tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226150562024-03-16T05:27:58.208-04:00Java's JourneyA <a href="http://clamba.blogspot.com/">CMBA-nominated</a> Classic Movie Blog. Join Us!JavaBeanRushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.comBlogger619125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-11594351198953132032022-03-23T15:37:00.003-04:002022-03-23T15:37:24.222-04:00Tyrone Power roundup<p>Time for a Tyrone Power roundup. Below find links to posts about the star of <i>The Mark of Zorro </i>(1940), his life and work.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/07/TyronePowerBioSearchingFatherRomina.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="400" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmHE9vyx5LM5QttyFzBC6_HS4FSCZOFanr_9bGH5jg60-mkmY8o7myMzoJefYroQISOCyTjKqvmfnk1skfLXj5tLymMlJvwx1b2pqw8BNh0cxK8DPuyS616UwyrblfZ9XtGb5yQ3MUmGJFwqYBgPnOw_vHxmydZ2cg1TiOPB2nGm2qmTqCg/s320/tyrone%20power%20book%20-%20front%20up%20-%20branded.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title"><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/07/TyronePowerBioSearchingFatherRomina.html">Tyrone Power's Biography - Searching for My Father, Tyrone Power by Romina Power [Book Review] </a></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title"> </h3><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2014/07/OnLocationTyronePowersTunicaWedding.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="318" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2j_3JU3AGE8ne_YPL5se1sOAUHA0OtkihofseQ47RiY-qE-8W1IvTaluCvEZwUkw6021dnaGbSXtBBQz6oLiy_Jv_helaEwb1eqmCgXoGmeriS0Pyk2yXG1d8_x5Qbvp_kPay5I9jbADy0dZFkb0HMofHLzoK8gJ5WpPjratY2QX_0Qbyw/s1600/tyrone%20power%201958%20restaurant%20with%20new%20wife%20Deborah.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title"><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2014/07/OnLocationTyronePowersTunicaWedding.html" target="_blank">On Location: Tyrone Power's Tunica Wedding
</a></h3><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"> <br /></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2014/05/TyronePowerAndDeborahMinardos.html " imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2014/05/TyronePowerAndDeborahMinardos.html " imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2014/05/TyronePowerAndDeborahMinardos.html " imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2014/05/TyronePowerAndDeborahMinardos.html " imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="542" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D5KbbW0QWKVO30SgOfo7nG9rxIoZV7MIpAH6maU55qlcK0HGr8gjt4jxeV9dwaOBMpGb0FW0QgoA0MNtqVTcMViWCIxwwAuYn7WFpAu89tM1DVQiYXGs2-drGgPGog4wRNicGBlgpt1I7vXTX-rMwFxXlUeZuo47iglVrI-lDoPV1mRLNw/s320/Life%20Magazine%20-%20December%201,%201958%20-%20A%20Dashing%20Actor's%20Last%20Duel%20-%20Tyrone%20Power%20-%20detail%20honeymoon%20madrid%20Deborah.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title"><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2014/05/TyronePowerAndDeborahMinardos.html " target="_blank">Power-Mad Blogathon: Tyrone Power and Deborah </a></h3><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/05/TyronePowersActingLineage.html " imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="241" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC-wgIk1s4oT0_LAMZMkU2AuVqzQoC0nsylc7XzPNBlME5B1TPnE_FFDDLLmV12Mol6l5UtR2-7nB8U-edcP3jbadCrQfrNDJki9QbCpVYNE37FLtjinujJmViBn2yhDKE_-oIFkrsRyk-9IDZlGHi3qf4AJ4J3Z2vyjDkd5ZPdWaQ_Uz_A/w205-h272/Tyrone%20Power%20in%20color.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><p></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"> </span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"> </span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"> </span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"> </span></span></span></p><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"> </span></span></span></p><h3 class="post-title entry-title"><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/05/TyronePowersActingLineage.html " target="_blank">Tyrone Power's Acting Lineage
</a><br /></h3><p><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><span><span class="w4txWc oJeWuf" id="i8" role="region"><span class="MUhG4e OGjyyf" data-blogurl="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span> </p>Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-38497743474908798412021-11-12T22:35:00.001-05:002021-11-12T22:35:20.071-05:00MGM Star Dean Stockwell has died <p>Dean Stockwell, MGM star, died November 9, 2021. He was 85.</p><p>Read more from the New York Times here:</p><p><br /></p><p>www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/arts/television/dean-stockwell-dead.amp.html?shem=ssmm</p>Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-78400359798027198222021-05-24T21:40:00.002-04:002021-05-24T21:40:48.457-04:00William Goldman calms me <p> William Goldman is an American screenwriter known for The Princess Bride and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.</p><p>He's known for saying, "No one knows anything," meaning Hollywood pretends it knows what will make money and garner awards, but there is never a guarantee. </p><p>Every time someone gets huffy about nontraditional casting, claiming it won't make money, or when someone believes that we need to see Bruce Wayne's parents in that tragic alley scene again because we bought tickets to see it last time, I think to myself "No one knows anything," and feel a bit of glee. </p><p>Goldman let us in on a secret I figured was true- there is so much bluffing in Hollywood. It calms me to have that idea verified by an insider.</p>Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-72902265571088796112020-12-14T13:10:00.001-05:002020-12-14T13:10:03.176-05:00End of the year<p>Many stars have died in 2020. Here are a few:<br /> <br /><b>Olivia de Havilland </b><br />~New York Times Tribute - <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/26/movies/olivia-de-havilland-dead.html" target="_blank">"Olivia de Havilland, a Star of ‘Gone With the Wind,’ Dies at 104"</a><br />~ Town & Country Magazine -<a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a33443865/olivia-de-havilland-paris-years/" target="_blank"> "We Became Friends in Paris"</a><br />~A list of <a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/search/?q=Olivia+de+Havilland+&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">Olivia de Havilland posts</a> on Java's Journey. <br /><br /><br /><b>Marge Champion</b><br />~NPR - <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/06/931330531/remembering-dancer-and-choreographer-marge-champion" target="_blank">"Remembering Dancer And Choreographer Marge Champion"</a><br />~ LA Times -<a href="https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-10-23/marge-champion-famed-dancer-of-hollywoods-golden-age-dies-at-101" target="_blank"> "Marge Champion, famed dancer of Hollywood's Golden Age, dies" </a><br />~A list of <a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/search/?q=Marge+Champion&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">Marge Champion posts</a> on Java's Journey.<br /><br /><br /><b>John Saxon</b><br />~Vanity Fair - <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/07/actor-john-saxon-dies-at-age-83" target="_blank">"Actor John Saxon Dies at Age 83"</a><br />~News 4 Nashville - <a href="https://www.wsmv.com/news/john-saxons-widow-remembers-late-husbands-film-career-friendship-with-bruce-lee/article_82cbde7e-d1f5-11ea-a44d-831420c0da7f.html" target="_blank">"<span>John Saxon's widow remembers late husband's film career, friendship with Bruce Lee</span>"</a><br />~A list of<a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/search/?q=John+Saxon&x=0&y=0" target="_blank"> John Saxon posts</a> on Java's Journey.<br /><br /><b>Kirk Douglas</b><br />~ NPR -<a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/02/07/803717554/fresh-air-remembers-hollywood-star-kirk-douglas" target="_blank">"'Fresh Air' Remembers Hollywood Star Kirk Douglas"</a><br />~ People Magazine - "<a href="https://people.com/movies/catherine-zeta-jones-michael-douglas-pay-tribute-kirk-douglas-birthday/" target="_blank">Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas Pay Tribute to Late Kirk Douglas on His Birthday"</a><br />~A list of <a href=" https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/search/?q=Kirk+Douglas&x=0&y=0" target="_blank">Kirk Douglas posts</a> on Java's Journey.</p>Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-41461043712268330652020-08-04T06:19:00.005-04:002020-08-04T06:19:54.875-04:00Classic remakes in 2020 Although many movies this year have moved their release dates to 2021 or have made them available for streaming, there are at least two classic movie remakes that still plan to be released in 2020 despite the global pandemic.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0uXxoP5hudRtUWsUdGPI63WghJahgnvo9BUiMPlVMEx0vVkMx_JazeNhmfG83QYZHQULkztactZvZ2UOTaU1zqtrvkImr8vM0dwWfKUB6Z_fN95blY9QwJik1KCsALlr9kNU/s1920/nile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0uXxoP5hudRtUWsUdGPI63WghJahgnvo9BUiMPlVMEx0vVkMx_JazeNhmfG83QYZHQULkztactZvZ2UOTaU1zqtrvkImr8vM0dwWfKUB6Z_fN95blY9QwJik1KCsALlr9kNU/s1920/nile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0uXxoP5hudRtUWsUdGPI63WghJahgnvo9BUiMPlVMEx0vVkMx_JazeNhmfG83QYZHQULkztactZvZ2UOTaU1zqtrvkImr8vM0dwWfKUB6Z_fN95blY9QwJik1KCsALlr9kNU/s1920/nile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1280" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0uXxoP5hudRtUWsUdGPI63WghJahgnvo9BUiMPlVMEx0vVkMx_JazeNhmfG83QYZHQULkztactZvZ2UOTaU1zqtrvkImr8vM0dwWfKUB6Z_fN95blY9QwJik1KCsALlr9kNU/s640/nile.jpg" width="149" /></a><div>Kenneth Branagh returns as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in <i>Death on the Nile</i>. This remake of the 1978 classic about a the mysterious murder of a passenger aboard a cruise is set to hit theaters on October 23, 2020. As in his release of the remake Murder on the Orient Express in 2017, Branagh also returns as director of the new film.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEuBgEdc6kMOZY_6TNU191cNn7qACO8TzyXWF3S50Eaj9-A-zvB60YGJKh5ZjQ-uMbmdd473RaMwgxfbJ9FtQa_gUlSC9gt6roOW1QBWJMCQURw_e92gwtu7LJI9fED0BwWbA/s330/220px-Westsidestoryteaserposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="220" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEuBgEdc6kMOZY_6TNU191cNn7qACO8TzyXWF3S50Eaj9-A-zvB60YGJKh5ZjQ-uMbmdd473RaMwgxfbJ9FtQa_gUlSC9gt6roOW1QBWJMCQURw_e92gwtu7LJI9fED0BwWbA/s0/220px-Westsidestoryteaserposter.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><br /><br />When <i>West Side Story</i>, a Broadway show by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, hit movie theaters in 1961, it garnered critical acclaim and plenty of awards. With home entertainment, this mid-20th century retelling of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet has remained a delight for generations. This year's remake is directed by Steven Spielberg and will arrive in theaters on December 18, 2020<br /><br /><br /><br />Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-62688185799035333262020-05-23T18:22:00.000-04:002020-05-23T18:22:01.505-04:00Peter Bogdanovich discusses his career in TCM podcast "The Plot Thickens"Turner Classic Movies has started a podcast called <a href="https://theplotthickens.tcm.com/" target="_blank">The Plot Thickens</a>. TCM host and journalist Ben Mankiewicz interviews director Peter Bogdanovich for the first season. This season is called "I’m Still Peter Bogdanovich."<br /><br /> <span class="font--headline"></span><br />
<div class="hide show@medium">
From TCM:<br /><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Welcome to The Plot Thickens, a new documentary podcast about the movies and the people who make them. Our first season is <em>I’m Still Peter Bogdanovich</em>,
the tale of a young cinephile who became one of Hollywood’s top
directors – but soon found himself a victim of jealousy, public scorn,
and a devastating crime."</blockquote>
<br />Sounds great.<a href="https://theplotthickens.tcm.com/" target="_blank"> Listen to The Plot Thickens on TCM's website.</a><br />
</div>
Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-11906095794383983932020-03-02T22:50:00.000-05:002020-03-02T22:50:02.234-05:00Jerry Lewis is No Joke to the French [Vintage Article]I found this article about comedian Jerry Lewis: <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19840123&id=CIoxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iaUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1633,934801" target="_blank">"Jerry Lewis is No Joke to the French" by Stanley Meisler Montreal Gazette January 23, 1984. (Read it here on Google News.)</a><br />
<br />
In it, we see Lewis wearing his Commander of Arts and Letters insignia in Paris. The author notes that the French "look on him as a comic in the tradition and of the calibre of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers." But no such love was shown to him stateside, apparently. Lewis says that he has battled the reputation of not being the critically-acclaimed comic in his own country for 30 years. "When I get depressed," he says, "I come to Europe."<br /><br />How sad. But also, all of the comics to whom he is compared in the article were all, unfortunately, dead by at least 7 years, if not more, by the time this article came out. It is difficult to be a legend in your own time. Plus, they were legends with most of their career in the can. Lewis, on the other hand, was still making films at this point.<br /><br />Also, Lewis is second generation slapstick, with his solo career's heyday in a time of increasing cynicism and droll wit - the 1960s and 1970s. Very few classic stars were getting their due by the 1970s, I think. It would take another generation and home videos to revitalize the appreciation for glamour and wit of the mid 20th century. I hope he felt appreciated by the end of his life.<br /><br /><br />
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<br />JavaBeanRushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-20818673982326025592020-02-03T22:07:00.000-05:002020-02-03T22:07:18.249-05:00Classic Movie Star Look-a-Likes for AdsA while ago I found these print ads for Armstrong Laminate. It looks like real wood but isn't. So they are using people who look like classic films stars to stand on the fake wood.<br />Brilliant! There is faux Lucille Ball, James Dean, Dean Martin (That one is scary good!), and Marlon Brando. I love it.<br /><br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjIwCybW6vepog5zRV9it21B30CoYebO-lPeOKUn8bRiy8JlxQ6b6Hd7-nnzrnWFAAxaRcL238MHQCxurmKcmWi8Ec8-qCue2GbYudczIakH_aQss5z_a4tXSPGZb5Gfz_C7G/s1600/Lookslikerealthing_Armstrong_Laminate_lo-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1200" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjIwCybW6vepog5zRV9it21B30CoYebO-lPeOKUn8bRiy8JlxQ6b6Hd7-nnzrnWFAAxaRcL238MHQCxurmKcmWi8Ec8-qCue2GbYudczIakH_aQss5z_a4tXSPGZb5Gfz_C7G/s320/Lookslikerealthing_Armstrong_Laminate_lo-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkxP-Sd2_3EcPhIoh4h7J45FKWl_zCOh0xYDb8o5QsXksEHSaACuk5oJ4xbSAphgDM6vTzcXNtGdkaKpK8TauNWxkGdCYKRLO6x3Phi6pUuFiltb66Ql2Uf_IPRQHDTQ_Tb3t/s1600/Lookslikerealthing_Armstrong_Laminate_lo-2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="1200" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkxP-Sd2_3EcPhIoh4h7J45FKWl_zCOh0xYDb8o5QsXksEHSaACuk5oJ4xbSAphgDM6vTzcXNtGdkaKpK8TauNWxkGdCYKRLO6x3Phi6pUuFiltb66Ql2Uf_IPRQHDTQ_Tb3t/s320/Lookslikerealthing_Armstrong_Laminate_lo-2.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeA8axw4xCrQDwCtRT1osD8lfBgninoEiQp7UIMJAt4W6zK9O5Dw6pv4vbw9Lv5b97REzphPEkaUiaVl5TVfTxe2en6moOP0DEpBaOwSHB05mZuaoJX1Cm48dVtS5Hj-qjuvi/s1600/Lookslikerealthing_Armstrong_Laminate_lo-3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="1200" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeA8axw4xCrQDwCtRT1osD8lfBgninoEiQp7UIMJAt4W6zK9O5Dw6pv4vbw9Lv5b97REzphPEkaUiaVl5TVfTxe2en6moOP0DEpBaOwSHB05mZuaoJX1Cm48dVtS5Hj-qjuvi/s320/Lookslikerealthing_Armstrong_Laminate_lo-3.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZATowySAjii71JmU2TOoJHyiL3NT9OSW1kVoP2nmldamrx0nBTQEFSNLc-aeMt0VSrEIN360QCBpi6lx8U1HtoIpTFBEAsR3dDTQkRe_W_4LsMawXW9VqdC2QmZ_h7b7xySi/s1600/Lookslikerealthing_Armstrong_Laminate_lo-4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="1200" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZATowySAjii71JmU2TOoJHyiL3NT9OSW1kVoP2nmldamrx0nBTQEFSNLc-aeMt0VSrEIN360QCBpi6lx8U1HtoIpTFBEAsR3dDTQkRe_W_4LsMawXW9VqdC2QmZ_h7b7xySi/s320/Lookslikerealthing_Armstrong_Laminate_lo-4.jpg" width="320" /></a>Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-795120295605876282019-12-01T22:26:00.000-05:002020-02-03T22:27:14.556-05:00Apartment Shopping in the MoviesHave you ever gone apartment shopping in the movies? Just seeing what you like in the film and try to recreate it at home, or put it on your list of things to renovate later?<br />
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<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x">Katharine Hepburn's apartment in THE DESK SET has always appealed to me. It has just what you need - not too big, not too small. A one bedroom- one bathroom affair in a New York townhouse. Everything has a place.<br /></span></span><br />
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has no formal dining room, but when an unexpected guest shows up, she
just pulls a small table in front of two cozy chairs. It's so lovely.<br /></span></span> <span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x">I also enjoy her fireplace.</span></span><br />
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From MY FAIR LADY, we have Professor Higgins' Library. He spends all day in it, which seems absolutely delightful. I enjoy the curve of the spiral stairs. I love the coziness of the wood. But, truth be known, I would paint it all white. Barbarous, I know. But I would want it light and airy in my home study.<br /></div>
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The play describes him has having a piano in the study with a platter of fruit and chocolate. One supposes it is for those long nights studying into the wee hours, working on some problem or other with no need to stop for meals. His is a delightful little existence. (Except his temper.)<br /><br /><br />The couch in DESIGNING WOMAN... Lauren Bacall's white modern couch, with straight lines and colorful pillows... I have been able to recreate it a little bit with a slip cover and throw pillows. But it is all about finding a couch with those streamlined lines. <br /></div>
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<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x"></span></span>Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-47913921879127717542019-06-10T05:20:00.001-04:002019-06-10T05:20:42.309-04:00Deanna Durbin and Her VHS Tapes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ah! The 1990s! VHS was at its peak in my childhood home. <b>VHS- Video Home System </b>- the case in which a series of images and sound were made on magnetic tape and held on reels.<br /><br />By this point, every new film was available for home viewing in this format, and a few old films, as well,would be released. We lived for the old films. The parents would take us to <b>Suncoast video store</b> at the mall. (Remember the mall? It's like brick-and-mortar Amazon.)<br />
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We would comb the shelves for any film made before the 1980s. Old, familiar faces were on the covers - Lena Horne and Bill Robinson smiling on the cover of <b><i>Stormy Weather</i></b>; Judy Garland and Fred Astaire (in top hat, of course) walking arm-in-arm down 5th Avenue in <b><i>Easter Parade</i></b>; Nancy Kwan posing in mid-dance on the cover of <b><i>Flower Drum Song</i></b>.<br />
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They were all there- my friends. And then there was Deanna Durbin. <br />
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Deanna Durbin (born Edna Mae Durbin in Winnipeg in 1921) is best known for her string of successful starring roles for <b>Universal Studios</b> in the 1930s and 1940s. The star retired from show business in her 20s to live in France with her family, until her death in 2013.<br />
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Durbin's films were often <b>light, musical comedies</b>,with the notable exception of some of her stories during World War II, like <i>Hers to Hold</i>, or <i>Christmas Holiday</i> (a sobering tale of a marriage gone wrong). Deanna's musicals were not dance features like the Nancy Kwan film, or the Bill Robinson musical, or the Astaire movie - the types of films where we children would rise and try to copy the movements. Deanna would sing a snippet of an aria by Léo Delibes, or a simple song about going home, and hold us enraptured. In a Durbin film, even the silliest plot makes you fall into the story and believe these characters are real.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2Jpkwr52YKHpxk8tvQ4zGN-cQUntNQk8oDcchhEqsrbuqP1rwnUuw80107xVlQziMeQB0Cn_IRtWEF5QNIi49xR8xIjdSTNsuBP8BhtANJE6FrsfasxS_PZ1ZcGsjj9pWWVa/s1600/20190609_170725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2Jpkwr52YKHpxk8tvQ4zGN-cQUntNQk8oDcchhEqsrbuqP1rwnUuw80107xVlQziMeQB0Cn_IRtWEF5QNIi49xR8xIjdSTNsuBP8BhtANJE6FrsfasxS_PZ1ZcGsjj9pWWVa/s320/20190609_170725.jpg" width="180" /></a>During her lifetime, MCA Universal Studios released some of her films in VHS format. Today, the DVDs of the same films do not share the same cover art as the VHS tapes. I wanted to have a look at the old covers, the ones I grew up seeing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBwPuozlWH2d2VlEKKB20Djq19anRJukIigZ4wZaougI8U8I4Lao6KIYWGYngoWbVIbGbelMCo8ujFHBx1hGtjyj8cKFAkNLJQsboow6OWIsBH5g9soTSuoJMLEj7hnvAOTmo/s1600/20190609_170757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBwPuozlWH2d2VlEKKB20Djq19anRJukIigZ4wZaougI8U8I4Lao6KIYWGYngoWbVIbGbelMCo8ujFHBx1hGtjyj8cKFAkNLJQsboow6OWIsBH5g9soTSuoJMLEj7hnvAOTmo/s320/20190609_170757.jpg" width="180" /></a>Visiting the old house and the old VHS tapes of my youth, I grew a little nostalgic. I was compelled to take pictures of them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBA3HFrhamqcLVfanAuPVTtmGlEZbploLWHO5PEQEmU5DKioEyJ3biGFvsp1g51MebP5e2qHIfr5oAc5jYgvALPFjUQ6fzMydYM2ntbfGGPSm0bGAwyV73bipPGTJQ-oh84By/s1600/20190609_170908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBA3HFrhamqcLVfanAuPVTtmGlEZbploLWHO5PEQEmU5DKioEyJ3biGFvsp1g51MebP5e2qHIfr5oAc5jYgvALPFjUQ6fzMydYM2ntbfGGPSm0bGAwyV73bipPGTJQ-oh84By/s320/20190609_170908.jpg" width="180" /></a>It is at this point that I wish I had an artist's vocabulary to describe the the VHS covers; they always catch my eye. The covers are simple, easy on the eyes, not busy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwbm39fcxmFZ416U-cM1YFuXSOtjsfDYUr0Ij7_xhb5b7BDoOrhnqyTnheIep2B_0JgHT0bJ3rzIPVwrRlVJRf1I8f-eaJYta3dEPgcJwSyxx_-WtYCVCEFcXiUx3riduMuRJ/s1600/20190609_171010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwbm39fcxmFZ416U-cM1YFuXSOtjsfDYUr0Ij7_xhb5b7BDoOrhnqyTnheIep2B_0JgHT0bJ3rzIPVwrRlVJRf1I8f-eaJYta3dEPgcJwSyxx_-WtYCVCEFcXiUx3riduMuRJ/s320/20190609_171010.jpg" width="180" /></a>For each cover, Deanna Durbin's face fills the canvas. Just above her face, in her hair, is her name in an elegant script that nearly resembles a signature. Under her name is the word, "in" and then the title of the film. These last few words are in a different, straight forward print font. The print typeface is mildly reminiscent of Art Deco fonts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YS6VZ8rP8XB9ZRB4XYr3bpmM1JZwIcXVXVzxr8Pt1_8HffNhEPeW3yQD3CjKd6Hyns4aKEvSqcDtv7aMVoemI5Lz1yABOdmmOPTC51LlSRUwouJUsEaDN_Ut7Da8obw5ZD0K/s1600/20190609_171055.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YS6VZ8rP8XB9ZRB4XYr3bpmM1JZwIcXVXVzxr8Pt1_8HffNhEPeW3yQD3CjKd6Hyns4aKEvSqcDtv7aMVoemI5Lz1yABOdmmOPTC51LlSRUwouJUsEaDN_Ut7Da8obw5ZD0K/s320/20190609_171055.jpg" width="180" /></a>Every image is in a monochrome of some type - same hue all over, but different amounts of light and shadows. There is a cover in green monochrome, blue, even Deanna Durbin's only color film - Can't Help Singing- is treated to a light sepia monochrome cover.</div>
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Each image is of Durbin in costume for the film the cover is advertising. I wonder if they took a frame from the film or found publicity stills.<br />
