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! :)
I really love this quote. I love the randomness of Natalie's asking it, and the answer that only Bette Davis could get away with saying.
Yesterday kicked off the Bette Davis Remembrance Contest at Film Classics. My entry is Larger than Life: The Bette Davis Story. This season is going to be fun because all the "competitors" are teenagers - which is so ironic, because, you know there aren't exactly gabs of us around ;) But that's one of the best things about blogging for me, getting to know that there are other people close to my age who love classic movies.
And my "rivals" also happen to be some of my favorite bloggers - Natalie from The Swing Mood and Bette from Bette's Classic Movie Blog! So please take the time to go over to Film Classics (just click the link given back there), read all the entries and be sure and vote! Don't forget to read them all because Natalie and Bette have cooked up some really awesome articles. :) A simple enough procedure, right?
Today I'm going to do a little tidbit I have seen other bloggers do called "Around the blogosphere", though here it'll be called Link Love. These bloggers (Laura's Miscellaneous Musings, Classic Movie Blog, Noir and Chick Flicks) I believe do a weekly feature where they pluck their favorite classic links or articles from around the blogosphere. I thought it would be fun to do this today, though I don't plan on making it a weekly feature or anything because it's simply too hard to pick my "favorite articles" out of all the awesome blogs written through the week. I guess I'll just do this on occasion, when I feel like giving some Blog Love (and it's been a while that I've gotten to do that).
So here are just a few of my favorite links over the past few weeks. Some are articles, others are contributions to blogathons, pictures, and even some graphics.
♥ This is slightly older than the other blog entries, but I enjoyed it so I thought I'd share: Craig of Blame Mameexamines dolls styled after Classic Hollywood actresses. Quite fascinating, and even though I'm too old to play with dolls now I'd certainly like to own some of them.
♥ I think I'll insert some Barbara Stanwyck awesomeness here. Check out this picture of Stany shared by Natalie from In the Mood. Also, congratulations Natalie on being accepted into the LAMB!
♥ Viv and Larry kicks off 31 Days of Oliviers, a festival of Vivien and Larry posts every day from now until Viv's November 5th birthday. With my increasing obsession of the two, I'm looking forward to it.
♥ Irene and Monty from And Then Start to Sparkle are sharing "It could happen to you" posts each day in October, about classic actresses who suffered from and/or survived breast cancer. (October is Breast Cancer Awareness month).
♥ Don't forget to vote at the review, video, and colorization contests hosted by Film Classics. ;)
Also, congratulations to those blogs that have been nominated for the 2011 CiMBA Awards - some of my favorite blogs have been and I'm thrilled for them!
That's all for this edition of Link Love. I'll do it at random times, perhaps when I feel like blog loving, or if there are some really interesting blogs. Oh, and by the way, there are so many blogs I love that I tried to keep it to a minimum, so if I didn't share a link from your blog it's not because I don't love it only I wanted to keep this post from going on for forever!
And since the word "love" so surely intertwines itself with my favorite actress of all time (who has everything to do with that word), here's some Lucy Love:
This is my entry for the Bette Davis Contest at Film Classics. After entering a couple of months ago, I think many of you are pretty well aware of how the contest works, but I will be posting more details anyway later on. This time I won't ramble forever and just get on with the show. Enjoy?! :)
***
"I have been uncompromising, peppery, intractable, monomaniacal, tactless, volatile, and ofttimes disagreeable... I suppose I'm larger than life."
- Bette Davis
MY INTEREST IN BETTE DAVIS did not begin that long ago. It began with a character named Baby Jane; my father watched the film "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" in the spring of this year, and upon learning what it was about, I was excited more than ever to give it a watch (yes, all its morbidity in tow). By June, school was out and summer had begun and "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" was right at my fingertips, ready for me to watch.
Before this, I had only seen a couple of Bette films. I knew what a legend she was (who doesn't?), but for some reason it just hadn't happened all that much. That night I sat down to watch that movie, and experienced my first true Bette Davis performance.
It was Baby Jane who did it first. She was crafted in my mind as the hyperbola of the character that is so creepy, she is somewhat hilarious. The makeup caked on her face, the curls in her hair and that little turn of the lips that turned into a smile, a smile smeared with lipstick across her "wrinkles" as she'd asked a begrudging victim, "Do you know who I am? I am Baby Jane Hudson."
"Who the hell is Baby Jane Hudson?"
She'd written a letter to daddy, made life a living Hell for Joan Crawford (or the tormented sister, Blanche) and had disappeared into the kingdom of "has-beens" after being a bratty child star on the vaudeville circuit. Still upholding her dreams for stardom based on her father's memory, the answer to the title of the movie truly is: "She takes care of her sister Blanche now." But not for long.
