux Amis. It was so wonderful seeing everyone.

                                     On the 24th, a group of us is gathering at a Greek restaurant on the Upper East Side, to celebrate the birthday of one of our group members..

                                Just now, Baby Gojira finished watching the cheesy movie of his choice, and it was a good one--1978's "The Initiation Of Sarah," with Kay Lenz, Morgan Brittany, Morgan Fairchild, as the bitch, of course, and Shelley Winters, who is hilarious. This is the one where Morgan Fairchild gets scalded before our eyes!  The best comeuppance to a mean girl I have ever seen.  Baby and I enjoyed every single minute of it.

                                  And hey, yesterday, August 20, was the annual National Pilgrimage Of The French People To Lourdes.  How I wish I could have been there!

                                    Oh, and the weekend with my niece also was the 56th anniversary of Woodstock. No, I was not there, though I got as far as the New Jersey turnpike.

                                   So, it has been quite a frantic period, with David, always as my priority!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Make sure you prioritize those wardrobes, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time To Welcome A New Reader!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                                   I haven't been on here for a while, girls, and I will get to that soon, but I noticed the follower indicator is now at 137, so that is time to welcome a new reader.

                                    Susan Clark is our new reader, so let us give her a warm welcome.  Feel free to drip in anytime, Susan, comment, read, and get informed.  This blog goes great with coffee, doesn't it, darlings?????????????  At times, it can be as entertaining as "Bringing Up Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                      So, welcome, Susan, I am so glad you found your way here.  And now, this blog's official theme song!

                                     Here is Deborah Harry, singing "Call Me." Again, welcome, Susan from The Raving Queen, the girls, and everyone on here!  Enjoy!

Darlings, Every Catholic Church In America Should Have Its Own Giglio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                                   The gold standard, of course, is the one in Williamsburg, during the Feast Of Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel, which took place last month, and continues doing so each July.

                                       But why can't other churches have their own Giglio, honoring their church's respective saint????????  Imagine one for St. Bernadette!!!!!!!!!!  Or one honoring Fatima, with Jacinta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Men would carry these large objects, and, girls, you will get to check out who the hotties are among the strongest, just for those who are searching for a husband.  A Giglio offers so many opportunities, dears!!!!!!!!!!

                                          Why should Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel in Williamsburg have all the fun?  Get started building those Giglios out there, girls, and, gentlemen, start working those muscles to be ready for the big day.

                                             Personally, I would love to have a Giglio for Gay Pride, but who is the patron saint of the LGBQT community?????????

                                              Is there even one???????????????????

Girls, Join Us Tonight At 8PM, As "Svengoolie" Presents "Horror Of Dracula!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                         This was one of Hammer's, a British subsidiary of Universal, attempts to replicate Universal's classics, not with artistry, but with color, blood and bosoms.

                          Yes, darlings, bosoms!  For those who care, there are plenty in "Horror Of Dracula;" wait till you see Christopher Lee carry off Valerie Gaunt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Personally, I prefer Universal's artistry, but Hammer did well by some of these films, and for those new to them, they are worth a look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Is the terror better in color?  Find out for yourselves, girls, by tuning in at 8PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It Was "Mean Girls" Meets Satan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                       As I have been saying, one day each week, Baby Gojira chooses a cheesy movie to watch.  Usually, it is something from the Forties or Fifties because they were the era for cheesy and camp.

                       When he chose a more recent film, "Devil's Diary," I was hoping for a redo of those Seventies TV movies; you know, like "The Initiation Of Sarah," where Morgan Fairchild plays the bitch and gets scalded to death in the shower!  But "Devil's Diary' was actually a theatrical release from 2007--did it ever make the Alpine? --and I had never heard of it before.  Certainly not in 2007.

                     The cast is made up of actors who went nowhere, which is customary with these types of films.

                      Two girls, Dominique and Ursula, members of an outcast high school clique, are in a cemetery searching for Dominique's father's grave.  Her mother has become White Trash, and strips at a strip club, and the boyfriend who lives with her obviously has designs on the daughter.  Ursula, meanwhile, finds a book, the titular diary.  It is blank, but the idea is to write in it, but the wishes you express have to do with hate.  So, if I were my high school self, I would have written to get rid of Mrs. Santamarina, so I could be inducted into the National Honor Society!!!!!!!!!!!  In this film's world, what is written down actually happens.  But there is a price.  The writer and the wishes get more hateful, and before you know it, Ursula's soul is endangered.  When the book gets into the hands of mean girl Heather, and then her acolyte, Georgia, the mean meter heats up.  They all think they are Miss Power, but Ursula and Dominque, after vanquishing an evil priest, rid the world of the demon book and things go back to normal.  Except there will always be mean girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                       I have to say this held my interest more than I expected.  Baby was enthralled.

