The Pumpkin Eater (1964)

It's official -- Anne Bancroft is awesome.

I watched The Slender Thread last week, and was super impressed with Anne Bancroft's performance as a suicidal crisis center caller. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen her in anything before (I know, I added The Graduate to my Netflix queue and will be watching it soon!) so I'm now trying to play catch-up, though it seems like she doesn't have a massive filmography since she spent a lot of time on Broadway.

Last night I watched The Pumpkin Eater (1964) which co-stars Peter Finch and James Mason. Oh, I don't know if I've mentioned this but I'm also on a huge Peter Finch kick (if you haven't seen it yet, please watch Girl with Green Eyes. Amazing!!), so The Pumpkin Eater is a new-favorites goldmine!

Anyway, The Pumpkin Eater is about a woman with a massive amount of children who divorces her husband so that she can marry Peter Finch instead. At first he seems up for the challenge of raising the kids, even eager. But once he's settled down and realizes that alone time with his wife is almost non-existent, he gets the wandering eye. The film is about Anne Bancroft's struggle with his infidelity and her own fertility. Her performance was so real; in one scene, overcome with stress she starts crying in the middle of Harrods department store. And she cries like I cry when I'm overwhelmed with grief; she cries like a real person, hyperventilaing and almost choking on her own tears. It's not typical movie weeping, it's full-out crying. It was so painful to watch, because it felt so real.

The Pumpkin Eater featured a screenplay by Harold Pinter -- quickly becoming one of my favorite writers -- and it had the same quiet pace with small sudden bursts of energy that made me love his two Dirk Bogarde films, The Servant and Accident. I'm consistently amazed by how much is said in his films, considering the dialogue is relatively sparse. And it's all so real. I love how he has his characters repeat dialogue; it's something that happens so often in real life but you seldom see it on screen. James Mason's character, in particular, has a habit of repeating himself in an endearing, sad, lonely way.

One of the most poignant scenes in the film, though, had nothing to do with Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch or James Mason. When Anne's mother, played by Rosalind Atkinson, was coping with the loss of her husband the soft, tender sadness she displayed gave me goosebumps. Her sadness was completely different from Anne Bancroft's episode in Harrods -- it had a permanence about it, as though this sadness was the new way of life. She keeps dwelling on the fact that he's being cremated, since she can't bear the thought of him lying underground. It is a disturbing thing to harp on, yet you know that we all think things like this when people we love pass. It's almost comforting to hear someone saying it aloud.

I think that might be what this film is about; unspoken truths being spoken aloud. And it does that brilliantly.

Libel (1959)

I'm a pretty smart person, but when it comes to movies I hardly ever figure out the twists before they occur. I know if I put my mind to it, I could.. but I'm usually so caught up in the story that I don't try to figure out what's going to happen while the movie is playing. Such was the case with Libel. I'd imagine some people out there might guess the ending before it happens or figure out all the twists before the movie is halfway finished... but I was surprised every step of the way, as confused and shocked as the screenwriters hoped their audience would be.

The film is about a wealthy British aristocrat, Sir Mark Sebastian Loddon, who sues a newspaper for libel after they print an accusation that he is an imposter. What seems like a simple case of slander actually turns into a case of stolen identity when it's revealed that there were two men -- almost identitcal -- who escaped from a POW camp together, Sir Mark Loddon and the scoundrel Frank Welney. Only one of them returned, and said he was Sir Mark.

As soon as they introduce the character of Frank Welney into the proceedings, you the viewer and all of the characters in the film are suddenly thrown into a sea of doubt. Is Sir Mark actually Frank Welney? If so, whatever happened to the real Sir Mark?

Dirk Bogarde plays Sir Mark Loddon in the present setting, Sir Mark in the prison camp flashbacks, and Frank Welney. Dirk Bogarde is one of those people who sometimes looks completely different from one photo to the next, so while his Sir Mark does look remarkably like Frank Welney, you don't for a minute doubt that these are two different people- not twins or one person playing dual roles. And his present-day Sir Mark looks even different still! It's really impossible to tell just from appearances which man is calling himself Sir Mark Loddon.

