Howard and His Horse

Leslie Howard; 1940

Cecile Irons it Out

Cecile Aubry; 1949

Cecile Aubry on the set of The Black Rose in 1949.  Below she is ironing one of her costumes for filming.  I have to say I love her shoes in the photo below.  How cute are they?

Cecile Aubry; 1949

Apparently Cecile preferred other careers, for she left movies to become a children's author and a producer and a secret marriage to the son of a pasha.  How exciting!

Paintings of the Stars - Charlton Heston and Nathanial Benchley

Charlton Heston; 1963

I think everyone still knows who Charlton Heston is, and I can't think of anything new to add to that conversation.  I do love this photograph.  Chuck obviously had no problem showing how cool he was.

Nathaniel Benchley

Frankly, I had no idea when I saved this photo of Nathaniel Benchley who he was, but when I researched him, I found about a million reasons I adore him and didn't know it:

A Ghost Named Fred

He wrote some fabulous kids books like A Ghost Named Fred and Oscar Otter

Robert Benchley

His dad was Robert Benchley, noted humorist, actor, and about a dozen other things.  He was a great comedian and definitely fun in any film appearance.  Benchley's "How to" shorts are classics.

Jaws

His son, Peter Benchley, wrote Jaws, which is a pop culture icon.  Freaky as all get out, but some great acting.

RIP Deanna Durbin

Deanna Durbin; 1940

I have been lax in remembering Deanna Durbin.  She was a delightful film star with a glorious voice, the likes of which we will never see again.  She wanted a life of privacy, and I was glad she was able to enjoy that, even thou I wish she had given interviews later in life - selfish on my part - but she earned that privacy.  As a somewhat notorious person myself, I empathize and appreciate her wishes.  I hope she was finally able to live the life she wanted.  She hated the studio system and the persona they created for her.  I would have loved knowing the REAL Deanna Durbin.

Deanna Durbin; 1940

While I like to think of all the greats on some glorious movie set in the sky, each loss reminds me that there are fewer and fewer greats left.  It's quite distressing that most people I admire are no longer here.  And it's not just the movie machine, there just are such few films and actors I find timeless and worth seeing at all, let alone more than once.  I wish I had the opportunity to tell them how much I appreciate their work and talent.  Even though they won't see it, I keep this blog as a tribute to them.  To see a view into the life of Deanna Durbin, check out my views into her home in the 1940s:  Part 1 and Part 2.  We'll miss you!

Happy Birthday Alice Faye and Tyrone Power

Alexander's Ragtime Band; 1938

Happy Birthday to two of my favorite stars of all time:  Alice Faye (5 May 1915 - 9 May 1998) and  Tyrone Power (5 May 1914 - 15 November 1958).

Alice Faye; Phil Harris; 1949

I adore Alice in everything, but my favorite Alice performance is as herself on her radio show The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show.  I have a dress that is allegedly Alice's (it says A. Faye in it from Western Costume) but I have yet to find a photo or film of a dress even close to what I have.  I'm tempted to think it's not really hers. 

Tyrone Power; Marlene Dietrich; Witness for the Prosecution; 1957

And who doesn't adore Tyrone Power?  Handsome as all get out, and a fantastic actor.  My favorite performance of his happens to be his last on screen performance in Witness for the Prosecution with the fabulous Marlene Dietrich.  He played the character so that he was both incredibly lovable - and incredibly evil at the same time.  I've always marveled at how you can love and hate someone at the same time.  And what a twist!  I definitely recommend the film to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Paintings of the Stars - Lee Grant and Tamara Geva

Lee Grant; 1963

Tamara Geva; 1963

Paintings of the Stars - Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda; 1963

I found a half article about Henry Fonda and his painting.  He began experimenting with pastels while filming Mister Roberts.  Self-taught, he found his own techniques such as working from the left-top corner down, so that the drawing is not smudged.  His favorite painting technique, according to this source, is drybrush.

Henry Fonda; 1963

His technique is simple, a slight pencil sketch which he erases as he goes, and then he digs right in and paints.  Several of Henry Fonda's paintings (or copies of them at least) are around.  Fonda lists his major painting influences as William Harnett, Andrew Wyeth, and Dutch realist painters.
[Source:  Henry Fonda: a Bio-Bibliography; Greenwood Publishing; 1992; p 54]

Christina's World; Andrew Wyeth; 1948

I think Fonda made quite a lovely picture.  I haven't been able to find out where the particular painting from this Life photograph session ended up, but I'd be curious to know.  If anyone has the answer, please be sure to share it.

A Study Table; William Hemett; 1882

Paintings of the Stars - Part 1

Beatrice Lillie; 1963

Life Magazine did a series on paintings done by celebrities in 1963.  I find it interesting to see what artists do in art fields other than their own.  Well, it turns out that several actors and actresses were wonderful painters as well.  Beatrice Lillie was an actress I would have loved to see.  While known for her wonderful stage work, she made some films as well.

Beatrice Lillie; 1963

One of the stories about her I find most striking is from World War II.  Lillie entertained the troops quite frequently.  One day, she found out her son had been killed in action and refused to cancel her performance. Her quote:  "I'll cry tomorrow" (Source).  Beatrice Lillie sounds like an amazing woman I would loved to have met.  Her strength, generosity, and talent are worth remembering.

As to these paintings, I'm not sure what happened to these particular ones, but several of her paintings are stored at the New York Public Library. 

Movie Review Monday: Macabre (1958)

Macabre (1958)

I love vintage scary movies!  I can't stand scary movies made today since I have yet to see one that is about the story, as opposed to a gross back story and the most disgusting ways in which to kill people.  I much prefer the likes of Val Lewton and William Castle.  So after watching a fascinating film about William Castle, I was excited to see Macabre was on after it.

Macabre (Source)

After the film began, I realized that I had seen part of it before and realized why I did not remember the end. The premise was quite disturbing to me, and I am sure I turned it off the previous time I had viewed it.  Well, this time I sat through the entire thing.

Macabre (Source)

The premise is basically this:  A doctor's child has been kidnapped and buried alive and he has only a few hours before she suffocates.  It is so difficult for me to watch things involving children in pain since I spent my childhood dealing with physical pain (my disabilities) and to see the suffering of the innocent is just sad.  My anxiety was at a 10+ the whole time.  I was able to appreciate the film after I knew the ending (I won't spoil it for you).  

Macabre (Source)

The actors in the film were wonderful.  They played it just right.  The doctor, played by William Price, was perfect in the role.  He played to role seriously, so the film was suspenseful, as opposed to really cheesy, like it could have been from the gimmicks Castle employed like offering life insurance to anyone dying of fright while viewing the film.  I also was thrilled to see one of my favorite actors, Jim Backus, as the police chief.  I'm willing to see anything with him in it.

One of my favorite parts of the film was actually the ending credits.  It's macabre, in a good way.  It's so fun, and definitely summarizes the film if you missed anything.  I would definitely say "see it", but know the premise definitely is anxiety inducing.

American Duchess Giveaway

I'm super excited about the giveaway on American Duchess.  You may win a pair of these super cute Highbury shoes.  I adore the American Duchess.  I just wish I could afford all of her fabulous reproduction shoes!  One of these days . . . 


If you want to enter the giveaway too, you may check it out at:
http://americanduchess.blogspot.com/2013/04/giveaway-win-pair-of-highbury-regency.html