Wednesday, October 18, 2017

This one's for you, Tammy!

In my recent attempt to purge old emails, I accidentally deleted one from my dear blog friend Tammy. When you told Poppy and me about loving an old 1962 movie called "Rome Adventure" I remembered that I had once written a rough draft for a blog post on the very same movie, just another example over the years of the many books and movies we both love. 

Some of what we both love can be classified as great literature or classic movies. Rome Adventure isn't one of them, is it Tam? But we both have to watch it every time it runs on TCM. So here's my old notes on it, that never made it into a blog post. Please add yours to it, Tam, the things you wrote about in the email I accidentally deleted. 

Because, who says a blog post can't be an email, right? I'm becoming more of a blogger who chooses to make her own rules about her own blog. On with it...

"Rome Adventure," starring Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette. Sorry, Suzanne, you were mostly forgettable in your role as Prudence. If Natalie Wood had not dropped out at the last minute, maybe Prudence would have stood out better in my memories of this movie. This movie for me is all about Troy. Well, Troy and Italy.

What girl didn't have a crush on Troy in 1962? Even being a newlywed I still retained my crush. When he appears on the Rome scene in light colored slacks, a red v-neck sweater and white dress shirt, collar open...let's just say there was no way I was turning this movie off. I mean, how Troy Donahue was that outfit!

By the way, do you remember him and Sandra Dee in "A Summer Place"? Where he and Sandra are holidaying on an island with their families and meet, fall in love and she gets--(whisper) pregnant? One of my favorite chic flicks of the early 60s!

Back to Rome: there's Angie Dickinson who tries to keep her twisted clutches on Troy during the whole movie. She is at her most beautiful, mysterious, cruel best in the movie. She reminds me of Mad Men's January Jones in her first season on the show. Didn't Angie have her gorgeous legs insured back then for $1 mil by Lloyd's of London?

Another memorable female character is Daisy, the American who owns a bookshop in Rome. There's a whole movie waiting to be written expanding her intriguing part, don't you think, Tam? And I loved seeing Constance Ford play her part because it helps me think of her sympathetically rather than as the frigid bitch mother of Sandra Dee in A Summer Place, which she did masterfully well. 

Rossano Brazzi, another heartthrob, is Roberto before he inspired Mitzi Gaynor to wash that man right out of her hair. His memorable quote from Rome Adventure:


"Woman's most important function in life is to anchor man."

Good grief, and double gag!

But the man is one handsome Italian sophisticate in this movie. I mean, Rossano Brazzi and Troy Donahue? With those two, it doesn't even matter that Al Hirt wasn't handsome. He is funny in his small cameo part and does he ever play that trumpet!

And then there's the song, right, Tam? I fell in love with "Al Di La" as sung by Emillo Pericoli and I know you did too, as per the accidentally deleted email.

Italy and the music were the actual stars of this film. 

And Troy Donahue. Sigh.........

Tammy, maybe we can take some Italian classes like our Greek Goddess and her daughter?

I wonder how old Troy Donahue is now? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAJQJhgD0xo






5 comments:

  1. hello!
    I got on here for my short evening session before watching 'the story of us' with morgan freeman on the ntl geographic channel. soooo good!

    and what do I find but a post about my old heart throb troy! LOL.
    he died of a heart attack at the age of 65 in 2001.
    could anybody RUN like troy Donahue? and always in a red sweater and kahki how do you spell that?? pants! his 6'2" frame was so graceful.
    now when I watch Rome Adventure I relate more to Rosanno Brazzi! but I still love Troy.
    and YES on all the supporting players. even the 'rock' guy. the blonde bimbo that says to him... "you fell in love with a ROCK?" LOLOL. kind of put his Etruscan history research into the toilet. LOL.
    but most of all what I will remember forever is the song... Al di La. ONLY sung by Emilio... NOT jerry vale.
    it never fails to lift me right on above the tips of the snow covered alps and makes me float forever beyond! just as corny as the wonderful movie is starred in. the song made the movie for me. it was the true star.
    but my old eyes still light up when I see Troy. (and I never even liked blonde men!) but he and Hubble Gardener in The Way We Were... it just doesn't get much better ladies.
    and yes! I remember a Summer Place too. again... the music.
    and I was always 'the good girl' so I always related to Sandra Dee! LOL.
    I probably made my classmates gag. but that's the way it was.
    this has been a truly wonderful walk down memory lane.
    and I would love to try to learn Italian! I have even tried reading it.
    just to enjoy the sound of it. I wouldn't have a clue what I was saying!
    it spoken slowly it's the most romantic language on earth. hang the French!
    now...
    I must google Al di La sung by Emilio.
    isn't it funny how no matter how old we are we are ALWAYS the same age inside? enough to get chills from a song like that? where is my candelabra?
    it's a mark of my integrity you know!
    I love you darling sister mine!
    xo♥

