Bradford Dillman, Villain Extraordinaire

As you have no doubt realized by now, I am a staunch supporter of the creative endeavors of my pals*. Not just because they are my special chums and I love them, but because these gals are enormously talented, each in their own way.

Today I’d like to share The Bradford Dillman honorary blogathon – the annual project of my dear friend The Millie. This year’s collection of posts rallies under the moniker: Bradford Dillman: A Jazzier Kind of Noir. Don’t know who Bradford Dillman is or why he deserves a blogathon? Well, as the official hostess and organizer of these Bradford festivities, Millie created a short video promotion that is sure to clear up any questions. Have a look:

After laughing till I cried at that hilarious promo, I became determined to participate this year. As I set about searching the filmography of Mr. Dillman, I found a film just tailor-made for a blogathon hosted by The Millie: The Great Gold Conspiracy aka Gold (1974). This is not a film I would typically watch (my main rule is to steer clear of films made after 1968, especially ones from 1969-1979), but I braved Gold for the sake of Bradford Dillman.

Gold takes a harsh look at the complex workings of an African goldmine. Riddled with ulterior motives, back-stabbing, racism and intrigue, the management team of the mine works through a disastrous accident in the first minutes of the film. At the root of all the trouble is none other than our friend Bradford. He has cooked up a plot to sabotage the mine for profit and is determined to see it through. We have fistfights, extra-marital affairs, dirty dealing and two (not just 1, but 2!) mine collapses.

Let’s just do a quick rundown on the vital statistics here:

1. Bradford Dillman in a prominent villain’s role. Just look at that troubled expression.

2. Interesting, if almost kooky theme and end music. A textbook example of 70′s imagery and sounds, right down to the tune at the end credits with lyrics sung by Jimmy Helms.

3. An almost unbelievable all-star cast.

Roger Moore in full James Bond mode – almost always found in carelessly unbuttoned shirts.

Ray Milland as an American tycoon, complete with cigar and corporate snarl.

John Gielgud, Bradford’s partner in corruption.

Susannah York- too old for pigtails, but sporting them nonetheless. This poor lady really got the shaft from wardrobe on this film. Not a single redeemable outfit in the bunch. In fact, when she dines with Roger Moore, she’s clad in what appears to be a large sheer curtain, gathered strategically.

[Warning - SPOILERS AHEAD!]

And the best for last, #4 – Bradford Dillman’s epic final scene…

…death by Rolls Royce. Honestly, this scene (which clocks in at a mere 3 minutes) trumps every other memorable event in the film (including two mine collapses and Susannah York landing a small plane on a tiny dirt road near the mine entrance). The scene only gains epic status because the object of wrath is Bradford Dillman. After he has spent the entire film scheming, double-dealing and lying to all and sundry, he finally meets his end flying through the air in a cloud of dust.

The only drawbacks for me are the needless gore (Oh, you didn’t want to see Roger Moore’s limbs get crushed? So sorry) and the level of risque elements. On my risque scale of 1-10, I’d give this film a 8.5 for situations and language. But prejudice against the 70s and cinematic gripes aside, I must admit Gold is a highly enjoyable film. It won’t be joining the ranks of my DVD shelf any time soon, but I wouldn’t have missed the performance of Bradford Dillman for the world. He really is a deliciously evil villain!

[End SPOILERS]

Gold is available for viewing on Amazon’s Instant Video or free on YouTube. (To see Bradford’s incredible final scene, watch from 1:51:00. Susannah’s curtain dress is at 43:00.)

*In case you don’t know, my pals are Kate, Millie, Nicole & Sarah

Movie Review: Love Letters (1945)

(redesigned movie poster by yours truly – ©2009)

At first glance, 1945′s Love Letters appears to be a glossy, run-of-the-mill wartime love story. Starring Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones in their first romantic pairing (a full 3 years before Portrait of Jennie), the film is a mesmerizing, perplexing, layered work that defies genre categorization. The love story is definitely there, but the film also has elements of Noir, straight up mystery and courtroom drama.

