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SATURDAY,
SEPTEMBER 9, 2006
Scarlett
rules
Ring the sirens. Raise
the flags. Kiss the
babies. Praise the
Lord. I have run across a
truly enlightened Yankee
woman. One whose admira
tion for Southern woman
hood runs to such mammoth
proportions that she is will
ing to shout it to the four
corners of the earth.
Lisa Bertagnoli (definitely
not a name of rich Southern
heritage) was raised and still
lives in the Windy City of
Chicago where, as a sixteen
year-old, she discovered the
most renowned Southern
woman of all time. Scarlett
O’Hara became such an
obsession to Lisa that she
has read “Gone With The
Wind” over 20 times.
It embarrasses me to admit
that I, certainly some kind
of leader
among
Southern
women,
have only
read it
twice.
For the
sake of
Southern
formal
ity, I shall
herefore
Ronda Rich
Columnist
refer to her as Miss Lisa.
She has certainly earned my
respect.
“When I grew up and
found myself in a sticky situ
ation - particularly after one
of my many readings of the
book - I’d find myself ask
ing, ‘What would Scarlett
do?”’ Miss Lisa explained. “I
wondered if she would take
a risk, or play it safe.”
Miss Lisa admits, too, “
that I lived a bit vicarious
ly through her flirting and
charming.”
This admiration has pre
sented itself to the world
in the form of a new book
(Villard) entitled “Scarlett
Rules: When aLife Give You
Green Velvet Curtains, Make
a Green Velvet Dress.”
The book is composed of 24
lessons that can be learned
by dissecting Scarlett
O’Hara’s literary behavior.
Consider the chapter titles:
“Think More Like A Man,”
’’Blaze A Trail,” “Mr. Wrong
May Be Mr. Right,” and,
of course, “Tomorrow Is
Another Day.”
I, for one, am grateful
that a Yankee woman wrote
this book. If I or any other
Southern woman writer had
penned this work, every crit
ic outside of the South would
have said something like,
“Of course. Stereotypical.
Sticking together,” or “Why
can’t they just get over
Scarlett and move on?”
Well, we can’t get over
Scarlett because she was
a female role model years
before Gloria Steinem fol
lowers burned their first bra.
When Margaret Mitchell
wrote the character in the
early 19305, the most press
ing issue for women was
keeping their knees covered
after those little flappers
had spent the 1920 s show
ing off theirs.
Mrs. Mitchell, though,
wrote a character full of fire,
backbone and smarts tem
pered with beauty, charm
and cunning social skills.
Scarlett not only charmed
men, she proved to be an
incredible business woman
running a store and lum
ber mill during a time when
well-bred women hired
someone to run a bath for
them. Life tried to beat her
down but she stood up to it
and kept coming back time
after time.
So, why would we want to
get over Scarlett? She was
as much a role model to me
as Mario Thomas was in the
television series “That Girl.”
From both, I learned that a
woman can be independent
and survive without hiding
behind a man’s coattails.
See RICH, page jA
'Pond' proves to be touching drama
By Jane Winston
Journal Contributing Writer
Ernest Thompson’s
On Golden Pond,
a comedy-drama,
looks honestly at
old age and death, family dis
sension and the generation
gap. This was true in 1979
when Frances Sternhagen
and Tom Aldredge created
it, and again when Kathryn
Hepburn and the two
Fondas, Henry and Jane,
jerked audiences to tears
and laughter in the 1981
movie version.
And the production still
looks openly and honestly at
these issues in Perry at the
Perry Players Theatre. The
play opened Friday night
under the astute direction
of Todd Wilson. An evening
spent with the great cast he
assembled and this classic
play is no waste of time or
money.
This play is unlikely ever
to completely escape the
shadow of its movie ver
sion, and the two beloved
screen icons who gave high
ly memorable performances
as an elderly husband and
wife spending what might
well be their last summer
together on Golden Pond in
Maine.
Anyone stepping into the
roles of Norman and Ethel
Thayer must be prepared to
stand up to these lofty com
parisons. Todd Wilson, the
director, understood this
and was undeniably suc
cessful at casting two actors
ready for the challenge.
