Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?

I don't really like to do RIP posts. They're sad and it makes me sadder to know that someone who improved the world, improved my world, is no longer here to continue making positive changes to the world in general. But, yesterday, Nora Ephron passed away. She wrote, directed, and produced some of the funniest, most touching, most romantic films for contemporary audiences. A clever and talented woman, she is a remarkable inspiration to anyone who wants to write.

So, even though I know no one really watches clips on blogs, I wanted to post some of my favorite scenes from her movies. You've Got Mail, let me just say, is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's my when-I'm-sick movie. I can start it at any point in the film and find myself laughing within minutes. I can quote practically the entire thing. It is that good. Some people say it's their favorite romantic comedy. Some people say they don't like romantic comedies but they love this movie. One time a friend of mine wrote a quote from it on Facebook. Another friend commented with a different quote. By the next day, there were over 90 comments, all quotes from the film as everyone joined in with their favorite lines. That, my friends, is good writing.

So, without further ado, here, in order are clips from You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and Julie & Julia.



Sorry, a little more ado to talk about the above clip. I showed this movie to my grandparents when I was young and naive and staying with them for the summer and not understanding innuendo and how offensive some people find it. They didn't like the movie, I'm sorry to say. Too much of people living with other people who weren't married to each other. But. They did love this scene. I'd say that's another example of good writing. Now, on to the next.



I know. I've already shared this scene on this blog before. But seriously, it's so good!



A more recent favorite. Like all of her films, this movie deals with life, love, marriage, friendship, hardship, and love of life in the best way.

So, RIP Nora. You will be missed.

That is the actual fact.

So... I've lately been completely obsessed with The Dick van Dyke Show. On something of an impulse, I purchased the entire set when it went on sale. Millie over at Classic Forever encouraged me to do it and say I wouldn't regret it. When I first opened the box and left it sitting in the shrink wrap for a few weeks I did, I confess, doubt her words. But, now that I watch an episode practically every day, I can see she was right! It's such a good show! The show, as you may know, was filled with talented performers who often showcased their talents in random episodes. Here's one of my favorite scenes of Mary Tyler Moore who plays Laura Petrie (my favorite character) rehearsing a song for a talent show. It's so cute!



P.S. Fun fact about Laura's stylish pants. Many people did not appreciate how form-fitting and sexy her pants were. Carl Reiner fought this battle and won, but in a compromise: she could only wear the pants in one scene per episode. How crazy is that? I must say, I'm dying to get my hands on a pair like hers. They're so cute!!!

You can dance on the breeze over 'ouses and trees...

Sorry I've been so negligent lately! I'll try to better next month! Here's my last picture for the month of June. I've lately spent several hours at night looking up concept art from various Disney films. It's really fun. You should try it sometime! I looked up Cinderella, Peter Pan, Tangled, The Jungle Book, Sleeping Beauty, and Mary Poppins - one of which you see below. They're all so fun and I love the style. This is one of my favorites. It's currently one of the backgrounds I use at work. It's so colorful and magical!

By my faith, but you're a bold rascal.

Happy Birthday Errol Flynn!!!! Hooray!!!!

Here's one of my favorite photos of him, courtesy of Doctor Macro.

And here are a couple of my favorite scenes of his. The first is from The Adventures of Robin Hood and it's one of my favorite movie scenes ever. The second is from Captain Blood.

You'll be all right, Bert.

As requested, here is my Bert May video. I feel a little silly, sharing it. But, I guess by now you all know that I'm a pretty silly person, so I guess it's okay! If you've discovered him in any other movies, do let me know. I'm always on the lookout for him (as you can see) and I'd love to know what else he's in!

 

She started this heat wave by...

Hey! It's another comparison post! I do like these a lot. I'll often watch movies or listen to soundtracks and discover new ideas for these posts. It's fascinating to me how a song can change between performers. As we prepare for another hot summer, I thought "Heat Wave" would be an appropriate topic. I'm sure there are other renditions of this number but the ones that came to mind were Marilyn Monroe's in There's No Business Like Show Business and the one performed by Fred Astaire and Olga San Juan in Blue Skies. Let's take Marilyn's version first.

In this clip, Marilyn gets all of the attention. The whole scene is all about her anyway. Contextually, she's taking the thunder from love-interest, Donald O'Connor's mother, played by Ethel Merman. Her costume and rendition to the song is in direct contrast to the showy, brassy version that the show biz family would have performed. Marilyn's version is, not surprisingly, pure sexiness. We're taking the whole lyric literally as Marilyn sings about her effect on the weather. She doesn't even have to say how she started the heat wave; we can see for ourselves! In a way, this number could have been replaced with any other song - it could even have been alluded to - its relevance to the plot is simply that this beautiful and sexy girl is stealing Donald O'Connor's heart, so completely that he is willing to let her steal his family's thunder. Seeing her do it is a special treat and, as the dad, played by Dan Dailey, points out - we can see why he did it.



In this clip, the song is performed in a huge production number, complete with a full chorus, sets, and costumes. The scene is a moving forward of the plot. The climax of the song ends with Fred Astaire's character falling off a bridge - a pivotal point in the film as a whole. The whole number, despite the lyrics, are actually centered around Fred Astaire (he is the major name, after all). Leading into the number, we see Fred taking a drink and know that things do not bode well for him. The number begins with Fred sitting on a staircase, he is the one who gets the solo dance bit, and his fall at the end of the number ends the scene. The lyrics have little to do with the scene at hand, except as backdrop and to allow for a showy and exotic production number. Despite how cute and sexy Olga San Juan is, she is not the focal point of the scene. As performed here, the song isn't about a girl so hot she's making the temperature climb, it's about a man who sees a girl and his interest in her ultimately (possibly indirectly) leads to his demise - a sort of mirroring of the plot in the film. The sexiness is decidedly toned down compared to Marilyn's version. The dresses cover up a great deal more in this one. I find that Olga's head scarf detracts somewhat from her appeal. I'm too distracted by her bunny ears to notice what else is going on! And the lyrics are changed - her feet are what make the temperature rise. This is definitely a Fred Astaire number.



What do you think?

I read a book the other day.

Here's an embarrassing addition to my movies to watch list: Dinner at Eight. Why is this one embarrassing? I own it. I've owned it for several years now. I keep putting it in my dvd player, then reading up on the basic plot summary to get an idea of what I'm getting into, deciding it sounds too convoluted to be enjoyable, then taking it out again. So I still haven't seen it. I got it in a boxed set of classic comedies that, in my humble opinion, is rather dubious a selection. I bought it for The Philadelphia Story and Bringing Up Baby. It also included Stage Door which I find thoroughly depressing and frustrating and barely funny and To Be Or Not To Be, which I didn't enjoy as much either. It did include Libeled Lady, though, which I like a great deal. All this to say, I have yet to see it. What do you think? Worth watching?