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.

Friday, February 22, 2013

"I'm just a musical prostitute, my dear."-Freddie Mercury

This is just a fun post for me, today. As any one of my friends or family members would attest, my favorite band is Queen. Along with many others, I was watching American Idol last night and I had to chuckle a bit when one of the contestants was described as something like Freddie Mercury's lovechild from Woodstock.
So, then I was talking about him and Queen with one of my family members afterwards and I realized that I could most definitely do a post about him on Think Classic, partly because he was a classic rock musician, and partly because I'm the head author so I can do whatever I please.

Freddie Mercury
Born September 5, 1946
Died November 24, 1991

The man that the world knows as "Freddie Mercury" was actually born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar to Parsis parents, Bomi and Jer. There are many people who also do not know that he had a younger sister named Kashmira. Farrokh displayed a keen interest in music during his childhood, so his parents gave him piano lessons while he was in elementary school. He was sent to an all boys boarding school in Bombay in 1954, and it was here that his musical talents truly thrived. He had a musical ear, and could play back almost anything on the piano after hearing it on the radio. By the age of 12 he put together his own band with some of his schoolmates. It was as he began to perform with his band and sometimes on his own, that he decided to start going by the name of Freddie. After graduating from school he returned to his family in Zanzibar.
They did not remain there for long, however. The Zanzibar Revolution began in the 1960s, and Freddie and his family left the country for their own safety, eventually settling in Middlesex, England. Shortly after that, Freddie decided to enroll in what is now West Thames College of West London. He received a degree in art and graphic design
After his graduation, Freddie worked various different jobs to get by while he tried to start a musical career. He worked at Heathrow Airport, and spent much of his free time selling clothes in the Kensington Market with his girlfriend, Mary Austin, whom he had met through his good friend and guitarist Brian May.
Finally, in 1970, Freddie (who had now officially adopted the surname of Mercury), Brian May, and one of May's previous bandmates, Roger Taylor, teamed up to create a band of their own. Freddie drew the logo for the new band himself, but when the question arose of what they would call themselves, Freddie boldly picked out a name the others did not feel comfortable with. Freddie persisted and won out, and Queen was formed.
As a band, Queen broke musical boundaries, and wrote some of the best remembered songs of their time. Queen was cutting edge, in every way, and many would say that is due to Freddie. He spent much of his time writing original songs, and his lyrics were cultural, diverse, eloquent, and creative. He also wrote the songs to fit into many different genres like gospel, disco, progressive rock, heavy metal, and many more. During concerts, Freddie never failed to put on a show. He was highly theatrical, always made a point of interacting and connecting with the crowd, and he became known for his flamboyant costumes. He was his very own enigma--always shocking and doing something different, creative or unique, yet at the same time always becoming what the audience wanted. The audience's love made him come alive into an extreme extrovert, that was far from his true off-stage personality.
Whilst continuing to work with Queen, Freddie also made the decision to branch out on his own. As a solo artist, he produced two studio albums, released 3 years apart. The first, Mr. Bad Guy (1985), was a more fun album with dance music. The second, Bacelona (1988), was to many a baffling combination of some of the more popular genres of the day and opera music. Even though neither album rated as high as any of the albums he made with Queen, they were still successful, especially in the UK.
Freddie was intensely private when it came to his personal life, but when he did speak about it, he was open about his bisexuality. He also spoke about his love for long-time girlfriend, Mary Austin, who was the love of his life even after their relationship ended. He also said that she was his only friend, and several of his songs allude to her.
In the spring of 1987, Freddie was diagnosed with AIDS. He did not want the public, especially his fans, to be made aware of his condition, even stating in one of his rare interviews that he tested negative. Despite his success in keeping it a secret, rumors began to spread because of his physical appearance. As time went on he became shockingly thin and gaunt. He stopped working with Queen in the summer of 1991, and then retreated to his home and privacy. Mary Austin came to visit and care for him regularly as his illness progressed. Eventually he reached a low point where he became bedridden and his eyesight began to fail. Miserable, he made the decision to go off his medication. In November of that year, he arranged for a public statement to be released, in which he finally acknowledged his illness to the public, pleading for his privacy to continue. Almost exactly 24 hours after that statement was released, Freddie Mercury died on November 24, 1991. He was 45 years old. Raised in the Zoroastrian religion, he remained devout throughout he life, and a priest conducted his small and private funeral. It is believed that the only person who knows where his ashes were put to rest is Mary Austin, who was granted his estate in his will, which is where she still resides today.
Freddie Mercury once said that he wanted to be a legend. Throughout his career he released 17 studio albums, including the two he put out as a solo artist. He is still remembered and well known all around the world today. There are statues, plaques, and other various tributes to him in many different countries. He has been ranked as one of the greatest rock singers of all time. I think it is safe to say that he got his wish.


