Cinema

Iconic Jewellery from Classic Movies

Iconic Jewellery from Classic Movies

At this time of year it’s only natural my mind should turn to sparkly jewellery and classic movies (the perfect Christmas combination!). So here are some of the famous items jewellery from my favourite movies. Have I missed any good ones? Marilyn’s Diamonds from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes When Marilyn sang that ‘Diamonds are a girls(…)

1920s Screen Stars: Ina Claire

1920s Screen Stars: Ina Claire

Ina Claire was best known as a Broadway actress, but she also made movies between 1915 and 1943. She was born Ina Fagan in 1893, and first made her name on stage by doing impersonations of other people – something for which she had a great talent. Apparently a young F. Scott Fitzgerald fell madly(…)

Silent Movie Stars: Anna Q. Nilsson

Silent Movie Stars: Anna Q. Nilsson

Anna Q. Nilsson was a successful silent movie actress in 1920s America. Born in Sweden the enigmatic Q in her middle name stood for Quirentia – she was named for the obscure Saint Quirinius who was martyred by being beheaded in the year 116. Nilsson moved to America aged 17 and soon found work as(…)

Fashion Inspiration: Katharine Hepburn

Fashion Inspiration: Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn was something of a trailblazer in the Classic Hollywood era. One of the first leading ladies to reject Hollywood glamour and wear trousers, she pioneered the casual look and loved wearing menswear-inspired tailoring and collared shirts. She wore mens suits and casual sportswear at a time when it was practically unheard of, and(…)

Vintage Scream Queens: Fay Wray

Vintage Scream Queens: Fay Wray

Fay Wray is perhaps the most famous of all the early scream queens because of her role as Ann Darrow in King Kong. She began her career aged just 19 in 1926 as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars (actresses who the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers thought were on the threshold of movie(…)

Forgotten Silent Movie Actresses: Rubye De Remer

Forgotten Silent Movie Actresses: Rubye De Remer

Rubye De Remer was a particuarly pretty silent movie actress during the 1920s. She landed a spot in the Ziegfeld Follies after being spotted after winning a New York beauty contest, and was dubbed “the most beautiful blonde since Venus” by Florenz Ziegfeld. Like many Ziegfeld Girls she went on to work in the movies,(…)

6 Actors That Turned Down Epic Movie Parts

6 Actors That Turned Down Epic Movie Parts

Some of the biggest movie parts in history were first offered to other actors, including the part of Indiana Jones. Can you imagine anyone else playing that part? Take a look at the actors who turned these parts down below. Do you think the movies would have been as successful if the directors had secured(…)

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Charlie Chaplin

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Charlie Chaplin

Chaplin, along with his mother and siblings, were sent to the dreaded Victorian workhouse when he was aged just 7. After the breakdown of his parents marriage, his mother struggled to keep the family from destitution but without any help from his father she was unable to keep them out of the workhouse. Parents were(…)

Come Play With Us Danny… The Invisible Twins

Come Play With Us Danny… The Invisible Twins

If you’ve watched Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (and I’m pretty sure you will have done) you’ll remember those twin girls. Hello Danny. Come and play with us. Come and play with us, Danny. Forever… and ever… and ever. The photo above is from an exhibit in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I think they’ve(…)

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Judy Garland

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Judy Garland

Judy Garland is one of those movie stars that everyone is aware of, even if it’s just becaue they watch The Wizard of Oz every Christmas (surely everyone has seen that movie, haven’t they?). Everyone remembers the happy, talented girl on screen, but not so many are aware of the tragedy of her life which was filled(…)

Movie Monday: The Artist (2011)

Movie Monday: The Artist (2011)

I know this isn’t really a classic movie, especially as it’s only 3 years old, but it’s the first silent movie to win an Oscar since 1927 so I thought it had to be worth a watch. And boy am I glad I did, it was fabulous from start to finish! The basic plot revolves(…)

Movie Monday: The Dark Mirror (1946)

Movie Monday: The Dark Mirror (1946)

This week I once again stuck with my Thriller / Film Noir theme and watched The Dark Mirror, a dark psychological drama about the rivalry between two twins: one good and one evil and murderous. When a man is murdered a girl was identified leaving the scene. The girl turns out to be one of(…)

Movie Tuesday: Caught (1949)

Movie Tuesday: Caught (1949)

I took a break from Hitchcock movies and delved into the world of 1940s Film Noir this week. ‘Caught‘ is ‘The Story of a Desperate Girl’ who gets herself trapped in a marriage to a controlling sadistic husband but then ultimately falls for James Mason (who wouldn’t?). It’s the first movie James Mason made in(…)

7 Classic Hollywood Stars Before They Were Famous

7 Classic Hollywood Stars Before They Were Famous

There’s little more fascinating than looking at stars back when they were ‘normal people’. Even Marilyn Monroe looked like any other girl before she dyed her hair, had plastic surgery and changed her name. The other transformation as equally interesting. Who do you think has changed the most? Marilyn before she was famous (above) and(…)

Movie Tuesday: Red Dust (1932)

Movie Tuesday: Red Dust (1932)

I’ve never really ‘got’ the Clark Gable thing. I’ve watched Gone With The Wind without him leaving any particular impression on me but after watching Red Dust I get it. Maybe there’s something about a rough-and-ready Gable and the sultry heat of the jungle, both women in this movie certainly seem to think so! It’s(…)

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Elizabeth Taylor

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Elizabeth Taylor

Taylor was married 8 times. Her shortest marriage was with her first husband Conrad Nicky Hilton which lasted just 9 months, and her longest marriage was with Richard Burton which lasted 10 years (plus an extra year when they re-married in 1975). Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred together in 11 movies.

15 Beautiful But Forgotten Silent Movie Stars

15 Beautiful But Forgotten Silent Movie Stars

When we think of silent movie stars we inevitably think of Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino as well as perhaps Lillian Gish (not forgetting the quintessential flappers Clara Bow and Louise Brooks).  But for every movie icon there were hundreds of actresses who appeared in silent movies whose names haven’t stood the test of time(…)

Vintage Style Icons: The Ice-Cold Blonde

Vintage Style Icons: The Ice-Cold Blonde

Hitchcock’s fair-haired heroines are perhaps those that spring to mind when you think of an ice-cold blonde. They was certainly the type of woman Hitch fixated on: beautiful women who were cold and distant on the exterior but full of passion underneath. However the ice-cold blonde has been around for a lot longer than that,(…)