A Movie Scene Quiz

Thanks Bree. I can link to live portions of the radio show by using my Windows Media Player, but in order to listen to the Dench interview, I must install Real One Player. I can't tell whether this is a free offer or not, but I believe, not certain though, that when I first got my computer, Real One was installed. After I had some problems with my computer, a friend reinstalled (I think that's the word) everything back to the way it was when I first got it, and I think he disabled Real One. Computer illiterate that I am, I don't want to risk installing Real One again.

And I wouldn't want you to take that risk, especially since I've been told that Real One can create problems if it's installed on your computer. Your friend probably did you a favor when he disabled it.

I could use a friend like yours now. My computer at home is very sick: when I turn it on, it just says "operating system not found", and makes a ghastly noise. I e-mailed Gateway tech support, and they sent back a message that might as well have been written in Greek, for all I understood of it. I was hoping to ask the most helpful tech guy at work if he knew of any reliable computer repair places, but he's out today so I'll have to wait. Alternatively, there's a service called "Geeksoncall", which will actually make house calls to sick computers (at a fairly high price) that I may resort to. Wish me luck.

Oh, that's horrible. Maybe one of the computer experts here could help you.
When my computer froze, I spent a day and a half talking with computer support people at Hewlitt Packard (I had purchased a service agreement) and the computer was so fouled up when we were through, I couldn't use it. In order to have it repaired, I would have had to haul it back to the store where I purchased it which was not my understanding when I bought the service agreement. So much for in-home service agreements. That's when my friend suggested he take the computer home with him and start from scratch. It was like new when he returned it to me.

There are some very helpful computer folks here at a2k, if you want to try posting in the computer forum, bree. They help out newbies - I'm sure they'd be happy to try to help you, too.

Thanks for the suggestion, mac. However, the message I received from Gateway said something about removing the hard drive and making sure it's re-seated properly, and the idea of doing something like that terrifies me so much I don't think I could do it even with the gentlest of help.

By the way, the only reason I'm able to post this now is that I'm using the company-provided laptop, which I'm not supposed to use for anything other than business purposes (she whispered conspiratorially). You won't tell anyone, will you?

(My lips are sealed.) Laptop? What laptop? Bree has a laptop?

I once had to move the internal modem inside my computer with the help of an extremely patient guy at an 800 number. Since it took two hands, I kept setting the phone down in between picking it up and asking really dumb questions... I'm still amazed that I did it myself.

But anything's better than hauling the thing back to the store!

New question, same theme:

Ronald Colman (three words from a movie title) + Gene Tierney (two words from a title)

Tom Hanks (a one-word title) + David Duchovny (one word - if it can be called a word - from a title)

Gregory Hines (two words) + Steve McQueen (two words) + Ben Affleck (one word)

John Cameron Mitchell (one word from a title gives you the first half of the one-word answer) + Hugh Grant (one word from a title gives you the second half of the answer)

In his review of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in today's New York Times, Ben Brantley makes the same point I made about John C. Reilly not being menacing enough as Stanley, but - unlike me - Brantley treats that problem as being fatal to the whole production, and he gives it a largely negative review. The review is too long to post the whole thing here, but if you're interested, you can read it at:

New York Times review of Streetcar

Thanks for the review, Bree. I saw Alec Baldwin and Treat Williams play Stanley (TV) and marvelled at their courage. I've always wondered why Brando wasn't Oscar nominated for the movie. There will never be another Stanley for me.
But all that really matters is that you enjoyed the play.

I like your musical selection. Was it Hoagy's "Two Sleepy People", lyrics by Frank Loesser, that brought Loesser to mind?

If I Were King (Colman) - A Bell for Adano (Tierney)

Big - Hanks - House of D (Duchovny)

Once In the Life (Hines) - Love With the Proper Stranger (McQueen) - Chasing Amy (Affleck)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Mitchell) - The Lair of the White Worm (Grant)

It probably was "Two Sleepy People" that, at some subconscious level, made me think of Frank Loesser. At 3 o'clock this morning, as I was trying to get back to sleep after being awakened by the wind-driven rain pelting against my windows, it suddenly occurred to me that Frank Loesser wrote "Two Sleepy People", and I thought, "Wait a minute -- have I just asked a Frank Loesser question immediately after another Frank Loesser question, just using different song titles?"

"Two Sleepy People" was one of the songs in my Hoagy Carmichael question. I hadn't realized that Frank Loesser wrote the lyrics until I researched Frank Loesser.

While I'm thinking about a new music theme question, let me just say that:

I'm glad you were

Jimmy Lydon

and not outside

Gene Kelly

when

Tyrone Power

I'm also glad I was

Out of the Storm (Jimmy Lydon)

and not outside

Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly)

when

The Rains Came (Tyrone Power)!

So far we've used Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Stephen Foster
Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Kurt Weill, Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser and probably some others.

New question, songwriter connection:

Eileen Herlie (three words from title) + Priscilla Lane (One word from title)

John Travolta (two words from title) + Patrick Swayze (one word from title)

Michael Ontkean (three words from title) + Richard Burton (one word from title) + Rita Hayworth (one word from title)

Ted Danson (two words from title) + Laurence Olivier (one word from title)

I've got three of the four Jerome Kern songs, but I'm having trouble finding the fourth. How about a hint -- what show or movie is it from?

These are the ones I have:

She Didn't Say No! (Eileen Herlie) + Yes, My Darling Daughter (Priscilla Lane)

Just the Way You Are (Michael Ontkean) + Look Back in Anger (Richard Burton) + Tonight and Every Night (Rita Hayworth)

A Fine Mess (Ted Danson) + A Little Romance (Laurence Olivier)

All three songs are correct, but......

I'm not looking for Jerome Kern.
I am looking for a person associated with songwriting though.

Hmm ... did Dorothy Fields write the lyrics for all those songs? I'm pretty sure she wrote the lyrics to "The Way You Look Tonight" and "A Fine Romance". Back to the drawing board.

Duh ... for obvious reasons, I should have gotten this Dorothy Fields song:

Look Who's Talking (and its sequels) (Travolta) and Dirty Dancing (Swayze)

Yes indeed. Dorothy Fields is the lady. I notice she wrote the lyrics for "Sweet Charity" and a song, "Exactly Like You" . I wonder if that is:

"Now I know why mother taught me to be true
She meant me for someone exactly like you."

I can remember my mother singing that song. I have to check that one out.

Yup, that's the song. I know it from Barbara Cook's version on her CD of Dorothy Fields songs, "Close As Pages in a Book".

I'll amuse myself during my 2-hour meeting tomorrow morning (10 -12) by trying to think of a new question.

Yes. I found it:

Words and Music by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh]

I used to have a perfect sweetheart
Not a real one, just a dream
A wonderful vision of us as a team
Can you imagine how I feel now
Love is real now
It's ideal
You're just what I wanted
And now it's nice to live
Paradise to live

I know why I've waited
Know why I've been blue
Prayed each night for somone exactly like you
Why should we spend money on a show or two
No one does those love scenes exactly like you

You make me feel so grand
I want to hand the world to you

You seem to understand
Each foolish little scheme I'm scheming
Dream I'm dreaming
Now I know why mother taught me to be true
She meant me for someone exactly like you

That's the way Ruth Etting sang it. Doris Day played Ruth Etting in the movie "Love Me Or Leave Me". I also just found out that Ruth Etting can be heard singing "Whose Honey Are You" in "The Road to Perdition". ( I haven't seen that one yet.)

I'm going to have to look into that Barbara Cook CD.