Wednesday, April 21, 2010

My head is starting to get fuzzy...

It took me a long time to get through, but I think it's finished! I am not asthmatic, but I hope you'll forgive me for that. I'm kind of ridiculously excited that I get to participate in this. I wasn't really involved when the last surveys went around. I actually found a lot of my favorite blogs by sorting through the results.


1. Which actors do you always (or did you always) mix-up?
I don't really mix actors up by face... at least, I don't think I do. But I definitely get confused over names. I'm constantly having to remind myself as to which one is Eleanor Powell and which one is Jane Powell. And I'm always mixing up the Barrymore brothers. And I often say "Dick Powell" when I mean "William Powell" and I say "William Powell" when I mean "William Holden." It's a mess.













2. Gidget or Beach Party?

Well, I've really only seen Beach Party, so I'll go with that. Does it help that I really want to see Gidget?


3. Favorite Movie Outfit?
I really have dozens of favorite movie outfits. Cyd Charisse's dress in Singin' in the Rain, for instance. But one dress that I absolutely adore and feel protective over is the peeled eel dress in Roberta.


4. If you could be ANY character in ANY movie...who would you choose?
Probably Dale Tremont in Top Hat. She's wealthy and the only job she seems to have is wearing designer clothes. She flies around to London and Italy, rides horses, sleeps in the coolest bed in the entire world, and wears lovely clothes. Not bad, I'd say.


5. If you could marry ANY character in ANY movie...who would you choose?
Nick Charles in The Thin Man and After The Thin Man. I'm pretty sure he's the best husband ever, at least in those two films. I don't always like the way he locks Nora up when he leaves, but I think I'd get over that.



6. If you could live in ANY movie...which would you choose?
A Fred and Ginger film, almost any of them (with a few exceptions).



7. Black & White movies you wish were in Technicolor, or vice-versa?
I would like to see The Thin Man in color. I'm dying to know the real colors of some of Nora's outfits. I'd like to see some Fred and Ginger films for the same reason. I'd quickly revert back to Black & White though, because the color palette suits the movies.


8. Favorite Movie Soundtrack?
Way too difficult! If you're talking about musicals, then it's a long-way tie. If you're talking about non-musicals, I'll have to go with a contemporary soundtrack: Easy Virtue. It's filled with wonderful 1930's music and Ben Barnes singing (yum). Here's a small sample:



9. Favorite Movie Dance Sequence?
You guys are killing me!!! Way too many. This is impossible to answer. This is almost as bad as asking me for my favorite movie. For the sake of sparing you a long list of ties for first, I'll go with "I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket" from Follow the Fleet. Not necessarily my favorite, but this dance always makes me smile.


10. Coolest Movie Star? (Cough, cough, BOBBY DARIN, cough, cough -Millie)
Sorry, Millie. I think I'm going to go with Cary Grant on this one. Not many people could pull this scene off:



11. Sophia or Gina (Oh, how Kate enjoys replaying Gina's sad defeat OVER AND OVER! -Millie)
Gina



12. "Isn't It Romantic" in most Billy Wilder films, or "Red River Valley" in most John Ford films?
"Isn't It Romantic." I think? I don't quite understand the question...

13. If you could re-cast ANY role in ANY movie, what would it be?
This is a tough one mostly because I don't generally think of this. I kind of take it for granted that an actor has been cast in a role and I generally don't ever think of recasting it. One does come to mind, however. I've read that Fred Astaire fervently requested that Ruby Keeler replace Joan Fontaine in Damsel in Distress. Since Fontaine was my least favorite part of the movie, I think I would second his request. I'm not 100% sure I'd put Ruby Keeler in the part but I also think Fred Astaire would know better than I.


14. Favorite movie character with your first name?
There aren't many Sarahs in films (that's my real name, by the way), at least not many likeable ones. There's Sergeant Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls but I don't like her. I'm going to go with a contemporary film reference here. Sarah in Easy Virtue is one of the best characters in the film. Yay!



15.One movie that should NEVER be remade? (under THE THREAT OF A SLOW, PAINFUL DEATH!)
The Thin Man. Please don't let them try to remake Nick and Nora. It's bad enough that they used their names for a movie title.


16. Actor or Actress who you would love to be best friends with?
Ginger Rogers, Julie Andrews, Myrna Loy, and Olivia de Havilland. They all seem so neat, fun, and down-to-earth. I also think Danny Kaye and Donald O'Connor would be remarkably fun to be with.


17. Are you an Oscar or a Felix?
Felix probably. I get stressed out when my room isn't tidy and I tend to over-analyze things.


18. Actor/Actress you originally hated and now love?
Clark Gable is growing on me. Still not a favorite, but growing on me. I also hated Jean Harlow and I dislike her less after seeing her in Wife vs. Secretary.



19.Actor/Actress you originally loved and now don't like?
None that I hate, really. But there are some performers that I like a little less than I used to, namely: Katherine Hepburn, Judy Garland, and Bing Crosby. Bing Crosby in particular. I used to take comfort in his homey personality, but now I just think he's mopey.



20. Favorite performance that was looked over by Oscar? (Not to be confused with the aforementioned Oscar of Felix fame.)
Errol Flynn in Captain Blood. I know, this is a real shocker coming from me. But seriously, he gave a very powerful performance, in my opinion.



21. Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie?
I Dream of Jeannie, probably.



