Friday Flicks: What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

This movie scared my socks off.

Bette Davis is horrifying as Baby Jane Hudson, aging child star of Vaudeville. As the years passed, Jane and her sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) would become film stars. Blanche became famous and Jane was so jealous that she ran her over with a car resulting in Blanche living out her days in a wheelchair and ending her acting career. As the sisters aged, Jane took care of Blanche in Blanche's upscale Hollywood home. And Jane just got crazier and crazier. 

Here's the dead rat scene:

Just can't seem to get Devil's Tower out of my head!

A couple of weeks ago we trekked up north to Devil's Tower. It was a fun road trip, listening to Creedence Clearwater Revival, drinking iced coffee and just having a good ol' time in Wonderful Wyoming.

I resisted the urge to build a replica of Devil's Tower with my mashed potatoes, but I was enamoured with it none the less. We hiked around the base of the tower and got some terrific shots. Wish everyone could see this amazing example of God's handiwork.

There it is!





Moving in for a closer look. 







Almost there.. . .



Rock of Ages!





Every nook and cranny.



She's a beauty!



The devil is in the details.




Your's truly.







The amazing Boulder Field at the base of the tower.







All things bright and beautiful

All things great and small

All things wise and wonderful

The Lord God made them all



Tuesday Tunes: Fun! Fun! Fun!

Ya just gotta dance when you hear this "fun" song by the Beach Boys! Ever ride in a Thunderbird? I did. It was my parents' car. Copper with cream interior. I liked the insignia design. Also, my high school team was the East High Thunderbirds! Here's the cheer: We are the T-Birds, mighty mighty T-Birds. Every where we go people want to know who we are. WE ARE THE T-BIRDS!

Friday Flicks: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Paul Newman and Robert Redford pair up in this fabulous buddy flick Western that made them both stars. Eye candy for the ladies. As a female, I remember thinking that Katharine Ross was so lucky. Who's your fave? Redford or Newman?

It's a High Fly Ball, Charlie Brown!

Life is full of unexpected surprises.

THE SCENE
Sunday at church. The service is over and everyone is heading home.

FRIEND: Hey, Luana. Would you like to play on the church softball team?

ME: (Stalling) When is it?

FRIEND: The games will be in August until mid-September.

ME: (Still stalling) Well, I'm going to be out of town the first week of August.

FRIEND: No problem. We really need some players.

ME: (Remembering my history in sports) I'm a terrible player. The worst.

FRIEND: That's okay. It's just for fun. Come on! We could really use you.

ME: (Thinking it might be fun after all) When do you need to know?

FRIEND: By the end of the week.

ME: (Seriously considering it) Okay, let me think about it.

So yesterday I'm at church working with kids at Vacation Bible School and the pastor comes up to me with a roster on a clipboard:

PASTOR: (Handing me the roster and a pen) Would you like to sign up for the church softball team?

ME: Absolutley!

THE END

Tuesday Tunes: Suite Judy Blue Eyes

Another song introduced to me by my adoring hubby back in the days when we were falling in love. I love the harmony in this song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Friday Flicks: Lucas

Lucas (Corey Haim) is a 14-year-old who is the ultimate high school nerd. But that doesn't stop him from trying to fit in. He meets Maggie (Kerri Green), the new girl in town, during summer vacation and falls in love. But once school starts, Maggie develops a crush on football star, Cappie. (Charlie Sheen). Meanwhile fellow nerd Rina (Winona Ryder) has a secret crush on Lucas.

This movie has some fun moments, but I was more drawn to the serious side. One scene that really impacted me was the lunchroom scene where Lucas, Rina and the other nerdy kids are talking about a fellow student that had committed suicide. It's a serious, sad discussion. Meanwhile on the other side of the room the football players and cheerleaders are laughing and joking around. The camera juxtaposes between the two groups. It was very powerful.

Tuesday Tunes: You're So Vain

Carly Simon's signature song . . .takes me back to the good old days when it played on the radio. One of the first songs I learned to play and sing when I got my first guitar in 1973.

My Deer!

We were driving up to Cook Lake yesterday and saw
this deer among the aspen.

Friday Flicks: A Few Good Men

Based on Aaron Sorkin's stage play, A Few Good Men (1992), grabs you by the throat from the first scene and doesn't let go. The screenplay (also by Sorkin) is brilliant. I use this movie as inspiration for writing my own screenplays. Would love to see the stage play sometime.

Tuesday Tunes: Hey, Good Lookin'

My mama used to sing this song to me and my brother when we were little tykes running around the house while she was cooking dinner.

