#he met his wife mary while filming this as she did the costumes

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

VINCENT PRICE as Boss Tweed

Up In Central Park (1947)

[fandomxo00]

House Of Gold - Part 6 - Training Wheels

characters: Logan Howlett!Human!AU x Audra Everly!OC

warnings: Fluff, Laura :), intimacy issues, kissing, smut: fingering, oral!f rec

word count: 2k

You've been spending time with Logan, but you weren't alone, he spoke in great detail about how much he loved Laura. You knew she was his daughter, but her opinion really did matter to him. You were just lucky that she knew you before, not well, but you were a trusted adult. The three of you went to go see the new Inside Out movie. You really liked the movie, and Logan even held your hand throughout a good majority of the film. 

Another night you went out to eat with him, to the local Applebee's, Laura pointed out a drink that she looked cool and told you to get it. You were surprised by the alcohol suggestion from the twelve-year-old, but it also had candy sharks. Logan even asked for some extra on the side for Laura, and that's when she started to reveal what was under the mask. She started about school about everything going on in her world. She had drama with friends, she and Ellie went to the same school and were truly best friends. Then she moved on quickly to her new game that she got for doing chores, saying that it was the new thing that Logan made up. Later in the car, when Laura had her headphones on, he further explained. When he had his monthly therapy with Laura, her therapist told him that the reason she was stealing from stores was she was really struggling with feeling secure. That because she goes back and forth from his to Jenny's, his ex-wife, houses. This was his first monthly session with Laura and when she goes over to her mom's, she'll show up to the session. 

You felt your heart warm as he showed how much he cared about his daughter. He was clearly a very good dad, and another green flag. You really admired his ability to accept and reflect, but he also revealed that he's been in therapy since he was 14. He watched his father die and it completely traumatized him. He really struggled for a long time but when he got to high school, he found designing classes that opened up the door for his career. You really enjoyed spending time with him, he was so open. Being with younger men is like wearing training wheels, you get to date a man who acts like boys and then you met an emotionally mature older man, who was a great dad. You wish that it wasn't the bare minimum, but standards are low, and he exceeds them. 

Apart of you was still struggling, you struggled maintaining other relationships because the more positive the experience the more you had to lose. But every time you said something self-deprecating or he felt you push away, it was like he carried band-aids on him, because every time your soft hands hit the jagged ground, he was there to help. The funny thing was that you weren't even together yet, the wheels haven't even taken off the ground, but he already made a promise that he wouldn't push you into the dirt. 

When you got to the shop that night, you decided to invite them inside, your grandma Mary greeting them and smiling over at Laura before mentioning something about cookies. Your grandma made an excuse to hug Logan as she greeted him, squeezing his biceps while she hugs him before moving back. You roll your eyes at your grandma before she ushers Laura to the kitchen and leaves the two of you to wonder off together. You slowly lead him to your room, stopping in the hall to look at your family pictures, you explained the different pictures, the ones at the theme parks, the awkward professional family photos, the sweet candid pictures of you or one of your siblings, smiling, sticking their tongue out, wearing a Halloween costume, a first day of school picture. Then you brought Logan up to your room before closing the door behind him. He stepped further into the room, his hands behind his back as he looked around.

The sun was going down, your window faced the sky, you could see a little bit of the street below, but you were up on the third floor. Logan sat on the bed, as you walked over to him, his legs spreading as you step between them. His hands respectfully laying in the middle of your back as your arms rest on his shoulders, your hands coming to brush the hair away from his forehead. His head tilting back as he gazed up into your eyes, his green orbs were slightly glazed over, barely noticeable but it was the way he looked at you. The way his warm hands felt against your shirt, his strong shoulders holding you up. His eyes were a couple inches apart, your face moving closer to him. You run your fingers back through his hair as you leant down to connect your lips with his. The kiss starts off slow, before one of his hands came up to your hair and pulled you in closer, his nose pushing into yours, your lips pursing as you met kiss for kiss. 

Logan's hands splay on your ass, his respective hands pulling you into him, your legs going on either side of his hips. He paused, his hands sliding up the back of your shirt, as he leant back away from your lips, his breathing growing heavy. "Your hard to resist." Logan huffed, as your hands moved to the nape of his neck. "We really shouldn't go-."

"Please." You murmured, looking into his eyes as your hand moves behind your back to grasp at his. You bring his hand to your stomach and slowly sliding it down before stopping right above your waistband. "You don't have to." You whispered, looking up into Logan's eyes as you told him what you wanted but wanted to respect his boundaries. 

"Just need me to touch you pretty girl?" Logan taunted, his pointer finger skimming the top of your leggings. 

"Yes." You breathed out shakily, looking into his dark heated eyes. 

"I can do that." Logan hummed as his hand moved into your leggings and pulled them down your waist. You moved back, setting your feet back on the floor to let your pants fall. His hands moved to your thighs, pulling you back on to him and spreading your legs on his lap. "Are you wet for me?"

"Y-yes." You whispered, as his fingers move your panties to the side before brushing his fingers against your folds. Your slick already weeping out of you as Logan touched you. His digits dive into your folds, your arousal coating his fingers before he drags his fingers up to apply pressure to your clit. Your hands grasp at his shoulders as you watch his hands, before looking at the focused expression on his face. "Please, Lo." 

"Say that again." 

"Huh?"

"My name."

"Please, Lo." You begged, your fingers digging into his shirt as he slid his middle finger into you, lightly curving it against your spongy walls. A soft moan fell from your lips as he pushed another finger into you. "Talk to me."

"Yeah? Need to hear my voice?" Logan taunted, as you panted, your hips moving against his hand as he starts to fuck you with his fingers. "Want me to say how tight you are, how good I bet you taste." 

His palm works at your clit, applying pressure and your head falling forward on his shoulder. You ground your hips against his hand, whining into his shoulder as he filled you and rubbed expertly against your g-spot. You've never felt this sensitive as someone touched you before, and it was like he set you on fire but also wrapped the blanket around you to keep you safe. "More."

"God I can't do this." Logan grunted as he stood up, he didn't even have to try as he lifted you with him before flipping you on to your back and getting down on his knees. 

"Wh-." He didn't let you get out a word as he slotted his mouth over your clit and pushed his fingers back into your wet pussy. You felt your eyes roll back, your hands clutching at the duvet before one of his hands went to yours to thread your fingers through his hair. You choked on a moan as he started to move his fingers in and out of you at a reckless pace. You felt the beginning of your orgasm start to well up in your stomach, your calves cramping and your feet flexing as they tried to find leverage among Logan's back. 

"Can not taste you." Logan murmured as he moved back to breath before removing his fingers from inside of you and licking up the entirety of your cunt. 

"Fuck Logan."

"Not tonight." He joked as he grinned up at you, you rolled your eyes as you ducked down his head lightly back towards your vagina. Logan didn't waste a single second, throwing jokes to the side as he continued to eat you out. "Obsessed with you." He murmured against your flesh as his index finger and thumb come up to pinch your clit. 

You tried to breathe through the feeling blossoming in your stomach, wanting this to last forever but as you looked down at the very sexy man ravishing you. Control was thrown to the wind as you felt his scruff against the soft skin, then his tongue lapped at you and his thumb worked your clit in circles. You were thrown over the edge without even on the ledge, your hand coming over your mouth as you moaned loudly while you came. Logan didn't stop after that though; he was adamant about cleaning you up with his tongue before he leant back. His face was damp from your orgasm, his skin looked hot, his hands coming to your thighs as he looked up at your tired form. 

Logan was tempted to throw everything to the wind, he wanted you badly. But he also wanted to take his time with you, it's why he only focused on you tonight. He felt like he was giving you half assed sex, quickies weren't usually his thing but with you it was hard to resist anything you offered. He didn't want to take things slow with you, he already knew how much he wanted you, body and heart. You challenged him but also, he was mesmerized by you, the way you acted shy in social situations, but you were the farthest thing from shy. You were overwhelming kind but also deeply sarcastic and deadpan, but he could tell it was all genuine. Logan wanted to show you that he was the right guy, that even with all the stipulations, your anxiety around relationships, his messy previous relationship. He was surprised when he opened up about his ex and you didn't seem jealous or even a smidge of upset. You wanted to know about him in anyway that you could and he felt the same. 

He moved on to his feet before heading over to your in-suite bathroom, washing his hands and his face lightly, combing his fingers through his hair so he looked more presentable. Logan looked around for a washcloth before seeing the closet, opening the door to see your towels, shower supplies and bathroom appliances. He smiled lightly as he grabbed a washcloth, wetting it with lukewarm water before heading back out to you. You were sat up now, your phone in your hand as you finished fixing your hair and lipstick. Hopefully by the time you got downstairs the flush over your cheeks would calm down. Logan moved towards you, leaning down and lightly spreading your legs to move the washcloth against your softness. His touch was light as he cleaned you up, leaning up to lightly kiss your lips before heading back to put the washcloth in the bathroom. 

You walked him down the stairs to the smell of warm cookies, Grandma had pulled out her pin collection and Laura was looking through them with a cookie in one hand. "Watcha up to?" Logan asked, walking over to his daughter and putting a hand on the back of her chair. 

Laura didn't say anything as she picked up a cat pin and showed her dad. You smiled over at your grandma as you reached for your own cookie. 

[pleasereadmeok]

Can you help me please? I'm sure you had an English translation of Matthew's interview with Style Italia (2017?) on your blog however I can't find it. Can you help? Thank you. A Goode fan x

Hi Anon - yes of course. This one right? ⬇️

It's such a great interview with some lovely personal details from Matthew. @di-elle kindly did a translation for the matthew-goode.net press archive a few years ago so that follows ⬇️. Enjoy. : -

Matthew Goode is one of the most recognizable British actors of his generation. 38 years old, tall, slender, handsome, with a face composed of classic proportions and precise features that lends itself to both modern settings and period dramas.A look that’s allowed him to dive immediately into the world of Match Point, Brideshead Revisited, The Imitation Game, and A Single Man. In the last season of Downton Abbey, he was one of the most beloved characters as Lady Mary’s husband, a role that brought him popularity with the television audience. Now he appears with Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard in Allied.Skill,talent, determination and a bit of luck (essential in this business) have made Goode a sought-after and versatile actor, without affecting his overwhelming pleasantness and playfulness onset and off that serve as useful talents as well.In the penthouse of the London hotel where he is being photographed, he strokes the oval marble bathtub sitting in the middle of the room (‘So cool!’), gets enthusiastic by touching the clothes, the collars of the shirts, and the wool of the jackets.

Do you like design?I love it, even if it is my wife who has the eye for it.In front of the mirror, in the barber’s and makeup artist’s hands, he is a bundle of energy.  He is worried about Brexit (‘What’s happened? Where are we going?’) but happy to be able to buy a house. He is a little anxious, too, about the last phone call from his bank: ‘Being an actor means  living day by day. Banks don’t like it.’

Psychologically what does it entail?During dry spells you can lose confidence and believe that you will never work again. It’s not easy.

However you are not lacking jobs. How  was working  on Allied?Movies are strange beasts. You come, you spend two days on the set, you shoot your own scenes and you go. Despite this it was electrifying as it can be a film of these proportions. There was an atmosphere of great professionalism and harmony. Brad Pitt is a great person. He welcomed me fondly, as did Marion Cotillard. I had already met them both, but they are always like that, even with those they don’t know.

Is variety important to you?It’s the essence of life, isn’t it? At the end  the face and the voice are always those and if you specialize in a genre, it’s not easy to come out of it. It’s hard for me to resist period movies, it’s a great temptation. Costumes and interiors have a very strong charm.

Your name was made for the Bond role…I’ve sabotaged myself. Barbara Broccoli  (the film producer) called me and I didn’t realize it was an audition. I thought it was just a chat. She asked me what I thought of Bond. I was honest , I told her that the way it is today doesn’t work. They need to scale down the budget, and make the character more complicated, go back to the origin from the books: a dark, difficult, incomprehensible man. At the end she said goodbye and I didn’t hear from her again. Maybe sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut.

Do you like going to movies?There’s a little bit of jealousy to overcome but generally yes. I’d like to see Tom Ford’s new movie, Nocturnal Animals. He is a genius, he has an eye like no other. A Single Man should have won more awards. Ford was born as a stylist but he is a real artist.

Are you not tempted to move to the USA?I have three children and I want them to grow up here. I don’t like to go too far away. I told my agent I don’t want to work in the US for a year.

Is Matthew Goode a good father?It depends on the days. The noise stresses me. If there are two children crying, or screaming, I panic. In those cases, my wife takes care of it.

What do you do at home?I cook. It’s less tiring than playing with a one-year-old child… I can do a little of everything: my father taught me the first recipes when I was about to start university. Over the years I have made a leap in quality, from scrambled eggs to stews.

Your best recipe?Beef and Guinness stew. Two or three parsnips, a couple of carrots, two onions, some mushrooms. Two pounds of meat, a little flour. Mix it up, then slap it in the pot. Salt, pepper, some herbs and some beer. I love it. You put it on, you go get the kids from school, and when you come back, the house smells of dinner.

The role you’ve always wanted.Sherlock Holmes. Damn it, Benedict Cumberbatch has stolen it from me! Joking aside, it’s Jeffrey Bernard in the comedy Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell, by Keith Waterhouse. Many years ago I saw Peter O’Toole in it and I’ve never forgotten. But you need to be 50 or 60 years old for it, so I’ll have to wait a little longer.

Did you want to be an actor as a child?My mother would say yes. Actually I discovered my path later in life. For a while I wanted to be an archaeologist, because my father was a geologist. One day one of my university mates went to audition for an acting school and I said: Why not, I should try it too. Finding an agent was a stroke of luck. Then the fight for survival began. It’s a slow and complicated road.

From the outside you look like someone who made it.(It may look that way) now, but like with everything when you start you are at the first step, you look up and say: I’ll never get there.

What’s your secret to overcome difficult moments?I have stopped watching the films I make. This has helped me a lot. You can’t control how they cut and edit your character. You can only control the experience, what you give and what gives to you. The result is almost insignificant. After a few years it can be fun watching yourself because you seem very young.

Do you practice sport a lot?I go to the gym in the morning, to start the day well. Twice a week I go out for lunch with my wife: and since I like to eat, and occasionally even drink, the gym is imperative. I also play golf but it takes time, it’s not an activity that fits well with a big family.

Your ideal holiday?I have fond memories of my childhood, camping with my father, the fishing rod, the green. I’d like to take my children. My wife resists for now.

What do you read?I hate to admit it, but I read very little. By the time I go to bed, I’m too tired.

A luxury?We’re planning how to sort out the house. If I could afford it I’d buy one of those enormous american washing machines with a tumble dryer.  It’s not what you’d expect from a star, is it?

[papermoonloveslucy]

TOO MANY GIRLS

October 8, 1940

Too Many Girls was an RKO film musical based on the stage musical of the same title. It was produced and directed by George Abbott, who had also directed the Broadway production. The music was composed by Richard Rodgers, the lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and the book was by George Marion, Jr. although the screenplay was adapted by John Twist. 

Too Many Girls opened on Broadway on October 18, 1939, at the Imperial Theatre, running to April 21, 1940, and transferred to the Broadway Theatre on April 22, 1940, closing on May 18, 1940. The cast featured Desi Arnaz, Diosa Costello, Marcy Westcott, Eddie Bracken, Richard Kollmar, Van Johnson, and Hal Le Roy. Musical Staging was by Robert Alton, scenery by Jo Mielziner, and costumes by Raoul Pène Du Bois.

The musical takes place in Skowhegan, Maine and Pottawatomie College in Stop Gap, New Mexico.

Synopsis ~ Connie Casey, an energetic celebrity heiress, wants to go to Pottawatomie College in Stop Gap, New Mexico, her father's alma mater, to be near her latest beau, British playwright Beverly Waverly. To protect her, and without her knowledge, her tycoon father sends four Ivy League football players as her bodyguards, Clint Kelly, Jojo Jordan, Manuelito and Al Terwilliger, who sign a contract with an ‘anti-romance’ clause. They also join the college's terrible football team, which immediately becomes one of the best in the country. Clint falls in love with Connie, but when she discovers he is her bodyguard, she decides to go back East. The bodyguards follow her, leaving the team in the lurch. The people of Stop Gap go after them, and they are brought back just in time for the big game. Connie declares her love for Clint, and he leads the team to victory.

PRINCIPAL CAST

Lucille Ball (Consuela ‘Connie’ Casey) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. “My Favorite Husband” eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Desi Arnaz (Manuelito Lynch) was born in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917. After leaving Cuba, he formed his own Latin band, and literally launched the conga craze in America.  It was on the set of Too Many Girls (1940) that he and Lucille Ball met. They soon married and approximately 10 years later formed Desilu Productions and began the “I Love Lucy” shows in 1951. Desi and Lucille had two children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. At the end of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1960, the two divorced. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and died on December 2, 1986 at age 69.

Manuelito: “I'm not conceited. I am the greatest player in fifty years, but I'm not conceited.”

Richard Carlson (Clint Kelly) makes his first and last appearance with Lucy and Desi, although his wife, Mona, was featured as one of Don Loper’s models on “The Fashion Show” (ILL S4;E20) in 1955. 

Ann Miller (Pepe) had appeared with Lucille Ball in three films: Stage Door (1937), Having Wonderful Time (1938), and Room Service (1938). In 1954, she appeared with the Arnazes on “MGM’s 30th Anniversary Tribute”. 

Eddie Bracken (Jojo Jordan) makes his only screen appearance with Lucy and Desi, although he was part of the Broadway cast of Too Many Girls and was friends with the Arnazes off screen as seen in the above photo with Ann Miller and Lucy. 

JOJO: “Well, I'm not exactly wonderful, but I'm awfully attractive in a dynamic sort of way.”

Frances Langford (Eileen Eilers) makes her only appearance with Lucy and Desi. She worked extensively with Bob Hope on his USO tours. 

Hal LeRoy (Al Terwilliger) makes his only screen appearance with Lucy and Desi, although he was part of the Broadway cast of Too Many Girls. 

Libby Bennett (Tallulah Lou) makes her only screen appearance in Too Many Girls. She had also been seen in the Broadway stage production. 

Harry Shannon (Mr. Harvey Casey) appeared with Lucille Ball in 1942′s The Big Street. On “I Love Lucy” he played Jim White the photographer in “Men Are Messy” (ILL S1;E8) in 1951 (above center). Musical fans will remember Shannon as Rosalind Russell’s father in the 1962 musical film Gypsy.

Mrs. Teweksbury says Mr. Casey is one of the richest individuals in the country. He reportedly has $7.50 more than Henry Ford. He is Connie’s father and Chairman of Casey Conglomerated Industries.

Douglas Walton (Beverly Waverly) was a Canadian-born actor making his only appearance with Lucy and Desi. He played poet Percy Shelley in the film The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). He left film acting in 1950, before the advent of television. 

Beverley Waverly is a British playwright.  

Chester Clute (Lister) did four films with Lucille Ball before Too Many Girls and four after it. 

Lister is an alumni of Pottawatomie College, like his boss Mr. Casey.

Ivy Scott (Mrs. Tewksbury) was also in the stage production of Too Many Girls and only did one more film in Hollywood, Higher and Higher in 1943.

Mrs. Tewksbury is the proprietor of The Hunted Stag (or, as Mr. Lister calls it, The Stunted Hag), an Inn where the boys are waiters. 

Byron Shores (Sheriff Andaluz) makes his only screen appearance with Lucy and Desi. He was also seen in the stage production of Too Many Girls. His last film was in 1944. 

UNCREDITED FILM CAST

Iron Eyes Cody (Indian) made a career of playing Native American characters despite the fact that he was of Italian ancestry. He next worked with Lucy and in 1942’s Valley of the Sun, again as an American Indian character. He played an Eskimo in a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” but is probably best remembered as the Indian that sheds a single tear in the ‘Keep America Beautiful’ ads that ran from 1971 to the 1980s.

Jay Silverheels (Indian) also played a Native American character in Valley of the Sun (1942) with Lucille Ball. He was best known for playing Tonto on “The Lone Ranger”.

Chief John Big Tree (Chief)  

Harry James (Orchestra Leader) also played himself in Lucille Ball’s Best Foot Forward in 1943. With his wife, Betty Grable, he was seen in “Lucy Wins a Racehorse” (LDCH S1;E4) in 1958. 

