Why do we love leopard print?

I recently watched The Apartment (1964) and had to rewind to see again the amazing hat and tote bag belonging to Mr Sheldrake's secretary. Although the film is in black and white I had a serious case of leopard print envy.

In the film Laura (1944) Laura's sugar daddy admirer is first shown sitting in a bath with a leopard print covered sofa in the background.

In Some like it Hot (1959) I too didn't care for Daphne's (Jack Lemmon) legs, but I loved her/his coat with the face fattering faux (I assume) leopard collar.

Winter is coming and I have a coat which I purchased last year a Pop Boutique in Covent Garden, London which gets me looks of admiration, lots of complements and the odd bitchy female remark (Poor dears).

I have tried to research but have not managed to find any explanation for our love of this particular animal print; why not zebra? I can only assume poor leopard were prized hunters skins and rich society ladies wore mink and leopard to show their wealth which caught on with the office secretary etc. Remember the recent Cecil the Lion killing? I am not condoning this or any other killing of animals for fun but have come across real leopard hats in vintage stores and was surely tempted.

COMING SOON

I have been away due to bereavement, unemployment and moving home.

See you in 2015 with a new look.

Many thanks.

Balconygirl.

The Oscars. My new category for 2014.

My new category is best non living/non human character.


These are my nominees: 

9. Ghost (1990) Mr Sam Wheat - Best boyfriend ghost

8. Casper (1995) Casper - Cutest friendly ghost

7. Blithe Spirit (1945) Mrs Elvira Condomine - Most annoying ghost

6. Shawshank Redemption (1994) Mr Stephens - Best apparition/phantom 

5. Cast Away (2000) Mr Wilson - Best ball boy

4. Lars and the Real Girl (2007) Miss Bianca  - Best vagina girl

3. Harvey (1950) Harvey - Very funny rabbit

2. Donny Darko ( 2001) ? - Seriously scary rabbit

1. Ted (2012) Ted -  Horny teddy.


And the winner is;

Shawshank Redemption's Mr Stephens (spoiler alert) for skipping town with all the warden's stolen money; as the police bang down the warden's office door he blows his brains out.

Served him right, the bastard!

ENJOY.

Whatever happened to Baby Jane? Film 4 summer screening at Somerset House.

I have seen only a few black and white films on the big screen and this is the biggest screen you could get; Projected on one of the four building within the courtyard of Somerset House by Waterloo Bridge.

Arriving at around 7 pm I managed to secure a place right in front about half way down the cobbled courtyard. The spaces were already filling up so I was not surprised when at about 8.50pm, minutes before the film was due to start, late comers were walking round and round trying to spot a gap.

Whatever happened to Baby Jane (1962) is often referred to as a camp classic as well as black comedy and horror. There are now some unintentionally funny moments; when Jane (Bette Davis) tells the maid Elvira (Maidie Norman) "see you next Tuesday" everyone including me, laughed. Jane stomping around the house in her slippers with a glass of Johnny Walker in her hand for breakfast is hysterical, but there are still scenes which hold your breath, what Jane does to Elvira after handing over the keys to Blanche's (Joan Crawford) locked bedroom makes you lift your hand over your eyes.

The film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards but won only one for Best Costume Design, Black and White. Baby Jane's lace dress, over sized hair bow and powdered face is a favourite with female impersonators, which explains the film's camp classic tag.

 SPOOKY!

I recently found the above dress in a vintage charity shop and am selling it in my EBay shop Balconygirl13 as a Halloween costume party dress; Whatever happened to Baby Jane was released on October 31st.

My books Leading Men, Leading Ladies & Screen Lovers. Sayonara and Love is a Many-Splendored Thing.

My strict Christian parents sent me to a girls school and being a God fearing young lady I never gave into temptation to meet a boy behind the bike shed, however one sunny day my friends and I were outside sharing a bag of chips when some local boys came by. I got talking to one and things were going great until he told his name is Romeo. It was like a needle scratching across a vinyl record moment, my name is Juliet.

In my youth I hated my name, the so called joke from old people asking me "where's Romeo?" throwing their head back laughing and my English teacher expecting me to love the works of Shakespeare was too much at times, but I grew up and now like my name. 

Some time ago I worked for Habitat on the Kings Road in London. I bought the two books below using my staff discount; Leading Men (1985) and Leading Ladies (1989). They were sold in the shop because Sir Terence Conran owned Octopus Limited which published them. They are a bit tatty now but I regularly look at the pictures to remind myself how glamourous movies stars were.

 

Recently I had a spring clean and took some books to my local Oxfam book shop, I could not believe my luck when I saw this book, Screen Lovers in the window (1990, Shelton Books,Conran Octopus Ltd). I had to have it!

