71 Years of Desilu ♥

 Happy anniversary, lovelies! 

♥♥♥

There are so many off screen and on screen Old Hollywood couples that I love. Carole and Clark, Viv and Larry, Bogie and Betty, Kate and Spence (they count!)... all absolutely adorable and big favorites. But there's one couple that always come out on top for me: and yes despite the divorce, it's Lucy and Desi.

And today is their would-be 71st wedding anniversary! Alright, so they were both divorced from each other and had been married to different people at the time of their deaths, but LET'S BE FAIR: a lot of us disregard that. :) And with no disrespect to their second spouses, Edie and Gary, for I'm sure they made them very happy for those marriages did last. But these two will forever remain as Lucy and Ricky in our hearts for sure.

Lucy and Desi had met on the set of "Too Many Girls," a 1940 B movie where they did not even play one another's love interests. But the "B movie queen" and the "Cuban glamour boy" hit it off from the start. Well, actually, their first impressions of one another were not that good. Desi saw Lucy for the first time in a gold lame dress with a slit up to her thigh and a black eye, fresh off the set of "Dance, Girl, Dance." He could not believe this was the girl that was going to play an ingenue. His impression of her changed and fast later that day, when he saw her in what he would later describe: "a pair of tight fitting beige slacks and a yellow sweater, with beautiful blond hair and big blue eyes." He asked her if she would like for him to teach her how to rumba, as it "may come in handy for the picture," but it never did.

They did go out that night, for dinner and dancing. A few days later, co-star Eddie Bracken threw a beach party for those working on the picture. After this encounter they consummated their relationship and broke their engagements to their previous significant others. 

Being together was rocky, however. They were barely ever able to spend time together because Desi was on the road, touring with his rumba band, while Lucy was going about the country publicizing for pictures or either back at the studio making them. They fought a lot on the phone, often accusing each other of having other affairs. The country was fascinated by their romance, but no one thought it would last and both Lucy and Desi had told themselves marriage was out of the question.

Six months after their first meeting, on November 29th, 1940, Desi returned to New York with an idea in his mind and went to Lucy's hotel room. She was busy giving a interview to a reporter entitled, "Why I Will Always be a Bachelor Girl." Desi became impatient, threw the reporter out, and then told Lucy he had everything arranged for her to elope with him that weekend if she wanted to. He'd even waived the three day permit. Lucy said, "I knew things wouldn't be normal when I started going with you," but they decided they loved each other a lot, so there wasn't much else to worry about.

They drove out to Greenwich, Connecticut the next morning. They had to hurry to be back in time for Desi's show at the Roxy. They planned to get married at the Justice of the Peace's office, but the Justice wanted something nicer so he suggested a local country club. The bride wore a black fur jacket because that was all she had, but neither seemed to care much. The wedding ring was a cheap one from Woolworth's - the ring had been the only thing Desi had forgotten about, and all the jewelry stores were closed because it was Saturday, so this was the only thing Desi's business manager was able to dig up. Lucy said, "I love it!" and kept it always, even when it turned skinny and green and Desi bought another, bejeweled ring.

So they were married: with the Woolworth ring, at the Byram River Beagle Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, about noon, on Saturday, November 30th. They were not able to make it back to the Roxy in time, and when  the manager angrily asked Desi where he was, he replied in his trademark accent, "I'm in Connecticut." When the response was "CONNECTICUT??!", he said blissfully, "I've been marrying Lucille."

Friends, family, and the country gave it six weeks while personally they each gave their marriage three (weeks). But this union would last twenty years, spawn a television empire, two children, and the great television show of all time. It was a bumpy road. For years they were apart, and for the next decade they were constantly together. She would suffer many miscarriages. There was drinking and philandering. But when it was really boiled down it: you could always tell they loved each other.

Here's a walk down memory lane of their marriage. The quotes, by themselves and people who knew them, were found in various places, mostly from their autobiographies or statements made to a 1992 edition of "People" magazine. ♥

"But the telephone conversations back and forth during that time, the bills for them - Jesus, we could have bought half of AT&T....

The New York hotel operators listened to everything that went on, particularly if they knew you. They all knew Lucy and they all knew me. They were in the habit of listening to our arguments, and were accustomed to the fact that after one of us hung up on the other, five minutes later there would be another call.

