Rising from the ashes

<strong>Where have I been?</strong><br />I've been right here, even though I've been away from my blog for over a week. It wasn't a planned or intentional time away. It just sort of happened. <br /><br />It started out with thoughts that maybe I was becoming a little too obsessive about my food and exercise. I was tired of constantly worrying about it, thinking about it, and condemning myself for my bad choices. I was even more tired of writing about it. Surely this couldn't be of any value to anyone who might read  this blog. Failure after failure. It was disheartening to say the least.<br /><br />I decided to "relax" a little on the food front. That didn't mean I would go crazy, eating whatever and whenever I wanted. Instead I thought I could take a step back and try to figure out exactly what was wrong with me. Why do I have the compulsion to overeat? <br /><br />I stuck with the exercise all last week, but Thursday and Friday were difficult days. I had to really push myself at the gym. When I was on the StairMaster Friday morning I felt like my legs were stuck in mud. Every step was torture. My lungs felt like they were on fire and going to explode. It felt about ten times worse than ever before. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. Late Friday I knew what was causing the problem. I had a cold. <br /><br />It's not the flu, and I don't even have a fever. It's just a simple cold. Sneezing, painful sinuses, and coughing, and I feel like hell. Today is day three so I'm started to feel a little bit better. It's the first day I actually got up, showered, and put on real clothes.<br /><br />I felt a little better after the shower, but now I'm exhausted and just want to crawl back into bed. I'm going to try to stay awake for most of the day because I had a terrible night of trying to sleep last night. Apparently my body had enough bed rest. At 1 a.m. I was tossing and turning, going in and out of various nightmares. It was a very bad night.<br /><br /><strong>Zicam doesn't work for everyone</strong><br />I tried Zicam for the first time because my girlfriend said it wonders worked for her. Every three hours for the last three days I've put one of those icky mint Zicam melt-away lozenges on my tongue, let it melt, then waited fifteen minutes before I could have a drink of water. Each time I was practically gagging at the chalky, icky, sickly sweet mint taste. I can't tell that I felt any better. In fact, I almost think waking up every three hours to take the lozenge may have made me feel worse. I expected a miracle. I didn't get one. I was still just as sick as the last time I had a cold.<br /><br /><strong>A&E Heavy and rising from the ashes</strong><br />This morning I watched two old episodes of "Heavy" On Demand. These were episodes I had missed. There was one line that has stayed in my head. One of the guests on the show, Sharon, said she realized she'd "have to be stringent about what she put in her body for the rest of her life".<br /><br />I realized that's me. I'm not being obsessive when I track my food and worry about what I'm eating. I'm just trying to be healthy. There's nothing wrong with being "stringent". Because of my past and my compulsive tendencies with food, I have to try to be in control all the time.<br /><br />It's really not such a bad thing to be vigilant about what I'm eating. Not everyone has to live like this, but just like the crack addict or the alcoholic, I have to be careful of what I'm putting in my body.<br /><br />Stringent: rigorous: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures.<br /><br />That pretty much defines what works for me. Following the rules, paying strict attention to what I eat. As far as what's driving me to overeat, I know what it is but it's not something I want to share here, at least not yet. It's deeply personal, and a little sad to admit. For now, I prefer to keep this part of myself private. <br /><br />Even though I know why I overeat, it's still a challenge to stop it. It's something I've been doing for a very long time, and changing an old behavior is difficult, but not impossible. <br /><br />My plan for my week is to gently ease back in to exercising tomorrow. It's been three days, and I'm itching to get back to the gym. Tomorrow morning will be a light workout. <br /><br />On the food front, "stringent" will be my keyword. Weighing, measuring, tracking every bite. It's really not that hard. I've been doing it for over three years now. What's another twenty or thirty years? :)<br /><br /><strong>Fun day tomorrow</strong><br />Tomorrow I get to do something fun at work. Most of you know I work for an airline. Tomorrow I get to ride on a brand new Boeing 737-800 as it's flown from Boeing Field to Sea-Tac airport, and the airline takes delivery of the new aircraft.<br /><br />We usually get a few new aircraft each year. This year there will be three new 737-800's added to the fleet. It's a very big deal when we get a new aircraft. The price is somewhere in the range of $80 million, and there's a lot hoopla surrounding the delivery. It means the company is doing good and growing. <br /><br />As a special treat for working on a difficult project, myself and 107 of my closest coworkers (kidding, I only know a few of them), will get to ride around for a couple hours, sightseeing Mt. Rainier and the Cascades. Of course, after two gorgeous sunny days here in the Northwest, the forecast is rain for tomorrow (darn it!). <br /><br />It will still be fun to fly on a brand new aircraft and be part of the festivities. After 28 years with my company, I'm still very excited about a new aircraft.

Rising from the ashes

Where have I been? I've been right here, even though I've been away from my blog for over a week. It wasn't a planned or intenti...