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The back of the covers are allowed to be more colorful and busy, with what seem like images from colorized lobby cards or parts of old posters placed at the bottom under the plot descriptions and credit lines.<br />
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Inside the VHS covers would come a little folded advertisement of more Durbin films. This one from 1997 reads on the front, "She was the brightest musical star in the history of Universal Studios...Deanna."<br />
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On the inside of the little ad, you'll find that for $19.98 -Yes, just over a dollar for every year of the millennium, so far - you can own another Durbin film. Truth be told, I wanted to collect them all. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0kCFuLo8Y5IL3kgMy4EKPH158QhyphenhyphenNhVNqQSVkO77LPKuGEGEbPqisFOsKUs3SuDEYL89d61YVHyFfF-TqGKOdcBBQzW4Z0mg1IOkIKCTRtHVXBYEZnM00Jow6kZb2nrS2QYN/s1600/20190609_171621.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0kCFuLo8Y5IL3kgMy4EKPH158QhyphenhyphenNhVNqQSVkO77LPKuGEGEbPqisFOsKUs3SuDEYL89d61YVHyFfF-TqGKOdcBBQzW4Z0mg1IOkIKCTRtHVXBYEZnM00Jow6kZb2nrS2QYN/s400/20190609_171621.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyfw8orbefNZDfi2gDVQqG0JjJxz1gcyOvX3LsYw4xvmRg9ScJ6jFc7WJEuT67zAIKhoBjblkwFET80LH3EV6v_ioRbuYGl3EwzvXFVHyOoL33OEMrsNW0bNu5s2Ls3knsbxi/s1600/DEANNA+DURBIN+VHS+AD+20190609_171643.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyfw8orbefNZDfi2gDVQqG0JjJxz1gcyOvX3LsYw4xvmRg9ScJ6jFc7WJEuT67zAIKhoBjblkwFET80LH3EV6v_ioRbuYGl3EwzvXFVHyOoL33OEMrsNW0bNu5s2Ls3knsbxi/s320/DEANNA+DURBIN+VHS+AD+20190609_171643.jpg" width="180" /></a>It seems that <i>Can't Help Singing</i>, <i>Nice Girl?</i>, and <i>That Certain Age </i>were late-comers to the VHS party. According to IMDB, Deanna completed 21 feature films and 2 short films. We see, as if 1997, only 11 were available in this set. I wonder if they ever released the remainder to VHS.<br />
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Of course, once you turn on the tape, you will have a commercial first, advertising the other films in the series. Then the feature would begin. I recall as a child wanting desperately to see the advertised movie <i>First Love </i>- a Cinderella fantasy for Durbin- as I had been drawn to the Cinderella fairy tale for years. I would later enjoy it as an adult. <br />
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I did not turn on any films during this visit to the old home place. However, I discussed with the family how inconvenient it is to<br />
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<li>find the VHS tape you want,</li>
<li>place it in the VCR, </li>
<li>sit through the ads (or fast forward), </li>
<li>and then, and only then, watch a movie.</li>
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Then at the end you would need to<b> rewind </b>the tape. You would hear the whirring of the reels inside the machine as the reels pulled the film to its proper place, until you hear that signature CLICK! Then you take out the VHS tape from the VCR, replace it in its cover, and back on the shelf. Strange, the things you associate with entertainment.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGk7AzVZBYSn_n8meJREPrT3gYfcu2UB92Oep2MorAT9OC33FqHuPuszYhgrJ5f79XXcBZoJwSwT6B9R2E0pjPlqVQFjCXq5OVaZUFtCqXelk5eVF0JlTvx4vrb37s-gXIrv7/s1600/20190609_171123.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGk7AzVZBYSn_n8meJREPrT3gYfcu2UB92Oep2MorAT9OC33FqHuPuszYhgrJ5f79XXcBZoJwSwT6B9R2E0pjPlqVQFjCXq5OVaZUFtCqXelk5eVF0JlTvx4vrb37s-gXIrv7/s320/20190609_171123.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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All of that action just to watch a film seemed like nothing at the time. We were the children; the adults ordered us to get up and do these things, which we gladly did.<b> It was exciting to put on a film.</b> I felt like what I imagined in my childish mind that a projectionist must feel when s/he puts on a film for the cinema audience - a kind of healthy pride in the exciting technical work of bringing you a story.<br />
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Today, that routine seems so laborious, or like an event. Digital media - having movies online or on your computer's hard drive- is much more convenient and casual. It's a short series of clicks on the laptop, or selections on your tablet or phone with your finger, and you are watching a film. You are sometimes watching something while doing something else on the computer. <br /><br />How long has it been since I MERELY watched a film at home and did nothing else while it is on? How long has it been since I have given the home viewing of a film my full attention as I did in childhood?<br />
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I must admit, however, that <b>the survivalist in me prefers to have a hard copy of every movie that I like</b> in addition to the digital one, just in case the apocalypse happens, the internet goes out, and we still want to watch Deanna Durbin singing.<br />
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<br />Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-45048311736990945882019-05-11T06:47:00.003-04:002019-05-11T06:47:26.813-04:00All About Eve: The filmed playI had planned this big ALL ABOUT EVE blog post, featuring the new
play that is based on the J.Mankiewicz film, and produced by the
National Theatre in London and broadcast around the world into cinemas.<br />
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Unfortunately, the equipment at the cinema did not work, so I was given
a refund. Now I will need to fly to a different state to see it (which
is not likely).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoNbRCkwkrF7t15exDhuEInlwWOPeNi4_ueni7Kmtd2-1ZwPwAHXlHxSRekM_u_rovqVZxNBpEzqfLQWv4AUSY21oQ7YouN65AgXtyJpLuHXFscw9Ps7iFF8wMcDziEfUT0Zw/s1600/nt_live_allabouteve_1200x650_140219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="960" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoNbRCkwkrF7t15exDhuEInlwWOPeNi4_ueni7Kmtd2-1ZwPwAHXlHxSRekM_u_rovqVZxNBpEzqfLQWv4AUSY21oQ7YouN65AgXtyJpLuHXFscw9Ps7iFF8wMcDziEfUT0Zw/s320/nt_live_allabouteve_1200x650_140219.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The advertising is more thriller-like, more like an ALFRED HITCHCOCK type of story, or one of those campy <span class="text_exposed_show">horrors
featuring BETTE DAVIS and JOAN CRAWFORD in their later years, or a MY
COUSIN RACHEL, where you are not quite sure what is going on. Looks fun!<br /><br />Here is the official website for the play: <a href="http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout34-all-about-eve">http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout34-all-about-eve</a><br /></span><br />
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Has anyone else seen it yet?</div>
Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-35638268162478113722019-04-11T12:36:00.001-04:002019-04-11T12:36:23.269-04:00Doris Day inspires home renovationSometimes old movies are inspiring. I'm considering the purchase of a fixer-upper- a house that needs renovation. I thought of the work and wondered how to do it all, and whether it is more trouble than it is worth. In remembering a classic Doris Day movie, there seems to be an example of the motto from financial adviser Dave Ramsey - "Live like no one else, so that you can live like no one else,"<br />
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In PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISES (1960), the six McKays have lived in a
cramped, city apartment for ten years saving money for a house in the
country.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfFVrLQPXW1KCe_GHotfHf2XG97NtfdWXkDfZP2C0CXY1xSMtKIel0vrm6ubw6LKI1UoYORydUe3WnuS2KeyaB_4g2CqDPVF76e6ADoWh2mnL3sujAnAlOC6Dr8gU_BZgvgy6/s1600/Untitled+design.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfFVrLQPXW1KCe_GHotfHf2XG97NtfdWXkDfZP2C0CXY1xSMtKIel0vrm6ubw6LKI1UoYORydUe3WnuS2KeyaB_4g2CqDPVF76e6ADoWh2mnL3sujAnAlOC6Dr8gU_BZgvgy6/s400/Untitled+design.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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When the children look at this ramshackle affair in the
country, one of them asks, "Why is it so big?" The mother says, "Because
we couldn't afford anything smaller."<br />
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It's a fixer-upper where, over weeks and months, they are living in chaos and half painted walls.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jiuoCvhAnkwtcFmxH2NzHWhGO3woEkzUgQ_9BgH85lP9d8siul5tWng2o1C29_M77Zye8tUjh_qbLILXgqrvvQHCmw-p_mHoPMbEYtdVuUPlpwWGnYcC6WGjzE8iAEz1838N/s1600/McKay+residence-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jiuoCvhAnkwtcFmxH2NzHWhGO3woEkzUgQ_9BgH85lP9d8siul5tWng2o1C29_M77Zye8tUjh_qbLILXgqrvvQHCmw-p_mHoPMbEYtdVuUPlpwWGnYcC6WGjzE8iAEz1838N/s400/McKay+residence-1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Until finally, it is finished.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPFQNhgFrP7ykHnCO-lMxmEZBHxkxtCxgYjWqx15_jpU8WnZlgQ89Puw5ujZa1-sJLB6MV8EgcYpOlJTOxuzKpwudx5udjC8p8fehSYeRY-FzWv4Ihazl-hKrG_kB-CVw2Plx/s1600/McKay+residence-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZPFQNhgFrP7ykHnCO-lMxmEZBHxkxtCxgYjWqx15_jpU8WnZlgQ89Puw5ujZa1-sJLB6MV8EgcYpOlJTOxuzKpwudx5udjC8p8fehSYeRY-FzWv4Ihazl-hKrG_kB-CVw2Plx/s400/McKay+residence-2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The movie is not really about the house. However, how the McKays decide
to wait until they can purchase a home in cash, and are willing to fix
as they go, is inspirational.<br />
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(Pictures from Hooked on Houses <a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fhookedonhouses.net%2F2010%2F05%2F09%2Fdoris-day-please-dont-eat-the-daisies%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR36ZeZCS9fFZUTHEO3-BbNm5SL6qP0kGqN82jYBhVSHBC_al07pp92NGiY&h=AT0JAuB7r2YTG-Ymv59spq909Xde6nAQvbRGVVI12jpO9ivfYVsgRz9fl79Qe-i9DNmAx1zSvyatGDe7TVezfbozhFcaJA0imNkB0_ngaDiq1qVIqNTIWuUFhtgT83nXeoEarCZz2qfU6A3SVMq8P75j" href="https://hookedonhouses.net/2010/05/09/doris-day-please-dont-eat-the-daisies/?fbclid=IwAR36ZeZCS9fFZUTHEO3-BbNm5SL6qP0kGqN82jYBhVSHBC_al07pp92NGiY" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://hookedonhouses.net/…/doris-day-please-dont-eat-the…/</a>)<br />
<br />Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-26814616792191132512018-08-25T06:26:00.001-04:002018-08-25T06:27:04.699-04:00Leonard Bernstein's 100th Birthday Celebration with a Google Doodle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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August 25, 2018 marks 100 years since composer Leonard Bernstein's birth. Known for many projects, including his composition of award-winning scores, the composer/conductor/educator/polymath is celebrated by Google with 45 seconds of the score to West Side Story, specifically the part where we first meet one of the gangs in the story- it's the famous finger-snapping part.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKu5dSQof1luGKEsMc2rb-sPWEdZ_Z6XaFO02wy3yOiltGJthtXScdSiWINzI2wKxlt5pexGCa794dCLcoB75LjTZfSuS7QA2VJfgrO1gfQTWzX3oQi0GKEbSGdCmheFv0N89w/s1600/Google+Doodle+-+Leonard+Bernstein.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKu5dSQof1luGKEsMc2rb-sPWEdZ_Z6XaFO02wy3yOiltGJthtXScdSiWINzI2wKxlt5pexGCa794dCLcoB75LjTZfSuS7QA2VJfgrO1gfQTWzX3oQi0GKEbSGdCmheFv0N89w/s640/Google+Doodle+-+Leonard+Bernstein.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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During the Google Doodle you first see the head and hands of an animated Leonard Bernstein, holding a conductor's baton as the music begins, then the images change into various scenes of his life from childhood on.<br />
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A particularly unexpected twist is when the music staff is upended and suddenly looks like the Empire State Building.This seems to be a reference to Bernstein's affiliation with New York City (He was once the Director of the New York Philharmonic.), as well as being a nod to the opening credit sequence of the film version of West Side Story which is set in the same city.<br />