One this particular night, in which this did not happen or at least did not happen yet, the operator herself, bless her soul, called Lucy and said, "Why haven't you called him back?"

["A Book" by Desi Arnaz. Desi remembers their furious fights on the phone and the bills they racked up screaming the word "WHAT?" over and  over, because 1940's long distance connection was so bad.]

"After the short ceremony, we ate our wedding breakfast in front of a bright fire in the club's lounge. Outside, a fresh mantle of snow hung on the pine trees. After all the indecision we'd been through, Desi and I were dazed with happiness. We kissed each other and the marriage certificate again and again. It still has my lipstick marks on it.


'I'm going to keep this forever and ever,' I told Desi, clutching it to my black-wool covered bosom. This marriage had to work. I would do anything, sacrifice anything, to make Desi happy."

["Love, Lucy" by Lucille Ball. Lucy's account of the original November 30th]

"Before they did the series, he was a bandleader coming home at three or four in the morning. And by then, she was up and on her way to makeup at RKO. She used to say, "We just can't keep meeting in the Supulveda tunnel."
[Charles Pomerantz, Lucy's publicist]

"Before the show began, they had already been seperated. An actress and a bandleader. He was on the road; she was a working  professional. That's the kind of marriage that has failure written all over it. You're seperated a while, and before you know it, those giblets begin to jump."
[William Asher, Lucy director]

"When they were having the baby and we did the show about the birth of Little Ricky, Desi was terribly emotional about her. He was really crazy about her. You could feel how they felt."


[William Asher, Lucy director]

"Both times I was pregnant, I mooned for hours over a baby photograph of Desi, hoping by some magic I would have a baby who looked just like him. Then we did a show where Lucy tells Ricky she is having a baby. .... [describes scene].... When we did this scene before an audience, Desi was suddenly struck by all the emotion he'd felt when we discovered, after ten childless years of marriage, that we were finally going to have Lucie. His eyes filled up and he couldn't finish the song; I started to cry, too. Vivian startled to sniffle. The director wanted retakes at the end of the show, but the audience stood up and shouted, "No, no!"

["Love, Lucy"by Lucille Ball. Lucy's account of the famous pregnancy episode, in which they broke character with their tears. The scene she describes is the one that we see on TV screens everywhere today.]

"Even after she'd married Gary, whenever she'd see me, she would always take me over to a corner and say, 'Have you heard from Desi lately?' She wanted to know how he was getting along. There was always that great, great love there."

[Jim Bacon, family friend]

"Maybe I'm the romantic, but there was a great, great love there, there really was. Desi was very unhappy about the breakup, and I think she was too. I don't think either one of them ever got over it."

[William Asher, Lucy director]

"I put the phone up to Dad's ear in the bed. And he gave me a look that said, 'Who is it?' And I said, 'It's the redhead.' He just listened, and I heard what she said. She just said the same thing over and and over again. It was muffled, but you could clearly make out it was the same thing over and over again. It was, 'I love you. I love you, Desi, I love you.' You could even hear the intonations of the voice change, how she meant each one, the interpretations. And I just sat there, trying not to show him I was listening, because I had to hold the phone. I couldn't get out of the room; he couldn't hold the phone. And he said, "I love you, too, honey."

["Desilu", account by Lucie Arnaz. This event occurred on November 30th, 1986: Lucy and Desi's would-be forty sixth wedding anniversary and two days before Desi died.]

***

Take a minute to get a little "I Love Lucy" in your day today! 

Ciao! :)

PS: Aren't you all thrilled Robert Osborne is coming back to TCM? I can hardly wait to hear, "I'm Robert Osborne," again!

A Classic Hollywood Thanksgiving [In Emails]

Hello everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for so many things: my family, my friends, the roof over my head, getting the chance to write all I want, all the people who have taken the time to read this blog... (that means YOU!)

One thing I'm also thankful for is Classic Hollywood. I mean it, too. What on Earth would I do without classic movies???

My first idea was to do a Thanksgiving post about Classic Hollywood having a Thanksgiving dinner together. Who would come, who would say what, etc., etc. But the more I thought about it it seemed awful hard so I decided to take a new approach. Basically, a bunch of movie stars met up at someone's house (not exactly sure, but it's pretty obvious Rita Hayworth did a lot of cooking and Bogie and Lauren Bacall helped out.. you'll see), and now they're reflecting back on it through emails. I guess I was kind of inspired by the "Tweets of Old Hollywood" thing that was published in the recent Vanity Fair (I think I left the link a few posts back).