Collaboration is like improv

I've learned a lot over the last year about collaboration and have come to this conclusion -- to successfully work with others on a project, you should follow the rules of improv:

NEVER SAY "NO": Say "yes, and. . ."  when someone offers an idea. A positive response keeps the creative flow moving. It just makes sense. When you say, "no," people shut down, confidence falters, people go into survival mode and it's game over.

LISTEN: Don't just wait for your chance to talk. See where they're going and follow them.

TRUST: They want the project to succeed as much as you do. They are not trying to sabotage you.

BE SPECIFIC: Details help others to visualize your idea. Don't say "a man gets into a car" -- say "Raymond Lipton, Attorney at Law, slipped behind the wheel of his red Mustang."

FOCUS: Keep the big picture in mind and everything else will fall into place.

HAVE FUN! Communicating with others and sharing ideas is an exhilarating experience. Enjoy the journey.

Friday Flicks: Horse Feathers

Big Marx Brothers fan here. Gotta share one of my favorite scenes from Horse Feathers (1932).

The Room

My spare bedroom will be available soon and I can transform it into my dream room. An art studio/office! The room has great light and an eastern exposure.

I want a room where I can have my art supplies available and create to my heart's content. I also want it to serve as an office for my writing and movie projects.

Here's my task list:
Paint the walls
Lay floor tile (You don't want carpet in an art studio. Not practical)
New computer desk (Perhaps an "L" shape with lots of desk area for my computer monitors, printer and writing space)
Book shelves
Floor lamp
Papasan chair (I've always wanted one!)

My shelves will be low so I can use my wall space to hang artwork.

Maybe a decorative table water fountain for relaxation and inspiration.

Don't talk to me about Feng Shui. I'm pretty sure I'll be breaking every rule in the book. I like mirrors and they supposedly bounce the Chi out of your space. Like bullets off Superman's chest.

Pedal Pushers

I'm inspired by the old Victorian bicycles and am doing preliminary sketches for a painting. There's something truly beautiful about the design of these bicycles with the big front tire and the small back tire. I'm trying to imagine what it was like to ride something like this down the street. Seems like it would be hard to climb on and off. Take a look at these beautiful images:

How old were you when you learned to ride a bike? I was about 10 or 11. But once I got going I rode all the time. I remember at age 17 I got a bright yellow ten-speed for my birthday. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 20.

Tuesday Tunes: Prelude Bach Cello Suite in G Major

The film series, Inspired by Bach, features the beautiful interpretation of Bach's Cello Suites performed by world class cellist Yo Yo Ma. The series comprises six short films, each showcasing one of the cello suites and focusing an a different artistic element. This clip is from The Music Garden (the cello suite in G Major), a documentary about creating a music garden in Toronto.

A Hot Night in Bedrock

Today we strike the set for "Casablanca/The Maltese Falcon." I had so much fun in the show, meeting new people and rekindling friendships. I've also acquired new followers on my blog and thought you all might get a kick out of my humorous short story that I posted a while back called "A Hot Night in Bedrock." It's a parody of The Flintstones, 1960s cartoons and Sam Spade.

A Hot Night in Bedrock

It was a hot night in Bedrock. Sweat was pouring down my back and the monkey that pedaled the fan motor decided to take a banana break. When you’re a private investigator, you sometimes have to burn the midnight oil, and this was one of those nights.

It had been a long day and I was just about to mosey down to the local watering hole for a tall glass of pterodactyl juice on the rocks before heading home to watch the match between the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Bugs, my bookie, had given me a tip that tonight the bird was gonna lose . . . and lose big. I’d bet 100 clams on the coyote. The odds were high, but if Bugs knew what he was talking about, I’d be swimming in oysters for a month.

I grabbed my hat and walked toward the door when a dame walked in. Dames are a dime a dozen in Bedrock, but this one stood out like a cherry on a vanilla cone. She was tall, slender, and her red hair was pinned on top of her head with a little dinosaur bone. Her sexy white dress looped over a shapely shoulder and a single strand of pearls enhanced the curve of her neck. I could tell she was nervous and a little flustered.

“Are you Rocky Feldspar? Private Eye?”

“That depends on who wants to know.”

“My name is Flintstone. Wilma Flintstone.”

Flintstone . . . Flintstone . . . the name was familiar. I knew a Reuben Flintstone who worked out of Jellystone Park undercover as a bear, staking out picnic basket thieves. I’d also heard of a Seymore Flintstone, an informer that had testified in the Bullwinkle Moose trial and was now in the witness protection program. But one look at Wilma’s baby browns told me I was sniffing around the wrong fire hydrant.

