Top Ten Monty Python Clips

 This year for Thanksgiving we are doing an activity with H/F cousins and everyone is supposed to come up with a Top Ten list. I decided to do Top Ten Monty Python skits. This has been tricky to rank them, but here they are:

#10 I'd Like to Buy a Hearing Aid

#9 Roman Graffiti Scene:

#8 Bridge of Death:

#7 French Tower Scene

#6 Knights Who Say Ni (both shrubbery and herring):

#5 Black Knight:

#4 Constitutional Peasants:

#3 Witch Burning Scene:

#2 Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch and the Book of Armaments:

#1 Ministry of Silly Walks:

And an Honorable Mention to this 1998 interview which was done after Graham Chapman's death (with his ashes brought to the interview, so he could "participate"):

Monty Python bits that are also great but didn't make the top ten:

• Why Michelangelo Didn't Paint the Last Supper
• I'd Like to Have an Argument
• Philosopher Soccer Match
• Salad Days
• Working Class Playwright
• Killer Rabbit
• Dead Parrot Pet Shop and Lumberjack Song
• Cheese Shop
• I'd Rather Just Sing

Some Current Art Favorites and Thoughts on Jackie Kennedy

I'm cleaning out my desktop while I wait at the airport for a flight. Before I organize these beautiful works of art into oblivion, I want to make sure I highlight them so I can remember:

Sarah Paxton Ball Dodson, "Butterflies," 1891

Mary Cassatt, "Lilacs in Window," 1883

This painting and the lilacs remind me of my mom

Gustave-Leonard de Jonghe, "First Born," 1863

This painting reminds me of when I went to meet my niece Mabel, the first child born to one of my siblings. I would be the lady in the yellow traveling clothes, and V is the mom in white

Tissot, "Reading a Story," c. 1897

Some of the most quiet moments I have with Lucy are when we are reading a story together. This curly-haired blonde girl reminds me of her

Gari Melchers, "The Communicant," c. 1900

  

Evelyn de Morgan, "Night and Sleep," 1878

Evelyn de Morgan, "Clytie," 1878

Whistler, "The Artist in His Studio," 1865-66

 Caillebotte, "Woman at a Dressing Table," c. 1873

Frederick Sandys, "Whitlingham, Norfolk," 1860

I grew to really like Frederick Sandys's art this summer, while giving tours about his paintings "Morgan le Fay" and "Medea"

Charles Robert Leslie, "Queen Victoria in Her Coronation Robes," 1838

Winslow Homer, "Waiting for Dad (Longing)," 1873

The photograph below and the Homer painting above have been saved on my desktop, right next to each other. I've thought lately about how their compositions are similar in some ways, with the straight horizon line of the sea. I guess I'm really drawn to the same aesthetic Something resonates with me in both subjects, too: solitude and playfulness. The photograph particularly reminds me of my mom (with her own short dark hair) and her investment in her kids. I adore this composition, particularly the curve of Caroline's tummy, her round legs, and how she has one foot just peek over the horizon line. 

Mark Shaw Kennedy, "Jackie Swings Caroline in the Shallows of Hyannis Port," 1959

Yesterday, by coincidence, Lucy the book, "Just Being Jackie" by Megan Cardillo. It's a delightful book and I really like the illustrations, too. I've realized how much I truly admire Jackie Kennedy and all that she did, in her pursuit of her career, her dedication to her children, and her desire to preserve historical buildings and monuments (and I already had an inkling of this latter point before, since I am familiar with her involvement in saving Egyptian temples). 

Having worked recently to restore an heirloom dollhouse this past summer, I am now anxious to see what Jackie Kennedy did on a greater scale with her restoration of the White House. I hope to watch "A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy" (the 1962 documentary) soon. I'm saving a clip below as a starter, but I need to track down the whole documentary:

Unusual Fred Astaire Dance Routines

It is taking me longer to go through Fred Astaire material than I thought! I didn't realize how many films Fred Astaire made during his prolific career: he created around 35 movies during his career, and this is surprising considering that he really entered Hollywood when he was around 34 years of age.

In Fred Astaire's obituary in the NY Times, I found a list of some of the more unusual dances that Fred did during his career. I think that these are really fun to watch because they show off his dancing ability and also his ability as an entertainer.

Fred Astaire dances on the ceiling in "You're All the World to Me" from Royal Wedding (1951):

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced on roller skates in "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" from Shall We Dance (1937). I think it's especially fun to hear this song, since Fred and Ginger also sing this song, which was written by the Gershwin brothers.



Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth dance on top of a wedding cake in "You'll Never Get Rich":




And Fred Astaire dancing while hitting golf balls off of a tee in "Carefree":



And, although this isn't an unusual set or premise for a dance routine, I thought I would include this clip of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly dancing together (from "The Babbit and the Bromide"), since you don't always see these two mega-star male dancers appearing side-by-side. It's interesting to see them dancing together and notice how differently their bodies are formed: Fred seems lanky and tall next to Gene Kelly (which is funny because Fred was only 5'9" tall).

"Love and Friendship" Quotes

My good friend Rachael and I went and saw Love and Friendship this evening. What a fun show! Rachael and I laughed heartily throughout the movie, especially during the scene when the inane - yet pleasant - Sir James Martin first arrives at the Churchill country estate. It was a really fun evening. 

One critic said that this film is "the sort of movie that fans will quote to each other to affirm membership in a secret club."  I definitely can see that. Here are two quotes that I found particularly clever:

• “We bring these delightful creatures into the world—eagerly, happily—and then before long they are spying upon and judging us, rarely favourably. Having children is our fondest wish but, in doing so, we breed our acutest critics. It is a preposterous situation—but entirely of our own making.” 
• "Americans really have shown themselves to be a nation of ingrates, only by having children can we begin to understand such dynamic."

The movie is based off of a book by Whit Stillman, but now I'm anxious to read Lady Susan and see how it compares to the film (and Stillman's book).

Celebrities Project: Buddy Holly

I'm wrapping up Buddy Holly Semi-Month. To be honest, doing this project for the last week or so was a little tedious for me. I think this was partly due to the fact that I read a ridiculously long and tangential biography on Holly by Ellis Amburn. The biography had some good and interesting information, but Amburn included so many extra details, tangents, and irrelevant musings that I kept getting drowsy while reading. And I also tired of listening to Holly's music, too, and I mentioned some of those reasons in a previous post.

That being said, I am glad to have a better perspective on why Holly was so influential. Here are some of the major things that Holly contributed to the world of rock 'n roll:

• Holly was novel because he was a musician who would write his own songs and perform them. This wasn't common at the time. Interestingly, Holly didn't know how to read music, however.
• Holly's method of playing the guitar was also different. He would play all of the six strings on his guitar at the same time, whereas other musicians would play just a one or two strings at a time. (See fellow band member Sonny Curtis demonstrate Buddy's strumming at 3:18 of this clip). Buddy's strumming also produced a unique sound because he would continually strum with downward strokes, instead of alternating with downward and upward strokes. Also, Buddy Holly's use of the capo seems to have been unusual: John Lennon said that Buddy was the first guitar player he'd ever seen use a capo (Amburn, e-book location 6215).
• The simple chords and simple, repetitive chord progressions in Buddy's music would have a major influence on later rock 'n roll bands, such as the Beatles.
• The Crickets also were the first to have the traditional setup for rock bands today: two guitars, a bass, and drums.
• Buddy Holly changed fashion because he was a rock musician who wore glasses. His glasses gave hope and courage to other musicians, such as John Lennon. John Lennon, who was legally blind, used to take off his glasses and stumble around onstage in order to better appear like a rocker. After Lennon saw Buddy Holly, he decided to wear glasses with confidence. Elton John also was influenced by Buddy's appearance, and decided as a young teenager to start wearing glasses, even though he didn't need them to see.
• The so-called "peacock look" rockers wore in the 1960s is attributed to the "Edwardian" clothes that Buddy was wearing in the 1958-59: on his last tour his performance attire included an ascot tie and he also wore a greatcoat with a fur collar (see another image here).

I was particularly intrigued to learn about how Holly had a key influence on the Beatles. Holly's music had a particular impact in Liverpool, since sailors (known as "Cunyard Yanks") worked on the shipping lines and often brought back to Liverpool souvenirs and records they had purchased while docked in New York (Amburn, e-book, location 2247). It seems like Paul McCartney and John Lennon were intrigued by a group of local musician friends who were able to join together and create a band. In fact, one of the reasons that the Beatles chose their name was in homage to Holly's band, the Crickets. Paul McCartney is a particular fan on Buddy Holly, and he mentioned once that "Listen to Me" is his favorite Buddy Holly song (Amburn, e-book, location 3095). McCartney's business company, MPL Communications, purchased the Buddy Holly Songbook n 1975 from nearly-bankrupt Norman Petty, who was Buddy Holly's one-time manager and producer.

