TCM Top 5 & Work Wednesday

The first purple Willys I think I’ve seen in many years of visiting classic car shows!

Oh, look, I’ve learned to be brief—with the exception of my comments about I Remember Mama, TCM’s exceptionally good selection for Sunday prime-time. Of course, that several of these are movies I’ve already gone on and on about loving does nut hurt.

In garden news—my pollinator’s garden idea has drawn some nice comments—we have put new soil down, have half a pathway through it (because that’s all the river rock I have, ha!), and even found leftover fence slats left over from the cedar fence the previous owners put on our property. The latter we will be laying down beside the shed as a sort of platform upon which I can set my potting bench—an old washstand my parents plucked off the curb for me last year. It needs a pretty coat of outdoor paint on it, and then will be good to go! We also blew out a tire on our wheelbarrow (don’t ask); I’ve decided to spray-paint the metal bit a  cheery colour, stick a post of some sort through the blown-out part (there’s a hole in the metal, which is bad for yardwork but good for this re-use), and pop it into the garden as a big fake flower trellis for a small vine of some sort. Why not? It’s free. Well, after we replace the wheel, it isn’t, but…hey. There’s always a silver lining, my friends.

On to the movies!

Goodbye, Mr. Chips 1939
1:15PM Friday, May 10

There is a wealth of fine films to choose from this day, but Mr. Chips is one of the finest films, really (I’ve waxed on and on about it previously), and with such wonderful performances from leads Robert Donat and Greer Garson in this, her first movie. Keep the tissue box handy and enjoy.

Also worth watching: 9:30AM Captains Courageous, 3:15PM The Philadelphia Story, 5:30PM Sergeant York, 3:30AM Battle Cry

How Green Was My Valley 1941
8PM Saturday, May 11

I remember watching this as a child, and it has been a while, but the cast is definitely all-star and I do remember the rich, beautiful photography. The film gives us a glimpse into the life of a hard-working Welsh mining family, with all of the drama and joy the life of a big family can bring. The stars? Well. John Ford directs Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Donald Crisp,  Anna Lee, Roddy McDowall, Barry Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, Rhys Williams, Ann Todd, Arthur Shields, and May Marsh. Can’t beat that. The film won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Cinematography, and Director. A fine family movie to get us into the Mother’s Day mood.

I Remember Mama 1948
8PM Sunday, May 12

Sunday is, appropriately enough, Mother’s Day films from end to end (hope TCM does the same for Father’s Day). This one, though, starring Irene Dunne as the mother of a Swedish immigrant family living in San Francisco in the ’round the turn of the century, tops the list for me, which is saying something since I do like Stella Dallas a great deal! But Mama is so heartfelt, so genuine, and the viewer slips into the world portrayed very easily, becoming part of the Hanson family.

There is not really one pivotal drama in the film; instead, there are multiple vignettes of family life that we can all identify with, ranging from sick pets and sibling squabbles to figuring out how to get by on meagre resources, a desperately ill child, and the death of a loved one. But there are happy moments as well, the most memorable of which for me is when Mama and her eldest daughter have a conversation while running errands on San Francisco’s hilly streets. Colourful characters are littered throughout—a seemingly irascible uncle who’s really a teddy bear, a hard yet gossipy aunt, a sheepish cousin, a brusque and pompous famed authoress.

Altogether, the film weaves an almost palpable environment for reminiscing and reflection, but it’s laced with plenty of humour anyone can understand and enjoy. There’s sisterly love, family jokes we all get to share in, the preciousness of commonplace events and things. Heck, there’s even fine life advice sprinkled throughout, and often in most entertaining fashion.

Through it all shines Dunne’s Mama (in a flawless, opal-bright performance), loving and lovely, thoughtful and brimming over with a mother’s love that will stop at nothing to do what is best for her beloved brood.

Monday Escape: Hide your kids, hide your wife

This rather menacing fellow is on the grounds of Cincinnati’s famous and extremely wonderful Jungle Jim’s über-supermarket (the original location in Fairfield). It’s all too easy to spend a couple of hours here (to say nothing of the temptation to spend a couple of hundred bucks on foods and treats from every corner of the earth as well as local farmers and bakeries); the cheese selection alone is pretty much out of this world; Jungle Jim’s must have about 1,200 different kinds of cheese from all over the planet—and that is not an attempt at hyperbole, it’s my honest guess. You can also choose from about a hundred different kinds of honey, in addition to supermarket basics like milk, eggs, and OJ.

This place is DANGEROUS. But great fun, and we try to stop in for some goodies when we are in Cinci.

