KimmyStyle

A Heartfelt Thank You ♥

2010-08-18T13:04:00.003-05:00

"Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls." ~David Thomas

My Dearest Readers,
My family and I are in awe of your extraordinary kindness, sincere prayers and well wishes you have offered us throughout our time of bereavement.
We will be forever humbled by it--anchored in the knowledge that they are beautiful souls in this world still who care deeply for their fellow man, especially during a time of extreme sorrow and pain.
I cannot thank each of you enough and wanted merely for you to know you will be adored and treasured by my lovely family and me for a lifetime.
Thank you all so very much,
Kimmy & Family

Extreme Sorrow

2010-08-06T17:26:00.005-05:00

I do not know where to begin, which is rare for me, for I have no issues with expressing my emotions.
But this time is much different.
Very early Friday morning, my lovely brother Michael passed on quite unexpectedly. As you can conceive, my family and I are in utter shock and disbelief.
So needless to say, it will be a few weeks (maybe a bit more) before I am capable of posting again, I do hope you understand.
At the present time my heart is floating in a dark abyss--fighting desperately to gain its composure and return to the beautifully familiar place before this tragedy presented itself.
So this is for you Michael, enjoy your journey...

Ithaca
When you set out for Ithaka
ask that your way be long,
full of adventure, full of instruction.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - do not fear them:
such as these you will never find
as long as your thought is lofty, as long as a rare
emotion touch your spirit and your body.
The Laistrygonians and the Cyclops,
angry Poseidon - you will not meet them
unless you carry them in your soul,
unless your soul raise them up before you.

Ask that your way be long.
At many a Summer dawn to enter
with what gratitude, what joy -
ports seen for the first time;
to stop at Phoenician trading centres,
and to buy good merchandise,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensuous perfumes of every kind,
sensuous perfumes as lavishly as you can;
to visit many Egyptian cities,
to gather stores of knowledge from the learned.

Have Ithaka always in your mind.
Your arrival there is what you are destined for.
But don't in the least hurry the journey.
Better it last for years,
so that when you reach the island you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to give you wealth.
Ithaka gave you a splendid journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She hasn't anything else to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka hasn't deceived you.
So wise you have become, of such experience,
that already you'll have understood what these Ithakas mean.
Constantine P Cavafy

I shall always love you my dearest brother.
Rest well young man until we meet again,
Your Poo Bear.. Kimberly

William Powell: Chameleon of Stage & Screen

2010-08-05T16:42:00.001-05:00

"Cultivate solitude and quiet and a few sincere friends, rather than mob merriment, noise and thousands of nodding acquaintances." William Powell

William Horatio Powell was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Horatio Warren Powell, an accountant and his wife Nettie Brady Manila on July 29th, 1892.
Young William showed an early interest in performing, much to the chagrin of his father who had hoped he would be interested in a legal career instead.
When the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1907, William attended Central High School where he excelled in the drama and glee clubs, public speaking and cheerleading. I would have never pegged him for a male cheerleader!
Following his graduation he left for New York to enroll at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts which was financed by his aunt Elizabeth who paid $700 for him to attend, considering his father would only agree to pay for law school and nothing else.
William scraped by performing for stock companies and appearing in vaudeville shows.
In 1914 he met Eileen Wilson and the couple married in 1915 and had one son, William David Powell before the union ended in divorce in 1930. William David, plagued by depression and emotional instability would later commit suicide by stabbing himself to death in the shower at the age of 43, how horrifically tragic.
After many successful appearances on Broadway, William was discovered by film director Albert Parker in 1922, scoring a small role in Sherlock Holmes opposite John Barrymore. He was signed to Paramount (although the majority of his career would be with MGM) and was cast in a number of films from When Knighthood Was in Flower, Romola, Aloma of the South Seas to Beau Geste, The Great Gatsby and Special Delivery.
His most memorable role in silent films being that of a bitter film director in the Last Command in 1928, which eventually led to his role as an amateur detective in The Canary Murder Case in 1929.
Powell was seriously getting noticed in Hollywood and in 1930 he starred opposite Carole Lombard in For the Defense, Man of the World and Ladies Man, in 1931.
The pair fell in love and married that same year but divorced only two years later, three years later they starred together in the screwball comedy My Man Godfrey.
They remained friends until her death in 1942.

Reporter: "Say, listen, is he working on a case?"
Nora Charles: "Yes, he is."
Reporter: "What case?"
Nora Charles: "A case of Scotch, pitch in and help him!"

William Powell's most famous role was that of Nick Charles in The Thin Man series opposite Myrna Loy, who played his wife Nora in the films.
The series features a retired private detective and his clever socialite wife who solve crimes and offer peppered witty dialogue and interesting banter whilst doing so.
In 1935 Powell had a very close relationship with actress Jean Harlow after starring with her in Reckless and on Christmas Day in 1936 he proposed to Jean, gifting her with a 150 carat sapphire engagement ring worth $20,000. The engaged couple actually lived next door to one another as children, Jean's name at that time was Harlean Harlow Carpenter.
Despite their obvious love one for the other, the relationship was abruptly cut short upon the untimely death of Harlow in 1937 of uremic poisoning due to kidney disease.
Reportedly a single white gardenia with an unsigned note placed in her hands that read, "Good night, my dearest darling," was from Powell.
He also paid for her final resting place--a $25,000, 9x10 foot private room lined with multicolored imported marble.
Jean is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Between Jean's death and his diagnosis of colon cancer William accepted fewer roles, his career slowed down a bit from 1940-47 and his cancer went into remission.
Powell married actress Diana Lewis, whom he had only known three weeks prior on January 6th, 1940 and continued working most notably filming Life With Father in 1947, How to Marry a Millionaire in 1953 and Mr. Roberts in 1955.
At age 63 William retired from acting, choosing to move to Palm Springs with his wife for rest, relaxation and many glorious years together.
As he approached 90 years of age, his health began to fail, yet mentally he remained as sharp as ever and in good spirits until his death on March 5th, 1984 from cardiac arrest.
He was 91 years of age.
Mr. Powell is interred at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.

With the sophistication of Fred Astaire and the grittiness of James Cagney, William Powell will be remembered most for his role in the Thin Man series, but also as a chameleon of stage and screen and the portrait of a most esteemed thespian none of us will soon forget.

