old hollywood

Marilyn

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marilyn

I know, obvious, right?

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But, sometimes you just need to state it.

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We all know she got kind of a bum rap.

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She got labeled the bombshell (and, let’s be fair–she played the role) and, when she wanted to bust out of it, she really couldn’t.

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I always just want to give her a big hug when I see her on screen.

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Just a big hug and a whisper in her ear to run in the opposite direction that she was headed in.

American Masters: Marilyn Monroe

I wish her stage work was available to see. Is it?  Am I missing something?

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Ohhhh, how wonderful it would be to see that.

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Everything I’ve read and heard points to the fact that she gave her best performances on stage, in classes.

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Regardless, she’s beautiful.  I always prefer the un-made-up Marilyn.  The fresh faced Marilyn.  The Marilyn that wasn’t being Marilyn.  The peek at Norma.

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Stone Face

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I’m branching out into the male side of things today.

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Buster Keaton–my all-time favorite comedian and actor.

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I didn’t discover Keaton until college–hell, I waited until my senior year in college to discover Keaton.

It was in film class.  He was briefly mentioned in a lecture, and we saw a short clip.

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I was transfixed.  I laughed so hard at just that little clip.

It helped that I found (and still find) him to be quite a good looking chap.

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Too bad he was so short…..and long dead by the time I came along.

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I did my final project on Keaton as a director for that class.  It didn’t even seem like work, sitting down and watching his fims.  Reading every single thing I could get my hands on that even briefly mentioned him.

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I’ve heard you’re either a Keaton fan or a Chaplin fan.

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I’m as far into Keaton territory as you can get.  Don’t get me wrong, Charlie Chaplin was a phenomenal talent, and had a by FAR greater business sense than Keaton (sadly) ever did.  Chaplin enjoyed much more success than Keaton, though there are some schools of thought that Keaton’s work is becomming more popular as time goes on.

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Something I find with Keaton–he translates surprisingly well to now.  I don’t feel that with Chaplin.

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He did all his own stunts.  Starting his career on stage in vaudeville with his parents, he learned pratfalls as a toddler.  The man had no fear.  No way would studios today allow big stars to take the risks he took.

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Oh, and he’s so, so, so very funny. If you have yet to watch a Keaton film, I strongly suggest starting out with what many consider to be his masterpiece, “The General”.  Though, “Steamboat Bill, Jr” remains my favorite.

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Elizabeth

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I have a confession.

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I haven’t actually watched a lot of Elizabeth Taylor’s movies.  I’ve seen “National Velvet”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (amazing performance), “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof”, “Father of the Bride” and “Father’s Little Dividend”, and the 1943 “Jane Eyre” where she plays Helen.  That’s not a lot of her films, when you consider her life’s work.

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However, Elizabeth Taylor was always known to me.  How, I’m not sure.  Maybe it was being a child of the 80s–she was always seen in pictures with those childhood favorites of mine (Michael Jackson, Madonna, etc).  She was just always there.

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And I could never take my eyes off of her.

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Love her, hate her, think she’s a genius, or a crazy person, you can’t deny–she has your attention when she’s on screen.

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It’s not just that she is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.  It’s not just those eyes (those eyes!).

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She has that certain something.  That something you can’t put into words, you can’t put your finger on.  You just know it when you see it.

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She always seemed like a good soul to me.  She seemed to truly love and care for those around her, and to truly want to make a difference.

“Big girls need big diamonds.”

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“I don’t like my voice. I don’t like the way I look. I don’t like the way I
move. I don’t like the way I act. I mean, period. So, you know, I don’t like
myself.”

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“I’ve been through it all, baby, I’m mother courage.”

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Myrna

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Myrna Loy 1934

I first saw Myrna Loy in “The Thin Man” (and if you haven’t seen that movie, you simply MUST–I’d have to say it’s my favorite movie of all time) and I was smitten from the moment she walked on screen.

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You can’t take your eyes off of her when she’s on the screen.

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Those eyebrows!  Those eyes!

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For me, she is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.

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And she’s funny.  Comedy is, in my opionion, the hardest thing to play on screen or on stage (and, believe me, I’ve attempted it–and failed miserably).  You either have it, or you don’t.

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Watching just the first 5 minutes of her on screen in “The Thin Man”, and you KNOW she has it.

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Just a beautiful woman, and from what I’ve read about her, that extended to her personality as well.

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So, go watch a Myrna Loy movie or two–trust me, it’s so totally worth it.

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“I was glamorous because of magicians like George J. Folsey, James Wong Howe, Oliver Marsh, Ray June, and all those other great cinematographers. I trusted those men and the other experts who made us beautiful. The rest of it I didn’t give a damn about. I didn’t fuss about my clothes, my lighting, or anything else, but, believe me, some of them did.”

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