                        But next week, it will be a cheesy black and white movie.  I, personally would love "Dementia 13."

                       Let's see what Baby picks, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Join Us Tonight At 8PM, As "Svengoolie" Presents Universal's 1935 Gem, "Werewolf Of London!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           This was the studio's first werewolf movie, and, despite a superb cast, atmosphere and direction, it did not do well at the box-office, which is why six years elapsed before Universal had a lycanthropic hit with "The Wolf Man," in 1941.

                             When the film was first released, it was considered so horrifying, so daring, that posters dared audiences to see this picture at midnight.  And when one takes apart the film, the reason becomes apparent.

                                The set design and art direction are superb.  There are the performances of pros Henry Hull and Warner Oland.  Then there is Valerie Hobson, only 17-years-old here, and more stunning than she would be a dozen years later, as the grown Estella in David Lean's definitive film of "Great Expectations."  Just look at her hair in this film.  We all want to wear it, don't we, girls??????????

                                 The ending is unbearably poignant, and Henry Hull plays it for all its worth.  Universal was obviously going for something different here, but it did not click with audiences.

                                   Over the years, it has become a classic.  So, don't miss it, tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  And, in honor of Valerie Hobson, do your hair, and wear your best gown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Darlings, Here Is The Most Fabulous Wall Covering!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           For those of you who have minimalist space, lots of walls and not much furniture, this photograph from the Katharine Hepburn musical "Coco" would look fabulous on your living room wall.  Imagine, this photograph covering the entire wall.  With maybe a red or pink divan or sofa in front of it?

                            I am telling you, girls, you would be the talk of your neighborhood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            I wonder how this would look against a red, painted background wall????????????

                           Photos as wall pieces are the most exciting decorative thing, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           So, why don't people make more use of them???????????????

Summer Is Almost Over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, Why Can't I Have A Creamsicle?????????????????????

                           It's like with Hepburn's early films, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!  Can one find a Creamsicle anymore???????????????

                            I used to love pulling them out of the ice cream freezer in small stores and the sweet combination of orange and vanilla would just melt in my mouth!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I still recall the taste vividly.

                             Today, finding a Creamsicle is like finding a winning Lottery ticket!  Come on, dolls, what are the odds?????????????

                              Are they still being made?  Have they been stopped????????????

                             Honestly, if it's not broke, don't fix it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Give us back our Creamsicles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long Before There Was Morgan Fairchild, There Was Katharine Hepburn As Sydney Fairchild!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            I am, of course, talking about her film debut in the 1932 drama, "A Bill Of Divorcement."

                           Which brings me to a larger question, girls.  Why are Katharine Hepburn's early films shown so infrequently, or not at all?  Has anyone on here ever seen "A Bill Of Divorcement?"  And how I would love to see 1933's "Little Women" again; the only adaptation I accept as definitive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Nothing is wrong with Hepburn's later work but try to find a showing of anything pre-"Bringing Up Baby," the 1938 comedy that catapulted her into her own, and, for my money, is the greatest comedy ever filmed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I could watch it endlessly, but how I would love to see some of her earlier gems.  I mean, we used to get "Stage Door," but not as much now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   The Calla Illies may bloom, but let's see Hepburn bloom in some of her earlier work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      Reahlly, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    

Now, With "The Black Scorpion," There Are TWO Options!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                                

                              Who would have thought, darlings!  Imagine, no doll for "The Flying Serpent," but TWO options for "The Black Scorpion."

                                The first is a stationary model with the film's logo on it.  Very neat and artistic.  Where you place it, girls, is up to you.

                                 The second option, which I kind of like, is a cute, smiling, plush "Black Scorpion!"  Imagine, cuddling up with him!!!!!!!!!!!   Perfect for single gals on a Saturday night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Whatever choice is right for you!  At least, there are options here!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     May the best scorpion win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Want A Pair Of Skechers Slip Ons! But They Have To Be Orange Or Pink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

                                                                               

                             Darlings, I would never stand for anything else.  My reputation is on the line, for God's sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                I am sure ANNA, during down moments, has a pair of Skechers.  Even my beloved David, who can doll up, but is not in the same league as ANNA, has a pair.  Maybe several.