22. Hannibal Heyes or Kid Curry?
Those hints were completely unhelpful so I refuse to answer the question. Ha!

23. Favorite Style Icon: Fred Astaire or Cary Grant?
Jeepers. This one is difficult. Honestly, I could go either way on this one. Right now, though, I'm going to go with Fred Astaire. Yes, he wore tuxedos a lot, which isn't terribly thrilling. But I've always really liked his casual looks - the fedoras, the belts, the ties. I also think that he segued very gracefully from the 30's to the 40's and then to the 50's. In those transitions, he never lost his cool, never lost his identity (as it were), and remained a popular and iconic figure. No small feat, to my mind.







24. Single most favorite movie scene EVER?
Good grief! Seriously? Well, I think I'll answer similarly to my answer about the favorite musical number, because there honestly too many. For the sake of here and now, though, I'll go with the scene from The Philadelphia Story where Mike goes to visit Dexter. This scene is filled with so many witty one-liners and so much clever dialogue. I couldn't find the whole scene on YouTube but here's one of my favorite lines:



25. Movie you really "should" see, but have subconsciously avoiding for who knows what reason?
How to Steal A Million! No, but seriously, I've avoided North by Northwest and Dodge City - I'm not sure why. I'd also like to get through To Catch A Thief and Dinner at Eight. I don't know why I've avoided To Catch A Thief because I'm sure I'd like it. There's just something that keeps me from watching it. Who knows?



26. Movie quote you find yourself most often repeating in real life?
"Shoot. I mean, what's on your mind." I say this all the time. I've said it so often that people who know me really well, come to expect it, and pause after I've said "shoot."
Also, my sister and I have had a long-running routine of quoting Kiss Me Kate. Every now and again, I won't hear her properly or won't be paying attention, so I'll respond to something she's said with, "what?" To which she'll reply, "You heard me. And here's a little something that isn't in the script." And then I always say, "What are you trying to do, kill me?" And then we go on with the scene in no particular order, usually ending with, "Suntan number 2." There is, I hate to confess, an alternative version to this scenario. Sometimes I say, "You can hear what you want to hear!" and she'll say, "No, I didn't really!" (from Bringing Up Baby) and we often throw in "'s'in the box?" just because it's fun to say.

27. 50's Westerns or 60's Spies? (I can't even answer this myself...but you have to! MWAHAHAHA! - Millie)
60's Spies. They're pretty cool. Although, to be honest, I don't really watch spy movies or westerns. I don't really care for cowboys much, unless they're the singing and dancing variety (such as Oklahoma).

28. Favorite splashy, colorful, obnoxious 50's musical?
I think I'll go with The Bandwagon. I have this weird belief that there's an unspoken rivarly between The Bandwagon and Singin' in the Rain. It's ridiculous, of course, because there is no rivarly (except, perhaps, in my head). I'm always going back and forth over which one I love more. Currently, this one is tops. But this is subject to change.



29. Favorite film setting (example: Rome, Paris, Seattle, Siberia, Chile, Sahara Desert, etc)
Italy. Italy is always beautiful and Italians always seem so nice. The movies that take place there often seem to be romantic and pretty too.

I actually don't care for this movie but it's the most iconic Italian setting, I think.

30. If you could own the entire wardrobe of any film, which would it be?
This one is tough because I went through my dvd collection and started naming off contenders and there were about 8. But for the sake of giving an answer other than "Fred and Ginger" or "The Thin Man" I think I'll go with Funny Face. I really am a fan of the skinny black pant look and Audrey Hepburn gets to wear some really lovely dresses, so I think this one is the winner.



31. Carol Burnette or Lucille Ball?
Lucille Ball.



32. Favorite Voice. Ever. Period?
This one's tough, mostly because I don't really think about it. Since voice goes under the talking and singing category, I think I'll have to go with an actor who sings, so as to cover both possibilities. In this case, I guess I'll go with Fred Astaire. I do really like his voice, both when singing and talking.



33. Favorite movie that takes place in your home-state?
White Christmas. No, I don't live in Vermont, but I do live in Florida and they are in that state for a small portion of the film.


34. Which actors would you want for relatives? (Mother, Father, Grandma, Crazy Aunt, annoying cousin, older brother, etc...)
Grandpa - Lionel Barrymore (in You Can't Take It With You)
Crazy Aunt - Irene Dunne, Helen Broderick
Older Brother - Donald O'Connor (despite the fact that he'd always overshadow me, he'd be fun)
Cool Uncle - Cary Grant, Danny Kaye, David Niven.

3 comments:

  1. I love Nick & Nora Charles! I didn't think of them when answering that marriage question. :)

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  2. Haha this was so fun to read! I agree on a lot of your answers as well! It's funny, but I've been listening to the soundtrack of Easy Virtue a little too much :) Oh you should watch Dodge City! Of course it's not a swashbuckler like Robin Hood or Captain Blood, but there's a good deal of fighting and excitement, and of course Errol Flynn is his usual heroic self! Hahaha I like using a lot of Thin Man quotes in real life too, like whenever we have fish I like to say, "The murderer is right in this room, sitting at this table. You may serve the fish." And there was another one, something like "I don't anyone that has anything to do with any murders" or something to that effect. Oh and the one (either Another Thin Man or After the Thin Man) where the maid comes in and casually says,"Colonel MacFay, the swimming pool's on fire." Oh dear, I think I could go on and on...sorry for writing too much!

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  3. This was so fun to read!

    I hope you don't mind, but I've got a few comments on your answers (because I can't resist a little harmless gushing now and then!).

    Ooh! North by Northwest is essential!

    Love The Band Wagon! I really like the scene when Cyd goes to Fred's apartment and breaks the record. "You couldn't have done it if I hadn't softened it up for you." haha

    Donald O'Connor would be a great older brother!

    ReplyDelete

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