Happy Fourth of July!!

In honor of The Fourth of July, I'd like to share some clips from some of my favorite patriotic movies.

 

With a Song in My Heart (1952).  This film tells the life story of Jane Froman, a singer and actress who was crippled in a plane crash in 1943.  Despite the fact that she was walking on crutches, she continued to tirelessly entertain troops throughout World War II.  The clip here is from the end of the movie where she sings an American Medley that commemorates many of the United States.  Susan Hayward gives one of her best performances in this role, and the songs were actually sung by Jane Froman herself.  The supporting cast also includes Thelma Ritter, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, and a very young Robert Wagner. 

 

 



Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942).  This is a musical biography about the patriotic songwriter, George M. Cohan, and follows his life from childhood through the end of his career where he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Roosevelt in 1936.  Mostly known for gangster movies, James Cagney gives one of his most memorable performances in this film proving that he was also an accomplished dancer and competent singer.  It's a highly enjoyable and entertaining movie; there isn't a more perfect choice for The Fourth of July.  The supporting cast also includes Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp, and Jeanne Cagney.  This clip below contains Cagney performing the title song, "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

 

 

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939).  This movie is probably the most famous film containing a filibuster.  Jimmy Stewart delivers a fiery performance as he stands up against corruption in the US Senate.  Directed by Frank Capra, Mr. Smith is wholesome and inspirational American entertainment.  It is no exception when it comes to one typical theme found frequently in Capra films: the common man triumphing over corruption in politics and big business.  Personally, I'm a fan of any film directed by Frank Capra, and this is one of the best.    

 



 

 

Happy Fourth of July!!!

 

 

Bathing Birdie

Whoever invented the bird bath had the right idea, because while one might not necessarily associate birds with water, my bird anyway loves nothing more than being wet. 

 

 

My parents have a pool, and Lucy has fallen in it a couple of times while leaning too close to the edge to get to the water.   It hasn't stopped her from wanting to take a little birdie dip though any chance she gets. 

 

 

 

 

And here are my two favorite wet Lucy pictures.

 

 



 

 

While I'm on the subject of birds, in Google's most recent Doodle 4 Google contest, the state winner from Florida used a bird theme in her doodle.  Here it is:

 

 

Pretty cute!



 

 





Rare Books by R. A. Dick/Josephine Leslie Part 2: The Devil and Mrs. Devine

This is the second installment in my collection of posts on rare books written by Josephine Leslie, who wrote under the pseudonym, R. A. Dick.  As I've stated before, her only book that is really remembered is The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.


Here is the description on the back of The Devil and Mrs. Devine:

Barely out of her teens, winsome Danielle
Devine was already an orphan and a widow.
No man on earth, it seemed, could be to her
what her loving father and handsome young
husband had been. Was she doomed, then, to
wither into joyless old age? "No!" whispered
a strange, uncanny voice, a voice that seemed
to come from nowhere, promising Danielle
perpetual beauty - in exchange for her im-
mortal soul ...

In this tale of romance that spans two centu-
ries, the author of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
tells of one woman's quest for the peace and
salvation that only the greatest love, human
and divine, can bring.

This book, written in 1974, didn't impress me as much as The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Duet for Two Hands.  The premise sounded intriguing.  It's basically about a woman who is plagued by hearing the voice of the Devil, and he has given her eternal youth in exchange for her soul.  She can supposedly die whenever she wants.  Two hundred years are covered, and so the book is extremely fast paced....too fast paced.  A lot happens in the story, but there is very little substance and the plot is pretty predictable.  For what it's worth, it is a reasonably entertaining book.  Just don't expect it to be John Steinbeck.  Fans of gothic romance novels may really enjoy it though. 

 

There is of course one obvious theme that all of Leslie's books have had in common so far.  They are all about a woman possessed by some supernatural being (ghost, a twin that resides in the mind, and the Devil).  They are all basically romance novels as well.  I'd like to know more about Josephine Leslie, but google searches have thus far yielded very little information. 

 

I have one more book to cover by this author entitled She Walked to the Wedding. 

 



Memorial Day Inspiration..a little late!

