HAPPY GINGER ROGERS DAY!!!

 

...well, we gotta narrow that down, of course, as purt near EVERY day is Ginger Rogers Day in some form or fashion for we Gingerologists, right? But THIS particular post is in fact referencing the TRUE Ginger Rogers Day, which was declared in Independence, Missouri (where else?) on July 23, 1964... Of course, that's a handful of days beyond her birthday, but hey, the whole month of July is GingerTime, right? 

The photo above is pretty familiar to G-ologists, as it's in her bio... it's her with Truman, who is that 'other person' from Independence... This particular pic (sorry for the quality) shows them burying one of Kate Hepburn's old 'mink' coats... no, check that - it's actually for a 'groundbreaking' of a new electrical system in Independence... good thing they didn't make them wear hard hats... pretty sure Ginger's bodacious 'do wouldn't have allowed it, and Ol' Harry's head was probably hard enough as is... 

Well, I honestly don't know of many more pictures from the event (y'all holler with any you know of... seems like I've SEEN some in spots...), but the ones to follow are when she visited the Truman Library just down the hill... 

...Ginger is looks SOOOOO incredible here... whoever the little dude is.. ...is one lucky little dude!!!

...not sure where the pic below is from... perhaps Harry's old house? It's just across the street from the library, so... yet ANOTHER GingerTrail spot... 

...these are all on the Truman Library Archives website - pretty cool, and certified as 'public domain', which rocks... thanks to the folks at Truman Library for sharing these! When we 'convened' there for GingerFest, I never thought much about Ginger actually having been there as well... I reckon the place has been updated a time or two since '64, but still a cool GingerTrail spot in Independence, along with the 'old homestead', of course...

...as to the other folks in these pics, other than Harry and of course Lela, I do not have a CLUE as to who anyone else is - if Y'ALL know, hit me up in FaceBook - the Truman Library didn't know any of these folks either... and these are in no particular order, just all from that day, as Ginger has the same dress on throughout - and if there was EVER a constant in the Universe, it's that Miss Rogers would NEVER wear the same thing on consecutive days, save for being in a role of some type... 

Well, as to the background for Ginger Rogers Day, she gives a recap of it in her bio, which goes like THIS:

 

"After finishing Magnificent Doll, I was invited to the White House [in 1946] to see the actual portrait of Dolley Madison and I happily accepted. 

While I was viewing the portrait, someone asked if I wanted to meet President Harry S. Truman. "Yes, I would," I said. "We are both from the same state."

Inquiries were made, and in a short while I was ushered into the President's office. He was busily working on some papers, which he took a moment to finish, and then looked up and said, "Now I'm ready to meet the young lady."

"Mr. President," I said in a teasing tone, "you and I are from the same city in Missouri, and I am here to register a complaint. No one realizes I'm from Independence and everyone knows you are. I'm Jealous."

"Oh, you are?"

"Yes. I'm proud to be from Missouri and Independence."

With a twinkle in his eye, our thirty-third President said, "Well, we'll have to do something about that."

Almost twenty years later, on July 23, 1964, something was done; Independence, Missouri had a "Ginger Rogers Day." Mother and my good friend, Shirley Eder, a journalist from Detroit, joined me for the festivities. On the grandstand with me was former President Harry S. Truman. After the ceremony, Mr. Truman and I were given shovels to break ground in Independence for a new electrical system. Then he invited us to tour the Truman Library, where we spent three wonderful hours with the former President as our guide. 

Before we left, he tried to reach Bess, but she had spent the afternoon at her favorite sport - fishing. So Harry Truman has his library in Independence, and I had my "Ginger Rogers Day." That seems fair enough!"

from the incredible, indispensable, indestructible book, GINGER: My Story

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...NOW, a few interesting things here... as to the date, the Truman Library notes these pics as July 22, 1964; Ginger notes this occurred on July 23, 1964... so what do we do when there is a conflicting date? That's right, Ginger overrules... ALWAYS... over Presidents, Astronauts, even Gingerologists! SO... that's that. And although this post is dated July 22, just be sure you KNOW that Ginger Rogers Day is actually July 23, RIGHT???

