Saturday 9: Sentimental Journey (1945)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) Doris sings that she has her bag packed. Tell us about your luggage. Is your bag easy to spot on the luggage carousel? I love my suitcase. It's a Tumi hard side upright with spinner wheels. It's pretty. It's unique. It's indestructible. The wheels can easily follow me from pavement to floor. And it was FREE. I got it from Amazon in exchange for a review!
2) The release of this song coincided with VE Day, and so it meant a great deal to troops returning from Europe. What song has sentimental value to you. Why? "Gentle on My Mind" by Glenn Campbell makes me think of my favorite uncle. It was one of his favorites. When it first came out, he'd just come home from Vietnam, and I basked in his presence because I'd been so worried about him, in danger of being shot at in the jungle. Whenever I rode in the backseat of his car, and this song came on, he would turn up the volume as loud as it would go ... and laugh at my reaction because there were rear speakers. I was a little kid and sound in the backseat seemed like a wonderful innovation to me.
3) As a young girl, Doris was passionate about dance. Concentrating in the studio and performing on stage helped distract her from heartache and embarrassment over her parents' divorce. When you want to escape from what's troubling you, what do you do? I cuddle a cat.
4) Her dancing days came to an end when, at age 15, she was in a car accident and damaged her leg. During her recovery, she discovered how much she enjoyed singing with the radio, and was delighted to find others enjoyed hearing her. Tell us about a time you unexpectedly found happiness or success. This condo. I bought it in 2000 as my residence, not as an investment. Suddenly, this old neighborhood of mine is in demand and my apartment has appreciated considerably in value. I find this comforting, as my finances are challenging. It's good to know that if the situation presents itself, I can sell it for a profit.
5) She moved from singer to actress in the late 1940s and was a major movie star for 25 years. She was paired with the most popular leading men of her time -- everyone from Clark Gable to Frank Sinatra to Rock Hudson. If you could share a kiss with any actor or actress, who would you choose? I think it would be fun to kiss Pierce Brosnan. BTW, I was sorry to hear that his home was affected by the California fires.
6) 1968 was a terrible year for Doris. First, she suddenly became a widow. Then she discovered that her late husband and his business partner had squandered her money and she had to file for bankruptcy. Oh, wait! There's more! She also found that, in his role as her manager, her late husband had, without her knowledge, committed her to a weekly TV series. Do you have a 1968? What year you can point to and say, "Wow, I'm glad that's over"? 2016 was pretty bad. I battled c diff. Our building had a gross and expensive bed bug infestation. Donald Trump insulted and bullied his way into the Presidency. That's just what I remember off the top of my head. However, this happened, so it wasn't all bad.
7) After retiring from show business, she became an advocate for animal welfare. She has said we should be more sensitive to the loneliness, sadness and guilt people feel when they lose a pet. Think of a time you were grieving. What words or gestures helped you through? Conversely, what's something no one should ever say to someone who is hurting? I actually had someone say to me, "I'm not good at hearing stuff like this." Yeah, my pain is about you. I think, "I'm sorry this is happening to you," is a good thing to say ... and a comforting thing to hear.
8) Doris' only child was her son, record producer Terry Melcher. Terry had a successful, years-long collaboration with The Beach Boys. Do you have a favorite Beach Boys song? This one. I'm not a big Beach Boys fan, but I like the opening line, "Off the Florida Keys" It reminds me of good times in Key West.
9) Random question: What's one thing you've never done, but have always wanted to try? Skydiving or maybe piloting. I suspect that those activities might help me overcome my fear of flying.