Sources:
William Powell, IMDB
William Powell,
Find A Grave

Photo Credits:
Flick'r

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-08-04T17:49:00.010-05:00

Morsel Monday: A Sensuous Cigar Lesson

2010-08-02T11:01:00.002-05:00

"A good Cuban cigar closes the door to the vulgarities of the world." Franz Liszt

Sunday evening inspired this Morsel Monday post.
First I will tell you a little about one of the most expensive cigars on the market and then the inspiration behind this post, enjoy!
The Gurkha Black Dragon, weighing in at $115,000 per chest or $1,150 per cigar, with only five hand-carved camel bone boxes of 100 to ever be produced, is one of the most expensive on the market to date.
A Honduran blend made from select fibers, it creates a rich cigar with a medium body, with a blend that includes extremely old and rare tobaccos collected from all over the world. To make it more accessible, a new version was released throughout the world in 2007.
The new blend contains similar flavor and uses similar tobaccos but does not cost nearly as much as its predecessor.
The new Black Dragon comes packaged in very attractive boxes, so they look almost as good as they taste.
Now, the inspiration for the MM post.
So, it is Sunday evening and Jonathan (my boyfriend I acquired quite by accident) and I are awaiting the lovely 60s vibe we enjoy each Sunday via Madmen.
I am in the kitchen retrieving Gougères from the oven (I can actually cook, can you believe it?) whilst Jonathan is relaxing on the sofa, arm stretched over the nape a la Don Draper, (I fear he gets too into the whole coolness role) when I hear the theme music from MM which I adore. I hurriedly make my way to the family room and take my seat.
When the first commercial comes into view, Jonathan pulls out a cigar and I watch like a schoolgirl with a crush as he step by step conducts a romantic ballet if you will, of lighting this cigar, something I had never paid attention to before.
As he took the cigar cutter and snipped the end, "just below the end of the cap" he said, he turned the cigar at about a 45 degree angle and he began the process of "pre-heating" the foot (foot, who knew?) of the cigar until it blackened a bit, rotating it just above the flame.
He then removed the label, placed the cigar in his mouth and began rotation whilst lighting the end until it became a cherry red in color.
He claims you check to make sure it is evenly lit and he did this by lightly blowing on the end of the cigar.
The whole time this is occurring I am internally telling myself, "This is just your boyfriend lighting a cigar, calm yourself!"
But for some reason it was rather..sensuous in nature.
Maybe it was the fluidity in which he did it, there was no hesitation and it looked as if it were Vivaldi's Autumn II, had it been in three dimensional form, a beautiful succession of elegant stokes and graceful movements.

Please do not misunderstand me, Jonathan is a lovely person, intelligent, an investment banker--he is an accomplished gentleman of many talents so I would never belittle those attributes but there was something about him lighting this cigar that held my attention, to the point the rest of the evening (after Madmen of course) was spent tucked safely underneath his arm while I listened to him drawing puffs from his Cohiba, crisp and crackling sounds consuming the foot of the cigar, while it released an elegant and fragrant presentation that wafted through the air whilst Vivaldi entertained in the semi-darkened room, lit only by a singular candle and the slight glow of this burning cigar.
It had been a simple yet gratifying evening..my favorite show (aside from Pretty Little Liars--do not ask me why), delectable hors 'd oeuvrves and a tutorial in lighting a cigar..compliments of my very own Madman!
So there you have it, the inspiration for MM.
We are supposed to go sailing with friends in a few weeks, I wonder how I will contain myself should he assist in raising the mast?
Cheers all!

Janet Gaynor: La Petit PowerHouse

2010-07-29T10:50:00.054-05:00

On October 6th, 1906 Laura Augusta Gainer was born in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Frank D. Gainer, a paperhanger, painter and amateur actor and his lovely housewife Laura Buhl.
In 1914 the couple divorced and Laura Buhl married Harry C. Jones who relocated the family to San Francisco, California where Laura graduated with honors from Polytechnic High School the following year.
She and her sister Helen enrolled in Hollywood Secretarial School where they became stenographers while trying to enter some realm of the movie profession.
With their stepfather's encouragement Helen became a secretary for film and television producer Hal Roach and therefore exercised a little nepotism netting her sister a role as a bathing beauty in 1924's All Wet.
On the advice of her stepfather she changed her name to Janet Gaynor and began landing other small parts in feature films before her breakout role as Anna Burger in The Johnstown Flood. Shortly thereafter she attracted the attention of Fox Studio which saw her as the next Mary Pickford and signed her to a $100.00 per week contract. This led to her being cast in more important roles such as The Shamrock Handicap, The Blue Eagle, That Midnight Kiss and The Return of Peter Grimm.
Within a year she was one of Hollywood's leading ladies, with excellent performances in Seventh Heaven, Sunrise and Street Angel in 1928 which earned her the first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929, the only time in Oscar history it was given for multiple roles, she was also the youngest to ever win the award for best actress.
Following the success of Seventh Heaven with fellow actor Charles Ferrell, she commanded $300.00 per week and the duo went on to star in a total of eleven romantic films together and were given the moniker, "world's favorite sweethearts."
Gaynor was one of the first to make a smooth transition from silent films to "talkies." She gracefully passed the voice test but was not pleased with her performance, opting instead to take voice lessons, but the studio encouraged her to be herself, her first all speaking and singing part came in the way of Sunny Side Up in 1929.
On September 11th, 1929 she married Jesse Lydell Peck until the couple's divorce on April 7th, 1933.
As Fox Studios golden girl she had her choice of prime roles such as Delicious, Merely Mary Ann and Adorable, but when Daryl F. Zanuck merged his fledgling studio 20th Century Pictures with Fox Film Corporation to form Twentieth Century Fox, her status became quite precarious when child star Shirley Temple came on the scene, they always said children will still the limelight every time.
Janet managed to terminate her contract with the studio and achieved acclaim in films now by David O. Selznick at MGM.
In 1936 she starred opposite my Robert Taylor in Small Town Girl (a personal favorite I watch weekly--I know a bit obsessive) followed by Ladies in Love, A Star is Born and The Young in Heart, after which she left the film industry for almost twenty years, returning once more in the role as Pat Boone's mother in Bernadine.
At the age of 33 she retired from Hollywood in 1939 as Hollywood's highest paid actress at $252,583.00 annually, she married MGM costume designer Adrian on August 14th, 1939 until his death on September 13th, 1959 which left her devastated and ill. The couple had one child, a son Robin Gaynor Adrian born in 1940.
She credited producer Paul Gregory with aiding in her survival and on December 24th, 1964 the couple were married, moving to Palm Springs where she painted florals, became a gourmet cook, and merchandised a line of specialty foods. The couple remained married until his death on September 14th, 1984.
Janet was very close friends with fellow actress Mary Martin and the two frequently traveled together with their husbands around town and abroad.
So it was no surprise that in 1982 the pair were traveling in a cab in San Francisco when Robert Cato ran a red light at the corner of California Street and Franklin--crashing into the Luxor taxicab carrying Gaynor, Mary Martin, Martin's manager Ben Washer and Gaynor's husband Paul Gregory.
The accident killed Ben Washer and injured Gaynor's husband and Mary Martin. Janet was in serious condition with eleven broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, pelvic fractures, an injured bladder and a damaged kidney.
Janet Gaynor never fully recovered from her injuries and passed away just two years later from pneumonia and complications from the accident on September 14th, 1984 at the age of 77.
She is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Previously I never had the pleasure of seeing Janet Gaynor's work before witnessing her comedic talents in Small Town Girl a month or so ago. She was a pint sized dynamo chocked full of talent, vulnerability and sincere wholesomeness that translates perfectly onscreen, offering voyeurs a most genuine look at what one can accomplish with no formal training.
So to all of you would be actors still holding tightly to that dream, do just that..continue to dream while you make it happen, never give up, never retreat.

