February—The Month of Love

February's blog post is only one day late. Much better than I did with January! 

Ah, February! The month of great loves! With no disrespect to my husband of 34-plus years, I’ve been thinking about the loves of my earlier life. That in turn had me thinking about famous couples. What really started this was the recent death of President Jimmy Carter. He lived to 100 and had a 77-year marriage with his late wife Rosalynn. He first laid eyes on her when she was a newborn and three-year-old Jimmy peeked over her crib. His mother had helped to deliver her.

 

Carter was inspiring both because of his longevity and his marriage. Either one would be worth writing about. Without a long life, it would be difficult to celebrate a very long marriage. But some historical love affairs continue to be remembered because of their greatness, regardless of how long they endured. The earliest couple that comes to my mind is Antony and Cleopatra, made memorable in the 1963 film starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The tumultuous Burton—Taylor affair that ensued (including being twice married to each other) is one of the great love matches of all time.

 

Several other acting couples had love affairs or marriages that we still remember decades later. The most famous is probably Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Both had other marriages and affairs, yet we always think of Bogie and Bacall when we think of great loves. The lyrics of Key Largo play a role in keeping those names paired in our memories.

We had it all
Just like Bogie and Bacall,
Starring in our own late, late show
Sailing away to Key Largo.

 

A more conventional love and marriage of actors worth celebrating is that of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. They were married for 50 years when Paul died in 2008.  Joanne was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease the year before Paul died. At last report, she was in hospice care.

 

We can’t very well talk about Butch Cassidy without mentioning the Sundance Kid. Newman’s costar in that movie also had a long marriage. He and his first wife Lola were together for 28 years. Regrettably, they divorced in 1985. He married again in 2009 and appears to still be with his second wife.

 

Some others in long marriages, unusual for actors, are Denzel and Pauletta Washington, who’ve been married for nearly 40 years. They met on the set of a TV movie in 1977 and started dating a year later. Denzel said Pauletta turned down his marriage proposal twice before accepting it. They married in the ‘80s.

 

Another long-term acting couple are Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. They met in 1981 on the set of a TV comedy and their paths crossed again in 1985 while filming a movie. By 1988 Hanks and Wilson were married, and they've been together ever since. That’s 36 years!

 

One long lasting love that can’t easily be categorized is that of Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham. They met in 1986 and have been together since then. Winfrey has talked about why they haven't married even after she accepted Stedman’s proposal. “I wanted to know he felt I was worthy of being his missus, but I didn't want the sacrifices, the compromises, the day-in-day-out commitment required to make a marriage work." For a relationship to last 38 years even without “a ring on it” clearly meant compromises and commitment, though perhaps not day-in-day-out.

 

Politics can also support great loves. Barack and Michelle Obama, President and First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, met when they were both working at a law firm in Chicago. They married in 1992. The Obamas often speak about their marriage of 32 years, including how their relationship continues to flourish now outside of the White House.

 

The music entertainment field is not normally conducive to long relationships, what with touring and hangers-on. Country music's most iconic couple, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, have put the lie to that. They’ve been together for more than 28 years. They met for the first time in 1994, married in 1996, and have since had three children. Garth Brooks and Tricia Yearwood are another long-married country music couple, though not as long as Tim and Faith. Garth and Tricia have been together since 2005.

 

You can no doubt think of other couples that can celebrate great loves. They’re all around us. Perhaps you’re in one yourself. If so, congratulations! If not, it’s never too late to begin one and February is the perfect month to do it!

 

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