#GERTY (affectionate) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

br1ghtestlight · 4 months

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Hi friend :) rewatching Father Of the bob and it made me wonder about the kids' and Big Bob's relationship. Do you got any headcanons and the like about that? (Sorry if you've already talked about it)

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT BIG BOB AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE KIDS i have peppered them throughout my posts and fanfics but i will expand on them a bit here >:)

i don't think bob ever went fully no contact with big bob but there was definitely a decade or two where they didn't live together and almost Never spoke except for big bob occasionally calling him to say happy birthday or whatever. when tina was born I think bob realized that he did want his dad to be in his kids lives in some way (yes they had linda's parents as their other set of grandparents but even back then i think bob KNEW they were shitty people and would be bad gransparents) he wanted them to have a good grandpa so he kinda introduced him into the kids lives

big bob was definitely nervous about being around these small and easily influenced humans even if he didn't outwardly express that. tina was the sweetest little baby so getting along w/ her was easy but gene and louise were definitely more stressful. and bcuz big bob was still busy with work he barely ever saw them anyway. but he did TRY to be a good grandpa by sending them birthday & christmas presents and giving them money every time they visited. trying to be a grandpa in the only way he knew how :(

could explore in another post how al and gloria are the WORST grandparents and how it's strongly implied that tina gene and louise don't actually like them (if you compare how they interact with linda's parents vs big bob its clear that they are tolerating al and gloria at most while they genuinely look forward to spending time with big bob and WANT to see him. can't even say it's because of bob influencing them to dislike linda's parents bcuz he openly hates his dad too lmao) but in comparison to them big bob really does correct so many of the mistakes he made w/ bob when it comes to his grandkids (to quote alice talking about gertie "she's a better grandmother than a mother you gotta trust me")

he's physically affectionate with them and he spoils them!!! he actually pays attention to their individual interests (watching gene's music performance and looking at louise's display of burobu cards, and seemingly getting her gifts specifically related to her interest in them for her birthday and christmas) and talks to them. compare that with al and gloria who literally got the kids a regifted book about staying active in retirement for christmas one year (with a whole chapter about sex with Actual pictures and examples which is fucked up) they're literally the worst ugh

and big bob's efforts with the kids seem to pay off bcuz they look forward to spending time with him :) they're always excited and I genuinely think it isn't only because he gives them money when they see him. they just like spending time with him!! "He's a good grandpa" and he bakes them cookies and worries about them and their futures <3 THEY'RE THE REASON HE BELIEVES THAT THE WORLD WILL BE OKAY. HE THINKS THEY'LL BE ABLE TO FIX THINGS?????

anyway some specific headcanons about his dynamics with each of the kids:

he definitely gets along the most easily with tina. they're similar people in the way that bob and tina are similar (except that tina is more positive than either of them lol) and they enjoy doing more lowkey activities together compared to louise or gene. they might enjoy baking cookies or doing puzzles together :) definitely a good thing that she was his first grandchild bcuz she was always kind and quiet and easy to get along with and it made him more confident in his abilities. Whenever he sees a horse themed item at a thrift store or whatever he buys it and gives it to tina the next time she visits!! that's how she got quite a few of her porcelain horses when she was younger (even if maybe decorative porcelain horses were not the best idea ever for a seven year old tina took very good care of them u_u gene and louise not so much. rip)

gene is probably the grandchild that he finds it the hardest to relate to just because they're such DIFFERENT people. gene is so effeminate and unashamed of himself and his emotions which is pretty much the opposite of how big bob was taught to be as a kid and how he raised bob. he never had daughters so its easier for him to relate to tina and louise bcuz they're almost like a blank slate?? he sees so much of what he did wrong with parenting bob when it comes to gene :( But they eventually find some common ground with gene's love of music and performing. big bob will tell gene about his favorite songs and records from when he was younger & he'll listen to all of gene's performances when he visits

louise is the most.... complicated for big bob? she reminds him SO MUCH of lily in everything from her personality to her pink hat. it definitely took him a few years to get over that and begin to see louise as her own person and stop projecting that trauma onto her (not intentionally but its just hard when you lose someone and then suddenly they're There again and they're your grandaughter) luckily louise is easy to love and her bold personality makes herself VERY known. he could not ignore her. he loves how spunky she is and how unashamed she is of herself (all his grandkids really) and he definitely thinks she's gonna grow up to do something great in the world. they don't have that much to bond over tbh he just let's louise take the lead and he does whatever she wants him to do. he just likes spending time with his granddaughter <3

definitely think that the kids have started seeing big bob more since his relationship with bob has been repaired a bit so i can imagine that connection will only grow stronger!!!!

#sorry for writing a literal english essay in response to your ask BUT I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ON THIS. OKAY #big bob on my mind 24/7 #ask #bob's burgers #headcanons

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l3irdl3rain · 11 months

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i mean this in a very affectionate way- gertie looks like a bad drawing of a cat? like the way her eyes are two different sizes and her ears are too "on-top" of her head and her face is a little too long and asymmetrical.

yes!! She kind of really reminds me of Chloe. They’re not exactly the same, but they both have that weird “eyes too far apart” look and those high cheekbones

#Gertrude #Chloe #ask

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inthewild-flowers · 2 years

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Surprise, Gertie: We've Unionized (subheading) In More Ways Than One

“Worms,” Martin muttered under his breath, “Why does it always have to be bloody worms? I hate worms.”

“It’s probably just a parasite,” Jon said.

Martin shot him a look. “That was not a parasite. We barely made it out unharmed!”

“An unusually aggressive parasite.”

“You are unbelievable.”

Channeling their inner Tim, Jon fluttered their eyelashes at Martin. “Am I?”

Martin’s face flashed through about five different emotions in a matter of seconds, before settling into flushed annoyance. “I don’t know why I talk to you.”

“If you two don’t shut up in the next five seconds,” Sasha said from the front seat, “you’re going to wish the worms had killed you. How does this email to Gertrude sound?”

“Can’t read it while I’m driving, Sash,” Tim said.

“I was asking them, not you.”

“And leaving me out?” Tim spared a moment to make puppy eyes in Sasha’s direction before looking back at the road.

“You’re so needy,” was Sasha’s deeply affectionate response. “I’ll read it out loud.”

“Thank you.”

Sasha cleared their throat. “‘Gertrude–’”

“That should say Gertie.”

“Fuck off, Tim.” Sasha cleared their throat again and, with as much drama as they could muster, read out the email. “‘Gertrude, we talked to Mr Davies; he’s had no other encounters in the past few weeks. Went and investigated the scene, nearly got eaten by evil worms. Most likely Jane Prentiss still doing her thing. Unfortunately we couldn’t find Prentiss herself. Send Mr. Davies some fire extinguishers in case of another incident. It’s not likely, but possible.’ What do we think, team?”

“You should call her Gertie.”

“She’d never talk to us again.”

“Ask her to get us more extinguishers.”

“Thank you for the helpful input, Martin.”

“You’re welcome, Sasha.”

“Anything to add, Jon?”

Jon crossed his arms. “You could be more professional.”

“I think by not calling her Gertie I’m being perfectly professional.”

“‘Most likely Jane Prentiss still doing her thing’ isn’t very professional.”

“So what I’m hearing is, ‘You’re doing great, Sash, hit send!’”

Jon sighed. “Yes.”

“Perfect.” Sasha signed the email and their phone made a little whooshing noise as they sent it off. “I think I forgot to delete ‘sent from my iphone.’”

wrote a fic for @seasons-in-the-archives ! theres also some wonderful art by @lucky-numberme that goes with it!! gonna rb with a link to both the fic and the art <3

#tma tag #tma #the magnus archives #jon sims #sasha james #tim stoker #martin blackwood

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raphianna · 2 years

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So, you ship Paul are Perry... what about Della? Who do you see her with? What's she interested in?

