Constance's Cosmetics

     Constance Bennett seems to have had a bit of a beauty empire.  Today it seems like every celebrity has a beauty line, from Drew Barrymore's Flower Beauty to what seems like the millionth Britney Spears or J.Lo perfume, celebrities have been in the beauty products game from the beginning.  The footage of Constance using her products survives and is incredibly intriguing.  Unfortunately it appears to be one of the sole surviving remnants.  Bennett's beauty empire lasted approximately a decade - an amazing feat since she began her empire during the Great Depression.  According to the author of The Bennetts, Constance was great at coming up with ideas, but terrible at implementation.  

How Well Do You Know Hollywood? - Question 3

According to Photoplay, July 1940:

Her first picture made Irene Dunne a star.  It was:

Cimarron

Roberta

Show Boat

Sweet Adeline

View comments to find the answer

Tap Dancing Tuesday - Ginger the Gem

Joyous Jean

     I'm sure I'm not the only one who was glued to my television yesterday for Jean Harlow's TCM Summer Under the Stars day.  As long time readers know, I'm generally not a fan of Summer Under the Stars.  I used to be, but just like with Oscar month, is tending to feature more and more recent material, 1970's stars, and the like.  When I think of the term "classic film star" I don't think Angie Dickinson, featured August 18th.  I understand she is well known, had a lot of roles, and is part of pop culture, but when I think 'classic' she's probably about the last person I would think of.  It's all about context.  Bette Davis or Angie Dickinson - which one is more of a 'classic film star'?  There's no comparison.  And yes, Summer Under the Stars features Bette Davis and Spencer Tracy for the umpteenth time.

Harlow Hallucination

Jean Harlow
as Hattie Muller
from RiffRaff
by George Hurrell
1936

Pretty Printemps

Mrs Sascha Guitry  by Raymond Voinquel

     Mrs. Sacha Guitry, aka Yvonne Printemps (25 July 1894 - 19 January 1977), was a much-beloved French actress.  Working on stage on screen, she was known for her operatic voice.  Lovely (watch the link and you'll understand), she began her career at the tender age of 12 at La Cigale, becoming a Folies Bergere dancer by 13.  Her stage name, Printemps (meaning springtime), was given to her there because of her delightful disposition.  Yvonne appeared in 10 films.  One of the things she is mainly known for is her 1919 - 1934 marriage to French actor Sacha Guitry.  

Cinema Saturday - The First Year (1932)

1932 Ad from a mystery magazine

     This ad was in a mystery cut up group of magazines I purchased a few years ago.  I'm not sure exactly what magazine they are since none of the remaining pages have the title of the magazine nor the date.  The magazines are full of torn out pages and cut out pictures.  At some point someone was trying to create scrapbooks or more than likely it was a recent person trying to make a buck by selling certain cut out images and ads.  Naturally, the probably beautiful covers as well as the table of contents are missing, so I really have no idea as to the actual magazines themselves.  Naturally, they do present some clues.  This ad provides a big clue to the year of this magazine.  The First Year was released 31 July 1932 so I've some to the conclusion that this issue is probably from 1932 and more than likely close to the release date such as June or July.  I also noticed that much of the magazines look quite similar to the features and look of Film Fun magazine or one of the similar magazines published by the same company.  Film Fun really is a fun look into the early film community.  Plus they had amazing cover art, specifically the amazing girl art of Enoch Bolles.

Fashion Friday - Dracula

Not many people think about the fashion involved in horror films.  I personally think the fashion is an integral part of these gems.  They set the mood for the wonderful scenes in the film.  Who doesn't look at the suave Bela Lugosi and think Dracula?  There is conflicting information about who created the iconic look, but Bela Lugosi is largely credited with popularizing the tuxedo and cape look.  While actor Raymond Huntley apparently was the first to use this look in the 1924 London stage adaptation, not many people know it [1].

