I love you Grandma Jan! Get well soon!

Grandma Jan

Rough day today. I just found out my Grandma Jan has cancer. She is like a mother to me, since my sister, mother, and I lived with her and Gramps from when I was 4 to 12 after my folks divorced and before my mom remarried, so this is really tough for me. She is a total inspiration to me and has always been so kind, praying for me, giving me support, making meals for me if I don't have enough food, making or buying clothes for me if I need them, I could go on and on.

She is the toughest person I know. She grew up on a farm in Iowa. Her father was a moonshine maker and left the family during the depression. They always had food on the table, but it was rough. She survived a terrible case of Scarlet Fever as a child, the scars of which she still bears today.

She met my Grandpa Leo during WWII. They moved to the Twin Cities when he contracted polio. They thought he wasn't going to live, but she went to church every day to pray for him, and they are both still as feisty as ever!

Grandpa Leo

Just wanted to give you guys a headsup if there is a lack of posting these next few days. Thanks for understanding.

Constance Bennett gets a yummy diet

Madame Sylvia suggested this diet for Constance Bennett to fatten her up:

Breakfast

Glass of Orange Juice

Dish of hominy mixed with one over-ripe sliced banana with cream and sugar

Glass of certified milk (half milk/half cream)

Luncheon

Half avocado (alligator pear) on lettuce with mayonnaise (made in your own kitchen)

3 heaping Tablespoons of turnips en puree

3 heaping Tablespoons of fresh green peas

2 slices of whole wheat toast with plenty of fresh butter

1 dish stewed fruit

1 glass certified milk

Dinner

1 cup creamed fresh tomato soup

Mixed grill of lamp chops, kidneys, two strips of crisp bacon

Beets in fresh melted butter (make by the heat of the served dish)

Mashed potatoes

Cup of custard, vanilla sauce (the egg for the custard to be less than one day old)

Black Coffee

Recipes

Stewed Fruit
1. Cook the fruit whole, except those that must be peeled and cored
2. Cover with cold sugared water
3. Bring to a boil. Then take off the fire immediately and cool

Constance Bennett's diet sounds yummy! No wonder I like it, it's supposed to be fattening.

What should Gorgeous Gloria Swanson Eat?

Madame Sylvia recommended this diet for Gloria Swanson in Hollywood Undressed. Madame Sylvia described it as a "typical meal for nourishing the Nerves, while causing no increase in weight" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 195). As someone who has a case of "the nerves", I was curious about it.

Breakfast/Luncheon
Half Grapefruit
Small dish of Fresh Figs
3 slices of Calf's Liver
2 slices of Crisp Rye Bread with Thin Butter
1 dish of Fresh Raspberries
Plain cup of Tea with 1 Lump Sugar

Only one meal for our poor Gloria in the first half of the day. I definitely could not do it! I could eat everything - except the calf's liver. What is it with liver in the 20s diet? And at least Gloria gets a little butter!

Dinner
Broth
Roast Pheasant or Chicken; or Boiled Fish
2 Tablespoons Mashed Turnips
2 Tablespoons of String Beans
Can substitute 2 Scoops of Noodles with Melted Butter for Turnips or String Beans
Pickled Beets
Sherbet
Black Coffee

I've never had Pheasant, so I can't comment on that (I've heard it's fantastic). I would definitely be willing to eat Gloria's dinner - minus the pickled beets. My mom adores Pickled Beets on Toast and have trauma about being asked to eat it as a child. Can't bring myself to eat it. And she even gets a little dessert - how cool is that?

Recipes

CALF"S LIVER WITH BACON
Ingredients
2 pounds calf's liver, cut into 6 pieces
1 cup whole milk
8 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon beef broth

Directions
1. In a large glass baking dish, add liver and milk and let soak for 20 minutes.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add bacon and butter and cook until fat has rendered, about 6 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and reserve 3 tablespoons fat in skillet. Reserve remaining fat.
3. Cook onions with salt and pepper, to taste, in bacon fat in skillet over moderate heat for 10 minutes or until caramelized. Transfer onions to a bowl and add bacon. Set aside.
4. Pat liver dry and discard milk. In a large zip-top bag, add flour, Essence, salt and pepper. Working in batches, add liver and shake to coat. Set aside on baking sheet until ready to cook.
5. Add 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat to skillet over high heat and add liver; cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Turn liver over, remove pan from heat, add sherry and beef broth, return pan to heat and shake and flambe. Cook on second side for about 2 minutes or until cooked through. Serve liver with pan sauce, topped with onions and bacon.

ROAST PHEASANT WITH WHISKY CUMBERLAND SAUCE
Ingredients
1/4 cup Scotch whisky
2 oranges, cut into 1/8ths
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 (2 to 2 1/2-pound) pheasants
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 slices bacon, halved

Whisky-Cumberland Sauce:
1 cup Scotch whisky
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 cup red currant jelly
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne

Directions
1. For the pheasant: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, toss the oranges with 3 tablespoons of the whisky. Rub the pheasants with the remaining 1 tablespoon of whisky and lightly season with salt and pepper. Stuff each pheasant with the oranges and 1 sprig of fresh thyme, and close the cavities with skewers. Wrap the breast of each pheasant with the bacon and set in a roasting pan. Roast the pheasants until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees F., about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes.
3. For the Whisky Cumberland Sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the whisky, orange juice, and orange zest, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 50 percent in volume to about 3/4 cup. Add the currant jelly, salt, and cayenne, and stir well.
4. Cook until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a decorative bowl. Cool slightly before serving.
5. Remove the bacon from the pheasant breasts, if desired, and cut each bird in half. Discard the oranges and thyme in the cavity. Serve hot with Whisky-Cumberland Sauce and wild rice.


PICKLED BEETS
Ingredients
2 pounds whole beets
1 cup water
Salt
3 cups apple cider
1 quart size preserving jar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the beets in a small roasting pan. Add the water to the pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place in the oven and cook until the beets are fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes, reserving the liquid. Remove the skins from the beets and slice 1/4 inch thick. Season the beets with salt. In a saucepan, heat the reserved beet juice and vinegar, over medium heat. Sterilize 1 quart-size preserving jar in boiling water and keep hot. Soak the lids in the boiling water and keep hot. Pack the jar tightly with the beets. Pour hot liquid over the beets, adding enough of the liquid to come within 1/2-inch of the top. With a clean, damp towel, wipe the rim and fit with a hot lid. Tightly screw on the metal ring and process in a hot-water bath for 15 minutes. Using tongs, remove the jar, place on a towel and let cool. Test seal. Tighten the ring. Store in a cool dry place. Let age for 2 weeks.


MASHED TURNIPS
Water
2 1/2 lbs. turnips, peeled and diced
1/4 c. butter
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
Parsley for garnish

Directions
Heat turnips to boiling in water. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and drain. Mash; add butter, salt, sugar, pepper. Stir until well mixed. Serve garnished with parsley.

BOILED FISH
Double fillet Northern so there are NO bones. Cut into bite size pieces. In large kettle 2/3 cup full of water and add 1/2 cup salt, bay leaf, minced garlic and minced onion. Drop fish into boiling water. When fish floats to top its done. Dip in melted butter to taste.

Up next: How to bulk up Constance Bennett

Sylvia's diet for Ina Claire

Madame Sylvia created this diet for Ina Claire. She referred to it as a diet for those that are overweight and anemic. I have to say, I could hardly eat any of this diet. Not sure what Ina Claire did to Sylvia, but the thought of eating most of this stuff makes me ill. Yuck! I could probably eat only the breakfast and the veggies. The liver extract sounds particularly unappealing to me.

Breakfast
Small glass of Grapefruit Juice
2 Tablespoons of one of the Baked Patent Cereals with a Glass of Skimmed Milk
Tea with 1 Lump Sugar

Luncheon
Salad of Cottage Cheese with Shredded Pineapple - No Dressing
Cup of Broth with Liver Extract (hot or jellied)
2 Tablespoons of Carrots
2 Tablespoons Spinach
1 Tablespoon Peas
Apple Mold

Dinner
Celery
Sweetbreads with Truffles (The thymus gland or pancreas of a young animal, especially a calf or lamb, used for food)
3 heaping spoonfuls of String Beans
2 heaping spoonfuls of Summer Squash
Tomato Jelly with Diet Dressing
Stewed Fruit
Black Coffee

The Recipes

BAKED CEREAL
1/2 cup whole wheat
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup oat groats
1/2 cup millet
3/4 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 cups water

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a 2 quart casserole. Cover with a glass lid or aluminum foil. Bake overnight at 150 degrees to 200 degrees. Serve with honey and milk. Refrigerate unused portion in an airtight container.


Liver Extract
1. Chop up a cow's liver, cover with cold water, bringing to a boil and simmer for 3 to 4 hours
2. The brew obtained from the liver is combined, half and half, with the broth of vegetables of meat, and is the element of the diet which is the most effective counter-agent against anemia


Apple Mold
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups boiling water
1 pkg. (8-serving size) JELL-O Brand Lemon Flavor Gelatin
2 cups cold apple juice
1 small green apple, chopped
1 small red apple, chopped

Directions:
1. Stir boiling water into dry gelatin in large bowl at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in cold juice. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression).
2. When thickened, stir in apples.
3. Pour into 6-cup mold sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Unmold onto serving plate. Garnish as desired.
5. Store leftover gelatin in refrigerator.


Tomato Jelly
1 3/4 cups canned tomato juice
1/2 cup strained fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
4 cups sugar
1 pouch (3 oz.) liquid fruit pectin

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients except pectin.
2. Stir over high heat until mixture reaches a full boil. Stir in pectin and bring again to a full boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat. Stir and skim for about 3 minutes.
4. Pour into sterile jars, leaving 1/8" headspace. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids and rings. Water bath 5 minutes.

This jelly is equally good served with meats or spread on hot bread.


French Dressing (According to Madame Sylvia - Not French Dressing as we know it today)
Olive Oil
Vinegar
Salt and Pepper


Diet Dressing
Mineral Oil
Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper

Up next - Gloria Swanson's Diet for "The Nerves"

Lawrence Tibbett has 2 Diets

One of my favorite opera stars, Lawrence Tibbett, was prescribed a diet from our dear Madame Sylvia, Masseuse to the Stars and author of Hollywood Undressed. She prescribed 2 diets. One was for when performing, and one for when he wasn't. With both diets, Lawrence was supposed to drink "part of a glass of grapefruit juice 1/2 hour before breakfast" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 189). Not sure what this was supposed to do, but with Madame, there is a reason somewhere.

Let's start with the At Play Diet:

1960s Pabst Beer ad with Mr and Mrs Lawrence Tibbett

Breakfast

All Fruit Breakfast (Fresh Figs or any other In Season Fruit)

1 glass Warm Milk

Mr and Mrs Tibbett in a 1903 Electric Car from a friend's car collection

Luncheon

Avocado Salad

Whole Wheat Toast

My favorite Tibbett photo, from 1946 in Palm Beach Florida

See, even Opera Stars can Play :)

Dinner

Avocado Cocktail with Thousand Island Dressing (I assume this is some kind of salad)

Plain Tomato Soup with Celery - No Crackers

Rare Roast Beef

Potatoes, Mashed with Cream and Butter

Corn on the Cob

Toast - no Coffee

Combination Salad - Tomatoes, Water Cress, Romaine, Celery, Onion, Cucumber, Raw Carrots, Raw Cabbage, and Mayonnaise

Blackberry or Peach Cobbler

And when performing, this is what Madame Sylvia ordered:

Performing on Your Hit Parade in the 1930s

Breakfast

2 Poached Eggs

Thin, Buttered Whole Wheat Toast

Crisp Bacon

Warm Milk

Laurel and Hardy and Lawrence Tibbett from the lost film, Rogue Song (1930). For a surviving clip, see clip below.

Luncheon

NONE - Way harsh Madame Sylvia! Why won't poor Sylvia let our boy eat?

Funny cartoon of Lawrence by the famous Disney animator who created characters the shorts for Tortoise and the Hare and Who Killed Cock Robin

Dinner
*Eat 5 hours before a performance. - Again, pretty harsh Sylvia. Poor Lawrence will fade away!

Puree of Spinach
Fresh Peas
2 Lamb Chops
Head of Lettuce with dressing of Italian (Olive Oil, Lemon, and Salt)
Thin Whole Wheat Toast
1 Glass of Milk

I'll be honest here, I don't think I could handle these diets. I like lunch too much - and then at night there is a ton of food. You'd probably need it after being starved all day!

Did you guess the answer to the previous Lawrence Tibbett question? The question was what has Lawrence accomplished that only 5 other actors have before?

The answer - Been nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for their first role

Up next, what does Madame Sylvia suggest for Ina Claire's Diet?

Mary Duncan's Diet

Madame Sylvia created a diet for Mary Duncan she described as "A diet for adolescents inclined to plumpness" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 186).

