#Marjorie Lane

[thursdaymurderbub]

Silver Screen magazine, January 1940

This Mrs Donlevy was Marjorie Lane, who was a singer for MGM best remembered for providing Eleanor Powell's singing voice in the late 1930s. Eleanor Powell was her maid of honour at her marriage to Brian Donlevy.

[thejazzera]

Easy To Love - Censored Lyric Restored - Jimmy Stewart

Jimmy wasn't dubbed, but he was censored! Here he is, singing the uncensored lyric of "Easy To Love" in "Born To Dance" with Eleanor Powell.

Proof positive that the Hays Code went too far. How could anyone find this offensive:

"So sweet to waken with, so nice to sit down to eggs and bacon with…"

Pretty shocking, huh?

The rest of this version is from an alternate take, so the sync is not perfect. Marjorie Lane sings for Eleanor Powell.

From Mark Steyn:

Porter suggested a lanky boyish actor on his way up: Jimmy Stewart. Jack Cummings liked Stewart but didn't think he could sing. So the next day Stewart came round to give his pipes a work out for Porter. "He sings far from well, although he has nice notes in his voice," wrote Cole in his diary, "but he could play the part perfectly." A stage-and-screen composer makes such compromises all the time. The advantage Stewart had over William Gaxton was that he didn't know enough to know the song had too wide a range for him. Unaware that he couldn't do it, he just got on and did it.

The trick is the verse. The chorus has an easy confidence and, while that's fine if you're Sinatra launching into a ring-a-ding-ding arrangement with Johnny Mandel, it might not be entirely convincing for an actor who became the master of small-town semi-stammered diffidence. But Porter's verse sets up the situation perfectly. Stewart and the unlikely object of his affection are strolling through Central Park, and suddenly there he is - Jimmy Stewart's singing, and the high voice on the Cs and Ds of "care for me" are utterly charming.

This being Hollywood not Broadway, Porter's couplet about being "so sweet to waken with/so nice to sit down to eggs and bacon with" was taken by the producers not as an affectionate paean to domestic routine but as the aftermath of an incendiary night at a hot-sheet motel. So he was prevailed upon to make a substitution:

So worth the yearning for So swell to keep ev'ry homefire burning for…

[fitesorko]

Ann Dvorak     Marjorie Cooley     Lola Lane    Evelyn Young

[st-agatha-city]

Ian won last bracket! Denver feels avenged. Onto round 3!

[hotvintagepoll]

Marjorie Main (The Women, Summer Stock)—a world weary dame who wore her midwestern accent on her sleeve. marjorie main kills it as a reno ranch owner in "the women" (1939) and as warm mother hens <3 she was no shabby actor either! this scene with her and humphrey bogart fucking haunts me [link]

Zero Mostel (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Producers)—Archetypal. Comedian of all time. The worst combover in cinematic history, probably. Could make more laughter with one muscle in a singular eyebrow than 98% of all men across the face of the earth. Hardcore Committer to the Bit. Man of all time, and also told HUAC directly where they could shove it, which is a primally appealing and scrungly quality.

This is round 1 of the contest. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. If you're confused on what a scrungle is, or any of the rules of the contest, click here.

[additional submitted propaganda + scrungly videos under the cut]

Marjorie Main:

Zero Mostel:

"The chase scene in FORUM is just. it's fucking iconic. It's one of the funniest pieces of cinema I've ever seen in any context, everything about it is genius, and the heart and soul of it is Zero Mostel as Pseudolus. Casting him alongside a young Michael Crawford (of later Phantom of the Opera fame) really highlights the differences between the young romantic lead and the older, sensible, and yet entirely scrungly middle aged man (Mostel was 55 at the time) somehow manages to come off as even more desirable. He has no shit together, not very good plans, is panicked for most of the story, and the charisma of a champ. His flailing, helpless attempts at fighting the gladiator is so... he's so scrungly. "

"He's not fancy, he's not pretty, he's not good at much of anything, but he is Genius despite that."

