Back!

Hi everyone! Well, my move to Minneapolis was tiring, but went about as smooth as moving can go. I JUST got my Internet back yesterday (so much fun to get on NetFlix again!), and I am just checking out all the blog posts I missed over the last week. So, you may get a few comments from me at once over the next few days :-)

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a little of my studio here. It is still a work in progress, but I think it's starting to look cute.

The sun's a little bright in the second one, but you get the idea! Well, today I am off to explore the dozen or so vintage stores and coffee shops in my neighborhood, so I'll try to post more later.

~F. 

Until next time ...

Things will be a little quite here for the next week or so. I am moving to Minneapolis tomorrow, and I probably won't have much time to blog. So, until next time! I hope you all will continue to have shiny summers!

~F.

Happy birthday, Natalie Wood!

Please check out the new "Marlon on a Wednesday" post below, as he is looking particularly dashing on a boat there, but I also have to put together a birthday post for one of my favorite actresses, Natalie Wood! She is definitely worth celebrating for her style, charm, and of course, talent. Here are clips from some of my favorite movies:

Sex and the Single Girl with Tony Curis


Splendor in the Grass with Warren Beatty


Finally, perhaps my favorite of all, Love With the Proper Stranger with Steve McQueen

Marlon on a Wednesday: I'm on a boat!

Some vintage footage I found via YouTube I like:

Kazan, DeNiro, dared "The Last Tycoon"

I am afraid this is going to be a nerdy post.

As many of you know, I am a big F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, and have read and researched his works and life for several years. However, this summer, it has all turned a bit obsessive. Maybe it was Alison Pill's surprisingly good performance as Zelda Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris (seriously, Woody should take a risk and do a "spin-off biopic" with Alison and someone dreamy as Scott), or perhaps I became too involved reading Zelda by Nancy Mitford back-to-back with Tender is the Night. Either way, my interest has reached a peak, and I want anything I can get.

Even my NetFlix queue. Honestly, I dislike every film I have seen based on Scott's works. For example, I thought the Elizabeth Taylor/Van Johnson film, The Last Time I Saw Paris missed the point of the original story, "Babylon Revisited." I also did not like the recent The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett for pretty much the same reasons.The script seemed so intent on beefing up Scott's original story, that the whole experience felt tedious and overdone. At least, that is my opinion. I know a lot of critics and and viewers felt differently.

I have not even seen the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby, and the footage I have seen from Tender is the Night looks equally disappointing. Time to give up, right?

But ... I recently saw this scene from the film version of Scott's final novel, The Last Tycoon. I am surprised to admit it looks good. Really good. The Last Tycoon always seemed sad, and easily avoidable to me since Scott passed away in the middle of writing it. However, with Elia Kazan directing, and Robert DeNiro playing scenes like this ... I do not think I will avoid it much longer.



The film also stars many other actors I respect: Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, Donald Pleasence, Dana Andrews, Jeanne Moreau, and Jack Nicholson. Basically, I want to see this. Immediately.

Hey dolls

Well, I thought I rented a studio apartment for one in Minneapolis, but I found three lovely ladies to room with at the last minute!

The end two are 1990s reproductions of vintage Barbies, (I thought they were SO much prettier than the modern ones) but the center one is actually an original "Midge." The first owner, my mom, handed her down to me almost twenty years ago! I may have been a little young at the time to have such a special gift, because I think I destroyed her original outfits. She's wearing one I designed and made at some point during my childhood. 

Isn't she lovely? And apparently, Mattel created an entire life story for her! Read about it, here. I think that is pretty funny. I used to just made up my own stories for her.

I am decorating my place with a few other vintage icons, so I decided to pack all three to see if I could fit them somewhere. I admit, I still get really excited about Barbie dolls. I credit my appreciation for fashion and clothes to the many hours I spent playing with them back in the day. Not to mention, I find this beyond flattering:

Camera Phone

Local fashion show from last weekend, and some other things, randomly captured. Have a wonderful Friday!

