One of Many "Character Wish Lists"

I have to begin this post by saying that I am totally addicted to blogging! I guess I've been surpressing my urge to write like this for so long that the words seem to be pouring out of me. (Yes, that's corny, I know). I do plenty of writing for my graduate program, but it's non-creative writing littered with education jargon (I'm working on my master's and dual certification in special education). I haven't had the chance to write like this since I was an undergraduate, and I've missed it! Thank you, too, to the three kind souls who are now following me, especially my beloved Samantha, who has been my friend since we were fourteen years old and writing in our LiveJournals, which everyone and their Aunt Alice had. Thank you, also, to Natalie and Rianna for following me. I'm looking forward to reading all you have to say! :)

In my first post, I mentioned that Nora Charles tops my list of "Movie Characters I'd Like to Be." I thought I'd expand on that list and generalize it a teensy bit to "Characters I'd Like to Be." Most of these characters will be from classic films, but I am including some TV characters and non-classic film characters so I can relive some of my childhood fantasies and honestly, when picking a breakfast food can be as stressful as choosing a husband, what fun are limits? After the first couple characters, the list has no particular order. Also, in regards to the pictures, please read the disclaimer at the bottom of the page. Any Youtube video I post is purely for entertainment purposes and does not belong to me! Anyway, on to the list!

1. Nora Charles, portrayed by Myrna Loy in The Thin Man series

With a face scrunch as cute as this, Nora Charles tops my list of characters I wish I could be. With wit, grace, charm, a stellar wardrobe, and money to boot, Nora Charles is not only the perfect wife, she's the perfect partner for detective hubby Nick. She not only helps him on the job, but she can match him drink for drink. A welcome relief to the wearied Depression audience in the 1930s, in one word, Nora's just FUN!

Favorite Nora line:

Nick: How'd you like Grant's Tomb?

Nora: It's lovely. I'm having a copy made for you.

For a glimpse into the clever and glamourous world of Nora Charles, check out this Youtube compilation of witty Thin Man lines:

2. Lucy Ricardo, portrayed by Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy

"For Rapid Robert, Because he loves beauty, Lucy" (given to Bob Hope on the set of The Facts of Life)

I can't say I'd want to get starched in a starch vat, experience the sensation of  six dozen crushed eggs oozing down my chest and legs, or be forced to eat pounds of chocolate to keep up with a lightening speed conveyor belt, but if I ever did find myself in any of those situations, I can only hope I'd be able to do so as gracefully and humorously as Lucy Ricardo. Her inclusion on this list is inevitable since I love Lucille Ball more than life itself and I Love Lucy is and always will be my favorite TV show, but I admire Lucy Ricardo for her zany cleverness, her chutzpah, and the fact that she has brightened my day on so, so many occasions.

I can't possibly pick a favorite Lucy Ricardo line, so I'm just going to share one of my favorite Lucy Ricardo moments - the ultimate Lucy Ricardo moment, really:

3. Margo Channing, portrayed by Bette Davis in All About Eve

I hope I'm never "Eve'd" as heinously as Margo Channing was, but who wouldn't want the brass cajones of this grande dame? Everytime she enters the room she cuts through the atomosphere like a knife, but I love that beneath her brassy and brash exterior she's really a loving and generous lady.

Favorite Margo line:

Margo: I'll admit I may have seen better days, but I'm still not to be had for the price of a cocktail, like a salted peanut.

Margo's acerbic wit at its finest:

4. Ariel, voiced by Jodi Benson in The Little Mermaid

Yes, yes, yes, you've read this correctly! The Little Mermaid remains my all-time favorite Disney movie and when I was a little three year old girl who insisted on wearing a pink polka dot dress everyday and I sang more often than I spoke, I absolutely idolized Ariel. In fact, I really took it a step further because I thought I WAS Ariel. I grew my hair long to look like Ariel, I sang all the time, and I even quit sucking my thumb cold turkey because Ariel didn't suck her thumb. Who needs parenting when you have Disney movies?

Favorite Ariel line:

Ariel: Flounder, don't be such a guppy!

Okay, okay, okay, so it isn't Ariel singing, but it's the best song in the movie:

5. Fraulein Maria, the lady who will never be a nun/Maria von Trapp, portrayed by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music

Remember how I said that when I was little I thought I was Ariel from The Little Mermaid? Well, I currently live my life believing that I am Fraulein Maria, beloved musical governess. The Sound of Music is one of my all-time favorite movies and I can quote it and sing it backward and forward, inside out. Does anyone know when and where there will ever be a Sound of Music sing-along? I have been dying to go to one ever since it was the plot of a Will & Grace episode six years ago. Anyway, I really can't think of anything clever to say but honestly, I ask you, why WOULDN'T you want to be a singing nun who lives in a beautiful Austrian village and marries a rich Navy officer? Hellooooo? Nix the damn Nazis, obviously.

