Sentimental Journey

Doris Day, who died at the age of 97 only two weeks ago, was the epitome of wholesome Middle America in Hollywood and for a time being became uncool for her persona.  But she was much more than a rom-com actress whom Rock Hudson lost his heart to.  Day, who was from Ohio and in many ways really was as all-American as she appeared, was also an accomplished singer and made songs like "Sentimental Journey" and "Que Sera, Sera" all her own with the heart and care she put into them.  She could do drama just as well, as her heralded performance in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much demonstrated, and she was adept at television with her own show in the late sixties and early seventies - which she did, ironically, to pay debts incurred by her late husband without her knowledge.

Through it all, Doris Day held her own and kept her dignity.  She later became famous for her animal rights activism, and the contributions she made to that effort are as enduring as her greatest movies and records.  She was truly a class act, and we've lost her at a time when we need more of those. RIP. :-(

Elizabeth Taylor: 1932-2011

I was never a big fan of Elizabeth Taylor, who died today of congestive heart failure, though not because I didn't think she was a good actress. By all accounts she was a great one - and one that knew how to be a celebrity and how to put fame to good use (consider everything this veteran actor did to help fight AIDS while another veteran actor, President Ronald Reagan, did not). I just never saw any of her films. I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that, but it's the truth; I have seen many classic films, and I have idolized many actors I was too young to see the movies of in the theaters rather than on TV. But Elizabeth Taylor movies? I somehow didn't get to seeing any.

But she was a formidable presence in Hollywood, and she left an indelible mark on our culture. The AIDS fight was one aspect, and so was the way she carried herself in public. Despite her many marriages, despite her fluctuating weight, despite all of that, she still knew how to be a star - how to be Elizabeth Taylor - and while she may have lent herself to parody, she never parodied herself. She was who she was. R.I.P.

Now I have to see some of her movies.