This is what I put together. I honestly don't know what you'll make of it, but it was fun to write! :D

Also, they might be hard to read in the size presented to you here. So you can hover over the picture with your mouse, right click, and hit "open in new tab", and it should be big enough for you to read! I couldn't make them any bigger without it going into the sidebar. :)

Walter Pidgeon couldn't make it to the gathering (he had a bad cold), so Greer has sent him an email letting him know how things went.

Next, Lucy sent Ginger Rogers an email with a few photos she and Desi had taken at the event. (Ginger also attended, but her camera ran out of film, you see). By "LeeLee", she means Ginger's mother. 

Ingrid really enjoyed the mashed potatoes Cary brought to the gathering (it was kind of a potluck), so she traded recipes with him for her Swedish meatballs. Here he sends her the recipe.

Joan and Bette got into a spat, of course. Barbara Stanwyck, Joan's best friend, helped break it up and here Joan thanks her for it.

Here Bette relays her side of the story, with a little gossip on the side, to best friend Olivia de Havilland.

And lastly, Spencer shoots Kate an email asking her how Thanksgiving went. He was busy shooting a film and couldn't come, but they can't be seen together in public anyway.

***

I don't know. It was fun to write! Have a happy Thanksgiving! :)

Classic Mustaches for Movember || Mustache Hall of Horror

So, Bette of the lovely Bette's Classic Movie Blog is hosting "Classic Mustaches for Movember". What is "Movember?" According to their website:

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

Bette has decided to promote this worthy cause by holding this blogathon, and the topic of discussion is basically classic movie mustaches. Mustaches were pretty popular back in the 30's and 40's, and you shouldn't be surprised to discover that at least a few of your favorite leading men have sprouted mustaches for a particular movie role! 

Anyway, before I get into the actual post, if you'd like to donate to Movember, you can do so by going here. It's a real worthy cause so give it a thought, would you? :)

Okay, now onto the post. A lot of leading men famously sprouted mustaches throughout their movie career, and they looked pretty good with them. Like William Powell, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, and perhaps most famously, Charlie Chaplin with his "Little Tramp" mustache.  And on occasion, probably Robert Taylor and Ronald Colman too.

However, most every leading man of the Golden Era was required to grow a mustache at some point in their career, usually for a movie role or so. These usually well shaven faces startled us with their new mustaches, and though sometimes it worked, let's be fair: sometimes it was a complete disaster.

And, so I present to you, the Mustache Hall of Horror. Our favorite leading men sprouting upper lip hair that should have been outlawed. Brace yourself!

** YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED **

THE MUSTACHE HALL OF HORROR
(and shame.) 

10. Desi Arnaz

Yes, I know, this was for a costume party. But I actually think I've got a picture of Desi somewhere in my Lucy file completely unshaven, beard, mustache, everything during the war. My Lucy file happens to be really humungus though (surprise, surprise) and for the sake of time, I didn't sort through it to find it. (It was too scary besides.) But anyway, bottom line. Like Lucy in the screencap at the beginning of this post ("The Mustache" episode), I like Desi much better without a mustache!

9. Robert Redford

I know, I know, I know! Robert Redford isn't Classic Hollywood, but I do like him ("Rianna, what modern actors do you like?" "Oh, I like Robert Redford and Barbara Striesand and Jane Fonda...") and I just had to include him in this list because I'm telling you: IT'S SCARY. I think this is for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", which I never got through because I hate Westerns. That's besides the point, anyway. LOOK AT IT. It's thick and yellow. Run for your lives! Thank God he never went for this look permanently. 

8. Rock Hudson

WHY????? NO, SERIOUSLY WHY????!!!! Okay, well, I know why. It was for his tv show. BUT LOOK AT THAT 70'S STACHE! IT'S SCARY! AND IT'S ON ROCK HUDSON! AND IT'S SCARY!             * hyperventilation* I could be just imaging this, but I also think he sported a mustache in one of his movies with Doris Day, but that was because he was trying to trick Dodo into think he was someone he was not. Wait, that's confusing, is it not? Bottom line: GO SHAVE IT OFF, ROCK! GO SHAVE IT OFF!

