Classic Movie Mondays ~ "The Mad Miss Manton"

 

If you've read my previous blog posts, you know how much I love Bette Davis movies. And while she is my all-time favorite, my second is the dramatic Barbara Stanwyck. 

Turner Classic Movies showed a string of Stanwyck's movies, so I put the DVR to work and recorded some I hadn't seen. 

The Mad Miss Manton was the first one I watched, and I loved it! Even though I like Stanwyck for her dramatic acting, she also nails this comedy role. 

The movie is a romantic comedy/ murder mystery. Stanwyck's character Melsa Manton a quirky lady with a group of ride or die friends that work together trying to solve a murder.

Melsa is out walking her dogs when she someone she knows come running from an empty home. She calls to him as he runs from the house, but he doesn't answer and jumps in his car and drives away.

Curious, Melsa enters the house and finds a dead body lying on the floor. She rushes out to call the police and when they show up; the body is gone.

Now, the police don't believe Melsa. Why? Because she's a quirky lady, and she calls police for trivial matters, like helping her sick dog. And she's known as a prankster. 

The police lieutenant doesn't believe her and scolds her for calling and wasting his time.

So, what does Melsa do? She calls in her "ride or die" group of ladies, and they get to work solving the mystery. 

This leads to many comical situations and her run-in with her love interest and editor of the newspaper, Peter Ames, played by Henry Fonda. 

The love/hate relationship between the two moves the story forward and also creates some funny scenes. 

In the end, with the help of her friends and Peter, Melsa solves the mystery. I won't spoil the ending by revealing the murderer. 

But, I will share one of my favorite scenes. 

Melsa and her friends find another dead body. She calls the police, but again, they don't believe her. so, what does this group of ladies do? Drop the dead body off the newspaper editor's office- Peter Ames.

The crazy antics and fun characters in the movie had me laughing out loud at times. I recommend watching this one, and I'd watch it again. 

Next week, don't be surprised if my post is another Barabar Stanwyck movie! 

 

Where'd You Come Up With That?!~ Wednesdays - Give It a Few Days

Image from Bewilderingstories.com

It's almost the first anniversary of my short story "Give It A Few Days" at Bewildering Stories. This story is one of my favorites because of the subject. It deals with how well our minds try to protect us from the things that scare us, make us sad, or a reality we just don't want to face. 

I've suffered from anxiety my entire life, so I know first-hand how well our brains can control our thoughts, feelings and just general well-being. And, my family has suffered a great deal of over the past few years, and dealing with grief is a personal journey, and no two people grieve in the same way. 

That's where I came up with this story. I lost my mother and father in 2013 and 2014, respectively. In my mind I picture my parents still alive and well, sitting on their front porch. My dad with his cigar and my mom relaxing on the porch swing. Somewhere deep in my subconscious, I know this isn't true, but it helps me so much to deal with the loss. If I sat down every day and thought about how much I miss them—their voice, laughter and hugs, and just a simple conversation, I'd breakdown and drown in my grief. I do the same with other loved ones I've lost and miss. I picture them alive and happy. 

The main character in this short story, Cheryl, has to deal with an unexpected event in her life she can't accept. So, she processes and deals with it the only way she can. Her mind protects her from reality. 

I hope this story resonates with anyone who has been forced to face an unexpected and tragic life event. 

Here is the link to "Give It A Few Days" at Bewildering Stories.

I welcome any feedback, so if you'd like to contact feel free! Contact Me

Happy Reading!

Classic Movie Monday~ Our Town

Our Town is a play written by Thorton Wilder, and it's a Pulitzer Prize Winner. I have to be fair and say I haven't read the play, but the movie I didn't really get into. Here's why...

It's mundane and boring. Maybe it's meant to be that way because it is about a little ordinary town, Grover's Corners, and the daily lives of the residents over a span of twelve years. Nothing exciting happens to the characters and I'm assuming that's the point of the story.

The movie narrator appears and talks to the audience (I'm assuming it's similar to the play) but with him popping up and giving information, the movie felt like Christmas cartoons--You know, like Rudolph etc. In my opinion, at least for the movie, the narrator should have been left out. 

For me, he was intrusive and didn't add anything to the story. Maybe if he just introduced the movie at the beginning and then allowed it to play out, it would be more enjoyable. 




I know the plays spans 12 years, but it skips quickly and the third skip ahead gets a little confusing. *A spoiler alert is coming!!**

Emily Webb appears to die in childbirth and has an entire scene where she looks back on life and realizes that no one really takes time to appreciate life while it's happening, but later she's in her bed with the baby and her husband it peeking in through the door at her, so I  was confused. Did she die? Maybe this is clear in the stage performance but in the movie, after she accepts death we see her lying there with a newborn baby in her arms.