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    1. You and Dewena certainly brought back memories for me. A Summer Place with Troy was my first drive in movie with my now husband Don. I had such a crush on Troy and remember the red sweater. And Al di la was a song another boyfriend used to play for me over the phone. What a walk down memory lane. Thank you girls.

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  2. Yes, always the same age inside! That's a secret you don't learn or even imagine when you're young. I didn't remember that Troy was already gone. Just imagine if he were now in his 80s. really can't just as I can't imagine Marilyn Monroe growing old. So we'll just keep on remembering them in their prime, won't we? But then again, we've watched Hubble grow old and there's still that charming half smile we love. The Way We Were is another movie I can't resist watching and I always want it to end differently, for them to find each other again.

    I'm beginning to believe that we're just not going to get those movies anymore that stay in your mind forever. And will there ever be another film team like Merchant/Ivory?

    Oh well, another few weeks and I will start watching all my Christmas movies again! And watch Hallmark Christmas shows, no matter how sappy they are or how many times they recycle the same actors over and over again. Better the old ones I love than the newer ones who mostly seem cut of the same cloth. And do my words here ever date me! You'd think I was an old grandma or something. Oh yes, I forgot, I am an old grandma, a great-grandma even!

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  3. Well, neither have I seen 'Rome Adventure', nor 'A Summer Place', but I feel like I've MISSED OUT from your amazing reviews, and so I will try to catch them on YouTube, maybe this afternoon, during siesta time, when the house is OOO (out of order), I'll start with the first.

    Always loved Angie Dickinson since I saw her in Police Woman (I wanted to BE her!), and yes, January Jones definitely reminds me of her. I've heard of Troy Donahue but can't recall having seen him in anything and of course I know Suzanne Pleshette from The Bob Newhart Show, in which I thought she WAS perfectly cast! Would you believe I have never seen The Way We Were in its entirety?! I know, shameful...Although I do think that Robert Redford was attractive, I'm more of a Paul Newman girl - such rugged handsomeness, always on the edge, always plagued by something in his roles. Even as he got older, he was still such a good looking dude, still playing the forever loner, as in Nobody's Fool. I think I'd mentioned this in an email to you, Dewena, a long time ago, that he still is my ideal man, in everything that that encompasses. Joanne Woodward was (and still is!) a lucky lady, for having spend the better part of her life with this talented and generous man. I think they made the perfect couple, too.

    Anyway, maybe if I learn some Italian and make my way to Tuscany, one day, I may be able to charm a handsomely tanned and rugged, but sweet natured farmer, who will find me wandering among his sunflower fields, when he spots my sunhat floating along the rows of yellow flowers,under that famous sun! Ha!

    Right. Back to reality. Thanks for the great inside scoop on everyone and everything associated with this film. Looking forward to seeing it so that I can add my two cents, even though, I doubt they'd be worth anything, in comparison to both of your valuable collections of critical currency!

    Love you both!
    PoppyK
    xoxo

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    1. Poppy, I liked Police Woman too. I'd never thought about January Jones being like Angie but I see the resemblance now. Oh, you must watch The Way We Were from beginning to end. I admit to wishing they had ended up getting back together when they run into each other at the end of the movie but that wouldn't have been as realistic, would it?

      Paul Newman? My mother's crush, my crush, probably my grandmother's crush! I love that he and Joanne were married until death parted them.

      ---"I have steak at home. Why would I go out for hamburger?" Paul Newman

      And as always, your two cents, dear Poppy, is worth a million bucks in my books!

      Visions of you in that sunflower field, my friend,
      Dewena

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