"Taking joy in life is a woman's best cosmetic."-Rosalind Russell

We apologize for the delay, but here is the last post for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Think PINK post #3:

Rosalind Russell

Born June 4, 1907

Died November 28, 1976

Catherine Rosalind Russell was born in the summer of 1907 to parents James and Clara. She was the middle child out of 7 children in a Catholic family with Irish heritage. Growing up, Russell and her siblings all attended Catholic school. Later on, she enrolled in Marymount College for a time. She had a secret desire to be an actress, although her parents wanted her to become a teacher. When she did begin to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, she was away from home, and told her parents that she was studying education.

Even though she was working to be an actress on Broadway, her first form of recognition was as a model.  She was a natural comedian, and soon earned several bit parts in plays on the big stage. In the late 1920s,

Russell was offered a job with a stock company at Saranac Lake. She finally came clean to her parents and told them about the job offer. They were not supportive and tried to persuade her not to take it, but she eventually accepted the offer despite her parents objections. She remained in that company for about 7 months, before joining up with a new stock company in Hartford. When her run was over there, she relocated to Boston and joined a theater group run by Edward E. Clive. From Boston, she later returned to New York and continued to act on the stage. Many people do not realize that Russell also had a beautiful singing voice. She decided to take vocal lessons and was soon singing in the opera. She did well there, but eventually decided it was not the place for her. She had a lower vocal range, and her inability to hit some of the higher notes meant that she was not usually given lead roles. Having spent several years developing her craft and gaining experience on the east coast, Russell decided to officially relocate to Hollywood to see what the silver screen had to offer.

Russell arrived in Los Angeles in 1930 and within no time, she had her first film contract with Universal Pictures. She later recalled that during her time with Universal, she felt that she was passed over and ignored most of the time. She said that no one there treated her with any respect, and whenever she was working with people, they humiliated her. No matter how much she wanted to be an actress, Russell was not willing to remain tied to a studio that constantly attacked her self esteem. She terminated her contract, and managed to extricate herself from Universal without too much difficulty, and on her own terms, which was practically

unheard of at the time. Russell directly moved to Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Given that her first experience with a film studio was so terrible, she was nervous about her screen test with MGM. She did her best, and the studio liked her. Later on, she swore that the only reason they decided to hire her was because of her close up picture that was taken by Harold S. Bucquet.

Russell's film debut was in the motion picture Evelyn Prentice (1934), which gave her quite a bit of notoriety even though she did not have the lead role. It quickly became clear that she excelled in comedies such as Forsaking All Others (1934), Man Proof (1938), Four's a Crowd (1938), her famous role in His Girl Friday (1940), and many more. However, she also showed audiences that she could act in dramatic roles like Reckless (1935), or Craig's Wife (1936), and also in thrillers like Fast and Loose (1939). Despite the fact that Russell had shown that she could play in any genre, she was still subject to typecasting. She was soon pigeonholed as the sophisticated and dignified lady. Russell approached directors with pleas to help her change her image, which eventually resulted in her role in The Women (1939), as the frivolous and deplorable gossip Sylvia Fowler. The film was a hit and helped audiences look at her in a new light.

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Russell spent most of the 1940s devoting her time to comedies. One of her most famous comedic roles was as Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday (1940) alongside Cary Grant. She also excelled in the motion picture My Sister Eileen (1942), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. While she was dominating the silver screen in Hollywood, Russell was also adjusting to changes in her personal life during the early 1940s. She married Frederick Brisson in 1941. Brisson was the son of famous Danish actor Carl Brisson. The two were introduced by fellow actor Cary Grant during the filming of His Girl Friday (1940), and were married a year later, with Grant serving as best man at the wedding. Brisson was the love of Russell's life, and the two remained married until her death.

In the early 1950s, Russell returned to the east coast for a lead role in the Broadway musical Wonderful Town (1953). The play was based on My Sister Eileen (1942), and was an immediate success. She would play the lead role a third time on television in 1958. It was later that same year that she would take up the role in one of the most memorable films of her career, playing the title role in Auntie Mame (1958). She remained active in her career throughout the 1960s. Towards the end of the decade, in 1966, Auntie Mame was casting for a Broadway production. Naturally, Russell was offered the part, but she declined due to ill health.

Russell was diagnosed with breast cancer sometime in the mid to late 60s. She greatly struggled with the disease, and eventually lost the battle. Rosalind Russell died from complications due to breast cancer on November 28, 1976 at the age of 69. In the 38 year span of Russell's career, she starred in over 50 major motion pictures, 2 films made for television, and many plays. She was nominated 4 different times for an Academy Award for Best Actress, won 5 Golden Globe Awards, and won 2 Laurel Awards for Top Female Comedy Performances. Rosalind Russell was a true actress and genuine comedian, and a strong and beautiful woman who suffered from the effects of breast cancer.

