I shall be the most sophisticated woman at the Glen Cove Station.

So, here's the thing. Friday would normally be my day to post a recipe of some sort (Foodie Friday and all that). But, my recipe for this week is a dessert for two. And I just can't justify making two desserts for just me. Not because I don't deserve it but because I probably wouldn't want to eat both. So, I'm waiting until tomorrow when my friend is coming to visit and I can make the dessert for two for the two of us.

In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of Audrey Hepburn!

I could have sworn you took in more territory than that

Today's Spotlight on a... scene. I'm going to post about one of my favorite scenes in Sabrina (1954): the scene when Sabrina arrives from Paris.

It's a wonderful scene because we (and David) finally get to see Sabrina as she really is, a witty, beautiful, sexy, confident, classy woman. She's no longer the shy, lovelorn girl she used to be. I love the character's growth and how Sabrina coming into her own is what makes her so irresistible.

You young people are so old-fashioned!

Movie review this week: Sabrina (1954). I had to rematch this one in order to review it. When I said that this was Audrey week, I probably should have clarified: it's more like Sabrina week. Her films really do deserve individual attention.

I actually saw the remake of Sabrina before I saw the original. And with pretty much any movie that involves a remake, I tend to spend the whole movie comparing the two. I like the original but I grew up watching the remake, so I actually almost like it better. But that's for another day.

Things I don't love about the original Sabrina:

• The  part where Sabrina attempts to commit suicide - this part bothers me. I think it's supposed to be funny and I know it's supposed to give us an idea of how very much she loves David and kind of how dramatic she is. And it does set up for the fact that she's not at all bothered about being pursued by David when he's engaged - after all, if she was ready to die over him, what's a little thing like an engagement? But this scene is so early in the movie that it starts me off being a little frustrated with her. I have friends who have struggled with depression, so the scene being a bit of a gag annoys me.
• I have a hard time with Humphrey Bogart in the romantic role. The character of Linus Larabee is a tricky one because it's the older brother who has a tough exterior that gets kind of cracked by the sweet and genuine Sabrina. So, he's already a pretty unappealing character due to the fact that he's a bit of a jerk for most of the film. Humphrey Bogart is so much older than Audrey Hepburn and he looks much older than she is, so I struggle with seeing his appeal as a romantic interest.

Things I do love about the original:

• Audrey Hepburn - because of course, she was flawless.
• William Holden - sooooo charming and soooo dreamy
• All of her clothes - pretty much everything she wears in this movie is incredible. And some of them are things that us mortals couldn't pull off nearly as well. I mean, people can pull off anything they like - but Audrey could wear a button down shirt tucked in to the side and it looked chic and natural; anyone else tries that it and it's like "oh that's an interesting look. Did you mean to do that?"

• The cooking school scenes - they're very funny and very memorable
• The fact that Linus asks Fairchild about how Sabrina is doing in Paris - okay so Linus isn't my favorite romantic character in a movie. But I do love that in this version, he actually asks after Sabrina and the audience understands early on that he knows who she is, remembers her, and vaguely wants her to be happy. It sets up nicely for them falling in love. It doesn't entirely redeem Linus to me but it helps.
• The other domestics - they're pretty much my favorite characters in both versions but I do love them in this one too.
• The chemistry between Audrey Hepburn and William Holden. I've read that they had some real-life chemistry and I love how that carries over on the screen.

Ultimately? I do like this movie a lot. It's not my favorite romantic comedy but it is a really good, solid movie, with a fantastic cast and director. I saw it on one of the TCM cruises and got to hear a historian give a brief discussion on it and he said that the movie was originally supposed to be made in the 1930's but, due to the war and whatnot, got pushed back until it was eventually dusted off in the 1950's. And he explained that if it had been released in the 1930's, it would have been a vastly different movie because the country's view on wealth was different then. The movie has a bit of a jaded feel in terms with how it deals with the wealthy Larabee family and he explained that that was a product of its time. I love that about this movie; the context of it all kind of fascinates me.

In Roger's flick, it, like, rains.

I'm afraid this is quite belated. I was supposed to have this up on Monday but I hadn't written my August posts yet. And then on Monday I worked until 9:45 and then on Tuesday I worked at 7 so wound up on not having time. But enough of my excuses...

So, one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies is Paris When It Sizzles, which, incidentally, I believe should have been titled The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower (the title is symbolic, of course; she doesn't actually steal the Eiffel Tower). And this is one of my favorite scenes. It's so wicked funny!

You're a perfect lady. You're a regular guy. We should be together, you and I!

In January, I stated that I would like to a different list of favorites every month. I've already done Favorite Actresses and Favorite Actors. Now, in honor of February and Valentine's Day, I'd like to do Favorite Couples! I have a few disclaimers before I begin, however. First, there is a difference between a couple and a dance team. I'm specifically avoiding dance partners because I think they deserve a list all their own. So, these pairs are pairs because I like the way their chemistry while acting, sans dance (even if they happen to dance together, as is the case with #2). Also, I've carefully avoided doubling up on some actors. Each performer is listed only once (which is why you'll see no Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, who I do actually like, but I prefer the Cary Grant pairing I have below). Instead of having ninth and tenth couples, I have two honorary mentions. That is, two pairings that I love that have only been paired together once. I'm also including the films in which I like the performers' chemistry best; in the first three choices, I'm including two films. If you like this list or this idea, please feel free to consider yourself tagged in this listing process. I'd love to see what couples you like!