Favorite Maria line:

Maria: Oh, well, God bless What's-his-name!

Favorite song. I was looking for the reprise scene at the end (which makes me cry if I'm feeling particularly sentimental), but I love this scene, too:

6. Lisa Fremont, portrayed by Grace Kelly in Rear Window

I really wish I could be Grace Kelly, PERIOD, but I chose Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont. I almost chose Grace Kelly as Frances Stevens in To Catch a Thief because her wardrobe is equally stunning and HELLO, Cary Grant, but Rear Window is a better movie and I find the character of Lisa to be a little more likeable. I love the juxtaposition of Lisa Fremont's ultra-sophistication with her down-to-earth utter devotion to Jeff (Jimmy Stewart). And, as I said, her clothes are to die for.

Favorite Lisa line:

Lisa: Well, if there's one thing I know, it's how to wear the proper clothes.

I couldn't find much in the way of actual scenes from this fabulous film, but here's the trailer:

I know there's more I could add to this list (Sugarpuss O'Shea, anyone? Alice Sycamore?), but I'll leave it at this for now. I think my next list will be "Characters I'd Like to Date and/or Marry." Hubba hubba! I know it's tough getting back to the daily grind tomorrow (ugh), but have a happy Monday! At least it's the Christmas season! :)



Nora Lives - and Hello!

Hello! and welcome to Nora Charles' Corner, my oh-so-remote corner of the internet bloggosphere. This blog is named after one of my very favorite movie heroines, who, for thirteen years, was played to perfection by Myrna Loy, one of my favorite actresses. In fact, I love Myrna Loy, Nora Charles, and the Thin Man series so much that the three of them were the topic of my Honors Thesis my senior year of college. However, I hope to approach this blog with a lot less hair pullage, anxiety, and carbohydrate consumption.

Why did I decide to start blogging? I love to write and, if you will excuse me for a moment and allow me to sound like an arrogant cornball, have been told by many people that I have quite a talent for it. Some of these same people have suggested to me for ages that a blog would be right up my alley. Actually, I've been wanting to start a blog for over a year and I actually made one but didn't like the URL (fickle much?). But last night, as I was lying in bed in a Thanksgiving-induced food coma, I was watching Another Thin Man to take my mind off the painful burp bubble that seemed to be in constant growth between my stomach and my diaphragm. As I lay burping and enjoying the movie for the millionth time, I found myself paying particular attention to how supremely perfectly Myrna Loy tackled the role of Nora Charles. She simply is. Her sublime wit, grace, and charm are enviable. On my list of "Movie Characters I Wish I Could Be," Nora Charles is at the tippity top (in addition to her wit, grace, and charm, who wouldn't like to be able to drink that many martinis and almost never get a hangover?). And then I thought to myself, "Wouldn't something incorporating Nora Charles be the perfect name for the blog I've been meaning to start since last Thanksgiving?" I know "Nora Charles' Corner" is hardly an inspired title, but I think the alliteration would make my third grade teacher proud. The URL, by the way, comes from one of my favorite lines from an opening scene of The Thin Man, when Nick Charles (played seemingly effortlessly by the magnificent William Powell) is giving the hotel bartender a lesson in cocktail mixing:

Nick: The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now a Manhattan you shake to fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, a dry martini you always shake to waltz time.

So now that this blog is finally off the ground and running, what can you expect from this twenty-three year old substitute teacher and graduate student with a penchant for writing and a love of old movies? I can't claim that this blog will be exclusively about classic film and Old Hollywood, but since that is my biggest passion, and one of my favorite things to write about, I'm sure there'll be plenty of posts with movie reviews, (what I deem) interesting and fun anectodes, and odes to my favorite actors, actresses, and directors. By the way, even though this blog was inspired by The Thin Man and is named after Nora Charles, Lucille Ball is - and has been for the past ten years - my all-time FAVORITE actress/personality and I love to write about her. So be warned that from time to time my ramblings about Lucy may seem slightly out of proportion to my ramblings about the other actresses I love. Also, since I am a social studies teacher, general history buff, and most decidedly a reincarnated flapper, I'm sure there will also be posts relating to quirky, fun, and relevant history topics. Finally, as my family and friends will tell you, I have an extremely eclectic range of interests, so I'm sure there will also be totally random posts about whatever happens to spark my interest for the day! And I love pictures and Youtube so hopefully this will be one of the few "dry" posts sans either of those (in the words of Disney's Gaston, "How can you read this?! There's no pictures!").

I will add descriptive pages to this blog and try to pretty it up later today or this weekend. But for now, welcome aboard, thank you for sailing with us, and I hope you enjoy the ride!

Have a sparkling day,
M.