I loved Singin’ In the Rain, I still love Singin’ in the Rain. “Why does it have an apostrophe ?” I asked my mother gravely. Answer:”It’s American, darling.” God love my mother. And after Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor dance meisters, I love Jean Hagen,
Lina Lamonte to you, with the tortured voice dubbed by Debbie Reynolds, the main theme of the story being about the coming of sound to Hollywood. And right up there is the visit to a lah-di-dah voice coach who tries to render the sound of Miss Lamonte a little more raffinee – as in “And I can’t (long a) staaaahnd it”. Which she offers back as “And I caiehrrnt stennd it.” There things I can’t stand either.
I don’t like the construction “bored of”.
Bored by, bored with – not bored of. First heard some time ago, it is now inevitably used (because this is how speech travels and changes) as a construct in print. Hilary Rose no less used it in the Times the other day, some sort of a seal of approval. Not mine. (JH)
I try to be patient with “Not a problem” instead of “thank you” or “you’re welcome” but am heard to mutter “Of course it’s not a problem – it’s your job.” (JH)
When I took over half a bottle of prosecco to the girls next door ( my lunch guest was driving so we had drunk a glass each), I took it with a temporary metal cap and asked if they would bung it through the door when they had finished. I even reiterated the request in an email exchange with the teacher among them. Not so far. Can’t be bothered. (JH)
It’s terrifying that I can’t get a straight answer out of the fifth GP about one of the things the doctors want me to take after Destruction tapped me on the shoulder (see annalog/at a stroke). No, I don’t want another prescription. I want a straight answer. I am not quite up to Jean Hagen with this
but I am getting there.
A remarkable teacher, my father would insist “Answer the question. Not what you think I asked or what you want be asked – but the question you were asked.”
Yessir. Over time I have watched a lot of people on tv wriggle, blag and lie – misbehaviour and anything to do with politics, public life and Westminster makes this worse. I call it Westminsterspeak. It is designed to evade rather than communicate so you can call Keir Starmer boring (I wish he’d axe the Sir) and I don’t care. Sometimes, he answers the question and how refreshing is that.
I am repelled (JH) by the uniformity which seems to govern makeup and fashion which is presumably something to do with social media, mostly as anti social as it can be. Better faked and drawn in heavy eyebrows (Groucho lives !) than the ones God gave you , false eyelashes the consistency of shinguards. Flattened hair and flabby mouths. And to match this, the generalisations – all women, all men, all of us – everything sold to us as wonderful and iconic( I should think icons have headaches, they are so often invoked) super super super from the weather to yet another not quite good enough series, script chosen because it lends itself to social media. How many supers before it backfires ?
There is a book in preparation about the death wish of television, product and programming.
Years ago in a tv studio Britt Eklund said “Every girl wants to look like Barbie !” and I had to swallow not to contradict. Barbie was blonde with a little nose, and her bosom under her chin. I was dark and aquiline, and you could haul bra straps till tomorrow morning and mine wouldn’t sit there. If you are at war with yourself, you have lost your first reliable ally. Making the best of yourself may sound terribly old fashioned but it’s a lot more rewarding than trying to reinvent yourself like the kitchen extension made flesh.
We are closing down jobs with people in favour of unreliable technology and overwheening AI. So how are the hundred and thousands without income to eat ? Jean Hagen Lives !
unbearable
Annalog 