Bringing out all these things on the screen, separating them from the incidentals, seems to me to confront a film, a film based on factual reports, with a more substantial responsibility than the artistic reproduction of events: the responsibility of sounding a warning from real events, of educating, and in this way ultimately having a preventive effect…
Peter LorreinM(Fritz Lang, 1931), the story of the hunt for a pedophile killer through the underworld of Berlin
Remembering Judy Garland on her birthday (June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969)
“Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”
“I’ve always taken ‘The Wizard of Oz’ very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I’ve spent my entire life trying to get over it.”
James StewartandGinger RogersfilmingVivacious Lady(1938)
Happy heavenly birthday to Jimmy, my all time favorite actor! He was born on this day in Indiana, Pennsylvania in 1908! Today, he would be 114 years old.
Anthony Perkins,Fred Astaire, and Gregory Peck, who had all been Audrey Hepburn’s leading men in previous films, send Audrey a message from the set of On The Beach. Audrey starred alongside Anthony in Green Mansion, Fred in Funny Face, and Gregory in Roman Holiday. (1959)
Happy heavenly birthday to Fred! He was born on this day in Omaha, Nebraska in 1899! Today, he would be 123 years old.
When you think of a Canadian tuxedo, you probably picture the head to toe denim outfits worn by pop stars Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears in 2001 to the American Music Awards. Justin’s matching denim suit and cowboy hat and Britney’s strapless, floor length dress have become synonymous with the term “Canadian tuxedo.” It was worn by celebrities long before this couple made this lasting fashion statement over 20 years ago. So, where did the famous denim on denim look originate?
Bing Crosby was the first to make this look famous. It began in 1951 when Bing, one of the biggest stars of his time, and Bill Morrow, his radio show producer, stopped to check in at the Hotel Vancouver after a hunting trip. When the bellhop, Art Cameron, saw two men in all denim and cowboy boots walk into the upper class hotel, the men were turned away. The bellhop didn’t recognize the singer and later said the men looked like “bums,” so Art told them they had no rooms available. Thankfully, another bellhop, Ray Morrison, recognized Bing and was able to correct Art’s mistake. When Levi’s heard about the mix up, they created this suit made of denim for Bing and presented it to him at the Silver State Stampede in Elko, Nevada. The suit, named the Canadian Tuxedo, went down in history as the first of many iconic Canadian Tuxedo looks worn by stars throughout the years.
When you think of a Canadian tuxedo, you probably picture the head to toe denim outfits worn by pop stars Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears in 2001 to the American Music Awards. Justin’s matching denim suit and cowboy hat and Britney’s strapless, floor length dress have become synonymous with the term “Canadian tuxedo.” It was worn by celebrities long before this couple made this lasting fashion statement over 20 years ago. So, where did the famous denim on denim look originate?
Bing Crosby was the first to make this look famous. It began in 1951 when Bing, one of the biggest stars of his time, and Bill Morrow, his radio show producer, stopped to check in at the Hotel Vancouver after a hunting trip. When the bellhop, Art Cameron, saw two men in all denim and cowboy boots walk into the upper class hotel, the men were turned away. The bellhop didn’t recognize the singer and later said the men looked like “bums,” so Art told them they had no rooms available. Thankfully, another bellhop, Ray Morrison, recognized Bing and was able to correct Art’s mistake. When Levi’s heard about the mix up, they created this suit made of denim for Bing and presented it to him at the Silver State Stampede in Elko, Nevada. The suit, named the Canadian Tuxedo, went down in history as the first of many iconic Canadian Tuxedo looks worn by stars throughout the years.
Janet Leigh, Grace Kelly, Ann Blyth. Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, John Ericson, Marge Champion, and Louis Calhern at the MGM commissary (c. 1954/1955)
Sidney PoitierandHarry Belafonte at Sardi’s restaurant in New York for a party in honor of Lorraine Hansberry’s Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun, photographed by Gordon Parks (March 1959)
Happy heavenly birthday to Sidney! Today would have been his 95th birthday!
“Lupe Vélez, the movie star in the ‘30s. Well, her career hit the skids, so she decided she’d make one final stab at immortality. She figured if she couldn’t be remembered for her movies, she’d be remembered for the way she died. And all Lupe wanted was to be remembered. So, she plans this lavish suicide - flowers, candles, silk sheets, white satin gown, full hair and makeup, the works. She takes the overdose of pills, lays on the bed, and imagines how beautiful she’s going to look on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper. Unfortunately, the pills don’t sit well with the enchilada combo plate she sadly chose as her last meal. She stumbles to the bathroom, trips and goes head-first into the toilet, and that’s how they found her.”
