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wicked-mind · 4 years ago

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Always and Forever

Summary: Bucky met the love of his life in 1942 and she lost him in 1945.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Happy. Sweet. Then sad. Sad. Sad. Sad. I also wrote this in 40 minutes so if it’s shit... well at least it’s got Bucky in it.

All Writings Masterlist

He met her in 1942.

The dancehall was filled with men twirling their ladies on the dance floor. The air was thick with laughter and joy. She was standing alone, drinking a small glass of wine, twirling her fingers around the rim of the wine glass. And Bucky saw her and almost lost his breath, losing feelings in his knees. She was so damn gorgeous in her light purple dress that went down to her knees and the sleeves went to her elbows with pearls around her neck. Her lips were painted red and he envied when she brought the wine glass to her lips.

“Now how is it the most beautiful woman here is all alone at the bar?” Bucky asks, a crooked grin on his lips with his hands tucked into his black plants. He wore his dress greens and his hat was slightly tilted on his head.

Y/N looked over at him from under her darkened eyelashes, a smile playing on her red lips, “Maybe I’m just waiting for the right man to ask me to dance.” She replied in a soft tone, her eyes examining every feature of his face. He was very handsome, but also cute in the way he had that boyish grin on his lips. His blue eyes were hypnotizing, possibly the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.

Bucky took a step closer to her, “Well then, doll, may I have this dance?” He asks, holding his hand out for her to take. The tempo of the music changed from a quick paced song to a slow song played on a piano.

Y/N bit her bottom lip softly, her eyes flickering to his outstretched hand before back up to his eyes, “You may.” She said to him, setting her glass down on the bar and taking his hand in her’s. He lead her to the dance floor, gently placing one had on the small of her back and holding her hand against his chest. Y/N placed one hand up around the back of his neck, swaying in tune with him as she watched him closely with a small smile on her lips.

Bucky grinned down at her, a little bit in disbelief he was able to get her onto the dance floor with him. But another man’s loss was his treasure. He felt butterflies in his stomach at holding her close to him, finally finding his words, “What’s your name, doll?”

“Y/N Y/L/N.” She told him in her soft voice, “And what’s your name?”

“Sergeant James Barnes.” Bucky replied with a crooked grin, “But all my friends and pretty girls call me Bucky.”

“And which category do I fall into?” Y/N asks up to him, squeezing her hand in his gently.

Bucky couldn’t help but feel breathless at the squeeze of his hand from her, “Both, I’m hoping.” The rest of their dance was silent as they stared up into each other’s eyes. Bucky could swear he could feel electricity run through him with every touch she gave him, every light squeeze of his hand. It wasn’t long until the dancehall started to close up and people started clearing out. Bucky walked her out of the dancehall, arm around her waist gently as he walked her home like a gentleman. He was joking with her, making her laugh and it was like music to his ears. When he got to her front door to her apartment, he was grinning down at her, “Can I see you again, Y/N?”

Y/N smiled at him, tilting her head slightly allowing her curls to fall to one side of her neck, “I would be offended if you didn’t.” She replied, standing on her toes in her heels to press a kiss on his cheek that left an imprint on his skin due to her red lipstick, “Goodnight, Bucky.”

“Goodnight, doll.” Bucky’s face hurt with how large of a grin sat on his lips.

With that, their magical night ended. But it didn’t take long for them to see each other again and again. They were crazy about each other, always laughing and hanging off of each other that it caused old ladies to glare at their forwardness in public affection. Anytime Bucky saw Y/N, he would pick her up in his arms and spin her around leaving kisses on her nose, cheeks, and finally to her lips. He wore her red lipstick on his face proudly, never wiping it away. He took her to fairs, buying her all the cotton candy and winning all the stuffed animals they could carry. Bucky always had to be touching her whether it was holding her hand, his arm around her waist, his hand on the small of her back, or his arm dangling over her shoulders. He had proudly introduced Y/N to his best friend Steve, who although seemed a tad bit jealous of their relationship, became quick friends with Y/N. Bucky even introduced her to his family who adored her greatly.

They sat in Bucky’s car at the drive in movie, Bucky feeding her bits of popcorn and not even paying attention to the movie on the big screen in front of them. His full attention was on her, one arm wrapped around her shoulders. Once the popcorn in his free hand was gone, he grabs her chin between his fingers and pulls her face to look him in the eyes, “Y/N…” He began, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, you know that? You drive me crazy, like literally crazy. I was wondering…” He paused, his face scanning her’s, “Will you be my girl?”

Y/N smiles over at him, chuckling a little at his question, “Sergeant Barnes, I thought I already was.” She said over to him softly, “That’s what I’ve been telling all my girlfriends anyway.”

Bucky beamed at her response, leaning towards her and kissing those red lips he loved so much. His arm around her shoulder pulled her in closer, deepening the kiss as he ran his tongue along her lower lip as if to beg to enter and when her lips parted, he didn’t waste anytime letting his tongue explore the inside of her mouth. They didn’t end up watching the rest of the movie, not that they were really paying attention in the first place. They couldn’t keep their lips off of each other, smiling at each other between kisses and giggling as well. Bucky drove her home and ended up sleeping next to her, being a perfect gentleman and not making any moves to go any further but also not letting her out of his grasp as they slept.

1943

Y/N stared at Bucky’s orders saying he would be shipped off to England in two days. Her eyes were brimming with tears, knowing he was watching her intently. She couldn’t imagine him leaving and what scared her more is if he would come back mentally or physically broken as many men did. She sniffled a little and slowly looked up to him, “I’m so very proud of you, Bucky.” She said, her voice breaking a little as she held back her sad feelings, “I just wish you could stay here safe with me.”

Bucky sighs deeply, pulling Y/N into his arms as he did many times before. He gently kisses the top of her head, rubbing a hand up and down her back, “I know, doll… But I have to go. Gotta keep the world safe for you.” He released his grip on her to move his hands to her cheeks, making her look at him as he stroked tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs, “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too, James.” Y/N replies softly, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss to his lips. She told herself she was going to spend the next few days memorizing the way his lips felt against her’s so she wouldn’t forget while he was away, “You need to tell Steve.”

Bucky sighs, nodding down to her slowly, “I know… I’ll tell him tomorrow. But tonight, it’s just me and my best girl. My only girl.” He said, smiling down at her. He spent the rest of the night making Y/N’s favorite meal and after dancing with her in the living room to the radio like the first night they met. He knew it was breaking Y/N’s heart that he would have to leave her and it was breaking his too. He looked down at her as they danced, her head rested on his chest as if she was listening to his heartbeat, “I promise I’ll make up all the lost time, doll.” He whispered down to her before leaving a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

The next day, Bucky went to tell Steve about his orders and then met up with him again at the Stark Expo. Y/N even brought a friend to try and press Steve into a double date, but he had managed to slip off with Barnes going to find him. When Bucky came back to Y/N, he told her Steve was trying to enlist again and that they had shared their goodbyes. Y/N apologized to her friend for the failed date but she didn’t seem that upset about it, going off with some other guy she had met while at the expo. Bucky spend the rest of the time on his last date with Y/N walking around the expo, kissing her and touching her any chance he could.

The next day, Y/N walked with Bucky to where his unit would be shipped off to England. Her tears had not stopped rolling down her cheeks since she had awoken. She had prayed that last night would just pause and she would have all the time in the world with him, dreading today. She bit her lip and looked up at him, “Bucky… Please come back to me.” She whispered up to him, “Please.”

Bucky did his best to smile down at her, his own eyes filled with tears but not letting them fall down his cheeks, “I promise I will, Y/N. You’re my girl, I need you.” He told her, pulling a small box out of his pocket and opening it in front of her, “Until then, do me a favor? Keep this ring on your finger to keep all the men away from my girl.”

Y/N smiled up to him, nodding, “Of course.” She said, holding out her left hand and letting him slide the ring onto her finger. Over the loud speaker a voice came on to let the soldiers know that it was the last chance to board. Y/N jumped into his arms, hugging him so tight that she was afraid to let go, “Oh Bucky, I love you. Be safe. Please. Don’t do anything stupid or reckless or be a hero. Just be my Bucky and come back to me.” She pleaded.

Bucky hugged her tightly, breathing in the scent of her perfume she always wore, “I will, doll. I will.” He whispered to her before pulling her in for a deep kiss. He wished he could stay in this moment forever, his lips against her’s but he pulled away and placed his hands on her cheeks, “I love you so much. Always and forever.”

Y/N did her best to smile although she was sure she looked like a wreck, “I love you. Always and forever.” She watched him release her and pick up his bag, heading towards the rest of his unit that was boarding. He looked back at her a few times with a smile and she tried her best to smile back at him until he was out of view.

1945

As promised, Y/N kept the ring on her finger to deter any man from getting to close to her. There had been many letters back and forth between her and Bucky but it was never enough no matter how many pages were in the envelopes. Her heart ached for his return and it had been two long years since she had felt his touch. She spent a lot of time with Bucky’s family, more specifically his sister Rebecca.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts as she was baking cookies to comfort herself. She pulled off the oven mitt and opened the door, her heart dropping instantly when she saw two men dressed in military greens at her door. She brought her hand to cover her mouth, shaking her head as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing in front of her.

“Are you Miss. Y/L/N?” One of the men ask and Y/N just managed to nod slightly, feeling her knees weaken, “"I have been asked to inform you that your fiancé has been reported dead in Austria. Sergeant Barnes fell from a train on a mission with the Howling Commandos. On the behalf of the Secretary of Defense, I extend to you my deepest sympathy in your great loss.”

Y/N collapsed to the floor, tears running down her cheeks as she let out loud wails in her heartbreak, “He promised..” She sobs out, “He promised always and forever…”

Present Time

Bucky walked up to the stone grave, Y/N's name etched into the stone. It pained him every time he saw a different last name from his etched in stone but he was happy she found love again. He visited whenever he could and it always made tears well up in his eyes. He repeated the same thing he always did when he came to her grave, "I'm so sorry, Y/N. I broke every promise I made to you. I did the stupid and reckless things like you told me not to do." He said, kneeling down and placing the sunflowers on the grass next to the stone before running his fingers of his flesh hand over her name, "But I still love you, doll. Always and forever. You're my best girl. My only girl."

