Michelle Pfeiffer.
Lithe. Lovely. Good actress, don’t you think?
She’s certainly hot, and when it comes to appearance – all that I’m not: silky blonde hair, wide-set blue eyes, angular nose and chin, dancer thin and small-breasted.
Shall I mention how I felt when I realized she was my (now ex-) husband’s ideal of beauty, and yours truly is small in stature with chocolate eyes and hair, not to mention… booty?
Crushing.
Then again, when it comes to fantasy, do we yearn in our heads for what we take to our beds?
Some of us do.
My spouse was tall and dark; my type was tall and dark; I didn’t swoon over Robert Redford, though Moon Doggy (by way of James Darren) could take my girlish breath away… any day.
Even now (as when I was a teen), I will watch each scene with (tall, dark, delectable) Gregory Peck or Cary Grant, as they continue to enchant.
Ham(m) on Toast
Pant?
Well, not exactly. But flashing forward to the present time, we Maddicts do consider this actor sublime – especially in the guise of our favorite conflicted hero: his slicked back hair, his once seemingly devil-may-care attitude, the set of his chin, those piercing (bedroom) eyes… that pocket square!
Is it any surprise this sixties cad of the ad world would ignite our womanly desires?
Real life Jon Hamm?
Presumably a fellow like any other, who aspires to a good (and normal?) life, though he inspires lust in his female fans. Still, I must I accept there are no plans in the offing to enable me to sample Ham(m) on Toast – and this, Hamm on Wry, no doubt the most I’ll ever get.
Crushing.
Can’t Have Grant? The Heck with Peck?
Whether he’s Philip Schuyler Green or Atticus Finch, he’d surely do in a pinch – and more! Happily, Gregory Peck still graces our screens with so many memorable scenes.
I will add that I still adore the one and only Cary Grant. In fact, I recall a dream I had some years back in which I embodied the Sophia role during their filming of Houseboat. This pair was (they say) an item at the time. So may I gloat? I was divine in my recreation of La Loren (in my own mind). Of course, that was “then” and this is now…
How we cherish our celebrities! But if I may be so bold – they are to us destinations for our fantasies tried on for size, wise though we are to keep our real world eyes on other balls. And yet, when any girl falls in love for the first time – the movie icon, the rock star, the bad boy – they are barometers against which we measure the not unsightly Mortal Guy. But is that fair?
Perhaps we hold comparisons too long, too tightly.
And when it seems we will never know a person of such charismatic sheen? And no, I don’t mean Charlie, but rather – no Grant, no Peck, no Hamm.
Crushing.
The Rush of a Crush
What purpose does a crush serve – other than paving the way for full-blown infatuation which we hope will not result in unrequited love?
Don’t we all know its highs, its bubbling grip, its butterflies – the inimitable throw-caution-to-the-wind craving for a piece of pie-in-the-sky? If you’re a teen, the crush becomes your training wheels for the adolescent art of mind and heart, and so would say Psychology Today as it describes the lessons of:
… identity crushes… romantic crushes… celebrity crushes…
May I now identify myself with a blend of sumptuous Sophia and stunning Salma and luscious Liz, at least in my mind’s own formative eye, and remember those days of wishing it were so?
Is it crushing that I am “me” – and there is no end to that evolutionary way of plucking elements of who I’d like to be – much more than style of hair, curvature of hip, the full and sensual pouting lip, the persuasive ways of a knowing gaze?
Crushing?
Better yet…
Real Life-Like
There is no screaming in my head for the Beatles or the Stones.
There are no moans of pleasure at the sight of a haunting heart throb of my dewier past.
Instead, I choose a rich repast of finer and yet sturdier stuff: I savor the bright crush of real life appreciation – for all brave and brash spirits who fight daunting odds for the good cause, for those who labor over words so we may delight at our leisure in their breathtaking books, for those whose talent and smarts outshine looks of any style.
This is as likely to be the author, Philip Roth, who gave us “The Human Stain,” or actor William H. Macy with his half-cocked smile, and lucky me – he visits in my nights of decadent dreaming, in a flash flood of green rain.
You May Also Enjoy
This is part of a coordinated writing exercise on celebrity crushes. Pop by here for more wonderful selections.
Michelle Pfeiffer image, 2007, Wiki, Creative Commons License 2.0.
Image of Jon Hamm, Michael Yarish / AMCTV.com.
William H. Macy, Wiki, Public Domain
Gregory Peck, Wiki, Public Domain
I adore Don Draper. He’s fascinating. Unfortunately I think Jon Hamm is sort of a Bozo. But that just points out how good an actor he is! Tall, dark and handsome has always been my choice – when I was 13 I developed a mad crush on Clark Gable.
Ha! Sharon, you make me chuckle. Hamm does seem verrrrrry different when not in his Draper role. So yes, it’s certainly the Don Draper character and his portrayal that holds appeal.
The look of Jon Hamm (suave, debonair, handsome) is a throwback to all the men of the 1930’s – 1950’s I love within my obsession of classic black and white movies. Cary Grant is mine, though. Seriously. He’s totally all mine. I own a lot of his movies because I never get enough of him and his looks and artistry. Yes, during “Houseboat” he and Sophia were in love, but she accepted Carlo Ponti’s proposal (why? opposites…)near the end of filming, and I read Cary was devastated. Sophia married right after the movie wrapped. Ouch!