In the role that made me a Bette fan
I loved Bette Davis in this film so much. I wanted to rewind and watch that scene again or this scene. I was shocked at the emotions she pulled raw from me as Baby Jane - one moment hating her for tormenting Blanche, the next wanting to weep for her because you could see that at her core she was just a troubled person who really, really wanted to sing and dance for the world. Chew scenery, maybe, but I enjoyed watching Bette chew the scenery.
Of course, as perfect as she may have been as Baby Jane, there isn't much that the actress and the character had in common. Bette herself may have argued that the two of them were both driven in several deep faults (as she has claimed in her "larger than life" quote) - but truthfully, have you ever heard someone say "Whatever happened to Bette Davis?"
Playing Baby Jane proves something so true about Bette Davis - a quality that every good actress must exude and not be afraid of: to drop the glamour and tear yourself down to a character that might not always appear as beautiful (Baby Jane certainly wasn't) or appealing.
Bette Davis was never afraid of this. In fact, for her role as Baby Jane she was said to have come up with the Baby Jane mask herself: to put layer upon layer of makeup on until she appeared, quite simply put, as a disastrous hag.
This is not to say that Bette herself was not beautiful. Though she is probably not considered the "traditional beauty" (and for that matter, neither was a famous beauty like Audrey Hepburn - who had, as the critics would describe, "colt like" features), she was, in her own way, quite gorgeous.
It just wasn't the glamour or the beauty, it was the confidence and resilience she could withhold in her characters. Take Charlotte Vale in another favorite Bette film of mine, "Now, Voyager." In the beginning of the film, Bette's Charlotte Vale is unattractive, beige, nervous, and owns a severe pair of caterpillar eyebrows. But with some plucking, lipstick, and a better wardrobe, she turns into the new Charlotte Vale: glamorous, sophisticated, beautiful. The beauty is a combination of Bette's own particular prettiness and a shining confidence.
Bette Davis commanded the screen. Sometimes she chewed the scenery to get there, but most of the time it was just one look at her face. Her face held many facets, expressions. It was almost as if you could turn a dial and get an expression, like that of a comedienne (yes, I'll draw a comparison to Lucy here). In "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" it was the tilt of the head and a nearly innocent smile. "But don't you know who I am? I am Baby Jane!" In "Now, Voyager" it was a smile of confidence, kindness. In "Essex and Elizabeth", a domineering, smug look that demanded the screen to herself.
Every character she played would become immortalized into film history on its own. Margo Channing, Charlotte Vale, Baby Jane: just to name a few. True, these characters were, well, quite characters themselves ("Fasten your seatbelts: It's going to be a bumpy night!" - extra emphasis on the bumpy!), but Bette made them come alive. She took these characters who were just leaping off the script with excitement and made them leap off the screen and into our theaters and living rooms.
Bette Davis off screen was a personality that no movie screen, however big, could actually project. (She was, after all, larger than life, which most certainly makes her larger than a movie screen).
There were so many things that made her memorable to movie audiences, simply in addition to this aura of Bette that defined her as a movie star.
The fact remains that the personality Bette made so famous was truly her. It was anything but a put on and if one would like to trace Bette's life back to her bassinet, you'd discover she had forever exhibited her superstar personality.
She was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis in Lowell, Massachusetts on April 5th, 1908. Called Betty, she was a headstrong spirit from the start. A sister named Bobby was born the following year and started to occupy the crib that was once Bette's - according to Ed Sikov's Dark Victory, the young Miss Davis was not pleased by this and decided to reclaim the crib she thought was hers. Plucking her baby sister from the crib and depositing her on the couch, Bette crawled into the crib.
When she was in her teens she played Santa Claus in a school Christmas pageant. The tree on stage had real lit candles, and Bette in her Santa Claus costume wandered too close. Her beard caught on fire and she was wrapped up in a rug to calm the fires. Her face was burnt and she kept her eyes closed (the eyes that would be come so famous later) in fear that she had been blinded.
When she first arrived in Hollywood, she would tell Dick Cavett years later, the studio didn't exactly know what to do with her so one of her first jobs was to be a "kiss mat" for males trying to make it into the business.
I won't add a picture of Joan, because for
some reason I don't think Bette'd be crazy about it!
But Bette would always hold her own, and that was what would make her the very posterchild for the 1940's movie star. If anything, Bette's performances would come across with a lot of overacting or chewed scenery, but she was always sure to put effort into her performances and entertain the viewers. You could never call Bette Davis faded, dull, one dimensional or flat - and for this, she gained a reputation in Hollywood. A force to be reckoned with.