Breakfast

1/2 Grapefruit

2 slices of crisp rye toast with thin butter

1 cup coffee, clear

Luncheon

1/2 Cantaloupe

1 broiled lamb chop

4 heaping Tablespoonfuls of Cauliflower

2 heaping Tablespoonfuls of Summer Squash

2 Leaves of Lettuce

3 slices of Tomato, diet dressing

1/2 slice whole wheat toast, no butter

1 cup coffee, clear

Dinner

1 Tomato Juice Cocktail

Russian Salad, Diet Dressing

1 slice of Roast Beef or 2 slices of Roast Lamb with "lean" gravy

3 heaping Tablespoons of Spinach

2 heaping Tablespoons of Brussel Sprouts

1/2 slice of Whole Wheat Toast

1 small dish of Strawberries

1 glass of Skimmed Milk

Demitasse Coffee

I think Madame Sylvia's diet for Mary Duncan sounds pretty decent. Some of the quantities seem strange like only 2 leaves of lettuce with lunch, but there must be some reason for it.

For a good post on Mary Duncan, check it out from one of my fav sites, Allure:

http://operator_99.blogspot.com/2007/01/mary-duncan.html

Next up - Why does Lawrence Tibbett need 2 diets?

Mae Murray's Weight Loss DIet

Madame Sylvia created quite a different diet for star Mae Murray. Mae wanted to stay slim, so her diet reflects that.

Breakfast

1 small glass of grapefruit juice

1 slice of whole wheat toast

1 glass of skimmed milk

1 cup coffee, clear

Luncheon

1 cup of broth

1 slice of broiled calf's liver

3 heaping Tablespoons of spinach

1 small baked potato

1 cup of custard with 1 spoonful of fruit juice

1 cup of tea, clear

Dinner

1 fruit cocktail

1 cup vegetable soup

1 small broiled steak

3 heaping Tablespoons carrots

3 heaping Tablespoons fresh peas

1 small dish fresh berries

1 glass of skimmed milk

1 demitasse of coffee

As a whole, it's more than I usually eat. Not sure how it is diet food, but it sounds good. Minus the liver at lunch. My grandma loves liver, but just the thought is not appetizing to me at all.

Up next - What should Mary Duncan eat?

Marie Dressler's "As Is" Diet

Marie Dressler, as we all know, was known for having a bit of heft to her. As an older actress, she saw her fat as her ticket to fame. But she did not want to be unhealthy either. To create a perfect balance, our Madame Sylvia prescribed her a diet that would protect Marie's "best asset".

Breakfast
1 small glass orange juice
2 thing slices of crisp bacon
1 soft boiled egg
1 cup of coffee with 1 lump sugar, little cream



Luncheon
1 cup consomme
1 mixed fruit salad, no dressing
1 broiled lamb chop
2 heaping Tablespoons fresh peas
3 heaping Tablespoons carrots
1 small glass of fruit jello
1 cup tea with lemon



Dinner
1 cup of broth
1 seafood cocktail
2 thin slices roast beef
20 stalks thin green asparagus
Fresh fruit (no bananas)
Demitasse coffee



Madame Sylvia gave Marie a very decent sounding diet. I could eat everything, not necessarily the quantity asked, but everything looks pretty good.

For some cool color photos of Marie, check out one of my favorite sites, Claroscureaux: http://claroscureaux.blogspot.com/2009/11/divine-lady.html

Up next - What should Mae Murray eat?

Grace Moore Refuses Madame Sylvia's Services

After evaluating Grace Moore, Madame Sylvia concluded that Grace sat too much, and it messed her up. Grace refused to listen to Sylvia stating, "Well my tests at MGM were pronounced perfect. And I did one whole scene in profile" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 163).

What Grace didn't know was that MGM thought Grace's middle was not up to shape, and asked Sylvia to help her. Grace didn't like the first treatment with Madame Sylvia, so MGM cancelled Sylvia's services. Turns out Grace had quite a bit of clout!

Needless to say, after this Madame Sylvia wanted little to do with Grace Moore. Grace, ever wanting to be the popular hostess, invited Sylvia to a hilltop party. Grace would have MGM send over the lion, and Beatrice Lille would be there. Sylvia hung up on her after saying, "And I'm supposed to be part of the menagerie?" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 164).


Up next: What kind of diet does Marie Dressler follow to stay "in shape"?

Thanks for the Award LaPetiteMort!

I'd just like to thank LaPetiteMort http://lapetitemort73.blogspot.com/ for the blog award. Had a rough day today, so I really appreciate it.

Got demoted a few months ago for bogus reasons, and I filed a complaint, including some discriminatory things my supervisor did to me. The investigation was finished today, and my employer found that some of my complaints were verified and my old supervisor did violate the ADA. Unfortunately I will not get my position back and there will be no punishment for my old supervisor. On one hand I feel vindicated, on the other hand I loved my job and my professional reputation is ruined :(

On a happy note, my site is up to a Fabulous 70 Followers! Thanks so much to all my fabulous followers! I adore you all!

Vivienne Segal/Grace Moore Slabfight!

Vivienne Segal (April 19, 1897 - December 29, 1992) was a musical and Broadway star. She made only 5 Hollywood films, generally considered duds. She left Hollywood to return to Broadway in 1934 and because a big Broadway star. One of the things she is best known for is originating the role of Vera Simpson in Pal Joey on Broadway.

During her brief stint in Hollywood, She had a brief war with Grace Moore. Vivienne and Grace were both seeing Madame Sylvia, our Masseuse to the Stars. One day, Grace had a 5 PM appointment, while Vivienne had a 4:30 PM appointment. Vivienne was running a little late and went over her massage time.

Vivienne and Grace Moore had been on poor terms to begin with because Vivienne had fired her manager (who subsequently sued Vivienne for damages) and Grace Moore went out and hired Vivienne's old manager right away.

Anyway, Grace came in with her usual fanfare at 5 PM for her appointment and Vivenne was still on the massage slab. Grace and Vivienne had a massive argument. Vivienne, naturally, wanting to upset Grace even more so she took her sweet time getting dressed and powdered super slowly to make Grace extra mad. From then on, Grace Moore and Vivienne Segal's appointments were scheduled FAR apart.

Note - All photos in this post are of Vivienne Segal


Nest up - Grace thinks she doesn't need Sylvia's help, but could her career be in jeopardy without Sylvia's help?

Grace Moore - Ultimate Hollywood Hostess?

Grace Moore, who held honors in musical comedy and opera, was naturally noticed by Hollywood. She came out to Hollywood with cars full of secretaries, cats, maids, dogs, handboxes and singing teachers (Hollywood Undressed, Page 157). Not exactly sure what handboxes are. I found everything from tools to blood collectors to luggage that were called handboxes. I'm hoping it's luggage :) If anyone knows, please share with us. Grace went everywhere with her handmaids and secretaries.

According to Madame Sylvia, our Masseuse to the Stars, she wanted to upstage Gloria Swanson as most popular hostess. Surprise, surprise Gloria Swanson did not get along with Grace Moore. Could it be because Gene Markey passed up an evening of charades at Gloria's house in order to take Grace flowers?

Up next - Gorgeous Grace and Vivienne Segal fight on the slab

What is wrong with Constance Bennett?

According to our masseuse Madame Sylvia, the studio believed there was something wrong with Constance Bennett. They thought she looked sick, but was afraid to say anything. To try to figure out what was going on, Sylvia and her crew, set a trap. Joe Kennedy had a dinner party with Gloria Swanson, Laura Hope Crews, some gents, and Constance Bennett. Sylvia was invited, so she could try to figure out what was wrong with Connie.

The problem was she looked sick, her face was skinny, and her vertebrae showed. These days Hollywood would give her a medal, not be concerned about her! Because of her appearance, Connie's first talkie Rich People (1929), was postponed.

According to our Masseuse to the Stars, Madame Sylvia, Constance Bennett was "high-bred, high-strung, restless, and jumpy as a flea" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 137) before she started working on her. Madame Sylvia started giving her nightly rubdowns to help Connie sleep.


And it's no surprise, Gloria Swanson and Connie Bennett hated each other. To keep Madame Sylvia on her side, Connie offered to introduce Sylvia to royalty and invited Sylvia to accompany her to Europe. Gloria Swanson freaked out and Joe Kennedy chewed poor Constance out!

Madame Sylvia decided not to go on the European trip, even though Connie also tried to bribe her with her Sapphire ring! Who could say no to a European trip and a fabulous Sapphire Ring? I know I couldn't! Poor Constance went to Europe without Sylvia and came back with a child.


Up next - Grace Moore tries to upstage Gloria Swanson

Why does Alan Hale Sr want to wear Billy Boyd's Pants?

Alan Hale Sr (February 10, 1892 - January 22, 1950) is probably best known as the father of Alan Hale Jr who was Skipper on Gilligan's Island. He was known as a great character actor, acting during both the silent and sound era in 107 films total.

Alan Hale Sr make a brief appearance in Hollywood Undressed, by masseuse Madame Sylvia. Alan was going to be a sailor in a film. He wanted to use Billy Boyd's sailor pants because Alan thought they were lucky. I wasn't able to determine which Billy Boyd he was referring to. There were two William Boyds acting during the time: William Boyd, most famous as Hopalong Cassidy; and William "Stage" Boyd who was arrested during prohibition for drugs and alcohol (incidentally adversely affecting both William Boyds because the newspapers would mix them up)

William Boyd, aka Hopalong Cassidy

William "Stage" Boyd with Barbara Stanwyck




Back to our story, Alan Hale didn't fit in Billy Boyd's sailor pants, so masseuse Madame Sylvia began working on Alan - but only did one side before Gloria Swanson dragged her away. As we know from previous posts, Gloria got top priority with Madame Sylvia. Madame Sylvia wrote, "To this day he claims that his two halves don't match" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 131).



Some Alan Hale Sr Trivia:

• Was buds with Errol Flynn and had supporting roles or cameos in 13 of Errol's films
• He holds the record for appearing as Little John in separate film productions: 3
  

Up next: Constance Bennet looks a little creepy

Ann Harding Needs to be Drowned Out

While Madame Sylvia was under contract to Pathe studios, she was housed in a stucco shack. It was affectionately called "The Torture Chamber" (for obvious reasons).

Actress Ann Harding is one of the reasons the building was christened "The Torture Chamber". Ann's husband Harry Bannister would be present at all of Ann's treatments to help out. Ann was much more vocal than any of Madame Sylvia's other clients when she was receiving her massage treatment.

Harry Bannister and Ann Harding

Ann's husband Harry would stand outside the "Torture Chamber" and smoke nervously. He would come in and make Sylvia stop the massage if he heard Ann cry out.

Ann Harding's screaming bothered everyone who walked by or had offices near the "Torture Chamber". Because of this, a radio with a loudspeaker had to be installed in the shack to drown out poor Ann's screams. The things we do for beauty!

Up next: Alan Hale needs help getting in his britches

Joe Kennedy issues our Madame Sylvia a Test

Madame Sylvia, our masseuse to the stars, was offered $750 a week by Joe Kennedy to work exclusively for Pathe (basically to take care of Gloria Swanson), others at Pathe studio if Gloria didn't need her, and anyone else if there was time.

Joe Kennedy in the 1920s

Before Joe Kennedy would sign the contract, Madame Sylvia was given a test. The test - find out what Joe Kennedy's physical problem was without being told by anyone. Sylvia was allowed to use her massage magic to find the answer - but nothing else.

Gloria Swanson and Joe Kennedy





Thankfully, Madame Sylvia prevailed. Joe Kennedy had flat feet.




Gloria Swanson and Joe Kennedy's Love Nest

Once Sylvia passed the test, Joe Kennedy bragged about her massages. Other executives at Pathe wanted to use her services. The executives used so much of Sylvia's time that Helen Twelvetrees, Carole Lombard, Ilka Chase, and even Gloria Swanson had to wait til late in the evening before they could get a massage!

Gloria Swanson

Up next: Ann Harding enters "The Torture Chamber"

Did Madame Sylvia give Norma Shearer paralysis?

Just like to give everyone a quick reminder about my recent posts, since there seems to be some confusion. Per the vote, I'm doing a series of posts based on the observations of masseuse to the stars, Madame Sylvia, from her 1931 book Hollywood Undressed: Observations of Sylvia Ullback as noted by her Secretary. The stories involve her interactions with her famous clients and things she may have overheard and ventures she was a part of. Sorry if there is some confusion. Many of the aspects of the book can not be verified (except for things like who married whom), the majority is unverifiable because it is gossip and I haven't been able to get a hold of other sources to verify Sylvia's stories. Please keep that in mind when reading, but I am enjoying the gossip and learning about new people and I hope you all are too!

Hedda Hopper steered Norma Shearer to Sylvia. Norma was getting "stringy, muscular, and jumpy from playing a lot of tennis" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 117). Madame Sylvia's prescription was to give her a two hour massage.

