About Me

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Lover of anything vintage. I spend my free time looking at antiques,watching and collecting classic films,and reading some of the greatest literary classics known to man.This blog is just my way of sharing my interests with other people.

Monday, August 22, 2011

"Sometimes when she was alone...she permitted her mind to play in a garden,and she smiled."

John SteinbeckBorn February 27, 1902
Died December 20, 1968



John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. was born in Salinas, California in February of 1902.His father was the county treasurer, while his mother was a school teacher.It was Steinbeck's mother, Olive, who instilled in him his passion for literature.John lived in the small town of Salinas until he graduated from highschool.He then relocated to Stanford in order to attend the university there.He invested very little time in furthering his education,however,and left without a degree.
In 1925, he moved to New York City, where he had high hopes of becoming a published author.He had no success for quite a while,and started taking up odd jobs to make ends meet.If it wasn't for his father, who later gave him a house and enough money to seriously focus on his writing career, Steinbeck would've had a much more difficult time.
John Steinbeck published his first successful novel,Tortilla Flat, in 1935.He went on to publish around 24 more highly successful novels.He was given many awards and honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize for literature.He passed away due to heart disease on December 20,1968.


One of Steinbeck's greatest works is
East of Eden
Published in 1952




The novel is set in Steinbeck's hometown-the Salinas Valley and uses real people,including some of Steinbeck's own family.It tells the story of Adam Trask.Adam lives with his father who became a widower while Adam was still in his infancy,due to Mrs. Trask's suicide.Adam's father remarries a much younger girl named Alice,who gives birth to Adam's younger half brother, Charles.Adam's father is a distant man,who never shows affection and is obsessed with the military.He raises his sons in a boot camp,of sorts.Adam is also at odds with his brother,Charles, who has violent tendancies.Charles dislikes Adam,because he feels that their father favors Adam more than him.One night,when the boys are teenagers, Charles goes on a rampage and tries to kill Adam.After beating Adam,Charles goes to look for a hatchet,and Adam hides until he can get back to the house.Seeking to separate the boys,Adam's father gets Adam to enlist in the military.
After serving in the military for several years, Adam begins to make his way back home,at Charles' request.He takes his time,and is picked up on vagrancy charges,but eventually he gets back to Massachusetts.Things are awkward between Adam and Charles,the latter trying to make up for lost time but still posessing a quick temper.Both Alice and Cyrus have passed away by this time.Cyrus Trask died a supposed war hero,a career which both of his sons believe he developed based on lies.So,there is a large sum of money to be split between Adam and Charles.They argue about the money,and neither of them touch it for a while.
One day,a battered,dying young woman crawls to their house for help.They give her a room in their house,and have a doctor treat her.She can't even speak for a long time due to a broken jaw,but when she can, she tells them that her name is Cathy.Adam,besotted, spends all of his time taking care of her, not knowing that she is a blackmailing murderer who killed her own family in cold blood.Cathy finds Adam to be a nuisance,but she's in no position to take care of herself,and she has no intention of telling him the truth.Adam asks Cathy to marry him,she accepts because she needs protection.Adam decides to move with his new wife to the Salinas Valley.Cathy quickly becomes pregnant with twins.Adam,overjoyed,goes about making plans and developing their new land,deaf to his wife's claims that she's leaving as soon as the babies are born.When she actually does give birth,Adam tries to convince her to stay,but she shoots him in the shoulder and walks away.
Adam raises his sons,Aaron and Caleb "Cal," with the help of his Chinese servant, Lee.He never tells them who their mother is.The story unfolds like that of Cain and Abel as the twins get older.Cal is always jealous of Aaron, who is a better person than him.The two become more distant as they grow up,with Cal purposely doing things to make Aaron angry and sad.When Cal discovers that his mother,now going by "Kate," is running a whore house in town, he brings Aaron to her brothel and shows him that she truly is their mother.Aaron,who is very religious,goes into shock and feels like he has lost all meaning and purpose.He enlists in the army and gets killed.Kate,who is always in pain due to arthritis among other things,also suffers from the aftermath of her meeting with her sons.She slowly goes insane and becomes paranoid.She poisons herself,believing to be inside the story of Alice and Wonderland as she dies.For a while, Adam has no idea where Aaron has gone,or that it was Cal who drove him to it.When he recieves the telegram saying that Aaron is dead,Adam has a stroke.He is bedridden for a long time,without any hope of recovery.
Cal feels extremely guilty about his brother and confesses to his father,asking Adam to forgive him.Adam simply says the word "Timshel" which means "thou mayest," insinuating that it is up to Cal to forgive himself if he wishes to feel happy.