...Also noticed she mentioned Shirley Eder was present... SO, one of the heretofore unknown folks in those pics above have been identified... the pic where Ginger is holding Harry's arm shows Miss Eder shaking Harry's hand... dang, it's cool to be a former president, or at least on certain occasions!

...And the OTHER thing that jumped out at me was the fact that Bess Truman was out fishing... reckon Ginger would have liked to join up with Bessie on the banks of the Missouri (or wherever she was dropping her line)??? Methinks so...

With that, y'all have a great (official) Ginger Rogers Day!!!

...which is easily done by just... 

...KEEPING IT GINGERY!!!

...Until Later On...

Hu

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...Happy GINGERTENNIAL +9!!!

 

...well, another year, y'all! VERY hard to believe that it's been 9 years since the GingerTennial back in 2011... but hey, this is a great day for Gingerologists, of course, so hope all of y'all are doing well and having a great day in the midst of all the heavy stuff in the world... we need Ginger now more than ever, right?  

...SO, for those with TCM, hopefully you are getting to check out some Gingerfilms today, or at least DVR-ing them... and also get some ice cream, play some tennis (if possible), wear some pink somewhere, and just take a bit of time to celebrate our girl and her awesome scope of work!!! 

As noted in the last post, I'm going to get this blogger thingy cranked up again, at least in an 'every now and then' sense... SO, with that, here's to many more Ginger Birthday celebrations for us all!!!

Thanks for your support, and Keep It Gingery, y'all!!!

Hu

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...NOW... ...Where WERE We???

 

...suffice it to say...  ...it's been a while...  ...anything happen since we last met? 

With that, it's great to be back in this glorious thang called Gingerology...  ...since we last met, there has indeed been a LOT of tragedy and unrest going on, which we are ALL still in the midst of...  Prayers to all who have been affected by the unbelievable scourge of a relentless virus, and also to those affected by civil unrest as a result of a heinous act of isolated brutality... ...the ramifications of both events have forever changed our world, and who knows to what end...  OK enough of that... it had to be said, but I know y'all generally don't peruse Gingerology for social/political commentary... Praise Allah for that!  (hopefully you don't look for religious banter on here, either... for the most part...) 

SO... hope Y'ALL have been doing well OTHERWISE... MY situation is plodding along rather nicely in my still somewhat new-ish company, and things have been picking up even through all the dire conditions over the last 3-4 months... so Hu is VERY blessed in that respect, y'all... 

...on the GingerFront, there have been quite a few Gingery events going on, not the least of which is the impending GingerTennial +9 (i.e., Ginger's 109th Heavenly Birthday), which is always a great time to 'Get Your Ginger On'... and TCM is making that pretty easy this year, as they are spinning a slew (that's at least seven) of GingerFilms... here they are, as film posters, because, well, hey, posters are typically pretty cool: 

...And there you have it. A nice mix of Ginger's efforts, with the most 'dramatic' role she had with Freddie...  KUDOS to the good folks at TCM for giving Ginger a proper birthday tribute!!!  As a side note, and I'm sure I've harped on this quite a bit in other circles, but... it's REALLY time that TCM 'break out' into two or actually at least THREE different channels, each bounded by 'eras'... obviously, the 'Golden Age' should be one, to me up to the start of WWII - well, make it 1940 for a memorable 'break point'...  THEN another channel with films from 1940-1970 or so...  and the last from 1970 to whatever is the 'new classic' film cutoff point from where we are standing in 2020... Let's hope that occurs, as there is a LARGE proportion of time slots being eaten by films that are from 1970 or later...  so get out there and scream from the rooftop regarding this issue!!!  ...or at least talk it up... 

Well, guess that's about it for now... oh, there IS the "National Examiner" deal that just came out, but... I'll have to break that down with a post unto itself...  bottom line, the "Ginger and Freddie Secret Affair" rumor is absolute hogwash, but then y'all already knew that... 