"I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend."
-Freddie Mercury

"When I'm dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance."
-Freddie Mercury


If ever I had to choose one song that perfectly described Queen in it's style, genre, content and energy, it would be one of the singles from their 1979 album Jazz, entitled Don't Stop Me Now:


Monday, February 18, 2013

"Move yer bloomin arse!"


It's finally here! The first segment of Musical Mondays!
And we're so glad that you're here to join us.
We figured that for our first segment ever, we would just jump right in with one of our favorites,
so without further ado...

My Fair Lady
1964
Starring Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Stanley Holloway, and Gladys Cooper

In 1964, yet another film adaptation of the famous play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw was released. Though under the different name of My Fair Lady, it tells the same story with the same beloved characters.
Set in the early 1900s, My Fair Lady is about a young Englishwoman who struggles with her social status since she is poor and has a Cockney accent. One evening, a man by the name of Professor Henry Higgins (Harrison), a teacher in diction and elocution who possesses a very short temper, is accompanied by a friend named Colonel Hugh Pickering (Hyde-White), who is also a phonetics expert. The two of them are standing out in the open, discussing their similar interests when Professor Higgins voices his opinion that the only thing that truly determines one's place within society is the way they speak. Colonel Pickering, disbelieving, is assured by Professor Higgins that he could take any common girl off the street and give her lessons so that in time she could be passed off as "a duchess at an embassy ball." Enter Eliza Doolittle (Hepburn). To prove that he is not joking, Professor Higgins singles out Eliza who has a particularly bad Cockney accent. When he tells her what he and the Colonel are discussing, she also thinks he is mad. Plus she is too proud to accept his help, which suits Professor Higgins just fine because he was just pointing her out as an example.
Yet, even after Eliza has parted ways with the two gentlemen, she cannot seem to get the idea out of her head...She is a respectable girl who just has an unfortunate accent. But if Professor Higgins was telling the truth, then she could go to him for lessons and finally get a proper position instead of just selling flowers on the street. She decides to approach Professor Higgins in the hopes of taking him up on his offer. She dresses in her shabby best and makes her way to his house. Eliza tells him that she is a respectable girl who wishes to have speaking lessons and is willing to pay for them. Professor Higgins attempts to brush her aside, not having the time or the patience for her and her pittance of one shilling per lesson, but she refuses to leave. Finally, Colonel Pickering, who is staying with Professor Higgins for the time being, accuses Professor Higgins of not wanting to teach the girl because he thinks he can't do it. So, he offers to pay for Eliza's lessons himself, and encourages Professor Higgins to take the offer. Higgins, insulted that the Colonel thinks he could not make good his boast, finally agrees.
From that time on, Eliza moves into Professor Higgins' house. Day and night, the relentless professor makes her slave away with exercises to improve her speech. She speaks into a recorder for hours pronouncing her vowels, tries to speak with marbles in her mouth in order to enunciate, spends her evenings trying to say little ditties like, "the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" to further help with her vowels, or "how KIND of you to let me come" to teach her inflection. She spends most of her days in tears because Professor Higgins is so harsh with her. All three of them--Eliza, Professor Higgins, and Colonel Pickering--are beginning to feel utterly hopeless about the whole idea one evening when finally, finally, Eliza understands. Everything just sort of clicks in her brain and she begins to speak properly.
Eliza keeps working and practicing, and therefore improving. Professor Higgins decides to take her for a "test run," so to speak, and tells her she is going to Ascot to see how she does in public with real members of the upper class. Colonel Pickering pulls out all the stops and makes sure she is dressed for the part. On the day of the event, it is obvious that she still needs to practice, yet she makes a favorable impression with everyone present until she gets caught up watching the race and shouts, "Come on, Dover! Move yer bloomin' arse!" Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering take her home to continue to work so that she will be ready for the embassy ball.
The evening of the ball comes and it is evident that Eliza has undergone a complete transformation. She is beautiful, with the manners of a genteel upper class woman, and a speaking voice to match. Higgins and Pickering take her to the ball and everyone there is intrigued by her. She is a big hit, and even dances with a prince from another country. Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering are relieved that she is doing so well. They have a slight moment of tension when she begins to dance with a foreign phonetics expert. However, once the expert says that he is sure that she must be a foreign dignitary of royal blood, Professor Higgins is over the moon. He is ecstatic and when they arrive back at the house late in the evening, he is in a celebratory mood. Eliza, however, is not. She is hurt and frustrated that all of the credit is going to Professor Higgins, while no one shows any appreciation for her or the hard work and effort she put into her lessons, nor her dedication to learn. In fact, Professor Higgins is just as harsh to her after her accomplishments as he was before. The two of them argue, and she walks out on him.
At first, Eliza returns to her home, but she realizes that with her new speaking voice, education and wardrobe, she does not belong there anymore. Not knowing where else to go, Eliza goes to the home of Henry's mother, whom she met at Ascot. Professor Higgins follows her there and the two have a confrontation that does not end well, as she walks out on him again. Professor Higgins returns home telling himself that it's of little to no importance because she's bound to come crawling back to him after all that he has done for her. But as he is faced with the silence of his big, empty house, he comes face-to-face with the realization that it is of great importance to him whether or not she comes back, because he actually cares for her. What if it wasn't an empty threat? What if she really never did come back and he never saw her again? Just then, Eliza surprises him by walking into his study.


