Jane Marie's Old Hollywood Faves

Dear Friends,

     Between reading the books in a romance series like ... ummm ... say The Goodbye Lie series, you may want to watch something on TV where the storyline isn't filled with explosions, drug dealers and expletives.  Enter:  Jane Marie's Old Hollywood Faves (1915 to 1963).  Since I write love stories,  I am a self-recognized expert when it comes to romantic films from that Golden Age of Hollywood you always hear about.  

     As Bruce, my husband, says, "Just because it's old, that doesn't mean it's good." He's right.  When it comes to my list, though, I can vouch for all these movies.  If you like tasteful romance with a heartfelt story, you will enjoy them. 

     Warning! You may shed a tear or two during some, but we all know a good cry can be a wonderful release.  If you don't understand that last sentence, may I suggest you tune into another episode of My Mother the Car. (Yes, that was a real television show once upon a time.)

      I have turned many onto these 20th century films.  Pay attention to the wonderful clothes, style and backgrounds plus the dialogue. Often, too, there are objects or decor supporting the plot and mood of a scene.  Fun stuff!

     Search the internet, YouTube, Netflix, Turner Classic Movies and so many other places to find these delights, many at no cost.    

     Finally, in no particular order, here are:

Jane Marie's Top 

Old Hollywood Faves

Back Street - 1961, Susan Hayward and John Gavin, heavy drama, color 💔😭

Now, Voyager - 1942, Bette Davis and Paul Henreid, drama, black and white 💘 😢

An Affair to Remember - 1957, Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (pronounced Car), light-hearted to dramatic, color 😍😢

Pillow Talk - 1959, Doris Day and Rock Hudson,  cute comedy, color  😍

Gone With The Wind - 1939, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, circa the American Civil War, drama, color 💚💕

Houseboat - 1958, Cary Grant and Sohpia Loren, comedy, color  😍

Gilda - 1946, Rita Hayworth and Glen Ford, heavy drama, black and white, wow story! 💓😥💚😠

Singin' in the Rain- 1952, Gene Kelly and Debbie Renyolds, romantic musical, color 🎵😘

North by Northwest - 1959, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, sophisticated romance/ mystery/suspense (directed by Alfred Hitchcock) 😲💕

All That Heaven Allows - 1955, Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, drama, color 💕

The Enchanted Cottage - 1945, sweet drama, black and white 😌💕

Bonus Fave

The Quiet Man - 1952,  John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, charming, mostly lighthearted, family favorite, color 😍

Honorable Mention

Move Over, Darling - 1964, Doris Day and James Garner, romantic comedy 😍

Magnificent Obsession - 1954, Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, drama 💘😢 

Mogambo - 1953, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly, drama in untamed Africa 💚

1940s Jane Marie image 

sent in by

Jessica R. from Dallas, Texas,

 a reader who knows I have a passion for Old Hollywood. She found my picture online and turned back time.  Far too flattering, but so much fun.  Thank you, Jessica! 

Addition to the Fleet

Graciousmobile II

     Gotcha. No, I'm not writing about our U.S. Navy ships, manned by dedicated Americans. I'm writing about my Graciousmobile II. And this is the short version:

     It was a blisteringly hot day in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida.  My original Graciousmobile I, a 2005 silver Chrysler PT Cruiser, was loaded with dog, husband, luggage and granddaughter Ava. The purpose of our trip was to safely return the small child into the waiting arms of her loving parents after a week's worth of hardcore wackiness at our annual Grammy Camp. So, there we were, gas tank full, dog secured in her own personal puppy seat with us all buckled in and the key in the ignition. 
    "Grammy, I'm hot," came Ava's sweet voice from the back, as she pressed her little self into the door, keeping her distance from the sometimes irritable rescued Chihuahua, Abby, with whom she shared the back seat.
     "Hang on, baby girl.  I'm firing up the Cruiser right now.  I turned the key and the engine whirled the way an engine should.  "Crank the windows down and let the heat out till the air conditioning catches up," I directed all, backing us out of the driveway.  That's when I saw Abby's face in my rear view mirror. She was panting and, far too hard, to take a trip to the corner let alone a trip several hours away.  The AC had conked out.  What a time for this to happen. We were on a deadline because Ava had to get home. As an aside:  I had recently taken the elderly Graciousmobile I to the garage to have the AC repaired.  They couldn't find the leak, so put some sort of stop-leak somewhere under the hood.  The mechanic told me it should stay cool long enough to carry us through the summer and well into the fall. He was wrong. 
     Now I could have stood the drive with all the windows down.  Bruce could have, too, but not the small child and certainly not the semi-sweet dog.  So, straight away, we went to the only rental car company on the island, picked up a white car and got Ava home on schedule. 
     A white car?  What kind, you might wonder.  I can't tell you because I don't care about cars, so much so, I don't even remember what brand it was.  I have never had any interest in cars and that is a big part of why I dragged my feet for such a long time when it came to buying another vehicle.  I needed a sign, something to force me to go car shopping.  No air conditioning in the summer was that sign. So, as long as there is a radio and a working air conditioner, I'll drive anything.  It would follow that I don't watch car commercials either. I will admit I do recognize a Jeep, a truck, a bus, a convertible, a station wagon,  a Model T or similar vehicles, a bread truck, a dump truck and a Jaguar.  A Jaguar has round front fenders.  Did James Bond drive one of those?  Oh, and an old Mustang and a '57 Chevy.
     Okay, where do I begin? Fact #1: A new car had to fit inside our one car garage with enough room for me to still exit the vehicle. Fact #2: It needs as much cargo room as my PT Cruiser.      (Bruce went car shopping 11 years ago with my five-foot book rack in hand. The Cruiser  was the only car that would hold my rack.)
      I was on a quest and Google was my friend. I filled three single-spaced legal pad sheets of paper with stats of cross-over/small SUVs, I think they were called. I had no idea how many kinds and styles there were. I was truly shocked.  My four columns per page were  Name/Brand, Width/Length, Cargo Space and Mileage. The winner was this 2019 Honda Fit! (The 2019 was less money than a 2018. Go figure!) It comfortably fits in the garage, gets 33 miles per hour in the city and 40 on the highway and the seats lay down. While the cargo space is less, it's as big inside as I could find. The final plus for me is the brilliant bright red of the machine. The newest Graciousmobile II needs to stand out and show off her Goodbye Lie series signs and, by jingo, she certainly does. I love her! 

