Judging By The Covers: Anne Of Green Gables

When you're a book that has been around for over a hundred years, has been popular all over the world, and has been translated into multiple languages, of course you're going to have a whole bunch of different covers. Anne Of Green Gables is no exception.

Creating an Anne Of Green Gables cover shouldn't be too difficult. When your book title includes a character's name, well, feature that character! Have her doing something she does in the book! There are many things to choose from, here: Writing, cooking, picking flowers, breaking slates over people's heads....

Or... sitting on the ground by the train tracks.

Just kidding. Don't do that. At least give her some shingles or a bench to sit on. 

In the interest of time, I'm not going to post every AOGG cover I could find. But I am going to feature the 3 worst (in my opinion), as well as the 10 best... and a few runners-up. If you know of a good one I missed, post it in the comments.

WORST

Simply put: Anne wasn't a blonde bombshell. This cover got a ton of backlash, for good reason. 

Matthew's definitely rocking the Torgo look. Is that the buggy's window behind them, or a full moon? RUN, ANNE! RUN!!!

Did you see those photos going around the internet of the family who had their family pictures "photoshopped" by a not-so-professional photographer so that they looked like they had clay faces? 

They could totally stick this Anne into the background of those photos and no one would even notice.

BEST

 

Cute, colorful, flowery... Anne's got her red braids... all is right with the world.

Colorful and fun... I would definitely have grabbed this off the library shelf as a kid.

Okay, her skirt is way too short for the time period, buuut... if you were to trim off the bottom inch of the cover, it'd be perfect.

In case it isn't obvious yet, I'm a big fan of "pretty" covers.

So pretty. Okay, so Anne is totally ripping off Madeline's look, but still...

This is from the 100th Anniversary edition, and this art/this Anne was all over Prince Edward Island when I was there in 2008. It's a nice illustration, with a happy Anne, and with Marilla and Matthew in the background. Very pleasant indeed.

Another one that's just beautiful!

This is from... not sure... the 40s, I would guess. And it's Anne in the later chapters of the book, if anything. And sure, she looks a little bit like Nancy Drew. But I still like it.

Yep, again with the colorful and gorgeous. Okay, so they forgot to give Anne braids (and she's carrying the carpet bag, so she should have braids at this moment), and -- eek -- those bare legs and peeking petticoat! Still, points for the design.

Anne is doing a neat "blend into the wallpaper" trick, but everything else seems to be on point: red hair, braids, skinny, flower in hair, holding a book. Lovely.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Heck yeah olde timey version! 

I like the design, though I would have opted for some more color.

Can't forget the movie tie-ins. If the cover has Megan Follows on it, I probably own it.

Simple, yet elegant.

And finally...

Something about the overall design and the color balance here just clicks. I like it. 

* * * * *

Which cover is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Also check out:

Judging By The Covers: Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" Books

Judging By The Covers: Now A Major Motion Picture!

Judging By The Covers: The Baby-Sitters Club

Judging By The Covers: Just As Long As We're Together

Sometimes They Come Back

A few years ago, if you had asked me if I'd like to have one of my favorite fandoms/franchises come back into the light, I'd have given you a resounding "yes!" Remakes, reboots, sequels, updates (for brevity: "revivals")... any of these would certainly make me happy, for one or more of the following reasons:

*A revival would signify that my fandom still had value & importance.

*A revival would potentially bring new people to the fandom, increasing its overall "value."

*Merchandise!

*Something new to watch and enjoy.

For years, it seemed like everybody else's fandoms got shiny new shows, remakes, and sequels, while my fandoms sat idly back in history, remembered by few and forgotten by most. My brother's favorite franchises, in particular, always seemed to be thriving. He liked James Bond (currently at 26 films), Star Wars (8-odd films, with more to come), and Star Trek (currently clocking in at 12 movies and 6 shows).



My fandoms didn't produce as much material, and certainly not as often as my brother's did. Mine also went through some serious dry spells. My fandoms have included Lois & Clark (canceled in 1997), Mystery Science Theater 3000 (canceled in 1999), The Pretender (2001), Harry Potter (last book in 2007; last movie in 2011), DuckTales (canceled in 1990), Indiana Jones (a 19-year film gap between films III and IV), Nancy Drew (mediocre TV movie in 2002, rotten film in 2007), Beauty and the Beast, Back To The Future, Anne Of Green Gables, Full House, and Pride & Prejudice.