"Eliza, you are to stay here for the next six months learning to speak beautifully, like a lady in a florist's shop. If you work hard and do as you're told, you shall sleep in a proper bedroom, have lots to eat, and money to buy chocolates and go for rides in taxis. But if you are naughty and idle, you shall sleep in the back kitchen amongst the black beetles, and be walloped by Mrs. Pearce with a broomstick. At the end of six months you will be taken to Buckingham Palace, in a carriage, beautifully dressed. If the king finds out you are not a lady, you will be taken to the Tower of London where your head will be cut off as a warning to other presumptuous flower girls! But if you are not found out, you shall have a present of...ah...seven and six to start life with as a lady in a shop. If you refuse this offer, you will be the most ungrateful, wicked girl, and the angels will weep for you."
-Professor Henry Higgins



My Fair Lady is a wonderful, fun musical full of humor and a tiny hint of romance. It was nominated for 12 Oscars and won 8 including the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the Academy Award for Original Music Score. If you aren't really accustomed to watching a musical, then we think My Fair Lady would be a perfect starting point.
We will be posting musical tracks from the motion picture on our Facebook page later this evening:

You can watch the official trailer for My Fair Lady here:

Sunday, February 17, 2013

"Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes."-Maggie Smith

Like any person who is unabashedly obsessed with the UK, Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, and all things British, I have a great love for Maggie Smith. She's a wonderful actress, and is genuinely funny both on the screen and off. Even today there are many people who recognize her and appreciate her work, but are not familiar with some of her older films and the career she built for herself before she became popular in America.
Also, like any person who loves Maggie Smith, I just watched her on 60 Minutes, and I was thinking to myself, I would love to do a post on Maggie Smith...and then I realized I can! She's been in classic films, so she's qualified for the blog.

