what a way to go

maybe the film 'the bad seed' isn't high art but it is a pretty good look at what people found shocking back when little trucks delivered fresh bread to one's neighborhood. i loved the melodramatic acting! people SHOULD act crazed when a child is as bad as this movie's main character.

weathered

the great belmondo.

peeled

the gorgeous and talented carroll baker was Miss Florida Fruits & Vegetables of 1949! take that sunny state. i adore her. she was very close to being cast opposite james dean in 'rebel without a cause.' her role as the 'not ready for marriage' wife in 'baby doll' is the stuff of cinema legend. she was serious and beautiful and made both big films and odd small ones. her delivery of tennessee williams's lines in 'baby doll' are unforgettable. my fave: "well, i can say hello!"

the bird that ate many canaries

funny story: When Lew Wasserman tried to change the title of The Appaloosa to Southwest to Sonora, Marlon did not take it very well. He hired a group of mariachi players to go around Universal singing a song they had written called "Southwest to Sonora" until the studio aceded to his wishes. photo: marlon and jean simmons

stars collide

whoa. julie AND wendy. julie christie looks so happy to be the one giving wendy hiller her oscar. how i adore them both.

before my time

it is hard to breathe knowing that there was a time when my favorite actress played catherine sloper on stage. A period piece set in 1840’s New York, the prestige picture classic The Heiress began as the novella Washington Squareby Henry James. Having heard a story told to him by an actress whose brother failed in an attempt to swindle a rich woman into marriage, James wrote his novella. The stage play, adapted in 1947 and renamed The Heiress, starred Wendy Hiller (Pygmalion) and Basil Rathbone (The Adventures of Robin Hood) and became a huge success on Broadway. the film version starring olivia de havilland is excellent thanks to olivia, montgomery clift, and the stellar ralph richardson. still, nothing compares to hiller.

all in their family

siblings shirley maclaine and warren beatty

luminous

Dorothy Dandridge and sister Vivian arrive at the premiere of Carmen Jones, 1954

priceless moment

recently i met a wonderful musician who has been playing in a bowie cover band for many years. after we spoke of many great bowie songs i told him that the film,'the man who fell to earth' was one of my all time fave movies. not only is the film based on the novel of the brilliant writer walter tevis, it is a stunningly beautiful movie visually. the musician told me he had never seen it. the last time i felt a similar shock was when i worked with a clothing designer who had never heard of greta garbo. moments to remember...

makin' (lots of) movies

'One of many protégés of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who gave Schygulla especially tender treatment and nurturing, while he terrorized, manipulated, and slept with many of the other actors and filmmakers Fassbinder developed in his incestuous family-like theatrical and film troupes. Over 12 years, Hanna Schygulla appeared in 23 Fassbinder movies (including his first feature film), the most acclaimed being The Marriage of Maria Braun (for which she won the Silver Bear), Lili Marleen (1981), and Berlin Alexanderplatz.' i never worked with the brilliant man so i have nothing but praise for fassbinder. much like cassavetes, each frame is photographable. the guy had a grand passion for beauty and tenderness. what a lovely photo of the two of them.

glenda in her greatness

'Acting is not about dressing up. Acting is about stripping bare. The whole essence of learning lines is to forget them so you can make them sound like you thought of them that instant.'-Glenda Jackson photo: Glenda Jackson as Charlotte Corday in Marat Sade 1986

by way of illustration

what a poster. i love gloria in everything. although the film'in a lonely place' is more my thing, 'the big heat' showcases gloria's unique presence. glenn ford can't touch bogart but what the heck.