"There is a magic to Zero Mostel that he manages to bring to roles where he is simultaneously the worst person ever, and also, compelling in every possible way. He had his biggest period of fame in middle age after he got taken off the Hollywood blacklist, and being a fat middle aged man with thinning hair is what gives every single bit of his characters power. As the original Max Bialystock he would eat the entirety of The Producers except that Gene Wilder as Leo Bloom is a genius casting decision, as Mostel's intensity against Wilder's deep discomfort ends up being the right chemistry. In many ways he reminds me of Buster Keaton, the pinnacle of hot scrungly little guy—a unique and expressive face, an instinctive understanding of comedy, active at the same time, and also they were both in FORUM together. Mostel came from an Orthodox Jewish family, was a trained painter with a degree in art, spoke four languages, and when he was blacklisted during the Red Scare and brought before the HUAC, he didn't just refuse to name names, he made fun of the senators. He was disabled after an accident, and still did dancing in movies and things like stunts in FORUM. He did a ton of work on Broadway too, including originating Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, making the musical more Jewish as he did so. Frankly, I don't think any of those roles (or the eventual later film versions of Fiddler/musical version of the Producers) would work with anyone else. It had to be a fat balding middle aged leftist Jew from Brooklyn. The scrungly is essential.

"the scrungle factor of max in every version of the producers is through the roof but nathan lane does it as suave scrungle. zero mostel does not do suave scrungle. he does old jewish man getting into an argument with the rabbi at the full synagogue passover seder about how much wine has to be in the glass for it to count as "one cup" scrungle; he does old jewish man whose entire fridge is full of pickled herring scrungle. it's offputting in all the ways that make it genius."

[st-agatha-city]

;-; this is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. It captures the spirit of the game so well.

Fan art for my friend's game @st-agatha-city. Play it now!

[almostpleasantrebel]

Dozens of Songs Tag Game

I was tagged by the lovely @thebiwifeonao3 for the dozens of songs tag game!!! Here’s how to play. Also I’m sorry for how much M*A*S*H is on this.

step one:

so here's the game: 12 songs you've recently listened to (include a lyric that you like maybe), 12 ships (can be solo or platonic, dw) (hard mode: from 12 fandoms???) that the songs loosely make you think of, & tag 12 people to do the same.

easy mode: do half a dozen instead idk

here's a fun idea: you could even listen to the playlist from the person who tagged you to use some/all of their song picks!!

step two:

whether you've been tagged or not, you can send an ask with the song & pairing and create a work based on the idea. And the theme of 12 is fun so could be 12 characters, words, paragraphs, chapters, anything!

profit!!! (have fun & maybe end up reading some new fic!)

Songs and ships under the read more thingy

1. XXL (LANY) — Margaret Houlihan/Lorraine Anderson, M*A*S*H

Backseat secrets we will never tell

2. Apocalypse (Cigarettes After Sex) — Margaret Houlihan/Helen Whitfield, M*A*S*H

Your lips, my lips, apocalypse

3. She Looks So Perfect (5 Seconds Of Summer) — Margaret Houlihan/Hawkeye Pierce, M*A*S*H

Your lipstick stain is a work of art

4. Only You (Yaz) — Elizabeth Corday/Anna Del Amico, ER

All I needed was the love you gave all I needed for another day and all I ever knew only you

5. At The Ballet (Kelly Bishop, Nancy Lane & Kay Cole) — Margaret Houlihan, M*A*S*H

Everything was beautiful at the ballet. Graceful men lift lovely girls in white. Yes, everything was beautiful at ballet. Hey! I was happy... at the ballet. That's why I started class... Up a steep and very narrow stairway. To the voice like a metronome. Up a steep and very narrow stairway. It wasn't paradise... It wasn't paradise... It wasn't paradise... But it was home.

