Well, it's a rather blegh Monday here in Atlanta, but after a very lovely weekend, I can't complain too much. Saturday and Sunday were a little cooler than I was expecting, but the sun refused to go away and the wind didn't blow too much out of control. I suppose for now I can tolerate the rain...
Of course, Sunday was the day to honor Mom. Sadly, I did not spend Mother's Day with my own Mom since she and my Dad enjoyed the day down in Florida while her daughters remained in their respective locales. But I will do my best to make it up to her next week when she's here decorating for me (I get the feeling that one of the best presents I can give her will be to stay out of her way as she does what she wishes with my apartment - but I'll make sure she takes a break). I did, however, spend the day with two very lovely mothers and their families, and I experienced first-hand (even though I was more the sous chef in this instance) the trials and joys of homemade bbq -- which by the way turned out quite delicious. Next time, I have no doubt, will go quite smoothly. Regardless, the weekend was lovely, and I just want to give a belated Happy Mother's Day shout out to all you Moms out there, and to say: Thank You Gail for being the most awesome Mom -- Thank You Nana for being the best Nana ever -- and Thank You Karen for being the coolest Godmother any kid (or adult) could ask for. I'm so very lucky to have such amazing women in my life!
Speaking of Moms: I'm here in my AVID session at work editing some pieces that will air Wednesday, May 26. This May's TCM Star of the Month is Donna Reed - a name synonymous with TV Moms - and on the 26th her daughter Mary will be talking to Robert about 4 of the films her Mom made concerning World War II. So, in case you want to set your DVRs, the films airing May 26 will be From Here to Eternity, They Were Expendable, See Here, Private Hargrove, and Faithful in My Fashion (those first two are serious dramas while the second pairing are very light and enjoyable comedies). The reason Donna Reed was picked as May's Star of the Month is because during World War II, Donna received over 300 letters from GIs, and she saved every single one of them. Just as popular as Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth were to the men in uniform, so too was Donna Reed - who knew?? So, as part of our Memorial Day tribute, Donna Reed and her letters are spotlighted this month.
Now, while I was somewhat familiar with Donna Reed before this project, I honestly hadn't seen too many of her films -- other than It's a Wonderful Life about 1,374 times. Also - being the Gilmore Girls fan I am, I love the episode all about The Donna Reed Show - if you don't know it, check out episode 14 from Season 1 titled, "That Damn Donna Reed" - great stuff! Anyhow, I have to give props to Donna Reed for all the unfairness she had to put up with from the men in her industry - including the fact that many people blamed her for the lackluster box office performance of It's a Wonderful Life - and the restrictions placed upon her just for being a woman. Well, The Donna Reed Show gave her the opportunity to take control of her career and do things her way. And that's saying a lot seeing that the show started in 1958 and lasted for eight seasons - incredibly impressive for any television series! I think of the films I've seen her in thus far, I have to say I love her in They Were Expendable - especially having to share the screen with John Wayne, not to mention being pushed around by John Ford - a director who had a reputation as being a pretty unfriendly fellow, especially with his actresses. But Donna held her own and her performance is wonderful. They Were Expendable is terribly harrowing, but for a Memorial Day film, it's perfectly fitting.
Alright, that's my plug this post for TCM. I hope you all are able to check out at least one Donna Reed film this May. They're pretty terrific!
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