Well, no one, really?? And I'm aware of that ship, but I really cannot see it. Yes, partially due to my hc about Perry and Della being siblings, but also mainly because I never really saw Perry/Della and I never liked it. Also, Paul/Della just seems wrong to me, too. Nothing wrong with people shipping it of course, but I never really saw Paul being interested in Della. He calls her 'Beautiful' sure, but I thought of it more as an affectionate compliment/nickname more than anything.

In terms of a relationship between the three, I just saw a close-knit family. They're all best friends before anything.

Honestly, Della gives me ace lesbian vibes, and I could see her harmlessly flirting with Gertie, who becomes a flustered mess lol. Maybe it develops into more later on, but I'm not entirely sure yet.

I also see her as matchmaker between Perry and Paul :D one way or another (I still haven't come up with an idea about Perry and Paul getting together), Della would encourage either one to make a move on the other.

#ask raphianna #perry mason #della street #paul drake #gertrude lade #shipping

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gertayes · 2 years

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GERTRUDE ‘GERTIE’ GUERRA has been accepted to participate ! they are a 25 year old all the way from LONDON, ENGLAND . SHE is currently studying LAW at the interchange .

name: gertrude genevieve guerra nicknames: gertie, gert, g, gg birthday: 10/29/1997 age: 25 years zodiac: scorpio gender: cis female pronouns: she/her sexuality: bisexual, biromantic height: 5′5 born: london, england major: law likes: her cat sabbath, exercise, boxing, tom petty music, smoothies, colored pens, hummingbirds, lemonade, pubs, chili cheese fries, vodka, the smell of smoke, call of duty, baby carrots, olives, raspberries, skechers, thrillers, cooking dislikes: crying, junk food, homework, sand, orange juice, flip-flops, crocs, sappy movies, long fingernails, lavender, scratchy quilts, loud people, artificial grape flavor, reality tv, mainstream pop music, ketchup, pda, overused memes, mondays

gertrude was raised by a single mother with a ‘take no shit’ attitude. said attitude was passed down directly to her.

her number one passion in life is — or was — track. she had dreams of being an olympic athlete, and she was certainly training hard enough to get there. she could outrun anyone that tried her. she was fucking good. then came her knee injury.

after two surgeries and a lot of denial, gertie had to kiss her plans for the future goodbye.

she’s still bitter, but tries to pretend she’s over it.

daddy issues? not at all. jk. lots of ‘em.

her dad didn’t abandon her exactly, but he basically did. when he left her mom he moved to another country and didn’t make much effort to see his only daughter. too many ‘i got too caught up with work to wish you a happy birthday, sorry baby’s and promised trips that never happened.

she does not like being called gertrude unless it’s by someone she likes. really likes. they get a free pass.

she has a black cat back at home with her mama named sabbath.

she adores her mother, though they don’t have the most affectionate relationship. her mother thinks she should be strong and not let anything bother her. she’s pushed that onto her since she was a little girl, and it’s probably why she cannot healthily express her emotions.

the only way she knows how to process her feelings is to take it out on punching bags.

is only in this school because elle is here and she wasn’t willing to be without her.

she gets super attached to the people she cares about. she doesn’t necessarily show it but when she loves, she loves hard, and if you have gertie you’ve always got her.

loyal af, basically.

she definitely believes in love and has even been in it before, but is terrified of getting hurt or giving someone the ‘power’ to hurt her.

v sarcastic. good luck getting a serious conversation minus the wit out of her.

she is not mean. really, she’s not. but she is far from nice.

definitely a bit of a tomboy. not one to wear a dress, skirt, or overdo her makeup.

#interchangeintro #tw injury #ahhh my baby !!

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alexa-crowe · 3 years

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une nouvelle vie, chapter 2

AO3 | @frogsmulder

Heedless of the rumors, the pair have Lily’s belongings transferred to Selden’s flat within the week; they reminisce over the dress she wore during the Brys’ tableaux and meld what little she owns with his. When all is said and done, he disappears for a day on “urgent business” with a chaste kiss accompanying his farewell. He returns at the end of the day with a small jeweler’s box in tow and presents its contents with an uncontainable grin. Selden slides the ring onto the appropriate finger, explaining how he has spent the last week searching for the perfect one and finally chose this particular engagement ring because the gem set within it is the same color as her eyes—a soft blue.

“We’ll invite Gerty and Carry Fisher, of course,” Lily says, her beauty incomparable due to her happiness as she gazes down at the ring. “We shall need their help to plan it.”

Selden laughs softly. “And here I was prepared to take you to the courthouse tomorrow,” he divulges. “We have more than enough for a dress, if you care to go looking with Mrs. Fisher.”

She presses a kiss to his lips and squeezes his hand. “I’ll write Carry now to see when she is available, but I believe Gerty should be the first to know. We should do her the honor of visiting her flat tomorrow to give her the news.”

He nods and lets her hand go, but seems to recall something and begins to dig inside his pockets, eventually procuring a key. “Here. This is your copy.” Selden takes one of her hands and sets the key on her palm, folding her fingers over it. “This is your home as much as mine, now.”

Lily softens her smile and nods before looping their arms together. “Have you eaten supper today in your rush to procure an engagement ring?”

Selden purses his lips in slight embarrassment. “I must confess, the thought slipped my mind.”

She shakes her head with a wry smile and leads him to the kitchen. “You’re in luck: your neighbor across the hall was kind enough to welcome me with a gift of food not three hours ago. I’ll warm it up for you.”

He smiles as he sheds his overclothes, leaving an acceptable layer on should anyone come by, despite the chances being slim. “You’re too perfect, my dearest.”

“I could say the same of you.”

—

Lily’s letter to Carry is vague enough so that her friend has no idea what the occasion for their meet-up is, but is sprinkled with clues and tidbits to whet Mrs. Fisher’s appetite. You must come to my townhouse at once! she writes back. I will arrive there within the week and there you shall spill all of your secrets to me. You do know how I love knowledge of people’s life developments.

Thus, a week later finds Lily at her friend’s sprawling house on the outskirts of the city. “Miss Bart!” Carry Fisher exclaims, looking as radiant as ever. She embraces Lily before leading her into her sitting room. “You simply must give me the news! I heard that you are no longer at the boarding house and that you were seen last with Mr. Selden!”

Lily cannot keep the grin from her face as she responds: “It is news of the greatest import and joy, my friend: I’m to be married!”

“Oh, Lily, that is wonderful! To whom? Mr. Rosedale? I would not have thought it in his repertoire of actions considering that h—”

Lily cuts her friend off by placing her own hands over Carry’s. “Not Rosedale, Carry. Selden.” And after a brief pause: “For love.”

Mrs. Fisher’s eyes grow wide preceding her leaning towards Miss Bart conspiratorially. “Lawrence Selden? For love? Goodness! Lily, if I had known of your reciprocated affections between you and Mr. Selden I would have proposed a match between the two of you as one to pick up on when all others soured. And from where I now sit, I see that had that occurred, much of your suffering could have been prevented. Do tell me how it could have taken you so long to act on your emotions! You have been close with Mr. Selden for so long now!”

Lily shakes her head, a small and demure smile playing across her lips. “My dearest Lawrence has helped me to see the life before me for what it is, and I have realized that I never would have been satisfied with a marriage without love. It would have been dismal, Carry! I may have had in my possession the finest of silks and the most ostentatious of jewelries but I would never have known what it is like to return home to the arms of the man one loves. There is nothing like it. I hope that you may find a happiness such as this one day, my friend.”

Carry smiles softly. “Today is centered around you! You very well could have written to me of the news; there must be something more you have to say to me.”

“There is: I cannot very well plan a wedding all on my own. I should like to enlist your help. I have already brought my dearest friend from my childhood, Gerty Farish, into this knowledge for the purpose of planning the event.”

