We are a lifestyle transit user family, but a couple of times a year our good friend, Jackie, gives us the loan of her car for a couple of days to take THE BOY to summer camp and do wild things like shop at distant supermarkets or go out to dinner where they have real cutlery.
The Hubby was excited this year about giving his CD collection a work out - headin' on down the road cranking his tunes - the noisy, rock stuff that I freely admit is over my head. In fact, he kept talking about it when time came to escort the females in his family to our annual trip to The Keg. I visibly braced myself for the onslaught of electric guitars amped to the max and was instead greeted to the vocal stylings of Frank Sinatra. I must have given the anticipated comic reaction because better half and daughter chuckled appreciatively.
We had a fine time tearing a cow apart with our teeth, and bantering with a waiter who had his schtick down pat. When we parked in the abode driveway Janet asked her dad for the CD. He asked her why as if suspicious that she was on a teenage rant and wanted to destroy the item. She gave him the what-else answer of "I want it for my ipod". Frank is timeless.
Here's Frank with my favourite guys. A tip of the hat to Toronto composer Ruth Lowe, and to the lovely leading lady of The Pied Pipers:
The comedy-western is a subgenre with a rich and varied history. The cliches of even the best westerns lend themselves to kidding, and fans are always up for a laugh. Two of the finest proponents of the comedy-western were writer/director Burt Kennedy and writer William Bowers. The thing that sets their comedy-westerns ahead of the pack is that they have their fair share of dramatic pictures under their belts.
Burt Kennedy wrote such classics as Seven Men from Now (1956) and The Tall T (1947). The War Wagon (1967).The Rounders (1965) and The TrainRobbers (1973) also highlight his lighter side. William Bowers wrote the classic The Gunfighter (1950) starring Gregory Peck, and his first western-comedy was The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (1947)followed by Alias Jesse James (1959) and The Sheepman (1958).
James Garner, Bruce Dern, Jack Elam
The movie is cast with familiar character actors from all genres, but who made special contributions to westerns. Why, you can't throw a rock (something that happens in the movie) without hitting one of those folks you've seen a hundred times and you're happy to see a hundred times more.
James Garner, Jack Elam, Harry Morgan, Walter Burke, Henry Jones, Willis Bouchey
A stranger rides into a lawless town. A town caught up in the thrall of gold fever and under the ruthless sway of the Danby family. The stranger is played by James Garner, whose great ease and charm on the screen have convinced generations that he is only playing himself. The stranger's pockets are empty and the lure of gold in the vicinity, plus a town council eager to please convince him to take on the job of sheriff. The town council is played by film favourites Harry Morgan, Henry Jones, Willis Bouchey and Walter Burke. Mayor Ollie Perkins explains the almost state-of-the-art office: "Our last sheriff was a good organizer. Yellow clear through, but a good organizer."
In short order, our stranger takes on a reluctant deputy played by the marvelous Jack Elam and runs up against the Danby's by arresting not-too-bright son, Joe, played by Bruce Dern in a very funny performance. Three-time Oscar winner Walter Brennan for Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938) and The Westerner (1940) spoofs his villainous Old Man Clanton from My DarlingClementine (1946) as Pa Danby. Danby is beset by idiot sons, Dern, Gene Evans, and Dick Peabody, and a sheriff who doesn't act like any sheriff he's ever known.
Joan Hackett
Our stranger also finds romance in the form of Prudy Perkins played by the brilliant actress Joan Hackett (Will Penny (1968), The Last of Sheila (1973)). Prudy is smitten with the new sheriff, but she's going through an awkward stage. How else does she end up on fire, and stuck in a tree in her undergarments? Her father, the mayor, explains: "She's had some terrible shocks this year. She got wealthy almost overnight - I think maybe it unhinged her a bit. Then she was always kind of big for her age and pooberty hit her hard. That'll do it you know."
This trailer gives you a sample of the kind of good-natured humor you'll find in this laugh-out-loud feature:
By my reckoning, Support Your Local Sheriff (1969) pokes knowing fun at everything near and dear to my heart, My Darling Clementine (1946), Rio Bravo (1959), High Noon (1952), Red River (1948), and Winchester '73 (1950) plus a tip of the Stetson to McLintock! (1963). What have I missed, fellow fans?
Bad hair day or hat head? Hat head or bad hair day? I decided on hat head with the tyro wearing of a gift from my mother. A sun hat of neutral shade with a wide visor brim and a discreet bow at the back. Perhaps more suitable for gardening or a day at the seaside than a doctor's appointment, but I'm not spoiled for choice in the chapeau line.
I took a moment before rushing for transit to ascertain the opinion of my teenage daughter, the amazing Janet. She raised an eyebrow (how does she do that?) and responded, "I don't think Jeeves would approve".
Well, I mean to say, since when is Jeeves the last word on ladies hats? The Nolan blood was up and I sallied forth among the public in the benighted bonnet, returning to hearth and home a scant two hours later sans incident.
Maybe the amazing Janet and I will do a little hat shopping next week. Maybe.
Congratulations to Elicia MacKenzie, the last "Maria" standing in CBC's How Do You Solve aProblem Like Maria?. During Sunday's voting period it dawned on me that the girl from B.C. really had a chance against the deservedly popular Janna Polzin, when I could only place one phone vote due to the constant busy signals.