"Acting is standing up naked and turning around very slowly."

-Rosalind Russell

"A man is insensible to the relish of prosperity until he has tasted adversity."

-Rosalind Russell

"An impeccably dressed lady is always viewed with suspicion in real life and when you strut onto the screen with beautiful clothes and charming manners, the most naive of theatergoers senses immediately that you are in a position to do the hero no good."

-Rosalind Russell

"Flops are a part of life's menu and I've never been a girl to miss out on any of the courses."

-Rosalind Russell

Thank you all so much for joining in this month for what we hope will be an annual segment of Think PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness. These beautiful and talented women that we have posted about struggled with breast cancer and eventually died from complications many years ago. But there are still beautiful and strong women who struggle with the same disease today.

Always hope and work for a cure, and always Think PINK!

Join us both Wednesday and Thursday, the 30th and 31st of October for some vintage costumes and the history of trick-or-treating.

Happy Halloween!

"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:

Think Classic Facebook

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

"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

Change is a good thing...maybe?

Greetings, all.

Lately I've been feeling the great conviction as both a book and movie lover, to shed some light on film adaptations, which I think we can all agree are tricky. This is probably due to the fact that I keep running into more and more buzz, news, and speculation on upcoming movies (i.e.- The Great Gatsby), and have also been reading up on some articles on that infamous discussion which will undoubtedly never be resolved--BBC Pride & Prejudice vs Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice (Matthew Macfadyen is my leading man, in case you were wondering).

When discussing something like this which tends to be so controversial and which holds the great potential of the looming threat of people breaking out in passionate argument, there is something you should know about me and my personal opinions: I love books, I love movies, and I don't usually get too ruffled about details that have been skewed, providing that they don't change the entire outcome of the story. I'm the person you were sitting next to in the theater at the midnight premier of the Harry Potter movies who just shrugged and said, "That's not so bad," much to the chagrin of people around me. Although even I, like everyone in this world, have my limits.

Now, that also leads me to point out one of the number one things which I encourage people to keep in mind when it comes to film adaptations of books:

It is never going to be perfect.

Never. There is always going to be something that isn't quite the same, and to that same effect--you can't make everybody happy. Even if a film adaptation is outstanding and nearly perfectly done, there is always going to be somebody who is bent out of shape because that one line wasn't said right, or that one scene was cut off, or because what's-his-name doesn't look the way they imagined. 

Having said all that, in my personal opinion, I feel that good and sometimes even excellent film adaptations are entirely achievable on a general level if these most basic of guidelines are adhered to:

1) Do your best to cast actors and actresses who actually look like the characters they are expected to portray.

    I made this #1 because it generally seems like it doesn't matter what else happens in the rest of the movie--if the leading man or lady makes their grand entrance and they don't look the part, then people are automatically going to be moaning their distress. I stick by what I said earlier when I mentioned that you cannot make everyone happy when you bring a character to life on the big screen. Minor changes are acceptable. However, that doesn't give you license to get "creative" and pick someone who looks nothing like the person they are expected to portray. Daniel Radcliffe has dark brown hair and blue eyes, but he still made a great Harry Potter. On the other hand, I can't even begin to list the cringe-worthy differences between the novel version of Little Women's Professor Bhaer and Gabriel Byrne, no matter how good of an actor he is. And, for the love of all that is holy, please choose someone who is at least somewhere within a 5-yr range of their character (cough*Greer Garson*Pride & Prejudice*cough). On the totally opposite side of the coin, I'd have to say the best on-screen character representation I've seen would have to be Gemma Arterton in Tess of the D'Urbervilles, hands-down.

Such a basic thing to make your target audience happy. So just remember:

TRAVESTY:

BAD:

BETTER:

BEST:

2) Do not change the story.
    You can be forgiven for the occasional line fub, and we won't entirely hold it against you if you mesh some scenes together for times sake. We will probably even overlook a small number of location details, but if these things or anything else are part of an overall equation that leads to a totally and completely different story, then you're condemned.

3) Don't make a character into a person that they are not.
    So, the movie has started and most of the theater is grumbling about the imperfect presence that is the main character but that's all they're doing for now--grumbling, huffing, sighing, etc. I guarantee that will instantly become much more vocal and violent if this impostor opens their mouth and says things in a manner, tone of voice, or with such facial expressions that it gives them a different personality than what was originally insinuated or intended in the book. I just hate to add fuel to the fire here, but my case in point would be Colin Firth's Darcy vs Matthew Macfadyen's Darcy. Entirely setting aside the fact that I think MM is McDreamy, the main reason I approve of him over CF is because he actually portrays some emotion towards the end of the movie, which is what happens in the book the last time I checked. Honestly, CF is too stiff and you can never discern any of the discomfort or emotion or love for Elizabeth that should be there--not even by the final scene.