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<b><u>Learn more about Leonard Bernstein from the following resources:</u></b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Watch the animated Google Doodle here:<a href="https://youtu.be/O8fQyb6tkdk" target="_blank"> https://youtu.be/O8fQyb6tkdk</a></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Google explains its doodles for Bernstein here: <a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/leonard-bernsteins-100th-birthday" target="_blank">https://www.google.com/doodles/leonard-bernsteins-100th-birthday</a> </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Find news for a 2-year round of celebratory events at Leonard Bernstein's official website by clicking here: <a href="https://leonardbernstein.com/at100">https://leonardbernstein.com/at100</a></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>There is an ongoing Memories project wherein you submit your memories of the composer: <a href="https://leonardbernstein.com/memories" target="_blank">https://leonardbernstein.com/memories </a></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Here is an article as to Bernstein's relevance today. (It is linked by the composer's official website.): <a href="https://www.citybeat.com/arts-culture/classical-music/article/20991561/why-leonard-bernstein-still-matters" target="_blank">https://www.citybeat.com/arts-culture/classical-music/article/20991561/why-leonard-bernstein-still-matters </a></li>
</ul>
<br />Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-29876404267525957612018-08-17T08:01:00.001-04:002018-08-17T08:01:24.924-04:00Crazy Rich Asians (2018)- Fun Future Classic<i>Crazy Rich Asians </i>(2018) opened on August 15th to great fanfare. Based on<b> Kevin Kwan</b>'s best-selling novel and starring <b>Constance Wu</b> as Rachel Chu, this movie follows a Chinese-American economics professor whose boyfriend Nick Young (<b>Henry Golding</b>) takes her home to Singapore to meet his family and attend a wedding.<br />
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However, he has not told Rachel that he is the heir to a multi-million dollar fortune and part of an insular group with its own social mores. The tight-knit circle prefers that Nick marry within the group and not date Rachel.<br />
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This leads to any number of faux pas, misunderstanding, backstabbing, and even <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/toxic-relationships/201801/how-know-if-youre-victim-gaslighting" target="_blank">gaslighting</a>. You become attached to Rachel's story and wish to see her succeed. It is a classic tale of Cinderella-Meets-the-In-Laws that somehow feels fresh under the direction of <b>Jon M. Chu</b>.<br />
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And it is all done in great fashion and grand style.<br />
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<b>A FEAST FOR THE EYES</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO8d-kXBIfxiYSpDdWxX3b9oxiKcCXlkSrcmliO__Kx0Qz5araOJBRmThDlCb0GOojEw31OcWc9ZF-Ua20sEeijK74bxLSgzep5UuY8lCizKT__gTygHL7cs3MSNGOzVnuKq8gg/s1600/crazy-rich-asians-movie-singapore-travel-guide-marina-bay-sands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO8d-kXBIfxiYSpDdWxX3b9oxiKcCXlkSrcmliO__Kx0Qz5araOJBRmThDlCb0GOojEw31OcWc9ZF-Ua20sEeijK74bxLSgzep5UuY8lCizKT__gTygHL7cs3MSNGOzVnuKq8gg/s640/crazy-rich-asians-movie-singapore-travel-guide-marina-bay-sands.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/crazy-rich-asians-movie-singapore-travel-guide" target="_blank">via Vogue</a></i></td></tr>
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You know in the old <b>Douglas Sirk </b>1950s melodramas where beautiful people are in beautiful settings, yet it fits the narrative so you are not distracted from the story line? (See<b><i> Imitation of Life</i></b> (1959).)<br />
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<i>Crazy Rich Asians </i>does that as well . . . and with humor. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYJsMDA3Ji1mcOLRGSGnU9HAlxMM6BzfGW_ve8pamH4uiuhxQqgoBqxDdCruGEzSeEZ62Nr3wTvoIgacFEMlVhBNy1bWyE8KXQsqAFnU-SRzwJvtnhNJHK-R4k-ejLUVxMv3_VA/s1600/singapore-crazy-rich-asians-trailer-newton-food-centre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="1278" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYJsMDA3Ji1mcOLRGSGnU9HAlxMM6BzfGW_ve8pamH4uiuhxQqgoBqxDdCruGEzSeEZ62Nr3wTvoIgacFEMlVhBNy1bWyE8KXQsqAFnU-SRzwJvtnhNJHK-R4k-ejLUVxMv3_VA/s640/singapore-crazy-rich-asians-trailer-newton-food-centre.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://theculturetrip.com/asia/singapore/articles/7-singapore-locations-filmed-in-crazy-rich-asians/" target="_blank">via The Culture Trip</a></i></td></tr>
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The film is a feast for the eyes -from the colorfully crowded Newton Food Centre where Rachel and Nick first dine in Singapore, to the towering Marina Bay Sands Skypark with its oversized penthouse pool filled with synchronized swimmers. (See Condé Nast Traveler for a list of locations in the movie: <a href="https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/where-was-crazy-rich-asians-filmed" target="_blank">Where Was 'Crazy Rich Asians' Filmed?</a>)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eNtc20Sv7bEZAL_YsHUPmEDeMtuKNULKkibuf28lGHkagn1dkaKH0WpdcTwSPewam0MS3J66jBZMBrnbg4WWrDT9vuHH33moBlA3JYEVlqas4ozPEEubr-lrNsk8m90WoMBmnQ/s1600/CRA-Still-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eNtc20Sv7bEZAL_YsHUPmEDeMtuKNULKkibuf28lGHkagn1dkaKH0WpdcTwSPewam0MS3J66jBZMBrnbg4WWrDT9vuHH33moBlA3JYEVlqas4ozPEEubr-lrNsk8m90WoMBmnQ/s320/CRA-Still-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://colorwebmag.com/2017/11/07/crazy-rich-asian-fashion-as-shown-in-crazy-rich-asians-first-look-photos/" target="_blank">via Color Web Magzine</a></i></td></tr>
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The fashion is also a feast for the eyes as it<i> </i>tells the story of new money, old money, and a professor on a much smaller budget. According to <b>Mary Vogt</b>, the costume designer, Rachel lives in a neutral-toned environment in gray, black, white, beige while in America.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyTAKGUh0FPLc5lMfV2y4KWVu8MhRa0QyWs-Qi4gK7pXsKUq17dPavVO09hKIJZwt7Grg7Kh8lng7rx3HNHmM6xhyphenhyphenFYYLPbCQtXl4TlIV16th1SNeKnWnUV9MGjGQv3avJriwkQ/s1600/CRA-Still-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCyTAKGUh0FPLc5lMfV2y4KWVu8MhRa0QyWs-Qi4gK7pXsKUq17dPavVO09hKIJZwt7Grg7Kh8lng7rx3HNHmM6xhyphenhyphenFYYLPbCQtXl4TlIV16th1SNeKnWnUV9MGjGQv3avJriwkQ/s320/CRA-Still-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://colorwebmag.com/2017/11/07/crazy-rich-asian-fashion-as-shown-in-crazy-rich-asians-first-look-photos/" target="_blank">via Color Web Magazine</a></i></td></tr>
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When she visits Singapore, brilliant colors pop across the screen, and the fashion becomes more vibrant. Nouveau riche wear brighter colors, families more accustomed to wealth wear relatively muted colors. <a href="https://wwd.com/eye/lifestyle/mary-vogt-costume-designs-crazy-rich-asians-1202663111/" target="_blank">(Read the <i>Women's Wear Daily</i> article interviewing the film's costume designer by clicking here</a>.)<br />
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<b>THE MOTHER-IN-LAW</b><br />
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Nick's mother Eleanor Young (<b>Michelle Yeoh</b>) is in the tradition of fictional parents who exert an inordinate amount of sway over their adult child's life. [Compare Oscar Wilde's Lady Bracknell from the play <b><i>The Importance of Being Earnest</i></b>, Gus Portokalos in <i><b>My Big Fat Greek Wedding </b></i><b>(2002), </b>and Dr. Sloper in<b> </b><b><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/search/label/Olivia%20de%20Havilland?max-results=15" target="_blank"><b><i>The Heiress </i></b>(1949).]</a></b><br />
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In these stories, much of the plot rides on parental approval. This type of movie does not come often in American films these days, since the general accepted culture is that an adult offspring may live as he pleases (at least in theory).<br />
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But that is a central reason that Eleanor disdains Rachel - this young lady is so...free! The freedom to choose her own life is a mark against Nick's new girlfriend. Who knows? Next her own son might think for himself as well! This freedom is a threat to the family, a concept which is heavily played up in the film. <i><b> </b></i><br />
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In this film, a man will lose his entire family and fortune on the one hand, or lose his one true love on the other; he cannot make the wrong choice. You understand that his mother would never contact him again were he to marry this outsider. In that sense, Eleanor is like<i> </i>Tevye in<i> <b>Fiddler on the Roof</b></i><b> (1971) -</b> willing to disown the adult offspring if he or she breaks tradition. It is <i>that </i>intense.<br />
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At the same time, the movie makes it clear that Eleanor is also a victim; she is abusive to Rachel because her own mother-in-law is abusive. Eleanor not only passes down to the next generation the splendor of Singapore and family love, she also passes along unbridled prejudice and meddling. She is further concerned that traditions may die within the next generation if Nick marries outside of the culture. She's a complicated lady. <br />
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All of this is not fully resolved to my satisfaction, so I am hoping for a sequel.<br />
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<b>OTHER CLASSIC FILMS</b><br />
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Every so often during the screening you think, "Oh! This reminds me of that other film." In addition to the ones previously mentioned, <i>Crazy Rich</i> reminds me of the following films.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsmFBnKmPJFlOoW_7EzIMsv2wDxN7YiO1SUopSTaaV5OEYPl0d3TYSRpF-hUjyupkrLUL_NnKOpd3O0qPZq6Swy-ag8An72SBvxjYKHDTBEXIJ0UXQ9kl86m2BMSE3eSXiXk7zQ/s1600/GARDEN+PARTY+OF+VIPERS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="1242" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsmFBnKmPJFlOoW_7EzIMsv2wDxN7YiO1SUopSTaaV5OEYPl0d3TYSRpF-hUjyupkrLUL_NnKOpd3O0qPZq6Swy-ag8An72SBvxjYKHDTBEXIJ0UXQ9kl86m2BMSE3eSXiXk7zQ/s640/GARDEN+PARTY+OF+VIPERS.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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In one of the numerous parties in Singapore, Rachel goes out to the lawn to witness the spectacle of a special blossoming plant. She links arms with her best friend Peik Lin Goh (<b>Awkwafina</b>) and one of Nick's friendly relations Oliver T'sien (<b>Nico Santos</b>) as we discover that many people there know all about Nick's new girlfriend and are not happy about it.<br />
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There are shades of <b><i>Thoroughly Modern Millie</i></b> (1967) in that scene. Millie (<b>Julie Andrews</b>) walks out on the patio/lawn with Dorothy (<b>Mary Tyler Moore</b>) and Jimmy (<b>James Fox</b>) as they watch the spectacle of Muzzy (<b>Carol Channing</b>) singing a song. There are wealthy ladies at the party who had hoped to marry Jimmy but are too late since he is now in love with the relatively poor Millie Dillmount. They are not nice to her.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqwkQhXqPp8OviQsgJcOLghbf3HQqNFdV91ZUkQl4vJvasXiqvAvDgRDK1LqokWdW6wfL8uRh-HI9l6X3O4dCKZi9vBaEdXLSo1t0SyY5AViRmNPgHgTyz6OcH3ZNvHjRsO1rgQ/s1600/grandmother+and+shawl.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqwkQhXqPp8OviQsgJcOLghbf3HQqNFdV91ZUkQl4vJvasXiqvAvDgRDK1LqokWdW6wfL8uRh-HI9l6X3O4dCKZi9vBaEdXLSo1t0SyY5AViRmNPgHgTyz6OcH3ZNvHjRsO1rgQ/s640/grandmother+and+shawl.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another movie which comes to mind while watching <i>Crazy Rich</i> is <b><i>An Affair to Remember</i> (1957). </b>Nick's grandmother Ah Ma (<b>Lisa Lu</b>) gently tsks at her wayward grandson for not visiting her more often. However, she seems to love him and his new girlfriend. Similar scenes in <i>An Affair </i>also feature a leading man named Nick (<b>Cary Grant</b>), his grandmother wearing a shawl (<b>Cathleen Nesbitt</b>), and the new girlfriend (<b>Deborah Kerr</b>) in a light pink dress. <br />