The tale begins innocently enough – when a handsome, arrogant, unlettered solider named Roger Morland (Robert Sully) meets a girl he wishes to impress (Jennifer Jones) he enlists his comrade in arms, Alan Quinton (Joseph Cotten) to write love letters to the girl in his name. Alan agrees, against his better judgement, and finds a kindred spirit in Victoria. The two share a friendship that is unlike anything he has known before. When the war ends, Alan and Roger part company and lose track of each other, but Alan never forgets the sweet, understanding girl who corresponded with him as he masqueraded as Roger. When Alan’s aunt passes away and wills her lonely country cottage to him, he takes the opportunity to spend time by himself to sort out the happenings of the war, especially his feelings for Victoria. But it just so happens this cottage is located near the small English village where Alan sent the letters to Victoria, so he embarks on a mission to find out what happened to her and Roger. And he isn’t prepared for what he uncovers.

The supporting cast list reads like a Who’s Who of character actors: Cecil Kellaway, Gladys Cooper, Reginald Denny, Anita Louise and (my personal favorite) Ann Richards. Ann Richards plays Victoria’s calm, wise and mysteriously prophetic friend Dilly – a character with some of the best lines in the whole film. Anita Louise is Alan’s social climbing girlfriend whose attitude about his wartime hardships is surprisingly cold, detached and uncaring. It’s an impressive performance that deserves more appreciation and recognition. It astounded me the first time I saw it because I’m used to seeing Anita Louise as a loveable, sweet-tempered girl.

The original novel entitled Pity My Simplicity was written by Christopher Massie in 1944. When Paramount decided to make the book into a film, Ayn Rand took on the task of writing the screenplay. Yes, you read that right – Ayn Rand of Objectivism, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged fame. She spent a few years in Hollywood working as a screenwriter for Hal Wallis’ production company while she wrote the screenplay for The Fountainhead (source). Because I’m a big fan of the film, I decided to hunt down Chris Massie’s book and find out how much of the plot was his writing. After all, if the story I liked was his, it was a good bet his other works would be worth reading.

Well, Ayn Rand said it best: “The novel on which the picture was based was a holy mess.” There isn’t a bit of understatement in that sentiment. Chris Massie’s novel is full of superfluous supporting characters who muddy the plot and make it impossible to follow. The Joseph Cotten character lacks any sort of appeal. He is selfish, self-pitying, childish and even worse, his name in the book is Maurice. The novel is needlessly tear-jerky, to the point of being laughable. A long scene involving a mirrored-wall room filled with pillows and balloons (mercifully omitted in the screenplay) qualifies as gibberish. And the ending infuriated me to such an extent, I fumed and raved about the injustice of it for a full hour. If I had read the book before seeing the film, I would have avoided the film at all costs. I realized that the parts of the film I enjoyed the most – the brilliant, insightful dialogue about life, love and human relations – were all Ayn Rand’s additions. She eliminated the characters who confused the story, created the role for Cecil Kellaway (his character is a woman in the book) and bolstered the Dilly character into the strong, confident woman I admire.

When the film premiered, critics took an instant dislike to the effort. Bosley Crowther (what a name!) writing for the New York Times dismissed the film as “sentimental twaddle,” pronounced William Dieterle’s direction as “mushy and pretentious” and described Jennifer Jones’ performance as “a tipsy high school school girl who has smelled the cork once too often and is all giggly and loose at the joints.” Hmm. Sour grapes, Mr. Crowther?

Despite Mr. Crowther’s scathing opinion, Love Letters remains in an honored place at the top of my favorite films list ever since I first saw it on TCM years ago. The combination of the stellar cast, engaging plot and memorable lines keeps me coming back to it over and over again.

Little Extras

The song Love Letters (sung by Dick Haymes above) does not appear with lyrics in the final print of the film, but this version was released the month after the film and rose to #11 on the Billboard chart.

Be on the lookout for the first scene where Joseph Cotten writes a letter. The handwriting pictured is rumored to belong to David O. Selznick himself. (Screencap above belongs to Jacqueline T. Lynch of Another Old Movie Blog. Check out her fascinating in-depth post on Love Letters here.)

TCM is playing Love Letters again for the first time since I recorded it – tonight (Saturday, January 21, 10pm EST). Set your recorders folks – don’t miss this under appreciated gem!

A Big Announcement!

*drum roll please!* Big news today!