FITZWILLIAM DARCY:

FAKEWILLIAM FARCEY:

4) Don't eliminate the entire ending of the story.
    I'm not talking about changing the outcome, as mentioned above. I'm talking about completely and totally cutting it out, like it never happened. When the 2011 version of Jane Eyre came out, I was excited to see it because I really enjoy the book. I went to see it, and the imagery was beautiful! The characters were okay. Overall, I was thinking, "You know, this is a pretty okay film adaptation. I might even watch it again." And then what happens?Nothing. It just ends....and not where it is supposed to. It doesn't show the proper ending of the story which is the whole point of the story. Never watching that one again.

Cute but not good enough. Shame on you, Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Those are the main and most basic rules I have on the list, however even I must admit there are some adaptations that will probably fail even if they do follow the rules (which are not more like guidelines). Unfortunately my main example of this would be the 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Naturally, as I'm sure you would probably guess, I love the book. I think it is an interesting and sad story that is told through amazing verbal images of life as the elite in the 1920s. Unfortunately, most people don't realize that film adaptations of that story have already been done and they were not at all successful. Every once in a while you just run across a story that is wonderful in book form, but it just does not translate on the big screen. Besides The Great Gatsby, another example would be The Portrait of a Lady.

So, to be honest, I guess the main point of this was just a rant that led up to the fact that I will probably just watch The Great Gatsby from Redbox in the comfort of my home if I choose to invest in viewing it at all. And to say that Matthew Macfadyen wins.Always.

"Catastroph!"

A Very Vintage Christmas post #8

Today is December 23, so there are two days until Christmas!

We have a classic Christmas film for you today, but it also happens to be in conjunction with TCM's Star of the Month for December, so here she is:

STAR OF THE MONTH

Barbara Stanwyck

Born July 16, 1907

Died January 20, 1990

Barbara Stanwyck was in fact born as one Ruby Catherine Stevens in Brooklyn, New York in 1907. She had a difficult upbringing and developed a tough skin because of it. She was the youngest of five children who were orphaned from a young age. Her mother was killed in a streetcar accident when she was 4 years of age, and soon after that her father left for a job on the Panama canal dig and he was never seen or heard from again. Ruby was left in the care of one of her sisters who was only 5 years older than herself. She stayed with her older sister, Mildred, until the latter decided to pursue a career in show business. From that point on Ruby and one of her brothers were placed in innumerable foster homes. During summer vacations, Ruby was reunited with her sister and would travel and tour with her, memorizing routines and developing a passion for performance. Mildred tried to discourage her from getting involved in the business, but Ruby desperately wanted to be on stage--to be noticed. She never attended high school, and when she was still just 15 in 1923, she landed herself a job at a night club in Times Square. She was only there for a short time until she auditioned and won a part as a Ziegfeld girl for two seasons.

Ruby worked the circuit as a chorus girl for the next 3 years until she met director Willard Mack in 1926. At the time, Mack was attempting to cast the roles for his play The Noose, and Ruby was referred to him by a friend and mutual acquaintance. She was given the part, but the play was not successful until it was rewritten with adjustments to her character. After the tweaks were made, it became an amazing success on Broadway. It was during this time that Ruby Stevens officially became Barbara Stanwyck. The name of her character was Barbara, and the last name was taken from another actress. And thus, a star was born.

In 1927, the new Barbara Stanwyck was cast in a leading role in the hit show Burlesque. She quickly began taking up small parts in silent films later that same year. It was also during this time that she met her future husband, Frank Fay, while working on the stage. They were married in 1928. The two were married less than 10 years, and reportedly fell apart due to career differences. Fay was also an actor, but he could not successfully switch from silents to talkies, whereas Stanwyck's career skyrocketed shortly after talkies rolled into production. Fay also had alcoholic tendencies and was abusive to his wife in public.

From her first talking picture in 1929, The Locked Door, Stanwyck just kept going and building momentum as she went. She quickly was cast in memorable pictures such as Ladies of Leisure (1930), Stella Dallas (1937), The Lady Eve (1941), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). She was also considered for the part of Scarlett O'Hara in the film adaptation of the classic novel, Gone With The Wind.

Stanwyck went on to marry fellow actor Robert Taylor in 1939. She was very hesitant to get involved with anyone else after her previous disastrous relationship, but Taylor was persistent. She claimed that he was the love of her life, and they were happy for a while, but he began to stray and the couple fell apart after a while. They agreed that it was best to divorce, and they officially did so in 1951. Stanwyck stayed active after her divorce, but her personal life took a toll on her career and she slowly began to decline in the film industry. After 1957, she began to dabble in the television industry, and had some minor success.

Barbara Stanwyck was looked upon as the friendly face of Hollywood. She was known for showing warmth and kindness to all of the crew and backstage workers on her films, and she was a great favorite with all of her costars. During her time in the film industry she starred in over 80 motion pictures, and won an Academy Award in 1981. She died of heart complications at the age of 82 in 1990. There was no funeral according to her wishes.