P.S. Sometime I'll have to tell you about the time I followed my son-in-law's car. The family is still raggin' me over that one. 

The Case of the Mysterious Droppings

Clearly, Abby feels no guilt or shame.

     Look at the photo on the right and realize this is the first thing I saw as I exited our bedroom that foggy Easter morning. Wearing my Sunday best, my tasseled shoes included, I prepared myself for the less than likeable task of clean-up. And since I  don't believe in embarrassing animals or humans, I didn't question Abby about the matter. But I thought the image of our Spokes Dog, standing in the middle of you know what, proved she was the guilty party.  Although she looked quite proud of herself in the picture, she knew better than to do her business in the house. In fact, it's rare that she does. Oh, a dust bunny suggested the Easter Bunny left us this remembrance of him, but I was not fooled.  Abby was the culprit, for sure.
     Or was she? Remember I mentioned my special shoes. They are dressy and comfy and I've had them for ages. They are some kind of silky fabric and have no signs of wear. I always try them on the night before an event to make certain my feet, over the years, haven't grown and I have that Cinderella wicked step-sister thingie going on. 

my beloved tasseled shoes

   So, back to Easter morning. I heard this odd clacking. Naturally, I looked about to find the source of the clacking. Then I remembered the previous evening as I walked around the house in my shoes. The lights were low, the TV was blaring and Abby was barking at the passersby outside. Hmm. The noise was enough to make we want to scream phooey!  This morning, the house was quiet so with an even cadence when I walked, the clacking noise sounded. When I stopped walking, the clacking stopped, too. Hmm, a second time. Could it be? By jingo, it sure could. When I raised my foot to look at the heel of my shoe, there was none!  At least, the rubber sole part was gone. The droppings were not from innocent Abby, but from my shoes! They were and still are so old, the rubber had dry-rotted!            Sorry Abs. If you could talk, I think you would happily give me a piece of your doggie mind.  I know you have a mind because when I lift your right front paw, you let me shake it. That's the best trick you do, next to taking food from my fingertips, of course.  

🎜Where has all the rubber gone? Long time passing🎝

Walla-What???

I've come across a few strange characters while book signing over the years. Two-legged and four-legged ... Do you remember the unicorn??? (If you missed it, click here: http://graciousjanemarie.blogspot.com/2015/11/unicorn-pays-visit.html)  Well, add this to the list. 
     There I was, outside Sea Jade, Amelia Island's favorite Old Florida souvenir shop on Centre Street in our historic town of Fernandina Beach.  Chatting with some very nice tourists, I interrupted myself to exclaim, " Holy moly!  Is that -?  Sure is!"  Not a kangaroo, but according to the owner carrying the precious critter around in a cloth pouch, it was a wallaby!   Much smaller than a kangaroo, she explained Oliver will get to two feet or a little more.  Like a dog, he is her pet.  At night, he sleeps in this pouch, which hangs from a door knob.  He has recently discovered he can jump out of the pouch. She and her husband are going to try a playpen to corral the little critter next.  Good luck.  Me thinks it won't be long before Oliver will be running the household and pretty much their whole world. 

     What fun it was for everyone who spied the sweet, gentle animal she's raised from a baby.  Her kindness has clearly rubbed off on it because anybody could pet it.

So next time you're on Amelia Island, keep a lookout and be prepared to be surprised in a wonderful way.




















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