 7. Fred Astaire

DGIFHGFAIGHFEGHTRYAHNBG!

I honestly can't find words for this. I mean, I love Fred but seriously? I wouldn't want to dance cheek to cheek with him if he had that cookieduster, and I've got a feeling Ginger Rogers wouldn't either. Here he is sporting another one with Audrey, but let's just hope they're fooling around and leave it at that. 

 6. Gary Cooper

No, Gary. No. Just no. :( Gary Cooper, who I have been gaining a greater appreciation for, might look somewhat decent after what we just witnessed with Fred, but when you boil down to it, I'd be shaving that away, Gary. I mean, just stop and think and imagine if it that was his usual look. Sends chills down your spine now, doesn't it?

5. Gregory Peck

OH NO. WHYYYY. WHY. :( NO, SERIOUSLY, WHY. It just work, really it doesn't. And I weep :(  No, I mean it, but seriously. Like the more I stare at this it just doesn't seem right. I really want to virtually rip this mustache off, but you know, thank goodness it was only a temporary thing (which pretty much applies to all mentioned on this list).

4. Henry Fonda

No. Just honestly, no. It's hard to look at really. It makes Henry look like some kind of a lumberjack/ax murderer or something. Natalie at In the Mood said something like it murders the boyish quality of Henry [MURDER is an excellent word], and I have to agree. Then she added "not to mention he looks really stupid"... which he DOES. Just seriously, this is completely unnecessary on several levels. ** shakes head **

3. Humphrey Bogart

FVFUGIHFGHF'GHX'TR8

T

TTH9TJH/\

what???? WHY????? WAS IT REALLY NEEDED? SERIOUSLY?  I moan. I cry. Seriously, when I was looking for these ridiculous mustaches I was getting nervous I may find this, and I did. I have to turn away, I simply cannot look. This is...  words can't explain. Being a writer I rarely ever use that expression but this time, there are just no words. He doesn't even look like the Bogie we all know and love. :( This was just murder here.

2. Jimmy Stewart

.........................

speechless

1. Cary Grant

So. So I stared at this for a long time. I told myself, "You know, maybe it's not that bad, some people might find that attractive, hey he kind of resembles Errol Flynn." A lot of stuff and nonsense. And then: there is no excuse for this. There is no excuse for the people who did this, who deterred Cary's face like this. I honestly do not know what movie this came from. But if I ever happen to turn on a Cary movie and see this, I tell you, I'm switching it off. How was this not against the law?. It could have been prevented. Where was our legislative government when this happened? Hello, Congress? THIS was an injustice, I tell you. A crime. A part of my heart chipped away and died, really. 

***

Well, that's all. I'll spare you now, no more scary pictures, I promise. I think we all need to go and take a big glass of water and go enjoy these leading men in some well shaven roles. At least, that's what I plan on doing.... 

Many, many thanks to Bette for hosting this blogathon. Don't let the scary pictures deter you from the blogathon's point at heart:  it's for a good cause. Don't forget: Movember! Try and make a donation: I'm sure all contributions of different sizes are accepted and will be utilized! ;)

Also, this blogathon will last throughout the rest of the month. Some great bloggers have already written some brilliantly awesome posts, and I'm sure there will be a few more as well, so go check those out, too! :D

I'm going to try and put together a Classic Hollywood Thanksgiving post (I actually do have something in mind) for tomorrow, but if I can't then I'll say it now: HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :) 

well, see, she's gorgeous in everything, so she looks fabulous of course! <3

My Lucille Ball Autograph [Genuine]!

THE LUCY AUTOGRAPH CAME!

Actually, it came quite a few days ago and I've been desperately been wanting to blog about it, but I have been bogged down with so much homework and the like I haven't gotten the chance. But here it is, and I'm just so THRILLED!

Here's the little story of how I got it. About a week and a half ago or so, I was checking out one of my favorite Tumblrs when I came across a video featuring Lucie Arnaz explaining how she was planning to auction some of her parents memorabilia on eBay. I was excited but didn't get my hopes up because I presumed everything there was going to be completely out of my price range.

However, I decided to go look and get envious anyway. I was surprised to find that a "Lucille Ball household checking account card", which had her full autograph on it was $200. Reasonably priced for this kind of a thing and I liked the idea of paying for something that is more likely to be genuine (I mean, Lucie Arnaz was raised by Lucy, wasn't she, so let's assume she's not a fraud) then some random person selling a "Lucy autograph."