As she had proposed to her fiancé, Lily visited her friend the next day and supplied her with the excellent news, at once bombarding Gerty with questions as to whether the women of her club might be interested in attending and if she would be so kind as to take care of the guest list, seeing as she has hardly anyone left who can be safely referred to as a friend. And Gerty had agreed, offering congratulations.

“I am happy that you have found peace, Lily,” she had said.

“And I am happy to be sharing it with you,” Lily had said back.

“Oh, Lily!” Carry exclaims at present, eyes alight with excitement at the prospect of planning her friend’s wedding. “Your marriage to Selden will be the most wondrous affair, and it will be the talk of the city! I will make sure of it so that the likes of the Trenors and the Gryces and the Van Osburghs shall all be jealous of yours and Selden’s happiness.”

“I do not want you to think that the affair need be ostentatious—we are inviting only a select few, after all.”

Mrs. Fisher tempers herself with concerted effort. “Of course, Lily! Ostentatious is nothing you need worry yourself with. I shall plan the perfect wedding. May I assume that you had guests in mind before you arrived?”

“You may.”

“Then I know what my role is to be!”

“Our first order of business is my dress, I should think,” Miss Bart suggests. “Lawrence conveyed that our finances can be dipped into for one.” Lily blushes and continues: “I should like to think that his jaw will drop when he sees me, Carry. I should like to feel beautiful for another day.”

“You have been beautiful every day of your existence, Lily, and continue that pattern. Do not be silly.”

The two women then plunge into their calendars and decide upon a date on which they will travel to Carry’s modiste to have Lily measured and discern which—if any—dresses are to her liking. Mrs. Fisher assures her friend that financing the wedding in part is the least she can do upon Lily worrying over the possible prices.

“I cannot thank you enough, Carry,” she says when the planning is done.

“Seeing you happy is thanks enough.”

—

In the whirlwind of the next two months, Lily and Selden’s wedding is planned. The venue is chosen, the dress is tailored, and the wedding party is formed; when the June date makes itself apparent on the week’s calendar, the bride and groom separate.

“I’ll miss you every moment you are gone,” Selden swears, holding Lily’s hand in his own.

“‘Tis only for a night, Lawrence,” she tells him, yet her lips are quirked in an affectionate smile.

“The invariable facts of time seem not to apply when faced against the incomparable magnitude of my love for you.” He brings her hand to his lips and lets her leave for Gerty’s flat.

Tomorrow will solidify Lily’s decision from several months ago to finally give in and marry Selden. And, not to her surprise, she feels no trepidation towards the act of becoming legally tied to Lawrence Selden. In fact, she looks forward to the prospect of being his wife and he her husband—quite possibly elated, even.

#house of mirth #i don't know if i like this chapter very much #BUT!#the next chapter is the wedding + wedding night so who cares #i just want lily to have friends lol #mine #fanfiction

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thebluesberries · 2 years

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Elliot "Eli" Joel Rosen

Blood-Status: Pureblood (Werewolf)

Birthday: June 8th

House: Ravenclaw

School: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy

Height: 6’0’’ | 182cm

Sexuality: Pansexual

Hometown: Nottingham, England

Familiar: He has several, even more back home although his mother heavily opposed to bringing the whole zoo to Hogwarts. He currently has with him his; shy Bowtruckle Gertie, his ostentatious Niffler, Bea, and a Fwooper, Tilly.

Boggart: The Full Moon

Wand: 12'', Ash, White River Monster Spine, Quite Flexible

Patronus: Grey Wolf

Amortentia: Quill ink, fresh rain, and lavender

Best subjects: Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, Charms

Worst subjects: DADA, Dueling, Potions, Flying

PERSONALITY

Elliot is a quiet individual; a reserved young man prone to forgetfulness and the same head-in-the-clouds dreaminess that affected his father. As a child, he was the one who needed to be held firmly by the hand, lest he get lost chasing after flying imps or doxies. He's slightly more grounded now as he's aged, more likely to be tending to his creatures than chasing after some idle fancy. Though, on more than one occasion he's taken a wrong turn in the school hallways while his nose is stuck in a book and found that he's somehow made his way up a tower rather than to dinner in the great hall.

For all that, there's no denying Eli belongs in Ravenclaw. He's smart and entirely curious with a mind like a sponge for absorbing new information and facts. He excels in most of the book subjects, while also showing promise in the more hands-on classes like Care of Magical Creatures. Though, he might have an advantage there, given that both his parents are Zoologists.

Elliot also has been known to be a bit eccentric, or quirky for that matter. For one, Elliot has always felt more comfortable around creatures than he does around humans. Somehow he connects and understands them as they do him, in a way that he has never found with anyone else. When communicating with other people, Eli is often an extremely awkward young man, uncompromising and eccentric in the opinions of his peers. He is also uncomfortable with any sort of affection between himself and another person, struggling to come up with anything remotely charming to say.

When he's alone, Eli usually doesn't initiate a conversation with others unless he knows them well. He's shy, preferring to stick to the people he's comfortable with. Being pushed into the middle of new crowds leaves him nervous; scared that he'll say the wrong thing. Largely, a feeling of loneliness came upon him when he was bitten, he had to hide it from his best friends which made him feel disconnected. He tries his best not to have people worry too much about him and his well-being.

Elliot might not be the loudest, but he's a genuine friend when his trust is gained. He'll smile easily around friends, his nerves easing and a happy humor coming out. Affectionate and caring, Eli hates seeing those he cares about upset. He might not always have the wisest words to help them through it, but he'll always offer a shoulder to cry on and a hug of support. That being said, Elliot is a deeply compassionate boy, his capacity for empathy outweighs his social difficulties. A man of principle, he is not the sort to discriminate against people based on their heritage or beliefs. Not even remotely believing in blood supremacy.

WEREWOLF

When Elliot was bit, everything about his life changed. Upon the complete rising of the full moon, Elliot essentially becomes a fearsome and deadly near-wolf. This condition is caused by infection with lycanthropy, also known as werewolfry. On the night of a full moon, Pompfrey gives him Wolfsbane Potion, invented by Damocles, allowing him to keep his human mind during transformation. It's essential that he always takes the potion otherwise he would have no control over his own actions. A werewolf cannot choose whether or not to transform and will no longer remember who they are and would kill even their best friend given the opportunity once transformed. Despite this, he is able to recall everything he has experienced throughout his transformation upon reverting to his human form.

He has kept all of this a secret from his friends, but there is a definite change in his temperament. Around the full moon, he becomes more agitated and jumpy. Only his immediate family and a few choice staff members know about his condition.

#hpoc

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gertaye · 3 years

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welcome aboard, gertrude ‘gertie’ guerra, student #2. we are excited to set sail with you! has anyone told you that you look like kiana madeira? according to our records, you hail from london, england, prefer she/her, are female, and are here to study law. we also see you received a spot on the ss university because of your money — we won’t tell anyone. during your first few weeks here, other students said you were + dedicated, + resilient, but also - cynical. it sounds like you spend most of your time at the fitness center. upon checking your luggage, we noticed you packed a first place ribbon. hopefully your roommates don’t steal it!

name: gertrude genevieve guerra nicknames: gertie, gert, g birthday: 10/29/1997 age: 24 years zodiac: scorpio gender: cis female pronouns: she/her sexuality: bisexual, biromantic height: 5′5 born: london, england major: law likes: her cat sabbath, exercise, boxing, tom petty music, smoothies, colored pens, hummingbirds, lemonade, pubs, chili cheese fries, vodka, the smell of smoke, call of duty, baby carrots, olives, raspberries, skechers, thrillers, cooking dislikes: crying, junk food, homework, sand, orange juice, flip-flops, crocs, sappy movies, long fingernails, lavender, scratchy quilts, loud people, artificial grape flavor, reality tv, mainstream pop music, ketchup, pda, overused memes, mondays connections: bffs with student #14, fwb with student #8, hs sweetheart of student #36

gertrude was raised by a single mother with a ‘take no shit’ attitude. said attitude was passed down directly to her.