6. Trouble (Kristin Hersh) — Abigail Marjorie Lockhart, ER

Trouble oh trouble can't you see you have made me a wreck now won't you leave me in my misery

7. Summer, Highland Falls (Billy Joel) — Elizabeth Corday/Mark Greene, ER

For we are always what our situations hand us

8. Miss Atomic Bomb (The Killers) — Margaret Houlihan/Trapper John McIntyre, M*A*S*H

All that I wanted was a little touch, a little tenderness and truth, I didn't ask for much, no talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time

9. Until The World Ends (Arch Tremors feat. Lollo Gardtman) — Margaret Houlihan & B.J. Hunnicutt, M*A*S*H

And you are safe with me until the world ends

10. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths) — Margaret Houlihan/Peggy Bigelow, M*A*S*H

Take me out tonight where there's music and there's people and they're young and alive driving in your car I never, never want to go home because I haven't got one anymore

11. Father and Son (Cat Stevens) — Margaret Houlihan & Alvin Houlihan, M*A*S*H

How can I try to explain? When I do he turns away again It's always been the same same old story from the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen, now there's a way and I know that I have to go away I know I have to go

12. Remember Me (Lullaby) ((Gael García Bernal, Gabriella Flores & Libertad García Fonzi)) — Henry Blake/Lorraine Blake, M*A*S*H

Remember me though I have to say goodbye remember me, don't let it make you cry for even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart

Tags: @remyfire @mercysong-tardis @cuddleswinchester @allcanonisrelative and anyone else who would like to participate

[sunskate]

Carol Lane interview on TSL:

about concussions and lifts - how the rules demand all these features to fit in within 7 seconds, so there's pressure to cram a lot of difficulty with a clock ticking - says if you're going to add features, you need to add time, instead of 7 seconds, why not 8

that she heard that Marjorie Lajoie didn't get a concussion from hitting her head, it was from whiplash. not sure the context

praised VM's MR, said they had a body of work in many different styles, said she'd be curious to see what they would have done skating in Torvill & Dean's time, and vice versa

coming from a question about what it's like to compete with IAM - she said she doesn't want to be the Costco of ice dance hers is a boutique 🙃

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

I kicked off my birthday month by rereading Pacts and Predicaments after recommending it on a particular subreddit and it had been a minute since I'd revisited one of my favorite kinky couples. Several books I'd been waiting for came out in March, so it was a great reading month. Favorites this month were Black AF History, The Fractured Dark, James, The Other Side of Disappearing, and There's Always This Year. I own Pacts and Predicaments and Black AF History, which I listened to on Libby. I also listened to There's Always This Year on Libby because I love when Hanif narrates his own books. Everything else was from either Hoopla or Libby.  

Pacts and Predicaments - Jo Henny Wolf

The One in My Heart - Sherry Thomas

The Night Eaters, Book 2: Her Little Reapers - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda* **

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1, #2, #3 - Patrick Horvath

Meegan (Loose Ends #3) - Rebekah Weatherspoon**

The Sitcom Star (Chu's Restaurant #1) - Jackie Lau* **

Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America - Michael Harriot* **

The Reluctant Hearththrob (Chu's Restaurant #2) - Jackie Lau* **

The Fractured Dark (The Devoured Worlds #2) - Megan E. O'Keefe

Wandering Stars - Tommy Orange* **

The Ones Who Got Away (The Ones Who Got Away #1) - Roni Loren

Sweetest Scoundrel (Maiden Lane #9) - Elizabeth Hoyt

James - Percival Everett* **

Chef's Kiss (Chef's Kiss #1) - TJ Alexander

Chef's Choice (Chef's Kiss #2) - TJ Alexander

The Other Side of Disappearing - Kate Clayborn

Sunflowers - Keezy Young

There's Always This Year - Hanif Abdurraqib* **

* = author(s) of color

** = main character(s) of color

[potatonatto17]

Today Blade starts out making breakfast for Fester and Ripley and Alison. It makes pancakes with multiple toppings. And some extra since they’re always getting surprise visitors. So maybe some for Wyatt and Marjorie, too. The extra pancakes being their particular favorites is just coincidence! (It’s not).

Blade hosted dnd for a group of the mqmmies. They’ve been at this particular campaign for a few months, having just finished one campaign! The game takes place over Skype, and it was a great time! The party was traveling to a new town, and it got derailed for most of the session with a clothing buying montage. The party leaves looking so fresh and Blade gives them each inspiration for the ways they stayed true to their characters.

