Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

It was nice to get all those warm fuzzies, congratulating me for pulling myself out of my seller's slump. 

But then Mary Van Note came along and had the chutzpah to say, "You should have easy to find links to your shops, though.  I can't find them!"

Oh, Mary - must you be so contrary!  :-)

I thought Marys were always supposed to be sweet like...

...silent film star Mary Pickford, "America's Sweetheart."

And Marys have sweet little lambs for pets...

courtesy of Lefton Collectibles

And they sing sweet, silly songs...


...like the early 1940's novelty hit, "Mairzy Doats."  Here it's sung by a very young, cute-as-a-button Janet Lennon, one of the Lennon Sisters of The Lawrence Welk Show. 

So sweet!  I always think of my own sweet sister, Mary, when I hear this song.

Mairzy Doats
I know a ditty nutty as a fruitcake
Goofy as a goon and silly as a loon
Some call it pretty,
others call it crazy
But they all sing this tune:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

If the words sound queer
And funny to your ear,
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Sing "Mares eat oats
And does eat oats
And little lambs eat ivy"

Oh! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

- composed by Milton Drake, 1943


But actually, now that I think of it - most of the Marys that I love best have a lot of spunk mixed in with their sweetness.

courtesy of The Wordslinger

One of my favorite films of all time, Frank Capra's 1946 "It's a Wonderful Life," also features one of my favorite fictional characters: Mary Hatch Bailey, played by the beautiful Donna Reed. 

courtesy of eeweems.com

Yes, Mary Bailey was as sweet and devoted a wife to George Bailey (James Stewart) as any woman could be, but it was her strength and spirit that made us all fall in love with her.

video courtesy of Sarbashrestha

This video features one of my favorite scenes and dialogues from the movie. 

George: What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary.

Mary: I'll take it. Then what?

George: Well, then you could swallow it, and it'd all dissolve, see? And the moonbeams'd shoot out of your fingers and your toes, and the ends of your hair... Am I talking too much?

Old Man: Yes! Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?

George: How's that?

Old Man: Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?

George: Want me to kiss her, huh?

Old Man: Ah, youth is wasted on the wrong people.

*************************

 

Some other spunky Marys:

Actress Mary Martin...

...in the 1954 Broadway musical production of Peter Pan!  (Mary was such a convincing Peter Pan, I grew up thinking that she was a rather quirky looking boy.)

...and as Nellie Forbush in the wonderful 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific.  Ms. Martin won a Tony for both of these roles.

And let's not forget about this famous fictional Mary...
Mary Poppins!

Julie Andrews in the 1964 Disney film, Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is everyone's favorite nanny: mysterious, adventurous, no-nonsense - and she adds a "Spoonful of Sugar" to everything!

Also... how about the talented actress Mary Tyler Moore?

She helped define the modern American woman of the 1960's and 1970's through two of my favorite television characters Laura Petrie and Mary Richards.

          photo courtesy of Oh Rob! The Laurie Petrie Fanlisting

Mary Tyler Moore as "Laura Petrie" in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 - 1966)...

                           photo courtesy of The 5 Magazine

...and as "Mary Richards" in the Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 - 1977)

Switching gears a bit, lets move into the fashion world.

I'll bet most of you know this famous designing Mary...
...the fabulous Mary Quant.

     photo of Mary Quant by Swinging_Sixties

Often when people think of Mary Quant, the name Twiggy immediately comes mind.  Why?  Because Twiggy was the perfect model for Mary's famous 1960's inspiration - the Mini Skirt!

photo courtesy of Strawberry Lemonade blog.  (Take a peek - it's fabulous!)

And here's my favorite musical Mary from the 1960's...Mary Travers.
Miss Travers was the lovely female third of the popular American folk-singing trio, Peter, Paul and Mary.

        photo courtesy of Reverb

 Peter, Paul and Mary with Symphony Orchestra, “The Prague Sessions” (Rhino)

Sadly, Mary Travers passed away last fall, September 19, 2009 - but her wonderful music lives on...

video courtesy of Ppmcsk

This incredible video of Mary Travers singing "And When I Die" is from a 1969 Mama Cass television special.  That's Mama Cass (of The Mamas and the Papas) and folk singer Joni Mitchell sitting on pillows, 60's style - applauding Mary.  Isn't her mini dress fabulous!

Oh, that song was a little sad, wasn't it?

Back to Mary Van Note to cheer us up!

Mary Van Note having a Pajama Party in her 1930's/1940's silk pajamas and 1950's Daniel Green slippers.

Mary Van, it's clear you are in very good company...and I not only forgive you for your contrariness, but you also deserve a big thank you! 

After I read Mary's comment, I decided that I had better quickly list a few more items on Etsy so that my shop had a little more oomph to it.  And then, thanks to her strong suggestion, I decided to come out of hiding.  So there are now links in my blog's side column to both my Etsy shop "Sarsaparilla's Boudoir" and my "Sarsaparilla" eBay listings.

Once again, a blogging friend has come to the rescue!  What would I do without all of you?

Have a wonderful Sunday - and a fabulous Thanksgiving week...
"Sarsaparilla" Susan