Back To The Future, one my favorites (both as a kid and a young adult), had two sequels (1989 & 1990) as well as an animated TV series, so that was fortunate for us fans. I also loved Beauty and the Beast (1991), which... um, well, also had 2 sequels (horrific abominations that they are.) Another fave of mine, My Girl (1991) got a sequel in 1994, which I really liked. On the other hand, Father Of The Bride, a favorite go-to film of my preteen years, had a less-desirable sequel of its own in 1995. Father Of The Bride Part 2 may have been my first indication, at the tender age of 15, that revivals aren't always great.

Eeeek!

Then there are remakes & updates. The two that stand out for me are The Parent Trap (original: 1961/remake: 1998) and Freaky Friday (original: 1976, remakes: 1995 and 2003). Both of the original films had a fun premise, but by the 90's, it was clear the earlier versions needed updating. The original Parent Trap has a weird, sort of flippant encounter with domestic violence, and the girls dancing to Annette Funicello records is just a bit too old-fashioned to even be quaint. The original Freaky Friday mom is stuck in an antiquated female role (Dishwashing! Cleaning! Mending! Baking!) and seems to like it, while the dad is a sexist douche. Annabel's friends say things like "far out" and one is literally named Bambi. FF's two updates both did a fair job, though I won't be surprised if another Freaky Friday comes along in the 2020s.

This is how it tended to go for most of my life. Every few years, there'd be some kind of fandom-related revival to look forward to. Even if the final product itself wasn't great, the revival could pave the way for something better. Like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. The movie may have been a bummer, but its release prompted a lot of cool merchandise, including multiple LEGO sets and video games.

But within the past couple of years, something strange has been happening with my fandoms. In a short time period -- the last two years, in fact -- a bunch of my fandoms have come swarming back from the land of relative obscurity and into the limelight. Crashing, more like. All at once. So much for that "every few years" thing....


2016 & 2017

• DuckTales: After Treasure Of The Lost Lamp in 1990, DT had a 23-year dry spell. In 2013, they remade the video game (DuckTales Remastered). Now -- oh what the heck -- they're rebooting the freaking show!!

• Anne Of Green Gables revivals are rampant these days. Admittedly, it seems like Kevin Sullivan releases some new Anne-related product every time there's a new moon, but not counting him, just in the last decade we've had books (Before Green Gables and Looking For Anne Of Green Gables), a movie (PBS's Anne Of Green Gables, with 2 sequels planned), and a Netflix series (Anne With An 'E'). Those last two came out within the last eight months. Two entirely independent productions about the same fiery Canadian redhead in less than a year!

I'm thinking of climbing a wild cherry tree to get away from it all...

• Full House: Only in my wildest teenage dreams could that show have come back, but it has -- as Fuller House for Netflix. It premiered in February, 2016. With 90% of the original cast on board, it is already filming season 3. I don't like it, but... it's there.

• Mystery Science Theater 3000: I could have never imagined it would be back. I resigned myself to enjoying Rifftrax in all its humorous glory. But... they brought it back. The actual show. I mean, there's a new Joel/Mike character, and the bots sound different, and Tom Servo can, um, fly now? But it's still shadows in a theater making fun of cheesy movies, as if they've been carrying on that way for 18 years, no big deal.

Finally, there's...

• Beauty and the Beast. I loved the original. Top 3 films of all time. For years I had wanted, and thought about, a live-action version. Probably ever since they did those live-action 101 Dalmatian movies with Glenn Close in the 90s. I imagined this new BATB being darker than the original, more adult. Angsty. Romantic. Heart-wrenching. Beautiful.

Y u no luv me?

Well, I do know some people who loved it!

Just the other day, it was announced that the 90's cartoon series Animaniacs may be coming back. While that show wasn't one of my personal favorites, it was important to people I know. Maybe those people are currently feeling excited. Or maybe they're feeling the way I am. Which is...

NO. STOP. LEAVE IT ALONE. BACK AWAY, HOLLYWOOD. PUT DOWN THE CAMERA. BACK, I SAY!

*Backs away slowly*

*Hides under a pop culture-less rock*

Mr. Blythe

I used to hate broccoli.

Not anymore.

I also used to have an aversion toward the 1985 Anne Of Green Gables movie. I was six or seven years old when I first saw it, and, I'll be honest, it frightened me. It had a lot of scary parts. Anne falling off the roof... Anne falling down an old well... Anne getting in trouble over and over and over. I used to hate it when kids in movies got in trouble. Trouble was worse than monsters or volcanoes or sharks or even whirlpools.

