Episode #32: Vocabulary Lesson

Gather 'round, everybody.  Class is now in session.  Our subject: a lesson in vocabulary.  Yes, Jennifer is defining for us terms that are part of the Circa 19xx Land vernacular.  What's Crystal made of, and why it is called "crystal"?  When is something considered an antique?  When is it vintage?  Which came first: Art Deco or Art Nouveau?   And what in the world is a "whiplash curl"?   You'll be able to astonish your friends with your grasp of trivial knowledge after tonight's show.  As is her custom, Jennifer also takes a few detours along the way, giving us a tour of her pool bag, talking about the first movie she ever remembers seeing, and sharing some soothing words about relaxation from a book she's currently reading.  It's a potpourri of topics tonight, so tuck yourself in and turn out the lights.  It's time for another episode of Circa Sunday Night.

Show Links
Jennifer's Favorite Circa Sunday Night Episode: "Egyptomania!"

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Jennifer dropped off the face of the Earth--but she's back now (after three months, but who's counting?).  She's been touring mansions again--this time in Newport, Rhode Island.  She recounts her adventures for us and answers the question: what is it like to spend the night in a big, 150-year-old Victorian gothic mansion ALONE?  She also shares with us some tips for decorating our own Gilded Age-inspired ballrooms.  There's a jam-packed itinerary for our little junket to Rhode Island, but then we switch gears altogether to spend some time with our old friends, the Crawleys, over at Downton Abbey. Have you seen the latest film?  Jennifer has, and she's over the moon about it.  And, then, before she says goodnight, Jennifer tells us all about the vintage plastic candlesticks she plans to be buried with. We haven't caught as much as a glimpse of Jennifer since April, so there's a lot of catching up to do! 

Show Links
Jennifer's Packing Cubes for Calpak
Ivy Lodge
The Preservation Society of Newport County
The Fascinating Story Behind the Downton Abbey Theme Song (Town & Country)

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The world is such a harsh place, and life is very hard.  But you know what isn’t hard?  Fluffy bunnies.  Tonight Jennifer does a deep dive into her favorite bunny story: The Velveteen Rabbit.   She’ll also take a look at a song right out of Circa 19xx Land that also has ties to Jennifer's memories of the 1980s.  And then she'll share with you what she hopes the Easter bunny brings to her this year in her Easter basket.  She has a wish list—and everything on it is cool vintage stuff.  Let’s have three cheers for “Sryoco!”  What?  Don't worry, it will all make sense later on.   And of course we’ll explore The Velveteen Rabbit.  It’s more meaningful and beautiful than you remember.  Yeah, this is another wacky show in our series, but it wouldn’t be Circa Sunday Night otherwise.

Show Links
I'll Follow My Secret Heart (Awesome Song from Episode #28 by Noel Coward)
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco, Digital Archive Version
Jennifer's Fantasy Easter Basket:  Avon Cape Cod
Jennifer's Fantasy Easter Basket:  Net Lace
Jennifer's Fantasy Easter Basket:  Syroco Florals
Jennifer's Fantasy Easter Basket:  Vintage Vanity Jars
Jennifer's Fantasy Easter Basket:  Camphor Glass Pendant

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Jennifer has become enchanted with April.  Wait, no, that's not quite right.  She's over the moon about a book she just discovered entitled The Enchanted April.  Yeah, that's it.  This book has been around for 100 years, but it just now made it onto Jennifer's reading list and she's now wondering where it has been all her life.  Written by Elizabeth Von Arnim and inspired by her stay in 1920 at Castello Brown, a beautiful Mediterranean fortress in Portofino, Italy, The Enchanted April was published in 1922.  It was a dreamy, satisfying read--and a film adaptation from the early 1990s is even better!  It's so hard to find a book (even though there are literally millions available with the click of a mouse), Jennifer is doing us a favor by assigning us this read.  In tonight's show she explores the author, the magical "castello" (castle) that inspired her, and introduces the main characters.  Jennifer has promised not to spoil the details of the story, or the ending, and while she skirts the boundaries of spoilerville, she doesn't quite cross the line.  Also in tonight's show is a song sure to lodge in your brain like an ear worm--even though it's in Italian.  Come along as we journey to Portofino for one unforgettable April.