                                 It is time for me to declare my wants.  Pink or Orange Skechers.

                                  Great for around the house, or when I am reading!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                   Or writing this blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The Flying Serpent" Was Kinda Cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           One day, during the week, I play "Svengoolie," and Baby Gojira and I watch a cheesy horror movie.  I have shone him "Attack Of The Giant Leeches," with Yvette Vickers, "Monster On Campus," and the 1957 "Mark Of The Vampire, " which has nothing to with the 1935 Tod Browning gem.

                              "The Flying Serpent" is a low budget cheapie, from one of those ersatz studios like Republic Pictures.  These were studios where all the nobodies worked when they weren't parking cars or pumping gas!

                                  George Zucco, a rather known horror actor, is the lead.  He finds the Aztec treasure, and the serpent who guards it, named "Quetzalcoatl," the same title given to a film made 36 years later in 1982.  But "The Flying Serpent" is pure camp.

                                     The plot is almost the same as Bela Lugosi's 1940 "Devil Bat."  Whomever Zucco's character feels is a threat to getting the treasure from him, he leaves them with a feather from the serpent, which makes the creature fly to said person, and attack, draining he or she of their blood.

                                         The actress playing Zucco's stepdaughter, Mary, has great hair!  Even in the cheapies, the actors looked and dressed better than today.  The Thirties, Forties and Fifties were eras of glamour!  It has all been downhill since.

                                           But isn't "The Flying Serpent" the cutest little thing?  Baby and I had such fun, watching it.

                                            And I am sorry to say, girls, but there is no "Flying Serpent Doll!"

                                            What a shame!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Feel Like You're Made Out Of Gingerbread! Uh Huh! Uh Huh!"

                                      "Fresh out of the pan, "Sweet Gingerbread Man!"

                                     Whenever I hear this song, done by The Mike Curb Congregation in 1970, it brings out my Southern roots!  I can just picture a Gingerbread Man popping out of a Southern frying pan, ready to greet all.

                                     The above image popped into my head, recently, so I just had to write about it.  I loved the song but was not so keen on gingerbread.  Oh, I enjoyed it, usually at Christmas time, but my unusual sensitivity made me feel guilty about eating anything resembling a human or an animal.  Chocolate bunnies and yellow marshmallows chicks at Easter?  Forget it!!!!!!!!!!!  And a chocolate cross????????  Blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Let's all enjoy the song, if I can find it!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Here it is, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Fresh out of the pan, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                              

                                          

Girls, Be Sure To Join Us At 8PM, As "Svengoolie" Ushers In August With One Of Our Favorites--"The Black Scorpion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                             Here is one case, darlings, where the movie is better than the poster.

                             "The Black Scorpion," made in 1957, is not at all cheesy, because the special effects in this film were done by Willis O'Brien, of "King Kong " fame--1933, of course!   It is important historically because it was the last film O'Brien worked on, so this achievement, which shows off his work spectacularly, is a fitting tribute to this gifted artist.

                                Also, this film has one of the Fifties dark haired beauties--Mara Corday.  When a gorgeous brunette was needed for this type of film, it seems she, Faith Domergue, or Allison Hayes would be called.  Can one blame anyone?  They are all gorgeous, and, being the Fifties, Mara dresses impeccably, as folks did back then.  The budget might have been blown on special effects, but the wardrobe never suffered.

                                    So, join us all this evening, as "Svengoolie" ushers in August with a goody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      You will never view scorpions the same way again, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome To August, The Ambivalent Month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            Ever since I was a child, I have had ambivalent feelings about this month.  First of all, in childhood, it meant the next month was September, and back to school I went.  As an adult, I still have those feelings, because August is the last full month of Summer, and once September and Labor Day hit that is it for the season; added to which we are then in the "ber" months, the final third of the year, and let me tell you, darlings, it goes fast.

                            So, I am always a little apprehensive about August.  Especially since on Wednesday, the 13th (thank God it is not Friday) David is going to have a surgical procedure.  Of course, I am worried, so I want all you out there to keep your fingers crossed for David; prayers are welcome, too.

                             This Sunday, we are going to a 75th anniversary screening of "Sunset Boulevard--" the real one, with Gloria Swanson--and I cannot wait to see that.  I have many doctor appts. this month, which means I have to run all over the city, like some kind of nut, Heaven help me!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Hopefully, there will be some exciting surprises in August.

                              And, girls, who haven't yet, you can still throw your panties at Jonathan Groff in "Just In Time."

                                Welcome, August!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!