@mimi

No Direction Home, about Dylan's early career by Martin Scorsese? It's a good one.

in the late sixties as a highschool student.

I think their love is kind of a first one.
Bob Dylan et Joan Baez

@Centaurea

and glad you remembered it with affection.

Back before Katrina, when I was living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, there was an oak tree next to my driveway, about 15 feet from my house. I remember every spring, my car would be coated with oak tree pollen, a greenish-yellow powder on everything underneath the tree.

Anyway, at that time in my life, I was doing work in various courthouses across southern LA and MS, which required that I get up early in the morning and drive for 1 to 2 hours, work for several hours, then drive back home. I often did more work in the evening in my home office. That schedule made for some long days.

One day, a mockingbird decided to take up residence in the oak tree. The way I discovered that fact was when the mockingbird started to carry on at 1 o'clock in the morning.

The thing about mockingbirds is, they don't exactly sing. The reason they're called "mockingbird" is because they mimic the calls of other bird species. They chatter. They squawk. They trill. They perform one call or "song" for a few moments, then switch to another, and so on. And they're LOUD.

Every night at 1 AM, I'd be sleeping, and that mockingbird would start up and go on for half an hour. I tried going outside, clapping my hands and rustling tree branches, making noise, hoping that would scare the bird off. Nope, apparently mockingbirds don't scare easy.

Then I got the idea to pull out the garden hose and aim a jet of water high into the tree, hoping that would have some effect. I did that for a few nights. I remember thinking, if any of my neighbors are awake, they must think I'm nuts. They wouldn't have been wrong, either, because that damn bird was driving me crazy.

I considered calling the fire department for help, but what was I going to say? "There's a bird in my tree!" Suuure, lady.

After a few days of being assaulted with a garden hose at 1 AM, the mockingbird finally left and didn't return.

Thinking about it, my mockingbird encounter would have made a great premise for a short story. In the horror or paranormal genre, maybe. Or dark comedy, since that's how I think of it now.

@HenryAWallace

Thanks Henry - ((( Henry and Cary)))

I hope we're not limiting ourselves to music because my first love was an actor (unless, of course, we count Michael, who left our school forever after our first semester of kindergarten).

I often "met" them "through the magic of television, when the object of my new affection was either already dead or very old. And many of them have since been "outed" posthumously as gay or bisexual, mostly by people who are repeating old rumors. Inasmuch as I was highly unlikely ever to meet any of my crushes, none of it mattered.

My very first crush at age nine was long-underrated actor Cary Grant, whom I first saw in Gunga Din, a film made before I was born. IMO, it was not that Grant always played himself, as has been written about him. It was that his acting appeared effortless and natural, as all professional acting should. He never won an Academy Award for a specific film, but they finally did give him a well-deserved lifetime achievement award.

I remain faithful to my childhood crush in the sense that my heart still skips a beat when I see his pic or hear his name. However, I have, thank heaven, loved others since Michael and Cary.

A gif of Grant at age 35 in the 1939 film, Gunga Din

Cary Grant in 1986, the year he died at age 82 of a massive stroke. Still dazzling, even with his face obscured by those unsuitable specs. The photo may not even do him justice. A friend of mine had seen him around that time at a Hollywood gathering and told me that Grant was still the most head-turning man in the room. In Hollywood.

@Bollox Ref

thanks Bollox.

"The Flashing Blade", in the late 60's to mid 70's, every summer.

Set in the Thirty Years' War............

Anyway, I always fancied "Isabelle de Sospel":

@Unabashed Liberal

I had to consult youtube. I remember seeing some of those episodes and enjoying them. There's something very endearing about a quirky detective that has heart.

would be an appropriate descriptor--just my favorite drama/series actor, the inimitable Peter Falk.

We subscribe to Netflix so that we can watch, and rewatch, and rewatch, and rewatch the Columbo movies and programs. Practically know all the movie scripts by heart.

Pushed this evening, so, will just furnish a couple of links, in case anyone cares to take a stroll down memory lane. (Mr M has put me on an 'online diet,' until I meet a few metrics--such as completing the research we need to determine where we're going to land in retirement. )

#Columbo

and, this site,

The Columbophile

which provides a list, and an excellent, detailed synopsis of each Columbo episode.

I could probably name my favorite 15-20 episodes, but, definitely not just one!

Mollie

[Edited: Correction - 'meet' not 'met.']

“Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ”
~~Roger Caras

“In every moment, a choice exists.

We can cling to the past, or embrace the inevitability of change, and allow a brighter future to unfold before us. Such an uncertain future may call for even more uncertain allies. Either way, a new day is coming, whether we like it or not. The question is-- will you control it, or, will it control you?”
~~Fictitious Character Klaus Mikaelson

(Bolding/Italics - my emphasis. )

@UntimelyRippd

The heartache of first loves.

saw her in tom sawyer, then in the TV series based on paper moon. never got over her. never saw The Accused, because I couldn't bear to see "the scene".