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I thought, "Oh! Grandma is going to give Rachel a shawl like in <i>An Affair to Remember</i>!" She doesn't, but I desperately wanted it to happen.<br />
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Last but not least....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q-XSQpNE8FM/Sj3L6RvUmVI/AAAAAAAAAoU/lF8MnZDyCOs/s400/Flower+Drum+Song+-+Nancy+Kwan,+Jack+Soo,+Miyoshi+Umeki,+James+Shigeta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Q-XSQpNE8FM/Sj3L6RvUmVI/AAAAAAAAAoU/lF8MnZDyCOs/s320/Flower+Drum+Song+-+Nancy+Kwan,+Jack+Soo,+Miyoshi+Umeki,+James+Shigeta.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2009/06/flower-drum-song-1961-unrequited-love.html" target="_blank">Flower Drum Song cast via JavaBeanRush</a></i></td></tr>
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This film is noted for its cast of actors who are predominantly of Asian descent. This is a huge deal since, Hollywood - the town of otherwise great imagination and wondrous realms of possibility- rarely casts movies in this way, rarely tells these stories. The last time such casting occurred was 25 years ago, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/08/movies/crazy-rich-asians-cast.html" target="_blank">the New York Times (Click here to read the article)</a>, referring to <b><i>The Joy Luck Club</i> (1993)</b>. For this reason the new film is "a cinematic Halley’s comet," says the writer with pessimism, indicating that this casting and non-stereotypical story lines for actors of Asian descent are not likely to occur again for a while.<br />
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Reaching farther back we find the Rogers and Hammerstein classic Broadway musical, based on a <span class="st"> C. Y. Lee novel a</span>nd later made into a movie-<a href="https://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/search/label/Nancy%20Kwan?max-results=15" target="_blank"> <i>Flower Drum Song</i> (1961)- which we have discussed here on Java's Journey before.</a> It too has predominantly Asian casting.<br />
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Though it has flaws, <i>Flower </i>is a film that I grew up watching and wanting more, wanting even better stories.<i> </i>It shares themes with this more recent release, such as the stresses of identity for a 2nd generation Chinese-American and what it is like to live between the hyphen.<br />
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However, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/six-decades-ago-flower-drum-song-featured-hollywood-s-first-n899576" target="_blank">according to Professor Peter Feng</a>, <i>Flower Drum Song</i> is simplistic in that neither generation understands the other or wants to have anything to do with the other. (There is an entire song about it.) In <i>Flower, </i>those born in one country do not assimilate and their children who are born in a different country want nothing to do with the past. <i>Crazy Rich</i> is more nuanced - young people respect older traditions, and the older generation embraces modernity. Although <i>Flower</i> ages well enough for its time, <i> Crazy Rich </i>takes us one step closer to a better direction for the themes of this type of story, and an expanded direction for storytelling in general in American movies.<br />
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In most of the reviews (including my review) you will find heavy themes, you will find many reviewers with anecdotes about what this film means for them personally as they struggle with how their identity is often not portrayed on film in the United States - a diverse country with plenty of stories to tell. When Asian characters are finally portrayed, they are often less than ideal -the comic foil (rarely the lead), the sidekick who gets killed off, the bespectacled sexless nerd, the dragon lady, dehumanized villains, wimpy villagers who need a savior of a different ethnicity to defend them, etc. <br />
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Noting all of this, the discussion of this film's place in cinematic history (as necessary as that is) should not overshadow the fact this is a lovely romantic comedy with charming leads, complicated antagonists, and lots of fun. Yes, know the history, but also enjoy it for itself; it's a good film that can stand on its own feet.<br />
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I recommend <i>Crazy Rich Asians,</i> not only as a future classic, but also as a fun, lavish, and thoughtful modern comedy.<br />
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<b><u>Further Resources</u></b><br />
<a href="https://wwd.com/eye/lifestyle/mary-vogt-costume-designs-crazy-rich-asians-1202663111/" target="_blank">Women's Wear Daily interview with <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i> costume designer Mary Vogt </a><br />
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<a href="https://library.ithaca.edu/sp/subjects/asianfilm" target="_blank">Ithaca College Library - Portrayls of Asians in Film and Television </a><br />
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<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/six-decades-ago-flower-drum-song-featured-hollywood-s-first-n899576" target="_blank">Professor Peter Feng and others quoted in NBC News Article on Flower Drum Song </a>JavaBeanRushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-75193894631734869902018-05-25T06:17:00.000-04:002018-05-25T06:17:30.207-04:00Cinematographer James Wong Howe has a Google Doodle.<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="djb8v" data-offset-key="8osqu-0-0">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IMgcjQselffB58mIi_PrpHDXxr_tad1rZGMCImpHyz6c04yOO2Ek4HUq5Ggp3xLxA2wHzqytqCgS_pBLB2yInoczjY5vR_r7UnZhL6u1rvrWsdc6uJaWADOiyAZ-DM5biKgj/s1600/celebrating-james-wong-howe-5981428998209536-2x+google+doodle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="784" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IMgcjQselffB58mIi_PrpHDXxr_tad1rZGMCImpHyz6c04yOO2Ek4HUq5Ggp3xLxA2wHzqytqCgS_pBLB2yInoczjY5vR_r7UnZhL6u1rvrWsdc6uJaWADOiyAZ-DM5biKgj/s400/celebrating-james-wong-howe-5981428998209536-2x+google+doodle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Google Doodle celebrates Academy Award-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe (1899-1976) today May 25, 2018. Howe's work includes <i>The Thin Man</i> (1934).</div>
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The Google Doodle story includes a remembrance from Howe's nephew, which is especially endearing. Read it at the links below.</div>
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<span data-offset-key="9l5sa-0-0"><span data-text="true">About the Google Doodle: <a href="https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-james-wong-howe">https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-james-wong-howe</a></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9l5sa-0-0"><span data-text="true">More about Howe from Google's Arts and Culture: <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/theme/DALS5WZQPEMDKg" target="_blank">https://artsandculture.google.com/theme/DALS5WZQPEMDKg </a></span></span></div>
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Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-21000143265362044012017-09-02T04:44:00.000-04:002018-09-09T11:15:13.598-04:00On Modern Movie Costumes | From the Draft Files<i>Here's another post from the draft files of this old blog. This one comes from about 2013. I never published it... Until now. </i><br />
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As you know, I'm a slob. (Read <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2011/11/slob-recants.html" target="_blank">A Slob Recants</a>) Although classic movies have occasionally inspired my wardrobe (<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/04/do-classic-movies-influence-your.html" target="_blank">Read that here.</a>), sartorial splendor is still not my strong suit.<br />
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Perhaps this is why I have such tremendous respect for costume designers. Their eye for just the right cut, color and line, their intelligence in blending it all with the story line.... It's fun to try to reverse engineer what the designer might have been thinking when swathing a character in an outfit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwL3E-WfaU69i2EqEDNNX23_I-Q4i_sO_ioucgCwIdpmbVNZpfOj1oQ9vOXIG1xRgvqLBqx_k09p2QJZJjfob-jXVsbSC4y_kNrHmGlenvg86UrXLR8hwXFlmpe4PxeDkVT9d/s1600/220px-A_Man_for_All_Seasons_%25281966_movie_poster%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwL3E-WfaU69i2EqEDNNX23_I-Q4i_sO_ioucgCwIdpmbVNZpfOj1oQ9vOXIG1xRgvqLBqx_k09p2QJZJjfob-jXVsbSC4y_kNrHmGlenvg86UrXLR8hwXFlmpe4PxeDkVT9d/s320/220px-A_Man_for_All_Seasons_%25281966_movie_poster%2529.gif" width="201" /></a></div>
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I grieve at how they are often not recognized much for their contribution unless it's for something obvious, like a costume drama with corsets and capes. (Or unless they are a personal brand genius, like Edith Head.)<br />
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I listened to the commentary track of <i>Ocean's 11</i> - the
Brad Pitt version. The costume designer -Jeffrey Kurland- notes that he
used kimono fabric for the vests of the villain, instead of the
button-down-the-front type of vest. This gives the enigmatic character a
sense of being wrapped up, or closed up and invulnerable. I was floored
by the amount of detail that went into the simplest outfit for a modern RomCom heist. I love it!<br />
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A few years ago, I meant to rail against the injustice meted out to costumers who dress modern characters in modern movies, discussing how unless the characters are in bonnets and shawls, then awards shows seem to ignore them. However, as I researched the problem, I found there were already solutions for this. T<a href="http://costumedesignersguild.com/about-cdg/overview-history/" target="_blank">he Costume Designers Guild</a> (founded in 1953) holds annual awards shows. Although they tend not to be televised, I can breathe easier knowing that the designers are receiving recognition in multiple categories among their peers.<br />
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By the time I calmed down enough to realize this fact, I had already gathered information about which types of costumes tend to win at the Academy Awards. It's definitely the period pieces that win awards, whereas modern characters in a basic RomCom tend not to win or even be nominated.<br />
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The last time a movie won an Academy Award for <b>Best Costume Design</b>, and the characters and the audience lived in the same time and dimension - and thus the costumes were like something that could be worn easily off the rack in the audience - was for <i>Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf</i>? (1966).<br />
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<i>Woolf</i> won for Best Costume- Black and White at the Academy Awards. That was when there were two separate categories for costume design - black and white and color. The winner for best costume in color that year was<i> A Man for All Seasons</i> - another movie with capes. It's doubtful that <i>Woolf</i> would have won if there were only one category for costume designers then.<br />
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After that, the Academy has awarded costume design for characters living in the past - like <i>Death on the Nile</i>- or fantasy characters -like those in <i>Lord of the Rings</i>. Bold, dramatic costumes. Not for clothes that you might see every day, no matter how much thought was put into the details of the clothing and the plot line and the character.<br />
