Fashion Friday - Fath and Fashion

Genevieve Fath; March 1948

The lovely Genevieve Boucher de la Bruyere and French fashion designer Jacques Fath are my fashion inspirations for today.  Jacques postwar fashion (post World War II, that is), made him a contemporary of Dior and his "New Look".  Fath is probably best known for designing Moira Shearer's costumes in The Red Shoes as well as Rita Hayworth's wedding dress to Prince Aly Khan.

Homes of the Stars - Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth's home from the 1971 Guide to Stars Homes, page 26

Week in Review - :Links

Sophia Loren from Film Noir Photos

• I love classic stars reading.  Pictures of modern stars reading don't really interest me because often they are reading nothing worth wasting two seconds on.  Even though many of the classic stars reading are staged, the books are often more interesting.  I've even tried to read a few myself, with some surprising finds.  Film Noir Photos features a delightful Sophia Loren reading at home.  Gorgeous!  And congrats on its Blogiversary!

Mercury Theater Wonder Show Starring Orson Welles - Part 10

Step Right Up and See 

The Amazing Mercury Wonder Show!

[Source: Life Magazine; August 1943]

And the Grand Finale!

Lovely Rita Locked in a Box

And She Escaped by Magic!

I hope you enjoyed the Magic of Orson and his pals.  Must have been a fun show in person.  

Mercury Theater Wonder Show Starring Orson Welles - Part 7

Step Right Up and See 

The Amazing Mercury Wonder Show!

[Source: Life Magazine; August 1945]

And Now the Lovely Rita Will Perform a Trick

Let's Get Some Soldier to Help

Is This a Trick, or Some S&M Game?

Mercury Theater Wonder Show Starring Orson Welles - Part 6

Step Right Up and See 

The Amazing Mercury Wonder Show!

[Source: Life Magazine; August 1945]

Sword Swallowing

"In My Hand I Have a Number"

"And the Lovely Rita Has Guessed It!"

Jimmy Durante's Dream Presidential Cabinet

Jimmy Durante

Jimmy Durante, on his dream Presidential Cabinet:

Rita Hayworth

State Secretary Rita Hayworth - "She'd clean up our foreign affairs - to say nuttin' of a few domestic ones, too!"

Ava Gardner

Labor Secretary Ava Gardner - "Any man would wantta form a union wit her.  I'd insist on a closed shop."

Corinne Calvet

Agriculture Secretary Corinne Calvet - "Why, da farmers wouldn't ask for subsidies.  They'd pay them!"

Marilyn Monroe

Interior Secretary Marilyn Monroe - "Her exterior ain't bad neither."

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Army Secretary Zsa Zsa Gabor - "Any man would fight for dis girl!"

[Source:  Quick Magazine; November 17, 1952]

Superstitions of the Stars

Superstitions of the Stars

Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth would slip a shiny new dime under the garter of her left leg for luck before stepping on a movie set.

Mae West

Mae West made everyone who whistled in her dressing room stand in the corner and spit three times

Bette Davis

Bette Davis thinks whistling in a dressing room is bad luck too, and pushed Jack Warner from her dressing room he whistled Hallelujah

Edwin Booth as Hamlet

Rumor has it that the superstition about whistling in a dressing room originated from the urban legend that actor Edwin Booth was whistling Dixie in his dressing room when his brother, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln.




[Source:  Point; August 1954]

Favorite Actresses - Part 1

Here is a partial list of my favorite actresses, not necessarily the best, but I enjoy nearly every film they are in and know that if they are in the cast, I'm going to love it.

Eve Arden

Ann Blyth

Jeanne Crain

Joan Crawford

Yvonne DeCarlo

Alice Faye

Joan Fontaine

Betty Grable

Jean Harlow

Rita Hayworth

What 100 Stars Want Most in 1956 - Aldo Ray

Aldo Ray (September 25, 1926 - March 27, 1991) is quite a character. Known for his build and gruff voice, he accidentally fell into acting. After serving in WWII as a Frogman, he was taking his brother Mario to an audition, when the director decided to hire Aldo instead. His best work was during the 1950s, but he worked up until his death in 1991 of throat cancer

Some Aldo Ray Trivia:

• Born Aldo DaRe
• Went to school at UC Berkeley
• Served in the Pacific Theater in World War II
• Aldo was married 3 times
• His best known films include: The Green Berets, Battle Cry, Miss Sadie Thompson, and Pat and Mike
• Aldo was the first choice for Montgomery Clift's Pvt. Prewitt in From Here to Eternity
• Aldo had his SAG card revoked in the 1980s for working in non-union films (the only roles he could get). It was the only way he could pay his health insurance. Kind of sad.
• Brad Pitt's character, Lt. Aldo Raine, in Inglorious Bastards (one of my all time favs) was inspired by Aldo Ray.