Sources:
Baker, Sarah. Lucky Stars: Janet Gaynor and
Charles Farrell, Georgia: Bear Manor Media,
2009.
Menefee, David W. The First Female Stars:
Women of the Silent Era. Connecticut: Praeger, 2004
Photo Credits:
elena-lu
dovima_is_devine

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-07-28T10:39:00.002-05:00

Morsel Monday: An Elegant Nose Knows

2010-07-26T12:15:00.004-05:00

For some reason my Morsel Mondays seem to center around the more expensive accoutrements I happen to run across, (I know you are not amazed) should you ever tire of them you need only to let me know.
But for now, I am on a roll..so please, no one stop me!

"Great loves too must be endured." CoCo Chanel

I have many loves in my life and great passions too of course, and I have shared a few of them with you: touring majestic mansions, classic fashion, the actor Robert Taylor (a girl can still dream, no?), Dirty Martini's and Bugatti's-not necessarily in this order mind you.
But I forgot to disclose one more key passion I indulge in on a daily basis, a simple one, as most women often do: donning one's pulse points with an elegant fragrance.
My mother taught my female siblings and me the importance of a woman dressing well and above all having a lovely feminine fragrance against the skin as a lady should.
My mother's signature scent was Estee Lauder (I loved it when it was in the wearing off stage) when I was child and she dabbled with a few rare ones as well.
My mother was quite the classic and always left an enticing, wafting feminine scent each time she moved, this my family and I remember well.

"A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting." Christian Dior

All real women of refinement have a Chanel No.5 bottle somewhere positioned on or near their vanities and it is a lovely scent in and of itself.
But now is the time to reach for the pinnacle, the brass ring, deliver the coup de gras..and acquire the most expensive perfume in the world, Clive Christian's Imperial Majesty or No. 1 as it is often called.
The British born designer of interior goods and perfume (and the most discriminating taste) created the limited edition scent at a cost of $215,000 per bottle.
The 16.9 ounces of perfume appear in a Baccarat crystal bottle complete with a 5-carat diamond in the 18-carat gold neck of the vessel.
And as if that is not enough, you must know it takes 200 extremely rare ingredients to make ONE DROP of No. 1, how is that for exclusivity?
A great deal of women prefer not to smell their fragrance greeting them as they walk down the avenue, most of us prefer a niche fragrance that is hard for anyone to discern, No. 1 delivers and then some.
It was reported this was the fragrance gracing Katie Holmes's skin during her high profile wedding to fellow actor Tom Cruise, as well as being present at Sir Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball, so you would certainly be in good company.
For years I have been asked what fragrance I wear and often times I hesitate because I enjoy the mystery behind them not knowing, but I shall divulge (for the sake of the article) that I am a Bulgari woman-I know, you just knew I was going to say Clive Christian, not yet, I will have to think about Clive's fragrance for a bit, I am sure you will ponder the same. He is a tad pricey.
As for his No. 1 fragrance in the Baccarat crystal bottle, unfortunately he only released five for sale during 2008, the rest are in his archives.
You can try and become a close friend to Clive or purchase the fragrance (<-don't forget your Centurion card) for around $865.00 for a less than concentrated spray, just not in the exclusive Baccarat bottle..unfortunately.
So gentlemen, a refined woman's nose knows an exclusive scent from an over the counter one any day of the week, month of the year.
So for the sake of those behind her on the train, the subway, or in the elevator next to her, I admonish you to think twice before reaching for that lovely bottle of musk oil or flowery substance that happens to be on sale..remember her nose knows the difference!

The Pabst Mansion: A Victorian's Vision

2010-07-22T16:26:00.002-05:00

As I told all of you yesterday, my female siblings and I took an extended weekend trip to Chicago to shop the Magnificent Mile and each of us thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and have the aching feet and receipts to prove it! :-)
I got to see a little of Transformers 3 (yes I actually like these movies) being filmed on the Magnificent Mile but nothing compares to the highlight of my trip: a surprise day trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to tour the Pabst Mansion, home of German-American brewer Frederick Pabst.

From 1892 to 1908 the Flemish Renaissance Revival Mansion is where
Jo hann Gottlieb Friederich Pabst spent time with family and friends and rested from a hard day's work running Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery.
When Pabst first emigrated to the U.S. with his parents, he took a job as a waiter and busboy in order to make ends meet. He soon realized it was not for him and became a cabin boy aboard a steamship and by the time he was 21, he had his license and was captain of his own vessel, the Comet.
On one of his voyages he met the owner of Best Brewing Company, Phillip Best and later married his daughter Maria on March 25th, 1862.
Following an accident and a change in career in 1863, Pabst purchased one half of the prosperous Best Brewing Company and while learning the details of the business from his father-in-law, he mastered the art of brewing.
He soon churned out 100,000 barrels per year and became president in 1873, later changing the name of the company to the Pabst Brewing Company. Pabst became Pabst Blue Ribbon when the company was awarded the blue ribbon for best select beer at the Chicago Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair.
In 1889 Pabst commissioned Milwaukee architect George Bowman Ferry to design a large mansion on a vast property Pabst acquired some years earlier.
On June 27th, 1890 a building permit was issued for the construction of the home at 2000 Grand Avenue and for the next two years the Pabst mansion was constructed. No cost was spared or innovation overlooked, the home was wired for electricity, plumbed for 9 full bathrooms, was installed with a state of the art heating system (it has 16 thermostats) and has custom built furniture and priceless art throughout the majority of its rooms.
It was at its time the finest residence in the city with a huge glass conservatory located behind the mansion as well as a smaller one located in house with removable tiles for cleaning and watering the tropical plants and trees.
The mansion has 9 bedrooms, 9+ bathrooms, 14 fireplaces and a total of 37 rooms. It also had a rather large stable, a servant's duplex and a utility building whose sole purpose was to provide power to the entire property.