Well, Norma and her hubby Irving Thalberg were upset because the day after the treatment from Madame Sylvia, Norma woke up with red ruffles all over her body, and they thought that Sylvia gave poor Norma paralysis!

Well, it turned out that Norma had slept on a towel and it got her skin all wrinkly. Even fabulous stars can make mistakes. Unfortunately, it took a while to convince Norma to let Sylvia treat her again.

Next up - Madame Sylvia's contract at Pathe Studios keeps her busy not only with stars, but executives too!

Madame Sylvia meets Gloria Swanson and I don't think Mrs Patrick Campbell likes her

Laura Hope Crews suggested Madame Sylvia to Gloria Swanson. Swanson's secretary called Sylvia at 10 PM Saturday night for an emergency rub down. Our dear Sylvia went straight over to her Sunset Boulevard home. At the time Gloria lived on Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Drive at 904. Some people who also lived at this address at some point include Irving Thalberg, Carmel Myers, and Norma Talmadge. The cream-colored 2 story Italian palazzo house was apparently fantastic including sweeping lawns, iron-railed terraces, 22 rooms, 5 bathrooms, and a private elevator. The reception room was draped in peacock silk and hung tapestries. The breakfast room was cream and gold, she had a movie theater, and there was a black marble bathroom with a golden tub.

Gloria had array of servants including footmen, butlers, etc. At home she was known as La Marquise de la Falise et de la Coudraye. What a mouthful! I would stick to Gloria or Ms Swanson.






Madame Sylvia rubbed Gloria's nerves down for an astounding TWO HOURS! Gloria refused to let Sylvia go until she was massaged to sleep. Well Sylvia must have done a good job because Gloria wanted Madame Sylvia to work for her exclusively. As powerful as Gloria was, this did not happen.

Madame Sylvia observed that everyone has to be a rival of Gloria Swanson. Mrs Patrick Campbell, London actress known best for originating the role of Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion said of Gloria Swanson: "I've been wondering what it was that struck me most about that gel - and her most striking smile, and I've just hit on what it is. Really, my dears, she ought to be told to file down her teeth!"

Mrs Patrick Campbell

Up next - Where did Norma Shearer get all those red marks and is our Madame Sylvia responsible?

Recent Blog Awards

Thanks so much for the recent Blog Awards I received from the fabulous Gingeyginge and from Movietone News. They are both on my favorites list, so I award them the award I created, the Water Cooler Wonder. I really appreciate the props (since I've had a rough time lately). Just heard yesterday that I'll have to have back and hip surgery asap, so I'm not really excited about that. Is it possible to feel like you're 100 when you're only 30?

Here are the answers to their blog criteria: From Gingeyginge's:

1.Where is your phone? TV room

2.Your hair? Auburn (red in the light)

3.Your Mother? Fantastic, strong, beautiful, and helpful. A goddess!

4.Your Father? Love him, but unreliable and only interested in my sister and I when it's convenient for him (mainly holidays). Stepdad is awesome.

5.Your favourite food? A good salty Hamloaf with Jellied Cranberry Sauce

6.Your dream last night? Lately been having nightmares. This one was about being poisoned by my Grandfather with bread (maybe that's why I hate sleeping)

7.Your favourite drink? Milk, milk, and more milk

8.Your dream/goal? Being Happy

9.What room are you in? At work - yuck!

10.Your hobby? Reading, blogging, crafting

11.Your fear? Death, flying, and any creepy, crawly critters

12.Where do you want to be in six years? Out of debt

13.Where were you last night? Home (I know, boring)

14.Something that your not? Satisfied

15.Muffins? Blueberry, Cornbread and Poppyseed

16.Wishlist item? Money, what else?

17.Where did you grow up? East St Paul, born and raised. And I don't think I've grown up either :)

18.Last thing you did? Working still

19.What are you wearing? Black sweater, black pants, ponytail

20.Your TV? Love TCM. Wish the best stuff wasn't on at 2 AM

21.Your pets? None right now, poor Hubby is allergic :(

22.Friends? Hubby, family, all my sweet Flapper Followers :)

23.Your life? Traumatic

24.Your mood? Stressed to the max

25.Missing someone? My hubby (still I get home) and my dear Grandma Tudy who passed away around the holidays 2 years ago.

26.Vehicle? 2000 Mercury Sable that is scratched, dented, and has a mirror taped on. Quite the ghetto car right now, but I love it!

27.Something your not wearing? Not telling ;)

28.Your favourite store? Barnes and Noble and JoAnn Fabrics. Total book and craft addict.

29.Your Favourite colour? Forest Green and Pink

30.When was the last time you laughed? Don't do it nearly enough

31.The last time you cried? Way too often. People can be quite cruel

32.Your best friend? My Hubby, Kris

33.One place that I go to over and over? I could be gross and say bathroom, but I spend the most time in the tv/office of my house

34.Facebook? Once a week to keep up on family gossip

35.Favourite place to eat? My moms and Famous Dave's Barbecue

And to fill Movietone's award, seven things you don't know about me:

1. I'm a mere 4'6" tall

2. I never wear jeans

3. It is impossible for my to bend my back

4. I met my hubby online

5. Can't stand condiments (only ketchup occasionally)

6. My Great Grandfather (who was Columbia's 2nd best selling artist after Bing Crosby) has an FBI file because the government thought he was sending the Nazi's coded messages in his polka music.

7. My great, great, great, great Grandmother was an Native American princess.

Who gets my award:

The Adventures of Gingeyginge http://adventuresofgingeyginge.blogspot.com/

Allure http://operator_99.blogspot.com/

Architect Design http://architectdesign.blogspot.com/

Art Deco Buildings http://artdecobuildings.blogspot.com/


Beauty is a Thing of the Past http://beautyisathingofthepast.blogspot.com/


Bobby Pin Blog http://bobbypinblog.blogspot.com/


Charming Vintage Recipes http://charmsofdays.blogspot.com/


Chronically Vintage http://www.chronicallyvintage.com/


Destination 1940 http://destination1940.blogspot.com/


The Frivolous Flapperhttp://lettersfromhomefront.blogspot.com/


Glamour Daze http://glamourdaze.blogspot.com/


Hollywood Heyday http://hollywoodheyday.blogspot.com/


I'll Take the Snap Out of Your Gartershttp://snapped-garters.blogspot.com/


La Petite Mort http://lapetitemort73.blogspot.com/


Little Grey Bungalow http://littlegreybungalow.blogspot.com/


Movietone News http://www.movietone-news.com/


The Virtual Dime Museum http://thevirtualdimemuseum.blogspot.com/ (And your other blogs too!)


Vixen Vintage http://vixenvintage.blogspot.com/


What I Found http://what-i-found.blogspot.com/




And anyone else who would like one. I follow so many fabulous blogs, I just love you all!

Sound transition sparks cattiness

Hollywood Undressed was written during the transition between silent and sounds pictures, so there was naturally some practical things that needed to be done with the starts to make them sound ready. One of these was finding a voice coach to aid voices that were not ideal for sound pictures.

Actors and Actresses grabbed for Italian voice coaches. They believed they were the best. Norma Talmadge, got one from New York as did Laura Hope Crews.

Gloria Swanson did not get a vocal coach. Instead she stressed out gained a little weight.

Gloria Swanson, like many film stars, had a lisp. This definitely needed correction for the translation to sound films. Gloria asked Norma Talmadge if she could borrow her vocal coach, Laura Hope Crews. Norma agreed and so Hope Crews coached Gloria Swanson for her first talkie, Edmund Gouldings' "The Trespasser."

*Note - All photos on this page are of Norma Talmedge

Up next, Gloria Swanson, Queen of her household

Carmel Myers' Chauffer gets her in hot water with a Swanson and a Kennedy

Madame Sylvia had quite a juicy bit of gossip about silent star Carmel Myers (April 4, 1899 - November 4, 1980) in Hollywood Undressed. She was quite famous in the silent era, but like many others, could not make the transition to sound. Not because her voice didn't sound nice (check out the clip from her short lived 1961 Carmel Myers Show in the post), but she just faded into minor parts. She is probably best known for her role as Iras opposite Ramon Novarro in Ben Hur (1925).

After basically retiring from acting, she sold real estate and sold French perfume. Some trivia about her: She was the daughter of a rabbi and her ashes are strewn on the lawn of the Rose Garden of Pickfair.

Anyway, one day Carmel Myers' had a chauffeur drive her to the Old Culver City lot, the one with the colonial portico, lawn and carriage drive, and guarded gate at the fence.

Two Views of the Pathe Culver City Backlot

Gloria Swanson made her United Artists pictures on the Pathe lot. Joe Kennedy her "manager" paid the Pathe people for the use of the stages. Gloria was the only hired hand whose car was given the privilege of passing the grilled gates and depositing the passenger at the pillared portico. Warning - This is not going to turn out well.





Poor Carmel Myers made the mistake of driving through the gate when it was still open from Gloria just having driven through. There, naturally, was a major uproar at the studios. Madame Sylvia didn't mention what poor Carmel had to endure, but she did say Carmel got a sore foot because of whatever happened to her. The mind wonders . . .





Catch Carmel Myers interviewing Jeanette MacDonald in 1961



Check out Carmel and Ramon Novarro in Ben Hur (1925)

Next up, Gloria Swanson, Laura Hope Crews, and Norma Talmadge duel over vocal coaches.

Gloria Swanson is top dog

In 1929, Madame Sylvia was under contract to Pathe. She was in charge of taking care of Gloria Swanson, Ina Claire, Grace Moore, and Constance Bennett.. Under her Pathe contract, Gloria got first dibs on Sylvia's services - everyone else had to work around it. During this time, Ina Claire's old beau, Gene Markey, started seeing Gloria Swanson in order to make Ina mad. Instead of Ina Claire becoming mad at Gloria, she became mad at Sylvia and stopped seeing her.


For info on Ina Claire, check out:
http://flapperdays.blogspot.com/2009/11/basil-rathbones-masquerade-leads-to-ina.html
http://flapperdays.blogspot.com/2009/11/ina-claire-and-alice-white-catfight.html

On a side note, Sylvia gave a pretty disgusting overview of the Hollywood hierarchy she observed while working at Pathe in Hollywood Undressed:

"In Hollywood you can high-hat some, and you can't high-hat others. On the lot you can high-hat writers, dialogue directors, the man who takes orders for custom-made shirts, people who act in Westerns, and Spaniards" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 105).

I'm not sure if that says more about Madame Sylvia, or the times in which she lived.

Up next, Carmel Myers gets on the wrong side of Gloria Swanson.

Basil Rathbone's Masquerade leads to Ina Claire's Elopement

I'm sure you all remember our sweet Ina Claire from my last post. Well, I have a few more random bits about her today.



Another reason Ina started seeing our masseuse Madame Sylvia, was because she wanted a more boyish figure for a costume. She planned on attending a masquerade ball given by Basil Rathbone and [illegible in Hollywood Undressed] Bergere. Ina planned on wearing form-fitting pink velvet pants and a boyish blouse. I wish there were pictures!

This party led to one of the juiciest ditches ever a mere 2 Weeks after the masquerade.

Another bit Madame Sylvia talks about is when Ina Claire eloped with Jack Gilbert, becoming his third wife. Yes it is THE John Gilbert, the silent film star famously left at the altar by Greta Garbo. Ina and Jack eloped in Las Vegas (even though Ina was engaged to writer Gene Markey). What a naughty girl!

Ina couldn't even live without Madame Sylvia's skills for even a day, so our Madame Sylvia was on the scene the very next morning. Like any celebrity, Ina wanted Sylvia to bring over the news and wanted to know is the elopement made the papers. It did of course, and Jack joked that his name should appear first in the press (him being a matinee idol and all). This joke did not go over well with Ina and they got into an argument.

But don't you worry about poor Gene Markey. From what I can tell he was one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood. Seen above marrying the lovely Joan Bennett. Gene married such beauties as: Joan Bennett, Hedy Lamarr, and Myrna Loy.

For more info check out:

John Gilbert's Bio: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0318105/bio

Joan Bennett and Gene Markey's Wedding: http://hollywoodheyday.blogspot.com/2009/02/march-16-1932.html

Ina Claire and Alice White Catfight

Ina Claire (October 15, 1893 - February 24, 1985) needed to get into shape for her first sound picture. Above is an image of Ina in that film, The Awful Truth (1929). Ina had been skinny in The Golddiggers, but according to many, she was now overweight.

So, Hedda Hopper called Madame Sylvia to work her massage magic on Ina Claire. In her phone call, Hedda Hopper claimed "Ina Claire has to be taken down ten pounds in three days. Come and do it!" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 90). I can't imagine having to lose that kind of weight so quickly.

At the time, Sylvia was overwhelmed with clients including Alice White, Norma Shearer and Ruth Chatterton, and had to do morning conditioning on them all. Ina Claire, who was living at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel at the time, wanted a wake-up slapping from Sylvia at 6 AM, but Alice White already had that time reserved.

