Xoe and Rita discuss film, literature, historical figures, interests, and obsessions.
We've been on hiatus for some time! Thank you for your patience while I took a vacation - Xoe Carole Lombard (1908-1942) nee Jane Alice Peters Must-see movies: To Be or Not To Be (1942) My Man Godfrey (1936) No Man of Her Own (1932) Marriages: William Powell (1931-1933) Clark Gable (1939-1942) Clip of the Love of Carole's Life - Russ Columbo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-zQWgOKFTg&t=102s Thank you to David Plell and Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Carole Lombard (1908-1942) nee Jane Alice Peters Must-see movies: To Be or Not To Be (1942) My Man Godfrey (1936) No Man of Her Own (1932) Marriages: William Powell (1931-1933) Clark Gable (1939-1942) Clip of the Love of Carole's Life - Russ Columbo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-zQWgOKFTg&t=102s Thank you to David Plell and Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Pt III of III Jane Austen (1775-1817) Novels Sense and Sensibility (1811) published when Austen was 37 years old Pride and Prejudice (1813) Mansfield Park (1814) Emma (1815) Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous) Persuasion (1818, posthumous) Lady Susan (1871, posthumous) Our favorite adaptations: BBC P&P (1995) - the best! Starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle S&S (1995) - Emma Thompson won an Oscar for Best Adaptation and a new husband Enjoyable Austen fan fiction: These are the very best: Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) - Colin Firth again! Both a tribute and its own thing. Lost in Austen (2008) - 4-part BBC TV series: Modern day Londoner switches places with Elizabeth Bennett - adorable! These are fun too: Austenland (2013)- rom-com about immersive Austen cosplay Becoming Jane (2007) - starring Anne Hathaway as Austen in a fictionalized story about her failed romance with Tom LeFroy Death Comes to Pemberley (2013) - BBC 3-part murder mystery based the book by E. L. James Darcy in the water statue Other Music: Excerpts from BBC's Pride and Prejudice (1996). Thank you to David Plell and Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
We'll be back in June with the final part of the Jane Austen Series!
Pt II of III Jane Austen (1775-1817) Novels Sense and Sensibility (1811) published when Austen was 37 years old Pride and Prejudice (1813) Mansfield Park (1814) Emma (1815) Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous) Persuasion (1818, posthumous) Lady Susan (1871, posthumous) Our favorite adaptations: BBC P&P (1995) - the best! Starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle S&S (1995) - Emma Thompson won an Oscar for Best Adaptation and a new husband Enjoyable Austen fan fiction: These are the very best: Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) - Colin Firth again! Both a tribute and its own thing. Lost in Austen (2008) - 4-part BBC TV series: Modern day Londoner switches places with Elizabeth Bennett - adorable! These are fun too: Austenland (2013)- rom-com about immersive Austen cosplay Becoming Jane (2007) - starring Anne Hathaway as Austen in a fictionalized story about her failed romance with Tom LeFroy Death Comes to Pemberley (2013) - BBC 3-part murder mystery based the book by E. L. James Darcy in the water statue Other Music: Excerpts from BBC's Pride and Prejudice (1996). Thank you to David Plell and Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Pt I of II Jane Austen (1775-1817) Novels Sense and Sensibility (1811) published when Austen was 37 years old Pride and Prejudice (1813) Mansfield Park (1814) Emma (1815) Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous) Persuasion (1818, posthumous) Lady Susan (1871, posthumous) Our favorite adaptations: BBC P&P (1995) - the best! Starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle S&S (1995) - Emma Thompson won an Oscar for Best Adaptation and a new husband Enjoyable Austen fan fiction: These are the very best: Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) - Colin Firth again! Both a tribute and its own thing. Lost in Austen (2008) - 4-part BBC TV series: Modern day Londoner switches places with Elizabeth Bennett - adorable! These are fun too: Austenland (2013)- rom-com about immersive Austen cosplay Becoming Jane (2007) - starring Anne Hathaway as Austen in a fictionalized story about her failed romance with Tom LeFroy Death Comes to Pemberley (2013) - BBC 3-part murder mystery based the book by E. L. James Darcy in the water statue Other Music: Excerpts from BBC's Pride and Prejudice (1996). Thank you to David Plell and Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Thank you for joining us for the fourth and final part of the series on the life and career of Preston Sturges. Unfortunately, he's a jerk in this one and his later films are... simply not good, so you'll find this to be a somewhat downbeat episode. We'll make sure something short and sweet is next, so look forward to that! Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) birth name Edmund Preston Biden - writer, director, producer Part IV of IV Must see movies: Sullivan's Travels (1941) The Lady Eve (1941) Christmas in July (1940) Runner Up: Palm Beach Story (1942) Full Quote from the Title: "A pretty girl is better than a plain one. A leg is better than an arm. A bedroom is better than a living room. An arrival is better than a departure. A birth is better than a death. A chase is better than a chat. A dog is better than a landscape. A kitten is better than a dog. A baby is better than a kitten. A kiss is better than a baby. A pratfall is better than anything." -Preston Sturges Other Music: Opening credits Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve, and Palm Beach Story. Thank you to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) birth name Edmund Preston Biden - writer, director, producer Part III of IV Must see movies: Sullivan's Travels (1941) The Lady Eve (1941) Christmas in July (1940) Runner Up: Palm Beach Story (1942) Full Quote from the Title: "A pretty girl is better than a plain one. A leg is better than an arm. A bedroom is better than a living room. An arrival is better than a departure. A birth is better than a death. A chase is better than a chat. A dog is better than a landscape. A kitten is better than a dog. A baby is better than a kitten. A kiss is better than a baby. A pratfall is better than anything." -Preston Sturges Other Music: Opening credits Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve, and Palm Beach Story. Thank you to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) birth name Edmund Preston Biden - writer, director, producer Part I of IV Must see movies: Sullivan's Travels (1941) The Lady Eve (1941) Christmas in July (1940) Runner Up: Palm Beach Story (1942) Full Quote from the Title: "A pretty girl is better than a plain one. A leg is better than an arm. A bedroom is better than a living room. An arrival is better than a departure. A birth is better than a death. A chase is better than a chat. A dog is better than a landscape. A kitten is better than a dog. A baby is better than a kitten. A kiss is better than a baby. A pratfall is better than anything." -Preston Sturges Other Music: Opening credits Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve, and Palm Beach Story. Thank you to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) birth name Edmund Preston Biden - writer, director, producer Part I of IV Must see movies: Sullivan's Travels (1941) The Lady Eve (1941) Christmas in July (1940) Runner Up: Palm Beach Story (1942) Full Quote from the Title: "A pretty girl is better than a plain one. A leg is better than an arm. A bedroom is better than a living room. An arrival is better than a departure. A birth is better than a death. A chase is better than a chat. A dog is better than a landscape. A kitten is better than a dog. A baby is better than a kitten. A kiss is better than a baby. A pratfall is better than anything." -Preston Sturges Other Music: Opening credits Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve, and Palm Beach Story. Thank you to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Jeanette MacDonald (1903 -1965) Nelson Eddy (1901 - 1967) Naughty Marietta (1935) - Highly recommended Rose Marie (1936) Maytime (1937) - Highly recommended The Girl of the Golden West (1938) - Highly recommended Sweethearts (1938) - Highly recommended New Moon (1940) - Highly recommended Bitter Sweet (1940) I Married an Angel (1941) - hmmm, inter-esting A couple of recommendations of their separate films: The Merry Widow (1934) - Jeanette stars with Maurice Chevalier directed by Ernst Lubitsch The Chocolate Soldier (1941) - Nelson stars with opera star Rise Stevens Italian Street Song from Naughty Marietta - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n94pvclfugk Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life! From Naughty Marietta - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xpKeabZlEs Other Music: Indian Love Call, Rose Marie I Love You, Shortenin' Bread, all sung by Nelson Eddy Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Herman Melville (1819-1891) Most famously the author of Moby Dick but his best work is Bartleby the Scrivener (1853) - “I would prefer not to.” Billy Budd (1891) - left unfinished at this death Our preferred adaptation is a loose one - Beau Travail directed by Claire Denis (1999) As adapted into an opera by Benjamin Britten - Billy Budd (1951) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6cdCuKhjKM Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here! Other Music: "Farewell to thee, old Rights o' Man" from the Billy Budd opera by Bitten
The final part of the life and times of Rudolph Valentino: his second divorce, the famous boxing match, and more. * Corrections: Rudy gave out his first and only prize for best actor in 1924; the first Oscars were held in 1929, not 1926. Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) In Part IV, we discuss Rudy's first two marriages and the drama that ensues, and his rise to international stardom with the Sheik (1921). Top 5: The Eagle The Sheik/Son of the Sheik Cobra Blood and Sand Moran of the Lady Letty Photos from the Young Raja Valentino's Car The Mineralava Beauty Pageant Song: "There's a New Star In Heaven Tonight" Rudy Singing "Kashmiri Love Song" mysilentboyfriend onYoutube Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) In Part IV, we discuss Rudy's first two marriages and the drama that ensues, and his rise to international stardom with the Sheik (1921). Top 5: The Eagle The Sheik/Son of the Sheik Cobra Blood and Sand Moran of the Lady Letty Photos from the Young Raja Valentino's Car The Mineralava Beauty Pageant Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) In Part IV, we discuss Rudy's first two marriages and the drama that ensues, and his rise to international stardom with the Sheik (1921). Top 5: The Eagle The Sheik/Son of the Sheik Cobra Blood and Sand Moran of the Lady Letty Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) Top 5: The Eagle The Sheik/Son of the Sheik Cobra Blood and Sand Moran of the Lady Letty Movies watched: Patria (1917) - Fragments only exist; He shows up briefly in the background of a nightclub in episode 2. Movie stars Irene Castle. A Society Sensation (1918 short) - romantic male lead opposite the star Carmel Myers. Star power is evident already. But the movie is fragmented and not funny, except for Zazu Pitts. Skip it unless you are a Rudi completist. All Night (1918) - This silly bedroom farce is actually funny once it gets going. Rudi is just as funny as he is romantic. The Married Virgin (1918) - Rudi's sneer is the best thing about this drama where he plays a manipulative, conniving nobleman. The revelation in this film is Kathleen Kirkham. She must have supplied her own costumes because she presents a parade of beautiful clothes that even pop in scratchy black and white. Kirkham is quite marvelous. She started her own production company but like so many women in early Hollywood was trampled under the boot heels of misogyny. The Delicious Little Devil (1919) - a new blu-ray was released in 2021. A real delight if you like silliness. Mae Murray is the star and she is full-on, full-blown slapstick. This is the first film where Rudi is featured with some close-ups and a solid amount of screen time. He plays his romantic role with a sprightly lightness and admirable attention to character detail. And he engages in some punch-ups and door smashing. Eyes of Youth (1920) - Clunky and excruciatingly boring with a paucity of Rudi. But he so impressed June Mathis that she got him his break out part in 4 Horsemen Stolen Moments (1920) - Skip the first ⅔ and get to the hand-kissing lollapalooza. Rudi's 15 minutes or so are the only portion worth watching. The Wonderful Chance (1920) - barely 3 minutes existing on YouTube. But worth watching. Rudi plays a believable Hollywood style gangster sporting a fake moustache. Was filming this movie in NYC when he got the part of Julio in Four Horsemen. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Often credited as the film where Rudolph was discovered by the public. It was his first collaboration with June Mathis, who claims to have discovered him. Valentino had been making his way up the chain to bigger parts since the beginning of his film career but Mathis certainly spring-loaded his ascent with this co-starring role. But it's function was really more of a beta test for the movie that really shot Rudi to fame - The Sheik. Rex Ingram was not much of an editor/director and this film suffers for it. Yes, it was intended as an epic about a European family torn apart by WWI. But it is too long, lacks style, and has too little Rudi. Its great value is the showcase it offers for Rudi's dancing and his sensuality - something the American was gasping for. The gaucho/whip dance sequence is in during the 1st third of the film. Don't fail to see what captured the hearts and libidos of filmgoers the world over. Uncharted Seas (1921) - Lost film produced by Alla Nazimova that looks awesome in the stills that remain. You can see a nice compilation set to music here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASNeXq7pHbU. He met future wife Natasha Rambova on this film set. The Conquering Power (1921) - A turgid adaptation filmed by Rex Ingram of Honore de Balzac's short story Eugenie Graudet. Turgid except for Rudi. This is where you can see his skillful depiction of a character through small gestures and thoughtful acting choices. Most of his acting is pretty modern and authentic. Plus he wears spats and a monocle. Camille (1921) - The film is dominated by Alla Nazimova displaying her grandeur rather than the emotional life of Camille. Rudi does his best but he is hardly in it. The whole thing is stiff and only for the Rudi completists. During this film Rudi and Natasha Rambova started an affair and ended up moving in together. The Sheik (1921) Moran of Lady Letty (1922) - Nice piratical thriller. Rudi engages in lots of fisticuffs and action. Beyond the Rocks (1922) - Until 2003, this was a lost film. A copy was found in The Netherlands when a collector (hoarder) died and his collection of 2,000 silent films in rusty old cans made its way to the Filmmuseum. It was the Dutch version of the film entitled Golden Chains, with all the credits and intertitles in Dutch. It has been restored and a version with English intertitles is available. Well, thank goodness! Beyond the Rocks is a little gem. In it, Rudi stars opposite Gloria Swanson, both of them at the peak of their beauty and at the apex of their stardom. They have stellar romantic chemistry as lovers kept apart by the heroine's scruples about betraying her unattractive much older, yet decent, husband. Swanson's presence is commanding and lovely. Rudi is winsome and manly. There are only 2 hand kisses but I relished them both. The story, adapted from an Elinor Glynn novel, is simple. There is a meet-cute, talisman of their love (in this case a narcissus blossom), the barrier (marriage vows), ultimate sacrifice, and happy ending. All the elements we see reused and recombined endlessly. In 1922, was it still fresh? For me, it doesn't matter because the movie made me sigh even a hundred years later. Blood and Sand (1922) - This is Rudi's last movie before he walked away from his contract with Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount Pictures). Blood and Sand was a huge hit and put him at the pinnacle of international stardom. But like so many actors after him, he resented the lack of control over his own career and that his salary was not commensurate with his value. So he became the first star to try to break the stranglehold of the Hollywood moguls over his life and work, as James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Olivia deHavilland did in the 1930's and 40's. While his case was being settled, he became the spokesperson for Mineralava beauty products and toured the country dancing with his wife, Natash Rambova. Blood and Sand (1922) - This is Rudolph Valentino's last movie before he walked away from his contract with Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount Pictures). Blood and Sand was a huge hit and put him at the pinnacle of international stardom. But like so many actors after him, he resented the lack of control over his own career and that his salary was not commensurate with his value. So he became the first star to try to break the stranglehold of the Hollywood moguls over his life and work, as James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Olivia deHavilland did in the 1930's and 40's. While his case was being settled, he became the spokesperson for Mineralava beauty products and toured the country dancing with his wife, Natasha Rambova. Blood and Sand contains his most varied performance. He's athletic, arrogant, jaunty, impish, tender, nonplussed, and best of all supremely passionate as a poor, working-class lad who becomes the greatest bullfighter in all of Spain. His passion for fighting the bulls is equal only to his love for his pretty, but boring wife (Lila Lee) and to his lust for the mercurial, smoky-eyed, hip-swaying Vamp, played by the redoubtable Nita Naldi. Valentino's acting is timeless. This timelessness comes from the inner stillness he brings to every motion, look, and gesture. This stillness is most evident in the love scenes, where he emits a magnetic force that is thrilling even today. His power of attention and grounded characterization would translate to modern screens - after a few updates. On the other hand, Naldi is pure time-old theatricality. Her Vamp (the silent film version of the femme fatale) is as hot-blooded as she is cold-hearted. Her debauchery, carelessness with the hearts of men, and gleeful depravity reach an apex when she sinks her teeth into Valentino. She really perks up the the proceedings. Carlos Saura's Carmen (1983) would be a great double feature. The Young Rajah (1922) - The only memorable aspect of this movie about the heir to an Indian throne are the costumes designed for Rudi by his wife Natasha Rambova. Rambova really knows how to design clothes to highlight her husband's attributes. Rudi can really wear a turban! Unfortunately, this film is only partially intact and the best costume of all exists only in a still photograph. You can see it here: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0884388/mediaviewer/rm2996167680/ Monsieur Beaucaire (1924) - Rudi's 1st movie after his contract dispute with Famous Player-Lasky. It is also the 1st picture where he and his wife had creative control. The critics panned it and rightly so. The film is very poorly directed and requires as much reading as a novel. The long, numerous intertitles are interspersed with scenes of people talking a great deal. There is a witty sword duel and a couple fights that enliven the dullness. But ultimately, the only thing to watch this for is shirtless Rudi in a powdered wig. Chef's kiss! The Eagle (1925) - The Eagle is one Valentino's top 5 films and one of my top 20 silent films. It succeeds so well because the film does not rely solely on Rudolph Valentino's charisma and talent to carry it. The film is directed by Clarence Brown, one of the great, and little known, early directors. Though Brown is not as well-remembered as innovators like DW Griffith or Cecil B DeMille, he was a gifted, clear-eyed director who helmed such films as Greta Garbo's first talkie, Anna Christie. The Eagle takes off at a run and doesn't look back until the final frame. The intertitles are kept to a minimum and Brown tells the delightful story, based on a novel by Alexander Pushkin, clearly with gestures, expressions, and editing. He uses the close-up extensively and effectively to convey the interplay of characters' motivations and intentions. Valentino, a young Cossack, is on the run from the ire of Catherine the Great, who has marked him for death out of vindictive pique for her spurned sexual advances. Valentino's impoverished nobleman becomes the Robin Hood-like Black Eagle, wearing one of the coolest masks ever. In the course of his adventures, he falls for the virginal Vilma Banky, who is the daughter of his arch-enemy. Delights abound when the Eagle disguises himself as a French tutor to infiltrate his enemy's abode, ala Zorro - the effete dandy hiding the rapier wit and the slashing blade of The Black Eagle. The film serves up Valentino's world-class hand kissing, several dashing costumes, complete with majestic hats, impish humor, derring-do, and love eternal. Matching Valentino's expansive on-screen talents is Louise Dresser (not to be confused with Louise Dressler) playing Catherine the Great. Dresser is a middle-aged beauty who the daffy Black Eagle was foolish to reject in favor of the tepid Vilma Banky, who has a name for the ages but is merely pretty and competent as compared to Dresser's commanding womanhood. Gary Cooper makes an early screen appearance as an uncredited masked Cossack. It would be interesting to watch The Eagle with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1935). This Errol Flynn vehicle seems to have scenes inspired by The Eagle such as the forest scene where The Black Eagle captures his lady love. Cobra (1925) - Oh my, Rudi's penultimate film. We are nearing the end. This is a top-notch vehicle for Rudi's signature louche, elegant wolf who turns into a solid gold mensch. Son of the Sheik (1925) Rudolph Valentino's final film, released only 2 weeks after his death at the age of 31 of peritonitis. He suffered the same fate as Harry Houdini another icon of the early 20th century, who also died of peritonitis 5 weeks later. They are a visible reminder of the days when otherwise healthy people died from simple infections. Valentino died on cusp of the talkie revolution. Could he have made it through the approaching upheaval with his Italian accent, in the same way Greta Garbo did with her Swedish accent? Or would he have succumbed to the new technology the way his contemporary John "The Great Lover" Gilbert did? I think his talent and intelligence would have seen him through. But am less certain if he had the financial acumen to ultimately survive the whirlwind of this life. In a nutshell, Valentino had no concept of fiscal responsibility. And it was catching up to him. The estate he left, by various reports, had no money or owed money. Valentino said, "I have everything—and I have nothing. It's all too terribly fast for me. A man should control his life. Mine is controlling me.” He passed away before he fell; and, perhaps, that is a blessing. His last film is a great film. He plays a double role as both The Sheik and Son of the Sheik. For such early cinematic days, the technology and make-up convincingly show father and son interacting in the same shot. The heat initially generated by The Sheik in 1922, flares and sizzles in this sequel. The story is better. The cinematography is better. And the female is better. The ethereal Vilma Banky (her real name) is cast as the kidnapped beauty in this love/hate/love story, while the object of desire in The Sheik, Agnes Ayers, plays Son of the Sheik's mother. Despite her function as the McGuffin of love, Banky manages to make us believe that she is a person and that the trials that the vengeful Son of TS put her through have impact, which is another element that makes this even better and more thrilling than the original. Son of TS is vengeful because he believes that Banky's dancing girl betrayed him to bandits, who tortured him in a rather sadomasochistic way - arms tied above his head, bare-chested whipping, and nipple pinching. Whoa! But she didn't. She is innocent. A comedy of errors, if you will, but more hot than humorous. This movie is a febrile stew of hinted at sexual deviation and violence. It's like wrestling with sweat-soaked sheets during a fever dream. Valentino did not want to do this sequel but he gave it his all, nonetheless. He brought back authentic Arab dress from his travels and used them in the film. He worked manfully without showing the pain he was suffering from stomach ulcers. Pola Negri, whom he was dating, said he would double over from the pain. Even though he was not there to see it, Son of the Sheik was a massive hit and pushed his stardom into the stratosphere. Ken Russell did a good, though at times surreal, biopic - Valentino (1977) - starring the ballet legend Rudolph Nureyev. Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here! Other songs in this episode: Tango- music from Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) Top 5: The Eagle The Sheik/Son of the Sheik Cobra Blood and Sand Moran of the Lady Letty Movies watched: Patria (1917) - Fragments only exist; He shows up briefly in the background of a nightclub in episode 2. Movie stars Irene Castle. A Society Sensation (1918 short) - romantic male lead opposite the star Carmel Myers. Star power is evident already. But the movie is fragmented and not funny, except for Zazu Pitts. Skip it unless you are a Rudi completist. All Night (1918) - This silly bedroom farce is actually funny once it gets going. Rudi is just as funny as he is romantic. The Married Virgin (1918) - Rudi's sneer is the best thing about this drama where he plays a manipulative, conniving nobleman. The revelation in this film is Kathleen Kirkham. She must have supplied her own costumes because she presents a parade of beautiful clothes that even pop in scratchy black and white. Kirkham is quite marvelous. She started her own production company but like so many women in early Hollywood was trampled under the boot heels of misogyny. The Delicious Little Devil (1919) - a new blu-ray was released in 2021. A real delight if you like silliness. Mae Murray is the star and she is full-on, full-blown slapstick. This is the first film where Rudi is featured with some close-ups and a solid amount of screen time. He plays his romantic role with a sprightly lightness and admirable attention to character detail. And he engages in some punch-ups and door smashing. Eyes of Youth (1920) - Clunky and excruciatingly boring with a paucity of Rudi. But he so impressed June Mathis that she got him his break out part in 4 Horsemen Stolen Moments (1920) - Skip the first ⅔ and get to the hand-kissing lollapalooza. Rudi's 15 minutes or so are the only portion worth watching. The Wonderful Chance (1920) - barely 3 minutes existing on YouTube. But worth watching. Rudi plays a believable Hollywood style gangster sporting a fake moustache. Was filming this movie in NYC when he got the part of Julio in Four Horsemen. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Often credited as the film where Rudolph was discovered by the public. It was his first collaboration with June Mathis, who claims to have discovered him. Valentino had been making his way up the chain to bigger parts since the beginning of his film career but Mathis certainly spring-loaded his ascent with this co-starring role. But it's function was really more of a beta test for the movie that really shot Rudi to fame - The Sheik. Rex Ingram was not much of an editor/director and this film suffers for it. Yes, it was intended as an epic about a European family torn apart by WWI. But it is too long, lacks style, and has too little Rudi. Its great value is the showcase it offers for Rudi's dancing and his sensuality - something the American was gasping for. The gaucho/whip dance sequence is in during the 1st third of the film. Don't fail to see what captured the hearts and libidos of filmgoers the world over. Uncharted Seas (1921) - Lost film produced by Alla Nazimova that looks awesome in the stills that remain. You can see a nice compilation set to music here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASNeXq7pHbU. He met future wife Natasha Rambova on this film set. The Conquering Power (1921) - A turgid adaptation filmed by Rex Ingram of Honore de Balzac's short story Eugenie Graudet. Turgid except for Rudi. This is where you can see his skillful depiction of a character through small gestures and thoughtful acting choices. Most of his acting is pretty modern and authentic. Plus he wears spats and a monocle. Camille (1921) - The film is dominated by Alla Nazimova displaying her grandeur rather than the emotional life of Camille. Rudi does his best but he is hardly in it. The whole thing is stiff and only for the Rudi completists. During this film Rudi and Natasha Rambova started an affair and ended up moving in together. The Sheik (1921) Moran of Lady Letty (1922) - Nice piratical thriller. Rudi engages in lots of fisticuffs and action. Beyond the Rocks (1922) - Until 2003, this was a lost film. A copy was found in The Netherlands when a collector (hoarder) died and his collection of 2,000 silent films in rusty old cans made its way to the Filmmuseum. It was the Dutch version of the film entitled Golden Chains, with all the credits and intertitles in Dutch. It has been restored and a version with English intertitles is available. Well, thank goodness! Beyond the Rocks is a little gem. In it, Rudi stars opposite Gloria Swanson, both of them at the peak of their beauty and at the apex of their stardom. They have stellar romantic chemistry as lovers kept apart by the heroine's scruples about betraying her unattractive much older, yet decent, husband. Swanson's presence is commanding and lovely. Rudi is winsome and manly. There are only 2 hand kisses but I relished them both. The story, adapted from an Elinor Glynn novel, is simple. There is a meet-cute, talisman of their love (in this case a narcissus blossom), the barrier (marriage vows), ultimate sacrifice, and happy ending. All the elements we see reused and recombined endlessly. In 1922, was it still fresh? For me, it doesn't matter because the movie made me sigh even a hundred years later. Blood and Sand (1922) - This is Rudi's last movie before he walked away from his contract with Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount Pictures). Blood and Sand was a huge hit and put him at the pinnacle of international stardom. But like so many actors after him, he resented the lack of control over his own career and that his salary was not commensurate with his value. So he became the first star to try to break the stranglehold of the Hollywood moguls over his life and work, as James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Olivia deHavilland did in the 1930's and 40's. While his case was being settled, he became the spokesperson for Mineralava beauty products and toured the country dancing with his wife, Natash Rambova. Blood and Sand (1922) - This is Rudolph Valentino's last movie before he walked away from his contract with Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount Pictures). Blood and Sand was a huge hit and put him at the pinnacle of international stardom. But like so many actors after him, he resented the lack of control over his own career and that his salary was not commensurate with his value. So he became the first star to try to break the stranglehold of the Hollywood moguls over his life and work, as James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Olivia deHavilland did in the 1930's and 40's. While his case was being settled, he became the spokesperson for Mineralava beauty products and toured the country dancing with his wife, Natasha Rambova. Blood and Sand contains his most varied performance. He's athletic, arrogant, jaunty, impish, tender, nonplussed, and best of all supremely passionate as a poor, working-class lad who becomes the greatest bullfighter in all of Spain. His passion for fighting the bulls is equal only to his love for his pretty, but boring wife (Lila Lee) and to his lust for the mercurial, smoky-eyed, hip-swaying Vamp, played by the redoubtable Nita Naldi. Valentino's acting is timeless. This timelessness comes from the inner stillness he brings to every motion, look, and gesture. This stillness is most evident in the love scenes, where he emits a magnetic force that is thrilling even today. His power of attention and grounded characterization would translate to modern screens - after a few updates. On the other hand, Naldi is pure time-old theatricality. Her Vamp (the silent film version of the femme fatale) is as hot-blooded as she is cold-hearted. Her debauchery, carelessness with the hearts of men, and gleeful depravity reach an apex when she sinks her teeth into Valentino. She really perks up the the proceedings. Carlos Saura's Carmen (1983) would be a great double feature. The Young Rajah (1922) - The only memorable aspect of this movie about the heir to an Indian throne are the costumes designed for Rudi by his wife Natasha Rambova. Rambova really knows how to design clothes to highlight her husband's attributes. Rudi can really wear a turban! Unfortunately, this film is only partially intact and the best costume of all exists only in a still photograph. You can see it here: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0884388/mediaviewer/rm2996167680/ Monsieur Beaucaire (1924) - Rudi's 1st movie after his contract dispute with Famous Player-Lasky. It is also the 1st picture where he and his wife had creative control. The critics panned it and rightly so. The film is very poorly directed and requires as much reading as a novel. The long, numerous intertitles are interspersed with scenes of people talking a great deal. There is a witty sword duel and a couple fights that enliven the dullness. But ultimately, the only thing to watch this for is shirtless Rudi in a powdered wig. Chef's kiss! The Eagle (1925) - The Eagle is one Valentino's top 5 films and one of my top 20 silent films. It succeeds so well because the film does not rely solely on Rudolph Valentino's charisma and talent to carry it. The film is directed by Clarence Brown, one of the great, and little known, early directors. Though Brown is not as well-remembered as innovators like DW Griffith or Cecil B DeMille, he was a gifted, clear-eyed director who helmed such films as Greta Garbo's first talkie, Anna Christie. The Eagle takes off at a run and doesn't look back until the final frame. The intertitles are kept to a minimum and Brown tells the delightful story, based on a novel by Alexander Pushkin, clearly with gestures, expressions, and editing. He uses the close-up extensively and effectively to convey the interplay of characters' motivations and intentions. Valentino, a young Cossack, is on the run from the ire of Catherine the Great, who has marked him for death out of vindictive pique for her spurned sexual advances. Valentino's impoverished nobleman becomes the Robin Hood-like Black Eagle, wearing one of the coolest masks ever. In the course of his adventures, he falls for the virginal Vilma Banky, who is the daughter of his arch-enemy. Delights abound when the Eagle disguises himself as a French tutor to infiltrate his enemy's abode, ala Zorro - the effete dandy hiding the rapier wit and the slashing blade of The Black Eagle. The film serves up Valentino's world-class hand kissing, several dashing costumes, complete with majestic hats, impish humor, derring-do, and love eternal. Matching Valentino's expansive on-screen talents is Louise Dresser (not to be confused with Louise Dressler) playing Catherine the Great. Dresser is a middle-aged beauty who the daffy Black Eagle was foolish to reject in favor of the tepid Vilma Banky, who has a name for the ages but is merely pretty and competent as compared to Dresser's commanding womanhood. Gary Cooper makes an early screen appearance as an uncredited masked Cossack. It would be interesting to watch The Eagle with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1935). This Errol Flynn vehicle seems to have scenes