Yoicks, I'm going to Florida! Made the decision to use the fifty dollar credit I got from U.S. Air and booked myself for the end of the month. Will stay only a week and a day--long enough to inflict myself on my brother, Larry--but am looking forward to it happily.
Didn't go out at all, except for our walk and on a wine run to the liquor store. Spent the first half of a dark and rainy day cleaning the kitchen. Moved everything out or aside and worked on the plants, scrubbed the floor, scoured the stovetop, and so on. Was finished by lunchtime and enjoyed the lentil soup I had made the other day. As I ate, I watched An American In Paris.
What a treat! When this first came out, I didn't have a lot of interest in it, but yesterday, I was transfixed. Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron were an incredible pair and danced together so sublimely they seemed almost ethereal. I was intrigued by the supporting players, too, especially Oscar Levant, whom I always found sexy, oddly enough. I actually know a fair amount about him, having read his autobiography years ago. He was, of course, an accomplished pianist of concert caliber, and a raconteur--also, manic depressive in real life. I was struck by the fact that both he and Kelly--and most of the other actors--smoked continually.
The little things in the movie, especially the clothes, are so appealing. Caron wears short, white cotton gloves in several scenes; they were part of one's attire in those days, even in relatively informal wear. Kelly changes clothes and wears an undershirt--decidedly not a tee shirt--wow, I don't even know if they make them anymore. Nina Foch was in it, too. What a stunningly gorgeous woman she was and, as for her clothes, you could wear them today and bring men to their knees.
Maybe it's noteworthy that all those outfits were skin tight. They look almost painted on, showing as much skin as possible and, in the case of the stars, that's a treat. Caron had the most incredibly long, supple legs, and lean physique. I always thought her face, with those cat eyes and big teeth, verged on the spooky, but what a body! As for Kelly, he was short and solid, but without an ounce of fat and oh, man, what a dancer.
Leslie Caron is still living. She's now 79--she was 20 when the picture was made--and she runs a bed and breakfast in France. I looked her up and saw her interviewed on a British talk show in January. She was promoting her new autobiography, Thank Heavens, which of course, I'll request from the library. She looks, naturally, different from she did 59 years ago, but is still attractive. She made had had "some work," as the euphemism goes, but it isn't blatant.
Anyway, I loved the movie.