Drag In The Movies

Lana O'Day, that name probably doesn't ring a bell to anyone reading this blog, but to me it represents a huge part of my life. Lana O'Day is my drag persona. For the last 3.5 years I have been fortunate to build a character based on all of my favorite things from past and present. Not only that, but I have been fortunate enough to have that persona become respected in the LGBT community of New Orleans... and beyond. It is definitely not something I ever thought I would do, but has become the perfect outlet for my creativity and my need to entertain.

In November of 2015, I was gearing up to host a talent contest that was to be apart of the Faux Real Festival at Bar Redux in New Orleans. I was contacted by David Lee Simmons of Pop Smart Nola about writing a little entry for his website about my top 5 drag moments in the movies. How could I pass that up? In between clients at work, I wrote out the first ideas that came to my mind. It was a fun experience and I decided to share what I wrote here for y'all to read. You can find the original post on David's website here.

Drag In The Movies

1. Some Like It Hot

If you haven't seen this film, you need to have your head checked! You've got Tony Curtis & Jack Lemmon cross dressing in an all girls band to hide out from the mob and you've got Marilyn Monroe! What else could you want or need?!

The scene that has always stuck out in my head is the train scene where we are first introduced to Daphne and Josephine (Tony and Jack). They are trying to walk in heels and look feminine, but they just can't get it. And than it cuts to the voluptuous blonde bombshells herself... Marilyn Monroe who struts passed the fellas and shows them how it's done. Daphne's quote puts it all into perspective... "Will you look at that! Look how she moves! It's like Jell-O on springs. Must have some sort of built-in motor or something. I tell you, it's a whole different sex!"

2. Tu Wong Fu, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar

This one is pretty obvious. A film about drag queens in the 90's was taboo. Throw in top film stars Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes and you've got a recipe for fun.

The opening scene to this film is one of my favorites of all the films I've ever seen. It starts with Salt N Peppa asking "where is the body?", then the beats drops and it cuts to Vita and Noxema getting ready for a night on the town. There's eyelashes, huge powder puffs, girdles, stockings, wigs, gowns... oh my! I was hooked from the first time I saw this... in elementary school! 

And of course Noxema schooled us on what exactly a drag queen is... "When a straight man puts on a dress and gets his sexual kicks, he is a transvestite. When a man is a woman trapped in a man's body and has a little operation he is a Transsexual. When a gay man has way too much fashion sense for one gender he is a drag queen. And when a tired little Latin boy puts on a dress, he is simply a boy in a dress!"

3. The Little Mermaid

Yes, even Disney has its fair share of connections with the cross dressing community. After all, the best villain and my favorite sea witch Ursula was modeled after the one and only... Divine! From her high arched eyebrows to her large red lips, Ursula just screams QUEEN! She is vicious and knows what she wants! She will step on anyone who gets in the way... even the skinny pretty girl. Sounds like a queen to me! "And don't underestimate the importance of body language!"

4. Victor Victoria

Words can not express how much I love this film! You've got Mary Poppins... yes Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) playing a woman who can't get a job as an entertainer dressing as a man who entertains as a cross dresser. Mind blown right? It's like cross dressing inception! The story line deals with men questioning their sexuality, equal rights for women, and a whole lot of amazing musical numbers. Everyone has seen the Le Jazz Hot scene right? No? Than why are you reading this? It's so good even Glee had to remake it... that means you've made it!

5. Jayne Mansfield

Ok, so technically, Jayne Mansfield isn’t a movie, but she is the definition of camp, glamour and drag. To put it simply, Jayne Mansfield was Vera Jayne Palmer’s drag persona. Jayne learned early on what she needed to do to be successful and get attention. Jayne Mansfield was over the top, gaudy, and a caricature of a glamorous woman. She wore revealing gown, big hair, big lashes, and even had a pink house. Like the entire house was pink and furry. If that isn’t a drag queen’s doing I don’t know what is. Jayne talents shine best in her two most popular films: ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’ and ‘Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?’ Many stars in Old Hollywood created personas that they would play on screen and in public. Jayne Mansfield’s persona just happened to be that of a drag queen.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this... I had a lot of fun putting it together last year.

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

Quote Of The Week

Book: Before Marilyn

Before Marilyn Monroe became known as THE blonde bombshell of the 1950's she was gracing the pages of magazines, advertisements, and calendar across the world as Norma Jeane. She was discovered in a factory during the war and luckily for us David Conover saw that magic in her eyes.