Van Johnson (Chorus Boy) was also seen with Lucy in the films Easy to Wed (1946) and Yours, Mine and Ours in 1968. He played himself on one of the most popular episodes of “I Love Lucy,” “The Dancing Star” (ILL S4;E27) and played both himself and a look-alike on “Here’s Lucy” in 1968. He was also a member of the Broadway cast of Too Many Girls. 

Johnson has only two lines of dialogue in the film but is often visible in group scenes.

Shep Houghton (Chorus Boy) made two other films with Lucille Ball and was seen in the background of two episodes of “The Lucy Show” and one episode of “Here’s Lucy.”  Houghton was one of the Winkie Guards in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz and a Southern Dandy in Gone With the Wind (1939). 

John Benton (Chorus Boy)

Mildred Law (Coed) appeared on “I Love Lucy” in “Return Home From Europe” (ILL S5;E26) playing a TWA flight attendant who attends to Lucy’s cheesy baby, Chester. This was her penultimate screen credit. 

Pamela Blake (Coed) also appeared uncredited with Lucille Ball in Stage Door (1937).

Amarilla Morris (Coed) was seen with Desi Arnaz in the 1942 film Four Jacks and a Jill as the girl in the revolving door. 

Other Coeds: Janet Lavis, Ellen Johnson, Vera Fern, Peggy Drake, Zita Baca, Anna Mae Tessle

Homer Dickenson (Mr. Casey's Butler) immediately followed this film with A Girl, A Guy, And A Gob (1941) also starring Lucille Ball.

Grady Sutton (Football Coach) from 1935 to 1945, Sutton did five films with Lucille Ball.

Dorothy Vernon (Faculty Extra) also did The Bowery (1933) and Valley of the Sun (1942) with Lucille Ball. 

Dan White (Faculty Extra) had a small role in the 1970 TV special “Swing Out Sweet Land” in which Lucille Ball voiced the Statue of Liberty. 

Others: Sethma Williams (Marie), Tommy Graham (Hawker), Averell Harris (Detective), Michael Alvarez (Joe)

WHEN LUCY MET DIZZY

Lucille Ball met Desi Arnaz for the first time at the RKO studio commissary, while Too Many Girls was in rehearsals. She was in full costume and make-up after performing a fight scene for another film, Dance, Girl, Dance (1940, above): she wore a slinky gold dress slit halfway up the thigh and sported a black eye. Arnaz was seated at the same table as director George Abbott, who introduced the two. Arnaz was not impressed by Ball, thinking she “looked like a two-dollar whore who had been badly beaten by her pimp." After the encounter, he asked Abbott to fire Ball from Too Many Girls, claiming she was “too tough and common for the role."  He also advised that her reputation as Queen of the B movies might negatively impact his much-anticipated film debut, advice Abbott thankfully ignored. 

“A Cuban skyrocket burst over my horizon!” ~ Lucy about Desi

“Those damned big beautiful blue eyes!” ~ Desi about Lucy 

That night, Arnaz was rehearsing “She Could Shake the Maracas" when Ball walked in, now wearing a yellow sweater and tight-fitting beige slacks. Not recognizing her, Arnaz turned to the piano player and whispered “Man, that is a honk of woman!"  The pianist reminded Arnaz of his earlier meeting with Ball. Lucille approached them to say hello. "Miss Ball?" Arnaz said, just to make sure that there was no mistake. "Why don't you call me Lucille? And I'll call you Dizzy." 

Lucy and Desi have very little interaction in the film, but when he sees Connie for the first time, he gets weak in the knees and falls to the ground, in awe of her beauty. Despite this, Manuelito’s romance is with Pepe, not Connie. History re-wrote that chapter!

TOO MANY SONGS!

Heroes in the Fall - Male Chorus

You're Nearer - Connie, Pepe, Eileen, and Tallulah Lou

Pottawatomie - Mr. Casey and Chorus

'Cause We Got Cake - Eileen and Chorus

Spic 'n' Spanish - Manuelito and Pepe

Love Never Went to College - Eileen

Look Out! - Eileen and Pepe

I Didn't Know What Time It Was - Connie, Clint, and Jojo

You're Nearer - Connie, Manuelito, Eileen, Pepe, and Tallulah Lou

Conga

Songs cut from the Broadway show: 

Tempt Me Not - Manuelito, Clint, and Chorus

My Prince - Connie

I Like To Recognize the Tune - Jojo, Connie, Eileen, Clint, and Al

The Sweethearts of the Team - Eileen

She Could Shake The Maracas - Pepe and Manuelito

Too Many Girls - Manuelito

Give It Back To The Indians - Eileen 

TOO MANY TRIVIA!

RKO paid $100,000 for the rights to the Broadway musical. 

Filming on Too Many Girls began on June 22, 1940.

Camerman Russell Metty briefly took over shooting for Frank Redman when Redman had to attend a funeral.

Uncredited performers Van Johnson and Harry James would go on to be two of the film’s biggest stars, except for Lucy and Desi, eclipsing many of the film’s principal cast like Hal LeRoy, Douglas Walton, and Libby Bennett. 

Lucille Ball’s vocals were dubbed by Trudy Erwin, one of Kay Kyser’s singers. 

Everyone imported from Broadway (except Hal LeRoy) was making their screen debut with Too Many Girls. 

After making the film, Van Johnson and Mildred Law returned to the Broadway production. Instead of chorus roles, Johnson assumed the role of Jojo (originated by Bracken) and Law now played Tallulah Lou, originated by Leila Ernest. 

On Broadway the character of Connie was originated by Marcy Wescott in her final Broadway stage role. 

TOO MANY REFERENCES!

Each of Connie’s bodyguards plays football for an Ivy League college: Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. Manuelito is still deciding on a college, but is considering Princeton, where Clint goes. There is talk about a contentious game that includes Princeton. In Lucille Ball’s radio show “My Favorite Husband” (1948), George Cugat (later Cooper) hopes his future son will play for Princeton, his alum. Coincidentally, Lucille Ball did two plays at Princeton University’s resident theatre company, McCarter: Hey Diddle Diddle (1937) and Dream Girl (1947).

One of the characters mentions movie star Ginger Rogers, one of the top female box office stars of the time. She was also a good friend of Lucille Ball having done five films together. Rogers’ mother Lela tajght acting classes at RKO, later inspiring Ball to create the Desilu Playhouse at Desilu Studios. Rogers played herself on a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy.” 

Mr. Casey compares his daughter Connie with Lucretia Borgia (1480-1519) was the illegitimate daughter of a pope and his mistress,  a famous beauty, notorious for the suspicious deaths and political intrigue that swirled around her. Today her name has become synonymous with a beautiful, but scheming woman who would stop at nothing - including murder - to get what she wants.  In 1949, Lucille Ball’s friend played Lucretia Borgia for Paramount in Bride of Vengeance.

Although Pottawatomie College and the town of Stop Gap are fictional, Pottawatomie is the name of a Native American tribe, although they were mostly found in the Great Lakes region, not in New Mexico. The Pottawatomie Massacre occurred from May 23 to May 26, 1856, resulting in the death of five pro-slavery settlers north of Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, Kansas. This was one of the many violent episodes in Kansas preceding the American Civil War.

 TOO MANY CRITICS!

Too Many Girls premiered on October 8, 1940 at Loew's Criterion Theatre in New York. Critical reviews were generally positive, although Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that Too Many Girls was “a pleasant, light-hearted and wholly ingenuous campus film" but that director George Abbott "has permitted it to sag in the middle, at which point the thin spots baldly show. If the intention was to be impressive, it has failed. For 'Too Many Girls' is a simple, conventional rah-rah picture, without any place for pretense. And there is not enough to it, on the whole, for Mr. Abbott to squander dancers recklessly."

TOO FAST FORWARD

This film's earliest documented television presentations began in Los Angeles Tuesday May 8, 1956 on KHJ (Channel 9), much to the chagrin of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz who were embarrassed by it, and objected to its frequent showings to no avail.

In 1977, the music of Too Many Girls was rereleased on vinyl with performers Nancy Andrews, Johnny Desmond, Estelle Parsons, and Anthony Perkins! 

The film is referenced in “Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter” a 1991 TV movie about starring Frances Fisher (above) and Maurice Bernard, as well as “Lucy” (2003), another TV film in which Lucy (Rachel York) and Desi (Danny Pino) meet on the set; Desi in his football uniform and Lucy bruised from the filming of Dance, Girl, Dance.

Clips from the film are featured in Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie (1993).

[victoriaholmeswriting]

The Holmes Family

Sherlock x Reader One-Shot

Read it on AO3!

Rating: T

Words: 1445

Summary: When refusing to dress up for Halloween results in an argument with his wife, Sherlock re-evaluates his priorities and tries to make it right.

  “I said, no!” Sherlock huffed, dramatically throwing himself down onto the couch.

  “Why no?” (y/n) demanded, crossing her arms and glaring down at him.

  Sherlock yelled into his hands before dropping them with continued theatrics.  He looked up at his wife, brows furrowed in annoyance.

  “Because it’s boring, pointless, and a complete waste of my time,” he explained, counting off the reasons on his fingers.

  She rolled her eyes.  “Sherlock, this is not only our daughter’s first party, but this is also the first time she has picked out her own Halloween costume.  She picked Wednesday Addams and wants us to match with her.”

  “Then match with her!” he yelled.  “Why do I have to join in on the absolute lunacy of this ridiculous holiday and it’s equally ridiculous traditions?”

  Sherlock instantly knew he’d crossed a line, though he wasn’t quite sure what it was.  His wife’s jaw was clenched hard and he wilted away from her blazing eyes.

  “Besides the fact that you’d be purposefully missing out on an important milestone in your daughter’s life?  A moment you will never get back?” she shouted back,l not caring what Mrs. Hudson will say next time they have tea.  “Because she’s your daughter, Sherlock Holmes.  And that little girl wants her daddy to be a part of a day that she is super excited for.  All she’s fucking asking you to do is to put on a pinstriped suit, slick back you hair, and draw on a mustache!  That’s it.  Now, is it too much to ask for you to do this simple fucking task -- put up with ridiculous traditions for just one bloody night -- AND MAKE YOUR DAUGHTER HAPPY?!”

  Sherlock swallowed hard and looked away, unable able to meet her eyes anymore.

  “Answer me, Sherlock,” she demanded, no longer shouting but nevertheless sounding just as angry and disappointed.

  He steeled himself, closing his eyes to calm himself.  Beyond the anger and disappointment even the neighbor knew he’d caused, the concealed pain in his wife’s voice -- the voice of the only woman he’d ever loved -- was like an iron clamp around his chest.

  “Fine,” he said quietly, trying not to let his voice shake.

  “What?” she asked, completely shocked.  She’d been prepared to fight with about this all night.

  “I said, fine!” he repeated, forcing an annoyed tone.

  His wife knew him too well, however; he could hear the confused battle of emotions going on behind the barrier he was frantically building.

  “But just for her,” he lied.  “And I’m not going to like nor am I going to pretend to like it when she’s not around.”  With that, Sherlock flopped over onto his side so that his back was to her, signalling that he was done with this conversation.

  Still fuming, (y/n) closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  This was the best she was going to get and didn’t want to ruin it by keeping him wound up.

  She grabbed her coat off the hook and walked over the couch.  Crouching down, she laid a gentle hand on his upper arm.

  “I’m going to go pick her up from John and Mary’s,” she told him quietly, caressing his arm with her thumb.  She placed a light kiss on his cheek.  “I love you, Sherlock”

  Sherlock put his hand on hers.  “I love you, too.”

~ ~ ~

  As soon as he heard the door close behind her, Sherlock leapt up from the couch and ran to his wife’s movie shelf.  Strategically positioned by the telly, the two-foot tall, blue shelf was designed to look like a police call box -- which was exactly why the die-hard Whovian just had to have it.  She kept all her favourite films and video games in it.  As many times as she’d seen The Addams Family, Sherlock knew it had to be in there.

  He opened the doors and scanned past the Harry Potter series, various Marvel films, and a few others until he found what he was looking for: an Addams Family Double Feature DVD box.

  After turning on her PlayStation (which, because of his stubbornness, had taken her way too long to teach him how to use) and putting in the first film, he pulled his chair over.  Noting that he only had time for one of the films before his wife and daughter got home, he perched in the chair and steepled his fingers in front of his lips in the exact same fashion as when he saw clients.

  About halfway through the film, Mrs. Hudson brought up freshly baked cookies.  She observed the curious situation with a bemused smile; an expression that was often present on her kind face when she ventured upstairs.

  “What are you doing, dear?” she asked.

  “Research,” he replied bluntly.  He took the cookie she offered him without looking away from the screen.

  She looked between him and the screen, still having no clue what was going on.

  “That’s nice, dear,” she conceded, shaking her head.  She put the plate of cookies on the kitchen table and disappeared back downstairs.

~ ~ ~

  “Josephine,” (y/n) called, pouring a mixed bag of candy into the purple and green bowl Mrs. Hudson was holding, “come show Mrs. Hudson your costume before we leave.”

  “Okaaay!” shouted a small voice from down the hall.

  The pitter-patter of tiny, frantic feet raced towards them until there was a five-year-old in an adorable Wednesday Addams dress wrapped around the loving landlady.  She had her father’s mesmerizing eyes and dark-brown hair (though it was straight like her mother’s).

  (Y/N) giggled and threw out the now empty bag.

  “Why isn’t your hair in braids?” she asked, running her fingers through the thick locks.

  “I couldn’t get them to stay,” Josephine whined.  She looked up at Mrs. Hudson, still holding onto her tight.  “Will you help me?”

  Mrs. Hudson beamed down her.  “Of course, dear! Come on.”

  Grinning, Josephine took her hand and led her back down the hall to her room.

  (Y/N) watched with smile until they disappeared before turning her attention to her own bedroom door.

  Sherlock had sat on the bed, pretending to scroll through his phone for new cases while she got ready for this afternoon.  She said nothing to try to coax him into just getting ready.  That would only have caused several eyerolls and an argument she was beyond not in the mood for.

  However, there were several times that she caught him looking at her fondly as she dressed and applied her make-up.  And there was something else in his eyes.  She couldn’t quite figure out why, but she could have sworn there were hints of mischief and anticipation in them.  To add to the oddness of this behaviour, he’d shut and locked the door the moment she left the room.

  To be honest, she didn’t know if she should be excited or nervous as approached the door and lightly knocked.

  “Sherlock,” she called, “can I come in?”

  There was a moment of silence before she heard him walk towards the door.

  “Promise you won’t laugh?” he called back.

  “What?”

  “Promise me you won’t laugh or I’m taking it off right now!”

  She was definitely nervous now.

  “Alright, I promise!” she replied.  “Just let me in.”

  Sherlock let out a resounding sigh before unlocking the door and taking a step back.

  “Come in, then,” he huffed.  “Let’s get this over with.”

  (Y/N) slowly turned the handle and entered their room.

  Sherlock stood rigid in the middle of the room.  He was decked out in a black, pinstriped suit with a matching bow tie and shoes.  His curly hair was slicked back with a generous amount of shining gel -- save for one stubborn, loose strand by his left temple.  A pencil mustache was expertly drawn on his upper lip in what looked like her liquid eyeliner.  He’d even used some of her eyeshadow to darken under his eyes -- just like in the film.

  “Oh my God, Sherlock!” she exclaimed.  “You look --”  She paused, looking for the best words to describe how she felt about what she was looking at.

  “Ridiculous?” he offered, his cheeks getting warm.

  “So fucking sexy,” she finished breathily.

  Sherlock looked at her in shock for a moment -- but only for a moment -- before recovering.  He quickly strode forward and pulled her into his arms.  Their lips met in a passionate kiss.

  She pulled away, smiling.  “You’re smearing my lipstick.”

  He smirked and raised his eyebrows flirtatiously.  “Perhaps -- tonight -- we can try for a Puglsey?”

  “Oh, Sherlock,” she teased in her best Morticia voice.  “Oui!”

  He chuckled and kissed her again, deeper this time, dipping her as he did.

Tags: @madshelily​ @klinenovakwinchester​ @emmelynecosette​ @josiecarioca​

[starforsharon]

Sexy Little Me

This is how Hollywood turns a pretty Texas girl into Sharon Tate, the star.

By John Bowers for "The Saturday Evening Post"

1. Two of Sharon Tate's three pictures have been produced in Europe. Although Texas-born, Sharon spent her adolescence abroad, and much prefers London to Hollywood.

2. Sharon will be shown off to American audiences for the first time in DON’T MAKE WAVES. On the set, she reacts prettily to a compliment from co-star Tony Curtis.

3. At 6 months Sharon won Dallas’ “Miss Tiny Tot” award.

4. Portraying a Las Vegas showgirl who becomes a superstar in VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, Sharon had to wear a 10-pound jeweled headdress which “gave her a headache.”

5. This picture of Sharon and her father, Maj. Paul Tate, at a 1965 Fort MacArthur party is from a large “family events” scrapbook that Sharon dutifully keeps.

6. Relaxing on the set of YOUR TEETH IN MY NECK, Sharon listens attentively as the Polish-born Polanski explains how she can improve her performance in the next scene.

May 6, 1967 – Sharon Tate had finished her last scenes for The Vampire Killers (later to be called Your Teeth in My Neck), and had no film work for the moment. At 95 Eaton Mews West, London, she moved about in the late afternoon looking for something to do. She sat Buddah-style on the living room floor and put on fake eyelashes, one eyelash at a time. She worried that a sunlamp treatment, taken a few hours before, was going to make red cracks in her face. “Doesn’t it seem to be getting all red on the cheeks? Look close now.”

She wore a gray sweat suit and furry boots, having been to her daily gym class that afternoon. She didn’t like the gym class, but Roman Polanski, her director, had told her she must go. She frowned into a hand mirror, thinking she saw a red streak. She started to bite a fingernail, but stopped. Roman had forbidden any more fingernail biting; she had a tendency to bite them down to the nub. She went to the refrigerator, and amidst Wyborowa vodka and Carlsberg beer, brought out the makings for a salami sandwich. She would not drink a beer because it might bloat her, and Roman was taking her out for dinner.

There was no place in the apartment for her to settle back and relax now. Everything inside had a transient look, as if the tenants would only be there a short season. A complicated stereo set sat on crates; Bach on top of a stack of records, Cannonball Adderly on the bottom. There were no pictures, no pets, no cozy heat. Upstairs on the wall was a framed citation stating that Knife In The Water under the direction of Roman Polanski had been nominated for an Academy Award. As Sharon reached for a folder of still photographs from The Vampire Killers to show a male visitor, she stuck up her bottom in a way she has; as she went through the photos, she pooched out her bosom. But she did it by reflex. Her thoughts were totally on her director, who was not there. She had been in three unreleased films – 13, Don’t Make Waves and The Vampire Killers, all with different directors.

If she caught the public’s fancy in any of these pictures, she would become a movie star. And she was pleased with her work in The Vampire Killers. She was in a nude bathtub scene in it, and in a brief sequence in which she got spanked.

The phone rang; it was a strange female voice with a French accent. “Is Roman there?”

“No, I’m sorry he isn’t,” Sharon said, in her accent of the moment, which was English. “Who shall I say is calling, please?”

“Oh – I just wondered if he were in. Tell him Barbara. Thank you very much..”

The dull London afternoon turned dark, and still no Polanski. He could be cutting The Vampire Killers, or he could be tied up in London traffic or he could be sitting in a café. She took off her furry boots and put her feet into his house slippers, which rested at odd angels by a mammoth bed that cost over $600. The slippers were far too big for her. She wondered if tonight she would be thrown with people who would overwhelm her with their wit, their awesome knowledge, their self-confidence. When she was out in public with Roman, she never felt adequate enough to open her mouth. She could only talk to him alone. Her problem was that she had always been beautiful, and people were forever losing themselves in fantasy over her – electing her a beauty queen, imagining her as a wife, dreaming of a caress. Most people had fantasies. But a few people, like Polanski, took charge.

At the age of six months Sharon Tate was elected Miss Tiny Tot of Dallas, Tex. Her mother had sent in photos of the beautiful baby to contest officials. Sharon’s father was (and is) in the Regular Army, and was then stationed in Dallas. (Both her parents are natives of Houston.) As Sharon grew up, the family moved around in Army style, her father frequently absent from home. She remembers that when her father would return from an overseas tour, and she had reached a nubile age, her mother’s first command would be, “Now you, Sharon Marie, button up that night gown when you come out of your bedroom. Daddy’s home.” Her father was very strict with her as she budded through adolescence, turning thumbs down on potential boyfriends and making her stay in nights. He was very strong and knew how to take charge.

