There was a yard sale of sorts at a local university the other day held by their theater department. I didn't think I'd find too much I would like, given that there are only a handful of stage productions I like. But HOORAY for me there was a goldmine of classic hollywood swag!
One of my favorite purchases was a magazine from the summer of 1971 called "Screen Greats: Hollywood Nostalgia." There are a TON of pictures inside of classic film stars and a where-are-they-now type of approach where they have some photos of those same film stars in the present day.
Greta Garbo....
Barbara Stanwyck...
Jimmy Stewart....
Rosalind Russell...
Joan Crawford and Betty Davis...
Slick article on June Allyson and Mae West... Good Girl, Bad Girl!
I'll upload more photos of this mag as I pore through it! :)
Sailing from Miami to Key West and Cozumel, the TCM Classic Cruise will be filled with film screenings, trivia, and special events with Robert Osbourne and Ben Mankiewicz. For more info check out: http://www.tcmcruise.com/
85 year old actor Farley Granger has passed away. Probably most known for his role in the Hitchcock thriller Strangers on a Train (1951), Granger's career spanned many years across film, television, and he even Broadway. One interesting tidbit I just learned was that Granger had been given a role in the Academy Award winning film The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) playing a character with cerebral palsy, but then the powers that be decided that a wounded war veteran would be a better fit for the movie, so they cast real life vet Harold Russell instead.
Granger has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to television, at 1551 Vine Street.
So I recently came across a few photos of June Lang and WOW what a beauty! I think the only movie of note that she did that I actually saw was Wee Willie Winkie (1937), but that was due to it being a Shirley Temple flick. I didn't actually know much about this stunning actress, so after doing a bit of reading on her I found out some interesting factoids.
Apparently she isn't THAT well known as it's possible an ill-fated marriage caused her to lose film work and possibly even be the reason she was let go from her studio contract. In 1940 she married a known mobster named Johnny Roselli. Roselli had a long list of frowned upon behavior, such as extortion, racketeering, and even murder. While they were only married for three years, apparently that was long enough for her reputation to be tarnished to the point that her studio dropped her and she struggled finding work from that point on. Why do we ladies always go for the bad boys? ;)
In any case, I can't help but wonder if she could have grown past the B roles she was typically given and had a remarkable career had reputation not been such a make or break you thing back in the day. Here are some photos of her, such a beautiful lady...
I just came across this awesome photo of my favorite actress Claudette Colbert, from the movieHis Lady (1931). I love how in this photo she's expressing timidity but yet at the same time lots of sex appeal. The good/bad girl if you will, one after my own heart, which considering the storyline of His Lady makes perfect sense. Thanks to the Valentino Vamp over at Tumblr for this find.
Ahhh so I see there is a remake in the works of the 1945 classic Mildred Pierce, starring Joan Crawford. This time around it will take the form of a mini-series starring the ever AWESOME Kate Winslet. Guy Pierce is also starring and I must say everything I've ever seen him do has really impressed me, not to mention YUM!
I came across this old Lucky Strike advertisement from 1930 and thought the text was hiLARious!
"Avoid That Future Shadow by refraining from over-indulgence, if you would maintain the modern figure of fashion.We do not represent that smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes will bring modern figures or cause the reduction of flesh. We do declare that when tempted to do yourself too well, if you will "reach for a Lucky" instead, you will thus avoid over-indulgence in things that cause excess weight and, by avoiding over-indulgence, maintain a modern graceful form."
So basically, instead of eating smoke some cigarettes! (Kate Moss anyone?)
I always wonder that since back in the day people didn't know that smoking could cause major health issues, that some of the things that we are currently eating, drinking, pill popping, injecting (BOTOX?!) could also one day be put in the same category as cigarettes. I tend to be wary of anything that comes out that hasn't been used for too long, and I know I for one won't be doing any Botox injections any time soon!
Have you all heard about TCM's Road to Hollywood? Twitter was all a-buzz yesterday as they were giving away some meet and greet passes to yesterday's stop - Cleveland. They are traveling around to a handful of U.S. cities and showing classic film screenings, and it says that they will be presented by hosts Robert Osborne or Ben Mankiewicz. I checked the schedule and lo and behold they will have one (relatively) near me in Los Angeles!
Trending on Twitter today: Angela Lansbury. Of course I immediately thought the worst as did apparently many other people!
She had just taken part in the Society of London Theaters' (SOLT) 2011 Olivier awards, held at the Theater Royal Drury Lane, which is why I'm guessing her name popped up on Twitter... which then took a life of it's own as people started wondering if she had died!
I'm so glad this is becoming an annual event! Last year's party was so much fun so we were definitely looking forward to another great bash! The Fedoras and Flappers party is a charity fundraising event, raising money for the It's All About the Kids organization. What's better than to don our 1920's garb and travel back in time to a Roaring '20s speakeasy, and helping a great cause at the same time?!
I can't wait for the next one, although my roulette skills are going to need a little polishing before then hehe....
Me and my honey, lookin' sharp!
Loving everyone's style!
The food was yummy, but ran out early. Nice side shot of my bob wig though!
How awesome is this?! I went to this party last year and it was amazing. So many guys dressed up in old school military uniforms, even a couple of nurses, and the rest of us in 1940's style garb. Big band orchestra, and even dance lessons during the band's set breaks!
Not sure if I will be partaking this year due to my insanity of a work/school schedule, but if any of you are in the San Diego area you should definitely check this event out!
I first heard the song "After You've Gone" during the closing credits of the movie The Cats Meow (2001) which starred Kirsten Dunst. The movie, while not particularly good in script nor acting, was still an entertaining watch because of the stunning costumes, great soundtrack, and intriguing subject matter. It dealt with the conspiracy theories surrounding what could have happened aboard a getaway weekend on William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924, when movie producer Thomas Ince turned up dead.
Officially they say he died of heart trouble, but because of the fishy nature of his death and the fact that everyone aboard was sworn to secrecy, not to mention a couple of the ladies ended up on the payroll of Hearst, many thought he was accidentally shot and killed by Hearst himself. Rent the movie if you haven't seen it, again while not the best quality cinema it's still entertaining.
In any case, back to "After You've Gone". I really loved this tune playing during the closing credits, and turns out it was Kirsten Dunst herself who did the vocals for this version. Very nice set of pipes she's got! I ended up searching more about the song and came across this AWESOME cover done by the great Fiona Apple. She totally makes the song her own, I LOVE IT!
... is on TV right now, and I'm totally crying at the part when Fred is sleeping at the family's apartment and having a nightmare about the war and he's crying while Peggy's comforting him. BWWAAAAAHHH!
I've seen this movie many times before so I don't know why all of a sudden I'm crying!
She was a GORGEOUS actress, and personally I enjoyed her early films, even though apparently she grew tired of how she was typecast and eventually turned her back on her career and Hollywood. Most will now remember her as the actress who played the older Rose in Titanic, but I still remember her as the beautiful blonde actress from the 30's, with my personal best memory being from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm as we watched that movie many times over when we were kids.
Rest in peace Gloria, we sure liked your movies <3
I'm a child of the 80's also in love with a few decades I grew up nowhere near. I can't seem to get enough of the films, the music, and the classic style of the 20s-40s and started this homage as an outlet for myself and others who feel the same. xoxo!
