Saturday 9: That Funny Feeling (1965)
Unfamiliar with this week’s tune? See the video and watch it below!
1) In this song, Bobby Darin admits he cares more for the girl than he should. What’s something you have recently overdone (eaten too many potato chips, stayed up too late, etc.)?
Recently? Not much. It’s hard to overdo things when you’re as restricted as I currently am!
2) Bobby wrote this as the theme song for a movie he starred in with his wife, Sandra Dee. That Funny Feeling (the movie) turned a profit at the box office and “That Funny Feeling” (the record) made the Billboard Top 40. Can you think of another movie and song that were both popular?
Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. A great movie, and a great song!
3) While Bobby had a successful movie career and earned an Oscar nomination, he didn’t get the part he wanted most: Tony in West Side Story. While he could sing and dance very well, producers didn’t think Bobby looked like a romantic leading man. What actor or actress makes your heart skip a beat?
Jensen Ackles, Theo James, Priyanka Chopra… to name a few.
4) Elvis enjoyed watching Bobby perform, but understood that if he sat in the audience he would be a distraction. So Elvis always watched Bobby from the wings. Think about the last thing you saw in a theater (concert, movie, play). Were you distracted by another audience member? Was anyone crinkling paper, checking their phone, whispering, etc.?
It’s been a while, but there was a person in the theater talking as loudly as if they were in their own living room.
5) When the editor of a teen magazine asked if he could cook, Bobby not only said yes, he offered up his manicotti recipe. What’s your favorite pasta dish? (To eat, not necessarily to whip up in your kitchen.)
Probably lasagna.
6) In addition to cooking, Bobby’s friends recall he loved talking about classic cars and baseball. Which of those three would you be most comfortable discussing?
Cooking, although even that would be a stretch.
7) In 1965, when Americans were listening to “That Funny Feeling,” aspirin was the top over-the-counter pain reliever. You could get a bottle of 200 tablets for just $1. Is there aspirin in your medicine chest right now?
Nope!
8) Also in 1965, I Dream of Jeannie premiered. The sitcom about a beautiful genie living in the suburbs was developed to compete with Bewitched, about a beautiful witch living in the suburbs. Which show do like better?
At the time, I loved them both. Today? I’m not sure either one really holds up to the changing times!!
9) Random question: After a friend leaves your home, you spot a small, bound book on the floor next to your sofa. You flip through it and see that her journal fell out of her purse. It’s mostly shopping lists and appointments but also includes personal observations, Once you realize what it is, do you close it and keep it closed until you can return it to her? Or do you continue reading?
Shut that thing. I don’t need to know!!
I thought it was cool that the movie Pretty Woman (and The Traveling Wilburys) introduced a new generation an introduction to Roy Orbison.
Both shows were products of their time. I loved them both.
Pretty Woman is a great choice. I’d have never thought of that.