___________________________________________________________

Bucky Taglist: @buckypops @stcrryslibrary

#bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #40s!bucky

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alltoowell-taylorsversion · 3 years ago

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It started with imagery. Visuals that popped into my mind and piqued my curiosity. Stars drawn around scars. A cardigan that still bears the scent of loss twenty years later. Battleships sinking into the ocean, down, down, down. The tree swing in the woods of my childhood. Hushed tones of “let’s run away” and never doing it. The sun drenched month of August, sipped away like a bottle of wine. A mirrored disco ball hovering above a dance floor. A whiskey bottle beckoning. Hands held through plastic. A single thread that, for better or for worse, ties you to your fate. Pretty soon these images in my head grew faces or names and became characters. I found myself not only writing my own stories, but also writing about or from the perspective of people I’ve never met, people I’ve known, or those I wish I hadn’t. An exiled man walking the bluffs of a land that isn’t his own, wondering how it all went so terribly, terribly wrong. An embittered tormentor showing up at the funeral of his fallen object of obsession. A seventeen-year-old standing on a porch, learning to apologize. Lovestruck kids wandering up and down the evergreen High Line. My grandfather, Dean, landing at Guadalcanal in 1942. A misfit widow getting gleeful revenge on the town that cast her out. A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around. Sometimes even sung about. The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible. Speculation, over time, becomes fact. Myths, ghost stories, and fables. Fairytales and parables. Gossip and legend. Someone’s secrets written in the sky for all to behold. In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve.

#taylor swift #tswiftedit #taylornation #taylorswift #lyric edit #edit #folklore #happy birthday folklore

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youlovedbefore · 3 years ago

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One Year of Folklore Event ⇢ the lakes - one year of folklore

“It started with imagery. Visuals that popped into my mind and piqued my curiosity. Stars drawn around scars. A cardigan that still bears the scent of loss twenty years later. Battleships sinking into the ocean, down, down, down. The tree swing in the woods of my childhood. Hushed tones of “let’s run away” and never doing it. The sun drenched month of August, sipped away like a bottle of wine. A mirrored disco ball hovering above a dance floor. A whiskey bottle beckoning. Hands held through plastic. A single thread that, for better or for worse, ties you to your fate.Pretty soon these images in my head grew faces or names and became characters. I found myself not only writing my own stories, but also writing about or from the perspective of people I’ve never met, people I’ve known, or those I wish I hadn’t. An exiled man walking the bluffs of a land that isn’t his own, wondering how it all went so terribly, terribly wrong. An embittered tormentor showing up at the funeral of his fallen object of obsession. A seventeen-year-old standing on a porch, learning to apologize. Lovestruck kids wandering up and down the evergreen High Line. My grandfather, Dean, landing at Guadalcanal in 1942. A misfit widow getting gleeful revenge on the town that cast her out.A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around. Sometimes even sung about. The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible. Speculation, over time, becomes fact. Myths, ghost stories, and fables. Fairytales and parables. Gossip and legend. Someone’s secrets written in the sky for all to behold.In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve. Now it’s up to you to pass them down.”

#my giffs #one year of folklore #taylor swift #tswiftedit #taylorswiftedit #taylor swift edit #folklore #folkloreedit #folklore edit #nessa007 #networkthirteen #fearlessnetwork #tscreators #newrcmantlcs #userallison #tis posts #this is late but i really wanted to make something for the anniversary

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nealiios · 3 years ago

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The Supernatural 70s: Part I - Corruption of An Innocent

"We're mutants. There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us - we're soldiers writers."

-- with apologies to the screenwriter of "Stripes"

Dear reader, I have the darkest of revelations to make to you, a truth when fully and wholly disclosed shall most assuredly chill you to the bone, a tale that shall make you question all that you hold to be true and good and holy about my personal history. While you may have come in search of that narrative designer best known for his works of interactive high fantasy, you should know that he is also a crafter of a darker art, a scribbler of twisted tales filled with ghosts, and ghouls, and gargoyles. I am, dear innocent, a devotee of horrors! Mwahahahaha!

[cue thunderclap, lightning, pipe organ music]

Given the genre of writing for which most of you know me, I forgive you if you think of me principally as a fantasy writer. I don't object to that classification because I do enjoy mucking about with magic and dark woods and mysterious ancient civilizations. But if you are to truly know who I am as a writer, you must realize that the image I hold of myself is principally as a creator of weird tales.

To understand how and why I came to be drawn to this sub-genre of fantastic fiction, you first must understand that I come from peculiar folks. Maybe I don't have the Ipswich look, or I didn't grow up in a castle, but my pedigree for oddity has been there from the start. My mother was declared dead at birth by her doctor, and often heard voices calling to her in the dead of night that no one else could hear. Her mother would periodically ring us up to discuss events in our lives about which she couldn't possibly have known. My father's people still share ghost stories about a family homestead that burned down mysteriously in the 1960s. Even my older brother has outré memories about events he says cannot possibly be true, and as a kid was kicked off the Tulsa city bookmobile for attempting to check out books about UFOs, bigfoot, and ESP. It's fair to say I was doomed - or destined - for weirdness from the start.

If the above listed circumstances had not been enough, I grew up in an area where neighbors whispered stories about a horrifically deformed Bulldog Man who stalked kids who "parked" on the Old North Road near my house. The state in which I was raised was rife with legends of bigfoots, deer women, and devil men. Even in my childhood household there existed a pantheon of mythological entities invented explicitly to keep me in line. If I was a good boy, The Repairman would leave me little gifts of Hot Wheels cars or candy. If I was being terrible, however, my father would dress in a skeleton costume, rise from the basement and threaten to drag me down into everlasting hellfire (evidently there was a secret portal in our basement.) There were monsters, monsters EVERYWHERE I looked in my childhood world. Given that I was told as a fledgling writer to write what I knew, how could anyone have been surprised that the first stories I wrote were filled with the supernatural?

"The Nightmare" by John Henry Fuseli (1781)

My formative years during the late sixties and early seventies took place at a strange juncture in our American cultural history. At the same time that we were loudly proclaiming the supremacy of scientific thought because we'd landed men on the moon, we were also in the midst of a counter cultural explosion of interest in astrology, witchcraft, ghosts, extra sensory perception, and flying saucers. Occult-related books were flying off the shelves as sales surged by more than 100% between 1966 and 1969. Cultural historians would come to refer to this is as the "occult boom," and its aftershocks would impact popular cultural for decades to come.

My first contact with tales of the supernatural were innocuous, largely sanitized for consumption by children. I vividly remember watching Casper the Friendly Ghost and the Disney version of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I read to shreds numerous copies of both Where the Wild Things Are and Gus the Ghost. Likely the most important exposure for me was to the original Scooby Doo, Where Are You? cartoon which attempted to inoculate us from our fears of ghosts and aliens by convincing us that ultimately the monster was always just a bad man in a mask. (It's fascinating to me that modern incarnations of Scooby Doo seem to have completely lost this point and instead make all the monsters real.)

ABOVE: Although the original cartoon Scooby Doo, Where Are You? ran only for one season from 1969 to 1970, it remained in heavy reruns and syndication for decades. It is notable for having been a program that perfectly embodied the conflict between reason and superstition in popular culture, and was originally intended to provide children with critical thinking skills so they would reject the idea of monsters, ghosts, and the like. Ironically, modern takes on Scooby Doo have almost entirely subverted this idea and usually present the culprits of their mysteries as real monsters.

During that same time, television also introduced me to my first onscreen crush in the form of the beautiful and charming Samantha Stevens, a witch who struggles to not to use her powers while married to a frequently intolerant mortal advertising executive in Bewitched. The Munsters and The Addams Family gave me my first taste for "goth" living even before it would become all the rage in the dance clubs of the 1980s. Late night movies on TV would bring all the important horror classics of the past in my living room as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Godzilla all became childhood friends. Over time the darkened castles, creaking doors, foggy graveyards, howling wolves, and ever present witches and vampires became so engrained in my psyche that today they remain the "comfort viewing" to which I retreat when I'm sick or in need of other distractions from modern life.

ABOVE: Elizabeth Montgomery starred in Bewitched (1964 - 1972) as Samantha Stephens, a witch who married "mortal" advertising executive Darren Stephens (played for the first five seasons by actor Dick York). Inspired by movies like I Married a Witch (1942) and Bell, Book and Candle (1958), it was a long running series that explored the complex relationship dynamics between those who possess magic and those who don't. Social commentators have referred to it as an allegory both for mixed marriages and also about the challenges faced by minorities, homosexuals, cultural deviants, or generally creative folks in a non heterogeneous community. It was also one of the first American television programs to portray witches not as worshippers of Satan, but simply as a group of people ostracized for their culture and their supernatural skills.

Even before I began elementary school, there was one piece of must-see gothic horror programming that I went out of my way to catch every day. Dark Shadows aired at 3:30 p.m. on our local ABC affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma which usually allowed me to catch most of it if I ran home from school (or even more if my mom or brother picked me up.) In theory it was a soap opera, but the show featured a regular parade of supernatural characters and themes. The lead was a 175 year old vampire named Barnabas Collins (played by Johnathan Frid), and the show revolved around his timeless pursuit of his lost love, Josette. It was also a program that regularly dealt with reincarnation, precognition, werewolves, time travel, witchcraft, and other occult themes. Though it regularly provoked criticism from religious groups about its content, it ran from June of 1966 until it's final cancellation in April of 1971. (I would discover it in the early 1970s as it ran in syndication.) Dark Shadows would spin off two feature-length movies based on the original, a series of tie-in novels, an excellent reboot series in 1991 (starring Ben Cross as Barnabas), and a positively embarrassingly awful movie directed by Tim Burton in 1991.

ABOVE: Johnathan Frid starred as Barnabas Collins, one of the leading characters of the original Dark Shadows television series. The influence of the series cannot be understated. In many ways Dark Shadows paved the way for the inclusion of supernatural elements in other soap operas of the 1970s and the 1980s, and was largely responsible for the explosion of romance novels featuring supernatural themes over the same time period.

While Dark Shadows was a favorite early television program for me, another show would prove not only to be a borderline obsession, but also a major influence on my career as a storyteller. Night Gallery (1969-1973) was a weekly anthology television show from Rod Serling, better known as the creator and host of the original Twilight Zone. Like Twilight Zone before it, Night Gallery was a deep and complex commentary on the human condition, but unlike its predecessor the outcomes for the characters almost always skewed towards the horrific and the truly outré. In "The Painted Mirror," an antiques dealer uses a magic painting to trap an enemy in the prehistoric past. Jack Cassidy plots to use astral projection to kill his romantic rival in "The Last Laurel" but accidentally ends up killing himself. In "Eyes" a young Stephen Spielberg directs Joan Crawford in a story about an entitled rich woman who plots to take the sight of a poor man. Week after week it delivered some of the best-written horror television of the early 1970s.

