a r a j a n e . d i a r y l a n d . c o m

it's a ring-a-ding-ding delight // 2002-10-07

this weekend i rented the "ring-a-ding-ding delightful" film, the tender trap, starring ol' blue eyes and debbie reynolds. i grabbed it off the shelf because i adore the sinatra song from the film (though, heretically perhaps, i prefer mel torme's version), and thought it would be charming. it was charming, in that slightly clunky, oddly-timed, fifties comedy sort of way, where the characters spend the whole film with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other. if you've seen the seven year itch, you know what i'm talking about. i imagine that when it was released the crowds were roaring in the theaters, falling out of their seats laughing at the silly physical comedy and brazen sexuality. of course, all of that was lost on me. and the plot was just strange: debbie reynolds plays a young singer/dancer and sinatra plays a playa who is a talent agent, and debbie reynolds is convinced she'll marry frank, and is, in fact, obsessed with marriage. the biggest thing i can't figure out, though, is if it's a scathing social commentary (as one verbose amazon reviewer writes), or just a silly romp that plays up all the values from the fifties. i'm leaning toward the latter, as any movie that features a song with these lyrics can't be so biting:

you're hooked, you're cooked, you're rooked, you're forsooked, and you've nearly had it, old chap!

the movie also reminded me of this old book from the fifties i read a while back, something light. in it, the main character, who has an otherwise fulfilling life and impressive career, suddenly becomes obsessed with getting married and proceeds to hunt down every eligible man she knows in the hopes she can sucker him into marrying her, just like debbie reynolds' character in the tender trap (who knows she's going to get married on march 12th, at age 22, but she just doesn't know to whom). while i thought about the book and the movie, the feminist in me was outraged and offended, and then i realized that movies and books are still like this. they're filled with women obsessed with getting married. and who am i to throw stones anyhow, since just last night i bought the newest issue of martha stewart weddings and flipped through it while making mental notes of my favorite wedding gowns and hairdos and veils.

and blah and blah and blah...
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and you know what else is a ring-a-ding-ding delight? the super dreamy book from the illustrious kitty bukkake, kitty meets the furries. i ordered it a short while ago and it appeared in my mail box just last week, along with a postcard from the show she appears to be a part of. do yourself a favor, buy her book now. it's pure edu-tainment!

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