Grayscale: December 2009

12.31.2009

A New Year

Happy New Year, everyone!! May you all have a marvelous 2010!

I leave you with a New Year's greeting from Ginger Rogers, from a 1963 episode of What's My Line?. ;)

12.29.2009

Vera-Ellen... Because Tap, Jazz, & Ballet Just Weren't Cool Enough Already

I've been watching White Christmas for as long as I can remember. And though Bing Crosby has alwas been one of my favorite singers, the one person in the movie who sttod to me from all the others was the gorgeous Vera-Ellen.

Miss Vera-Ellen was the most versatile dancer that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing onscreen. She could get up on her toes for the ballet sequences and hold her own splendidly. Just look at the "Slaughter On 10th Avenue Ballet" from Words & Music (1948) or the "A Day In New York Ballet" from On The Town (1949). As for jazz and tap, well, what else I can I say but this: she was sensational. When she tapped her feet moved at lightning speed, but the rest of her body was steady and balanced. Graceful, lithe, and always sparkling in any scene, Vera-Ellen brought something to her movies that is hard to find in any others.

I don't know why she's posing with a shovel.

Sadly, her career was just taking off when musicals began to fade out of style. Maybe she would have continued acting if her life hadn't been so tragic. Her only child died while still an infant, both of her marriages ended in divorce, and Vera-Ellen herself suffered from anorexia and severe arthritis (in later life). All these things may have contributed to her early retirement and reclusive lifestyle in later years.

Whatever happened to bring about the end of her career, the fact still remains that she danced in a class all her own.

12.24.2009

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

To all my followers, their families and loved ones,

Merry Christmas!

-- Penny

12.20.2009

Ginger, Marjorie, Joan

I watched Holiday Inn last night, which reminded me of something that has bothered me for a long time. What I'm referring to is the common misconception that the woman in the pictures below is Ginger Rogers.

Oh, for shame! The real name of this "mystery woman" is Marjorie Reynolds, and she was Fred Astaire's capable dance partner in Holiday Inn, which was released in 1942. At this point in her career, Rogers was just coming out of her brunette stage and going back to blond. The mistake is an easy one to make, but if you look at the pictures, you can see that Reynold's hair wasn't quite as big as Rogers' hair was that year. : )

Reynolds' dress can confuse things, too, especially for fans of either Rogers or Top Hat. The gown looks very much like these two, which were worn by Miss Ginger Rogers.

I guess I wouldn't really mind this common case of mistaken identity too bady - after all, we can't all know every actress/actor by sight, can we? - but this mistake has been made, not only by the common people, but by people who are paid to notice these things! As exhibits "E" and "F" the defense offers these pictures:

^ A publicity photo for the number "Be Careful, It's My Heart" from Holiday Inn.

^ The cover of a CD containing songs from Fred and Ginger's movies.
Hello??! Did anyone even think of checking to make sure this really was a picture of Astaire and Rogers??! Grr....

Okay, now that I've gotten myself properly steamed over this distressing topic, I'm going to cheer myself up with some fun photos from my favorite Astaire movie that doesn't have Ginger Rogers. The Sky's The Limit!

Ah, yes! That's better!

^ My favorite number! I don't think I'll ever stop loving (and wanting) Joan's costume in this picture.

Joan Leslie is my favorite of Astaire's partners (second only to Rogers, of course). I can't explain why, but she is. Maybe it's the way that she holds herself as she dances; the fact that she looks like she's having the time of her life just dancing; the way that she makes dancing looks as easy as eating apple pie, or maybe it's because she was just sooo gorgeous at the young age of 18. Dancing with Fred AStaire when other girls were still in school? I'd say she's a very lucky gal!

12.17.2009

R.I.P. Jennifer Jones

(1919-2009)

I just found out that Jennifer Jones died today. I hate when classic stars die; it's so sad to lose someone from the golden era. Miss Jones starred in many films throughout the 1940's and 1950's notably: The Song of Bernadette (1943, for which she won a Best Actress Academy Award), Duel In The Sun (1946), Portrait of Jennie (1948), Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), among others. She will be greatly missed.

12.13.2009

The Sky's The Limit (1943)

I don't think I'm alone when I say that I'm an admirer of Fred Astaire's work. He was a genius in everything he did. His dancing is perfection and he really was a wonderful actor. The Sky's The Limit (1943) is no exception to that.

