Old movies rock
Mom and I just watched the Glenn Miller Story, starring none other than the amazing and wonderful Jimmy Stewart. I love him. Anyway, it's a good movie. Watching the movies Mom gets off of the blockbuster version of netflicks usually always results in a satisfactory viewing experience. Last week we watched The Thin Man, which is like a comedy detective murder mystery thing. Black and white. Better than I was expecting. As much as I like old movies, I think I still have somewhat of a bias against them, like for some reason I expect them to be...just not very good. I have no idea why I would think that though. But yeah. There's so many old movies out there, and I've only seen a few of them in comparison. I love old movies.
And as for Glenn Miller, as some of you may know I really started to love his music this past year. Great stuff. But I didn't really know anything about his life. The movie had its inaccuracies, of course (I looked up his life story while I was watching, just to see), but for the most part nothing was terribly blatant. Although apparently they did leave out, not even mention, quite a few more famous people he worked with in the bands he played in and in his own band. But anyway. It's really kind of sad though, because he volunteered for the military in 42 or whatever, as the conductor of the Air Force Band, and played in Europe and stuff with the band, and on his way to a Christmas show in Paris in December 44, the single engine plane he was on disappeared and it (and he, and the two other people on the plane with him) has never been found. It's really sad. And his wife and he adopted two kids, the first in 42 and the second in 44, apparently very shortly before he disappeared, so neither of them really knew him. Quite sad.
But I still highly recommend the movie, especially for the music in it. And of course the magnificent Jimmy Stewart. June Allyson, who I guess I've only ever seen in the old version of Little Women but didn't know who she was until...I guess until she died this past June, is also wonderful in this movie as Helen Miller, Glenn's wife. While I still sometimes have a hard time seeing Jimmy Stewart with anyone but Donna Reed (It's a Wonderful Life, of course), June Allyson and Jimmy Stewart work well together it seems. Anyway. If ever you're looking for a movie to watch, consider this one.
And as for Glenn Miller, as some of you may know I really started to love his music this past year. Great stuff. But I didn't really know anything about his life. The movie had its inaccuracies, of course (I looked up his life story while I was watching, just to see), but for the most part nothing was terribly blatant. Although apparently they did leave out, not even mention, quite a few more famous people he worked with in the bands he played in and in his own band. But anyway. It's really kind of sad though, because he volunteered for the military in 42 or whatever, as the conductor of the Air Force Band, and played in Europe and stuff with the band, and on his way to a Christmas show in Paris in December 44, the single engine plane he was on disappeared and it (and he, and the two other people on the plane with him) has never been found. It's really sad. And his wife and he adopted two kids, the first in 42 and the second in 44, apparently very shortly before he disappeared, so neither of them really knew him. Quite sad.
But I still highly recommend the movie, especially for the music in it. And of course the magnificent Jimmy Stewart. June Allyson, who I guess I've only ever seen in the old version of Little Women but didn't know who she was until...I guess until she died this past June, is also wonderful in this movie as Helen Miller, Glenn's wife. While I still sometimes have a hard time seeing Jimmy Stewart with anyone but Donna Reed (It's a Wonderful Life, of course), June Allyson and Jimmy Stewart work well together it seems. Anyway. If ever you're looking for a movie to watch, consider this one.