That evening, Fester and Blade have some time to just hang out. Maybe with a few interruptions, that’s just the Lane household. But it’s nice time spent together. Doing something together like a puzzle or chatting or a new game. Or the classics like Nintendogs. It’s quiet and it’s nice.

[grandmaster-anne]

Court Circular | 29th March 2023

Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

The King and The Queen Consort left Royal Air Force Brize Norton this morning for the State Visit to Germany. Their Majesties were received at the Airport by the Lord Parker of Minsmere (Lord Chamberlain) and His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (Mrs Marjorie Glasgow). The King and The Queen Consort this afternoon arrived at Berlin-Brandenburg Government Airport and were received by His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (Her Excellency Mrs Jill Gallard), the Ambassador from the Federal Republic of Germany to the Court of St James’s (Mr Miguel Berger), Mrs Dörte Dinger (State Secretary of the Federal President’s Office) and Mr Till Knorn (Chief of Protocol of the Federal Foreign Office). The King and The Queen Consort drove to the Brandenburg Gate and were received by The President of the Federal Republic of Germany and Mrs Büdenbender. His Majesty inspected the Guard of Honour. The King and The Queen Consort, with The President of the Federal Republic of Germany and Mrs. Büdenbender, subsequently walked through Pariser Platz before departing by car for Bellevue Palace, Berlin. The King later attended a Sustainability Reception at Bellevue Palace and planted a tree for The Queen’s Green Canopy in the Palace Garden. The King and The Queen Consort were entertained this evening at a State Banquet given by The President of the Federal Republic of Germany and Mrs Büdenbender at Bellevue Palace. The following are in attendance: the Rt Hon James Cleverly MP (Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs), the Rt Hon Sir Clive Alderton, Mr Christopher Fitzgerald, Mrs Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, Mr Tobyn Andreae, Professor Charles Deakin, Dr Douglas Glass, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Thompson and Mrs Sophia Densham.

St James’s Palace

The Princess Royal this morning visited Adnams Brewery, Sole Bay Brewery, East Green, Southwold, to mark its One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary and was received by Mr Robert Rous (Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk). Her Royal Highness later opened the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science’s new Headquarters, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, and was received by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk (Clare, Countess of Euston). The Princess Royal, Patron, Friends of Happisburgh Lighthouse, this afternoon visited Happisburgh Lighthouse, Lighthouse Lane, Happisburgh, and was received by Major General Sir William Cubitt (Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk). Her Royal Highness later visited Elm House Temporary Accommodation, 55 Elm Road, Thetford, and was received by Mrs Melinda Raker (Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk).

Kensington Palace

The Duke of Gloucester, Patron, Heritage of London Trust, this afternoon received Mr James Cayzer-Colvin upon relinquishing his appointment as Chairman. The Duke of Gloucester, Patron, Richard III Society, and The Duchess of Gloucester this evening attended a screening of “the Lost King’” at Windsor Castle. The Duchess of Gloucester, Honorary President, the Lawn Tennis Association, this morning received Ms Sandra Procter (President) and Mr Scott Lloyd (Chief Executive Officer).

St James’s Palace

The Duke of Kent, Patron, this evening held a Concert and Dinner at St. James’s Palace to commemorate the Ninetieth Anniversary of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

[ankles-be-bitten]

i live in florida. pretty much everyone who lives here makes jokes like this--including myself--but most of the time it's just that: a joke. there are so many people up north who believe that all of florida is either the meth-head, backwater swamp hillbillies who have a pet gator in their airstream camper and eat crawdads raw out of the everglades OR the disney obsessed snowbird population who winter here and live in new england the rest of the year.

and the truth is? while these people do *technically* exist, they are by no means the majority. florida is a pretty ordinary state, 99% of the time, and i'm actually getting weary of the "[insert southern state] is hell on earth" rhetoric, a sentiment i've seen spreading pretty quickly amongst gen z, and i think part of the reason is that this presumed horror state we live in is used to invalidate our desire for a better future. don't like your governor because he wants to make it illegal for you to receive the support and healthcare you need? well shit! you live in florida, or you live in texas, no wonder you're miserable!! move to a blue state. so easy. shouldn't have been born in a red state, silly! everyone knows it's homophobic there :)

but my friends are here. up until recently, my whole extended family was here--and the family who don't live here anymore live in tennessee (where i was actually born), which is definitely more volatile than florida. i actually don't know why northerners think this about florida--is it our beautiful, diverse, and ANCIENT wildlife and native flora? is it our bloody, messy, and intricate cultural and social history? is it the anti-lgbtq+ legislature? we live in a region so geographically unique, the southernmost tip of the peninsula is the only place in the world where the alligator and the crocodile coexist naturally in the wild. is that hell on earth?