There was her mutual hatred for another one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Joan Crawford. It began when Joan Crawford "stole" Bette's off screen romance interest, Franchot Tone, and ever since things would not get better. Once Bette remarked, with great gusto, "She [Joan Crawford] has slept with every male star at MGM but Lassie!" Their hatred for one another became public and well known, and on the set of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" the reporters would not leave them alone. However, for the sake of the film the two remained professional - "We're getting along fine!" - and the hatred would come in handy for the film. Though when they were all set to do a similar film called "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" a few years later, Joan bailed out due to "illness," but mostly because the two stars could not get along. (See a closer analysis of these two films here).
Joan and Bette would both suffer through a case of betrayal from their adopted children, however. (Though Joan's would occur after her death, the impact of the book was great and even turned into a film starring Faye Dunaway). Anticipating her mother would die soon, her daughter, "B.D" wrote a harmful book about her mother entitled "My Mother's Keeper". Bette was not dead yet (as disgusting as that sounds) and the publishers insisted upon publishing the book, so B.D had to go ahead with the book. (I guess she didn't have the luck of Christina Crawford).
"My Mother's Keeper" - and we Bette fans would like to think of it all as lies - painted an unappealing picture of Bette: as spoiled, egotistical, an alcoholic. Bette was just recovering from her stroke at the time of the book's publication, and many (celebrities) came to her defense. Bette had spoiled her daughter, had always been kind to her and loving. Bette disinherited B.D - a strong step, perhaps, but Bette was a strong person.
Bette would always be strong, the pinnacle of a personality that was larger than life itself as we knew it. In reality, she was tiny: five feet, three inches. But on screen she always seemed to be ten feet tall. Not just because the characters she played were always large - take Margo Channing, for example, so confident at first but all those insecurities lying under the surface - though most of them were. Bette just commanded the screen: with her face, her voice, and her indeniable talent as an actress. She was much, much more than an icon.
"She's got Bette Davis eyes."
Part of her command was her eyes. Movie goers probably always recognized it, but they would become forever famous when revolutionized in the popular 1981 song "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes. Bette was flattered and delighted: "You made me cool again!" Oh, Bette, like you ever weren't cool.
I think I'll leave you with some lyrics from that song:
"Her hair is Harlow gold,
Her lips a sweet surprise,
Her hands are never cold -
She's got Bette Davis eyes.
She'll take a tumble on you,
Roll you like you were dice until you come up blue,
She's got Bette Davis eyes."
***
Thanks for reading!
Also: Breakfast at Tiffany's turns 50 years old today. I plan on doing a blog on it after the Carole Lombard blogathon tomorrow - I read the original short story written by Truman Copate for the 50th anniversary, and I think I may do a blog contrasting the story and movie! :) You can read some more about it here: Breakfast at Tiffany's Turns 50, The Washington Post.
This here is my little contribution to the Fashion in Film Blogathon that is being hosted by Angela at The Hollywood Revue - thank you for holding this, Angela! It's going to be exciting to see all the other posts, to read them, maybe even discover new blogs. Yes, blogathons are a ton of fun. And I know a bunch of my favorite blogs are participating in the event, so this will be a real treat!
This was a vast topic to cover, and in the end I came up with this post. A shroud of my thoughts on two topics I love: fashion and movies. Put together, I think they equal "Classic Hollywood."
Let's face it: Among one of the many things modern movies lack is fashion. Oh, sure, there are some pretty dresses and nice ensembles here and there, but you're just as likely to find the main character stretched out on the couch in a pair of baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt.
Classic Hollywood was different, though. And to be fair, the times were completely different. It wasn't acceptable to be walking around in baggy sweatpants then in the way it is today; in the 40s and 50s one had to look put together and neat upon going out - or even being around the house. Today, sweatpants (sorry to keep picking on this piece of attire for you sweatpants lovers!) add realism to a film just in the way that chic costuming did in Classic Hollywood.
My favorite designer of this era - and this may be deemed the default answer - would be Edith Head. She was a genius and probably dressed every leading woman in Hollywood at least once.
"Edie knew the truth about all of us. She knew who had flat fannies and who didn't -- but she never told."
- LUCILLE BALL
Edith knew how to dress a woman exactly according to her figure. As Lucy's words explain, Edith knew how to conceal imperfections by making it work to an actress's advantage or instead spotlighting her other assets. Marlene Dietrich was not very busty at all, but she had long legs and Edith understood this and pulled out the stops. Audrey Hepburn had a spindly neck, legs, and arms; Edith concealed this by staying away from short sleeves, full dresses, jewels on her neck. She could fix anything -- was Veronica Lake's neck too thin, Loretta Young's too long? Bette Davis pulled a "diva" to get Edith for All About Eve and it is said Joan Crawford would not buy a pair of socks without Edith's consent.
The woman had power.