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For the Love of Film (Noir): About Ida Lupino

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBojafVehwFYfGARreLyK0uAxJ06VELNg61wZ2haf26Sg-AsMnmOoM5kfmIYKQNEK9-TSCdsmA6Z3rrinJwf1hNrH7ukckqgAajSxZ3kt_Zv_l6x8Xk5WvkHQer4Qv8945ljhgmO21KLd9/s1600/Ida+expressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBojafVehwFYfGARreLyK0uAxJ06VELNg61wZ2haf26Sg-AsMnmOoM5kfmIYKQNEK9-TSCdsmA6Z3rrinJwf1hNrH7ukckqgAajSxZ3kt_Zv_l6x8Xk5WvkHQer4Qv8945ljhgmO21KLd9/s320/Ida+expressed.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br /><i>This review was part of the For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon to benefit the Film Noir Foundation.</i><br /><br />One of the great dames of film noir, and quite a bit more, Ida Lupino was born in London in 1918. Her father was Stanley Lupino, a star of the West End stage who wrote many of the productions in which he appeared. Lupino Lane, an important British music hall star, was a cousin. And Ida's mother, Connie, was an actress. Of her father Ida Lupino once said, "I knew it would break his heart if I didn't go into the business," and so she did, even though her first love was writing.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />Her first credited film was Allan Dwan's <b>Her First Affaire </b>(1933). It was an ingenue part and an inaccurate industry myth had it that her mother read for the part but lost it to young Ida [thanks to Jean Howard for clarifying this]. In any case, the role led to several screen appearances in quick succession. By year's end she was signed by Paramount Pictures and headed from London to Hollywood.<br />  <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjae7YYFsLimv2stwGaFdixFovTgbUrHqFTuEsxYFSJlYS089Hj38K6maqxVzXh8VTFq-Xr6F_Y3moxE5ZRemFxGC7_wx2A0jPE0GvFJCmOn-hHJ8dmNwz58w7pw5KxthYSSYI7a0BjyU6m/s1600/sherlock+holmes+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjae7YYFsLimv2stwGaFdixFovTgbUrHqFTuEsxYFSJlYS089Hj38K6maqxVzXh8VTFq-Xr6F_Y3moxE5ZRemFxGC7_wx2A0jPE0GvFJCmOn-hHJ8dmNwz58w7pw5KxthYSSYI7a0BjyU6m/s200/sherlock+holmes+3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</b></td></tr></tbody></table>She was to star in <b>Alice in Wonderland, </b>but that didn't pan out. Only 15, Ida seemed mature beyond her years and lost the part. She made several mostly forgotten films, endured a battle with polio and resumed her career. With <b>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</b> (1939) she was noticed in a role that provided an opportunity to demonstrate her range. William Wellman's <b>The Light That Failed</b> (1940) was her first real break. Though no one had wanted her in a part considered unsympathetic, Lupino pursued the role and in the end it brought her fame.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3Qu0fPsWAhBYSKEoIs4FSsi-VsJA_d8GCAFAy-pmMg_wqCQivv7CkjAytopBhoLWK_8QcdSp4VXWMJO6iTWpERUz8IfDfqk9HlK2lCPhKhnzx-RtdC3XtlzlJSTffmwwL3ZBsfSKmOtK/s1600/hard+way.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3Qu0fPsWAhBYSKEoIs4FSsi-VsJA_d8GCAFAy-pmMg_wqCQivv7CkjAytopBhoLWK_8QcdSp4VXWMJO6iTWpERUz8IfDfqk9HlK2lCPhKhnzx-RtdC3XtlzlJSTffmwwL3ZBsfSKmOtK/s1600/hard+way.jpg" /></a></div>She soon moved on to Warner Bros. and it was here her reputation as a dame-of-noir began with her fiery performance as Lana Carlsen in <b>They Drive by Night </b>(1940). <b>High Sierra</b> (1941)<b> </b>and <b>The Sea Wolf</b> (1941)<b> </b>quickly followed and her value to Warners was established. However, with Bette Davis the reigning queen of the lot, Ida Lupino was frequently assigned films the great star had passed on. Referring to herself as "the poor man's Bette Davis," she spent a good amount of time on suspension from the studio for refusing roles she considered unworthy. Fortunately, she accepted the part of driven, manipulative Helen Chernen in <b>The Hard Way</b> (1943); for her performance she received the New York Drama Critics' Best Actress Award.<br /><br />During this time, Lupino was married to actor Louis Hayward (<b>Anthony Adverse</b>, <b>The Man in the Iron Mask</b>). Hayward enlisted in the Marines at the onset of World War II and commanded the photographic unit that filmed the battle of Tarawa (November 1943). The film won a Best Documentary Short Subject Oscar but the experience of the bloody four-day battle left Hayward badly shell-shocked and the couple split up.<br /><br />Although Lupino's acting career continued, it was during a lengthy studio suspension in the mid-'40s that she started thinking seriously about directing. She married producer Collier Young in 1948 and in 1949 they put together an independent production company called Emerald Productions, later rechristened The Filmakers.