The Beauty of Beginnings

I am lucky enough to have Sally* of Flying Down to Hollywood as a cowriter for my hit radio show, Rose-Colored Radio.  I always love what she writes but her ending for my latest show, the New Year's show, was so beautiful and inspiring, I thought it deserved, nay, needed to be written out for everyone, even those that (believe it or not) don't listen to the podcast, to read.

...let’s take a moment to admire the beauty of beginnings. Aren’t beginnings beautiful things? New Year’s is a wonderful holiday because it’s a time for a new perspective. It’s a time to do what you’ve always wanted to do, become what you’ve always wanted to become, to decide what it really is you want to do when you grow up. 

Now as we step tentatively into 2012, we take a brief look back at 2011. Goodness! Think of how much you accomplished! Think of all that you did, all of the people you met, all of the wonderful food you tasted, the books you read, the movies you watched, the podcasts you discovered. You deserve a round of applause for all that 2011 brought to you. 

Now we can go boldly into 2012, knowing that we can do anything, we can do everything. We can keep our resolutions or we can break them – either way, we were brave enough to try, to change, to grow. 

--- Sally Flynn

*She did a brilliant guest post for me on Monday!  Please read and be enlightened!  

So sing a silly little rhyme and have a cup of coffee

Hello everyone! I'm Sally from Flying Down to Hollywood! I'm doing a spontaneous guest post for Emma today. It's a spotlight on a musical number from a lesser known MGM musical: Yolando and the Thief (1945). The song is called "Coffee Time" and is performed by Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer. I'm currently reading a book about the MGM musicals produced by Arthur Freed (it's a fascinating read by Hugh Fordin) and I learned some things about this number.

found here.

Well, mainly, that the costume designer, Irene Sharaff would often design her costumes with a backdrop in mind. There are pictures of her designs with a doodle of a set in the background. This being the case, she was, in part, responsible for some of the set designs for the films she worked on. When she designed the costumes for this number, she decided to make the principal color cafe au lait. She then decided that the costumes would work best on a contrasting floor and she, herself, sketched the pattern on the floor for the studio painters. How crazy is that? I love that one woman made such a difference in these productions. In my opinion, the floor is a major component in this scene. It makes the whole floor pop and I'm left figuring out whether or not the floor is actually moving like that (it isn't). Anyway, enough of my chatter. Here's "Coffee Time."

Christmastime Is Here

This post was written as part of Sally's 12 Days of Christmas blogathon.  Visit her site on Christmas Eve to read reviews, write-ups and more from other fine bloggers that have participated!

I know you know the jazzy tones of Charlie Brown's Christmas when it plays during the holiday season but have you ever wondered how such an unconventional style of music became associated with a kids' holiday special?  

The director, Lee Mendelson, had known he wanted a jazzy soundtrack but hadn't decided who would compose it. Then in a car ride one day, he stumbled upon then unknown Vince Guaraldi when his song came on the radio.  Mendelson approached Guaraldi with the job offer and when Guaraldi called Mendelson up two weeks later and played Linus and Lucy for him, he knew he had found the right person.

However, the network didn't think jazz was appropriate for a children's film at all and before the animated special even showed, they told Mendelson that the music, among other things, were not network-friendly and so they wouldn't be hiring him back.  Ahem.  As you can imagine, the show did spectacularly well and both audience and critics alike loved the film and the soundtrack.

The soundtrack is rare in the fact that it has never gone out-of-print since its first release and remains a staple in Christmas playlists year after year.  

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

P.S. Be sure, very sure, to come back on Friday for my Rose-Colored Radio Christmas Special!  It will be the best show yet...

Meglio stasera, baby, go, go, go!

Hi everyone! I'm Sally from Flying Down to Hollywood. Emma needed a little bit more time to rest up with the baby before coming back to the blog so she asked me to do a little guest post.

My blog is mainly about old movies (although I do throw in the occasional contemporary film as well). Since Emma informed me that she usually likes to use Sunday posts to concentrate on something music-related, I thought I'd talk about one of my absolute favorite singers in classic film. Her name is Fran Jeffries. She's most famous for the song that I'm going to embed below - "Meglio Stasera" from The Pink Panther. This is one of the few renditions of this song in Italian and I'm not sure why more people don't do the song in Italian. The English translation isn't (in my opinion) all that terrific. But, who knows?

