january 28

Shutterbug Saturday: First Snow 2021

Posted on January 30, 2021 Updated on January 30, 2021

We don’t get the snow like we used to when I was a kid. I remember lots of snow and ice in the 70s. There were some decent snows in the middle 80s. There was one big snowstorm in early 1996 and that was the last one I saw until the two snow bombs in 2018. I spent nearly a decade in Texas and, I saw one small snow covering and two minor ice storms. That was it.

Here is our first snow of 2021. Colorado has gotten some, too. ~Vic

Snow Trucks Image One — A little dusting on the trucks.
01-28-2021
Click for a larger view.

Dogwood In The Dark Image Two — Cold little Dogwood.
Click for a larger view.

Dark Snowy Street Image Three — Snowy street corner.
Click for a larger view.

This entry was posted in Photography, Weather and tagged 2018, 2021, american photography, camera hound, camera nut, cameraphone, cold dogwood, colorado, cosmic-observation photography, dogwood, first snow, hillsborough photography, ice storms, images, january 28, light dusting, lonely street light, north carolina photography, photographs, photos, pictures, samsung S7, shutterbug, snapshots, snow bombs, snow covering, snow picture, snow pix, snow trucks, snowy street corner, stupidphone, texas, trucks.

Wayback Wednesday: Stage Show 1954

Posted on July 3, 2019 Updated on October 1, 2019

Stage Show Image One — Image Credit: imdb.com

Sixty-five years ago, today, the CBS TV variety series Stage Show debuted. It was produced by Jackie Gleason Enterprises and hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Starting out as an hour-long, summertime replacement for The Jackie Gleason Show, it was returned in the Fall of 1955.

This is the show that introduced the world to Elvis Presley.

Dave Marsh, in his insightful musical biography Elvis, writes about the moment Elvis Presley burst upon the American scene via The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show on January 28, 1956. “In his first appearance on the Dorsey Brothers’ TV show, the young singer rocked the world”. Marsh described Elvis’ startling rendition of Heartbreak Hotel and concluded, “He owned the song and he owned the crowd”.

March 17, 1956
Photo Credit: elvispresleymusic.com.au

After 17 months of personal appearances all over the south […], Elvis […] made his first appearance […]. Those shows were broadcast, live, from the CBS Studios in New York City. Young Elvis The Pelvis’ first appearance […] was followed by 5 others throughout the next 2 months until the 24 of March, 1956.

[Source]

Introduced by Bill Randle, Elvis’ January stage set was Shake, Rattle & Roll, Flip, Flop & Fly and, I Got A Woman.

Bobby Darin also made his television debut on this show in March of 1956 singing Rock Island Line. The June Taylor Dancers were regular guests & performers and, Jack Carter became the permanent host in the show’s final season. Up against the The Perry Como Show on NBC, ratings began to decline. The final show was aired September 18, 1956, two months before the death of Tommy Dorsey. Jimmy passed in June of the following year.

Other Guests & Performers

This entry was posted in Television and tagged 1954, 1956, bobby darin, cbs, elvis presley, elvispresleymusic.com.au, flip flop and fly, i got a woman, IMDB, jack carter, jackie gleason, january 28, jimmy dorsey, july 3, march 17, nbc, perry como, shake rattle and roll, stage show, Television, tommy dorsey, tv series, variety show.

Movie Monday: A Letter To Three Wives 1949

Posted on January 28, 2019 Updated on February 16, 2020

A Letter To Three Wives Image — Image Credit: imdb.com

Seventy years ago, today, the #1 film at the box office was A Letter to Three Wives, starring Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas and Jeffrey Lynn. Celeste Holm provided the uncredited voice of Addie Ross. Directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz, the movie was adapted by Vera Caspary from a 1945 John Klempner Cosmopolitan magazine novel titled A Letter to Five Wives. Mankiewicz also wrote the screenplay.

TCM Synopsis:

Just as they are leaving with a group of orphans for a Hudson River outing, three suburban housewives receive a note from Addie Ross, a friend against whom each woman measures herself. Addie claims to have run off with one of the women’s husbands. As they try to get through the day, each thinks back on her marriage, considering the likely reason her husband would have run off with the other woman. Deborah (Jeanne Crain) remembers the disappointment her husband felt when he discovered the chic WAVE he fell for during World War II was a simple farm girl who could barely keep up with the educated Addie. Radio writer Rita (Ann Sothern) thinks her career as a radio writer has led her to neglect her husband (Kirk Douglas), who may have been drawn to the more attentive Addie. Social climber Lora Mae (Linda Darnell) recalls how she trapped department store magnate Porter Hollingsway (Paul Douglas) into marrying her when he had hoped to wed the more socially upright Addie. As the day finally ends, each returns home to prepare for the opening of the social season, the big country club dinner at which one of their husbands will not be present.

Trivia Bits:
♦ The identity of the actress Celeste Holm who did the voice-over for Addie Ross was kept secret when the film was released. The studio held a number of “Who is Addie?” contests around the country where moviegoers could guess the actress’ name.
♦ General Douglas MacArthur was so confused by the ending that he had his aide write Joseph L. Mankiewicz a letter asking with whom Addie had, in fact, run off.
♦ The film actually went into production in 1946 as “A Letter to Five Wives” from a script by Melville Baker and Dorothy Bennett. Gene Tierney, Linda Darnell, Maureen O’Hara, Dorothy McGuire and Alice Faye were all earmarked to play the wives but, this version was quickly shelved until Joseph L. Mankiewicz retooled it in 1948.
♦ Both Joan Crawford and Ida Lupino were considered for Addie’s off-screen voice before Celeste Holm was cast. When Mankiewicz offered Holm a role that would never be seen in the film, she quipped, “Oh my, that’s wonderful. My wooden leg won’t have to show.” (Holm, quoted in Geist). She consented when he told her Crawford was after the role.
♦ When Ann Sothern’s look of joyful surprise on finding her husband hadn’t run off with Addie wasn’t strong enough, Mankiewicz had Kirk Douglas jump up from behind the set’s sofa (out of camera range) in only his underwear.

Awards
♥ Best Director & Best Writing/Screenplay (Joseph L. Mankiewicz/1950 Academy Awards)
♥ Best Written American Comedy (Joseph L. Mankiewicz & Vera Caspary/1950 Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award)
♥ Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (Joseph L. Mankiewicz & Gaston Glass/1949 Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award)
♥ Top Ten Films (1949 National Board of Review (NBR) Award)

Nomination
♢ Best Picture (Sol C. Siegel/1950 Academy Awards)

This entry was posted in Movies and tagged 1946, 1949, 1950, a letter to three wives, academy awards, alice faye, ann sothern, best director, best screenplay, best writing, best written american comedy, celeste holm, directors guild of america, dorothy bennett, dorothy mcguire, douglas macarthur, gene tierney, general macarthur, ida lupino, january 28, jeanne crain, jeffrey lynn, joan crawford, john klempner, joseph l mankiewicz, kirk douglas, letter to five wives, linda darnell, maureen o'hara, melville baker, national board of review, outstanding directorial achievement in motion pictures, paul douglas, top ten films, vera caspary, who is addie, writers guild of america.

Cosmic Observation

Contemplating, pondering, musing, considering, examining…effectively chewing on all curiosities.

january 28

Shutterbug Saturday: First Snow 2021

Wayback Wednesday: Stage Show 1954

Movie Monday: A Letter To Three Wives 1949