Upon completing another successful mission, Flying Tigers Fred Atwell (Fred Astaire, he looked so handsome in that uniform!), Reginald Fenton (Robert Ryan) and Richard Merlin (Richard Davies) are given a hero's welcome and a ten-day leave. The three pilots are then sent cross-country on a personal appearance tour, but when Fred tires of the acclaim and attention, he jumps off the train in a small western town, dons a cowboy hat and boots and hitches a ride to New York City.

At a nightclub, Fred becomes infatuated by celebrity photographer Joan Manyon (Joan Leslie). Bored with snapping celebrity photographs, Joan begs her boss, magazine publisher Phil Harriman (Robert Benchley), for a war-related assignment. Fred then tries to get Joan's attention, adorably popping into her shots and then follows her to a diner after she finishes work. Reluctant to discuss his work, Fred introduces himself as Fred Burton and receives a lecture from Joan about the seriousness of the war. After following Joan home, Fred rents a room in her apartment building, and the next morning, she awakens to find Fred cooking breakfast in her kitchen. Joan then delivers another lecture to Fred about his lack of commitment.

Joan agrees to join him for dinner if he will talk to Harriman about a job the next day. That night, Joan insists upon going to work at the Canteen, where she and Fred are drafted to fill in for a dancing act. After completing his performance, Fred sees Reg and Richard at the Canteen and begs them to keep his identity secret. The next morning, Reg visits Fred at his apartment with orders to report to duty in two days.

Fred, however, keeps his appointment with Harriman. When Harriman discloses that Joan has refused his marriage proposal, Fred offers him advice about how to woo her and suggests that Harriman invite her to a romantic dinner at his apartment that night. Following Fred's advice, Harriman invites Joan to dinner, but when he realizes that she has fallen in love with Fred, he tells her that Fred is waiting for her at the apartment. That night, Joan proposes marriage to a surprised Fred and insists upon introducing him to Harvey J. Sloane, the founder of Sloane Aircraft, so that he can ask for a job.

The night before Fred is to rejoin his squadron, he accompanies Joan to a banquet honoring Sloane. When Fred insults Sloane about the performance of his aircraft, Sloane tells Joan, who angrily walks out on Fred. Harriman then invites Fred to join him at his favorite bar, where he discloses that he knows Fred's true identity. Fred confides that although he loves Joan, he is unable to make a commitment to her because of the risky nature of his calling. He then launches into the famous "One For My Baby" dance number. I don't want to spoil the ending for you, so I'll stop there.

The Sky's The Limit is a delightful movie sprinkled with charm. I went into it already loving Astaire, but found by the end of the film that I was now a Joan Leslie fan. She was absolutely wonderful in this movie, and she was only 18!

"A Lot In Common With You", the number performed by Astaire and Leslie at the Canteen, was my favorite number from the whole movie! It was so fun and upbeat, and I loved the choreography. "My Shining Hour" was a song I already knew, but still wonderful to hear in the movie. And "One For My Baby" was a terrific dance performed as only Mr. Astaire could perform it. There was one line Fred Astaire said in the beginning of the movie when Joan Leslie tells him she is supposed to be taking pictures, he replies: "Couldn't I be the fellow who never gets his name mentioned? The one they call 'a friend'? You know: 'Ginger Rogers - and friend.'". Haha! I loved that part! Also worth mentioning is the marvelous wardrobe worn by Miss Leslie. Her clothes and hairstyles were so lovely in this film.

Another thing to note is that Astaire alone was credited for the choreography in this movie, which was a departure for him since he was always credited with another choreographer. Actually, this whole movie was sort of a departure for him. In this film, he played a troubled pilot. Set during wartime, the script provided him with his first opportunity to act in a serious dramatic role, which I think he did very well with. I honestly didn't expect to like this film as much as I did, and I highly recommend it to any fan of Fred Astaire.

12.12.2009

Happy Birthday To Frank Sinatra!

1915-1998
I don't think there are words to describe how much I adore this man. I can think of no other singer that can pour out so much emotion in one song: elation, despair, and everything in between. Sure, his voice wasn't technically the best, and some people may resent the fact that so many people think he's the best singer of all time. But it wasn't all in the voice. He contributed so much to the music industry, with his concept albums and all. I listen to him every day (really!), and through his music, I feel like I knew him. He had the ability to make you think that.

Happy 94th birthday, Frankie!

