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Not the Girl Next Door
Joan Crawford in Letty Lynton, 1932, one of my favorite Crawford vehicles. A great deal has been written about the Hollywood glamour machine that flourished between the mid 1920′s and the late 30′s....
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Clark Gable: A Child… A Bull… No Filth
Clark Gable John Lee Mahin (1902-1984) was one of the greatest screenwriters. His credits include some of Hollywood’s most enduring classics: Scarface (1932), Red Dust (1932), Bombshell (1933), China...
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Friday Fashion: Hollywood Males It In
Charlie Chaplin, 1924, the image of effortless style. The operative word is effortless. In truth, Chaplin’s style was only achieved through the superlative tailoring of the English Savile Row firm,...
View ArticleThe Devil’s Arithmetic
Today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. I’m posting Part I of my movie, The Devil’s Arithmetic for viewing. The film stars Kirsten Dunst and the late Brittany Murphy in spectacular performances....
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Hollywood: A Dog’s Life
During Hollywood’s golden era studio photographers churned out thousands of photographs that created the iconography of glamour by which Hollywood stars were defined. There was a library of poses and...
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Friday Fashion: The Female Animal
George Hurrell's legendary photo of Jean Harlow on a bearskin rug is the iconic image of the female animal. In last week’s Friday Fashion post we observed that designers frequently clothe women...
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Friday Photos: A Star Is Created
Brigitte Bardot before she became Brigitte Bardot. This photo was taken when she was a 15 year-old model for Elle magazine. Stars are not born; they are created through a long and tortuous process of...
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Friday Photos: The Not So Glamorous Family
Jean Harlow as Hollywood wanted her to be seen. Hollywood’s Golden Age, from the 20′s to the late thirties, was a dream factory. And glamour was the dream that was sold in every frame of every film....
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Hollywood on Trial
There is nothing Hollywood fears as much as a messy public trial. For movie stars, civil or criminal charges often spell the end of reputation and livelihood. In 1921, the false rape and murder...
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Hollywood Goes Kierkegaard
Hollywood stars are rarely known for their introspection. Most are working so hard at getting the right roles, staying on top, and being glamorous, there’s precious little time for self-reflection. For...
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