Tag: Literature

Guys and Dolls in Beantown

MISS PATTY: I was a chorus girl in a bus-and-truck tour of Guys and Dolls. Beantown, I love that town. And there I was, me and the girls backstage after the show, and in she comes. And who does [Bette Davis] walk right up to, but little old me. And she sized me up, exhaled some smoke from that regal mouth of hers, and said, “Doll, you don’t got the high notes but you sure got the gams.” I’ll always treasure that moment with Bette and I wanna dedicate this song to her.

Guys and Dolls, a 1950 Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on several short stories of the 1920s and ’30s by Damon Runyon.

The musical received overwhelming critical acclaim, and praise for its faithfulness to Runyon’s stories. It won several Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and had multiple Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, and Frank Sinatra. In 1998, the original cast was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It is considered one of the most significant musicals of all time.

Beantown, a nickname for Boston.

The Holy Barbarians

RORY: The Holy Barbarians. I mean, what a title. And it’s by a Venice Beach beatnik about Venice Beach beatniks, and to top it off, the beatnik who wrote it is the father of the guy that does those Actor’s Studio interviews on TV.

The Holy Barbarians, a 1959 non-fiction book about the “Beat Generation” subculture by poet, critic, and jazz teacher Lawrence Lipton. The book is an insider’s look at the beatniks, and an interesting piece of social history. He is the father of James Lipton, the host of Inside the Actor’s Studio, previously discussed.

We can see in this scene how Rory and Jess are still enjoying sharing and discussing books together, and that Rory is having a lot more success getting Jess interested in the books she is reading than she had with Dean.

Sara Moulton

EMILY: Lelaini made a roast before she left and I heated it up … I even added a little wine to the pan to keep it from drying out.
LORELAI: Well, who died and made you Sara Moulton?

Sara Moulton (born 1952), cookbook author and TV chef. She began working with Julia Child on TV in 1979, went on to a regular position with Good Morning America until 1997, and hosted Cooking Live until 2002, after which she began her new show, Sara’s Secrets. Her first cookbook had come out the previous year in 2002, Sara Moulton Cooks at Home. She continues to be a popular author and TV host.

Travel Books from Emily

Fodor’s Selected Hotels of Europe

Published in 1987 by travel company Fodor’s. A guide to the luxury hotels of Europe in the late 1980s.

Hotels, Restaurants and Inns of Great Britain and Ireland, 1986 edition

A travel guide by Hungarian-born British food critic Egon Ronay, which was published annually. In 1987, it was sold to the British Automobile Association, however, Ronay was able to buy his rights back in 1997.

Myra Waldo’s Travel and Motoring Guide to Europe, 1978 edition

A guide by prolific travel and food writer, Molly Waldo. If you are planning to read all the books mentioned in Gilmore Girls, you’ll have trouble obtaining this one, as it appears to be unavailable.

Travel Books

Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door

Rick Steves self-published his first European travel guide in 1980, and it found a traditional publisher in 1982. He advocates independent travel, and urges travellers to visit less touristy places (Lorelai and Rory apparently ignore this advice). He hosts travel shows on TV and radio, has his own tour business, a travel website, and of course, writes numerous travel guide books.

The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget

Rough Guides Ltd is a British travel guide book publisher; their first title was the 1982 Rough Guide to Greece. Initially aimed at low-budget backpackers, the guidebooks have incorporated more expensive recommendations since the early 1990s, and are now marketed at all budgets. This makes it seem like a rather outdated reference for this episode, although it was probably a book that Lorelai considered in the 1980s, when she first thought about going to Europe as a teenager.

Ave Maria

This is the song at James’ wedding, performed by Dave Rygalski, and sung by Ho Kyung.

Composed by Franz Schubert in 1825, it was originally part of his 1825 Op. 52 a setting of seven songs from Walter Scott’s 1810 popular narrative poem The Lady of the Lake, loosely translated into German, where it is known as “Ellens dritter Gesang” (Ellen’s Third Song, in English).

It is often performed and recorded by many singers under the title “Ave Maria” (the Latin name of the prayer Hail Mary, and also the opening words and refrain of Ellen’s song, a song which is itself a prayer to the Virgin Mary), in musically simplified arrangements and with various lyrics that commonly differ from the original context of the poem. It was arranged in three versions for piano by Franz Liszt.

One of Schubert’s most popular works, it has become a fixture at weddings. Although an overtly Catholic song, it is sometimes performed at Seventh Day Adventist weddings, although with a certain amount of disapproval from strict quarters. Apparently Mrs Kim is not as strict in her religion as you might think – perhaps she simply loves beautiful music.

I presume that the pastor performing the wedding service is “Reverend” Melmin (he would actually be a pastor), previously mentioned as helping Mrs Kim select a suitable college for Lane to attend.

Luke Asks Nicole on a Date

LUKE: No, no, no, uh, what I meant was – ah, what the hell? Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?
NICOLE: Yeah.

It’s pretty obvious that, besides being flattered by Nicole’s attention, Luke asks her on a date primarily because he knows Lorelai is dating Alex. Jess has already criticised Luke for waiting around for Lorelai like a faithful dog, and has nagged him to ask Nicole out. Finding out that Lorelai is out on a date with a coffee shop owner who’s outdoorsy and likes fishing (sounding suspiciously similar to Luke) is the final straw that pushes him towards Nicole.

In this scene we learn that a cup of coffee at Luke’s cost seventy-five cents. That sounds like a bargain for what every character seems to believe is the best coffee in the world.

Notice that in the background to this scene, someone walks behind Luke and Nicole wearing what appears to be a maroon and gold Gryffindor scarf from Harry Potter.