In retrospect I find it surprising that I was allowed to watch Night Gallery at all. I was very young while it was airing, and some of the content was dark and often quite shocking for its time. Nevertheless, I was so attached to the show that I'd throw a literal temper tantrum if I missed a single, solitary episode. If our family needed to go somewhere on an evening that Night Gallery was scheduled, either my parents would either have to wait until after it had aired before we left, or they'd make arrangements in advance with whomever we were visiting to make sure it was okay that I could watch Night Gallery there. I was, in a word, a fanatic.

ABOVE: Every segment of Night Gallery was introduced by series creator Rod Serling standing before a painting created explicitly for the series. Director Guillermo del Toro credits Serling's series as being the most important and influential show on his own work, even more so than the more famous Twilight Zone.

#horror #70s #occult #supernatural #television #writing

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aintnolionpridelands · 3 years ago

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[Streaming+] Musical "Allegiance"

August 11, 2021 (Wed.) - August 17, 2021 (Tue.) Tickets available until August 15, 2021 (Sun.) 23:59

Musical "Allegiance" will be streamed globally with an after-talk show and a special backstage video!

The musical "Allegiance", which was performed at Tokyo International Forum Hall C in March 2021, has been decided to be streamed online. This is the first performance with a Japanese cast of the Broadway musical about a Japanese-American family living in the United States during World War II. In this memorable Japanese premiere, Megumi Hamada and Naoto Kaiho, who are leading figures in the world of musicals, played the roles of a Japanese-American sister and brother, and the talented cast included Masataka Nakagauchi, Mayuko Kominami, Tsunehiko Kamijo, Tomohiko Imai, and Toru Watanabe. One day, the Japanese-Kimura family, living as Americans in the land of the free, were suddenly declared enemies of the state just because they were "Japanese-Americans" and were transported to an internment camp. Who do you pledge allegiance to and what do you believe in? The story draws people who are denied their identity, but still struggle to find hope and move forward. The Kimura family is at the mercy of the turbulent times. It is a moving story that depicts the division and rebirth of the family who stick to their beliefs. In addition to the main part of the performance, there will be an after-talk show of Megumi Hamada, Naoto Kaiho, Masataka Nakagauchi, and Mayuko Kominami, and a backstage tour video with commentary by Naoto Kaiho and the stage director.

[Regarding Streaming] Producer's Comment This work is based on the history of 120,000 people of Japanese descent who were labeled as "enemy aliens" and forced to live harsh lives in internment camps due to an executive order signed by U.S. President Roosevelt in 1942. Although it is still fresh in our minds that President Biden issued a statement in February of this year apologizing again for the Executive Order, it is also a page of history that is not widely known. In this year that marks the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we have decided to stream the stage with the sincere hope that people will feel it as their own story, as a message that can be understood even today, aiming for a world without discrimination. Furthermore, as a universal family story, the stage will be streamed not only in Japan but also overseas. At this time of the year, which also coincides with the anniversary of the end of the war, we hope that people will watch this stage that portrays the importance of freedom, peace and family bonds, and pass it on to future generations.

Comment by Megumi Hamada I am pleased to announce that "Allegiance", which was performed this spring, has been decided to be streamed online. This time, not only in Japan, but also many people overseas can watch it. I hope you will take this opportunity to enjoy it.

Comment by Naoto Kaiho "Allegiance" is a work that contains a very big theme of "division" that is still accelerating all over the world. Even if we know about it from the news, it is hard to feel it in our daily life. This work appeals to the hearts and minds of audience through the experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II, interweaving beautiful yet powerful music and spectacular dance scenes to convey such a universal theme in human society. This time, the Japanese company took over this idea and tried to create "Allegiance" that can only be expressed by Japanese creators. I hope you will enjoy it.

[Contents] about 210 minutes in total ・Main performance video (about 160 minutes) (Cast) Megumi Hamada Naoto Kaiho Masataka Nakagauchi, Mayuko Kominami Tsunehiko Kamijou, Tomohiko Imai Toru Watanabe, etc. ・After-talk show video (about 25 minutes) ・Backstage tour video (about 25 minutes) ・Comments by Megumi Hamada and Naoto Kaiho

Official Website

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The proshot video of the original Broadway production is also available on BroadwayHD all the time!

#allegiance #allegiance musical #asiantheatrenet #megumi hamada #naoto kaiho #george takei #japanese theatre #allegiancejp #allegiancejp2021 #japanesetheatre #linkpost #newpost #best worst queue #( if you haven't watched this show yet at all I recommend to watch the original Braodway production first #proshot is on BroadwayHD #and maybe other places

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myhockeyworld87 · 5 years ago

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Right One - Josh Anderson

Word Count: 4,063

POV: Josh

Warnings: Language

Notes: Just felt like writing something that wasn’t Tyler Seguin...haha So here you here’s a little Josh Anderson for anyone interested. Happy Reading!

The game against the Devils had been hard-fought, but thankfully you guys ended up with the win. Luckily, you had a couple days before your next game. Once the media finally left the locker room, a more relaxed atmosphere filled the air. "So, where are we celebrating tonight?" You inquired of Seth.

"Sorry man I'm out tonight. I've got plans."

"Gettin' some tonight, huh Seth?" This from Boone, at least you could count on him to party with tonight.

"It's not like that, man. (Y/N)'s one of my best friends and she just got a job at OSU. I'm taking her out to dinner to welcome her to town and celebrate."

"Looks like it's just me and you then Boone. Where should we go?" You threw your jacket on and grabbed your bag, getting ready to head out the door. Seth and Boone a few steps behind you. When you opened the door, there stood the most beautiful girl you'd ever seen. She was wearing a skin-tight white sweater, that showed off her well-endowed breasts and her midriff, with a pair of skinny jeans and heeled boots. But it wasn't just her body that caught your attention it was her smile. She could literally light up a room, with that smile of hers, and at that moment it was directed at you. You felt it all the down to your toes, and at that moment you knew that she was the one you'd been praying to come into your life. That was until Seth moved past you and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in a huge hug.

"Seth, you played amazing tonight." Her voice was like an angel's, and you wondered what it would sound like simply saying your name. "Though I still think that high sticking penalty in the second was bullshit."

"I know right. Hischier totally lifted it." Seth pulled back from their embrace before saying. "So, you got into town ok, obviously."

"Yeah, the moving company should be here tomorrow."

"Sorry I wasn't here when you got here yesterday." Seth apologized, then slung his arm around her shoulders. "But to make it up to you, I made dinner reservations at the best restaurant in town."

"Excellent, because stale beer and nachos in the second period aside, I'm starving."

They turned to walk out to the parking garage, and you felt her slipping away. You went to say something, but Boone's voice interjected. "Hey Jonsey, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Oh right. I totally forgot you guys never met (Y/N). (Y/N) this is Boone Jenner and Josh Anderson; guys this is (Y/F/L/N) my oldest friend."

She held out her hand first to Boone, then to you. Her skin was soft and as you whispered hello, you realized you didn't want to let go. She was looking at you finally, her smile warm and inviting, and you found yourself smiling back in return. But then she released you and turned back to Seth. "It's nice to meet some of Seth's teammates finally."

"And how is it that we're only meeting you now?" It was a question you had on your lips, only Boone was the one asking it, as you stood there mute.

"Miss Smartypants here has been teaching at Oxford for the last couple years, but we were finally able to lure her back to the states, though I know she considers it slumming."

"Haha…you're so funny Mr. Hockey. I've been wanting to come back for a while and you know it. Though you haven't convinced me yet, that you didn't make this opening at OSU happen."

"If I was capable of that, I would've done it when I first got here and not a couple years later." You weren't entirely sure that things were platonic between Seth and (Y/N). Comments like that seemed more intimate, than just friendship. "But we can talk about that over dinner. We better get going if we're going to make those reservations."

"You could just come out with us?" They were the first words you uttered, other than 'hi,' and though you didn't want them to leave; you felt like an idiot just standing there when she looked at you.

"And where exactly are you two headed? Out to pick up women I suspect." She giggled. Little did she know other women were the furthest thing from your mind.

"We hadn't really picked a place yet. Just going out to celebrate the win." Her eyes were still focused on you, and you liked having all of her attention.

"Will there be something other than bar food at this yet to be established destination? Because this one promised me an actual meal." She playfully swatted Seth in the chest, and you wished it was you she was touching. "Hopefully that means something that isn't actually made in a deep fryer."

Before you could say anything at all, Seth spoke up. "Why don't we compromise? Dinner first, then we can hit a club."

The whole thing sounded perfect to you, as it meant you would get more time with (Y/N). "Sounds good, though I'm not sure I can be a wing woman for all of you." She sent you a quick wink. Was she feeling the same thing you were? That instant connection.

"Ok now that, that's settle. Let's get going." The four of you headed out of the arena and piled into Seth's car. Luckily, the restaurant was accommodating and able to put you all in a quiet spot. The corner booth provided privacy while allowing you to be close to (Y/N), as you chose to scoot in next her. She smelled of lavender, a fragrance you normally didn't prefer but on her it was intoxicating. Though it was a struggle to just not reach out and touch her. If this was a date, your hand would be on her thigh or entwined with hers, but this wasn't a date; this was the first time you were meeting this woman.

"So Josh, Boone, give me some scoop on this one." Her words brought you out of your musings. "Has anyone captured his attention?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Seth when you wanted it to be directed at you.

"Geez (Y/N), give me a break. Don't you think I'd tell you if I'd met someone special?" She seemed to accept his answer, but Seth quickly added. "Besides I have you as a backup."

"A backup?" The words were out of your mouth before you could take them back, but damnit you wanted to know if there was something more than friendship going on between them.

She playfully swatted at Seth's shoulder. "Please, like you need me for a backup." She turned towards you then. "Sorry, I didn't mean to not answer you. It's a stupid promise we made when we were fourteen." She thought for a moment before continuing. "God, what was his name?"

"Michael Billington," Seth spat out.