Atticus Finch is my favorite character (book and movie) and I remember reading that Harper Lee cried the first time she watched Gregory Peck play a scene. Why? He looked and acted just like her daddy. I loved him in that movie, and my other fave with him is “Gentlemen’s Agreement”. He played that role to perfection. (Of course I also love “Roman Holiday”)
This blog hop was a hard one for me because I love Cary Grant, William Holden, James Stewart, Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson (in “State of the Union”) , Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne. But I left them behind and chose someone else for different reasons…
Thanks for the wonderful, marvelous post. I admire your writing ability – kudos!
Cheers~
Cathy
Philip Schuyler Green, in Gentleman’s Agreement. He was utterly delicious and again – a role of such integrity! Those are the roles that seemed to fit him impeccably, weren’t they?
As for Atticus Finch, can you imagine having that sort of man as a real life role model? Extraordinary.
(And thank you, Cathy, for your kind remarks on my writing.)
Had to laugh–my husband’s crush is Salma Hayek. About as different from me as he can get!
Ha! Love it, Kitch. (Well she’s one hot momma, and you sure fit that bill!)
There is certainly nothing like a good crush! You’ve got a great array of some seriously suave men here.
“Seriously suave.” I like that, @Bonnie! (Then again, give me a man with smarts & wit, and suave gets wiped right off the list…)
You raise interesting points. I’ve never truly understood celebrity crushes, especially in adulthood. I’m going to read the Psychology Today article; perhaps it’ll give me some insight.
The Psychology Today article is quite interesting, @Ginger Kay. (I’d never thought about the purpose of our crushes before.)
Now I will never be able to order ham on toast without thinking of this blog. And Philip Roth? Intellectual swoon. Right now.
At least it wasn’t green eggs and Hamm on Toast, Donna… 😉
I wonder how much of attraction is learned, cultural, taste or genetically programmed. I find it interesting the variation that people like and thus verifying the old adage there is someone for everyone.
I don’t think I ever had a celebrity crush but there are celebrities that I have certainly seen as attractive. I must say I have seen celebrities in person and it has been disappointing for the most part in relation to looks. Though I did not realize how beautiful Catherine Zeta Jones was until I saw her in person. She is MUCH more beautiful in person than on screen. Further sometimes charisma and authenticity do not come through on a screen, and I have this with Dennis Quaid and Bill Clinton. As a guy you see them on screen and think what’s the big deal? When you see them in person you have an “aha” moment where you understand.
While I know most of us have types, I am never opposed to quality of whatever type. Porsche, Cadillac, Jeep or Lexus all have their good points and appreciate them all. That said, while many blondes have caught my eye, I have never had a serious relationship with a blonde.
Finally I am thinking I should have a fantasy lady as it would be much easier and safer than the alternative.
Curtis! Catherine Zeta Jones is MORE beautiful in person? Holy Moly. She’s plenty beautiful on screen!
There is no explaining that “spark” that defies physical type, is there. A fantasy lady – easier than the real thing, and safer, too? Probably. But where’s the challenge and excitement in that?
Atticus Finch, what a perfect character.
HA! My ideal in high school and college was VERY tall (6+ feet), dark hair and more or less an Italian-looking guy. What I got was a shorter (5’8″), sandy-haired German! Go figure. 🙂
Definitely Cary Grant. And I’ll join Sharon with Clark Gable, too. Or maybe it was Judy Garland because my Clark Gable crush was largely based on her singing to his picture.
Hamm on toast, indeed! Salma Hayek is a favorite amongst the men in my home. Va-va-voom!
The only celebrity crush my husband has admitted to is Julia Roberts… and I’m a petite blonde. Funny how that works out sometimes. I’ve always liked tall men, preferably with dark hair and blue eyes. I adored Clark Gable and Cary Grant.
My husband likes women with large breasts, of which I have none.
Always love your writing, BLW, and this is no exception. My favorite was Clark Gable with his bedroom eyes… Oh my …
I just turned 39, and am shocked that it has taken me this long to realize that the best thing about a crush is when it isn’t realized. This year I have had a few crushes on men in my life, and it has been so fun. When I examine the feelings I realize I don’t actually want the real man, I just love the rush of the crush. I love the flirting, the fantasy, and eventually the friendship that the relationship flows into.
A few years ago I dated someone I had had a crush on since I was 19. I was hard for me to move past the fantasy of the crush and into a relationship based on who he really was . The perfect example of getting exactly what you want and then thinking, “Oh sh*t, now what do I do with this?”
visits in my nights of decadent dreaming, in a flash flood of green rain
wow.
now THAT’S a fantastic line and no mistake.
*wavingfromlosangeles*
I like the pastiche nature of your post. It’s very dreamlike, which matches your ending. And I must confess I have never seen Mad Men. (We don’t have TV reception or cable, so my viewing of TV shows is very limited. Sometimes I see things on Hulu.) I should check out at least one episode. It’s so talked about. Thanks for the fun romp through the dreamland of crushing.
I love Jon Hamm. And I agree with Cathy – he is a throw back kind of guy. Old school looks. I loved him first in The Town. I’ve never seen him in any of his television shows, but I may have to start watching. 😉
Bogart, anyone?