her number one passion in life is --- or was --- track. she had dreams of being an olympic athlete, and she was certainly training hard enough to get there. she could outrun anyone that tried her. she was fucking good. then came her knee injury.

after two surgeries and a lot of denial, gertie had to kiss her plans for the future goodbye.

she’s still bitter, but tries to pretend she’s over it.

daddy issues? not at all. jk. lots of ‘em.

she does not like being called gertrude unless it’s by someone she likes. really likes. they get a free pass.

she has a black cat back at home with her mama named sabbath.

the only way she knows how to process her feelings is to take it out on punching bags.

is only in this school because elle is here and she wasn’t willing to be without her.

she gets super attached to the people she cares about. she doesn’t necessarily show it but when she loves, she loves hard, and if you have gertie you’ve always got her.

loyal af, basically.

she definitely believes in love and has even been in it before, but is terrified of getting hurt or giving someone the ‘power’ to hurt her.

v sarcastic. good luck getting a serious conversation minus the wit out of her.

she is not mean. really, she’s not. but she is far from nice.

definitely a bit of a tomboy. not one to wear a dress, skirt, or overdo her makeup.

#tw injury #hi this is gertie and she's a hot mess #intro.

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sensitive-trait · 2 years

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On the weekends, Kate takes Reggie on a morning run. They bound along the trail together happy as can be. Kate loves running because it clears her head. If her school offered a cross country team she would gladly join it. Reggie is just excited to smell all the new scents along the way.

The cowplant has grown to full size and now looms over the yard. Robert affectionately calls her Gertie and insists she’s a gentle creature.

Only Elle is brave enough to help her father take care of it. She thinks Gertie is the coolest thing and has told all of her classmates about her new pet.

Marlena has taken up knitting to fill her free time, now that she has perfected cross-stitching. She’s been getting better at it and the kids all suspect they will be receiving sweaters this Winterfest.

Kate often keeps her company while she knits, reading a book by her side. Today she’s learning her handiness skills.

As it is the last weekend of the summer, the kids decided to spend the afternoon having a water balloon fight out in the yard.

Emily was invited to join them. She had always fit in with the family, but now that she and Tom were dating the girls considered her another sister. So it was no surprise when Emily and Kate ganged up on Tom, pelting him with the balloons.

Despite the fact that he was drenched from head to toe, he was glad to see them getting along. And Kate couldn’t be happier for her brother.

#Postcard legacy challenge #ts4 gameplay #sims 4 challenge #ts4 legacy #the sims 4 #sims 4 gameplay #ts4 #Thomas Carson #Katherine Carson #Robert Carson #Marlena Carson #Elizabeth Carson #Emily O'Connor #Reggie Dog #The Carson Legacy #Carson: Gen 1

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moldisgoodforyou · 4 years

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the one where they go rollerskating

summary: jj and charlie go rollerskating. charlie breaks her wrist

warnings: broken bones, cursing (like always), drinking

wordcount: 1.4k

"watch yourself, walker.” jj warned, watching as his girlfriend knocked back her third shot of the pregame. she rolled her eyes, pouring him a tequila shot and setting it in front of him. “I’m fine, j, I’m still sober. it’s just fireball.” he shook his head with a laugh. “just fireball? you scare me.” she grinned, ducking out from under him as he ruffled her hair affectionately. “don’t we have to go soon?” he asked, checking his phone. charlie leaned over to look. “oh shit, yeah, let’s go. wait, take your shot.”

“no chaser?” he asked, lifting it to his lips. she grinned and grabbed a lime wedge, putting it between her lips. he laughed, taking the shot, then kissed her soundly, ending up with the lime in between his teeth. “see, that would be a lot more fun as a body shot,” jj reasoned, smirking. she blushed red. “maybe later, if you’re lucky.”

the pregame was small at charlie’s house, before the kappa sk80s date party. jj was decked out in a windbreaker and short shorts (that he had to keep adjusting, much to charlie’s amusement), while charlie had on a leotard and neon tights. the date party at the rollerblading rink never ended well for charlie given her clumsiness, and for some reason she decided alcohol beforehand might make it better.

they made it on the bus to the event without getting caught - not easily, as charlie’s tell while drunk was leaning on jj like it was her job. once they entered the rink, he got them both skates and they laced them up. charlie stood first, overconfident, and her feet immediately went opposite ways and she fell forward. jj caught her by her upper arms, steadily pushing her back up. “I take it you’re not good at skating, pretty girl?” he teased and stood with her. “I’m not the best?” she hedged, taking baby steps.

he carefully pulled her to the rink then turned to skate backward, offering his hands. “here, I’ll pull you.” she took his hands, allowing him to pull her in a slow lap around the rink. “this isn’t fair, how are you so athletic at everything?” she complained.

he grinned. “takes practice, walker. just gotta be smooth.”

“you’re giving yourself too much credit.”

he raised his eyebrows and released her hands, then took off in a fast lap around the rink until he came up on her from behind, grabbing her around the waist. she squealed, grabbing onto his forearms. “careful, careful!” he laughed and set her down, giving her a little push. “you wanna take that back?” she rolled her eyes. “fine, I guess you’re a little good at skating. I bet I could beat you in a race though.” he scoffed. “yeah, okay.”

“I could!” she argued. he nodded, skeptical. “alright, go ahead. I’ll give you a headstart.” she skated away at a steady pace, but still slow. he let her get halfway around the rink before skating around quickly, catching up to her. he gave her a push as he skated past. “beat you!” he kept going, then glanced over his shoulder to see her sitting on the ground. jj skated back. “come on, drama queen.” she shook her head. “no, j, it hurts.” he rolled his eyes and reached down to grab her hand, pulling her up.

when she let out a yelp of pain, he immediately dropped her hand and crouched down. “oh shit, charlie, how’d you fall?” his eyes were wide as he took her wrist to inspect it (carefully, this time). she winced at his touch. “I put out my hand to stop my fall, it really fucking hurts.” he frowned, concerned, and gently prodded it again. she sucked in a breath, tears springing to her eyes. “j, please!”

he grimaced. “okay, charlie, I’m gonna help you up. we gotta get you out of these skates.” she shook her head. “no, I can’t.”

“yes, you have to.” he stood and pulled her up by the waist, wrapping a tight arm around her shoulders. they made their way off the rink, charlie cradling her wrist, and he sat her down. “do you think it’s just bruised?” he asked as he untied her skates, then his. “I mean, you’ve never broken anything before, so maybe you’re exaggerating the pain?” charlie let out a hiss through her teeth, trying her hardest not to cry. “maybank, I love you, but fuck off.”

he coughed to disguise a small laugh. “right, I’m sorry. do you think you need to go to the hospital?” she stared off at something in the distance, unfocused and not paying attention. he waved his hand in front of her face. “charlie?” he questioned, grabbing their shoes and slipping his on. she tried standing - too quickly - and promptly passed out.

she came to a moment later in jj’s arms, dizzy. “charlie? charlie?” jj panicked, holding her tight. “I don’t feel good.” charlie complained, leaning into him. he let out a sigh of relief upon hearing her and swept her up into a bridal carry. “I can see that. I called an uber for us to go to the hospital, ok? I got you.” he was extra-careful as he carried her out to the parking lot. “do you think you fell ‘cause you’re drunk?” she gaped at him. “you pushed me! this is your fault!” he shook his head quickly. “no, no, I didn’t push you that hard!”

“you totally did! and I’m not drunk, I’m barely even tipsy! set me down.” he shook his head, tightening his grip on her. “no, I don’t want you to pass out again. that was fucking scary.” charlie rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to pass out. put me down.”