Libel has an outstanding supporting cast, including one of my favorite character actors, Robert Morley and Wilfrid Hyde-White (who is always, in my mind, Col. Pickering) and features a pretty impressive performance by Olivia de Havilland as Dirk Bogarde's wife. In a way, her role is connected to the audience in that what she feels, we feel. Close-ups of her reactions to developments in the case are used as hints as to what she is thinking, and what we should think. When she has complete faith in her husband, so do we. And when she doubts her husband, so do we.

If you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat courtroom thriller, I highly suggest Libel! And if you're just looking for another Dirk Bogarde film to enjoy, look no further than Libel, where you get two Dirk's for the price of one!

The Slender Thread

Yesterday Millie wrote a post about The Slender Thread (1965) that got me so interested in seeing the film that I put aside a Dirk Bogarde re-watch to see this movie instead. The film is about a college student, Sidney Poitier, who receives a phone call from the suicidal Anne Bancroft while volunteering at a crisis hotline center. Both of them gave mind-blowing performances but I was especially taken with Anne Bancroft. I've actually never seen her in anything before (if you don't count her early role in Don't Bother to Knock) and boy did she impress me! She has such a collected way of falling apart, if that makes any sense.

Do yourself a favor and read Millie's amazing post, and then you have to see this film! Millie has a link to the YouTube upload in her post, so definitely check it out!

Celluloid and Canvas - Kim Novak

She might be best known today for her roles in films like Vertigo, Bell Book and Candle and Picnic, but Kim Novak is also an artist -- and a great one at that! She even won a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago and studied there for three years!

Luckily, I recently stumbled upon an International Artist magazine back-issue that highlighted Kim Novak's artwork -- about the same time that I also found a book about actors who paint which also featured her art. Both included interviews with Kim in which she spoke freely about her inspirations, insecurities and subject matter.

I've transcribed some excerpts of her interviews, and scanned some examples of her outstanding paintings. I hope this will provide some insight into the life and art of that sultry silver-screen enigma Kim Novak."When I paint it is me, not me as the Hollywood actress Kim Novak who decides the medium and the subject matter to paint. And yet I can never completely get away from the influence of Kim Novak. I find her strong feelings and responses showing up all the time. Her feelings are so powerful that they cannot be denied. They take over, sometimes almost beyond my control and I just let them go. Almost like using a weegee board where my paint brush can be driven madly in all directions. As if someone else was moving my hand for me"

"In Hollywood you're a collage but with art it's your own creation."

"I want the viewer to participate in the picture. I hope that my pictures call for participation."

"Art helped me through the tough days of Hollywood. I was able to get out my feelings and make it through another day. It was a way of expressing myself that they couldn't take away from me."

"The need to paint comes upon when I feel frustrated. In acting it all gets so diluted; in painting there is no compromise."

"I used to wait for my father to get off work at the railroad station I would draw the faces that I'd see in the waiting area. Then in Hollywood, painting became my therapy to release frustrations, aid with depression and even help define the character I was portraying."

"I have always been most proud of the two scholarships I won while in grade school. They were from the Chicago Art Institute and meant more to me than the Golden Globe or Europe's Golden Bear for Lifetime Achivement. It was the highlight of my life and the only thing I excelled in as a child. It really helped with my poor self esteem."

"I feel connected with the truth. My truth. I especially painted during difficult times during filming. But I never really shared what I did in my private time with my fellow actors. My art was there as a release from stress to keep my sanity."

"About confidence and insecurities: Do you think that it is perhaps because, as artists, we are more analytical and therefore more critical of ourselves? Yes, I do think we have higher expectations of ourselves and our art. I know that I am my worst critic, by far!"

"When I'm painting, I like to forget about the rules and just express my feelings... allow my head to get filled with music, like good jazz. And let my brushes dance, improvise. That is the ultimate expression for me! Feeling the dance. Feeling Free!"

"I was always a shy person who kept to myself. All my feelings were expressed in my art; and those I shared with very few. My art was there to help me survive in a world where I felt out of place."

