Monday, October 13, 2014

Rainy Days and Holiday Mondays

First of all, Happy Columbus Day to all Americans, and Happy Thanksgiving to our neighbors to the north in Canada.

Second, yes, the Eagles did shut out the Giants last night, 27-0. It was their first shutout since December 1996. (And I've read that the last team they shut out was also the Giants.)

Second, I really didn't do a lot today. I was up really late chatting with Lauren (who has her second week of vacation starting yesterday) and didn't get out of bed until almost 10. I had breakfast while watching one more Famous Studios Popeye cartoon. Popeye claims that "I Don't Scare" when he takes the superstitious Olive out for a walk. Bluto does everything he can to sabotage his outing. Popeye proves that, even without consuming spinach, he can be as lucky as the next sailor.

The only thing I really had planned for today was getting the laundry done. I'm not going to have the time for the next few days. I thought the laundromat would be a lot busier than it was, given it was almost noon by the time I got in and today is Columbus Day. There was only one other person there when I got in. I didn't have a really big load, anyway. By the time more people started arriving, my laundry was in the drier.

When I get home, I continued The Dolly Sisters, which I began before I left. This is another Betty Grable vehicle set in the early 20th Century that's based after real-life...but this time, it's a far more tragic story. The Dolly Sisters were vaudeville headliners during the years before, during, and directly after World War II. They were known for their "shadow dancing," or perfect synchronization of their dance movements. Their private lives were far more tumultuous. Older sister Jenny (Grable) married songwriter Harry Fox (John Payne), but later divorced him. Younger sister Rosie (June Haver) found slightly more happiness with a wealthy department store chain owner. Jenny goes to Europe to get away from the pain of her divorce, but her gambling habits and troubles catch up with her after a horrific car accident.

Melodramatic account of the lives of two of vaudeville's most beloved stars. Haver is a bit stiff in one of her earliest roles; Gable is somewhat better as the more conflicted of the two sisters. Payne also does well as the easy-going songwriter. This isn't for everyone. The happy ending seems tacked on (and it was - in reality, neither of the Dolly Sisters' lives ended well), and both of the big production numbers are rather dated and, in the case of "The Darktown Strutter's Ball," offensive to many audiences today. Best for fans of Grable or big 40s musicals.

It was just starting to shower lightly when I went to work. According to my customers, it continued off and on all night. It didn't deter anyone from shopping. We were off-and-on busy from the time I came in at 2 to when I left at 8. I had to call for more help so I could get out on time.

The shower was just starting to slow down as I rode home. I don't think it's even raining now.

1 comment:

Linda said...

The "big department store owner" was Henry Gordon Selfridge, who is the subject of the moderately fictionalized British series MR. SELFRIDGE.