i used to hate my state. i used to hate where i live. i still fantasize about leaving, moving to some northern, walkable city, with accessible abortion care and a less volatile healthcare system to trans people. but i'm done feeling ashamed of where i live, where i grew up; i grew up in the town zora neale hurston grew up in, and one of my favorite books as a child, the yearling, was written by marjorie kinnan rawlings, who was FROM that rural florida that's apparently full of meth heads and rednecks. yes, it's overly urbanized in many places, including where i currently live; yes, it's incredibly difficult to navigate life here as a queer student; yes, there is a vast class disparity between the richest and poorest amongst us. but everyone i love lives here, and underneath the 5-lane highways is an intricate and valuable and one-of-a-kind ecosystem worth loving and cherishing.

i'm not going to condemn the place i live because it gets hot in the summer, or there's bigoted legislature, or the cities are unwelcoming to pedestrians. i'm not going to condemn my state because of the podunk, buttfuck, inbred hillbilly stereotype that originates from classism and the demonization of those who live in poverty or rural areas. remember: drugs are only morally reprehensible if it's a poor person making, distributing, or using them. when rich people do drugs, it's cool. so yeah, maybe putnam county is "full of meth heads," but have you considered why that is?

i love florida at it's worst, and i want to see it get better. i won't characterize the midwest as one-dimensional and barren; i won't call northerners self-absorbed, self-obsessed, and self-interested. please don't tell southerners that we live in "hell on earth." doing so erases all our history, natural and cultural, and boils us down to only the most classist of the stereotypes that apply to us.

the funniest thing to me is that florida is hardly even a "southern" state, technically it's a northern transplant. we're a whole lot more like you than you think--and you know what? so is everyone else.

[kevin--of-desert-bluffs]

WTNV quick rundown - 95 - Zookeeper

Check my tags or this link for the other episodes etc that I've done!

Featuring the voice of Felicia Day as Joanna Rey.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a cursed talisman must be in want of a hex reversal. Welcome to Night Vale.

Cecil is visited by head zookeeper Joanna Rey who has brought in several animals for Cecil to see.

Joanna has brought in a chicken, which apparently somewhat resembles a raccoon. Cecil always assumed chickens were mythical because he'd never seen one. They have bright orange and yellow wings, dozens of spiny legs, antennae and are considered exotic animals (at least by Cecil).

She also brings brown tarantulas, which aren't as exciting to Cecil due to being 'common' but she says she has brought them because they are horribly undereducated as a species. The zoo has taught these ones to be sentient and to read and they are named Samantha, Jordy, Nash, Carmelo, Patrice, Garfield and Helen. Despite being able to read they are not able to communicate what they have learned.

Joanna also brings in piglets. Cecil names one Wobbles and another The Professor. There is also a steer (which has wings).

Joanna than transforms into a panther and consumes every animals she brought in except the tarantulas (who go and get jobs in human resources). She states that she is a shapeshifter and always takes the form of a big cat to eat because people are disturbed when she eats her meals in the form of a human.

Joanna has apparently also dated a dragon called Donna who had at least one gold and one green head and dumped her only after trying to ghost her for a good while.

Weather: "Coffee" by Sylvan Esso

Many citizens are complaining about all the five-headed dragons. Marjory Vallejo, manager of the Dollar Cinema says they take up a dozen seats each and obscure the view for others. Teddy Williams has cancelled league night because of the scratches in the lanes. Bob Sturm, vice president of the NV Auto Insurance Company says there has been an uptake in dragon related incidents and they will no longer be covering anyone who owns a car. Cecil suggests that everyone try their best to be friendly which involves pointing at the dragons and shouting "interloper!" and following them home asking invasive questions.