inspired by The Eagle such as the forest scene where The Black Eagle captures his lady love. Cobra (1925) - Oh my, Rudi's penultimate film. We are nearing the end. This is a top-notch vehicle for Rudi's signature louche, elegant wolf who turns into a solid gold mensch. Son of the Sheik (1925) Rudolph Valentino's final film, released only 2 weeks after his death at the age of 31 of peritonitis. He suffered the same fate as Harry Houdini another icon of the early 20th century, who also died of peritonitis 5 weeks later. They are a visible reminder of the days when otherwise healthy people died from simple infections. Valentino died on cusp of the talkie revolution. Could he have made it through the approaching upheaval with his Italian accent, in the same way Greta Garbo did with her Swedish accent? Or would he have succumbed to the new technology the way his contemporary John "The Great Lover" Gilbert did? I think his talent and intelligence would have seen him through. But am less certain if he had the financial acumen to ultimately survive the whirlwind of this life. In a nutshell, Valentino had no concept of fiscal responsibility. And it was catching up to him. The estate he left, by various reports, had no money or owed money. Valentino said, "I have everything—and I have nothing. It's all too terribly fast for me. A man should control his life. Mine is controlling me.” He passed away before he fell; and, perhaps, that is a blessing. His last film is a great film. He plays a double role as both The Sheik and Son of the Sheik. For such early cinematic days, the technology and make-up convincingly show father and son interacting in the same shot. The heat initially generated by The Sheik in 1922, flares and sizzles in this sequel. The story is better. The cinematography is better. And the female is better. The ethereal Vilma Banky (her real name) is cast as the kidnapped beauty in this love/hate/love story, while the object of desire in The Sheik, Agnes Ayers, plays Son of the Sheik's mother. Despite her function as the McGuffin of love, Banky manages to make us believe that she is a person and that the trials that the vengeful Son of TS put her through have impact, which is another element that makes this even better and more thrilling than the original. Son of TS is vengeful because he believes that Banky's dancing girl betrayed him to bandits, who tortured him in a rather sadomasochistic way - arms tied above his head, bare-chested whipping, and nipple pinching. Whoa! But she didn't. She is innocent. A comedy of errors, if you will, but more hot than humorous. This movie is a febrile stew of hinted at sexual deviation and violence. It's like wrestling with sweat-soaked sheets during a fever dream. Valentino did not want to do this sequel but he gave it his all, nonetheless. He brought back authentic Arab dress from his travels and used them in the film. He worked manfully without showing the pain he was suffering from stomach ulcers. Pola Negri, whom he was dating, said he would double over from the pain. Even though he was not there to see it, Son of the Sheik was a massive hit and pushed his stardom into the stratosphere. Ken Russell did a good, though at times surreal, biopic - Valentino (1977) - starring the ballet legend Rudolph Nureyev. Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here! Other songs in this episode: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend- Marilyn Monroe Ten Cents a Dance- Ruth Etting
Apologies for missing our upload last week- my (relatively new) laptop broke (R.I.P.) and thus our next release will be delayed. Thank you for your patience!
Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) Top 5: The Eagle The Sheik/Son of the Sheik Cobra Blood and Sand Moran of the Lady Letty Movies watched: Patria (1917) - Fragments only exist; He shows up briefly in the background of a nightclub in episode 2. Movie stars Irene Castle. A Society Sensation (1918 short) - romantic male lead opposite the star Carmel Myers. Star power is evident already. But the movie is fragmented and not funny, except for Zazu Pitts. Skip it unless you are a Rudi completist. All Night (1918) - This silly bedroom farce is actually funny once it gets going. Rudi is just as funny as he is romantic. The Married Virgin (1918) - Rudi's sneer is the best thing about this drama where he plays a manipulative, conniving nobleman. The revelation in this film is Kathleen Kirkham. She must have supplied her own costumes because she presents a parade of beautiful clothes that even pop in scratchy black and white. Kirkham is quite marvelous. She started her own production company but like so many women in early Hollywood was trampled under the boot heels of misogyny. The Delicious Little Devil (1919) - a new blu-ray was released in 2021. A real delight if you like silliness. Mae Murray is the star and she is full-on, full-blown slapstick. This is the first film where Rudi is featured with some close-ups and a solid amount of screen time. He plays his romantic role with a sprightly lightness and admirable attention to character detail. And he engages in some punch-ups and door smashing. Eyes of Youth (1920) - Clunky and excruciatingly boring with a paucity of Rudi. But he so impressed June Mathis that she got him his break out part in 4 Horsemen Stolen Moments (1920) - Skip the first ⅔ and get to the hand-kissing lollapalooza. Rudi's 15 minutes or so are the only portion worth watching. The Wonderful Chance (1920) - barely 3 minutes existing on YouTube. But worth watching. Rudi plays a believable Hollywood style gangster sporting a fake moustache. Was filming this movie in NYC when he got the part of Julio in Four Horsemen. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Often credited as the film where Rudolph was discovered by the public. It was his first collaboration with June Mathis, who claims to have discovered him. Valentino had been making his way up the chain to bigger parts since the beginning of his film career but Mathis certainly spring-loaded his ascent with this co-starring role. But it's function was really more of a beta test for the movie that really shot Rudi to fame - The Sheik. Rex Ingram was not much of an editor/director and this film suffers for it. Yes, it was intended as an epic about a European family torn apart by WWI. But it is too long, lacks style, and has too little Rudi. Its great value is the showcase it offers for Rudi's dancing and his sensuality - something the American was gasping for. The gaucho/whip dance sequence is in during the 1st third of the film. Don't fail to see what captured the hearts and libidos of filmgoers the world over. Uncharted Seas (1921) - Lost film produced by Alla Nazimova that looks awesome in the stills that remain. You can see a nice compilation set to music here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASNeXq7pHbU. He met future wife Natasha Rambova on this film set. The Conquering Power (1921) - A turgid adaptation filmed by Rex Ingram of Honore de Balzac's short story Eugenie Graudet. Turgid except for Rudi. This is where you can see his skillful depiction of a character through small gestures and thoughtful acting choices. Most of his acting is pretty modern and authentic. Plus he wears spats and a monocle. Camille (1921) - The film is dominated by Alla Nazimova displaying her grandeur rather than the emotional life of Camille. Rudi does his best but he is hardly in it. The whole thing is stiff and only for the Rudi completists. During this film Rudi and Natasha Rambova started an affair and ended up moving in together. The Sheik (1921) Moran of Lady Letty (1922) - Nice piratical thriller. Rudi engages in lots of fisticuffs and action. Beyond the Rocks (1922) - Until 2003, this was a lost film. A copy was found in The Netherlands when a collector (hoarder) died and his collection of 2,000 silent films in rusty old cans made its way to the Filmmuseum. It was the Dutch version of the film entitled Golden Chains, with all the credits and intertitles in Dutch. It has been restored and a version with English intertitles is available. Well, thank goodness! Beyond the Rocks is a little gem. In it, Rudi stars opposite Gloria Swanson, both of them at the peak of their beauty and at the apex of their stardom. They have stellar romantic chemistry as lovers kept apart by the heroine's scruples about betraying her unattractive much older, yet decent, husband. Swanson's presence is commanding and lovely. Rudi is winsome and manly. There are only 2 hand kisses but I relished them both. The story, adapted from an Elinor Glynn novel, is simple. There is a meet-cute, talisman of their love (in this case a narcissus blossom), the barrier (marriage vows), ultimate sacrifice, and happy ending. All the elements we see reused and recombined endlessly. In 1922, was it still fresh? For me, it doesn't matter because the movie made me sigh even a hundred years later. Blood and Sand (1922) - This is Rudi's last movie before he walked away from his contract with Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount Pictures). Blood and Sand was a huge hit and put him at the pinnacle of international stardom. But like so many actors after him, he resented the lack of control over his own career and that his salary was not commensurate with his value. So he became the first star to try to break the stranglehold of the Hollywood moguls over his life and work, as James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Olivia deHavilland did in the 1930's and 40's. While his case was being settled, he became the spokesperson for Mineralava beauty products and toured the country dancing with his wife, Natash Rambova. Blood and Sand (1922) - This is Rudolph Valentino's last movie before he walked away from his contract with Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount Pictures). Blood and Sand was a huge hit and put him at the pinnacle of international stardom. But like so many actors after him, he resented the lack of control over his own career and that his salary was not commensurate with his value. So he became the first star to try to break the stranglehold of the Hollywood moguls over his life and work, as James Cagney, Bette Davis, and Olivia deHavilland did in the 1930's and 40's. While his case was being settled, he became the spokesperson for Mineralava beauty products and toured the country dancing with his wife, Natasha Rambova. Blood and Sand contains his most varied performance. He's athletic, arrogant, jaunty, impish, tender, nonplussed, and best of all supremely passionate as a poor, working-class lad who becomes the greatest bullfighter in all of Spain. His passion for fighting the bulls is equal only to his love for his pretty, but boring wife (Lila Lee) and to his lust for the mercurial, smoky-eyed, hip-swaying Vamp, played by the redoubtable Nita Naldi. Valentino's acting is timeless. This timelessness comes from the inner stillness he brings to every motion, look, and gesture. This stillness is most evident in the love scenes, where he emits a magnetic force that is thrilling even today. His power of attention and grounded characterization would translate to modern screens - after a few updates. On the other hand, Naldi is pure time-old theatricality. Her Vamp (the silent film version of the femme fatale) is as hot-blooded as she is cold-hearted. Her debauchery, carelessness with the hearts of men, and gleeful depravity reach an apex when she sinks her teeth into Valentino. She really perks up the the proceedings. Carlos Saura's Carmen (1983) would be a great double feature. The Young Rajah (1922) - The only memorable aspect of this movie about the heir to an Indian throne are the costumes designed for Rudi by his wife Natasha Rambova. Rambova really knows how to design clothes to highlight her husband's attributes. Rudi can really wear a turban! Unfortunately, this film is only partially intact and the best costume of all exists only in a still photograph. You can see it here: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0884388/mediaviewer/rm2996167680/ Monsieur Beaucaire (1924) - Rudi's 1st movie after his contract dispute with Famous Player-Lasky. It is also the 1st picture where he and his wife had creative control. The critics