But most people continued to do things for Sharon without her lifting a finger. At 16 she was elected Miss Richland, Washington, and a short time later named Miss Autorama. At the age of 17 she was in Verona, Italy, where her father was stationed, and the prizes mounted. At Vicenza American High she was a cheerleader and baton twirler, and was chosen Homecoming Queen and Queen of the Senior Prom. The Vicenza yearbook for 1961 shows her as a very pretty, large-eyed girl, with hair somewhat darker and hips a little broader than now. She daydreamed at this time about becoming a psychiatrist and a ballerina, and had little to do with her classmates. Yet if any far-out stunts or fads were proposed, this terribly quiet girl was ready to lead the way. “If miniskirts had come in then, ” she says, “I’d have worn the shortest one.”

Today the fad among young girls in cosmopolitan circles is to use the old Anglo-Saxon words in everyday conversation, and Sharon Tate leads the way. But back in Italy at 17, she was just starting her worldly knowledge. She watched the on-location shooting of Barabbas, a film about ancient Rome, and the family scrapbook now includes still pictures of Jack Palance and Anthony Quinn in the movie costumers they wore in Italy. As she walked in Venice one day, she was spotted by the choreographer for the Pat Boone Show, which was being filmed in Italy. She next appeared very briefly in one of Boone’s TV shows, and his glossy smiling face now rests in the album with a fond inscription for Sharon.

When the Tate family moved from Italy to Southern California, Sharon decided it was time to live on her own. She was 18, and she paid a visit to Harold Gefsky, then agent for Richard Beymer, a young actor she met in Rome. “She was so young and beautiful,” Gefsky, a softly-spoken man, said in his Sunset Boulevard office, “that I didn’t know what to do with her. I think the first thing I did was take her to a puppet show.”

He also got her work because her father, in Calvinistic style, had only given her a few dollars to sink or swim. One of her first jobs was dressing up in an Irish costume and handing out Kelly-Kalani wine in Los Angeles restaurants at $25 a day. She also appeared in TV commercials for Chevy cars and Santa Fe cigars. People who knew her during this period agree on one thing. She was the most beautiful girl in the world. “Everywhere I took her she caused a sensation,” Gefsky said. “I would take her into a restaurant and the owner would pay for her meal. Photographers kept stopping her on the street. I’ve lived in Hollywood since the mid-Forties, but I’ve never seen anything like it before or since.”

But at this point no one, except perhaps Sharon, knew if she wanted to be an actress. Then one day Gefsky took her by to meet his friend Herbert Browar, who was connected with TV’s Petticoat Junction. He thought possibly Browar could fix her up with a minor role, something to tide her over. Browar took one look at her and rushed her in to see Martin Ransohoff, head of Filmways, Inc.

Ransohoff has a strand of hair combed over his bald dome. He wears loose sweaters, torn windbreakers and breeches that are baggy in the seat. He first started producing TV commercials in New York when food particles were glued onto Brand X’s plate to show the differences in detergents. He branched out into TV programs with such commercial winners as Mr. Ed, The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction. He then tackled movies on the order of The Americanization of Emily and The Loved One, which got mixed reviews but generally made money. He founded the company in 1952 on $200, and today it operates on a budget of over $35 million. He will talk about Oswald Spengler or H. L. Mencken and then croon into his ever-present phone, “Helloooo, Bertie, baby. Where’s the action, kid?” He chews gum till his head rings, smokes two packs a day and sends everyone to the wall with his adrenaline. He can be gratuitously cruel in speaking of others – “She’s got a lunch pail for a mouth,” he said of an aging actress, “and if we take out insurance on her, it’ll have to be that she’ll die.” Then he can take his twin sons to a football game, clean up a dog’s mess in his Bel Air living room, and talk to anyone in the world who has guts enough to call him. A rich man’s son, he sold pots and pans from door to door while going to Colgate and claims the experience taught him what the public will or will not buy. He had little interest in films before he became involved in them, and his favorite actress in the old days was Deanna Durbin – who, coincidentally, was also Polanski’s favorite. Both vividly remember her pedaling a bicycle down a shady street and singing through a dimpled smile. Not everyone has had pleasant dealings with Ransohoff in Hollywood, but all agree he is a super salesman.

When he first saw Sharon Tate, he squinted his right eye and did something that was very impulsive, even for him. “Draw up a contract,” he shouted. “Get her mother. Get my lawyer. This is the girl I want!”

He had not seen a screen test, not even a still photograph. She had hardly opened her mouth. But Marty Ransohoff, like the rest of us, has his fantasies – and Sharon Tate walked into one of his fondest ones. “I have this dream,” Ransohoff said, “where I’ll discover a beautiful girl who’s a nobody and turn her into a star that everybody wants. I’ll do it like L. B. Mayer used to, only better. But once she’s successful, then I’ll loose interest. That’s how my dream goes. I don’t give two cents now for Tuesday Weld or Ann-Margret..”

“I think he’s just trying to pull one over on the public,” Gefsky said.

Sharon signed a seven-year contract, and Ransohoff took charge. Gefsky, a nice man, bowed out. At first she lived in complete fear of Ransohoff, and did as she was told. “She wouldn’t even eat a hamburger if he told her not to,” a friend from that period said. If Ransohoff said she was to appear on The Beverly Hillbillies disguised in a black wig, she appeared. If he told her to go on a moments notice to Big Sur, New York, London, she went. Off and on she studied acting.

Jeff Corey, one acting coach, said, “An incredibly beautiful girl, but a fragmented personality. I tried to get reactions out of her, though. Once I even gave her a stick, and said, ‘Hit me, do something, show emotion’ ..If you can’t tap who you are, you can never act.”

Charles Conrad, another acting teacher, said, “Such a beautiful girl, you would have thought she would have all the confidence in the world. But she had none.” Among her friends, however, she began to refer to herself as “sexy little me.”

Ransohoff tried to place Sharon in The Cincinnati Kid – his own movie – but failed when the director demanded Tuesday Weld. He packed her off to New York to study under the personal direction of Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. “She was only with me a few weeks,” Strasberg said, “but I remember her. She was a beautiful girl.” In New York Sharon had a romance with a young French star, who offered her relief from her Texas style, Puritan upbringing. The actor was tall, dark and very nice. When they broke up, the actor bungled a suicide attempt.

Sharon continued to fear Ransohoff. Once, while driving at a high speed near Big Sur, she turned her car over four and a half times, but somehow managed to crawl out with only minor injuries. Her first thought was that Marty would be mad. The first picture he finally placed her in was his French made 13, in which she plays a chillingly beautiful, expressionless girl who goes about putting the hex on people. Completed many months ago, ’13’ still rests in the can waiting for a 1967 release date. Ransohoff flew Sharon back to Hollywood for her second film, Don’t Make Waves, in which she plays a beautiful, deadpan skydiver. Sharon’s first two directors were older men. Britishers – very polite, very nice and understanding with a novice actress.

And then Ransohoff began dickering with Roman Polanski, the Polish director living in London, to make a picture. Polanski, a tiny, baby-faced man whose explosive manner and Beatle-like appearance belie his much-admired skill as a maker of art films, wanted to do something with Ransohoff called The Vampire Killers, a spoof of horror movies. He wanted to play in it himself, and, as in all his movies, he wanted a beautiful girl in a supporting role.

“How about Sharon Tate?” Ransohoff said. “I was thinking more in terms of Jill St. John,” Polanski said.

At Ransohoff’s instigation, Sharon and Polanski had dinner together. He looked at her from time to time, but said nothing. On a second dinner date he was painfully silent once more. Real weirdo, she thought. What’s he waiting on? She found out shortly. Walking in London’s Eaton Square, he suddenly put a bear hug on her and they fell to the ground, Polanski on the bottom. Sharon clouted him and stormed off. “That’s the craziest nut I ever saw,” she said. “I’ll never work for him.”

But Polanski apologized, and they saw each other again. One night he took her to his apartment which had even less furniture than it has now and no electricity. He lit a candle and excused himself, flying upstairs to don a Frankenstein mask. He crept up behind her, raised his arms, and whinnied like a madman. Sharon turned and emitted a terrible scream. It took over an hour for her hysterical weeping to subside. Not long afterward Polanski informed Ransohoff that Sharon would do fine for The Vampire Killers. On the set he treated her as if they never saw each other at night. He cajoled, flattered, got angry – which ever worked – and never had lunch with her. During the nude bathtub scene, he snapped still pictures of her. Still enthusiastic, he had her pose all over the set in the altogether, and then sent the results to Playboy. She plays a gorgeous redhead in The Vampire Killers – and she shows

Roman Polanski walked into his apartment in a sharp blue blazer and high-gloss shoes, carrying a briefcase. He had a good-sized nose and searching, deep-set eyes, and he nodded briskly to Sharon. “A Barbara called,” she let out daintily. “Do you know who that could be?”

“A Barbara?” he called from the kitchen, out of sight. A pause. “You didn’t get any last name? Always get last names. I don’t know any Barbara that would be calling. Sharon, Sharon. There’s no liquor here. Always see to it that we have enough whisky. Can’t you do that?”

Sharon went on the phone to order some, worrying about which brands to specify. She didn’t want to be embarrassed by asking Roman – although he would certainly tell her. He knew the correct whiskey brands in London, the good pastrami places in Manhattan, and the right topless spots in Hollywood. He learned a country’s customs and its language in a couple of weeks. He took a bath now upstairs, calling down for Sharon to fetch him some tea. Later he descended the stairs in a cowboy outfit and boots, ready for dinner. Some movie friends had shown up, and he led the party on foot toward Alvaro’s restaurant.

At the restaurant Sharon basked in the eyes that roved over her. She listened big-eyed to Polanski explain the difference between the sun’s heat and that on earth, apropos of Truffaut’s Fahrenheit 451. The only trouble was that it was difficult to digest pasta in such a giddy atmosphere, and she complained of her stomach. After Polanski figured out how to work the waiter’s ballpoint pen, he signed the check.

In a dreamlike state, Sharon began slipping into her fox fur coat in the foyer. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tall Englishman with a prep-school tie and large teeth popped up and put his arm around her. “Ummm, you have a sexy feel, love. Don’t we all love to touch you now..” She squirmed away.

Out on the street, she said, “Roman, a complete stranger began hugging me in there.”

“Yeah? Really?” A short distance away he suddenly spied a blond in fox fur who had the same duck walk that Sharon has. “Hey, there goes Sharon,” he said. “Let’s get her and put the two of them together!”

“Don’t you dare,” she said, her anger flashing. Another day, away from Sharon, Polanski said, “I’m trying to get her to be a little meaner, She’s too nice, and she doesn’t believe in her beauty. Once when I was very poor in Poland I had got some beautiful shoes, and I immediately became very ashamed of them. All my friends had plain, ordinary shoes, and I was embarrassed to walk in front of them. That’s how Sharon feels about her beauty. She’s embarrassed by it.”

Sharon has a quarter-inch scar under her left eye and one beside the eye, the result of accidents which she keeps having. As Polanski drove with her one night in London, meticulously keeping on the left in the custom of the land, an Englishman with a couple of pints under his belt hit him from the right. The only one hurt was Sharon, whose head bounced off the dashboard, spraying blood on slacks, boots and fur. An angry red wound appeared at the start of her scalp, and it will leave another whitish scar on her head. With blond hair combed down over her forehead to hide it, she skied at St. Moritz. And then she caught a jet for Hollywood because Ransohoff had called. She must redo a few scenes for Don’t Make Waves. She grumbled a little. She found she could grumble to Ransohoff now. She hated Hollywood, and she didn’t want to leave Polanski. Also, she hated to fly. She had to be drugged to endure it.

And then she appeared beside Ransohoff at La Scala restaurant in Beverly Hills. She had a black costume that looked more like a slip than a dress, and her blond head caught glints of movie-star light as she turned this way and that. “Oh, there’s David! David Hemmings. David, David!”

David Hemmings, who had been featured with her in 13 and had gone on to star in Antonioni’s Blow-Up waved. Other celebrities flicked glances her way, at each other, to the door to see what majesty might enter next. Occasionally they looked down at food or drink. The place was as crowded as Alvaro’s in London, the customers practically the same. Ransohoff wore an open-neck sport shirt and shapeless coat, and he talked business. “Listen, sweetie, I’m going to have to cut some stuff out of The Vampire Killers. Your spanking scene has got to go.”

“Oh, don’t do that. Why would you do that?” “Because it doesn’t move the story. The story has got to move. Bang, bang, bang. No American audience is going to sit still while Polanski indulges himself.”

“But Europeans make movies differently than Americans, ” she explained to the producer she once feared. “Blow-Up moved slowly. But wasn’t it a great film!”

“I’ll tell you something, baby. I didn’t like it. If I’d have seen it before the reviews, I’d have said it’d never make it. It’s not my kind of picture. I want to be told a story without all that hocus-pocus symbolism going on.”

“But that one scene, Marty. When the girl show’s her, ah –” (only Sharon said the Anglo-Saxon word). In Hollywood, New York and London they all talked now about Blow-Up, dwelling on that scene.

“Yeah, I got to hand it to the guy for that one.” Ransohoff said, chuckling. “He pulled a good one off there.”

“Oh, I want to do a complete nude scene,” she said. “Say you’ll let me!”

“OK, OK,” Ransohoff said, bored, looking toward the door. “Yes, yes.”

“Do it now. Don’t just say it.” Then Sharon got bored.

Early in the morning Sharon appeared before the camera at Malibu Beach, redoing a scene for Don’t Make Waves. The sun had a hard time getting through the wisps of fog, and strong klieg lights helped out. In a sequence with an undraped David Draper, “Mr. Universe”, Sharon stuck out her backside and shot out her front. Magically, a button or two came undone on her polka-dot blouse, and after close examination of camera angle, director Sandy Mackendrick decided to leave it that way. He gave Sharon guidance in rubbing mineral oil over Draper’s bare back, as the scene called for. “Treat him like a horse,” he said. “Pat him just as you would an animal. That’s the way..”

She lovingly went over Draper’s muscled back, and then went “ugh” when the camera ceased to roll. The scene was done over and over. In her tiny trailer dressing room, she took a break and smoked daintily. “I’m happier when I’m working,” she said. “I don’t have time to think to much that way.”

One thing to think about was a visit to her parent’s home in Palos Verdes Estates, an hour’s drive away. (Her father was stationed in Korea, her mother and two younger sisters were at home.) Driving to the house one night in a heavy seaside fog, she became quieter and quieter, her words less Anglo-Saxon. A passenger beside her remarked, as the car neared its destination, that the fog reminded him of snow. “You know what it looks like to me?” she said. “Vomit.”

Her mother – a pleasant, plump, dark-haired woman – turned Sharon’s face this way and that. “Have you had your blood count recently, honey? You look so pale to me.” What did she think of Sharon’s becoming a movie star? What did she think of Roman Polanski? “You know,” she said, in the voice of every middle-class American mother, “I don’t care – just as long as she’s happy.”

Back in Hollywood Sharon moved from hotel to hotel, from one friend’s home to another. She talked to Polanski by phone. (It embarrassed him to try to write letters in English because of his mistakes.) So many things were unresolved, shadowy. Ransohoff was sore at Polanski because Polanski had gone way over the budget on The Vampire Killers (“Very un-Hollywood of him,” a Filmways executive said; another only referred to him as “the little–.”); Polanski was mad at Ransohoff because Ransohoff was cutting away at his film and postponing its release in the States. (Ransohoff had also had difficulties with Tony Richardson, the English director, over the budget and the cutting of The Loved One.) “The thing is,” said Sharon, “that Roman is an artist.”

At night Sharon went to The Daisy, a private discotheque in Beverly Hills. She wore an aviator’s leather jacket, slacks, and tinted Ben Franklin glasses. Seated near the dance floor, she silently watched young actresses her age go through their gyrations. Suzanne Pleshette and Patty Duke did subdued turns; Linda Ann Evans, in a miniskirt, did a much more spirited fling. Carolyn Jones, who only yesterday had played the ingénue, now looked like a chaperone. Sharon gave Linda Ann Evans the once over and said, “I’ve worn a much shorter mini in London. That’s nothing.”

From another table a slim, bronzed young man with a pampered black hair ambled confidently past Tina Sinatra, Patty Duke, Suzanne Pleshette – and hovered over this strange blond beauty in an aviator’s leather jacket. He had the air of a football star in a small town high school, who was used to having his pick. He showed his beautiful white teeth and said, “Let’s dance.”

“No,” she said, “let’s not.”

He kept the smile on his face as he backed away. He was now another who had tried to bring Sharon Tate into a private fantasy – but he didn’t know that she had passed his type long ago.

She was going to fly to London and get engaged to Roman Polanski. Then she was going to fly back to star in Valley of the Dolls. Ransohoff was lending her to 20th Century-Fox to play a sexy bombshell who goes to Europe to star in nudie movies and who bewitches the world with her improbable lushness.

[tcm]

The Careers of Henry Koster and Deanna Durbin By Susan King

The charming Oscar-nominated 1936 comedy THREE SMART GIRLS made a star out of 14-year-old Deanna Durbin, who not only proved to be a first-rated comic actress but possessed an extraordinary operatic voice. She eventually became the highest paid actress in Hollywood before she bailed from the maddening crowd of Tinseltown with her third husband, director Charles David in 1950, and lived quietly in France until death at 91 in 2013. The only time she thought of returning to the limelight was when she was offered the 1956 Broadway musical My Fair Lady.

I have been a huge fan of Durbin’s since I was tiny when I watched her on TV. And through getting reacquainted with her on TCM and DVD, my love hasn’t changed. I always feel a lot happier when watching her movies.

But I want to sing the praises of THREE SMART GIRLS director Henry Koster. The classic made him a major player in Hollywood. Koster was a German-Jewish emigre who had left Germany when the Nazis came to power, and he eventually went to Budapest where he met Hungarian-born producer Joe Pasternak while working for Universal in Europe. When Pasternak left Europe to return to Universal in Hollywood, he brought Koster, who could not speak English at the time, with him. Their first collaboration was THREE SMART GIRLS, a delightful fluffy bauble of a comedy that did so well it saved the struggling studio from bankruptcy. (The film also boosted the career of young leading man Ray Milland, who is absolutely a doll in this film.)

Koster spent a lot of time coaching newcomer Durbin—she had only appeared with Judy Garland in the 1936 short “Every Sunday”—and all of his effort paid off handsomely. So handsomely that he directed six of the 10 films Pasternak made with Durbin, including Oscar-nominated ONE HUNDRED MEN AND A GIRL (’37), which cast Durbin opposite legendary conductor Leopold Stokowski.

In 1939, Koster directed Durbin in the fun sequel THREE SMART GIRLS GROW UP and the charming FIRST LOVE, in which the uber-handsome Robert Stack gave Durbin her first screen kiss. The last Pasternak/Koster/Durbin collaboration was the very funny IT STARTED WITH EVE (’41) with Charles Laughton and Robert Cummings.

Koster also brought Bud Abbott and Lou Costello to Hollywood. He had seen the comedy duo perform at a nightclub in New York and convinced Universal to put them under contract. Koster had great instincts. The comedy legends made their debut in ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS (’40), and Abbott and Costello went on to become one of the studio’s biggest moneymakers of the 1940s and early 1950s.

When Pasternak left Universal to head a musical unit at MGM, Koster went with him and Durbin’s career suffered after their departure. She did an enjoyable 1943 sequel to the SMART GIRLS series, HERS TO HOLD and a nifty film noir LADY ON A TRAIN (’45), which was produced by her second husband and directed by future spouse David. But audiences’ interest in Durbin waned and her later films were commercial and critical disappointments.

Koster’s career, though, soared. He earned his only Best Director Oscar nomination for the beloved 1947 Christmas movie THE BISHOP’S WIFE, starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven. And he directed Loretta Young, Celeste Holm and Elsa Lanchester to Oscar nominations in COME TO THE STABLE (’49) a heart warmer based on a true story about two French nuns who come arrive in the small New England town of Bethlehem determined to build a children’s hospital.

Then came HARVEY, the sublime1950 adaptation of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit about a whimsical man, Elwood P. Dowd, who has a six-foot invisible rabbit named Harvey has his best friend. Jimmy Stewart, who played the role briefly on Broadway, received his fourth Oscar nomination for his deliciously sweet turn as Dowd. And Josephine Hull is a hoot as his often hysterical and exasperated sister (she received the Best Supporting Actress Oscar). Koster and Stewart teamed up for the taut thriller NO HIGHWAY IN THE SKY (’51) and in the 1960s for three light comedies: MR. HOBBS TAKES A VACATION (’62), TAKE HER, SHE’S MINE (’63) and DEAR BRIGITTE (’65).

