Harlow Hallucination

Jean Harlow
as Hattie Muller
from RiffRaff
by George Hurrell
1936

Marilyn and Miller - Part 3

More Marilyn and Miller photographs from 1957

Marilyn and Miller - Part 2

 

Marilyn and her third husband 

playwright Arthur Miller.

Matinee Monday - The Reptile (1966)

     I really love cheesy horror films, so I had to check out The Reptile (1966) which appeared on TCM last week.  It's a Hammer production, so that will tell you what kind of film we are talking about.  I recognized a couple faces, but generally was not familiar with any of the actors.  While not well known to me, they did a good job with the material.  But frankly, any time there is an old horror film on television, I'm there.  The fact that it is a Hammer production is also very intriguing.  I love their horror films with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing such as Dracula and The Mummy.

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.  

Matinee Monday - Phibian Frolics

     I had to great pleasure (or torture to some) of some cheesy horror awesomeness starring the amazing Vincent Price.  From the cheesetastic minds of American International, I viewed the epic Dr. Phibes pictures - The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and the sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972).  I'm usually not a post-1960's horror fan unless it's so bad it's funny, so I was nervous about the serious looking films.  Most are just too gruesome and gross for me, focusing mostly on gore and not so much on an interesting or intelligent reason for the fear.  While these films may not have had a very intelligent reason for the fear, the story was interesting.  And frankly, I have yet to see a Vincent Price film where I don't at least enjoy his performance.

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.

Pulp Fiction - This is Murder by Erle Stanley Gardner

Every time I read a vintage paperback I find it so much more enjoyable than modern ones. I'm not sure if it's the amazing cover art, the crisp and enhanced vocabulary, the richness of the time, the authors were better, or some other reason. This book was no exception. 

Sam Moraine is in advertising. Through odd circumstances, he becomes the go-between for a kidnapping ransom exchange. Only this kidnapping seems off. Things are definitely not right. After the exchange Sam becomes more immersed in the web of lies when the kidnap victim - whom he had saved and returned home - ends up dead in a prominent political man. The twists and turns and political intrigue kept me on the edge of my seat.

After reading this, I definitely think I will give other Gardner books a try. My only problem with this one - my poor vintage paperback fell apart. I probably should have just saved it and not read it, but what good is a book that isn't read?

Pulp Fiction - Hospital Doctor by Edward Young (1957)

      I'm usually a little reticent to read medical novels or watch medical television shows because of all the medical drama I've had myself.  Bad thoughts abound usually, but I decided to give one of my pulp novels a try,  Hospital Doctor by Edward Young, published in 1952.   Medical novels and romances were all the rage at the time this book was published.  While they may not be bestsellers today, the medically based television shows are still a TV staple.  And surprisingly, I do enjoy The Knick and Ripper Street, which often have medical scenes, but the others are too much for me.  Maybe the historical context helps diminish the trauma.  Or maybe it's because of the lack of all the medical device beeping which seems to amplify anxiety.

DeMille's Debris

I have been obsessed with reading about the amazing Sphinx set piece that has been found and reassembled in a California desert.  The sphinx was rediscovered after being buried for decades.  It was rediscovered and is currently being reassembled with Elmer's Glue no less, and will be on display at the Guadalupe Dunes Center.  I am totally intrigued.  It's definitely another thing to add to my bucket list!  Who knew there was such an important Hollywood set hidden?  Who knows what else could be found out there?