"I feel that I now have found a good formula of balance in my life. I paint so there's time to spend with my four-legged friends; like riding my horse, exploring the countryside. It gives me the perspective I need. I come back with fresh eyes on life and for the canvas on which I'm working."

"There are paralells in acting and painting: My first impression, and reaction is what I trust more than anything else to guide me. In movies, it was always the story line, the script. In art, it is the subject matter that starts my fire. Then I need to hold on to that first reaction and develop a back story to go with it. I don't believe that a scene or an image can stand by itself without a sense of a beginning and a place for it to go. Keeping that story alive and fresh is essential. A scene in a movie, or a painting, both need character development to be interesting. They need a sense of purpose. I have found that it is essential to stay focused on telling the story; the truth as I know it. Total commitment no matter what. When it goes right, I'm not aware of the camera or lights; at least not on a conscious level. When it is working well, it flows freely. If I am distracted, nothing seems to go well; it all becomes false. The story, me and my work."

Self portrait

1956 portrait of Walter Keane

Kim wrote of this painting, "In the late 50's, the San Francisco artist Walter Keane did a painting of me and then I did an oil painting of him. I portrayed Walter as I saw him on the stage of life, as a sad clown. Little did I know at the time how true that would turn out to be; later he was exposed as a fraud and it was his wife who had been painting for him all those years."

The Girl and the Hummingbird

Girl With a Dream

Kim's father

Swimmer

Kim Novak in her studio with Harley Brown

Harmony With Self and Nature

Entwined

The Bond

Fallen Monarch

This is a portrait that Kim Novak did of her father in 1959. She wrote of the painting, "This is a picture of my father. The scene behind him is from the Petrified Forest. I see it as a man whose feelings are trapped, petrified He's unable to let out all of his feelings, his passion, so it dies."

This is a photo of Kim Novak standing in front of a mural she painted in her bedroom. According to the magazine article, Kim's entire bedroom is covered in murals. It must be so amazing to live within your own works of art!

Meltdown on Wall Street

The best birthday present EVER.

One of my best non-fleshies, Millie from ClassicForever made the most amazing birthday present for me EVER! On my birthday she offered to make me any finger puppet of my choice -- and I chose Dirk Bogarde wearing the funny green outfit in Hot Enough for June.

The puppet came in the mail today, and I was dumbstruck by how absolutely awesome it is!!!! Seriously, this is the most amazing thing in the universe! AHH!

And Millie realized that poor Dirk would be awfully lonely all by himself, so she made him a (get this!) KATE finger puppet, dressed as a 1960's spy (remember I said if I wasn't an artist I'd want to be a spy?) As Millie would say, Wowzie Kazam!!!! SERIOUSLY! AMAZING!!! (I mean, really I think I actually SQUEALED when I opened this package!!)

And because I'm an awfully silly-girly-fangirl at heart (and also a total dork!) this is what I did when I got the puppets in the mail today:

I know, it's embarrassing and I am SUCH a dork! But come on, what would YOU do with a finger puppet of yourself and your biggest movie star crush ;-D
Thank you Millie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeanne Moreau in The Bride Wore Black

I just watched this three nights ago, and it was fantastic! The film is about a woman who avenges her husband's murder on their wedding day. Jeanne Moreau is so perfect in the role, calmly and cooly carrying out her revenge.

The art is mixed media (acrylic, graphite and image transfer on paper)

Artwork for Le Notti Bianche

More artwork in my new style :) Just to clarify- these are acrylic paintings with image transfer on top, they are NOT digital. This one is from Le Notti Bianche; this particular scene absolutely broke my heart..

Artwork for The Wind Cannot Read

Ok, I am officially obsessed with this new artform! I just did this one now, which is from a screenshot in The Wind Cannot Read. I think I've got the hang of matching up the colors to the image so I might re-do the first one to make sure her hairline matches the photo better.

This movie was so beautiful, I might do a few from it! Ah! SO excited about these! lol! :-D

Artwork for Petulia

I've been very unhappy with my classic movie artwork lately -- it's basically just been plain old pencil drawings of glamour shots or outline-style pop art paintings. I've wanted to do something really different for a while and finally came up with something I like.