Well, Ina didn't seem to care that Alice White (pictured above and below) had the reservation, and so Ina offered to "pay Alice with something more valuable than money. Tell her I'll give her stage lessons!" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 93). Ouch!

Alice White found out about this through the press. Alice thought Sylvia had gone to the press, but it turns out Alice Glaser, wife of scenist Barney Glaser, had blabbed the story. So naturally, Alice had to reply to Ina Claire's "offer". Her reply was "You tell her that I don't need drama lessons as badly as she needs lessons in how to move around in front of the camera without showing too many of her profiles!" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 93). Will these girls ever get along?

Next up, Ina Claire has wedding and party plans.

Constance Cummings endures Sam Goldwyn's "wonderful" treatment

Constance Cummings (May 15, 1910 - November 23, 2005) was a Broadway ingenue discovered by Sam Goldwyn. Sam Goldwyn was looking for someone who would be the perfect co-star for his star Ronald Colman. Constance Cummings was hand-picked to be that co-star.

Constance, or Connie as she was known to our Madame Sylvia, was a "husky, solid lass". This did not exactly blend well with what was needed to play opposite Ronald Colman. Because of Colman's delivery and acting, he needed to play across someone who was more fragile and petite because he was delicate and would be overwhelmed by a stronger figure and personality. In fact, Madame Sylvia described Colman as having "ankles and wrists almost like a high school girl's" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 82). Ouch!

Memos were apparently sent out at the studio that said poor Connie was "not suitable" and "had bowlegs, a bass voice, curvature of the spine, cross-eyes, and harelip" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 83). None of this, however, was true. Sam Goldwyn just did not want to admit to making a mistake, so instead of finding something else for Connie, there was a studio-wide smear campaign. Poor thing!

Connie, of course, was crushed and cried to Madame Sylvia, "I got to thinking that maybe I was all wrong. I looked in the mirror and what I saw looked like a hag" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 84). I think she was quite pretty. It's disgusting what horrible things people will do to others.

Connie wanted to leave, but Madame Sylvia decided to stay. Connie did eventually get picked up by Columbia for Criminal Code.

For some more info on Constance Cummings, check out:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/29/arts/29cummings.html

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0191870/

http://property-blog.chestertonhumberts.com/historian/home-designed-by-founder-of-the-bauhaus-professor-walter-gropius/


Up next, Ina Claire loves a slapping.

Peeping Toms at Ronald Colman's

Madame Sylvia's next famous client in Hollywood Undressed, is Heartthrob Ronald Colman (February 9, 1891 - May 15, 1958).



He was recommended to her by director Herbert Brenon (picture above).


At the time, Ronald was living in Malibu. Because of the way things were in Malibu, stars were used to getting in each other's hair and business. During the time Sylvia had been seeing Colman, there had been a rash of peeping Thomas and Thomasina's. Fans were no different in the 1920s than they are today. Everyone wants to see their favorite star.



Ronald and Benita Colman

One Sunday morning, Madame Sylvia arrived at Ronald Colman's home. His Filipino servant wouldn't let her in because he thought she was a peeping Thomasina. He was planning on calling the police.

At the cries, William Powell (pictured about) and Philip Strange, two of Colman's cronies, jumped out of the guest bedrooms. Philip tried to get rid of Sylvia, but when Colman finally came out of his bedroom, he cleared up the whole mess saying that she was just here to give a massage. How embarrassing!

Next up - Ingenue Constance Cummings needs some major body adjustment.

Lovin' Lawrence Tibbett!

Lawrence Tibbett (November 16, 1896 - July 15, 1960) was known as one of the best opera singers ever to be produced by the United States. Because of his great gift, he did a variety of things during his career including opera, movies, radio, and recording star. He had a quite tragic end, falling prey to arthritis and alcohol. His voice is indeed fabulous. Check out some of the recordings that are attached at the bottom.

He was born in Bakersfield, California and trained in New York. Lawrence had a long career at the Metropolitan Opera from 1923 to 1950. One of the more traumatic instances in his childhood was that his father, a local sheriff, was killed by bandits when he was six years old.

During the 1930s he had a weekly music radio program sponsored by Packard Motor Car Company of America. With Jascha Heilfelz, Tibbett founded American Guild of Musical Artists in 1936 and served as President for 17 Years.

Grace Moore and Lawrence Tibbett

Lawrence Tibbett became Madame Sylvia's client after he heard that she took several inches off his costar Grace Moore. To quote Lawrence, "I hear you spanked Grace into shape . . . Well, I need the same treatments, only at the other end of my spine" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 73). Mainly, he wanted work on his face. He felt he didn't receive the best roles because his face was too fat. Lawrence didn't want people to say of him of his role in New Moon (1930), "It isn't a New Moon - it's a full one" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 74). Lawrence Tibbett was known for his "manly chest and Greek torso" and Sylvia wanted to take a peak. Unfortunately his wife was not keen on it, and told Sylvia, "Just a facial, please".

Lawrence and his Son

The Time obituary said of him: "Tibbett had a big, bronzelike, dramatically eloquent voice that combined ringing power with remarkable agility...." "...he left behind not only the echoes of a great voice but the memory of a performer who could feel equally at home with high art and popular entertainment, suggesting that there is a magical link between the two." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Tibbett)

Some Lawrence Tibbett Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Tibbett

http://www.lawrencetibbett.com/

Some Grace Moore Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Moore

http://avstop.com/news/os.html

Here is a super fun link to a Lawrence Tibbett scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWhpEH48UFQ&feature=PlayList&p=B5AD00211B5B343F&index=0&playnext=1 The poster disabled the embedding, so I can't add to the post. I never thought opera could be hilarious!

Another tidbit from Madame Sylvia: One night Lawrence wanted to serenade someone, so he wheeled himself over to Laura Hope Crews" (Best known as Aunt Pitty Pat in Gone With The Wind) house, and ran his car up on her lawn so as to throw the headlight on her bedroom window. And then he did a solo, accompanying himself on the car's French horn. His wife, Grace Tibbett was quite upset - not because he sang to another woman, but that he did it for free! (Hollywood Undressed, Page 74)

And here is the trivia for today - What honor does Lawrence hold with only 5 other actors?

Next up, the dashing Ronald Colman and Sylvia have a little peep show

Naughty Neil Hamilton

At first when I saw the name Neil Hamilton in Hollywood Undressed, I thought I had no idea who he was. Wouldn't you know that after a bit of research, I did know of him, but hadn't realized what a long career he had.



Neil Hamilton (September 9, 1899 - September 24, 1984), was a star of both silent and talkie films. He made an astounding 268 films! But he is best known for his portrayal of Commissioner Gordon in the 1960s Batman t.v. series (which is, sadly, the way I knew of him). I hate to admit it, but I used to stay up as a kid and watch them on late-night t.v.


Neil Hamilton grew up Roman Catholic in Lynn, Massachusetts. Hamilton started out as a shirt model. His big break came in D.W. Griffith's, The White Rose (1923). In the 1920s, he was a leading man for Paramount, although most of his films are not familiar to many today. Some of the more popular films he appeared in were Brewster's Millions, Beau Gueste, and Tarzan.

Neil Hamilton Trivia

• Neil appeared on the 1918 Thanksgiving cover of the Saturday Evening Post
  
• Neil's hobby was magic
  
• By the mid-1940s, his personal and professional life were at such a low point that he was seriously considering committing suicide. His plan was to jump from the mountains above Santa Monica, but on his walk he met a priest and told him the whole story. The priest encouraged him to make a novena, instead. At the end of the nine days of prayer, he was offered an acting job from Universal Studios and never looked back
  
• Neil Hamilton was a very distant cousin of Margaret Hamilton, The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz
  
• Neil modeled as the Arrow Shirt Collar Man, complimentary to the Gibson Girl during its day, or more recently the Malboro Man or Brawny Man. Men wanted to be him and women wanted him. At one point the Arrow Collar Man received a staggering 17,000 letters a day!

Madame Sylvia had quite a fun episode with Neil Hamilton. At the time, Neil was living in what they referred to as Actors' Row on Malibu Beach. Sylvia described it as "a bunch of dinky shacks built on piling in the beach sands". Sylvia would go door to door on Actors' Row, giving massages.

One night after Sylvia stayed late at Anna Q. Nilsson's, she decided to stop by Neil's, because there was a light on. As Sylvia approached - all the lights went out! She knocked on the door, and no one answered. Sylvia heard a bunch of commotion going on inside, so when she found that the door was open, she went inside.

Naturally, Sylvia was quite confused. Why on Earth did they turn the lights off when she came up the drive? The response she got was "Whatinell do you want to drive around in that kind of roadster for?" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 72).

Turns out Sylvia drove the same style car as the policemen who were charged with enforcing prohibition. Seems that Neil and co might have been "having a good time" as they say. And this from a man who would play Commissioner Gordon!

Some Neil Hamilton Links:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0358076/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Hamilton_(actor)

http://tannensmagic.blogspot.com/2008/03/trickiest-man-in-hollywood.html

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100082/

Up next . . . Troubadour Lawrence Tibbett

Jack Holt and His Pastel Drawers

Jack Holt (May 31, 1888 – January 18, 1951) was a man's man in Hollywood. His career lasted through both silent films and talkies, mostly Westerns, up to his death in 1951.

Jack , a native New Yorker and son on an Episcopalian minister, who was expelled from Virginia Military Academy for bad behavior. He had aspirations of being a lawyer, but ended up traveling the country doing just about everything. He mined gold in Alaska, rode cattle, delivered mail, worked on the railroad, and was a civil engineer.

Author Zane Grey with Jack Holt

While employed as a surveyor in San Francisco in 1914, he got his big break into pictures. He offered to ride a horse off a cliff for a stunt, because no one else would do it. The director was so glad, he gave him a part in the film - and Jack Holt, actor was born.

Some Fun Facts About Jack:

• 
  
  His children Tim Holt and Jennifer Holt followed in his footsteps, making mostly westerns. Tim became quite a bit more famous than his father.


• 
  
  Chester Gould based the drawing of Dick Tracy on Jack Holt, particularly his granite jaw


• 
  
  Jack Holt was Al Capp's favorite actor and he drew his bumbling detective character Fearless Fosdick after Jack.


• 
  
  Became a life member of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of California on July 13, 1928 based on his direct descent from Capt. John Marshall, 1700-1795. His General Society membership number was 7810 and his California Society membership number was 364.
• He was Margaret Mitchell's choice to play Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind
  

Jack Holt and Norma Shearer

Sylvia gave Jack Holt facials quite regularly. She did not comment on anything about him, except that he preferred being naked, except for his silk purple drawers while getting his facial. Not quite what I expect from a macho western star.

Catch Jack in action in this flick

Next up - Why did Neil Hamilton freak out when Sylvia arrived on his doorstep?

My Halloween Favorites - Betty Grable and the Skeleton Dance

My Favorite Halloween Pics, feature the fabulous Betty Grable of course!

I'd just like to thank dear Gina at http://allfortheforties.blogspot.com/ for reminding me of favorite Halloween cartoon.

Don't know if I'll get the Hollywood post up tonight. Have a family dinner for Halloween with all my younger brothers, sisters, and nieces. My mom goes all out for the little ones, so it should be fun!

Shy Ernest Torrence

Ernest Torrence (June 26, 1878 - May 13, 1933) was a silent film star, who made the transition quite well to talking pictures. Some of his best known roles include Captain Hook in 1924's Peter Pan and Buster Keaton's captain dad in Steamboat Bill, Jr (1928). Unfortunately he died of Gall Stone surgery complications at the age of 54.

Ernest did not want to get a massage. This Scot was quite leary of a woman giving him a massage, which is not a new phenomenon. But as the wise Sylvia knows, "all boys get girlish and skittish when they have to take a professional interest in their looks, and big Ernest is no exception" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 67).

Sylvia's impression of Ernest's home life was quite interesting, "Like all those oversize fellows, Ernest has a small, firm-minded wife who bosses him around as if he were a young St Bernard" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 67). Poor Ernest! I don't know much about him, except he did fabulous in Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Well, Ernest's wife, Elsie Torrence asked Sylvia to give Ernest a massage because Ernest was too embarrassed to have a female masseuse. So Elsie and Sylvia went to scheming. While poor Ernest was in the tub, Elsie had Sylvia come over and get ready for the massage. Elsie told Ernest while he was in the tub that the masseuse was here. He was so upset, that he refused to take off his robe!

When Elsie Sylvia finally got his robe off, they found that the ingenius Ernest had safety pinned three towels together around himself. His wife, Elsie and Sylvia tore them off, and the massage commenced. No word on whether he enjoyed it or not :)

Up next, what color do you think Jack Holt's drawers were?

Ramon Novarro - Secret Vampire?

Ramon Novarro (February 6, 1899 - October 30, 1968), the well-known silent star heartthrob, was one of Madame Sylvia's clients. He lived a quite interesting life, and unfortunately traumatic death. To read about his life and death, check out http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003895/bio or http://www.ramonnovarro.com/.