So, here is her well-known song:



and here is one of her lesser-known songs, "Sex and the Single Girl" from Sex and the Single Girl with Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood.



So there you have it. Fran Jeffries. One of my all-time favorite singers in film. And, on a slightly unrelated note, how 60's-fabulous are her outfits? I love them! Both of them! I have no earthly clue where or when I'd wear that two-piece outfit, but I don't care. I want it anyway!

I hope you guys like Fran Jeffries as much as I do! And, Emma, I hope you're having a simply marvelous time with your little one!

You Want to Ask Me a Question?

Darling Sally of the classic film blog Flying Down to Hollywood did an exhaustive and sweet interview of... me! I feel quite pleased at this glamorous treatment. Visit the post to see what she asked/I answered!

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

P.P.S. I have a brand, new original album out! If you download it and looooove it, please write a lovely review on the site from which you purchased it!

Exquisite Photography

One of my very favorite bloggers, Sally, is considering opening up an Etsy shop to sell her photography. She takes gorgeous photos, filled with striking colors and shapes, that capture a magical moment in time.

Go by her blog, Pimpernel Photography, and let her know which of the photos you love and give her the encouragement you are all so marvelous at giving!

P.S. Feel free to follow me! I promise only ever to lead you to bright, sunny places!

P.P.S. I have a brand, new original album out! If you download it and looooove it, please write a lovely review on the site from which you purchased it!

Guest Blog Post from Sally of Flying Down to Hollywood!

The marvelous Sally from Flying Down to Hollywood, a perfectly marvelous blog (you really ought to visit her! Her blog is tons of fun.) about old movies (with some new thrown in from time to time!) has been kind enough to agree to do a guest post! Thank you, Sally!

First of all, I’d like to thank Emma for this wonderful opportunity to be a guest blogger! This is my first time guest blogging and I feel very honored! Now, I was trying to figure out what to write and I finally decided to blend my love of old movies with Emma’s recent song sketch. The result? Audrey Hepburn!


Audrey Hepburn is easy to love; you don’t even have to know anything about her to love her. Her beauty, sexiness, and sophistication are apparent, making her easy to admire. Her appeal spans generations as the college dorms filled with Audrey Hepburn posters and photos will attest.
Many of Audrey Hepburn’s roles are famous in their way and show a side to her that audiences enjoy relating to. Roman Holiday (1953), for instance, was her first major film. The princess she plays in the film is a wonderful blend of independence and romance, of responsibility and spontaneity. (Two fascinating sidenotes about this film: she won an Oscar for her role in it; Gregory Peck didn’t like the idea of playing opposite an unknown actress but, after meeting the unknown actress, fought for her to get equal billing.) Her style, vulnerability, and eccentricity in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) have helped in her icon-like status. Her spunky Jo Stockton in Funny Face (1957) proved that beauty and brains can blend together into a delightful package. This film contained such classic moments as the photograph with the balloons (shown here) and her memorable dancing, which was featured in a Gap ad.


Now, when you think of My Fair Lady (1964), it’s a slightly different story, somehow. It’s still Audrey Hepburn. She’s still elegant, beautiful, and spunky. The controversy over her as a casting choice (many argued that Julie Andrews should have reprised her Broadway role as Eliza Doolittle) helped My Fair Lady to be more or less forgotten as an Audrey Hepburn classic. She was overlooked when the Academy Awards rolled around (ironically, Julie Andrews won for Mary Poppins) and today, those same college students who apply Holly Golightly to their walls forget that she was even in My Fair Lady.

So, I highly recommend revisiting the film and wonder why Audrey Hepburn did not earn at least an Oscar nod, marvel at her beauty, and either laugh or groan (depending on your perspective) at the final line. And along the way, or perhaps just afterwards, I highly recommend revisiting Emma’s beautiful rendition of Wouldn’t it be Loverly?