RIP - Alan Young, 1919-2016

Alan Young

     It's no secret that I adore Old Time Radio.  Alan Young was one of the last living legends of the era, and one of the few people public enough to still talked about it.  Yes, he is known mainly to the populace as a whole for Mr. Ed which brought him fame, but is not what I admire him most for.  I adore his turn as lovable Alan on the Alan Young Radio Show.  Running on various stations from 1944-1947 and 1949, it also starred the fabulous Jim Backus as Hubert Updike III which would eventually evolve into iconic Thurston Howell III on the television classic Gilligan's Island.

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.

Sweet Dreams Shirley

Shirley Age 17 (1945)

     Shirley Temple was my introduction to the vintage world.  She conjures up so many memories from my childhood that it's overwhelming.  Heidi, Sara Crewe, and who could forget her singing?  I was so sad to hear of her passing away last night.  Another star joining the pantheon of classic actors in that big production in the sky.  To me, she was a friend, even though I never met her.  

Shirley and Her Doll

     My first exposure to her was through dolls.  When I was a child, I was given a Shirley Temple doll.  Cute, with those classic curls, she remains today in my doll cabinet, an ever present reminder of play times in the past.  Her exuberance timelessly preserved.



     She was one of my first introductions into classic films.  The first movie I owned was The Little Princess (1939), the classic Frances Hodgson Burnett tale brought to life by Shirley as Sara Crewe along with several other actors I adore such as Anita Loos as her wonderful teacher Rose, Sybil Jason as her friend and confidant Becky, Marcia Mae Jones as the snide Lavinia, Mary Nash as the evil Ms. Minchin, Cesar Romero as the savior Ram Daz, the ever delightful Arthur Treacher as Bertie, and of course, Ian Hunter as her father.

Esther Williams's Wishes

In honor of the late, great Esther Williams, I thought I'd re-post one of my favorite posts from 2009 from the October 1946 issue of Photoplay about wishes.

"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 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."

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

I can just imagine Esther swimming laps in the big swimming pool in the sky.  I think part of the reason I adore her is I find swimming so freeing, too.  It is one of the rare activities I feel light and free - almost like a normal person must feel.  We will miss our Mermaid and I wish her family my thoughts and prayers.

RIP Esther Williams

Esther Williams; 1950

Today we lost one of our film gems.  I adore Esther and am saddened to hear of her passing.  What beauty, strength, talent, joy, and zest for life in one package.  She will be greatly missed.

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!

Missing Marilyn - 50th Anniversary of Our Loss

Marilyn Walking Off Into the Distance; 1958

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the loss of Marilyn Monroe.  She is a true icon in popular culture and film.  

Marilyn Monroe Press Conference; 1962

In my humble opinion, I find her a wonderful actress, far deeper than the image associated with her.  

Marilyn Monroe Press Conference; 1962

My favorite Marilyn Monroe performances are in Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot, and How to Marry a Millionaire.

Marilyn Monroe Press Conference; 1962

Such a troubled life for a wonderful personality.  I read a fabulous essay today published a few weeks after her death by Ayn Rand.

Marilyn Monroe Press Conference; 1962

While I did not have the troubled childhood she had, I can empathize with many of Monroe's hurts which Rand clearly articulated.

Air Force Officer's Club; 1953

So on this sad anniversary, let's drink a toast to the goodness of Marilyn - her joy, her acting talent, her intellect, her beauty, and her undying spirit.  We miss you!

Jeff Still Loves His Wife

Husband and Wife - Jeffrey Hunter and Barbara Rush; at Home; 1953

Jef Hunter

Has been carrying a torch for Barbara Rush, who seems determined to go through with a divorce.  But that tall, dark and handsome guy on whom she has her eye isn’t in the mood for marriage.  He happens to be Rock Hudson, whose chief interest is his career.  Jeff is not exactly weeping in his beer though at least as long as Debra Paget is around.




[Source: Movieland; February 1955]

Jeffrey Hunter; Barbara Rush; Rock Hudson

Jeffrey Hunter (born Henry Herman “Hank” McKinnies, November 25, 1926 – May 27, 1969) and Barbara Rush were married from December 1, 1950 until March 29, 1955.  They would have one son together, Chris.  Hunter and Debra Paget would star in two films together, Fourteen Hours and Princess of the Nile.  I'm not sure there was ever a relationship between the two, but they would have made a handsome couple.  I'm 100% sure Barbara and Rock didn't happen, as we have more info than those living in the 1950s would have.  I've always thought Jeffrey Hunter was a strikingly handsome man - almost too beautiful to be true.  Tragically he died from a cerebral hemorrhage from injuries received on the set at the young age of 42.  

Jeffrey Hunter and Debra Paget in Fourteen Hours

Ann Rutherford's Passing

RIP Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012)

Stunning Ann Rutherford

Sad to hear the delightful Ann Rutherford passed away.  Born November 2, 1920 in Vancouver, Canada, she was one of the last remaining cast member of one of my favorite films, Gone With the Wind.  She seemed such a sweet, delightful woman.  She will be greatly missed.

Ann Rutherford on a enjoying the sun

Sadly, so I fear there are few of the greats left.  So glamorous, vibrant, and wonderful actors, they remind me of the best time in film history.

Sweet Ann, we'll miss you

Today, I can count on one hand the number of people I consider actors today.  I don't know what they are, but it feels like to me any old person could be thrown in a film these days and it wouldn't matter.  Just throw in a scantily clad girl and some gross-out humor or some CGI crap and you've got a hit.  What's the point of actors anyway when computer generated things seem to be more important?  I enjoy maybe one new film a year while I find at least one thing redeeming in every pre-1960s film I view - hence this blog.  Please, bring back stories, glamour, and actors in films.

RIP Elizabeth Taylor

We lost one of the greats this week, the stunning Elizabeth Taylor. She will be remembered for many things:

Her incredible talent (Seen her with Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)




Her Charity Work (Photo Source: CNN)

As A Wonderful Mother

For Style and Fashion

For Beauty and those Eyes



Her Jewels

Her Care and Love of Animals

Mike Todd - "He was 25 years my senior and eternally young. I could hardly keep up with him. He was the most energetic man I've ever known and he made our short 18 months together one of the most intensely glorious times of my life. ... I have had two great loves in my life. Mike Todd was the first." (Elizabeth Taylor Quote - Source: Fandango)

Richard Burton - "Since I was a little girl, I believed I was a child of destiny, and if that is true Richard Burton was surely my fate. Certainly for a very long time he was my life. Despite what the press wrote at the beginning of our affair, I never regretted a moment of it." (Elizabeth Taylor Quote - Source: Fandango)

As a Fierce Friend (Here with Montgomery Clift in the 1950s)

Elizabeth Taylor was a legend with no equal. I find her life particularly inspiring because despite her incredible beauty, she was an incredibly sweet, loving, generous and hard working. I admire her drive and love of life. I find it inspiring that she was able to accomplish so many wonderful things, despite her many health problems. As someone who has suffered from chronic back pain, like Elizabeth, it can be so hard to get out of bed, let alone function in society - yet she was able to win Oscars, help so many people through her charity work, and win the love and admiration of millions of people. RIP dear Elizabeth, and enjoy that wonderful backlot in the sky.

RIP Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis (June 3, 1925 - September 29, 2010)

Tony Curtis [on dying]: "I may have them take my ashes and spread them all over Las Vegas!" (IMDB)