Show Links
The Enchanted April Audiobook Read by Helen Taylor
Luncheon Scene from the film The Enchanted April
Castello Brown Website

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Huh?  The title of this episode doesn't sound like something one would find in Circa 19xx Land. Well, Jennifer got a notion; Blame an off-the-cuff remark in Episode 27 for this one.  She said something in that episode that tickled her own fancy...and here we are.  In tonight's show Jennifer leads us on a virtual retreat in which we clean out our heads of toxic muck only to fill them up again with good, wholesome stuff.  Dust off your old school notebooks and find a pencil, because we get assignments along the way.  Jennifer designed a five-facet program to help us through a mental cleanse that's focused on  Humor, Words, Music, Imagery, and Personal Surroundings.  Ok, even she knows this is a wacky departure from our usual fare on Circa Sunday Night.  But don't worry: she pulls in content that IS in our Circa Sunday Night wheelhouse, too.  Here's to a new adventure!  Dare to come along?

Show Links
The Honeymooners: "Better Living Through Television"
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Psalm 23
Winds on Velvet Album by Elliot Lawrence and His Orchestra
Victoria Magazine Website
Victoria Magazine on Instagram

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Oops!  Jennifer forgot the show was called Circa SUNDAY Night,  and posted this week's episode on Monday.   But, we'll forgive her this time because tonight's show is all about the Gilded Age in New York, and as this episode of Circa Sunday Night goes up, a new episode of the HBO drama The Gilded Age is airing as well.  Wait...could this have been part of her brilliant plan all along?  We'll never know.  But what we can say is that tonight's show is weird.  One minute we're talking about Downton Abby, the next we're talking about the Vanderbilts, and somewhere in between we're taking a stroll down memory lane with Jennifer as she recounts key moments from high school at her old hometown's soon-to-be-demolished shopping mall.  On second thought, it's not so weird; it's just another romp around Circa 19xx Land.  Once we leave Jennifer's childhood mall we'll make our way to a sparkling 19th Century dinner party, meet the Mrs. Astor, and learn about the fine art of ormolu.  It's all in a night's work.  Won't you come along?

Hey, did you know that Jennifer's on YouTube now?  Please visit her channel and subscribe.  She's desperate.
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Show Links
Really beautiful and awesome books for this episode:
The Gilded Age in New York by Esther Crain
A Season of Splendor: The Court of Mrs. Astor in Gilded Age New York by Greg King
When the Astors Owned New York by Justin Kaplan
The Gilded Age: Overture to the American Century by Alan Axelrod

Article
Examples of Ormolu:  The Mayfair Gallery
Article about Ormolu: The Mayfair Gallery Blog

Urban Explorer Video about White Lakes Mall that Upset Jennifer
Look for the Orange Julius Canopy!

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Tonight Jennifer confronts the winter blues head-on with an imaginary excursion on the ill-fated Prinzessin Victoria Luise, the first ship designed specifically for pleasure cruising.  We're traveling back to 1901 for this little trip, and on that maiden voyage, everything is glittering and beautiful--just as it should be.  But, as is so often the case (and why is that? Jennifer wonders...) tragedy looms large in the future of our lovely ship.  A crash, a suicide, on-board pandemonium (or not?)--it's all part of the Victoria Luise story.  It's a bit much for Jennifer, so she indulges in an extended side-bar to learn more about the famous (and ah-MAZING) Louis Vitton steamer trunks of the era.  Is this episode about Gilded Age glamour, historic ships, weird psychology, or sensationalistic journalism?  Uh...all of the above. This is a vacation that could only be taken in Circa 19xx Land.

News:  Jennifer now has a YouTube channel!
Season 3 episodes of Circa Sunday Night will now air on YouTube as well as the usual podcast platforms.  Now and then there will be some video out there, too.

• New YouTube Channel, "Jennifer Passariello's Circa 19xx Land"
• Supplemental video for tonight's episode

Links for tonight's show:

• Smithsonian Magazine article about the Prinzessin Victoria Luise
• Christie's video on Louis Vitton steamer trunks
• Antiques Roadshow clip on Louis Vitton steamer trunks
• Louis Vitton website history page

Bonus link:

• A beautiful song from the era, Jennifer's favorite Scott Joplin piece, "Wall Street Rag," by the New England Ragtime Ensemble.  Do yourself a favor today and listen to this happy recording.