Steinbeck's novel,East of Eden, was also made into a movie in 1955, starring James Dean.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

"If I couldn't laugh,I'd rather die."-Claudette Colbert

It's finally here!

As you know,Turner Classic Movies designates August as their month for Summer Under The Stars.So,my pick for Star of the Month and Movie of the Month are my own personal preference out of the 31 stars they lined up.So,here it is.Enjoy!And be sure to watch a full day of Claudette Colbert's movies tomorrow, August 12, on Turner Classic Movies.

STAR OF THE MONTH

Claudette Colbert
Born September 13, 1903
Died July 30, 1996


Claudette Colbert was originally born as one Emilie Claudette Chauchoin.She and her family lived in Saint-Mande, Seine, France until she was three years old.They officially emigrated to the United States in 1906.She acted for the first time in a school play, at the age of 15.Once she graduated from high school, Claudette began studying at The Art Students League of New York.She got her first taste of Broadway in 1923, having a role in The Wild Westcotts.
After that, Claudette signed a five year contract with Broadway producer Al Woods.Her excitement soon turned to frustration.Nobody would cast her as anything but small parts like a maid.She fought for her right to a more colorful role,which she finally got when she played a snake charmer in The Barker in 1927.She caught the audiences attention, and started snatching bigger roles after that.She also caught the eye of Leland Hayward, who set her up for her first film role: Frank Capra's For the Love of Mike, 1927.Not only was it Claudette's first film role, it was also her only silent film.
Even though the movie was unsuccessful, Paramount Pictures offered her a contract in 1928 that would allow her to remain in New York so that she could also continue her stage work.She accepted,although she wouldn't appear on Broadway for 20 years after 1929.Colbert's movies were very successful.She had a different look,with her dark hair, and large,dramatic eyes.Her ability to speak both English and her native French fluently also came into play with some of her films.
Producers also saw Claudette's ability to effortlessly play the part of a vixen,or femme fatale.She was frequently cast in such roles, and even though they further boosted her career,Claudette eventually came to regret being typecast as the femme fatale.
Colbert remained active and extremely successful on the big screen up until the 1950's.It was at that time that she started to travel around Europe more extensively, and started appearing in fewer movies.She also made many television appearances during the 1950's.Claudette finally closed the door on her film career in 1955, only appearing in a movie once more in 1961.From then on, she only acted occasionally, and only on the stage.
Claudette Colbert passed away in 1996 due to ill health following a series of strokes a couple of years earlier.


MOVIE OF THE MONTH




It Happened One Night
1934
Starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable


