Happy Birthday Karolyn Grimes!!!

My favorite photo of Karolyn.
Source: http://goo.gl/0cEIPO

Today I pay tribute to Karolyn "Zuzu" Grimes.

Typically, I include how old people would be. If Karolyn would like to divulge that, it's her business, not mine.

I have gone on and on and on about how wonderful Karolyn is, both on film and in person. See my blog entries for the April A-Z blogging challenge about both Karolyn and Zuzu for proof.

Karoly is outgoing, friendly, approachable, cordial, and amazingly patient with her fans. You can friend her on Facebook by searching for Karolyn "Zuzu" Grimes.

It is fitting that this great woman, who I admire so much, shares a birthday with this great country. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAROLYN! I will enjoy some fireworks tonight in your honor.

Here is a great interview with Karolyn, including a bunch of pictures of her at home during the summer of 2014.

Here is another interview with Karolyn:

Virginia Patton Birthday June 25, 1926

So I just learned something really cool: I live less than an hour and a half away from Virginia Patton.

Source: http://goo.gl/9urqsM

Patton, who lives in Ann Arbor, MI, portrayed Ruth ("Ruth Dakin-Bailey, if you don't mind"), George Bailey's sister-in-law.

Some people (including me when I'm feeling salty, I must admit), unfairly blame Ruth for Harry leaving his brother to run the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan. They/we insist that Harry should have picked up the reigns and flew the ship while George went to college instead of taking a job with Ruth's father.

But now I'm just mixing my metaphors.

Virginia Patton was born June 25, 1926, in Portland, OR, which is less than three hours away from where Karolyn "Zuzu" Grimes currently lives.

Patton appeared in 15 films, including It's a Wonderful Life. I am embarrassed to say that I haven't seen any of the other 14 films. I will have to fix that.

Today, she turns 89. Instead of talking about her any more, I will let her speak for herself. Happy birthday, Ms. Patton!

Jimmy Stewart Birthday May 20, 1908

Source: http://goo.gl/9GqmTs

James Maitland Stewart often is described as “Everyman.” Although it was a role he reprised several times, never was it more obvious than in the films he made under the direction of Frank Capra, including It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington:

“The part of Jefferson Smith in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington constitutes the quintessential Stewart: the upstanding, all-American, small-town boy, loyal to his family, his country, his church and his ideals; the personification of ‘rock-ribbed honesty’” (Coe 43).

This persona was not a new role for Stewart. It was a role he lived off of the screen, as well as on. Stewart grew up with strong family and religious ties in his home town of Indiana, Pa. Later in his life, this small town dedicated the Jimmy Stewart Museum as part of the Indiana, Pa. Library.[i] 

In 1985, a statue of Stewart was erected in front of the museum. It faces the lot where the J.M. Stewart and Co. Hardware store stood before it was razed in 1969.

Stewart biographer Jonathan Coe calls Stewart an “incorruptible American patriot” (9). Stewart was able to further solidify this image when he enlisted in March, 1941, and became an officer in the Army Air Corps and a bombardier pilot during World War II.

Coe has drawn parallels between Stewart’s real life and the life of George Bailey. Stewart signed on to It’s a Wonderful Life on Nov. 5, 1945 (Coe 78). In addition to coming from a background similar to George’s, Coe says Stewart was drawn to the part for another reason:

“There were reasons, in fact, why a story about a hero who feels ‘despondent’ might have exerted a strong personal appeal to him (Stewart) at this time, since he was profoundly shaken by his wartime experiences, which caused him to doubt both his faith and the fundamental worth of his career” (Coe 79).

Coe’s statement does two things. First, it suggests that Stewart’s despondency reflects the country’s feelings immediately following World War II. It could have been the same despondency that prevented It’s a Wonderful Life from being a box office success. Secondly, Stewart’s life at that time reflected It’s a Wonderful Life, with Stewart doubting his own faith and career, as George Bailey does in the film. George always talks about and dreams of being an engineer or an architect, but never about being an executive of a lending company. George constantly doubts his job and its value.

Stewart married Gloria Hatrick McLean. He adopted her two sons, Ronald and Michael Stewart. Together Stewart and Gloria had twin daughters, Kelly Stewart-Harcourt and Judy Stewart-Merrill.

James Stewart died July 2, 1997 at age 89. If he were still alive, he would be 107.

---

[i] The Jimmy Stewart Museum is located at 845 Philadelphia St., Indiana, PA, 15701. To contact the museum, call (724) 349-6112 or toll-free at 1-800-83-JIMMY, or e-mail curator@jimmy.org. Visit online at www.jimmy.org. 

Sources:

Coe, Jonathan. Jimmy Stewart: A Wonderful Life. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1994.

