R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011
Note: Silver Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor passed away today and since she is mentioned in this blog about Oscar Fever I just had to post this publicity shot of her at her lovliest. Dame Elizabeth was one of the few uuber stars we can say today was always dressed to the nines, showing her most impeccable taste when we saw her. No matter what personal turmoil she may have been going through at the time, Ms. Taylor epitomized the glitz and glamour of her era. She will be greatly missed. Be sure to tune into American Movie Classics or Turner Movie Classics in the coming weeks and months, to catch this captivating beauty onscreen. My personal favorites: Giant; A Place in the Sun; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Raintree County; Butterfield Eight (for which she earned Best Actress in 1960) and of course, Father of the Bride. Don't forget she was also a child star, capturing America's heart at Velvet Brown in National Velvet, and she had small roles in Life with Father, Jane Eyre and Little Women. Her humanitarianism work in raising public awareness and money for HIV/AIDS will live on as will her onscreen work. Thank you for decades of entertainment, may you Rest in Peace, Ms. Liz.
From February 27:
So here we are, Oscar weekend, 2011 and I'm excited, once again! Why would I, a regular Jane Q public, get so caught up in Oscar Fever? After all, it's not like I'm an actress preparing to walk the fabulous Red Carpet, (don't I wish) although I was a member of the Thespian Society at Westland John Glenn High School (shout out, class of '81!). Back then, aside from the three Rs (reading, 'riting & 'rithmatic), my life was ruled by choir, dance, theater, musicals and dancing my heart out on the Pompon team. So yes, I guess a little bit of showmanship was always inside of me. Who knows, had I been more serious, might I been accepted to Julliard, had I but studied the craft more intently? Probably not, but the actress inside of me wishes I had, not that I'd trade one ounce of my life today. But on Oscar night, all bets are off & I become possessed by the ghosts of Hollywood past.
These days I feel like Gloria Swanson, slowly descending the stairway in Sunset Boulevard, dreaming of old Hollywood. I think of my days in summer stock, where I acted & sang in productions like Oliver, Carnival and in the Greenfield Players, Little Mary Sunshine, or my school productions of Princess & the Pea, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Yankee Doodle, A day in the Life of Walter Mitty, etc. and I ask myself why did I ever stop stage productions just because I grew up?? AT least ONE of my fellow castmates from Wayne Theater summer stock now has a Tony Award on his mantle and I proudly claim him as a Facebook friend.(shout out, Greg Jbara!)
Moreover, why did I ever stop singing and dancing? My choir and dance performances were my happiest times in school, singing and getting the occasional solos were the main focus of my life back then. Feeling so comfortable harmonizing with my fellow "Gleeks" and finishing to hear the applause of our parents and teachers gave me a high that to this day can't compare to any pacheck I've ever received. ANY pay check.
But back to the Oscars. Movies have played a huge of part of my life ever since I used to sneak out of my bed at night to catch the "movie of the week" (anyone remember those?). Mom would be folding clothes or ironing shirts in front of the TV in our family room, so I'd sneak out and curl up in the living room, in a corner, to watch the movie. I did the same at my Grampa's house, we'd sit in his big easy chair and watch the late, late show. That's where it would really be fun! And yes, to this day I'm a night owl, so it was a good thing I used to work in TV news.
Anyone who knows me knows my mother was not a healthy child. She spent much of her early childhood living as a patient in Children's Hospital in Detroit. Her greatest joy back then was movies of the silver screen and meeting the occasional movie star who might stop in to visit sick kids in her ward.
Once she was older and in remission, she married Dad and had as "normal" life as was possible It was then that she'd buy Look and Photoplay magazines. (For anyone under the age of 45, these magazines preceded People, OK or Star magazines.)
Early on, Mom fostered my love of all the glamorous movie starlets of HER day: Elizabeth Taylor, (who, by the way, celebrates her birthday today! We wish her well in the hospital where she once again battles serious health ailments...); Natalie Wood, Doris Day, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Susan Hayword. And the starlets who were just a decade before that were above revered in our home: Bette Davis, Joan Fontaine, Rita Hayworth, Vivien Leigh, Rita Hayworth, Irene Dunne, Jean Simmons, Merle Oberon, Joan Crawford...I could go on & on...
Actors were not forgotten, either. You'd never hear a negative word about the three Jimmys: (Fonda, Stewart and Cagney); Tyrone Power, Spencer Tracey, Cary Grant, Marlon Brando, Sir Larry Olivier, Charleton Heston, Burt Lancaster, Robert Young, Ernest Borgnine, et. al.