My dear friend Kate asked me to join her blog design business, Scathingly Brilliant Blog Design! Together, we can offer design support for both Blogger and WordPress. Kate will continue to handle the Blogger designs as she has been, and I’ll be designing WordPress layouts as an added feature! And blog design isn’t all we can do – check out the full range of design options (everything from illustrated portraits to Etsy banners) on the splendid site Kate developed here.

(And hey, isn’t that header up there beyond incredible? Kate created it. She’s a seriously talented gal!)

Gossip with The Women

1939′s The Women bestowed a wealth of gloriously iconic dialogue and imagery on the world. Rosalind Russell’s “Seeing Eye” Blouse designed by Adrian, Rosalind and Phyllis Povah landing heads-first into a passing department store cart and my personal favorite: “Jungle red!”

But there is one disconcerting aspect of the film I could never find an explanation for…until now. The poodle-like hairstyles. Every woman in the production (except the blissfully spared Paulette Goddard) sports an unbecoming mass of tightly woven curls on her head. If any of the ladies had long hair at the time, it’s well disguised and contained with the most permanent of waves ever to grace a screen.

Well, it seems at least one of the ladies has a practical reason for her poodle curls, according to the gossip column of Silver Screen’s August 1939 issue:

Joan had every right to be “horrified” if you ask me. Even the masterful snips and curls of Sidney Guilaroff couldn’t transform her botched perm into an acceptable hairstyle. I can’t help wondering if the rest of the ladies’ hair was styled to match Joan’s just so her chopped locks would not stand out. And then I started wondering why Paulette Goddard sported soft shoulder length tresses while the others went for the chop? My only explanation is that it really paid to be married to Charlie Chaplin!

The same column leaked a tidbit about Adrian’s shocking fashions, too. If those clothes in the fashion show sequence are still fascinating and slightly odd to this day, imagine what movie-goers thought of them at the time. No wonder Silver Screen attempted to prepare everyone:

Joan is seriously displeased with the new do.

Snood Perfection for the Unconvinced

If my dual tutorials (1, 2) have not been enough to convince you, my dear readers, of snood excellence, I present a final piece of imagery: the beautiful and talented Beth Riesgraf in the most recent episode of Leverage.

As Parker, Beth dons a gorgeous range of outfits – sweaters from Anthropologie, hats of all descriptions, blouses with peter pan collars and sometimes even fluffy feathered dresses, but the black lace snood and matching dress above are my favorites by far.

It also helps that Beth wore this outfit for perhaps the most “classic Parker” moment of this season:

ELIOT: Did you take a bite of all these?
PARKER: Well, I had to see which one I wanted.

**a big thank you to leverage-caps.tumblr.com and fishnightlight.tumblr.com for screencapping the episode so meticulously**

How to Wear a Crocheted Snood

Hello friends! Today, I’d like to dive right in and explain how to wear a crocheted snood. Crocheted snoods are simple to put on and keep on, making them the perfect hair solution for quick trips around town. I guarantee your errands will feel glamorous if you don one of these! And an added benefit for those in the colder climates: crocheted snoods are incredibly warm. It’s like wearing a hat without the hair-smushing drawback.

You will need:

• a crocheted snood (see below for where to buy one or how to make your own)
• hair pins (I use bobby pins from Sally’s that match my hair color)

Step 1

Style the front of your hair. In the photo above, I have two huge pincurls rolled to towards each other to the middle. My hair was parted slightly off center before I made the curls, so they are not the same size and slightly askew.

Step 2

Brush out your back hair. I often curl the ends a little, too. I do this with a round bristle brush: Take a section of hair, position the brush at the ends and gently catch the ends in the brush, curling the hair under in a circular motion. This helps give the back hair more body once it’s inside the snood.

Step 3

Gather up your back hair and pin it in a large loose pincurl at the nape of your neck. Not too many pins, only about three or so. This pincurl bun doesn’t need to hold very long, it only needs to keep your hair out of the way while you pin on the snood.

Step 4

Take the snood, with the ribbon ends positioned at the top of your head (if it has a ribbon) and wrap it around your head, covering the pincurl bun. Now you pin it in place:

Pin the top, behind your front hairstyle

Pin the sides, behind your ears

Pin the bottom, under the pincurl bun

Step 5

Reach into the snood mesh and remove the pins holding together the pincurl bun. Fluff the hair into the snood so it fills out.

