A Movie Scene Quiz

Thanks for posting the pictures, Bree. I like the Gainsborough. I went to Amazon hoping to hear a few selections from The Woman in White, but it isn't out on CD yet (from what I can see).

Mac: Thanks for the guidance. It did the trick. I set the font to 800 by 600 pixels which is just fine.

I'm glad it worked!

I'd like to note the passing of Wally Harper, whose death was reported in today's New York Times. He was a Broadway musician and composer who is probably best known as Barbara Cook's music director. I've had the good fortune to see Barbara Cook in performance several times, and Wally Harper's superlative musicianship and good humor always contributed immeasurably to my enjoyment of those performances.

You can read the Times obituary at:

Wally Harper

Bree: Thank you for the NYT link. Mr. Harper was only 62. How sad. I read on another site that he performed at the White House for four administrations.

This show sounds interesting, doesn't it?

"In the summer of 2001, the premiere of "Say Yes!," with music by Wally Harper and book and lyrics by Sherman Yellen, is a romantic love story set against the background of the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair. Jay Binder directs. occurred at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts."

I have to tell you, Bree: I love the Susan Graham CD even though I don't have any idea what she's saying. (lol) She has a beautiful voice. And, I was able to copy it and share it with a friend who enjoys it as much as I. (She'll be able to translate it if my curiosity gets the better of me.) My favorites at this time are Lyde, Infidelite and Nocturne.

Be back soon with some movie questions.

I'm glad you're enjoying the CD, Raggedy, but didn't it come with a booklet with the texts and translations of the songs? My favorites are the one about the night without stars (can't think of the exact title, and the CD isn't readily at hand, because I've been playing it at the office) and the last one, with the text by Victor Hugo about "if my soul had wings".

Aaah, Bree. Thank you, thank you. I was so anxious to listen, I never looked in the back of the book.

When the Night Has No Stars
Come rock yourself in the oceans' waves;
Like death, the night is veiled
Like life, the waves are bitter.

(Beautiful. Oh, all the verses are beautiful.)

I've been copying VHS tapes to DVD. At present I'm working on biographies of movie stars.
A biography of one of Hollywood's favorite leading men, featured four scenes from different movies where he was seen in an automobile in rather precarious situations. In two of the movies, he was behind the wheel. His leading ladies were behind the wheel, driving at breakneck speed in the other two.

Want to take a guess at who the actor is and which movies were featured?

The first name that comes to mind is Cary Grant. Would Notorious be one of the movies in which the leading lady (Ingrid Bergman) was driving at breakneck speed? Can't think of any others right now, probably because I'm sleep-deprived after staying up last night to watch the Yankee game.

So, how many more sleep-deprived nights lie ahead? I check the NYT headlines on my E-Mail to keep track of the score and I know you must be very happy.

Yes, it is Cary Grant. In North by Northwest he was forced to drink and drive; in Suspicion Joan Fontaine tried to get out of the car while he was driving; in Notorious, Bergman was speeding, as was Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief (the same treacherous road where she had her fatal accident).

Ah yes, I should have thought of the other ones. I actually thought To Catch a Thief might have been one of them, but I wasn't sure if I was mixing up life and art!

If the Yankees make it into the World Series (as looks likely now, but I'm taking nothing for granted), there could be several more sleep-deprived nights ahead. But it'll all be over by October 31, one way or another -- and then begin those long winter nights without baseball to watch. (Thank goodness for A2K!)

Just when I think I'll eliminate a bunch of old tapes by transferring them to DVD, a slew of movies I don't have pops up on TCM. Tuesdays in October are devoted to musicals and tomorrow, Royal Wedding, Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate, Deep in My Heart (the Sigmond Romberg story), Brigadoon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, An American In Paris, Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon and Silk Stockings are being featured. And, since I can't resist recording them on DVD, I not only still have an overload of VHS tapes, I now have a new collection of DVDs and I'm running out of room. Maybe I should get interested in baseball.

But that's such a great line-up of musicals, how could you be expected to resist?

Ok, I'm jealous. I can't even get TCM if I upgrade to digital cable!

I don't understand that, Mac. I have digital, but TCM was taken off of digital and put on "basic cable" here. I was so pleased because I don't have digital cable on my second floor.
This Wednesday, TCM is showing The Great Caruso, Rose Marie, It's Always Fair Weather, Kismet, Love Me or Leave Me (the Ruth Etting story), Les Girls, Oklahoma, South Pacific, Gigi and A Star is Born (Judy Garland).
Next Tuesday - Bells Are Ringing, Flower Drum Song, My Fair Lady, West Side Story and Funny Girl
And the following Wednesday: The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Oliver, Funny Lady, Fiddler on the Roof and New York, New York to name a few.

That isn't fair. If you subscribe to cable, you should get TCM.

I'll write them a letter.

I have expanded basic and get 60 or 70 channels. (I probably watch 15 of those.) Upgrading to digital would raise the price from darn near $50/month to $75. And that doesn't include HBO or other movie channels. And TCM isn't listed at all. I just can't spend the bucks for that. I'd spend $$ on a cell phone or DSL before I'd go for digital cable.

But thanks for the letter-writing offer!

not to interrupt..but is there a quiz? I do enjoy listening to your conversation though..:-)

My digital cable is a waste, Mac. I subscribed to it because at the time that was the only way I could get TCM and there was a channel my daughter wanted to watch. Then, they took TCM and my daughter's show off of Digital. So, I probably won't keep Digital too much longer.

OK, I won't write to Ted if you feel that would be a waste of time.

Hi willow - um, it's bree's turn to ask, I guess. But usually we just let Raggedy ask.