Koster directed one of my favorite films, MY COUSIN RACHEL (’52), a beautifully-acted adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s romantic thriller starring Olivia de Havilland and Richard Burton. The Welsh actor earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for his first Hollywood film. In 1953, Koster guided Burton to his second Oscar nomination for the lavish religious blockbuster THE ROBE, which was the first film in CinemaScope. The film earned five Oscar nominations including Best Film and earned Oscars for art direction/set decoration and costumes.

And I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Koster’s religious drama A MAN CALLED PETER (’55), for which he received a Directors Guild of America nomination for his work. Based on Catherine Marshall’s best-selling book about her late husband, the Scottish émigré Peter Marshall who became the chaplain of the US. Senate. A MAN CALLED PETER features moving performances from Richard Todd and Jean Peters. And I adore Alfred Newman’s score and still have the soundtrack album.

Koster continued to make movies until 1966. His final film was the flop THE SINGING NUN (’66) with Debbie Reynolds. He may have retired from films, but Koster didn't retire from artistic pursuits. He moved to Camarillo, California and became a painter. He died in 1988.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Sun Myung Moon, a mysterious romance, a stolen lover – and a triple murder.

The Tragedy of the Six Marys, pages 161-172

by Pak Chung-hwa

Kim Won-deok graduated from Japanese Military Academy during the Japanese rule. After the liberation from the Japanese, he joined the North Korean military, but worked for the South. He was arrested and sentenced to death, but he was saved by his previous boss in the military. He was sent to Heungnam prison, where he met Mr. Moon. After Kim was introduced to me, we became close friends – like brothers. When he was released, he became a security officer in South Korea.

When the Unification Church was in trouble, he helped Mr. Moon in many ways. He saved Mr. Moon when he was attacked by his wife in Busan. She could do nothing about it.

▲ Kim Won-deok

A mysterious romance  162

One day Kim Won-deok told me an interesting story. It was a story of romance that made me jealous. He had taken a night train to Busan from Yongsan station a few days previously. He was sitting in first class. An attractive looking woman surrounded by many policemen got on the train. She appeared to be a lady connected to some high official. She sat on the seat in front of Kim. Until the train passed Daejun, they said nothing to each other. They just looked at each other.

After a while, she started to recite an old Korean poem, while she looked at Kim Won-deok’s profile. Her voice sounded like the voice of angel to him. She looked a little serious, but she was quite emotional. Kim was a man of much experience. He asked her if she was bravely travelling on to Busan. She answered that she was going to Busan on business, and that she ran an aluminum factory in Yongsan.

After that they chatted together until the train arrived at Busan. They parted at the station, but not before agreeing a time to meet again. Later, when they met, they had dinner together and watched a movie, just like an ordinary couple. She behaved like a social woman. She was very attractive. They went to a hotel together. Their short love affair was an something that Kim couldn’t explain. Kim had to stay in Busan ten days longer than he had planned.

A beautiful woman and a ‘Feast’  165

Kim Won-deok asked me to go to her house with him for dinner. Out of curiosity, I accompanied him to Yongsan. 

Her house was an old Japanese style one. “Yoon” was written on the name tag. We were guided by two young women. The first room had a golden statue of the Buddha and candles, the next room was large and looked like a reception room. We were served tea, then an amorous perfume filled the room and she appeared. She greeted us nodding a little smiling.

▲ 尹 清淨心 Yoon Cheong Jeong-shim

Her voice was clear like crystal. She looked to be in her late 40s. She was wearing traditional Korean costume. It was like the costume of a bride. When we moved to the next room, a variety of delicious and colorful dishes were ready. She recited an old Chinese poem and we drank for the night.

A strange ability to predict  167

After she had practiced in Kuemkang Mountain for ten years, she said that she could see the future. She could see the fate of a person, and a lot of candidates for the National Assembly came to see her because she could predict election results. She could tell the success or failure of people in university entrance examinations.

Consequently, she said that her aluminum manufacturing plant, which she ran, was a side business. Her true purpose in life was to support poor orphans – especially girls – and to help them to get a university education and succeed in society. She said that many girls had already graduated from Ewha Womans University, and currently she was taking care of 17 girls.

As I heard this story, I did not dare to look directly at her face. After finishing dinner, we parted, promising to meet again. She implied that Kim was her boyfriend, and she did not care about his wife. She only wanted his love. She said there was no problem if they liked each other. I thought she was very different from ordinary secular people.

After that, Kim Won-deok and I were free to visit her house. Whenever we visited her, we were well treated with good meals.

Later she established a construction company, and Kim Won-deok was hired as president. But Kim had no experience in construction and was not able to manage it well. Soon the company went bankrupt. After that they established several different companies but they all failed.

Later on, Mrs Yoon asked us if she could meet Sun Myung Moon. They met finally on October 25, 1954 at Yang Yun-yeong’s house in Shindang-dong.

▲ Yang Yun-yeong [real name. She taught music at both Ewha and Yonsei Universities.]

Sun Myung Moon stole a lover from his own disciple  169

On the appointed day, Kim Won-deok and I took Mrs Yoon to Mrs Yang Yun-yeong’s house. Women members such as Yang Yun-yeong, Lee Deuk-sam, Oh Yeong-choon, Ok Se-hyun, Chi Seung-do, Kim Soon-cheol, Lee Kee-hwan, Yang Yun-shin were gathered there as well as Eu Hyo-won, Eu Hyo-min, Lee Su-hyang, Kim Won-pil and others.

Mrs Yoon was wearing the best traditional Korean costume and seemed like a bride going into the groom’s house for the first night. The members who saw the scene, especially the female members, were overwhelmed. After greeting Mr. Moon, she looked at him with her spiritual eyes and said to him “You are having difficulty in finding a woman who will become a true mother. I came as a bride to greet my teacher as a groom, and I will serve you.” Everybody in the room was surprised again because she spoke so directly.

The atmosphere became like the time when the Jesus took three disciples up a mountain with him. Sun Myung Moon lectured about the principles for a long time that night. Mrs. Yoon sang traditional Korean songs and recited poetry and sang a Japanese tanka and recited haiku. Her voice took over the house as if she was the owner. It was surprising for Mrs. Yang Yun-yeong, a music professor at Ewha Womans University, to hear the sound.

At that time Mr. Moon was being closely watched by the authorities, and the curfew was at midnight. We parted promising to meet again.

About a week later, Sun Myung Moon suddenly visited Mrs Yoon’s house with Eu Hyo-min. Kim Won-deok and I were very surprised at his unexpected visit. I did not know that Sun Myung Moon would come. Mrs Yoon made delicious food with all her heart and entertained Sun Myung Moon. He sat with Mrs Yoon with the attitude of a groom going to his bride’s house. Mrs Yoon also seemed to expect that she would be a bride – like the woman who was preparing oil for the groom in the Bible story. Kim Won-deok and I stayed until late that night – eating, drinking and singing. Finally we left while Sun Myung Moon and Eu Hyo-min stayed.

That night, Sun Myung Moon said he had the pikareum sex ritual with Mrs. Yoon Cheong Jeong-shim.

Kim Won-deok evacuated from the north and came down to the south. In the early days when there was no place for Sun Myung Moon to live, he stayed for a while in Kim’s rented house. And when Sun Myung Moon was in difficult situations in Busan, several times Kim Won-deok took the lead and solved the problem.

Kim was betrayed by Sun Myung Moon who took his lover, Mrs Yoon Cheong Jeong-shim, and he began to avoid Sun Myung Moon. After that, when Elder Song Do-wook was secretary, Sun Myung Moon often visited Mrs Yoon. When Mr. Moon was arrested on July 4, 1955, Mrs Yoon also became estranged from Mr. Moon and the Unification Church for a while.

Kim Won-deok met me several times and expressed his anger and resentment about Sun Myung Moon’s betrayal. I tried hard to explain the principle of restoration to protect Sun Myung Moon, but Kim Won-deok did not want to hear.

Kim Won-deok said, “While there are so many women, how could Mr. Moon steal a woman who was loved by one of his disciples, and take her away. He is making me look like a fool. How can I submit a teacher who does such a thing? No matter how great the teachings of the Unification Church may be, I am not willing to believe them anymore. I cannot forgive Sun Myung Moon. He is just a fraudster who is using women in the name of religion.”

Kim Won-deok was a former soldier, but he was really outraged. I was too. He was really angry about Mr. Moon. He said, “The man called Sun Myung Moon is a horny dog, a dirty animal.”

I knew how angry he was, but I could not say anything further to him.

About two years later, Mrs Yoon, her step-daughter (the daughter of a university student), and housekeeper were killed by someone. There was an uproar about the three deaths.

The police investigated, but it was difficult like a labyrinth. At that time, the relationship between Sun Myung Moon and Mrs. Yoon was still continuing. Preparations were going on by people to make a film to be called “Oh Incheon” about the UN forces landing at Incheon during the Korean War (the 6.25 disturbance). But the sudden death of Mrs. Yoon left no funds and the project was put on hold.

Kim Won-deok was a suspect in the murders. At the time the police visited me to ask his whereabouts. Later I got the chance to meet Mr Kim many times. I looked at his sad appearance. He was quite surprised at what had happened [and said he had nothing to do with it.] We played a game of looking at all those associated with the victim to see if we could find the actual perpetrators. Kim Won-deok had not changed in any way and I was convinced that he was not the culprit.

Kim Won-deok is dead now, and already three years have passed.

_________________________________________

Pak Chung-hwa was never sued for the publication of The Tragedy of the Six Marys  – the real Satan is Sun Myung Moon!!. The facts in the book have never been challenged or proved to be incorrect. There are many photos that support the text. One map by Pak reveals the lies of Kim Won-pil who had to hastily republish his Japanese testimony book – with the falsehoods removed.

A couple of years later Pak Chung-hwa was coerced into putting his name on the cover of a book written by the UC of Japan: I Am A Traitor – At that time Satan possessed me! (That is not the usual title for a memoir.)

See: Chung-hwa Pak did not write “I am a Traitor”  (The UC of Japan published it)

▲ Tragedy on the left, and Traitor on the right – with the most unflattering photo (screen shot) of Pak that the UC could find. The TV is a reference to this video:

Tragedy of the Six Marys translated video transcript

In the above Tragedy book cover, Pak is standing at the back on the left.

_________________________________________

Sun Myung Moon had a girlfriend in 1941

Moon’s first wife, Choi Seon-gil, and Kim Deok-jin interviewed

Kim Myung-hee, the third wife of Sun Myung Moon

The lie that Kim Myung-hee was raped in Japan

The Tragedy of the Six Marys – Introduction

The six ‘wives’ of Sun Myung Moon

Thoughts on Rape, Molestation and Sun Myung Moon

[musedblues]

Always Something There To Remind Me [Part: 3]

summary: Home is where the heart is. You're working on finding yours. After a handful of misfortunes, your old friend Joe helps to unravel life's greatest mystery while adding a bit of extra grief to the mix.

warnings:  A few mentions of panic attacks, and getting sick a but also dare I say a bit of fluff?!

w/c: 6k

a/n: This has been one of my favorite chapters to write so far. Thank you for all the lovely feedback, lads!

taglist: @im-an-adult-ish​ @mrsmazzello​ @lettinggosthehardestpart​ @the-moving-finger-writes​ @imtheinvisiblequeen​

Part 4

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

On the walk across the street with your mother, carrying matching bottles of wine, you worried this Christmas Eve was going to be dramatically different than all others that came before it. That you were too far out of the loop to ever fit back in.

But you were at ease the second you passed through the Mazzellos front door. Joe and his mother were the only people bustling around the kitchen, so early in the evening. You'd expected tonight's reunion with your old friend to be even more sensational than the last, but it wasn't. Joe simply greeted you with a grin, taking the bottle of wine from your clutch and spinning around to find a cork right away. Your mothers began spouting gossip near the already set up table, while Joe poured the two of you a drink.

As you followed your old friend toward the living room, you couldn't help but notice how alarmingly normal this routine seemed. This felt much more like coming home than landing at the airport to your teary-eyed mother had, for some reason.

But lots had changed since the last time you'd spent celebrating with the Mazzellos. And you couldn't wait any longer to hear about the things Joe mentioned being apart of the last you saw him. Not long after you settled on the sofa to the tune of his exciting storytelling, you asked for faces to match the names of his new cast of friends he had yet to stop buzzing over. Joe wasted no time pulling up a group photo of himself mixed in with a pretty bunch of actors.

"Lucy is actually the funniest person I know, besides yours truly of course." Joe boasted about a girl who looked as if she was made of porcelain. You had no reason to doubt she was just as flawless in real life. Before you could ask more of her, Joe was already on a roll. "Ben is the love of my life. I mean, come on, look at the guy." Joe proceeded to ramble for a long time about the blonde, telling you how the man with emerald eyes was a loyal and passionate friend, someone Joe had come to trust and admire. "Rami, well, you know him, don't you?" Joe shrugged, glancing your way as he sipped some wine. Oh yeah, you did. The guy was in another production with Joe, back when he facetimed you weekly. Rami had ended up in the background of enough of those facetimes to give you a few meaningful greetings when you called to check-up. You wondered if the superstar remembered you at all. "And Gwilym is-" "Welsh?" You let out a breath of a laugh. Gwilym. There's a name you'd hadn't even known existed until a few summers ago when some old fella down the road kept getting his mail switched up with yours. Joe matched your unexpected chuckle with one of his own, almost like he wasn't sure if he should have acknowledged your remark. So you just shrugged and offered your friend a small grin "Small world."

Thankfully, Joe's muddled expression softened. As you began to wonder one thousand things, he went on...

"He is the best of us. Heart of gold." Joe's bragged as the pair of you focused on his phone screen. There the five of them were, all dressed up, strutting across a lavish purple carpet. Just when you both polished off your glasses of wine, the doorbell rang. Cousins and aunts and uncles started to show up with dessert trays and gift bags. Most of them remembered your name and hugged you like always. It was almost like no time had ever passed, like this Christmas Eve picked up where the last one you attended left off. The most exciting reunion came just before dinner time as Joe's siblings showed up.

John and Mary arrived together, with their spoused and gaggle of children, all of whom you'd never met. A couple of the more rambunctious kids raced up to their grandmother, while John stopped in his tracks when he noticed you.

Growing up, you went to all of his baseball games. You helped him with his homework and bought him birthday presents. He might as well have been your own little brother. But since you'd graduated, Joe's updates about his kid brother stopped coming when his own did, too.

"Oh my God!" John practically tackled you in a hug that everyone around you chuckled over. "I didn't, why did- when did you come back?" John laughed, clearly surprised by your random appearance at Christmas Eve dinner for the first time in forever.

"Is this really happening?" Mary moved toward you. She was pretty as ever, dark hair and bright eyes. You always looked up to her, and she always looked out for you. She rescued you from bad first dates, taught you how to drive and told you highschool secrets, like your own older sister. Now, she shoved John away and hugged you even tighter. You wondered how you'd gone all this time without seeking Mary's counsel and support.

Both of their spouses watched on in confused glee, happy that everyone else was so happy. John's wife was the first to bite.

"Hi! I'm Eva." The pretty brunette smiled at you but cocked her head, clearly lost to why her husband was so excited to see you. Then she said, "How long have you and Joe been...?" Eva pointed to where your best friend stood in the archway of the kitchen, and your mother let out a chortle in passing.

"Ah yes..." You turned to Joe with a sly smile. Maybe you'd been sipping too much pre-dinner wine.  "I'll never forget the day he untied me from those train tracks!" You reached out to latch onto Joe in a comical way, and even though he winced for show, he held onto you like he might have actually wanted too.

"Who's the actor here, y/n?" Mrs. Mazzello joked, batting your arm with a laugh.

"Joe has just been using me for my many talents all these years. I taught him everything he knows." You shrugged with one arm still looped around your friend's neck.

"Those were the days." Joe reminisced with a snicker, keeping his relaxed hold around you.

John was quick to disperse your make-believe bubble to explain to his wife exactly who you were.

"This is y/n. The girl in all our pictures in the hallway." John gestured toward the corner where dozen of snapshots hung of their family at parties and graduations. A handful of which you and your mother happened to sneak into the background of over the years. "She's practically a Mazzello."

"Oh my God." Eva's face fell, and she turned to you with a serious gaze. "I'm so sorry, I've heard so much about you but never- oh, come here." And she pulled you into a hug all the same. John and Mary gathered their excited offspring and made them each introduce themselves to you, well besides the tiniest babies who couldn't. You barely had time to gush over the families before dinner was served.

Everyone devoured plates full of well-cooked food, laughing over things you somehow still understood. Christmas hadn't felt so warm in years. You and Joe moved through even more wine, sharing glances like a secret code when his weird uncle started rambling about politics. When dinner was over, everyone was still happy to linger around together.

When everyone gathered in the living room, you excused yourself to the bathroom. On your trip back down the hallway, a tiny giggle stopped you from rejoining the party just yet. Mary's littlest babe was clinging to the open doorway of Mr. Mazzello's office, a space with oak bookshelves and a writing desk to match. Joe's father could be found there, working until it was time for dinner.

The baby was babbling, pointing into the dark office. He stumbled into the shadows and turned his head before he shifted and looked at you. The baby screwed his brows together and started to ask a question using the only syllables he knew to use.

And somehow, you realized he was looking for Joe's dad. The little boy spun in the doorway again before he wobbled right toward you. Simultaneously, Mary floated down the hall with a baby bag over her shoulder. She must have been looking for the kid. He was reaching up and pulling on your sweater, now.

"I think he wants to go in there." You spoke softly, watching Mary's baby point back toward the dark office. When you looked back up toward Mary her eyes were glossy. She shared a silent glance with you before she bent down to her boy's level. He kept babbling and waving back toward the office.

"He's not there, sweetheart," Mary whispered, smoothing back her baby's hair and breaking your heart. She lifted the kid to her hip and cocked her head, a signal for you to follow.

The office was warm and smelt like cinnamon, not because of Christmas time, but because it always did. Mary flicked the Tiffany lamp on and the room filled with spots of amber light. There were papers scattered on the desk and a chair filled some costumes in the corner like someone was meant to come in and do work at any moment.

"Dad used to let the kids sit in here while he worked." Mary sniffled, while the baby in her arms reached out to touch the book shelve before him. It was filled with awards and photos and crafts.

"I was always afraid to come in and interrupt business." You breathed a laugh, floating closer to monitor the shelve. Right between a photo of Joe and his father at the grand canyon, and a handpainted candle vase, something caught your eye.

There was a Polaroid. You had a camera for a month before one of your friends stole it. With it, someone had taken a photo of you with Joe's dad at play practice. Joe was away that summer, filming and you needed something to do. Your highschool was putting on a production of Grease, the ancient choir director conveniently passed away a week before your first rehearsal, so Joe's dad stepped in to help, last minute. Somehow you ended up as a Pink Lady, without a name or any lines. Joe's dad let you keep that jacket. You gave the Polaroid to Mr. Mazzello as thanks, during the wrap party. Despite having no lines, you were a shite actor, but Joe's dad took it easy on you. That was just one example of the way he'd always sort of looked out for you, you realized.

Mary noticed the photo your gaze was fixated on and said: "You're family, y/n. And I'm glad you're back home."

You couldn't tell if she knew what you'd been through but above all things, you knew Mary was wise enough to read you like she always had. Her baby had retracted away from curiosity and curled into his mother's arm. She noted that it was probably bedtime for all the kids and started to leave her father's old office. You were left alone to turn the light off. Leaving that room on your own terms was the first goodbye you'd said in months that brought you any kind of peace.

///

Your mother left home in a sequined shaw with a camera around her neck. At midnight, a new year would begin, but someone was getting married before then. She invited you along to help take photos, But just days before, you'd made plans of your own. With Joe. He said there were some people from town throwing a party and he'd been invited long ago. Joe asked you to join him, saying something about how he probably would only go if you came along. Something about that made you agree.

So you slipped into some old dress you'd bought in Wales and made a mental note to go on a shopping spree, soon. Joe showed up at your door, dressed for the occasion too. Tonight felt like more of a step outside of your comfort zone, than a simple New Year's Eve party. But even so, falling back into your old spot at Joe's side was natural, and you didn't have time to dwell on the inner workings of things while he sang along to some old Britney Spears album the entire car ride, begging you to join in. By the time you arrived at the party, you almost forgot that Joe's version of carpool karaoke wasn't the main event of the evening.

