I read that Jerry Lewis was to receive an award at the Oscars tonight. I loved Jerry Lewis! His characters were goofy, sweet, vulnerable, funny. And in a couple of movies (Cinderfella, The Nutty Professor), we got to see him morph into another version of himself: suave, sexy, appealing on a different level. In the Cinderfella clip, he confidently snaps his foot as he takes the first few steps down the staircase, all eyes on his every move. Such attention to detail. He was also a technological pioneer in the movie-making industry. And of course everyone knows of his tireless telethon work on behalf of "Jerry's Kids."
I love movies of this era, late 50s/early 60s. There's a hopefulness in them, a sense that - despite obstacles - we've just got to keep our chin up and figure out how to make the best of things. The kind of Lil' Rascals "C'mon kids, let's put on a show" cheerful optimism or the Pollyanna "Glad Game" resilience to tragedy that movies had then. I don't watch violent movies, action-packed movies, car chase movies, Ben Stiller/Jim Carrey; they're just not my thing. Give me a movie with a decently entertaining story of goodness and integrity, throw in some laughter, add a dash of a love story (but keep everyone's clothes on), add in a fun twist ... and I'll get the popcorn started, tea brewing and a blanket at the ready.
Jerry Lewis made me smile, he made me laugh, he made the days lighter and brighter. And no, I'm not French. :-)
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I promised Carol-of-the-frozen-ground some garden pics. These first three, though, are the lilies my friend Ryann gave to me. The scent just filled my home when I came home each day.
7 comments:
*grin*
Carol-of-the-frozen-ground thanks you. :)
Mmm, I love stargazer lilies. Your flowers are just so pretty. Great colors.
Speaking of movies, have you ever seen "Bella"? We got that from Netflix last week. Such a sweet movie.
I saw the nice mention of my blog, The Happiness Project, here. I so much appreciate the link and you shining a spotlight on my blog! Best wishes, Gretchen Rubin
Oh, I love Jerry Lewis! I was telling my husband the night of the Oscars that I grew up watching all of his movies. All of them! I don't think there's one that I missed and I especially loved the ones with Dean Martin. Well, I loved the Rat Pack, the musicals (oh, the musicals!), Fred Astaire, etc. I grew up watching black and whites and find myself always looking at the "other" channels to see what good black and white movie is playing. Not too long ago I saw Whatever Happened to Baby Jane with my husband. He wasn't that into it growing up but is developing an appreciation for it.
And the telethon. I was a "fan." Every Labor Day eve I'd get myself all ready on the living room floor with tons of blankets underneath and on top, with my pillow, some munchies, and stay up THE ENTIRE NIGHT -- all 24 hours with Jerry watching the show. I was young and so I felt that if I couldn't contribute financially, I could at least stay up and "care" about what was going on.
You brought back so many good memories with this post, Rose, thank you so much! I think tonight I will now be looking for another black and white musical or a Jerry Lewis movie. Speaking of which, don't you find that they don't show them much?
Your photos are heavenly.
Here is a song from another Jerry fan. (A belated birthday gift).
Now seriously, how many songs have Jerry in them????:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgkSHbvzYyY
Love,
T
PG - I haven't seen Bella, but the previews look good. I'll have to put it on my list.
Rebecca - We are kindred spirits on this! Do you ever watch clips of the old Dean Martin show? Gosh, so many real performers then! None of this "reality" fakery. Just watched one with Joey Heatherton. I remember "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" - Mom was a fan of Betty Davis, Clint Eastwood, etc. We saw those instead of Disney movies as kids.
T - Loved that song! And great pic of Jerry in the clip, too.
I just got an email from a friend on a clip from the Dean Martin show. Boy, that brought up memories. It was a skit with Foster Brooks (remember him?) about a drunk airline pilot. I was laughing so hard my sides hurt. If you want, send me your email (my email is on my profile page) and I'll forward it to you. It will definitely bring back memories!
And I know what you mean about reality shows. It's a damn shame that this seems to be the fodder for today's generation. Most of it is garbage that shouldn't even be aired, if you ask me. But what's even worse is that young children are also watching these shows. I remember as a kid watching The Little Rascals, Father Knows Best, Leave it to Beaver, the Munsters and shows of that ilk. They were great and funny and we could just be kids, you know, worrying only about "kid" things. We grew up laughing over innocent things and wishing and hoping for a beautiful future. I think the sad thing is that today's shows lack that. I'm a big advocate of age-appropriate viewing. Little minds need to develop at a slow pace and cannot be bombarded with grown-up issues. Hence, mental and emotional problems later on down the road. And we can get into a whole other realm of the grown-up clothes they sell for them, the shows that they air and the topics covered, too much emphasis on material things, etc. I grew up wearing hand-me downs cause I was the last of six, didn't have a cell phone, didn't wear makeup till I was in high school, had very few toys that I treasured and watched only tv for a few hours each day because Mom wasn't a big advocate. I spent my summers outdoors getting into innocent trouble and learning how to defend myself and make better choices, and I knew the lines that could not be crossed. Arguing with Mom was a no-no, throwing tantrums? Never! It was just such a different time! And as I grew, I kept on watching the black and whites, the musicals, because it is what spoke to me. I think we grew up in a very lucky era indeed.
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