Deep in Your Heart

“Is this going to upset me?” I asked my TV the other night.

Naturally my TV didn’t answer. It’s a smart TV, but it ain’t that smart. No matter.

I was gearing up for yet another crying fit as I watched a commercial—a goddamn commercial!—about an abandoned teddy bear looking to be loved.

“Oh, yes, it is!” I shouted to no one, and began sobbing.

I forgot what product was being peddled in this ad, but it doesn’t take much to get me reaching for the tissues.

I don’t know if it’s age or lunacy, but I find that I’m getting tear-eyed at the slightest emotional prodding. If someone ever starts a group “Shameless Weepers Anonymous,” I will gladly sign up.

While I’ve always been overly sensitive, lately I’ve been balling my eyes out at absolutely anything. And I wonder if there’s a part of me that looks for something to get emotional about just to get the weepy release.

Recently I came across a stray memory of a short film that ran on Saturday Night Live 30 years ago called “Love is a Dream,” that starred Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks.

The film was directed by Tom Schiller, who made some hilarious short films for SNL, including “La Dolce Gilda,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” and “Java Junkie.”

However, Schiller took a break from comedy with “Love is a Dream” and created a beautiful, touching piece of work.

Hard to Explain, Just How You Feel

The film opens in black and white as an elderly woman enters a bank on a cold winter day, walks by an old security guard and removes a tiara from a safety deposit box.

The moment she puts it on her head, the film shifts to color, and a handsome, young soldier steps forward and dances with her as they lip synch a song set to Straus’ “Emperor Waltz” from a Bing Crosby film by the same name.


The dance ends, the soldier disappears, and Jan Hooks returns to being an old woman again.

She puts away her crown and as she leaves, the aging security guard turns and we see it’s Phil Hartman who gives her a little salute.

The film is touching enough on its own, but the emotional wallop gets cranked up one hundredfold when you factor in the shockingly untimely deaths of the two wonderful leads.

I recently tried to describe the film to my sister and auntie, but I started blubbering five seconds into the story.

My sister and auntie have suffered through my bawling scenes for years now and they saw this one coming.

“Don’t start crying,” my auntie said to no avail.

When the women in your family are getting fed up with your sob stories, you know there’s something wrong with you.

Now that the holidays are upon us, I’m sure I’ll be wailing my way through all of my favorite yuletide classics, like Scrooge, It’s a Wonderful Life, and The Mousehole Cat.

Are they going to upset me? You damn right they are, and I’m going to enjoy every moment of it.


Comments

Ron said…
Rob, I've been the same lately...emotional and teary-eyed. In fact, Saturday morning while walking to work, it started to snow and I got all teary-eyed because it looked so beautiful. And as you know, I also got emotional while walking down 5th Avenue last week, during the lightshow in front of Saks.

This time of year always seems to make me extra-sensitive, where my emotions are very close to the surface...causing me to cry at the drop of a hat. I think much of that has to do with it being Christmas and missing my mother and father because they always made Christmas so special for us kids because they loved this time of the year. It's so bitter/sweet. Almost like an inner emotional cleansing - both sad and joyful.

"Now that the holidays are upon us, I’m sure I’ll be wailing my way through all of my favorite yuletide classics, like Scrooge, It’s a Wonderful Life, and The Mousehole Cat."

Me as well!

Have a great week, buddy! And say hello to New York for me!
Rob K said…
Hey, Ron, I'm glad I'm not the only shameless weeper on the Internet.

So true about the holidays. Christmas is about families and you can't help but think of the ones who are no longer here--especially our parents. I've been going through a lot of guilt and regret about my mom and where my life is going, But I realized that she would not want me to tear myself apart.

That thought makes life just a little easier to take.

Have a great week buddy!
Bijoux said…
I am not familiar with that work, but whenever I think about Phil Hartman, I get sad! He was a comic genius whose life ended way too soon.
Rob K said…
So true, Bijoux. It's terrible that we lost Phil Hartman so young and under such tragic circumstances.

I linked to "Love is A Dream." Take a look when you get a chance and let me know what you think!

Take care.
Jay said…
Nothing wrong with a bit of sentiment, Rob! I've always been what my family used to call 'over-sensitive'. I used to be worse, crying at any strong emotion, whether love, pity, sadness, or anger - the one exception being grief, when I find it hard to cry ... unless it's one of my dogs. I do cry when a close friend or family member dies, but not immediately, and it's only when I realise that an uncontrollable crying session is disproportionate to the trigger that I recognise it as buried grief coming to the surface.

Rob K said…
Hey,Jay, I'm in the "over-sensitive" camp myself.

Fascinating how emotions have a way of sneaking up on you. I guess your subconscious is trying to keep everything together and then finally something triggers the big blowout. I think a lot of my crying fits are actually reactions to other issues in my life, rather than just a particular incident or issue.

But then again, I'm pretty emotional guy!!

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