Storming The Stage With Sylvia Fowler

Sylvia Fowler: motormouth and rubberneck.

“Take a good grip on yourself; you are going to DIE! Stephen Haines is stepping out on Mary!”  With this juicy salvo, Rosalind Russell spits out the verbal spark that ignited “The Women.”  It was one of the highest grossing films of 1939, a whip-smart comedy lampooning the intrigues of the privileged class, featuring a veritable army of female talent.  Much has been said about Rosalind Russell’s performance in “The Women”, and rightfully so: its brilliance is undeniable.  Russell’s portrayal of ruthless gossip Sylvia Fowler is a mad gallop across the gamut of what’s funny:   lethal one liners executed with rat-a-tat-tat rapidity, coupled with ferocious physical comedy, all in service of an unforgettably daffy character who easily carries away the entire film.  Sylvia Fowler, with her eager ears and unstoppable mouth, would be the last person anyone would want to see sitting across from them at a gathering of friends.  Yet the crazed charisma of Russell’s performance transforms this ruthless scandalmonger into a lovable lunatic.  She simply cannot help herself.  Her condition, as summed up by her best friend Edith Potter (Phylis Povah) is congenital and chronic: “It’s just her tough luck that she wasn’t born deaf and dumb.”  We love her best of all the women in the film, even those whose lives she destroys.

In Praise Of…

Yo, get your praise on with the Milwaukee Lutheran High School Praise Band!

Hershey Syrup in The Can:  Simply put, it tastes much better than the Hershey’s Syrup from the squeeze bottle.  How can I account for this?  The taste taboo that makes people avoid canned vegetables and meat marinated in metal bowls actually works for Hershey’s Syrup In The Can.  The can itself is the key ingredient that sets the HS apart from its bottle counterpart.   The tin undergirds the dark intensity of the chocolate and elevates it above mere sweetness.  It tastes of times gone by, when things made to last were made of metal: cars, back yard fences, coffee pots…  I don’t expect anyone born into the “Hershey squirts” era to understand the charm of the HSITC, but it’s my hope that they find a way to hold onto that juvenile plastic ass-joke sweetness and cherish it in the future days of eco-friendly-flavor-neutral packaging.