According to Sylvia, Ramon lived with his Spanish father, mother, and 10 brothers. I'm not sure how accurate this is. Every other biography I have read about him, says he had 3 sisters and 4 brothers. Not sure who the other boys were.

Madame Sylvia had a 7 AM appointment daily to give Ramon a massage. What creeped her out, was his bedroom. According to Sylvia, Ramon's room was a replica of the burial crypt of a saint that resides in Vatican City. In fact, his bed was "high, narrow, and set on a pedestal, is a sarcophagus, under a purple canopy crowned with a wreath of thorns" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 65). Sounds quite creepy to me! I know it's modeled after a Saint, but it sounds like something Dracula would sleep in :)

The only observation Sylvia made about Ramon himself, was that he was soft and delicate. She thought he was quite a sweet person. The only time Madame Sylvia had a problem with him was after he got back from a trip to Germany. You see, he got quite a bit of a tummy after the trip. To prove the point, Sylvia decided to trick Ramon. One day, Sylvia saw Ramon in his pool and asked him if he could float indefinitely. He said he could while smoking an entire cigarette. Well, his fat was obvious. Ramon's excuse was "Who can resist Munchener beer?" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 66). Who could indeed?

Next Up: Ernest Torrence gets tricked into a massage

Mary Duncan, flasher and Murnau, murder victim?

Mary Duncan (August 13, 1895 - May 9, 1993) had a relatively short career by Hollywood standards. She made about 20 films before getting married and retiring to Palm Beach where she became THE person in society, counting among her friends the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and Rose Kennedy. She spent her days socializing, doing charity work, and golfing until her death at 97 years old.

Mary Duncan first encountered our wonderful masseuse, Madame Sylvia in 1928. Mary asked Sylvia to be her full-time masseuse. This would involve giving Mary morning, noon, and night massages - plus dietary tips for a period of 1 year.

Sylvia wasn't so keen on the idea, worried that there would be the same drama she endured during her association with Mae Murray. However, Sophia Wachner, dress designer at Fox Studious, needed Sylvia desperately to be Mary Duncan's masseuse. Mary did not fit into any of her dresses at the hips for the upcoming production of one of the last silent pictures, "Our Daily Bread".

Naturally, Sylvia couldn't refuse, so she accompanied Mary Duncan on the set in Pendleton, Oregon along with Mary's Sealyham pup named Topsy, Mary's hairdresser and maid, a gallon of mineral oil *an ace-in-the-hole of all reducing diets at the time), and of course, Mary Duncan herself.


Pendleton, Oregon was having a fair and they made Mary Duncan queen of the fair. They had her and Sylvia ride ponies down the street. Unfortunately, Mary did not know how to ride, and somersaulted off her horse and caused quite the scandal because she of course, was wearing no panties! How naughty of her ;)

During the filming, the crew and Mary (plus director Murnau) all rented bungalows in the city. Murnau is best known for the pivotal silent horror film, Nosferatu (which I watched Sunday night on TCM by the way). Murnau and the rest of the crew seemed to take advantage of Sylvia's skills, even though Mary was the only one paying her. This included massages and dietary food.

Well, one night Murnau couldn't make it over for dinner, so he asked Sylvia to make a meal of salad for him. One of the ingredients Sylvia used for weight loss was mineral oil salad dressing. As we all know, too much of it can make you quite sick. On this particular night, Sylvia had already dressed the salad. Sylvia's assistant did not realize this, so she put more mineral oil salad dressing on. The director Murnau got quite sick and accused Sylvia of poisoning him!

It was a complete accident, but Murnau did not trust her again. But the pain was so great, that he needed Sylvia's help to get better. madame Sylvia prescribed rice water, toast, and tea without cream or sugar.

Murnau

When the party got back to Hollywood to shoot the interior scenes for the film, Winnie Sheehan, a Fox Executive, with livid with Madame Sylvia. Not they though Mary Duncan was too thin, and this would wreck the continuity of the film. So of course, Sheehan fired poor Sylvia, or "that lemon squeezer", as he called her.


Up next - Madame Sylvia gives Ramon Navarro a rubdown

Diet Food Gone Wrong - the Mae Murray Episode

Mae Murray (May 10, 1889 - March 23, 1965) was a major Hollywood silent star, who unfortunately is remembered mainly for her loss of touch with reality and inspiring the character Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. She also happened to be Madame Sylvia's next famous Hollywood client.




The relationship between Mae and Sylvia began during the Christmas season of 1927. Mae asked Sylvia to go on a cross country trip with her as her masseuse. Sylvia was warned not to go, but she could not pass up this major opportunity. Mae Murray said this to get Sylvia on board:

"You come along with me on a coast-to-coast tour, and let's not talk dough. What you get by the week is - poof! - pin money. I've got plans for you. We'll launch a breakfast food! Say, we'll do a sanitarium right over in Westwood. There's millions in it! Think of your darling sons. Do it for them. They'll be rich!" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 26)

Now who could say no to that? I know I couldn't.





Well, it didn't quite work out that well. After the trip, Mae Murray and Sylvia ended up in court and they endured a 2 day trial. Mae wouldn't pay Sylvia for her work claiming she did nothing during the trip. Sylvia prevailed. Some of the juicy things that came out of the trial

• Mae had to be reprimanded because she threatened to start throwing inkstands at the participants of the trial


• Mae claimed Sylvia rubber her so hard that the arches in her feet fell


• To prove that Sylvia really did good work, starlet Alice White was a witness and was willing to "show the court how Sylvia reduced her". She appeared in court in virtually nothing and a sweet pea corsage on her shoulder. (Hollywood Undressed, Page 27)

The drama between Sylvia and Mae was mainly due to Mae's husband, Prince M'Divoni. He hated Sylvia and didn't like his wife "getting so intimate with a peasant" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 29). Seems funny to me, because Mae didn't exactly come from royalty. It is also funny because it is widely questioned whether he is is really a Prince.

During the trip, Mae and her husband would fight about what to get the Prince's son for Christmas, apparently daily. Every time Sylvia would try to give Sylvia a massage, Mae and the Prince would be arguing for hours about the Christmas present

Anyway, every time Sylvia would try to give Mae her massage, the Prince would refuse Sylvia admittance to their suite. Sylvia earned $275 a week for this fun time.

The "wonderful" Prince M'Divoni

Coincidentally, he was an extremely horribly man from all accounts. According to divorce documents,

On March 2, 1928, at their home in Los Angeles, Mdivani was alleged to have beaten his wife in the presence of a servant, to have cut her lip, to have chased her with a loaded gun, and to have used profanity and called her ugly names"

(http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/328/Prince+David+Mdivani/index.html)

And how did that diet food Mae and Sylvia worked on turn out? Well, According to Sylvia, it was canned and "looked like wood paste". Sylvia refused to even try it, let alone market it. When Sylvia said Mae could eat it if she liked it so much, Mae refused saying that Sylvia was the dietitian, she should eat it. Needless to say, it never was sold.

This "wonderful treat" was "tested" when Mae stopped in Chicago. She was supposed to take out a troop of girls to eat after their show. Instead, she had Sylvia mix up three cans of their "health food" with olive oil to teach the girls how to "eat healthy" (Hollywood Undressed, Page 42). They hated it and went to the doughnut shop after Mae left the room. The youngest girl of the group tried it and spit it out. Mae was apparently oblivious, and thought the girls loved her "treat".

Note, all photos are of Mae Murray unless otherwise noted

Next up, Mary Duncan fights for Sylvia's services.

Marie Dressler - Sylvia's First Hollywood Client

Marie Dressler (November 9, 1868 - July 28, 1934) was quite an unconventional star, but she was quite famous. Marie appeared in silent movies in the 1910s, went away do to illness, and them had a career comeback in the 1920s. While many may consider her a ham, she was quite a good actress, even winning a Best Actress Academy Award in 1931 for her work in Min and Bill. And who could forget her fabulous portrayal as Carlotta Vance in Dinner at Eight?

Madame Sylvia attributes Marie's fame to the fact that "she is competition for no one. Marie is nobody's rival for a beauty prize" (Page 13). In fact, to quote Marie herself, "I'm too homely for a prima donna and too ugly for a soubrette."

Marie Dressler started visiting Sylvia in 1925. Sylvia was recommended by a doctor at the Ambassador Hotel to Marie when she came in for gastritis. As time went on, Marie visited Sylvia intermittently because Madame Sylvia improved her looks too much, and as Marie put it "My fat is money in the bank (Page 22)." How many actresses would say that?

When Marie Dressler made it big, the first thing she did was to check into the Ambassador Hotel, the second was to send for her astrologer Nella Webb. Marie did nothing without her astrologer's o.k. Her astrologer, Nella Webb, prophesied that Marie would make it in Hollywood when she was getting nowhere in New York (Page 19). Some things I have read claim that Marie and Nella were lovers.

Marie knew that she was a valuable commodity. For example, when time came up for her to get a raise, the studio held out. She refused to cave, so Marie rented a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, got herself a second car ("just a little Packard for the servants, my dear!") and laid in a winter's supplies and high-priced Filipino Chef to cook them. Marie even went so far as to leave for Grand Central Station threatening never to return to Hollywood. It worked - for studio executives met her at the station with a new contract for twice what she asked (Page 24).

A fun side note, during the filming of The Callahans and the Murphys, Marie had to drink 12 steins of near beer every day for a week camera. Needless to say, Madame Sylvia was not pleased with this.

For some great sites about Marie Dressler, check out:

Marie Dressler Q & A with Matthew Kennedy http://www.altfg.com/blog/actors/marie-dressler-matthew-kennedy/

The Marie Dressler Story http://www.mariedressler.ca/

Marie Dressler at IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0237597/

Marie Dressler's Broadway Appearances http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=7532

Marie Dressler Profile on TCM http://tcm.tv/thismonth/article/?cid=202406&mainArticleId=201929

Up next, Madame Sylvia's entanglements with Mae Murray gets quite dicey.

And the winner is . . . . Madame Sylvia!

The winner by overwhelming margin was Hollywood gossip, courtesy of Masseuse to the Stars Madame Sylvia. I found this really cool book, Hollywood Undressed: Observations of Sylvia Ullback as noted by her Secretary in the library. Unfortunately when I looked into purchasing a copy for myself, the cheapest one I could find was over $400, so naturally I won't be buying it anytime soon.

Sylvia working her magic

We will hear more about Sylvia herself later, but I will start out with a few tidbits today. Please keep in mind that this book is from 1931, so the stars we will be hearing about were famous in the 1920s and 1930s.

Sylvia Stretching


What I found out to be most interesting when I tried to find out info about the book and Madame Sylvia was that even though she was quite a famous masseuse, virtually nothing is known about her life. Many things I have read seem to confuse Sylvia (the masseuse) and restaurant owner Sylvia Wu. They are very different, so I am not quite sure what information is true.



The Glamorous Madame Sylvia



Hollywood Undressed, is about the exploits of the stars, and Sylvia's interaction with them. Much of it interesting, frustrating, and some quite juicy. This book is written from the perspective of Sylvia's secretary, but from what I was able to find out - Sylvia penned it herself. This was designed, apparently, to protect Sylvia's relationship with her clients and from libel.






Some Sylvia tidbits for today:





Sylvia paddled Jean Harlow on the rear for being hefty

Sylvia swatted an unnamed talkie star for being fat and not fitting into her gowns. As Sylvia says "The fat comes out through the pores like mashed potato through a colander"

And what did Madame Sylvia charge for her "beatings"? A mere $15

Tomorrow we will hear all about Sylvia's relationship with Marie Dressler.

P.S. - Thanks for all the well wishes. It will take some time, but hubby and I are on the mend.

Could my hubby and I be the Bogie and Bacall of ill couples?

Thanks for all the well wishes. I have to tell you, I'm feeling a bit like my husband and I are Bogie and Bacall (not in a good way). I came down with a mild case of pneumonia myself, and am trying to nurse hubby back to health.

Finally, he hasn't had a fever for 24 hours, which is a great improvement. Can't tell you the amount of time I've spent running to the hospital, doctor's office, and pharmacy. It's not good when they remember you at the pharmacy by the way (have been there six times since Friday). So, I suppose we are a fun pair. I never thought I would have to worry about pneumonia at age 30!

Last chance to for input on the next series. I should hopefully be well enough to start it this weekend. So, the options again were 1940s Teenage Beauty or 1930s gossip from a Hollywood Masseuse. Be sure to tell me your input in a comment. So far, the winner is the Hollywood gossip from the masseuse.

Naughty Nurse Mandy

Spent last night at the hospital with my poor hubby. I've been bugging him for days to go to the doctor because he is sick, but we finally went. Turns out my women's intuition was good and he has pneumonia (like this poor tike from 1940 Minneapolis General Hospital). So I was running around all night getting various medicines (was up til one in the morning) and of course, had to work today. No rest for the wicked :)

So, for the next few days I'll playing nursemaid. So my question for you is this. Which series would you like to see next? I've been reading some vintage books and two of my favs are Susan, Be Smooth (a 1940s book on teenage beauty) and Hollywood Undressed (a 1930s tell-all by Sylvia, a masseuse to the stars). What would ya'll prefer first - more beauty tips or some interesting tidbits about some 1920s and 1930s stars?

