I've been so busy with projects at home, that I haven't had time to sit down and watch movies. Sometimes while doing housework I try to play some light movie that might not be too engrossing, but I usually end up sitting and watching the video instead of doing my intended work. Today I found a great alternative: "Movies for the Blind: Enjoy Films without Looking at the Screen."
I browsed the comedies and selected "The Young in Heart" a 1938 feature film (Selznick International Pictures) with Janet Gaynor, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Minnie Dupree, Paulette Goddard, Roland Young, and Billie Burke.
If the name of Billie Burke seems familiar, it is perhaps because she is better known for her role as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, in "The Wizard of Oz." Here she plays the mother in a family of con artists who spend their time looking for ways to make their way in the world without actually working. It's a light-hearted movie that has touching but not overly-sentimental moments. . . which ended up being just the right sort of thing for me to listen to while doing some kitchen work this evening.
Scenes from "The Young at Heart" (1938)
No wonder I had been having such a hard time attending to my work while movies played in the background. Even for a movie like this with much dialog and only occasional action scenes, the narration added by "Movies for the Blind" points out to me just how much of these dramas is expressed visually on the big screen.
"Movies for the Blind" provides audio formats for direct mp3 download (which means it can be taken out for autotrips or gardenwork) or other formats or streaming via Internet Archive--as well as links to the original public domain film or television show video.
Narrated television audio to enjoy include some episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
I and my housework are looking forward to enjoying more of these narrated classics.