She won Oscars for it, a proud collection of golden men. She took complete pride and credit in her work. Some actresses loved her and others butted heads with her, but each one became grateful to her in the end. Sometimes she was a snob. In 1955 she brought home the Oscar for "Sabrina" -- yet 90 percent of the film's costumes came hand selected by Audrey Hepburn from Givenchy, Audrey's favorite designer. Edith did not speak of Givenchy once in accepting her award.
Still, this was only a rare occasion in which Edith's success was downplayed. She could turn out genius things, she made every women in Classic Hollywood a fashion icon in her own right. Her favorite protegee was said to have been Grace Kelly, but she could fit any figure, from skinny (Audrey Hepburn) to curvy (Sophia Loren).
Edith was tops, but there were other designers. Helen Rose was of her own prestige and designed Grace Kelly's wedding gown; Adrian was on a first name basis and designed for "The Wizard of Oz."
Together, these designers and all the little people created a definitive era of fashion in movie making. The makeup was never smudged, a hair never out of place, and her outfit? It was always superb.
They were all wonderful, but today and for this particular blogathon, I think I'll stop and spotlight Edith.
From Paper to Reality
It seems that for almost every actress of Classic Hollywood, combine her name with "Edith Head" on Google and you come across an gorgeous treasure trunk of sketches. Some dresses we know so well; others not so familiar but beautiful. The following is a tribute to Edith Head. If I could find a picture of the actual actress wearing the sketched dress, it appears alongside the photo.
Sketched: A pale, blue chiffon dream for "To Catch a Thief"
Pictured: Grace Kelly in the finished product.
Sketched: A chic and modest brown gown for All About Eve
Pictured: Bette Davis shows off the Edith Head creation
Sketched: A gorgeous and elegant black dress for "Sabrina."
Pictured: Audrey Hepburn brings it to life.
Sketched: One of my personal favorite dresses, a simply elegant number for "Rear Window"
Pictured: Grace Kelly showing off her dress to an uninterested Jimmy Stewart from a vivid Technicolor frame
Sketched: The outfit sketched must have been something for Joan Crawford to wear on her day off, as it appears that Edith Head never did design for Joan in a movie -- yet off screen, Joan relied on her totally. Hmm. If only we had a "Pictured" for this one!
Sketched: A slinky, shimmery black ensemble for "The Lady Eve"
Pictured: Barbara Stanwyck, who adored her, showing off the dress. It seems to have captured Henry Fonda's rapt attention!
Sketched: A delicately glamorous gown for "A Place in the Sun"
Pictured: Elizabeth Taylor is the lucky girl who gets to wear this creation.
Sketched: An ornate, fabulous period piece for "The Heiress"
Pictured: Olivia de Havilland flaunting it in said film!
Sketched: For Katharine Hepburn... I am not sure what film this is. If I were to take a guess, I would say "Little Women."
Sketched: A Cinderella style dress for "Inside Daisy Clover"
Pictured: Star Natalie Wood in the end product.
Sketched: Another design for Natalie Wood, this time for "Love With the Proper Stranger"
Sketched: A simpler, peasant girl style dress for Sophia Loren in "Houseboat"
And, now, of course, for my personal favorites....
Sketched: A chic outfit for Lucille Ball in "The Facts of Life"
Sketched: Also for "The Facts of Life", another gorgeous ensemble for Lucy
Sketched: Peach, beige chiffon for "The Facts of Life" and Lucy once more!
Sketched: Edith would even design for Lucy on "The Lucy Show"
***
Okay, so, perhaps I got a little carried away with the pictures there. But each time I found a new sketch I had got more excited and just had to post it. ;) Also, I thought it was so interesting to see how each sketch seemed to be a near perfect definition of the actress's likeness as well as captured her personality and the personality of the dress -- I do not think Edith was the actual artist of the sketches (correct me if I am wrong), but I found it quite interesting anyhow. But Edith was amazing, for sure.
That's all for me - though that was quite a lot of "all"! Once again tons of thanks to Angela for hosting this, and be sure and go over to The Hollywood Revue and check out the wonderful blogs. And comment with what you think!
PS: Edith Head is so fabulous, I think I'll just go ahead and make a tag for her on my blog. ;)
So, I contemplated a lot whether or not to do this post. If you don't know, Jackie Kennedy, who was First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, did a series of recorded interviews with historian Arnold Schlesinger four months after her husband was shot. They were kept away for 47 years until now; in which, Caroline Kennedy, Jackie and John's only living offspring, has decided to release the eight and a half hours of content as audio tapes and a book for the commemorative fifitieth anniversary of her father's election into the White House. Last night, the highlights of the tape were aired on a two hour special on ABC hosted by Diane Sawyer.
I, of course, watched it. I thought it would be a intersting idea to blog about what I thought of it, but the thing that keeps restraining me that this is, above all, a classic movie blog and this isn't about Classic Hollywood. However, I did say there would be occasional exceptions and this is one of them. I hope no one minds!