He kept one hand steady on your shoulder as you walked from the parking lot and into some modernly styled club. Inside, clear bulbs were strung from one sleek pilar to another. One too many bodies occupied the dance floor while those left behind took up nearly every table and booth insight. Joe directed you toward the bar top where two miraculously free seats called your names.

Just then, someone recognized your friend. A tall man in a dark suit called Joe's name as you eased onto the bar stool. You didn't recognize the guy, and the bartender was asking what you wanted. So you ordered two of the same bourbons and turned back to see Joe rolling his eyes while the stranger was walking away.

"I can never remember his name," Joe admitted, leaning toward you. You chuckled and started to respond when another voice cut through the crowd.

"Joey!" The high pitched squeak hurt your head, and when you turned to see who it belonged to, nothing made sense. Lacy Duval was prancing toward the both of you in a tight sparkly dress. The only thing you knew about Lacy Duval, was that in high school, she was two grades below you, but somehow always ended up mingling with everyone in your class. So it wasn't surprising to see she'd recognized one of you, but it was a bit unsettling to see how excitedly Lacy dashed your way. And it was furthermore of a shock to you to find Joe waving to her with a wide smile, like they'd really known each other.

"I'm so glad you could make it, I've been looking around for you all night!" The girl with silvery blonde hair and a matching bright smile gushed. The bartender slid your drink near your elbow and you grinned his way as thanks.

"Well, it is only 9:30." Joe laughed. Then he reached over and rested a hand on your knee. "You remember y/n right?"

"Of course I do." Lacy turned her smile toward you.

"Hi, Lacy." You smiled back, raising your bourbon for a sip. Another set of faces emerged from the party, and you vaguely recognized them. They knew your name and warmly greeted you. But their interest lied in Joe, of course. They talked him into coming with them to meet someone on the other side of the room.

"Don't worry, I'll save your spot!" Lacy giggled in a way that made you kind of want to leave and go back home. But you just sipped your bourbon and smiled at Joe when he turned to you with a sorry shrug. Lacy slinked past Joe as the strangers pulled him in their tow. Somehow while the only person you knew disappeared into the crowd, you managed to down your bourbon until it was gone. You asked for another.

Then, without prompt or consent, Lacy crossed her silky legs and began to tell you a story you never asked to hear. She explained how a couple of summers ago, Joe was in town filming his very own movie. You knew all about it. You were still in touch with him then. But according to Lacy, she was there. She twirled her hair around a finger while she told you how Joe and his cast would sometimes stop in the all-night diner she worked at back then, and how she would hang around with them when no other customers stopped in. According to Lacy, Joe personally invited her to the wrap party.

"We hung out a lot." Lacy propped her elbow on the bar and her head in her hand. "We didn't see much of each other until his dad got sick, or whatever. We did hang out more when he was home for that."

Your bourbon was gone again. So you asked for a shot of whiskey.

"About time he showed up tonight." Lacy smiled, her teeth sparkling like the glitter her dress was made of. "We've had plans."

"Well, Happy New Year." You smiled. Was she finally done talking?  Someone just as scantily clad and pretty spotted Lacy and hurried up to her for a hug. Your whiskey arrived as the girls scurried into the crowd arm in arm without so much as a goodbye your way. You watched Lacy work the room as she moved through it, keeping that giant smile turned up all the way even when no one was looking. Before you could look away, Joe appeared as if he was making his way back to the bar. Lacy had spotted him too, apparently, and moved like a cheetah to corner him on the dance floor.

So, you were alone now. You could be home alone, but you weren't so, you took your shot of whiskey to try and calm your nerves. This party was way out of your league. You didn't know anyone, not even the people who seemed to vaguely remember you. And the music was pretty obnoxious. But as soon as these thoughts plagued you, a familiar face came into view. Some boy you'd known from high school took Lacy's spot on the barstool at your side. He was your first student, the year you taught your peers to play the piano for some extra cash, freshman year. The guy seemed genuinely glad to see you now, and you had always wondered what happened to him after high school. After catching up for a while, asking a few questions you always wanted to ask him, the guy had one of his own.

"Aren't you married, or something? The last time I saw Joe, he said you were living with some guys in the UK."

Whoa, you were not ready for that one. You sort of hoped everyone had decided you fell off the face of the earth. That thought always eased your mind when it began to wonder what people might ask you, when you moved back home. You hadn't properly prepared an answer for times like these...

"Oh, nope not married." You managed to remain cool under pressure, as the guy nodded in understanding. But of course, he didn't really understand. And he didn't know your throat was going dry at the thought of Kris. You politely excused yourself and headed toward the restrooms.

It wasn't even eleven o'clock, yet but the place was packed with party animals and the only people your recognized were across the floor. Lacy was looping her arm around Joe as she motioned for him to meet someone you couldn't see. The rest of the crowd were blank faces.

Maybe it was the drinks you'd downed so quickly. Or the fact that you still felt like shite at the simple thought of what happened to Kris. You had stopped missing him sometime long before he died; when he skipped town on your last birthday and gave you a present a few months later like an afterthought. That's when you really stopped feeling much for Kris at all. But you never got to end things between the two of you on your own terms. That left a million unimportant arguments burning in the back of your mind. By now, you were just pissed that the situation still had such a massive effect on you. Tonight being no exception at all,

Thank God the restroom was empty. You hurried toward the yellow stalls and prayed no one heard you getting sick. The tile floor was sticky and it hurt your knees. Every moment of this night was more uncomfortable than the last... After some time, you stood to better yourself but felt still felt dizzy as you leaned against the sink counter. The party boomed on and your head pounded. Then the bathroom door creaked open.

"Y/n?" Lacy's shrill pitch echoed through the tiled walls. You felt nauseous again.

"Yeah?" You tried to sound normal, bringing the back of your hand to your lips.

"Did you just...?" She trailed off, and you could only muster a tiny nod before hurrying back to the stall to barf again. Lacy's heels clicked toward the door and it slammed shut. Who would want to watch some girl throw up alone on New Year's Eve? You took your sweet time drinking from the faucet and taking deep breaths in the mirror. You decided that the moment you stepped foot back in the party that you were going to have a good time. Or at least pretend a little harder too.

But after you pushed open the restroom door and started to walk into the crowd, a hand grabbed you and spun you back around. It belonged to Joe, and he was pulling you toward the exit.

"We're going home." Joe decided loudly over the annoyingly loud music.

"Oh no, why?" You pretended to dread. He only pulled you close and guided you through the front doors. A few strangers watched on as you left before midnight. The city streets were empty and quiet, and Joe's car looked warm form the outside.

"Lacy said you got sick?"

"Oh, yeah." You shrugged. Your goal wasn't to ruin the party. "We don't have to leave because of me." You felt sick again.

"First of all yes we do. It wouldn't be fun if you feel bad. Secondly, it was already no fun. They were only playing Katy Perry."  Joe seemed truly disturbed. You had to laugh. The ride back home was quiet.

Joe parked outside your front door and followed behind as you walked up your porch steps. You stalled with your hand on the doorknob and announced that you planned on starting the new year off with a bubble bath. But declaring the peaceful plan didn't make you feel any less horrid. Then Joe softly assured you that he'd be across the street if you need him.

"You aren't gonna go back to the party?" You wondered. Why wouldn't he?

"Why would I?" Joe furrowed his brow, truly confused. You only chuckled and shook your head as you slowly twisted your doorknob and thanked Joe one last time. Then you went inside, even though it looked like Joe had something to say. He could tell you in the morning, you thought.

You felt better in the stillness of your home, surrounded by warm bubbles and candlelight. You changed your sheets and put on an oversized sweatshirt from Australia, one Joe shipped you as a Christmas gift the year he spent filming there. You watched the time on your phone turn to midnight and wondered if Tegan was having a good time. Last year, she helped you throw a party in the pub, and you didn't shut down until five a.m. This year you were snug in bed, high off the scent of your freshly cleaned sheets and relishing the quiet.

You must have succumbed to sleep, but it wasn't long before you shot awake with a tightness in your chest. Sometimes the nightmares faded as quickly as they appeared, leaving you with a racing heart all the while. It was still quiet and you were still alone. Your phone read two in the morning, and there was a text from your mother announcing she booked a room across the city after her wedding shoot. She wished you a happy new year, and that's when everything really started to crumble for you.

Something about being all alone, in a new space and time made your throat close. Your hands buzzed and tears stung your eyes. Every time you tried to close them, the worse your heart sped up. You had no choice but to let yourself cry a little but still couldn't fall asleep when you learned to breathe again. So you scrolled mindlessly through your phone hoping the internet would distract you long enough to fall asleep again.

Your Instagram feed was flooded with photos of friends in new year party hats with drinks in hand. There was a video of someone's baby comically dancing to auld lang syne, and a series of firework boomerangs. Then- a picture that caused your eyes to roll.

You didn't even realize you were following Lacy Duval. But lo and behold, the newest post on your feed was one of her very own. It was a selfie of her and Joe, from tonight. Her arm was tight around his neck, and he looked happy under the red-tinted lights. There were a few hundred likes, and the first comment you saw, read: "You two again! Looking good as ever."

What the hell did that mean? You wondered enough to click on Lacy's profile. Sure enough, between rows of facetuned selfies, there was a slew of photos of Joe on Lacy's feed. One photo of him wearing her bedazzled sunglasses, another of the two of them sharing a booth at the diner Lacy mentioned before.

Your bedroom suddenly felt like a trap, like your mind wasn't the issue. You felt like you did when you'd been grounded as a kid. So you got out of bed and descended the staircase, flipping a lamp on in the living room. Somehow the change of scenery completely changed your mood. You sank into the sofa among decorative pillows and a quilt you'd left behind some days before.

You nestled there, flipping on the tv and decided to play Parks and Recreation in search of a reason to smile. Then your phone buzzed from the coffee table where you tossed it. It was a text, from Joe.

Hey, you still up?

You glanced up to the telly, then back down at your phone, wondering why he was. You had just been on social media. Maybe Joe noticed you were active. Maybe he'd gone back to the party after all.

Yep. You good?

A few minutes passed until he responded again.

Want some company?

A tiny laugh escaped your throat. Why would he want to come over at two in the morning? You couldn't understand how Joe had known to offer his company in this moment when you felt the loneliest you had in a long while. You could help but type back that you were unlocking the door and for him to come in whenever he felt like, if he really did.

You sat back down among the den of comforts that was your old sofa, and watched Parks and Recreation with a wandering mind. You weren't even sure what you'd been thinking of until the front door jostled open, and you snapped back from your zone out.

"Happy New Year!" Joe excitedly boasted. He was dressed in joggers and an old sweatshirt, and he held a paper sack close to his chest as he shut the door behind him.

"What's up your sleeve?" You laughed, stretching your arms as you sat up all the way. You watched Joe cross the room to rest his mysterious bag on the coffee table and sit near you on the edge of the sofa. It wasn't quite like your friend had come over for a visit, but rather like he was finally home after a long day. A warmth bloomed in your chest at the thought of Joe existing back in your orbit, and being happy as always to do nothing together.

"Doctors orders." He spoked as he reached into the paper bag. "We've got some overpriced drug store candy. A bag of ginger cookies. A magazine I found with Bruce Springsteen on the cover, and this." Joe named all the things he revealed from the bag one at a time, ending with a small envelope he handed to you. It was a card with the words "Get Well Soon" scrawled in outlandish cursive. Inside was blank, besides the doodled Joe had drawn of a frowny face wearing a droopy party hat. You laughed out loud, glancing up to your friend who looked quite proud.

"Thank you, Joe. You didn't need to come bearing gifts." You gave him a look as you rested the card on the table in front of you. You hadn't even felt sick since after your bath, anyhow.

"Uh, of course I did. Now shut up and try one of these. This was like, twelve dollars." Joe chuckled, reaching for a golden tin of suckers that came in elaborate flavors like ginseng, lavender, and cinnamon.

"You're out of control." You mocked, shaking your head but peering into the tin all the same. "Simply ridiculous."

"So you're saying you don't want one of these?" Joe jeered, pulling the tin away right as you started to reach in. You scoffed a laugh, moving your hand to shove his shoulder in protest.

"'Course I do! You've truly saved the day." You softened, really meaning it. You were having a really rough go of it until he showed back up. Joe reached in for a sucker and you did too, pulling one that was honey flavored. When you settled back into the sofa, happy with your choice, Joe followed suit. His shoulder pressed against yours and a new episode of Parks and Recreation was starting.

"Sorry the party was so lame." Joe pipped up, pouting as he watched the opening theme play through.

"It's okay." You decided after a beat. You could have assured him it wasn't so bad, but it wasn't great. And you really appreciated Joe's efforts to make your night more enjoyable, whether he realized that's what he was doing or not.

"Do you wanna watch something else?" You offered, suddenly realizing you had nothing left to offer him as thanks for everything. Joe shook his head and stuck in sucker in his mouth like a little kid, and you had to laugh over how much this felt like highschool. Then you settled closer near him, enjoying your candy just as well. Joe's arm fell warmly across your shoulders while a couple of episodes played through with Joe's occasional added commentary and bursts of giggles. You laughed too, but your eyes grew heavier with each passing scene. You hadn't even realized you were falling asleep until you felt Joe take your sucker from you loose grasp. Your head had fallen to his shoulder, and your eyes couldn't stay open one second longer. Parks and Rec’s familiar theme song echoed through the room as you dozed off in a flash, the easiest sleep you'd had in weeks.

///

Your home was quiet again when morning came. You were laying on the sofa with your favorite quilt gently draped over you. Joe was gone. When you stretched into the morning, you noticed a note on the coffee table, where Joe's slew of presents were left from the night before.

"Happy first day of the rest of forever. Thank's for letting me crash for a while. Maybe next week we can have a real party. This has all been an elaborate excuse to use one those fancy quill pens your mom keeps around. x o x o."

You snorted at Joe's thoughtfulness, always going out of his way to let you know how he felt. What had you done to deserve his remarkable friendship after all this time? You dwelled on the thought as you tidied up the living room and went about your day.

///

Your mother had started traveling for work. She was currently somewhere in Denver, taking photos of some happy couple. Leaving you alone to jump over the last of many legal hurdles you faced after coming back home. All you had to do was get from one place to another, delivering some business to the social security office, to confirm you were living back in the states.

The winter's thickets blanket of snow had been reduced to sheets of melting mush, but last night's bitter winds froze the mess to the ground. You waited around the house long enough for salt trucks and rush hour to wear down the roads before you hopped in the jeep your mother left behind. No big deal, you'd driven dozens of times before... just not for a while. You decided your reward for this nerve-wracking mission would be getting dinner from the best pizza place uptown.

You drove down the block with white knuckles, and onto the highway without even thinking. When you realized how far you'd safely made it, you relaxed enough to sing along to Billy Jole as you drove. This was way easier than you'd hoped.

After successfully delivering your paperwork,  you parked in the pizza place lot and ate a piping hot slice behind the wheel while scrolling through social media. Your phone was near dying when you decided to head back home.

Billy Jole was still a great company as you felt your self grow more comfortable behind the wheel. You were in complete control and everything was fine.

Until a loud unsettling POP came from somewhere outside your vehicle. Your car had obviously just blown a tire, slumping to the left in the middle of the highway. As you held your breath and tried to slow down, your remaining tires lost traction on a rouge patch of ice.

"Shitshitshitshit!"

Your car gracefully slid off the road toward a speed limit sign, scraped against the pole and spun around to a halt.

"Damn it!" You cried, tearing your white knuckles from the wheel and covering your face in your hands. Your heart was pounding and your throat closed shut, but a pathetic cry still managed to escape.

A couple of cars breezed by, leaving the highway otherwise empty while you sat trying to pull yourself together.

You weren't hurt. The radio was still blaring Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. It was a little cold, but you were okay. That's what you kept repeating over and over until your hands stopped shaking and you could breathe a little better than before.

"Oh shit." You whimpered, hopping out of the car to monitor the front left tire. The rubber smoking, peeling away from the rim. You hurried back in your car and found your phone was only at nine percent. Who were you even going to call forty minutes away from home? Oh, that's right, no one lived there anymore. Joe was in the city again. Mary was a lawyer and John-

You pulled your phone to your ear as it rang.

"Hello?"

"John? Hey, you live uptown don't you?" He said so at Christmas.

"I do! Stopping by to reminisce?" He laughed.

"I have a really huge favor to ask."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, well, I'm having some car troubles." You explained where you had been left stranded on the highway and how it all happened. How your phone was dying and you needed to call a towing service.

John promised he was right on his way, and you were able to call a service to come and get your car while you waited for a ride of your own.

His blue Buick slowed and eased off the side of the road only fifteen minutes later. John stepped into the frost-covered grass and leaned toward your open driver's window as you collected your things.

"Did you get through to a towing service?" He asked right away.

"They should be here in no time." You assured, and right as you had, a truck came creeping toward you from the other side of the road. By the time everything was sorted out and you eased into John's passenger seat, it was nearly nightfall. He cranked up the heating vents as you glanced around, noticing a car seat in the back, piled with a few bright children's books.

"Man I can't believe baby John has his own baby now." You beamed, turning to face Joe's little brother. He chuckled, stealing a glance your way while pulling back onto the road.

"Almost four, I wish he was still a baby."

"Yeah," You halfheartedly agreed. You wished you could have been around to know the families as they grew. You'd missed out on so much, and for what?

"So what's it like being back? Christmas felt like it always used too." John smiled, easy-going as always. Funny how he saved the day and went on chatting as if it wasn't a big deal, you thought. Weren't you the one supposed to be rescuing him from silly little mishaps like these? Maybe this was an all-new alternate reality.

"I was glad to be there. It had been far too long." You breathed, glancing out the window to the cold grey highway.

"Eva still feels bad for not recognizing you right away." John laughed. You couldn't help but chuckle, too.

"Oh, how could she?" You wondered. You hadn't been around. But you didn't want to dwell on that anymore. "It's not the first time someone thought I was Joe's hot date." You chuckled light-heartedly.

"I'm sure it won't be the last." John rose a brow, like he might have had more to say. But after a beat, he went on rambling about how glad he was that you'd been at the first Christmas his dad was absent from. How things felt less grim than he expected. And how he was glad to know space nor time could keep you from crashing the party.

When John dropped you off back home, you couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. You concluded that the indecision was better than falling into your usual downward spiral, and hoped things would only get better from here...

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

[dukereviewsxtra]

Duke's Monsterween: Scooby Doo The Movie

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Are Continuing Duke's Monsterween...

Where Yesterday On Duke Reviews, I Reviewed The Original Dracula, Starring Bela Lugosi But On Duke Reviews Xtra We're Going A Little Kid Friendly This Year By Reviewing Some Halloween Movies Done By Disney In An Effort To Somewhat Continue Our Look At Disney...

But...

We're Not Looking At Disney This Week, But Instead We're Going To Look At 3 Scooby Doo Movies This Week, Starting With Scooby Doo The Movie...

This Movie Sees Mystery Inc. Breaking Up After An Argument Between Fred (Played By Kanan Jarrus) Velma (Played By Hawkeye's Wife) And Daphne (Played By Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Leaving Scooby And Shaggy (Played By The Best Shaggy In The World) To Go Off On Their Own...

But Years Later When The Gang Is Invited By Theme Park Owner Emile Mondavarious (Played By Mr. Bean) To Investigate His Theme Park When People Start Acting Weird When They Leave The Park...

Will Mystery Inc Be Able To Put Aside Their Differences And Work Together For This Mystery?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Scooby Doo The Movie...

The Film Starts At The Wow-O Toy Factory Where The Gang Is Working On The Case Of The Luna Ghost...

(End At 2:51)

Once The Ghost Is Captured, We Get A...Pamela Anderson Cameo?...

No Offense, But Of All The Celebs I Would Rather See Have A Cameo In This Movie, Pamela Anderson Was Not One Of Them...

With The Ghost Revealed And Everyone Except Shaggy And Scooby Start Arguing As Fred As He Always Takes Credit For Velma's Plans While Daphne Is Just Tired Of Being Captured During Every Mystery...

This Leads Fred, Velma And Daphne To Quit Mystery Inc. Leaving Shaggy And Scooby To Go Off On Their Own...

Two Years Later, Shaggy And Scooby Are Asked By A Representative For Emile Mondavarious To Solve A Mystery At His Theme Park, Spooky Island, But Not Interested In Going To Anyplace With The Word "Spooky" In It, They Initially Refuse...

But When The Guy Says That There's An All You Can Eat Clause In Their Deal, Scooby And Shaggy Change Their Minds And Are On Board...

