Preparing for Late Winter

I slept in a little this morning, then spent most of the morning working on my positive music project. I'm just about done listing songs from my collection. I just have to write down songs from the rock collections, type it all, and print it. Ran That's Entertainment Part III as background as I worked. Some rare cut numbers (including my favorite, Lena Horne's "Ain't It the Truth" in the bubble bath from Cabin In the Sky) are the stand-outs in this third selection of classic sequences from beloved MGM song-and-dance movies.

Work was much busier than it was yesterday, steady all day with occasional long lines. Not only is it supposed to get very cold tomorrow, in the 20s during the day, but we may be getting rain, sleet, and a little snow on Monday night and Tuesday (as of this writing). We did get some flurries off and on this morning; maybe that scared people. I managed to get a small bag of rock salt during my break, just in case it gets icy. It was still busy when I finished; a manager came in so I could go home.

When I got in, I ran the first half of Three Little Words during dinner. This MGM charmer has Fred Astaire and Red Skelton as songwriters Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. The two men pair up by chance after Kalmar has an accident that ends his vaudeville career and because Ruby has a good song that needs decent lyrics. They continue to pair up through the years, even though they're two very different men and often don't get along. They also have no trouble playing matchmaker. Ruby and the boys' agent (Keenan Wynn) do their best to get Kalmar together with his old vaudeville partner Jessie (Vera-Ellen). Later, the Kalmars try to steer Ruby away from several women who want to use him. He finally ends up with an early talkie star (Arlene Dahl).

That's about it. This is the most refreshingly minimalist of the late 40s-early 50s composer "biographies," and probably my favorite. (It was apparently Fred Astaire's favorite, too.) The only guest stars are Gloria DeHaven (singing the team's best-known standard "Who's Sorry Now?" and playing her mother Mrs. Carter DeHaven) and Debbie Reynolds (singing "I Wanna Be Loved By You" with the voice of the song's originator, Betty Boop inspiration Helen Kane). Not for those who are expecting more plot or elaborate numbers, but if you're a fan of Astaire or Skelton or want a lower-key musical than usual for MGM in their heyday, this is recommended and really adorable.