Well, first, thanks to all who voted on the 'Ginger-would-be-Christmas-movie' poll... "Miracle on 34th Street" eked out "Christmas in Connecticut" by a few votes. funny thing is, these are the only two movies of the four listed which I have actually seen! So there ya go... I 'have' "Remember the Night", which I need to check out soon.
Second, just watched "The Tenderfoot" again (bought the WB Archive edition...not a bad copy, and also has a 'trailer'...funny that a few of the 'snippets' from the movie differ than what made the 'final cut'...) this is a pretty neat little movie, really - it is only just under 70 minutes as well. Ginger is pretty dang Sassy in it, but in a very 'controlled' way...plus, the dude falls for Ginger's character (Ruth) so quickly and completely, how can you not like that?
I have posted this pic from "The Tenderfoot" before, but... hey, here it is again, since it is just so dang BEAUTIFUL!!! It is pretty neat that this pic is actually USED in the movie, when the dude is thinking of popping the question to Miss Ruth, or at least to tell her how he feels about her... and just talks to this pic first to get it straight... yep, that's about as far as I would get... and then I would totally pass out when she actually walks through the door!
Third, I ALSO just watched my WB Archive copy of "Bachelor Mother"...also a pretty fair copy...of course, I don't need to tell y'all my feeling about THAT one... just quite possibly my ALL-TIME fav GingerFilm not named "Kitty Foyle"... :-]
Well, not a WHOLE lot else cooking here... Gingerology, along with a lot of other awesome blogs out there, seems to be in 'hunkering down' mode for the rest of the year... I hope to be getting some stuff up and running over the holidays, but ya know, all that time seems to just get 'spoken for' in pretty short order! Don't fret, tho, y'all KNOW I will block out some time for Ginger!
Until then,
KIG in GingerDecember!
VKMfanHuey
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That is IS a beautiful photo! She was gorgeous! And I love the WB Archive for putting all these rare films out on DVD for us to see!
ReplyDeleteI finally found time to make a short post today, with my final exams winding down (I only have 1 more paper left to write, which is due Tuesday), and I've already picked out the movies I'm going to review later this week when I start winter break. :) Speaking of winter break, Huey, I'm going to have a lot of free time and was wondering if you could recommend me some Ginger movies to watch since I haven't seen very many. Thanks in advance!
Jean,
ReplyDeleteI hope you (and Huey) don't mind if I jump in on this one but here are a few of my reccommendations.
If you havent seen all of the Ginger and Fred films start with those - Swing Time and Top Hat are a couple of my favs.
Although in Carefree Ginger really gets a chance to shine!
Another of my favs is Stage Door - Ginger, Kate Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden...how can you go wrong?
Don't forget Kitty Foyle, the Major and the Minor and Monkey Business. And as long as you got me talking about Ginger and Cary Grant throw in Once Upon A Honeymoon.
Another new favorite of mine is It Had To Be You.
Okay I'll stop now ;)
KIG!
SG
Saw an intriguing item from Jimmie Fidler's column of Dec. 11, 1940, stating that both Ginger and Carole Lombard had turned down the role of Ivy in the MGM version of "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" (with Spencer Tracy as the title characters). I just did this as an entry from the Lombard perspective (http://community.livejournal.com/carole_and_co/361719.html); anyone know more about why Rogers may have declined the part?
ReplyDeleteThe 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde was pretty weird - different from the 40s version. So I don't wonder this project had a very negative reputation. Ginger was quite conservative. I'm absolutely sure Jean Arthur would have rejected this project too.
ReplyDeletePersonally I dislike horror stuff anyway, so I understand our dearest Ladies. Was Carol Lombard really ready to play a female victim? Or wasn't Ivy the victim? Well, I never saw that stuff, but sounds to me like dealing with the devil as an actress. 'The EVIL' fascinates a lot of people and should a positive spirit like Ginger join and support this? I'd say better not.
JH: Well, ya can't go TOO wrong if Ginger is involved, but then again, I might be just a BIT swayed by Ginger's mere presence in a film...Actually, Sassy has covered a lot of the 'high notes', although two BIG adds (as well as two of my ALL-TIME Ginger faves) are 'Bachelor Mother (1939)' and 'Roxie Hart (1942)' ...she is quite different in these two, which were just a few years apart, but equally AWESOME in each...
ReplyDeleteAs for 'pre-Fred' movies (or at least in the time frame between 'Rio' and their first 'full' feature, The Gay Divorcee"), many have Ginger in a 'subsidary' role...a few exceptions, thus required G-ology viewing, are "Rafter Romance", a low-budget, yet pretty entertaining film, and also "Professional Sweetheart", with a VERY Sassy Ginger...the only down side is her songs are 'dubbed' over...weird but true.
Well, that might give ya enough to get started with...happy viewing, JH!
SG: Hope yer knee-bone is feeling better - stay off of it if possible... pretty good GingerFilm picks, there, overall...again, there is NOT a wrong answer, is there? :-) I guess I'll make this statement... as to the Ginger and Fred films... for the pinnacle of their dancing, "Swing Time" is tops; for 'Pure Gingery Goodness', "Carefree" is the one.