Going To The Airport, Shaggy Finds Out That Fred (Who Has A New Book Out) Velma (Who Works At NASA) And Daphne (Who Has Become A Black Belt)

Because It's Sarah Michelle Gellar And We Have To Make Use Of Her Skills On Buffy In Someway...

Have Also Been Asked To Go To Spooky Island As Well By Mondavarious...

But Only Seeing Shaggy, Velma Wonders "Where's Scooby?" Which Leads To Scooby Entering Disguised As A Woman As They Don't Let Big Dogs On The Plane...

But As Velma Starts Arguing With Fred And Daphne Again, Shaggy Tries To Play Mediator And Try To Make Them Realize How Great It Would Be If They Teamed Up Again...

Daphne's On Board But Only If Fred And Velma Are In, Which They're Not...

Once On Board The Plane, Shaggy Falls Head Over Heals For A Girl Who Likes Scooby Snacks Also Named Mary Jane (Played By Isla Fisher, Or As She's Called Nowadays Mrs. Borat)

And Yes, I Know Mary Jane Is Another Word For Marijuana, But To Me, It Is Just A Name, Let It Go!

But Unfortunately She's Allergic To Dogs So Shaggy Has Scooby Go Spend Time With Fred And Velma While Shaggy Gets To Know Mary Jane A Little More, But When Scooby Sees A Cat, He Starts Barking And Chasing It All Over The Plane...

With The Gang Arriving On Spooky Island, They Meet Emile Mondavarious, Who Notices A Slight Change In The Teens That Leave Spooky Island, Believing That It's A Magic Spell And They Definitely Notice A Change...

The Type That Causes Your Pants To Poop...

With Mondavarious Very Terrified And Scared For The People That Come To The Island, They Decide To Help Only Fred, Velma And Daphne Go Off On Their Own...

Later That Night, Velma Catches A Stage Show Hosted By A Man Named N'Goo Tauna And His Partner Zarkos, Who Tell A Story Saying That The Island Was Once Home To Creatures, Who Lived Undisturbed On The Island..

But When Mondavarious Built Spooky Island, He Antagonized The Creatures And Have Since Been Plotting Their Revenge...

Meanwhile, Shaggy Is Out On His First Date With Mary Jane, While Scooby Gets A Phone Call Saying That Someone Has Hamburgers For Him All He Has To Do Is Go Into The Dark Shadowy Part Of The Forest Where No One Can See Him...

Seriously? Did You Honestly Think Scooby Was Going To Give Up Hamburgers Even If It Was A Scary Voice On The Phone Who Told Him To Go To A Scary Place To Get Them?

Hell, No!...

But Unfortunately When Scooby Gets There, He Discovers That The Hamburgers Are Fakes And That There Was A Monster Waiting For Him...

He Tells Shaggy And Mary Jane About The Monster, But All They See Is A Guy In A Costume...

But As That Happens, Daphne Take With A Resident On The Island, A Voodoo Man, Who Warns Daphne To Get Off The Island And Stay Away From The Castle On The Top Of The Hill...

Despite Coming Up With Various Stupid Theories On What Might Be Up There, Daphne Gets Shaggy And Scooby To Help Her, Despite Refusing At First Because It's A Spooky Castle...

Joined By Fred (Who Followed Weird Footprints Up To The Castle) And Velma (Who Thought It Was The Most Obvious Place To Hatch An Evil Plan) They All Decide To Split Up And Search For Clues With Daphne Staying Where She Is, Scooby And Shaggy Going In Search Of Food...

And Fred And Velma Searching Other Parts Of The Castle...

But Someone Activates The Ride And Causes All Hell To Break Loose!...

(Start At 0:11, End At 2:15)

With The Ride Shut Down, Velma Finds The Secret Access Panel That Opens The Secret Room, Leading Her And Fred To Discover What Looks To Be A School For A Secret Cult...

Which Means It Could Only Be One Person...Granny Goodness!

Ok, It's Not Granny But It Could Have Been...

Meanwhile, Daphne Comes Across A Golden Pyramid That Was Left Alone In The Middle Of A Room, So, She Decides To Grab It, But Turns Out That...

Luckily Though Daphne Manage To Escape Before The Trap Fully Activates...

But As That Happens, Shaggy And Scooby Discover A TV Studio Where...Well...See For Yourself...

(End At 1:11)

With Alarms Going Off, The Gang Reunites And Quickly Fills Each Other In On What They Found Before Having To Hide From Henchmen Headed Their Way, One Of Them Being Zarkos, N'Goo Tauna's Right Hand Man..

Eventually Managing To Escape, They Head Back To The Spooky Island Hotel So They Can Fill Mondavarious In On The Clues And Their 3 Suspects Which Include N'Goo Tauna, The Voodoo Man And Mondavarious Himself (But Only Because He Freaks Fred Out)

While Daphne Researches Cults On The Net, Velma Looks At The Mysterious Pyramid She Discovers That There Is More To It Than Meets The Eye.,,

Talking With A Boy She Met Earlier, Velma Tells Him That She Believes That It's Called The Daemon Ritus (After Hearing A Guard Mention That Name While The Gang Was Hiding)...

And That It Describes An Old Race Of Creatures Through It's Inscriptions That Are Reminiscent Of Ancient Pandaemonous Texts Which Explain A Sort Of Ritual...

Eventually Velma Starts Reminiscing About The Past Which Leads To A Flashback About The Old Days Where We See Everyone And I Do Mean...Everyone...

Ok, I've Dreaded Coming To This Moment, But Obviously I Have No Choice Especially Since Since Some People Tend To Complain About This Character, Let's Talk About Scrappy Doo...

First Off, I Would Like To State That I Love The Character Of Scrappy Doo, I Think He Is Very Cute, Is One Of The More Memorable Hanna-Barbera Characters And Sidekicks And Is Not As Annoying As Everyone I've Heard Talk About This Character Believes Him To Be...

The Sad Thing However Is That This Movie Does Not Play To Those Good Traits...

They Make Scrappy An Asshole And A Complete Egomaniac

And I'm Sorry But I'm On The Side Of Mystery Inc, That Brat Needs To Be Taught A Lesson! Maybe Not As Extreme As Leaving Him On The Side Of The Road But Still..

Anyway, As Velma And Her Possible Love Interest With No Name Laugh At Scrappy's Expense...

Scooby Sees One Of The Monsters And Starts Panicking, This Leads Fred To Berate Him Before Telling Everyone That There's No Such Things As Ghosts Before Being Proven Wrong, 2 Seconds After Saying That..

Monsters Scour The Entire Hotel Kidnapping Nearly Half Of The People There, Including Fred, Velma, Her Unnamed Love Interest And Mr. Mondavarious, With Shaggy, Scooby,Daphne And Mary Jane Escaping Before The Monsters Got Them...

They Follow Them To The Area Where N'Goo Tauna Had His Show But Their Path Ends Up Blocked By A Stone Slab, This Leads Mary Jane To Call The Coast Guard But They're No Help As 2 Of Them Are Monsters...

This Movie Is Quickly Becoming Body Snatchers 2...

The Next Morning Everything Seems Back To Normal With The Hotel Repaired And Nearly Everyone Completely Back (Though Not As They Once Were)

Deciding To Split Up, Mary Jane Goes To Find Her Friends While Daphne, Shaggy And Scooby Look Around...

As Daphne Has An Encounter With Sugar Ray...

Not The Boxer, The Band!

Shaggy And Scooby Find Fred Only To Discover That Everyone On The Island Has Been Possessed By The Monsters As Daphne Gets Kidnapped By Zarkos...

(Start At 0:46, End At 2:12)

But As They're Driving, Scooby Discovers That Mary Jane Is A Monster As Well...

He Tries To Explain This To Shaggy, But He's Too Blinded To Even See It Leading The 2 Friends To Fight, But When Scooby Is Captured, Shaggy... Doesn't Figure Out That Mary Jane's A Monster But Decides To Put His Friendship First Before His Relationship...

Dropping Into The Same Hole That Scooby Fell Into, Shaggy Finds A Vat Filled With The Spirits Of Everyone Who Arrives On Spooky Island...

Hearing Velma's Voice, Shaggy Saves Her So She Can Go Back To Her Body So She Can Discover That The Creatures Are Weakened By Sunlight...

Shaggy Also Manages To Save Fred And Daphne Too (Whether Daphne Likes It Or Not) But There's A Little Mix-Up...

(Start At 0:46, End At 1:33)

Ok 1st, If I Were In Sarah Michele Gellar's Body, I'd Do The Exact Same Thing And 2nd, You're Married To Her, Freddie, See Her Naked On Your Own Time...

When The Gang Reunites, Daphne Gets Mad Over Fred Touching Her Body, But The Problem Is Soon Remedied By The Daemon Ritus Which Switches The Team's Bodies Until They're Back To Normal...

Seeing An Explosion Afterwards, It Leads Them To The Voodoo Man Who Was Doing A Sacrifice In An Effort To Protect Himself From The Creatures Darkopolips Ritual, Which Will Allow Them To Rule Earth For 10,000 Years...

Or In Other Words...

However, In Order To Pull It Off, The Leader Must Absorb A Pure Soul In Order To Do So, Thus...Scooby...

But The Question Lies Who Is Behind All This? And Unfortunately, It's The One That Brought Scooby There....Mondavarious, Who Convinces Scooby To Be His Sacrifice...

With Fred Still Wondering If Mondavarious Wanted Scooby Why Did He Bring All Of Them, Shaggy Tells Fred That It Doesn't Matter And That They Have To Save Scooby...

This Leads To Fred, Daphne And Velma Finally Reconciling So They Can Come Up With A Plan To Save Scooby...

With The Plan Set, Everyone Arrives For The Ritual Including Mondavarious And N'Goo Tauna, But As They Prepare To Start, Fred And Velma Are Discovered As Shaggy Joins A Bunch Of Henchmen In Bringing Out Scooby Which Leads The 2 Buddies To Reconcile...

But They Don't Run Off In Time And The Ritual Begins As Scooby's Spirit Is Taken From Him. Luckily, Shaggy Frees Scooby From The Spirit Pincher And Back To His Body While Hitting Mondavarious With The Pincer In The Process...

Going To Check On Mondavarious, Fred And Velma Discover A Possible Mask But Actually Mondavarious Is A Robot Who Is Piloted By...(Sighs) Scrappy...

First, Let Me Say That While This Is Defiantly A Disservice To The Character, This Was A Good Twist Despite Some People Thinking That It Was Too Obvious...

With Some Souls In Him, Scrappy Transforms Into Scrappysaurus Rex As He Reveals That He Brought The Team There To Witness His Moment Of Triumph...

Meanwhile On The Roof, Daphne Tries To Open The Vent So Light Can Enter The Cave As They Release A Skull Disco Ball Which Will Destroy The Creatures But Unfortunately, She's Confronted By Zarkos Which Leads The 2 To Fight...

(End At 2:46)

With The Souls Released From The Vat, The Creatures Are Ejected By Their Host Bodies As Scrappy Reverts Back To Normal And The Disco Skull Is Released Causing The Creatures To Go Boom...

Afterward Velma And Shaggy Reunite With Their Potential Love Interests, They Rescue The Real Mondavarious And Fred And Daphne Consider Starting A Relationship In Both The Movie And Real Life...

News Crews Arrive On The Scene, So Velma Can Tell Them All What Happened And Who Did It As The Gang Announces Mystery Inc Is Back Together...

We Get A Pre Credits Scene Where Spooky Island Delivers On Their All You Can Eat Deal And Shaggy And Scooby Gorge Until They Drop...

And That's Scooby Doo The Movie And How Is This A Bad Movie?

The Story Is Interesting, The Characters Are Funny, And The CG On Scooby (Despite Some People Saying That Gollum Was Better Done Than Scooby) Was Pretty Good And Lifelike...

Yeah, It May Not Have Been A Great Mystery But This Is Scooby Doo, Not Sherlock Holmes, You Want A Great Mystery, Then Go Solve The Mystery Of Your Huge Ego, But If You Want A Funny Mystery With Funny Antics, This Movie Is Definitely For You...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off..,

[silent-era-of-cinema]

Douglas Elton Fairbanks born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro, but spent the early part of his career making comedies.

Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists. He was also a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and hosted the 1st Academy Awards in 1929. With his marriage to actress and film producer Mary Pickford in 1920, the couple became 'Hollywood royalty', and Fairbanks was referred to as "The King of Hollywood", a nickname later passed on to actor Clark Gable.

Though widely considered as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood during the 1910s and 1920s, Fairbanks' career rapidly declined with the advent of the "talkies". His final film was The Private Life of Don Juan (1934).

Fairbanks was born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman (spelled "Ulman" by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in his memoirs) in Denver, Colorado, the son of Hezekiah Charles Ullman (September 15, 1833 – February 23, 1915) and Ella Adelaide (née Marsh; 1847–1915). He had two half-brothers, John Fairbanks, Jr. (born 1873) and Norris Wilcox (February 20, 1876 – October 21, 1946), and a full brother, Robert Payne Ullman (March 13, 1882 – February 22, 1948). His father was born in Berrysburg, Pennsylvania, and raised in Williamsport. He was the fourth child in a Jewish family consisting of six sons and four daughters. Charles' parents, Lazarus Ullman and Lydia Abrahams, had immigrated to the U.S. in 1830 from Baden, Germany.

When he was 17, Charles started a small publishing business in Philadelphia. Two years later, he left for New York to study law.

Charles met Ella Adelaide Marsh after she married his friend and client John Fairbanks, a wealthy New Orleans sugar mill and plantation owner. The couple had a son, John, and shortly thereafter John Senior died of tuberculosis. Ella, born into a wealthy southern Roman Catholic family, was overprotected and knew little of her husband's business. Consequently, she was swindled out of her fortune by her husband's partners. Even the efforts of Charles Ullman, acting on her behalf, failed to regain any of the family fortune for her.

Distraught and lonely, she met and married a courtly Georgian, Edward Wilcox, who turned out to be an alcoholic. After they had another son, Norris, she divorced Wilcox, with Charles acting as her own lawyer in the suit. She soon became romantically involved with Charles, and agreed to move to Denver with him to pursue mining investments. They arrived in Denver in 1881 with her son John. (Norris was left in Georgia with relatives and was never sent for by his mother.) They were married; in 1882 they had a son, Robert, and then a second son, Douglas, a year later. Charles purchased several mining interests in the Rocky Mountains, and re-established his law practice. After hearing of his wife's philandering, he abandoned the family when Douglas was five years old. Douglas and his older brother Robert were brought up by their mother, who gave them the family name Fairbanks, after her first husband.

Douglas Fairbanks began acting at an early age, in amateur theatre on the Denver stage, performing in summer stock at the Elitch Gardens Theatre, and other productions sponsored by Margaret Fealy, who ran an acting school for young people in Denver. He attended Denver East High School, and was expelled for cutting the wires on the school piano.

He left school in the spring of 1899, at the age of 15. He variously claimed to have attended Colorado School of Mines and Harvard University, but neither claim is true. He went with the acting troupe of Frederick Warde, beginning a cross country tour in September 1899. He toured with Warde for two seasons, functioning in dual roles, both as actor and as the assistant stage manager in his second year with the group.

After two years he moved to New York, where he found his first Broadway role in Her Lord and Master, which premiered in February 1902. He worked in a hardware store and as a clerk in a Wall Street office between acting jobs.[6] His Broadway appearances included the popular A Gentleman from Mississippi in 1908–09. On July 11, 1907, Fairbanks married Anna Beth Sully, the daughter of wealthy industrialist Daniel J. Sully, in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. They had one son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., also a noted actor. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1915.

After moving to Los Angeles, Fairbanks signed a contract with Triangle Pictures in 1915 and began working under the supervision of D. W. Griffith. His first film was titled The Lamb, in which he debuted the athletic abilities that would gain him wide attention among theatre audiences. His athleticism was not appreciated by Griffith, however, and he was brought to the attention of Anita Loos and John Emerson, who wrote and directed many of his early romantic comedies.

In 1916, Fairbanks established his own company, the Douglas Fairbanks Film Corporation, and would soon get a job at Paramount.

Fairbanks met actress Mary Pickford at a party in 1916, and the couple soon began an affair. In 1917, they joined Fairbanks' friend Charlie Chaplin selling war bonds by train across the United States and delivering pro-war speechs as Four Minute Men. Pickford and Chaplin were the two highest paid film stars in Hollywood at that time. To curtail these stars' astronomical salaries, the large studios attempted to monopolize distributors and exhibitors. By 1918, Fairbanks was Hollywood's most popular actor, and within three years of his arrival, Fairbanks' popularity and business acumen raised him to the third-highest paid.

In 1917, Fairbanks capitalized on his rising popularity by publishing a self-help book, Laugh and Live which extolled the power of positive thinking and self-confidence in raising one's health, business and social prospects.

To avoid being controlled by the studios and to protect their independence, Fairbanks, Pickford, Chaplin, and D. W. Griffith formed United Artists in 1919, which created their own distributorships and gave them complete artistic control over their films and the profits generated.

Sully was granted a divorce from Fairbanks in late 1918, the judgment being finalized early the following year. After the divorce, the actor was determined to have Pickford become his wife, but she was still married to actor Owen Moore. Fairbanks finally gave her an ultimatum. She then obtained a rapid divorce in the small Nevada town of Minden on March 2, 1920. Fairbanks leased the Beverly Hills mansion Grayhall and was rumored to have used it during his courtship of Pickford. The couple married on March 28, 1920. Pickford's divorce from Moore was contested by Nevada legislators, however, and the dispute was not settled until 1922. Even though the lawmakers objected to the marriage, the public widely supported the idea of "Everybody's Hero" marrying "America's Sweetheart". That enthusiasm, in fact, extended far beyond the borders of the United States. Later, while honeymooning in Europe, Fairbanks and Pickford were warmly greeted by large crowds in London and Paris. Both internationally and at home, the celebrated couple were regarded as "Hollywood Royalty" and became famous for entertaining at "Pickfair", their Beverly Hills estate.

By 1920, Fairbanks had completed twenty-nine films (twenty-eight features and one two-reel short), which showcased his ebullient screen persona and athletic ability. By 1920, he had the inspiration of staging a new type of adventure-costume picture, a genre that was then out of favor with the public; Fairbanks had been a comic in his previous films. In The Mark of Zorro, Fairbanks combined his appealing screen persona with the new adventurous costume element. It was a smash success, and parlayed the actor into the rank of superstar. For the remainder of his career in silent films he continued to produce and star in ever more elaborate, impressive costume films, such as The Three Musketeers (1921), Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Bagdad (1924), The Black Pirate (1926), and The Gaucho (1927). Fairbanks spared no expense and effort in these films, which established the standard for all future swashbuckling films.

In 1921, he, Pickford, Chaplin, and others, helped to organize the Motion Picture Fund to assist those in the industry who could not work, or were unable to meet their bills.

During the first ceremony of its type, on April 30, 1927, Fairbanks and Pickford placed their hand and foot prints in wet cement at the newly opened Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. (In the classic comedy Blazing Saddles, Harvey Korman's villain character sees Fairbanks' prints at Grauman's and exclaims, "How did he do such fantastic stunts...with such little feet?")

Fairbanks was elected first President of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences that same year, and he presented the first Academy Awards at the Roosevelt Hotel. Today, Fairbanks also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7020 Hollywood Boulevard.

While Fairbanks had flourished in the silent genre, the restrictions of early sound films dulled his enthusiasm for film-making. His athletic abilities and general health also began to decline at this time, in part due to his years of chain-smoking. On March 29, 1928, at Pickford's bungalow, United Artists brought together Pickford, Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Norma Talmadge, Gloria Swanson, John Barrymore, D.W. Griffith and Dolores del Río to speak on the radio show The Dodge Brothers Hour to prove Fairbanks could meet the challenge of talking movies.

Fairbanks' last silent film was the lavish The Iron Mask (1929), a sequel to the 1921 release The Three Musketeers. The Iron Mask included an introductory prologue spoken by Fairbanks. He and Pickford chose to make their first talkie as a joint venture, playing Petruchio and Kate in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (1929). This film, and his subsequent sound films, were poorly received by Depression-era audiences. The last film in which he acted was the British production The Private Life of Don Juan (1934), after which he retired from acting.[citation needed]

Fairbanks and Pickford separated in 1933, after he began an affair with Sylvia, Lady Ashley. Pickford had also been seen in the company of a high-profile industrialist. They divorced in 1936, with Pickford keeping the Pickfair estate.[13] Fairbanks and Ashley were married in Paris in March 1936.