"Right, I can't believe you remember that. Anyway, Michael totally broke my heart at the ripe old age of fourteen." She patted your thigh, the contact going straight to your groin. "As you can see I'm still not over it." Her hand left and you thought you'd die from the loss. "I ended up crying on Seth's shoulder that night, and we made a pact that if neither of us was married by thirty we'd get hitched."

"By my calculations, you've only got four years to find Mr. Right or you're going to be Mrs. Jones." Seth quipped back to her.

"Please I have until you turn thirty, which is closer to five years, and who says I'd take your last name. You'd probably take mine." They both laughed at that, though you really didn't find the conversation funny at all. Their friendship seemed to be a bit more than your original assessment. "Besides I have a feeling some puck bunny will snatch you up and you'll be her problem, not mine."

"I save the puck bunnies for these two." Great now your best friend was throwing you under the bus. So you'd been a bit of womanizer in your past; that was only because you hadn't met the right one. Yet that might have changed tonight when you met (Y/N). Though you needed to defend yourself first.

"Come on man, that's not fair. It's not like that, right Boone?"

"No, Seth pretty much got it right. I mean isn't that why we're going to the club tonight?" He was going to pay for that comment at practice in the morning.

"You don't really need to hear about these guys sexcapades." Seth quickly tried to change the subject.

"Sexcapades huh? No, I think I definitely need to hear about this." Her curiosity was piqued and you wondered how to turn this night back around before it went south.

"Oh no we're not going there." You added. "What about you (Y/N)? Seth said you were in England, any British men catch your fancy, so to say."

She giggled, the sound sweet and melodic. "If they had, I wouldn't be here, surrounded by you three hunks." You were relieved to find out that she didn't have some British nob waiting for her, across the pond. The conversation at dinner flowed so easily; you almost didn't want it to end. It was nice just having her here mainly to yourself, instead of fighting off random men for her attention. It was bad enough vying for it with Seth and Boone.

Too soon for your liking dinner ended and the four of you headed to a club that you frequented. The music was loud and the dance floor was crowded, but thankfully there was a VIP section, that you were able to make your way to. Boone ordered everyone a round of drinks and shots. "Here's to a great win tonight and to my best friend finally moving to Columbus," Seth announced, and you all cheers before slinging down the burning liquid.

"Damn Boone, what the hell was that shit?" You asked him, coughing a bit from the bad alcohol you'd just drank. (Y/N) was already chasing it down with her other drink.

"I did not order that shit. I specifically asked for 1942 Don Julio. I'm gonna go see what the hell happened."

"Hold up, I'm going with you because this does not taste like what I ordered either," Seth told him before the two took off, leaving you and (Y/N) alone. She was swaying to the music as she sat on the sofa and you wondered what she'd look like when her whole body moved.

"Do you want to dance?"

"Took you long enough to ask Andy." She quipped, using your nickname, which out of her mouth was completely adorable. You took her hand and led her just past the roped-off area, close enough that Seth and Boone would know where you went. Dancing with a Stranger was playing and you raised your joined hands as you started to move to the beat. Her body swayed to the rhythm and you found your free hand reaching for her waist; pulling her close to you. Her hips gyrated with yours and her arm skated around your neck. She was intoxicating, the way she moved, the smile on her face; just everything about her spoke to you on some other level. You'd only had her in your arms a few moments, but you knew you never wanted to let her go.

She spun around then, her backside now grinding into your crotch; while your arm sat low on her hips holding her close. You leaned down, half tempted to whisper in her ear how much you wanted her; but that damn lavender scent of hers engulfed you, even though the smell of alcohol and sweat permeated the air. You wanted to drink her in, and get drunk solely on being in her presence alone. Instead you were stuck holding her tight against you in a crowded club.

The music shifted and so did she in your arms, as she twisted back around front. "Don't look now, but the girl at your two o'clock is staring at you like a starving dog." You moved your head to see who (Y/N) was talking about, even though she was the only one who you wanted to spend the rest of the night staring at. "I said not to look." (Y/N) chuckled and you joined in. "So should I be a good wing-woman and help you get her, now that you've checked her out."

God that was the last thing that you wanted, for (Y/N) was the only woman who'd captured your attention and there was no one in this club or on the planet for that matter that you wanted to be with but her. An easy 'no' fell from your lips before you even really figured out which girl (Y/N) was talking about. "Really? I don't think it would be a hard sell." This time when you looked your saw who she meant, a groan escaped your lips. "Ah, so that was a death glare she was giving me; I take it?"

"Yeah, probably." (Y/N) cocked her head in question for you to explain further. "Her name is Carmen, and she's one of those puck bunnies you were talking about earlier. She's been trying to get her hooks into me for weeks."

"Oh, well in that case let's give her a show." She wrapped her arms around your neck and grinded down on you, making your cock go from stiff to rock solid. "Put your hands on my ass." You blinked down at her, but who were you to argue with such demands. With her breasts pressed against you and the cheeks of her bottom in your hands, you were struggling not to just lift her up and take her to the nearest quiet corner. "Is she still watching?"

You weren't even paying any attention to Carmen. Why would you, when you had everything you wanted in your arms, but for (Y/N)'s sake you looked over to check. "God, she's actually coming this way."

"Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me, so she thinks we're together." You didn't move, so she reached her hands up to the nape of your neck and brought your lips down to hers. It wasn't how you wanted your first kiss with her to be, yet her lips were soft and pliant beneath yours. You couldn't help how your hands pressed her body even closer to yours. Her lips molded to yours and you felt her melt into your arms. The kiss shifted then, it was no longer about pretending, but purely about two people that wanted each other, no needed each other. The music around you was deafening but you heard the slight moan she gave above it all. You took full advantage, sweeping your tongue inside her mouth to tangle with hers. She tasted of alcohol and faintly of the chocolate cake she'd had at dinner, and something that was purely her. You were lost in her and you never wanted to be found.

You were so focused on (Y/N) and everything about her, that you forgot where were until some drunk bumped into the two of you spilling their drink partially on you both; causing you to break the kiss. It didn't matter that your pant leg was half soaked, all you could do was stare down at the beautiful woman in front of you. Her lips slightly swollen from the kiss, and a look of awe on her face. Neither of you recovered quickly, and you knew you should've said something but all you could think of was how badly you wanted to kiss her again.

She cleared her throat, effectively breaking the spell going on between the two of you. "Well, um…" You weren't sure what else she was going to say, but you knew if it was negative you didn't want to hear it.

"That had nothing to do with Carmen." You told her, being completely honest. Her mouth formed an 'O' yet no sound came out. There was so much more you wanted to say, but it didn't happen as Seth and Boone joined you then.

"Did we miss anything?" Seth asked, as he placed a hand on your shoulder giving you a squeeze and pointedly looked at where your hands were, which happened to still be glued to (Y/N)'s ass. You immediately released her though regretted it.

(Y/N) answered him first. "Just saving Andy here from the wolves." She skated one arm down yours to entwine with your fingers, then took the other to pull Seth nearer to her. "The wolf's name is Carmen." She stated, nodding her head in the direction Carmen previously was, but now was nowhere to be found.

Just the mention of Carmen's name and understanding dawned on Seth, even though there was more to the story than what was being told. "Gotcha. Well we have drinks back at the table."

"Great. I'll be right there, just going to freshen up." She squeezed your hand, then headed off, and though you knew she'd only be gone a few minutes; you felt an overwhelming desire to run after her just so you could kiss her again. Instead, you went back to the table with Seth, where Boone was flirting with some brunette.

Taking a long swig of your drink, you sat down, only to hear Seth say. "So, care to tell me what's really going?"

You set the glass back before you had a chance to down the entire contents. "I like her. What else can I say? But if you tell me right now that, you're secretly in love with her or something; I'll back off."

Seth rolled his eyes. "I do love her." God, you felt your heart literally sink to the floor, and you found yourself picking the glass back up and bringing it to your lips, which still burned from kissing her. "But like a sister." Just like that you brought the drink back down, to look over at your friend. "And before you say anything, that means I won't tolerate you treating her like some one-night stand. She's special Josh."

"You don't think I noticed that." You raked a hand through your hair, more frustrated at yourself for not being able to explain the things you were feeling for a woman you'd only just met. "I saw that the minute I came out of the locker room and she was standing there. It's only been more evident throughout the night. She's amazing Seth." You had to be sure, he knew you'd walk away if there was something between them. "You're positive it's just a brother/sister thing?"

"Look, I won't lie. We tried it once." Now that you knew the truth, you weren't sure you wanted to hear it. "We were eighteen, and I felt like she was slipping away going off to college and all. It was awful." He chuckled and part of you felt relief that you weren't going to be competing with one of your best friends. "We realized then, that we were always going to be friends and nothing more." He slapped you on the shoulder before continuing. "But seriously man, you may be the better fighter of the two of us. Though I'm telling you now, I will literally beat the living shit out of you if you break her heart."

"Noted." You went to say more but he stopped you yet again.

"It took me a long time to convince her to come back to the states. Don't fuck this up."

"Jesus, I don't even know if she likes me."

"She does. I can see it." Now that was something that you finally wanted to hear.

"You really think so?"

"Dude, calm down. You sound like you're five or something." Seth took a long drink before actually answering your question, enjoying making you wait. "Yeah, I really do." He shrugged then. "I saw her kiss you and I saw the look on her face afterward, but you can find out for yourself because here she comes."

You watched as (Y/N) moved through the crowd to make it back to your seats. "What I miss?" She asked as she took the seat next to you.

"Oh, not much," Seth said handing her a drink, and sending you a sly glance.

"Doesn't seem like that." She added with that cute little giggle of hers. "Please tell me you didn't have a run-in with that Carmen girl while I was gone." Actually, you'd forgotten all about her.

"No, thank god," Seth answered. "Though I do see her and her friends staring at us." You followed Seth's vision and sure enough there she was glaring over more at (Y/N) then either him or Seth. "If this wasn't your first night out in Columbus; I'd be suggesting we call it a night." You were inclined to agree.

"Hey no need to stay on my account. I'm literally still on London time, which means my carriage turned into a pumpkin a few hours ago. I'd rather party when I didn't think that it was six in the morning." Both you and Seth laughed at her comment. "Laugh all you want, but one of you two will be carrying me back to the hotel when I fall asleep here." You had no qualms with carrying her anywhere though your bed was your preferred choice.

"In this noise? You'll never fall asleep. I know you and you don't even like the tv on to sleep." Seth quipped to her and you stored the knowledge away. "Let me go see what Romeo over there wants to do and I'll be back." He headed over to Boone leaving you and (Y/N) alone, which provided you the perfect opportunity to talk to her.

