Saturday 9: When Love Goes Wrong

Saturday 9: When Love Goes Wrong (Nothing Goes Right) 1953

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


1) This is from the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Have you seen it?

A. No, I don't think so.

2) The lyrics tell us that, when love goes wrong, "a match won't light." When did you most recently light a match?

A. I can't recall, but it would have been to get rid of the smell of skunk. I don't burn candles generally, but I do strike a match to make the skunk odor go away.

3) The duet is performed at a French sidewalk cafe, where Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe are (literally) sharing a cup of coffee. With whom did you most recently have coffee?

A. I don't drink coffee. Anyway, it has been so long since I've been out with someone I can't remember who that might have been.

4) The tune was written by prolific composer Hoagy Carmichael. He was influenced by his mother, who earned extra money for the family playing piano during silent movies. Who in your life influenced your career choices?

A. My teachers, mostly. My parents both seemed to think I'd make a good secretary. I didn't agree with them. I despise secretarial work. My idea of a good filing system is a pile of stuff that no one else touches so I know what is where.

5) Jane and Marilyn shared something beyond movie stardom. They were both married to Hall of Famers. Marilyn Monroe was married to Joe DiMaggio, who was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. Jane was married to quarterback Bob Waterfield, inducted into the football Hall of Fame in 1965. Which sport would you rather watch: baseball or football?

A. Football. Speaking of which, my alma mater is undefeated in football. Hasn't lost a game since the college was founded in the 1800s. (It's an all-women college and we don't have a football team. Ha.)

6) Jane and Bob Waterfield were high school sweethearts at Van Nuys High. The Southern California school was used as a set for the 1982 movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Tell us something about your high school.

A. My high school graduating class was about 210 students, and I was fifth in the class. Lord Botetourt High School (LBHS) is one of two high schools in my county and they were both built the same year, 1958, and opened in 1959. As of 2019 it had 69 faculty members serving 1,052 students grades 9-12. The school is named for Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt, the governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770. Athletic teams are known as the Cavaliers, and the school colors are scarlet and silver. When I went to school, there were fewer students, but not by much. There were two stories with steps, no elevator (I wonder if they ever rectified that). I understand the roof leaks.

7) Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio met on a blind date at a Hollywood restaurant called Villa Nova. Have you ever arranged a blind date? If so, did the couple hit it off and end up dating?

A. I have never arranged a blind date.

8) In 1953, when Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was released, a tornado did severe damage to Waco, TX. Tell us about a major weather event that you endured (tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, etc.).

A. We had what was called then a thousand-year flood. The most severe flooding in our area occurred on November 4, 1985 when heavy storms from the remnants of Hurricane Juan stalled over the area. There were 10 deaths in and around Roanoke, including three who drove into flooded rivers, and three others who refused to evacuate. My husband, a firefighter, was on duty. I had a doctor's appointment that morning and was downtown. I came out of the doctor's office to find the Roanoke River rising up close my car. I ended up traveling multiple directions to find a way on to the interstate to drive the 20 miles back home. However, I could not find a way into my house for a long time. The road was covered by a mudslide in one direction, flooding in another. Finally I went "the long way around" and made it home to find the basement flooded. I went down and threw the power switch, wading in water to do so, and was probably fortunate that I didn't get electrocuted. My husband eventually called me (no cellphones back then). He had been rescuing people left and right, sticking ladders out for folks to grab onto, pulling people off of rooftops. The communities in my county along the James River suffered tremendous damage and loss. I was 23 years old. Here is a video of the damage.



9) Random question: You see a filthy puddle. Floating on top are cigarette butts, a leaf, and a $1 bill. Would you bend over and rescue the dollar?

A. Probably not. But I have been known to stop and pick up a penny, so I suppose it would depend upon my frame of mind, whether or not it was raining, if I had a tissue to touch it with, and if Covid was running rampant in the community.

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