I mused in an earlier blog (probably months back) about finding actors and actresses in roles on Perry Mason episodes. This is a similar experience. I'll see a face, wonder who *is* that? Then go to the cast list, and continue.
The striking look of the actress playing the part of Lady Abigail Austin drove me to look up the cast list, and I discovered this episode had June Havoc in that role. June Havoc was the younger sister of Gypsy Rose Lee, and she did go on from vaudeville into B movies, as an actress. I found her obit in the Guardian for reference, from 2010. She was 97 when she passed. From IMDB I learned that Gypsy Rose Lee died 40 years earlier, from cancer, in 1970. For most of their lives, the sisters were estranged.
Isn't it fun tracking things down, on a simple whim? Ever notice how long some of these actors / actresses lived? Only now are several of them passing.
Which leads down the memory lane of which ones I identify with my mom (Angela Lansbury was one of these), and what movies make me think of Dad... which led me to view some of the more recent 007 movies as Dad was a Bond fan. I notice several of the ones I never did see are films that were made after he had passed on.
An interesting side note, when looking at the episode on IMdB, I noticed a review that bashed this one as being one that "doesn't work" because Jessica is merely narrating the story, not one of the murders she is involved in solving. The side note is that this was my attitude back when they originally aired season 6, that had several of this sort of episode in the mix. Now, though, I am finding myself appreciating them more. The viewer has changed, not the episode!
Here's hoping you're having a good weekend, this mid-October, whether out and about of relaxing with nostalgic shows! Care to share some of your favorites?
Life is good!🎃
Spark on! 🔥✨💖
Oh yes, watching, wondering, searching, then going down the rabbit hole of his/her life!! I think this is the New way of watching the Old shows. BF is in charge of the searching part (I like hearing him read ðŸ¤). It’s how we find movies to re/watch, too.
ReplyDelete(Sean Connery will always be my 007)
-RunKeeper Dee
Totally agree about Sean Connery, although I like the looks of Daniel Craig and also liked Pierce Brosnan (but he has those startling blue eyes, which is NOT Bond, if you're a reader). Love the idea of BF reading out the research, adding to your joint satisfaction.
DeleteI was surprised how much I liked Daniel Craig in the role!
Delete-RunKeeper Dee
❤️ He has that unassuming, not quite so obviously fit look to him, which is very Sean Connery-like! After all, a spy is not supposed to stick out, right?
DeleteYou know how I love Old Hollywood stars and movies. TCM is going to have the tribute to her on November 21st showing twelve movies of hers.
ReplyDeleteI will have to say that I've never seen a James Bond film. It's just never interested me. Someday I might start watching them.
That's awesome that TCM does those features of individual actors... I've tripped over a few in the past.
DeleteAnd you have to be in the right kind of mood / mindset to watch James Bond films. I'm not always ready for them, and the one I dipped into this past week, I switched away from without finishing it. I find I'm far more willing to abandon something I'm not "that into", in this day of being able to come back to the exact spot on a later date or at a later time!
The Google machine ( ;-p ) has made searching for those elusive names much easier. I record many shows because I spend half the show time trying to figure out "who is that person?". Of course it's then necessary to rewind to catch up with the action.
ReplyDeleteMy folks would watch all "The Thin Man" and "Charlie Chan" movies when they would show on tv. They are some of my favorite oldies.
On an unrelated point: The gratitude list is a keeper...at least IMHO.
Yes, my mom brought me up on The Thin Man and Charlie Chan, too... but it's been a long time since I watched one!
DeleteAs for the gratitude list, I've been doing this since 2009 or 2010. Got started by a sister. It used to be just the month of November, but I have a really difficult time with November 5th, and that's right at the beginning, so I switched to start on Canadian Thanksgiving. Gave me a good run-up. After my brother died, it became challenging again, but I have persevered, and now it's an honoring of his memory, too, as he was an avid participant in the exercise.
Oh yeah, I constantly am looking at various episodes of old shows and finding someone who looks familiar and having to search it out. One was that Jane Seymour was in a Castle episode and Lawrence Fishburne was in a MASH but was listed as Larry Fishburne then.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, finding that actors changed their working names in the credits is a nice "bonus" surprise when looking things up. Don't you just love the extras you get, and the ease of looking things up these days?
DeleteYou sure 'sparked' my inner film geek!
ReplyDeleteI cannot watch a Jimmy Stewart film without seeing my dad. They sounded nothing alike as Dad had a baritone/bass voice. Overall likeability score=100 out of 100.
As for obscura, no one in my sphere but me seems to remember "Ma and Pa Kettle".
Several of the roles that Jimmy Stewart or Henry Fonda would play would remind me of my dad, as they often played ordinary men in situations where their character shone through.
DeleteI remember Ma and Pa Kettle... loved their screwball comedy / common sense... and I think I saw at least one where they were in the same film with Abbott and Costello... something about a haunted house?
That’s sad that Gypse and her siser were estranged, but I guess it happens. And Angela Lansbury was so, so talented! Don’t have actresses like her anymore.
ReplyDeleteLoved Perry Mason back in the day. Loved comedies: I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke, Red Skelton Show, Jackie Gleason and the Honeymooners. Fun shows.
My favorite movie -- well, I do have a lot of them, but The Sound of Music is one of my favorites because it is he first movie my Paternal Grandmother and I went to see together in the theater. It was special.
Fun to reminisce and see how much you remember!
Hugs
Barb
1crazydog
Oh, my goodness... I also went to see Sound of Music when it first came out, in a theater, with my own paternal grandmother. We sat behind a row of nuns in habits. And yes, it was special!
DeleteMy nightly "unwind" features original Star Trek episodes (all of which I know by heart at this point, but they remain a comfort to me)
ReplyDeleteI, too, often look up actors/actresses on IMDB to refine my memories.
I guess it's a feature of getting older that we crave the comfort of nostalgia as a calming influence of an evening. I probably even repeat the look-ups, if it's been a few years.
Delete