Paul McCartney even helped to create a documentary about Buddy Holly in 1985. The documentary is titled The Real Buddy Holly Story, and Paul decided to create it in order to portray a more realistic image of the singer than what was portrayed in the film The Buddy Holly Story (1978). Here is a video of the beginning of the documentary (which is linked in YouTube to a playlist for the entire documentary):

The one thing that I didn't like about The Real Buddy Holly Story is that it didn't really explain the legal conflicts and financial difficulties that Buddy Holly underwent as a result of his conniving producer and manager, Norman Petty. It is pretty apparent that Petty took advantage of the inexperience and talent of Buddy Holly and the Crickets members, not only by taking their money (and limiting their access to money), but also by demanding that he receive co-songwriting credit on the songs that Buddy wrote himself. Buddy eventually broke away from Petty (which ultimately forced him to leave the Crickets) and decided to move to New York to pursue career opportunities there. The Real Buddy Holly Story didn't really touch on this subject, although they did interview Petty's wife for the documentary (Petty was already deceased). It seems like The Real Buddy Holly Story isn't completely "real." Paul and Norman Petty were apparently friends: Paul McCartney inaugurated Buddy Holly Week in Britain in 1976, on what would have been the week of Buddy's fortieth birthday, and McCartney invited Norman Petty to be the guest of honor at a luncheon for the special week.

Some interesting trivia:

• Ed Sullivan was upset with the Crickets deciding to perform "Oh Boy" in his stage; Sullivan felt that the song was too suggestive with its lyrics and rhythm. The Crickets refused to change their selected number, since it was their current song hit. As a result, Sullivan tried to sabotage the performance by ordering the lighting and sound technicians to mess with the lights and sound backstage. You can see on this clip how the lighting goes out right at the beginning of the performance (and look at Sullivan's face after he introduces the number!).
• It doesn't seem like Buddy Holly really publicized his marriage to his wife, Maria Elena Santiago, a Puerto Rican that he met in New York City. They were only married about six months before Holly died. Regardless, it seems like Buddy met less opposition from a cultural standpoint than Sammy Davis Jr. did in the following decade: Caucasian males were allowed to marry outside their race (including John Wayne and Marlon Brando), but men of other races could not (Amburn, e-book, location 3656).
• Buddy wore dark sunglasses at his wedding because he hadn't replaced the regular glasses he'd lost waterskiing in Buffalo Springs Lake that summer. Years after Holly's death, some workmen who were dredging the lake found Holly's eyeglasses and wallet, and returned them to his family.
• The Crickets tried to continue to make music after their split with Buddy Holly, using the singer Earl Sinks (who tries to mimic Buddy's sound on "Love's Made a Fool of You").
• James Dean and Anthony Perkins were Buddy's favorite actors.
• It seems like a lot of conditions could have prevented Buddy and two other musicians, Richie Valens and Big Bopper, to charter a plane to North Dakota during their tour. If Buddy's wife Maria had been on the tour, they wouldn't have flown because she was terrified of small planes. However, she was sick at the time, being in the early stages of pregnancy, and didn't go on the tour with Buddy. Additionally, if the tour group had given the men more time to take care of their laundry and personal errands, they wouldn't have felt compelled to fly ahead of the group and take care of the errands beforehand. Also, someone was aware of the approaching snowstorm and "telephoned the group's agency on Monday night [to try] and call off the next appearance.  Meanwhile, the plane carrying the singers took off." (Amburn, e-book, location 5415).

As a person, I don't know if I can really identify with Buddy Holly in too many ways. He just seems like a young kid who was immature in a lot of ways, although he did seem to be a very generous person. He gave gifts freely and willingly, and also worked hard to help other musicians build their careers. He also was very dedicated to his friends, which is I think one reason why his band was successful. 

It would have been interesting to see what role he would have played in the world of music, if he had lived longer. Regardless, the impact he held on future musical groups (especially those in Britain, like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones) changed the course of history.

Sammy Davis Jr. Performances

Sammy Davis Jr. Month is going pretty well, although I'm still working my way through Sammy Davis Jr.'s first autobiography (it is 600 pages long, and his second autobiography is about the same in length!!!). I've also been watching more YouTube clips of his stage and television performances, to get a better sense of him as an entertainer. These are some of my favorite clips that I have seen thus far:

 I can't find the source of this clip, but I'm pretty sure that this is from a 1973 episode of The Julie Andrews Hour. Julie serves as a moderator between an "impression contest" between Rich Little and Sammy Davis Jr. I especially love at 5:25 in this clip, when Sammy Davis Jr.'s impression of Frankie
Laine makes Julie Andrews lose it. It's also fun to have two Dean Martins performing at the same time (even with a "Dean and Jerry" moment).



