By Jan Wahl–
These are times when we often need a quick fix, a few moments to lift our spirits. Easily surfing YouTube not only reveals sparkling showbiz moments, but also brief sequences of favorite films and subjects.
Search for “Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling” in Royal Wedding. He soars in this musical sequence, actually titled “You’re All the World to Me,” which has never been replicated. He finds himself in love and expresses it as only Fred can, but this time up walls and literally on the ceiling. It is just a momentary ride in this world, but one well worth taking.
Who is your favorite painter? I have many, from Rembrandt to Van Gogh. But for soothing visuals, it is always Monet. A search for “Monet” at YouTube turned up Claude Monet: A Collection of 1540 Paintings. Set to sweet music, this is a guide through many of Monet’s paintings. It would be nice to go to Giverny right now, but this is the next best thing.
To Have and Have Not‘s “The Whistle Scene” brings us a classic movie moment that proves sultry is better than graphic. Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart have the sizzling screen chemistry when she asks him if he knows how to whistle. This is a chance to study great Howard Hawks direction and the film’s lighting, costumes, and camerawork. Hawks wrote the scene (no help from Hemingway, Faulkner, or Furthman) as an audition for Bacall. Needless to say, she got the part.
When I need an out loud laugh, YouTube is the place I frequently go to. Maybe because I’ve been in showbiz for most of my life, but Jiminy Glick is my guy. Martin Short spoofs every bad interviewer of stars ever, and Jiminy is truly terrible. A search for “The Best of Jiminy Glick” and Primetime Glick will guide you through the demented mind and body of the notorious Glick as he attempts to interview everyone from Larry David to Mel Brooks to Edie Falco. Short is one of the funniest people I’ve interviewed, but nobody tops Jiminy Glick for getting the worst out of people. Shocking but fun.
Maybe it’s because I married a man from small town Iowa or I’m just in love with sublime performance, but it just cannot get better than Robert Preston as The Music Man singing “Ya Got Trouble.” It’s a capital T that rhymes with P that stands for pool. Preston is perfectly cast as a so-called music professor trying to start a boys’ band in River City. We are shocked to find a pool table in our community, and Preston’s Harold Hill has a possible way out for us. It’s an upbeat, fun number with a remarkable leading man just when we need it.
Marisa Tomei won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for My Cousin Vinny. The scene that so many of us remember is when she explains to a jury how a car works. The place is rural Alabama and two New York young men have been accused of murder. Tomei gets every word right as she carefully explains tired and skid marks. All you need to do is search for “My Cousin Vinny: Automotive Expert.”
Many of us are animal lovers and find that their antics put a smile on our faces. Happy Dogs and Cat in Australia is a compilation that includes every kind of dog and one wonderful cat dancing, swimming, laughing, and basically reminding us of how much we can learn from these wonderful creatures. It is all done to the music of Pharrell Williams, so we’re talking happy!
There are so many other paths to take for a distraction or escape. Thank you, YouTube!
You Tube Links
Royal Wedding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbcW04DLSxQ
Monet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCVYEqc_Hw4
To Have and Have Not: The Whistle Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30DSfAA0brs
The Very Best of Jimmy Glick:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwRg5PiovHQ
Primetime Glick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDKoe-DnufY
The Music Man “Ya Got Trouble”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI
Happy Dogs and Cat in Australia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DePFiF-nNoE
Emmy Award-winner Jan Wahl is a renowned entertainment reporter, producer, and teacher. A member of the prestigious Directors Guild of America, she is regularly featured on KPIX television (every Monday morning starting at 6:15 am) and on KCBS AM & FM and other media outlets. To read and listen to her reviews for KCBS, go to: https://kcbsradio.radio.com/authors/jan-wahl For more info about her remarkable life and career: http://www.janwahl.com/ Check out her entertaining and informative videos at http://sfbaytimes.com/
Published on October 8, 2020
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