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5M6j77ZJUvm7bnrsh-NK8_fIkuV0Tb-HwB_aUfwvJj8LRDUatCmJzt1PdPTmv4GNznIkk9JgqgGIHWQyqcrq4P_Id_oHd3tF8WLBlIDhtSHLI7CbRw3NxfpWzUwU48rYnjOhT1LdjfGe7/s1600/idalupino%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5M6j77ZJUvm7bnrsh-NK8_fIkuV0Tb-HwB_aUfwvJj8LRDUatCmJzt1PdPTmv4GNznIkk9JgqgGIHWQyqcrq4P_Id_oHd3tF8WLBlIDhtSHLI7CbRw3NxfpWzUwU48rYnjOhT1LdjfGe7/s200/idalupino%255B1%255D.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ida Lupino, director</td></tr></tbody></table> The company's first effort, <b>Not Wanted </b>(1949), featured a screenplay by Ida Lupino and was to be directed by Elmer Clifton. A few days into shooting Clifton suffered a heart attack and the actress stepped in to finish the film (but gave the credit to Clifton). Co-starring with Sally Forrest, a young actress Lupino would tap again, was Leo Penn an actor/director now best known as the father of Sean Penn. The film, like most Lupino directed, broached a ticklish subject for the time - unwanted pregnancy.<br /><br />Three low-budget, Lupino-directed classics came out of The Filmakers: <b>Hard, Fast and Beautiful</b> (1951) with Claire Trevor and Sally Forrest, <b>The Hitch-Hiker</b> (1953) with Edmond O'Brien and William Talman and <b>The Bigamist </b>(1953) with Edmond O'Brien, Joan Fontaine and Lupino herself. In the meantime, Lupino also co-starred with Robert Ryan in Nicholas Ray's powerful <b>On Dangerous Ground</b> (1952) and reportedly directed some of the film while Ray was ill.<br /><br />By the time the last three Filmaker efforts were produced, Ida Lupino and Collier Young had divorced. Lupino married actor Howard Duff not long after. In 1954, The Filmakers dissolved but Lupino later found herself in demand to direct for TV. Over the next few decades she directed dozens of episodes for series television, including "Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Twilight Zone" and "The Untouchables." At the same time she continued to act in film and on television; she and Howard Duff starred in a very popular TV series, "Mr. Adams and Eve" from 1957 - 1958, and Lupino was nominated for Best Actress Emmys for both seasons of the show.<br /> <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XBUsw1kyDfvctbwv5v8E51ApAJl9utS8TsYhqy4FeSEhEVlIa5VpnKY-ms2WPk9fjJMqjxfC4s2rg69ndZ2HIP4B92XVkyd4SNBmoIt7XvZqvMZa9XR6AzUEGKCKV-6SfmHHw08oywYb/s1600/ida+and+steve+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XBUsw1kyDfvctbwv5v8E51ApAJl9utS8TsYhqy4FeSEhEVlIa5VpnKY-ms2WPk9fjJMqjxfC4s2rg69ndZ2HIP4B92XVkyd4SNBmoIt7XvZqvMZa9XR6AzUEGKCKV-6SfmHHw08oywYb/s200/ida+and+steve+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ida and Steve in <b>Junior Bonner</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Busy with television, Lupino directed only one more theatrical film, <b>The Trouble with Angels </b>(1966), a comedy starring Rosalind Russell and Hayley Mills. She didn't appear in many films at this point, but her later film career included an exceptional turn as Steve McQueen's mother in <b>Junior Bonner</b> (1972).<br /><br />Onscreen, Ida Lupino was an edgy combination of tough and tender and is remembered as one of the legendary actresses of film noir.<br /><br />Behind the camera, she developed a hard-boiled, suspenseful style while working on tight schedules with small budgets. Today she is not only honored as a pioneering "woman director," but is also an acknowledged auteur of the early 1950s. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ </div><br />My own introduction to Ida Lupino came long ago by way of the flickering box in our family living room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>High Sierra</b>,<b> The Sea Wolf</b> and <b>Road House</b> (1948) aired regularly on TV in those days and the bruised but determined characters that were her stock in trade got my attention. Of those three films, it was in <b>Road House</b> that she most stirred my imagination. Her character, Lily, is a been-around-the-block torch singer who attracts more than a crowd at the out-of-the-way road house where she performs. Though Lily has a hard luck past and more pain to come, this time Lupino’s character is the locus of a romantic triangle and she commands much of the film - which is saying something with a co-star like Richard Widmark. And there is the added attraction of her singing - in her own dusky voice - two torch classics, “Again” and “One for My Baby.”<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h1Q71t5D8ko" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div>

Film Noir Hard Fast and Beautiful High Sierra Ida Lupino Junior Bonner Not Wanted On Dangerous Ground Road House The Bigamist The Hard Way The Hitch-Hiker The Lady Eve (author) They Drive By Night For the Love of Film (Noir): About Ida Lupino

This review was part of the For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon to benefit the Film Noir Foundation. One of the great dame...

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