I know that Memorial Day was well over a month ago, but it's never too late to express patriotism and appreciation for service to the country and especially remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

While watching a PBS Memorial Day special featuring the National Symphony Orchestra, I learned about the late Charles Durning's service to the country.  I'd always admired him in movies such as Tootsie and The Sting, but until recently, I wasn't aware of his World War II experiences.  Earning three Purple Hearts, and both the Silver Star and the Bronze Star, Durning was present at some of the war's most infamous battles, the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge.  For over a decade, he was honored as a guest speaker on the PBS National Memorial Day Concert.  Here is one of his speeches:

 

I also recently watched a movie called The Fighting Sullivans (1944).  It is the true story and film that inspired Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.  There are five close-knit sons in the Sullivan family, and at the entrance of the United States into WW II, they decide to enlist in the Navy, but they request to be assigned to the same ship.  Unfortunately, their ship goes down in the Pacific at Guadalcanal and they are all killed.  The film covers their life stories growing up in Iowa during The Great Depression up until their deaths.  I loved this movie.  It really captured an America that no longer exists and hasn't for quite some time.  The five boys are portrayed by lesser known actors, but Thomas Mitchell and Anne Baxter are also in the film. 

 

 



 

 

 

I'll close with a clip from one of my all time favorite movies:  Sergeant York (1941) starring Gary Cooper, Joan Leslie, Walter Brennan, and George Tobias.  It is the life story of Alvin C. York, a World War I hero from Tennessee, and is one of the most beautifully made films I have ever seen.  The acting is impeccable, and the way in which it captures the way of life of the people in rural Tennessee at the time is something that is unmatched and could never be done today.  It is also a truly inspiring story of a man's struggle to reconcile religious convictions with the duties of war.  There's nothing more to be said except that it is a must-see. 

 



Sleeping Birdie, and more...

I can never resist taking a lot of pictures of my bird, but sleeping photos are often the very best. 

 

 

Ok, so she's not really sleeping in that last one...just enjoying some beak pets.  Here are a few more photos of Lucy being spoiled..

 

 



I think a couple of mischief photos are also in order.  Since mischief is what she does best! 

 

 

That last one is my favorite. :)  I'll save the Bathing Birdie photos for another post since there is nothing this birdie loves more than being wet. 

 

 

I'll close with a couple of photos I took of a beautiful hawk that perched in one of the palm trees at my parents' house.  He/she shows up pretty regularly, and I enjoy admiring her beauty, as long as she doesn't try and make a meal out of my birdie!

 



Seashell Inspirations: Crafts and The Lion's Paw!

I know I've neglected this blog again, but I'm about to go crazy with new posts!! 

To start, living in Florida again has allowed me to really feed my passion for collecting seashells, and I've had some pretty good luck in just a few months, thanks to some passing storms.  Here are some examples:

 

 

 

The next two pictures contain some rather special finds.  In the upper right corner of the first picture, there is an albino fighting conch.  Sometimes, you'll find white-ish looking fighting conchs that are white because they've been beach worn, but this one was shiny (not worn), and totally white all over. 

 

The following photo contains a lion's paw, which is a rare shell found on Captiva Island.  I've never ever found one before, so I was pretty excited to find this one, even though it is not in good condition. 

 

 

 

Incidentally, speaking of lion's paw shells, there is an excellent children's book that I love called The Lion's Paw.  It was written in 1946 by Robb White and is about three escaped orphans who sail through the inland waterways of Florida in search of freedom, adventure, the lion's paw seashell and, in one child's case, a parent.  It is a charming book that was out of print for years, but fortunately is now in print again, and it even has its own website!  Definitely worth reading no matter how old you are!!

 

http://www.thelionspaw.org/index.htm

 

 

 

 

Ok, back to seashells.  I've also spent some time working on shell crafts out of my recent finds.  Here is a piece of driftwood that I actually bought at an orchid and bromeliad shop and embellished it with various shells and a starfish. 

 

 

 

And here is a seagrass basket in a hexagonal shape, also decorated with seashells.  What else would it be decorated with??  :)  Incidentally, these seagrass baskets are hard to find.  This one is vintage, and I purchased it on Etsy.  So far, that's the only place I've been able to find them, but they are great for shell crafts.

 



 

That's it for now, but more shells to come later!

 

 "May you always have sand in your shoes, and a seashell in your pocket."