Our Jo is gone. Jo Stafford, the supreme vocalist with perfect pitch, who could tear your heart out with a ballad or have you holding your sides in mirth recently passed at the age of 90.
Some people have music in their souls. Jo's earliest plans were for the opera, but the Great Depression sidetracked many dreams. She sang first with her sisters and then with The Pied Pipers. Starting a solo career she would sell over 25 million records and make the Billboard Charts 83 times between 1944 and 1957 with songs such as Early Autumn, Long Ago and FarAway, Shrimp Boats, Make Love to Me, You Belong to Me, plus popular duets with Gordon MacRae and Frankie Laine.
One of the great ironies of the world of entertainment is that the only Grammy won by Jo is for comedy album. Jonathan & Darlene Edwards, an excrutiatingly funny parody of a really bad lounge act was created by Jo and husband Paul Weston as a party turn, but evolved into albums that still elicit the original reaction.
Here's Jo as another comic alter-ego, Cinderella G. Stump, who thinks she can better Bing Crosby and Perry Como on Arthur Freed & Herb Nacio Brown's Temptation, or is that Tim-Tay-Shun? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_ukeZqJYPY
This is just one of the lovely wartime ballads that gave her the nickname G.I. Jo, Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn's I'll Walk Alone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsvBzhtwMbY
Jo and her second husband, Paul Weston, the pianist/arranger/composer/producer had more than a successful career together, their marriage in 1952 lasted until his death in 1996 and their two children, Tim and Amy, are also musicians.
Her presence will be missed. Jo Stafford's legacy lives on.
Gisele Marie-Louise Marguerithe LaFleche was born in Winnipeg on January 10, 1927. Her life was ended in a warmer clime - California on September 5, 2003 in a struggle with colon cancer. I'm sure she would want me to remind you all to add a colonoscopy to your medical examinations.
Gisele MacKenzie gave the world music and humour, and Canadians pride in this homegrown success story. "MacKenzie" was her father's middle name and she claimed it so as not to be confused with a striptease artist. She studied voice and violin at the Royal Conservatory of Music and in 1946 had her own radio show on CBC, Meet Gisele. That is also the name of one of two National Film Board Shorts, the other being Songs by Gisele. These often pop up on television without warning and are great fun displaying her versatility with the songs Piper of Dundee, J'ailaisse mon coeur, A Trout No Doubt, Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair and RedRosy Bush.
1950 saw Gisele move to the states where she appeared with fellow Canuck Percy Faith on radio, and with Bob Crosby on television. She also started a long association with Jack Benny. It was Jack who recommended her for a spot on the phenomenally successful Your Hit Parade (24 years combined on radio and television). Another Canadian vocalist, Ontario born Dorothy Collins was a mainstay on the program as well. Gisele also had her own series which ran for a season on NBC. On stage, she toured in such shows as Annie Get Your Gun, South Pacific, TheKing and I, Gypsy, Mame and Hello, Dolly. Gisele left us a lot of memories through recordings, night clubs, television game shows, talk shows and variety shows.
Here is a fan tribute found on YouTube. The vocal is a dandy version of At Sundown, and the visuals give you a nice overview of Gisele's career.
Now, here you might imagine Caftan Woman going into a rant about where all the good singers have gone...well, they haven't gone anywhere, they're just not on top 40 radio or blared in blue jean boutiques. For instance, give a listen to Gigi MacKenzie. If her grandfather's middle name was good enough for her mother...
"Winnipeg's Sweetheart", Edna Mae Durbin, was born December 4, 1921. Since 1950, the widowed (1999) Mrs. Charles David has lived in retirement in Paris. She raised her family and lived life on her own terms. She left Hollywood in 1949 after a 13 year career because: "I couldn't go on being Little Miss Fix-it breaking into song forever". For Deanna Durbin's fans, that is what she will always be - the teenager with the amazing voice and the young woman who grew into a talented comedic actress. Deanna never seemed to go through that awkward stage. Her talent and self-possession grew and was universally admired.
MGM was her first studio, however her contract lapsed and she was snapped by Universal. That studio was facing difficult economic times, but all that was about to change when Deanna Durbin appeared in "Three Smart Girls" (1936). The public was enthralled and this was reflected at the box office.
Over the course of her career, Deanna appeared in 14 movies, bringing classical music to the masses and presenting that rare ability among sopranos with the ability to take a standard and do it justice. Entertaining movies with wonderful co-stars like Adolph Menjou, Charles Laughton, Dan Duryea, Gene Kelly, Pat O'Brien, Robert Cummings, Franchot Tone - Leopold Stowkowski. I would like to recommend a few titles: One Hundred Men and a Girl, It Started With Eve, His Butler's Sister, Christmas Holiday, Lady on a Train, Up in Central Park.
Deanna was a favourite of Winston Churchill and Ann Franks. She inspired Dame Joan Sutherland and Lily Pons. Angela Lansbury has said she used to sing around the house trying to be Deanna Durbin. The Metropolitan Opera wanted her for their boards. Rodgers and Hammerstein wanted her for "Oklahoma!". Alan Jay Lerner personally played her the songs for "My Fair Lady" in an effort to dissuade her from retirement. Obviously, she is a lady who means what she says.
The release of Deanna's Universal pictures on DVD is creating new fans, as devoted as her followers in the 30s and 40s. Talent will tell.