Step 6

Tie the ribbon at the top.

Here’s a little demonstration gif so you get the idea:

Where to find one

Premade snoods are available from a variety of online sellers. My green one in the photos above was a very thoughtful present from our lovely friend Patricia. She discovered The Snood Lady – a dear woman who meticulously reproduces snoods in modern yarns from a vintage pattern. The Snood Lady even sells fancy jeweled snoods for weddings and special occasions.

Of course, there is Etsy – a wealth of premade snoods in a variety of colors: Aprils Bag and Stitch In Time Design in the US and Eden Valley Vintage in the UK.

And if you are a crocheter, you can make your own! The free pattern I used to make my red snood is here (Ravelry link). I added a couple more rows of crochet to this pattern so I could thread a ribbon around it (details on the exact stitches are on my Ravelry page for the project). Annalaia’s shop has 10 vintage crocheted snood patterns and a special pattern for containing layered hair can be found in Patterns ala Carte’s shop.

I hope these ramblings encourage you vintage ladies to give snoods a try! And as always, if you have questions or if I didn’t explain something good enough feel free to speak up.

How to Tie a Snood with a Scarf

Let’s chat about snoods. I realize some of you may find the title of this post crazily repetitive, particularly if you hail from across the pond. But in the 40s sense of the word, a snood is a “a netlike hat or part of a hat or fabric that holds or covers the back of a woman’s hair.” It’s a casual alternative to pinning your hair up, as Ann Sheridan so beautifully demonstrates above. I’m fond of wearing snoods because they lend a 40s look in a quick, easy fashion and are great for days when your hair decides to strike. In my world, there are two types of snoods: special crocheted versions and scarves I tie myself. Today, I’d like to share the instructions for tying a regular 24″ square scarf into a snood.

You will need:

• a square scarf that is at least large enough to tie completely around your head – something in the 24″ square range. If you can wear it as a babushka, it will work for this. Triangular scarves work just fine, too. In fact, the two lace snoods seen in my photos are actually triangles. Any material will work, but scarves with a sheer quality are more authentically snood-ish.
• hair pins (I use bobby pins from Sally’s that match my hair color)

Step 1

Prepare your hair. Style the front with large pincurls, a little rabbit ridge or just pin it back. If you have bangs, you are all set. The back of your hair need not be brushed or straightened. In fact, this is a great style to tame freshly pincurled hair for a few hours.

Step 2

Fold your scarf diagonally, from corner to corner, creating a large triangle. Flip your hair forward while bending at the waist, so your hair falls over the top of your head. Tie the scarf around your head with the square knot just touching your forehead (so it will be over your front styled hair for now). Leave the scarf ends loose.

Step 3

Adjust the point of the scarf to become a pocket for your hair, tucking in loose pieces. Roll up the scarf from the point, corralling your back hair in the pocket created. Secure the top of the pocket with hairpins.

Step 4

Move the top knot behind your front hair, carefully untying it and retying it if necessary. To finish, take one of the loose scarf ends and tuck it into the side it falls closest to, securing with pins. Repeat for the other loose end. Tuck any flyaways and secure with more pins as needed.

If you are confused, have a look at my little gif:

If you have any questions or if something is unclear, do be sure and speak up! I’m happy to help. And keep an eye out for my next snoody post – next week I’ll be writing about crocheted snoods – how to make and wear them!

My Art: End of the Line

As you may have already deduced, I graduated from college earlier this year. Graduated! Diploma and all. In order to graduate, I needed to create a Senior Project and display it in a local gallery. This I did and had a great time in the process. You will not be surprised to learn that I used this project as an excuse to sit around and watch classic films as research. So, please have a look! I’m finally ready to share it with you.The project is a marketing campaign for a classic film festival I named End of the Line. It’s a festival of 5 classic Noir films all centering around trains. It took me ages to decide which to choose, but I narrowed it down to:

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Double Indemnity (1944)

Terror By Night (1946)

The Tall Target (1951)

The Narrow Margin (1952)

The campaign consists of a logo, 5 redesigned film posters, 6 ticket designs, a website and a display area for the gallery. In addition, I designed trading cards with my information on them to give to patrons and a teaser poster to advertise my project at the show. We needed to have an artist’s statement/thesis to hang on the wall next to our projects, too.

