Tag Archives: barbara stanwyck

My TV-movie Family

Let’s Cast My Childhood, 1964-1971

The MOSLANDERS::Who could play us in a made-for-TV movie about Ross-the-boss, Mrs Moss, and all the Little Landers??

My dad

James Garner

Is there really any actor who is more beautiful than James Garner?  I mean, he stayed good looking,too.  And he is a man’s man.  And when he had his show The Rockford Files, my dad loved it because he had a similiar swagger.  And I always thought of my dad as very handsome and put together, too, and definitly full of self-assured attitude.  So, yes, James Garner could have played the role of my dad.

My mom

Barbara Stanwick

My mamala never wore one stitch of make-up in her life until retirement and barely now, so this younger, slightly less-than-ultra-glamorous version of Barbara Stanwick would work, more innocent.  Barbara was always a little feisty, and my mom was and is just plain SWEET!  She is a loving, forgiving,  guile-less woman.  She is truly beautiful, really gorgeous features, but never capitalized on them.  To this day, she has a jawline women pay big money to try to get.

Little brother, Joey

Ernie from My Three Sons.

Joe.  He had to get glasses in the 4th grade, I think.  He was a cutie, really, always a fav with the girls.  He had coarse, naturally wavy (a little bit curly) dark hair he tried to keep under control.  He still has all his hair, though it is silvery with wisdom now.  He was like-able and nice, a good friend and sweet brother who just had that awkward glasses stage for a time.  But oh, I love him.  Yes, Ernie from My Three Sons could be Joe in the TV version.

Little brother, Timmy

Little Ricky Nelson from Ozzie and Harriet

Irrepressible.  Cute.  And asked mom to shave his head on a couple of occasions, oddly.

Little sister, Tami

Buffy from Family Affair

Remember that show?  Buffy was a twin to Jonny Whitaker?  And she had a doll names Mrs. Beasley?  Tami had that doll, too and was cute as a button, 6 years younger than me.

Baby brother, Danny

Timmy from Lassie.

Danny was the cute little cuddler.  The baby.  Mom’s little fella.

Finally ME, the firstborn!

Jodie Foster.

She played Danny Partridge’s girlfriend, Gloria, in an episode or two of my fav show.  Her teeth, like mine, were a little big for her head and her hair was fine, like mine.  And if she weren’t an actress with  a make-up crew, I bet it would have been as stringy as mine, too.    She was blonder, but yes, Jodies could play the role of Jeanie, I think.

The Real Moslanders, 1964

And in 1971

25 Days Until You-Know-What!

Christmas in Connecticut

I watched the old, crisp-black-and-white, 1945 “Christmas in Connecticut” last night, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan.  It is official.  I am into Christmas.  And I LOVE this movie (I have for almost 30 years, now).

christmas_connecticut

Elizabeth Lane

Barbara Stanwyck plays Elizabeth Lane, a writer for a homemaking magazine, and just seeing it again last night made me laugh at myself, for I think I truly have emulated her food-writing style.  It obviously has impacted my romanticism in regards to writing about the “homely arts.”   She is gorgeous and tough, she is smart and sassy.  She is self-sufficient and alluring.  She absolutely sparkles in this sweet and silly old movie. 

And the fur coat?  I have it!  I actually bought the exact same style of coat (made in the 40s) at an antique shop in Sioux City, Iowa in 1987.  I want to be Elizabeth Lane!

christmas-in-connecticut1 barbara

I’m wishin’ that I may

I’m wishin’ that I might

Have the wish that I wish for tonight

Spoiler Alert…may give away some things (hopefully just makes you want to see it)

In the movie she is a city-girl journalist who can’t even boil water, but is forced to play farm wife and mother for her boss who doesn’t know her writing isn’t actually from a farm in Connecticut.  Barbara Stanwyck is elegantly charming and totally lovable enlisting help from the men her life to pull this off: the horribly pretentious, prissy bore of an architect she is engaged to marry and Uncle Felix, the restaurant owner from whom she gets all her recipe copy.  They set out to create the “Elizabeth Lane” persona for her boss, who has invited a war-hero sailor to spend Christmas with them at the farm.

When the hunky sailor shows up, the usually-cool Elizabeth knows she has met her match.

 I adore the script-

Nora:  I’ve never flipped in me life and I’m not gonna start flippin’ now for no man.

Felix:  Nobody needs a mink coat but the mink!

Elizabeth Lane(about her boss):  Every time I opened my mouth, he talked.  I felt like Charlie McCarthy.

And watch for the “Christmas-card” scene.  You know, like in “Holiday Inn,” and “White Christmas?”  There is a moment when they take you to the Connecticut farm and it is snowy and there are sleigh bells and suddenly your heart is just pulled in to the story: this is what every Christmas should be, you feel, as the music rises majestically and you are magically transported to the fire-y hearth and can practically smell the good old Irish stew simmering from the kitchen…

christmas-in-connecticut-house-in-snow 25colct

It’s lighthearted, totally silly, borrowed babies, fake marriages, a nosy and overpowering magazine publisher, a little farcical and one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies.  The really talented cast manages to create some well-defined and lovable characters.  I am telling you, suspend some disbelief and just enjoy a “Christmas in Connecticut.”  It’ll make you smile.  And then we can talk more about it when I won’t be ruining it for you!

The 1945 Trailer

See?  I mean, come on!

P.S.  Believe me when I tell you that the early 90’s remake (Arnold Schwartzeneggar’s directorial debut, I think) was not nearly as wonderful, but it does have the beautiful Dyan Cannon – so that is something, I guess.