"Testing the air... I like it but it doesn't like me."

Last week's quote: "Did someone call me schnorer?" was from Animal Crackers and is sung by Groucho Marx in the "Hooray For Captain Spaulding" song. The song was written by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby and was also featured in the biopic of the two writers, Three Little Words and was sung in that movie by Fred Astaire (and Red Skelton - only he didn't really sing that line).

This week's quote is: "Testing the air... I like it but it doesn't like me."

And if you want some dig-dig-dignity

Yay! A new fashion post! This one is kind of an odd one because it's really really easy... but, as this is an outfit I've really liked for a very long time, I think it's worth doing a post about, yes?

Ok. Here's a video clip with the outfit in it:



I've always loved this scene. Not only because it has Gene Kelly and it's a fun song but because the outfits are all so cute! They're so very 1950's and so casual. I love them all! But, my favorite is the one being worn by Jeanne Coyne (Gene's wife! but not at this time). The one on the left:


This is such a classic and easy outfit but I really like the way it's pulled together here. I love the tucked-in shirt, the big belt, the cuffed jeans, the rolled sleeves, and the loafers. I'm not entirely sure I'd go for socks these days... but maybe!

the shirt - this one is from Old Navy. The sleeves are already rolled up so it's ready to go! I also like that it's a neutral color but it's not white. It's kind of pinkish, just like her shirt! Yay!

the jeans - obviously, everyone has a pair of jeans they love. I'm still working on finding a good pair for me. For this outfit, however, I think a pair with a skinnier cut would be best so you could roll them up to better effect. This particular pair is from Old Navy.

the belt - I found surprisingly difficult to find a big brown leather belt with a simple buckle. I don't know why. I finally found this one at Urban Outfitters.

the shoes - these really are what pull this outfit together, in my mind. Well, these and the belt. But the outfit is so very simple that having really cute and unique shoes are what I think will make this outfit look vintage-inspired. This pair is from the one and only Modcloth.


I hope you liked this outfit post! I feel so silly writing about such a simple outfit but there's a lot to be said for simplicity. And a good classic look can go a long way.

You have the loveliest profile in all Hartfordshire!

I love when I ask people which version of Pride and Prejudice they like best, they always say, "the good one!" I like them all, really, and this scene from the 1940 version is one of my favorites. The scene is the one where Jane is sick and and Mr. Bingley has to translate what the doctor is saying. So cute! The scene starts at 2:14 or thereabouts.

Man is a fish to cook

I love this photo of Cary Grant! Priceless! And I'm afraid I don't know where I found it.

"Did someone call me schnorer?"

Last week's quote: "In other words, Miss Jane, you have a bad cold... and a headache" was from Pride and Prejudice (1940).

This week's quote is: "Did someone call me schnorer?"

Bonus points if you can name two movies that have this quote in it!

And what did we see? We saw the sea.

So, I'm sick. I've actually been sick but now it's moved to my nose and chest where all I do is sniffle and cough. The only good thing about being sick is that it gives you an excuse to relax. This said, I'm having a movie marathon. I love movie marathons. I think it's so fun to have a theme and plan a whole line-up of films (hmm. new blog post series?). Today, I decided to go for a theme of... well, I'll let you figure it out. Here's the line up:
Follow the Fleet (1936)
Born to Dance (1936)
Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
On the Town (1949)
Hit the Deck (1955)

And because movie marathons are no fun alone, I'll let you join me (without having to get sick too). Ready? Here we go:

I hope you enjoyed the movie marathon!

I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore

or

Remakes and the Contemporary Double Standard

I don't really know what I'd do without YouTube. I've discovered so many things and movies and movie stars through it. For example, I was watching movie clips and browsing through the suggestions list when I came upon this little gem:

I love Marge and Gower Champion. I actually discovered them originally through YouTube with this little number that I absolutely adore. Anyway, in watching the first clip, I remembered reading about Lovely to Look At (1952), which was a remake of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Roberta (1935), in a Fred and Ginger book where the author said that Marge and Gower Champion were "dizzy" as Fred and Ginger. I think that was the word she used: dizzy or dizzying or something. Anyhow, while watching this clip, I thought about that and found that I disagreed. I like them in those roles. They're different that Fred and Ginger and I don't think they're even trying to be Fred and Ginger. The whole plot is changed and characters are split and altered that they're really two different movies altogether.