~F.

Marlon on a Wednesday: Jazzy Paris

This isn't completely Marlon-focused. I love the score Gato Barbieri composed for Last Tango in Paris, and had to embed a bit here. When I first watched/listened to this via YouTube, I actually did not recognize the music. While I am sure the beginning sixty seconds or so do not make a splash in the film, once the sax kicks in, I feel all too familiar. It's like I am walking the Parisian streets with Marlon and Maria Schneider again (nerdy fantasy).

Sweet Saturday Song

Transported, courtesy "Easy Virtue" (1928)

I watched Easy Virtue last night, a silent film directed by Alfred Hitchcock! I had never seen any of his silents. Honestly, I did not think it was a very good movie. The plot centered around a divorced woman, Larita, who escapes her scandalous past by traveling to the Riviera. There, She falls in love with a man, John, and marries him. However, when John takes her home to his family, his overbearing mother distrusts Larita, terrorizes her, and turns John against her. It sounds good enough, but for some reason it was not my cuppa. Despite this, in true Hitchcock style, lovely moments of costumes and scenery abounded.

Isn't this hat divine?? I never use that word to describe anything, so it must be!

By the way, this silent inspired the Easy Virtue remake a couple years ago with Jessica Biel. Or at least, that is what I assume. Their IMDB plot descriptions seem quite similar. 

~F. 

Black, White, Striped

I feel like such a tease posting black and white photos of a dress I have never taken blog photos of before. For the record, it is black and navy-striped. Still, I kind of like these photos, even if I do not think they do this dress complete justice. They are like looking at the old-filmy screen cap versions of me.

~F.

Marlon on a Wednesday: The Inventor

Did anyone else catch this NPR story over the weekend? I really kind of freaked out when I saw it. Even though the drum tuning invention is not "new" news to me, Marlon's drumming has always been one of my favorite things about him, and it is SO nice to read something positive about him.

Check it out:

Marlon Brando's Lost Musical Innovation

The article also features a video of Marlon playing the drums during an Edward R. Murrow interview.

Grandview

I took this photo walking around St. Paul a couple months ago. One aspect of the Twin Cities I am really looking forward to once I move there (in just three weeks!) is its gigantic selection of old movie theaters. They are still beautiful, as I imagine they were in the 1920s, and seem to be everywhere, like Starbucks. I am already pondering which one I may visit first, and what movie I may see!

By the way, and completely unrelated to this post, I had to give myself a pat on the back for some awesome timing with yesterday's Rebel Without a Cause post. It's going to be on TCM ... right now, pretty much. If you have TCM, and have not seen it yet, or want to watch it again, I recommend it. It's a lot of fun. 

Also on the TCM line-up today is City Lights with Charlie Chaplin and Pygmalion with Leslie Howard. Needless to say, I abandoned my boring plans, exchanged my slightly uncomfortable dress for PJs, and brewed some Earl Grey tea. Whatever, it's Saturday!

~F. 

Transported, courtesy Natalie, Jimmy, and Rebel Without a Cause

I feel I have been blogging about Natalie Wood a lot lately, but in my opinion, there can never be enough love for her. So, here I go again! This is a fantastic interview from the 1970s where Natalie discusses James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause. It's funny I love this because few films have disappointed me as much as Rebel. The first time I watched it years ago, I prepared myself for something "deep" and "brilliant," but instead thought the film melodramatic and over-acted, especially on Jimmy's part. However, after a few more viewings, I am less critical (it is difficult to resent Sal Mineo's character), and even respect Jimmy's acting more. Thank you, Giant.


Anyway, as Natalie says in the interview, she and Jimmy developed a close friendship, and she seemed to admire him quite a bit. It's interesting to listen to her speak about Jimmy's cultural significance because she was so, well, "Hollywood," compared to him, and definitely exhibited a different style.