A Movie Scene Quiz

One of your replies went through, and I'm glad it did. I never knew all that about Edna Gladney.

I'm glad you liked it, Bree. According to the movie, Edna's family adopted an illegitimate baby, perhaps a few years younger than Edna, and she and Edna were very close. When the young lady was about to marry (probably around 1906), her birth statistics were disclosed, and rather than bring shame to her fiance and his family, she committed suicide.
The Columbia Encyclopoedia doesn't mention Edna Gladney, but there are quite a few links on the net about her.

Can you imagine the horror and shame of being illegitimate in that period? Enough to commit suicide? That's intense. Thank god for Edna and her campaign to free children from that stigma, and whew, that we live in times where no one notices much anymore anyway.

Say, whose question?

Yes, kudos to Edna.

Bree and I have been moving right along today. We've already covered Judy's singing session, Gene's suggested date, Frankie's daring escapades in the mizzle and Kathryn's reputation.

It's Bree's turn now.

Did you have one in mind, Lois?

While we're waiting for Bree, I'll furnish some useless trivia. I talk to a friend on messenger almost every morning. She sent me a trivia calendar and I ask her a question or two a day. That's where I got "mizzle". One of the questions today was:

Why is it considered unlucky to whistle backstage in a theater?

Well, when I used to work backstage, we were told that the origins were that sailors used to handled the rigging and communicated in whistles to bring curtains etc.

An inopportune whistle could have the fire curtain on your head. But darned if I know. Could be--the knots you learn to tie in stagecraft are the same ones sailors used!

Off to a reading!

That's a great explanation. The trivia calendar says:

The superstition dates back to the early days of the theatre, when stagehands used different whistling sounds to indicate which ropes should be pulled to lower and raise scenery -- and a casual whistle could prove calamitous.

Great trivia, guys!

Here's the next question -- but, Raggedy, if you thought you were getting desperate, wait till you see this one!

She was suffering so badly from

1. the consequences of drinking too much the night before,

the throbbing inside her head sounded like a

2. pachyderm promenade,

and even the sweet warbling of

3. the avian emissary of happiness

on her windowsill seemed so loud to her, it was like

4. the sound of a bomb exploding.

I hope I get this before we retire for the night. I don't want to dream about pink elephants on parade.

Ooooh. I think I know. I'll be back.

Elizabeth Taylor was suffering so badly from

1. The Big Hangover

the throbbing inside her head sounded like an

2. Elephant Walk

and even the sweet warbling of

3. The Bluebird

on her windowsill seemed so loud to her, it was like

4. BOOM

You're right, of course!

Here's a nice theatre story I just saw on a London theatre website (I always like to keep up-to-date on what's happening there, even if I'm not planning a trip in the immediate future). The Far Pavilions -- M. M. Kaye's novel about India, which became a TV mini-series in the 1980's -- is being turned into a musical, which will open this spring. M.M. Kaye, who died last month at the age of 95, was very excited about the musical, and was offering advice on it right up until the end of her life. The article quotes her as saying:

"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine 'The Far Pavilions' would be turned into a West End musical. I don't mind telling you that if I should fall off my worldly twig before curtain is up, I shall make an awful nuisance of myself in the next life unless I am allowed back to see it run!"

That is a nice article Bree. I'll have to check that one out on Amazon, too. Little Women first though.

If the score hasn't been completed, I know just the composer.

Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before
Let the caravan take you where you long to be
Or even an elephant, so you can belong to me.

(But, then again, if Ms Kaye shares Mac, Loislane and your feelings, she might not care to come back to make an awful nuisance of herself.)

I've heard Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I hope they do a better job with Far Pavilions for Ms. Kaye's sake.

Be back with a question for you to think about in the A.M.

Here we go:

The ladies eyed the couple as they entered the dining room. Something was amiss. The couple looked at one another as if they were

1. Out-and-out aliens

The ladies knew immediately that they were witnessing the

2. Dissolution of a relationship

A relationship that had once been such an

3. Unforgettable event

so the ladies (they were kind ladies) immediately suggested that the waiter arrange for

4. More exclusive dining accommodations

to avoid further embarrassment ,and even suggested that he offer

5. Condolences, beveridge included

Oh I forgot to say that the couple included the actress in question.

Sweet dreams, all.

That's quite a story, but I'm too tired to de-code it tonight. Besides, I'm having too much trouble posting on A2K tonight. Maybe both A2K and I will feel perkier tomorrow morning.

That's why I said I posted it for the A.M.

Don't forget to tell us if you get any further info on The Far Pavilions. I am most curious.

Night all.

The ladies eyed the couple (one of whom was Deborah Kerr) as they entered the dining room. Something was amiss. The couple looked at one another as if they were

1. Perfect Strangers

The ladies knew immediately that they were witnessing the

2. End of the Affair (or Marriage on the Rocks)

A relationship that had once been such an

3. Affair to Remember

so the ladies (they were kind ladies) immediately suggested that the waiter arrange for

4. Separate Tables

to avoid further embarrassment ,and even suggested that he offer

5. Tea and Sympathy

Good Morning all. Not such a good one here. It's going to be a frizzle day.

Yes to Deborah Kerr and all the movies. I was going to include Marriage on the Rocks in my story, but decided that since they had an Affair to Remember, I'd end the affair.

Yes, I liked the symmetry of ending the affair to remember, too.

Is frizzle a combination of frost and drizzle (as distinguished from mizzle, which is presumably a combination of mist and drizzle)?

Work may interfere with my playtime again today, so if anyone wants to post a new question before I have a chance to do so, go right ahead.