panned it and rightly so. The film is very poorly directed and requires as much reading as a novel. The long, numerous intertitles are interspersed with scenes of people talking a great deal. There is a witty sword duel and a couple fights that enliven the dullness. But ultimately, the only thing to watch this for is shirtless Rudi in a powdered wig. Chef's kiss! The Eagle (1925) - The Eagle is one Valentino's top 5 films and one of my top 20 silent films. It succeeds so well because the film does not rely solely on Rudolph Valentino's charisma and talent to carry it. The film is directed by Clarence Brown, one of the great, and little known, early directors. Though Brown is not as well-remembered as innovators like DW Griffith or Cecil B DeMille, he was a gifted, clear-eyed director who helmed such films as Greta Garbo's first talkie, Anna Christie. The Eagle takes off at a run and doesn't look back until the final frame. The intertitles are kept to a minimum and Brown tells the delightful story, based on a novel by Alexander Pushkin, clearly with gestures, expressions, and editing. He uses the close-up extensively and effectively to convey the interplay of characters' motivations and intentions. Valentino, a young Cossack, is on the run from the ire of Catherine the Great, who has marked him for death out of vindictive pique for her spurned sexual advances. Valentino's impoverished nobleman becomes the Robin Hood-like Black Eagle, wearing one of the coolest masks ever. In the course of his adventures, he falls for the virginal Vilma Banky, who is the daughter of his arch-enemy. Delights abound when the Eagle disguises himself as a French tutor to infiltrate his enemy's abode, ala Zorro - the effete dandy hiding the rapier wit and the slashing blade of The Black Eagle. The film serves up Valentino's world-class hand kissing, several dashing costumes, complete with majestic hats, impish humor, derring-do, and love eternal. Matching Valentino's expansive on-screen talents is Louise Dresser (not to be confused with Louise Dressler) playing Catherine the Great. Dresser is a middle-aged beauty who the daffy Black Eagle was foolish to reject in favor of the tepid Vilma Banky, who has a name for the ages but is merely pretty and competent as compared to Dresser's commanding womanhood. Gary Cooper makes an early screen appearance as an uncredited masked Cossack. It would be interesting to watch The Eagle with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1935). This Errol Flynn vehicle seems to have scenes inspired by The Eagle such as the forest scene where The Black Eagle captures his lady love. Cobra (1925) - Oh my, Rudi's penultimate film. We are nearing the end. This is a top-notch vehicle for Rudi's signature louche, elegant wolf who turns into a solid gold mensch. Son of the Sheik (1925) Rudolph Valentino's final film, released only 2 weeks after his death at the age of 31 of peritonitis. He suffered the same fate as Harry Houdini another icon of the early 20th century, who also died of peritonitis 5 weeks later. They are a visible reminder of the days when otherwise healthy people died from simple infections. Valentino died on cusp of the talkie revolution. Could he have made it through the approaching upheaval with his Italian accent, in the same way Greta Garbo did with her Swedish accent? Or would he have succumbed to the new technology the way his contemporary John "The Great Lover" Gilbert did? I think his talent and intelligence would have seen him through. But am less certain if he had the financial acumen to ultimately survive the whirlwind of this life. In a nutshell, Valentino had no concept of fiscal responsibility. And it was catching up to him. The estate he left, by various reports, had no money or owed money. Valentino said, "I have everything—and I have nothing. It's all too terribly fast for me. A man should control his life. Mine is controlling me.” He passed away before he fell; and, perhaps, that is a blessing. His last film is a great film. He plays a double role as both The Sheik and Son of the Sheik. For such early cinematic days, the technology and make-up convincingly show father and son interacting in the same shot. The heat initially generated by The Sheik in 1922, flares and sizzles in this sequel. The story is better. The cinematography is better. And the female is better. The ethereal Vilma Banky (her real name) is cast as the kidnapped beauty in this love/hate/love story, while the object of desire in The Sheik, Agnes Ayers, plays Son of the Sheik's mother. Despite her function as the McGuffin of love, Banky manages to make us believe that she is a person and that the trials that the vengeful Son of TS put her through have impact, which is another element that makes this even better and more thrilling than the original. Son of TS is vengeful because he believes that Banky's dancing girl betrayed him to bandits, who tortured him in a rather sadomasochistic way - arms tied above his head, bare-chested whipping, and nipple pinching. Whoa! But she didn't. She is innocent. A comedy of errors, if you will, but more hot than humorous. This movie is a febrile stew of hinted at sexual deviation and violence. It's like wrestling with sweat-soaked sheets during a fever dream. Valentino did not want to do this sequel but he gave it his all, nonetheless. He brought back authentic Arab dress from his travels and used them in the film. He worked manfully without showing the pain he was suffering from stomach ulcers. Pola Negri, whom he was dating, said he would double over from the pain. Even though he was not there to see it, Son of the Sheik was a massive hit and pushed his stardom into the stratosphere. Ken Russell did a good, though at times surreal, biopic - Valentino (1977) - starring the ballet legend Rudolph Nureyev.
Xoe and Rita discuss Pnin (1957) Vladimir Nabokov's absolute masterpiece of a novel.
Barbara Stanwyck nee Ruby Stephens (1907 - 1990) She had a 64 year show business career! Must-see Stanwyck in chronological order: Night Nurse (1931) - Starred with newcomer Clark Gable who became a lifelong friend The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932) - There are some elements that did not age well but it is still a touching romance that defied the laws of anti-miscegenation. Baby Face (1933) - Pre-code, gritty depiction of a woman who claws her way to the top using the only asset that the Patriarchy values. Theresa Harris has a prominent role, and unusually for a black actor, gets significant screen time and her character is as fleshed out as Stanwyck's is. The Lady Eve (1941) - Transcendent Preston Sturges comedy. Stanwyck's comedic timing and her sensuality had never been given full rein. Henry Fonda who stars with her never stood a chance. Ball of Fire (1941) - Her character's name is Sugarpuss O'Shea. Need I say more? Double Indemnity (1944) - The ultimate femme fatale. Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Vladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977) Recommended: Pale Fire (1962) - Parallel stories told through an epic poem and the annotation to the poem. Brilliant layering of clues, leaving the reader to decide how unreliable the narrator is - and who he is Pnin (1957) - Pnin is a professor at the same college where John Shade and Charles Kinbote for Pale Fire teach. Pnin is mentioned in Pale Fire. Lolita (1958) - The novel that made Nabokov wealthy and famous. The Stanley Kubrick movie adaptation is marvelous - Lolita (1962). The 1998 film version lacks the spark of Kubrick's vision. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (2003) - compelling memoir of stolen pleasure in literature Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Douglas Sirk (1897 - 1987) - All That Heaven Allows (1955) Sirk was a Dane born in Germany and became very successful in Germany as a theater director. His 1st wife joined the Nazi Party. He left Germany primarily because of the danger the rise of the Nazi Party created for his 2nd wife who was a Jew. The core and substance of Sirk's oeuvre was created in Hollywood in the 1950's in so-called women's films. Sirk's greatest works depicted social constraints from the woman's point of view and offered full-bodied characters to his female stars. Sirk uses sweeping music, vivid technicolor, and lush scenery in opposition to emotional suppression and the heavy hand of systemic oppression. He hides his true anti-fascist message behind the tissue-thin glamor of Hollywood. At the time of their release, Sirk's movies were critically sneered at for their swollen emotions and woman-centric themes. It was, per usual, the French New Wave directors and Cahiers du Cinema who embraced, lauded, and raised to the pantheon Douglas Sirk's 1950's films. Perhaps, the French could appreciate the films in depth because they were not afraid of the romantic stylistic grandeur and the anti-bourgeoises subtext. ATHA stars the almost forgotten Jane Wyman (Ronald Reagan's 1st wife in real life) opposite the younger Rock Hudson. Wyman is an upper class widow in love with a younger, working class man. And all the forces of her class, family, and larger social circle put pressure on her to forego an alliance with an “unsuitable” man. Her family and society's discomfort come from her crossing the class barrier and more, fundamentally, her implicitly asserting her sexual desire by making this choice. Sirk uses lighting, imagery, and mise en scene to evoke Wyman's inner life, which she keeps buttoned up as required by her training and social position. To my mind, Sirk's greatest film is his last, Imitation of Life (1959). It is a remake of the equally good 1934 black-and-white version starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers as two women whose lives are bound together. They are bonded emotionally and economically, yet divided by race and class. Sirk's remake starring Lana Turner and Juanita Moore is more stylish and emotionally febrile as he builds an edifice of intersectional inequality with gowns by Jean Louis. The major difference between the films is that in the 1934 version Louise Beaver's black maid character plays a major role in raising the family's fortunes by her own talents. Sirk retired in 1959 after Imitation of Life. But continues to influence and inspire filmmakers, particularly male filmmakers. Todd Haynes (b. 1961) - Far From Heaven (2002) Todd Haynes has a strong sympathy and insight into the female point of view. He has directed films in many genres but he brings a complex compassion no matter the form he is using. Far From Heaven is a remake of All That Heaven Allows (1955) with a large dollop of Imitation of Life (1959) folded in. In FFH, Julianne Moore is not a widow but a woman married to a closeted gay man, who falls in love with a straight, working-class, black man; thereby, challenging all the taboos. Haynes adopts all the hallmarks of Sirk's style - oceanic musical score, colors so rich you can taste them, and pulsating, barely expressed emotions shifting the tectonic plates of the character's lives. Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945 - 1982) Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) This is one of the best out of Fassbinder's enormous catalog of 44 films directed during his 18-year career. Fassbinder lived an openly queer lifestyle, indulged in, and eventually died from drugs. Basically, Fassbinder did not give shit what conventional and middle-class morality dictated. All of his films were political in that they spit in the face of the establishment. In Ali, Fassbinder has the courage to cast a man and woman whose demographics really challenges normative attitudes about heterosexual relationships. Brigitte Mira is actually 25 years older than her love interest played by El Hedi Ben Salem. She is not cosmetically enhanced with surgery, weight-loss, or special undergarments. Salem is a man of color, originally from Morocco, making him an immigrant and non-white. Every element is spectacularly transgressive in the 1970's and still challenging today. Unlike Douglas Sirk and Todd Haynes, Fassbinder had no ties to the filmmaking establishment. He rebels stridently in his raw, unlovely mise en scene. Yet, at the same time, he pays homage to Sirk's visual vocabulary.
