General Chat

Oh yes Ginger was wonderful and that was a very famous quote of hers! I still have all my dad's Fred and Ginger videos, I love them I really do.

Flying Down to Rio
Swing Time
shall we Dance?
Follow the Fleet
Top Hat

To name but a few.

Another one our favourites we watched a lot together was The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.

My dad said to his doctor in his latter years there was only ever one woman he'd really loved, his GP, a lovely lady asked if that had been my mum. My dad replied "Oh no Dr. C****h, apart from my Pam, it was Ginger Rogers! He said it so seriously, it makes me smile everytime I think of him saying that.

Bit of film trivia, Ginger was married five times and died aged eighty three. She was buried in Oakwood Memorial Park California, next her mum and just a few yards from Fred Astaire...how lovely!

Yes the Sound of Music was very good David...but far too many Germans in it for me!!

The earlier Busby Berkley extravagasers were very entertaining

Don't know too much about those. Isn't that where they (the dancers) all jump into swimming pools and are lifted heaven wards on great big fountains of water? Or am I barking up the wrong tree on this? Think all the dancers used giant fans etc to create illussions of different shapes etc. If it's what I'm thinking of, yes wonderful stuff!

Doris Day was not only a fine singer but also a good dancer.

As was Debby Reynolds

Many of the famous film stars male and female including Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Cagney started as "hoofers" in the musicals

You're correct Pam, and dancing on the wings of planes in fight etc.
I think it was to detract the viewer from the austerity between the wars

Well yes David it was all a form of escapism for many working class people, seeing all these glamorous people on the screen in places and lifestyles they could only dream off...not changed that much really when you think about it has it?

All these over paid footballers and so called celebrities on these crap reality shows, all over paid and most of them with no talent. I mean how can you justify some of these salaries that they get...you just can't in my opinion. Ah well better climb off my soap box for the evening before I go too far.

Another bit of trivia, no nothing to do with films exactly, but when I was small and my mum was still with us people always said she looked like Lucille Ball, she certainly was a bit scatty in her ways like the 'I Love Lucy' Shows character and had the hair too! ( Natural too I might add.) But no, dad wasn't Cuban... he was born in Streatham!

I love all the Doris Day and Rock Hudson films David. You mention Jimmy Cagney as a hoofer, he was a brilliant dancer in Yanky Doodle Dandy.

nudge

Hello all,

I spent a couple of days away from the computer - working with them 5 days a week (sometimes more!) - makes you want a break now and again.

I do like the occasional musical, loved Cabaret and Calamity Jane, and quite liked Carousel too.

I think the reason that musicals have been on the decline is because the music of recent generations doesn't lend itself to the genre; the only musical of recent years that was made was the film version of Evita (which I'm sure you enjoyed Pam, considering who played Che Guevara!)

Yes they were a form of escapism, generally quite innocent compared to today's cinema, and perhaps an indication of how much simpler life was when musicals had their heyday.

Ed you're back! I've been talking to myself most of the time...thank goodness David came on the thread...or I'd have been carted off to the funny farm!

Yes I enjoyed Cabaret too, even thought it was set in Berlin!

You won't believe this but I didn't go to see Evita and when it has been shown on the telly I got a bit bored with it. Yes even though Antonio was in it!

I think you're right though Ed, the reason they were popular years back is people led a simpler life.

Going slightly off the film thread as we tend to do from time to time...well they did make the film Buster. Ronnie Biggs is in hospital here in our area Norwich Hospital. They've been talking about it on our local radio and I must say it's been about 50/ 50 with people saying he should stay in prison or come out.
Personally I think they should let him out now, for his son's sake really too. What do you think Ed?

EDIT: Just seen your ice cream joke Ed, very good. ☺

I think I enjoyed Evita because I saw the stage show with the original cast - I used to go out with a girl who's mum worked for one of the ticket agencies.

What's wrong with the Germans anyway? My maternal grandmother was German. Oddly enough she worked in a munitions factory in WW1 and my maternal grandfather served on the Western Front for three years!

I haven't started to go up that branch of my tree yet - I'm saving my German "bit" for another day.

Truth, as they say, is stranger than fiction ...

That will be interesting looking up the German side of the family Ed.

I don't know what I'd do about Ronnie Biggs.

I do not think its in the public interest to keep him in prison - he is no harm to society anymore and it probably costs more to treat him in prison than it does on the outside.

I'd like to see him or his family pay towards his care though, bearing in mind that he has contributed nothing to the UK society for the last 40 years.

Yes the care thing, I work in council run care homes and it's really heartbreaking to see people having to sell their homes to pay for care to which they are entitled to.

Yes, the German side is something I've always wanted to do.

I do have a copy of her birth certificate - so that's something to start on.

I think it will need some very careful planning before I embark on that adventure though.

EDIT: Glad you liked the ice cream joke.

Yes it's frustrating when you come up against a brick wall with family history. My mum died when I was very young, her Grandfather was Danish and met his wife when he was in Scotland, mum said he worked on a fishing trawler. Other than that I'm stuck. Mum had a sister who I can barely remember (she died young too.)