This is mixed media and actually ended up taking me much more time, and was a lot harder, than the art I'm used to doing but I love the outcome so much!! I think it's completely different from anything I've done before, and it finally gives me the opportunity to combine classic movies with REAL art. Not that my sketches weren't real art, but I just feel like I'd be comfortable submitting this style to galleries, and I wouldn't have with my other artwork.

Sorry, I'm just so excited about this! I want to go do another one now! I have another screenshot from Petulia picked out. I still haven't titled this yet, but I'm working on it..

Feb. 14th anniversaries.

When I see Feb 14th coming up on the calendar, I think of two significant events in my life that occured on this date. To me, Feb 14th will always have a very different meaning than Hallmark cards and candy.

***

There are certain performers who make such an enormous impact on your life that you always remember where you were when you first time you heard their music, or saw them in a movie. On February 14th 2000, I was making a mix-tape for my parents for Valentines Day (I was thirteen, okay?) and went rummaging through my dad's CDs to get some songs for the tape. Now, to understand how serendipitous it was that I ended up with a Sinatra CD you have to first understand my dad's taste in music. How Sinatra ended up in a stack of David Bowie, T-Rex, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Roxy Music and Bauhaus I'll never know. But somehow I spotted it, and thought it might be good for a romantic tape.

The first song I played was All The Way.



I had originally intended on this being a MIX tape, but it ended up being a Sinatra tape. He's been my favorite singer ever since, and his music has had a tremendous impact on my life. Discovering him at the beginning of my teenage years meant his music was there through all those horrible ups and downs (mostly downs) that come with the moody territory.

I know I told this same story before on his birthday last year (so sue me, I don't have many interesting stories up my sleeve) but I felt like I had to say something to mark this anniversary. A whole decade of Frank Sinatra.

***

But by far the best Valentines Day of my life occurred on Feb 14th, 2003. My mom surprised me and my brother when she yelled, "Get dressed! We're going to pick out a cat!" It was totally unexpected, and pouring down rain outside, but we drove over to the local no-kill shelter.

I had my heart set on a white cat, and my mom wanted a black cat. But all notions of "the perfect cat" flew out the window when we saw Frosty. Three of her legs were bandaged due to frostbite, and she had lost half of her tail. She was a skinny, bony little runt with giant, sad eyes. She had been abused and left out in the cold of winter with no idea how to survive -- after having trouble finding food and coping with the freezing weather, Frosty had given up. When the animal shelter workers found her, she was curled up in a ball, waiting to die.



Seven years later, she's a fat, ornery cat named Chloe. Despite the showering of affection she receives, she's still weary of humans since she was abused and doesn't let us handle her much. But considering her past, we completely understand and give her everything else she wants. She's very spoiled and often attacks our legs if we walk by her without sprinkling some snacks on the floor! She's also prone to biting arms, and knocking glasses off the face with the swipe of a paw.

Her nickname is "The Assassin" because of the way she weaves through our legs, trying to trip us on the steps. But despite her violent tendencies, she's really a sweetheart. She loves to be petted-- when she's in the mood-- and her purrs are ten times louder than any cat I've ever heard. And she still has those huge, sad eyes.

No matter if I have a real date on Valentines Day -- for my entire life, Chloe will be my little valentine :)

A FREE DVD - Happy Valentine's Day to my readers!

I published this yesterday, but I guess the title wasn't obvious enough because I had an irritatingly small amount of feedback. So, trying again on the real Valentines Day... PLEASE ask me for a DVD, I really want to share them. I mean, come on! He's not that bad, please give his movies a try???? Pretty please with sugar on top???

***
I was feeling a bit mopey this week about the fact that, give or take a few very willing guinea pigs, I haven't managed to convince too many people yet that Dirk Bogarde is a marvelous actor. I've realized that this is partially because it's incredibly hard to find copies of his movies in America, so nobody can really watch his films to find this out!