While watching the movie, I thought she had a near death experience, but lived because of that scene. I was mistaken. 

I don't feel like the movie was a waste of time, but It's not something I'd watch again or a move I'd recommend to others. 

Happy Reading! (and watching) 

Publication News and a Review!

Got my first review of "The Sofa Monster" On LitPick! Here's the link!

Thank you, Anissa for your kind review!

I also have publication news. Several of my short stories are available to read in various online publications. 

"East of Omaha" is a short story about a rather unusual case of mistaken identity. You can read it here at Scarlet Leaf Review

"Hunting the Scullywiggins" is a mystery story, sprinkled with a little humor and a little twist at the end. You can read it in Penny Shorts.

"Maybe Tomorrow" is a 100-word story about anxiety that you can at The Drabble.

These sites also allow comments, so feel free to leave any comments you may have. 

Upcoming: "Give It A Few Days" is a short story about a woman who refuses to accept the truth...even after it assaults her nostrils! It's dark humor, and it's coming to Bewildering Stories on August 5th! 

I hope you have time to stop by and if you like any of these stories, you're sure to enjoy the short stories in my Flashes of Fiction books on Kindle.

Happy Reading!

Giveaway!! Woot!!

I'm having a giveaway for Alfred C. Bogeyman.

It's started yesterday and runs through March 11th at midnight. Click here to follow my Amazon page and have a chance to win. 

The book is a short story for Kindle. 

Book Blurb:

Three friends, Adrian, Sean, and Ralph, set out to find the boogieman and make him stop scaring Adrian's younger brother. With the help of Ralph's Dog, Socks, the boys track and battle the boogieman living behind the park.

Here are a few reviews:

From Author Jenny Twist via Goodreads:

Adrian is the man of the house now so it’s his job to protect his little brother. When the bogeyman starts coming to the house every night and frightening Sam to death he decides to deal with it. Together he, his two friends and Socks the dog set off to find the bogeyman and give him a taste of his own medicine.

A delightful story which takes you straight back to those dreadful childhood fears which had to be tackled alone because no grown-up ever believed you. 

Ms Allman has once again come up with a new twist on an old theme – and done it in an entertaining and superbly well-written way. Very satisfying.

Jocelyn Sanchez via Goodreads:

This was a very cute and fun story. I really enjoyed reading it and having a few laughs with Ralph, Sean, and Adrian. 

This short story is about three children named Ralph, Sean, and Adrian who believe that the boogieman is scaring Adrian's little brother Sam. Adrian is the brave one in the group, Ralph is the brains, while Sean is afraid of everything. Feeling the need to protect his little brother Adrian and the boys go on a mission to find the boogieman and teach him a lesson. They come up with a plan to use Sean's dog Socks to track down the boogieman and scare him. I don't want to give too much away but I'll say I really liked the ending of the story and really enjoyed reading about Sean, Adrian, and Ralph. It was a really good read!

Here is the link to reviews via students reviews on LitPick

Go enter to win! and Happy Reading!!

Where'd You Come Up With That?! Wednesdays~ The Sofa Monster

In this story, Sammy is scared when a creature emerges from the couch cushions. The monster is a hodge-podge of things lost down the sofa cushions, like loose change, candy, toothpicks, and old shoe strings. 

Sammy tries to tell his parents about the sofa monster, but they don't believe him. Later, the monster is hiding under the dinner table, and he helps Sammy get rid of his peas so he can have dessert. Then he finds the monster hiding under his bed. The monster is nice, so Sammy crawls under the bed with him and is surprised when he finds out what the Sofa Monster wants. Together they make a deal so that both he and Sofa Monster get what they want. 

This story came to me as I was cleaning underneath the couch cushions and in the cracks. I really don't know how all that stuff gets in there, but I never know what I'm going to find. That got me thinking about what happens to the "stuff" that gets lost in the cracks. There could be a whole different world in those sofa cushions!

I think anyone with kids can relate to finding "stuff"  in odd places. You never know what kids will do when you're not looking. 

And from there the Sofa Monster was born! 

You can find the book on Amazon and directly from the publisher Pen It! Publications.

The Sofa Monster is also listed on LitPick for student reviews. 

Happy Reading!

Classic Movie Mondays~ Dark Victory

Photo courtesy of IMD https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031210/

I think I've expressed my love for Bette Davis in prior posts. I watch every movie she is in, even if she isn't in the staring role. She has her own uniqueness mannerisms and voice that really stand out no matter what type of character she plays. 