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Oh, well.<br />
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Here are a couple of news bits on the subject:<br />
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The Hollywood Reporter mentions how the Oscars gives weight to period pieces in this article: <br />
<div class="article__headline">
<a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/costume-designer-will-win-oscars-669596" target="_blank">Which Costume Designer Will Win Oscars Gold? (Analysis)</a></div>
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Interview with costumer for Death on the Nile - Anthony Powell- over at the British Film Institute: <br />
<a href="http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/interviews/clothing-tess-poirot-indiana-jones" target="_blank">"Clothing Tess, Poirot and Indiana Jones". </a>Discusses his long career and how period pieces wind up influencing mainstream wardrobe and thinking.<br />
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What's your take on the subject?<br />
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<br />JavaBeanRushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-65201234017659211952017-08-28T05:02:00.000-04:002017-08-28T05:02:05.577-04:00VHS Cover for Two Sisters from Boston (1946) | From the Draft Files<i>Pouring through the draft section of my blog, I find a few bits and bobs of ideas here and there that seem amusing, tonally odd, or incomplete. Here is one. I have never published this blog post from 2014 until now. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here other than that the VHS cover artist created a misleading cover.</i><br />
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<u><b>Peter Lawford Snuggles with the Wrong Woman</b></u><br />
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I grew up with this VHS cover of <i>Two Sisters from Boston</i> (1946), starring Peter Lawford, June Allyson, Kathryn Grayson and Jimmy Durante.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJg2unHFmidQKxSzxmPLhJdgPYcsTIJ8yQb-Qf6gMnV0p1ekWH-rUP3lb2U6tao0SacObN1qpP95gQrEiGa3RIBH_R2CQw0WX1L3g9jcv1qaVnNDP1Gs4B_0pMsGEb61XTDA6/s1600/two+sisters+from+boston+poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJg2unHFmidQKxSzxmPLhJdgPYcsTIJ8yQb-Qf6gMnV0p1ekWH-rUP3lb2U6tao0SacObN1qpP95gQrEiGa3RIBH_R2CQw0WX1L3g9jcv1qaVnNDP1Gs4B_0pMsGEb61XTDA6/s320/two+sisters+from+boston+poster.jpg" width="185" /></a></div>
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It shows Lawford snuggling with Grayson, but there is a problem. If the cover artists bothered to watch the movie, they'd know there is no love connection between the Lawford and Grayson characters. In fact, Grayson has no love interest at all in this film.<br />
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Lawford gets paired with June Allyson [in what would become a very popular film duo]. This film cover has bothered me for years.<br />
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Then I ran across what seems to be a vintage poster of the film, in which Lawford is shown snuggling with each sister, inferring the two ladies like to share. Again, the naughty inferred trysts are not a part of the plot. The innuendo is meant to pull audiences into the theater.<br />
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So, I give the newer artists a modicum of slack [Infinitesimally tiny.] if they used this old poster as a guide. But still, who would make such a huge error? It's aggravating.<br />
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JavaBeanRushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05653117187583244224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-56789271672954033882017-08-26T06:14:00.000-04:002017-08-26T06:14:19.377-04:00Classic Movie Makeovers | From the Draft Files<i>From the Draft file folder of this old blog, I find bits and pieces of unfinished ideas. Here is one about classic movie makeovers, which would inspire the article on <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/10/gene-kellys-makeovers-tell-story-in.html" target="_blank">Gene Kelly's multiple makeovers in </a></i><a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/10/gene-kellys-makeovers-tell-story-in.html" target="_blank">Singin' in the Rain</a><i>, and the fashion-centered review of Joanne Woodward's character in </i><a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-new-kind-of-love-1963-newman-and.html" target="_blank">A New Kind of Love</a><i><a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-new-kind-of-love-1963-newman-and.html" target="_blank">.</a> Here are a few more random ideas from April 2014 that never made it to light. </i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjf__l0OnHtdf3RTmpGVf6d5xUFsgshovVQV8aYcWle9Mr5eoYOhKYtruXuB_GYc3p3srfUkGL21plZsdcn66-9S1CQxyi7gyxoc48X5t4lCnSnmKjKSxsXzByTUIRpIhi3KX/s1600/bells-are-ringing-5-1024x423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="1024" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjf__l0OnHtdf3RTmpGVf6d5xUFsgshovVQV8aYcWle9Mr5eoYOhKYtruXuB_GYc3p3srfUkGL21plZsdcn66-9S1CQxyi7gyxoc48X5t4lCnSnmKjKSxsXzByTUIRpIhi3KX/s320/bells-are-ringing-5-1024x423.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Bells are Ringing (1960) - </b>It's funny to me to discover how much blue jeans were associated with derelicts and ne'er-do-wells at one time. In this movie, Frank Gorshin's slovenly, sweatshirt-clad character wants to get a job in a play. So he auditions in his usual clothes and is turned away. When Judy Holliday suggests wearing a suit, he exclaims with indignation, "We got names for actors who wear suits!" Eventually, he decides to "cut out the blue jeans action" and buy a three piece. Voila! Instant success. He is Cinderella. (Or should I say cinder-fella?)<br />
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<br />
<b><b>Breakfast
at Tiffany's (1961) </b>- </b>I think Holly Golightly - with all the tiaras, and opera gloves, and long cigarette holders- is a show even to herself. When
she's in down time, singing "Moon River," she's in jeans and loafers - a casual style. This is her real self.<br />
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<b>Cinderfella (1960)</b> - Cinderella is like Superman/Clark Kent - she changes outfits and suddenly her closest associates do not recognize her. Jerry Lewis goes for this classic Cinderella story point with great flair. Instead of the male Cinderella - whose name is Fella, by the way- just walking into the ballroom, he swaggers into the room, dancing down the long staircase, to the sounds of Count Basie and his Orchestra.<br />
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The only difference in his appearance from earlier in the movie is a streak of gray at his temple. This is his makeover. Oh yes, and a red suit. Otherwise, Fella is still unmistakably Jerry Lewis-ish. His relatives proclaim that this can't be Fella since the gray hair suggests he's a distinguished gentleman. It's a fun little knowing nod at the ridiculousness of the classic Cinderella makeover.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASgHbIXGlCa0NFh0irh38IXIL7Xt0kJw_73tfSwLrFb1RSxmYI5MRI1I3faSPkru_m7aoIBl09ONgWrOkGwS_667QsNd-pdXtht1d39tlCGMXCQGyWnELNU6d5_3L7bJGdOOH/s1600/gid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="395" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhASgHbIXGlCa0NFh0irh38IXIL7Xt0kJw_73tfSwLrFb1RSxmYI5MRI1I3faSPkru_m7aoIBl09ONgWrOkGwS_667QsNd-pdXtht1d39tlCGMXCQGyWnELNU6d5_3L7bJGdOOH/s320/gid.jpg" width="210" /></a><b>Gidget (1959)- </b>This Sandra Dee surfing story is the anti-makeover movie. It's a coming of age tale in which Francie
(Dee) wants to be curvy for the beach this summer like her
friends. She even commits to strange and ineffective
exercises to produce a busty look; she tries to lounge languidly on the beach, then becomes bored.<br />
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Before too long, she ditches these ideas and
concentrates on a new hobby- surfing. Then the movie begins in earnest. It's as if the film is saying, "Be yourself; pursue your own interests; messy sea-soaked hair is perfectly fine." The movie rewards Francie for being more interested in finding a new sport than in trying to become what she is not.<br />
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<b>Easter Parade (1948)- </b>This is another "Be
Yourself" makeover movie. Remember when Hannah Brown (Judy Garland) - a
girl of pedestrian tastes- is plopped into Nadine's sophisticated style
of dress, with frills and feathers and she looks out of place? They
finally let her dress in her own way, but a little more glammed up.She becomes a success as herself, not as a knock-off Nadine.<br /><br />
<b>The Heiress (1949) - </b>Catherine Sloper (Olivia de Havilland) is two characters - the mousy, abused woman in the first half, then the suspicious and angry woman with better self-esteem in the latter half. What happens to this character is so tragic, that not only does her self-esteem change, not only does her voice change, but also her wardrobe changes.<br />
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Her hair in the first half of the film is pulled back into a tight bun; for the latter half of the film, it's looser and parted down the middle. Her dress is dark and practical in the first half, then light and fluttery with extra frills at the end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVr31o8vFkzwDUMTRtwip8-F3HDXfqn6Fcb90aEO0ToJl_-fOnGsAqmpXom5FOGhzWUshe66V9ajJY5P9EJJN6oHymtyPnfyG09cyHPFGv-itXyB73LUzFvf3f2mOEjftceX4/s1600/Rear-Window_Grace-Kelly_jeans-shoes.bmp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="800" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVr31o8vFkzwDUMTRtwip8-F3HDXfqn6Fcb90aEO0ToJl_-fOnGsAqmpXom5FOGhzWUshe66V9ajJY5P9EJJN6oHymtyPnfyG09cyHPFGv-itXyB73LUzFvf3f2mOEjftceX4/s320/Rear-Window_Grace-Kelly_jeans-shoes.bmp1.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><i>Rear Window (1954)</i></b><i><b>--</b></i>For Hitchcock fans and film studies professors, there's plenty of symbolism in Grace Kelly's wardrobe in <i>Rear Window.</i> However, I'm most interested in is her last outfit. Much is made of the character donning a button down shirt, jeans and
loafers at the end. She has spent the earlier part of the story in designer gowns, parading around her boyfriend's apartment as if it were a fashion runway
in Milan.<br />
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James Stewart plays the lady's boyfriend, a
hard-nosed investigative photographer who doesn't want to marry and
plays hard-to-get. Grace Kelly plays a busy socialite who finds his
gruffness an exciting challenge. Her makeover from the sublime to the
mundane is one of <b>compromise.</b> Note that she's reading a fashion magazine while he sleeps; she's not getting rid of everything.<br />
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Leave it to Hitchcock to do a make-under, to do something different. <br />
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<b><i>That Touch of Mink (1962)</i></b><i><b>- </b></i>This
film has that obligatory movie makeover montage for office worker Cathy
Timberlake (Doris Day) who is going on vacation with a wealthy CEO
(Cary Grant) and needs new clothes. Her shopping spree also serves as a
fashion show for the audience. Perhaps someone with a better eye for
clothing can tell the difference between what she wears before and
after. I can't. It's Doris Day-a person who looks glamorous even in a potato sack.<br />
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Both her at-home wardrobe and her
vacation togs look equally fabulous, making it the most superfluous of
all the unnecessary movie fashion montages.(I still love the fashion, though.)Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-14861883583011771642017-08-23T03:41:00.000-04:002017-08-23T03:41:08.247-04:00On Jerry Lewis Comedian and filmmaker Jerry Lewis died Sunday August 20, 2017. Here's a roundup of Lewis articles featured here at Java's Journey.<br />
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<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/06/Bellboy1960JerryLewis.html" target="_blank"><i>The Bellboy</i> (1960)</a> - A review of the experimental film that was put together at the last minute to prevent the early release of his other film of the year - Cinderfella. The experiment works.<br />
