I've been lucky the past several years. The bad bugs and viruses have passed me by, until now. So I've spent the past few days being sick and now recovering from some nasty thing that I would not wish on anyone.
Yesterday I was so worn out from lack of sleep and being sick that I spent the day lying on the couch. It felt really weird, I have to say, and yet my mind couldn't concentrate and my body was unwilling to do anything else so there I was.
What did I do? I napped. Listened to the radio. And watched old movies. Really old ones, black and white but with sound. It reminded me of long Sunday afternoons when I was a child, watching
The Scarlet Pimpernel and
Jamaica Inn on the TV that sometimes had spells of rolling or zigzagging the picture. Yesterday I watched
Lady of Burlesque, a murder mystery,
The Red House, another mystery, and Algiers, an interesting drama set in the Casbah region.
Barbara Cartland was the star of the first one but none of the other names were familiar to me. In The Red House Edward G. Morrow and Rory Calhoun starred. Hedi Lamarr was the star of Algiers. I knew those names but none of the female stars. It makes me wonder what happened to those people? Was this their only shot at stardom? I am by no means a movie buff so perhaps many of them went on to good careers but I sure don't remember them.
I also noticed that often the camera would linger a l-o-n-g time on an actor's face. In my vague memory I recall reading somewhere that this "face time" was an important aspect of a movie contract back in the day; maybe it still is, but the fulfillment of that requirement isn't nearly as noticeable in today's films.
I am feeling a bit more like myself today, and getting a few small things done. Meanwhile, I just might sit down and watch another movie this afternoon. Another old one, I think. And I'll enjoy this break for a little while longer.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Hi Sue, rest and more rest, old movies are good too. Hugs and feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteJoy
Rest up and be well. Nothing better than enjoying some old movies when you are down for the count.
ReplyDeleteSorry you're down, but as you feel better don't rush to catch up! And do go on watching your movies. I notice how slow the shots are in older ones, leisurely scene, slow movement, no rapid cutting. We've speeded up a lot since then. And people moved differently then, too, more formally in a way. Anyway get well soon.
ReplyDeleteI have spent the last four weeks in misery sore throat, cough, sinus crud.
ReplyDeleteCaught if from my son, after two weeks, I felt a bit better,
Stupidly, I went and cleaned up some of his kitchen mess.
Old yucky pizza boxes etc, his wife was too smart to touch them.
Needless to say, I got zapped back in one day's time to misery villa.
Only just now am starting to feel like myself.
Still have a bit of a hang on cough though.
I feel for you, bless your heart!
Love some of the oldies, but not all.
Never liked Barbara Stanwyke to start with.
Heidi was a cutie pie, she had several non star roles.
But never really got anywhere.
Rory was in lots of old westerns,
He never did either,but had bit parts clear up to tv sitcoms.
Thank you, friends! I am getting better, thank goodness. Still taking it slow.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, I am so sorry you've been so sick. What a bummer. Many men sure don't know how to clean up, do they? Or maybe their idea of it is different than ours.