Very Interesting

Daily writing prompt
What are your top ten favorite movies?

Over the years I have seen many good movies and to call out just 10 would be very difficult. I guess “Fiddler on the Roof,” has to be my very favorite. Overall it just had a very good plot, which quite frankly opened my eyes to the way the Jews were treated in Russia. Before the movie, I simply had no idea.

More than that, it had a lot of humor, far more than I expected. If you saw it, I’m sure you know of what I speak. The music is very likely the best or nearly the best of all times. It was very good, but more, there was a lot of it. Many of my favorite songs came from “Fiddler on the Roof,” especially Sunrise, Sunset; Matchmaker; and If I were a rich man. It is a movie I have watched many times.

Then there is “Support Your Local Sheriff.” This one really surprised me. The movie just simply had me laughing almost from beginning to end. It is likely the best thing James Garner did. Also, loved Walter Brennan. The bit with red paint and the jail really caught me by surprise. The cannon at the end, though…it still makes me laugh at it as I think about it.

It’s kind of a toss up between “Support Your Local Sheriff” and “Kelly’s Heroes” for second place. Perhaps the Local Sheriff was more humorous, but “Kelly’s Heroes” had more of a real plot. Besides, I really love the theme song, “Burning Bridges.” I could just about listen to it all day.

From here on out it sort of gets jumbled up. There are the Musicals of Oscar and Hammerstein and those of Sigmund Romberg. Most don’t even know who Romberg is. Nonetheless, Desert Song is my favorite of his. However, I have repeatedly watched “New Moon” and “Naughty Murrieta” many times. Should I live long enough, I’ll likely watch them many more times.

Incidentally, Oscar and Hammerstein did not seem to be afraid of attacking a few social matters of the day. The lieutenant took up with the native woman and the nurse married the old French man with the native children. Most movies of the day simply didn’t get into things like that. Nowadays, it is taken for granted.

I suspect that there are many movies I have slighted. Every now and again something will happen to make me remember.

Oh, yes. Can’t forget Bob Hope in “The Pale Face,” “Eight on the Lam” and “The Seven Little Foys.”

As I said; I is difficult narrowing it to 10. Maybe 25.

Sorry folks. Just cannot include “Gone With the Wind” or “Ben Hur.” Had a hard time staying awake through them.

A Five Word Search

Perhaps one of the greatest side benefits of the internet is the way we can search out songs, some that are long forgotten. Last night I was watching a segment of an episode and the character was sitting at a piano playing a toon. I said to myself, “self, I know that tune. I’ve heard it a time or two.

The problem is that I couldn’t remember the words, or hardly. I couldn’t even remember who recorded it. I certainly didn’t know the title of the tune. As I started to search, I had no success. I have heard that a search can be recognized if I can hum the melody. I suppose that might be possible, that is if I can hum the tune. The problem with that is that I couldn’t hum any tune if my life depended on it. I might manage to whistle a bar or two but no more.

Finally, after four tries, I managed to remember 5 words… sort of. It was kind of a guess of a guess. The words I searched were, “Wedding bells will ring so merrily.” To my surprise the song appeared. Even more, i could hear Doris Day sing it. I suspect the song, “Till We Meet Again,” seemed to be written for Doris Day. It brought back some very nice memories, and I played it several times, some by other singers. I still think Doris played the best, but they were all good rendering.

I don’t think those who built the internet such a thing in mind. But I am very grateful that someone put together the feature. If they hadn’t helped me find the tune, I’d still be going nuts with the five words still going through my mind and trying to figure out the title. Do you have a hint how bothersome such a thing can a thing can be?

Oh, and by the way, I’d not be able to pass such a nice, pleasant thing along to others. And by the way, it would likely make a very wonderful song for a wedding…that along with “True Love.” [I think first sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in the movie, “High Society”]