And don't forget the "dancing" stars loooong before we had the Dancing With the Stars programs to re-introduce a new generation to ballroom dancing: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Leslie Caron, Nelson Eddy, Rita Moreno, Syd "long legs" Charisse, and of course, the indomitable Gene Kelley. Now THOSE were your original "triple threats."
Growing up in Detroit, I loved watching Bill Kennedy's movies on Saturday afternoon, where he, a small bit part actor, would inject little anecdotes about the story behind the scenes. Once I was able to read, I used to glean the TV Guide (remember those??) and if a good old movie was coming on the next day I just might develop a tummyache so I could watch Rita Bell's Prize Movie, which came on every weekday morning.
Looking back, I was probably a weird little kid. I mean, even after I was a "big girl" old enough to stay out till the street lights came on, I would RUN home on Saturday evenings, even as a pre-teen, to watch the Lawrence Welk show. Why? Because Mr. Welk's cast presented a weekly theme and it often revolved around a movie or musical from the big screen. Maybe that's how I became Champion of Name that Tune in Ms. Wheaton's 8th Grade choir class!
Were those shows cheesy? You bet! But that's the point...they were also "showy" and I am still captivated by the sheer showiness of the Academy Awards. Certainly, I know that today's movies are largely digitized and airbrushed but they still get me every time.
Still, some things are best kept classic. I posted on Facebook last week my disappointment that Hollywood was remaking The Great Gatsby in 3D. Seriously? WHY??? First of all, if a new generation wants to see great movies, and this is NOT an advertisement, just my opinion, watch Turner Classic Movies or American Movie Classics. Or look up "Classics" in your Netflix Queue and add a few of the greats.
Animation and digitization is great, but those sophisticated technologies can never replace the sensuously cool lighting of Bette Davis' cigarette by Paul Henried in Now Voyager or recreate the seductive tension between Lana Turner and John Garfield in the original The Postman Always Rings Twice. Does airbrushing make Rita Hayworth any more beautiful in Gilda or Blood and Sand? OK, I'll concede that there is ONE scene that would look awesome in 3D: I'd love to see Cary Grant trying to escape that low-flying plane in North by Northwest on my flatscreen TV in 3D, now that would be cool.
For the first 36 years of my life I never missed Oscar night with my mom. When she died in 2000, shortly after the Oscars that year, one of my first thoughts were "who will I watch with next year?" I still feel a void but happily now, I can watch with a smile on my face knowing it was my mom who first turned me onto OLD Hollywood. I often imagine how she'd react to those horribly unflattering shots of celebrities without makeup, or dressed shabbily as they schlep their kids to school or grab a Starbucks. She was of the old- school mindset where the stars were under contract to never go out publicly without looking completely glamorous.
Now that it's MY turn to be the mommy, I've already begun to plant the seed of love of all things OLD Hollywood into my almost six-year-old. In fact, on Marlena's first birthday in 2006, guess what was on TV that night? The Oscars, so I'm betting you can guess which house on my street had a red carpet in front of it for the big birthday bash?
Now I'm not going to diss on ICarly or Hannah Montana BEFORE the whole Salvia Bong incident, but I am teaching Marlena to recognize true talent in moviemaking, acting and singing. I recently told her that Shirley Temple was THE "triple threat" child of her day and that even now, 80 years later, very few child actors have been able to come close to her talents, despite the contemporary box-office money and paychecks for actors.
The other day, as I was cleaning out my DVR (in preparation for the Oscars!) I noticed that TCM and AMC had eaten up much of my space. I asked my daughter if she wanted to watch a cartoon in my bedroom while I watched one of my movies as I prepared dinner. She opted for Bogey & Bacall. That's my girl.
She's already seen Gone with the Wind and thankfully I am able to fast-forward any parts of bloody violence during the war scenes. She is just as charmed by this classic as am I. Now that we're living down south, I told her we can make a pilgrimage to neighboring Georgia someday to see where these scenes were actually set. Y'see....I'm already excited!
So come Sunday night, as my daughter & I put on our finest PJs and cook up some popcorn, my hubby will do our taxes and roll his eyes at our excitement over the glamorous fashions and the entire show. He just doesn't get it, probably a "chick" thing, he'll say. But I do know this: My mom "gets it" and she'll be watching the show from up above, in the best seats in the house. Maybe even with a few of her closest Hollywood friends! Hurray for Hollywood, and ENJOY THE OSCARS!
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