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<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2011/06/jerry-lewis-autobio-dean-me-or-playboy.html" target="_blank"><i>Dean and Me: a Love Story</i> </a>- Review of Lewis' memoir and 352-page love letter to Dean Martin. The book follows the
comic duo's first meeting, how they teamed up, advanced through stage,
radio, film and television, broke up, and reunited (sort of).<br />
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<i><a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2013/03/dont-raise-bridge-lower-river-1968.html" target="_blank">Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River</a> </i>(1968) - Review of an interesting battle of the sexes comedy. I was a bit more enamored of the credit sequence than the film, however.<br />
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<a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19840123&id=CIoxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iaUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1633,934801&hl=en" target="_blank">Jerry Lewis is No Joke to the French (Montreal Gazette Jan 23, 1984)</a> - This is a newspaper clipping that that has rattled around in the draft section of this blog for a long time. I'm finally dusting it off and offering it to you. It describes the honors bestowed on Lewis for his comedy. It further discusses why the French take Lewis seriously, and believes the U.S. should as well.<br />
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<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2014/02/living-it-up-1954-martin-lewis-comedy.html" target="_blank"><i>Living It Up </i>(1954)</a>- A review of the Martin and Lewis comedy where Lewis mistakenly fears he's dying. Apparently, I liked it.<br />
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<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2011/12/you-cant-hold-comedy-back-because-it.html" target="_blank">"You can't hold comedy back, because it needs to be exposed."</a>- Jerry Lewis in a 2011 interview for GQ Magazine. He assesses the state of comedy and comedians in the U.S. and finds that it is going strong.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What are your favorite Jerry Lewis memories? Comment below; let me know.</span></div>
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Cheers,<br />
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Java</div>
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<br />Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-57690400597919963632017-07-04T13:25:00.001-04:002017-07-04T13:26:07.731-04:00The Heiress (1949) and Say Anything (1989) | Now and Then, Part 2<br />
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<i>The Heiress</i> (1949) is an Academy-Award- winning adaptation of a Broadway play and a novel by Henry James. The film features Olivia de Havilland as a wealthy woman who does not know whether a man (Montgomery Clift) loves her for herself or, as her father says, for her money, ruining her fortune and her future.<br />
<br />
<i>Say Anything</i> (1989) is a teen drama starring John Cusack and Ione Skye. The girl is valedictorian of her class and academically ambitious. Her father is concerned that the boy she's now dating -a person who is not ambitious- could ruin her career and her life.<br />
<br />
Note the similarities:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Each film features a young lady of higher social status than the young man.</li>
<li>Members of each couple are on the outskirts of each others' social spheres.</li>
<li>The young lady does not ususally attend parties and is socially awkward. The young man makes friends easily.</li>
<li>The young man has traveled abroad; the young lady has not.</li>
<li>There is a big party scene near the beginning of each film. Given the young lady's shyness, the party becomes her miniature adventure. The young man's social facility helps to establish trust between the two. He makes her feel safe in an unfamiliar territory.</li>
<li>The young man lives with an older sister who is a single mother. His parents are never shown and rarely discussed.</li>
<li> Each young lady is raised by a single father [1989= divorced, 1949 = widowed] who is protective.</li>
<li>The single father has raised only one child- a daughter. It is partly because this is his first and only child, he feels that he has no room to make mistakes in raising her well. This further lends to his sense of protectiveness.</li>
<li>Each movie has a dinner scene where the father asks about the young man's prospects.</li>
<li>The father has made plans for his daughter and the young man does not fit the narrative. The young man is not ambitious enough for the father's approval.</li>
<li>The young man offers no money, no plans, just his undying devotion to the young lady.</li>
<li>There is a twist in the plot, where the young lady discovers something about her father that changes everything that she thought she knew about him. This drives her into the arms of the young man.</li>
<li>They break up temporarily before the big reveal with dad, further making the reunion between them dramatic. She misses him a lot.</li>
<li>In both films, the couple makes plans to run away together.</li>
</ol>
<br />
Have you seen either of these movies?<br />
<br />
Here are a few more thoughts on <i>The Heiress</i> (1949):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-heiress-1949-why-doesnt-dr-sloper.html" target="_blank">The Heiress (1949): Why Not Disinherit Catherine?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2011/04/heiress-1949-her-mothers-presence.html" target="_blank">The Heiress (1949): Her Mother's Presence</a></li>
<li><a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2012/01/heiress-1949-garden-muse.html" target="_blank">The Heiress (1949): The Garden Muse and What It Symbolizes</a></li>
</ul>
Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-56434666970209816772017-06-05T17:59:00.002-04:002017-06-05T17:59:32.066-04:00Bob Dorian, Host of AMC Talks of Robert Osborne, Host of TCM - 2009 Interview [Link]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Many might recall <b>Bob Dorian</b>, the host of the television channel <b>American Movie Classics</b> back in the 1980s and 1990s. AMC predates <b>Turner Classic Movies </b>- the now more famous channel. However, the late-starting company surpassed the incumbent. Then AMC began to push away from its original format of classic movies with no commercials and started doing... who knows what. I stopped watching pretty much after Dorian left.<br />
<br />
In 2009, a blogger on Go Fatherhood interviewed Dorian. One of the questions he asks is about Robert Osborne, host of TCM. <b>Do you know TCM host Robert Osborne?</b><br /><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Like yourself, I admire what Robert Osborne does. I’ve never met him but
I’m sure we’d have a lot in common. The major difference between us is
that Osborne is a film historian. I’m hardly that. What I am is an actor
and a fan. I love good films (and a lot of bad ones), and I know a lot
of great stories.</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="entry-title entry-title-with-meta">
You may read the full interview here: <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://gofatherhood.com/2009/02/interview_former_amc_tv_host_bob_dorian/" title="Interview with former AMC TV host Bob Dorian">Interview with former AMC TV host Bob Dorian</a></span></div>
<br />Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-68618578799187704932017-02-11T22:52:00.002-05:002017-02-18T07:07:02.321-05:00Toast of the Town 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WLR_FzFTVyYZtj6csG1XROPxgwsk-lOlWalVLSSAXXJijdv17r5aWlPWFV6vDrGAmPnNpTM6NvU5IXwYMkEd48oF7X11oaQj-vugY-cmhBvoOO0lggNZbP8xu-7AaeMnZMlL/s400/toast+of+the+town.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_WLR_FzFTVyYZtj6csG1XROPxgwsk-lOlWalVLSSAXXJijdv17r5aWlPWFV6vDrGAmPnNpTM6NvU5IXwYMkEd48oF7X11oaQj-vugY-cmhBvoOO0lggNZbP8xu-7AaeMnZMlL/s400/toast+of+the+town.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Let's take a look around the web for classic movie talk, resources and blog posts.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Another Old Movie Blog reviews <a href="http://anotheroldmovieblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/easy-living-1937.html" target="_blank"><i>Easy Living</i> (1937) with Jean Arthur</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li> In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood discusses <a href="https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2016/12/01/the-magic-of-kate-and-cary/" target="_blank">"The Magic of Kate and Cary."</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2013/04/dick-gautier-chats-with-cafe-about.html" target="_blank">Interview with Dick " Bye, Bye Birdie" Gautier </a>at the Classic Film and TV Cafe</li>
<li>TCM invites you to become <a href="https://join.tcmbacklot.com/guest?utm_source=tcm&utm_campaign=join-now&utm_medium=email&utm_term=tcm-list" target="_blank">a Guest Programmer. Discover how on TCM Backlot. </a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-57878433536055718902016-12-03T13:28:00.000-05:002016-12-12T18:22:47.303-05:00Classic Movie End-of-the-Year Giveaway [Closed]<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>UPDATE: We have randomly chosen a winner - <u>Randi C.</u> We have sent an email for the winner to claim the prize. Thanks to all who participated.</b></i></span><br />
<br />
Java's Journey is here to give away classic movie-related stuff. We had planned to give away these things (and much more) to someone sooner but didn't get around to it. Now it's December, so....<br />
<br />
<h3>
What are we giving away in Java's Journey's End-of-the-Year Classic Movie Pack?</h3>
3 Items<br />
<ol>
<li> A copy of Romina Power's rare English language hardback, <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/07/TyronePowerBioSearchingFatherRomina.html" target="_blank"><b>SEARCHING FOR MY FATHER, TYRONE POWER. </b>(Read a review of this biography by clicking the title.)</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/07/TyronePowerBioSearchingFatherRomina.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mKQnxKl70gy1Xod-DfOLNhD58FLzfSbFUBChQAXewFLra6TGFgYN8Aax85A8ZQPoZVpk33lcz2Y1BEtmwyMA_mkaTUWYk0LTxYZQta9RPZiENvYNnH0HrHoZtTik675boKz5/s400/tyrone+power+book+-+front+up+-+branded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mKQnxKl70gy1Xod-DfOLNhD58FLzfSbFUBChQAXewFLra6TGFgYN8Aax85A8ZQPoZVpk33lcz2Y1BEtmwyMA_mkaTUWYk0LTxYZQta9RPZiENvYNnH0HrHoZtTik675boKz5/s320/tyrone+power+book+-+front+up+-+branded.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
A Blu-Ray Disc of <b>THE WIZARD OF OZ</b>, 75th Anniversary Edition, starring Judy Garland <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2010/07/past-present-wizard-of-oz-1939-wiz-1978.html" target="_blank">(Read a comparison of <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> and <i>The Wiz</i> by clicking here.)</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTs37KkEJGQ7WlhNdJnlKic-g16XwVFiPRlI3IkhjSp59bliJQlGtI0HXDUMulvu5wrCusBMT54Featb4l6P-0XtpssydsQYgyvLA9_rxoOcJYQfcHDCr0wRx1uBOrc_Z1UeW/s200/delete+oz.jpg" width="158" /></div>
<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2010/07/past-present-wizard-of-oz-1939-wiz-1978.html" target="_blank"> </a></li>
<li>A DVD of <b>ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND</b>, starring Dudley Moore and Peter Sellers.<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5WU0EXzM3_ev0ryQ4KIpv35Tlv56M3YbcvOEcZBefNr7qaMDesRAI1toaU0ZCYUQj3Dbe2VYg7Y4Ux-irfO3YBwHcDy7V7Yjn9Y7dpR-fWu9LLTdnoDDCWrZw_-SDi0woLJC/s200/delete+alice.jpeg" width="140" /></div>
</li>
</ol>
<h3>
How Do You Enter the Giveaway?</h3>
Enter in the widget below using your email address or Twitter account. Please read the Terms and Conditions.<br />
<br />
<h3>
For How Long Does the Giveaway Last?</h3>
The giveaway lasts from Saturday December 3, 2016 at 12:00am (EST) to Saturday December 10, 2016 at 11:59 PM(EST).<br />
<br />
<br />
