paintingtheclouds

This is for the members of the Yahoo Shirley Temple Club!This video is dedicated to Shirley and to her remarkable mother, Gertrude Temple. Since Shirley's career began at age 3, Gertrude worked tirelessly to keep her daughter unaffected and unspoiled; instilling in her a sense of responsibility to the public that has carried into her adult years.As a result of her parents' guidance and discipline, Shirley grew into a remarkable lady. In keeping with the public service she began early in life, Shirley went on to be the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana in 1974, the U.S. Chief of Protocol during Gerald Ford's administration, a United States representative to the United Nations, and the U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1987.She is truly one of the most amazing and inspirational individuals of the 20th century. She was and truly still is, at 83 years young - America's Princess. This is for you Shirley - we love you! :)

Mary Queen of Tots is one of the finest of the Our Gang silent films; it is tightly scripted and creatively executed with the right blend of melodrama and comedy. Add to that a dose of really good special effects for 1925, and it's a winner! My copy had a strange soundtrack to it, so just for fun, I decided to re-score the film using original LeRoy Shield music. Included is a 1930 RPM recording by the Shield orchestra of his own composition "Sing Song Girl", one of the few commercial recordings Shield did of one of his own compositions. Other music is Beau Hunks. Enjoy this fun film!

In 1949, the film Annie Get Your Gun, then starring Judy Garland, was recast starring Betty Hutton. This clip is from "The History of MGM". Unfortunately, the special only shows a little of the rushes. The VHS and DVD copies of Annie Get Your Gun feature all the surviving footage of Judy in the role of Annie.

1965-1969 8MM movies- no audio. White Meadow Avenue, Rockaway; Sunnyhill Road, Rockaway; Aunt Betty's house, Mom and Dad's wedding at Bethlehem Church in Randolph; mom's baby shower; Christmas tree and Gram's bunny cakes at Easter. :)

Part 2 Wizard of Oz Me and My Shadows. Follows the release of the film. From the 2001 biopic.

From the 2001 biopic Me and My Shadows, Tammy Blanchard as Judy Garland. This part gives a little background on the making of the 1939 film with some fun scenes with the Oz "cast". Just 'cause I felt like it.... :)

John Ritter as L Frank Baum tells his niece Dorothy the story of the Tin Woodsman of Oz. In reality, Baum did have a niece named Dorothy who died in childhood, but she was just an infant. The character of Dorothy was said to possibly have been inspired by another favorite niece of the Baum's. The film pulls the two people together in one character. (This part of the film actually bears a very strong resemblance to the real life story of Johnny Gruelle, who told his ill daughter, Marcella, stories about her rag doll's adventures, "Raggedy Ann" to entertain her. To work out his grief after her death, Gruelle wrote and published the stories with Marcella as the main character; thus keeping her forever "alive" , at least in a fantasy land. It would be interesting to know if the writers knew of Gruelle's story and wrote this part in.)

Ritter as L Frank Baum pulls all the parts of his "Magic Land" stories together with the idea of a "wizard" who is really just a "humbug", finding his inspiration from a traveling salesman he once worked with. Supposedly, Baum did really get the name of Oz from a file cabinet. :)

John Ritter as Baum presents the Wizard of Oz to illustrator W.W. Denslow, they work on it and present it to the publisher who rejects the manuscript. 1990 film will supposedly be part of the new Wizard Of Oz anniversary DVD set. Perhaps Warner will release it by itself if there is enough of a demand from fans!

Tripper and his little kitty friend

Classic comedy exchange. Stymie and Farina 1931. Along the lines of Laurel and Hardy and handled with every bit as much style and timing!

This is a slideshow I put together for my family for "Gram" who went to be with the Lord in December 2008. The day she died, the family found over 40 prayer journals filled with her writings, prayers and scripture verses going back to the 1980's. Those pieces of writing in the slideshow are from those journals, as they continue to be a testimony of her walk with the Lord on a daily basis.

For all my "turning 40" friends. Happy birthday to us! "I hit an oil patch at 35 and now I'm just skidding toward the grave, dahling..." (Sorry for the abrupt cut off at the end, but you get the idea........)

The girls have surgery

Audience shot clip of B'way performance of Act 1 Phantom; falling chandelier. Hugh Panaro's final performance as the Phantom, 2005. Sandra Joseph as Christine. Remarkable performances by all! :)