“no.” he insisted, gesturing as the uber pulled up. he carefully set her in the car then ran around to the other side and got in. he pulled her so she could lay her head across her lap. the driver glanced at them in the mirror. “hey man, she kinda needs her seatbelt on...” jj glared. “she just passed out and her wrist is the size of a softball, I think she’s fine.” charlie laughed quietly. “I can sit up, j.” he pressed on her shoulders, keeping her in place. “no, you’re fine, it’s close.” he ran a hand through his hair, his voice going up a little in pitch. “can you speed up, dude?”

the driver glanced back again. “we’re at a red light?” jj let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. “right, sorry. keep up the good work.” he carded his fingers through charlie’s hair, anxious. “jj, I’m fine.” charlie emphasized. “no, you’re probably broken, and it’s because of me.” she paused, not wanting to make him feel bad - but enjoying it, a little bit. “just don’t freak out, I need you to be chill.” he nodded quickly. “right. chill. I’m totally chill. one hundo chill.”

they pulled up to the ER entrance and he ran around, not letting her lift a finger. jj carefully assisted her into the ER and filled out most of the paperwork for her as they waited. “wait, what’s your middle name?” she yawned, leaning into his side. “don’t make fun of me. it’s after my grandma.” he paused, gently poking her with the butt of the pen. “why would I make fun of you?” she rolled her eyes. “it’s gertrude.” he grinned. “no fucking way.” she sighed. “I told you, don’t make fun of me.”

“nah, it’s cute.” a pause. “gertie.”

“jj!” she exclaimed, flicking his shoulder. he laughed. “it’s cute! I’m calling you that from now on.” she groaned. “fuck off, I’m broken.” he grinned and kissed the top of her head. “you’re not broken, sweetheart, I think it’s just a big bruise.” she flipped him off with her good hand. “it is broken, and it’s your fault, and I am never letting this go.”

sure enough, the doctor confirmed a broken wrist and had her in a cast by midnight that evening. jj called a pledge to pick them up, doting over her like it was his job. the next six weeks, he didn’t leave her side once, save for class (she made him drive her, even though her legs worked perfectly fine). even after she got the cast off, she still held it over him, especially when trying to convince him into something he didn’t want to do. “hey j, remember when you broke my...” he always cut her off with a scowl. “yeah, yeah, we’ll do what you want.”

#jj maybank imagine #jj maybank #jj x reader #jj x charlie #mine #obx fanfic #jj maybank fanfic #college outer banks #I am SHIT at titles lmao sorry can't be bothered

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arofrog-archive · 3 years

Note

🍓:)!!

ONG GERTIE YES !!

you have the best taste in fucked up films (affectionate). literally every movie from gifsets i see on your blog are very good but always fuck me up emotionally. literally could not function properly after seeing mikey and nicky. anyways you also have very correct takes and your bbc ghosts fics are the best

#hollymarch

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alluremin · 5 years

Text

the bad in each other, introduction

pairing | jeon jungkook x reader

genre | zombie apocalypse au

premise | A year after the world goes to hell, you find yourself still alive by the grace of whatever watched over you. You’ve seen people you care about being torn to shreds before your eyes. You’ve seen horrors that, before the infection struck, you couldn’t have imagined. The place you once knew, called home, was gone. All that remained were the mindless dead and humans who had lost their humanity. Now, you can do nothing but protect those you love, no matter the cost.

warnings | angst, extreme violence, smut, swearing, alcohol use

word count | 396

parts | intro • one • two • three • ?

playlist | inspo | character profiles

When the infection hit, nobody knew what to do. As to be expected, mass hysteria took over. Suicide, homicide, crime. Every horrible thing that you could imagine swept over the nation, including your college campus. Students and staff alike trying to get the hell out of dodge, hitting each other with their cars, ending it before they could face what was really out there. The “infection”, as the radio stations called it, told civilians to stay put, but when those reports follow those of people’s faces being torn off by “rabid humans”, it’s hard for the population to remain calm.

You and your roommate, Kate, packed up the bare essentials and stuffed them into her Jeep before you could be robbed. Ol’ Gertie, the vehicle was affectionately named, tore off down the road. Fires, broken windows, and bodies littered your once quiet college campus.

Regardless of how hard you tried, you and Kate couldn’t contact either of your families. The phone lines were dead and payphones were a thing of the past. The sinking feeling deep in your gut told you that you’d never hear from them again. Your mom, dad, and little brother; having no idea if they were alive or dead. It’s not like you could just drive home, you and your best friend had chosen to go overseas for University. She was all you had now.

While you both were in hysterics driving down the road, you saw one for the first time. A stiff; the dead. It looked human, but its eyes were empty and the gushing wound from its neck was one that no human could survive. As Kate slowed the Jeep, the thing launched itself at your passenger side window, earning a scream from your lips and causing your best friend to floor it. Your heart was racing and tears sprung to your eyes. God only knew how long you could survive this.

Twenty miles down the road, you reached a blockade. Kate looked in her rearview mirror then, debating whether or not to turn back and try to go another route. Just then you heard a pounding on your window, a man, probably around 40, yelled at you to roll down your window. You shook your head with vigor, but he insisted, you could read the word “safe-house” from his lips.

That’s where you found your people.

Little did you know that your safe-haven would soon crumble.

no reposting

a/n : here’s a little preview of my new series. i’m not sure how many parts there will be yet, nor do i have a schedule for posting. hit up my inbox if you’re as excited for this series as i am!

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pyronecromancy · 4 years

Note

1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21

001. When is their birthday?

November 2nd, when I was in like high school (Gerty is a character concept I was chewing on for a long time) I decided to make her birthday be right after both Halloween and Day of the Dead (I thought it was a one day holiday at the time because America and culture blindness) because I thought it would be funny for her to be grumpy about it not being on either of them by just that little bit.

003. Does your character like coffee better, or tea?

One of the contrasts between Gertrude and Nedra is that Gerty prefers tea while her alt vastly prefers coffee. This is because Gertrude is often calmer or feels more at ease, while Ned... Is not and does not.

006. What sense do they most rely on?

This is sort of a nontraditional answer but her senses of position and motion are probably really important to her, she really hates being moved against her will or being unable to move and she does a lot of really fine and fluid motor control in her magic and hobbies.

010. Do they believe in love at first sight?

She’s too smart for that, but she knows very well that infatuation is SUPER real. In fact, even if she had ever really believed in it, maybe when she were younger, her serious weakness for almost any girl would have HAD to have shaken her out of that belief super quick.

015. Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?

Phrasing.

Gertrude will definitely tackle any interpersonal challenge socially before she does it physically unless it’s basically not an option. When she was younger however she was kill first, resurrect-and-yell-at later. She wasn’t well adjusted yet.

021. How do they display affection?

Just her being very relaxed is a sign of affection, but if she’s willing to perform physical contact without a good reason that would make her do so, that’s absolutely massive, because she’s fairly touch averse. Her voice will get softer around people she has feelings for. When she’s really feeling affectionate she’ll get more bashful and embarrassed. She also really likes learning habits and preferences and goes out of her way to try to show support on a regular basis. She also fucking loves making needlessly high quality elaborate gifts.

#Anonymous

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paralleljulieverse · 6 years

Photo

It is common knowledge that Star! –– the spectacular 1968 Julie Andrews musical currently celebrating its 50th anniversary –– underwent substantial editing in the wake of its ill-fated US release. Dismayed by the film’s poor box-office and panicked by the rapid downturn in the domestic movie market, Fox executives ordered a series of increasingly drastic cuts to Star!, culminating in the film’s ignominious withdrawal from distribution in June 1969 and subsequent re-release four months later in a radically shortened, re-titled version as Those Were The Happy Times (formerly known as Star!) (Edwards 1993; Holston: 220-21). This sorry tale of post-release hatcheting is part of the historical legend of Star! and also part of its unjust reputation as “the H-bomb of musicals” (Kanfer: 78).