I'll start the new series in a few days, so comment if you have opinion. Have a great weekend everyone :)

If Your a Brunette - Colors You Look Fabulous In!

The black-haired, dark-eyed women in this group can wear either black or rich brown as a basic color. Becoming to them also are white, peach, apricot, brick Chinese red, russet, sage green, bright greens provided they do not make the skin seem sallow, mustard, burnt orange, henna, tan, and beige.

Norma Shearer

If the hair is medium brown, skin is tanned, and eyes are blue or gray, brown is the most flattering basic color, especially in tobacco and in russet shades. Other flattering colors are dull gold, dusty rose, woodsy greens, soft dull blue and muted orange-reds.

Gail Patrick





And now, to end on an optimistic note - no brunette need envy a blonde. Her type of beauty wears better, is not so fragile, and she can flaunt it more - use more daring perfume, brighter make-up, more striking coiffures. But she does have to work a little harder to get her effects!




Gail Patrick

Amanda's commentary

This ends lovely Ruth Murrin's beauty advice based on hair color. I hope this gives everyone ideas for how to be a fabulous 1938 beauty.

Carmen Miranda

I've been reading some fun vintage beauty and house keeping books from the 1930s and 1940s. Not sure what I will be posting next, but possibly some advice from one of the vintage books.

Ann Blythe

If you are a brunette - Makeup tips Part 2

By far the largest number of brunettes have warm coloring. Their skin tone ranges from light olive to a deep tan.

They look best when they use dark rachel, beige, ocher, or tan powder as dark as their complexions. Lighter powder makes this type of skin look muddy.

A yellowish cast can be avoided by choosing shades livened with red. Lipstick and rouge should be orange-red, the intensity of tone depending on the vividness of the individual.

Many women of this type look best without rouge. Mascara should be black or brown and eye shadow green, gray, or brown.

If You Are a Brunette - Coloring Part 1

Here's a Ruth Murrin's 1938 take on Brunette coloring - Part 1

With a clear complexion and shiny dark hair set off by perfect grooming, a brunette has a fine start. But to complete the picture, she must know her color schemes. There are warm brunettes and cool brunettes, and a girl must know to which side she belongs.

The most famous example of the cool group is the Irish type - black or dark brown hair, milky skin, pink cheeks, blue eyes. She looks best with creamy powder, rose rouge and lipstick, black mascara, blue eye shadow. She wears blue beautifully in every shade except harsh, bright blue. Powder blue is especially becoming. Black and navy are good basic colors for her, and she can wear purple bluish orchid, turquoise, gray, rose, ruby, and emerald.

Then there is the dark-haired, brown-eyed girl whose medium skin has lots of pink in it. Her best make-up is a pinky rachel powder, medium bluish red rouge and lipstick, black mascara, brown, purple, or green eye shadow. She like her "cool" sister avoids brown and chooses black or navy as her basic color. She looks well in bluish greens, bright jade green, warm pinkish gray, deep blue, pure soft yellow, crimson, American Beauty, wine, and all the deep bluish reds.

Part 2 coming soon!

If You Are a Brunette: What about my Hair?

Continuing with Ruth Murrin's July 1938 article about lovely Brunette's from Good Housekeeping:

For the sake of contrast a brunette must get the full color value out of her hair. In order to keep it bright and shining, she must do a perfect job of brushing and shampooing.

Dust and dandruff show up badly on dark hair, and poor rinsing gives it a muddy tone. It is important not to let it become too dry, too, because that makes it look dull and stiff and light in color.

Brisk brush work every day, mild shampoos, brilliantine, and the most expert permanents are minimum requirements for dark hair inclined to be dry.

Amanda's Comments

I have do go with "poor brunettes" again. Sounds like tons of maintenance. And with the constant fear of "muddy hair". I happen to think brown hair is beautiful so I am not sure what Ruth's issues are. Perhaps she is a disgruntled brunette or something. Her picture appears in none of the issues I could find, and I was unable to find a picture of her in my usual places. What I think is way cool though, is if you Google Image search her with the terms beauty or Good Housekeeping, almost every single result is from my blog! Way cool!

I'd also like to say that not only Brunettes get dandruff. I think it's a skin type issue. I'm a redhead and my husband is blonde and because of our sensitive skin, we both have it (I know, gross but true). Also, about Brilliantine, it's basically an oil for hair, invented in about 1900 to soften male facial hair. Apparently Ruth believes a brunette's hair gets quite coarse.

P.S. - Sorry about all the Hedy Lamarr, but is there really a more stunning Brunette?

Next up: What about coloring?

If You Are a Brunette . . . What about your skin?

If you are a Brunette by Ruth Murrin (from June 1938 Good Housekeeping)

The trouble with being a brunette is that there are so many of them. The competition is formidable. This situation daunts Miss Lazy Bones and Mrs Timid Soul, who think, "What's the use?" and let themselves go. But to any girl with an ounce of enterprise, it's a challenge. Perhaps that is why so many dark-haired girls with no looks to speak of grow up to be chic, distinguished-looking women.

These successful brunettes know that their effectiveness depends largely on contrast - dark hair framing a clear skin. They know, too, that among their liabilities is a tendency to murky complexion. In the teens and early twenties they are subject to oiliness and blackheads and blemishes that may accompany it, and as they grow older and their skins become dryer, they complain of the "dirty beige" color their faces take on instead of the bright, fresh aspect they need to set off dark hair.

At the oily age brunettes who are intelligent about their cosmetics use soap and water plentifully. They keep on hand liquid cleansers and tingly skin tonics. They use masks for cleaning and freshening. A starch mask, which is simple and inexpensive, interests them especially just now. When choosing face powder, they demand sticking power and suede finish; and because "Clean up before make-up" is a law for oily skins, they carry cleansing pads in their purses.

It is a canny brunette who knows when her skin has stopped making too much oil and actually has too little. Then her routine changes to include cream cleansing and cream at bedtime, for if she lets her skin get dry and scaly, it will soon look coarse, dark, and neglected. She stocks and uses preparations that protect her face from wind and sun, and likes a light, fine powder.

Amanda's comments

I am not quite sure why Ruth is so harsh on Brunettes! I know not just brunettes have oily skin issues. And I think I might be Mrs Timid Soul ;)

Starch mask – this mask helps to make enlarged pores less evident and restore healthy glow to the cheeks.

Ingredients are:. 1 tablespoon corn starch and warm water

Massage your face gently with a little olive oil, then apply starch mask on the face and neck and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse off thoroughly with warm water.

(from http://www.indianwildlifeclub.com/mainsite/beauty.asp)

Next up - Brunette hair care

Blondes: Colors That Flatter

Here are the last of tips for blondes. It again comes courtesy of Ruth Murrin in 1940s issues of Good Housekeeping, and has to do with the all important wardrobe. With stunning angelic looks, what clothes could possible compliment this?

A blonde's main problem in choosing costume colors is to avoid anything that will overwhelm her. The girl with bright golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and pink cheeks is vivid enough to hold her own against almost any color. But the average blonde must avoid bright shades because they pale her skin and eyes and dim her personality. Soft pastels or grayed shades of blue, rose, orchid, green and very soft brick are her stand-bys.

Black, excellent for the blonde with a flushed, high-colored complexion, is treacherous for others. In velvet it must be stunning, but in dull crepe it often makes a fair girl look washed out.

Tan, beige, wheat, and similar neutral shades are tricky, too. Combined with brown, these colors are flattering to the brown-eyed blonde or to the type whose light hair and dark cream or golden skin make a lovely monotone. But they may emphasize a skin that is not too good or make a pale blonde look faded, so for these colors make-up must be planned with unusual care.

Next up, those lovely Brunettes (if I can find my papers :)

Blondes: Makeup and Skin Care

Make-up is a very important part of looking put together. Today, we will look at a Blonde's ideal skin and makeup routine, according to Ruth Murrin in 1940s editions of Good Housekeeping.

Some blondes have an opaque magnolia type of skin as hardy as any brunette's. But most of them have the thin, delicate complexion that won't stand neglect. A girl with this typical blonde skin can't afford to be careless about cleansing. She must guard constantly against blackheads. It is difficult for her to prevent freckles, but she should do what she can with protective make-up bases, sunburn preventives, shade hats, and long sleeves. Crinkles and lines lie in wait for her if she doesn't watch out, so from her teens on she must use cream every day of her life.

Gossamer powders are best for the transparent-skinned blonde because they enhance her delicate air, and all her make-up should be applied with a light hand. Just enough rouge to give her cheeks a faintly rosy hue; enough mascara to make the fringe of her lashes noticeable without being prominent; vague eye shadow, soft lipstick - that's her prescription.

Overemphasis in any one of these strikes a strident note which can be quite disastrous to subtle blonde harmonies.

Flesh and natural powder look well on pink-and-white skins, and cream or light rachel on fair eggshell complexions. Soft violet-pink rouge and lipstick, blue eye shadow, and brown mascara complete the typical palette recommended for blondes.

But some blondes like their complexions to be, as they say, more "substantial." They like a darker beige or rachel powder, and with many costumes prefer to use rouge and lipstick in coral or nasturtium tones that have a slight orange cast. In either case their aim should always be to keep make-up gentle and to key it nicely with the colors that they wear.




I was curious about a few things that I was not familiar with. One of them is what "rachel powder" is. From what I could find, it appears to be face powder. The below is an example of Coty's Rachel 2 (a Medium Ivory Shade)

I was also curious about what "nasturtium" was. For what I could find, Nasturtium is a flower. It can be grown in containers or in vines. They come in several colors. From the context of the advice, I think they are referring to the orange ones.

As a side note, being a blonde sounds difficult. From the skin care bit, it sounds like blondes get wrinkly granny skin the second they hit puberty. And ya'll know my freckle policy - I love them. Curious about blue eye shadow as well. I know I couldn't pull it off. Good thing I'm a redhead!

Tomorrow's lesson for Blondes - Colors that Flatter

The Blondes Hair

Since the redheaded posts went so well, I thought I'd head on to the next group, the blondes of course! This advice also comes from Ruth Murin in Good Housekeeping from the 1940s.

Naturally a blonde's first consideration is her much-admired hair. If she appreciates her luck, she does everything she can to keep it fair and shining. Since it looks most beautiful when it has just been washed, she shampoos often. The least hint of oil darkens it and makes it stringy, so once a week at least she bends over a washbowl and rubs bubbly suds into her scalp. She sprays with clear water until each strand squeaks with cleanliness. Since a film of soap left on the hair will dull it, she uses the juice of two lemons in the last rinse, or she may prefer one of the prepared tinted rinses that not only cut soap but heighten the color of the hair. Or she uses a soapless shampoo which, even in hard water, leaves no deposit on the hair. - Ruth Murrin (Good Housekeeping)

I am a total clean hair addict, so I'm not sure I could handle the blonde's beauty routine. I need to wash my hair minimum daily. I understand in the past, people used to bathe like once a week. I just could not have done it. - A

In spite of the best care, some blond locks naturally darken as a girl grows older. The ripe-wheat tone may deepen to antique gold or honey. Bette Davis has hair like this and refuses to have it bleached. She likes the individuality of its caramel tone, the way it sparkles with gold glints when the light is on it. I admire her attitude and commend her example to girls who write me mournfully that they are "muddy blondes". - Ruth Murrin (Good Housekeeping)

Obviously this was written in the 1940s because at one time, Bette Davis did dye her hair bright blonde. I do admire her stance, though. It's hard to fight the pressure to dye your hair. That's why I stick to my red hair as long as it will last. Too bad all my stress is giving me so much white hair :) - A

Even when the fair hair of childhood turns decisively brown, I still think it is best to let nature take its course. After all, it is much nicer to be a brunette than to struggle with bleaches and such. - Ruth Murrin (Good Housekeeping)

Thankfully I have no experience here. Always had red-auburn hair, and totally been too afraid to dye it (My sensitive skin doesn't help either). - A

Tomorrow - 1940s Skincare and Makeup for Blondes

Redhead Beauty Colors You Wear

Today is the last part of our 1930s Good Housekeeping seminar on Redheaded beauties. We will be focusing on clothes to wear in order to compliment your gorgeous hair color.

And now we come to a question of the utmost importance to you - the choice of costume colors. Most of us when we judge a color, think first, "What does it do to my skin?" You should say, "What does it do to my hair?": The dress you wear may either dim your halo or make it luminous and lovely.

Green is nearly always good - especially the soft woodsy greens. It is particularly flattering if your skin is fair. If you have lots of freckles or your skin is tanned, don't risk any bright green, but keep to dark, rich tones. Green may have a sallowing effect on the skin and is likely to emphasize freckles.