Frank Capra's Birthday - May 18, 1897

Source: http://goo.gl/rV7bX

An Italian immigrant, Frank Capra discovered at a young age “what would later become one of the most important themes of his movies: ‘One nation. . .with liberty and justice for all’” (Stewart 82). Capra often made movies about the little man doing great things, representing ideals and qualities that made the little man great. Those qualities included, common sense, family values, a religious (though not overt) dedication, fidelity, family values, and Americanism.

Capra’s films have been referred to as “Capracorn” because of their perceived “corny,” unbelievable, or over-the top endings. The crowning example of this is the closing scene of It’s a Wonderful Life, because it can be misconstrued as being sappy and too-happy of an ending for such a dark film.

Initially, this hurt Capra’s feelings because he felt strongly about his films and the messages they carried. However, he later took this critical jab and turned it into a positive by calling most of his films “Capracorn” himself. To him, Capracorn came to mean "a brew of the comic, the sentimental, the rhetorical, the idealistic, and the melodramatic in which the values of the man on the street were raised above those of official authority in which, even at the cost of gliding over specific plot points, there was inevitably a happy ending. (Dewey 268).

Capra died Sept. 9, 1991, but not before the Mayor of Los Angeles and the city council declared May 12, 1962 to be Frank Capra Day (Capra 488).

If Capra were alive today, he would be 118 years old

Sources:

Dewey, Donald. James Stewart: A Biography. Atlanta: Turner Publishing, Inc., 1996.

Capra, Frank. Frank Capra: the Name Above the Title, an Autobiography.

            New York: DaCapo Press, 1997.

     

May 10, 1894 - Dimitri Tiomkin's birthday

Source: http://goo.gl/Frfa9W

May 10, 1894 marks the birthday of Dimitri Tiomkin, the man who composed the music for the film It's a Wonderful Life. There is a lot more to that story, so I'll give you the quick and dirty description of him from Wikipedia and then tell you the rest of it.

Official Description:

Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin was a Ukrainian-born Hollywood film score composer and conductor. Musically trained in Russia, he is best known for his western scores, including Duel in the Sun, High Noon, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and The Alamo. (Wikipedia)

Born: May 10, 1894, Kremenchuk, Ukraine
Died: November 11, 1979, London, United Kingdom
Film music credits: High Noon, The Alamo, Rio Bravo (Also Wikipedia)

Tiomkin was nominated for and won several Oscars. See the list here.

Director Frank Capra hired Tiomkin to write the scores for Lost Horizon (1937) You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), and It's a Wonderful Life (1946). During World War II, he continued his close collaboration with Capra by composing scores for his Why We Fight series. (Wikipedia)

Not everything was roses between Capra and Tiomkin. It came to a head over It's a Wonderful Life. As Roger L. Hall wrote for the Web site Film Music Review:

"In his honestly written autobiography, Please Don't Hate Me (1959), Dimitri Tiomkin wrote about this film:

"The picture was in the best Capra style. Frank thinks it the finest he ever made. I never saw it after it was completed. After the music was on the sound track, Frank cut it, switched sections around, and patched it up, an all-around scissors job. After that I didn't want to hear it.

"Yet much of Tiomkin's music remains in the film and it's a terrific score. Stephen Cox in his fine book, It's a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book, wrote that:

"The film that eventually became one of Tiomkin's most famous works actually became a disappointment for the composer, both personally and professionally, when Capra replaced much of his original orchestration with existing music from other sources."

Source: http://goo.gl/mVFpWD

If he were alive, Tiomkin would celebrate his 121st birthday today. Learn more about him at www.dimitritiomkin.com or www.findagrave.com

Check out what is supposedly the original theme for It's a Wonderful Life, that was cut from the film and replaced with "Buffalo Gals".

You can listen to more of Tiomkin's work on Spotify or Google Play.

  

Beulah Bondi .... Mrs. Bailey Born May 3, 1889

Source: http://goo.gl/2m5ooh

On May 3, 1889, Beulah Bondi, a.k.a. Ma Bailey, was born in Chicago, IL.

During her career, Bondi Portrayed James Stewart's mother in four films: It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Of Human Hearts (1938) and Vivacious Lady (1938), as well as on an episode of his television series, The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971).

Although she often played loving mothers and wives, she never married nor had children.

Bondi and Ellen Corby both appeared in It's a Wonderful Life, and in the television show, "The Waltons." In "The Waltons,' Ellen Corby portrayed Grandma and Bondi portrayed Martha Corrinne.

In 1977, Bondi won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series for her 1977 appearance in an episode of "The Waltons" titled "The Pony Cart."

Corby won a Golden Glove for Best Supporting Actress - Television, for her role in "The Waltons." That role also earned her three other nominations for the same award in 1973, 1975 and 1977.

Bondi also was nominated twice for Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her parts in The Gorgeous Hussey (1937 nomination), and in Of Human Hearts (1939 nomination). She never won.

"What distinguishes the real actor from the pseudo is the passionate desire to know what is going on in the hearts and minds of people," said Bondi.