Awesome Ebay - Inscribed Photo Circa 1936

1936 Ebay Item

There are a lot of cool items for sale on Ebay, and this is definitely one of them.  It looks like it was from a fun event and has signatures from many people I adore.  The hefty price tag of $9,999.00 clearly makes it a clear impossibility for purchase.  I can't even afford my groceries or to fix my car, so this definitely is not going to be in my collection.  But it's just so cool, I had to feature it.  The item is from the collection of Saul Goodman (1919-2003), apparently a businessman who loved getting cool photographs and having celebrities sign them.  Because of the rarity of the photographs and rarity of some of the autographs, the prices for items from his collection are insanely expensive.  This is clearly not an exception.  But it is exceptional.

Week in Review

Films of the Week

• They Wanted to Marry (1937) - Betty Furness (Sheila), Gordon Jones (Jim), E.E. Clive (Styles), Patsy Parsons (Patsy), Henry Kolker (Mr. Hunter)

They Wanted to Marry (1937)

They Wanted to Marry (1937) - Betty Furness (Sheila), Gordon Jones (Jim), E.E. Clive (Styles), Patsy Parsons (Patsy), Henry Kolker (Mr. Hunter).  Gordon Jones plays Jim, a newspaper photographer whose not supposed to take pictures of Shela's dad.  He is the least photographed man and hates photographers.  One day Jim decides to crash a party at his home and naturally, gets in trouble.  But while hiding, he meets the glamorous Sheila, played by Betty Furness.  They fall in love, but the fact Jim is a photographer prohibits him from being able to court Sheila.  

Week in Review

Films I've Viewed

• The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936) - William Powell (Dr. Lawrence Bradford), Jean Arthur (Paula Bradford), James Gleason (Inspector Corrigan), Stokes (Eric Blore), Robert Armstrong (Nick Martel), Lila Lee (Miss Prentiss).  Mr. and Mrs. Bradford are divorced because Paula, a mystery writer, kept involving them in mysteries and he couldn't concentrate on his medical practice.  But mystery follows them, when a jockey drops dead at the track and a huge bundle of bills end up in the doctor's hands.  

To Beat the Band (1935)

To Beat the Band (1935) - Hugh Herbert (Hugo Twist), Helen Broderick (Mrs. Freda McCrary), Roger Pryor (Larry Barry), Fred Keating (Fred Carson), Eric Blore (Hawkins), Phyllis Brooks (Rowena), Evelyn Poe (Barbara Shelley)  

Sons O' Guns (1936)

Sons O'Guns (1936) - Joe E. Brown (Jimmy Canfield), Joan Blondell (Yvonne), Beverly Roberts (Mary Harper), Eric Blore (Hobson), Craig Reynolds (Lt. Burton).  Jimmy Canfield has a sweetheart, Mary, whose father won't let them marry because Jimmy won't fight in the war, World War I, that is.  So he pretends to enlist by joining in one of the parades of soldiers, but he ends up getting roped into service.  

Eric Blore, Joe E. Brown and Beverly Roberts

Sent to France, Jimmy falls in love with French barmaid Yvonne, played by the delightful Joan Blondell.  While Blondell's accent is not great (I wish she never tried), her charm is infectious.  The films turns into a bit of vaudeville as skits are interspersed to highlight Brown's vaudeville talent such as a French cafe scene where Brown is interested in a clearly cross dressing guy which turns into a very obvious dummy chucked through a window.  I'm not sure if this was supposed to be that way because they were on the front with only men and little money, or if it was really bad production.  I'm hoping the first is the case.  Eric Blore is delightful in this film.  Usually playing a butler or the equivalent, he is perfect in his dual occupation as Canfield's former butler turned Army Colonel.  I understand Joe E. Brown's comedy, but I just find it o.k. - not bad, but not funny either.  You can see it a mile away.  