Book: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, published 1905. 11 sequels plus numerous short stories Movie adaptations: Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon- The BEST adaptation Pimpernel Smith (1941), Leslie Howard- Meh. The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), David Niven and Margaret Leighton- Rita hated, Xoe loved the surreal sets. The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour- Solid adaptation. TV: Scarlet Pimpernel (1999)- Not very good.
Experiences the child-like joy of gleaming muscles, flashing teeth, ill-timed explosions, and mayhem by the best of the worst. Link to Ted's IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0697961/ Xoe and Rita's Top 7 Ted Prior Movies: Sledgehammer (1983) KILLZONE (1985) Born Killer (1989) Future Zone (1990) Raw Nerve (1991) Possessed by the Night (1994)** Day of the Warrior (1996)* Honorable Mentions: Hardcase and Fist (1989) Raw Justice (1994) The Last House (2015) *Xoe's unique pick **Rita's pick Thanks as always to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind". Listen Here
archy and mehitabel by don marquis is a collection of newspaper columns in verse without kapitalization or punctuation except occasionally published between 1916 and 1936 filled with social and politikal commentary along with a very wry perspective on human foibles and the vagaries of life for all life forms wonderful stylized illustrations by george herriman who wuz also the author of the krazy kat comics first half of the full collection is highly recommended interest peters out in the second half marquis's hit play old soak wuz definitely of it time its humor does not hold up at all always speshial thanks to david plell and powerbleeder for our muzak
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells All Systems Red - 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella; 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella; & 2018 American Library Association's Alex Award; nominated for 2017 Philip K Dick Award Artificial Condition - 2019 Hugo Award Rogue Protocol Exit Strategy Network Effect Fugitive Telemetry - Published in 2021. We have not read it yet Read these in order! The 1st three following novellas had enough votes for the 2019 Hugo Award final ballot but Wells declined all nominations except for Artificial Condition, which won. Thanks to David Plell with Powerbleeder for our theme Future Mind.
Thanks for listening to the long saga of visionary film producer Val Lewton! This episode is a one-off, and the author only wrote two novels. Mary Mapes Dodge (1831-1905) Writer, editor, widow, single mother She was instrumental in encouraging Rudyard Kipling to write The Jungle Book. She also published books of sketches and poems. Novels: Donald and Dorothy (1883) Hans Brinker; or the Silver Skates (1865) Special thanks to David Plell and Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind"!
Special Thanks to Adam Roche for his excellently researched podcast The Secret History of Hollywood - Shadows. This is a multi-hour epic documentary about Val Lewton's life and work. https://www.attaboyclarence.com/the-secret-history-of-hollywood Val Lewton (1904-1951) (nee Vladimir Ivanovich Hofschneider in Imperial Russia; mother's maiden name was Leventon) Top Four Must-See Val Lewton movies: 1) I Walked with Zombie 2) Cat People 3) Rita: The Ghost Ship; Xoe: The 7th Victim Universal Studios horror classics: Frankenstein (1931) - starring Boris Karloff Dracula (1931) - starring Bela Lugosi The Black Cat (1941) - exemplar of Universal formula mixing equal parts of suspense/horror and comedy; directed by Albert Rogell, brother of Sid Rogell who was Val Lewton's boss for during his early career. Lewton's filmography as producer: Cat People (1942) (Jacques Tourneur) I Walked with a Zombie (1943) (Tourneur) The Leopard Man (1943) (Tourneur) 7th Victim (1943) (Mark Robson) The Ghost Ship (1943) (Robson) - Theme: Corruption caused by power/authority Curse of the Cat People (1944 (Gunther von Fritsch, Robert Wise) Mademoiselle Fifi (1944) (Wise) Youth Runs Wild (1944) (Robson) The Body Snatcher (1945) (Wise) Isle of the Dead (1945) (Wise) Bedlam (1946) (Robson) My Own True Love (1948) (Paramount) Please Believe Me (1950) (MGM) Apache Drums (1951) (Universal) Intro and extro music: "Future mind" by Powerbleeder. Thanks David!
Special Thanks to Adam Roche for his excellently researched podcast The Secret History of Hollywood - Shadows. This is a multi-hour epic documentary about Val Lewton's life and work. https://www.attaboyclarence.com/the-secret-history-of-hollywood Val Lewton (1904-1951) (nee Vladimir Ivanovich Hofschneider in Imperial Russia; mother's maiden name was Leventon) Top Four Must-See Val Lewton movies: 1) I Walked with Zombie 2) Cat People 3) Rita: The Ghost Ship; Xoe: The 7th Victim Universal Studios horror classics: Frankenstein (1931) - starring Boris Karloff Dracula (1931) - starring Bela Lugosi The Black Cat (1941) - exemplar of Universal formula mixing equal parts of suspense/horror and comedy; directed by Albert Rogell, brother of Sid Rogell who was Val Lewton's boss for during his early career. Lewton's filmography as producer: Cat People (1942) (Jacques Tourneur) I Walked with a Zombie (1943) (Tourneur) The Leopard Man (1943) (Tourneur) 7th Victim (1943) (Mark Robson) The Ghost Ship (1943) (Robson) - Theme: Corruption caused by power/authority Curse of the Cat People (1944 (Gunther von Fritsch, Robert Wise) Mademoiselle Fifi (1944) (Wise) Youth Runs Wild (1944) (Robson) The Body Snatcher (1945) (Wise) Isle of the Dead (1945) (Wise) Bedlam (1946) (Robson) My Own True Love (1948) (Paramount) Please Believe Me (1950) (MGM) Apache Drums (1951) (Universal) Intro and extro music: "Future mind" by Powerbleeder. Thanks David!
Link to "Shame & Scandal (In the Family): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJyVB_sqh3E Val Lewton (1904-1951) (nee Vladimir Ivanovich Hofschneider in Imperial Russia; mother's maiden name was Leventon) Top Four Must-See Val Lewton movies: 1) I Walked with Zombie 2) Cat People 3) Rita: The Ghost Ship; Xoe: The 7th Victim Universal Studios horror classics: Frankenstein (1931) - starring Boris Karloff Dracula (1931) - starring Bela Lugosi The Black Cat (1941) - exemplar of Universal formula mixing equal parts of suspense/horror and comedy; directed by Albert Rogell, brother of Sid Rogell who was Val Lewton's boss for during his early career. Lewton's filmography as producer: Cat People (1942) (Jacques Tourneur) I Walked with a Zombie (1943) (Tourneur) The Leopard Man (1943) (Tourneur) 7th Victim (1943) (Mark Robson) The Ghost Ship (1943) (Robson) - Theme: Corruption caused by power/authority Curse of the Cat People (1944 (Gunther von Fritsch, Robert Wise) Mademoiselle Fifi (1944) (Wise) Youth Runs Wild (1944) (Robson) The Body Snatcher (1945) (Wise) Isle of the Dead (1945) (Wise) Bedlam (1946) (Robson) My Own True Love (1948) (Paramount) Please Believe Me (1950) (MGM) Apache Drums (1951) (Universal) Intro and extro music: "Future mind" by Powerbleeder. Thanks David!
Notes Forthcoming: Val Lewton joins RKO and produces his first masterpiece for the horror division with Jaques Tourneur (dir.) and Simone "The Tender Savage" Simone: Cat People (1942) Intro and extro music: "Future mind" by Powerbleeder. Thanks David!
