Dorothy Provine

If there has been a woman I have been attracted to, actress Dorothy Provine would certainly fit the bill. She died on Sunday, and I was sad to see her go.

Dorothy Provine had a relatively short acting career, pretty much retiring from acting after she married her husband, with whom she remained her entire life (and that, in itself, very much impresses me); but she starred in three of my favorite movies: 1963's It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World; and 1965's The Great Race and That Darn Cat.

There is a moment in The Great Race when she is flirting with Tony Curtis, and she crinkles her nose. In that moment, she looks so cute to me. There was just something about her that I really liked.

In It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, she is probably the most sensible character in the movie and play straight woman to everybody else's zaniness and is the first to discover the "big W" (a very important plot point, for those of you who don't know the movie). I find her character her so endearing. I don't know what she was like in real life, but she radiates such a kind energy to me.

In That Darn Cat, she plays Hayley Mills' older sister. Incidentally, her coworker and wannabe boyfriend is played by Roddy McDowall, whom I also had a crush on (which tells you just how far my draw to Dorothy Provine is worth). I don't know. To me, she exudes both a toughness, but an innocent quality. At least, that's what I get.

Anyway, just wanted Dorothy to know that in spite of her short career, she made quite an impression on me.

Thanks, Dorothy. You will be missed.