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.