Cary...

* * * *

"I've often been accused by critics of being myself
on-screen. But being oneself is more
difficult than you'd suppose."

Cary Grant

"Thank You" Isn't Enough...

* * * * *

I can't thank you all enough for the sweet words,
prayers, and support you sent me in response to my last post.

You all have touched my life & my heart.
I appreciate you more than you will ever know.

♥

* * * * *

If Only...

It is easiest to try to forget.

For if I think of the way he said "I love you," the way his eyes crinkled up in the corners when he smiled, or the fact that he'll never come home again...

I'm lost.

It is easiest to try & pretend that nothing has happened; to try & make myself believe that everything that is new & different around me...really isn't new at all.

When all I really want,
more than anything else,
is to go back to what we once had...


...is to go Home.

No one knows what to say to me. I think they're afraid to hurt me in some way, but more often than not, it is that distance, that suffocating invisible thread, that hurts me more than any stumbling words ever could.

I wish that someone would wrap their arms around me & hold me. They wouldn't need to say anything at all, because I would understand...

I wish that people would realize, that though the months go by, my heartache does not ebb. It's not something that will just go away. Each day I wake up wishing that this terrible nightmare my life has become would end up being just that...a bad dream. But it's much, much too real.

If only love, and death, and life
didn't hurt so very much.



Daddy, I ♥ you...

Jean...

Jean Peters in
Captain from Castile (1947).

* * * * * *

"I often think our glamorization of Hollywood
stars--the perpetual photographing us in ermine
& bouffant tulle, in French bathing suits or
sleek satin--throws the public off.

They don't recognize us as human beings
subject to the same discomforts of climate &
working conditions as they are.

They expect to see that goddess
leading a couple of wolfhounds
come striding onto the set."


Jean Peters

A Love Like That...

* * * *

Jimmy & Gloria Stewart
with children:
Ronald, Michael, Judy & Kelly.

* * * *

I'm so thankful for a family that's always
loved each other as hard as they can.


That's one thing you realize.
When you share a love like that...


...nothing, not even death,
can really separate you.

* * * *

The Long, Hot Summer...

Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward as
Ben Quick & Clara Varner in 1958's
The Long, Hot Summer.

"Mr. Quick, I am a human being.
Do you know what that means?

It means I set a price on myself. A high, high price. You may be surprised to know it, but I've got quite a lot to give. I've got things I have been savin' up my whole life. Things like love and understanding and...and...jokes, and good times, and good cooking.

I'm prepared to be the Queen of Sheba for some lucky man, or at the very least the best wife any man could hope for. Now that's my human history & it's not gonna be bought and sold and it's certainly not gonna be given away to any passin' stranger."

I Confess...

* * *

I Confess (1953), is one of famed Alfred Hitchcock's lesser known works. Starring Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, and Karl Malden, it is the story of one man, a priest, who must choose between proving his innocence in a crime he did not commit or holding true to his priestly vows.

Father Logan (Clift) unwittingly becomes the lead suspect in the Villete murder case after listening to the confession to the murder by one his parishioners. Unable to alert detectives to the real killer's identity without revealing information given to him in the confessional, Father Logan quickly becomes the prime suspect.


I Confess lacks a great deal of the sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense that marks some of Hitchcock's most noted films, as viewers know the identity of the killer right from the start. But even with the lack of suspense & mystery...the great filming, heartwarming plot line, and memorable casting of characters more than makes up for it.

Montgomery Clift's performance as the serious, caring Father Logan is captivating. I would be the first one to admit that I couldn't quite picture Clift--of A Place in the Sun fame--as a believable priest, but after watching only the first few moments of the film, you can't help but be drawn in by the sincerity & warmth of his performance.

Anne Baxter & Karl Malden

Co-star Anne Baxter is one classic actress I usually don't care that much for. But, in I Confess, Anne is luminous as Father Logan's former love, Ruth Grandfort. Also, watch for Karl Malden, who only one year later would play a priest himself in On the Waterfront. He is perfect as the obnoxious detective you just love to hate.

All in all, I think the "Master of Suspense" hit the nail on the head with another classic, well-made film. If you haven't yet watched, I Confess, make sure to find a copy!