Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Bell, Book and Candle



Bell, Book and Candle was written in 1950 English-American playwright John Van Druten.  (He also wrote "Leave Her to Heaven" (1940) and "The Voice of the Turtle" (1943).  In 1958, Richard Quine directed Kim Novak and James Stewart in the movie version.


Bell, Book and Candle is also said to be the artistic parent of the long-running tv comedy, "Bewitched".

I played "Aunt Queenie Holroyd" in the Park City Players production of Bell, Book and Candle, at the Egyptian Theatre in Park City, UT during the early 1990's.  Aunt Queenie is said to be the forerunner of the "Aunt Clara" character on Bewitched.  (Amongst other things, the Egyptian is now used for premieres at the Sundance Film Festival.)

I have fewer memories about what happened during the run of the play and more about things that happened around the production.  The man who played Shep was a newcomer to live acting, but everything worked out ok.  His family owned a large cosmetology school in Orem (or maybe Provo) and gave me a free spiral perm and acrylic nails for the production.  (I gave the students a hefty tip because they earned it that day.  Whew!  Not to mention, there is no way I could have afforded the treatments at a salon!)  My hair was about mid-back length at that time and when they started rinsing the solution out, I learned what it meant to want to "snatch myself bald-headed".  I have never, before or since, had that much weight pulling on my hair.  OUCH!

This was my first experience with an alcoholic drink called a "brain tumor".  We would usually stop by a club in Park City after the production to chill out for a bit and people bought us a round.  If I remember correctly, you put in some vodka, layer Irish cream on top of it and plop in a little grenadine, which will sink to the bottom of the glass.  It looks odd, but was oh so tasty.  Here is a picture:


I don't know if I've ever thought if it this way before, but I usually played characters who were older than my actual age at the time.  But that is a bit of art imitating life, or at least it used to be.  While my body ages physically, my mind is getting progressively less 'serious'.  Do I worry that I'm entering my 2nd childhood?  Heck, no!  I'm not done with my 1st one yet!

23 comments:

  1. That drink sounds and looks nasty. Maybe a good Halloween drink....

    KC @ The Occasional Adventures of a Hermit & Oh Frog It

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  2. Thanks for your A to Z visit, KC! It does look nasty. I'm not sure that I didn't close my eyes the first time I took a drink of it. And now that I think of it, I believe it was peppermint schnapps i/o vodka. In any case, it's been years since I had one.

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  3. Interesting drink. Wish I'd known of it when we took my sister out for her 21st last month. Sometimes I think it would be fun to join a play group, but I wouldn't be able to fit it in these days. I enjoyed acting in school.

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse

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  4. I liked the movie, and Jimmy Stewart is great in it, although I've never been a big Kim Novak fan (her bras were always so pointy).

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  5. Nice post! Thanks for sharing your memories. Not seen that film. That drink looks like a brain in a jar!

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  6. Stopping by to say hi on the challenge, I definitely think that as we age, things don't seem to be such an issue. Hope your having a great week! Amanda
    Amanda - Realityarts-Creativity
    Art Blog

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  7. The drink certainly looks odd. I have never heard of it before!

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  8. The drink does look really odd. But the book sounds cool.

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  9. Yeah i will avoid that drink haha and never knew there was a parent to Bewitched.

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  10. Thank you all for stopping by during the A to Z Challenge. I know time is at a premium for all of us this month!

    @Shannon - There's always next year. Spring it on her after she's had a couple. :p

    @Mood - Yeah, Jimmy is good in just about everything. Did you see Mr. Smith Goes to Washington? And I wonder if the pointy bras were as painful-looking as those pointy shoes that are in fashion...again.

    @Nick - great giveaway for JJ's new book on your site!

    @CM - A day where we learn something new is a good day, eh?

    @Clarissa - It's definitely a different drink, but nothing compared to some of the "strange food" shows on cable and satellite tv. Ugh! Loving your daily A to Z puzzles!

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  11. The drink looks nasty, but I liked the movie.

    New follower here. I'm stopping by from the "A to Z challenge" and I look forward to visiting again!

    Sylvia
    http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/

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  12. Thanks for stopping by during A to Z, Sylvia! I'm trying to remember now if I watched the movie before the play or after it started. Geez - it was only decades ago...you think I'd remember! :p

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  13. That drink looks delicious! I love it when a drink has several tastes :) Good luck this month!

    AJ Lauer
    #atozchallenge helper minion
    Twitter: @ayjaylauer

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  14. Glad to see you during the A to Z Challenge!

    @Pat - Your new book has a wonderful look!
    @AJ - Huzzah! Someone finally had something nice to say about the BT! Good luck to you too!

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  15. Haven't come across that play before.


    J.L. Campbell at Jamaican Kid Lit

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  16. I think 'brain tumour' is an appropriate name for that drink! Yuck.
    I've never seen that but it looks interesting :)

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  17. I loved the movie and the brain tumor looks good, too :)

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  18. I've seen that drink before, but there was a little bit of blue added to it as well. Good stuff.

    Dropping by from A to Z. First year participating.

    Brett Minor
    Transformed Nonconformist

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  19. You bot a jazz standard flowing in my head "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

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  20. I've never heard of that drink, looks interesting.

    Thank you for sharing and I'm pretty sure I'm going through my second childhood - it's wonderful!

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  21. brain tumor. what a scary name for a drink. I'd probably avoid trying it all together. :)
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  22. Thank you all for your A to Z Challenge visits; I really appreciate you!

    @J.J. - Are you having good response with your giveaway?

    @Laura - The brain tumor drink tastes a lot better than it looks.

    @Sarah - I'm digging your posts too, Sarah. Today's "Collaboration" is really making me think!

    @mshatch - Huzzah! You make bt fan #2!

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