More interesting facts about the Pabst Mansion: (you know you want to know!)
*The window shades in the home were custom made at a cost of $6,000 per window.
*Frederick and Maria Pabst had 11 children, with only five surviving to adulthood.
*Frederick's "man cave" has hidden doors that open at the push of one button in the floor, and this room's ambiance feels VERY creepy.
*Mr. Pabst has a large scale safe in the butler's pantry with a mural of a ship on the front-it is the same ship he met his then future wife Maria on and only two people have the combination to the safe.
*Pabst had a landing built when his grandson fell from the third floor and broke both his arms.
*The Ladies Parlor is in strawberry pink and off white and around noon each day when the sun shines through the windows it resembles a giant pink gumball. I would purchase Scalamandre fabric and completely gut this room!
*The mansion is said to be haunted and is listed on Milwaukee Ghosts and Home of Milwaukee Haunted History Tours.
I have to say, four people complained of something equivalent to little hairs constantly rubbing against their bare arms, I on the other hand felt nothing but my blood pressure rise when I heard the cost of the cabinets in the dining room, $60,000 per cabinet!
*When Pabst died he left a reported $1,000,000 to each of his servants-I am quite sure they earned every penny and then some.
Mr Pabst passed away on January 1st, 1904 at his home around noon of a pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure. His wife Maria died on October 3rd, 1906.
After the couple's deaths, the heirs put the mansion up for sale and in 1908 the Archdiocese of Milwaukee purchased it as a residence for the archbishop.
Many of the more larger grander homes were being torn down and the Pabst Mansion was next but thank God the Archdiocese stepped in and saved it from certain ruin at that time.
That is one of the beauties of Europe to me, they preserve their architectural jewels for the next generation to appreciate and for history's sake, unlike some in the U.S. who are constantly tearing down our historical buildings and homes in search of the next McMansion site-how perfectly vulgar.
In the mid-1970s the Archdiocese put the home on the market hoping a preservation group or society would acquire it, others wanted it made into a parking lot (how ingenious) but the funds never materialized.
A local entrepreneur served as the interim owner while a preservation group pursued funding. With 23 mortgages and a large state grant they acquired the mansion in 1978 and opened it to the public.
Thank you Wisconsin Heritages Inc., the preservation group with the foresight to save this treasure.
I for one am most thankful you did!

Pabst Mansion Tour,
PabstMansion.com

Somewhat Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-07-21T10:44:00.006-05:00

Good Morning All,
My sincerest apologies to you all, I have been away on a rather extended weekend shopping trip to Chicago with my female siblings-what a ride that was!
I am back however and apologize for not posting a Morsel Monday tidbit for you, I promise in some fashion to make it up to you-how I have no idea! :-)
I hope all of you had a lovely weekend as I have missed each of you but could not turn down a major shopping trip with the girls, I do hope you understand.
I did however get a few photos of a mansion we visited (a surprise trip to Milwaukee from my sister Donna) whilst taking a day trip to nearby Wisconsin, it will be the post for tomorrow and I hope you enjoy it as we did.
Thank you all for the thought provoking and lovely comments on the last post of Gene Tierney, I promise to answer each of them.
So here is your photo for today's Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday even though it is hardly wordless.
Have a lovely one all, cheers!

Gene Tierney: A Beautifully Troubled Soul

2010-07-15T10:53:00.010-05:00

After a rather long weekend, I decided my Monday morning should warrant it be a quiet one.
So I poured myself a cup of coffee, headed to the sofa and keyed 169 into the remote and there on TCM was the movie Laura.
Laura is a murder mystery directed by one of my favorite directors Otto Preminger, a definite must see for the cinematography alone.
While watching this mesmerizing drama, the elegant star of the show caught my eye for her exquisiteness and sheer talent and that is when I knew she would be my Thursday post.
The elegant star was Gene Tierney.
Gene Eliza Tierney was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 20th, 1920 the second child of wealthy insurance broker Howard Sherwood Tierney and his wife Belle Lavina Taylor.
Gene attended several prominent learning institutions such as St. Margaret's School in Waterbury, Connecticut, the Unquowa School in Fairfield, Connecticut followed by two years in Europe where she attended Brillantmont finishing school in Lausanne, Switzerland where she learned to speak fluent French and upon her return to the U.S. in 1938, attended Miss Por ter's School in Farmington, Connecticut.
While her father sent the family on a trip to the west coast, his wife asked her best friend to look after her husband, she certainly did-the twosome had an affair and later married following a divorce from their respective spouses.
While visiting California the rest of the family visited Warner Bros. studios where the director Anatole Litvak saw the lovely 17-year-old and told her she could become an actress.
Warner Bros. wanted to sign Gene immediately but her parents advised against it at that time, instead advising their daughter to wait for a more lucrative salary.
Following her introduction into proper society as a debutante, Gene became bored with the upper crust and decided to pursue a career in acting.
With her parent's permission she was enrolled in a Greenwich Village acting studio with Benno Schneider and began appearing on Broadway in What a Life! (1938), The Primrose Path, Mrs. O'Brien Entertains and Ring Two both in 1939.
Her father created a corporation Belle-Tier, to promote and fund her acting career and in 1939 Columbia Pictures signed her to a six month contract but failed to find her a project and she returned to Broadway in 1940's The Male Animal, which was a huge hit and opened the door for her as a fashion model as well, where she appeared in Life Magazine, Harper's Bazaar and Vogue.
As the curtain went up one evening at the theatre, a rumor spread that the head of 20th Century-Fox, Daryl F. Zanuck was in the audience. During her performance he told his assistant to write down Gene's name and later that evening at the Stork Club he witnessed a young lady on the dance floor and said to his assistant, "Forget the girl from the play-see if you can sign that one!"
It was Tierney, although Zanuck wasn't easily convinced the actress and dancer were one in the same.
However Tierney was later quoted as saying, "I always had different looks, a quality that proved useful in my career."
I completely concur, the lady was a virtual chameleon onscreen.
Tierney signed with 20th Century-Fox and debuted in the Fritz Lang western The Return of Frank James in 1940 opposite Henry Fonda.
Most eager to hone her acting skills she stayed onset well after her scenes wrapped in order to observe the other more seasoned actors.
One evening while out on the town in Hollywood she met soon to be fashion designer Oleg Cassini. Her family and friends were against her dating a foreigner so quite naturally the couple eloped on June 1st, 1941 and had two children, Daria and Christina before divorcing on February 28th, 1952.
During the war effort she gave speeches and sold bonds and appeared at the Hollywood Canteen where she contracted Rubella or German Measles, causing her first born Daria to be born prematurely and with cognitive disabilities.
She reluctantly took her doctor's advice and institutionalized Daria at the age of four, at one point billionaire Howard Hughes, a friend of Gene's, would provide funds for Daria's medical care.
Despite the turmoil in her personal life Gene's career was becoming more positive when she co-starred in Tobacco Road, The Shanghai Gesture and China Girl in 1942 but it was 1943's Heaven Can Wait opposite Don Ameche that would send Tierney's star into orbit.
In 1944 she starred in her most famous role, that of intended murder victim Laura Hunt in Laura opposite Dana Andrews, shortly thereafter came A Bell for Adano in 1945, Leave Her to Heaven for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress, Dragonwyck-where she reportedly met John F. Kennedy and had an affair but he broke off the relationship due to his political aspirations-imagine that, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, That Wonderful Urge (1948) and Whirlpool in 1949. She also reportedly had conquests with Tyrone Power and Prince Aly Khan as well.
Busy, busy, busy!
During the early 50s she suffered from manic depression and when it did not improve with a psychiatrist's help, she checked in at The Institute for Living where she endured brutal shock treatments.
She was still quite unstable when she was released in 1958, for the actress was found standing on the ledge of her New York apartment, she would spend the next few years at the Menniger Clinic before being released again.
Following this her third release, Gene took a trip for relaxation to Aspen, Colorado where she met Texas oil baron W. Howard Lee, former husband of actress Hedy Lamarr, and on July 11th, 1960 the couple were married and remained together until his death on February 17th, 1981. The actress still continued to struggle with her mental issues however, checking in once more for a year.
Tierney's career spanned some 42 years with her final performance being in 1980's Scruples, a TV mini-series.
After hearing her voice following the screening of her first movie she said, "I sound like an angry Minnie Mouse."
She then began to smoke in order to lower her voice and it worked, but she would pay a hefty price.
Gene Tierney died on November 6th, 1991 of emphysema in Houston, Texas, she is interred at Glenwood Cemetery.
Gene Tierney knew early on the social circles and pomp and circumstance of the upper crust were not her cup of tea and set out to take life for all it could offer, in her own way.
Like so many others, she charted her course and followed her passion despite having mental issues, and cultivated one of the most intriguing careers as an actress in the process.

