The Candid Camera (of sorts)

Bonjour, mon ami!

(Excuse my awful broken French). I was all giddy because over the last days, I found some really great Old Hollywood pictures! One of my favorite things ever is finding a great picture of an Old Hollywood star. I love finding rare or more candid photos, or photos of Classic Hollywood hanging out together (I think I've already expressed my love of awesome people spending time with awesome people). In fact, I'm not a fan of the more "general photos" -- you know, when you Google Image someone and the same particular photos all show up in the first page??? Even if these are good photos they're quite common and it gets tiring. Though candids are my favorite, I do like magazine photos, or posed photos, especially if it's LIFE magazine or something like that (I'm crazy about LIFE). I just like finding more rare, Classic Hollywood pictures versus the overused ones. ;)

^^ I hope some of that made sense. Anyway, I'm Vivien-Leigh-cat-smiling right now because I found a ton of great pictures and am here to share them with you all!! (Oh, and once again - a billion sorries that I couldn't tag everyone for this post, I only tagged the people with the most pictures / did not yet have a tag on this blog... Blogger can be a real pain sometimes!!)

Also, a quick reminder. The Film Noir Contest at Film-Classics.com closes in about a week. I'm currently in second place which is a lot better than I ever expected!!! If you have not voted yet, want to vote, liked my Anatomy of a Film Noir, etc. etc., you can vote here. Don't forget to check out the other reviews, because they are all wonderful! This ends on September 10th, so you have a week left to cast your votes if you already haven't.

Oh! And one more, quick last thing. You can now follow Frankly, My Dear with BlogLovin'! The widget to do so is on my sidebar, right under the usual members box. Now, I'll stop babbling and get on with the show ;)

***

This is an amazing photo and I went crazy ecstatic when I found it - this is three of my favorite film stars in the SAME room: Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and Natalie Wood. Liz, Audrey, and Nat all together in a CANDID.  How crazily AMAZING IS THAT???

Bob and Ava  just chilling out together!

Bogie and Bacall. I really love the latter!

Gina and Rock :)

I'm sure everyone has seen this before, and I even had it as my Favicon for a while, but I cannot get over how thrillingly, chillingly amazing this one is!

I love this one of Joan -- she's sort of like,

"Did I do okay?"

Jane Russell just lounging around.

Lauren needs her coffee!!!! (From the Brown Derby, of course)

Best friends, Ava and Lana, in some really gorgeous dresses

Leslie and Shirley chatting together

Okay, is it just me, or does it look like Liz and Dick are on a merry-go-round? Either way, I find this photo quite cool. 

Marilyn and Betty pose for the camera at the premiere of "How To Marry a Millionaire"

Lauren, Bogie, and Marilyn

I love this photo, too. Marlon relaxes and types on his typewriter while his cat wraps himself around Marlon's neck ;)

Errolivia :)

I cannot get over how much I LOVE this photo. This has to be one of my favorite pictures of Natalie, ever.

This one, too. I also j'adore this one.

Sophia Loren speaking to a little girl. Pretty adorable :)

Natalie and Warren during their brief courtship

Vivien with her cat. I love this one, too ;)

Ingrid and Cary share a laugh - I love these two together!

I'm sure you've all this one before, but I don't care. It's amazing. Bette Davis doing her nails. Enough said.

More pet pictures! Bette with her dog.

Doris is just chilling out -- don't disturb!

Lucy pointing something out to Desi.

Cheers!

hehe. She looks so incredibly chic here :) I'm guessing this was during the run of "Wildcat," just after she'd divorced Desi.

Okay, I don't even know what they're doing here, but a candid photo of Lucy and Henry together is simply awesome enough for me to share :)

***

Before I sign off, I'd like to thank everyone for their lovely comments on my last post! It looks like everyone's pretty happy with "WML?" becoming a segment and I can't wait to share more clips with you all. :) I'll also try and do more "Rianna Recasts" and "You know you're obsessed when..." which were also requested.

See you tomorrow with the Sunday Movie Review!

"I only have eyes for you, dear."

Hi everyone,

This is just going to be a post with a few miscellaneous notes....