Walking into Barnes and Noble and seeing a new Marilyn Monroe book sitting on the shelves is always an exciting day for me! Especially if I had no idea the book was coming out. This is a beautiful boo full of photos and information about Marilyn Monroe's beginnings. You learn about her time at The Blue Book Modeling Agency, and information behind her modeling gigs. Astrid Franse and Michelle Morgan did a wonderful job putting this book together. It is quite and amazing read! You can find it online here.

Quote Of The Week

Book | Hollywood In Kodachrome

By day I work in a camera/photo shop here in New Orleans, so as you can imagine I have quite a love for photography. I'm not quite old enough to have had the full experience of film photography, but that doesn't mean I do not have respect and adoration for the art form. At the top of my list of favorite film mediums is Kodak Kodachrome. I help customers all the time with their old Kodachrome slides and they always produce the most gorgeous photos. Colors and sharpness so crisp the images jump off the print.

So when I came across the book 'Hollywood In Kodachrome' by David Wills while on my usual weekly mission at Barnes and Noble, I just had to have it! They must have just gotten these books in because it was wrapped in plastic and looked so perfect! Beautiful coffee table books full of Old Hollywood pictures will always be my drug of choice... 

The book opens with gorgeous photos and a foreword written by the lovely Rhonda Fleming. She talks about how she was discovered by talent agent Henry Willson and about her dislike of her Hollywood nickname, "The Queen of Technicolor." She also admits to not being a trained actress and that her main influences in Hollywood came from top model of the day Anita Colby. Honestly, I didn't know much of her before reading this, but I did appreciate her explanation of how the photography side of the studio system worked.

After we here from Rhonda there is a very informative introduction by David Wills where he discusses the beginnings and uses of color film in Hollywood during the early 1900's. One fact I didn't know before this book was that Kodachrome was the first sustainable color film to be made. Of course that came with a long list of cons, but it did produce some of the most vibrant photos ever produced. The lighting had to be bright, and make up had to be caked on, but the end result was phenomenal.

After the text, comes the real gems of this publication, over 250 gorgeously illustrated Kodachrome photos from 1940-1949. Everyone from Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake to Lucille Ball and Betty Grable. My biggest surprise came toward the end of the book... apparently Marilyn Monroe's infamous nude 'Red Velvet' session by Tom Kelley was shot with Kodachrome! The color and vibrancy of these photos has always stood out to me and after seeing them in this book it all makes perfect sense.

I will forever have an admiration of the Old Hollywood style of photography. Whether it is the dramatic George Hurrell black and whites or the vibrant Kodachrome shots of the 1940's... the photos present the stars of that time as glamorous gods and goddesses. Even if only for a second, these photos share a little bit of that glamour with us mortals down here in the real world.

You can buy 'Hollywood In Kodachrome' at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. All of the photos used in this post were captured by me from my copy of the book.

Quote Of The Week

After a cozy night snuggled in bed watching Mildred Pierce (1945) on TCM and Some Like It Hot (1959) on PBS, I was in the mood to post a little something. So here it is... a little graphic I did with one of my favorite Marilyn Monroe quotes. She played the ditsy Pola Debevoise so perfectly and some of my favorite parts of How To Marry A Millionaire (1953) are the parts where Pola can't see a thing because she refuses to wear her glasses!

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

Cleo Moore - B-Movie Bad Girl

In a world where it is hip to be a fan of Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn, few people take the time to learn about the other lesser known stars from Old Hollywood. Sure if you scratch the surface a few may know who Cary Grant or even Bette Davis are, but say a name like... Cleo Moore and you mind as well be talking gibberish. Don't know who Cleo is either? That's okay, you will after I'm done with you!

I had heard her name a few times throughout my researching of miscellaneous things about Old Hollywood over the years, but it wasn't until I was chatting with a friend on Facebook and her name came up that I took a little more time to learn about this beautiful blonde. As it turns out my friend is a distant relative of hers, which peaked my interest even more.

Cleo was born and raised in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area... which just happens to be near my hometown of New Orleans. In 1944 she married Louisiana Governor Huey Long's son Palmer Long, but the union only lasted a few weeks. Later the next year, Cleo would pack up and move to California with her family with her sights set on making it in motion pictures.

While trying to make a name for herself in Hollywood, Cleo became a popular model, posing for many cheesecake style photos. It wouldn't be until 1948 that Cleo would actually clock in some on-screen time, thanks to Warner Bros. She was usually given bit parts in B films such as Embraceable You (1948) and Congo Bill (1948) and in 1950 she would jump ship to RKO Studios where she was given more of the same.