Sources:
Gene Tierney: A Shattered Portrait,
The Biography Channel. March 26, 1999.
Self Portrait: Tierney and Herskowitz, 1978 Wyden Books.
E True Hollywood Story,
The Kennedys: Power, Seduction
and Hollywood 1998.

Photo Credits:
BooBooGBs architekt2

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-07-14T09:34:00.002-05:00

Morsel Monday: All Hail, The Eton Diamond Shirt

2010-07-12T10:55:00.002-05:00

"I can afford a blemish on my character but not on my clothes." Vincent Price's character Shelby Carpenter in Laura.

Nothing takes the place of a well dressed man aside from a well dressed woman-this bit of knowledge each of us are privy to, I hope.
Between Vogue, Alexander McQueen, GQ, Tom Ford, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Chanel and other well heeled designers and quarterlies, we have come to expect nothing short of the best for our lifestyle wardrobes.
Which brings me to a Swedish shirt maker sure to be in good company with the aforementioned, Eton.
Since 1928 the esteemed shirt maker has used the finest long fiber cotton available to produce their exceptional shirts and they have yet to disappoint, especially considering they celebrated their 80th birthday in 2008-talk about longevity.
So it is quite fitting a clothier of this caliber would create a little something to commemorate the blessed occasion, The Eton Diamond Dress Shirt.
The Egyptian cotton shirt hearkens back to the era of the 1920s Art Deco period with studs encrusted in 2.5mm multi-colored diamonds whilst the cufflinks have a similar design, embedded with 4mm white diamonds, set in white and black enamel borders designed by Zance Yianni of Sackville & Jones, Men's Accessories Designers and Manufacturers.
The Eton Diamond Shirt traveled around the world before being sold on Ebay with a portion of the proceeds having gone to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The final cost of the diamond studded beauty you ask? $46,700 U.S. dollars.
Now, if you cannot afford such an article of clothing there is still hope: Eton designs a great number of lovely shirts for such notables as Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner to young royals such as Princes William and Harry.
So as you can see they have dressed some of the most influential and dapper lads in the United States and abroad.
If the diamond encrusted shirt is something you would be interested in, I am sure you could talk them into recreating a copy for you, just be prepared to part with several month's worth of salary in order to pay for it!
Cheers my dapper darlings.

Joanne Woodward: Talent Galore!

2010-07-08T15:50:00.003-05:00

"Acting is like sex, you should do it, not talk about it." Joanne Woodward

She was born Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward on February 27th, 1930 in Thomasville, Georgia to Wade, a school administrator and his wife Elinor Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward, an avid movie buff and homemaker.
At nine years of age Joanne attended the Gone With The Wind movie premiere in Atlanta with her mother and rushed into the street where a waiting limousine held Joanne's favorite actor Laurence Olivier.
Young Joan opened the door and sat in the lap of Mr. Olivier and decades later Laurence would recall the incident when the two teamed together for the 1979 television production of Come Back, Little Sheba.
(The only thing I have done remotely close to this was on a triple dog dare. I went up to Patrick Ewing when he was in line at the theater to see Shawshank Redemption and I said hello and he politely said hello and proceeded to shake my hand.
I know..but I was young also, moving on.)
In the late 1930s the family would move to Marietta, Georgia and move once more, this time to Greenville, South Carolina where Joanne began acting in local theatre.
Influenced by her mother's love of movies (her favorite actress was Joan Crawford), Joanne soon chose acting as her creative medium-performing in various plays such as The Glass Menagerie throughout high school, all the while winning many beauty contests in the process.
Later, Joanne attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and majored in drama from 1947-49.
Shortly thereafter her father landed a job as vice president of publishing for Charles Scribner's Sons and the family moved yet again to New York City.
Once there Joanne pursued a career in acting while studying at the Actor's Studio and the Neighborhood Playhouse.
Woodward would make her first television appearance in a 1952 episode of Robert Montgomery Presents entitled "Penny."
She continued to try out for roles on the stage, becoming an understudy during the William Inge play Picnic where she would meet future husband fellow actor Paul Newman. Paul was still married (but separated) however to wife Jackie who would not at the time consent to a divorce.
But after witnessing the anguish he was going through she eventually granted him a divorce.
The two were then married on January 29th, 1958 in Las Vegas, Nevada and would have three children: Elinor, Melissa and Claire.
In 1955 Joanne's career began to excel when she landed a part in Count Three and Pray followed by 1957's The Three Faces of Eve for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
A few years later she starred with her husband in The Long, Hot Summer as well as Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!, From the Terrace (my favorite) and Paris Blues in 1961.
From 1963 to 2005 Joanne acted in various films and made for TV movies such as The Stripper, A New Kind of Love, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, A Christmas to Remember, Mr. and Mrs Bridge, The Age of Innocence, Philadelphia and Empire Falls amongst many others.
She co-produced and starred in the play Blind Spot and was the executive producer of 2003's production of Our Town.
She is the artistic director emeritus of the Westport County Playhouse as well as an activist. She graduated in 1990 along with her youngest daughter Claire from Sarah Lawrence College and works closely with Newman's Own-a food company founded by her husband Paul and friend A.E. Hotchner which offers organic snacks and dressings and donates all of its proceeds to various charities and foundations.
She is also very active in The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (Founded by Paul Newman in 1982 and named for the secret hiding place in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) for seriously and terminally ill children who want to experience horseback riding, swimming, archery and nature safely.
The camp is free of charge.
She also supports various charities and organizations such as the Strand Theatre and the Georgia Ballet Company.
Paul and Joanne Newman were married for 50 years until Paul succumbed to cancer at the age of 83 at the couple's farmhouse in Westport, Connecticut on September 26th, 2008, where Joanne still resides today.

Joanne Woodward is one of the last of the great women of the golden age of Hollywood. Aside from being an excellent actor, television and theatrical producer, loving wife, mother and activist she is truly a living example for today's modern woman and a testament for living one's life to its fullest potential.
Well done Mrs. Newman, you make us females quite proud!