First things first, the voting for the film noir contest. Here is the link: Film Noir Contest Voting!. Please read everyone's blogs, and then vote for your favorite. :) I already know two of my other blogging buddies that have joined in on the fun and their entries look wonderful, so I'm in great company! :) Also, at the last moment I decided to enter the video competition as well with my 100th birthday tribute to Lucy. The video got a good reception on Youtube (a thousand views in one week, which I have to admit is pretty cool), and so I decided why not? Especially since I'm not all that confident in my film noir post. You can vote for the videos (and don't forget to watch the other ones, too) here: Video Contest Voting!. (I ironically discovered that the ''What Did Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck Do Last Friday Night'' video I shared a few weeks ago here is up against me... what a small world! :D) Voting is from today to September 10th, so you'll have plenty of time. And lastly, a quick thanks to David, the website's main host, for hosting this! :)

Here's some exciting news: I hit the twenty followers benchmark that I've been striving for! (Actually, it's twenty-three now. :D) Thanks a BILLION for following me, it really does mean a lot, and let's see if we can make it up to thirty now. ;)

Also, here's your poll results! I've been a little late with getting them in, but this is the way it turned out:

• The winner is Lauren's autobiography, By Myself and Then Some with five votes (50 percent!). It looks interesting and you all must think it's good, so I'm going to trust your judgement! ;)
• Tying for second place is Ava Gardner's biography, Love is Nothing, and Vivien's, with two votes (twenty percent) each.
• And in last place, with one vote (ten percent) is Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, or the story of how Natalie Wood drowned and the murky circumstances surrounding it. 

So, I'm not very far at all in Jean Arthur's biography. It does look quite good, but maybe my mind is in other places and I'm not getting into it. -;) So, I think for the time being I'm going to go ahead and start reading Lauren's autobiography like you all have voted for me to do, and maybe come back to Jean another time. Thanks a bunch to all of you that voted and I'll be sure and review the book for you once I'm done!

I guess one natural disaster wasn't enough for us this week. Hurricane Irene (Dunne? :P) is on the way, and there's a possibility we may lose power for a little while, so I may not get a chance to write if it's going to be as bad as everyone says it is. In fact, we just got a call from our electricity company warning us. Let's hope not - I hate hurricanes, and we never get them either! And, to top it off, it's coming smack dab on my mom's birthday on Saturday. What a present!

I've made a couple changes to the blog, or I should say, additions. Some of you have already noticed and begun using it, but for those of you who haven't, or aren't sure what it's for, or whatever, I'd added a "reactions" bar:

Sorry for the awful circling job there

Basically, this is quicker way to tell me what you thought of the post (Don't let this discourage you from commenting, though - I LOVE comments!), and it helps me in writing future posts. Right now your options are "funny", "interesting", and "cool." They're not all that original (pre-written for me by Blogger), and I'm not so happy with them so I'll probably change them to something better in the near future. Ideas?

And, I have added a bunch of new songs to my playlist (or AKA, the pink iPod on the sidebar). It still opens with the Gone With the Wind theme (followed up by "Frankly, my dear..."), but I've added some other old timey songs so any newbies to this blog won't think this is just a blog about "Gone With the Wind." (What with the title and all). So, here's what I've added for your hearing pleasure:

• "I Only Have Eyes For You" sung by Frank Sinatra (hence the title of this post). A couple of days ago it was Joan Blondell day on TCM, and I had "Dames" playing on the TV. I wasn't actually paying attention (you know, when you leave the TV on for company... I do that always), but I did happen to hear this particular song play constantly in the movie, and it really grew to me. The only version I could get was Frank's, but it's Sinatra so it might as well be good!
• "That's All" sung by Edie Adams on the final episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour... I love this song, it's very pretty and Edie sings it beautifully - in fact, this is my favorite version of the song.
• "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" sung by Marlene Dietrich (yep, Marlene). I wanted to get the Doris Day version of this, but that wasn't available. Everyone remember it from "Bringing up Baby"? :)
• "Stardust" sung by Nat King Cole. I hear this was Bette Davis's personal favorite song, and I really like it. So, here's to Bette.
• "As Time Goes By" by Doolie Wilson, or, the one and only Sam! I don't have to tell you anymore, you know where it's from. INGRID: Play it, Sam. Play.... "As Time Goes By." SAM: Well, I'm a little rusty on it, Miss Ilsa INGRID: -- I'll hum it for you. Di-de-dee-du-dum....
• The theme from "An Affair to Remember." This movie is one of my favorites (it makes me cry every time), and the theme is so beautiful, too.
• A really awkward version of "Que Sera Sera" by Doris, but once again, it was the only one I could get. Oh, well - que sera sera!
• "Isn't it Romantic?" sung by Jeanette MacDonald. I LOVE this song, it's one of my favorites, but no offense to Jeanette, only I really wanted to get the Ella Fitzgerald version of this. I AH-DORE that version. This is nice, too... but Ella's just blows me away. Oh well, we'll have to settle for this.
• "Cheek to Cheek" ... I THINK sung by Ginger Rogers. Please correct me if I'm wrong! Because I could like, totally, be off like that. ;) Anyway, this is a nice version and I like it.
• ... And lastly, a little Vera Lynn for you: "We'll Meet Again." (Some sunny day!)