Same song, Fred and Ginger style.

But. Were I watching a contemporary remake of Roberta and saw two contemporary actors dancing a dance that originated on screen with Fred and Ginger, I'd probably go out of my mind with frustration and judgment. Who do they think they are anyway? The upstarts! Trying to be Fred and Ginger?! Sickening!

What's funny to me is that there are tons of remakes that Hollywood churned out, some not even twenty years after the original (like in the case of these two movies). So why the Double Standard? I know I've discussed this before but it really fascinates me. I mean, some remakes I prefer to the originals (like in the case of Silk Stockings/Ninotchka). I don't think I have an answer for this question; it's just something I like to muse over. Your thoughts?

**I should clarify: I don't like Lovely to Look At better than Roberta. I'm just saying that some of the old remakes are so good that I like them just as much, if not better than the originals.

It changes bread and water into tea and cakes.

My favorite Disney movie of all time: Mary Poppins. I love pretty much every single song in that movie but this scene is one of my favorites. I'm not sure why. I think it's because Bert is one of my favorite characters in the movie and I just love him in this part. I love Dick van Dyke. He's so amazing.

Cleopatra and Delilah had it way over Ruth

I find this scene to be one of the craziest hyped up scenes ever. It's so random and weird and, from what I can tell, pretty unnecessary. I haven't actually seen the entire movie, to be honest, but it looks odd. It is Cecil B. DeMille so you know it's probably going to be pretty lavish and odd but still. In any case, this photo of Claudette Colbert is super cute - you can't tell at all that the milk she's bathing in smells terrible..


This photo is from Doctor Macro.

"In other words, Miss Jane, you have a bad cold... and a headache."

Last week's quote: "In the question, you're the 'why'" was from the song "I Can Do Without You" from Calamity Jane, sung by Doris Day and Howard Keel and written by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.

This week's quote is: "In other words, Miss Jane, you have a bad cold... and a headache."

Were there more than 24 hours a day...

I really liked that comparing covers of songs in movies post I did a little while back, so I'm going to do another one today. This one is going to be kind of funny (well, I think it's funny) because I'm comparing "All I Do Is Dream of You," sung by Debbie Reynolds to "All I Do Is Dream of You".... sung by Debbie Reynolds! Okay, so I have an odd sense of humor. Nothing you didn't already know.

The first version is from Singin' In the Rain and is sung by Debbie Reynolds and a chorus of girls. This one is, by far, the more famous of the two versions. (Just click on the picture and it will take you to the video. YouTube wouldn't let me embed.)


I love this scene because it really sounds like a 1920's song. It's so raucous and crazy and I love the dancing in it! And ever since I was little, I've loved the "cat's meow" part. Anyway, you can't hear the lyrics very well in this version which works with the scene because no one is singing it with feeling - they're nightclub performers singing at a party. Their voices reflect this too as they all have that raucous nightclub-y type of voice. This isn't a scene to show off the girls' singing pipes; it's to show off their dancing style and their nice bodies in those cute little outfits. The song works as a vehicle to show what kind of a job Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds) has in this film and acts as a comedic foil to the highbrow way in which she treats Gene Kelly in the previous scene.

Now, for the second version. This one is from The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, which was released a year later, and it's sung by Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van:



I find it kind of funny that one of the first comments below the video is "what an innocent time." But it really does explain the feel for this version of the song. It's very laid-back, very quiet, and much more intimate than the other version. It's sung in a way where you can actually hear the lyrics and it sounds more like a love song than in the previous version. There's nothing to distract you from the song (except the awesome harmonizing of Bobby Van - I love that!). This version is far from raucous and acts as a message to the audience on what kind of a relationship this couple has. In fact, it kind of makes me want to have a boy to go on a boat with, who'll play the ukulele and harmonize while I sing...