Before I start, though, there are a few things I want to mention that are Classic Hollywood. The first is today is the twenty-ninth anniversary of Grace Kelly's death.
Grace, who was Princess Grace of Monaco at the time of her death, died in a car accident on her way back to Monaco from a short vacation she'd spent in France with daughter Stephanie. It was just the two of them and Grace was driving. She suffered a stroke on the road and as a result of this, she lost control of the wheel and the car went tumbling. She died the next day. She was only fifty-three.
Grace is one of my favorites and I think it's so unfortunate she had to come to that very awful, early, disturbing death. The rumor has always been that Grace was driving on the same road she drove on in "To Catch a Thief" in that famous scene where she is driving so fast she is sending Cary Grant's blood pressure up.
That would be sadly ironic, but it is not true, however, and only a piece of fiction.
Anyway, in commemoration of this sad day I am sharing with you a tribute I made for Grace perhaps a month ago or so but I never posted on here. The piece of music is "Clair de Lune" by Debussy, which was Grace's favorite as a child. I love it too, of course.
Also, a quick note: I have once again thrown my hat into the current review contest Film Classics is holding. The theme is Bette Davis. I am sure this time around it will be.... less stressful writing my piece, as Bette is a topic I am more comfortable with. The banner with other details will be in my sidebar and I'll tell you more and all of that jazz when I actually write the piece.
Now, let's get on with it!
***
Jackie Kennedy never wrote her memoirs. She rarely ever gave interviews, either. This is despite the fact that so much has been said, whispered, and claimed about the Kennedy Administration.
It was 1964 when she sat down with historian Arthur Schlesinger to tell the story of her time at the White House. This was before Jackie O, before she was an editor at Doubleday, before she became an independent woman of the world. Instead, this still the First Lady of the United States we listen to.
The tapes had been sealed and put it away according to Jackie's wishes, but now her daughter Caroline has pulled out this corpse. Leaving it unedited, she has brought it to the public for the first time in a book and audio tapes. I have yet to read the book though I do plan to. I did, however, watch the special on ABC last night and so most of the opinion I have of the tapes I have gained from that.
The tapes are in pretty good condition though one can tell it was recorded a while ago; it hints at fuzziness. It opens with the sound of a glass being filled with ice, a cigarette being lit, and the noise of Caroline and her brother, John playing in the background someplace. From then on, however, it is mostly Jackie. John makes a special guest stint and Schlesinger can be heard asking a few questions and making some comments, but from the snippets of the tapes (which, in its entirety would run eight and a half hours) I heard it was mostly Jackie's identifiable "little girl" voice, with a hint of a New York accent.
It starts from the beginning of the Kennedy administration, the day John F. Kennedy was sworn into office. It was a cold January day in Washington, D.C and there was snow on the ground. Jackie had asked Robert Frost to please come and recite poem; she comments here on how Frost couldn't see the poem because of the snow's reflection. Lyndon B. Johnson, the vice president, offered his hat to shade the words but eventually Frost recited it from memory. Jackie speaks of how right after the president was sworn in she wanted to hurry over to him, but a huge crowd of people separated the two and it was not util later that she could finally see him.
She talks about how the White House staff got used to having young children in the White House once again, of how they were startled by finding rubber toys in the tub that belonged to John-John or being shocked by the sudden noise of the early morning cartoons on the television set. Then come the darker subjects; the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis - how, when the country was threatened by nuclear war, the President wanted to send her and the kids to Camp David to be safe, but Jackie told him that she wanted to - and the kids wanted to - die with him if anything were to happen.
John-John can be heard somewhere in the tapes; Schlesinger asks him about his father. "Oh, he's in heaven now!" John says in a boyish, loud way like all little boys have a habit of doing. Does he remember his father? "Yes!", but when asked to recall certain memories, he says, "Oh, I don't remember anything!"
Jackie gives some quite frank opinions on some famous figures. Charles deGualle was "egotistical", Indira Gandhi was "pushy and horrible", and what some found most shocking of all, she found Martin Luther King to be a "tricky" man. It also seems she wasn't a fan of Mamie Eisenhower or Lyndon B. Johnson all the time.
One thing that is not discussed on the tape is the day her husband was shot, or that Awful November Day in Dallas. I think it was fair for them to not bring this topic up since he had only been killed four months before. Can you imagine how deep and sore that wound still was? And always would be?
Despite this, I did find Jackie's voice to sound mostly pleasant. Her voice does not throb with tears or anything, and for the most part she sounds cheery. She giggles a little at certain parts and drops her voice to a girlish whisper at others. Most of all, she is forever defensive of the President. She tenderly refers to him as "Jack" and defends him in everyway possible. She remembers him fondly, of how he was "always reading." She does not discuss the many rumors that have plagued the Kennedys for years; of how the President was a womanizer and possibly had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. She sticks by her husband through and through.
