And giving a nod, once again, to whatever gods are responsible for inventing basic cable, we note (without exactly giving thanks) that Turner Classic Movies is running a Kay Francis film festival tonight. The not giving thanks thing isn't really mysterious; as you can see, Francis was an absolute stunner, and she was the biggest star at Warner Brothers before the advent of Bette Davis, but there's a reason she's not a household word today, and that's because very few of her films are particularly memorable. Still, if you're looking for an excuse not to watch tonight's Republican Convention (and who amongst us isn't?) you could do worse than to check it out. The Francis Fest begins at 8:00 pm (EST) with probably the most interesting flick of the bunch -- the early (1930) pre-code talkie Raffles, with Kay as a socialite who romances upper crust jewel thief Ronald Colman. The real curiosity, however, starts at 11:45 -- Divorce (1945), one of the few A-pictures made at Poverty Row studio Monogram.

Something interesting I already knew about Francis: Her dark good looks spawned rumors over the years that she was part African-American. Something interesting I learned about Francis after a web-search today: She was 5'9'' in her stocking feet, which made her, at the (you should pardon the expression) height of her fame, the tallest leading lady in Hollywood. Something else I learned today and don't know quite what to think of: Because of a slight, but noticeable, speech impediment she was referred to in Hollywood as ""Wavishing Kay Fwancis."

Coming tomorrow: a YouTube clip of lateral lisp-sufferer Boris Karloff attempting to say "Have some antipasto!"