Old Woman Josie apparently has childern. One of which, her daughter Alondra, has returned to NV from ??? to take care of Josie due to Josie's aforementioned broken hip. Josie doesn't speak about her children very much likely because she is bitter they left her to live outside of the desert. She insists that she's fine because she lives with the angels but Alondra is keen to stay and take care of her mother. Cecil and Intern Kareem have a small disagreement about Cecil refusing to acknowledge the existence of angels and Cecil not believing how stubborn Kareem is about angels yet he wouldn't believe Cecil about Huntokar.

Josie also mentions that the StrexCorp Foundation supports not only the new old Opera House but her, several local arts groups, a library destruction fund and the charity 'Cars for Kids'.

According to Cecil, microphones are smarter than dolphins.

Many if not all roads are completely transparent today which is causing a lot of chaos.

Cecil states that his usual work outfit is a cummberbund and capri pants which apparently helps people understand that he is a journalist. However, he's dressed up a bit currently because it's Plastic Pancho Wednesday.

Stay tuned next, Night Vale, for the sound of scrubbing, followed by the sound of gagging, followed by the sound of liquid dribbling into a metal pan. And as always, good night, Night Vale. Good night.

Proverb: Wanna feel old? People born in 2014 have already graduated college, don't know what a trombone is, & are all named after gourds.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Following Brenna Thummler’s bestselling and critically acclaimed graphic novels Sheets and Delicates, Marjorie, Eliza, and Wendell the ghost are back to uncover the secrets of Wendell’s human life in the third and final heartwarming installment of the Sheets trilogy. Marjorie Glatt’s life was forever changed the day she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. One of those ghosts was Wendell: a lonely phantom turned Marjorie’s best friend. When he and Marjorie are joined by ghost-enthusiast Eliza Duncan, the three friends band together in friendship, bravery, and all things paranormal. Wendell died far too young and now must wander the Land of Humans with nothing more than a sheet for a body. He knows how he died—a tragic drowning accident—but lately he’s grown curious about his past life. He wants to know more about why he died, not just how he died. It’s not easy, though, since Wendell’s memory of his human life has grown increasingly blurry. With Marjorie and Eliza’s help, they set out on a journey to find out more. When they hear a rumor about Wendell’s death, they wonder if it might not have been an accident after all. Meanwhile, Marjorie and Eliza’s friendship is tested when Marjorie starts to befriend the very people who used to bully Eliza. In the third and final installment of the Sheets trilogy, Wendell will finally uncover the truth of his human life. Marjorie and Eliza will learn that some people really can change. Most of all, they start to see that everything can cast shadows, but if you look hard enough, you can find the light.

Review:

The third and final book in the heartwarming story about a girl and her best friend, a ghost who lives undercover beneath a sheet. Majorie Glatt’s life has been changed ever since she discovered the group of ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. One ghost in particular has made a huge impact on her life, Wendall, a lonely but charming ghost who has become her best friend. Soon they are joined by ghost-enthusiast Eliza Duncan, and now they have become three best friends. This book deals with trying to figure out Wendall’s death, he died very young and he needs to know how he died and why. Wendall’s memory is barely there and so its up to his two best friends to journey with him down memory lane and try and discover what happened to him. All the while Marjorie and Eliza’s friendship is put to the test when Marjorie starts to befriend the very people who used to bully Eliza. This was an absolutely beautiful way to end the trilogy and it was so heartwarming to see the friendship and growth of these characters throughout the books. I adored the mystery and the way that friendship is depicted and healing as well. It truly was such a magical read that I think will stick with me for a long time.

*Thanks Netgalley and Oni Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[brightbeautifulthings]

Time Windows by Kathryn Reiss

"She was suddenly no longer sure if she was the observer or if she was the one being observed. Was there another dollhouse in another time? Was someone looking into her bedroom, watching her parents bend over her in concern? Was someone else, in fact, reminded of a seventeenth-century oil painting?"