Sources:
Joe Morella and Edward Z. Epstein, Paul and Joanne: A Biography of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (New York: Delacorte Press, 1988).
Roy Harris, Eight Women of the American Stage: Talking about Acting (Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 1997).

Photo Credits:
Flick'r

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-07-07T09:32:00.004-05:00

Morsel Monday: Tad Bit of Martini History

2010-07-06T16:00:00.004-05:00

How was everyone's Fourth of July holiday and long weekend?
I trust everyone delighted in wishing our lovely country a most joyous 234th birthday along with your family and friends.
I enjoyed myself thoroughly, despite having a packed house filled with gentlemen who claimed to know everything there is about grilling and ladies who chose the wrong time to experiment with the cocktails, the gall! :-)
Whilst most of my guests were downing red, white and blue drinks a la Stars and Stripes and Cape Cod Breeze with other concoctions added to them, I was settling into the holiday with my staunch favorite: The Classic Martini-stirred not shaken.
My friend Ainsley asked me why I chose to have it stirred as opposed to shaken. I then explained that I did not wish to have the gin bruised-which ignited a serious debate on said topic.
So I thought this would make an interesting entry for a Monday Morsel post.
I just did not anticipate still having guests well into this morning-which is the cause of this late post, I do offer you my sincerest apologies.
But all was well on the late evening of the Fourth as we all watched the movie of Cole Porter's life entitled De-Lovely (I love this movie) and the Boston Pops later with Toby Keith, all in all, a joyous and memorable occasion.
I hope you find the facts about one of my most favorite drinks as enjoyable as I find drinking them, now read on please. :-)

It seems the Martini was created between 1862 and 1876 and is a direct descendant of the Martinez, an older sweeter but similar cocktail which consists of approximately two ounces of Sweet Vermouth, one ounce of Gin (preferably Old Tom), two dashes Maraschino Cherry liquid, one dash Bitters, shaken with ice, strained and served with a twist of lemon or a cherry.
The Martini was an established American cocktail at the beginning of the 20th Century. Its popularity was believed to have been elevated during Prohibition when "bath tub" gin was relatively easy to produce, making Martini's readily available during the era of the speakeasy.
The Classic Martini was stirred, not shaken (Mr. Bond) so as not to upset the molecules so that they lie sensuously one on top of the other for more flavor.
In the novel Casino Royale (a personal favorite :-) Bond's recipe for a martini is made with three measures of Gin (Gordon's), one measure of vodka (Russian or Polish), and half a measure of Kina Lillet aperitif, shaken until ice-cold with a large, thin slice of lemon peel for garnish, generally called a Bradford.
But Bond being Bond, his drink was called a Vesper after his love interest in the novel and film- who could blame him? I have named each vehicle I have ever purchased-and have no idea why.
Sales of the popular drink went through the roof following the film's release.
As for the Martini glass and its unique shape, that is said to have been instituted during the years of Prohibition as well.
It seems the wide cavity made it easy to dispose of the banned alcohol in the event of a police raid, its cone shape also ceases the separating of the drink's contents.
The slim stem on the martini glass was designed so your hand would not come in contact with the bowl containing the contents of the drink, for the warmth of your hand would cause the ingredients to separate.
The size of an ideal Martini glass is said to be precisely four ounces.
Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Winston Churchill, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra all drank their Martinis from the classic Martini glass.
I have included my favorite place to re-stock martini glasses when I have unfortunate incidents-which seems to be quite a bit lately, go-figure. I need to implement the same rule William Randolph Hearst had at his home: a two drink minimum-anything else and you would not be invited back, interesting character that Hearst..
Anyway, I trust you will find something in this post useful for your next session of Martini making, and do remember, stirred-not shaken.
Although my friends and I came to this conclusion I am sure most of you have over the years as well: whether wet or dry, shaken or stirred, or just plain dirty..it is all a matter of taste!

Photo Credits:
StuartWebster
beadmobile

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all!
By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.
John Dickinson

Vivien Leigh: Gone Too Soon

2010-07-01T12:18:00.006-05:00

Touted as one of the most beautiful actresses of her day, the lovely Vivien Leigh was born an only child of British Cavalry officer and Yorkshire stockbroker Ernest Hartley and his wife Gertrude Robinson Yackje in Darjeeling, India on November 5th, 1913.
Her parents wanted to return their family to England but had to wait until after the war, and upon arrival her mother enrolled her in the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Roehampton, England in 1920 to give her a proper education.
Vivling (as her father called her-a combination of Vivien and darling) acquired best friend status there with future actress Maureen O'Sullivan and confided in her her wishes to become an actress. Expressing the same sentiment to her parents, they then enro
lled her in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 1932.
That same year she met and married British barrister Herbert Leigh Holman and adopted his middle name as her professional/stage name.
On October 12th, 1933 she gave birth to daughter Suzanne and even though she delighted in becoming a mother, nothing seemed to fill the void of her desire to become an actress.
In 1934 Vivien made her screen debut in Things Are Looking Up with a one line role and the
following year she appeared in small parts, acquiring her first starring role in 1935's The Mask of Virtue which was a major flop but made Leigh an overnight sensation.
She was quickly signed to a 5-year contract by film producer Alexander Korda and appeared in 1937's Fire Over England along with 21 Days with co-star Laurence Olivier.
During filming the pair fell in love, although they were both still married; Leigh as you recall to Holman and Olivier to actress Jill Esmond.
Leigh left Holman shortly thereafter and began a courtship with Laurence-who would not?
In 1938 she filmed A Yank at Oxford with my Robert Taylor then traveled with Olivier to Hollywood-he to star in Wuthering Heights and she to audition for the highly coveted role of southern belle Scarlet O'Hara in David O. Selznick's production of Gone with the Wind. Reportedly David's brother introduced Leigh to David with the words: "Hey genius, meet your Scarlett!"
Vivien claimed when she tested for Gone with the Wind the costume was still warm from the previous actress's body heat..eww.
Viv's measurements during GWTW? 32-23-33-sheer perfection.
Selznick launched a 2-year, $100,000 search for Scarlett and Vivien won over hundreds of other candidates with her performance earning her international fame and an Academy Award.
On August 31st, 1940, Vivien married Laurence Olivier at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara and honeymooned on actor Roger Colman's yacht, friend Katherine Hepburn was her maid of honor, can you imagine Katherine being your maid of honor? How swank is that?
She then appeared in several more films afterwards including Romeo and Juliet, Waterloo Bridge and That Hamilton Woman, said to have been Sir Winston Churchill's all time favorite movie.
In 1944 while filming Caesar and Cleopatra, Leigh was involved in an on set accident that resulted in a miscarriage.
Some elude to Leigh's bouts with manic depression which began as far back as 1930 attributing to the troubling incident, but as you know already..we may never know.
Reportedly during 1954's Elephant Walk she was replaced after only a few scenes due to her difficult nature but not all were privy to the fact she was suffering from manic depression.
She was swiftly replaced with the lovely actress Elizabeth Taylor.
Despite being in poor health already, as she also suffered from tuberculosis-a chronic illness she contracted in 1945, she went through yet another heartbreaking miscarriage.
She rebounded well in her role as Blanch DuBois in her second Oscar winning performance in 1951's A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Marlon Brando and also filmed 1955's The Deep Blue Sea during this time.
Despite the comeback, her mental and physical instability was aggravated by her deteriorating marriage to Olivier and the couple divorced in 1960.
Olivier married actress Joan Plowright with whom he stayed married until his death on July 11th, 1989.
Vivien made several more films in The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone in 1961 and Ship of Fools in 1965 along with a musical comedy, Tovarich which won her a Tony Award.
On the night of July 7th, 1967 around midnight, Leigh's companion and caretaker Canadian actor John Merivale returned to their apartment to find the actress asleep in her room. He returned to her bedroom some 30 minutes later to discover her body on the floor-where she apparently attempted to get to the bathroom. He quickly checked her vitals but she was unresponsive.
Vivien Leigh died as a result of her bout with severe tuberculosis.
Merivale reportedly contacted Olivier who was receiving treatment for prostrate cancer in a hospital nearby and he rushed over and paid his respects and "stood and prayed for forgiveness for all the evils that had sprung up between us" then proceeded to help John make Vivian's funeral arrangements.
Vivien was cremated and her ashes scattered about a lake near her home in Tickerage Mill near Blackboys, East Sussex.