MILDRED PIERCENovel: Mildred Pierce by James M Cain, 1941. Still entertaining Film: Mildred Pierce (1947) - starring Joan Crawford, Ann Blythe, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden - The classic holds up Miniseries: Mildred Pierce (2011) 5 episodes - starring Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood, Guy Pearce - Atmospheric, well-acted and directed, a little too slow because there is not enough material from the novel to fill 5 episodes. Reccomended movies mentioned:The Bad Seed (1956)The Babadook (2014)Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)Duel in the Sun (1946)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Stay tuned for the discussion on how much we hate St. John Rivers, the significance of Rochester's mad wife Bertha, Jane Eyre erotica, and more! Books:Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), 1847.The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, 2001. (Alternate universe in which the criminal enters great novels andchanges the plot. The protagonist, Thursday Next, is a detective in the literary police.) The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Adaptations:Jane Eyre (1934) - starring Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive.I Walked with a Zombie (1943, very loose adaptation) starring Frances Dee and Tom Conway.Jane Eyre (1944) - starring Joan Fontaine and Orson Wells.Jane Eyre (1970) - starring Susannah York and George C Scott.Jane Eyre (1983 - 5 1/2-hour BBC series) - starring Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton.Jane Eyre (1996) - starring Charlotte Gainsbourgh and William Hurt.Jane Eyre (1997) - starring Samantha Morton and Ciaran Hinds.Jane Eyre (2006 - 4-hour BBC series) - starring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens.Jane Eyre (2011) - starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbinder.
We made a newsflash about COVID to tell you we will not be talking much about COVID, but we hope each and every one of you are as well as possible! Take care everyone
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Stay tuned for the discussion on how much we hate St. John Rivers, the significance of Rochester's mad wife Bertha, Jane Eyre erotica, and more! Books:Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), 1847.The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, 2001. (Alternate universe in which the criminal enters great novels andchanges the plot. The protagonist, Thursday Next, is a detective in the literary police.) Adaptations:Jane Eyre (1934) - starring Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive.I Walked with a Zombie (1943, very loose adaptation) starring Frances Dee and Tom Conway.Jane Eyre (1944) - starring Joan Fontaine and Orson Wells.Jane Eyre (1970) - starring Susannah York and George C Scott.Jane Eyre (1983 - 5 1/2-hour BBC series) - starring Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton.Jane Eyre (1996) - starring Charlotte Gainsbourgh and William Hurt.Jane Eyre (1997) - starring Samantha Morton and Ciaran Hinds.Jane Eyre (2006 - 4-hour BBC series) - starring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens.Jane Eyre (2011) - starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbinder.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Stay tuned for the discussion on how much we hate St. John Rivers, the significance of Rochester's mad wife Bertha, Jane Eyre erotica, and more!
Xoe and Rita do a deep dive into the many iterations of the classic story of A Star is Born and the themes of true love, addiction, artistry, and feminism each explores in its own way. Stay tuned for part II to learn who is the handsomest Mr. Maine. What Price Hollywood? (1932)- dir. George Cuckor and starring Constance Bennett, Lowell Sherman, Neil Hamilton.A Star is Born (1937)- starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric MarchA Star is Born (1954)-starring Judy Garland and James MasonA Star is Born (1976)- starring Barbra Streisand and Kris KristoffersonA Star is Born (2018)- starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga In order of rank, best to worst: 1954 1937 1976 & 2018 (tied)
A Star is Born(s) - 4 films and a prototype Xoe and Rita do a deep dive into the many iterations of the classic story of A Star is Born and the themes of true love, addiction, artistry, and feminism each explores in its own way. Stay tuned for part II to learn who is the handsomest Mr. Maine. What Price Hollywood? (1932)- dir. George Cuckor and starring Constance Bennett, Lowell Sherman, Neil Hamilton.A Star is Born (1937)- starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric MarchA Star is Born (1954)-starring Judy Garland and James MasonA Star is Born (1976)- starring Barbra Streisand and Kris KristoffersonA Star is Born (2018)- starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga
We discuss the iterations of Babe, pig extraordinaire, and the deep themes that can be found in the excellent film adaptation of the book, Babe (1995). We also discuss: Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith (book) Babe: Pig in the city (1998) Wallace and Gromit in The Wrong Trousers (1993) Charlotte's Web by E. B. White (book) Theme music is "Future Mind" by David Plell of Powerbleeder https://powerbleeder.bandcamp.com/album/l-i-m-b-o
Graphic Novels Definition according to Merriam-Webster.com: a story that is presented in comic-strip format and published as a book. The Pantheon of Graphic Novels: Maus by Art Spiegelman, serialized from 1980 to 1991. A memoir of the child of Holocaust survivors that artfully combines historical events and Spiegelman's relationship with his difficult father. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (eponym of the Bechdel Test), 2006. Another memoir about a difficult paternal relationship. A wry exploration of sexual identity, depression, etc. and very engaging. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, 2000. It depicts youth in Iran and Paris during and after the Islamic Revolution. Xoe’s List: Capacity- Theo Ellsworth Solanin- Inio Asano Beautiful Darkness- Fabien Velhman Uzumaki- Junji Ito Tekkonkinkreet- Taiyou Matsumoto A Child’s Life- Phoebe Gloeckner Rita's List: Transmetropolitan series by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson (1997-2002) - raw and rauchy. An R-rated political screed. Great graphics. Read the issues in order. Lena Finkle's Magic Barrel: A Graphic Novel by Anya Ulinich, 2014. Life in New York City for a woman after her 15-year marriage breaks up. Full of weird dates, poignant characters, and wry humor. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer by Sydney Padua, 2015. A David Foster Wallace-esque story about Lord Byron's daughter, a mathematical genius, and her collaborator and rival. The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln by Scott McCloud, 1998. A Lincoln doppelganger attempts to wreak havoc. Locke & Key by Joe Hill, art by Gabriel Rodriguez, 2008. Stephen King's son and horror novelist creates a stylish nightmare in a gothic mansion. The Private Eye by Brian K Vaughan, 2015. Futuristic detective story full of the wit and violence you expect in a good noir. Blacksad by Juan Díaz Canales Other Titles Mentioned: Garfield- Jim Davis TinTin- Hergé Asterix- Alberto Uderzo Shonen Jump- A monthly Japanese comics anthology that is also released in the U.S. Dear Creature- Jonathan Case Sandman- Neil Gaiman Saga and Y The Last Man- Brian K Vaughn Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art- Scott McCloud Chicken With Plums (film)- dir. By Marjane Satrapi Sailor Moon (TV Series) Pokemon (TV series) The Difference Engine (novel)- William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
Jean HarlowBorn Harlean Carpenter McGrew Bern Rossen (1911-1937) Bibliography: Platinum Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jean Harlow by Eve Golden, 1991.Recommended Harlow films:The Public Enemy (1931)Red-Headed Woman (1932) - Her breakout role and her 1st of 4 films with her BFF Clark Gable.Red Dust (1932) - Also with Gable. Fine vehicle for Harlow, if you can handle the colonialistic lens of thefilm.Dinner at Eight (1933) - star-studded cast including John and Lionel Barrymore. Harlow steals the show.Libeled Lady (1936) - She acted with her real-life fiance William Powell (famously of the The Thin Manseries), though in the movie she conceded him to Myrna Loy. False rumors about Harlow:1) Jean's 2nd husband committed suicide because he was impotent/Jean's husband was murdered:Neither Jean or the studio had anything to do with the death of her 2nd husband, Paul Bern. And there isno evidence that her husband was impotent. On the other hand, Bern had just been visited by his 1stwife, whom he had never divorced and about whom he had not told Jean.2) Jean died because her mother refused to allow her to have medical treatment due to ChristianScience beliefs: Neither Jean nor her mother were Christian Scientist. Medical help was sought as soonas it was evident that Harlow needed treatment. Her mother did not prevent Jean from receiving care, infact, she urged Jean to see a doctor. Jean died of kidney failure before dialysis existed.
Jean HarlowBorn Harlean Carpenter McGrew Bern Rossen (1911-1937) Bibliography: Platinum Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jean Harlow by Eve Golden, 1991.Recommended Harlow films:The Public Enemy (1931)Red-Headed Woman (1932) - Her breakout role and her 1st of 4 films with her BFF Clark Gable.Red Dust (1932) - Also with Gable. Fine vehicle for Harlow, if you can handle the colonialistic lens of thefilm.Dinner at Eight (1933) - star-studded cast including John and Lionel Barrymore. Harlow steals the show.Libeled Lady (1936) - She acted with her real-life fiance William Powell (famously of the The Thin Manseries), though in the movie she conceded him to Myrna Loy. False rumors about Harlow:1) Jean's 2nd husband committed suicide because he was impotent/Jean's husband was murdered:Neither Jean or the studio had anything to do with the death of her 2nd husband, Paul Bern. And there isno evidence that her husband was impotent. On the other hand, Bern had just been visited by his 1stwife, whom he had never divorced and about whom he had not told Jean.2) Jean died because her mother refused to allow her to have medical treatment due to ChristianScience beliefs: Neither Jean nor her mother were Christian Scientist. Medical help was sought as soonas it was evident that Harlow needed treatment. Her mother did not prevent Jean from receiving care, infact, she urged Jean to see a doctor. Jean died of kidney failure before dialysis existed.
