Or, how I received the Liebster Award.
It almost goes without saying how I honored I am to be Liebstered, but I am going to say it. Repeatedly. I sort of like the ‘generational’ idea of this award – Paula and Kellee awarded it to Aurora, Aurora passed it on to 11 other bloggers, including Annmarie at Classic Movie Blog Hub, and Annmarie awarded it to me and 10 others. Being a part of a classic movie blogging community means a lot to me, and being recognized by it is truly wonderful. So, without further ado –
What is the Liebster Blog Award?
The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. “Liebster” is German for “favorite.” This award is the “favorite blog award” then.
The rules:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the 11 questions the person giving the award has set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for the people you will be giving the award to.
4. Choose 11 people to award and send them a link to your post.
5. Go to their page and tell them. I think letting people know on Twitter is cool.
6. NO TAG BACKS.
OK, pause for one second. I may bend the rules a little bit. So I’m not sure how to know if someone has 200 followers – and I’m trying harder to avoid ‘no tag backs’ (for instance, I love Aurora’s blog, but she has already been awarded, so I won’t choose her), so I may accidentally tag people who have a larger following. But, like I said, I love the passing it on of this award and I want to continue that! So. Now what you’ve been waiting for…
11 things about me
1. My name is not Duke Mantee.
2. I love home furnishings. Coffee table books, picture frames, shelves, and kitschy kitchen utensils are among my favorites.
3. I am also OCD. I embrace the contradiction with #2.
4. I dislike Gary Cooper, Greer Garson, Maureen O’Hara, and Robert Mitchum.
5. I not only love jazz, but it calms me down. Co-workers judge my stress level by how loud the jazz is playing in my office.
6. I have never eaten clams or mussels, and I’m not allergic to seafood.
7. I am terrified of needles and heights.
8. I do not own a television. I do not want to own a television. (OK, maybe a little so I can join a #TCMParty now and then…)
9. I almost never revise after I’ve written something. It’s terrible form (I studied English and teaching writing in college, trust me, I know), but I write by feel. I also get really hot when I’m typing and have to open a window when I’m blogging (or tweeting).
10. There was an article in the local newspaper about my great-grandmother in the 1930’s “Local girl sees 270 movies in one year.” I come by my love for movies honestly!
11.
My answer’s to Annmarie’s 11 questions
1. What are some of your ‘desert island’ movies?
Oh my. I am always so bad with ‘pick one movie’ questions because I have a million. But, movies I never get tired of are Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, Some Like It Hot, The Thin Man, and Sabrina. I’ve also seen Star Wars (the original trilogy) 13 times and Master and Commander (yep the Russell Crowe movie) 9 times.
2. If you could travel back in time and ‘live the life’ of one Classic Movie Actor/Actress, who would it be and why?
Norma Shearer, actually. She was lovely, confident, knew what she wanted, and while she is sometimes criticized for leaving her children with nannies to focus on her career, she was married to a supportive, creative, genius man, Irving Thalberg. She also had a fabulous career, before, during, and after being married to Thalberg. I love the story of how they got married. Norma came into his office for a meeting and since Thalberg was so short and boyish (early 20’s at the time), she asked where his boss was. She was mortified when he told her he was the boss. It might have been at that meeting or a few meetings later, but Norma walked out and said, “I’m going to marry him.” And her secret was, she never told him that and she let him think it was all his idea. I love that!
3. Astaire or Kelly?
Kelly. I mean Astaire was talented, no question, but I love Kelly’s athleticism. He was such a man’s man, athletic and attractive, but he loved tap dancing, which is beyond cool to me. He loved musicals. It was as if Brando had put on dance shoes and made it awesome.
4. If you could choose to watch either comedies or dramas for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Current or classic? Current, dramas. What’s passing for comedies now is atrocious. Classic, comedies. Now THEY knew how to set up a punch-line.
5. If you were a Character Actor, what would your traits be, and what type of roles would you play?
In high school I played several old ladies on stage. Several. So I would definitely be an older character, a mother or older neighbor. My favorite mother role was of an old lady pretending to be insane so her stepchildren couldn’t get her money. She was sneaky and funny – I’d love to play that.
6. Who is your favorite movie pirate?
I’m not a big swashbuckler. My favorite movie cowboy is Montgomery Clift before he became Montgomery Clift. He is so young in Red River and innocent (contrast it with The Misfits!), but he’s also really strong.
7. If you could travel to one Classic Movie related site, what would it be?
I would like to time travel to the burning of Atlanta on the backlot with Selznick. But, if time traveling doesn’t count, I’d like to follow The Cameraman around New York – much of it was shot actually in the city, giving Buster anxiety because of the crowds.
8. If you could host TCM for a day, what movies would you show?
Well, I would go into a mythical TCM vault and pull out every Buster Keaton short and film and show those back to back to back all morning. From The Butcher Boy straight on through to Spite Marriage, when he lost creative control. That would be my morning marathon. In the evening, rare and hard-to-find Humphrey Bogart films. Deadline – U.S.A., The Return of Dr. X, Battle Circus, Crime School, Chain Lightning, King of the Underworld, Racket Busters, The Great O’Malley, and at 4am (because TCM days begin at 6am because – can anyone explain that to me?) The Petrified Forest. This better be on my birthday. Otherwise my birthday will be ousted as my favorite day of the year and THIS will become my favorite day of the year. It would also be an abnormally long day. TCM North Pole?
9. List one classic movie scene that you can re-wind and watch over and over again — and why?
I love the scene in Mr. and Mrs. Smith in the beginning, where Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard are locked in their bedroom – every time they fight, they lock themselves in their bedroom until they resolve it. So they’re both unshowered and probably even more fed up with each other than before, and Carole Lombard reaches over and bops Robert Montgomery on the nose. That, ladies and gentlemen, is love.
10. Who is your favorite classic movie couple (on or off screen)?
Bogie & Bacall. I love others: Myrna Loy & William Powell, Norma Shearer & Irving Thalberg, Marty & Clara – but on and off the best is hands down Bogie & Bacall.
11. What is the last movie that you saw in a theater?
DJANGO UNCHAINED.
My 11 questions for the next generation of Liebs
1. Favorite femme fatale?
2. What was the first classic movie you ever saw?
3. What is your favorite blog post you’ve written?
4. Which film/actor/actress do you not like that everyone else loves and you’re too afraid to say anything?
5. If you were hosting a blogathon, what would the theme be?
6. What is the best line cinema history?
7. What classic movie have you never seen but you totally pretend you’ve seen so you won’t look silly in front of your classic movie blogging friends?
8. Favorite auteur?
9. What’s the worst Oscar snub in history?
10. Favorite decade?
11. Black and white or color?
And my 11 Liebsters!
A Personal Guide to Classic Films
I am so honored and glad to be a part of this community.
Congrats on the Liebster! Nice going.
Really enjoyed your responses to the questions.
What a neat thing! Congrats!