Vivien Leigh was a gifted actress who realized early on her passion for the stage and screen. And although she made fewer than twenty films throughout her storied career, she will gracefully be remembered as one of the most accomplished and beautiful leading ladies of the golden age of Hollywood.

Sources:
Edwards, Anne. Vivien Leigh,
A Biography, Coronet Books, 1978
Olivier Laurence, Confessions of an Actor
Simon and Schuster, 1982
Haver, Ronald. David O. Selznick's Hollywood
Bonanza Books, New York, 1980

Photo Credits:
Flick'r BooBooGB

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-06-30T11:53:00.003-05:00

Morsel Monday: Like A Moth To A Flame

2010-06-28T11:45:00.006-05:00

For this MM I offer you an item many of us have in our homes already and often in abundance: wax. I know what you are thinking, how interesting is a candle?
But this is not your run of the mill candle, for this one is a limited edition offering and is earth friendly and just happens to have a lovely piece of jewelry that adorns its center and is offered by Welcome Home Candles.
This decadent little votive has a diamond bow necklace with 38 brilliant diamonds, weighing in at 2.23 in total carat weight and is set in 14 carat white gold.
The candle itself does not disappoint either-for it's fragrance is that of Champagne and Soy and is sure to add a most exhilarating and elegant aroma to anyone's estate.
The necklace is designed by Bucci Jewelry & Design, a top Philadelphia jewelry designer and can be purchased for the lovely sum of $4,495.00, do allow 3 weeks for delivery.
They offer Signature, Vintage, Hip2BSquare and an Art Glass collection along with many others, so there is something for everyone within each price range.
So if you are in the market for something exquisite and a little out of the norm, consider a Welcome Home Candle.
One thing is for sure..this is one flame guaranteed to grant someone a warm glow!

Robert Taylor: Kimmy's Forever Love

2010-06-24T11:04:00.093-05:00

"My appearance doesn't fascinate me, but I'm not the one who has to be pleased either." Robert Taylor

It is probably best Mr. Robert Taylor is no longer with us, for Kimmy here would more than likely be sitting in her jail cell, patiently awaiting her turn to explain to the judge why she was arrested for stalking this silver screened adonis.
Making one blush, bringing sexy back, leaving one speechless-these are all traits Robert Taylor possessed in abundance and it is such a shame I was not born during this time for I could have easily been his..stalker, err wife!
Robert Taylor was born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska on August 5th, 1911 to Spangler Andrew Brugh and his lovely wife Ruth Adaline. Robert's father was a farmer in the grain business who became a doctor in order to cure his ailing wife from a childhood condition and upon graduating he succeeded in ridding her of her life-long illness.
As a teenager Spangler played the cello at Beatrice High School and upon graduation enrolled at Doane College from 1929-31 to study music but when Professor Herbert B. Gray his mentor, accepted a job at Pomona College in Los Angeles, California, young Spangler followed him there and enrolled.
He joined the campus theatre group where his first performance was in the play, "Helena Boys" and was later spotted by MGM talent scout Ben Piazza in 1932, just after his performance in a production of "Journey's End," but chose to remain in college until he graduated on February 6th, 1934. Smart lad that Spangler was!
Now signed with MGM, Spangler was given a 7 year contract worth $35.00 per week (the lowest paid actor on record) and in classic Hollywood style his name was changed to Robert Taylor.
His first film offering was six months later in a comedy co-starring Will Rogers, Handy Andy but his first foray in a leading role would come in 1935's Magnificent Obsession with actress Irene Dunne, closely followed by Camille with the incomparable Greta Garbo.
His performance in Magnificent Obsession established him as a major movie star and the film was a huge hit at the box office but during his first years in Hollywood he had to endure brutal and unfair reviews, but thankfully the taunts soon subsided after his performance in Magnificent Obsession.
During the latter portion of the 1930s, Robert appeared in various genres such as Broadway Melody of 1936, Broadway Melody of 1938 along with the British comedy A Yank at Oxford with the lovely Vivian Leigh, he also starred in Small Town Girl (my favorite!) and Private Number in 1936, Three Comrades in 1938 and Waterloo Bridge in 1940, his favorite of his films.
On May 14th, 1939 Robert married Barbara Stanwyck after appearing with her in the 1937 film This Is My Affair.
It is said the studio heads strongly encouraged Taylor to marry Stanwyck after a Photoplay Magazine article depicting "Hollywood's Unmarried Husbands and Wives," condemned the unmarried relationships of Clark Gable & Carole Lombard, Charlie Chaplin & Paulette Goddard and that of he and Barbara Stanwyck.
The marriage had the usual ups and downs many couples face but the pair divorced in 1951, supposedly after Taylor was seen having a very public affair with an Italian screen starlet.
Reportedly Robert was having problems performing in bed, and it took an affair with Ava Gardner for him to realize his problem was indeed Barbara. He then realized she was more of a mother to him than a wife.
What a shocking realization for one to be faced with, that poor dear!
Robert had fan mail that exceeded anything Clark Gable received and was a ginormous box office success, drawing large crowds of screaming women everywhere the actor went.
Robert was exceptionally handsome, having been groomed by MGM to become "The Heartthrob of the Nation" and was dubbed "The Man with the Perfect Profile," along with "The New King" upon Clark Gable's departure from acting, yet he began accepting more darker roles in order to break away from his perfect leading man image.
The transition began in 1941's Billy the Kid along with Johnny Eager with Lana Turner and Bataan with Desi Arnaz in 1943.
During World War II Robert contributed to the war effort becoming a flying instructor for the United States Navy Air Corps where he also directed 17 flight instruction training films.
In 1949 he appeared opposite 17-year old Elizabeth Taylor as her love interest in the movie Conspirator. Robert felt very uncomfortable playing the love interest of a 17-year old considering he was 31 at the time.
Reportedly young Elizabeth went to her dressing room, flopped in the chair and proclaimed to her hairdresser, "I've just been kissed by Robert Taylor!"
Ms. Taylor should count her blessings I was not yet born, the nerve of some teens!
Moving on..
In the 1950s he starred opposite Deborah Kerr in Quo Vadis followed by Ivanhoe, Knights of the Round Table and The Adventures of Quentin Durward-all filmed on location in England.
In 1954 Taylor married German born actress Ursula Thiess and the couple had two children: Terrance in 1955 and Tessa in 1959.
The couple made their home on a large ranch in the Brentwood area of California where they enjoyed a quiet life away from the Hollywood limelight. He periodically returned home to his beloved Nebraska to visit family and friends where they would enjoy fly-fishing, hunting and trips on his Beechcraft plane.
He often hunted with fellow actors Clark Gable, John Wayne and Robert Stack along with author Ernest Hemingway.
During the late 1950s his career began to wind down and his many years of chain smoking were beginning to catch up with him, having smoked three packs of cigarettes per day since his teen years.
However he was still able to star in the 1955 comedy western, Many Rivers to Cross along with The Law and Jake Wade.
When his contract with MGM expired in 1958 he began his own production company, Robert Taylor Productions and acquired the lead in the ABC hit series, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor from 1959-62 and Death Valley Days from 1966-69 after Ronald Reagan bowed out to run for political office.
In Autumn of 1968 shortly after returning from a trip, Taylor was diagnosed with lung cancer after feeling increasingly breathless and tired.
Following a long battle with the dreaded disease Robert Taylor passed away on June 8th, 1969 at the age of 57 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.
His eulogy was delivered by longtime friend Ronald Reagan and his former wife Barbara Stanwyck was also in attendance along with numerous celebrities and friends.
Robert is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.