In addition to the sea serpent, Jungle Jim’s features talking giant Campbell’s soup cans, Elvis (a lion), the craziest bathrooms I’ve seen anywhere, elephants having a pool party out front, giraffes welcoming you to the market, a singing Italian chef (mechanical, though a live one wouldn’t surprise me a bit), and if I recall correctly, there’s an enormous cephalopod that must be cousin to the one that took down the Nautilus.

And, of course, the slightly hungry-looking sea serpent, undulating through the parking lot.

If you’re in Cinci, do yourself a favour and visit! Just don’t blame me if you blow a your allowance, okay? Have a great Monday.

Cast your controversy-free vote today!

This photo from our 2009 visit to Mount Vernon is probably my favourite of all I’ve taken—a large version of it hangs in our entry.

I’m a big fan of privately-operated preservation efforts, and right now, one of my favourite places in America—George Washington’s Mount Vernon—is in the running for a $100,000 grant from Partners in Preservation!

Partners in Preservation—a program joining together American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation—has already given $9 million dollars’ worth of grants to historic sites in cities like Boston, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Chicago. The Washington, D.C. area (beyond wealthy in historic places) was chosen as the 2013 grants, which will total $1 million—and Partners in Preservation wants the help of the citizenry in choosing the place worthy of the $100K grant! (Once that is awarded to the people’s choice, the remainder of the million will be given to sites chosen by an advisory committee.)

“Great cities are a reflection of their neighborhoods and landmarks,” said Kenneth I. Chenault, chairman and chief executive officer of American Express. “The places where people work, worship and reflect often define those neighborhoods, and our work with Partners in Preservation has taught us that maintaining local historic places for future generations is one of the best ways to make great cities even greater.” (via)

Mount Vernon

Just so you know, I was nearly blown down the hill into the Potomac taking this photo of Mount Vernon. This can be a dangerous gig.

is seeking the grant to help finance their  restoration of the magnificent dining room, also called “the new room”, in the main house.

As the first room that today’s visitors see as they enter the Mansion, the New Room makes a bold impression with its vibrant green color and elegant furnishings.
Despite its significance, the room hasn’t undergone a major renovation in more than 30 years.  With this restoration effort, which launched in January, Mount Vernon staff and visiting experts will repair the plaster, woodwork, painting, and wallpaper.  They will also tend to the collection of prints, paintings, and objects on view in the room.

If you’ve ever been to Mount Vernon, no doubt you, too, find the “new room”, with its verdigris green walls and intricate trim, unforgettable and impressive.

TCM Top 5 & Work Wednesday

I won’t be watching many of these, because the Stanley Cup playoffs are on AND the Derby (the only one that matters this time of year) is Saturday, and of course we’re in the midst of a new season of Doctor Who. And gardening and taking the dog to the park or just sitting on the porch reading, because it is grand being outside after a long winter, isn’t it? But let’s take a look anyhow.There are bound to be a few rainy days ahead!

Three Comrades 1938
3AM Friday, May 3

High Society almost made the cut, but it is a bit shaky—especially when compared to the original—and it does not measure up to Three Comrades, which I saw ages ago and look forward to seeing again. Stars Robert Taylor, Margaret Sullavan, Franchot Tone, Robert Young, Guy Kibbee, Lionel Atwill, and Monty Woolley do wonders with a script co-written by soon-to-be-darling-again F. Scott Fitzgerald about three men all madly in love with a dying woman between WWI and WWII in Germany. Adapted from a novel by Erich Remarque, it’s a deeply affecting story, made all the more so by the exceptional performances turned in by its already very good stars.

Sullavan received an Oscar nomination for her Three Comrades performance (ultimately losing to Bette Davis’ Jezebel).

Monday Escape: A neon rebuttal to dreariness

It is a grey, drizzly day here in central Ohio. On one hand, I’m happy, because the gardens need the rain; on the other, it’s Monday, and sunshine would be better! But it is what it is; thus this shot from the original location of Cinci’s fantabulous American Sign Museum seems to be the perfect foil to our heavy skies.

My title for this one is “Twitterpation Deluxe”—as in twitterpated, not the social network—and I’m sure quite a few of you will agree with me there. There’s a slideshow of my ASM visit here; the Museum was recently moved to a bigger, better building, and I can’t wait to visit again. If you’re in Cincinnati, you definitely need to drop in.

And yes, I would LOVE that miniature Holiday Inn neon for my pollinator’s garden.

What? Why not? The neighbors are sure to love it.

Have a great Monday, everyone.