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In other Ginger news, Thanks to Whitney VLH for her report from the Ginger Rogers Century exhibition in Boston! She posted a comment on the 'just a few pics' post from a few weeks back... for those who missed it, here is the report:
"I was blessed to be able to attend the opening of the "Ginger Rogers Century" archive and the show in Boston on Oct. 24th. and wanted to tell you all about it:
The archive is chock-full of moving correspondence between Ginger and the many people who loved her, including her mother and her friends such as Lucille Ball and Jimmy Stewart. It also features lots of photographs, renderings of her artwork, and items like her Oscar, her Kennedy Center Honor medallion and ribbon (which I'm grateful I got to see her receive in 1992), and even one of her old tennis rackets! Roberta Olden, Ginger's longtime assistant, selected items with much loving care for Boston University to display.
Angela Lansbury spoke poignantly about how Ginger and Lew Ayres (a neighbor of hers in Brentwood for many years) had a great love for each other that endured in friendship despite the tragedy of their marriage ending. I SO wish that those two had gotten back together!!! The archive included a letter and telegram from Lew to Ginger, and reading those, it was evident how much he loved her. I think he was a great man, just as Ginger was a great lady, despite the mistakes they made -- and in the end, love still prevailed.
It was awesome to hear a song that Ginger composed herself in 1936 (the year they separated) in the show. The song was called "I Don't Understand" (a love song, that was probably referring to Lew). Jazz singer Karen Oberlin did a pitch-perfect job of performing the many songs that Ginger made famous from composers like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern.
The archive will stay on display for several months at Boston U., I was told, so if any of you are in Boston, hope you can check it out!"
Whitney
Awesome stuff, Whitney! Would have LOVED to hear the Ginger tune... ya didn't happen to sneak in a recorder of some type, eh? :-)
It's also good to hear Ginger and Lew remained buds... y'know, if I were somehow able to do the 'back in time' stuff, and be able to be anyone (yeah, that's pretty weird and far-fetched, but hey...), I think it would be Lew... I mean, DANG...Ginger called him her 'dream man'... how insane is THAT?
...AND, it's cool to know that the exhibit will be there for awhile... just wish it would get a LITTLE closer to 'South Gingerville', such as Atlanta, Nashville, etc... here's hoping!
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ALSO, a few awesome Gingery features from fellow Gingerologist, arrowfoxi!!!
First, a photo of Ginger from photographer James Doolittle, who captured Ginger (during her 'In Person' days - the gown is the one she has in the final scene) quite well, to the extent that she said it was one of her favorite photos of herself from anyone... no arguement from this here Gingerologist...
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AND, here is a link to a VERY neat site, which generally is a compilation of MANY quotes and passages from books and reviews regarding Ginger... I've thought about doing something like this, but...well, heck, here it ALREADY is!
Ginger Rogers Appreciations
...this site is overseen by arrowfoxi (a.k.a. todflet@sonic.net ) - and, notice that any new-found Gingery text is of great interest, so drop an e-mail over there if ya have any new stuff!
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Well, next up here is the 'Don't Bet on Love' review... Thanks to Ron for a cool 'lobby card' shot of this film:
KIG!
VKMfanHuey
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That's amazing!! Now I need to go to Boston!! Thanks for sharing! And I love those pics.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, Huey: Lew Ayres definitely was a "gooberhead" for not being the kind of husband he should have been to Ginger when he had the chance. But I think he learned his lesson, and it's a shame that he and Ginger didn't reconcile. As Angela Lansbury said at the Boston archive opening, we can all learn from how they made "life choices" and what resulted from them. She also said that it was good that Ginger kept "reaching out" to people in love, even though she never found a lasting marriage (but found many friends and fans).
ReplyDeleteAt the show, host Nick Clooney told many stories of the various other men in Hollywood who fell in love with Ginger. Karen Oberlin sang the song "I've Got 'It,' But 'It' Don't Do Me No Good" and that kind of sums up Ginger's romantic life, I guess. :>)
But thankfully, even though she failed at romance, Ginger succeeded at being a great person who truly loved others. I'll never forget how genuinely kind and open she was during the times I met her as a teen (when she came to Washington, D.C. for various events). What a lovely lady!
BTW, the show should be performed in NYC during early 2012, in case that's an easier place for you all to visit than Boston (the archive will only be in Boston, but the show is worth seeing on its own). Dates haven't been announced yet, but keep checking the Internet (probably Playbill.com would be a good place to check).
Whitney
You can always reconcile -- in spring, just for another breed. Seagull couples do part in fall, but the same couples come together for the next season. As long as fox and eagle didn't catch Ginger or Lew, there was always a chance for another breeding season. During winter you roam anyway, but this is no excuse for not breeding!
ReplyDeleteAnother excellent post, Huey, and I particularly enjoyed Whitney's account of the Boston Exhibition. Thank you for reprinting it and Whitney for writing it. To say the least I am envious of Whitney having met Ginger. What a thrill that would have been. I also enjoy reading favorable articles about Ginger, and therefore the Ginger Rogers Appreciations were my cup of tea. And great picture BTW!
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