The way your hair goes wavy when you wake up

[sovay]

All elements of the day pertaining to doctors or insurance were awful, including the hour of the morning at which I was awoken by a phone call canceling an appointment I had been waiting nearly a month for, even after I offered to pay out of pocket, which you would think a doctor's office would go for.

In the evening, however, spatch and I walked into Porter Square and not only was he delighted with the paperback of Matthew Kennedy's Joan Blondell: A Life Between Takes (2007/2014) with which I presented him as soon as I had collected it from the bookstore, the sight of it inspired one of his coworkers at the Somerville to whip out their phone and order their own copy on the spot, which I recognize is not Bigolas Dickolas Wolfwood levels of influence, but it still makes me happy. The bookstore clerk also spoke effusively of the biography's subject and especially recommended Desk Set (1957). Rock on, Joan Blondell.

Comments

JB

[lauradi7dw]

My first memory of her was from the TV series "Here come the brides" from the late 1960s. I am amused that her photo is the first one on its wikipedia page, even though as a pubescent person I must have thought that (then) heart-throb Bobby Sherman was the main star.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Come_the_Brides

Re: JB

[sovay]

I am amused that her photo is the first one on its wikipedia page, even though as a pubescent person I must have thought that (then) heart-throb Bobby Sherman was the main star.

That's great! I have seen Westward the Women (1951), but never Here Come the Brides. Late-career Joan Blondell seems to have had a satisfying lot going on.

(I have no idea where I first noticed or saw her. The answer may have been pre-Codes.)

Re: JB

[lauradi7dw]

"Desk set" would have have been about 1976 for me, watching TV with a bunch of guys at an MIT frat. The room erupted when KH said that ST had "a PhD in Science from MIT."

Re: JB

[sovay]

The room erupted when KH said that ST had "a PhD in Science from MIT."

Science!

[yhlee]

*support support*

[sovay]

*support support*

Likewise!

*hugs*

[oracne]

So frustrating and awful about the appointment. I am glad about your book triumph.

[sovay]

So frustrating and awful about the appointment. I am glad about your book triumph.

Thank you! spatch informs me that a passing moviegoer was also attracted by the interaction between himself and his coworkers, which I think is great.

[asakiyume]

The Bigolas Dickolas Wolfood story is such internet goodness. I brought it up to the ninja girl, and even though she's not in SFF writing circles, she had heard about it because she's in anime circles. Very fun. I'm glad you had a similar effect in person. Matthew Kennedy will be grateful, even if he didn't rocket to No. 3 on Amazon.

[sovay]

The Bigolas Dickolas Wolfood story is such internet goodness. I brought it up to the ninja girl, and even though she's not in SFF writing circles, she had heard about it because she's in anime circles.

Nice! I heard about it from spatch, who heard about it from Twitter.

I'm glad you had a similar effect in person. Matthew Kennedy will be grateful, even if he didn't rocket to No. 3 on Amazon.

I was so happy to discover that someone had written a biography of Joan Blondell and then from its partial glimpse on Google Books that it looked really good. Joan Blondell deserves biographies!

[gwynnega]

Yay Joan Blondell biography! Ugh doctor's office.

[sovay]

Yay Joan Blondell biography! Ugh doctor's office.

Thank you! (Seriously, wouldn't you just want to take the cash without having to deal with the insurance? I would.)

[kore]

Disappointing doc appointments, or even the lack thereof, are a whole new level of suck.

Joan Blondell! I remember her in Tree Grows in Brooklyn, she was fantastic as Sissy.

I am tickled by a "book influencer" (or whatever the awful term is now) scale that goes from 0 (what would that be, the Amazon algorithm?) to Bigolas Dickolas.

[sovay]

Disappointing doc appointments, or even the lack thereof, are a whole new level of suck.

It's so true.

Joan Blondell! I remember her in Tree Grows in Brooklyn, she was fantastic as Sissy.

It's on the list! I have seen her overwhelmingly in the '30's, where she is a consistent reason to watch a film no matter what else is going on with it, and then sporadically in later decades, where she is still wonderful.

I am tickled by a "book influencer" (or whatever the awful term is now) scale that goes from 0 (what would that be, the Amazon algorithm?) to Bigolas Dickolas.

"On a scale from zero to Bigolas Dickolas, please rate" should absolutely become a thing.

[mrissa]

In my heart Joan Blondell is always Peg from Desk Set. I love Peg so much.

[sovay]

In my heart Joan Blondell is always Peg from Desk Set. I love Peg so much.

I look forward to meeting her.