Probably the best compilation of Sammy Davis Jr. clips is this one, which includes not only his impressions but dancing, singing, and some of his on-stage work with the Rat Pack:


Here is one more BBC clip. I especially like the impressions that begin around the middle of the clip, starting with Fred Astaire (at 6:41):

Debbie Reynolds as a Football

My little sister C sent me a link with a clip of a "football dance" from I Love Melvin (1953), which stars Debby Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. In this musical number, Debby Reynolds is dressed like a football, and she is tossed between the male football dancers players. I think this is such an interesting take on football: the men are crowding around the ball, like they are vying for a moment with a lady on the dance floor. Is it really that dissimilar to the actual sport?



I don't think I have ever seen I Love Melvin, but I know that it was made the year after Singing in the Rain. From what I read, though, it seems like Donald O'Connor ends up being the love interest in I Love Melvin, which is a role reversal from Singin' in the Rain (in which he played Gene Kelly's sidekick and funnyman). I remember reading that Gene Kelly wasn't that kind to Reynolds during the filming of Singin' in the Rain, who felt like she was an inferior starlet in comparison to him. It seems like Reynolds and O'Connor got along well off-screen.

This online biography for Donald O'Connor says that I Love Melvin was pretty much a dud of a film, but there is this really great scene (in addition to the football scene, naturally) in which O'Connor tap dances in roller skates:



I kind of wish I had chosen Donald O'Connor for one of the celebrities that I am studying this year. I guess I'll leave him for next year...

Celebrities Project: Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn in 1956. Image via Wikipedia

Audrey Hepburn Month has been interesting for me in several ways. I read two different biographies about Hepburn this past month: Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn by David Spoto and Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit: A Son Remembers by Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Spoto's biography was informative, comprehensive, and gossipy. Ferrer's biography had such a different take and feel, since Ferrer was basically writing about his memories and experiences with his mother. He mentioned a few things related to her work and peers within the Hollywood industry, but the book felt much more personal and respectful. I loved seeing all of the family photographs included in that book, too. The last part of the book was dedicated to explaining the last few weeks of Audrey's life, after her health began to fail due to cancer. That part of the book really resonated with me, since it made me think about my own experiences with my mom before she died.

There are several things that I liked learning about Audrey Hepburn's character and personality. She was an introvert who held insecurities for much of her life. She was also very generous, polite, and kind, which caused her to be admired and respected in Hollywood and around the world. Her kind heart and love for children caused her to spend the last years of her life as an ambassador for UNICEF, and I really admire that she felt like the best way to take advantage of her public image was to draw attentions to the plights of those in desperate need of help.

I watched seven Audrey Hepburn films this month. I tried to focus on watching films that I hadn't ever seen, or hadn't seen for a long time. J and I also watched Breakfast at Tiffany's, since he had no memory of seeing that show. About halfway through the month, though, I felt like I was going through a slump: I got less excited about watching several of her films while I read her biography by Spoto, because it seemed like she didn't get a lot of critical acclaim for her work. Quite a few of her films received lukewarm reception, despite her individual popularity with the public. I began to feel like she was mostly regarded for her beauty, sense of fashion, and elegance. But I'm glad that I stuck with studying her work and life, because despite her beauty and fashionable appeal, she created enough films that there were really some good instances for her to shine as an actress and comedian. These are the films that I watched (which are not in chronological order of her filmography, but the order in which I viewed them):

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Breakfast at Tiffany's: Hepburn's fast-talking character Holly Golightly seems like an exhausting character to play. Heburn had to keep up a lot of momentum in each scene, and it was interesting to know that this character was in many ways different from Hepburn's own introverted personality. I do think, though, that the insecurities which Holly Golightly had (particularly about love and being loved by someone) must have resonated with Hepburn, though. I liked knowing that there was a crowd of people watching her opening scene – it seems like she is the only one on the whole street. Last year Vogue published a list of "10 Things You Never Knew About Breakfast at Tiffany's" in order to celebrate what would have been Hepburn's eighty-sixth birthday.

Sabrina (1954)

Sabrina: I wasn’t really drawn to Sabrina’s character. She isn’t really that endearing of a person to me. I was surprised to know that Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress for this picture, since I didn’t really see any amazing acting. She’s charming, but I don’t feel like Sabrina had a lot of depth to her character. Even her suicide attempt didn’t really impact me; it just seemed like a juvenile thing to do. And her relationship with Humphrey Bogart seems a little unbelievable. He's just too old for her! It was interesting to know that Hepburn had an off-screen relationship with William Holden during this film, though (she ending up breaking off their relationship once he learned that he had undergone a vasectomy, since she hoped to be a mother one day).

