This is one of my favorite events of the year, and not just because I’m the co-hostess. It’s simply that good. And fun. Oh, so much fun!
Here’s my original announcement.
ANNOUNCING THE 2019 REEL INFATUATION BLOGATHON
I hope you’ll join us!
Reel Infatuation 2019-Cary Grant
Yes, it’s almost time for another round of crush-sharing! We hope you’re as excited as we are, which is to say we kind of feel like this right now…
Clara shares our enthusiasm
We have to go work on our RI post now (oh, Artie Gordon!), but we’ll see you on the 8th!
2018 RI Banner (To Catch a Thief)
Thanks to Ruth of Silver Screenings for being our fab co-host!
Douglas Fairbanks, one of the most charismatic individuals to ever step foot in front of a movie camera, was born on this day in 1883. Cheers to you, sir!
Douglas Fairbanks in His Majesty, the American (1919)
Happy birthday, Marlene Dietrich!
(27 December 1901)
Marlene Google Doodle
Angela Greene, 1946
Maureen O’Hara, 1945
Greta Garbo was born on 18 September 1905. Here she is in a publicity photo from Anna Christie (1930).
Greta Garbo in Anna Christie (1930).
You can buy a reproduction poster here:
Anna Christie Movie Poster by Walls Need. $14.99+.
This is my entry in the Classic Movie History Project, hosted by Movies Silently, Once Upon a Screen, and Silver Screenings.
Classic Movie History Project
Ossi gets emancipated
THE EMANCIPATION OF OSSI OSWALDA: I DON’T WANT TO BE A MAN (1918)
“You are a dream; I hope I never meet you.”-Sylvia Plath
Reliable biographical information on German silent movie actress Ossi Oswalda is scant. Even worse, the crumbs that do exist often conflict with one another. To be blunt: facts are on particularly unreliable ground here. Matters are further gummed up by the early-film habit of naming characters after their actors. Ossi was often Ossi, or, to add variety, Össi. Who was who was who? Does it matter? Fortunately, since the focus of this essay is on her incredible comedic performance in I Don’t Want to Be a Man (1918), I’m not particularly concerned with the trajectory of her personal life, or to what extent her true personality coursed through the veins of her screen selves. Even though her off-screen circumstances, opportunities, and choices undoubtedly affected her career, an understanding of them is not a fundamental component to enjoying her remarkable gifts. It would benefit us to take a page from her delightful films, and, at least for the duration of this piece, leave the logical, workaday world behind in favor of the magical hinterland of the imagination. Let’s travel to a place, then, where time and reality don’t matter, where Our Heroine, in her various fictional disguises, is forever brave, scampish, and determined to grab every experience within her reach.
Ossi Oswalda, circa 1917
To sheltered twenty-first century viewers, Ossi Oswalda can seem like a young woman ahead of her time. Her screen characters embrace values that we chauvinistically claim as exclusively ours: they are full of physical courage and a feminist resolve to be treated as equal to all comers, have spicy senses of humor, are confidently attractive, take chances as if they were made for risk, and rebel against the mundane as a matter of principle.
Silent film fans know better. Continue reading
Thanks to all who participated in, read, shared, or otherwise engaged in the inaugural #ReelInfatuation Blogathon!
Reel Infatuation Jagger Banner
You know who you are, and you’re ALL the best (especially our co-hostest with the mostest).
Here’s a round-up of all five fabulous days:
Although we plan on doing a second Reel Infatuation Blogathon, you don’t have to wait that long to join in the fun. The character crush conversation will continue on our website, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. Stay tuned for more info.
Until then…
Cheers!
Move over, Jackie and Lee. The unofficial (and totally made-up) title of The Most Stylish Sisters of 1954 goes to Betty and Judy Haynes. These savvy and sensational showbiz siblings prove the veracity of the famous Coco Chanel quote: “Fashion changes, but style endures.”
Bombshells in Blue
Their styles are different, but, as befits a sister act, complementary. Betty (Rosemary Clooney) is chic but serious; this perfectly suits her role as the mother hen elder sister. Judy (Vera-Ellen), the irresponsible kid sis, is kicky and fun on-stage and off; her wardrobe definitely fits her attitude. They both know how to dress, with panache, elegance, and personal style, for any occasion that presents itself. Proof of this can be found in the following fashion show… Continue reading
This is Part II of my contribution to the #ReelInfatuation Blogathon, which I’m co-hosting with Ruth of Silver Screenings. You can find Part I here.
The focus of this whole thing is, of course, Dean Jagger as General Waverly. I took care of that in Part I. Part II is just an overview of the film itself, which is so well-known as to be part of our cultural fabric. Part III will cover the amazing fashions featured in the film.
Vera-Ellen Reel Infatuation Banner
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Irving Berlin’s White Christmas
Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) are two entertainers serving in the Army in WWII. They’re not very good soldiers, but they are worth their weight in songs. Continue reading
Font and Frock 