I know, you've heard me rant and rave about the stupid Region 1/Region 2 thing way too many times on this blog, but the truth is unless you have an all region player or are seriously determined to track down Region 1 British DVDs in America, you are probably missing out on a lot of great movies and actors.

So for Valentine's Day I've decided to share my love of Dirk Bogarde movies in a totally different way. Writing reviews of his films is all well and good but if you can't see the darn thing after I write about it, I'm not helping to expand his fan base any, am I?

My Valentine's Day gift to you is your choice of any Dirk Bogarde film from my collection, totally free. Just send me an email at silentsandtalkies@yahoo.com with your movie choice & an address, and I'll mail you a copy next week. Or, if you'd like you can just give me a random idea of what genre you like and I'll pick one out as a surprise!

Hopefully seeing one of his movies will whet your appetite for more, and you'll finally be interested when I do Dirk Bogarde posts here :) I really want to share my enthusiasm with you and help Dirk Bogarde gain some more fans, rather than boring you all to death with my constant posts about him!

Here is my list of Dirk Bogarde movies for you to choose from -- if I wrote a review of the movie, I've linked to it in the title:

Dancing With Crime (1947)
Esther Waters (1948)
Quartet (1948)
Once a Jolly Swagman (1949)
Dear Mr. Prohack (1949)
The Blue Lamp (1950)
So Long at the Fair (1950)
The Woman in Question (1950)
Hunted (1952)
Penny Princess (1952)
The Gentle Gunman (1952)
Appointment in London (1952)
Doctor in the House (1953)
Simba (1955)
Doctor at Sea (1955)
Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)
The Spanish Gardener (1956)
Night Ambush (aka Ill Met by Moonlight) (1957)
Doctor at Large (1957)
Campbell's Kingdom (1957)
A Tale of Two Cities (1958)
The Wind Cannot Read (1958)
The Doctor's Dilemma (1958)
Libel (1959)
The Angel Wore Red (1960)
Song Without End (1960)
The Password is Courage (1962)
(The picture freezes a few times)
The Mind Benders (1962)
I Could Go On Singing (1963)
Doctor in Distress (1963)
The Servant (1963)
Hot Enough for June (1964)
The High Bright Sun (1964)
Darling (1965)
Modesty Blaise (1966)
Accident (1967)
Sebastian (1968)
The Fixer (1968)
Justine (1969)
Permission to Kill (1975)
Despair (1978)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

The Wind Cannot Read (1958)

I should begin by saying that I am a real girly girl -- I like movies that are corny, sentimental and dramatic, and I'm not ashamed to say so! And this movie is very corny, sentimental and dramatic.

I should also point out that when it comes to movies, I have a knack for suspension of disbelief, and I think that's a necessary quality when it comes to enjoying films like The Wind Cannot Read. Sure, there are a bunch of plot twists that would be close to impossible in reality, but that's why this is a movie and not a documentary. Some movies require you to forget reality -- and in my opinion that often makes them more enjoyable.

Now, with those two disclaimers out of the way I'll tell you a little about the film. It takes place in India during World War II. The British are teaching some of their soldiers Japanese so that they can interrogate Japanese POWs in India, and Dirk Bogarde is selected as one of the students. Complications ensue when Dirk falls head over heels for his language teacher, Yoko Tani. Their courtship at first is almost embarrassingly awkward, yet awfully adorable. It blossoms into an epic love, one that reminded me of Doctor Zhivago, Cold Mountain and Now Voyager; that unearthly attachment between two people that makes war and torture seem like a walk in the park compared to the agony of separation.

The movie starts out relatively slow, but the last half of the movie is an emotional roller coaster. I actually cried more than once (real tears streaming down my face, not just watery eyes, mind you!) and felt my stomach doing somersaults during the war scenes. I actually felt exhausted when the movie was over. But a good exhausted-- this was a fantastic movie, and watching it was a very enjoyable experience.