The thing is, even though I thought it would be in my means to purchase this, I was pretty sure someone else wanted to buy it, too, and with eBay and bidding and all... but you won't believe this; as we sat around waiting by the computer with only fifteen minutes left and finally put in the first bid for $201, NOBODY tried to bid against us. Nobody. We were the only ones, and so we got it for the minimum price of $200. I was... FLABBERGASTED, I tell you.

It is gorgeous, it is my new most prized possession. <3

Some more information:

• her full name: Lucille Ball. After I Love Lucy she signed all her autographs "Love, Lucy" so ones with her full name is rare.
• "Lucille Ball" printed on various places around it, as well as the address for Desilu Studios. 
• It was signed in the 1950s, likely during the run of Lucy
• It just feels seems super kind of awesome because it was something she TOUCHED and was actually something personal to HER and not someone else. I MEAN SHE TOUCHED IT! (Okay, I know I know that sounds pathetic but you know how much I love her).
• It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Lucie Arnaz
• It also comes with a black and white glossy of Lucy and Desi.

Here are the photos I took for you! I'm sorry if there are shadows on some of them. My lense quite long, which is SO annoying because it always casts a large shadow of itself over every photo; so I did the best I could.

It came in a glossy slip and folder. (Plus a lot of yellow tissue...)

Signed "Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill."

The back of the card:
("780 North Gower Street, Hollywood 38 Calif." is the address of Desilu Studios)

And here is the photo that came with it (so you can frame the two together).

I'm sorry the glare of the light is on it! :

Isn't it lovely????

I'm truly over the moon. It even smells old. I mean, you know, like old paper. If that makes any sense... Anyway, my first piece of memorabilia and I will literally cherish this till the day I die.

***

Before I go, two things: 1) In the last moment I thew my hat in the ring for The Scarlett Olive's "For the Boys" Blogathon, which is this weekend. And 2) This is so amazing and funny and awesome (the only thing that's off is number of followers; 200? Try 2 million! lol). Yeah, you don't know what I mean so just go and read it and have a fun time doing it! I simply ADORE it.

That's it for now :) 

[BUT ISN'T IT AWESOME?? :D]

PS: One more thing. They reopened the case of Natalie's death! I have been hoping they would do this, so I'm awful glad... Natalie may have some justice now, you know. I'll probably do a post on this later; there may be more details by then. 

Happy Halloween! ♥

Hello readers,

I'm having a great day. I discovered that I got one of the leads in the school play, and it also happens to be Halloween, which is one of my favorite holidays! ♥


Though now I'd probably have to list Christmas as my favorite holiday, when I was a little kid Halloween was my favorite. Trick or treating always seemed so exciting - though, to be fair, it was never the candy I cared about. Yes, I love candy (I'm a confessed chocoholic), but for me it was more fun to dress up and just that I had the opportunity to run around the neighborhood at night, in the cool Autumn air, thrilled me.


I still love Halloween, only now that I'm older and not trick or treating, you kind of grow out of the fun of it. But I still love the spookiness, the crisp Autumn air (all the snow has melted, but it's still nice and chilly outside), snatching candy and seeing all of the neighborhood dressed up in costumes and decorations (though let's be fair: my neighborhood is a little on the dull side. A pumpkin and maybe a wreath of glittery leaves is enough to cause excitement).


Anyway, in honor of Halloween I did a review for one of those classic, cheesy, but still fun horror flicks for yesterday's SMR (you can read it here) and today here's my attempt at scrapping up some Halloween/classic movie related stuff.


A lot of these photos have been circulating around the blogosphere lately for Halloween; nothing really original but it's hard to find Halloween/classic movie stuff so I gave it my best! :) 

Lucy! <3

Joan Crawford

Judy Garland

Pier Angeli

Debbie Reynolds (sorry for the blurriness!)

Carole Lombard, Clark Gable and company [they're dressed up, so I guess it counts as a Halloween photo..]

Carole and Vivien with black (well, blackish for Vivien..) cats.

And, one of the most awesome Halloween stories ever about Lucy, told by her daughter, Lucie Arnaz --

HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! ♥

Vintage Vocabulary, Darling!

