Ain't These TASTY?!?!

In true "me" fashion, I fell in love with old movies at a very early age.  My grandfather LOVED movies and could remember every detail of every movie he ever saw (seriously, he was like the Rainman of movie-watching).  He would also watch pretty much anything.  So perhaps this affinity of mine is genetic?  No idea.  All that to say, while I did enjoy the same "new" movies that kids my age were raving about, I also liked watching movies that were new when my parents and even (gasp!) grandparents were kids.  To Kill A Mockingbird, the original Cape Fear, any and all Bond films, Splendor in the Grass (or, as it was known to certain people I am related to, Splinter in the Ass), Gone With the Wind, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Million Dollar Mermaid, Cleopatra, The Wings of Eagles, Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, Giant, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof...all total awesomesauce in my book and just a small sampling of the "old" movies I love.  Some are considered classics, some are not.  I would happily sit down and watch any one of them right now (and thanks to Netflix, I pretty much can!)

There is a small collection of films, however, that I fell head-over-heels for as a wee lass.  That's right- I'm referring to those gloriously ridiculous Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies.  There was Send Me No Flowers, Lover Come Back, and (my ALL-TIME-FAVORITE!) Pillow Talk.  Pillow Talk- if for some strange reason you have never seen it- features Doris as a successful but looking-for-Mr-Right decorator and Rock as jingle-writing pah-laya who has a revolving door of hotties in and out of his apartment.  As there is apparently a shortage of phone lines in NYC, these two are somehow forced to share a party line.  After listening in on each other's calls, they form rather negative opinions of each other: he finds her to be a frigid asshat, she thinks he's an arrogant douche canoe (spoiler: they're both right).  One night they somehow end up at the same supper club, he discovers her identity and is instantly a smitten kitten.  Realizing if she knew who he was, she wouldn't give him the time of day (but would possibly have a one-finger salute at the ready for him), he gives up and goes home.  JUST KIDDING!  HA!  That's only what a sane person would do!  No, Rock decides to win the heart of fair Doris by pretending to be a tourist in from Texas named- get ready- Rex Stetson.  Hilarity ensues.  He even stays in a hotel and adopts a "Texan accent" (to be fair, it's more stroke-y than Texan, but that's what makes it so great).  Their dates revolve around Tour Guide Doris escorting Rock around "the big 'ol city" where he proceeds to "aww shucks" all over himself.

One of my all-time favorite scenes EVER is in this movie.  They are on a date at a night club.  Doris magically produces a freaking giant fishbowl of dip that she then offers Rock (Where are these clubs and why have I never been to one?!  I've been to my share of clubs in my day and never, not once, have I sat at a piano and been offered a vat of dip.  *sigh*  Now I haz a sad.)  What happens next...ahhhh...it...I just...he...well, fast forward to the 2:00 mark and see for yourself:

Yeah.  That happens.  

Now you just try and tell me that's not awesome.  I heart those two.  They had great chemistry on screen and I adore the fact that in real life they were very close friends.  I think I love these movies so much because she was glamorous (seriously, I'd sell my grandmother to the gypsies for Doris Day's late 50's/early 60's wardrobe) and he was charismatic and oh-so-VERY easy on the eyes (please refer to Giant for further evidence).  Rock's last public appearance was as the first guest on Doris's talk show in 1985.  As painful as that was (and still is) to watch, they helped put a face on what was the growing and hugely misunderstood AIDS epidemic.  As Rock's dear friend and my idol, the late Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky said, "It is bad enough people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance."  Preach!

Mom, Auntie Kathy, Auntie Cheryl, let's all grab some dip and watch Pillow Talk, shall we?!