Springtime in the Rockies -A 1942 Musical Starring Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda and Ceaser Romero -

 

Springtime in the Rockies -A 1942 Musical Starring Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda and Ceaser Romero - 

Director: Irving Cummings

Screenplay: Ken Englund, Walter Bullock, Jacques Théry

Music by: Alberto Colombo

Distributed by: 20th Century Studios

Box office: $3.5 million (United States) $240,000 (United Kingdom)

Springtime in the Rockies 

Springtime in the Rockies tells the story of Vicky Lane (Grable) and Dan Christy (Payne), a successful dance team on Broadway. However, their off-stage relationship is strained by Dan's philandering ways. After a fight, Vicky leaves Dan and goes to work at a dude ranch in the Canadian Rockies. Dan follows her, determined to win her back.

The film features several memorable musical numbers, including "I Had the Craziest Dream," "You Made Me Love You," and "Sleepy Lagoon."

It was a major box office success, grossing over $2 million in 1942.

It was filmed on location in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada.

The film's costumes were designed by Irene Gibbons, who won an Academy Award for her work.

The film's choreography was by Hermes Pan.

The Pajama Game - A 1957 Musical - Starring Doris Day - directed by George Abbott and Stanley Dohen - Correography by Bob Fossee

 

The Pajama Game - A 1957 Musical - Starring Doris Day - directed by George Abbott and Stanley Dohen - Correography by Bob Fossee

Release date: August 29, 1957 

Box office: 2.5 million USD (US rentals)

Distributed by: Warner Bros.

Adapted from: The Pajama Game, 7½ Cents

The story takes place in a pajama factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where the workers are on strike for a seven-and-a-half-cent raise. The new superintendent, Sid Sorokin, falls in love with Babe Williams, the head of the union grievance committee. Their romance is complicated by their opposing roles in the labor dispute.  The Scenes in the factory, the labor slowdown  and the company picnic are marvelous 

There are ten songs as well as the marvelous Correography of Bob Fosses

Pacific Rim is a 2013 American science fiction monster film directed by Guillermo del Toro, starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, and Ron Perlman.

 

Pacific Rim is a 2013 American science fiction monster film directed by Guillermo del Toro, starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, and Ron Perlman.

Films Directed by Guillermo del Toro I have seen

The Devil's Backbone (2001)

The Shape of Water (2017) - This film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for del Toro. It was also nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and seven BAFTA Awards.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Pinnochio (2022) 

Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy II - The Golden Army- 2008

Cronus -1993

Pacific Rim is set in a future where Earth is at war with monstrous creatures called Kaiju, which emerge from an interdimensional portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. To combat the Kaiju, humanity has developed giant robots called Jaegers, which are controlled by two pilots who are linked together mentally. However, even the Jaegers are not enough to stop the Kaiju, and humanity is on the verge of defeat. Mankind's last hope lies with a washed-up ex-pilot named Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee named Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), who must team up to pilot an old, obsolete Jaeger called Gipsy Danger. 

Pacific Rim received positive reviews from critics, who praised its visuals, action sequences, and performances. The film was nominated for three Saturn Awards, including Best Science Fiction Film.

 Pacific Rim was a box office success, grossing over $411 million worldwide.

 Pacific Rim has become a cult classic, and is considered one of the best science fiction films of the 2010s. The film has spawned a sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), and an animated television series, Pacific Rim: The Black (2021).

I hope to watch two more films by Guillermo del Toro in February, Mimic and Nightmare Alley

A Night at the Opera- A 1935 Musical Comedy with Groucho, Chico and Harpo Marx - Directed by Sam Wood - 1 Hour 31 minutes

 A Night at the Opera- A 1935 Musical Comedy with Groucho, Chico and Harpo Marx - Directed by Sam Wood - 1 Hour 31 minutes 

The film is a prime example of the Marx Brothers' unique brand of physical and verbal comedy. Groucho's quick wit and Groucho glasses are legendary, while Harpo's silent antics and use of props (like his horn and harp) are always a source of laughter. Chico's rapid-fire Italian-accented speech and piano playing add another layer of humor to the mix.

Ricardo Baroni (Allan Jones) and Rosa Fiorello (Kitty Carlisle). He becomes their manager and, with the help of his brothers, Harpo (the silent prankster) and Chico (the fast-talking gambler), tries to help them achieve their dreams on the grand stage of the New York Opera. However, their path is filled with obstacles, including the scheming impresario Rodolfo Lassparri (Walter Woolf King) and the snobby socialite Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont).

