Saturday 9: Sentimental Journey

Saturday 9: Sentimental Journey (1945)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Doris sings that she has her bag packed. Tell us about your luggage. Is your bag easy to spot on the luggage carousel?

A. My current luggage is non-descript. However, when I was a teenager, my parents bought some lovely light blue hard luggage (this would have been 1979-1980). I used it when I went to Spain and France with a school tour. My mother thought I should do something to make it stand out, so she put dots all over it. The thing looked like it had Skittles measles. It stood out at the luggage carousel like Rudolph's nose in a snowstorm, and I was so terribly embarrassed when I got it off that I spent a good bit of time trying to remove the dots. Of course they were stuck on like dried shit on a dog's ass, and I roamed around Europe with a piece of circus luggage.

2) The release of this song coincided with VE Day, and so it meant a great deal to troops returning home from Europe. What song has sentimental value for you? Why?

A. Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McLean is a song that I love, though it makes me cry. It reminds me of a time when I was incredibly vulnerable and needy.

3) As a young girl, Doris was passionate about dance. Concentrating in the studio and performing on stage helped distract her from heartache and embarrassment over her parents' divorce. When you want to escape from what's troubling you, what do you do?

A. I either write in my journal, go read a book, play a video game, or play my guitar. It depends on the source of the trouble as to what I do to remedy my emotions.

4) Her dancing days came to an end when, at age 15, she was in a car accident and damaged her leg. During her recovery, she discovered how much she enjoyed singing with the radio, and was delighted to find others enjoyed hearing her. Tell us about a time you unexpectedly found happiness or success.

A. When I was in the second grade, Mrs. Wright, my teacher, told me without any bit of doubt that I would grow up to be a writer. I remember that as being a singular moment of great joy, not because I had actually found success, but because someone recognized something in me and took the time to comment on it. She spent her year with me shoring up my work as well as my self-esteem, to some degree. She was a wonderful teacher. (I daresay she would not appreciate my metaphors in #1.)

5) She moved from singer to actress in the late 1940s and was a major movie star for 25 years. She was paired with the most popular leading men of her time -- everyone from Clark Gable to Frank Sinatra to Rock Hudson. If you could share a kiss with any actor or actress, who would you choose?

A. Well, I bet we all know Kwizgiver's answer to this one! Hmm. As for me, I think I'll go with Viggo Mortenson, but only if he is dressed as Aragorn from Lord of the Rings.

6) 1968 was a terrible year for Doris. First, she suddenly became a widow. Then she discovered that her late husband and his business partner had squandered her money and she had to file for bankruptcy. Oh, wait! There's more! She also found that, in his role as her manager, her late husband had, without her knowledge, committed her to a weekly TV series. Do you have a 1968? What year you can point to and say, "Wow, I'm glad that's over"?

A. The year 2013 was pretty bad and I'm still dealing with the fallout from that so I can't say that it's over, really. I guess 1992, maybe? I finally had a hysterectomy so I knew there would be no more surgeries in our effort to have a child, and the pain I was in from endometriosis went away. I had no idea how much pain I was living with until it was gone.

7) After retiring from show business, she became an advocate for animal welfare. She has said we should be more sensitive to the loneliness, sadness and guilt people feel when they lose a pet. Think of a time you were grieving. What words or gestures helped you through? Conversely, what's something no one should ever say to someone who is hurting?

A. The words and gestures that help include sitting with someone (with or without speaking), talking to the person like they're a normal human being, and talking about the deceased. A simple, "I'm sorry," is perfectly fine. The things that don't help are the platitudes like "better off now" and "thoughts and prayers" or "you'll see him/her again on the other side." (I don't believe in another side, so no, I won't.)

8) Doris' only child was her son, record producer Terry Melcher. Terry had a successful, years-long collaboration with The Beach Boys. Do you have a favorite Beach Boys song?

A. Surfin' USA

9) Random question: What's one thing you've never done, but have always wanted to try?

A. Fly an airplane. Not fly in one, but actually fly it.

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