For those loved ones who are convinced that I'm heading into a frozen Dead Zone, just wanted to reassure you that things look fine and my flight is still scheduled to leave on time. I should be boarding in about 20 minutes and am looking forward to my American Airlines Bistro Meal which will probably make my father's hospital food look good. Celebrity alert: I was in line behind David Carradine just now. Not my personal favorite of the Carradine Clan, I think I was too busy watching "The Waltons" in the 70s to remember his "Kung Fu" heydey. I do remember one of his films in the early 70s, the dated "Go Ask Alice"-like classic called "Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring" starring Sally Field as DENNIE MILLER (my other cinematic namesake after Albert Brooks in "Defending Your Life") who, with her sister Susie Miller (hello!) goes on an acid-tripped freefall through the hippie zeitgeist. She rejects her conservative parents (played by former childstar Jackie Cooper and the misunderstood Baroness from "The Sound of Music," Eleanor Parker) and hooks up with Carradine's anti-establishment archetype named Flack. Of course by the end of the film Sally rejoins her parents' squeaky clean world and all is well with the universe. God, I wish I could see that film again—it's a masterpiece of the Hippies May Seem Cool But They Will Lead You to Hell genre. I should go over and ask David Carradine about it. I do admire his dad's work and his brothers Robert and Keith. Keith Carradine is in my all-time favorite film, Robert Altman's "Nashville" (see future blog posts on this topic). And I love Keith's daughter Martha Plimpton and Robert's daughter, Ever Carradine, both of whom I've seen around town (there goes the name dropping again). Martha is now a member of the brilliant Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and I would see ANY film or play that she was in. Fantastic singer too—Kendall and I saw her very cool cabaret act this summer. Good genes on those Carradines. And now I am getting on that plane. David, wait up...
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Well this is the very spot in your blog that my Google search "Sally Field, Keith Carradine, Jackie Cooper" led me to when I was trying to find the companion piece to another classically cheesy late '60s/early '70s anti-drug movie called "The People Next Door" which I was forced to watch in a 6th grade health class. It was unutterably depressing. My husband found the movie on display in one of his favorite haunts and wanted to know if he should buy it. I told him that the Sally Field movie was much better but couldn't remember the name. Next step - the trusty Google! And when I read your description of Eleanor Parker as the "misunderstood Baroness" I knew you were the Blogger for me. I'm hooked! I'm figuring ya must be a Scorpio - can hardly wait till the Oct./Nov. posts to see if I'm right, cause I'm betting you'll get pretty nutty about your birthday and have to write reams about angst and/or memories, those that are lovely or others best forgotten. Of course, if you're not a Scorpio, I'll still like you anyway!
Posted by: Wendy | August 21, 2006 at 05:11 PM