What is possibly less well-known is that Star! underwent select trimming before its release, as well. At the end of the film’s post-production in April 1968, director Robert Wise had assembled a working rough cut that was shown to studio personnel and test-screened with two preview audiences in Cleveland and Denver in early-May. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Of the 814 preview cards received, 633 rated the film “excellent”, 146 “good” and only 3 marked it “bad” (Edwards). Nevertheless, Wise and editor, William Reynolds, went back to make a number of further adjustments to the film ahead of its global premiere in London in July 1968. Much of this late-stage editing work was relatively minor –– pruning a shot here and there in order to tighten pacing –– but several short narrative scenes were also cut in their entirety.

None of this material was particularly significant and, given that the final roadshow release of Star! ended up with a marathon running time of 176 minutes –– enough to “test the patience of even those of us enamored with Andrews, musicals, and showbiz dramas” (Betancourt, 2014) –– the cuts were possibly all-to-the-good. Still, it is not difficult to see what these excised scenes were designed to achieve and, in some respects, their loss exacerbated problematic aspects of the film’s narrative complexion.

What follows is a brief catalogue of the major scenes dropped from Star! They are presented in order of where they originally occurred in narrative sequence. For the most part, details are taken from the final shooting version of the screenplay by William Fairchild, dated 25 January 1967, and augmented where possible with archival material.

A further sense of where and how these “lost scenes” functioned narratively is provided by the paperback novelization of Star! by Bob Thomas (1968). As discussed in a previous post, novelizations were a popular feature of film culture in the 1960s and 70s. Because they had to be written well in advance of a film’s release, novelizations were typically adapted from shooting scripts and rough cuts and, as with Bob Thomas’s adaptation of Star!, they frequently include narrative material that didn’t always make the final cut.

______________________________

Lost Scene 1: Gertie and the Singing Doughboys

Screenplay Scenes 35-36, 38 (filmed 19 September 1967, Stage 22, 20th Century-Fox Studios) This short sequence occurred immediately after Gertie makes her stagedoor flight from the disastrous Daffodil Girls music-hall performance in Swansea (“In My Garden of Joy”). In it, Gertie is shown hitching a ride with a military supplies lorry back to London in search of better opportunities. An establishing external shot (35) shows the lorry rumbling down a country road past a “London 34 miles” signpost, followed by an internal shot (36) of the driver’s cabin with Gertie sandwiched between two young soldiers in uniform, all singing a lively chorus of “Oh, It’s a Lovely War” (Fairchild: 25; Thomas: 26). In earlier versions of the screenplay, this short sequence was preceded by a number of additional scenes (33-34) showing Gertie working odd jobs and sleeping in a train station but these were dropped prior to production and never filmed. A further shot (38) that was filmed but subsequently cut during postproduction occurred in the ensuing scene where Gertie arrives in London and sneaks her way into the Lumley Court Theatre in the hope of auditioning for André Charlot. As she stops in the theatre alleyway, Gertie looks up at the poster advertising the new Charlot revue and whispers to herself “quietly but with complete confidence, ’…With Gertrude Lawrence!’” (Fairchild: 28).

While minor, this cut material clearly worked to underscore Gertie’s driving ambition and her determination to do whatever it takes to realise her dreams of stardom.

______________________________

Lost Scene 2: Gertie and Billie Carleton

Screenplay Scene 53 (filmed 29 April 1967, Stage 14, 20th Century-Fox Studios) This scene followed Gertie’s triumphant ‘understudy’ performance of “Burlington Bertie”. After the narrational newsreel footage detailing Armistice Day celebrations and the return of star Billie Carleton to the theatre, Billie is seen backstage surrounded by well-wishers from the troupe. Gertie appears from one of the dressing rooms and comes up to greet Billie with ‘star’ and ‘understudy’ indulging in affectionately bitchy repartee. Played with camp theatricality and lashings of “dahhhlings” and air kisses, the scene highlighted Gertie’s growing sense of hauteur and theatrical confidence, while emphasising her thwarted ambitions. It thus helped preface the later confrontation scene (55) between Gertie and first husband, Jack Roper where he complains, “ever since you’ve been put back in the chorus, it’s been nothing but belly-aching!” (Fairchild: 52).

Interestingly, this sequence between Gertie and Billie was the only sustained dialogue scene to feature Lynley Laurence, the actress who plays Billie Carleton in Star!. With its excision, Laurence’s role was reduced to a handful of mostly non-speaking scenes, though she would still receive a special featured screen credit in the final film.

As another interesting aside, the dialogue for the cut scene has Billie Carleton joke that Gertie likely wishes “I’d broken my neck”. The real-life Carleton did in fact die not long after the events depicted here. Following a gala ball at the Albert Hall to celebrate Armistice on 27 November 1918, Carleton returned to her suite at the Savoy Hotel where she was found dead the next day from a cocaine overdose. It was a huge scandal at the time that subsequently formed the basis for Noël Coward’s first hit play, The Vortex (1924) about drug abuse and sexual impropriety in English high society (Hoare: 37-39).

______________________________

Lost Scene 3: Gertie and Sir Anthony Go Boating

Screenplay Scene 61 (filmed 29 June, Regent’s Park, London; and 23-24 August 1967, Stage 21, and 8 September, Stage 22, 20th Century-Fox Studios) This was the first of several cut scenes detailing Gertie’s blossoming romance with Sir Anthony ‘Tony’ Spencer (Michael Craig) and, with it, her rise in social status. Immediately following their first dinner date where Gertie alternately titillates and shocks the assembled society guests with ribald theatre stories, Gertie and Tony go on a ‘date’ to the boating lake at Regent’s Park (Fairchild: 60-61). As the pair sit in the rowboat, Tony explains the history of the Park in florid detail as Gertie looks glum and distracted. “Words!”, she says dejectedly, “I look at things and all I can say is –– they’re nice!…You’ve got to teach me more words”, thus highlighting her recognition of the need for increased social sophistication. After a further exchange, Gertie moves in to give Tony a kiss when the rocking of the boat throws her into his arms.

The allusion in this scene to linguistic training sets up a marked Pygamalion / My Fair Lady dynamic with Tony cast as a Professor Higgins-type figure –– albeit, more “patient and kind and wonderful” –– who helps mentor Gertie in the ways of aristocratic high society. There is even a pointed reference in the dialogue to Gertie’s background as a Cockney. Traces of this dynamic remain in the final film, notably in the scene where Gertie arrives at Cesare’s in her new gown and, responding to a compliment about the dress, starts to say “It is rather nice…” when she catches Tony’s eye and quickly corrects herself, “…er…divine, isn’t it?” (Fairchild: 64).

This scene on the lake involved considerable strategic planning during filming. At the end of a one week period of location shooting in the south of France in June 1967, the production crew proceeded to London for the next stage of filming. Julie, however, flew back to Hollywood, ostensibly to start rehearsals for the big musical numbers, though there is some suggestion she needed to avoid entering the UK for tax purposes (Craig: 151; Land: 296). As a result, location shots on the lake at Regent’s Park had to be filmed using a double to stand in for Julie who sat in the boat with actor Michael Craig. London’s notoriously capricious weather added to the woes with the crew having to wait hours on the day of shooting till 5:00pm when “the sun burst forth long enough to permit the photographing of a brilliant scene”. All the while, “property master, Dennis Parrish, had to toss bread to ducks…to keep them within camera range ready when the time came” (Land: 334-35; also Heffernan: 30). This location footage was then intercut with later process shots of Julie and Michael Craig filmed in front of a blue-screen at Fox studios. Production accounts detail that studio filming for the scene occupied two full days on August 23 and 24 on Stage 21 (Edwards). Despite the work and effort, the dialogue component of the sequence was cut in its entirety and all that remained in the final release print is a few brief insert shots of Gertie and Tony in the rowboat.