What were Aldo's 1956 wishes?

"Personally, I'd like to see my Alma Mater, California, go to the Rose Bowl"

Total guy answer, but refreshingly, not a PR sounding answer

"Professionally, I want to play in a western and I want to travel. Maybe I could do both. In Three Stripes in the Sun, I went to Japan. I wouldn't mind seeing the world while I worked."

"It is my personal belief that every citizen should take a much more active interest in his local and national politics."

What 100 Stars Want in 1956 - Fred MacMurray

What did Fred MacMurray wish for in 1956?

"Personally, I'd like an increased water supply for my northern California cattle ranch." -  The MacMurray Ranch is now a winery.

"Professionally, I want another role as good as Gunpoint which I'm doing for Allied Artists." - I have never seen this film so I don't know if it's his best work.

"As a citizen, I'd like a world that is completely at peace."

New Year's Beauty Plan

The New Year is the perfect time to see how you are coming in your Beauty Plan, according to our resident expert Ruth Murrin from Good Housekeeping. Objectively you should evaluate yourself and see how you are coming along. I did just that. Murrin's steps were:

Know exactly how you look now. Use mirrors, lights, and snapshots to do this

I think I know. Snapshots are very telling.

Determine your best points and how to show them off

Hmmm . . . I have gotten compliments on my hair and legs, so I would have to go with those. I particularly love my hair color (auburn which unfortunately is starting to go white).

Acknowledge your worst points and figure out how to correct them.

Too many. Where to begin? Basically everything except my hair color.

Know your ideal and try to figure out how to get there

My ideal is the lovely Rita Hayworth, of course! But how does one become a Love Goddess?

Some things to correct, according to Ruth:

Overweight or distressing thinness

Flat chest

Thick waist and diaphragm

Bad carriage

Careless grooming

Frizzy, lifeless hair

Stringy, oily hair

Stiff waves

Too-short cut

Muddy complexion

Hard make-up

No make-up

Shaggy eyebrows

Colorless lashes

Pasty powder

Smeared lipstick

Downward lines on an older face

Rough hands

Unkempt nails

No polish

Wrong tone of polish

I could definitely work on all of these, but the no make-up one is probably my worst fault on the list. Here's to new beginnings!

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

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 27th

Needing some Rita inspiration to get my spirits up. Goll, I wish my midriff looked that fabulous!

Favorite Foods from Famous Stars: Ginger Rogers

The fabulous Ginger Rogers (July 16 1911 - April 25 1995) was the answer! This stunningly talented star provides us with her favorite dinner with a "continental piquancy". Her dinner includes: Tomato Ice, Baked Veal Birds, Parsley Buttered Potatoes, Broccoli with Hollandaise Sauce, Hot Rolls with Butter, Cranberry Matchstick Ring, Date Butterscotch Pudding, and of course Coffee. I think I might even try the pudding.



Wonderful Ginger also includes an additional dessert as well as a Midnight Snack (Yeah!). For dessert, Ginger chooses Fresh Strawberry Glace. Sounds delicious. I definitely will try this recipe! And for a Midnight Snack: Late Supper Salad, Peanut Parsley Sandwich, and Grape Mint Punch. I really like the Grape Mint Punch recipe and am intrigued by the Peanut Parsley Sandwich, but I'm not sure if the Late Supper Salad would agree with my tummy in the middle of the night.




I think it's pretty safe to assume that y'all know about Ginger, so I'll just give a little trivia:

Her great-great-grandfather was a doctor who discovered quinine, the cure for malaria

Turned down Donna Reed's role in It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

Was kind of related to my fav, Rita Hayworth. Ginger's aunt married Rita's uncle.

The Fabulous Ginger at Work