Funny Face | Kay Thompson In HD

I recently decided to buy a new television.The thought of buying a new telelvion hadn't crossed my mind since the last time I purchased one... in 2007. This has nothing to do with what I wanted to write about, but I had no idea how inexpensive televisions have become. I decided on a 55 inch 1080 HD tv... I see no use for 4K. This was all so exciting not just because I was getting a new, larger television... but because this meant I had the chance to see some of my favorite films bigger and clearer than ever!

That being said, the first film I decided to watch was 1957's Funny Face. It has always been one of my favorites. Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson, fashions by Edith Head, visuals by Richard Avedon, tunes by George Gershwin... what more could you ask for? Oh yeah... and to top it off it is a musical that centers around the fashion & photography business, two of my favorite things on this planet. This film may have been made 30 years before I was even a thought in my parents mind, but it was made for me. Believe it or not... it was.

Look at me, getting off topic again. The whole meaning behind this post is simple. I have seen this film more times than I can remember, but watching it in full HD made it feel like I had never seen it before. So there I am, laying on the sofa, watching the movie... and BAM! Out of the blue (no pun intended), I am hit with Kay Thompson's striking teal colored eye shadow. Beautifully winged. Beautiful in tone. Simply beautiful. Most people comment on Audrey's makeup in this film, let's not get started on those eyebrows, but if you pass Kay's look over, that would be a mistake. From that moment every scene she was in was stolen by her eye makeup. It was all I could look at. I do not know how I didn't notice it before, but thanks to this new television... I look forward to finding details I never noticed before in all of my favorite films.

Side Note: Unfortunately, I can not find a single good photo of Kay in the film to show her teal fantasy... you'll just have to look out for it next time you watch the film.

Up next? BETTE DAVIS IN HD. 

Here are a few other entries I've written about Funny Face and it's actors:  

The Music of Funny Face

Top 10 Classic Hollywood Gowns 

Actor | Kay Thompson 

Top 10 Classic Hollywood Gowns

When I watch a film from this period, the costumes get as much attention from me as the actors do. In many films, the costume design is the much needed icing on the cake to give these films that little something extra. It just goes to show you that the designers of that period were much more important than they may have known. Not only did they lend their hand in the productions of the films, they also had a lasting touch on the world of fashion. Many of their designs can be seen influencing fashions that are hip today. Below are my top 10 gowns of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Ok let's be honest, who could narrow it down to 10, so here are 10 of my favorites. It is probably no surprise how many times Edith Head pops on on the list...

Grace Kelly | To Catch A Thief (1955)

Blue Gown by Edith Head

Marilyn Monroe | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Orange Gown by Travilla

Rita Hayworth | You Were Never Lovelier (1942)

White Lace Gown by Irene

Bette Davis | All About Eve (1950)

Brown Gown by Edith Head

Joan Crawford | Letty Lynton (1932)

Black & White Gown by Adrian

Audrey Hepburn | Funny Face (1957)

Wedding Gown by Edith Head

Jean Harlow | Dinner At Eight (1933)

Biased Cut Silk Gown by Adrian

Jayne Mansfield | The Girl Cant Help It (1956)

White Silk Gown by Charles Le Maire

Rita Hayworth | Gilda (1946)

Black Silk Gown by Jean Louis

Jane Russell & Marilyn Monroe | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Red Sequined Gowns by Travilla

Profiles In History: Milton Greene Auction

I know I haven't been around here much this year, but I am so glad to see you guys are still coming around! I hope to be able to make more time to do work on this blog because it is one of my favorite things to do! See y'all around!

On July 27th, 2013, Profiles In History will be holding an auction of items from the estate of photographer Milton H. Greene. We are talking about original negatives from some of his best work with the who's who of Hollywood. Most exciting for me are the offerings from his 50+ sittings with my idol Marilyn Monroe. There are some photos we have all seen over and over, but some of the photos being auctioned are very rare and haven't been seen before. From browsing through the catalog, most of the lots are expected to draw between $3,000 and $5,000. You can browse the catalog online or purchase a copy of it for $50. Follow the link below to find out more and below that are some of my favorite ladies seen in the catalog...

Profiles In History: Property from the estate of Milton H Greene

View PDF of auction online

Marilyn Monroe

Kim Novak

Jayne Mansfield

Audrey Hepburn

The Music of Funny Face (1957)

It was another boring Monday at the camera shop, and my mind was going a million miles a minute. Then all of a sudden there I found myself singing, out loud I might add, 's wonderful... s marvelous!'. As usual my co workers looked at me like I was nuts. It was at that moment I realized I never purchased the soundtrack to one of my favorite films... the 1957 fashion inspired musical Funny Face.

How had I not added this to my collection? With the wonderful songwriting of Ira Gershwin, Roger Edens and Leonard Gershe sung by the amazing voices of Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn and Kay Thompson... it seemed silly that I hadn't been enjoying this is my music collection all this time. Well as soon as I got home I purchased it from iTunes and haven't stopped listening since!

It is so hard to pick favorites on this album because it is  s wonderful (too much?) from beginning to end, but if I had to they would be... 'Think Pink', 'Bonjour Paris', 'How To Be Lovely', and 'S Wonderful'. But! Above all the others, 'Clap Yo Hands', is by far my favorite. The beat, the lyrics, it is just too much! And don't even get me started when Kay Thompson starts belting at the end... I immediately throw up my hands and start flailing around the room like a possessed drag queen joining the jubilee!

Well as if you can't tell from what I have already said, if you haven't seen this movie... you are missing out! You need to see it, hear it, experience it! Take my word on it!

You can find it on iTunes here.

Frankly, My Dear Classic Film Survey

Rianna over at Frankly, My Dear has been hosting a Classic Film Survey for the month of February. I said earlier in the month that I wanted to take part... it's better late than never right? Sorry for the delay, life has just been hectic. So here it goes...

1. Favorite classic Disney?

 
It is very hard for me to answer this because I am such a Disney fanatic, but I chose Sleeping Beauty (1959). I went with this film because of how beautifully done the illustrations were. You can literally take a frame from any part of the film and it would look like a piece of art! I especially love the scenes where Aurora is walking through the woods singing with all of the animals.

2. Favorite film from the year 1939?

 
This one is pretty easy... The Women. An all woman cast with Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell and Joan Crawford? What more could you ask for?

3. Favorite Carole Lombard screwball role?

  

While I am a little ashamed to say so, I've only seen one of Carole's films... Mr and Mrs Smith (1941). So I will go with that one as my favorite. I did a review on it, you can read here. I must say that after seeing this picture, I will definitely be watching more of her films.

4. Favorite off screen couple?

Jean Harlow and William Powell. They seemed to be deeply in love. Their 6 month engagement came to an end with Harlow's premature death.

5. Favorite pair of best friends?

Ive always loved the behind-the-scene story of the friendship Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe developed on the set of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). I love that Jane would stop by Marilyn's dressing room and walk with her on set because she knew how terrified Monroe was. A true friend.

Film | Classic Films Around The World

This post is for The Great Movie Project's World In Film blogathon. The challenge of this blogathon was to highlight films made in each of the 7 continents. I decided (for obvious reasons) to do this blogathon with a classic film twist...

Film | Charade

I never thought much of this 1963 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. It was on my list of movies to see, but if I had known how good it was... I would have seen it much sooner! From beginning to end when you weren't amazed at how many outfits Audrey Hepburn was able to wear throughout the film, you were kept busy trying to figure out who the bad guy was. Well there were a few 'bad guys', but once you see the film you will understand what I mean.

You can expect the unexpected when they play..."Charade"