I really believe, though, that it would only be enjoyable if you were able to suspend all disbelief and just let yourself get whisked away into the fantasy of the movie. I think an imagination is one of the best things a person can have -- without it life would be so dull. I'd hate to watch this movie and only see the unrealistic flaws. I only bring this up because after being overwhelmed by the movie I whipped out my Dirk Bogarde book by Robert Tanitch. The book has a little synopsis of each movie, photos and original reviews from the time the movies were released. I usually like to read the original reviews because Tanitch doesn't seem to be much of a fan of Dirk Bogarde (why he wrote a whole book one someone he obviously doesn't like escapes me) but this time I peeked at what he wrote anyway. When describing a particular scene (which I won't mention because it gives away the plot; Another stupid thing about this book.) Tanitch writes, "[it] was so improbable as to be silly." He also wrote, "The wind cannot read, and on the evidence of this script, she cannot write either."

I'll be the first to admit that there are cliches in the film, and some of the plot twists you can see coming from a mile away. But Tanitch doesn't seem to grasp that this is an unrealistic epic love story, not a documentary about World War II. You expect different things from different movies, and you need to appreciate this film for what it is: a lovely, hopelessly romantic chick flick that requires suspension of disbelief.

As for the reviews from the film's release, there was one that really nailed Dirk Bogarde's matinee-idol style of the 50's, though I personally disagree with his use of the words "too much". In it, the author (from the Sunday Express) states that Dirk Bogarde "still offers too much of the wry smile, the imperceptibly quivering stiff upper lip, the spaniel pathos in the eyes." This is actually a perfect description of his characteristics during this time period, but they were fitting, not excessive, considering his popularity with the female fans, and the fact that roles like this one are supposed to be sort of fantasy figure for the bobby-soxers. And despite his swoon-worthy facial mannerisms that seem to have irked the male film critics of the time, Dirk Bogarde was definitely already showing signs of the awesome talent he'd become in the early 1960's.

"Be there a heaven on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this."

I took 30 screen shots in all, to see them click here.

This post was originally published on my Discovering Dirk Bogarde blog.

Spooky movie suggestions?

We're having major snowstorms in my neck of the woods, and I love it! I don't think it's snowed this much since I was in elementary school. Some of my favorite memories of being a kid include snow; I'd go out sledding with my friends, make snowmen and snow angels and have oodles of snowball fights. But my favorite part of snow days was coming inside! My mom would have hot chocolate, toasty pajamas right out of the dryer and my blankets and pillows all ready, waiting for me to get cozy on the couch to watch a movie.

I might still go sledding, but all this snow has me in cozy mode. Despite a laundry list of things to do as tall as me (a petite 5' but still..) all I want to do is make some hot chocolate, snuggle with my blankets (and cat) and watch a movie. And no movies make me quite as snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug as spooky ones!

I just watched The Uninvited this weekend for the first time, and I loved it (and highly recommend it!) Now I'm in the mood for more films of that genre, but I can't think of any. I flipped through my dvds looking for anything remotely resembling a ghostly-spooky-haunted kind of movie, but all I can come up with are thrillers and mysteries about murderers or psychopaths. It's just not what I have in mind...

Any suggestions for spooky flicks are greatly welcome!!

Sebastian (1968)

I finally (finally!) watched Sebastian last night -- I've been meaning to for well over a month and just never seemed to find the time. But it was definitely worth the wait. I don't want to give away much of the plot, since it's nice to discover what's going on yourself, but I will say that it's a suspenseful, intriguing, very entertaining film with fantastic 1960's fashions and camerawork and, as usual, an outstanding performance by Dirk Bogarde.

I've been drawing a huge blank when trying to write reviews lately, so please pardon me if that last paragraph is the extent of my review. I hope these FIFTY screenshots will make up for that ;-D

To see the rest, click here.

Zing! Went the strings of my heart

In December I made my Top 20 Favorite Actors list, and my criteria was pretty strict. I couldn't include an actor just because I enjoyed watching him onscreen, I had to think their entire filmography was pretty impressive, their skills superior to the thousands of other actors who wouldn't make it onto my list.

While that list included some of my drool-worthy favorites, crushing was not a factor in my decision at all. So I thought it was about time I made a list of the actors that I would watch in any movie at all, regardless of its nature, stature, quality or subject matter, just for the shallow pleasure of seeing them onscreen.

