Saturday 9: The Way You Look Tonight

The Way You Look Tonight (1936)

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

1) They lyrics tell us that no matter how low the singer feels, it will raise his spirits to recall the way his lover looks tonight. Share a special moment in your life that brings a smile to your lips, no matter what.

A. Remembering the day my husband proposed. We were in the restaurant Coach & Four, and he dug the wedding ring out of his cowboy boot. The booth where he proposed is still there. Last year was the first year we missed eating there on our anniversary.

2) This song was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1936 movie, Swing Time. It won the Oscar for Best Song. What's your favorite movie song?

A. Hopelessly Devoted to You, by Olivia Newton John, in Grease.

3) Though today Fred is revered as a Hollywood legend, producers had to be convinced to give him a shot. The initial notes on his screen test were: "Can't act. Slightly bald. Also dances." Tell us about a time when someone underestimated you.

A. My mother never thought I could make a living writing. But I did.

 

4) Fred's legion of fans includes Jackie Chan. The martial arts star says Astaire's movies influenced the way he choreographed the Kung Fu fight sequences in his films. Mr. Chan is one of the most popular film stars in the world. Have you seen any of his movies?

A. I have seen bits and pieces but I've never sat down and watched one of them.

 

5) Fred was always fascinated by new things. In the 1970s, when he was in his late 70s, he took up skateboarding and became so good at it he was awarded life membership in the National Skateboard Society. Have you been skateboarding? If not, is it something you're tempted to try?

A. I used to skateboard when they became popular in the 1970s. I was never good at it but I did well enough to stay on the thing.

 

6) Fred's friends were amused by his passion for daytime soap operas. In the days before video recording, he would call home from the club house at the golf course and ask his maid what had happened that day on his favorite "story," As the World Turns. Is there a show you try not to miss?

A. Not really. Anymore I record the things I want to watch and view them whenever it suits me. Some things I think I want to watch I never do.

7) In 1936, the year this song was popular, the US patent office issued a patent for the Zippo lighter. Beginning in WWII and for decades after, Zippo lighters were issued to our soldiers. During the Vietnam War, troops had their lighters engraved with personal mottos. What's something you have had engraved or personalized? What did it say?

A. We gave my mother-in-law a blanket that said her name and "hands off" for Christmas last year.

8) Also in 1936, a killer tornado struck Tupelo, MS. Have you ever been in a tornado? How about a hurricane or an earthquake?

A. I was in a tornado around 1977 or so. I was in Bristol, TN at the time with the high school band for a competition. I have had to evacuate the beach several times because of incoming hurricanes; we seem to have the worst luck with scheduling beach vacations. We had an earthquake here but I didn't feel it. I was on the road in the car when it happened.

 

9) Random question -- We're creating an action figure of YOU. What two accessories should we be sure to include in the box?

A. A book and a guitar.

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