Despite the comedic chaos, the film also features some beautiful operatic singing, particularly from Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle. The most famous scene is probably the "Stateroom Scene," where the brothers and a growing number of passengers cram into a tiny cabin, leading to hilarious pandemonium.

The film was the Marx Brothers' first movie at MGM after leaving Paramount Pictures.

"Accidents" - A Short Story by Carol Shields - included in The Collected Stories of Carol Shields - 2004 - With An Introduction by Margaret Atwood

 

This year, Buried in Print, a marvelous blog I have followed for over ten years,will be doing a read through of the short stories of Carol Shields. I hope to participate fully in this event.

http://www.buriedinprint.com/

“Her stories have given me happiness, not just pleasure. They delight me at first by the clear and simple elegance with which they’re made. Then there’s something so bountiful and surprising about them, like the beautiful broken light of a prism.” —Alice Munro

The more I read in the stories of Carol Shields the more grateful I am to Buried in Print turning me on to her work. There are sixty some stories in the collection,it is my hope to read and post on them all in 2024.

"Accidents" is narrated by a married man. He is a professional abridger.

"I am an abridger. When I tell people, at a party for instance, that I am an abridger, their faces cloud with confusion and I always have to explain. What I do is take the written work of other people and compress it. For example, I am often hired by book clubs to condense or abridge the books they publish. I also abridge material that is broadcast over the radio. It’s a peculiar profession, I’m the first to admit, but it’s one I fell into by accident and that I seem suited for. Abridging requires a kind of inverse creativity."

They are Canadians on vacation on the coast of France, they have fond memories of previous visits. The couple seems close, in an odd sort of way.  I found the husband's thoughts on his Wife very revelatory:

"Her breasts have remained younger than the rest of her body. When I see her rub them with oil and point them toward the fierce sunlight, I think of the Zubaran painting in the museum at Montpellier which shows a young and rather daft-looking St. Agatha cheerfully holding out a platter on which her two severed breasts are arranged, ordinary and bloodless as jam pastries. One morning something odd happened to my wife. She was sitting on the balcony working on her new translation of Valéry’s early poems and she had a cup of coffee before her."

I  very much enjoy the deep culture of the characters in the stories of Shields. Ok and I like the coffee drinking.

There is a dramatic occurrence in "Accidents"', yes an accident.

The Carol Shields Literary Trust Website has an excellent biography 

https://www.carol-shields.com/biography.html

The Reading Life Review - Part Two Movies i watched in January

The Reading Life is a 15 Year Old Book Blog committed to the values of literary globalism.


Our very international readership includes MacArthur Genius Grant Winners, researchers from the Vatican Library, faculty and staff from Universities world wide, publishing industry professionals, and teenage book lovers as was I was in the long ago.


Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Yiddish Literature,Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, Jewish History, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests. I also read narrative nonfiction.


In July of last year I began doing posts on some of the movies I streamed.




January 2024 Movies


1. 84 Charing Cross Road - 1987- directed by David Jones - a delightful movie - no post
2. Our Hospitality- A 1923 Silent Film- Directed by and Starring Buster Keaton-
3. Ninotchka- 1939 - directed by Ernst Lubitsch- starring Greta Garbo. One of my favourite movies- posted upon in 2023.
4. Sherlock, Jr. - 1924- directed by and starring Buster Keaton
5. Stepbrothers- 2008- directed by Adam McKay- on Netflix - no post
6. The Cameraman- A 1928 Silent Film Directed by Buster Keaton and Edward Sedwick
7. The Red Shoes- 1948- directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger- posted upon in 2023
8. Battling Buster- 1926 - directed by Buster Keaton
9. City Lights- 1931 - directed by Charles Chaplin
10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - 2001 - no post
11. Hellboy- 2004- Directed by Guillermo del Toro
12. Hellboy II: The Golden Army- 2008- directed by Guillermo del Toro
13. The Matrix- 1999 - directed by the Wachowskis - no post
14. The Dark Knight- 2008 - directed by Christopher Nolan - no post
15. Cronus -Directed by Guillermo del Toro- 1993 - His First Feature Film
16. Batman Returns - 1992- directed by Tim Burton - no post
17. Land Without Bread (Las Hur Des) - A 1933 Documentary directed by Luis Bunuel - 30 Minutes
18. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - movie 2 - 2002- no post
19 Harry Potter 3 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 2004 - no post
20. Chien Andalou - a 1929 French silent short film directed, produced and edited by Luis Buñuel, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Salvador Dalí.
21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - movie 4 - 2005 - no post
22. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - movie 5 - 2007 - no post
23. Clueless-1995- directed by Amy Heckerling - no post
24. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -movie 6- 2009 - no post
25. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (movie 7) 2010 - no post
26. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2 (movie 8) - 2011- no post
27. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - 2016. No post
28. Blazing Saddles - 1974- directed by Mel Brooks - no post
29. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - 2016 - no post
30. Oklahoma- 1955 - directed by Frank Zimmerman
31. Three Amigos- 1986 directed by John Landis - no post
32. Royal Wedding- 1951- no post
33. The Jazz Singer- 1927 - starring Al Jolson
34. Sold in Marriage- 1916- directed by Christy Cabanne- starring Lillian Gish
35. The Producers - 1967 - directed by Mel Brooks- no post
36. The Producers- 2005- Mel Brooks - no post
37. To Be or Not to Be- directed by Mel Brooks - 1983
38. There's no Business Like Show Business- 1954 - directed by Walter Lang
39. Li'l Abner - 1959- directed by Melvin Franks - 2nd viewing
40. Swing Parade of 1946 - 1946- directed by Philip Karlson
41. Napoleon- 2023 - directed by Scott Ridley - no post

