Announcing The Unhappy Valentines Blogathon!

Audrey Hepburn playing Cupid

As we were planning possible blogathons to host here at PEPS in 2021, the idea of a St. Valentine’s Day blogathon occurred to us. Two years ago, we hosted The Singing Sweethearts Blogathon in honor of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy’s onscreen pairing around the holiday of love. This year, we are hosting a different blogathon for the Day of Love, specifically dedicated to romantic couples in films.

Clark Gable trying to choose between wife, Myrna Loy, and secretary, Jean Harlow

We could celebrate Valentine’s Day by inviting you to write about your favorite happy film sweethearts, but we decided to be different. For Valentine’s Day 2021, we are hosting The Unhappy Valentines Blogathon! Perhaps the bitterness of the past year has put us in a melancholy mood, but we have always thought there is something tragically beautiful about a love that might have been but remained unfulfilled. Thus, we are inviting you to write about your favorite movie couples who live unhappily ever after.

The Phantom (Gerard Butler) and Christine (Emmy Rossum) are a famous example of a couple who never get together, down to the 2004 movie, the latest film version

Although we focus on classic movies, we are not restricting the films to the Golden Era of Hollywood. Couples from any era or genre of film are acceptable for this blogathon. Below is a summary of which types of couples are appropriate for discussion in this blogathon:

• Star-crossed lovers who are prevented from getting married
• Unrequited love
• A love triangle in which you wish a different two had gotten together
• A mutual love or attraction which can’t succeed because one person is married
• A courtship, engagement, or marriage which is ended by the death of one or both of the parties
• A hinted romance or attraction which you would have liked to see developed
• Any appealing couple who do not live happily ever after

James Stewart and Peggy Dow

When it comes to choosing your own topic, let your imagination run wild! Remember, the couple does not have to be an official couple. It can just be a hinted attraction or romance. The film which gave me the idea for this blogathon was Harvey (1950). When I recently rewatched this film, I was struck by the gallantry and admiration Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) shows toward lovely young nurse Miss Kelly (Peggy Dowd). Although she clearly has felt an unrequited love for the businesslike Dr. Sanderson (Charles Drake) for years, she obviously appreciates the chivalrous attention Mr. Dowd pays her. Although she and the young doctor get together in the end, I couldn’t help wishing that Miss Kelly had instead decided to marry the eccentric but sweet Elwood. This gives you an idea of the sort of couples you could choose as topics.

Doris Day

Below are the rules of the Valentine’s Day party:

1. The dates are February 12-14, 2021.
2. Bloggers may contribute as many posts as they choose.
3. We are putting a limit on duplicates. Since there are so many interesting unhappy valentine couples out there, we ask that there be no duplicates on couples. Different people can write about different couples from the same film, however. For instance, from Sunset Boulevard, one could write about Joe Gillis and Norma Desmond or Joe Gillis and Betty Schaeffer, since neither couple lives happily ever after.
4. If you want to join, leave a comment on this article, specifying your topic!
5. If you want to join but don’t have a blog, you can email your post to us, and we will publish it here on PEPS.
6. Please use the banners below which Rebekah made to advertise the blogathon!
7. When you write your post, be sure to link to the blogathon roster and include a banner!

A Valentine Cartoon of Greta Garbo

Participants So Far

1. Tiffany Brannan of PEPS – Elwood P. Dowd and Miss Kelly in Harvey (1950)

More Coming Soon!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Cyd Charisse

Please join our two other upcoming blogathons!

The 2nd Happy Holidays Blogathon!

and

The Sunset Boulevard Blogathon!

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