This happened in the mid 80’s, before I even knew there was a Straight Dope.
A lady I was dating at the time took me to meet her mother, and my eyes were immediately drawn to a black and white photograph of a woman whom I can only describe as stunningly beautiful. It was hanging in the living room.
“Who is this?”, I asked.
“That is an old high school picture of me,” Darlene’s mother replied. (She was then in her early 70’s).
Here it starts…
“You were beautiful!”, I blurted!
She just smiled and thanked me as if she hadn’t noticed my monumental gaffe.
We were only there for about 30 minutes prior to a movie date, but throughout the whole visit, I couldn’t take my damn eyes off that picture! (Much to the consternation of my date!)
To make matters worse, I asked Darlene if I could somehow have a copy made of that photograph, but I never got one because I never saw her again. I guess she saw the picture of her mother as competition.
Y’all don’t have to answer this unless you have a similar tale. I just needed to tell someone, and y’all are always so “there for me”!
I have two words only, Quasi: Natalie Wood. How can I continue to be obsessed with a woman that has been dead for 21 years, six months? Besides, she would be entirely out of reach even if she still lived. It’s sick! :o
Hey, didja’ catch “Splendor in the Grass” on AMC over the weekend? OHhhhhh, MYyyyy, GOoodness!
I was reading an illustrated account of the 1956 Hungarian uprising entitled Cry Hungary. One photograph shows a gorgeous young female freedom fighter with a hairstyle popular during my high-school days, almost 30 years later!
Whenever I see that book in the library, I always turn to that page and stare at that girl for a while.
Whew, now I don’t feel like a pervert.
I have a small 3"x5" picture of my Dad with some of his Navy buddies, taken around 1937. There are 6 or 7 young guys, sitting on a large rock. Most of them, like Dad are wearing the casual sailor type clothes (t-shirt, wide-legged pants, little hats), but this one guy is shirtless, and the way he’s sitting, you can see his package. Plus he looks like a young Rock Hudson except more rugged.
I don’t know which is worse, the fact that if this guy is still around, he would be in his 90’s or at the time the picture was taken, he was young enough to be my son.
My dad’s first wife was killed in WW II. Ten years before I was born. I’ve several pictures of her. Including a great one from her WASP days (that’s what killed her) - she’s wearing a leather flight jacket and leaning on the wing of a P-51 Mustang. Great picture!
Damn! If she’d a been my mom. I’d have been good lookin’.
Accept this as satirical, as I have no desire to cast aspersions on my true mother.
Get in line behind my wife. It wasn’t until after we were married that I found out I was born the same day as Gene Kelly (not the same year).
BTW, my wife also once danced with his brother Fred Kelly
When I was in middle school, I had to do a report on Laura Ingalls Wilder. I saw a picture of her husband, Almanzo, a few years before they were married. I thought “damn, he was hot!”
Plus he looks like a young Rock Hudson except more rugged.