Maggie Smith
Born December 28, 1934

In the winter of 1934, Margaret "Maggie" Natalie Smith was born in Essex, England, to parents Nathaniel and Margaret. Her father was a pathologist, and his career moved the family to Oxford when Smith was only 4 years of age. She grew up here, attending Oxford High School for Girls. Her two older twin brothers studied architecture, but young Maggie had a desire to act. She was strongly discouraged from this career path by her grandmother who told her that she was not pretty enough to be an actress, and recommended that she learn to type instead. Luckily, Smith did not dwell on these words, and went on to study at Oxford Playhouse School after she graduated. It was during her time there that she had her stage debut in 1952, playing the role of Viola from William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
In 1956, Smith headed to Broadway, where she performed in New Faces of '56. Later that year she obtained a small part in front of a camera in the film Child in the House. By 1959 she managed to earn a bigger part in the dramatic crime film, Nowhere to Go. During this time, however, Smith did not stop acting on the stage. She loved theater, and began to make a name for herself on the stage. She became a regular at the Royal National Theater. In 1964 she played the role of Desdemona alongside critically acclaimed Shakespearean actor Laurence Olivier in Othello. This led to a film adaptation with both of them in the same roles the following year. Several years later, Smith was cast as the lead in the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), which earned her an Academy Award.
By the time that Smith's popularity began to grow with audiences in America, she was already a very well recognized and praised actress overseas. She continued to act and gradually began to make a name for herself through characters who were strict, and armed with a vast arsenal of endless dry wit, or, as Smith has described it, "spiky" characters. She played an older Wendy in the movie Hook (1991), had a role in Sister Act (1992), and played a very important character in the film Tea with Mussolini (1999). She has had countless other roles, but is perhaps best recognized these days for one...
When the popular book series Harry Potter was slated for film adaptations, author J.K. Rowling reportedly hand picked Smith for the role of the stern yet lovable Transfiguration teacher and deputy headmistress, Minerva McGonagall. Little known to many people is the fact that she had already acted alongside Daniel Radcliffe before, playing Betsey Trotwood to his David Copperfield in 1999 for BBC. Smith has always been admired by her coworkers for being a professional to the utmost, but it was perhaps during the filming of the Harry Potter film series that she showed the true extent of her professionalism and work ethic. Sometime between 2007 and 2008, Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2009, during the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she also developed shingles. There was a time when she wore a wig in order to portray her character. Despite all of this, Smith kept going and eventually made a full recovery, saying that the cancer was "hideous," and going on to say, "If there's work to be done, I'll do it."
While Smith continues to act in movies today, her most recent character to capture audiences hearts is that of the formidable and sarcastic Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley, in the television period drama Downton Abbey.
Maggie Smith has already built a remarkable career for herself. She has played parts in over 50 major motion pictures, 8 made for TV movies, appeared in 2 TV series, had a starring role in 1 TV mini-series, and has made guest appearances on things like The Carol Burnett Show. She has been nominated for more than 40 awards, and has won 5 BAFTA Awards, 3 Emmy Awards, 2 SAG Awards, 3 Golden Globes, 2 Academy Awards, and many more. She has also acted in 76 theater productions, for which she has received  the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre. She has two sons from her first marriage, both of whom are well known actors. She has three honorary degrees from the University of Bath, University of St Andrews, and also University of Cambridge. She has also been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1970), and later on to a Dame Commander (1990).
She says she has no plans to retire.


"There is a kind of invisible thread between the actor and the audience, and when it's there it's stunning, and there is nothing to match that."
-Maggie Smith

"I like the ephemeral thing about theatre, every performance is like a ghost--it's there and then it's gone."
-Maggie Smith

"I tend to head for what's amusing because a lot of things aren't happy. But usually you can find a funny side to practically anything."
-Maggie Smith


"It's true I don't tolerate fools but then they don't tolerate me, so I am spiky. Maybe that's why I'm quite good at playing spiky elderly ladies."
-Maggie Smith


Friday, February 15, 2013

"Any girl can be glamorous.All you have to do is stand still and look stupid."-Hedy Lamarr

The month of February is always an interesting one around here because there is no pre-set Star of the Month to do a post about, so that usually means we have to get creative. Last year, we did a photo contest and the winner got to pick the star, which was Clint Eastwood. This year, we decided to just choose a star of our own accord who we find fascinating, beautiful, and most importantly, intelligent.

