THE LOST VALENTINE

I have meant to write about this movie for television earlier but that Nook is addictive and I have been filling my extra time with researching a nonfiction inspirational book that has been hovering in my mind for several years. It may get off the ground--at least the beginning--soon.

Last Sunday I proved to myself once again that I'm a sucker for down home, sentimental, cry-at-the-end movies. I also confirmed my love for Betty White as an actress is not misplaced. She may be 88--or is it 89?--but she hasn't slipped a bit.

I always enjoyed her for years when she was a panelist on a rather silly game show. She kept me in stitches as the homemaker/cooking TV lady on The Mary Tyler Moore show, and dingy Rose was a perfect character on the Golden Girls. But too many of us remember those hilarious parts and don't give her credit as a serious actress.

"The Lost Valentine" was predictable, to a point, I will admit. Parts of the story were standard but Betty White's portrayal was anything but. As the widow of a WW II soldier, MIA in Asia for over sixty years, her character was very real-life and touching.

I won't spoil the story, or the ending, for anyone who might watch the reruns of this movie, but I will urge anyone who likes a "feel good" story to see it. "The Lost Valentine should become one of the classics, shown every February to prove once again that true love never dies. Heaven knows, we have seen enough of those Christmas movies shown over and over each season; let's have some favorites for other seasons, too.

Betty White's smile isn't the only thing that shines through the screen. Her heart is right there for all to see.