Ellie Andrews (Colbert) is the spoiled, only child of a wealthy bank owner.Wishing to make a statement that her father no longer controls her, she marries a fortune-hunter named King Wesley.Her father intrudes and takes her away before their marriage can be consummated.Ellie,furious,runs away from her father.She decides to try to make it back to New York from Miami so that she and King can be together.
Sounds like an easy plan,but the minute she goes missing, Ellie's father notifies the papers,and uses his title and his money to advertise his dilemma.He has half the country out looking for his daughter, and offers a prize to whoever brings her home.Ellie dodges her father's forces, and manages to make it onto a night bus to New York alongside (among others) a reporter named Peter Warne (Gable).The two instantly butt heads.Much to both parties chagrin, Peter ends up helping Ellie after she loses her ticket to the bus while they're stopped for breakfast.Peter learns her true identity, and offers to help her make it to New York as long as she'll give him an exclusive story on her desparate bid for freedom.Desparately short on money,Ellie agrees.
Ellie quickly begins to lose her disdain for Peter,but he doesn't seem interested in her at all.The two of them slowly (after having to abandon the bus for the sake of Ellie's identity) make it to New York,with much arguing, and sarcasm along the way.Peter finally realizes that he has feelings for Ellie,but knows that this was a business deal.When they finally reach New York,after having a final disagreement, they go their separate ways.Ellie is reunited with her father and King Wesley.
Mr. Andrews finally agrees to let Ellie be with King, as long as they hold a real ceremony to make it official.He doesn't believe that his daughter will be happy with King,though,and tries to dissuade her from her decision.Peter comes to see Mr. Andrews but doesn't want the promised reward,but only a few dollars to cover the expenses of getting Ellie to New York.He admits to Mr. Andrews that he's in love with Ellie,but knows that Ellie is marrying King,so leaves.Mr. Andrews tries harder than ever to convince Ellie not to marry King,but Ellie remains firm up until the moment of "I do," when she just can't say the words.She runs away from King, and the movie ends with Ellie and Peter getting married and embarking on their honeymoon.


Officially dubbed a "screwball comedy," It Happened One Night is absolutely worth seeing.It's full of sarcasm,comedy, and romance.
It comes on TCM as a part of Claudette Colbert's day TOMORROW, AUGUST 12 at 11:30 pm.
And you can also watch a selection of 10 other Claudette Colbert films, playing all day tomorrow on TCM.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

"Once in his life,every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead."-Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball
Born August 6, 1911
Died April 26, 1989



One hundred years ago today,one of the greatest comedians,innovators,and female pioneers in the television industry was born.She was given a name that she never changed,like so many in the Hollywood industry did,and still do: Lucille Desiree Ball.

When she was only four years old,Lucy's father died of typhoid fever.Desiree Ball,Lucy's mother,then took her two young children with her to her parents house to live.It was her grandfather that sparked young Lucy's interest in acting.He would take her to vaudeville shows for fun,and always told her that she would do well on the stage.

Lucy lived either with her mother or her grandparents on and off until 1927.At age sixteen,she began a relationship with Johnny DeVita.Seeking to end their relationship,which she didn't approve of,Desiree Ball let her daughter go away to study at the School of Dramatic Arts in New York City.Unfortunately for Lucy,she was sent packing within a few weeks because of her apparent "lack of talent."

Lucy was frustrated,and absolutely determined to prove her teachers wrong.She would make it in showbiz.She moved back to New York City in 1929 and quickly landed herself a modeling gig.After a two year medical break,she came back,bigger and better than ever.She was noticed by such names in the industry as Earl Carroll and Florenz Ziegfeld.Finally,after a bit part in the movie Roman Scandals in 1933, the 22 year old moved to Los Angeles.

She started off with smaller movie roles in films such as Follow The Fleet and Stage Door, while working radio jobs on the side.This was her routine until the 1940's, when Lucille met Cuban band leader Dezi Arnaz,who marked a whole new chapter in her career.

Lucy starred in the radio program My Favorite Husband in 1948.The program quickly became a big hit,and CBS asked her to help them bring it to television.She loved the idea,but insisted on having real-life husband Dezi Arnaz fill the role of her on-screen husband.It was with him,or not at all.CBS was hesitant at first,but eventually agreed to her terms.So began the dynasty of I Love Lucy.

The I Love Lucy show presented many firsts to television audiences.Lucy was one of the first women to have a starring role on a regular television series.Lucy and Dezi were one of the first biracial couples to be represented on televison,and one of the first acutal married couples to be seen regularly on television.