______________________________

Lost Scene 4: Gertie Gets a Make-Over

Screenplay Scene 63 (filmed 11-13 and 18 September 1967, Stage 16, 20th Century-Fox Studios) Continuing the Pygmalion theme from the previous cut scene, this sequence detailed Gertie’s ongoing social metamorphosis as Tony takes her to the salon of couturier, Julian Brooke-Taylor (Fairchild: 63-64). Of all the cut scenes, this one was possibly the longest with an estimated running time of several minutes.

Here Gertie is introduced to the grand world of haute couture and the even grander character of Julian Brooke-Taylor. Described in the screenplay as “[t]hin, fortyish…not a homosexual, but rather asexual, always appearing elegantly weary but in fact full of creative energy” (Fairchild: 63), Brooke-Taylor was played by Scottish-born character actor, Monty (Monte) Landis. Today, Landis is best remembered for his cavalcade of cameo villains in the cult TV series The Monkees (1968) but he had a long career as a comic actor in theatre and film in both the UK and the US. Prior to Star!, Landis had a string of minor but memorable character cameos in films such as The Mouse That Roared (1959), Charade (1963) and Double Trouble (1967), as well as several popular TV series of the era including The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (1966), Get Smart (1967) and Batman (1967). The latter series was filmed at 20th Century Fox studios at more or less the same time as Star! which is possibly how Landis secured his brief role in the film.

As detailed in the Fairchild screenplay (63-64) and Thomas novelization (50-51), the lengthy sequence starts with a mid-shot of Brooke-Taylor sitting on a Louis Quinze settee, “an expression of well-bred resignation on his face” (Fairchild: 63). As he spouts a humorously imperious monologue about being “the best couturier in London..many would say the whole of Europe”, the film cuts to a long shot of Gertie and Tony combing through hundreds of glamorous gowns in the gilt and marble salon, “dresses are everywhere –– in a large open wardrobe, draped on chairs and settees” (Fairchild: 63). Gertie picks up dress after dress, “considering it and then, as Tony shakes his head, rejecting it and adding it to the growing discard pile beside Julian” (ibid). All the while, Brooke-Taylor continues his waspish spiel:

“So who am I to complain, my dear Tony, when you invade my salon two hours after it is officially closed in order not to buy but merely to borrow. Please, please, do not for a moment imagine that you are imposing –– just feel completely free to treat me as you would any small, overworked dressmaker around the corner who runs up clever little numbers in her spare time after high tea…” (Fairchild: 63-64).

Finally, Tony finds the perfect dress –– the brilliant black and ruby beaded décolleté gown that Gertie wears to Cesare’s in the next scene. As he holds it up to Gertie, Brooke-Taylor stops mid-breath, “[h]is face lightens, [t]he artist in him beams whole-hearted approval and admiration,” “Ah!,” he purrs, “Yes!” (Fairchild: 64; Thomas: 51).

Other than highlighting Gertie’s continued social transformation, this scene also served to establish the context for Gertie’s subsequent employment as a salon model for Brooke-Taylor in the later fashion show sequence. Its omission from the final print of the film doesn’t cause a major logical inconsistency but it does weaken some of the backstory. From the way it is written, and given Landis’s theatrical comic style, one imagines that the scene would likely have had a ‘comic relief’ tenor not unlike that of the later fashion show where Cathleen Cordell provides such wonderfully humorous flourish as the affected salon vendeuse.

It’s unclear why the Brooke-Taylor sequence was dropped in its entirety. Production accounts show that more than two full days were spent shooting material for it from 11-13 September 1967 on Stage 16 at Fox Studios, with the fashion show filmed immediately after on the same set from 13-14 September (Edwards). Further retakes were ordered for 18 September which possibly suggests that Wise was unhappy with aspects of the scene as originally filmed/played. Maybe he remained unhappy, maybe the sequence felt out of keeping with surrounding material, or maybe Wise just wanted to reduce an already overlong first half? Either way, the visit to Julian Brooke-Taylor was consigned to the cutting room floor.

Monte Landis, the actor playing Brooke-Taylor, had a bit of an unfortunate run in 1967. At about the same time he filmed his dropped cameo for Star!, Landis also appeared as part of the original line-up for the TV pilot of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, but when the series was subsequently picked up by NBC for what would prove to be a six season run, Landis was let go and replaced by another British comedian (Erickson:108). There was some compensation for the actor when he secured his semi-recurring role as the resident villain in the second season of The Monkees (1968), which as suggested earlier remains his most famous work to this day. As detailed in his iMDB profile, Landis continued to secure intermittent TV work throughout the 70s with cameos in shows such as Hawaii Five-O (1971), Columbo (1971) and Police Woman (1973), as well as the odd big screen film like Myra Breckinridge (1970) and Young Frankenstein (1974). As late as the 80s and early 90s, Landis could still be seen popping up in the occasional episode of The Golden Girls (1987) or comedy film like Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Heart Condition (1990).

In between these screen assignments, Landis seems to have done a good deal of live theatre. In an interesting “six degrees” moment, just a few months prior to his work on Star!, Landis appeared in a revival of Lady in the Dark at the Pasadena Playhouse –––– opposite Marni Nixon in the Gertrude Lawrence role, what’s more –– where he reportedly stopped the show with the comic “Tchaikovsky” number (“Monty Landis Draws”: 35). Landis also found something of a second career as a spiritualist in the 1970s hosting a weekly programme on a Southern California radio station devoted to the occult (Martin: S8). This interest in all things spiritual must have continued as the last press mention we’ve been able to find about Landis reports that, in 2007, he had retired to Palm Springs where he was teaching Kabbalah (Salkin: E1).

______________________________

Lost Scene 5: Gertie at St James Palace

Screenplay Scene 69 (filmed 29 May 1967, Lotos Club, New York City; and 1 July 1967, Westminster School, London ) This brief scene was the third of the excised episodes depicting Gertie’s social metamorphosis courtesy of Sir Anthony Spencer. Immediately following the newsreel insert profiling Gertie’s embrace of “the fads and the fashions of crazy postwar England of the early 20′s” –– doing the Charleston, hot air ballooning, awarding the prize at an auto car race –– and her ascent to royal social circles, this scene showed Gertie and Tony arriving at St James Palace. Resplendent in a fur-trimmed gold brocade cape, Gertie enters the Palace on the arm of Sir Tony looking every inch the princess when, falling back into mock Cockney, she whispers: “D’you think his Royal Highness would mind if I loosened me stays? They’re killing me” (Fairchild: 71).

The scene was clearly designed to highlight Gertie’s triumph in her new “role” as “the glittering darling of society” while remaining true to her irreverent working-class spirit. This theme –– along with the whole Pygmalion-esque subtext –– is explicit in Bob Thomas’s novelization:

“Under Tony’s tutelage, the girl from Clapham was becoming a lady. The metamorphosis was not always easy. Sometimes in the middle of a formal dinner Gertie uttered a cockneyism that sent the table into a roar of laughter. But she always laughed with the other guests –– Gertie never pretended to be anything she wasn’t. And she always listened carefully to Tony’s coaching afterward. He would point out where she said the wrong thing or used the wrong fork. As in the theatre, she learned her cues quickly and never repeated an error” (Thomas: 56).

Like the earlier rowboat scene, this one required a strategic blend of location and studio shooting. The bulk of the interior was filmed with Julie and Michael Craig on 29 May 1967 at the Lotos Club in New York City. Craig was still appearing on Broadway at the time in Pinter’s The Homecoming and this shoot was his very first piece of work for Star!. Additional footage of Gertie and Tony arriving at St James was filmed a few weeks later on 1 July at the Westminster School in London with Craig and a double to stand in for Julie (Edwards).