There was actually a third version of this song that was filmed but suffered as an outtake in Singin' in the Rain. Gene Kelly sang it and it's very different from both versions, although it's a little more similar to the second version. You can preview it here at last.fm. The song is, to me, a good deal sexier than either of the other two versions, probably because Gene Kelly is singing it and Gene Kelly is just sexy all-around, his voice not excluded. I know that somewhere, somewhere is a picture of Gene holding a pillow and I'm pretty sure it's from this scene. If that's the case, then that adds an extra bit of romance and whatnot to the scene as he's really thinking of her right before he goes to bed. Furthermore, this scene (which sadly, of all of them, never made the cut) best emulates the song. If I'm not mistaken, the scene was supposed to fit just after Kathy leaves Don at the party, after the cake throwing incident. It's a shame that the song didn't make it and also a shame that I can't find a video clip or photo of it anywhere! Ah well.

Domani chi lo sa, quel che sarà?

I've probably posted this video before. It's such a good scene though! And I know I've said this a million times but I really wish Fran Jeffries had made more recordings and got more press as a singer. I just think she's amazing and gorgeous.

If you don't love livin', you is slightly uncouth

He's so adorable.

This photo is from Doctor Macro

I had an uncle who laughed sometimes.

So, I got this dvd boxed set and I've been pretty addicted to one movie in the set (it was actually the main reason I bought the set) - and I've actually been kind of obsessed with one song in this one movie in this boxed set (does anyone else get like that). To the point where I haven't even really watched any of the other movies because I just keep watching the same scenes over and over again. The boxed set is: Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 3. The movie is: Kismet. And the song is "Stranger In Paradise."

It's such a ridiculously beautiful song. I love the melody and I love the words (okay, well, most of them). And I love Vic Damone's voice. So amazing! If you've never seen the film, I do recommend it although it's pretty hard to find right now. It's pretty crazy but it is an MGM musical and it is directed by Vincente Minneli so you can probably pretty much expect it to be crazy. I tried to find the song on YouTube but no soap. I'll just have to make do with the very odd trailer.



There's also this clip on YouTube to give you a bit more of a taste of what to expect: http://youtu.be/fmyjsg7LwlQ
I do have to say that although my hometown did not boast of very many exciting things to do and places to see, it did have a library with a pretty stellar collection of old movies, particularly musicals. When I think back now to the shelves filled with such rarities as Kismet, Two Girls and a Sailor, Born to Dance, Top Hat, The Thin Man, and The Pirates of Penzance, I must admit that I was pretty darn lucky.

"In the question, you're the 'why.'"

Last week's quote: "We're hats, you see, and we wanted to know if we could have a lady or two to Malloy with for the afternoon..." was from Hello Dolly!

Now, for this week's quote: "In the question, you're the 'why.'"

And it was raining, I think.

Okay. So I think it's fair for me to do an occasional (maybe once a month - only I'm not going to necessarily schedule it that way) contemporary/modern movie (in other words, post 1960's) clip. This one deals with a classic movie so I think it fits very well with my blog. This happens to be one of my favorite clips. I die laughing every time! So good! This is, sadly, kind of how I get with some movies. I was describing a scene in Finding Neverland to my sister the other day and got all teary eyed... I felt pretty ridiculous. But this movie makes me feel better because I'm obviously not alone!

Love is a rippling brook

Don't ask me why, but I've decided to do a sort of theme this month for my photo posts - stars taking baths! Yeah... I don't know. It started with me looking up the photo of Myrna Loy in a bath full of flowers (I think they're flowers. It's hard to tell) and then I thought of several other good photos and... well, you'll see. I just think is adorable in this, don't you?


This photo is from Doctor Macro.
P.S. You would not believe how hard it is to think of four movie quotes dealing with baths. So, since I couldn't find photos of Lena Horne in her famous bubble bath scene in Cabin in the Sky, I'm going to use lyrics from the song she sang "Ain't It De Truth" as my titles.

"We're hats, you see, and we wondered if we could have a lady or two to Malloy with for the afternoon..."

Last week's quote: "How could ignorance be compared to bliss?" was from The Music Man. The song, "The Sadder But Wiser Girl" is written by Meredith Wilson and performed, in the '62 film, by Robert Preston.

This week's quote is: "We're hats, you see, and we wondered if we could have a lady or two to Malloy with for the afternoon..."