But after I graduated high school, I began to take a second look at Anne. My mom checked out the audio book of Anne Of Avonlea from the library, my family listened to it on a cross-country road trip... and I found myself laughing. Back at home, I dug out our old VHS tapes of the movies (complete with breaks for the dreaded PBS pledge drives) and began to immerse myself in the two films (the third one was still a year away and... well, that's a whole 'nother topic.)

From there I...

• Read the novels (some multiple times).
• Began watching Road To Avonlea, a spinoff TV series that featured Marilla Cuthbert, Rachel Lynde, and many new characters.
• Planned and took a trip to Prince Edward Island and visited all the Anne-related sites.
• Made this.

As an adult, I looked at Anne much differently than I had as a kid. My seven-year-old self had seen Anne getting into terrible, scary situations. My twentysomething self saw Anne getting into awkward, hilarious predicaments. The plots didn't change... but my perspective did. 

I've had several friends over the years who've been Anne fans alongside me, but Jenn is probably the one with whom I've had the most Anne-related conversations. I remember going to her place a few years ago and watching Anne Of Green Gables: The Sequel... and fast-forwarding through all the Kingsport parts and only watching "the Gilbert Scenes." Anne Of Green Gables: The Gilbert Blythe Edition. This method cuts an hour and a half off the movie, but it is oh, so delightful.

Jenn and I are not alone in our love of Gilbert. He has admirers all over the world. Heck, there's even a song about his awesomeness. And although several actors have portrayed him over the years (for instance this guy, this guy, and also this guy), the only one we truly cared about was this guy.

Jonathan Crombie was Gilbert Blythe. Jonathan Crombie was to Gilbert Blythe what Colin Firth was to Mr. Darcy. Sure, other people have played the character(s), but they were mostly forgettable. Jonathan Crombie was unforgettable. He made Jenn and me smile and *squee* and, on occasion, send each other pictures of him wearing adorable hats.

On April 18, 2015, Anne fans learned the sad news that Jonathan Crombie had died three days prior.

Our hearts were collectively broken.

No, I didn't know Jonathan Crombie. I'd never met him. I know it may seem strange, my sadness. But Jonathan's performance in the Anne movies has amused and entertained me for so many years. I've come to adore him. And now he is gone... his memory forever preserved in two wonderful films and a third film that's... well, nevermind. It exists. I usually avoid it. Moving on.

As Anne and Gilbert's teacher Mr. Phillips once said, "Let us not have tears. Partings are a natural part of life."

And perhaps they are.

But I just know the next time I watch Anne Of Green Gables (and, knowing me, that'll probably be soon)... it's going to be tough.

Prince Edward Island 2008 Trip Blog - Day 4 (Afternoon)

DAY 4 (AFTERNOON)
AVONLEA VILLAGE

CAVENDISH BEACH

ORBY HEAD

& RUSTICO


In the early afternoon on Thursday, we headed to "Avonlea Village," a newer Cavendish attraction. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. You pay to get into the village, which consists of a group of shops and buildings made to look like the town of Avonlea. That in itself would get boring after about ten minutes, but thankfully they have actors dressed up like Anne, Diana, Gilbert, Josie, Matthew, Marilla, Mr. Phillips, Miss Stacey, and some of the others, and they actually get really into their roles. Sometimes they walk around town talking to people, other times they're involved in skits or concerts that are put on throughout the day. I can honestly say, with a little imagination, I felt like I had fallen right into the books. 

Prince Edward Island 2008 Trip Blog - Day 4 (Morning)

DAY 4 (MORNING):
SITE OF L.M. MONTGOMERY'S CAVENDISH HOME
THE "HAUNTED WOOD"

GREEN GABLES

& CAVENDISH

Thursday was our day in Cavendish. It started out cloudy, with showers, but it would improve. We made our first stop at Rachael's Ristorante, a yellow restaurant just off the main corner in Cavendish. Remember how, in the books, Rachel Lynde's house was on the corner at Avonlea crossing? That's kind of what they were going for. Apparently the restaurant was once a house owned by a woman who was L.M. Montgomery's inspiration for Rachel Lynde. I guess it would be easy to be the town gossip queen if you lived in the center of town and saw everything that happened. Anyway, we ate breakfast there, and they had good food. 



