Olivia de Havilland | dual personalities

July 27, 2020

“How good to rise in sunlight”

by chuckofish

As you can imagine, I have been doing a lot of snoozing, watching tv and reading as I recuperate from surgery.

High on my list of things to do, is watch episodes of Lovejoy, the British tv show from the early 1990s which starred Ian McShane as the antiques dealer/amateur sleuth. I also read the first novel in the Lovejoy series, The Judas Pair from 1977. It was great–full of details about the antiques trade and actual suspense! Lovejoy himself is a great character and, for once, the tv show is well cast with Ian McShane.

I am now waiting with bated breath for my lot of 10 Lovejoy novels, which I purchased on eBay, to arrive. Then I will be all set (for awhile.)

I know she was 104, but I am still very sad that Olivia de Haviland has died.

She was a beautiful lady, a great actress and a devout Episcopalian. They don’t make ’em like Olivia anymore. Aren’t we lucky to have a large array of Olivia’s films to remember her by! She made some classics in her long career. My favorites include: Captain Blood (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The Santa Fe Trail (1940), They Died With Their Boots on (1941), Devotion (1948), The Proud Rebel (1958) and a lot more.

Into paradise may the angels lead thee, Olivia, and at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee, and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem. (BCP, Burial of the Dead, Rite I)

And I have to say I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Regis Philbin who also died recently. He endeared himself to me when he co-hosted Regis and Kathie Lee, which I watched during the 1980s when I was home with three little kids. He even made me like (a little bit) The University of Notre Dame, which he loved so much. Going there had clearly meant everything to him, a smart-alecky kid from the Bronx, who made it to the Big Time. The man was a workhorse, a rare thing nowadays. RIP, Regis.

And here’s a poem for Monday–seize the day!

Dawn Revisited
by Rita Dove

Imagine you wake up
with a second chance: The blue jay
hawks his pretty wares
and the oak still stands, spreading
glorious shade. If you don’t look back,
the future never happens.
How good to rise in sunlight,
in the prodigal smell of biscuits –
eggs and sausage on the grill.
The whole sky is yours
to write on, blown open
to a blank page. Come on,
shake a leg! You’ll never know
who’s down there, frying those eggs,
if you don’t get up and see.

3 Comments

February 14, 2018

“My husband and I have never considered divorce… murder sometimes, but never divorce.”*

by chuckofish

As you know, today is Valentine’s Day. We thought it would be fun to look at some of our favorite couples in history since we’ve already looked at favorite movie couples/kisses in years past.

William and Mary, King and Queen of England, who rocked the Glorious Revolution together.

Screen Shot 2018-02-13 at 10.47.14 AM.png

2. Simon and Ann Bradstreet, “questing puritans”…She wrote, “If ever two were one, then surely we/If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.”

3. Calvin and Grace Coolidge, President and First Lady. He said, “I do not know what I would do without her.”

Calvin was devoted to his wife; he never cheated on her like some presidents we will not mention! Theodore Roosevelt and his wife Edith would be another example of devoted presidential couples, as would Ulysses and Julia Grant.

3. Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poets. She wrote, “I love thee with the breath,/Smiles, tears, of all my life; and if God choose,/I shall but love thee better after death.”

4. Katie von Bora and Martin Luther, reformers, who famously said, ” There is no more lovely, charming and friendly relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”

5. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, actors, who proved that a long marriage in Hollywood is not impossible…unlikely, but not impossible.

Well, our advice yesterday was to do your best in Lent, and that is good advice for love and marriage as well.

As for what to watch on Valentine’s Day, nothing tops The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland for romance. This movie turns 80 years old this year! All the stars were aligned when this movie was made. It is perfect.

Sigh.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

*Joyce Brothers

4 Comments

July 6, 2016

You don’t say!

by chuckofish

As you know, Olivia de Havilland turned 100 last week.

Of course, you know that she is a two-time Oscar winner, but did you know that she is a devout Episcopalian and a lay reader to boot? Well, she is. Just like me.