"So, about earlier." You started and she nodded. "I didn't want it to be like that…kissing you that is." Her eyes widen and you could tell she misunderstood what you were trying to say. "It's not that I didn't want to kiss you…" You blew out a frustrated breath, before raking your hands through your hair. "I mean I want to kiss you…fuck…I just…well, I like you, and well…I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out. Just the two of us, where I can kiss you properly." There you'd said it all. It was a jumbled mess, but at least you'd asked her out. The problem now was that she wasn't saying anything in return, and now you were worried you didn't make yourself clear. "So…um…would you like to go out with me?"

A small smile spread across her features and you took that as a good sign. "You're really cute when you're flustered. Do you know that?" You could feel a blush rising to your cheeks. "I like you too Josh, but…" She looked over at Seth and then it occurred to you that maybe she had feelings for him.

"I didn't realize there was…."

"No!" She said quickly. "There's not. Seth is my best friend and that's all. I just don't know how he'd feel about me dating one of his teammates."

"Well if it helps, he told me he'd kick my ass if I hurt you."

She shook her head as a light chuckle escaped her lips. "God, he never changes. He used to say that to every guy I dated growing up, but I'll take that as him giving us his blessing. So, if that's the case, then…Yeah, I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Really?" You were completely elated but wanted to be one hundred percent sure.

"Yes really. I like you Josh." She reached over and kissed your cheek. "And just so you know. I don't regret kissing you on the dance floor, but I understand that you didn't want it to be our first. So let's just consider that practice, until you take me out."

Seth came back then, with Boone falling behind. "Everyone ready to go?"

You laced your fingers with (Y/N)'s and the four of you headed out the door. Tonight had proved to be more of a win for you than just in hockey and you couldn't wait for your next matchup with the girl on your arm, because for some reason you thought you’d finally found the right one.

#Josh Anderson #josh anderson imagine #Josh Anderson Imagines #Columbus Blue Jackets #Columbus Blue Jackets Imagine #Columbus Blue Jackets Imagines #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction

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scapegrace74-blog · 5 years ago

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Saorsa, Chapter 14

A/N Here is the next installment of Saorsa. It’s domestic Jamie and Claire, with a sprinkling of angst.

Rather than link to all previously posted chapters, I’ll just direct those of you wanting to catch up on your Saorsa-reading to my AO3 page, where the fic is posted in its entirety.

Claire sat in an over-stuffed armchair as an icy northern wind rattled the unglazed windows, making the flames of the central hearth flicker and dance. October had descended upon the Highlands with a vengeance. The labourers were rushing to bring in the last of the harvest before the frosts came. She had the ledgers open on a low stool before her, trying once again to make sense of the complicated jumble of expenses and yields that the running of an estate entailed. The only thing she could conclude with any confidence was that there were significantly more expenses than yields.

The soft shuffle of slippered feet on the stone staircase announced his presence before James Fraser slowly entered the room. She was still not used to seeing him upright and was once again struck by just how tall he was. No midget herself, he still towered over her when she rose to greet him.

“Dinna fash yer’self, Mistress Beauchamp. I ‘ave mastered the art of sitting upright, good pupil that I am.”

He settled carefully into her chair’s twin and extended his trouser-clad legs toward the fire with a groan. After a day’s stony silence following the news that she’d burned his ruined kilt, he’d begrudgingly accepted a borrowed pair of woolen trousers and a loose cotton shirt that didn’t abrade his still-tender back. The slippers he wore belonged to Frank and were a touch on the small side, but she hadn’t seen fit to mention that.

“I canna believe how it tires me just tae come down those stairs. I remember as a lad, running up and down from dawn til dusk as tho it t’were nothin’.”

It was the first time he’d mentioned anything remotely anecdotal, and Claire seized the moment, hoping to get this reticent man to open up a tiny bit. Despite his good manners, a quick wit and near-mythological stubbornness, he seemed trapped far inside himself with an abiding sadness that rose to the surface at the strangest moments. She guessed it was a consequence of whatever had caused his injury, but she wished he would trust her enough to share the burden.

“Did you grow up in an old house like Lallybroch, then?” she asked, trying to draw him out.

The look on his face made her instantly regretful. He looked… grief-stricken.

“Mister Fraser, I’m sorry…” she began, but he interrupted her apology.

“Aye, in a place verra much like Lallybroch,” he murmured. “But ‘twas verra different as weel.” He shot her a pained grin that effectively closed the subject, then glanced around for a distraction. She got the impression that were he not still winded from his trip down the stairs, he would have simply returned to his room.

“I see yer lookin’ after the ledgers for yer ‘usband, while he’s at war,” he said, nodding towards the open book.

It was her turn to inwardly flinch. She’d yet to tell anyone about Frank, and now a new concern had begun to tickle at the edge of her frazzled mind. She blinked away the glaze of tears from her eyes, before it could be noticed.

“Yes. Or at least I’m trying. I confess I find the keeping of the accounts utterly elusive. It’s like they were set down by some medieval savant purely to confound me.”

“Och, tis no’ sae bad as that, surely. Bring them ‘ere, and I’ll show ye.”

She rested the huge, leather-clad volume in his lap. His elegant hands caressed it briefly, as though greeting an old lover. Then, flipping to the page for 1942, he began his explanation.

“Now, this column’s fer the rents. Ye collected ‘em in September, aye?” She nodded, kneeling beside him. His confident voice took her on a journey away from her worries, and it was only in reflecting back later that night that she was struck by just how at home he was, sitting in front of the great fire, explaining the minutiae of fodder and grazing rights, of royal demesne and rent-in-kind.

Bidding each other goodnight at the top of the great stairs, he pronounced, “Yer a verra fine Lady of Lallybroch, Mistress Beauchamp, despite being a Sassenach. Yer husband is a lucky man.”

She nodded and managed to close the door to her temporary bed chamber before tears escaped her eyes.

#my writing #outlander

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365days365movies · 4 years ago

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April 1, 2021: The Gold Rush (1925)

If I’m going to start anywhere, it’s right at the beginning.

There’s absolutely no way I can start this month off without jumping headlong into the slapstick-filled era of the 1920s-1930s, and that begins (and arguably ends) with the man, the myth, the legend: Charlie Chaplin. And Chaplin’s got an interesting and tragic backstory, that it’s worth looking into. And he won’t be the first film star I get into, but we’ll get there.

Born in London in 1889, Chaplin was essentially raised in the world of the theatre, as both of his parents were entertainers. Raised in immense hardship and poverty, Chaplin’s early life wasn’t easy. His father left the family, and his mother struggled to provide. Eventually, she ended up becoming committed to an asylum, which led Charlie and his brother to live with their alcoholic father, which didn’t last long. Yikes.

Eventually, both parents were out of the picture by the time that Charlie was 14, with his father head, and his mother generally unwell, physically and mentally. Additionally, his brother enrolled in the military, leaving him completely alone. He left school and went to work, eventually becoming embroiled in the theatre and stage, and in 1908, the 19-year old Charlie joined a major theatre troupe, alongside another young actor named Stan Laurel. And in 1912, the group toured in the United States, where he was found by the head of the now defunct Keystone Studios, who were looking for a new star.

The first movie, Making a Living, didn’t go great for Chaplin or critics. But they didn’t give up, and put Chaplin in a second film: Mabel’s Strange Predicament. Here, Chaplin decided on a new costume. He wanted baggy pants, a tight coat, small hat, large shoes, and a little moustache. And with that outfit came the birth Chaplin’s most iconic character: The Tramp.

And BAM: history’s made. Because this film is RIDICULOUSLY successful, and very popular. A hell of a lot of films come from this, and by 1915, Chaplin was the biggest star in Hollywood history at the time. By 30 years old, he had founded his own studio, was funding his own pictures, and was the most well-known man in the United States outside of the President. And this was before he made his first feature film, The Kid.

1921 was the year that film came out, and I was originally going for that one as my first review...but I decided against it, in favor of another of his most famous films, The Gold Rush, which came out in 1925. By this point, Chaplin had also become a director, alongside actor and producer. He also...had done some not amazing things by this point. Yeah, Chaplin wasn’t the best dude, but that’s another story. I’m here to talk about this film, not about his real shitty track record with women and abandoning his children. Chaplin is a dark man with a dark history, I’ll just say that much.

But enough of that (for now)! Let’s get into the man and his works! After all, Chaplain also pioneered visual comedy in film, so this is going to be an interesting film! Let’s get into The Gold Rush! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

First things first, I’d like to make something clear: I’m watching the 1925 version, reconstructed using some footage from the 1942 re-release, which added narration to it. Because I’m interested in seeing the original, as meant to be seen by Chaplin back in the day, I’m not looking at the re-release at all. But if you’re interested (and have the subscription), BOTH are available on HBO Max!

We begin at the top of Chilkoot Pass in Alaska, a difficult terrain and a challenge to anyone looking to make it rich in the Klondike. Men are hiking up the mountain in hardship, to try get their riches. This takes place at some point between 1898 and 1899, by the way. One of these men is a Lone Prospector, AKA The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin), who walks along the narrow path while being pursued by a bear, but eventually escapes said bear, finding himself on the snowy mountainside.

Also here is fellow prospector Big Jim McKay (Mack Swain), who’s just struck it rich. But then, as both men are on the mountainside, a snowstorm hits. The Lone Prospector finds his way to a small cabin, in which the wanted criminal Black Larsen resides.

The Lone Prospector makes his way inside, where he finds and eats a partially eaten rack of meat. However, Larsen tells him to get out, opening the door, causing the wind to get in. In a humorous sequence, the wind is so strong that it prevents the Prospector from leaving, an blows Jim McKay literally though the building. But soon, all three are in the cabin.

Larsen now tries to get both of them out with the threat of violence. He fires a warning shot with a shotgun, leading to struggle between Jim and Larsen for the gun, with Jim gaining the upper hand and allowing the Prospector and Larsen to stay. The storm persists for three days, and the men grow hungrier and hungrier in the process. All the while, the shack becomes ever closer to just toppling over from the storm winds.

The Prospector ends up eating a candle with sat, he’s so desperate, and the men use a pack of cards to decide who’s going out into the storm to look for food. Larsen loses, and he heads out with his dog (who CLEARLY isn’t into this whole thing, by the way). But Larsen’s still running from the police, who are hunkered down in the storm. They find him, and another struggle ensues, leading to Larsen killing them both in the snow, and stealing their supplies. Meanwhile, in the cabin, then men are so hungry that they prepare one of the Prospector’s shoes. Delicious.

