Wednesday, March 26, 2008

update and hodge-podge

Eighty-nine students understood the last assignment. Guess who continues to insist that it is, "so hard and it makes no sense." Ah well, enough of that.

We're in that funny mix that is Indiana spring - some warm days, some cold days, and some bizarre storms. Yesterday's classes were accentuated by thunder, buffeted by winds and the windows attacked by rain that sounded like machine gun fire. Naturally, by the time I walked to my car, the sun peeped out from behind the clouds. Were I the sun, I think I'd have just taken the whole day off.

Getting back to my earlier meme, I wanted to put in a plug for the Judy Garland/ Gene Kelly classic film For Me and My Gal. It was Kelly's first film and Garland's first starring role in which her name went above the credits. To answer your next question, yes, she's healthy and looks happy.

It's set during the days before WW I and, surprise surprise, features two hoofers who want to make it to the heights of Vaudeville. OK, so far it's a formula, right? Here's the catch - unlike most musical leads of the time, Kelly is a bit of a cad. He's not above some cocksure yet cunning duplicity to get to Garland. Garland's brother willingly serves in the war, while Kelly is, shall we say, a tad reluctant.

When the film aired in previews, several bits had to be added to make Kelly's charecter more acceptable to audiences - I'd have liked and comprehended him and his motives anyway, but as this was aired during WW II, I can understand this need to support patriotism. Anyway, how many 1940s musicals have war sequences?

"And sometime we're gonne build a little home for two or three or four or more in loveland for Me and My Gal."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Jeanne said...

I know it's almost impossible at this point, but it sounds like it's time to mostly write off that troublesome student. Try to care less. Don't let him get under your skin as much. Grade his paper last, when you've read what everyone else can do and you're more able to be objective.

If you want to think kind thoughts about him, consider that sometimes people just have bad semesters. When he's ready to wake up and do some good work, he'll do it. But it won't be this class, this semester.