She attends the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity in Paris (aka the American Cathedral in Paris).

Here is an interesting article about Olivia and how she feels about lay reading–and within it a link to another, longer article.

I completely agree with Olivia, of course. Can you imagine having Olivia de Havilland as a lay reader in your church?

By the way, Olivia de Havilland is the Star of the Month on TCM, so they will be showing her movies every Friday in the month of July. Here’s the schedule.

In other news: TCM is “Presenting Shane and 100 other westerns” this month on Tuesday and Wednesday nights! Check out the schedule here.

SO many good movies!

5 Comments

July 1, 2016

Tout va bien

by chuckofish

Olivia de Havilland turns 100 today! You go, girl!

olivia-de-havilland-and-leslie-howard-1370928118_b

Here she is with Leslie Howard. I know just how you feel, Olivia.

And it’s Friday and daughter #1 is arriving tonight for a three-day weekend visit! Hazzah!

The forecast is for thunderstorms, but who cares?

At least we won’t be frying eggs on the pavement like we were last week.

We have no Big Plans beyond “toodling around” town in my Mini Cooper.

This is a treat for her. (She lives in NYC and hardly ever gets to ride in a car!)

We’ll probably visit the needlepoint store and maybe we’ll look at wallpaper samples at Reineke’s.

We’ll go out to lunch and go to our favorite flyover grocery store to stock up on the necessities.

Maybe we’ll fit in Grant’s Farm and Ted Drewes and maybe not. But in between those predicted showers we’ll get the OM to barb-b-que some hamburgers. The boy and daughter #3 will drop by.

We’ll celebrate the 4th of July flyover-style with a big parade–which is now televised! Mimosas, anyone?

Sounds like a plan to me. It’s the little things, right?

And, hey, why do I not have one of these?

Have a great long weekend and 4th of July!

4 Comments

November 28, 2014

Friday’s child, joyeux anniversaire!

by chuckofish

Today the boy turns 28 on the 28th! We wish him a glorious birthday. He was actually born on the day after Thanksgiving, shortly before midnight.

And now a this-is-how-my-mind-works side-note. Recently I watched The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) on TCM and the host noted that Errol Flynn was 28 years old when he made this film seventy-six years ago. I paid attention, because I was thinking about the boy turning 28. Errol, of course, is at the top of his game at age 28–handsome, athletic, smart–before he started that early slide precipitated by drugs and alcohol and a reckless lifestyle. Sadly, there has never been anyone quite like Errol Flynn in the movies since.

Anyway, I highly recommend watching this great film tonight. I really think it is one of the all-time best movies ever made and one of my top-five favorites.

The cast is perfect.

Melville Cooper, Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains

Herbert Mundin, Errol Flynn and Alan Hale

Cooper, Rathbone, Olivia de Havilland, Rains, and Flynn.

The script is tip-top–so witty and sophisticated, yet action-packed. The sets and costumes are un-paralleled and designed for technicolor which is–and so early in the game–vibrant and dazzling. The music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold is terrific and oft-copied. At the time, it was the most expensive movie ever made, and it shows. The studio’s money (for once) was not wasted. The director Michael Curtiz (one of my favorites) is the best.

It won Oscars for Art Direction, Editing and Score, but lost the Best Picture Award to You Can’t Take It With You. Please. You’ve got to be kidding.

It really is perfect on every level. I should also note that this movie boasts one of the all-time great female characters–Lady Marian Fitzwalter.

As portrayed by Olivia de Havilland, Maid Marian is beautiful, smart, brave, and chaste. Buttoned up in high-necked gowns at all times, she is also undeniably sexy. She stands up bravely to the villains in the film and does not run off with Robin when things start to get dangerous. No, she stays in the castle where she can do the most good spying for the good guys. She is wonderful. Please note: this is a type of woman Hollywood is completely unable to get right anymore.

So happy birthday to the boy