As these two dine on this Thanksgiving meal (which is shown in very funny detail, including eating the laces as spaghetti), Larsen actually stumbles upon Jim’s gold, and he hunkers down there through the storm. This leaves the men to starve in the cabin, and also leads to...a very ironic sequence, now that I think about it.

See, this film was mostly made in Truckee, California. And the most iconic thing about Truckee is that it’s the resting place of a group of travelers on the Oregon Trail. See, in 1846, a group of settlers took the wrong pathway on some bad advice, and wound up stranded in the snow as a result of one of the worst blizzards in California history. This party of travelers, known as the Donner Party (YUP), starved for WEEKS, trapped in essentially a snow pit. 87 settlers went in, and 48 came out. Most died of the cold or starvation. And some survived by, well...eating the dead. Yup. Cannibalism. Which is why this is so ironic.

For a hot second, Jim sees the Prospector as a delicious chicken, and ties to eat him, firing at him with a shot gun and driving him outside. Realizing his delirium, he quickly apologizes, and the two make tentative amends. However, in self-defense, the Prospector takes to sleeping with the shotgun. The next morning, the two struggle for the gun, and Big Jim nearly kills the Prospector, but is interrupted by the return of the bear!

The Prospector shoots the bear, and the two finally have food to eat. Soon after, the storm subsides, and the two head their separate ways, with Jim going back to claim his gold fortune, and the Prospector left in the snowy wilderness. By the way, EVERY SINGLE TIME I type “the Prospector”, I start typing “the Tramp” first, then correct myself. Despite this being the first Chaplin movie I’ve ever seen, it’s such an iconic character that I can’t help but think of him as the Tramp. I’ll probably slip up at some point later without catching it.

Big Jim returns to his camp, where Larsen ambushes him, knocking him out and stealing some of his gold. However, he’s pretty quickly killed by an avalanche, while Jim has completely lost his memory from the low of a shovel. The Prospector, meanwhile, makes his way to a nearby boomtown, built with the profits from the rush in the Gold Rush.

In this boomtown, we meet Georgia (Georgia Hale), a popular dancer that works in a local dance hall. One of Georgia’s fellow dancers has gone off with a wealthy benefactor, leaving her behind. At the hall, she’s being pursued by Jack Cameron (Malcolm Waite), an aggressive lout who’s pestering her for a dance. And just then, who should walk in?

Georgia pretty clearly wants out of the dance hall life, and is also looking for somebody to take her away from this place. However, that somebody is CLEARLY not the Prospector, whom she completely ignores. But when Jack comes back around to force her into a dance, she decides to dance with the most undesirable person in the place instead: the Prospector.

So, while this act is borne of pure spite for Jack, it’s still a dance. It’s interrupted by a nearby dog, but Georgia enjoys the dance quite a bit, to her surprise. Jack is still after her, and the Prospector actually comes to defend her, standing in his way when he tries to pursue her. This, predictably, leads to a fight between the two, during which Jack accidentally gets knocked out by a clock, which the Prospector takes as his own actions, strolling off in pride.

The next morning, the Prospector essentially tricks a man into bringing him inside his cabin to get a free breakfast. This is Hank Curtis (Henry Bergman), who welcomes him into his home for food, and to take care of the cabin in his stead. Curtis owns a mine with his partner, and they head there, leaving the Prospector in his home. All the while, Big Jim is wandering through the wilderness, trying to remember where his gold is.

Georgia is out and about as well, having some fun with friends away from the dance hall. They run around in the snow, throwing snowballs at each other. And as this is right outside of the cabin, of course the Prospector gets hit by one of them. Feeling penitent, Georgia goes into his cabin, after he invites the girls in for a warm fire. She finds a picture of her from the dance hall underneath the Prospector’s pillow, which the other girls mock. But Georgia is at least a little sympathetic.

This pleasant moment is interrupted by one of the girls’ cigarettes lighting the Prospector’s shoes on fire, causing all of them to rush out of the cabin. However, before they leave, the Prospector asks if Georgia would like to come to dinner, which she assumes refers to all of the girls. Still, she accepts, which overjoys the lovelorn Prospector.

But the Prospector, of course, doesn’t exactly have a lot of money; that’s why he’s out here in the first place. So, he goes around town and does some work for money, such as snow-shoveling. He also blocks the jail door with a giant pile of snow in the process, which doesn’t make them very happy. BUT STILL, he gets anough money, and by the time New Years’ comes around, he’s got enough money for a nice meal and a well-made dinner for him and Georgia, with whom he’s head-over-heels in love.

Shame that Georgia doesn’t share that feeling, and has COMPLETELY forgotten about the entire occasion. And so, the Prospector waits for her to arrive, while she’s at a party at the dance hall. He imagines that the dance hall girls, Georgia included, have arrived and are having dinner with him. In the process of this imaginary dinner, he puts two forks in rolls of bread...and creates one of the most iconic scenes of the Silent Era of film.

But alas, this is all in a dream. The Prospector wakes up, and midnight’s passed. At the dance hall, the revelers celebrate, with Georgia standing on the bar and firing guns into the air in the process. The Prospector is saddened, now wondering where Georgia’s been, and realizing that he’s been stood up. Auld Lang Syne plays in the score, and the partiers sing it together at the dance hall.

And it’s FINALLY AT THIS POINT that Georgia remembers that she and the girls were supposed to meet the Prospector. They head there, with Jack in tow. But the Tramp (told you I’d slip eventually) has headed to the party at the dance hall, looking for the girls that stood him up, and he sadly gazes through the window.

Meanwhile, at the Prospector’s cabin, Georgia discovers the loving meal and decorations put out, and realizes that the Prospector actually took this far more seriously than she’d thought. She realizes his feelings, and what she’s done, and feels sorrow about it. Jack tries to get her to forget it and kiss him, but she angrily rebukes him for it, slapping him in the face. They leave the cabin, with Georgia reflecting on the scene.

The next day, Big Jim McKay is trying to recall the location of his gold reserve. He goes to town, and resolves that he must find the cabin in the wilderness, and he should be able to find his way back from there. The Prospector walks right past him, still mourning his spurned love from the previous night. But said spurned love is writing him a letter, noting that she is sorry for what she did last night, and asks someone to give it...to Jack. Oh. What the fuck, Georgia? But Jack, being the dick that he is, sees the Prospector in the dance hall, and gives him the note instead, which leads him to try and find Georgia.

In the process, though, he runs into Big Jim, who needs the Prospector to lead him back to the cabin. He promises to make him a millionaire if he does, and the Prospector agrees, going up to Georgia on the balcony and kissing her, promising to make good and come back rich! The two head back to the cabin, where they stay for the night.

But that night, a vicious blizzard once again rears its ugly head as the two sleep, and literally blows the cabin to...well, to a rather precarious spot.

So, in blissful ignorance, the Prospector gets up first, and walks around the cabin, causing it to rock back and forth as the weight shifts. Big Jim also wakes up, and together, the two realize that the house is balanced on the cliff’s edge, and shifts position as the weight shifts within. That leads to a humorous sequence with a tilting set, and the Prospector looks outside a door on the side of the cliff, dangling off of it for a moment before coming back in.

Now realizing the situation, the two manage to secure a guy rope that ties the house to rocks on the cliff. However, the cabin is now tilted, making their escape even more difficult.

However, Big Jim manages to get out with some teamwork, overlaid by The Flight of the Bumblebee in the score, and he also helps the Prospector escape, just before the whole house falls off the cliff.

But lucky day! The cabin blew RIGHT to the spot where Big Jim found the gold, and the two are now multi-millionaires! The film cuts to one year later, with the two very wealthy men, and the Prospector’s been able to afford everything he’s ever wanted...except for Georgia, whom he never found. Yeah, she definitely wasn’t looking to be with him. Geez.

The Prospector gets in his old Tramp getup for a photograph taken by the Press, while on the ship heading back to the lower 48. But then...who should also be on that ship but Georgia. The two unite once again, but Georgia’s overheard that there was a stowaway on board the ship, and assumes that it’s the Prospector. She tries to defend him, but quickly learns that he’s become a multi-millionaire. With that, the two are reunited, and the photographer brings both of them up for a picture. He poses them in a way that brings them quite close...and the two kiss.

The end! That’s The Gold Rush, and I thought it was a surprisingly heartfelt film! Really, it was funny in some spots, but was a bit more sweet to me than funny. And I really liked it, in truth. I get why it’s considered one of his best! I’ll elaborate on my thoughts more thoroughly in the review, though. See you there!

#the gold rush #the gold rush 1925 #charlie chaplin #the tramp #the lone prospector #mack swain #tom murray #malcolm waite #georgia hale #henry bergman #comedy april #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365days365movies #365 movies a year

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weeb-alcove · 4 years ago

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2019 English Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL77pv5URcE8b4_k9_GQYZoQYz_HhRDP2D

In English:

“99″ - Barns Courtney

10ft - Eileen Yo

5 Seconds of Summer Babylon Easier Lie to Me Teeth

88rising History Midsummer Madness ♪ from their album Head in the Clouds II ♬ Breathe I Love You 3000 II Indigo Strange Land These Nights

Affection - Between Friends

Aftertaste - Whethan

Ain’t Goin Back - Russ

Alan Walker Are You Lonely Different World Do It All for You Lily On My Way Play

All Fall Down - Johnny Glenn & Ally Hills & Just Juice

All Over Again (remix) - Lost You & Michael Moawad

Another Summer Night Without You - Alexander 23

Aphrodite - Rini

Ariana Grande Esta Noche ♪ from her album thank u, next ♬ bloodline in my head NASA

Arms Around You - XXXTentacion & Swae Lee & Lil Pump

Ava Max Freaking Me Out (Bingo Players remix) Not Your Barbie Girl So Am I

Bae - Trevor Wesley

Bars and Melody Lighthouse (Dave Winnel remix) Waiting for the Sun

Bazzi Caught in the Fire Focus Mine Myself No Way!

