January 11, 2011

"I’ve never been to Vermont. How can I sing a song about a place I’ve never been to?"

"What is the significance of pennies in a stream? What are ski tows?”

Margaret Whiting — who sang "Moonlight in Vermont" — has died at the age of 86.
In her later years, Ms. Whiting was known to many as the unlikely wife of Jack Wrangler (originally John Stillman), a star of gay pornographic films in the 1970s who went on to become a cabaret and theater producer.

Ms. Whiting and Mr. Wrangler, 22 years her junior, met in the 1970s, lived together for many years and married in 1994. She wrote about their relationship in an autobiography, “It Might as Well Be Spring,” saying it was based on similar interests and mutual respect, not sex. When they first became involved, he told her, “I’m gay,” to which she replied, “Only around the edges, dear.”
The answer to the question how to sing about Vermont was: Use your imagination.

22 comments:

victoria said...

I wonder if Blossom Dearie ever went to Rhode Island?

Vicki

R.L. Hunter said...

Don't know about the pennies but this is a ski towthis is a ski tow

Unknown said...

Considering singers and actors are forever portraying stuff they've never done, it should have been easy.

Revenant said...

Interesting life she lived.

Wince said...

Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon. (Whiting @ 1:30)

Penny said...

I'd say it was incredibly easy for her, given her exquisite rendition of that song.

Of course, I am biased, pennies in the stream and all. Not to mention that sycamores are one of my favorite trees.

Rare is the deciduous tree that is as beautiful in winter, as it is in summer.

I maintain it's the bark, but judge for yourself.

R.L. Hunter said...

Penny I'm from Vermont although I don't live there now,and the mention of sycamores caught my attention too, not because they're pretty but because they're fairly rare there.

Penny said...

"The answer to the question how to sing about Vermont was: Use your imagination."

You left out an important part of this answer, Althouse. The part where Mercer says he doesn't know... He's from Savannah.

After reading "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", who wouldn't rather be from Savannah than Hollywood...or even Vermont, if only for a ski and a song.

Someday I'll get there to meet Ms. Savannah who was as much a character in that marvelous book as was the Lady Chablis.

Penny said...

Oops, sorry, R.L., didn't mean to demean the great state of Vermont.

Penny said...

Ha ha, R.L., I just followed your link. Did you see that ski tows have been replaced with magic carpets?

Now THAT sounds like much more fun.

madAsHell said...

That's OK...Obama has never had a job, and now he is president!

W.T.F.!!

R.L. Hunter said...

Penny, I didn't think you were being demeaning it's just that when she sang about sycamores my first thought was, What sycamores?

I didn't see the part about the magic carpet, but your right it looks like fun.

Penny said...

"I didn't see the part about the magic carpet, but your right it looks like fun."

Never rode a magic carpet, but even SEEING one would make my day.

And not talking about those magic carpets on the bunny trail, R.L. ;)

Penny said...

Actually, my fascination with magic carpets goes back to "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights", and THEN onto Steppenwolf.

Chip Ahoy said...

Althouse, happy compiled years!

I mean,

¡Feliz cumpliaños!

Fred4Pres said...

You have never been to
Vermont? You should go.

Fred4Pres said...

Don't make Ms. Whiting's mistake.

She had an imagination? Well according to the Village Voice, that means she is not a Republican:

“Republicans don’t believe in the imagination, partly because so few of them have one, but mostly because it gets in the way of their chosen work, which is to destroy the human race and the planet. Human beings, who have imaginations, can see a recipe for disaster in the making; Republicans, whose goal in life is to profit from disaster and who don’t give a hoot about human beings, either can’t or won’t. Which is why I personally think they should be exterminated before they cause any more harm.”

Michael Feingold, Village Voice, Jan. 13 2004

Phil 314 said...

Well, as an Arizonan, and after this,I don't know that I'll ever want to go to Vermont.

Despicable

R.L. Hunter said...

c3
that jackass is one of the of reasons I left

Trooper York said...

Isn't Vermont where Vito went to get his johnnycakes?

She should have been able to figure it out from there.

traditionalguy said...

Penny...Savannah also produced Emma Kelly who played piano and sang in clubs interacting with customers requests. She played herself in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. My close friends who knew her and were raised with her children in Statesboro, Ga say that she would have a baby in the morning and play her piano performance at a club that night with the baby in a crib along with her. She was a strong personality. She died in 2001.

TMink said...

I met and worked with Margaret just a bit. She was living in North Carolina and came over the NC public tv to help with some fund raising. I was doing photographic work for them so we met in that context. She was in her late 60 then, and a pro. She showed up in full stage makeup, worked it, was gracious, then went home. Rest in peace dear.

Trey