My jury duty is now over, so back to my routine of posting something new weekly. Little did I think last time, that I would be writing a tribute for one of my favourite actresses of all time, Diane Keaton. With Robert Redford I didn’t really get a shock when I heard of his death, but with Diane Keaton I most certainly did. First of all I hadn’t realised she was as old as she was (79 when she died), as we have kind of grown up together with her film roles often reflecting what my life was like at the time. Also, although she did have more lines on her face as the years went by (as do I), she always seemed to be smiling which gave her a really youthful appearance.
The first film you think of when reflecting on Diane Keaton’s legacy is Annie Hall, the film made in 1977 that was written specifically for her, and in which she starred with Woody Allen. Diane had frequently collaborated with Woody prior to this and had also played Kay Adams in the Godfather films, but I don’t think I had actually seen them at this point so Annie Hall was my first introduction to her, and what an impact she made.
I had gone to see the film in Aberdeen’s Capitol Theatre one Saturday afternoon in 1978 with my best friend of the time. We had recently left school for University, and as we now lived in the big city, we were able to enjoy all that it had to offer. After watching Diane Keaton in Annie Hall we trawled the very few charity and vintage shops that were available at the time, and kitted ourselves out in baggy trousers, shirts and waistcoats. Such apparel would have looked ridiculous in rural Aberdeenshire but now that we were students it fitted our new personas perfectly. Also, despite looking outwardly quite quirky and different, if an older student or lecturer had entered into conversation with me, I would have become a gibbering wreck, not having yet acquired the confidence needed for such encounters. Inside, I was still that girl from a country school. Like Annie, I would have probably gone down the La-di-da, La-di-da route before making an embarrassing exit.
After watching the clip above last Sunday I kept having the song line, “La-di-da-di-da”, swirling around in my head. I couldn’t remember for a start what the song was, and it certainly wasn’t from the film, but it didn’t take long to work out it was Why, a song from 1982 written by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards and performed by Carly Simon.
But back to Diane Keaton. Throughout the rest of the 70s, the 80s and beyond she appeared in many, many films, some with Woody Allen, but as time went by, mostly not. She could tackle the serious roles (Reds) just as easily as the romantic comedy ones (Baby Boom), and I loved her in everything she did. In terms of her style, the clothes had changed in the films she made, as did my style as serious jobs and motherhood had entered my life. And this is when a really special moment happened in my life. In around 2010, DD’s good friend Jamie who was a frequent visitor to our house, sent her a film clip with this message: “Omg, I’ve just been watching this film, and one of the actresses looks just like your mum”. Yes, DD’s friend had likened me to Diane Keaton! Although I knew she was a lot prettier than me, I was very flattered, as she had always been the actress I most wanted to be like in real life.
This was that clip from the 1996 film The First Wives Club. I did wear my glasses a lot more around that time, and my hair was of a similar style and colour, so I can see how he thought of me, but I don’t think he ever realised just how big a compliment he had just paid me.
You Don’t Own Me was a pop song recorded by Lesley Gore in 1963, when she was just 17 years old. The song was her second most successful recording and her last top-ten single. It expressed emancipation, as the singer tells a lover she doesn’t want to be held to his hypocritical gender standards, such as not being able to see other men, when he sees other women. The song’s lyrics became an inspiration for younger women and are sometimes cited as a factor in the development of the second wave feminist movement. I don’t have the Lesley Gore version of this song in my library, but I do have this interesting version by The Blow Monkeys, recorded for the film Dirty Dancing which was set in 1963.
My final “Alyson/Diane lead parallel lives” story came about after I watched her in the 2003 film Something’s Gotta Give, with Jack Nicholson. Diane played Erica Barry, a successful writer who lives in a beautiful beach house overlooking the ocean. Although we don’t earn anything from this blogging hobby of ours, I have always been a frustrated writer so it’s a great outlet, also, my dream house would be one by the coast, overlooking the sea. But the big parallel between myself and Erica’s character is that she always wears polo-necks, or turtle-necks as they call them in North America. It’s a standing joke throughout the film, as it is with most of my friends who know that between the months of September and May I only wear cream or black polo-neck jumpers. Between June and August I change into striped T-shirts and shirts, but I never show much flesh.