Next we decided to visit the site of L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish home, since it was closeby. You go up a dirt driveway and pay to see some interesting things, like an old well and the foundation upon which L.M.'s house once stood. Now, if you recall, we've already been to the home where she was born, but this is (or, rather, was) a house where she lived for a good portion of her life, the home of her grandparents, I believe. (Her mother died when she was young, and her father moved somewhere else; eventually L.M. went to live with him, but that came later.) Once you're at this site, you can follow -- on foot -- a path into some woods, then you can cross the highway and walk through more woods to the Green Gables House. (More on that later.)

Between this site and the Green Gables house is something called the "Haunted Wood." For those of you who haven't read the books or seen the movies, Anne's wild imagination turns one otherwise benign little forest into something creepy and ghostly. These woods were here in L.M.'s time, and were evidently her inspiration for that aspect of the novel. So below you'll see pictures of nature and plaques from both the site of L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish home and the Haunted Wood. Remember, you can click on any photo to enlarge it. 

Prince Edward Island 2008 Trip Blog - Day 3

DAY 3:
NEW LONDON
DALVAY-BY-THE-SEA
& CHARLOTTETOWN

On Wednesday, we had one particular destination in mind: Dalvay-By-The-Sea, a semi-posh, old-fashioned hotel, whose exterior was used in the second AOGG movie and as the "White Sands Hotel" on the TV series Road To Avonlea. During the summer, they have something called the "White Sands Tour and Tea," but they only offer this three days a week -- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We'd be gone by Friday, and we hadn't wanted to schedule anything for Monday, the day we arrived, so Wednesday was our only option. We'd made reservations over a month in advance, but it probably wasn't necessary. That morning at breakfast, we told two of the other B&B-dwellers about it. They decided it sounded like fun, so they drove to Dalvay to see if there was still room on the tour, and there was, so hey.

We drove along Highway 6 to get there, and on our way, we went by the LMM Birthplace again, because I was itching to get a photo of the General Store I'd seen across the street. 

Prince Edward Island 2008 Trip Blog - Day 2

DAY 2:

BORDEN-CARLETON

SUMMERSIDE

Tuesday was rainy again, so we decided to change our original plans. Instead of going into Cavendish on Tuesday, we spent the morning in Borden-Carleton, in a shopping area near the Confederation Bridge. The only reason I knew about the place at all was because one of the shops -- Cavendish Figurines, Ltd. -- was listed on a penny collecting website -- they have an Anne smushed penny machine. I misread the site, however, and thought they were supposed to have 2 machines, and was confused when they just had one. It turns out the other machine was located in the Vistor Information Center, just across the street. Did I go in there? Nope. D'oh! But that's okay, that'll just give me something else to look forward to on my next PEI visit. At least I got the Anne penny, which is the one I wanted anyway. The other penny was for the Confederation Bridge, and even though we were right by the bridge, it was so foggy that day, we couldn't even see it! 

Below are some pictures from around that shopping area. If you're planning a trip to PEI for "Anne" reasons, this place is worth a visit.

Prince Edward Island 2008 Trip Blog - Day 1

So I'm finally getting around to re-posting the blog of my trip to Prince Edward Island from 2008. When I switched hosting companies in 2009 or 2010, the photos I edited specifically for that trip report went into the netherworld, so I'm copying & pasting the text and going through the original photos and trying to match things up.

A bit of an explanation: I've loved Anne Of Green Gables since my early twenties. Even though I watched the Megan Follows movies growing up, I wasn't that into Anne until I became an adult and read the novel and started watching the film regularly. Then it was just love. Because of my fancy for all things Anne, I decided I wanted to go to Prince Edward Island, where the novel is set. The year I decided I wanted to do this just happened to be the 100th anniversary of the book's publication, so it seemed like perfect timing. I began to make plans.

My mom decided she'd like to go, too, so I made plans for two....

Where Are They Now: Minor Made-for-TV-Movie Actors Edition

When I think of all the made-for-TV movies I enjoyed as a kid, it saddens me that so many of the actors have slipped into the depths of obscurity. 

Or have they?

Maybe they've gone on to do great things, just... not in front of the camera. 

Perhaps they've earned university degrees... become directors... raised happy families... or have worked toward solving social problems.

Or maybe they're all dead.

HEY, LET'S FIND OUT TOGETHER!

Here are ten actors from TV-movies from my childhood or youth who I'm curious about.

