Saturday, August 6, 2011

While I was doing something else...

So. While I was working away at busying myself with something of little or no importance what-so-ever, I had the tv on as my distraction du jour. And I noticed that "Stage Door" was coming on. I can't even pretend to remember when I first saw it, or how many times I've seen it. In the early days of tv, an RKO package in 16mm was very popular on independent stations (on UHF!) and late at night. "Stage Door" seemed to be on constant top 10 rotation. Every time you turned on the tv (at least in the Philadelphia market) there it was.  Again.  And every time I'd get hooked, mesmerized, and zombietized. It's been years since I've seen it. The script was clunky claptrap when it was new.
The screenplay was adapted from a stage play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman. It's set in a boarding house for wanna be actresses (on West 58th!!). Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou, Eve Arden, a very young Ann Miller, and Lucille Ball (Happy 100th Lucy!). With more character actors than you could shake a script at.  It was made in 1937, but there's something about it which feels like 1931. Maybe it's the one room set  piece 3rd walled  static no electricy thing. Whatever.  But it caught me again and  I was soon  engrossed... Maybe it's because Hepburn's character is supposed to be brash, annoying, spoiled, and with a superior attitude, etc.  - and she is.  She's aggrivating, but it's her character. I think. Therefore Decartes is. Well, I don't want to get into Hepburn bashing or anything, so I'll stop now. I just wanted to note that I had a great time watching it tonight. And now I remember why I watched it so many times back when...





2 comments:

Austan said...

I remember the first time I saw it, on channel 9, late late in 1974. Absolutely love it. "The calla lilies are in bloom again, such a strange flower. I carried them on my wedding day and now I carry them in remembrance of something that's died."

Anonymous said...

I was able to find good info from your content.


Check out my blog post: Biotech Companies