Checking Out "42" From the Library

One of the first things I did when I decided to Discover 42 was to do a search at the library to find materials with the number 42 in the title.  I checked out three.

42nd Street

I'd seen this on stage decades ago (or so I thought), but I'd never seen the movie version.  Steve hadn't seen it on stage or screen.  When we watched it, it was so unfamiliar to me that I'm not sure I saw it on stage after all.  I hadn't realized how old this was (1933), nor that it been nominated for Best Picture.  It features Busby Berkeley's choreography, which is always a treat.  I suspect that most 80+ year old movies wouldn't hold up as well today as this one does.  I loved Ginger Rogers' performance and am eager to see more of Ruby Keeler, who was unfamiliar to me. Overall, it's a fun movie and I'm glad I saw it.

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Kenny Rogers: 42 Ultimate Hits

I like Kenny Rogers well enough and even have his Greatest Hits CD (bought around 1991 specifically for 'The Gambler,' the ultimate road trip song for my college friends and me).  But I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a Kenny Rogers fan, so many of the songs were unfamiliar to me.  In fact, out of the 42 songs, there were 17 that I don't think I've ever heard before.  Overall, it was enjoyable background music while I cleaned and puttered around the house.  I didn't discover any new favorite songs or anything, but it certainly wasn't unpleasant.  (Well, a few songs were.  I think this album might have been better with about 37 Ultimate Hits.)

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42

I've saved the best for last.  We missed '42' in the theaters last year and heard that it was amazing, so I was really glad to finally see it.  I actually started by checking out a Jackie Robinson biography (that didn't have 42 in the title) and reading that so that I'd be better able to identify any parts of the movie that were more Hollywood than historical truth.  I loved the movie.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.