“Have a seat,” I said, and offered her a chair next to my desk. She crossed her legs and her skirt slid up a few inches, but she quickly pulled it down over her dimpled knees.

“So, what’s your story,” I asked.

“I think my husband is trying to kill me.”

“What do you mean?”

She started to tear up and unsnapped her turtle purse, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes.

“Fred’s a foreman at the Rockhead Quarry. He’s not much in the brains department … or looks either, for that matter . . . but he’s a good provider.”

“Go on.”

“He’s a simple man. A member of the Royal Order of Water Buffalos. He goes bowling on Friday nights. And all he wants from me is a rack of barbequed spare ribs ready for him when he comes home.”

“Sounds like a great guy.”

She picked up on my sarcasm right away and a smile played at the corner of her mouth. “Yeah,” she said. “Fred’s one in a million.”

“Then why do you think he wants you dead?”

She unsnapped her purse again and pulled out an envelope, which she passed on to me. “I found this in his bowling bag. An insurance policy worth 500,000 big ones.”

I opened the envelope. The policy was legit, all right. Looked like Flintstone was in like flint . . . if he could pull it off. But something in my gut told me there was more to the story. I looked up and Wilma was standing next to me. She took the bone out of her hair and auburn tresses cascaded down her back.

“I’m pretty sure Fred is having an affair,” she said in a sultry voice.

I’d been down this road before. A dame finds out her husband has a lover, so she goes after the first guy she finds to prove she’s still desirable. I’d learned that lesson the hard way with Jane Jetson. Her husband George came after me one night with a loaded forty-five. Lucky for me his aim was lousy and he just riddled the wall behind me full of holes. What do you expect from a guy who walks his dog on a treadmill.

“Look, sweetheart,” I growled, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her back into the chair. “I’m not gonna play your reindeer games.” She looked hurt, but got over it faster than you could say “yabba dabba doo.” She pinned her hair back up with the dinosaur bone and smiled.

“No games, Feldspar. I just thought it would help the case if you knew what Fred was up to in his spare time. Not that I care. Our marriage has been dead for years. We’re only staying together for the sake of Pebbles.”

“Fruity Pebbles? The cereal?”

“No. Our baby daughter.”

“So who’s the dame?”

“Betty Rubble.”

I wrote the name down, but it was just for show. I knew Betty. A slinky brunette with big brown eyes and legs that wouldn’t quit. Fred didn’t know what he was getting in to, the poor sap.

“How do you know he’s having an affair?”

“He comes home late from work with lipstick on his collar. And I found some pink panties in his pocket. Not mine.”

“Maybe they’re his.”

“Not a chance. They were monogrammed ‘B.R.’ I know they belonged to Betty.” She showed about as much emotion as an accountant reciting the tax code at an IRS conference.

Like I said, I knew Betty very well. But I also knew about her dopey husband Barney and the double life he led. Those panties were his or my name wasn’t Rocky Feldspar.

“Can you help me, Feldspar? I heard you were the best P.I. in Bedrock.”

I couldn’t argue with her there. I was proud of my record. If it wasn’t for me, Mr. Magoo would still be jaywalking. And thanks to my efforts, Speedy Gonzales was locked up in the slammer without parole for running guns in Mexico. In fact, because of my deft detective skills, Boris and Natasha were nabbed for trying to skip the country with that nuclear warhead. Now they were waiting their turn at the gas chamber instead of knocking back vodka shots in Minsk.

I walked over to Wilma and put my arms around her. She didn’t resist. Despite her cavalier air, I knew she was in pain. I don’t usually get personally involved with my clients, but there was something about her that aroused my inner caveman.

“Sure angel, I’ll take the case.”

“Can I call you Rocky?”

“Call me whatever you like.” I turned off the desk lamp and we embraced in the moonlight. Tomorrow I would get to work, but first I had a bone to pick with Wilma Flintstone.

THE END

Friday Flicks: All the President's Men

I was 17 when President Nixon resigned in 1974. I remember sitting with my family watching his address to the nation on TV. Everyone was stunned. I wasn't really following politics at the time - I was more into clothes, Linda Ronstadt and the Sonny & Cher Show, but I'll never forget that day.

When the movie came out a few years later, I was older and wiser. Married with a child, politics moved to the front burner pretty quick and I wanted to learn all I could about Watergate. All the President's Men remains one of my all time favorite films.

My Hollywood Rant

Find out what I think about Men in Black 3D. Just visit my movie blog at Skating Buffalo.

Tuesday Tunes: Radar Love

One of my favorite radio songs from the 70s. Great road trip tune!