Prior to visiting Oxfam I had no idea this book existed, the listed films are amazing and the pictures; WOW.

My love of films set in the 1920s to 1960s have plots involving love affairs during World War II. I recently bought these two films Sayonara (1957) with Marlon Brando and Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1955) starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones.
 

Sayonara has wonderful Japanese scenery and I love the traditional Japanese houses, (as depicted in the film). Brandon's character Lloyd Gruver is racially insulting to the Japanese people, but he changes his ways when like his friend Joe Kelly, he falls in love with a Japanese woman; famous local actress Hana-ogi played by Miiko Taka. The film has a tragic sub plot but the unfamiliarity and subsequent one liners from Gruver, particularly during a meal at his friend Kelly's house are hilarious.

Love is a Many-Splendored Thing does not deal quite so squarely with racism, the lead characters are Dr Han Suyin who is Eurasian; she is mixed European and Asian ancestry (until seeing this film I had never heard this word) and White American reporter Mark Elliott. Their relationship raises not just prejudiced but moral eyebrows as Mr Elliott is married. You can see its going to end in tears about half way through but it is lovely to look at and the clothes are wonderful.

Vintage clothing, Biba and Gina Fratini. Retromania.

Vintage clothing, I love the quality of the fabrics; crisp cottons and heavy weight hand woven wool. The immaculate stitching: bound button holes and shoulder pads made of wadding not foam and of course the spots & stripes, novelty prints and bright colours.

December has been a buzy month for me, I had a landmark birthday, booked my first holiday in 3 years to New York from which I have just returned and changed my job. I have only ever bid auction style on Ebay, but before starting my new job I attended 2 auction houses, one in Tooting and the other in Knights Hill, both in London. At the latter I fell in love with this piece of Biba attributed mulit coloured geometric print silk velvet 500 by 93cms length of fabric. I outbid 2 other buyers, each time holding my breath and waiting for the hammer to fall. As a child my mother made me watch her sew, in the 80s and 90s clothing was so cheap I stopped but now due to the crap fabrics and machine stitched hems I love sewing again, however I have so many vintage garments in my mending basket waiting for alterations to improve their fit on me I do not know when I shall find time to make clothes from all my wonderful fabrics including my Biba beauty.

 SOLD!

This new employment has involved passing through Pimlico/Victoria, an area I only previously went to decades ago when I had a saturday job in a record shop there, however I discovered in Pimlico just before you hit Victoria a wonderful vintage Fara charity shop called Retromania.

I have now added it to my list of favourite vintage shops; Beyond Retro, Pop Boutique, Radio Days and Wow Retro- Long Acre branch has closed visit the branch on Drury Lane.

I finally went on a Saturday morning and had a good rummage, I bought a 40s tweed skirt, an edwardian style 70s black velvet jacket and a black and white polka dot maxi dress by Gina Fratini. I Googled her name when I got home and guess what! she designed Elizabeth Taylor's wedding dress for her second marriage to Richard Burton and dresses for the royal family. I wore my dress on Christmas day. Come the summer I shall pull my hair back, don big black 70s sunglasses and in my Gina Fratinti maxi dress take a day trip to the coast.

Humphery Bogart. Casablanca, Gilda and Shawshank Redemption.

 

My house has a through-lounge, on one chimney breast is the poster for The Shawshank Redemption (1994), on the other is the poster of the lovely Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946).

In my previous home the living room was covered with A4 black and White pictures of movie stars from the 1920s to 1960s. Many male stars of that time were very handsome but the actor whose picture took center place was Humphrey Bogart. He is sitting side angle in a suit with a cigarette burning away creating a upward smoke trail. Not handsome or even good looking. 'How can an ugly man be so handsome?' asked Marta Toren in Sirocco (1951), Bogart was one cool dude.

'Here's looking at you kid' is quoted by most but my favourite Casablanca (1942) one liner is; 'Are my eyes really brown?'. Rick (Bogart) looks in the note book of the German Nazi sitting next to him, in it are Ricks personal details. In real life Bogart's eyes were brown, but who can tell from a black and white film?.

I have an old copy of A.B.C Film Review magazine which has an interview with Bogart by R.Quilter Vincent. The journalist informs Bogart 'You have a way of making some quite commonplace remarks seem very funny' to which Bogart replied 'Well, I don't play for laughs unless I have funny lines'.


The connection between Shawshank Redemption and Gilda?, the inmates are watching Gilda when Red says he loves when she bends forward and stands up flicking back her hair. Had Shawshank Redemption been written and made around its set year of 1947 Tim Robbins part of Andy Dufresne could have been played by Montgomery Cliff and a then 48 year old Bogart would have been perfect for old timer Red.