Lydia Hamessley
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lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Lydia Hamessley
@lydiahamessley.bsky.social
440 followers 270 following 870 posts
Musicologist. Author — Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton (U of Ill Press) and Dolly Parton’s Jolene (Oxford Univ. Press). Professor of Music, Hamilton College. Cyclist, banjo player, old movies, antique quilts. 🪕🐈🎶🚵🏼‍♀️🚴🏼 #TCMParty
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lydiahamessley.bsky.social
I really like Hindemith, but I still find this funny.
A spoof of a Lawyer’s commercial. A man in a suit looking like a lawyer is saying, “Have you accompanied a Hindemith brass sonata? You may be entitled to compensation.”
November 16, 2025 at 7:19 PM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Featuring Veronica Cartwright in another “crying her eyes out” role. I always found her crying annoying, but very realistic, unlike Margaret O’Brien, who usually cried a little too sweetly, though she was amazing in being able to cry like that. #TheBirds #TheChildren’sHour #TCMParty
A picture of Veronica Cartwright and a Peter Pan collared dress at about the age of 10 or 11. She’s crying.
October 20, 2025 at 2:54 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Midge in #Vertigo.
Rob in #TheBestYearsOfOurLives.
As Kenan Thompson says on SNL, what’s up with that?
Keenan Thompson, in a pink suit singing what’s up with that.
October 20, 2025 at 1:33 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Same setup? 3 window panels with the same kind of shades.
#Vertigo #RearWindow #TCMParty
Looking out of midge’s apartment. There are three windows with bamboo type shades. Looking out of Jeff’s apartment. They’re also three windows with the same type of shade. The window shades in Jeff’s apartment.
October 20, 2025 at 1:20 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
The swirling shapes in this opening credit sequence reminds me of one of my favorite toys as a kid in the 60s: a spirograph set. Anyone else remember those? I just loved it. It was so much fun to see how many different kinds of shapes I could make. #Vertigo #TCMParty
A picture of a vintage spirograph set from the 60s. The boxes red and it shows several different shapes that the two kids on the cover are doing.
October 20, 2025 at 12:09 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
What a fabulous outfit. That’s a great look on #IngridBergman. Fa. Bu. Lous.
#Notorious #TCMParty
Ingrid Bergman riding a horse. A close-up of the horses face and Ingrid Bergman astride it wearing a very masculine riding outfit with a hat and a tie.
October 13, 2025 at 12:42 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
While watching #NewYorkConfidential, I made chocolate covered fig balls. While I was dipping them in chocolate, I kept hearing, “speed it up a little!” #ILoveLucy #TCMParty #NoirAlley
A tray with hand dip chocolates.
October 12, 2025 at 3:32 PM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
WOW! Great ending!!!!! #HeRanAllTheWay #TCMParty
A 1940s era Ford. A yellow convertible.
September 7, 2025 at 3:24 PM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Cue Dolly Parton’s song “Just Because I’m a Woman. #TCMParty

Now a man will take a good girl
And he'll ruin her reputation
But when he wants to marry
Well, that's a different situation