<a class="e-widget" href="https://gleam.io/NZBi8/endoftheyear-classic-movie-giveaway-javas-journey" rel="nofollow">End-of-the-Year Classic Movie Give-Away @ Java's Journey</a>
<script async="true" src="https://js.gleam.io/e.js" type="text/javascript"></script>Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-15956764177586957302016-09-14T21:40:00.000-04:002016-09-14T21:40:14.319-04:00Joan Crawford by Anna Raeburn [Book Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_BuZM6hW8V-hNOXb9gZPhvZ3hBd4hJ1mjZIUdqZRsuIoH0TpEtfqT3MAzG9aFvXatjAAWcQuo0HVb_-WW0uFrWn9_FKb51C9HQRsJ33GTXBZaX2jvQwQF6yE3jXnZzzFGD-O/s1600/20160914_195652%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_BuZM6hW8V-hNOXb9gZPhvZ3hBd4hJ1mjZIUdqZRsuIoH0TpEtfqT3MAzG9aFvXatjAAWcQuo0HVb_-WW0uFrWn9_FKb51C9HQRsJ33GTXBZaX2jvQwQF6yE3jXnZzzFGD-O/s640/20160914_195652%255B1%255D.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
In 1986, Little, Brown and Company published a coffee table book of one of Hollywood's brightest stars of the 20th century titled simply<b><i> Joan Crawford</i>. </b><br />
<br />
Interspersed between full-page images of Crawford - from early flapper, to rising star, to mature businesswoman- is <b>a short biography</b> of the star of <i>Mildred Pierce</i> written by Anna Raeburn. It's a delightful, informal, self-referential piece (much like a blog post, but long before they ever existed) which recounts Crawford's rise from poverty in Texas, to her Oscar win, to her fatal battle with illness.<br />
<br />
The biography ends at page 8, then the reader is left on her own for the next 100 pages to gaze at the many faces of Joan. And there are many. Each one almost looks like a completely different person. Joan would try any new style at least once.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMqpD5nb8PR0qLzA5_L-tko2ycGC4s6TcODiYyXgj-vmujFXqLRwWysaX9M-OSNdu9Ww1SCrrAC5QwhSMWRQT334pQUjFsm2eyM84aPNQCeiYQOAnFYR_ZbjMvi121ANSoqKs/s1600/20160914_202629%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMqpD5nb8PR0qLzA5_L-tko2ycGC4s6TcODiYyXgj-vmujFXqLRwWysaX9M-OSNdu9Ww1SCrrAC5QwhSMWRQT334pQUjFsm2eyM84aPNQCeiYQOAnFYR_ZbjMvi121ANSoqKs/s640/20160914_202629%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Most of the photos are from <b>George Hurrell</b> - a legendary photographer whom Crawford insisted should photograph her even after he left MGM in 1932. In the <i>Crawford</i> book, there is a 6-page essay on Hurrell's professional relationship with Crawford titled <b>"Hurrell's Crawford"</b> by Ross Woodman.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLfTZPxBIiRnqmMmtWqkVEGJs1IYPH96PraHih661R-l_cFypHV5e_OjTrhHmOy1oSCGgHO2-WkhJy1cmi1S6Hl5fh-f-OF-srzy3Qfp5G0npK8aSNAvVb1wmVbMmFI5ogGAF/s1600/20160914_195905%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuLfTZPxBIiRnqmMmtWqkVEGJs1IYPH96PraHih661R-l_cFypHV5e_OjTrhHmOy1oSCGgHO2-WkhJy1cmi1S6Hl5fh-f-OF-srzy3Qfp5G0npK8aSNAvVb1wmVbMmFI5ogGAF/s640/20160914_195905%255B1%255D.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
The essay begins by bemoaning the fact that Hurrell speaks about his work in worker's terms and not with baroque phrases. After the author settles down, he makes fun observations. For instance, in a Hurrell photo, says Woodman, Crawford's left eye looks directly at the camera, impaling the viewers as they wriggle in their seats, restless with her beauty.<br />
<br />
<i>Joan Crawford</i> is a wonderful coffee table book. You might wish to cut out a few of your favorites and frame them.<br />
<br />
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</div>
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
This post is part <i>6</i> of 6 book reviews for <a href="http://www.outofthepastblog.com/p/summer-reading-classic-film-book.html" target="_blank">Raquel's Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge Blogathon</a>.<br />
<br />
Read more at the<a href="http://www.outofthepastblog.com/p/summer-reading-classic-film-book.html" target="_blank"> Out of the Past website.</a>
<br />
<div class="Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge" style="margin: 0 auto; width: 250px;">
<a href="http://www.outofthepastblog.com/p/summer-reading-classic-film-book.html" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="2016 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgolwgrYjGPvNfnGDJCFojd2q5Twr-Tmw32sFu1ZWxeR3U3eYAcQLr3UuQ3a6Fwqt7HMdkSAS25-ZqJHVdnR4HgHGcGzzHSsYX7-Yxy9f8GJRLDUSLY3fGBNaKTtJLGstCs4n/s640/Summer+Reading+Classic+Film+Challenge.jpg" width="250" /> </a> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>Read the 1st book review for this series here: <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/06/YouMustRememberThisWagner.html" target="_blank">Robert Wagner's <i>You Must Remember This </i></a></li>
<li>Read the 2nd book review for<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/07/TyronePowerBioSearchingFatherRomina.html" target="_blank"> <i>Searching for My Father, Tyrone Power</i> by Romina Power.</a></li>
<li>Read the 3rd book review: <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/08/DisneyPeterPanMaryBlairArt.html" target="_blank"><i>Walt Disney's Peter Pan</i> featuring the art of Mary Blair. </a></li>
<li>Read the 4th book review: <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/08/DavidNivenMoonsABalloonBook.html" target="_blank">David Niven's autobiography <i>The Moon's a Balloon </i></a></li>
<li>Read the 5th book review: <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/08/ElizabethTaylorTakesOffBook.html" target="_blank">Elizabeth Taylor's Self-Help Book:</a><i><a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/08/ElizabethTaylorTakesOffBook.html" target="_blank"> Elizabeth Takes Off</a></i></li>
</ul>
<i> </i><br /><i>The Joan Crawford</i> by Anna Raeburn <b>ISBN-10:</b> 0316500550<ul>
</ul>
Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22615056.post-47980571043237866622016-08-24T05:00:00.000-04:002016-08-24T05:00:22.109-04:00Elizabeth Taylor's Self-Help Book: Elizabeth Takes Off [Book Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYO-V-SrYJhZp4S8g-HVEa2oinx_3__xgWQ_oKEOkrjhJNVzRU6OgHVCY93C03bsD8Bdw6Nm0oBMUMyj8GM5vKrNARey084sFs0RKf5E1xq6oLTdi2lKe7nMW5pejMpCImbw7/s1600/20160822_230456%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYO-V-SrYJhZp4S8g-HVEa2oinx_3__xgWQ_oKEOkrjhJNVzRU6OgHVCY93C03bsD8Bdw6Nm0oBMUMyj8GM5vKrNARey084sFs0RKf5E1xq6oLTdi2lKe7nMW5pejMpCImbw7/s640/20160822_230456%255B1%255D.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />
Even Hollywood legends have tough times. Personal problems become public news, whether you like it or not. Actor <b>Elizabeth Taylor </b>most certainly did not like becoming the butt of jokes for her weight gain during the latter part of the 20th century. Comedian Joan Rivers practically made a name for herself on late night talk shows ribbing the actor's size. Elizabeth Taylor's measurements would sometimes take precedence in the news over <b>floods, Wall Street scandals</b> and <b>national politics.</b><br />
<br />
Things were getting ridiculous.<br />
<br />
In 1987, Ms. Taylor threw herself into the conversation, shaping the narrative with a self-help book- <b><i>Elizabeth Takes Off: On Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Self-Image, and Self-Esteem.</i></b><br />
<br />
The author distinguishes<b> image</b> and <b>self-image</b>, saying,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i> Image</i> refers to our appearance. <i>Self-image</i> deals with who we really are.We all know heavy people whose emotional lives are in good order who have an excellent sense of self-worth. And Hollywood is filled with thin...women who are unhappy and unfulfilled, with little self-esteem."<b><i> </i></b></blockquote>
<b><i><br /></i></b>
The author goes on to mention that she<b> "learned to divorce my self-image from my public persona," </b>answering for her actions only to those to whom she was directly responsible, not to the general public. "After spending so many years being some <b>movie mogul's idea</b> of an ideal, it's a relief to present myself as I am," she says.<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
Despite this strength, the author admits that she is an <b>emotional eater. </b>Delicious, highly-caloric foods were not nearly as enticing when she was content with life, active and busy. When her personal or professional life took a nosedive so did her self-esteem; she would then make a beeline for the <b>double-chocolate fudge</b> in the freezer. <br />
<br />
After a while, with inactivity and feelings of purposelessness, <b>food "became my only consuming interest.</b> The first thing I thought when I got up in the morning was, 'What am I going to eat?' After breakfast I began the countdown to lunch...." She considers overeating another addiction that she used to comfort herself.<br />
<br />
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After trying every diet under the sun, the author found permanent weight loss in simple procedures. "I heard what I call the 'click,'", says the actress,"that little bell that goes off in your mind and says, 'Enough, time to stop.'" The Click is a reference to a line in one of her movies - <i><b>Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. </b></i>When an alcoholic in the film is satiated, he describes that turn from rabid restlessness to contented state as a Click. Ms. Taylor spins this negative word into a positive for her eating control. She says the switch must be clicked in your own mind first, before you can succeed at your goal.<br />
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<i>Takes Off</i> includes a chapter on <b>why the star gained weight</b>, another chapter with <b>tips on weight loss </b>(included how to dine with non-dieters) and <b>recipes</b> to use at home. Another chapter includes suggested <b>exercise routines</b>. Sprinkled throughout this book are photos of the star at home or at public functions before, during and after weight loss. The<b> captions on the photos</b> are raw and honest.<br />
<br />In <i>Elizabeth Takes Off</i>, Ms.Taylor shapes the narrative surrounding her appearance and creates something positive for other people. "This book," she says, "is not just to set the record straight as to why I gained weight and how I lost it. I also want to pass on some of the ways I was able to shed my own false ideas about being fat." One marvels at her <b>vulnerability. </b><br />
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This post is part 5 of 6 book reviews for <a href="http://www.outofthepastblog.com/p/summer-reading-classic-film-book.html" target="_blank">Raquel's Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge Blogathon</a>.<br />
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Read more at the<a href="http://www.outofthepastblog.com/p/summer-reading-classic-film-book.html" target="_blank"> Out of the Past website.</a>
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<a href="http://www.outofthepastblog.com/p/summer-reading-classic-film-book.html" rel="nofollow"> <img alt="2016 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgolwgrYjGPvNfnGDJCFojd2q5Twr-Tmw32sFu1ZWxeR3U3eYAcQLr3UuQ3a6Fwqt7HMdkSAS25-ZqJHVdnR4HgHGcGzzHSsYX7-Yxy9f8GJRLDUSLY3fGBNaKTtJLGstCs4n/s640/Summer+Reading+Classic+Film+Challenge.jpg" width="250" /> </a> </div>
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<ul>
<li>Read the 1st book review for this series here: <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/06/YouMustRememberThisWagner.html" target="_blank">Robert Wagner's <i>You Must Remember This </i></a></li>
<li>Read the 2nd book review for<a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/07/TyronePowerBioSearchingFatherRomina.html" target="_blank"> <i>Searching for My Father, Tyrone Power</i> by Romina Power.</a></li>
<li>Read the 3rd book review: <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/08/DisneyPeterPanMaryBlairArt.html" target="_blank"><i>Walt Disney's Peter Pan</i> featuring the art of Mary Blair. </a></li>
<li>Read the 4th book review: <a href="http://javabeanrush.blogspot.com/2016/08/DavidNivenMoonsABalloonBook.html" target="_blank">David Niven's autobiography <i>The Moon's a Balloon </i></a></li>
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Summer Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02112962993614672675noreply@blogger.com0