12.06.2009

Get Yourself In The Spirit

The Christmas spirit, thst is!

Well. maybe not as extreme as Deanna Durbin dressing like a Christmas tree.

Jean shows off her newly decorated tree...

While Anita waits under the mistletoe!

Ginger is surrounded by Santas! She must have been a very good girl this year.

Donna Reed is an old pro at decorating Christmas trees.

Jimmy and Margaret exchange gifts.

While Barbara and Dennis gor for a sleigh ride.

It looks like Gene Tierney is playing Santa! Be careful Gene, don't fall and drop the presents. Those sidewalks can be icy.

Frankie and Nancy know the holidays are all about family.

After finishing the decorations, Jean Harlow and Bill Powell, hosted a Christmas party.

12.04.2009

The Pride Of The Yankees (1942)

We had our very first snowfall yesterday and Christmas lights and decorations are up everywhere you look-- so why am I writing about a baseball movie?

Well, because today marks the 5 month anniversary of July 4, 2009. Most likely unknown to people other than die-hard baseball fans, this date had significance besides it being a major holiday here in the United States. That day marked the 70th anniversary of legendary New York Yankees player Lou Gehrig's retirement from baseball.

On July 4, 1939, fans gathered at Yankee stadium for what was later called "Lou Gehrig Day" in his honor. The stadium was at full capacity, Yankees players were lined up on the field, the manager presented Gehrig with awards, and former teammate Babe Ruth even attended the event (he then played for the Boston Red Sox). At first, Gehrig was too emotional to speak, but then had the courage to utter his famous 'luckiest man' speech.

Now, the hard fact is that this really is a classic movie review, but also a tribute to the great Lou Gehrig. Since I wasn't on this site back in July, I thought I would do a small tribute to my favorite baseball player, who I only discovered because of the 1942 classic biopic on Gehrig's life The Pride Of The Yankees starring Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright.

I've read a decent amount on Lou Gehrig since then to say that this film was very well researched. Since Gehrig died in 1941 of ALS (commonly known now as Lou Gehrig's Disease), he was fresh in everyone's mind. Baseball was also the American sport. Just about everyone followed it; they knew the players, the stats. Baseball was "America's Pastime". Clearly, the studio was not going to completely ruin such an inspirational story as Gehrig's. It seems Hollywood put a lot of care into the film and really wanted it to be good. Gehrig was an American icon, a legend even then, and they knew that the whole country was mourning his death. They weren't going to disappoint them by releasing a picture that would be an insult to Gehrig's memory and legacy.

The film begins with young Lou Gehrig playing baseball in New York where he grew up. His mother especially disapproves of his dream of wanting to be a baseball player. Later, when she becomes sick, he ultimately signs with the New York Yankees to help pay fpr treatment and hospital bills.

Teresa Wright plays Eleanor Gehrig, Lou's wife. She gives a very heartfelt performance in this movie, always caring for Gehrig and wanting the best for him. I feel this is one of her best performances.

The last scene in the film was definitely the saddest and possibly my favorite scene from the entire movie. Cooper does a marvelous job repeating Gehrig's speech and makes it very moving. Here is a video of Lou Gehrig's actual speech in 1939. And here is Cooper's version from the movie.

The film does a very nice job of chronicling the life of a true American hero. But there is one thing that was left out. Lou Gehrig actually appeared in a movie in 1938. A little-known 'B' Western entitled Rawhide. Personally, I'd only recommend this film to fans of Lou Gehrig. He plays himself, wanting to retire from baseball and goes to a ranch to rest, where he encounters trouble. The singing cowboy Smith Ballew was his costar. It is great to see Gehrig onscreen, even if the movie wasn't that great. For playing himself and not being an actor he dd a pretty swell job. Here are some clips from Rawhide, if you're really interested.

Overall, The Pride Of The ankees is a wonderful movie based on the life of a great man. I highly recommend it.

One more thing I'd like to add is that I feel Gary Cooper was just right for this role. He and Gehrig were very similar, at least in personality..

For comparison, here's a photo of Lou Gehrig:

And Gary Cooper:

As an added bonus, we even get Babe Ruth making an appearance in the movie, playing himself.

12.03.2009

My Top 20 Favorite Actresses

Corresponding with my top 20 actors post, here are my top 20 favorite actresses. Again I lited my favorite role for each, and they're listed in random order after the first three. :)