Hedy Lamarr
Born November 9, 1913
Died January 19, 2000

Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, nicknamed "Hedy" since childhood, was an Austrian Jew born in 1913. She was the only child of highly intelligent parents Emil, who was a bank director, and Gertrud, a pianist. Growing up, Hedy had a much more musical bent, and she was formally trained in both ballet and piano.
When she was only 19 years old, Hedy married Friedrich Mandl, who was one of the wealthiest men in Austria and was a renowned munitions manufacturer. The marriage was never a happy one, Hedy even revealing later on that her husband was extremely controlling and domineering, constantly trying to keep her under his thumb, and keeping her from pursuing the acting career she desired. As WWII approached and gripped the heart of Austria, Hedy found herself in a delicate position. Her husband was building friendships with both Adolf Hitler and Mussolini, both of whom were frequent guests in their home.While Hedy took interest in the scientific meetings she attended with her husband, she was still in a dangerous position due to her Jewish heritage. She was exceedingly uncomfortable at these lavish parties and business dinners in the company of these politically powerful men. One night while preparing for a dinner party, Hedy convinced her bewildered husband to let her wear all of her most expensive and cherished jewelry pieces. He left her alone to finish preparing, during which time she covered herself in a maids costume and disappeared.
Hedy fled to Paris, hoping to find safety but knowing that it would not be so easy. Her husband followed her there, attempting to track her down. Years later she recounted her experience running away from him in the city. She found herself fleeing into the back entrance of a brothel in an attempt to evade him. He entered after her and began to search. Terrified, she ducked into a room and took over someone else's waiting customer in order to stay hidden. Eventually she managed to escape him once and for all. She fled to London where she met Louis B. Mayer, who unknowingly held her freedom. He was quite taken with her and decided to hire her. Together they worked on her image, including her name change. She went from Hedy Kiesler to Hedy Lamarr, taking the surname of a beautiful and successful actress of the silent era. And so, Hedy Lamarr moved to Hollywood.
Lamarr quickly formed friendships with those in high places, and she worked it to her advantage in order to boost her career. After attending a party where she met and charmed Charles Boyer, he specifically requested her as his costar in his upcoming film Algiers (1938). She recognized this debut as an important chance to prove herself, and her hard work paid off. She received very positive reviews upon the film's release. She quickly was cast in more film roles with some of the leading names of the day, from Spencer Tracy in Boom Town (1940), Clark Gable in Comrade X (1940), and John Garfield in Tortilla Flat (1942), to leading ladies such as Lana Turner and Judy Garland in Ziegfeld Girl (1941). She stayed strong in her career, reaching it's pinnacle in Samson and Delilah (1949), which was the highest grossing film of that year.
Lamarr's focus began to shift and her career began to slow in the 1950s. She became an American citizen in 1953. She also decided to put her interest and talent for science to use. Lamarr teamed up with George Antheil and together they developed a communication method for frequency hopping, which they even had patented. They offered their developments to the United States Navy, and the system was even used in by ships in the midst of a Cuban blockade in 1962. It was an important yet often overlooked development in spread-spectrum communication technology, without which we would have had much more difficulty in the development of such things as Bluetooth or Wifi
Having finally acquired a divorce from her first husband in 1937, she married Gene Markey in 1939, with whom she adopted a son. Their marriage lasted for 3 years. She then married John Loder in 1943, with whom she had one daughter and one son. By the time she officially retired from film in 1958, Lamarr had starred in 34 motion pictures. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her achievements, and she was honored for her scientific work in communications in 1997 when she was given an award by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Hedy Lamarr died on January 19, 2000 from natural causes at the age of 86. As she had requested, her children spread her ashes in the Vienna Woods in Austria.


"Jack Kennedy always said to me, 'Hedy, get involved.' That's the secret of life. Try everything. Join everything. Meet everyone."
-Hedy Lamarr

"I'm a sworn enemy of convention. I despise the conventional in anything, even the arts."
-Hedy Lamarr


A video montage of the lovely and intelligent Hedy Lamarr:

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Won't you be my valentine?

Happy Valentine's Day to every one of you from Think Classic!

Since I'm sure most of you have more important things to do, and you have to get ready for hot dates tonight (whether with another human being or Netflix,we don't judge) we'll keep this vintage valentine short, but we had to do something to acknowledge the day of love!


How about some fun Valentine's Day facts?
Did you know:
-Valentines date back to 270 A.D.
-In the Middle Ages, young people would draw names to see who their valentine was. They would then pin the name to their sleeve and wear it there for a week.
-Red roses are connected with love and Valentine's Day because they were supposedly the favorite flower of Venus, who was the Roman goddess of love.
-Valentine's Day is only celebrated in 8 countries: Canada, Mexico, UK, Australia, Denmark, Italy, the USA, and France (naturally).
-19th century doctors used to actually prescribe the eating of chocolate to patients who were sad or melancholy.
-The first country where sending paper valentine hearts or cards became immensely popular was in England, during the Victorian era (which is also when/where Christmas cards came into fashion).
-Before mass production of valentines became feasible and popular, people would spend money to buy fancy and expensive handmade valentines of real lace and ribbon.


And now, a couple of classic love poems to get you in the mood:

"The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of Heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle--
Why not I with thine?
See the mountains kiss high Heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea--
What are all these kissings worth
If thou kiss not me?"
Love's Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley


"My true love hath my heart, and I have his,
By just exchange one for the other given:
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss;
There never was a bargain better driven.
His heart in me keeps me and him in one,
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides;
He loves my heart for once it was his own;
I cherish his because in me it bides.
His heart his wound received from my sight;
My heart was wounded with his wounded heart;
For as from me on him his hurt did light,
So still methought in me his hurt did smart:
Both equal hurt, in this change sought our bliss,
My true love hath my heart and I have his."
My True-Love Hath My Heart by Sir Philip Sidney

If you do happen to be spending the evening in, whether by yourself or with a significant other, why not make it a double date with Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable? Catch Gone With the Wind (1939) tonight on TCM starting at 8pm ET.


"Kisses are a better fate than wisdom."
-e.e. cummings

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
-Charles M. Schulz

"Who, being loved, is poor?"
-Oscar Wilde

"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs."
-William Shakespeare

"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutual satisfying weirdness--and call it love--true love."
-Robert Fulghum