A Movie Scene Quiz

Oh, I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mac. I was curious about the arrangement of Begin the Beguine. (slow tempo?)

Yes, it was slow.

You can hear a few bars of it and a few other songs from the soundtrack here.

hmmm. Not bad. Thanks, Mac. Oh, and I see True Love and So In Love and In the Still of the Night.

Yes, there were songs in the soundtrack that I didn't know were his!

I didn't realize that Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye was his. I always liked that song. (If it's Ev'ry time we say goodbye, I die a little, ev'ry time we say goodbye I wonder why a little.)

Yes, that's the one. It was in a very sad scene in the movie...

I had no idea that he wrote True Love. That's one of my favorite songs.

True Love is a real favorite of mine, too. (I love Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly singing it) I knew Cole Porter wrote High Society.

But, I never heard "Experiment" and I'm not sure which "I Love You" it is. Maybe, I Love You Hums the April Breeze, I love you echoes the hills? (Bing Crosby sang that one.)

You've got the right I Love You. In the movie, he belittles the lyrics and melody of that song unmercifully. (He wasn't very happy about writing for Hollywood apparently.)

Experiment was brief and sort of a talked song.

I just read in my music Encycl. that I Love You was featured in the movie, Mexican Hayride. I never saw that one. But, it is a beautiful song.

I sometimes forget he wrote Can Can, too. There'd have to be a mini-series to cover all his songs.

Just wondering if Bree was in my territory this afternoon. I played trivia at a restaurant called Damon's and Bree was one of the competitiors on the TV screen. Just when we got to a tie score, Bree left.

The next question was what actor was nominated for Best actor, director, writer and picture. With Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood as choices. (I got it.)

No, it wasn't me -- I was here in rainy NYC all day! Now the question is, who was the imposter posing as me?

I don't think I know the answer to that trivia question. Is it Clint Eastwood?

I was curious, but the restaurant was packed and although I did see five women/girls pressing the buzzers to answer, I didn't have the nerve to ask any of them if they were Bree, the imposter.

The answer is Warren Beatty for "Heaven Can Wait". There weren't too many movie questions. However, it was very educational. I learned the name given to women in their forties who look for younger men in bars, etc. (lol) and the country that introduced the term "youth hostels".

Now, you know you can't just throw out those trivia questions and not give us the answers! I have no idea what the name for women in their forties who look for younger men in bars is (but only because all my friends are in their fifties or older!). I'll take a wild guess about the country that introduced the term "youth hostels": is it Sweden?

I enjoyed your conversation with mac about De-Lovely, which I may now have to put back on my "to-see" list. I know the song "Experiment" from a recording by Elisabeth Welch. Do you know her? She was an American singer who appeared in several Cole Porter musicals in the 1920's and 30's. She was born in 1904 and died just last year, at the age of 99. You can read more about her career in the obituary that appeared in Playbill online, at:

Elisabeth Welch

What the obituary doesn't mention is that the reason "she was asked to be a replacement performer in Broadway's The New Yorkers, singing 'Love for Sale'" is that the actress who was originally cast in the role was white, and it was considered scandalous for a white woman to play a prostitute, so the role was re-cast with Elisabeth Welch -- who got to sing a great song, as a result!

After living in Europe for many years, she came back to New York in the 1980's (when she was close to 80 years old), and had several successful concert engagements here, including one at Carnegie Hall, which I was lucky enough to see. She also released several new recordings, which I bought as fast as I could get my hands on them, and it was one of those recordings that introduced me to the song "Experiment." I don't know if her recordings were issued on CDs (I bought them as LPs, back in the 80's), but if they are, they're definitely worth looking for.

I have never heard Elisabeth Welsh. Very interesting. I just checked my CD of Pippin, but it's the original Broadway Cast album (1972). She was in the London production.

I remember my mother telling me that "Love for Sale" was banned from radio for many years. Our recording was with Hal Kemp and his orchestra. I just read in my Music Encycl. that it was introduced by Kathryn Crawford and The Three Girl Friends, June Shafer, Ida Pearson and Stella Friend, in The New Yorkers, probably in 1930. the year Cole Porter wrote it. (they must have had problems with it then and decided to recast it with Elisabeth Welch). Although the song was banned from radio, it became a hit recording with Fred Waring and The Three Girl Friends(the same ones that were in the show) and then by Libby Holman, Hal Kemp, etc.

Now, about those 40 yr. old ladies, (I disqualify) they are called "Cougars" and apparently it doesn't occur in my hometown because nobody in the restaurant guessed it.

And, the "youth hostels": my guess was the same as yours and I was wrong. (lol) The correct answer is Germany.

And one more question: Did you read Nancy Milford's Savage Beauty, The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay? I just mentioned it on another thread. I've read only 22 pages and I'm intrigued.

I'm ashamed to say I have owned a copy of Savage Beauty for over a year, but I still haven't read it. I heard Nancy Milford speak about it at the Vassar Club of New York, if that counts for anything.

When I was in college, I memorized many of Millay's poems, and I can still remember most of them (unlike things I learned last month), and have even been known to recite them at the slightest provocation, so consider yourself warned!

Aaah, Bree. Having heard Milford speak counts for Silver. Being able to recite Millay's poems, Gold. And if you read the book, Bronze will be your reward. (lol). I've only just begun the book and yet I know that it will be a long time in the reading because already I'm retracing pages relating to letters written by Millay's Mother and words written when Millay was a child.

Ah, did I forget this is a movie thread? Of course not. Savage Beauty would make a great movie, or better yet , mini-series. I'd settle for a Chopin, Debussy or Rachmaninoff soundtrack - with a little Cole Porter thrown in. Oh, and some cello music ,too. You may provide the introduction: I am waylaid by Beauty. Who will walk between me and.....

...the crying of the frogs? (Now, there's one I didn't know, until I looked it up just now!)

Great idea to make a movie or mini-series out of Savage Beauty. Who would you cast as Millay, if age and/or death were no object (that is to say, you could cast Garbo in the role if you wanted to -- although I can't imagine why you'd want to)? I think we all know who my choice would be (Ms. Streep), but if she weren't available I could see Cate Blanchett in the part. She may not be American, but she's done an American accent before, credibly, and she has a kind of fierce intelligence that I think would make her a good fit for the part.

Meryl Streep, of course.
I've only seen Cate Blanchett in four movies, but I agree that she would be a good choice. Sadly, I'm not too familiar with today's actresses. The actress must have a musical lilt to her voice in order to do justice to the poetry. (I do have trouble understanding what some of the actresses are saying in the newer movies, whether it is because of the volume of my TV, or...... LOL)

Maybe, Katherine Hepburn in her younger days, with a little more restraint.

I've been trying to figure out who Millay reminds me of in the photo on the cover of Savage Beauty. Is it Emma Thompson, I wonder?

K. Hepburn occurred to me as a possibility, too (and I agree that her younger performances could definitely have used a little more restraint).

I'll have to take a look at the cover of Savage Beauty when I get home tonight, to see if the photo reminds me of anyone.

Just the picture on the cover, Bree. In the other photos, she looks like an entirely different person.