Do you ever feel like you missed your calling in life? I know I do. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with the way my life turned out, but sometimes I wish I had been born 50 years earlier. I would have made one hell of a lounge singer. I could see myself sitting in a bar all night, year after year, drinking scotch and chain smoking three packs a day. Yep, I certainly would have made one hell of a lounge singer.I've started watching all of my favorite holiday films this week in preparation for Christmas. Holiday Inn is one of my top 10 favorites. What a great film! I'm not any kind of dance expert, but I've never seen someone who could move like Fred Astaire. That dude was so light on his feet that it seemed like he could glide, he was real flexible flyer. I'm pretty sure that most people know all about what kind of singer Bing Crosby was. Ever hear that duet he sang with David Bowie? Not bad.
The best scene in Holiday Inn is a battle sequence between Bing singing and Fred dancing(they also mock each other in that scene). Fred also does a 4th of July number(that's what we showman in the business call a routine) with a smoke in his mouth and fire crackers. Almost every time I'm done watching this flick I drive my wife crazy singing (I have a tendency of butchering lyrics, but I can carry a tune) and dancing(couldn't dance to save my soul).
The world seemed like a much happier place during the golden age of Hollywood. You couldn't even be an actor if you didn't smoke two cartons a week, and all the old crooners like Sinatra for example, wouldn't be caught dead in public with out a glass of scotch glued to his hand. Now in days if you smoke your treated like a leper, and most actors you see today have water in their hands instead of Scotch. They don't live any longer as far as I can tell, and they certainly don't act any better. I bet you couldn't find two guys who are currently living on this planet that could out sing, out dance or out act Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Who? Matt Damon and Ben Afflec? Give me a fucking break!
Perhaps in the near future I will drink a bottle of scotch and put up some audio posts for you. I know your just dying to hear Corky the Crooner, belt out some Christmas songs.
11 comments:
The golden age of Hollywood did seem to be a happier place. Maybe that was due to less media though. It does seem like there was more of an emphasis on real talent. As opposed to recent years when so many talentless actors get parts based soley on their looks.
We could do a duet Christmas song, that would be cool. You with your scotch and me with my vodka glued to our hands, smoking our lungs out. Good times!
Nothing to do with the holidays, but one of my alltime favorite "old" movies is "Bringing Up Baby." It's funny as hell. They just don't make 'em like they used to.
It takes a confident man to admit he loves Old Hollywood and "Holiday Inn". Good for you.
I bet those were the days. I'm partial to the "Roaring Twenties" myself.
You must do an audio post pronto :)
A lot of people know this already but Dean Martin, often affectionately referred to as Deano Martini, carried around a rocks glass filled with apple juice, not scotch.
The scotch and the slight slurring of words was all part of his schtick. He was the charming cad and everyone loved it.
I tried to pull that one off for years, and look were it got me.
True story.
I loved all of the old Techni- Colour films when I was a kid. Danny Kaye, Debbie Reynolds, Lesley Caron, Cary Grant.....
I would love to hear you sing some show tunes and/or Christmas Carols.....
I like you Captain! I want to be Rosemary Clooney when I grow up! I definitely have the voice, and the clevage!
;-)
Oh! Please please please do an audio post!
Thank you in advance. :)
I would like to request you croon any Kiss song of your liking. You really should never drink alone let me know when and we will drink in our own virtual bar.
wait...did "life or something like it" suggest you do SHOW TUNES?
Um...
Ummmm....
Is she/he suggesting that you're...
?????????????
L M A O
You can check out my first auido post here gang. Link: http://corkyslog.blogspot.com/2006/07/this-is-audio-post-click-to-play.html
And if I had been born 50 years earlier, I'd be Fred Astaire. He was Mr. Cool, Mr. Sophisticated. And he could sing better than Bing could dance. So there. ;)
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