I adore green. It's my favorite color to wear. And I have no problem highlighting my freckles. I know it was seen as bad beauty in the 1930s, and still is by many today, but I have always loved my freckles. Probably because of the way I grew up. My Grandma Tudy used to call them Angel kisses, which is a much nicer way to think about freckles.

Blue in clear, vivid shades is a perfect color with many redheads and is generally becoming if the hair is light. But it has a tendency to cut down the individuality of many of you unless you stick to shades of green-blue-aquamarine, turquoise, and peacock shades. These make a glorious contrast to bronze hair. One redhead should not wear blue - the girl with a bright flaming topknot. It may made her hair appear garish, and it nearly always makes her seem more ordinary, but interesting, than she really is.

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of blue. I don't think it looks great with my complexion. My hair is more auburn than bright red, but I just don't like how blue looks on me. For some reason my blue shirts always turn a sort of reddish in the laundry anyway so it is kind of a pain. I'd much rather wear green, yellow, or pink.

Ivory white, pale peach (but not pink), ecru, and beige are usually very becoming to all red-haired types. Black is good, too, if you are the vivid type of redhead, but don't wear it if it makes your eyes and skin look washed out.

Black and white wash me out a LOT, so I try to avoid wearing them. If I wear white in a picture (like I unfortunately had done in my student ID in college, I look like a ghost).

Brown, especially in warm russet shades, makes a lovely harmony with red hair. Bronze, copper, carnelian, and autumn-leaf shades of just the right intensity bring out the lovely lights.

I actually like to wear dark browns. It looks pretty good on me. Unfortunately, my husband doesn't like it, so I usually try not to wear it too much.

Redheads Lipstick Harmony

Lipstick is a huge part of any girl's wardrobe. Gook Housekeeping's Beauty Clinic from the 1930s has plenty of advice for use Redheads about the proper use of lipstick:

Remember your bright hair dominates your personality. It's your keynote. Play up to it and take advantage of every ounce of glory it can give you. You know that if you put orange zinnias and pink roses in the same vase, the effect is terrible. In the same way a rosy-pink lipstick would clash with your hair. Always choose one on the orange side. If your topknot would clash with your hair. Always choose one on the orange side. If your topknot is flaming red, the orange note in your lips can be pronounced, but it your hair is sandy red or a soft russet, the color must be soft geranium red. There is a wide variety of shades you should investigate - brownish-red, rust, nasturtium, and brownish-red. One of them may be just what you need to complete the picture.

My mom (a redhead in her own right), has always used an orangish lipstick. I always wondered why, because I don't usually see orangish lipstick on that many people. Apparently, she was right as usual :)

I have never been able to get blush right. I blush so easy naturally, so it always seems useless to use it, but sometimes it is necessary. Here is Ruth Murrin's 1930;s advice:

There is one exception to the rule that redheads should use rouge and lipstick of an orange-red tone - the girl with fair skin and dark mahogany red hair. A raspberry or even darker lipstick may be charming for her,

Should you use cheek rouge? No, if your hair is a bright, strong color. Yes, if your coloring is pale and your hair is a light, sundry shade.

Cream or light facial powder is the choice of most fair redheads, but there are types of olive complexions or countless freckles who look better with a beige or punky-ocher powder. Nobody can advise you specifically about this. Try different shades and find the most becoming one.

As someone with auburn, reddish hair, I have found that cosmetics are basically hit and miss. There is a lot of trial and error involved. You think you find the perfect cosmetics, get it home, try, it out, and its terrible and you feel like your wasted a bunch of money.

You may have scanty lashes and colorless eyebrows. Lots of redheads do. But you need not worry. A little practice with a brow pencil , black or brown mascara, and brown or green eyeshadow and your eyes will not be overwhelmed by the brilliance of your hair.


Unfortunately this info doesn't work for me. Eye makeup just irritates me to much. I have pretty decent brows, so I groom them. I read somewhere to use a bit of Vaseline to bring out your eyes and eyebrows by putting a small amount of it on the eyebrows, eyelashes, eyelids, etc. Seems to be doing the trick so far.!

If you like the deep tones of nail polish, there are many good shades from which to choose. Rust, suntan, ten rose, cherry and all the soft orange-red shades are good possibilities for you.

Again, I am totally boring. I usually only where a clean layer. Boring! I do occasionally wear red, but it gets chipped so easily because all the lifting I do at the library, that the manicure is ruined by the time I get home.

Tomorrow's Last Red Headed Lesson - The Colors You Wear

Red Head Beauty Skin Care

Ruth Murin, who wrote a monthly beauty column in Good Housekeeping, addresses Redheaded beauties this month. She acknowledges, that most of the time us poor redheads are ignored in favor of blonds and brunettes, so Murrin attempts to remedy this.

Because Redhead's skin is so fair, it "coarsens readily, wrinkles early, and freckles with maddening ease". A Redhead's skin needs at least one good cleaning a day with soap and water to keep it fresh and clear. Use a Bland cream at other times or even an Oatmeal mask that is neutral for sensitive skin. Use a great lubricating cream and night and be sure to protect your face from sun, wind, and cold weather.

No sunbathing! "You must shield your face and cover up your back and arms if you want to save them from permanent freckles." Be sure to protect your skin at all costs in order to maintain as ideal skin as possible.

"Whether your hair is red-gold, sand, brick, copper, or carrot, it is important for you to see red - really see it and recognize it as orange or a true red or one with a note of blue. If you don't know the difference between geranium and rose, vermilion and carmine, you probably will go haywire when you choose your lipstick and clothes."

Tomorrow's Lesson - Lipstick and Makeup for Redheads

Weird Wednesday Kiddie Koop

I found this fun little invention for child protection called the Kiddie Koop. It is basically the same concept as a chicken coop, or a playpen on stilts that is completely enclosed.

The Kiddie Koop was patented in Nov 25, 1913 by Edward Maurice Trimble of Rochester, New York. It is basically supposed to be a combination Crib and Play Pen.

According to the Patent Application, the crib could be lowered to the floor and the top removed so the baby could play.

To be used as a crib, the legs can be raised and covered so it can be an enclosed crib.

Sounds really interesting, because it could be folded up like a carrying crib of today.

Wonder why it fell out of style. All I can think of is that not many kids wanted to feel like a chicken in a cage.

Too Sleepy

Sorry again dears, but I'm just way too sleepy to come up with a clever post. Wiped out from a tough day at work. When my days last until 9 PM, it's hard to think by the time I get home. Looking forward to a good night's sleep, hopefully. Since I've got an early day tomorrow, should have more time to put up a Hollywood post. Best wishes all and Good Night!

Cleaning Day

Spent the whole day cleaning today. Very tired. Will have bigger post tomorrow.

Vintage Inspiration Sonja Henie

I watched a wonderful biography of Sonja Henie (April 8, 1910 - October 12, 1969) on PBS last night.

Sonja is probably best known as being one of the greatest skaters of all time, earning gold medals in 3 Winter Olympics (1928, 1932, and 1936).

Above is a photo of Sonja competing in the First Winter Olympic games in 1924. She placed 8th.

Sonja and her third husband Niels Onstad were huge art fans, and created Henie-Onstad Art Centre in Norway (in 1956) to highlight fabulous modern art.

I have only seen bits and pieces of Sonja's films, but she seems like a sweetie. They are played occasionally on Fox Movie Channel, but usually at 5 in the morning. I'm a old movie fan, but even I have my limits :)

Here is a fun clip of Sonja Henie skating from the 1930s.

On a side note, a "gentleman" rang more doorbell today and told me that he had passed out and slept on my front doorstep last night. He was looking for his bike that he apparently thinks he left at my house and is now gone. He of course argued with my hubby, because he thought we stole his bike. Now I'm worried that he will come back or was casing my house or something. Suppose I should feel good that my doorstep is inviting enough for someone to pass out on it, except the gentleman in question did not look like a right sort of gent. Don't know if I should be more worried about a boosebag on my front stoop or the thief around who took his bike . . . .

Saturday Matinee Mickey and Minnie Picnic 1930

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be on a Picnic today with your special someone? Here in Minnesota, it's in the Sunny 70s and gorgeous. Unfortunately, I'm stuck at work so I have to live vicariously through Mickey and Minnie in this 1930 cartoon.

Fashion Friday Neiman Marcus Show 1945

I have always fashion shows intriguing. This fashion show took place in 1945 and highlights clothes from Neiman Marcus.

The fashion is totally wearable and stunning. I want this dress!

Everything from everyday wear, formal wear, and of course outerwear was highlighted. I know it is totally non-pc, but I adore these furs. Stunning!

Drefting Away

Feeling a bit under the weather today. Another rough day at work, so I decided to take a bit of a tub.

A trick my mom taught me for dry skin, is a bath in Dreft laundry detergent. It really works! Not only does it reduce the itch for those of us with dry skin, but it creates tons of wonderful bubbles! As a child, I had many a Dreft bath due to Chicken Pox or because of the poison ivy I would often get from picking raspberries off my Grandmother's raspberry bush. Why were the tastiest ones always stuck in the poison ivy?

Dreft was the first commercial laundry detergent, created in 1933 by Procter and Gamble.


Unfortunately it cleans only light stains, so Procter and Gamble tried many different ways to market the wonderful product.

Today it is marketed as a laundry detergent for baby clothes. I bet they never thought of it as a dry skin aid!

Check out this vintage Dreft Laundry Ad. Around the time this commercial was made (1947), Dreft only cost less than a quarter!

Weird Wednesday Dog Show

Dog Shows bring out the Dog lover in all of us, and some disturbing characteristics if the film Best in Show is to be believed (Hilarious movie by the way). I happen to love watching Dog Shows, so I'm not ragging on them. The pups are just so cute!

This fun Dog Show is from 1946. Several society ladies showed off their own personal pets.

Not only that, but the animals were dressed up in costume

Don't know what's going on with this poor pup

Dachshunds in sweaters are timeless

And who doesn't love a pup in a bonnet?



Well, here is why this Dog Show was featured for Weird Wednesday. This "Birthday Cake" was presented at the dog show. Totally do not want to know what is in it.

Vintage Inspiration September 15th Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

Temps out in MN are roasty. The sun was shining. There was a wonderful breeze. Thought summer was done. Could really use a nice frost so my hay fever would settle down.

I also wish I could have enjoyed the nice weather instead of being stuck at work until 9 PM. No rest for the wicked, I guess. The lovely Esther Williams sure knew how to enjoy a gorgeous day!

Thank you Band-Aid

One of the most ingenious products ever invented was the Band-Aid. Unfortunately, I had to use several today. Some "nice" child decided I would make a good hitting and kicking post today at work, and their wonderful parent just sat there and did nothing. So, covered in cuts and bruises, I'm nursing my wounds with plenty of Band-Aids and Chocolate. And who says library work isn't exciting?

The Band-Aid was invented in 1921 by Earle Dickson, a worker at Johnson & Johnson. He was trying to come up with a solution to his wife's issues in the kitchen. Apparently she has butter fingers and was always cutting herself.

The first sterilized Band-Aids were introduced by Johnson & Johnson in 1924 and were a huge help in World War 2. Band-Aids are made of a glue-like epoxy (to stick), nylon fibers woven into medical cloth, and of coarse, cotton for absorption.

Inspiration My Brother Charlie

Today I went to my Brother Charlie's Court of Honor. He and one other boy were made Eagle Scouts today. It was the first time in many years at our Church, there was more than one scout who made it all the way. I'm so proud of him! Charlie was born when I was 12 years old. Since I spent most of my spare time taking care of him, I feel like he's my baby (I know he's not really :))

The Eagle Scout award was created in 1911, and is given to Scouts at the highest level. The qualifications include:

1. Be active in your troop, team, crew, or ship for a period of at six months after you have achieved the rank of Life Scout

2. Demonstrate that you live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in your daily life

3. Earn a total of 21 merit badges

4. While a Life Scout, serve actively for a period of six months in a position of responsibility

5. Plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project

6. Statement of ambitions and life purpose; hold Scoutmasters conference

I think it's so cool Charlie made it all the way through Scouts. Makes me wish I would have made it past my only 3 years as a Brownie Girl Scout. It is so strange to see how grown up he is. I still picture him as a little one with gorgeous Blond Curls!

Vintage Inspiration Grow your Own for Victory!

Feeling patriotic today, so I went with my favorite Victory Garden poster, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society. I have tried this year to grow produce, trying to do my part and save a little money. Unfortunately all I seem to be able to grow is hot peppers. Maybe I'll have learn to make lots of salsa or something . . .

Vintage Inspiration September 10th Miss Minnesota 1938 Avis Claire Darrow

Feeling a little pageanty today

These fun images are of Miss Minnesota 1938, Avis Claire Darrow

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything about sweet Avis except she was from Duluth. Hopefully one day I'll get lucky and find something.

