Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Like Unto 16




Posted by at
Labels:

2 comments:

  1. whistlingypsyFebruary 4, 2011 at 1:09 PM

    I think I recognize David Tomlinson from SO LONG AT THE FAIR (I wrote a blog and watched the film this week), but I don’t recognize the woman who is meant to be his match.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gordon PashaFebruary 5, 2011 at 3:46 AM

    Thank you Karin. I hope I did not mislead. You are right on David Tomlinson, although the posting was just a rumination, a fragment of an idea I had on the “vanishing lady” legend/tale. I, too, watched "So Long at the Fair" last week. I have always been fascinated by the various manifestations of the “vanishing lady” idea. I think Robert Osborne may have mentioned Alexander Woollcott in his introduction. Woollcott did the essay on the theme in "While Rome Burns," which I have not read in years. Some of the Baker Street legion had an interest in the legend/tale in the old days as did a few of the "The Armchair Detective" regulars (such as Mike Nevins). I was on the fringe of those worlds in the 70s and 80s because my wife, Enola, was an antiquarian bookseller at the time. (That was before the Internet, when we had to track down the various iterations one by one in paper form.)

    The female is Mary Forbes who played the vanishing (in this case -- mother) in the Hitchcock series take on the subject in "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," Season One, Episode 5, "Into Thin Air." I think you might find it interesting to watch, particularly having seen "So Long at the Fair" recently. http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi4085317657/

    Alas, I could not find a photo of Mary Forbes as the character -- so had to settle for the best photo that I had. (That is why I hope I did not mislead.) I was originally going to add Dame May Whitty as Mrs. Froy in a later manifestation of the same idea – extended. But thought that would be a giveaway. Then I considered Angela Lansbury in the remake. Fewer know her Mrs. Froy role. Left her out for same reason. Finally settled on the keyword “YORF” in the Index which is "FROY" spelled backward. (I think I have convoluted this enough.) Thank you for your patience Not too many read these postings. Matthew told me that for his first year, or more, he did postings primarily for himself. Best. Gerald

    Postscript: Many later variations or spinoffs have appeared since the Woollcott focus. I am sure some bright blogger has done a long piece on it. I, alas, am too involved in more tedious tasks at this time to track them down. Now that I have responded to your comment I will go over to your site.

    One for starters – there are many: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/09/14/vanishing-lady/

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)