Hi everyone,

Before I begin today's topic (one that proves to be interesting, I hope) quick birthday wishes to three big Classic Hollywood stars: Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, and Montgomery Clift! In honor of the two girls, I added "Only Angels Have Wings" into my Netflix queue so you should anticipate a review for that... in the near future. ;) As for Monty, I've been wanting to see "A Place in the Sun" for a REALLY long time, but it's on a "short wait" at Netflix, so I guess I'll just have to wait.. longer... :( [Anyway- look for pictures of them throughout this post! :D]

Something I have noticed in classic films is though the way they speak is pretty much the same way we talk today, a lot of the "slang words" are different which obviously makes sense... I mean, the staples of the English language will forever stay consistent (I hope), but slang words change as trends change and as particular generations get older and new ones begin. (Like in my circle of teenage friends I don't find someone going, "Hey, that's groovy!" all that often, if you know what I mean. :D)

Having watched classic films for quite a while (and yeah, being obsessed with it helps too) I have picked up on my "vintage vocabulary" so much that it often filters into my everyday speak. I love vintage slang, especially from the 30's and 40's, because some of it is just so adorable! And considering a lot of words are dead these days, so to speak, it's even fun to say them to get a reaction out of people.

Here's the list of "vintage vocabulary" I came up with. If you can think of any I haven't included don't forget to leave me a comment with the word (and it's definition, just in case I haven't heard it) so I can add it in.

I present to you, a list of Vintage Vocabulary... (I tried to come up with the best Classic Hollywood related sentences I could; others seemed like lines out a film noir for me and I tried to express that but I think I failed most of the time...)

• darling - [noun]; Used as an affectionate form of address to a beloved person. "Tallulah Bankhead called everyone 'darling'. Except she says it 'dahhling', you know."
• dame - [noun]; An attractive woman. "Walter didn't plan on everything landing up this way, but Phyllis was a dame he could not resist."
• heel - [noun]; a contemptibly dishonorable or irresponsible person. "Everyone thought that Gregory Peck was a total heel in 'Duel in the Sun'."

LOVE this photo - Gregory and Deborah on the beach!

• gay - [adjective]; having or showing a merry, lively mood. "Then Cary Grant was wearing this frilly negligee and he jumped up and shouted at the woman, 'I went gay all of a sudden'!"
• swell - [adjective]; excellent; first-class. "Gee I like to see you looking swell, baby! Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby..."
• golly - [informal adjective]; used as a mild exclamation expressing surprise, wonder,puzzlement, pleasure, or the like. "Good golly, Miss Molly!"

Hedy dining with the birthday girl, Rita

• gee whiz - [informal adjective]; arousing or characterized by surprise, wonder, or triumphant achievement. "Gee whiz, that Lucy is funny."
• square - [noun]; old-fashioned in views, customs, appearance, etc. "Ava Gardner was certainly never a square."
• scram - [verb]; to go away; get out. "Scram, kid, this ain't the place for you," snarled Bogie.

The other birthday girl, the lovely Jean Arthur 

• broad - [noun]; an offensive term for a woman or a girl. "I thought Glenn Ford had a lot to put up with in that movie; Gilda was a real broad."
• babydoll - [noun]; Used as an affectionate form of address to a pretty person. " 'Come with me, babydoll,' Cagney told the flapper."
• slay - [verb];  To amuse somebody very much. "Groucho's sense of humor just slays me!" This was suggested by Martin.

The birthday boy, Monty, and friend Liz out for dinner. 

THE FOLLOWING ARE PHRASES.

• "Get a load of Bette Davis in this picture!"
• "Ricky blew a fuse when he saw what Lucy had done."
• "Frank Sinatra wanted to bust the chops of the reporter who took his picture." 

I couldn't do one of these photo things without a picture of Lucy! <3
I love this one, she's being a real "darling" in it, paining the nails of her stand in! And so carefully, too!

That was all the "vintage vocabulary" I could think of. By the way, I don't mean that these phrases or words aren't used today at all (though some are kind of extinct, like "heel"), just not as commonly, or in different contexts (with "gay", for example). If you can think of any others, drop me a comment and I'll add it in (with all due credit, of course)!

UPDATE: Friend and fellow blogger Natalie (In the Mood) composed her own list of vintage vocabulary as an addition to this post. She came up with some great ones that I missed, so be sure and check it out!! :)