Elisabeth Grace Foley

Historical Fiction Author

How to Speak Movie Quote

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Every family has a collective second language: inside jokes. And I suspect a large part of it is often made up of quotes from their favorite movies. I, for instance, live with three siblings who are amazingly skilled at imitating voices and inflections (my brother’s Walter Brennan imitation has to be heard to be believed), improvising whole conversations “in-character,” and inserting apt quotes into everyday conversation. If we’d gotten started on Shakespeare a little earlier in life, we’d probably be quoting the Bard at each other all day long. As it is, hardly a day goes by when somebody doesn’t get a laugh by using a movie quote in just the right place.

Most of them really are inside jokes, in that they only “work” if everybody else knows the quote thoroughly well. For instance, if one of us quips “You don’t think that would look a trifle coincidental?” in a British accent, we all know exactly what they’re talking about. On the other hand, the other day my mom and I were discussing an item that came in different colors, and I said “Lemon, strawberry, or lilac?”—and it fell a bit flat because I had to refresh her memory on the source. (Bonus points if you can identify either of those.)

However, though most quotes are topical, there are those which, in the immortal words of Mr. Collins, “may be adapted to ordinary occasions.” This list I have compiled, if committed to memory and delivered with the proper flair, will provide you with a handy response in nearly every situation.

When asked to take on a job you thankfully cannot:

“That ain’t in my department.” ~ She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)

When a dubious honor is conferred:

“What ’appiness to be asked!” ~ Martin Chuzzlewit (1994)

When everyone around you is over-excited:

“SPECULATION is the ENEMY of CALM.” ~ Cranford (2007)

After a minor calamity, especially a noisy one:

“I’m all right! I’m a-a-a-all right!” ~ It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

“I am injured in my feelings…” ~ Martin Chuzzlewit (1994) [Read more…]

Favorite Film & TV Homes Blogathon: The Browns’ cottage in “National Velvet” (1944)

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“I am excessively fond of a cottage; there is always so much comfort, so much elegance about them. And I protest, if I had any money to spare, I should buy a little land and build one myself.” ~ Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

When I found out about this fun blogathon, it was easy to pick what to write about. I’m sure there’s been more than one movie house that’s made me say, “Aw, gee, I wish I could live there,” (if you include more modern film, Barton Cottage from Sense and Sensibility ’95 may be my all-time favorite movie dwelling) but one of the first that always springs to mind is the Brown family’s cottage in National Velvet (1944). Tucked away in a corner of a little English village, it’s cozy, cheerful, bright, and homelike. It looks like you could really step into it and live there. As I took the screenshots for this post, I found myself discovering all sorts of delightful little details I’d never noticed about it before, even though I’ve seen the movie dozens of times.

Lots of screencaps coming here, so make yourselves comfortable, perhaps with a cup of tea (I had one beside me while writing this, in fact). You can click on any picture to enlarge it and see the details better.

When you really look at it, the layout of the cottage is extremely simple. The downstairs consists of the one main room, encompassing both dining-room and living-room, a charming little winding staircase leading up to the second floor, and a step down into the kitchen. And yet it’s a perfectly comfortable fit for a family of six. I love the simple, countryish décor—the light-colored walls, wide white woodwork, the ceiling beams and those wonderful many-paned windows.

Watch the scenes in the parlor and you pick up all sorts of homey little touches—the plaid afghan on a chair, the mismatched but coordinating pillows scattered about, the family photos tucked in corners, socks drying by the fire, the lace doilies and sewing-basket on a table. I love how in the final scene (below left), the windowsill and window-seat are carelessly piled with books and newspapers—it’s a house that really looks lived-in. The dining-room chairs don’t all match, though they’re all the same finish. [Read more…]

Favorite TV Episode Blogathon: The Waltons, “The Book”

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After watching several seasons of a TV show and seeing your favorite episodes several times, you begin to pinpoint certain episodes that stand out because of the quality of the writing. While some are just adequate, there are some episodes where everything “clicks”—every line of dialogue counts, all the elements of the story fit smoothly together. The Waltons Season 3 episode “The Book” is one of those. It neatly balances the show’s ongoing theme of John-Boy Walton’s literary ambitions and his recurring adventures at college with his family relationships and the background of everyday occurrences at the Walton home.

It’s probably the best episode built around John-Boy’s college experiences. Much could be written about the theme of John-Boy and college, an aspect of the show I’ve always found mildly irritating. John-Boy goes about devouring and quoting from and enthusing about books and poetry by great authors from all walks of life and varying degrees of formal education, yet he still clings religiously to the belief that if he doesn’t make it through college, he can never be a writer himself. Though this is stated explicitly often enough, the show itself ironically and perhaps unintentionally tells another story. John-Boy clearly draws his creative life from Walton’s Mountain, from his home and family, from the beauty of nature, and from his observance of human nature in neighbors and friends and interesting strangers he meets. He’s happiest when up in his room or wandering the woods scribbling away with pencil and pad. College, on the other hand, is mainly a place for him to struggle with chemistry and geometry, feel inferior beside more well-off classmates, and get into difficulties over lecture tickets, codes of etiquette and dance dates. “The Book” is really one of the only times we see him engaged in any meaningful literary activity at college. [Read more…]