He continued to be marginally involved in the film industry and United Artists, but his later years lacked the intense focus of his film years. His health continued to decline. During his final years he lived at 705 Ocean Front (now Pacific Coast Highway) in Santa Monica, California, although much of his time was spent traveling abroad with his third wife, Lady Ashley.

On December 12, 1939, Fairbanks suffered a heart attack. He died later that day at his home in Santa Monica at the age of 56. His last words were reportedly, "I've never felt better." His funeral service was held at the Wee Kirk o' the Heather Church in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery where he was placed in a crypt in the Great Mausoleum.

Two years following his death, he was removed from Forest Lawn by his widow, Sylvia, who commissioned an elaborate marble monument for him featuring a long rectangular reflecting pool, raised tomb, and classic Greek architecture in Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. The monument was dedicated in a ceremony held in October 1941, with Fairbanks's close friend Charlie Chaplin reading a remembrance. The remains of his son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., were also interred there upon his death in May 2000.

In 1992 Douglas Fairbanks was portrayed by actor Kevin Kline in the film Chaplin.

In 1998, a group of Fairbanks fans started the Douglas Fairbanks Museum in Austin, Texas. The museum building was temporarily closed for mold remediation and repairs in February 2010.

In 2002, AMPAS opened the "Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study" located at 333 S. La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The building houses the Margaret Herrick Library.

On November 6, 2008, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences celebrated the publication of their "Academy Imprints" book Douglas Fairbanks, authored by film historian Jeffrey Vance, with the screening of a new restoration print of The Gaucho with Vance introducing the film.

The following year, opening on January 24, 2009, AMPAS mounted a major Douglas Fairbanks exhibition at its Fourth Floor Gallery, titled "Douglas Fairbanks: The First King of Hollywood". The exhibit featured costumes, props, pictures, and documents from his career and personal life. In addition to the exhibit, AMPAS screened The Thief of Bagdad and The Iron Mask in March 2009. Concurrently with the Academy's efforts, the Museum of Modern of Art held their first Fairbanks film retrospective in over six decades, titled "Laugh and Live: The Films of Douglas Fairbanks" which ran from December 17, 2008, to January 12, 2009. Jeffrey Vance opened the retrospective with a lecture and screening of the restoration print of The Gaucho.

Recently, due to his involvement with the USC Fencing Club, a bronze statue of Fairbanks was erected in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Courtyard of the new School of Cinematic Arts building on the University of Southern California campus. Fairbanks was a key figure in the film school's founding in 1929, and in its curriculum development.[24][citation needed]

The 2011 film The Artist was loosely based on Fairbanks, with the film's lead portraying Zorro in a silent movie featuring a scene from the Fairbanks version.[citation needed] While thanking the audience in 2012 for a Golden Globe award as Best Actor for his performance in the film, actor Jean Dujardin added, "As Douglas Fairbanks would say," then moved his lips silently as a comedic homage. When Dujardin accepted the 2011 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Fairbanks was cited at length as the main inspiration for Dujardin's performance in The Artist.

An important accolade given to the Douglas Fairbanks legacy was a special screening of his masterpiece, The Thief of Bagdad, at the 2012 edition of the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival. On April 15, 2012, the festival concluded with a sold-out screening of the Fairbanks film held at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The evening was introduced by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz and Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance.

The nickname for the sports teams of the University of California-Santa Barbara is The Gauchos in honor of Fairbanks' acting in the eponymous film.

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price publicity shot for Up in Central Park (1947)

[mayquita]

Enchanted 2019 - Panel with Colin, Josh & Ginny

(x)

if they could introduce new characters into the show: judy hopps, the frantic pig ginny actually lobbied for judy and they gave her some jokes the boys said chewbacca and colin chewed out an awful chewbacca impression (x)

Colin O'Donoghue imitating fangirl screaming for Ginnifer Goodwin (x)

colin plays guitar, mandolin, ukulele 

 josh likes to play air guitar and air piano

 ginny plays scrabble (x)

Question: what instrument do you play? Colin: Guitar, Ukulele, anything with strings, Josh: Air Guitar, Ginny: I’m good at playing Scrabble (x)

josh and ginny want their kids to learn how to play instruments since they don't know how (x)

ginny would cosplay the doctor or anyone in Harry Potter, josh spoonhead from dr who, and colin as the crow (x)

if they could keep one memory, it would be the birth of their kids (x)

"watching your wife give birth, as you do, is like watching your favourite pub burn down" in the huskiest voice ever (x)

When Ginny tells a room full of people that josh delivered both their children...his reply ‘I’ve seen things’ (x)

Josh would be an elephant, Ginny would be an owl, colin an eagle if they could be an animal (x)

colin preferred playing old fat hook to any other hook (x)

"who's sean?" -josh (x)

when josh and ginny filmed the scene in the net, she had just come back from the er bc she had just got stitches from a stunt accident so they had to cover it up with rope, etc (x)

josh keeps prying that Colin's favorite scenes to film were with him and colin said he doesn't even remember what they've filmed "they were probably with Sean (x)

colin and josh liked the potion scene they did together and they both just stood up and turned in a circle and high fived (x) 

"I liked the cuddle" -josh about captain charming in 6x12 (x)

"what's it like being a real life fairy tale couple?" they were just lucky and it's the best not just being able to work with each other but also being able to go home with each other (x)

Josh saying Colin's character was his fav too to a little girl (x)

a fan said colin was his favorite character and josh walked tf off the stage (x)

Ginny's fave episode is the pilot "Yeah bc I wasn't in it" - colin "You OR Sean!" - josh (x)

colin was asked who his favourite character was and Josh started leaning in to him sipping his coffee and colin said "I like Robin hood" (x)

"If you weren't aware, I was in Zootopia. Much like @sean_m_maguire, I played the very integral part of the frantic pig." Josh (x)

"props to lana for making us root for her" -ginny (x)

colin was asked to fill in at youth theatre and he said no way but they managed to convince him and fell in love with acting (x)

josh: "the first time I heard applause" when asked how he got into acting (x)

when ginny was growing up, she always sought permission from characters and the characters she admired were different, not the most popular she just always wanted to be a story teller, "trying on other peoples brains" (x)

Ginny admired characters that were a little different and felt she found solace in those character so wanted to be apart of that for other people. she also liked the idea of being in other people's brains and was fascinated by what other people were going through (x)

josh dallas has denied that he is the practical joker on set but ginny said that colin always tries to make her laugh (x)

Josh was the biggest prankster on set, but Josh said he doesn't think that's true. Ginny said colin was always trying to make her laugh. Josh taking a fart machine into Neverland brought up by colin   (x)

"Farts are funny." Josh (x)

Sean was the one that came up with the prayer "dear lord please smite all the other actors so that I may be the best in the scene" (x)

ginny keeps telling stories she's not allowed to tell and josh said we can't trust her with anything (x)

at the end of s6 when captain charming went up the beanstalk - the leg of the set table was carved in such a way where it looked like "a boy's thing" (x)

Josh: and the length of it... Ginny: was just your imagination (x)

"I was the most rested and unpregnant in the first season" -ginny "me too!" -josh (x)

seasons 1 and 2 were the seasons the three were most rested since they didn't have children yet (x)

gosh's kids don't know judy is ginny (x)

Josh gets into character when driving the jeep on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland (x)

colin liked the avatar ride at disneyworld, josh wants to go to Star Wars land and when josh is the driver on Indiana Jones he gets into character ginny likes haunted mansion (x)

ginny knew she was gonna marry josh on big thunder when he threw his hands up and said "this is the best day of my life!" (x)

Ginny “When we go to Disneyland...” Josh “Oh another one of the secrets” Colin pretending in a Ginny voice “I really shouldn’t tell this in front of the people but...” (x)

poor josh is just losing his voice and colin is losing it "I am going through puberty" (x)

Josh’s voice is going “I am going through puberty right now” Colin is in hysteric (x)

everyone cant stop laughing and Josh just hit colin and Ginny on the head with his microphone (x)

josh said he was planning on wearing eyeliner today and colin said he did wear eyeliner once in an episode "where you killed me" (x)

“Josh I am your number one fan” Josh “Thank you!! Wait no don’t cry! Come here!!” (also Ginny wiped away a tear) (x)

ginny watched every Snow White that ever existed and "tried to steal from everybody" but the show also wanted to honor those characters while also adding more to them through creative freedom (x)

colin wanted to make hook be someone who seems like they're sorry when they're killing someone but they dont quite know why (x)

is there a line from the show you still use? colin - when I jab you with my sword you'll feel it... I SAY IT ALL THE TIME josh and ginny - I WILL ALWAYS FIND YOU to their children (x)

who would play you in the movie of your life? (x)

 Colin: @sean_m_maguire 

 Josh: @sean_m_maguire 

 Ginny: @sean_m_maguire

who would you go on a double date with? (x)

 ginny - Shakespeare and Einstein

 colin - THEY'RE DATING?!

Colin's best father day gift was a chain Evan gave him that he wears everyday Josh's is a card Oliver made him (x)

ginny has her bow and arrow and they know she has that, josh has his sword, and there might be a dark one dagger in the house somewhere and josh was shocked bc he genuinely didn't know (x)

Ginny “There’s some props that you don’t even know..” (x)

 Josh ”another thing I don’t know” 

 Colin “BUT..” 

 Ginny “There might be a dark one dagger at our house” 

 Josh “It’s in our TV ROOM?! So apparently we have a dark one dagger” 

 Ginny “We also have the wedding rings”

gosh also has their wedding rings, a picture that was in Mary Margaret's apartment which is in the master toilet bc they were scared they'd get in trouble by coworkers (x)

colin puts his pirate costume on in the corner of the room with his "eyeliner streaming down" his face (x)

Colin has his full Captain Hook outfit at home.... “I put it on in the corner of the room and cry, eyeliner running down my face” (x)

Colin has a full replica of the Jolly Roger and Excalibur and Killian's storybook (x)

if they ever met their characters "My god... YOURE HANDSOME" - colin "my god you're a man" - josh (x)

(If they ever met their characters) (x)

Colin: God, you're handsome.

Josh: YOU'RE A *MAN*. 

Colin: That's gonna be on the internet tomorrow. 

Josh: That's gonna be on the internet RIGHT NOW.

high school year books (x)

 nicest - ginny (not most likely to become a successful actress)

 josh - best personality 

 colin - most likely to be best looking and ginny adds sean maguire

[everything-person]

Costume Credit

A/N: So something similar happened today in my class where our instructor told us he wanted us to dress up for Halloween because we had class that day half of the class was like oh don't worry about it and the other half groaned so this is what happened. 

Summary: Killian is a professor. Emma is a single mom trying to better her education. They know each other before they were teacher and student. Idk just something stupid and fun to get me writing again.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Killian walked into his next class satchel on his shoulder trying to remember what they did last week. Placing his bag on the desk he started to unpack his books and notes. He as he set up for his class his students started trickling into their seats, he vaguely heard the occasional greeting which he responded. Three minutes into when class is suppose to begin he was ready but still he acted busy knowing she was always late.

“Sorry I'm late.”

He picked up his head to see the blonde he was waiting for. She was dressed simply in jeans, a white wife beater and of course her red leather jacket, her hair slightly disheveled but she was still gorgeous none the less. “No worries Ms Swan. I was just about to take roll.”

As he called the names, getting grunts and the occasional cheer “Here” in response, he took notice of the date. After the last name was called he took a moment to count out the classes and smiled.

“Class I'm sure you are all aware that it is October.” 

The student responded rather enthusiastically at very least he received a smile from his more quiet students. 

“And I have just realized that we have class on Halloween. So I propose we have a little fun. I would like you all to dress up for class.”

This was met with slightly less enthusiasm. Some students reacted very positively, discussing with the person next to them what they already had planned. While others groaned and shrunk into their desks.

“How is that fun?” One student asked.

“Everyone who dresses up will gain an extra 5 credits to their grade. And we shall have a costume contest whoever wins will get an extra 10 credits to their grade.” 

“That's not fair you'll just pick who has the sluttiest costume.” A student shouted from the back corner.

“How about the class decides who wins and we will have two winners. One male and one female.”

He gave the class a moment before continuing, “And... if everyone dresses up we will watch a film instead of having a lecture.”

The class was in an uproar of excited chatter and students trying to persuade their classmates to dress up.

“Will you be in costume Professor Jones?” One of his female students purred.

“Of course,” he answered flashing his class one of his famous smirks, before continuing the class.

After class was over Emma approached him, eyebrow already raised accusingly. 

“Is there something I can help you with Ms Swan?” He looked at her giving her an innocent smile.

“Really? You want the whole class to dress up for Halloween?”

“And why not? 'Tis the season.”

Emma couldn't help but crack a smile while shaking her head.

“Can I look forward to you dressing in costume Swan?” He asked running his tongue along his lower lip, his eyes scanning her body as his imagination ran rampt with all the costumes he’d love to see her in.

“Not gonna happen.”

They stared into each others eyes neither one backing down both challenging the other. Killian turned his gaze down to his desk starting to pack up his things. “What about your boy? Is he excited for the holiday?”

“He’s a kid, of course he’s excited. He gets to be whatever he wants, stay up late and get free candy.”

“What is he going to be?” 

“I don’t know. He changes his mind every day. Yesterday he wanted to be a Jedi, today he said he wanted to be Batman.”

Killian smiled, he’d grown rather attached to Henry since the first time Emma had to bring him to class. “I’m sure whatever hero he decides to be he’ll look amazing.”

Emma smiled as she nodded. “Are you going to Mary Margret and Davids Halloween bash?”

“Of course. I’m assuming I can look forward to seeing you there?”

“Mary Margret said if I didn’t show up that she would drag me there herself. But I don’t know how I will when I have this professor that insists on giving me 5 chapters of reading for 3 different books,” Emma teased.

“Its is not 5 chapters. One of the books is two pages and one of those pages are pictures.”

“Whatever. I’ll see you around Jones.” Emma waved goodbye as she walked out of the classroom.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

In the weeks following the campus progressively looked more like fall. The leaves changed colors, the wind became nippier, and some of the building had sporadic decorations for the upcoming holiday. Classes continued as usual, Emma was admit about not dressing up, students began to speculate on what Killians costume was going to be.

Then it was a week before Halloween. The day of Mary Margret and Davids Halloween bash. Killian was a bit late being stuck in his office finishing up grading midterms. Killian finally arrived while the party was in full swing. He knocked on the door, afraid for a moment that they wouldn’t be able to hear him before the door swung open to Mary Margret dressed as Snow White.

“Killian so glad you can make it.” She ushered him inside. “Wheres your costume,” she asked eyeing him up and down.

Thinking quick on his feet he said, “This is it. I’m the Doctor from Doctor Who.”

“Oh.” Mary Margret scanned his button up, tie, vest and trench coat with more approving eye. “You look great. Go help yourself to some food and drink in the kitchen.”

Killian thanked her and made his way through the house. As he did he couldn’t help but look around and try to guess who people were based on there costume. There was someone dress in a lab coat and black rudder gloves flirting with a woman in a fairy costume, he assumed was Victor Whale. A wicked witch talking to what seemed to be a sexy evil queen, he guessed was Regina and her sister. Then there was an archer, a lion, a puppet?, and a janitor all huddled together, who he knew to be Robin and David as the archer and lion.

He made it into the kitchen to find not only a table full of treats and a fridge full of liquor but Emma talking to a very naughty Little Red Riding Hood and her wolf. 

“Hey Jones, wheres your costume?” Little Red Riding Hood asked, who he could now tell was Dorothy.

“Yeah Mr. Have the Whole Class Dress Up wheres your costume?” Emma snarked as he approached them.

“I’m wearing it. I’m the Doctor from Doctor Who.”

“Oh that's total bullshit. You just made that up so Mary Margret wouldn’t yell at you,” Ruby berated as she took a sip of her drink.

“I think that’s genius. He’s in costume without having to actually dress up.”

“Thank you Dorothy. You both look wonderful in your costumes but Ruby aren’t you usually Little Red?” 

“Yes but this year I have a girlfriend.”

Killian nodded accepting  that he wasn’t going to get a further elaborations on the topic. He turned his attention to Emma. “And what about you Ms Swan? Where’s your costume?”

Emma gestured to the star clipped to her hip. “I’m a sherrif.”

“I can’t tell if that’s cheating or lazy.”

Emma ignores his comment and gestures to him, “You know if you come to class in that your going to disappoint a number of your students.”

“Would you be included in the disappointed students,” He asked taking a step closer. 

“Perhaps I would.”

“Well let me reassure you love I will not be a disappointment.”

For a moment the party and it’s attendants all melted away as they looked at one another. 

“Hey Jones when did you get here,” David all but shouted as he entered the kitchen.

Killian stepped away and greeted his friend. The party went on, laughs were shared, drinks were had, food was eaten. Killian didn't talk to Emma for the rest of the night but his eye always seemed to find her across the room.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Halloween was finally here. Getting out of his car Killian threw on his coat and grabbed his accessory to finish off his costume. Placing his satchel on his shoulder he began to wonder the campus to his office. He was pleasantly surprised by the number of students dressed for the holiday. He went about his routine as normal, just with a few witches and TV characters crossing his path.

Finally came time for his class with Emma came. He made his way down the halls and into the classroom. He set up for class like usual, along with getting the film he had for class ready. Instead of hearing the usual ‘good morning’ he received multiple ‘Happy Halloween’ and ‘Great costume.’  Time to start class, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a vision.

Emma walked into class wearing a flowing champagne colored long sleeved dress that stopped just short of her knees, with a beautiful golden belt just above her hips. Her hair was done in a loose braided crown with pieces of hair artfully framing her face. She looked stunning as she gracefully took her seat in the front row delicately crossing her long legs.

It took everything Killian had to not grab her and ravish her in front of the whole class. Looking away he began class, “Good Morning everyone and Happy Halloween. I’m glad to see some lovely costumes. So lets get started shall we?”

The class cheered in agreement.

“This is how it’s going to work. I’m going to do roll, when I call your name come to the front of the class and show us your costume. I will mark everyone who is dressed and give them the 5 points. When everyone is called you will nominate who you think should win best costume and no you can not vote for yourself.” 

When he finished explaining he began to read names off his list. Each student came to the front of the class showing off what they chose to wear. A couple students decided on wearing themed onesie pajamas, some students he was breaking multiple dress codes, and one male student wore a white t shirt and grey sweatpants saying he was ‘Bob from Bobs Burgers.’ 

“Emma Swan.”

Emma stood from her seat and turned facing the class. She received a couple cat whistles from the males of the class and an appreciative applause.

“She’s not even in costume,” A girl wearing a school girl uniform that would make Brittney Spears blush complained. A few students mutters in agreement.

“Now thats a shame,” Killian began.“None of you have been paying attention in my class have you.” He scolded. 

The class gave him a curious. Emma turned her head to look at him unsure where he was going with this.

“She’s obviously a goddess,” Killian looked at Emma sincerity dripping in his voice. “She’s the goddess Freya to be specific. The goddess of beauty, love, sex, war and death. A marvelous likeness of her if I do say so.”

Emma couldn’t stop the slight blush rising to her cheeks. She took her seat again and Killian continued with the last couple of names. 

After the last name was called Killian stood. “So who do you think should win our little costume contest? Lets start with the females shall we?”

“I think Emma wins.” one student suggested.

“I agree. What better costume to wear to a Mythology class than a goddess.” another commented. Applause broke out throughout the class in agreement.

“Alright. Now how about the males of the class?”

The class came to an agreement that the male student dressed as MALE-ificent was the other winner of the extra credit points. The rest of class was spent watching an interesting documentary about the origins of Halloween and of witches. When class was finally over everyone picked up there things and left, all except Emma who stayed sitting in her seat. 

“Can I help you with something Ms Swan?”

“The goddess Freya? Really?”

Killian smirked, “Excuse me for my assumption but what else was I to assume when you come to class like that?”

Emma couldn’t help the breathless laugh that escaped her, shaking her head at him.

“So Swan why the change in heart?”

Emma stood from her seat and made her way to his desk. “Henry wanted to match. He is a knight and I’m his princess.”

“That you are.” Killian said looking into her eyes.

Emma for once was the first to look away, “So what are you suppose to be? Captain Chest Hair?”

Killian raised his left hand, “Captain Hook.”

“You don’t look like any Captain Hook I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s because you watch the wrong movies.”

They both chuckled at that before Emma spoke up again. “So listen since your already in costume and don’t have anything to do later. Would you want to come Trick-or-Treating with me and Henry? We go with Mary Margret, David and Leo and go around their neighborhood.”