I was glad she did, though. Yes, she casts him in a glowing light that is probably a bit too favorable but the man had died just four months before. You can hear her voice lilt with not tears but still strong emotion when she speaks of him and you know she means what she says. I think this was very respectful and classy of her instead of throwing him under the bus or something. There are not even any snide marks that hint at cracks in their relationship; though I have to admit, I am sure they were there.
As for her comments about the other figures, I think everyone is entitled to their opinion, even Jackie Kennedy. However; she didn't straight up call MLK "tricky" as it suggested. She says she got "phony" sort of vibes from him upon first meeting him, and also speaks of a rumor that he had poked fun at her husband's funeral. Caroline who also gives her input in the special thinks her mother truly admired MLK. The rumor about MLK making fun of her husband's funeral would be hurtful to her, considering it had only been four months, though I'm sure it's not true, and hope it isn't either.
Though the above comments, considered "explosive", another thing that maybe gave people a little start was how she does not come across as the femenist, everyday woman Jackie O who would write a piece for Ms. magazine about why a woman doesn't need a man. I think that though Jacqueline Kennedy and Jackie O were the same person and shared several qualities, there is the difference that the First Lady Jackie was restrained in her opinions and a little bit of the woman behind the man. Jackie O was more outspoken and a symbol of woman's rights, even. In the tape Jackie makes some claims of how she got a lot of her opinions from her husband and also kind of states how she can't really understand feminists. Though these are strange statements, I most certainly think her opinion on this changed over time.
All of this considered however, I don't think the tapes bring anything new or explosive to light. However, being the fan of Jackie I am I loved listening to them. Since she never wrote her memoirs this is the best thing we'll ever hear from Jackie in her own words, in that girlish lilt. I just found it interesting to hear her personal opinions. Though she became slightly brutal when it came to particular people, I think she remains classy, intimate to the listener, and above all unceasingly elegant throughout the tapes.
That is why I suggest you take a peek into the tapes if you are a history buff, a fan of the Kennedys, a fan of Jackie, or it just pulls on your interest. Don't except to hear something really scandalous like: "Yes, my husband and Marilyn Monroe had an affair and I HATE her!" (okay, yeah, I wish). No, you won't get that. But you will still get an interesting portrait of life in the White House during the Kennedy administration and Jackie's personal thoughts.
Didn't catch it on TV or it wasn't broadcasted where you live? You can watch the full thing here on ABC News's website.
***
That's all, folks. I hope you didn't mind something not exactly Classic Hollywood related. :)
Way back about a month and a half ago, when I first started this blog, was totally naive to this funny blogging game (it's strange how much you can learn in just a little bit) and I had like, zilch, followers, I made a list of my favorite actresses as well as my favorite roles they played.
Well, I guess blogging did it because over that short period of time my taste in actresses has changed slightly. I stepped out of my comfort zone and watched more movies from the actresses mentioned in this list, a list of ten actresses I loved but I swore I needed to see more of. I kind of stuck to that list and as a result, I moved around my list a little. Some things will always stay the same, like my Top Five, for example, which are featured in "My Favorite Actresses and Actors" tab. But I did alter the rest of my list.
I was forced to remove a few favorites from the original list; I still love these actresses, only an adventure farther into this world of classic film has set them back, just a little. If I did a top 20 list (hey, maybe I should do that someday!) they'd most certainly be right behind my top ten.
But anyway, you see, that's how the ball bounces. Here is my REVISED and currently withstanding list of my ten favorite actresses and my favorite movie roles they played - I made some revisions on that, too.
After Lucille Ball, it is in no particular order.
1: Lucille Ball
Look, this will never change. Ever :)
However, I did make a revision to my favorite role of hers. In the original I listed it as Bubbles from "Dance, Girl, Dance." Now I have changed it to Gloria from "The Big Street." This is not a good movie, either. Gloria is not a likable character at all. She is mean and has a cold heart. But I think it was such a change of character from anything we have EVER seen Lucy in, and she does so wonderful, and it's fun to see her glamorous.
2: Ingrid Bergman
My favorite role of hers is still Alicia Huberman from "Notorious."
3 : Natalie Wood
Not much change with Natalie, either; it's still Alva Starr from "This Property is Condemned."
4: Audrey Hepburn
Yesss... it's still going to have to be Holly Golightly from "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
5: Grace Kelly
I have decidedly changed this to her role as Frances from "To Catch a Thief." Now, I didn't love this movie as much as I hoped it would, despite the triple threat combination of Grace, Cary, and Hitchcock. However, I liked her character and her ambitions and her chicness and all of that.
