I am writing once again from Pearl's, settling back in for another work cycle. Tonight I did watch a movie, a thriller called "Midnight Lace" (1960) starring Doris Day as a newlywed American living in London with her Veddy Brrittish husband Rex Harrison. You already know how to pronounce the italicised words in the previous sentence, so I shant remind you, but.....
Hey, wait a minute. I want to ask you a question before I forget. Have you ever heard a person pronounce "squash" as "squoarsh"? I debated with myself just now whether to include an "o" in the unusual pronunciation, because I want it to sound like "squarsh", but I thought that if I added the "o", then I would get an "oar" in the middle : a sound like the word "oar". And I thought that the "oar" sound created a more fully defined sound of the pronunciation in question.
So, think of a Squash: you know, the gourd shaped vegetable. Now think of it pronounced as "squarsh".
I had a teacher in Junior High (and I have a friend who can vouch for this), who pronounced "squash" as "squarsh". I am using that spelling for easy reference, because when spelled that way it is easier on the eye. But to be precise, this teacher actually pronounced "squash" as "squoarsh".
Say it a few times and you will get the hang of it. Just think of an "oar" in the middle.
I have no idea why this teacher talked about squash (I mean squoarsh), or why he pronounced it that way - all I know for sure is that he mentioned "squoarsh" often enough for it to stick not only in my brain for over 40 years, but certainly in the brain of my friend as well, who was in the same class.
Hell, I don't even remember what subject the teacher taught! All I remember is "squoarsh".
And I wonder still where the H that pronunciation came from.
It's similar to the JFK "Cuba" = "Cue-ber" deal. But we know that came from Massachusetts.
Doggonnit. Well, back to the movie. Several Amazon commentators have referred to "Midnight Lace" as "Hitchcockian" in it's playout and level of suspense. I won't go quite that far. I think the director was aiming for Hitchcock, and came up with a nice little English whodunit instead. Doris Day is being stalked, first in Hyde Park, where she hears a crazy high pitched voice in the fog, threatening to kill her. She staggers home to the protective arms of husband Rex Harrison, who six years later will Talk To The Animals as "Dr. Doolittle". But right now he is doing a lot; running a business empire that is losing money. He has no time for his new wife, and meanwhile, she is becoming petrified because she is now getting phone calls from the same crazy man whose voice she first heard in the park. With every call, he raises the stakes of fear. Poor Doris starts to plead with hubby Rex, and her Aunt (played by Myrna Loy), both of whom think she is imagining the phone calls and the voices.
"Midnight Lace" doesn't quite reach Hitchcock levels of suspense, but it still keeps you guessing, and more than that it is fun because it takes place in London, and so you get a lot of English people jabbering away about things, and you get great locales as well. And Doris Day, who was even better in the movie I saw a week ago but didn't review : "It's A Great Feeling". Be sure to check her out in that one - it's a sure fire Two Big Thumbs Up - and then give her a chance in "Midnight Lace", to which I will extend a Single Thumb in the upward direction. It's definitely worth a view for fans like me who mainline movies.
Well anyhow, we had good singin' in church this morn. I am running on about three hours sleep but will take it easy tomorrow in order to catch back up.
Have you got any Weird Pronunciations that bug you, or vex you, that you could mention to me?
If so, maybe you could send them to me, for dissection here at the blog.
I think it is an important matter to pursue.
See you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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