“I would love to accompany you on a quest for candy.”

Killian followed Emma to her house then went to pick up Henry from school. They exited the car trying to spot him amongst all the little ghouls and ghosts racing home. They spotted a little knight with stuffed horse wrapped around his waist to look like he was riding it come charging at them. Once he was in front of them Henry demanded to sword fight with Killian to save his mother from the pirate. They arrived at MM and Davids house to see the family in matching costumes. MM was dressed as Jesse, David as Buzz Lightyear, and Leo dressed as Woody. They all had a quick dinner before heading out. They all had a great time the boys excited about their candy, while the adults commented on peoples costumes and house decorations. Only once did David and Killian have to follow behind the boys up to a house that had scary decorations, which became the boys favorite house for giving them full sized chocolate bars.

The night went on and soon it became dark out. The boys grew tired and they decided it was time to turn around and head back to the house. Upon arriving at the house, Emma explained to Killian that Henry was to sleepover and that she had a few scary movies she was dying to watch back at her place. He informed her that he was a horror movie enthusiast  and would love to join her.

They didn’t even finish the first movie before the pirate claimed the princess.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

And thats all she wrote. Hope it was enjoyable. Happy Halloween.

[in-flagrante]

The wait is over

THE TIARAS HAVE BEEN DUSTED OFF AND THE PEARLS POLISHED. FOUR LONG YEARS AFTER THE FINAL INSTALMENT OF DOWNTON ABBEY, IT’S BACK, THIS TIME ON THE BIG SCREEN. BEN LAWRENCE WENT ON SET TO UNCOVER SOME FAMILY SECRETS

The Daily Telegraph

31 Aug 2019

As Downton Abbey sweeps majestically on to the big screen, Ben Lawrence joins the cast reunion on set

It is a crisp, clear morning at Wentworth Woodhouse, the stately home in South Yorkshire. Built by the 1st Marquess of Rockingham, it has the widest façade in Europe, boasts at least 365 rooms (no one is certain of the exact number), and represents two and a half acres of building. This perfect specimen of English baroque is the setting for the new Downton Abbey film – in which George V and Queen Mary tour the north of England (which also includes a visit to Downton itself, filmed as usual at Highclere Castle in Berkshire) – and today they are shooting a grand ball at the home of the Countess of Harewood in the film, attended by the royal couple and Downton’s Crawley family.

Inside the house, a production unit zigzags in and out of huge vaulted rooms with cables and film cameras, while extras in 1920s ball attire chat nonchalantly on makeshift chairs. Meanwhile in the ballroom – a giant marble space, adorned with deep-red damask wallpaper and enormous flower arrangements – Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton (two of the stars of the original series) slip through the lines of dancing couples in diaphanous silks, as a small orchestra plays a waltz. In the background, an assistant producer is being told off by one of the volunteers of Wentworth Woodhouse for wandering into a disused room. This isn’t jobsworthiness. The carpet in some rooms is nearly 300 years old and will disintegrate

if anyone breathes on it. The wallpaper, meanwhile, is laced with arsenic (as was the fashion at the time) in order to make it a certain shade of green.

Away from the action, Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary (the eldest Crawley daughter), is sitting in her trailer, her sharp features accentuated by period make-up, feeling slightly in awe of the whole process. ‘It was during my costume fitting when it hit me. I got really emotional.’

Downton Abbey made Dockery and many of her fellow cast members international names, and no wonder. The ITV series, which ran from 2010 to 2015 and followed the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, was sold to 220 territories worldwide, achieved a global audience of 120 million and was nominated for 53 International Emmys. In America, it became the most successful British drama import of all time. It also set the bar for costume dramas, at least in terms of visual sheen. The Crown, Netflix’s lavish regal series (which returns this autumn), has clearly been influenced by Julian Fellowes’ series, which cost, on average, £1 million per episode to make.

Everyone expected that a film would be made, but it was quite a feat getting the cast together. ‘It was like herding cats,’ says Dockery. ‘But I just love it. It’s so familiar and doesn’t feel like work.’

Despite rumours to the contrary, Maggie Smith is back as the Dowager Countess, famous for her

‘When we finished the series, we didn’t envisage a film. We had a party at The Ivy and everyone cried’

withering put-downs, as are Hugh Bonneville’s paterfamilias the Earl of Grantham, his American wife Cora (played by Elizabeth Mcgovern) and his two surviving daughters, Lady Mary, of course, and Laura Carmichael’s Lady Edith. Others involved include Penelope Wilton’s sensible cousin Isobel and many of the downstairs staff: Jim Carter’s stentorian Mr Carson and his wife, the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan); Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol), the plainspeaking cook with Escoffier abilities, and her protégée, the occasionally mutinous Daisy (Sophie Mcshera).

When I talk to Fellowes though, he is adamant that a film was never inevitable. Rumours circulated about a prequel, following Robert’s courting of Cora for her money and subsequently falling in love with her, but nothing came of it. ‘When we finished the series, we didn’t envisage a film. We had a lovely party at The Ivy and everyone cried, but that was it as far as I was concerned. Then, as the years rolled by, there was a sense that people hadn’t quite finished with it, and eventually I formed an idea for a feature film.’

The Downton Abbey film, directed by Michael Engler, is set in 1927, just over a year after the series ended, and focuses on the Crawleys and their servants as they prepare for a royal visit. It causes much excitement below stairs, but the staff soon find the monarch’s entourage taking over – including a temperamental French chef (played by Philippe Spall) and a pompous head butler, played by David Haig, who refers to himself as the ‘King’s page of the back stairs’. Other new cast members include Simon Jones and Geraldine James as the King and Queen, Imelda Staunton (real-life wife of Carter) as Lady Bagshaw, lady-in-waiting to the Queen and a relative of the Crawleys, and Tuppence Middleton as her mysterious lady’s maid, Lucy.

Fellowes was inspired, in part, by a book he had read called Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey, which details a 1912 visit by King George V and Queen Mary to South Yorkshire. As well as tucking into lavish 13-course dinners, which included puddings served in sugar baskets that took four days to weave, they also met local miners and toured pit villages. Although the film is set 15 years later, the King and Queen did make similar, unlikely tours around the country, as Fellowes explains. ‘After the First World War, there was a period of unsettled feelings about things – not least the monarchy. It had to re-establish itself as many members of European royalty had disappeared – the German Emperor, the Austrian Emperor, the Tsar of Russia. The structure had to be restated as having an integral role in society and they [George and Mary] were very successful in doing so. By 1930, the Crown was back at the heart of English life.’

For Dockery, making the film was not only a chance to catch up with old friends, but also to further develop a character that the nation took to their hearts.

‘Mary is so complex. We met her at 18 and she was this rebellious teenager – she was bored, and

‘It is pompous, but if you are recreating the ’20s you may as well get it right’

because she was a girl, she wasn’t what her father wanted [an heir to Downton]. Ultimately he became very proud of her, though, and I think everyone really responded to that. Seeing her journey was what hooked people.’

Now we see Lady Mary very much in control, happily married (to Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot) and more than capable of taking over the ancestral pile when the time comes.

‘Julian writes really well for women and I think that has something to do with his wife, Emma [a descendant of Lord Kitchener]. I see a lot of her in Mary, just her expressions and things,’ she says.

Dockery has had a particularly successful career post-downton. She brought rigour and a dash of fun to her part as an ambitious TV exec in Network (the National Theatre production based on the acclaimed ’70s film), and a sort of watchfulness to the role of a hard-edged widow in Netflix’s warped western Godless. Next year, she will be showing her versatility further in Guy Ritchie’s film The Gentlemen, in which she plays the wife of a drug lord (played by Matthew Mcconaughey).

One character who has a particularly meaty storyline in the film is gay footman Thomas, played by Robert James-collier. We meet at Shepperton Studios, where the kitchen scenes are being filmed. It’s a cavernous setting which production designer Donal Woods describes as ‘like a noirish, Scandi film, as opposed to the glorious technicolor of upstairs’. For the TV series, the servants’ quarters were created at Ealing Studios, but the set has been flat-packed and sent over, as have the copper jelly moulds, kettles and pans.

This time, we see Thomas befriend a footman from the Royal household (played by Max Brown), and he ends up in an illicit gay drinking den in York. This was an era when homosexuality could result in a prison sentence, but, says James-collier, for one brief moment his somewhat malevolent character is liberated.

‘He is introduced to this other world that he doesn’t know exists, and there is this sense of relief, this sudden realisation that there are kindred spirits and that he is not this “foul individual” as Mr Carson once described him.’

The irony that Downton Abbey has been sold to countries where homosexuality can be punished by death is not lost on James-collier, and he feels a grave sense of responsibility about his role. ‘I have received letters from young men who say that watching Thomas’s journey has helped them. All I can say is that it’s an utter privilege. It’s the reason why I do it.’

The film’s 1927 setting marks a period in Britain when country houses such as Downton were beginning to feel the austerity of the interwar years. Death duties had to be paid and households streamlined, which meant that many servants lost their jobs. Meanwhile, the General Strike of 1926 – in which the TUC fought against worsening conditions for the country’s miners – underlined a growing sense of solidarity among the working class. In the film, however, there are no such concerns, and that reflects the point that Downton is in many ways a fantasy. One criticism of the original scripts was that the Crawleys were too benign as employers, that the relationship between master and servant was much more remote, without any of the Earl of Grantham’s well-meaning paternalism. Fellowes disagrees.

‘This notion that people were horrible to their servants is wrong. Most of us, if you think about it logically, and putting aside the moral view that that life should exist at all, would want to get on with the valet or lady’s maid. When you see a character snarling at his butler, you think this isn’t a way of life. None of us would want to be in a position of speaking to people you disliked.’

If Fellowes is the arbiter of psychological accuracy, then Alastair Bruce is the gatekeeper of protocol. He was Downton’s historical adviser at the beginning and describes himself, among other things, as the posture monitor.

He explains. ‘The cast tend to put their bums here on the seat,’ he says indicating the back of his chair. ‘But in those days, you didn’t – you would sit at the front. Also, [people’s] shoulders have fallen forward because everyone is on their mobile phone all the time.’

Bruce also helps the actors with their diction and mentions the word ‘room’. Many tended to accentuate the ‘o’s when it fact it should be shortened, so they sound very nearly like a ‘u’.

‘It is pompous bollocks, but if you are recreating the ’20s you may as well get it right,’ Bruce adds. ‘Michelle would quite happily let me describe her evolution in life as a long way from Downton Abbey, but I have some pretty grandiose friends who can’t believe this is the case. I am very proud of the fact that she now has this incredible poise – you never see a curve in her back – and her accent is on point.’

Several months later, I ask Fellowes whether he has plans for a sequel (although in truth, certain scenes in the film suggest a full stop rather than a pause). ‘There is never any point in answering that,’ he says. ‘In this business as soon as someone says that’s the last time I’ll put on my ballet shoes, there they are, a year later, dancing Giselle.’ Downton Abbey is released on 13 September

[hedwigsaardvark]

From the Telegraph.

The wait is over: Downton Abbey hits the big screen - and a visit to the set uncovers family secrets 

By Ben Lawrence

30 AUGUST 2019

Harry Hadden-Paton, director Michael Engler and Matthew Goode CREDIT: CHARLIE GRAY

CREDIT: CHARLIE GRAY

It is a crisp, clear morning at Wentworth Woodhouse, the stately home in South Yorkshire. Built by the 1st Marquess of Rockingham, it has the widest façade in Europe, boasts at least 365 rooms (no one is certain of the exact number), and represents two and a half acres of building.

The tiaras have been dusted off and the pearls polished. Four long years after the final instalment of Downton Abbey, it’s back, this time on the big screen. 

This perfect specimen of English baroque is the setting for the new Downton Abbey film – in which George V and Queen Mary tour the north of England (which also includes a visit to Downton itself, filmed as usual at Highclere Castle in Berkshire) – and today they are shooting a grand ball at the home of the Countess of Harewood in the film, attended by the royal couple and Downton’s Crawley family. 

Inside the house, a production unit zigzags in and out of huge vaulted rooms with cables and film cameras, while extras in 1920s ball attire chat nonchalantly on makeshift chairs. Meanwhile in the ballroom – a giant marble space, adorned with deep-red damask wallpaper and enormous flower arrangements – Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton(two of the stars of the original series) slip through the lines of dancing couples in diaphanous silks, as a small orchestra plays a waltz.

In the background, an assistant producer is being told off by one of the volunteers of Wentworth Woodhouse for wandering into a disused room. This isn’t jobsworthiness. The carpet in some rooms is nearly 300 years old and will disintegrate if anyone breathes on it. The wallpaper, meanwhile, is laced with arsenic (as was the fashion at the time) in order to make it a certain shade of green.

Away from the action, Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary (the eldest Crawley daughter), is sitting in her trailer, her sharp features accentuated by period make-up, feeling slightly in awe of the whole process. ‘It was during my costume fitting when it hit me. I got really emotional.’

Downton Abbey made Dockery and many of her fellow cast members international names, and no wonder. The ITV series, which ran from 2010 to 2015 and followed the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, was sold to 220 territories worldwide, achieved a global audience of 120 million and was nominated for 53 International Emmys.

In America, it became the most successful British drama import of all time. It also set the bar for costume dramas, at least in terms of visual sheen. The Crown, Netflix’s lavish regal series (which returns this autumn), has clearly been influenced by Julian Fellowes’ series, which cost, on average, £1 million per episode to make.

Everyone expected that a film would be made, but it was quite a feat getting the cast together. ‘It was like herding cats,’ says Dockery. ‘But I just love it. It’s so familiar and doesn’t feel like work.’

Despite rumours to the contrary, Maggie Smith is back as the Dowager Countess, famous for her withering put-downs, as are Hugh Bonneville’s paterfamilias the Earl of Grantham, his American wife Cora (played by Elizabeth McGovern) and his two surviving daughters, Lady Mary, of course, and Laura Carmichael’s Lady Edith. 

Others involved include Penelope Wilton’s sensible cousin Isobel and many of the downstairs staff: Jim Carter’s stentorian Mr Carson and his wife, the no-nonsense housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan); Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol), the plain-speaking cook with Escoffierabilities, and her protégée, the occasionally mutinous Daisy (Sophie McShera).

When I talk to Fellowes though, he is adamant that a film was never inevitable. Rumours circulated about a prequel, following Robert’s courting of Cora for her money and subsequently  falling in love with her, but nothing came of it. ‘When we finished the series, we didn’t envisage a film. We had a lovely party at The Ivy and everyone cried, but that was it as far as I was concerned. Then, as the years rolled by, there was a sense that people hadn’t quite finished with it, and eventually I formed an idea for a feature film.’

The Downton Abbey film, directed by Michael Engler, is set in 1927, just over a year after the series ended, and focuses on the Crawleys and their servants as they prepare for a royal visit. It causes much excitement below stairs, but the staff soon find the monarch’s entourage taking over – including a temperamental French chef (played by Philippe Spall) and a pompous head butler, played by David Haig, who refers to himself as the ‘King’s page of the back stairs’.

Other new cast members include Simon Jones and Geraldine James as the King and Queen, Imelda Staunton (real-life wife of Carter) as Lady Bagshaw, lady-in-waiting to the Queen and a relative of the Crawleys, and Tuppence Middleton as her mysterious lady’s maid, Lucy.

Fellowes was inspired, in part, by a book he had read called Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey, which details a 1912 visit by King George V and Queen Mary to South Yorkshire. As well as tucking into lavish 13-course dinners, which included puddings served in sugar baskets that took four days to weave, they also met local miners and toured  pit villages.

Although the film is set 15 years later, the King and Queen did make similar, unlikely tours around the country, as Fellowes explains. ‘After the First World War, there was a period of unsettled feelings about things – not least the monarchy. It had to re-establish itself as many members of European royalty had disappeared – the German Emperor, the Austrian Emperor, the Tsar of Russia. The structure had to be restated as having an integral role in society and they [George and Mary] were very successful in doing so. By 1930, the Crown was back at the heart of English life.’

For Dockery, making the film was not only a chance to catch up with old friends, but also to further develop a character that the nation took to their hearts. 

‘Mary is so complex. We met her at 18 and she was this rebellious teenager – she was bored, and because she was a girl, she wasn’t what her father wanted [an heir to Downton]. Ultimately he became very proud of her, though, and I think  everyone really responded to that. Seeing her journey was what hooked people.’

Now we see Lady Mary very much in control, happily married (to Matthew Goode’s Henry  Talbot) and more than capable of taking over the ancestral pile when the time comes.

‘Julian writes really well for women and I think that has something to do with his wife, Emma [a descendant of Lord Kitchener]. I see a lot of her in Mary, just her expressions and things,’ she says.

Dockery has had a particularly successful career post-Downton. She brought rigour and a dash of fun to her part as an ambitious TV exec in Network (the National Theatre production based on the acclaimed ’70s film), and a sort of watchfulness to the role of a hard-edged widow in Netflix’s warped western Godless. Next year, she will be showing her versatility further in Guy Ritchie’s film The Gentlemen, in which she plays the wife of a drug lord (played by Matthew McConaughey).

One character who has a particularly meaty  storyline in the film is gay footman Thomas, played by Robert James-Collier. We meet at Shepperton Studios, where the kitchen scenes are being filmed. It’s a cavernous setting which production designer Donal Woods describes as ‘like a noirish, Scandi film, as opposed to the glorious technicolor of upstairs’. For the TV series, the servants’ quarters were created at Ealing Studios, but the set has been flat-packed and sent over, as have the copper jelly moulds, kettles and pans. 

This time, we see Thomas befriend a footman from the Royal household (played by Max Brown), and he ends up in an illicit gay drinking den in York. This was  an era when homosexuality could result in a prison sentence, but, says James-Collier, for one brief moment his somewhat malevolent character is liberated.

‘He is introduced to this other world that he doesn’t know exists, and there is this sense of relief, this sudden realisation that there are  kindred spirits and that he is not this “foul individual” as Mr Carson once described him.’

The irony that Downton Abbey has been sold to countries where homosexuality can be punished by death is not lost on James-Collier, and he feels a grave sense of responsibility about his role.  ‘I have received letters from young men who say that watching Thomas’s journey has helped them. All I can say is that it’s an utter privilege. It’s the reason why I do it.’

The film’s 1927 setting marks a period in Britain when country houses such as Downton were beginning to feel the austerity of the interwar years. Death duties had to be paid and households streamlined, which meant that many servants lost their jobs. Meanwhile, the General Strike of 1926 – in which the TUC fought against worsening conditions for the country’s miners – underlined a growing sense of solidarity among the working class.

In the film, however, there are no such concerns, and that reflects the point that Downton is in many ways a fantasy. One criticism of the original scripts was that the Crawleys were too benign as employers, that the relationship between master and servant was much more remote, without any of the Earl of Grantham’s well-meaning paternalism. Fellowes disagrees.

‘This notion that people were horrible to their servants is wrong. Most of us, if you think about it logically, and putting aside the moral view that that life should exist at all, would want to get on with the valet or lady’s maid. When you see a character snarling at his butler, you think this isn’t a way of life. None of us would want to be in  a position of speaking to people you disliked.’

If Fellowes is the arbiter of psychological accuracy, then Alastair Bruce is the gatekeeper of  protocol. He was Downton’s historical adviser at the beginning and describes himself, among other things, as the posture monitor.

He explains. ‘The cast tend to put their bums here on the seat,’ he says indicating the back of his chair. ‘But in those days, you didn’t – you would sit at the front. Also, [people’s] shoulders have fallen forward because everyone is on their mobile phone all the time.’

Bruce also helps the actors with their diction and mentions the word ‘room’. Many tended to accentuate the ‘o’s when it fact it should be shortened, so they sound very nearly like a ‘u’.

‘It is pompous bollocks, but if you are recreating the ’20s you may as well get it right,’ Bruce adds. ‘Michelle would quite happily let me describe her evolution in life as a long way from Downton Abbey, but I have some pretty grandiose friends who can’t believe this is the case. I am very proud of the fact that she now has this incredible poise – you never see a curve in her back – and her accent is on point.’

Several months later, I ask Fellowes whether he has plans for a sequel (although in truth, certain scenes in the film suggest a full stop rather than a pause). ‘There is never any point in answering that,’ he says. ‘In this business as soon as someone says that’s the last time I’ll put on my ballet shoes, there they are, a year later, dancing Giselle.’

Downton Abbey is released on 13 September 

Source and copyright The Telegraph