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.

Marilyn Monroe: Some Like It Hot. Seven Year Itch. Gemtlemen Prefer Blondes. How To Marry a Millionaire. Niagara. Charlie's Angels.

What can I write that has not been written before about Marilyn Monroe? Miss Monroe's death 50 years ago is still surrounded in conspiracy theories; personally I don't know what to believe, therefore let us just concentrate on the lady's wonderful film career.

One of my all time favourite films is Some Like it Hot (1959). Tony Curtis said kissing Marilyn 'was like kissing Hitler' and just how many takes did she need to ask for her ucalaly? who cares?! I love Sugar Kane. The moment she walks past the steam escaping from the Florida bound train in that fur trimmed coat; WOW!

The Seven Year Itch (1955) is not a classic for me despite being produced and directed by Billy Wilder, my favourite director. I find the lead character Richard Sherman talking to himself irritating.  One strange moment is towards the end when his friend Tom McKensie asks him who is the blond in the kitchen to which he replies 'Marilyn Monroe'. Just before the end credits Marilyn looks out of a window to wave goodbye to Mr Sherman and although she is only wearing a white dressing gown she looks magnificent.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) would possibly be top of the bonfire pile if feminists had a DVD burning protest.

GPB is classic Monroe dizzy blond, my favourite moments are the interactions between Marlyn's character Lorelei and Mr Sparford. Lorelei looks over a passenger list for the names of wealthy males to hit on whilst on a cruise with her friend Dorothy (Jane Russell); unfortunately the list does not contain the age of Mr Sparford who happens to be very rich but only about 8 years old!

The 3 females in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) are played by Marilyn, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall. The three girls share an apartment and remind me of an early Charlies Angels, the TV show which ran from 1976 to 1981. Blond Farah Fawcett is Marilyn, the dark intelligent Lauren would be Kate Jackson and Betty's nice but dim character is a died ringer for the girl later played by Jaclyn Smith.

My favourite Marilyn role is the scheming wife Rose Loomis in Niagara (1953). Mrs Loomis wants her husband died so she can run off with her Latin lover Patrick, however things do not go according to plan and the two men are in a fight to the death near the falls. After visiting the mortuary to identify her husband, Rose faints and is hospitalised. She comes around from her sedation when she hears the nearby Carillon Tower play their lovers tune on its bells, the bells play music on request all day.

What follows is a nail biting finale in which Rose runs into the tower to escape a male pursuer and seeks refuge at the top of the tower where he catches up with her. As she is attacked the bells stay silent.

 

To kill a Mocking Bird, Sergeant Rutledge and Town on Trial.

Many years ago during a television documentary about films the British Director Alex Cox said when he and his girlfriend settled in to watch a pre 80s film they would have a friendly bet on how long into the film before the black guy was killed or falsely accused of a terrible crime. Of all the thousands of old films I have watched only twice has the plot involved a false accusation of rape and in both films the accused men were black.

The most famous of all is of course To kill a Mockingbird (1962) starring Gregory Peck. Although obviously innocent the whole town convicts Tom Robinson on his colour alone and he is killed trying to 'escape'. This is one of those films where you know that despite the dignity of Tom Robinson his innocence will not save his life.

I have not seen the film Sergeant Rutledge (1960) in years, it stars Woodrow Wilson Woolwine 'Woody' Strode (What a name!). The plot again centres around a false accusation of rape. Thankfully in this film the accused innocence is proved when another man confesses.

In the 1957 British film Town on Trial starring John Mills during the latter part of the film at a dance hall surrounded by woodland a young lady's scream is heard by men inside the hall, one male says 'what was that' to which another replies 'probably some dame saying no', then they all return to their drinking.

Today I find it distasteful how easily writers throw in sex in modern films, there seems to be more attention to this and the special effects than character building and a good plot, or am I just getting old?

Harry Belafonte. Sing Your Song. Carmen Jones and Island in the Sun.

This week I had the good fortune of attending a preview screening of Sing Your Song, the bio-documentary of the life, art and political involvement of Mr Harry Belafonte.

My parents were 50 and 43 when I was born so all my grandparents passed away before I was born or whilst I was still a toddler. During my life I have experienced the falling of the Berlin wall, the tragic death of Lady Diana and the inauguration of the first non-white President of the United States, these will be my tales to tell but I was not there in the midst of it all, I watched it on TV or read in the newspapers.

From the beginning of the film I felt like I was sat at the feet of a grandfather being told the story of his wonderful life. Mr Belafonte has encountered racial segregation of a degree I can only imagine, his determination is still present in his 80th decade, having taken part in the march to Washington, gone to Ethiopia during the 1980s famine and participated in protest marches against the war in Iraq.

As a fan of vintage films and old musicals I love Carmen Jones (1954) and Island in the Sun (1957), these and his calypso songs are what I best knew Mr Belafonte for.

Carmen Jones

Island in the Sun

After the film we were delighted when Mr Belafonte sat on the stage and answered a number of questions about his south African album with Mariam Makeba, his meeting with Malcolm X (they did not agree on racial segregation) and a lovely closing statement from an elderly Jamaican gentleman who was also a singer and poet.

I queued in line for his book My Song to be signed and the evening came to a close. This had been much more than a plugging of a film and flogging of a book, I feel I acquired an education from a man who during the Q & A said he thought himself a great actor only because he has managed to convince the world he can sing.