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1. Schuyler Grant

Known For: Playing Diana Barry in Anne Of Green Gables (1985), Anne Of Green Gables The Sequel (1987), and... that other one. She was originally up for the role of Anne, but was demoted to Diana when the producers decided that the actress playing Anne ought to be Canadian.

Schuyler Then:



Schuyler More Recently:

Yep, she's blonde. And a yoga instructor! It looks as though Schuyler hasn't done much acting besides Anne, save for an episode of Law & Order, a movie I've never heard of, and a brief stint on All My Children. She married in 1995 and has two children. 

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2. Barret Oliver

Known For: Among other things, playing Dickon in The Secret Garden (1987). You also may remember him from D.A.R.Y.L. and The Neverending Story. His last film came out in 1989.

Barret Then:

Barret More Recently:

Uh, nope, sorry, not going to show you the photo I found on Google where -- if that IS indeed him -- he's rocking a hobo beard, and is crushing my childhood... crush. NOPE. WILL NOT ALLOW IT. 

Oh but wait, there's more....

According to Wikipedia: In his teens Oliver left acting to join the Church of Scientology's Sea Org and was stationed at its Gold Base compound.^[4] As is common practice among teenagers in the Sea Org, he married a fellow Scientologist at age 19.^[5][6] He has since divorced.^[7] Later Oliver became a printer and photographer specializing in nineteenth century processes such as collodion and Woodburytype. His work has been displayed in museum and gallery exhibitions and used in films. In 2007 he published A History of the Woodburytype.^[8]

Tears. Cold, brutal tears. MOVING ON....

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3. Sophie Wilcox

Known For: Playing Lucy in the old-school Narnia series (1988-1989)

Sophie Then:

Sophie More Recently:

After Narnia, Sophie seemed to take a break from acting, returning for a brief stint in several 90's projects... then another hiatus... and finally a role in a 2011 film called Gangster Kittens.

Sorry, not those kind of kittens.

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4. Whip Hubley

Known For: His role as Lancelot in the Keshia Knight-Pulliam version of A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court (1989). He also appeared in Top Gun and St. Elmo's Fire.

Whip Then:

Whip More Recently:

Now in his 50's, Whip is still acting. Over the years he's guest-starred on shows like Profiler, The Division, Charmed, The District, and he has a movie coming out this year called Drones. He is married and has three children.

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 6. Lisa Jakub

Known For: Playing the daughter in the 1996 TV-movie Bermuda Triangle. She also played Robin Williams's daughter in Mrs. Doubtfire and appeared in Independence Day.

Lisa Then:

Lisa Now:

Well, check out her website (there's a photo of her there!) According to the site, she is now married, a writer, and enjoys traveling and yoga -- and acting, for her, is a thing of the distant past.

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7. Ciarán McMenamin

Known For: Playing the adult David Copperfield in the 1999 BBC production of, um, David Copperfield.

Ciarán Then:

Ciarán Now:

In 2011, he got the lead role in the fifth season/series of the British TV show Primeval. He has also made a few feature films in recent years, but does not seem to have forgotten his TV-movie respect -- having made half a dozen since Copperfield. Nice, nice....

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8. Jodelle Ferland

Known For: Her portrayal of a young girl who's lost her father in Mermaid (2000). She also played Hollis in Pictures Of Hollis Woods (2007).

Jodelle Then:

Jodelle More Recently:

From a role in the Twilight saga to the voice of Aggie in Paranorman to somewhere around a dozen movies in the last two years alone, yes -- this girl's still acting. She turned 18 in October.

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9. Tasha Scott

Known For: Playing Jennifer, Candace Cameron's cabinmate in the crazypalooza Camp Cucamonga (1990). She also appeared in the legendary Troop Beverly Hills and guest-starred on Full House and Quantum Leap (which lended her some actual cred.)

Tasha Then:

Tasha Now:

A singer (who once competed on Star Search), Tasha has recorded several R&B songs in recent years.

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10. Ryan Merriman

Known For: Being a TV-movie-starring fiend in movies like Everything That Rises (1998), Smart House (1999), The Luck of The Irish (2001), and A Ring Of Endless Light (2002) (and yes, I've seen them all). He also played "Young Jarod" on the TV series The Pretender and I had a huge crush on him, but felt awkward about it because he was -- gasp -- 3 years younger than me!

Ryan Then:

Ryan Now:

Hello.

Still acting, Ryan has seven (7!) movies coming out in 2013. He married at age 21, but is now divorced. He remains attractive.

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(See Also: Where Are They Now: Minor Sitcom Stars Edition)

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