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Come on over to Jennifer’s house for her annual Christmas party!  There’s plenty of cheesecake—and really bad egg nog—to go around.  Olive will be there to greet you at the door, and if you can somehow make it past her, you’ll encounter an interesting collection of guests, such as Steve Allen, the first host of the Tonight Show, and the Anderson family from the old radio program Father Knows Best.  Jennifer talks Christmas movies, plays a little game of Christmas movie trivia, and counts down the hottest gift ideas—of 1921.  What other party could possibly include both synchronized swimmers and an annual visit to the Kmart of yesteryear (“Attention: Security to section 10!”)?  No other party; just this one.  So stop in, take off your coat, and stay awhile.  It’s time to celebrate the season the Circa Sunday Night way, and we’re waiting for you to get the party started.

Cool Links
The Steve Allen Christmas Show (1961)
Famous dance scene from Picnic with William Holden and Kim Novak (1955)
Saturday Evening Post:  "Popular Christmas Gift Ads from the 1920s"
Kmart Christmas Loop from Archive.org
Jennifer's favorite Christmas album:  Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme's That Holiday Feeling  (1964)
Louis Armstrong Christmas album
"First Date" clip from The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

• Want more Christmas?  Check out the 2020 Circa Sunday Night Christmas Party

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Welcome to Jennifer's latest obsession:  The Phantom of the Opera.  Her sister forced her to watch the 25th Anniversary stage production at Royal Albert Hall from 2011, and she fell hard for the show.   To learn more she read the original novel by Gaston Leroux, she watched a couple of classic film adaptations from 1925 and 1943, and basically immersed herself in all things Phantom.  Before she realized that Leroux's book was published in 1910 she lamented the fact that Phantom as a topic wasn't a fit for Circa Sunday Night--it was too Victorian, which is a little south of Circa 19xx Land.  But when she discovered that no!  the story had been serialized in 1909 and ultimately published as a stand-alone novel in 1910, she literally exclaimed aloud, "Bingo!"  This little book is right in our neighborhood...and now it's right on our show.  In tonight's episode, we go deep into Leroux's invented world and watch as Jennifer's heart breaks all over again upon revisiting the Phantom's sorrowful tale.  You just never know where we're going to end up on this show.  This time, we're in Paris, at the opulent Palais Garnier.  Is there a better place to be?

Cool Links
Palais Garnier Video Tour
Palais Garnier Website   
The Mystery of the Yellow Room, BBC4 The Saturday Play (1998)
Daily Telegraph Article on Gaston Leroux
Scenes from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom

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Jennifer loves prowling around and researching old stuff, so it’s only natural—or should we say SUPERnatural —that she would run into a ghost story now and then.  Tonight she takes us on a tour of the murkier regions of Circa19xx Land to meet a few of their less corporeal inhabitants.  

 Tonight's itinerary:

• We take a spin around the phantom ballroom at the Overlook Hotel (you know how Jennifer loves a good ballroom);
• Jennifer then takes us to the creepiest haunted mansion she has actually been to—right near her own hometown;
• We set sail on a majestic, and notoriously haunted, art deco gem: the Queen Mary; and
• We celebrate the season with the Addams Family and get some home decor inspiration from their eccentric creator.

 Jennifer presents a variety of songs (don't be alarmed; she isn't doing the singing) and other spooky novelties as well.

 We wrap up in the Vintage Century Reading Room with the conclusion of F. Scott Fitzgerald's story, "The Cut Glass Bowl."

Light your candle and settle in for the night.  This one comes at your request.  It's a Halloween Spooktacular, Circa Sunday Night Style!

To Explore
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado
Pics from the Vaile Mansion
Really Excellent Full Tour of Vaile Mansion with Tour Guides
Queen Mary Short History Video
Astonishing Legends Podcast on the Queen Mary
Charles Addams Illustrations:
~ Miss Universe
~ Movie Scream
~ Addams Family
Halloween with the Addams Family (Full Episode)

Circa 19xx Land
Follow Jennifer on Instagram!
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Meet Jennifer