6: Elizabeth Taylor
I decided to go for Maggie the Cat from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Yeah, I did find this character annoying but I liked the way Elizabeth played her. And, as much as I love Liz, I kind of have to remedy the films of hers I've seen. I've seen plenty, but not the substantial ones that won her an Oscar.
7: Katharine Hepburn
Mhm... this won't change, either! :)
8: Vivien Leigh
Yes, yes, yes, I landed up adding Viv into the top 10! She was on my list of actresses I wanted to see more of and I have an I have really been enjoying her. So, welcome to the top ten, Vivien. And - of course, my favorite role will be Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone With the Wind."
9: Olivia de Havilland
Yes, it would seem that Viv's co-star and pal, Olivia de Havilland, would make it into my top ten as well! I am strictly Team Olivia and I really have been loving her films. My favorite role as of now will have to be Virginia from "The Snake Pit," a really great movie, but that may change as I have lots of more Olivia flicks waiting in my Netflix queue for me.
10: Bette Davis
YES, BETTE HAS MADE IT INTO THE TOP 10! :) I'm Team Bette, I have decided. However, I really don't hate Joan Crawford or anything. I saw her in "Mildred Pierce" last night, by the way, and I loved it and her performance and everything. Joan would probably be in my top 20. But, alas, it is Bette who would make it into my top 10. My favorite role is of course Charlotte Vale from "Now, Voyager" -- I'm sorry there was no proper clip, you'll have to settle for the trailer!
So, there it is, my current top 10 with all the revisions in place and all of that. I'm happy with it, I think. I was forced to remove the lovely Doris Day, Jean Arthur, and Sophia Loren! It's not that I don't love them anymore because I still do.... just... oh well. I may continue onto a top 20 list so you all will know where the latter mentioned actresses still stand with me, because I still really like them.
Okay, that's all. I'll be back tomorrow with the Sunday Movie Review, as usual, and a little rememberance of 9-11 thing.
I'm all chirpy and happy today for a few reasons - 1) It's FRIDAY! I love Friday, it's my favorite day of the week (Rebecca Black did not ruin it for me). Not because I have great classes today, either (I don't). But I just love reaching the end of the week and taking a big sigh, like, "Few, that's over. Until Monday!" And I can finally watch a movie, too. Tonight it will be "Mildred Pierce" - a movie I have been dying to see since, like, forever.
However, I don't think I'll do a review for it this particular Sunday because I thought I'd pick a patriotic movie to review this week since Sunday is the tenth anniversary of September 11th... that, of course, deflates my happy mood a bit. But more on that on Sunday.
And 2) The sun is finally shining!!!! The whole week it was gray and rainy and awful, but now the sun is just shining and it's beautiful outside, even if there are still puddles on the ground. Also, school went pretty well today - among other things, I was given a big compliment by one of my teachers on my writing skills in front of the whole class; embarrassing, but I get happy like a little kid whenever someone sincerely compliments my writing. As Lina Lamount says: "Our hard work ain't been in vain!" And, guess what else????? We have a songbook for our music class and in it today I found this big picture of Lucy and the song "Hey, Look Me Over!" from her Broadway musical, Wildcat. I know. INSANE HAPPINESS. Vivien Leigh cat smiling. I'm so going to request for us to learn that song!! :)
Okay, babbling is over. :) Today I'm going to list my top ten female characters. I'm doing television and film, because if I limited myself to movies alone I'd be forced to exclude Lucy Ricardo. ;)
This is pretty much in no particular order. Enjoy!
1 : Scarlett O'Hara
played by Vivien Leigh, Gone With the Wind
Well, yes, I LOVE Scarlett. I know that Melanie was a lot nicer and very sweet and who doesn't love Melanie? But it's just so much fun watching Scarlett be... Scarlett. No to mention Viv played her to an exact point of perfection! Yes, it is often argued that Scarlett was a b*tch, and I guess she was. But in her defense, Scarlett is probably one of the most exciting characters to grace the screen. She could be hardworking when she wanted to, and she retched out that carrot without flinching. So yes, love her or hate her (though I do love her), Scarlett is one of the most awesome characters, female or male, EVER. Here's to you, Scarlett O'Hara!
2 : Lucy Ricardo
played by Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy
My darling Lucy! I have heard people also call Lucy Ricardo annoying and conniving and things like that, but the fact remains is that there was a special quality about Lucy that make us love her, flaws and all - in fact, that was the premise of the show. And... she was also smart, clever, resourceful, and beautiful in ways people don't give her much credit for - not to mention hilarious and zany! That's why we love Lucy :)
3 : Holly Golightly
played by Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's
In which Scarlett can be called a b*tch, Lucy obnoxious, Holly can be called a gold digger. But like the latter characters, there is a special quality about her - not to mention the brilliance of the actress who played her! - which makes Holly a character to love and remember. Despite her faults, I think Holly is the girl all women sort of want to be: glamorous and sophisticated and very fashionable; not to mention she lived life as if it was all a big gulp of fresh air. And she had a pretty cute cat, too!
