lord love a duck

my rubber ducky

What does "lord love a duck" mean, anyway? The only person I know who says it, is my dear uncle, who calls me "Duch", (not Duck), short for Duchess and makes me laugh until I can't breathe.

Speaking of laughing, was anyone else wacky enough to watch Lord Love a Duck on TCM Wednesday night?  It's a spazzy 60s satirical comedy, starring Roddy McDowall and Tuesday Weld, sort of a cross between Beach Party and Dr. Strangelove. It's my kind of quirk and it certainly lent its fair share of giggles.

Of all sources, the Oxford English Dictionary surprisingly notes just one, James Joyce's Ulysses. Remember this time last year, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, overtaken by my Irish DNA, I dived head first into the book, pledging to read it from cover to cover, only to come up gasping for air?  Although it has some gorgeous language, I shelved it, deciding it was much easier to read the most tasty passages singled out, online. Anyway, apparently T. S. Eliot used the phrase, "lord love a duck", as well as P. G. Wodehouse. Since it has been used a lot in inoffensive situations,  it is doubtful it is a euphemism for the F-word.  It also should be noted that "duck" or "ducky" has been used since the 16th century, when referring to a dear one, or sweetheart.

So, duckies, it all boils down to this: it's a quirky phrase to say, when nothing else seems to fit. I like that.

"...shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes."

--James Joyce, from Molly Bloom's soliloquy, Ulysses 

the yearling makes my dna tingle

James Dunnam home, near Brewton, Escambia Co., AL, circa 1900
(click to enlarge)

The Yearling, N. C. Wyeth

Sunday night I watched the wonderful 1946 film adaptation of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' The Yearling, the story of a rebel soldier and his wife, who after the Civil War, become pioneer farmers in Florida. Every time I see it, I am reminded of my great-great-great-grandparents, James Alexander Dunnam and his wife Sina Isabelle Morris, who farmed near Brewton, Escambia County, Alabama, near the Florida border, just after the Civil War. They raised nine children in this house, that looks so much like the one in the movie. I often wonder what similar hardships they suffered, and what "Old Slewfoot" stories they might have to tell. My great-grandmother, Ida Belle Lewis, is the little girl sitting on the left of the front steps, with her hand raised to shield her eyes from the sun. Notice the portrait of the Dunnam's deceased son, Enoch, her uncle, placed outside on the porch, as part of the family photo.

James Alexander Dunnam and Sina Isabelle Morris Dunnam, circa 1900

This is a Sepia Saturday post.

the essentials

I was a little more than leery when Turner Classic Movies announced last year that Alec Baldwin would co-host Saturday night's The Essentials with the astute Robert Osborne. I must admit, I don't particularly care for Baldwin. How could he, of all people, possibly have anything to say about classic film?

After the first few segments last year, I thought, "Dearest Bob, Bob, Bob, are you off your noodle?" There, in the ubiquitous matching red chairs, were the oh-so-classy Osborne, offering his wealth of film knowledge with his usual gracious elegance, and Baldwin slouched back, arrogantly hogging the conversation. It was the pairing of a tall flute of champagne with a can of beer. I cringed. How could it possibly come to this?

But, as the year progressed, Baldwin surprised me. He's actually quite articulate and knowledgeable about film. Who knew? I must say he looks pretty darn dapper these days, assuming his best "come hither" posture on the edge of his red leather chair. And do I detect the slightest adding of gray around his face? Perhaps he is being groomed to succeed the 78 year old Osborne? Ah, but I still rue the day, since Robert Osborne is quite the essential in my little book.