Yes, I've made my mistakes
But listen and understand
My mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I'm a woman
The cover of Dolly Parton’s album just because I’m a woman. It’s blue and she’s standing there with her arms open and a white knee length dress.
August 31, 2025 at 1:21 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Speaking of Cathy O’Donnell reminding you of a Renaissance painting, check this out. Vittoria Coza played Dede on the excellent #MyBrilliantFriend. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her because she reminded me so much of this da Vinci painting. #TCMParty #DetectiveStory
Leonardo da Vinci painting of a woman. Vittoria Coza. The two women look very much alike.
August 31, 2025 at 12:52 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Anyone else seeing this when that guy introduces himself as Henry Gibson? #TCMParty #GirlMissing #Laugh-In #The60s
A black-and-white photo of Henry Gibson wearing a light suit and holding a flower on the television show laugh-in
August 12, 2025 at 12:55 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Look up “radiant.” This photo will be there.
#Casablanca #TCMParty #IngridBergman
A close-up of Ingrid Bergman in the last scene of Casablanca. She’s looking at Humphrey Bogart and crying.
August 6, 2025 at 3:43 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Yup. Grace Kelly packs a picnic and drives Cary Grant around in her little sports mobile. She takes the hairpin curves above the Mediterranean really fast. It’s eerily like her death in real life.
#TCMParty
Grace Kelly driving a sports car with Cary Grant in the passenger seat.
August 6, 2025 at 12:31 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
My book, Dolly Parton’s Jolene, was featured in The Week! They picked up on Abbie Kozolchyk’s nice review in #TheWashingtonPost. 😃
#DollyParton
A photograph from a weekly magazine that featured for books about women.
August 3, 2025 at 2:37 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
The fashion site with this photo calls this a side peplum. So I guess it’s a variation of the full Greek ones. #TCMParty.
Lucille Ball has Lucy Ricardo. She’s on the phone and is wearing a dress with a side peplum.
August 3, 2025 at 1:30 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
images.squarespace-cdn.com #TCMParty
The cartoon character, Michigan J frog. A singing frog on a tight rope, wearing a top hat and holding a cane.
August 3, 2025 at 12:43 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
The Piccolino! Love this set piece. And the staged Venice is so fabulous. #TCMParty #TopHat #FredandGinger
Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers dancing. He's in a tux. She has a sparkly white gown on.
July 29, 2025 at 7:37 PM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Goober Pyle (#TheAndyGriffithShow) doing his imitation of Edward G. Robinson. #TCMParty #DoubleIndemnity
The character, Goober Pyle doing an imitation of Edward G Robinson. He’s holding his mouth in a funny down position.
June 29, 2025 at 12:57 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Herb Jeffries was in a bunch of singing cowboy movies. “Herb Jeffries was the Bronze Buckaroo, star of five all-Black-cast singing-cowboy movies in the 1930s and ’40s.” 🤠 🎶 #TCMParty #WesternFilms
A black-and-white photograph of Herb Jefferies dressed up as a cowboy with a black shirt and white neckerchief. He’s pointing two guns at the camera. A brightly colored movie poster for the film the bronze buckaroo. It shows her Jeffrey’s dressed as a cowboy holding two guns.
June 1, 2025 at 1:52 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Radiant Teresa Wright! ♥️
#TCMParty #TheBestYearsOfOurLives
Black-and-white photo of Teresa Wright in the film the best years of our lives. She’s wearing a big hat and smiling and looking up at Dana Andrews who played Fred.
May 24, 2025 at 2:54 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
#DollyParton #Jolene
The cover of my book titled Dolly Parton’s Jolene. The top half has the title in lilac colored panel. The bottom half is a photo of Dolly from the 1970s. She’s wearing a denim jacket and rings on all of her fingers.
May 24, 2025 at 1:13 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Homer mentioned serving on CVs. My dad served on about 7 or 8 different aircraft carriers during his 25 years in the Navy. He enlisted in 1943 when he was 17 (2 weeks before he turned 18 so he wouldn’t get drafted in the Army). He was 92 in this pic.❤️ #TCMParty #TheBestYearsOfOurLives
#USSHornet
A 92-year-old man wearing a World War II cap standing in front of the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier in Alameda California.
May 24, 2025 at 12:18 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Psyched that my book *Dolly Parton’s Jolene* is finally out from #OxfordUniversityPress! #DollyParton
global.oup.com/academic/pro...
A picture of the cover of the book. The top half is a lavender color with the title. The bottom half is a photo of Dolly in a denim jacket. It looks like it stated from the 1970s.
May 18, 2025 at 12:33 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
Anyone else thinking of this classic #BugsBunny cartoon? “Monsters lead such int’resting lives.” #TCMParty #Frankenstein
A cartoon image of a greenish colored castle with a neon sign that says evil scientist on it. Bugs Bunny is there as well.
May 18, 2025 at 12:19 AM
lydiahamessley.bsky.social
This is a terrific book if you want to read the unglamorous story of the real #Bonnie&Clyde. It’s way grimmer than the idealized version of their lives in the film. #TCMParty

Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde
Book by Jeff Guinn.
A photo of Bonnie and Clyde on the book cover. Clyde is on the left. Boni is on the right. They are close together and hugging tight. It’s a CPA colored photo.
May 13, 2025 at 1:14 AM