In Dark Victory, Judith Traherne (Davis) is a young, rich socialite suffering from headaches and dizziness. She is urged by her family to see a doctor and learns she has a brain tumor and must have surgery. 

Dr. Steele (George Brent) performs the brain surgery and expects Judith to recover; however, he soon discovers after consulting with specialists that the surgery will only provide Judith temporary relief. And if that isn't bad enough, she will only live about a year after surgery. 
Dr. Steele decides to hide the bad news from Judith, so her last year is a happy one. 

Judith has a secretary/ best friend, Ann King (Geraldine Fitzgerald), she notices something isn't right when Judith returns home and Dr. Steele isn't as happy he should be after giving a young girl her life back. She pushes for information, and Dr. Steele reveals that Judith only has about a year to live, but he doesn't want her to know.

Photo Courtesy of https://movie-dude.co.uk/1Actors%20Pages/Geraldine%20Fitzgerald.htm

For me a viewer, I see why he doesn't want Judith to know, especially since he and Judith have developed feelings for each other, but at the same time, I have to wonder would it better to know? That's one question this move quickly brings to mind. Would you want to know if you were dying? There are advantages to knowing, such as spending time with loved ones and crossing things off your bucket list. But, there are also advantages to being left clueless, so you're not depressed and feel that others are pitying you. 

Ann keeps his secret. Dr. Steele and Judith plan to marry, but while in his office preparing for the move to Vermont, Judith finds a letter another doctor sent to her fiance' about her condition that states "PROGNOSIS NEGATIVE!" (Brings back memories of a Seinfeld episode, doesn't it?)

Judith's demeanor changes immediately. She has been lied to by someone she loves and trusts, and she is dying. Then when she discovers that Ann knew and didn't tell her, she goes into a manic depressive state and acts recklessly. 

But, her life does turn around. She and Dr. Steele finally discuss her feelings, and he urges her to find peace and enjoy the time she has left. Judith decides she will marry him and realizes she needs to enjoy her last months on earth with those who truly love her. 

They marry and move into their own little place where Judith finds peace and love. Her husband continues to search for a cure for his wife. They live happily, and Ann comes to visit. During Ann's last visit, Dr. Steele is called away to accept an award in New York, and the same day, Judith's sight darkens, which she knows is a sign she's about to die. This happens while she and Ann are outside planting bulbs. She tells Ann not to say a word to Dr. Steele and makes her promise. Ann, of course, is devastated.

Photo Courtesy of http://pictasetex.pw/BEST-PICTURE-NOMINEE-quotDark-Victoryquot-1939-with-Bette-Davis.html

 Judith acts as if nothing is wrong as she struggles to see and helps her husband pack for his trip. She does stop to hold him, which I think maybe the husband should've picked up on as something might be wrong. Maybe his excitement over the award and his trip made him miss this subtle clue? I also thought he'd notice her sort of clumsy movements, but he didn't. A doctor should notice these things! (I thought so anyway)

Photo Courtesy of  http://pictasetex.pw/BEST-PICTURE-NOMINEE-quotDark-Victoryquot-1939-with-Bette-Davis.html

I had mixed feelings about this scene and Judith's decision. I understand she doesn't want her husband to stay for her, but if given the choice, he would. I know this is her way of dying with dignity, but why alone? I would want my husband by my side--I think? It's a tough decision and not one I would make, personally, but I'm not Judith--Right?

She does die alone in her bed and that is the last scene of the movie. It is sad, but also it leaves me, as a viewer, feeling she made peace with her fate. Judith did what she felt she was right. 

Photo courtesy https://film.avclub.com/bette-davis-created-a-tearjerker-trope-in-dark-victory-1798280896

Movies like Dark Victory do make you think more about life and death. Each person handles his/her fate differently but eventually has to come to peace with death and accept it. It is a tearjerker. After watching I still have questions. 

How is Dr. Steele going to cope with being gone when Judith died? 

Does he wish he would've stayed and that she would have told him?

Bottom line is I did love this movie, even if the ending wasn't a happy one. But, we can't always have happy endings. We don't live in a fairytale world, and it's good to have movies that deal with life in a more realistic way. Sure, Dr. Steele could have miraculously found a cure for Judith and saved her, but that's not how life normally works. While I do believe in miracles, I also know that they don't happen every day, and for a story to be realistic and bring about true emotions, it has to be true to life. 

I'd watch this movie again and recommend to others who enjoy old movies as much as I do. 


Happy Reading! (And watching)