In 1952, Cleo signed to Columbia Pictures and was molded into their next big star. She dyed her hair platinum blonde to fill in as Columbia's blonde bombshell role. At the time all the studios were trying to bank off the success that FOX was having with Marilyn Monroe. She was pegged 'The Next Big Thing' and 'The Blonde Rita Hayworth.' She first gained attention in Nicholas Ray's film noir, On Dangerous Ground (1952). 

Over the next few years, Cleo would enjoy success at the box office starring in such films as The Other Woman (1954) and One Girl's Confessions (1953). But with the signing of Kim Novak as Columbia's next 'it' girl, Cleo would be given roles in forgettable b films. After completing her last film with Columbia ,Women's Prison, in 1956, Moore signed on to Universal Studios where she was given a few more roles, but would never garner the attention she had enjoyed just a few years prior.

In 1957, Cleo retired from acting and settled into a non-Hollywood life with her second husband and dedicated herself as wife and mother to their child who was born in 1963. Sadly, Cleo would pass away in 1973 of a heart attack at the young age of 48.

Cleo with fellow blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield

In a period where curvacious blonde bombshells were being thrown at the public in hoards, Cleo struggled to find her footing amongst stars such as Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren, and is often forgotten about in today's world. Luckily for  those of us who care to, we can re watch her films and give her the dues she was owed. Sometimes it's those forgotten b movie roles where some of these stars turned in their best performances.

Marilyn Monroe by Nickolas Murray

I came across these beautiful color shots of Marilyn Monroe while browsing my long time favorite forum Everlasting Star and wanted to share. The photos were taken by photographer Nickolas Murray in 1952. I was struck by the clarity and vibrant colors... simply beautiful!

Murray was a Hungarian immigrant who became famous for his celebrity portraits published in Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and Ladies' Home Journal. In the 1930's he turned his focus from portraits to commercial photography where he established many of the conventions of color advertising. He was known as the master of the three-color carbro process.

Lana Del Rey "National Anthem"

This post isn't really about Old Hollywood, but is about something inspired by Old Hollywood. My current music obsession is the gorgeously talented Lana Del Rey. The self-proclaimed 'Gangsta Nancy Sinatra' has released a video to accompany the release of her latest single 'National Anthem.' In the video Lana can be seen paying tribute to the fabulous Marilyn Monroe by singing her breathy, sultry version of Happy Birthday. Lana looks stunning in a gown very much inspired by the one Monroe wore in 1962.

The rest of the video is Lana's take on the relationship between Jackie O and JFK. She and rapper A$AP Rocky spend the video giving their best impersonations of the Kennedy's and the video ends with a very subtle nod to the President's assassination.

Lana looks remarkable in this video. Her hair, make-up, and wardrobe are all very 1960's inspired. I need this woman's hair! I need this woman's lips!

Sorry if this post doesn't interest someone you guys, but I had to share it because I simply adore it! And if you haven't yet heard of Lana Del Rey, now is your chance to discover a wonder new artist on the rise.

 

And as a little something extra, here is a photo of Lana standing in front of a portrait of Marilyn Monroe from the 1959 film Some Like It Hot.

Pin-Up Girls | Before & After

Walk up to any check out lane at a grocery store and you will be surrounded by magazine covers full of beautiful stars. Stars people look up to for their perfect complexions and perfect figures. While most of these stars really do posses these qualities... it's just never to the degree that is shown on ads and magazine covers. As most of you know, a photo is never shown to the public these days without being touched by Hollywood's Photoshop masters. 

In recent times quite a few of these naturally beautiful stars have went against 'the man' and had their non-Photoshopped photos shown to their fans. Among those who showed their original photos is one of my favorite singers... Britney Spears. Stars like Jessica Simpson and Taylor Swift have even done photo shoots without a stitch of make-up to show they are beautiful without these tools.

Which brings me to the point of this post... the 1940-1950's pin-up girls. In my downtime at work I like to browse the photography website pophoto.com. On there main page the other day was an article about how the altering of woman's bodies was around long before image editing software. The article shows many beautiful pieces of pin-up art along side their original photos. It is quite fun to see how the models were posed with a specific outcome in mind. Check them out here.

The difference between the pin-up girls and today's ads/magazine covers? The pin-up artist used their photographs to create a piece of artwork and not to alter a photo to fool the public. Now I know that no one in their right mind would compare the two (if you would then we have other issues here), but it is interesting to see how an industry took off from these master artists works.

Some of my favorite pictures of my fave blonde Marilyn Monroe are the photos she took with famed pin-up artist Earl Moran. She was still in full Norma Jeane mode and looks so care free and to be having so much fun. I also learned today Earl Moran even did paintings of my other favorite blonde Jayne Mansfield! Here are some of those pics...

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.