Having read a lot about Diane since she died last Saturday, it seems her propensity for wearing polo-necks and hats with her quirky outfits in real life, was because she had suffered from recurring bouts of skin cancer, as have I. Not for us the sundresses and skimpy tops of our naturally darker skinned friends, and come September, when I become alabaster white again, I have to add a bit of artificial colour to my face. Having a tanned face but a white neck looks ridiculous, thus the polo-necks. I’ve even managed to source polo-necked evening dresses in the past for posh events!
So, “What’s It All About?” – I am beyond sad that Diane has left us and I hope I have explained in this post just why. She was the actress I most admired and felt close to because of the similarities between us. She will never pop up in anything new again but at least we still have all those great films to revisit time and time again.
RIP Diane Keaton xx
Until next time…
You Don’t Own Me Lyrics
(Song by John Madara/Dave White)
You don’t own me
I’m not just one of your many toys
You don’t own me
Don’t say I can’t go with other boys
And don’t tell me what to do
Don’t tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you
Don’t put me on display ’cause
You don’t own me
Don’t try to change me in any way
You don’t own me
Don’t tie me down ’cause I’d never stay
I don’t tell you what to say
I don’t tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That’s all I ask of you
I’m young, and I love to be young
I’m free, and I love to be free
To live my life the way I want
To say and do whatever I please
And don’t tell me what to do
Oh, don’t tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you
Don’t put me on display
I don’t tell you what to say
Oh, don’t tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That’s all I ask of you
I’m young, and I love to be young
I’m free and I love to be free
To live my life the way I want
To say and do whatever I please
What's It All About? 
I misheard and thought Diane Keen (Cuckoo’s Nest; Sweeney) had passed. Interestingly, they’re the same age (or were) – Keen is (I checked) still very much with us.
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Yes, I can imagine you might have misheard, what with the names being so similar. But no, I don’t think that Diane would be getting as many column inches at the moment, however good she was in the shows you mentions. I can’t believe she is also now 79 – I loved her in Rings On Their Fingers.
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Was just checking out those Diane Keen shows and sorry to be a pedant but I think you were mixing up Cuckoo Waltz and Robin’s Nest, both around at the same time. Remember Cuckoo Waltz as it had Lewis Collins as well who went on to play Bodie in The Professionals.
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Sad to have lost Diane but we have the consolation of knowing that her doppelganger is alive and thriving.
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It is sad isn’t it but there is no doppelganger here I’m afraid. I felt similar to the characters she played in her films and have a similar propensity to wear polo-neck jumpers but I’ve not been lucky enough to rock the long, silver hair look she had in the years up to her death. She had a unique style right up to the end.
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I’ve just spent a pleasant half an hour catching up on several blogposts, including this excellent one, whilst on the edge of my hearing was a buzzing sound from the kitchen. Having wandered through to the kitchen, I found a wasp at the window (non-opening) so then pottered along to the bedroom to retrieve the pint glass and old postcard used for ejecting errant spiders. On my return to the kitchen, I realised that I was humming “La-di-da-di-da”! Thank you for the ear-worm, as it has shifted another tune which I couldn’t name and hadn’t recalled hearing in decades 😊
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Glad to have been of service. I must admit, ever since finding out about Diane’s passing I’ve had that La-di-dah-di-dah song as an earworm too. At least it replaced the earworm I’d had of a song in a Robert Redford film I’d written about recently.
Late in the year to have wasps, but whilst on jury duty last week one got into the room where we were trapped between appearances in the courtroom. Very distracting and hope we didn’t come to the wrong verdict because of it. (The judge said she agreed by the way, so all good.)
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Lovely post, Alyson. She certainly was a woman of style – as are you!
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I wish! These days of no longer going to work and no longer socialising that much, my wardrobe is very much full of comfy casual clothes that don’t shout “style” at all. Back into my beloved polo-necks again though so I’m happy!
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