Later on in the series, Lucy became one of the first women to be shown on television while she was pregnant.The studio was initially against this idea,but finally gave in.In real life,Lucy gave birth to her child on the same day that her character,Lucy Ricardo,was featured giving birth on the show.


Lucy also became the first woman to be head of a production company,when Desilu Productions was established in 1950.

Despite the original doubts of CBS,the I Love Lucy show proved to be an enormous success,with the original series,and other variations featuring Lucy and Dezi running from 1951-1960.Lucille Ball proved to be one of the greatest business women in Hollywood.She remained active in Desilu Productions even after her divorce from Arnaz,buying out his share of the company.She also remained active in radio,movies and television until her death of heart failure in 1989 at the age of 77.
And they said she wouldn't make it.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

"DADDY!"

I'm highlighting something pretty unusual this week.
We're tapping into the wonderful world of radio broadcasting.


Meet Snooks Higgins.A pint-sized menace.She lives in California with her father, Lancelot "Daddy" Higgins, her mother, Vera "Mommy" Higgins, and later on her little brother, Robespierre Higgins.Snooks isn't exactly a mean child-just a pestial one.She doesn't have many friends, scares away her tutors, and babysitters are also out of the question.So, most of her time is spent with Daddy Higgins, much to his despair.Overall an affectionate father, Daddy Higgins has a short temper, especially when it comes to his daughter and her mischievious antics, small mind,and incessant questions.Not to mention that Snooks has a problem with repeating things without knowing what they mean or fully understanding them, so she often gets Daddy in trouble.Mommy Higgins is usually busy,and only appears occasionally.Later on,Snooks' little brother Robespierre is added to the mix.Snooks doesn't take too kindly to her baby brother, refusing to include him in her evening prayers,force-feeding him soap,and tying him to the faucet in the bath tub and leaving him there.
They're probably the most unconventional family you'll ever meet,but now you can come into their home and meet Baby Snooks for yourself.


The concept for Baby Snooks has been around since the early 1900's.It started gaining more popularity in 1912, when a young Fanny Brice started doing the part of Baby Snooks in her vaudeville acts.The word spread, and Baby Snooks was welcomed as a guest on other regular radio programs, and also helped advertise things like Maxwell House Coffee.
Finally, in 1944, CBS became the home of The Baby Snooks Show, which aired every Friday at 8:00 pm.Fanny Brice, who was already in her 50's when the show officially aired, played the impossibly loveable Snooks,creating an incredible character with her voiceover skills.Hanley Stafford played Daddy Higgins.Fanny took her portrayal of Baby Snooks very
seriously.Her
backgroud as a comedienne came into play in front of the broadcasting audience,where she would always dress in child's clothing, with a big bow in her hair, and would act out the scene for the audience while it was being recorded.CBS remained the home of Baby Snooks until 1949 when the show moved to NBC.
In 1950, NBC brought The Baby Snooks Show to television.It only lasted for one episode,though.As Fanny Brice said herself, the character of Snooks just "didn't work properly when seen."From then on, The Baby Snooks Show was broadcasted every Tuesday night at 8:30 until 1951.On May 29, 1951, the show was brought to an ubrupt close with the death of it's star, Fanny Brice.There was no possible way anybody could have replaced her as Baby Snooks.

The Baby Snooks Show became one of the most beloved radio programs of all time.


And now, you can enjoy it too.There are quite a few episodes (some in multiple parts) that can still be accessed.These are rare gems, and I encourage everyone to listen to them.They will definitely get you laughing.So, I've picked out two episodes that I've really enjoyed.The second one is in multiple parts,but here they are:
The Baby Snooks Show: "Magic" Aired April 18, 1940http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ9psYtPJpc

The Baby Snooks Show: "Halloween" Aired October 31, 1941
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doBtRg5wRcA
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWcSxKBFDrM&feature=related
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJEldv_brBc&feature=related