Who but Dirk Bogarde could get me to sit through a movie about alcoholic cheese? Who else but Robert Redford could get me to watch movies made after 1970!? Would I have watched a movie about mercenaries in Africa if Rod Taylor wasn't the star? Doubtful. And considering the fact that my least favorite genres are adventure and westerns, I can honestly say that I've watched almost every adventure or western that the following men starred in.

So, without further ado, my list of actors who give me goosebumps just thinking about their movies...

DIRK!
Sorry to the other guys who follow, but seriously, I love
Dirk more than all them combined. *swoon*

Robert Redford
Gosh, was he dreamy in The Way We Were.. and Out of Africa..
and The Hot Rock... and Barefoot in the Park...

Dana Andrews
I think I've watched My Foolish Heart over 100 times now.
That scene in the elevator... *fans face*

Cliff Robertson
If I was Gidget, this is who I would have picked.

Rod Taylor
Just try watching Sunday in New York and NOT
falling in love with him.

Gary Cooper
Do men even look like this anymore? Seriously, he was perfect.

Cary Grant
But only in the 50's and 60's, actually. Like fine wine, he really
grew better with age. In the 30's and 40's, though, I think he
was just grape juice ;-D


Who are your swoon-worthy stars??

Kreativ (Creative?) Blogger Award

An enormous, huge, epic thank you to Jacqueline at Another Old Movie Blog for passing along the Kreativ Blogger Award to me. Hers is one of my favorite blogs, and I'm absolutely tickled pink to know she reads and appreciates my blog too!

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So the rules state that you have to list seven "interesting" things about yourself.... I'll try.

1. I really, really hate having to list interesting facts about myself. All of my "facts about me" posts are always my least viewed, least commented-on posts, and considering the fact you're about to learn in #2, this leads me to think I'm a dull, uninteresting bore who should have just skipped the post to begin with.

2. I over think EVERYTHING.

3. I blush really easily... it's pretty easy to tell if I'm embarrassed, scared, guilty, hurt or standing within a 20 foot distance of a handsome guy.

4. If I wasn't an artist I'd want to be a spy... but considering how easily I blush I'd probably be a dead giveaway.

5. I had about ten different number fives, but I just kept erasing them and starting over, so I just gave up. See, I over think everything!!

6. I have such good dreams that I'm really disappointed when I realize I'm about to wake up -- but then I hardly ever remember any details about them once I do.

7. My family is super-impressed that I have a kids book (The Fish Who Could Wish) two A.E. Housman poems and two Shakespeare monologues committed to memory, so I'm forced to do recitations to kill the awkward silences at most of our family gatherings :-p


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I hereby doth proclaim these 7 blogs nominated:

My twitter pals:

1. Millie at ClassicForever
2. Casey at NoirGirl
3. Nicole at Vintage Film Nerd
4. Sarah at Cinema Splendor
5. Terry at A Shroud of Thoughts
6. Elizabeth at Oh by Jingo! Oh by Gee!

And just because I'm so darn happy that she's blogging again:

7. Ginger at Asleep in New York
***

Here are the rules and regulations:

1. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. Okay, I skipped this part. I hope whoever created (sorry, I mean kreatid) the award doesn't hunt me down and make me give it back.

2. Link to the person who nominated you for this award. Check!

3. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting. Check! (Well, except the whole interesting part)

4. Nominate 7 other bloggers, and post links to the 7 blogs you nominate. Check!

5. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated. Sort of check (I'm telling six of them on twitter)

6. Make Kate happy by starting to call this the Creative Blogger Award as you pass it along!! ;-D

***
PS. Lolita is having a design contest over at her blog, Lolita's Classics. The prize is a $10 gift certificate towards any of my art shops... head over and take a peek :-)

PPS. The movie chain started by Wendy of Movie Viewing Girl, continued by me, KC and Sally is stalled at the moment -- if you're interested, head over to Sally's blog and call dibs on the next link in the chain!