Weird Wednesday Hair Torture

As a sufferer of stick straight hair, I can understand the desire for luscious curls. For me it takes wet hair, tons of product, and it still doesn't work just quite right. However much I might desire curly locks, I'm not sure I could have gone to this length to gain those curls. The above pic, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society, shows a little girl from 1938. I have no idea how she sat still for this procedure.

This pic shows our Vintage Inspiration from yesterday, Joan Blondell, enjoying her permanent. These permanents were done by sectioning hair into about 20+ sections and winding hair starting at the root, and winding it up the curler. Heat was applied and thus the curls. Staring in the 1930s, chemicals were used to seal the curl, gradually discontinuing these fun devices. I'm not sure what's worse for your hair - tons of heat or harsh chemicals . . .

Vintage Inspiration September 8th Joan Blondell

Caught Joan Blondell in a bunch of films on TCM this morning. She seems like such a sweetie, and has such a fun persona.

Some Joan Blondell Trivia:

• Real name was Rose Joan Blondell
• She was 5'3" tall, and her measurements were 37-21 1/2-36
• Mike Todd, her third husband, went through all Joan's savings and then left her for Elizabeth Taylor. What a cad!
• She has 208 credits to her name, with a career spanning from 1930 to 1981. Amazing!
• Some of her more famous films include: Grease, Nightmare Alley, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Gold Diggers of 1937, Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933, and Topper Returns
  

Vintage Inspiration September 7

If I Had One Wish . . . Linda Darnell

Linda Darnell finishes off the wishes from the October 1946 Photoplay. There have been some serious ones, and some light hearted ones. Let's see what Linda wishes for . . .

"There is just one thing I have really wished for in my life that hasn't come true so far, and that is to go to South America. I suppose every person has one place where he would rather go than than any other place in the world - a place beyond the horizon of the world which beckons - a distant Shangri-La."

"When I was growing up in Texas, we had a servant who was born and raised in Brazil. Her romantic stories about the South American way of life fired me with a great desire to go there and sometimes I actually find myself feeling wanting for a land I had never seen. It was a strange feeling and it has never quite left me. Every time I hear Brazilian music I get the urge to suddenly fling everything aside and hop the next ship sailing south. I'm sure I wouldn't [next word unreadable in my copy here] in the country because I believe that beauty [next words unreadable in my copy here] lie in the eyes of the see-er."

And so we conclude our trip into the dreams of the stars. I hope you enjoyed the trip. We saw dreams of racial harmony, fantastic trips, and even wishes to be a fish. Thanks for coming along for the trip!

If I Had One Wish . . . Zachary Scott

I simply adore Zachary Scott. He is in my current fav film, Mildred Pierce. I didn't really know a lot about him, but after doing a bit of research, I respect him even more.

So on that note, here is Zachary Scott's One Wish: "If I had one wish that could actually be fulfilled, it would be for the complete and utter elimination of racial prejudice."

"Recently a great colored artist came to town - an artist whose talent brought happiness, entertainment, and great escape from reality to millions of people all over the world. I know many famous Hollywood people who would have deemed it a privilege to meet him, I decided to entertain. I live in a small house which is inadequate for large parties, so I tried to make reservations elsewhere. I called every place I could think of, but each one had a different excuse. Finally and appallingly, the truth dawned on me. It was because of the artist's being colored. Most restaurant owners were amenable, but they said their help would walk out!"

Horrible story. Wonder who it was. I love the Forties, but there were things that were definitely not cool about the time.

"I still suffer from shock when I think this can happen. My sincerest wish is that racial prejudice could be vanished from this Earth."

Serious stuff, but Zachary did really walk the walk and talk the talk. He did tons of charity for the poor, U.S. soldiers, and racial causes.

Some Zachary Scott Trivia:

• He was a descendant of George Washington's sister, Betty
• He was a son of a surgeon, and was going to be a surgeon too until he caught the acting bug
• Hobbies included: Classical music, golfing, gourmet cooking, gardening, horseback riding, antique collecting, and swimming
• His first wife Elaine Anderson divorced him and married author John Steinbeck
• He was nearly drown in a rafting accident but survived, only to become incredibly depressed from it
• In 1951 he was arrested at a bar in Louisiana for violating segregation laws. He was in a black establishment drinking alcohol with African-Americans. he protested in court that he was invited to the bar by black men in uniform and that he was proud to drink with US soldiers
• Was married to Ruth Hall on July 6, 1952. For info on Ruth, check out my post here: http://flapperdays.blogspot.com/2009/08/favorite-food-of-famous-stars-8-ruth.html
• Arrested in 1961 in Hawaii for doing a Hula dance intoxicated
• Unfortunately he passed away penniless from a brain tumor on October 3, 1965

If I Had Only One Wish . . . Esther Williams

America's Mermaid, Esther Williams, has today's quote from the October 1946 Photoplay. And would you believe that her wish is that she wants to be a fish?

"I'd wish to be reincarnated as a fish. Then I'd have a legitimate excuse for spending all my time in the water. I guess the only reasonable facsimile of that wish would be to have a huge swimming pool right outside my bedroom door, so that every morning I could climb out of bed, plunge into the water, and swim to my heart's content with nothing to interrupt me - weather or engagements or work or friends."

I think it would be cool to plunge into a pool right out of bed. Might be a little difficult if you were a sleepwalker :)

"I seem to have been born with an innate love of water, starting when I was two years old, I used to cry when my mother would take me out of the bathtub. I think I learned to swim even before I learned to walk. In high school I used to do my homework in the bathtub during the winter. Unless I spend part of the day in the water, I suffer a slight drying of the skin."

Never heard of that study method. Wonder how she didn't get her homework soaking wet. Her skin care method is also intriguing. I've always heard to stay in water as little as possible if you have dry skin. I wonder if Esther's beauty tip works.

"I have everything I want except my dream pool where I could spend several hours a day just making like a fish."

What a wonderful wish, to be able to be free and swim the day away. You have to admit, you could totally see the stunning Esther Williams as a fish.

On a side note, TCM is releasing a new Esther Williams collection of October 6, 2009. It contains the films: Thrill of a Romance, Fiesta, This Time for Keeps, Pagan Love Song, Million Dollar Mermaid, and Easy to Love. Super excited about this release. I just love the simple, sweet Esther Williams films.

To buy it check out: http://turnerclassic.moviesunlimited.com/Product.asp?sku=D02343

If I Had One Wish . . . Ella Raines

Here is the gorgeous Ella Raines wish from the October 1946 Photoplay


"If I had only one wish, I would wish for a home on the range. I guess it would be difficult to find where the Buffalo still roam, but I would like to live in some wild secluded spot a few hundred miles from Hollywood where I could hunt and fish and ride. I don't suppose I'll ever get over my passion for wide open spaces. I grew up as a perfect tomboy on a ranch in Washington where my mother taught me to rough it".

"The ranch I want wouldn't have to be too large - about 50 acres but I'd like it completely equipped with everything, horses, sheep, cows, pigs, chicken, and dogs. I love every kind of animal. I love to feed them and take care of them and watch them grow. I don't like to brad, but I won some blue ribbons in Washington for my lambs and calves in Washington. Instead of spending my money of elegant clothes and jewelry, I'm saving the parts I think need saving."

Weird Wednesday: Lil' Smoker

This is two-year-old Arthur "Butch" Leonard Lindbloom III. Apparently this little tike was stressed out in 1938 (when this photo was taken) because he needs a cigarette break. Curious why the Life photographer and the person who we see in shadow in the picture apparently didn't think it was a big deal.

I couldn't find any info on little "Butch", but apparently this poster is for sale all over the place and even on display in museums.

If I Had One Wish . . . Peter Lawford

The next star is timely since the Kennedy's are in the news

Here is Peter Lawford's wish for His Parents from the October 1946 issue of Photoplay:

"My dearest wish ever since coming to America", commented Peter Lawford, "has been to someday reclaim all of the cherished possessions which they had to leave behind in England when they came here"

"You see, in our travels around the world, they collected many unique and irreplaceable keepsakes - keepsakes that have fond memories or sentimental value attached to them. Some of them were given to them by Indian Rajahs, princesses, high llamas, African Chiefs, or witch doctors. Some of them are thousands of years old and have weird stories attached to them."

(This has me totally intrigued by the way, but alas, I could not find anything about what untold treasures they may have acquired)



"When the war came, we couldn't go back to England. We still haven't found out what condition our home and possessions are in."

"If I could build my parents a duplicate of the home we had there, complete with a lane and large garden and fill it with all the treasured souvenirs they collected throughout their lives, then I could honestly be happy, because I know how happy that would make them."

(On a side note, I'm not sure if riding bikes and driving cars by a pool is the best idea)

If I Had One Wish . . . Rita Hayworth

(October 1946 Photoplay)

The October 1946 Photoplay highlighted the One Wish celebrities have. Today's celebrity is my girl Rita Hayworth.


Rita's Wish: "I'd wish for a trip around the world. I'd like to be gone at least a year and just roam around without any sense of responsibility. I'd like to feel free to let my impulses take me to the farthest corners of the world, follow little known trails, to explore mysterious lands, to study foreign people, to gaze on all the wonders of Earth and man. I'd like to forget for a while that I'm Rita Hayworth and live as the natives do in each of the cities I visit.

"My mother used to tell me that I should have been an adventurer or an explorer. But ever since I began dancing when I was fourteen, I have been tied down by obligations entailed in my career and for just once in my life I would like to feel a complete sense of release to wander wherever I please."

I bet Rita would have made a terrific explorer. And don't we all wish that we could escape our troubles and obligations and just explore? I know I do.

Vintage Inspiration August 31st Pinup

Having a brain freeze today and couldn't decide what to post today, so I did a randomly selected a photo with my eyes closed. So subconsciously I'm thinking pinup apparently. This lovely lady was a featured pinup in Yank magazine. A last reminder of the summer that is fading . . .

Vintage Inspiration August 30th Minnesota State Fair

Today I went to the Minnesota State Fair with my Mom, Sister Jenna, Her Baby Violet, My sister Grace, and my Aunt Mary. Every year we do a sort of girls only trip to the fair to feast on the tasty treats such as Mini Doughnuts and of course Walleye on a Stick.

The Minnesota State Fair has been held since 1954 about 15 minutes from my house in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Every year I have to go at least once. So many wonderful memories. . .




Every year we all go on Ye Old Mill. It is sort of a Tunnel of love, built in 1913. You sit in a little boat in the dark and travel around many turns. Occasionally there is a dioramas on the side wall. Same things they've had since I was a child, just moved and rearranged in odd new ways every year. I mean, where else would you see Disney's Bambi and Paul Bunyon together? And of course we have to be really juvenile and try to scare each other or my sister will give wet willies, and just be really silly. It's nice not to feel my old 30 once in a while.



And of course, you can't miss the Giant Slide. My sister Jenna, Grace, and I went down and we try to race each other. I won flat out this year (I got a push - but don't tell :)) Another plus is that you walk up about 100 steps so I feel like I get a bit of exercise after all that food gorging.

We had to stop for a bit after enjoying several treats, so my sister could feed baby Violet. This year the fair went back to what worked in the 1920s (as seen in the picture above) and had a little baby building where mothers could nurse in private and change their babies. While we waited for Violet to be fed, the wonderful staff told us about the State Fair Grandstand.

The Grandstand is celebrating it's 100th Anniversary this year. The wonderful staff at the nursing building even gave us FREE anniversary buttons. It used to house cool things like horse racing and auto racing, but is now relegated to concerts. Unfortunately for those attending tonight, Kelly Clarkson canceled because she was sick. Good thing I didn't have tickets!

After that we checked out the Food buildings, but saw nothing as impressive as this display from the 1920s.

4-H is all all over the State Fair and they have lots of cool stuff. While there are no longer bread contests like this one from the 1920s, there are really cool exhibits. The kids do such a good job on their displays and care of their produce or animals that they bring.

There are swine, chickens, horses, and cows mostly. The Fair started a building called The Miracle of Birth about 10 years ago where you can watch the animals have babies. It is interesting, but I feel so bad for the poor mothers having hundreds of people around while they are trying to give birth. I would be super embarrassed, and it is so hot because of all the people. It is sad too when some of the babies don't make it. I usually don't go, and didn't this year, but kids just love seeing the babies when they are new and cute.

We also didn't really get a chance to see any animals this year. We went too late in the day and we didn't think baby Violet could take going through the barns.

Another of my favs we missed this year was the All the Milk You Can Drink booth. It was only 25 Cents when I was a kid, but of course the price is now higher, I think about $1. As a Milk Addict, this is the highlight for me, but you can't get everything you want when you go with a group.

The Minnesota State Fair has always held many cool events like this 1907 Balloon Race

Some of the More Famous Events include:

The famous horse Dan Patch breaking a world record at the 1906 Minnesota State Fair

For more info on Dan Patch, check out the Dan Patch Historical Society at:

http://www.danpatch.com/default.asp?id=2