THESIS

In the creation of a marketing campaign for a five film festival of classic Noir drams, I highlight fresh aspects of the films presented. With the intent of piquing the interest of young adults, I have rebranded the films with vintage inspired graphics and factual interpretations of the plots. The common thread tying all five films together is the fact that each plot centers around a train journey gone awry.

The supporting promotional materials serve both a functional and commemorative purpose in the campaign. Intended for use in small theatres across the country, the campaign would be available for owners to purchase and host at their discretion.

THE POSTERS

One of the reasons I decided to pursue this project was the frustration I felt attempting to explain the incredible world of classic movies to people my age. I have actually talked with people who refused to watch a classic film “because it’s black and white.” I remember the conversation well, probably because that comment was akin to The Hulk punching me in the face. Before that, I naively believed everyone would be excited to hear about this wonderful cinematic world I had discovered.

Armed with this knowledge of general oafishness, I set out to reveal the stylish, fascinating and wholly worthy nature of classic movies in a way the younger generations could appreciate. I soon realized the most important piece of this mission would be the redesigned posters. Clean, bold and easy to understand at a glance were my goals. I wanted to depict the films truthfully and in a visually appealing way without giving away any plot points, but at the same time hold the interest of diehard fans.

THE TICKETS

The tickets were the easiest piece to design, but the hardest to get printed successfully. If you look closely, you can see every one of them is perforated so the stub can be separated from the ticket. The festival pass even has 5 perforations on the same ticket. You can imagine how a printer handled this. They printed the tickets (all 350 of them…) and forgot to perforate them. I nearly died when the man called and told me that the day before the show opened. I’m not a pushy person at all, but I told him in no uncertain terms he better get them fixed and fast. Thankfully, they were.

Anyway, for these tickets I wanted to combine the idea of movie tickets and train tickets with the integration of a vintage railroad hole puncher. Every ticket has a white circle on the back to be punched at the time you enter the theatre. It’s a purely commemorative gesture, but I felt it was an important touch to lend a train journey feel to the promotional materials. This punch was a lucky Etsy find – it creates a bee wing shape!

THE WEBSITE

eotlff.com – This little site made me so happy when it was finished. I wrote the code for every single thing you see there. All the hovers, all the links, every image you see. I typed out every single character that makes this site work. I even bought a domain and uploaded the whole tidy little package to the server. Be sure to take a peek at the Films page. That was my favorite part to code. (I’m told it doesn’t look to full advantage in Internet Explorer, though…)

THE DISPLAY

Apologies for the subpar photos – no matter how I tried, I couldn’t get a decent photo in this space! It looked marvelous in person, I promise. The black backdrop is a 6′ by 8′ vinyl banner I designed. See those map dots? Those are the actual departure and destination cities in each of the movies, arranged with mild geographical accuracy. (I fretted over the fact it wasn’t geographically correct for months. Eventually, I realized it didn’t matter all that much.) The vintage suitcases were an almost-last-minute revelation that helped bring the whole project together. I tied the stacks with jute rope and thick wire to prevent anyone walking off with them. It worked well!

The incredible sample suitcase served as a holder for the tickets and trading cards. Visitors to the show were allowed to take those as souvenirs. I had to take this suitcase to a metal shop and have a piece of metal cut to fit so it would stay open. The man who helped me figure out the fix was the nicest guy. He made the problem of transforming this suitcase into a display piece a fun adventure, instead of the headache I was anticipating.

