Saturday 9: Tunnel of Love

Saturday 9: Tunnel of Love (1958)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

 

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, Doris Day tries to convince her lover to share a kiss in the Tunnel of Love. What's your favorite amusement park ride?

I don’t have one, the last amusement ride that I was on was a disaster. The Wildcat, it was like a roller coaster but with sharp corners… threw my back out and threw my classes off (I found them when they stopped the ride so they could find my glasses but my back wasn’t so luck it hurt for weeks. 

2) In the 1950s, when Doris recorded this song, Tunnel of Love rides were popular in the US. Couples would climb into small boats that only seat two and float through a dark tunnel, accompanied by romantic music. Today less than 100 of these rides still exist. Have you ever taken a ride through the Tunnel of Love?

Nope.

3) This week's featured artist, Doris Day, made approximately 40 films and a TV series. She said one of her favorite things about being an actress was the clothes. She loved collaborating with the experts who created her wardrobe. Her contemporary, Betty Grable, found all the fittings boring and just let the wardrobe department do their job without offering much input. Imagine you are a performer: Would you be more like Doris or Betty?

Betty, I’ll let the pros do their job.

Some factoids about me:

1) I was in a commercial for a non-profit once.

2) When I was interviewed once they had a professional markup artist on the set. At first is was going to pass on having my face done… then I remember the Kennedy Nixon debates and I had my face touched up.

3) I watched them making It Happened to Jane movie with Doris Day and Jack Lemmon.

4) There was persistent rumor that, after Doris appeared on Bob Hope's radio show, the two had an affair. She always denied it. Have you ever been the subject of workplace gossip?

Oh yes, the day that I was laid off from work one of my technicians that I had worked with for close to 30 years couldn’t wait to spill the beans about me being trans.

5) Doris never liked to fly and her fear increased as she got older. After she retired, she refused to fly at all. This caused her to decline lifetime achievement awards and other events in her honor. Have you more recently extended, accepted or declined an invitation?

Yes, because of my back.

6) After show biz, Doris devoted herself animal welfare. She used to say that we should be more sensitive to the loneliness and sadness people feel when they lose a pet. Think of a time when you were grieving. What words or gestures helped you get through the difficult time?

No.

7) In 1958, when this song was on the Billboard chart, "The Purple People Eater" was also popular. It's a silly song about a creature from another planet. Have you ever seen a UFO (unidentified flying object)?

Nope. When we had a cottage in New Hampshire the state road near the cottage was written up in a newspaper about seeing UFOs (I think they were just yanking the reporters chain.)

8) Also in 1958, Americans were watching 77 Sunset Strip. The show revolved around the LA-based private investigators whose office was at that address. Who is your favorite TV PI?

Paul Drake.

9) Random question -- In the 1950s, stewardesses used to famously ask passengers, "Coffee, tea, or milk?" If asked that right now, which of these three beverages would you prefer?

If they had decaf then tea otherwise milk.

I am on a new kick: Pasteurized but non-homogenized milk. You know the type with the cream on top, like what used to be delivered on your back porch. It taste so much more richer and creamier.

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!