Sabrina is the first film in which Givenchy made Audrey Hepburn's wardrobe for her. (Givenchy shared his memories of working with Hepburn in an interview with The Telegraph last year.) It is pretty incredulous to me that Edith Head won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for this film, and didn't even acknowledge Givenchy's major role!

Roman Holiday (1953)

Roman Holiday: This was Audrey Hepburn's first film, and also the first and only time she received an Academy Award for Best Actress. What a way to enter the film industry! This film is charming, and while I don't think that Princess Ann has a lot of depth to her character, Hepburn has the perfect amount of grace and poise, as well as comedic timing for this role. I particularly loved the "Mouth of Truth" scene with Hepburn and Peck. Their interaction and chemistry seemed very genuine.

The Nun's Story (1959)

The Nun's Story: I turned to this film about halfway through the month, because I was getting worn out on seeing romantic comedies. This film provided a great alternative view of Hepburn's career, since it was one of the more diverse roles that Audrey Hepburn played. It was nice to see that her beauty and fashion were not a focus in this movie. In fact, her makeup was so muted so it didn’t really look like she was wearing any makeup at all! I liked that her character had quiet strength and depth, particularly as she struggled to figure out what it meant to be a nun, as well as to have discipline and conviction. The movie wasn’t really emotional for me, but it was compelling.

The Children's Hour (1961)

The Children's Hour: This was definitely the most unexpected and thought-provoking movie by Hepburn that I saw this month. The story revolves around how a lie can destroy the lives of people. In this film, Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine's characters are accused of being lesbians. J and I sat and talked about this movie for a long time after it ended, not only exploring the intensity of the movie (which included some Hitchcock-like elements in terms of suspense and camera work), but also the content of the movie. Although the mentions of homosexuality are quite oblique and tame (which probably was to help this movie pass through the censors at the time), it is interesting to even consider that this topic was broached in the 1960s at all. That being said, I don't think that the film really meant to showcase the plight of homosexuals in terms of social discrimination; the main message of the film centers around lying and deceit.

Green Mansions (1959)

Green Mansions: This was probably the most bizarre film that I saw this month. At first, it was strange to see Hepburn playing opposite Anthony Perkins, because I could only picture him as the character Norman Bates (from Psycho) in my mind. But I mostly got over that issue, as the film progressed. The whole thing seemed really unbelievable, though: the film set of the jungle, while elaborate in construction, was still very much a set. And Anthony Perkins's gangly body wasn't the best visual complement for Hepburn's already-slim frame. (In fact, watching Perkins reminded me of how in high school we used the term "lerp" for a gangly boy who was somewhat nerdy and lanky.) Hepburn's character was also quite weak, too: on a surface level, she was a girl who liked nature and didn't seem to know how to define the love that she felt for Perkins's character. It seemed like she (as a weak and uneducated female) even needed Perkins (as a man) to help her express and define her emotions. Blah! The romantic dialogue was really over-the-top effusive too, which was a turnoff.

Two For the Road (1967)

Two For the Road: I almost didn't watch this show. It got lukewarm reviews and I didn't think it sounded entertaining to watch a movie about a ten-year marriage which was on the rocks. It sounded too depressing. But this actually ended up being one of my favorite movies of the month. Hepburn's character is really compelling, funny, and also has a lot of depth. J and I actually laughed quite a bit while watching the film, especially during the flashbacks of the earlier part of the couple's courtship and marriage. The moment when Hepburn's skinny body pops out from behind a road sign (shown in the image above) is a really good example of her comedic timing. Hepburn and her co-star Albert Finney (with whom she had an off-screen romance during the creation of this movie) had really palpable chemistry, too. J said he almost felt like it was voyeuristic to watch them interact (whether flirting or fighting), because their acting seemed so natural. Hepburn also seemed more "real" and approachable to me in this film, and I think it partially had to do with the fact that her costumes were bought off-the-rack (instead of created by Givenchy, for example). It was interesting for me to watch this film too, since I knew that Hepburn's own marriage (to Mel Ferrer) was about to end after twelve years. In some ways, this film perhaps reminded her of her own life and marriage. 

So, this ends Audrey Hepburn Month! While I didn't get to revisit some of my favorite films with her (such as How to Steal a Million or Wait Until Dark), but I'm really glad that I was able to get a better sense of her career through these films and books.