So, as I have mentioned, I am a little Judge Judy. Ok – maybe a lot Judge Judy. But of course, she isn’t fictional. Or perhaps her persona is, but we are not to believe that.
The fictional me:
Naturally, I relate to Lucy of the Peanuts cartoon strip. Do you want to know what YOUR problem is, Charlie Brown? Well, I will be happy to tell you. The doctor is in!
There is a bit of the nurturing Shirley Partridge to me now. Plus, I mean, she was groovy in her bell-bottoms and sort of a rock-star-singer. I love singing! Does that count? ;) AND, she had 5 very talented children, you know.
Jan on Lover Come Back, played by Doris Day (and really all her late-50s, early 1960s movies): I love her I’m-tough-but-slightly-ditsy-and-I have-a-strong-sense-of-right-and-wrong, professional marketer with so much “mid-western experience” and Oo, oo, ooooo – anger never looked so good. She is all justice and righteousness with a nice poofy hairdo. Maybe I just wish this was me. But I love her – and that wardrobe of my dreams!
This Property is Condemned. This movie just impacted me like a Mack truck plowing over a recently planted seedling of a tree. I saw it when I was 11 and I couldn’t quit thinking about it for days. And weeks. I decided I wanted to be a script writer when I grew up because I wanted to re-write that movie and make it have a happy ending. And I thoroughly understood both characters. Alva Starr (the town flirt played by the tragic Natalie Wood) was over-the-top made-up and bejewelled and she was dead-set on getting out of her small-town going-nowhere life. Her little sister, Willie Starr, was the lost sibling, barely noticed, who ended up recounting the story of Alva in the movie. I relate to both, the driven-ness of the one, the memory-keeping of the other.
Did I forget to mention Robert Redford in the movie, too? Alva (Natalie Wood), left; the homely little sister, right.
It might be hard to believe, but I also feel a bit of Pollyanna in my personality. Though I probably hide my inner-Pollyanna often, she is ultimately there, believing everything will work out fine. Let’s all play the Glad Game now, shall we?
Other fictional characters I am drawn to, ones I recognize a little here and there?
Anne of Green Gables, the flying nun (not Gidget at all, though, but yes, the flying nun), Christy Love (of Get Christy Love!), Pippi Longstocking, & Beezus Quimby, the Beverly Cleery character from the Henry Huggins series (and Ramona’s older sister), but not as she is portrayed in the 2010 movie.
Who of us hasn’t felt like a red-headed orphan? Anne talked a lot (I relate) and had quite an imagination (me, too). Red hair!
“When lift plus thrust is greater than load plus drag, anything can fly.” That is how the adorable nun explained her flying ability. And as long as she could fly, she could be counted upon to solve any problem that happened along. Sort of a adventitious problem-solver.
Christie Love! An undercover female police detective born to overthrow the big drug rings and whose wonderful tagline was, “You’re under arrest, sugah.” Tall, strong and best-dressed with a take-charge attitude. And some awesome kicks to the bad-guy’s faces!
Pippi was unconventional, assertive and often vexed adults with her less-than-proper manners. I could never have gotten away with it, but I always wanted her fiery red hair which was in utter disarray along with her crazy mode of dress. She appeals to a naughtier side of me.
Beezus is usually kind, but sometimes an agitator and full of (older) sisterly wisdom (which does aggravate some people). While most of Beverly’s books were about little sister, Ramona, this one was from Beezus’s 9-year old point of view and my fav (written 1955).
So what conclusion may we come to?
Hmmm….I may have a dissociative identity disorder.
I so love so many of those movies. I adored Natalie Wood. Off the top of my head, without a lot of thought I loved solving mysteries with Nancy Drew. Laura from Little House had so much fun and her daddy doted on her. Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz. I loved how she loved and believed in all the others on the journey. She was nice to the odd and the weird. But she knew she needed to go home to those she loved. I grew up to have a Scottie Dog. Oh no! Todo wasn’t a scottie? I didn’t realize…… I love people like she did.
I read all the Happy Hollisters’ books. I didn’t want to be Pam or I think it was Peggy but I wanted to belong to their big family. I have one brother. So I married Paul with the 6 brothers and sisters.
And I didn’t want to be Tom Sawyer but I went down that river with him and Jim. He was so courageous! He didn’t follow the rules. I don’t know I just loved him.
I wanted to be Veronica from the Archies. She was so pretty. And that red headed Brenda somebody. She was in a comic book too. I’ve been a red head for a few years now. Did that come from that? Okay, finally I know. I wanted to be Jo from Little Women! I wan’ted to write and have adventures and think for myself. I think I’m there. Mostly.
What about Scarlett? If I were Scarlett I could have Rhett. hmmmm Okay so I’ve wrote enough.
Fun topic!
Oh, Donna-you are so fun! You just reminded me that I forgot about Cherry Ames – the nurse!!!