reluctant

it is hard to imagine that the woman in this photo conveyed being in love better than all the other screen stars, but she did.

my kinda of guy

Packy Cannon (played by Nils Asther) is an artist, adventurer, and ex-prizefighter. i know john gilbert gets most of the acclaim when it comes to co-starring with garbo, but trust me, 'packy' will live on in your mind. he is one heck of a character perfectly played by nils.

photo: garbo in the middle/nils on the right

feast your eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMpss7tQ4fM

this episode is not only down right elegant, but it has a cast of only two. right up my alley! if i did not know that the most darling man in movies, robert montgomery, was her dad, i might guess that the wonderful actress susan hayward was her mom.

elizabeth montgomery will forever be etched in one's mind as 'samantha' from 'bewitched.' before they poured a bucket of bleach on her head and kitted her out with diaphanous witchy wear (when not in housewife mode) she was an absolute stunner of a brunette.

in this episode of 'twilight zone' there is almost zero dialogue. this one moment in her career proves that elizabeth montgomery would have been a terrific silent film actress. i am not exaggerating. watch it and you will agree.

photo: her costume rocks and looks like it had been designed by vivienne westwood.

selective memory

'I really don't remember much about Cleopatra. There were a lot of other things going on.'-Elizabeth Taylor

things, as in richard. might as well recall the love and not the studios huge loss over the making of that film.

facts: Despite being a critical failure, it won four Academy Awards. It was the highest grossing film of 1963, earning US $26 million, yet made a loss due to its cost of $44 million, the only film ever to be the highest grossing film of the year yet to run at a loss.

witchy woman

every time i watch either 'now, voyager' or 'separate tables' i want to put my hand through the screen and give gladys cooper a good throttle to that neck of hers. her rubies and pearls would not deter me. if there is one actress who gives mommie dearest a run for her money it is our gal gladys.

the woman was simply stellar in anything i have seen her in. yes, she did play nice characters too but she is so well know as the cruel and domineering mother of better davis in 'now, voyager' that her wickedness rules over her kinder moments. she is a classic.

she became a dame of her home country but also made tons of movies in hollywood. watching cooper is a great lesson in self control.

photos: gladys appears to have gypsy blood/her shining hour (now, voyager)/she looks so nice!/she was such a beautiful child

demand references

Ivor Novello starred in hitchcock's 'the lodger.' i am not familair with the early hitchcock movies but look at this stunner! perhaps he inspired david bowie who named one of his great albums 'lodger.' some cool facts about ivor:

'During the Second World War Novello was sent to prison for eight-weeks after he had fraudulently obtained petrol for his Rolls-Royce car. After he was released he wrote the musical Perchance To Dream. This included We'll Gather Lilacs, whose theme of lovers parting and hoping to meet again, made it one of the most popular songs of the war.
In 1947 Novello helped establish the Songwriters' Guild (later known as the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors).

Ivor Novello died in London on 6th March 1951. After his death the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors instituted the Ivor Novello awards, granted annually for outstanding contributions to British popular music.'

misappropriated petrol for his rolls! went on be the name of a foundation to establish awards for excellence in music! what a guy.

the brit pack

here they are, representing decades of gorgeous talent:

tom courtenay
helen mirren
laurence olivier

aging gracefully

104 screen credits and going strong, the wonderful actor james fox is next going to make it to the big screen playing a royal in the madonna directed movie about wallis and edward. as i recall, james' brother, actor edward fox, once played 'edward.'

well, even though his brother is also terrific, there has always been something about james for me. even his small role in 'the loneliness of the long distance runner' offered a glimpse into this man whose strength never manages to hide a vulnerability. the was absolutely lovely in 'passage to india' and kick ass as 'chas' in everyone's fave twisted tale of hiding out in a london townhouse inhabited by mick jagger (ex-rockstar) and his stunning sweetheart anita pallenberg. 'performance' was a deliciously messy meal sprinkled with magic mushrooms that bent 'chas' out of his own recognition.

apparently the making of 'performance' left a terrible taste in james' mouth:

Fox left the acting profession for nine years (1970-79) after he filmed Performance (1970) with Mick Jagger.-wikipedia

'People think Performance (1970) blew my mind... my mind was blown long before that. Performance (1970) gave me doubts about my way of life.- james fox


photos: fox up to date/gangster associate 'chas'/freewheelin'/with early love actress sarah miles

put the bottle (of peroxide) down

'In 1937, Myrna had a narrow escape when her horse bolted during the filming of The Rains Came (1939) with Tyrone Power; she was nearly killed.'

whoa! those torrential rain sequences were amazing. the film was good and tyrone power was just such a sweetheart, trying to befriend myrna while dodging her desire. the story was really a good one that touched on history, love, and redemption. even if the terrific storms looked 'hollywood' this movie is right up there.

what is not happening is seeing the stunning myrna loy as a blond. this is nor from the film.

classic

Jean-Paul Belmondo in A Bout De Souffle, Jean-Luc Godard, 1959

seriously now

“How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being.”-Oscar Wilde

i haven't seen colin firth and rupert everett in 'the importance of being earnest' but i feel sure rupert had a fine ol' time as he unabashedly admits to still being in love with his co-star since their early days filming 'another county', a film i really liked.

question of the day

how gorgeous is julie christie?



photo: Fahrenheit 451 (1966) Directed by François Truffaut. Starring Oskar Werner and Julie Christie.