______________________________

Lost Scene 6: Cavalry to the Rescue

Screenplay Scene 86-88 (filmed 3 July 1967, Guards’ Parade, Whitehall, London) This bridging sequence occurred when Sir Anthony Spencer arrives to visit Gertie with his surprise proposal of marriage. Following a series of establishing shots of Tony riding with the Guards on ceremonial parade –– shots which remain in the final release print of the film –– the original sequence continued to show Tony arriving at Gertie’s London mews house. He dismounts from his horse and passes the bridle to his personal equerry, Corporal of Horse Cooper (Max Faulkner). As he walks towards the rear of the house, still in full regalia “his accoutrements clanking”, Tony passes Gertie’s maid Mary (Barbara Ogilvie) who is carrying a tray of tea and sugar to the guardsmen. The camera stays on Mary as she goes to the guardsmen and chats amicably with Cooper, telling him to feed sugar to the horses “[t]hen you can have your tea” (Fairchild: 82).

Other than the opportunity to further showcase the colourful pomp of the Royal Life Guards –– which, as detailed in an earlier post, had been strategically selected by Wise for the visual impact of their uniforms –– this scene also helped underscore the established intimacy of Gertie and Tony’s relationship. That Gertie’s maid should greet Sir Tony and his Corporal by name and come out prepared with a tray of tea for the brigade indicates that this not-so clandestine morning visit to Gertie via her back door was a routine arrangement for the two lovers.

The actor who appears as Corporal Cooper, Max Faulkner had a long career as a character player and stuntman in British film and TV, possibly best remembered for his work on the cult TV show, Doctor Who. The cutting of the sequence meant that Faulkner lost what little dialogue he had in the film, though he can still be seen riding alongside Michael Craig in the opening shot and reacting to Tony’s sneeze. He can also be seen later in the film in reprise footage of the Life Guards on parade, immediately prior to Gertie and Tony’s visit to the Lord Chamberlain. In this scene, which was filmed on location at the same time as the earlier sequence, Faulkner’s character is front and centre on screen bellowing a series of commands to the mounted Guardsmen. In the original screenplay this establishing shot is followed by an additional brief dialogue scene where Gertie passes the Guards on her way into the Lord Chamberlain’s office and greets Cooper by name (Scene 118). “Good morning Miss Lawrence. Nice to see you back,” the corporal says (Fairchild: 123). When Noel shoots Gertie a questioning look, she explains, “Well, I have been to St James Palace before.” “For heaven’s sake,” gasps Noel, “don’t mention that!” (Fairchild: 123).

While Max Faulkner at least made it into the final release print of Star!, Barbara Ogilvie in the part of Mary was less fortunate. With the excision of the dialogue portion of Sir Tony’s arrival at Gertie’s house, her role disappeared completely. A native Londoner, Ogilvie carved out a solid career playing character parts on UK TV, including a regular stint in the mid-70s on the long-running soap opera, Emmerdale. Possibly due to production logistics or possibly to help denote the passage of time, Gertie is given a different maid later in the film, Dorothy who is played by Matilda Canan.

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As stated at the outset, it is not difficult to understand why these various scenes were cut from Star! Their excision reduced an already over-long running time and arguably helped tighten pacing. Nevertheless, one can equally appreciate the intent behind these scenes and their role in furthering character and plot.

One of the most common criticisms made of Star! is that its episodic revue format works against optimal narrative development and, with it, audience identification. Squeezed into brief segments between the film’s mammoth musical performances, Gertie’s life is rendered via a series of epigrammatic highlights with a surfeit of information and dazzle, but not a lot of emotional depth. As Richard Schickel (1968) writes in a characteristic example of this critical complaint:

“William Fairchild’s Star! script, ranging over a [long] period of Gertrude Lawrence’s career, deals in types rather than people, romances rather than loves. It is always at a documentary distance from its subject and her world. Maybe she was unknowable, in the full biographical sense, but we must have the illusion of knowledge, a sense of motives more subtle and complex than we receive” (10).

Moreover, the fact that Star! is a theatrical revue style musical where the numbers are staged as semi-realist replications of Gertie’s theatrical performances, and not as organic expressions of character and narrative as is the case in an integrated ‘book’ musical, means that whatever sense we get of Gertie and her story can only really come from the bridging moments in-between. As director Robert Wise reflected in later years:

“People often ask me why [Star!] didn’t work…It’s hard to find answers. Maybe [audiences] just weren’t prepared to like Julie in the kind of character Gertie Lawrence was. Maybe we spent too much time on musical numbers and didn’t spend enough time digging into her character, getting the kind of contact of the audience with what made her tick. With The Sound of Music, we certainly made contact with the audience in terms of the relationship between Maria and the children and the Captain. The audience knew where everybody was coming from basically” (Leeman, 195).

It’s doubtful that the excised material profiled here would have made much of an appreciable difference in this regard. Like applying a band-aid to a gaping wound, the film’s narrative deficiencies required more substantial revisions than the inclusion of a couple of minor book scenes. Still, these scenes do at least gesture towards expanded character development and suggest several lines that might have been profitably mined in a more carefully structured narrative treatment.

Finally, it is not known if any of this edited material from Star! still exists. If it does, the chance of it seeing light of day is sadly remote. Cut footage from the Fox-Wise-Andrews megahit, The Sound of Music has never surfaced, suggesting a studio history of either outright junking or public embargo. Moreover, if the material were available, it would surely have been included as part of the comprehensively packaged laserdisc release that accompanied the film’s 25th anniversary in 1993. Still, hope springs eternal and maybe the ‘lost scenes of Star!’ will finally appear as part of that deluxe 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray release that we know just has to be round the corner!

Sources:

Betancourt, Manuel. “Robert Wise Centenary: Star! (1968).” The Film Experience. <http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2014/9/9/robert-wise-centenary-star-1968.html>. 2014.

Craig, Michael. The Smallest Giant: An Actor’s Life. Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 2005.

Edwards, T.J. “The Saga of ‘Star!’”. Star! Special Edition LaserDisc. Beverley Hills, CA: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1993.

Erickson, Hal. ‘From Beautiful Downtown Burbank’: A Critical History of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co, 2000.

Fairchild, William. Star! Screenplay. Final version. 25 January, 1967.

Heffernan, Harold. “Squeaky Sound Stage Troubles ‘Star’.” Philadelphia Daily News. 18 August 1967: 30.

Hoare, Philip. Oscar Wilde’s Last Stand: Decadence, Conspiracy, and the Most Outrageous Trial of the Century. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1997.

Holston, Kim R. Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showing, 1911-1973. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co, 2013.

Kanfer, Stefan. “Cinema: Quarter Chance.” Time. 96: 4. 27 July 1970: 78.

Land, Kevin. “Recreating Four Decades of Modern History for Star!”. American Cinematographer. 50: 3, March 1969: 294-266, 332-336.

Leeman, Sergio. Robert Wise on His Films: From Editing Room to Director’s Chair. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, 1995.

Martin, Bob. “TeleVues: They Have the Spirit, It Says.” Independent Press-Telegram. 5 August 1973: S8.

“Monty Landis Draws Many Laughs in ‘Lady’”. Independent Star News. 15 January 1967: 35.

Salkin, Judith. “Building One’s Character.” The Desert Sun. 18 November 2007: E1.

Schickel, Richard. “Two Stars: One Glowing One Dim.” Life. 65: 19. 8 November 1968: 19.

Thomas, Bob. Star! New York: Bantam, 1968.

Images:

“70 mm cinema film strip” by Zigmej, CC BY-SA 3.0 [Adapted].

STAR!, 1968 [Laserdisc], R. Wise, Fox Video, 1993.

St Hilaire, Al. Photographic Contact Sheets for STAR! [Unpublished], 1967.

Twentieth Century Fox, STAR! Press Kit and Publicity Materials, 1968.

Special thanks to Hanne.

#julie andrews #Star!#star!50 #Robert Wise #gertrude lawrence #classic film #musical #lost scenes #film history #old hollywood #lynley laurence #monte landis #Twentieth Century Fox #William Fairchild #michael craig #max faulkner #barbara ogilvie

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