Beverly Roberts, Joe E. Brown and Joan Blondell

The ending was odd.  The entire German army gave up because they were tired and just joined up with Canfield for beer and girls.  Naturally because Canfield brings all of these German soldiers for surrender, he becomes a hero.  Odd ending, but keeping with the Canfield character.  On the whole, this film was just o.k.  Forgettable film, except for the fun performance of Eric Blore.  I enjoyed Joan Blondell, but it is not her best performance.  5 out of 10 Bobs.  

Week in Review

Films I've Viewed

• The Bribe (1949) - Robert Taylor (Rigby), Ava Gardner (Elizabeth Hintten), Charles Laughton (J.J. Bealer), Vincent Price (Carwood), John Hodiak (Tigwell "Tug" Hintten).  Taylor plays a cop, sent to find a group of people smuggling airplane motors and selling them illegally.  Ava is a down on her luck singer in a seedy nightclub, torn between her attraction to Rigby and her devotion to her shady, dying husband.  Elizabeth's husband is part of the gang, so if he does anything it will hurt her.  Robert Taylor is divine.  One of my favorite leading men.  Ava played the sultry singer well.  I don't think she was worth the trouble, but then, Ava is not one of my favorite actresses.  Charles Laughton and Vincent Price were fabulous as the bad guys.  Their portrayals were worth the film alone.  Well worth the view.

Scarlet Pages (1930)

Scarlet Pages (1930) - Elsie Ferguson (Mary Bancroft), John Halliday (John Remington), Marian Nixon (Nora Mason), Grant Withers (Bob Lawrence), Daisy Belmore (Mrs. Kennedy).  Nightclub dancer Nora is accused of killing her father.  Star woman lawyer Mary Bancroft believes that Nora killed her father solely to protect her mother who was abused.  District attorney Remington is the opposing lawyer, determined to get his man, or girl in this case.  Then the film gets complicated.  

Vintage Inspiration - Fabulous Fay

Portrait of Fay Wray from King Kong by Ernest A. Bachrach

Fay Wray looks particularly beautiful while waiting for her closeup on the set of King Kong, one of the classics of all time.  I wonder what she is looking at - a bevy of admirers . . . a potential beau . . . a colossal Kong.  I love photographs of stars on the set, and this one is quite stunning.

Vintage Inspiration - Classy Clara

Clara Bow from Call Her Savage (1932) by Harold Dean Carsey

Clara Bow is a fun spitfire of a character.  Adorable and full of life, she is a film icon.  She is probably best known for her role as Betty Lou in 1927's "It", a great film.  

Clara Bow from Her Wedding Night (1930) by Eugene Robert Richee

These are just some fun photographs which show the essence of Bow: Fun, flirty, and Full of Life

Clara Bow from The Wild Party (1929) by Eugene Robert Richee

Isn't she just "It"?

Vintage Inspiration - Sally on Saturday

Sally Eillers models Vera West fashion

Vera West was a costume designer with over 300 credits to her name.  Some of the well-known films she designed for were:  Shadow of a Doubt, the Sherlock Holmes film series with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, W.C. Fields films like The Bank Dick, Destry Rides Again, and horror film classics like The Wolf Man, The Mummy, and Dracula.

Week in Review

Films I've Watched

• Lady Vanishes (1938) - Margaret Lockwood (as Iris), Michael Redgrave (as Gilbert), Paul Lukas (as Dr. Hartz), Dame May Whitty (as Miss Froy).  Having seen the recent PBS Masterpiece adaptation, I was curious about what I think is the first adaptation of the title.  An added bonus was the fabulous Dame May Whitty, whom is fabulous in every film I've seen her in.  The plot is basically this: Iris meets Miss Foy, a governess going back to England, on a train.  She disappears, and Iris is determined to find her but no one on the train has seen her.  Soon, it seems to Iris that everyone thinks she is crazy.  Luckily, things work out in the end.  Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, I wouldn't necessarily consider this in his style or the style he developed but it definitely is an enjoyable film.