...as to Gingerology Proper, I am going to get back on the TCM Calendar, along with whatever else I can snag as to GingeryTV dates... the gang over at FB's "It's a Ginger Rogers Thang" have done SO great keeping folks up to date with airings!  AND, also will crank up the 'This Day in Gingerology" info again, and hope to expand on the entries soon... there's still a LOT of folks Ginger was in films with who aren't accounted for in the TDIG...

AAAAND, somewhat finally, a BIG shout out to... this BLOG, who turns ELEVEN today! It is STILL hard to believe it's been that long since I started this puppy up! Thanks to those who have checked it out, even when it has been in a 'quazi-dormant' stage, and a hearty HIYA to all the NEW folks who are checking it out for the first time... 

So, until next time, which will be MUCH sooner than THIS "next time", I bid y'all adieu... ...and, in the words of that Immortal Gingerologist of Yore...

...Keep It Gingery, Y'all!!!

Hu

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Gingeremembrance 2020...

...25 years ago today, Ginger left us and danced on air into the Great Beyond... 

...As always, this time of year is the most somber for Gingerology - the best thing to do is, of course, watch a few GingerFilms to help remind us why we are Gingerologists in the first place, and reflect on her career, and her incredible life which never seemed to have a dull moment. It's great to see all the folks on Facebook, even on 'non-Ginger' sites, pay tribute to Ginger - that's truly why this blog exists, and why we all try our best to keep her memory and legacy alive. 

Hope all of you are well out there, and remaining safe in this strange time... I WOULD mention that it's April, but... y'all already know that, and how I feel about that... so, that's that.

With that, all of y'all Keep It Gingery, and Stay Safe!!!

Hu
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...bad news from Independence...

...Most of y'all know the story about Marge and Gene Padgitt, who purchased and thoroughly renovated the Ginger birth home in Indpendence, Missouri...  Some of us were fortunate enough to make it to the Ginger Rogers Festival back in 2018, and got to meet Roberta Olden, Ginger's longtime assistant... well, here's the news from Marge herself, via FaceBook:

ANNOUNCEMENT: The Owens-Rogers Museum is closed and the house is for sale. Due to the coronavirus and a lack of interest in the museum, we have closed and put the house on the market. The museum will be moved to a new location and all items will be put on display in the new building, including the bricks that people purchased. A new site has not yet been obtained but we will post a notice when it is open. A press release will be posted on the blog shortly. The house has been fully renovated and restored to as close to the 1906 time period as possible. All of the original woodwork, claw foot tub and corner sink remain, and new 1940's period-look kitchen appliances are installed. The house comes mostly furnished. List price $109,000. Contact Marge Padgitt at threetrailscottages@gmail.com for more information. See more photos HERE.

Pretty sad news, to be sure... I know the Padgitts put a LOT of work into this project to make it true to the period, and the result was great!  Unfortunately, just not enough foot traffic through there, and of course with the general shutdown we are all in currently, just proved to be unsustainable. With that, it would be great to see someone purchase the property that will retain the house in the style it has been renovated to... but I'm not getting my hopes up for that, as folks will want to alter things to fit their tastes. 

If anything, it would be cool to have a more 'permanent' type of historical sign-marker at the site which would give a brief overview of the significance of the spot, and of Ginger's career. 

It's a tough fact, but we Gingerologists are a dwindling bunch... for whatever reason, there just aren't as many folks who know about Ginger, or at least the awesome details of her career and life, as other actors/actresses...  each generation fades the previous one that much more, sadly...  with that, this blog I'm working on here is pretty dormant as well - nobody's fault, just still cranking at my new business and not enough time for it... and to me, you have to do this thang PROPERLY, or just don't DO it. The 'good' news is, I am in a bit of 'lull' at the present with work (mid-May is supposed to be gonzo, tho...) - but in the interim, I am going to get on here and try to 'catch up' as much as possible, beginning with the resumption of the 'This Day in Gingerology', as well as 'GingerFilms on TCM' schedule...  and maybe even a few other things here and there, who knows.

But also, sad to hear of the Independence house up for sale... hey, perhaps one of Y'ALL could snag it!   

Hope everyone out there is staying safe and well... this deal is gonna get over soon...  just keep the faith, and of course, as always...  KEEP IT GINGERY!!!

Hu

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