Saturday nine

 

The Way You Look Tonight

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. 

The Way You Look Tonight (1936)

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

1) They lyrics tell us that no matter how low the singer feels, it will raise his spirits to recall the way his lover looks tonight. Share a special moment in your life that brings a smile to your lips, no matter what.

Back in 1998 I planned a family vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida. All of the adults  who were going on the trip had been to Disney before, but my daughters -- age 7 1/2 and just turned 6 at the time -- had never been.  Instead of simply telling them "we're going to Disneyworld", my sisters and I planned a scavenger hunt for the girls.  

I wrote clues about our vacation, cute rhymes that hinted at our destination. One clue said something about music, so the girls went into the living room and looked at the piano.  There they found a clue that mentioned something about food, so they headed to the kitchen.   The clues took the girls all over the house, out to the yard and back again.

The last clue brought the girls back to their own bedroom.  And instead of another clue, on each bed was a Barbie doll.  But not just any Barbie....in 1996, in honor of Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary, Mattel designed a special edition Barbie,  dressed like a tourist headed to the parks in Florida.  

The look on their faces when they put all the clues together and realized we were going to Disney World...

2) This song was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1936 movie, Swing Time. It won the Oscar for Best Song. What's your favorite movie song?

3) Though today Fred is revered as a Hollywood legend, producers had to be convinced to give him a shot. The initial notes on his screen test were: "Can't act. Slightly bald. Also dances." Tell us about a time when someone underestimated you.

I am an intelligent and educated woman with mad Google skills.  Don't "mansplain" to me, I will make you look like the idiot you really are...

 

4) Fred's legion of fans includes Jackie Chan. The martial arts star says Astaire's movies influenced the way he choreographed the Kung Fu fight sequences in his films. Mr. Chan is one of the most popular film stars in the world. Have you seen any of his movies?

No, I don't think I've seen anything with Jackie Chan.

 

5) Fred was always fascinated by new things. In the 1970s, when he was in his late 70s, he took up skateboarding and became so good at it he was awarded life membership in the National Skateboard Society. Have you been skateboarding? If not, is it something you're tempted to try?

I have no intention of ever getting onto one of those scary things... but my nephew still skateboards at age 31.

 

6) Fred's friends were amused by his passion for daytime soap operas. In the days before video recording, he would call home from the club house at the golf course and ask his maid what had happened that day on his favorite "story," As the World Turns. Is there a show you try not to miss?

Jeopardy!  is like a religion around here.

7) In 1936, the year this song was popular, the US patent office issued a patent for the Zippo lighter. Beginning in WWII and for decades after, Zippo lighters were issued to our soldiers. During the Vietnam War, troops had their lighters engraved with personal mottos. What's something you have had engraved or personalized? What did it say?

Shhh, don't tell, but Drew is getting a Father's Day gift from Miss Duchess Cat, a t shirt that identifies him as a cat dad,  and it will be personalized with Duchess' name.

8) Also in 1936, a killer tornado struck Tupelo, MS. Have you ever been in a tornado? How about a hurricane or an earthquake?

Tornado, no.  Earthquake, no.  Hurricane?   Long Island isn't the tropics, but we've had more than a few ... including a little one called "Sandy" a few years ago....

 

9) Random question -- We're creating an action figure of YOU. What two accessories should we be sure to include in the box?

A smartphone or iPad (mad Google skills) and a pen (it's mightier than the sword, and I wield a mighty pen...)