Her performance of the song "Embraceable You" impressed songwriter Jule Styne and his partner Sammy Cahn that they recommended her for a role in Romance on the High Seas (1948). Day was cast for the role after auditioning for director Michael Curtiz. It is said that she was shocked to receive the offer and admitted to Curtiz that she was a singer without acting experience. He seemed to appreciated her honesty and felt that "her freckles made her look like the All-American Girl."  And that is how it all began for Doris Day.

 Day was one of the main leads on Romance on the High Seas (1948) acting alongside Jack Carson as Peter Virgil, Janis Paige as Elvira Kent, Don DeFore as Michael Kent, Oscar Levant as Oscar Farrar, and S. Z. Sakall as Uncle Lazlo. This romantic comedy is incredibly charming and Day really shined like a star despite it being her very first Hollywood movie.

A few moments later we meet Myron (played by Rex Reed-the film critic) who is having his privates surgically removed by John Carradine (who plays an unnamed surgeon) with an audience in attendance. He impatiently snaps his fingers at the surgeon and tells him to hurry up because "Myra is waiting." And there you have it-the introduction to the namesake of this quirky and unforgettable film. 

Gore Vidal published his book, Myra Breckinridge in 1968 which was satirical in style and challenged the gender and social norms of the 1960's. Although Vidal disowned the film, calling it "an awful joke", just five or ten minutes into the film you know you are about to go on an unforgettable ride. Not all books translate well on screen but it is safe to say both the book and film had a lot to say and neither medium held anything back. 

Eventually Myra works for uncle Buck as a teacher in his acting school all the while uncle Buck begins to investigate a little more into who Myra really is. Things get complicated when Myra becomes obsessed with two students at the school, Rusty (Roger Herren) and Mary Ann (Farrah Fawcett). Rusty and Mary Ann represent everything that is traditional and "normal" according to their personal beliefs and Myra wants to take that away from them desperately. 

Things begin to take a unexpected turn when Myra uses her influence as a teacher to give dear Rusty a physical examination. Rusty is then tied to a table and assaulted by Myra. This act causes Rusty to leave his beloved Mary Ann and give Myra a chance to comfort and cozy up with her. Myra then attempts to seduce the young and vulnerable Mary Ann (Fawcett). Myra's goal was to break them both out of their gender norms and make her victory complete by exerting power over both sexes. Interestingly most of the sex scenes are cleverly interrupted by scenes from classic films to give the viewer an idea to what is actually happening without it tipping into the adult film category.

Then enters the legendary Mae West who who came out of a 27-year retirement to play Leticia Van Allen. Van Allen sashay's through her office and selects from a group of gorgeous young men hoping to land a role but instead land themselves in her bed. Van Allen, like Myra, enjoys having her way with whomever she wants like seducing the one and only Tom Selleck (his film debut). Mae West does not disappoint. Every word out of her mouth is a sexual innuendo that she is notoriously known for which brings endless fun to the film.

Myra tends to go on tangents about Old Hollywood and the importance of classic films which I ultimately found charming. She dressed in glamorous 1940's inspired outfits and has her home decked out in classic film posters. Her tangents don't stop with her passion for all things yesteryear but also about her ultimate goal to somehow destroy "the last vestigial traces of traditional manhood in order to realign the sexes while decreasing population thus increasing human happiness and preparing humanity for its next stage". A tangent she has with Myron-which of course she only sees, all the while seducing and pleasing him. Is she seducing herself? Is Myron real in all of this?

Eventually things start to unravel even more when uncle Buck discovers that Myron never died. Myra realizes she is discovered and shows a shocked uncle Buck who she really is. A manifestation of Myron swoops in and claims that Myra has become too ambitious. He then runs her down and thats when its discovered that it is really Myron in the hospital but not for a gender reassignment surgery but because of a actual car accident. His nurse happens to be Mary Ann and while looking at his bedside table, Myron sees a magazine featuring an article on Raquel Welch.

This film is a statement piece-addressing topics that are not new to us today but I am sure were not as openly spoken about back in 1969 when the film was made or 1970 when the film was released. It addressed feminism, homosexuality, transsexuality, as well as American expressions of machismo and patriarchy. Everything shared and stated in the film felt like it was done with purpose, although there was a lot of camp weaved throughout.

It's safe to say that this film has a bad reputation and there have been many through the years that have had nothing good to say about it including Welch herself who said, "The only good thing about that was the clothes." It might not be a masterpiece but it is unique, visually interesting, and has an iconic cast of characters. And let us not forget the stunning late Raquel Welch who gives an indelible performance as Myra Breckinridge.

It’s In the Name of the Title Blogathon

I have heard it said that becoming a parent is not for the faint of heart. After being one for almost seventeen years I can say that it is 100% true. There are so many highs and lows-for yourself as a woman, for each of your children, your spouse, and others around you. 

Becoming a mother isn't always a picture perfect experience. Some women face the challenges of divorce, widowhood, neglectful fathers to their children, illness, disability, racism, financial worries, wars, and violence. As beautiful as motherhood can be, it can also be complicated by forces not under a mother's control. So what does a mother do?  

A good mother does the best she can with the circumstances given to her. A good mother struggles so that she can provide better for her child. A good mother always tries to keep their child safe. Sometimes those basic gifts a mother tries to bestow to a child is made almost impossible because of the circumstances of their surroundings. 

It isn't easy being a women in this world-then or now. These films tell stories about mothers who are doing the very best they can with what they have. They make decisions and sacrifices in the hope that their child could have a better life for them. From Lucille Ball playing Helen Beardsley in Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) who tries to navigate a blended family of twenty children to Barbara Stanwyck, playing Stella Martin in Stella Dallas (1937)  who alienates her daughter in hopes that she would have a better life with her father who is a man of privilege. 

Some of these films might make you cry, make you laugh, or enrage you-but they are stories about motherhood that can most definitely inspire you. All of the mothers in these films really do their best by their children. Sometimes their best is good enough and sadly sometimes it is not.

Here are 12 classic films that you can watch for Mother's Day:

Stella Dallas (1937) 

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Mildred Pierce (1945)

I Remember Mama (1948)

Imitation of Life (1959)

Two Women (1961)

Mamma Roma (1962)

Bunny Lake is Missing (1965)

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

Claudine (1974) 

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

Freaky Friday (1976)

I started journaling at the age of nine back in 1985. I still have most of my journals. That first one sadly perished in a house fire but I still remember feeling the excitement of writing in it and sharing all about my secret crush. It feels so special to be able to look back on your life in such detail because of the gift of journaling. 

Here are 6 benefits from journaling:

1. Connect with yourself-create a dialogue with yourself and connect with who you are and who you want to be.

2. Discover  the world around you-writing down the things you experience reconnects you to yourself and the world around you.

3. Boost your memory-it can help you remember your experiences long after you have written them down.

4. Boost emotional intelligence-you are able to work out your feelings about things and gain a deeper understanding to what you are feeling.

5. Reduces stress-writing things down can help you vent out everything you are feeling and going through.

6. Inspires creativity-you can list ideas or flush them out while you are writing.

The film begins with Vincent Price who plays the Vampire Erasmus walks around looking for a little midnight snack. Before you know it he is nibbling on John Carradine. Although Price is famous for the many horror movies he has been, this is the only film where he actually plays a vampire. After their awkward first meeting they politely introduce themselves to one another. Erasmus declares that Chetwyn-Hayes is his favorite horror author and then invites him to come along to a monster club that he frequents.