Year Read: 2022

Rating: 3/5

About: Miranda and her parents have just moved into a big house in a small town. At first reluctant to leave New York City, she's soon captivated by the old house's secrets, particularly the dollhouse in the attic that is its exact miniature replica. She's shocked to discover that by peering through the windows of the dollhouse, she can watch the lives of the house's past inhabitants. But the magic is there for a reason, and Miranda may have been given this gift to stop a decades-old tragedy. Trigger warnings are beneath the cut, since they may include spoilers.

Thoughts: This made me so nostalgic for my elementary school library. I never read Time Windows when I was younger, but I'm guessing there are at least half a dozen magical dollhouse books from the 80s and 90s floating around out there and that almost every fourth-grade girl imprinted on one of them. Mine was When the Dolls Woke by Marjorie Filley Stover, which remains better in my mind, and I'm hesitant to take that theory into practice and ruin a beloved childhood book with current reality. All of that is to say that if you were one of those kids and you're in the mood for a bike ride down memory lane, this book is for you.

It's got some pacing problems, the biggest being that nearly 300 pages is just too long for the kind of story that's being told. A lot of the filler of Miranda's daily life and the repeats of what she sees in the dollhouse could have been streamlined or cut for a tighter story. There's also the problem that watching through a dollhouse is an inherently passive activity. However interesting the events there might be (sometimes they are, sometimes not), by its nature it places Miranda in the role of spectator instead of participant in her own story. There isn't a lot of action to be had inside or outside of the dollhouse.

However, what it does have is character and mystery, and I enjoyed both. Miranda's relationships with her parents are well-developed, and when she finally brings some of the neighbor kids in on the mystery, those add a dimension to the story too. Truly, for most of the book I just wanted to know why she calls her mom "Mither," a question that is never answered. The mystery within the dollhouse is slow to unfold, and it takes a while to discover why what Miranda is watching is even relevant. I enjoyed the little clues and the subtle but powerful ending. There's a horrific image at the heart of this novel, for what's otherwise a very un-scary book. I guessed it before it happened and then was horrified by it anyway, certain that it was much too grim for a children's book, but this is, after all, the genre of The Other Mother and Princess Mombi. That aside, though, it's more of a mystery with a single magical element than it is a horror novel.

Trigger warnings: child death, parent death, dead body (on-page), child abuse (verbal, physical), suffocation, starvation, train wrecks, fire, depression, illness, sexism.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 2.24

Beer Birthdays

Johannes Karl Fix (1832)

August Meiresonne (1842)

Georg Schneider II (1846)

Frederick “Fritz” Gettelman (1887)

Jim Patton (1953)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Wilhelm Karl Grimm; writer (1786)

Mitch Hedberg; comedian (1968)

Winslow Homer; artist (1836)

Edward James Olmos; actor (1947)

George Thorogood; rock guitarist (1950)

Famous Birthdays

Barry Bostwick; actor (1945)

George William Curtis; writer (1824)

Kristin Davis; actor (1965)

Rosalia de Castro; Spanish writer (1837)

Mary Coyle Chase; playwright, "Harvey" (1907)

Oscar de la Hoya; boxer (1973)

James Farentino; actor (1938)

Owen Gleiberman; film critic (1959)

Michael Harrington; writer (1928)

Steven Hill; actor (1922)

Rupert Holmes; English songwriter (1947)

Steve Jobs; Apple computers co-founder (1955)

Mark Lane; writer, attorney (1927)

Denis Law; Scottish soccer player (1940)

Michel Legrand; composer (1932)

Joseph Lieberman; politician, touche turtle impersonator (1942)

Marjorie Main; actor (1890)

George Augustus Moore; Irish writer (1852)

Chester Nimitz; navy admiral (1885)

Debra Jo Rupp; actor (1951)

Zachary Scott; actor (1914)

Michelle Shocked; pop singer (1962)

Britney Stevens; porn actor (1985)

John Vernon; actor (1932)

Abe Vigoda; actor (1921)

Honus Wagner; Pittsburgh Pirates SS (1874)

Teri Weigel; porn actor (1962)

Paula Zahn; television journalist (1956)

Billy Zane; actor (1966)