Today’s post is dedicated to my friend and fellow BoFN contributor Fannie Cranium, who has given up television. (I know. I know. It’s been days since I heard the news, and I still don’t understand it). Anyway, in honour of Fannie’s new resolve to live life the old-fashioned way, we’re going vintage today, kittens.
Thanks to KittNoir.com for the fabulous photo
That gorgeous head of hair belongs to Constance Frances Marie Ockleman, better known as 1940s stage and screen icon Ms. Veronica Lake. As always, click the picture for all of her details. Speaking as your resident pocket-sized blogger, however, I have to say that this particular little detail (ha!) is my favourite:
She became known for onscreen pairings with actor Alan Ladd. At first, the couple was teamed together merely out of physical necessity: Ladd was just 5 feet 5 inches tall and the only actress then on the Paramount lot short enough to pair with him was Lake, who stood just 4 feet 11 1⁄2 inches .
The Blog of Funny Names 
Splendid visual presentation there, Amb. But of course, what else do we expect from Amb?
Bravo, Fannie! If I could follow your example and limit Internet use to email, essential tasks, and monthly BoFN posts, I think my life quality would go up on every index.
guess what netflix DVD is arriving at chez moi today, diddy? Will give you a hint: The first of the two title words starts with K and ends with E and there are six letters in between. And then the second word starts with a G. Canyouguesscanyouguess? huhhuhhuh?
I don’t get vicarious excitement that often. But this is one of those TIMES!!!!
I gotta hear what you think of this movie. But it also bears rewatching.
But you might think it’s too nutty.
wow, an all-capped word and four exclamation points. Did you see that, amb? Will let you know, though may not get to watching right away as the subtitles mean I need to pay attention and it’s hard to find time to dedicate solely to watching movie/TV. This looks fun enough that I’ll make it priority, though. The only kind of movies I have a hard time with are those with extreme violence or are sad all the way through. Nutty is good!
Overall it’s upbeat, but not in a normal way.
Kewl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I see it !! I see it !!!
I have no idea what you two are talking about but wanted to get in on the exclamation mark party !!!!!! 😉
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416220/
He said it was a must-see and you know that when diddy says jump, the only unknown is how high.
Or how far down, dear Liz.
Aww, thank you Diddz! You’re such a sweetheart 🙂
va va va voooooommmm–pretty lady. Who knew her name was not simply “Veronica Lake”? You did, that’s who and now we do, too! Wonder if Alan Ladd had an equally complicated REAL name?
Deep sixing the tv, Fannie? You’re like amb’s polar opposite 😉 But kudos to you for following through on a plan. Curious about the why. You don’t seem the sort to get overly sucked in. Can you still watch classic movies on DVD/streaming, etc?
per imbd: “Birth Name, Alan Walbridge Ladd; Nickname, Laddie; Height 5′ 6¼”” Wha’? Who’s right on the height?
Aww, poor Alan. Let’s say IMDB is right and give him the extra one and a quarter inches. Every little bit helps! I would know – I myself am a whole entire half inch taller than Ms. Ockleman. Half an inch! 😉
I only have 3 1/2 inches on you, amb. No giant myself. But it works to be short for the ladies. We’re “petite.”
We are indeed! See also “dainty” and “feminine” and “have lots of unused kitchen shelf space”.
For some reason I can’t hit “Reply” to Amb’s comment below, but I like how many quotation marks were used in that one 🙂
Gotta say I haven’t heard the one about unused kitchen shelf space–lol. I’m sure it’s a euphemism and I’m tripping up embarrassingly well, but what does kitchen shelf space have to do with anything here? Why are we taking it to the kitchen? Feminine is lovely, but pshaw on the dainty. Dainty folk don’t have marshmallow and literary throw-downs now, do they?
No euphemism! Really! (for once 😉 ) The cupboards above my fridge are literally empty because I can’t reach to open them 🙂
ah ha–you need a kitchen stool
Wasn’t she, though? I just love that old school glamour look – so pretty!
Teehee. Yup, I did! Although I can’t take credit for the discovery. Dave posted it on my facebook wall ages ago and I’ve been waiting to use it. When I heard about Fannie’s viewing habits I knew it was the perfect time!
I hope you can still get your classic movies too Fannie – what will happen to Dish Night?!?
I’ll never give up Dish Night!!!!! The romance, the laughter, the really great costumes. And Veronica Lake in “I Married a Witch” was one of those films. And how can you not love the creative ways they came up with to create special effects. 😀
Liz you’re right, I’m not really the type to get overly suck into television, although I do love a good movie and will not give them up.
As to why, my father recently moved out of our home into a skilled nursing facility because he is now beyond my ability to care for him. Because he was somewhat hard of hearing, he kept the TV volume up all the time. I have developed an appreciation of classic westerns over the last few years, but my husband and I needed a break from the noise. But the quiet is deafening. 🙂
Since Amb give such great reviews of shows we may or may not have heard of, I plan on living vicariously through her viewing pleasures. Yay!
And THEN you can eat gluten and sugar and such vicariously through me 🙂 You sure know how to pick your friends 😉
So it sounds like the tv ban may not be permanent? Just an exercise in bringing balance back to your household? Am sorry for the progression of your father’s aging. Gotta be tough for you. Am glad he’s in (medically) skilled hands now. You are a devoted daughter for sure and he is lucky to have you.
Yes, I definitely know how to pick my friends. You’re keeping me supplied in all the things I want to eat but cannot.
TV ban may not be permanent. Just need a time out for a while.
Regarding my dad, thank you. But it’s me who is lucky to still have him around.
hug.
Thank you. 😀
Yeah, living vicariously through Amb’s viewing pleasures is a great way of life. She does a good job of conveying the excitement!
Whenever I have referenced Veronica Lake, it has always been for her Peekaboo hairstyle. I had no idea she was so bitty! Good gosh, she would have been great paired with Tom Cruise, or even the late Mickey Rooney (RIP). Your link told me that tripping over a cable resulted in the death of her baby. Yeesh. Terrible. BTW, in this pic, her shoulder is very reflective of light, not unlike Gwyneth (weird name) Paltrow’s legs when she goes on late night shoes. It’s like she was dipped in a vat of coconut oil.
I know! She was even more pocket-sized than me, although her personality on screen was GINORMOUS, which I love. She and Tom would have been great together!!
I don’t know how they got the glossy shoulder look either. Gwyneth, I’m sure, uses some new-age-vegan-all-natural-yogi-mind-trick to cause herself to glow from the inside out, but I suspect you may be right about Veronica and the coconut oil. They would have had to do it old school at that photo shoot!
Gwyneth is one of those weird names that we hardly notice because it’s so familiar now. But Gwyneth… what a name indeed!
Sigourney Weaver is another one. Weird but often overlooked!
Wow! I’m amazed I haven’t thought about how funny that name is either. I’m slipping!
Perhaps my favorite “so familiar it seems normal” name is Elvis Presley.
I’m not telling mine. There will be a post about it eventually 🙂
Not letting the cat out of the bag, eh, Amb? Not tossin’ those names around with wild abandon, hm? Kind of savin’ up on the funny names for a rainy day, are we? Sort of keepin’ um in reserve, as it were? Hm? Hm? Hm?
Sounds like someone’s practicing funny name conservation . . .
Haha, good point (and good advocacy!)
And that’s a darn good thing.
A Peekaboo hairstyle? I didn’t know that was a thing!
Oh, yes, that wave right over the eye in the sexy way–she started that.
Love this post…it is short and sweet! 🙂
Much like myself!
Exactly!
hah! that explains it!
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