Nostalgia - Gone With The Wind !

I'm disappointed with the Iowa political results. Although the early primaries aren't overly significant in the overall national picture, the voters seemed to show their frustrations with things by voting for the fairy tales stories of the likes of O'Bama and Huckabee. Unfortunately, these Pollyanna ideas are normally eschewed and shot down upon the candidate's election to office. Changes can always be made but, all in all, it takes time. This ain't Kansas, Dorothy. There are no free rides or free lunches.

It's Friday and I've got cabin fever already. I'll be off this evening to AREA 51 to see my pals and discuss the election results. It's Karaoke night at Lakes Cafe so all of the "stars" will be performing. It should be an entertaining evening and I'm in one of those moods, so.......

                       

I watched "Gone With The Wind" last evening, a movie that has maintained its cachet throughout the years. The novel was written by Margaret Mitchell and published in 1936. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 and was adapted to film in 1939 winning 10 Academy Awards.

It's been around twenty years since I last saw the film and I had forgotten how well the movie was made. The movie was aired without commercials and the famed intermission came precisely at the time that nature beckoned.

The elegance of the movie, the period, the costumes and the overly emoted scenes brought back a nostalgia that I haven't experienced in a long time. Starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia De Haviland and Leslie Howard, the film, although lengthy, was done in a style that was relatively new and the color, for those days, was fantastic.

                        

Compared to the inane, violent and poorly made movies of today's day and age, there doesn't seem to be room for motion pictures of this ilk, id est, Rhett, the gallant and scandalous hero, Scarlett, the conniving yet bold heroine, Ashley, the refined but weak object of Scarlett's affections and Melanie, Ashley's courageous and frail wife, whose final scene, once again, brought tears to my eyes.

Hattie McDaniel, who played the role of Mammy, the housemaid, always stood out in my eyes in this long, complicated film. She won the Academy Award for best supporting actress in the film. Best  picture, best actress, best director, and best cinematography were among the other categories out of the 10 Academy Awards earned by the picture.

Butterfly McQueen, who played Prissy, was also a favorite of mine. Unfortunately sterotyped due to her excellent performance in the movie, she went on to act in more movies until the time that she started refusing the stereotypical roles and her career waned.

There are those who will tell me that my trips to nostalgiaville are a bit self-serving, but frankly, my dears, I don't give a damn !

The Pictures: A quick trip around the net allowed me to obtain some of the photographs from GWTW. Some posters, along with color and back-and-white pics are the theme today.

This Date In History: 1885; The first successful appendectomy is performed in Davenport, Iowa. 1896; Utah is admitted into the United States as the 45th state. 1932; The Indian government declares the Indian National Congress illegal and arrests nationalist  leader  Mohandas Gandhi. 1948; The British colony of Burma (Myanmar) becomes an independent sovereign nation, ending more than six decades of British rule.

Birthdays: My pal, Linda (19XX), Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician and natural philosopher (1642), Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind (1809), Don Shula,football player and coach (1930), Floyd Patterson, world champion heavyweight boxer (1935).

The Hits Just Keep On Coming:

Scotsman's First Baseball Game

A Scottish man was at a baseball game. It was the first time he had ever seen the sport so he sat quietly. The first batter approached the plate, took a few swings and then hit a double. Everyone was on their feet screaming "Run, Run!"

This happened two more times, with a single and a triple. The Scottish man was now excited and ready to get into the game.

The next batter came up and four balls went by. The umpire called "walk" and the batter started on a slow trot to first. The Scotsman, extremely excited now, stood up and screamed, "Run ye basstarrd, rrrun!"

Everyone around him started laughing, so the Scotsman, extremely embarrassed, sat back down. A friendly fan, seeing the Scotsman's embarrassment, leaned over and said, "He can't run - he got four balls."

The Scotsman then stood up and screamed, "Walk with pride, man...walk with pride!"

That's it for today my little hamsters. Have a safe and great weekend and more on Monday.

Stay Tuned !

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