Peyton Place, the 1956 novel by Grace Metalious, blew the lid off of everywhere USA. So, even in small towns there are secrets and surprises? The novel inspired a 1957 movie and a 1960s TV series. Poor Grace died of alcoholism at age forty in 1964, hated by many but read by millions.
Peter Sellers' birthday. The Life & Death of Peter Sellers (2004) reveals many secrets and surprises about the man. A genius in many ways, Sellers was also -- certainly one will think so after seeing this excellent biopic -- a beast. Cool soundtrack to this, and colorful style.
Patsy Cline, poor thing. Such a hauntingly memorable voice, such bad luck -- after surviving two bad car crashes, she died in a small plane crash in Tennessee. Thirty years old (1932-1963).
Zooey Deschanel. Though it's not her birthday, it is Pink's, and they're both connected to Penelope Spheeris' The Gospel According to Janis (ca. 2008). Deschanel will play Janis Joplin; Pink apparently bowed out. I first noticed her in The Good Girl (2002) and imagine she'll be very good as Joplin. A breakout role for her, hopefully. Mary Jo Deschanel, Zooey's mother, played a supporting role in Twin Peaks.
Today's Rune: Growth.
Birthdays: Antonín Dvořák, Siegfried Sassoon, Jimmie Rodgers, Sid Caesar, Mimi Parent, Grace Metalious (b. Marie Grace de Repentigny), Peter Sellers, Patsy Cline (b. Virginia Patterson Hensley), Ann Beattie, Pink (Alecia Moore).
6 comments:
I thought the HBO biopic of Peter Sellers was wonderful. A Shot in the Dark was a family fave when I was a kid, so he's always been a favorite of mind.
Zooey Deschanel is such a lovely actress. I hope the Joplin biopic makes her a star. I thought she was great in Elf, too. She kept it as human and alive as Will Ferrell did.
Grace who?
Peter who?
Zooey (she is a fie form of a young female) who?
Patsy Cline might have made me a true country music fan had she not died to early.
Peace
Mark
In the small world department, Emily Toth is in my writing group in New Orleans. I've actually not read this book, although I've read her advice book for academics.
Thanks to Erik for the notice about my INSIDE PEYTON PLACE: THE LIFE OF GRACE METALIOUS, and to Charles Gramlich for telling me about it.
Grace Metalious would have been 83 on Sept. 8, but she drank herself to death long before that. My biography's been bought by Sandra Bullock and Fox 2000 for a possible feature film, so people may get to see how she wrote that great, trashy, wonderful book that I still treasure as the dirty book of my generation.
Emily Toth
emtoth14@gmail.com
That Sellars film was great wasn't it? Can't remember the soundtrack though???
Thank you all so much for the comments! Beth, cool -- your blog is cool, too ;)
Walking Man (Mark) -- Ms. Cline's voice is hard to beat, one that crosses genres.
Charles -- excellent! Thanks!
Emily, wow. Wonderful. I really like Inside Peyton Place and have heard many good things about your Kate Chopin books. Hope this turns into a movie soon -- and congtrats!
Danny -- lots of great stuff from Tom Jones, The Kinks, Bowie, The Animals, Marvin Gaye, and perfect anachronistic one by The Clash. HBO has a talent for matching music to their series and movies.
Thanks again, y'all ;)
Post a Comment