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

Happy Birthday Jean Harlow!

Don't usually do birthday posts, but I couldn't help it! It's Jean Harlow after all! Today 101 years ago, Harlean Harlow Carpenter was brought into this world and blondes have never been the same since!

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.

Reel Life | Jean Harlow Collection

I have been wanting to get the Jean Harlow: 100th Anniversary Collection since came out in October. I was actually stalking the Warner Archive until the day it was released, and wouldn't you know I wasn't able to get it then? I then figured I should wait to get an awesome coupon from Barnes and Noble before I ordered it. I wound up getting the set for $39 with free shipping! It wasn't supposed to ship until December 29th, but it showed up a few days ago! I cant wait to dig into this box set of blonde and glamor!

So now that I have this set, it means I only need 6 more films to complete my Jean Harlow filmography! If you know where I can find the following, please let me know!

Red Dust (1932)

The Beast of the City (1932)

Three Wise Girls (1932)

Goldie (1931)

Iron Man (1931)

The Secret Six (1931)

One of these days I will finish my Jane Russell Filmography Project and I believe Jean Harlow will be my next subject. Anywho... the Top 10 Gowns list will be up this weekend!

Gowns! Do you have a favorite?

◄ Before you read this post... did you notice the new Christmas banner? Lovely isn't it?

So here I am again with another first on Blame Mame... a Top 10 list. I love doing things like this and this series is going to be started with my Top 10 Classic Hollywood Gowns. I love the fashions of Classic Hollywood sometimes as much as I love the movies and actors. Give me something designed by Adrian, Travilla or Edith Head and I am set! So before my list is revealed, I want to know know which gowns do you love? Please leave a comment here or over on the Blame Mame Facebook page!

Here are two gorgeous gowns that didn't quite make my top 10...

Blogathon | Clark Gable For Movember

"During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men." - us.movember.com

Bette over at Bette's Classic Movie Blog is throwing a Blogathon (Classic Moustaches For Movember) in honor of the nationwide cause to raise awareness for men's health. I had never heard of this, but apparently every year the 'Mo Bros' with their 'Mo Sistas' by their side start clean shaven and then groom, trim and wax their new growing moustaches into works of art. They then seek out sponsorship to raise funds for the cause. I thought this was a fun idea, so here is my contribution to the cause...

One of my favorite actors after Cary Grant is the great Clark Gable. During his film career he played opposite some of Hollywood's most famous leading ladies and made all of their hearts melt with his neatly groomed moustache. Women wanted to be with him and men wanted to be like him. While Clark's moustache didn't appear until a few years into his career in the 1932 film Strange Interlude, it wouldn't take long for it to become one of the most famous pieces of facial hair to ever grace the silver screen. In 1939, as Clark Gable played lead opposite Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind, his moustache was setting trends across the country. Below you will find pictures of Clark along side his lovely leading ladies that span his lengthy career. What a stache!

Before the images come, make sure to head on over to the Movember (US) Donation Page and learn more about this great cause.

With Joan Crawford | 1933 | Dancing Lady

With Myrna Loy | 1934 | Manhattan Melodrama

With Claudette Colbert | 1934 | It Happened One Night

With Jean Harlow | 1937 | Saratoga

Book Review | On Cukor by Trachtenberg

Yesterday my wife and I decided to take a little trip 'out of town' to visit the closest Cracker Barrel restaurant. We have to drive about 40 minutes North of New Orleans, but it is always worth it. While we were out there, we decided to stop by Books-A-Million to see what they had going on. We don't have one of those in the area either. While I was unimpressed with the set-up of the store, I was happy to stumble upon a book I hadn't seen before in the bargain area. It is a book titled 'On Cukor'. I was immediately intrigued, but the damn book was wrapped in plastic. So needing to see the inside of the book, I tore off the plastic. 