#1. William Powell and Myrna Loy
The Thin Man and I Love You Again


#2. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
Swing Time and Roberta


#3. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland
The Adventures of Robin Hood and Captain Blood


#4. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne
The Awful Truth


#5. Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson
Thousands Cheer


#6. Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell
Footlight Parade


#7. Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee
That Funny Feeling


#8. Frank Sinatra and Betty Garrett
On the Town


Honorary Mentions:
#9. William Holden and Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday


#1o. Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche in Midnight




P.S. I'd like to thank Noir Girl for picking up the movie review chain! I can't wait to read her review!
P.P.S. Don't forget to vote on the poll! There are only two votes so far, which is making the competition a very slow neck-and-neck race.
P.P.P.S. Happy Valentine's Day!! I've picked one of my favorite onscreen kisses as a banner for the occasion!
P.P.P.P.S. (I promise, this is the last one!) Because it relates to the list and to the day, I'm going to do some shameless self-promotion and post one of my videos. I hope you like it! It features my top three couples! The song is written by and performed by the incomparable Emma Wallace of Emma's Music

Top 20 Actors (aka Merry Christmas Ladies)

Kate Gabrielle at Silents and Talkies did a post the other day on her top 20 actors. She kindly opened the invitation to anyone who wanted to join in the fun. Well, I definitely want to join in the fun! So here are my top twenty favorite actors. The list is comprised of actors with whom I'm completely in love, the ones who are so great that they can do no wrong and character actors. I have a couple of explanations before I begin: the trend seems to be to list the actors along with your favorite roles they played - I simply couldn't decide with some of the actors and listed two movies (those are usually the ones who can do no wrong). Oh, and I too tag anyone who is interested. From my understanding, this meme has been going on for a while, which may mean I'm late in the game. Just the same, if anyone hasn't done this list yet and would like to then feel free to consider yourself tagged by me!

#1 Cary Grant
Philadelphia Story and Bringing Up Baby



#2 Fred Astaire
The Gay Divorcee and Swing Time



#3 Errol Flynn
The Adventures of Robin Hood and Captain Blood



#4 Gene Kelly
Singin' In the Rain and Summer Stock



#5 Danny Kaye
White Christmas and Court Jester



#6 William Powell
The Thin Man and I Love You Again



#7 Ricardo Montalban
Neptune's Daughter



#8 Rudolph Valentino
The Sheik


#9 Gary Cooper
Mr. Deeds Goes To Town



#10 James Stewart
The Philadelphia Story



#11 William Holden
Born Yesterday



#12 Donald O'Connor
Singin' in the Rain



#13 Frank Sinatra
On the Town


#14 Robert Redford
Barefoot in the Park



#15 Yul Brynner
The King and I



#16 Howard Keel *
Kiss Me Kate




#17 Peter Lawford
Easter Parade



#18 Bobby Darin
That Funny Feeling



#19 Charlie Chaplin
The Kid

(I'm a little obsessed with photos of Charlie Chaplin when he's not The Little Tramp. I think they're fascinating and very hard to find)

#20 Tony Curtis
Paris When It Sizzles



Wow! That was fun! Just out of curiosity, has anyone done a list of top 20 actresses or top 20 dancers?

Oh, and I'm going to take this opportunity for a little shameless self-promotion. Another one of my favorite hobbies is video editing. I actually considered pursuing editing as a career but realized I'd have to watch movies I don't like so I've been sticking to it as a hobby. Anyway, I made a movie a little while ago about who I think are the sexiest actors (most of them are on this list) and I thought I'd share it with you. The music is performed and written by a wonderful musician, Emma Wallace, who has a blog of her own.



I hope you like the video and the list! All comments are welcome! Thanks for reading!


* I originally had Edward Everett Horton because he is my favorite character actor. But then I thought about it and realized that I'd titled my entry "Merry Christmas Ladies" and Mr. Horton, though fantastic, is not exactly dreamy. I had just happened to watch Calamity Jane the other day and remembered how much I love Howard Keel, so I decided to name him instead.

I think it's the best thing I ever read... I didn't understand one word!

I revisited a (recent) favorite the other day: Born Yesterday (1950) with Judy Holliday and William Holden. I say recent because I didn't discover Miss Holliday until about 2 years ago and I didn't watch Born Yesterday until about a year and a half ago. I dismissed it, sadly, after the scene where Billie gets smacked (sorry for the small spoiler there) and didn't revisit it again until this past summer. I fell in love with it the second time I saw it and promptly bought it. It's such a wonderful movie. For those of you who haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Upon discovering Judy Holliday, she quickly became a favorite. She is such a genuine actress, giving her characters (particularly Billie Dawn) a brilliant combination of innocence and worldliness, naivety and wisdom. She's adorable and strong at the same time. And William Holden is a wonderful (and beautiful) actor, exuding charm, intelligence, and quiet passion.

Now, this is the scene spotlight segment, but I just wanted to give brief praise to the movie before launching into my discussion of the scene. The scene is one of my favorites in the movie, despite the fact that William Holden is not in it. In this scene, Billie Dawn (Holliday) is playing gin rummy with her boyfriend, the crooked, rich, and abusive Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford). Both hilarious and sad, the scene shows the couple's relationship at the beginning of the movie and also shows Billie's innate intelligence as she strategizes. Billie knows how to work her boyfriend but is still intimidated and affected by his emotional abuse. It's a wonderful testament to Holliday's talents as an actress as she evokes several emotions from her audience with minimal dialogue. I also love the the way Crawford's abuse and affection come through in this short scene - very well done.



So, enjoy it! If you haven't seen the movie, do yourself a favor and check it out. And, what should we say for discussion? Judy Holliday is one of the famous "dumb blondes" in movies. There were several amazing and clever actresses who portrayed dumb blondes. Who is your favorite? Or least favorite? Or is it impossible to choose between them? For myself, I think I'd have to say Judy Holliday and the wonderful Marilyn Monroe would be at the top of the list. I'm not a huge fan of Jean Harlow. If you know of any good movies of hers, please recommend them!