Greta Garbo on TV?

Greta Garbo
Can name her own price for doing one of those TV extravaganzas. But if she won’t do a picture, it’s hardly likely that she’ll do television. Incidentally, the last time we saw Garbo, she was dining with a party of friends in a very public place and seemed to be having a wonderful time. That ultra-shyness attributed to her is simply a part of the Garbo legend. If the lady doesn’t have to work and doesn’t want to, why should she?

(Source: Movieland, February 1955)

Shelley and Marilyn

Shelley Winters and Marilyn Monroe at the Golden Globes in 1961


Shelley Winters
“Marilyn Monroe and I have two things in common. We’re both blond and we alienated the Italian market.”

(Source: Movieland; February 1955)




Shelley Winters and Marilyn Monroe shared an apartment in the 1940s and 1951. According to Shelley, they also shared a bathing suit for photos and a mink coat for dates. It's also thought that she taught Marilyn to act sexy "by tilting her head back, lowering her eyes, and ever-so-slightly opening her mouth" (Source: http://www.nndb.com/people/859/000022793/)

Donald and Francis the Mule take a Break

Donald O’Connor
Says he has no time for serious romance these days. His idea of relaxing evening is to catch two western feature pictures. Don is not so wealthy as most people imagine because until he clicked in “Singing in the Rain,” he worked for practically nothing – as stars go. His first Universal-International contract, which ran for seven years, paid him $200 a week. Donald doesn’t intend to do any more pictures with his pal, Francis the Mule unless U-I comes up with a good script and an interesting salary offer.

(Source:Movieland; 1955)

Bob Mitchum and his Nicknames

Wonder where Bob Mitchum picks up all those nicknames? He calls Marilyn Monroe, “Angora”

and Olivia de Havilland, “Sport”.

Usually he just settles for “Dad” when addressing men. We think you’ll be surprised by Olivia’s performance as the Swedish nurse in “Not as a Stranger.” For the part she has assumed a Swedish accent and had her hair bleached. Always the perfectionist, she saw eight real operations before starting the picture.

Olivia De Havilland and Pierre Galante

By the time you read this Olivia might be married to Pierre Galante and living abroad. She’s scheduled to make two pictures is Europe – so she won’t be idle.

(Source: Movieland, 1955)


Note: Olivia De Havilland was married to Pierre Galante from 1955 until their divorce in 1979.

Olivia looks quite different as a blond. I think she looks better as a brunette. What do you think?

Basement Ceiling

A 1920s Ceiling

Basement Ceiling

The ceiling should be airtight to prevent dust from sifting upstairs. A ceiling of plaster, Sheetrock, or other fire resisting material, greatly reduces a fire hazard.

(Source, Watkins Household Hints, 1941)

Are Liz and Michael Wilding headed for splitsville?

Michael Wilding, Michael Jr, Elizabeth Taylor, and Christopher; 1955

Liz Taylor
Was upset last spring when rumors insisted she and Mike were splitting up. But Mike assured her it was all idle gossip, and they’d be together after all the reports had faded. At that time, Liz told us that she was going to get herself a bigger house and fill it with children. With the new home and second baby on the way, it looks as if she’s carrying out her plan.

(Source: Movieland February 1955)


Michael Wilding and Elizabeth Taylor were married from February 21, 1952 - January 30, 1957. She married Michael Todd within days of her divorce from Wilding.

Vintage Household Hints 2 - Prevent Basement Accidents

Joan Bennett Storing Scripts in Basement Trunk; 1940

How to Prevent Basement Accidents

1. Keep rubbish and ashes in separate covered metal containers. Do not allow old papers and other inflammable material to accumulate.

2. Have stairs to basement well lighted, and provided with a handrail. Never leave pails, brooms, etc., on the stairs or landing.

3. Remove nails when breaking up boxes.

4. Tools should be kept in a cupboard; do not hang them on rafters.

5. Basement should be well lighted, preferably with electric lights controlled by a switch at top of the stairway.

(Source: Watkins Household Hints; 1941)

Monty Clift crashes at Liz's house and Premiere drama

Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Wilding

Montgomery Clift
Is usually a hermit when he comes to Hollywood for a picture. But he surprised everybody by house-guesting with Liz Taylor and Michael Wilding. His friendship with Liz goes back to A Place in the Sun, but it was never more than friendship. At that time Liz was single, and the studio cooked up the idea of having Monty take Liz to the premiere of the picture. He borrowed a tux and took a publicity man in a studio limousine to pick up Liz.

Liz and Montgomery Clift; 1950

But on the way to her house, they stopped at a drive-in to dine on hamburgers, Monty was more concerned about getting the publicity man home than he was about arriving at the premiere with Liz. His mood is mellowing toward Hollywood, but he’s still very careful about the scripts he selects.

(Source: Movieland, February 1955)

Vintage Household Hints #1 - Ventilation

Air Ducts, Ventilators, Flues, Chimneys, Etc.

Should be cleaned once a year. In all cities and many towns, there are firms which have special motorized vacuum equipment which does the work efficiently.

Man Cleaning Commercial Furnace Aug 25, 1949 (Source:MNHS)

Clean burners in gas-fired boiler and flush fuel oil storage tanks to remove sediment. Remove rust.*

(Source: Watkins Household Hints, 1941)

*Note - We have different furnaces now so much of this tip is not valid. It is however still advisable to have a professional tune up and clean your furnace, chimneys, etc. I do it once a year - furnace in the fall and air conditioner in the spring. Chimney every 1 to 2 years depending on how often I use the fireplace.

RIP Jane Russell

RIP to one of the greats, Jane Russell. What a sweet, strong, classy, fabulous lady. No one out there like her, and never will be.

Jane, her 4 brothers, and their broods in 1954