I may add some more into the future as they come into my mind.  ;)

Okay, so you're used to leaving you with some random kind of photo or something, but today I'm going to leave you with a clip from one of my favorite movies EVER, "Bringing Up Baby"... I'm sure most of you have already seen it. But, whatever. It's adorable, and it makes me smile. :)

Click THIS!

To my annoyance, I could not embed the video here but you can click that link just below the photo :)

That's all for now, and please don't forget to check out the film noir contest. Now that the polls are up, I've taken a look at the other three contestants and it's simply FABULOUS, dahhhlings. :)

Ciao! ;)

The Big 10 - Actresses I Like, But... (Plus: Poll Results!)

Hello there, all of you out in Blogland!

I'm sorry for my rant yesterday. Well, actually, I'm not sorry... but anyway, I'll just inform you all that I'm feeling better. It took a few weeping sessions to get through, but I'm okay. I think.

Anyway, I'll just busy myself in my Blog, a good use of technology. So, before I get into today's topic, I'd like to give the final results of the "1939 Golden Year of Film" poll. Your options were -

• "Goodbye, Mr. Chips"
• "Wuthering Heights"
• "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
• "The Wizard of Oz"
• "Stagecoach"
• "Ninotchka"
• "Dark Victory"
• "Of Mice and Men"
• "Love Affair"
• "Gone with the Wind"

9 votes came in. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is the winner with four, "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz" tie at two each, and "Dark Victory" comes in third place with one. The rest didn't receive any votes at all! :(

I'm telling you the results because the poll will be going down in a little bit and replaced with a poll about Natalie Wood in honor of her upcoming birthday. Be sure and vote, vote, vote!

Okay, now, down to business. A few days ago I posted a Blog about my ten favorite actresses of all time. I closed the blog with a promise to post about ten actresses I like, but haven't seen enough of their movies and hope to.

Well, here is the blog as promised! (: (This is an no particular order):

1. Greta Garbo

"My Favorite Swede", as I like to refer to her, will always be Ingrid (: 

But Garbo is classic, and therefore I vow to watch more of her. (Btw - don't you adore her hair in that photo? I want it!)

2. Barbara Stanwyck

Maybe it's just me, but I've realized a lot of appeal for Barbara, or "Stany", and that's encouraged me to see more of her. Unfortunately, I have only seen her in "The Lady Eve," "Double Indemnity," and "Christmas in Connecticut."

3. Rita Hayworth

If you've visited my "Favorite Movies and TV Shows" tab, you're well aware that I've listed "Gilda" as one of my favorite films. That's a Rita film, but it's among the few I have seen! I need to see more of the "Love Goddess" - did you know one of my aunts was named after her?

4. Ava Gardner

I like Ava, but haven't seen enough of her either. I hope to watch "Mogambo" - I hear it is not a terrific film, but apparently Ava is hilarious in it and that I'm looking forward to! (So says Via Margutta 51, another Blog)

5.  Lana Turner

Yep, that's right. I haven't seen enough of the "The Sweater Girl," either!

6. Lauren Bacall

Yes, Lauren, too! How embarrassing.. :) Actually, I recently saw her in "Sex and the Single Girl," with Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, and Henry Fonda. Not the best movie, but she's hilarious.

7. Judy Garland

Judy, Judy, Judy! I've seen some of her essential films, and that I am proud of - "The Wizard of Oz" and "Meet Me in St. Louis," is what I mean, of course. I've also seen "In the Good Old Summertime", and her spot in "Ziegfield Follies" (which I watched because of Lucy). However, she's so talented, and I can always see more of her.

8. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford 

^^ Oh my God, what an interesting photo! Anyway, I have seen both Bette and Joan's films. I am reading Joan's biography currently - as the sidebar will tell you - and hope to jump into Bette's afterwards. This is in all in impending research for a "Bette vs. Joan" Blog I hope to do soon!! What side am I on? I still need to figure out! 

9. Vivien Leigh

Yes, Scarlett O'Hara herself! And this Blog is called Frankly My Dear! 

10. Carole Lombard

She and Lucy were great friends and Lucy always insisted that Carole was the real Queen of Comedy. There is also a rumor that Carole appeared in Lucy's dreams while Lucy was contemplating on whether or not to do "I Love Lucy," and Carole encouraged her (in the dream) to "give it a whirl." (Thank you, Carole!) I've seen her in "Nothing Sacred" and "To Be or Not To Be," and quite enjoyed her, so I hope to see more of her in the future. It's sad how she died so young (in a plane crash) and her marriage to Clark Gable sounds interesting!

Well, there it is! Of course, I haven't not seen any of their movies - that would be shameful! - I just want to see more, I guess. So I'll add tons of movies featuring these ladies into my Netflix queue, I guess!

What about you? Which actresses do love - but want to see more of? (If that makes any sense. :D)