The final episode on Marilyn Monroe! *note* Please excuse the increasingly poor sound quality of this episode. We may have gotten a little tipsy and careless, we'll keep it under control in the future :P Bibiliography: My Story by Marilyn Monroe, 1974. Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote, 1980. (Chapter 6 A Beautiful Child is Capote's novelized non-fiction story about MM.) Marilyn Monroe by Barbara Leaming, 1998. Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto, 1993. Links: Calendar photos of Marilyn: https://www.widewalls.ch/marilyn-monroe-rare-nude-photos/ Scudda Hoo Scudda Hay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gD8YZu8uLs&t=3110s
Subversive Blondes Bibiliography: My Story by Marilyn Monroe, 1974. Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote, 1980. (Chapter 6 A Beautiful Child is Capote's novelized non-fiction story about MM.) Marilyn Monroe by Barbara Leaming, 1998. Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto, 1993. Links: Calendar photos of Marilyn: https://www.widewalls.ch/marilyn-monroe-rare-nude-photos/ Scudda Hoo Scudda Hay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gD8YZu8uLs&t=3110s
Bibiliography:My Story by Marilyn Monroe, 1974.Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote, 1980. (Chapter 6 A Beautiful Child is Capote's novelized non-fiction story about MM.)Marilyn Monroe by Barbara Leaming, 1998.Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto, 1993.Links:Calendar photos of Marilyn: https://www.widewalls.ch/marilyn-monroe-rare-nude-photos/Scudda Hoo Scudda Hay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gD8YZu8uLs&t=3110sMarilyn Miller (Marilyn's namesake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Miller From My StoryAt 13, first time walking down the beach in a bathing suit:"I was full of a strange feeling, as if I were two people. One of them was Norma Jean from the orphanage who belonged to nobody. The other was someone whose name I didn't kow. But I knew where she belonged. She belonged to the ocean and the sky and the whole world."Acting teacher Michael Chekhov, "You are a young woman who gives off sex vibrations-no matter what you are doing or thinking...You can make the studio a fortune by merely vibrating in front of the camera. You more valuable to them as a sex stimulant."MM: "I want that. Because I want to be an artist, not an erotic freak. I don't want to be sold to the public as a celluoid aphrodisical. Look at me and start shaking.It was all right for the first few years. but now it's different."Background: Maternal great-grandfather has syphilis and got dementia as a result; maternal grandmother died in a straitjacket (violent and ran around naked); maternal grandfather was an alcoholic; mother was commited to mental hospital; was not sure who her father was.When she was 7 a neighbor chopped her dog in 2 in front of her. From Music for Chameleons:Constance Collier's description:She is a beautiful child. I don’t mean that in the obvious way—the perhaps too obvious way. I don’t think she’s an actress at all, not in any traditional sense. What she has—this presence, this luminosity, this flickering intelligence—could never surface on the stage. It’s so fragile and subtle, it can only be caught by the camera. It’s like a hummingbird in flight: only a camera can freeze the poetry of it. But anyone who thinks this girl is simply another Harlow or harlot or whatever is mad. ..This beautiful child is without any concept of discipline or sacrifice. Somehow I don’t think she’ll make old bones. Absurd of me to say, but somehow I feel she’ll go young. I hope, I really pray, that she survives long enough to free the strange lovely talent that’s wandering through her like a jailed spirit.”
Bibiliography:My Story by Marilyn Monroe, 1974.Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote, 1980. (Chapter 6 A Beautiful Child is Capote's novelized non-fiction story about MM.)Marilyn Monroe by Barbara Leaming, 1998.Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto, 1993.Links:Calendar photos of Marilyn: https://www.widewalls.ch/marilyn-monroe-rare-nude-photos/Scudda Hoo Scudda Hay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gD8YZu8uLs&t=3110sMarilyn Miller (Marilyn's namesake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Miller From My StoryAt 13, first time walking down the beach in a bathing suit:"I was full of a strange feeling, as if I were two people. One of them was Norma Jean from the orphanage who belonged to nobody. The other was someone whose name I didn't kow. But I knew where she belonged. She belonged to the ocean and the sky and the whole world."Acting teacher Michael Chekhov, "You are a young woman who gives off sex vibrations-no matter what you are doing or thinking...You can make the studio a fortune by merely vibrating in front of the camera. You more valuable to them as a sex stimulant."MM: "I want that. Because I want to be an artist, not an erotic freak. I don't want to be sold to the public as a celluoid aphrodisical. Look at me and start shaking.It was all right for the first few years. but now it's different."Background: Maternal great-grandfather has syphilis and got dementia as a result; maternal grandmother died in a straitjacket (violent and ran around naked); maternal grandfather was an alcoholic; mother was commited to mental hospital; was not sure who her father was.When she was 7 a neighbor chopped her dog in 2 in front of her. From Music for Chameleons:Constance Collier's description:She is a beautiful child. I don’t mean that in the obvious way—the perhaps too obvious way. I don’t think she’s an actress at all, not in any traditional sense. What she has—this presence, this luminosity, this flickering intelligence—could never surface on the stage. It’s so fragile and subtle, it can only be caught by the camera. It’s like a hummingbird in flight: only a camera can freeze the poetry of it. But anyone who thinks this girl is simply another Harlow or harlot or whatever is mad. ..This beautiful child is without any concept of discipline or sacrifice. Somehow I don’t think she’ll make old bones. Absurd of me to say, but somehow I feel she’ll go young. I hope, I really pray, that she survives long enough to free the strange lovely talent that’s wandering through her like a jailed spirit.”
Bibiliography:My Story by Marilyn Monroe, 1974.Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote, 1980. (Chapter 6 A Beautiful Child is Capote's novelized non-fiction story about MM.)Marilyn Monroe by Barbara Leaming, 1998.Marilyn Monroe: The Biography by Donald Spoto, 1993.Links:Calendar photos of Marilyn: https://www.widewalls.ch/marilyn-monroe-rare-nude-photos/Scudda Hoo Scudda Hay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gD8YZu8uLs&t=3110sMarilyn Miller (Marilyn's namesake): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_MillerFrom My StoryAt 13, first time walking down the beach in a bathing suit:"I was full of a strange feeling, as if I were two people. One of them was Norma Jean from the orphanage who belonged to nobody. The other was someone whose name I didn't kow. But I knew where she belonged. She belonged to the ocean and the sky and the whole world."Acting teacher Michael Chekhov, "You are a young woman who gives off sex vibrations-no matter what you are doing or thinking...You can make the studio a fortune by merely vibrating in front of the camera. You more valuable to them as a sex stimulant."MM: "I want that. Because I want to be an artist, not an erotic freak. I don't want to be sold to the public as a celluoid aphrodisical. Look at me and start shaking.It was all right for the first few years. but now it's different."Background: Maternal great-grandfather has syphilis and got dementia as a result; maternal grandmother died in a straitjacket (violent and ran around naked); maternal grandfather was an alcoholic; mother was commited to mental hospital; was not sure who her father was.When she was 7 a neighbor chopped her dog in 2 in front of her. From Music for Chameleons:Constance Collier's description:She is a beautiful child. I don’t mean that in the obvious way—the perhaps too obvious way. I don’t think she’s an actress at all, not in any traditional sense. What she has—this presence, this luminosity, this flickering intelligence—could never surface on the stage. It’s so fragile and subtle, it can only be caught by the camera. It’s like a hummingbird in flight: only a camera can freeze the poetry of it. But anyone who thinks this girl is simply another Harlow or harlot or whatever is mad. ..This beautiful child is without any concept of discipline or sacrifice. Somehow I don’t think she’ll make old bones. Absurd of me to say, but somehow I feel she’ll go young. I hope, I really pray, that she survives long enough to free the strange lovely talent that’s wandering through her like a jailed spirit.”
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Bibiliography: In Search of Anne Bronte by Nick Holland, (2016). - As the title indicates, this book focuses on Anne but it gives a rounded view of the family and their circumstances. Wuthering Bites by Sarah Gray (2010) - In which Heathcliff is a vampire. Didn't bother to read it, but had to include it here to show the range of fan fiction. Film and televion adaptations of WH. Please forgive omissions. There are so many! Ratings out of 5 stars. 1920 - Wuthering Heights, starring Colette Brettel and Warwick Ward - silent screen adaptation - I have not seen it. 1939 - Wuthering Heights, starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier - 3 stars: Worth-seeing, though the content is sanitized for the Hollywood censors and the actors' looks are beautified for the tastes of the day. 1948 - Wuthering Heights (British TV adaption) - starring Katherine Blake and Kieron Moore - have not seen it. 1962 - Wuthering Heights, starring Keith Mitchell and Claire Bloom - have not seen it. 1967 - Wuthering Heights (British TV series), starring Angela Scoular and Ian McShane - 1 1/2 stars: McShane has the Heathcliff glower down to the tee. But little else about this slow-paced drama is engaging. 1970 - Wuthering Heights, starring Anna Calder-Marshall and Timothy Dalton - 4 stars: I saw this for my 13th birthday. It was my first taste of WH. My friends and I were so in love with Timothy Dalton. Nice dark perspective that maintains a lush emotional and physical violence along with the feral sexiness. 1978 - Wuthering Heights (TV series one season), starring John Duttine and Amanda Root - have not seen it 1992 - Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, starring Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes - 2 stars: Fiennes is more mean and brittle than dark and brooding, while Binoche is too refined for Kathy. 1998 - Wuthering Heights, starring Robert Cavanah and Orla Brady - have not seen it. 2003 Wuthering Heights, starring Erika Christensen and Mike Vogel - modern day loose adaptation, I haven't seen it. 2009 - Wuthering Heights (limited TV series), starring Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy - 4 1/2 stars: These 2 actors are the among the best to assay these roles. They both have the acting heft and temperment to manage the layers these characters embody. Though note to ITV, for God's and all our sakes please get some better wigs. Only someone as massively talented as Tom Hardy could overcome that mop on his head. 2011 - Wuthering Heights, starring Kaya Scodelario and James Howson - 1 1/2 stars: Director Andrea Arnold's films, while interesting, are low in energy and understated. This style does not serve a wild Gothic ghost story. The film is a faded husk. (On the other hand, many critics lauded it.)
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
