Magic of the Movies

I started reading this today. It's the latest biog on the wonderful Bette Davis. I have been fascinated by this woman since I first saw "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" about .. eek thirty years ago. I have seen all her movies at least twice - my favourites being "Now Voyager", "All This and Heaven Too", "All About Eve" and the lesser known "The Corn is Green". I think she was a superb actress, way ahead of her time. She was a very opinionated woman and didn't suffer fools gladly! I wish I had a bit more Bette in me! I always find it weird when I hear about how various people remarked on her lack of sex appeal and how she didn't have the looks of a Hollywood movie star. I think she was far more gorgeous than any of the "Blonde Bombshells" of the age as she had character - not too mention those amazingly huge eyes. How I would have loved to have been able to see her movies, and those of other favourites, on the big screen when they were first released, when the magic of the movies was new.

I was watching one of the "That's Entertainment" compilations on tv recently and T was in the room. He would rather have wisdom tooth surgery than have to watch an old movie but even he couldn't help commenting on Gene and Fred's dancing and, he was gobsmacked by the clips of Esther Williams' stunts, all done without trick photography and, so I read once, most done in one take!!

I admit that I have a hankering for another old movie today or tomorrow - Deanna Durbin in "Mad About Music" - I know it's one of the most twee movies ever but I LOVE it!!! "I like to whistle, cos it makes me merry ........." Wonderful stuff!!!

Well, rambling on here has made me feel much better! I've had homesickness pretty bad today - weekends are always the worst. Weekends at 273 have pretty much been set in stone for the last 20+ years so I pretty much know what Mum and Dad and Aunty E are doing at any given time. It's funny but homesickness seems to get more acute as the years go by - whether it's cos I know how old they are getting I am not sure. At the moment I talk to Mum at least twice a day - which is probably more than a lot of people who live in the same town as their parents! How did people who lived on the other side of the world from their loved ones cope before telephones? I know I couldn't.

Well, back to reality .... see you tomorrow. xx