The Reading Life Review - January 2024 - Works I Read - My Plans for February

The Reading Life is a 15 Year Old Book Blog committed to the values of literary globalism.

Our very international readership includes MacArthur Genius Grant Winners, researchers from the Vatican Library, faculty and staff from Universities world wide, publishing industry professionals, and teenage book lovers as was I was in the long ago.

Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Yiddish Literature,Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, Jewish History, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests. I also read narrative nonfiction.

Works I read in January 2024


1. "Various Miracles" - A Short Story by Carol Shields-2013
2. The Rebbetzin’s Sense of Justice" - A Short Story by Lilly Barger -1955? - translated from the Yiddish by Ronnee Jaeger - 2020 - included with 18 Jewish Stories translated from 18 Languages-edited and introduced by Nora Gold with a forward by Josh Lambert.
3. Diaghilev's Empire: How the Ballets Russes Enthralled the World - by Rupert Christiansen - 467 Pages -2022 -narrative nonfiction
4. "The Maiden" - A short story by Jean Stafford- no post
5. Mrs. Turner Cutting the Grass" - A Short Story by Carol Shields - included in The Collected Stories of Carol Shields - 2004
5. "A Modest Proposal" - A Short Story by Jean Stafford- no post
6. Florida Founder William P. DuVal: Frontier Bon Vivant by James M.Denham- nonfiction
7. "Elijah the Prophet" a short story
by Sholem Alecheim - no post

In January of the four authors featured two are women, all were featured for the first time, one is deceased.

Blog Statistics

As of today our posts have been viewed 7,466,942 times since inception

In January we received 36,412 visits

Top Home Countries of Visitors for January were


1. USA
2. Singapore
3. Hong Kong (highest per capita)
4. India
5. Philippines
6. United Kingdom
7. Germany
8. Canada
9. Netherlands
10. Pakistan
11. Cambodia
12, Vietnam
13. China
14.Indonesia
15. Russia


The most viewed posts were all on short stories with one exception being on
Madame DuBarry a 1919 German silent film on the life of Madame Du Barry. It was directed by Ernst Lubitsch, written by Norbert Falk and Hanns Kräly with the title role taken by Pola Negri and Louis XV played by Emil Jannings. Its alternative title for United States distribution was Passion, which was the second most viewed post in January.


Reading hopes and plans for February


1. I hope to finish Bleak House by Charles Dickens
2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
3. Memoirs of HADRIAN AND REFLECTIONS ON THE COMPOSITION OF MEMOIRS OF HADRIAN TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY GRACE FRICK IN COLLABORATION WITH THE AUTHOR Marguerite Yourcenar
4. Short Stories by Carol Shields, Jean Stafford, Nancy Hale, Cheva Rosenfarb, Donald Barthelme among others


In works of history I Hope to complete


1. Nazis, Islamists, and the making of the modern Middle East by Barry Rubin, Wolfgang G. Schwanitz.
2, The Queen's Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery of Desire by Wayne Koestenbaum
3, Hands of Time: A Watch Maker's History by Rebecca Struthers.
4. Hitler’s shadow empire : Nazi economics and the Spanish Civil War by Pierpaolo Barbieri.
5. The merchant of Prato : Francesco di Marco Datini, 1335–1410 / by Iris Origo ; introduction by Charles Nicholl.
6. Empire of brutality : enslaved people and animals in the British Atlantic world  by Michael Blakley.


Additionally I have some highly reviewed Holocaust memoirs I hope to read soon


I offer my thanks to Max u, my cousin Susan and my three wonderful daughters for their support


In part two of the January Reading Life Review I will cover movies featured last month

Mel Ulm