Watch this wonderful tribune from TCM:

Bondi died Jan. 11, 1981 at age 91, in Woodland Hills, CA. She was cremated and her ashes spread in the Pacific Ocean. If she was alive today, she would be 126 years old.

Learn more about her life and career on IMDB, Wikipedia, and Turner Classic Movies.

Lionel Barrymore Birthday April 28

Source: http://goo.gl/qkoZyr

Today marks the birthday of Lionel Barrymore, who played Henry F. Potter in the film, It's a Wonderful Life. He was born April 28, 1878, (137 years ago) in Philadelphia, PA.

Barrymore, who is also know for his roles in films such as You Can't Take it With You, Key Largo, and many more, won one Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his part in A Free Soul (1931). He was nominated for Best Director for Madame X in 1947.

He was also a radio actor, composer and painter, and author. He died Nov. 15, 1954, in Van Nuys, CA.

Learn more about Lionel Barrymore here or here.

Source: http://goo.gl/TwsAf0

New Addition

This entry is about our new addition, Evan's birthday, and some other stuff as I come up with it.

No, I don't mean New Edition, as in Bobby Brown's first boy band. I mean Loki, our new-but-not-so-new Siamese cat with about 132,000 lives.



Loki was Jenn's cat, which she has had for I don't know how long. He has a constant runny nose, snores, and wraps his body around your head when he sleeps. Great cat, but pretty gross.

He has been living with Jenn's parents for at least the last four years. On Aug. 15, he got out of the house and either got hit by a car or kicked in the face by someone who doesn't like cats. Jenn, Evan, Kaleb and I were just finishing my birthday lunch at one of our favorite restaurants when Jenn's sister called and said Loki got hit by a car (the alternate theory arose later when we realized he had no further injuries except what was visible on his face.

When we got to her parents' home, we didn't know what to expect. I fully expected to pull up to a squished cat and facing the job of having to use a shovel to pick him up. Instead, we found Loki lying (and trying to get out of) a milk crate lined with bathroom towels.

He had a bloody, snotty nose, both eyes were blood-shot, one pupil was fully dilated, and he was panting. We thought his jaw as broken, but it wasn't. We took Loki to the vet, where he stayed for two days. Doc pulled him through the rough part with some anti-shock therapy and heavy-duty antibiotics.

In the final tally, Loki is blind in his right eye (which is still dilated), and drools more than he should. Doc said he has an upper respiratory infection (but he's been snotty since I first met him) and in the words of the vet, he is "making himself diabetic," which translates to "he pees about a gallon an hour."

This cat should be dead. But he isn't. So we brought him home to our house. Magic hates it. She hisses at and smacks him every chance she can get. They fight each other for bed space, food, laps and territory. Magic was so mad she actually peed and pooped on a pair of jeans I left on my bedroom floor one day last week. I keep hoping they will grow out of it.

In other business, Evan turned 6 this week and started kindergarten two weeks ago. I can't believe it. None of us can. It's crazy.

We had a small get-together at our house last weekend. He got a new baseball mitt, a new and bigger bike, a soccer ball, a Star Wars-themed educational telescope, and lots of clothes. We threw him a Star Wars-themed party and Jenn even made him a birthday cake shaped like a light saber. Very cool and creative on Jenn's part; not to mention really, really good.

Kaleb now has 3 teeth and is working on #4. He can take bites and chews on everything, including fingers when you try to feel for new teeth. It hurts. As always, he is into everything, loves playing with everything we tell him not to touch, and gives us that "who, ME???" smile every time we tell him no.
In job hunt news, I have an interview for the dispatching position on Sept. 15. The background check is over, so apparently I passed it; I knew I would. Jenn mentioned a possibility that I hadn't thought of before. There is a chance that the field of 16 might have been trimmed down due to bad backgrounds, and maybe trimmed down even further if these folks have taken other jobs at other companies.

I am hedging my bets, thought, as I found out about 3 open positions at a newspaper that is in competition with the paper where I used to work. I sent my resume and writing samples and the employee at the paper who gave me the heads-up wrote her boss a recommendation for me without me even asking her to do so.

I'm getting close. Without getting over-confident or cocky, I'm getting close to ending this dry streak. I can just feel it.

I got another "sign" this week when the company where I work part-time eliminated my supervisor position due to the economy and finally getting a feel for how the store will perform in Bowling Green. I am not being replaced by someone else or in trouble for anything I did or didn't do. The company is just adjusting now that the pie-in-the-sky pipe dream honeymoon period is over.

The elimination of my title (and $1 per hour) is not necessarily a bad thing. If I get a full-time job, my hope is to stay there anyway, in which case I would have had to give up my supervisor title anyway. The way I see it, my schedule is opening up to make way for a full-time job coming to my near future.

At least I hope that's what it is.

So whatever it is that you do: Bow to Mecca, pray, throw salt over your shoulder, wish on a star, smoke a peace pipe, do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight, I beg you to please do it starting now and PLEASE KEEP IT UP!!! I can use all the help I can get.