Tony Zelonis and Jaloo
Zelonis experienced, profes
sional, talented actors, who
in real-life are husband and
wife, step into the two roles
very comfortably.
Tony makes Norman
Thayer, the frail and mor
ibund 80-year old, into a
Resident hopes to form art group
Olivia Stachorek
found out about
Houston Springs on
the internet, and moved
here from Washington
State with her husband,
Dick. She is now hoping to
find fellow Perry residents
to form an art group! Here
is Olivia’s story:
“At age 70, I told myself
to either put up or shut up
about any artistic abilities
I might have. Over a life
time, my talents were used
in many artful ways, from
stage backdrops to VBS and
Sunday school, to birthday
parties and finally to ice
cream
cakes
for our
Baskin-
Robins
Store.
With
every
creation,
I’ve
never
failed to
lament
Melanie Lewis
Columnist
Houston Springs
they should have been done
in oil. And I can’t say
why I have this passion.
My older brother, with a
wonderfully light ability in
watercolors, had what I,
as a critical child, consid
ered a heavy hand using
somber-toned oils. Besides,
I figured I couldn’t work
with all that evil-smelling
linseed oil and turpentine.
Yet, that was the medium
I longed to get into. Go
figure.
“So in my 70th year, I
enrolled in an acrylic class
where I worked diligent
ly on color wheels until
a vicious virus knocked
me out of completing the
course. A couple years later,
in a conversation with an
80-year-old friend, I admit
ted my innate frustration.
Lois Miner of Sequim,
Washington, turned aside
all my denials and fears,
assuring me if I joined her
Lifestyle
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J. ZELONIS
wonderfully tough, cyni
cal, irascible old bird, while
Jaloo artfully hovers around
yet dodges him as Ethel,
his younger, solicitous wife.
Great performances by
both.
The rest of the cast are
just as irreproachable!
David Voltz does well in
his small role as a jovial
mailman whose love for
Chelsea remains unre
quited. lan White, a great
child actor, turns in a fine
performance as Billy Ray.
Jr. who transforms grouchy
old Norman into an affable
fishing buddy while intro
ducing him to a whole new
vocabulary! Norman want
ed daughter Chelsea (Brandi
Marks) to be a boy and has
treated her as a disappoint
ment her entire life. Brandi
Marks artfully brings to life
Chelsea as she visits her
“mommy” and “Norman”
at Golden Pond.
Not only does Todd Wilson
direct the play, but he fills
the role of Billy Ray Sr.,
Chelsea’s new boyfriend.
Todd certainly has the
Submitted
Olivia Stachorek.
Monday Painting Group,
which had been ongoing
for 30-some years, I would
love it as much as she did.
She also told me about
the new water-soluble oil
paints now available, so
I wouldn’t have to worry
with linseed oil or turpen
tine. For a full year, she
continually urged me to
attend and take advantage
of the collective knowl
edge of her members who
could help me get started
- which is exactly what
happened.
“In 2003, my first paint
ing surprised me and
delighted the class. Their
kind encouragement led
me to want to put every
thing I saw on canvas.
Since I serve court report
ers as a computer editor
of their
See LEWIS, page jA
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Journal/Charlotte Perkins
David Voltz, left, and Brandi Marks.
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WHITE
“look” of the dentist who
charges $40.00 a filling
- which causes Norman to
mumble, “Makes ya’ wanna’
give up sugar,” - and he
allows the audience to see
that he can act as well as
direct.
yS/ow Open
INTERNATIONAL ARTS FRAMES
100 Suite 1 * N. Houston Lake Rd. • Centerville. GA
478-971-1303
ORIGINAL OIL PAINTINGS
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WILSON
Put this fine ensemble
in the middle of a wonder
ful set the Perry Players
always manage to assem
ble, and middle Georgia
theatre-goers are in store
for a great evening of mid
dle-Georgia theatre.
Subscribe
today
Call 987-1823
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a Division o; Souihea-it i h-.'r.;.al Supply
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926 Carroll St.
Perry, GA 31069
478-224-8888
T-F 9am-spm SAT 10am-2pm
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