THE TEASER POSTER

About a month before the show opened in the main gallery, a smaller gallery hosted a show of the teaser posters my class created. The design above was one of my original ideas, but I couldn’t find a way to make it work with one of the movies. It turned out to be the perfect solution for this poster. The blue circle contains a block of text we absolutely had to have on our posters (mandate from the college’s marketing department). It contained the name of our college and the exact place of the main show. I’ve changed it to gibberish now, but you get the idea. At the time, the QR code in the lower right corner created a reminder for the event in your phone if you scanned it. It now leads straight back here to my blog.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Even though this was the only project I’ve ever worked on that brought me close to tears, it’s my favorite. I’m proud of it, even after looking at it for the first time since it was completed back in April. (I have a policy of putting away all my finished work and taking it out again months later to reassess it. When you are in the thick of an idea, it’s difficult to see it with critical eyes.) That said, I’m really interested in your opinions. In fact, the whole time I worked on this, I kept considering what you guys would think. Did I do the films justice? Are the posters appealing to people who know all about the films? You tell me.

I’ve finally summoned up enough courage to share this here, so please don’t be shy with your thoughts!

Welcome Back, Bob

As you have probably already heard from the triumphant fanfare around the interwebs, TCM’s beloved host Robert Osborne is returning to his hosting duties this Thursday (December 1). Bobby O (as I call him) has been on vacation these past few months to the chagrin and dismay of many a classic film fan. His short absence only served to prove how much we truly need him because though some of the hosts were superb (and others need to be quickly forgotten…) no one even came close to replicating the charm, charisma, sincerity and sheer brilliance of Robert Osborne.

I know the universal love for Bobby O is hard to understand for people who are deprived of TCM. Let me try to explain. You see, every night Robert Osborne introduces the movies starting at 8pm. The introductions are quite short, considering the impact they have on viewers – usually between 5-7 minutes. But in those short moments, Bobby O shares trivia, stories, history and tidbits about the movie about to be shown. It’s like having a window into the time the movie was made, just to hear him talk. He’ll explain what else was happening at the time the film was made, who else was considered for the parts, why the cast was picked and who was in love with who at the time. He’ll point out scenes not to be missed or bit part appearances of yet-to-be stars. And he shares all this with a genuine warmth of feeling and care not only for the films but for you as a viewer. Robert Osborne is your amazingly knowledgeable friend who loves talking about movies and dropping film facts for you to enjoy.

I owe all my initial knowledge of 1939 as a landmark film production year to him and his introductions of the TCM Spotlight on 1939 some years ago. Even now, I can never watch Gone With the Wind, The Women, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Gunga Din or Ninotchka without thinking of him and remembering his comments on the films at the time.

My other favorite Bobby O memories are those little spots TCM used to play where he read viewer questions and answered them. I assume as the channel grew, it became too difficult to continue making those, but I was smitten with them. It was a little moment where the great Robert Osborne interacted with us as viewers and took the time to discuss what interested us.

His appeal for me is his unshakable devotion to classic films. When he stands in front of the camera and introduces a movie, you know he really cares about what he is saying. He gets it that these movies are incredibly special and need to be treated with respect. Plus, it’s pretty obvious he is as fervent a classic film fan as any of us. I just adore him and am so happy he is returning to his rightful place at the head of TCM. Welcome back, Bobby!

To join in this wonderful Welcome Back Bob party, check out the fabulous Tumblr started by @willmckinley and @misscarley. Many thanks to them for organizing our Bobby O adoration!

12/1/11 Edit – This post was quoted in a Slate.com blog article here!

Mary Martin & Larry Hagman, circa 1940

Yesterday on Twitter, I asked my followers if the fact that Larry Hagman is Mary Martin‘s son is well known. I received a resounding YES in reply – I think I must be the only person alive who didn’t know this! I put forth the query because I found the above article in a vintage movie magazine – the May 1940 issue of Modern Screen, to be precise. In the caption of the large photo of Mary Martin, it speaks of her 8-year-old son Larry Hagman. I read the name and kept thinking, “Larry Hagman, I know who that is!” Upon examination of his IMDb page, I noticed his real name is Larry Hageman, so I went to check if his name was spelled this way in the article. Nope – it’s Hagman, his stage name. Kinda amazing that Mary had already changed his name so early in life!*

He’s only mentioned twice in the article – once in the photo caption, and once at the end of the text on the first page. But it’s really interesting nonetheless. Why bring him up at all? Why use his full name that way? Ah, the mysteries of classic Hollywood!

(click the images above to enlarge them and for further enlargement click Permalink at the bottom of each)

*See Linda’s wonderful comment below – IMDb is wrong. She provides great insight into the truth about Larry’s last name.