4 : Alicia Huberman
played by Ingrid Bergman, Notorious
Yes, yes, one of my favorite Ingrid roles ever! I love Ingrid in the Alicia role, she just comes across as this ultra sophisticated spy to me, and it does help that her character is madly in love with Cary Grant. ;) She wears some really chic gowns and puts her life on the line for her country. Yeah, I just really found her character quite marvelous!
5 : Hildy Johnson
played by Rosalind Russell, His Girl Friday
As an inspiring girl writer, Hildy Johnson is really one of my favorite inspirations! I like her because she kept her femininity but proved she could write or report as good as the next guy in that busy newsroom. Plus, okay, okay, yes: I really love the way her name sounds. "Hildy". It really does roll off your tongue, doesn't it?
6 : Maria played by Natalie Wood, West Side Story
I guess I have no particular reason for liking Maria. Maybe it has a lot do with the way Natalie played her; because everytime I watch West Side Story I always feel for Maria's character and even relate to her. "I Feel Pretty" is one of my favorite dance sequences and even though Maria does some stupid things in the movie (I would blurt them out here but there must be some of you who have not seen WSS - well, what are you waiting for?? Go watch it. NOW. :D), I still really like her character. The Puetro Rican Juliet.
7 : Charlotte Vale (II, anyway)
played by Bette Davis, Now, Voyager
I say "Charlotte Vale II" because... because... well, I didn't hate the shaky Aunt Charlotte from the beginning of the movie, but I love her progression into the confident, sophsticated woman of the world she becomes. I explained a bit of that in my Now, Voyager movie review. Bette Davis portrayed her perfectly, I thought!
8 : Alva Starr
played by Natalie Wood, This Property is Condemned
"This Property is Condemned", a Tennessee Williams movie, did not really do so well at the box office at the time, but truth be told I really enjoyed it when I watched it. Maybe it was the pairing of Natalie and Robert Redford together for the second time (they'd teamed up before for "Inside Daisy Clover", a not so good movie...), but I did enjoy it. I also loved Natalie's Alva Starr character. Most of all because I enjoyed seeing life through the fabricated eyes of Alva; the whole world to her is literally a box of chocolates - one of my favorite scenes from the film is when Alva insists to Robert Redford's character that the sky is white, not blue. She wants to go to New Orleans because she believes people are buried above the ground there, where they can breathe forever. I simply love the way the character looks at life as if it's a dream.
9 : Susan Vance
played by Katharine Hepburn, Bringing Up Baby
It's screwball time! "Bringing Up Baby" was one of the first classics I ever watched and I think it's really what pulled me into classic films. My God, I LOVE the Susan character. This is my favorite Kate performance ever. Susan is just adorable and hilarious and Kate's special Bryn Mawer accent somehow makes the character even funnier. And she has a pet leopard. Named Baby. Susan makes me smile! Look, I just love this movie and I love this character and if you haven't seen it then where the heck have you been?
10 : Gilda
played by Rita Hayworth, Gilda
I have to have a femme fatale on this list, and Gilda will be it! "Gilda" was some of the first film noir I saw and I was really enthralled by Rita's Gilda character: it was one of my first exposures to femme fatale and it's riveting how she pulls Glenn Ford into her trap and "putting the blame on Mame" and all of that.
Well, there it is for you! I had a hard time narrowing it down towards the end and I had to leave out a few other favorites, like Ingrid Bergman's Ilsa Lund (Casablanca) and Sister Benedict (The Bells of St. Mary's) as well as Vivien Leigh's Blanche DuBois (A Streetcar Named Desire), and, of course, Bette Davis's Baby Jane Hudson(Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?). I'll try to get together a list of my ten favorite male characters, though that may be a little while before I get around to it.
The film noir contest at Film Classics will close tomorrow. So just one tiny little last reminder if you haven't voted yet or anything. I think I'm currently tied for first place which is a shocker times a thousand - especially considering the zero confidence I had in my post. Another big thanks to Film Classics for sponsoring this contest; it was great fun to participate and the possibility I may actually win first place like, fills me with an abundance of joy (<<< hey, I like that phrase! I think I'll say it more often), though I'd better not jinx it. ;)
I'll leave you with yet another awesome picture of Old Hollywood folks hanging out together --
Viv and Lauren. Yes, yes, yes. I love this picture.
Ta-ta for now, dahhhlings!!
^^ All Tallulah Bankhead esque, of course. :) This is, indeed, a happy Friday!
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.
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