"I'm a tough, old broad from Brooklyn. I intend to go on acting until I'm ninety and they won't need to paste my face with makeup."

-Barbara Stanwyck

"'Career' is too pompous a word. It was a job and I have always felt privileged to be paid for doing what I love doing."

-Barbara Stanwyck

And now, for our Movie of the Month pick starring Barbara Stanwyck, which is also the main part of our post for A Very Vintage Christmas today:

Christmas in Connecticut

1945

Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Reginald Gardiner, S.Z. Sakall, and Sydney Greenstreet

During World War II, a smart, young, single woman by the name of Elizabeth Lane (Stanwyck) has a job as a writer for a successful housekeeping magazine. To all of America, Elizabeth Lane is a loving wife, nurturing mother, and sensational cook who lives on a country farm in Connecticut. Only three of her closest friends know that she is in fact a single woman who cannot cook to save her life and lives in a small apartment in the city. Certainly her boss, Alexander Yardley (Greenstreet) has no idea--he's an old stickler for the truth and is in favor of anything that will boost circulation. There doesn't seem to be any reason to inform Mr. Yardley about Elizabeth's real home life...that is, until Mr. Yardley receives a letter from a nurse who is engaged to a sailor and she wants him to be able to go and spend Christmas in a good, happy, comfy, traditional home. Mr. Yardley thinks it will make for an excellent story--Elizabeth Lane, America's model housewife, taking in a naval hero for the holidays.

Elizabeth finds out about what Mr. Yardley is planning and she is devastated, knowing that she must tell Mr. Yardley the truth and lose her job. Whenever she goes to meet with him, she can't work up the courage to tell him that she is not a housewife from Connecticut. Then, she is even more dispirited than before when her friend John Sloan (Gardiner), who has always been determined to marry Elizabeth even though she's not interested, pays her a visit. John is an architect and he mentions in passing that he has a house in Connecticut, which sparks an idea in Elizabeth's head. In order to keep her job, Elizabeth says that she will marry John; that way the two of them can go to his country house in Connecticut and receive the sailor there and pretend that she is the housewife she claims to be in her magazine articles. John thinks her whole predicament is rather ridiculous, but he goes along with it because it means Elizabeth is finally accepting his proposal.

So, shortly before Christmas, John travels to his country farm in Connecticut with Elizabeth, who insists on bringing her "uncle" Felix (Sakall) who is a professional chef and who has been giving her recipe ideas for the magazine articles for years. Everything is ready; they even have a baby to complete the picture because the housekeeper watches a baby whose mother works at a munitions factory during the day. The only problem is that Elizabeth has qualms about marrying John since she knows she doesn't really love him. They are supposed to get married as soon as they arrive at the farm by a justice of the peace but Elizabeth manages to put it off. John gets upset and insists on knowing what they're supposed to do, but she manages to placate him by saying that they will just pretend they are married but she will sleep in the guest room at night. Things only get more complicated when the sailor arrives two hours early and Elizabeth very quickly falls head of heels in love with him. Then things get even more crowded when Mr. Yardley himself also joins them for Christmas.

Everything turns into a big, jumbled mess as Elizabeth tries to keep up her act so she doesn't get fired, but she can't help showing her attraction to the sailor, Jefferson Jones (Morgan). Uncle Felix helps her keep her secrets for a while but eventually Mr. Yardley starts to catch on, but he only picks up on some of the details--he thinks that Elizabeth and John really are married but that she is having an affair with Jefferson. Everything gets more confusing and tense until the truth finally comes out. Elizabeth quits her job and is heartbroken because she never realized Jefferson was engaged until his fiance turned up at the farm. But new truths are being unveiled all over the place and Jefferson discovers his fiance came to break the news that she is now married to somebody else.

Everything seems melancholy and chaotic until Uncle Felix steps in. He gets Elizabeth her job back with a pay raise, and he fills in all the gaps for Jefferson so that he knows Elizabeth is in love with him. They then reconcile and proclaim their love for each other, and everyone has a very merry Christmas in Connecticut, after all.

Christmas in Connecticut is a great family Christmas movie. It is a true comedy of circumstance and is full of humor, and a little romance too, of course.

It is one of my favorite Christmas movies and I even own a copy of it myself.

Alright, so tomorrow is Monday so we will be doing a post then for Christmas Eve.

I can't believe Christmas is so close at hand! We here at Think Classic truly do wish you all a wonderful, happy, blessed Christmas. Be safe this holiday season, and in light of recent tragedies that have befallen those across the country and most especially in the Northeast: as you reach out to those around you whom you love this Christmas, remember those who have now lost their loved ones. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Have A Very Vintage Christmas!