I couldn't stand being with FUNNY FACE (1957) but THE LEMON DROP KID (1951) was my kind of buddy that I could hang out with...

Last night I started to watch Funny Face for the very first time in honor of Audrey Hepburn week at my house. Twenty minutes in, I had to stop watching. Talk about excruating. This was a very painful film to watch. Well try to watch anyway. A bright and cheery musical that never caught my eye before. I now know why. Even when Audrey makes her appearance about 10 minutes in, as bookstore clerk Jo Stockton, the movie still doesn't pick up. If anything it drags even more. Audrey's voice in this is so weird sounding, it just took me right out. She was a smart and independent young woman but her voice just bugged the crap out of me. And when Fred Astaire plants a kiss on her early on, I just thought..eeeewwwwww!

So what to do. I could start the next Audrey film in my line-up, Sabrina, which I know is good or watch something else. Well TCM happened to be showing the 1951 Bob Hope film, The Lemon Drop Kid, and to my luck I had only missed the first 10 minutes or so. I started watching this light comedy and loved it from the word go. Bob Hope is in great form as The Kid, a guy who loves to bet and who loves lemon flavored candy. He gets into trouble when he gives a girl a bad tip on a horse and the girl's gangster boyfriend wants The Kid to cover his losses to the tune of $10,000. So Hope has to do some scheming and fast thinking to come up with the dough such as starting a home for old ladies to raise money. Backed by a terrific supporting cast inlcuding Jane Darwell, William Frawley, Llyod Nolan and the underrated Marilyn Maxwell.  And it's set at Christmas time, which makes it perfect viewing for the holidays. With Maxwell getting to sing a stirring rendition of Silver Bells. Hope even gets in a great classic one liner to end the film too. A little joke at his old buddy, Bing Crosby's expense. The Lemon Drop Kid saved my movie watching night and became one of my new best friends. Funny Face, I don't think I will be seeing her again anytime soon.

Bargain of the Day...

On Friday at Wal-mart while picking up a few things, I strolled by the movie section and saw that they had some movies on sale for $5 bucks a piece. And I couldn't believe it when they had these newly remastered Audrey Hepburn movies: Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Funny Face and Paris When It Sizzles. Four great movies. $20 dollars total. It worked out because I didn't own any of those Audrey movies before and now I have them in my collection. These four films were released in March of this year with the snazzy new cover designs and originally priced at $10 dollars each. So that was a great deal. No better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with the fair Audrey Hepburn.