Beat of My Drum - Powers

Benee Evil Spider Find an Island Glitter Monsta Want Me Back Wishful Thinking

Better Not - Louis the Child

Big Sean Berzerk Single Again

Billie Eilish everything i wanted When I Was Older ♪ from her album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? ♬ 8 bad guy bury a friend ilomilo my strange addiction wish you were gay xanny

Birthday Party - AJR

Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz

broken - lovelytheband

Caffeine and Dopamine - Keepitinside

Camila Cabello Find U Again Señorita ♪ from her album Romance ♬ Bad Kind of Butterflies Liar My Oh My Shameless Should’ve Said It

Cardi B Money Please Me

Catch Feelings - Henry Young & Zachary

Céline - Gallant

Cemetery - Coin

Chanel - Frank Ocean

Chase - Aaron Carpenter

Cherry Cola - Kuwada

Cigarette - offonoff & Tablo & MISO

Clairo Sofia Throwaway

Close to Me - Ellie Goulding & Diplo & Swae Lee

Cold - Boy In Space & unheard

Come My Way - Plvtinum

Conan Gray Generation Why Greek God Maniac The King

Creep - Radiohead (GAMPER remix & Dadoni & Ember Island)

Crush - Lucian & Tiffany Day

Crying My Eyes Out - Stephen Puth

Crystal Dolphin - Engelwood

Dangerous Love - Justice Carradine

David Guetta Better When You’re Gone Blame It on Love

Daya Insomnia Left Me Yet Wanted

Don’t Be Gone Too Long - Chris Brown

Don’t Lie to Me - Lena

Don’t Start Now - Dua Lipa

Eric Nam ♪ from his album Before We Begin ♬ Congratulations Love Die Young

Everything - TobyMac

Eyes Wide Shut - Glades

Falling - Trevor Daniel

Fine - Rufus

Finneas I Don’t Miss You at All Let’s Fall in Love for the Night

Fitz and the Tantrums Hand Clap Out of My League

Flower - Johnny Stimson

Friends - Feyde

Funeral - Miguel

G-Eazy 1942 Nadie Como Tu

Get Away - Ed Black

Giants - Becky G & Keke Palmer & Soyeon & Duckwrth & Thutmose

Glass Animals Life Itself The Other Side of Paradise

Greyson Chance Boots Shut Up

Halsey Eastside Graveyard

Heart in Tokyo - Good Gasoline

Heartstrings - STVN & Jenna Carlie

Her - Alex Aiono

Hey Violet Better by Myself Queen of the Night

High School - Umi

Hometown Smile - Bahjat

Honne Crying Over You Day 1

How Do You Sleep? - Sam Smith

IDK - Bruce Wiegner

I Fall in Like Too Easily - Ashton Arbab

I Feel Love - Suggi

If I Can’t Have You - Shawn Mendes

If You Need Me - Julia Michaels

If You’re Over Me - Years & Years

I Heart You - Baby Ariel

I’ll Be There - King Henry & Sasha Sloan

ILYA - Fly By Midnight

In Betweenin’ - Austin Brown

Indiana Massara Apology Smoke in My Eyes

i think i love you (but i dont like you) - push baby

It’s Not You It’s Me - 6LACK & Bea Miller

Japanese Denim - Daniel Caesar

Jaymes Young Infinity Northern Lights

Joji Sanctuary Test Drive Yeah Right

Jonas Brothers Only Human Sucker

Juliet - Sebastian Javier

June - Sage Charmaine

Just My Luck - Tia Ray & Kehlani

Kailee Morgue Go to Sleep Headcase

Katy Perry 365 Harleys in Hawaii

Kiss Me Thru the Phone - Soulja Boy

Lalala - Y2K, bbno$

Last Hurrah - Bebe Rexha

Lauv Drugs & the Internet I’m So Tired

Lava Lamp - Dandi

Left to Right - Marteen

Lennon Stella La Di Da Polaroid Workin’ on It

Lifeguard - iamnotshane

Lovefool - The Cardigans

Love Me Wrong - Allie X & Troye Sivan

Love You Like That - Dagny

Madison Beer Fools Hurts Like Hell

Maggie Lindemann Friends Go Would I

MAGIC! Girl at Coachella Lay You Down Easy

Make You Mine - Public

Mango Love - Shawn Wasabi & SATICA

Mask - joe.k

MAX Love Me Less One Two Things Worship

Middle of the Night - Monsta X

Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince - Taylor Swift

MØ Blur Don’t Leave Kamikaze Nostalgia On & On Red Wine

Mona Lisa - Valntn & Peter Fenn

mxmtoon Blame Game Prom Dress

My Family - Karol G & Migos & Rock Mafia & Snoop Dogg

Nobody - Emilee

No Sleep - Martin Garrix & Bonn

Nostalgia - The Beamish Brothers

NOTD Keep You Mine Romantic (NOTD remix) So Close

Ocean Man - Ween

October - Alessia Cara

Oh Wonder I Wish I Never Met You Super Love

Only You - Cheat Codes & Little Mix

On the Low - Justin Park

Pardon Me - Dion

Permission - New Hope Club

Pharmacy - Isaac Dunbar

Pink - No Rome

Post Malone ♪ from his album Hollywood’s Bleeding ♬ A Thousand Bad Times Circles Die for Me Goodbyes Take What You Want

PRETTYMUCH Blind Solita

Quinn XCII U & Us Wayback (remix)

R3HAB All Comes Back To You Don’t Give Up on Me Now Lullaby This Is How We Party

Raincoat - Kieron Lee & Chloe Ho

Rebels - Ivy Adara

Red Sippy Cup - Ellis G & Tristen the God

Rei Brown Picture Frames Real Love

Rescue Me - OneRepublic

Right Now - Nick Jonas & Robin Schulz

Rolex - Ayo & Teo

Roots - Galantis & Valerie Broussard

Roxanne - Arizona Zervas

Ruel Free Time Real Thing Younger

Say It to My Face - Maty Noyes

Selena Gomez Bad Liar I Can’t Get Enough

Sick Thoughts - Lewis Blissett

Skeletons - keshi

Speechless - Dan + Shay

Stay Home - Faye Risakotta

Sugarplum Elegy - Niki

Summer Love - Hyu

Summer Time High Time - Cuco & J-Kwe$t

Summertime in Paris - Jaden & Willow

Suncity - Khalid & Empress Of

Superfruit - Maude Latour

Sweet Little Lies - bülow

Swimming in Your Feelings - Haven

Talking Loud - Jennifer Zhang

Tell Me - Mika-Intersection

tell me how you rly feel - adam&steve & Lostboycrow

Tessa Violet Bad Ideas Crush

Thank You - Junny

The Chainsmokers Family Kills You Slowly Takeaway

The Vamps All Night All the Lies Can We Dance Just My Type Middle of the Night Missing You Somebody to You We Don’t Care

Think About Me - dvsn

Tired - Jasmine Sokko

Tomorrow Tonight - Loote

Virtual Reality - ieuan

Waste My Time - Grace VanderWaal

Why Don’t We Come to Brazil I Don’t Belong in This Club I Still Do Mad At You Unbelievable What Am I (Casualkimono remix)

Why Don’t We - Austin Mahone

Why Haven’t I Met You? - Cameron Dallas

Woke Up Late - Drax Project & Hailee Steinfield

Yellow Hearts - Ant Saunders

Yoandri All the Way Bravo Cherry on Top It’ll Be Ok Only You

You & Me - Marc E. Bassy

You Got Issues - spring gang & Amaranthine

Young the Giant Apartment Cough Syrup

Zayn Rumors There You Are

In French:

Tous Les Mêmes - Stromae

In Spanish:

Rebeca - Mc Livinho & Gerex & Maejor

Teléfono - Aitana (remix with Lele Pons)

Electronic:

Monster Gambling in Tokyo - Idealism

Sorry I Like You - Burbank

Sunset Lover - Petit Biscuit

#music #2019 #english

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timeless-hollywood-classics · 4 years ago

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Veronica Lake (born Constance Frances Marie Ockelman; November 14, 1922 – July 7, 1973) was an American film, stage, and television actor. Lake was best known for her femme fatale roles in film noirs with Alan Ladd during the 1940s and her peek-a-boo hairstyle. By the late 1940s, Lake's career began to decline, due in part to her alcoholism. She made only one film in the 1950s, but made several guest appearances on television. She returned to the big screen in 1966 in the film Footsteps in the Snow (1966), but the role failed to revitalize her career.

Lake's memoir, Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake, was published in 1970. Her final screen role was in a low-budget horror film, Flesh Feast (1970). Lake died in July 1973 from hepatitis and acute kidney injury at the age of 50.

Lake was born Constance Frances Marie Ockelman in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Her father, Harry Eugene Ockelman, was of German and Irish descent, and worked for an oil company aboard a ship. He died in an industrial explosion in Philadelphia in 1932. Lake's mother, Constance Frances Charlotta (Trimble; 1902–1992), of Irish descent, married Anthony Keane, a newspaper staff artist, also of Irish descent, in 1933, and Lake began using his surname.

The Keanes lived in Saranac Lake, New York, where young Lake attended St. Bernard's School. She was then sent to Villa Maria, an all-girls Catholic boarding school in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from which she was expelled. Lake later claimed she attended McGill University and took a premed course for a year, intending to become a surgeon. This claim was included in several press biographies, although Lake later declared it was bogus. Lake subsequently apologized to the president of McGill, who was simply amused when she explained her habit of self-dramatizing. When her stepfather fell ill during her second year[vague], the Keane family later moved to Miami, Florida. Lake attended Miami High School, where she was known for her beauty. She had a troubled childhood and was diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to her mother.

In 1938, the Keanes moved to Beverly Hills, California. While briefly under contract to MGM, Lake enrolled in that studio's acting farm, the Bliss-Hayden School of Acting (now the Beverly Hills Playhouse). She made friends with a girl named Gwen Horn and accompanied her when Horn went to audition at RKO. She appeared in the play Thought for Food in January 1939. A theatre critic from the Los Angeles Times called her "a fetching little trick" for her appearance in She Made Her Bed.

She also appeared as an extra in a number of movies. Keane's first appearance on screen was for RKO, playing a small role among several coeds in the film Sorority House (1939). The part wound up being cut from the film, but she was encouraged to continue. Similar roles followed, including All Women Have Secrets (1939), Dancing Co-Ed (also 1939), Young as Your Feel (1940), and Forty Little Mothers (also 1940). Forty Little Mothers was the first time she let her hair down on screen.