This scene from Frasier where Roz Doyle describes the tragic ending of the actress Lupe Vélez stood out in my mind since the first time I watched it as a child. Little did I know, this was a sensationalized version of Lupe’s suicide that had allegedly been written by author Kenneth Anger in 1959 for his book Hollywood Babylon. In reality, Lupe passed away in her bed as she had hoped after taking sleeping pills.
Lupe had found success in Hollywood not long after moving from her home in Mexico and soon started starring opposite major stars of her time such as Douglas Fairbanks and Gary Cooper. Vélez went on to be known for her role in the Mexican Spitfire film series and paved the way as one of the first successful Mexican American actresses in Hollywood.
In 1944, Lupe learned she was pregnant with actor Harald Raymond’s child. Harald refused to marry her, which she said led to her choice to commit suicide on December 14 by consuming a lethal dose of sleeping pills. Whether her choice to take her life was caused by fears of being a single mother or perhaps due to undiagnosed mental health issues has been debated. Nonetheless, she sadly chose to take her life that day, leaving a note behind for Harald Raymond. “Harald, May God forgive you and forgive me too, but I prefer to take my life away and our baby’s before I bring him with shame or killing him.” On the opposite side, she wrote, “How could you, Harald, fake such a great love for me and our baby when all the time, you didn’t want us? I see no other way out for me, so goodbye, and good luck to you, Love Lupe.” She was found by her secretary, Beulah Kinder, lying peacefully as if she were resting.
Grace Kelly and Clark Gable on the set of Mogambo (1952)
It has been speculated since filming began for Mogambo in 1952 that Grace Kelly and Clark Gable had an affair. Whether their love for each other was romantic or merely platonic has been debated throughout the years and it has even been theorized that the studio fabricated a story of romance between the two co-stars for publicity. Ava Gardner, who starred alongside the two in the film, later said, “Clark’s eyes were definitely on Gracie and hers, for that matter, were on him. They were both single at the time, and it’s very normal for any woman to be in love with Clark.”
Despite all of the dinners they shared while filming in Africa, all of the time spent together on and off set, and even allegedly skinny dipping together according to a friend of Grace’s, Clark suddenly started keeping his distance from Grace once they returned to London to shoot interior shots in February ‘53. Grace was, of course, hurt by his sudden, inexplicable cold demeanor. The reasoning behind his actions, however, were not against Grace, despite the gossip columnists’ claims that he did so because he did not want to marry her. In truth, Clark was in the middle of a divorce from Lady Sylvia Ashley and did not want to cause any issues. Clark later escorted Grace to the Academy Awards in 1954 where she was nominated for best supporting actress for her role in Mogambo, which she did not win.
Sources
High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto
“Lupe Vélez, the movie star in the ‘30s. Well, her career hit the skids, so she decided she’d make one final stab at immortality. She figured if she couldn’t be remembered for her movies, she’d be remembered for the way she died. And all Lupe wanted was to be remembered. So, she plans this lavish suicide - flowers, candles, silk sheets, white satin gown, full hair and makeup, the works. She takes the overdose of pills, lays on the bed, and imagines how beautiful she’s going to look on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper. Unfortunately, the pills don’t sit well with the enchilada combo plate she sadly chose as her last meal. She stumbles to the bathroom, trips and goes head-first into the toilet, and that’s how they found her.”
This scene from Frasier where Roz Doyle describes the tragic ending of the actress Lupe Vélez stood out in my mind since the first time I watched it as a child. Little did I know, this was a sensationalized version of Lupe’s suicide that had allegedly been written by author Kenneth Anger in 1959 for his book Hollywood Babylon. In reality, Lupe passed away in her bed as she had hoped after taking sleeping pills.
Lupe had found success in Hollywood not long after moving from her home in Mexico and soon started starring opposite major stars of her time such as Douglas Fairbanks and Gary Cooper. Vélez went on to be known for her role in the Mexican Spitfire film series and paved the way as one of the first successful Mexican American actresses in Hollywood.
In 1944, Lupe learned she was pregnant with actor Harald Raymond’s child. Harald refused to marry her, which she said led to her choice to commit suicide on December 14 by consuming a lethal dose of sleeping pills. Whether her choice to take her life was caused by fears of being a single mother or perhaps due to undiagnosed mental health issues has been debated. Nonetheless, she sadly chose to take her life that day, leaving a note behind for Harald Raymond. “Harald, May God forgive you and forgive me too, but I prefer to take my life away and our baby’s before I bring him with shame or killing him.” On the opposite side, she wrote, “How could you, Harald, fake such a great love for me and our baby when all the time, you didn’t want us? I see no other way out for me, so goodbye, and good luck to you, Love Lupe.” She was found by her secretary, Beulah Kinder, lying peacefully as if she were resting.