George Cukor on the set of Sylvia Scarlett with Katharine Hepburn

The book was marked at only $9.97, so I would have bought the book regardless, I was quite excited to see it's contents. The book has a complete filmography for the 'women's director', with excerpts about the filming of each film. Also throughout the book are rare pictures from Cukor's own personal collection. My favorite images I have seen so far are the one of Cukor on set with his stars. Another interesting part of the book are the 'Interludes' where the text was taken from a taped one-on-one interview that took place with Cukor in the early 1970's. He discusses his thoughts on the films, friends, and the stars of the films he directed. You get to see his take on people such as Joan Crawford, Judy Garland, Greta Garbo, and Lana Turner. 

George Cukor on the set of Dinner At Eight with Jean Harlow

Cukor has directed many of my favorite films [i.e. The Women & A Star Is Born], so I am sure this book will be a fun read. If I actually read this book, it will be a rare event. I usually skim through books, looking at the pretty pictures, and read parts that stand out, but think this time I will actually read the whole book. It is about my favorite films, one of my favorite directors, and talks about some of my favorite stars... why not read it?

George Cukor on the set of The Women with the entire cast!

As with most things I write about, I always do a little research on the subject. I was excited to see there is actually a DVD that goes along with this film, with the same name. It is priced under $10, so I may pick that up next week when I order my Jean Harlow: 100th Anniversary Collection. If anyone has a local Books-A-Million... you should look out for this greatly priced book.

Film | Reel vs Real

On November 4th, 2011, the release of a new film based on Marilyn Monroe's time in England (while filming The Price and the Showgirl) will be released. My Week With Marilyn will be just another motion picture based on the life of the stars of years gone by. This film gave me the idea to compare characters portrayed on screen by some of my favorite Classic Hollywood stars to the actual people they are based around. Not a very in depth post, but fun to see...

In the 1931 film Mata Hari, Greta Garbo plays a character loosely based on accused spy/exotic dancer Margaretha Geertruida "Grietje" Zelle. The film caused a stir in Pre-code Hollywood and became one of Garbo's most successful films... as well as popularizing the legend of Mata Hari.

In the 1939 film The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, we see Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their only biographical musical/comedy. The film was based on stories of Irene Castle titled My Husband and My Memories of Vernon Castle. Castle even acted as adviser on the film and often had issues with the liberties the film was taking with her life.

 

Film | The Girl From Missouri

Today was my day off and with some extra time to spare I decided to dig through my unwatched pile of recorded DVDs. A few years ago when I still had cable, quite a few movies I wanted to see came on late at night on Turner Classic Movies, so I decided to record them for viewing later. In that pile of movies was a disc from a Jean Harlow tribute that had 4 of her pictures on it. There aren't many of Harlow's films available to buy, so I was excited to rediscover this disc. The first of the movies I decided to watch was the 1934 romantic comedy The Girl From Missouri. I must say it is one of my favorite movies I have seen of Jean Harlow's. She played Eadie, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks that only wants to be married, flawlessly. I was especially impressed in the scene where Tom locks Eadie in his bedroom and she begs of him to let her be a lady. I haven't seen many films with Franchot Tone, but I found him a pleasure to watch. The chemistry between the two lead characters lead to a great movie watching experience. The movie has a great story, wonderful dialogue and a well rounded cast. My only issue with this movie is that my recording ended before the end of the movie, so I missed the last few minutes of the movie. Other than that small detail, I would definitely add this to my list of favorite movies... even though I usually call all classic movies my favorites.

Photos | Stars With Their Pets

Stars & Their Pets

Since I love animals, and have quite a few of my own, I thought I would do a post with pictures of vintage stars sharing the lense with their beloved pets.

 Joan Crawford with Fancy [Poodle]

Photography | George Hurrell

I love everything about Classic Hollywood, but one of the things I enjoy most is the portrait photography. From the dramatic lighting, to the exaggerated posing, to the perfectly designed faces... it is hard to pin point what makes these photos so fun to look at. Whenever I look at these type of photos, it makes me feel like I am in another time. Of all these photos, the photography of George Hurrell is some of my favorite. The way he used lighting to compose these gorgeous shots impresses me everytime I look at them.

HURRELL WITH DOROTHY JORDAN, CIRCA 1932