Friday, August 21, 2009

Postcard Friendship Fresno Friday!

The linen card shows the home of actor Irene Dunne in Holmby Hills, California. Irene designed this southern plantation style home with her husband, New York dentist, Francis Dixon and lived here until her death in 1990.


Irene Dunne, 1898 - 1990
Irene Dunne was once described as the most deserving actress never to receive an Oscar. I definitely agree, having seen many of her movies.

Today's postcard found it's way into my hand the night after the Mister and I enjoyed watching Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer in the 1939 film, Love Affair. If you've not seen this movie, put it on your must watch list.
Charles Boyer and Irene Dunn enjoyed several glasses of pink champagne in this delightful movie


The sudden popularity of pink champagne caused a shortage as it flew off the store shelves.
You will recognize the plot of Love Affair.
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An Affair To Remember (1957), with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant (sigh) is a re-make of this movie.
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It was remade once more in 1994 as the charming, but quite forgettable Love Affair, starring Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, and, in her last feature film appearance, Katharine Hepburn.
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Dahling, I'm having daja vu with my pink champagne
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Love Affair was Irene Dunne's favorite film, but her favorite co-star was Cary Grant.




The Awful Truth is many of our fans have not seen The Awful Truth. And that's the truth, awful though it may be.
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They starred in three films together, including The Awful Truth (1937) My Favorite Wife (1940 and Penny Serenade (1941).





The postcard was mailed from Fresno California on February 5, 1942

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It was addressed to Manset, Maine which is on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island. The island lies near the southern entrance to Somes Sound, the only Fjord on the east coast of the United States. It provides spectacular views of several mountains including Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.
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A glacial rock on the peak of Cadillac Mountain.
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I have provided a satellite picture of Manset Maine overlooking the buttery bay for your convenience.
Pass me that fork, would you please?

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The card reads: .
From Mrs. H. Bingham
84 Andrews, Fresno, Cal.
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Am very busy now as I put in 3 hrs a day typing in defense council office and every 4th day 6 hrs. shift on anti aircraft warning service. The war is terrible. I hope it never reaches here.
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Mrs. Bingham may have worked for the 583rd Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion at Camp Pinedale which was located about 8 miles north of Fresno.


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I often wondered about the name Fresno. Frezzz-no. Who made that one up? Sounds like a diet drink.

Well, it was actually named after two particular ash trees that grew near the town of Minkler on the Kings River. One of the trees is still alive and standing. What have ash trees got to do with Fresno???



Fraxinus Depitala


Genus Fraxinus -the pronunciation sounds a lot like Fresno! - are the true ashes, and are in Oleaceae, the olive family, along with olives and lilacs. The tree's common English name goes back to the Old English æsc, a word also routinely used in Old English documents to refer to spears made of ash wood.

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A picture of mail boxes in the main Fresno Post Office for our delightful host of Postcard Friendship Friday's, Marie at Voila! Vintage Postcards! You are missed, Marie!!

6 comments:

Pat said...

Well, this is one truly interesting posts, for many reasons. I feel like watching these old films now, but here I am at work...

Heather at My Coupon Coop said...

Fascinating. Really enjoyed that. I too want to watch some old movies. :) We're going to be staying in Fresno on Sunday night on our way to visit my Dad in Placerville. I'll look for those trees!

Postcardy said...

Happy PFF.

Homes of the stars were very popular on postcards of that era. I'm afraid I don't know anything about old movies, but I enjoy seeing the postcards.

Pearl said...

I don't often comment but thought you should know: THIS is the very reason I come to your site. I always learn something, and I love that!

Pearl

Jeanne Estridge said...

Not to mention Sleepless in Seattle, which wasn't a remake, just a ripoff of An Affair to Remember.

Jeanne Estridge said...

Or was it an homage?