VP: Interesting - did not know that about Ginger - I know she turned down quite a few roles in her heyday...the only thing I would venture to guess is that she was in the midst of two dramatic roles already, in "Primrose Path" and of course, "Kitty Foyle" - and a 'screwball comedy "Lucky Partners" squeezed inbetween them - so she may have just been booked up. I think she may have actually liked that role, but honestly, she was hitting the 'lead role' films at that stage of her career, so that might have been the real reason... now, if they cast her in a female version, say a "MS. Jekyll and Hyde", you may have had something there...what would a GingerMonster look like? Huey would probably be swooning over Ginger, regardless...heh heh. Thanks for the info, VP!
CS: hmmm... the 'negative' vibe of the story might have been a major issue for Ginger...But she may have been interested in the role as a 'change-up' to add to her varied repitoire, it might have just not been SPECIFICALLY the right one for her. She did those few early 'mystery/horror' movies in '33, but they were overall not quite the 'intensity level' that J&H was. On a side note, Ginger would have been GREAT in "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman", as the ...50-Foot Woman, of course... but of course they do her in at the end, I believe, so, there would have to be an alternate ending... maybe 'MegaHuey' could show up out of nowhere and they could just stomp off into the sunset, arm in arm... or is this just another one of those "11:00 PM posts?" :-P
Y'all Keep It Gingery!!!
VKMfanHuey
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"50 ft Woman?!" ... I didn't know that flick. But might be useful: Before I go to the boss and ask for more money, to feel somewhat bigger. As I saw on youtube, the 1993 version is more impressive. Actually that stuff is nonsense, but after having seen it I felt bigger indeed.
ReplyDeleteYou probably feel: 50 ft. Ginger is more Ginger than 5 ft. Ginger and the more Ginger the better. Well, you may be right Huey. But as soon as she starts to tap dance, there's gonna be an earthquake.
Hahahaha. Funny stuff here. 50 ft. Ginger tapping. Mega Huey. ;D
ReplyDeleteWas the Bachelor Mother an improvement over the GMG copy, Huey? What a shame they didn't restore it. My fave, of course.
So I Just need to jump in here and say I am in LOVE with this blog.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Moment I found it I haven't been able to stop looking/reading/listening. I am in Love with you BTW for all this Ginger! I am overwhelmed with Excitement. <3 Anyway that is my little obsessive rant. (Again I Love you lol)
Oh, thank you both for the recommendations! I'll be sure to check out some of those, and I'll let you all know how I like them. :D
ReplyDeleteprincesskay: Thanks SO much for the kind words, and for joining up! I am VERY happy to see a new Gingerologist join the fold! Hopefully this site will continue to be informative, comprehensive, and above all, entertaining for you in regards to all things VKM! And ANYTIME ya want to jump in on a conversation, please do! Sharing Ginger with folks is the overall mission here, and hopefully it is adequate for folks.
ReplyDeleteAnd, your blog is great! AWESOME setup...I have thought about a 're-vamp' of the site, but it's kinda 'iconic' at this point...I can't bring myself to change the 'header pic'...she is just SO 'beguiling' in that one! :-] I have not seen a LOT of the pics you have already posted...it's just AMAZING how many GingerPics are out there...ain't it COOL? :-] Thanks again SO much for your support! It's really easy to blog on a topic subject you are gonzo over! :-)
JH: No problem! Hope you can pick up some of those soon and check them out! (Most are on the 'G') ...I need to catch up with my 'general' (i.e., 'non-Ginger) movies - have quite a few 'downloaded', but haven't checked them out... folks think they have 'time off' during the Christmas Season... but dang, it is the busiest time of year! Maybe I can catch a few here and there... as well as get some stuff accomplished for the site here... here's to setting goals! ...of course, Ginger warns us about that... :-]
Keep it Gingery, y'all!!!
VKMfanHuey
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A 50-foot Ginger Rogers? Intriguing idea, though it would likely be hard for her to find dresses, shoes and stockings to wear...
ReplyDelete(Actually, Ginger underwent size changes of a sort when she did the "Alice In Wonderland" recording for Decca in the 1940s.)
I love this blog! It's just fabulous! The pics are great and so is the writing.;). Love the polls too. Well, I really like this. More Ginger fans besides just ME.;). Yippee! Lol.
ReplyDeleteVP - It would have been pretty dang cool to see how Walt would have done the 'live-action / animation' for 'Alice' with Ginger, as originally proposed. But yes, I see no real downside to a 50-foot Ginger... other than the various structres which are inadvertantly trod upon by Ginger... :-]
ReplyDeletePG: Hi! Great to have you here...thanks for joining up! And YOUR site is already pretty cool - LOVE the header of the different GandF scenes somewhat 'intertwined'... great work!
KIG! VKMfanHuey
Oh, and yes...PG - thanks SO much for the kind words! Not sure how I missed that in the last post, but... these late-work night posts and comments are VERY marginal at best... and yes, it is just SO cool to find other Ginger fans, and even 'general' 30's - 40's fans, in order to yak about that era of awesomeness...
ReplyDeleteok - once again - KIG, y'all!
VKMfanHuey