Lake attracted the interest of Fred Wilcox, an assistant director, who shot a test scene of her performing from a play and showed it to an agent. The agent, in turn, showed it to producer Arthur Hornblow Jr., who was looking for a new girl to play the part of a nightclub singer in a military drama, I Wanted Wings (1940). The role would make Lake, still in her teens, a star. Hornblow changed the actress's name to Veronica Lake. According to him, her eyes, "calm and clear like a blue lake", were the inspiration for her new name.

It was during the filming of I Wanted Wings that Lake developed her signature look. Lake's long blonde hair accidentally fell over her right eye during a take and created a "peek-a-boo" effect. "I was playing a sympathetic drunk, I had my arm on a table ... it slipped ... and my hair — it was always baby fine and had this natural break — fell over my face ... It became my trademark and purely by accident", she recalled.

I Wanted Wings was a big hit. The hairstyle became Lake's trademark and was widely copied by women.

Even before the film came out, Lake was dubbed "the find of 1941". However, Lake did not think this meant she would have a long career and maintained her goal was to be a surgeon. "Only the older actors keep on a long time ... I don't want to hang on after I've reached a peak. I'll go back to medical school", she said.

Paramount announced two follow-up movies, China Pass and Blonde Venus. Instead, Lake was cast in Preston Sturges's Sullivan's Travels with Joel McCrea. She was six months pregnant when filming began.

Paramount put Lake in a thriller, This Gun for Hire (1942), with Robert Preston as her love interest. However, she shared more scenes with Alan Ladd; the two of them were so popular together that they would be reteamed in lead roles for three more films. Both had cameos in Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), an all-star Paramount film.

Lake was meant to be reunited with McCrea in another comedy, I Married a Witch, (also 1942) produced by Sturges and directed by René Clair, but McCrea refused to act with her again, reportedly saying, "Life's too short for two films with Veronica Lake". Production was delayed, enabling Lake to be reunited with Ladd in The Glass Key (again 1942), replacing Patricia Morison. The male lead in I Married a Witch was eventually played by Fredric March and the resulting movie, like The Glass Key, was successful at the box office. René Clair, the director of I Married a Witch, said of Lake, "She was a very gifted girl, but she didn't believe she was gifted."

Lake was meant to co-star with Charles Boyer in Hong Kong for Arthur Hornblow, but it was not made. She received acclaim for her part as a suicidal nurse in So Proudly We Hail! (1943). At the peak of her career, she earned $4,500 a week.

Lake had a complex personality and acquired a reputation for being difficult to work with. Eddie Bracken, her co-star in Star Spangled Rhythm, in which Lake appeared in a musical number, was quoted as saying, "She was known as 'The Bitch' and she deserved the title." However, Lake and McCrea did make another film together, Ramrod (1947). During filming of The Blue Dahlia (1946), screenwriter Raymond Chandler referred to her as "Moronica Lake".

During World War II, Lake changed her trademark peek-a-boo hairstyle at the urging of the government to encourage women working in war industry factories to adopt more practical, safer hairstyles. Although the change helped to decrease accidents involving women getting their hair caught in machinery, doing so may have damaged Lake's career. She also became a popular pin-up girl for soldiers during World War II and traveled throughout the United States to raise money for war bonds.

Lake's career faltered with her unsympathetic role as Nazi spy Dora Bruckman in The Hour Before the Dawn (1944), shot in mid 1943. Scathing reviews of The Hour Before the Dawn included criticism of her rather unconvincing German accent. She had begun drinking more heavily during this period, and a growing number of people refused to work with her. Lake had a number of months off work, during which time she lost a child and was divorced.

In early 1944 she was brought back in Bring On the Girls (1945), Lake's first proper musical, although she had sung in This Gun for Hire and Star Spangled Rhythm. She was teamed with Eddie Bracken and Sonny Tufts. The movie was not a financial success.

In June 1944, Lake appeared at a war bond drive in Boston, where her services as a dishwasher were auctioned off. She also performed in a revue, with papers saying her "talk was on the grim side". Hedda Hopper later claimed this appearance was responsible for Paramount giving her the third lead in Out of This World (1945), supporting Diana Lynn and Bracken, saying "Lake clipped her own wings in her Boston bond appearance ... It's lucky for Lake, after Boston, that she isn't out of pictures".

Lake had a relatively minor role in a film produced by John Houseman, Miss Susie Slagle's (also 1945), co starring Sonny Tufts; Lake was top billed but her part was smaller than Joan Caulfield. In November 1944 she made a third film with Bracken, Hold That Blonde (1945). She liked this part saying "it's a comedy, rather like what Carole Lombard used to do ... It represents a real change of pace".

Lake then made a second film produced by John Houseman, The Blue Dahlia (1946), which reunited her with Ladd. While waiting for the films to be released in 1945, she took stock of her career, claiming, "I had to learn about acting. I've played all sorts of parts, taken just what came along regardless of high merit. In fact, I've been a sort of general utility person. I haven't liked all the roles. One or two were pretty bad".

Lake expressed interest in renegotiating her deal with Paramount:

The studio feels that way about it too. They have indicated they are going to fuss more about the pictures in which I appear. I think I'll enjoy being fussed about ... I want this to be the turning point and I think that it will. I am free and clear of unpleasant characters, unless they are strongly justified. I've had a varied experience playing them and also appearing as heroines. The roles themselves haven't been noteworthy and sometimes not even especially spotlighted, but I think they've all been beneficial in one way or another. From here on there should be a certain pattern of development, and that is what I am going to fight for if necessary, though I don't believe it will be because they are so understanding here at Paramount.

Since So Proudly We Hail only The Blue Dahlia had been a hit. She made her first film outside Paramount since she became a star, a Western, Ramrod (1947), directed by her then-husband Andre DeToth, which reunited her with Joel McCrea, despite his earlier reservation. It was successful.

Back at her home studio she had a cameo in Variety Girl (1947) then was united with Ladd for the last time in Saigon (1948), in which she returned to her former peek-a-boo hairstyle; the movie was not particularly well received. Neither was a romantic drama, Isn't It Romantic (also 1948) or a comedy The Sainted Sisters (1948). In 1948 Paramount decided not to renew Lake's contract.

Lake moved to 20th Century Fox to make Slattery's Hurricane (1949), directed by DeToth. It was only a support role and there were not many other offers.

In 1950 it was announced she and DeToth would make Before I Wake (from a suspense novel by Mel Devrett) and Flanagan Boy. Neither was made.

She appeared in Stronghold (1951), which she later described as "a dog", an independent production from Lippert Pictures shot in Mexico. She later sued for unpaid wages on the film. Lake and DeToth filed for bankruptcy that same year.

The IRS later seized their home for unpaid taxes. On the verge of a nervous breakdown and bankrupt, Lake ran away, left DeToth, and flew alone to New York.

"They said, 'She'll be back in a couple of months,'" recalled Lake. "Well I never returned. Enough was enough already. Did I want to be one of the walking dead or a real person?"

She performed in summer stock theatre and in stage roles in England. In October 1955, she collapsed in Detroit, where she had been appearing on stage in The Little Hut.

After her third divorce, Lake drifted between cheap hotels in New York City, and was arrested several times for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. In 1962, a New York Post reporter found her living at the all-women's Martha Washington Hotel in Manhattan, working as a waitress downstairs in the cocktail lounge. She was working under the name "Connie de Toth". Lake said she took the job in part because "I like people. I like to talk to them".

The reporter's widely distributed story led to speculation that Lake was destitute. After the story ran, fans of Lake sent her money which she returned as "a matter of pride". Lake vehemently denied that she was destitute and stated, "It's as though people were making me out to be down-and-out. I wasn't. I was paying $190 a month rent then, and that's a long way from being broke". The story did revive some interest in Lake and led to some television and stage appearances, most notably in the 1963 off-Broadway revival of the musical Best Foot Forward.

In 1966, she had a brief stint as a television hostess in Baltimore, Maryland, along with a largely ignored film role in Footsteps in the Snow. She also continued appearing in stage roles. She went to Freeport in the Bahamas to visit a friend and ended up living there for a few years.

Lake's memoirs, Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake, which she dictated to the writer Donald Bain, were published in the United Kingdom in 1969, and in the United States the following year. In the book, Lake discusses her career, her failed marriages, her romances with Howard Hughes, Tommy Manville and Aristotle Onassis, her alcoholism, and her guilt over not spending enough time with her children. In the book, Lake stated to Bain that her mother pushed her into a career as an actress. Bain quoted Lake, looking back at her career, as saying, "I never did cheesecake like Ann Sheridan or Betty Grable. I just used my hair". She also laughed off the term "sex symbol" and instead referred to herself as a "sex zombie".

When she went to the UK to promote her book in 1969 she received an offer to appear on stage in Madam Chairman. Also in 1969, Lake essayed the role of Blanche DuBois in a revival of A Streetcar Named Desire on the English stage; her performance won rave reviews. With the proceeds from her autobiography, after she had divided them with Bain, she co-produced and starred in her final film, Flesh Feast (1970), a low-budget horror movie with a Nazi-myth storyline.

After purchasing an airplane for her husband, André de Toth, Lake earned her pilot's license in 1946. She later flew solo between Los Angeles and New York when leaving him.

Lake's first marriage was to art director John S. Detlie, in 1940. They had a daughter, Elaine (born in 1941), and a son, Anthony (born July 8, 1943). According to news from the time, Lake's son was born prematurely after she tripped on a lighting cable while filming a movie. Anthony died on July 15, 1943. Lake and Detlie separated in August 1943 and divorced in December 1943.

In 1944, Lake married film director Andre DeToth with whom she had a son, Andre Anthony Michael III (known as Michael DeToth), and a daughter, Diana (born October 1948). Days before Diana's birth, Lake's mother sued her for support payments. Lake and DeToth divorced in 1952.

In September 1955, she married songwriter Joseph Allan McCarthy. They were divorced in 1959. In 1969, she revealed that she rarely saw her children.

In June 1973, Lake returned from her autobiography promotion and summer stock tour in England to the United States and while traveling in Vermont, visited a local doctor, complaining of stomach pains. She was discovered to have cirrhosis of the liver as a result of her years of drinking, and on June 26, she checked into the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.

She died there on July 7, 1973, of acute hepatitis and acute kidney injury. Her son Michael claimed her body. Lake's memorial service was held at the Universal Chapel in New York City on July 11.

She was cremated and, according to her wishes, her ashes were scattered off the coast of the Virgin Islands. In 2004, some of Lake's ashes were reportedly found in a New York antique store.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Lake has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6918 Hollywood Boulevard.

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