I truly feel somewhat cheated not being born during the time of his reign in Tinseltown. I would have loved to have met this handsome, humble individual who felt he had no talent and was simply a drop in the pan.
Gratefully, his films are a lasting tribute that states otherwise.
You are missed R.T.

Sources:
Erikson, Hal. Robert Taylor Biography
Wayne, Jane Ellen. The Leading Men of MGM

Photo Credits:
Flick'r

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-06-23T10:40:00.004-05:00

Morsel Monday: Bling Buttons

2010-06-21T10:23:00.017-05:00

It is a well noted fact that diamonds are a girl's best friend, besides her Birkin of course, yet this does not always apply to just us ladies.
Men periodically wear diamonds and they wear them quite well and with little fanfare..usually.
I prefer diamonds on a gentleman not in gaudy rings often adorned on the pinky but in a lesser more subtle form: buttons or as many refer to them, cufflinks.
Cufflinks appeared in the early 17th century when gentlemen of the day were seeking a more polished alternative to lace and ribbons in which to retain their unruly cuffs.
Some gentlemen began using small chains fastened closely by a silver or gold button which led to the full development of the cufflink.
Over the years they have become a more sophisticated accompaniment to a gentleman's wardrobe and one of the finest makers of said accoutrements is Atelier Yozu.
Producing some of the finest cufflinks in the world, Yozu fashions the miniature masterpieces using the most precious stones, hand carved and polished with other exotic materials coupled with the finest workmanship to please even the most discerning buyer.
An example of these miniature morsels of art can be found in the Mammoth Ivory and Two Row Diamond cufflinks designed exclusively for Pianki.
This particular pair of cufflinks consisting of 18 carat gold, featuring 60 diamonds (1 carat each) and a thick bar of 22-year old ivory could be yours for the pricey sum of $9,195.00.
Under the direction of master jeweler Yuri Kolesov, they can create a custom pair to your liking at a considerably higher price, of course-and it would be well worth it.
In 2004 Robb Report awarded Atelier Yozu the distinction of Best of the Best Cufflinks Manufacturer for their very first cufflink collection-quite a fete in itself. Yozu, located in the Wall Street District of Manhattan for the past 11 years, has counted Harry Winston, Tiffany's, Paul Morelli, Slane and Slane and Georg Jensen as just a few of their esteemed clients.
So ladies, if your husbands, boyfriends or significant others could use a quality set of buttons, do not hesitate to contact Atelier Yozu.
But I would admonish you to bring your most discerning taste and access to whatever credit card you have that houses the most ample limit, because once you witness their attention to detail, you just may want a pair or two for yourself!

Happy Father's Day ♥

2010-06-19T23:31:00.002-05:00

"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!" ~Lydia M. Child

Greta Garbo: Chic Mystique

2010-06-17T11:56:00.016-05:00

Greta Louisa Gustafsson was born in Stockholm, Sweden on September 18th, 1905, the youngest of three children to working class parents Karl Alfred Gustafsson and his wife Anna Lovisa Johansson.
At the age of 14 Greta lost the close relationship she shared with her father when he succumbed to nephritis and the teen was then forced to find a job to help support the family. Whilst working as a soap lather girl in a barbershop, the founder of PUB Department Store Paul U. Bergstrom came into the shop for a shave and eventually offered Greta a job as a clerk in July of 1920.
She also began modeling while at the store in newspaper advertisements as well as a couple of short film advertisements which led to a part in the 1922 film Peter the Tramp.
For two years she studied at the prestigious Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm where she was trained in cinema acting technique and was given the name Greta Garbo and cast in her first major role in the silent film Gosta Berlings Saga (The Story of Gusta Berling) in 1924. She was then cast in the 1925 German film Die freudiose Gasse directed by G.W. Pabst.
When Louis B. Mayer saw Gosta Berlings Saga, Garbo was brought to Hollywood and signed with Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Mayer was immediately taken with Garbo's acting and screen presence and things were certainly looking up for the young soon to be actress.
But upon her arrival in Hollywood her sister Alva died of cancer at the age of 23 in Sweden and Garbo was not permitted to return home for her funeral.
Garbo reportedly was quite upset to say the least but reluctantly began filming Flesh and the Devil after a stern letter from MGM warning of dire consequences if she did not resume filming. This battle of sorts set up the fights she would have later with other studio heads after Flesh and the Devil was completed. This movie was the catalyst for Garbo becoming one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood at that time.
During filming she reportedly became romantically involved with her co-star John Gilbert and before production wrapped the pair had already moved in together. Hollywood legend has it Gilbert proposed during production and Garbo accepted and a high profile wedding was arranged but Garbo later backed out.
Garbo's next movies were Love, The Mysterious Lady, The Green Hat and The Kiss in 1929.
The Kiss was the first film MGM made without dialogue-only sound effects and a soundtrack was used.
In 1930 her voice was heard in Anna Christie with the much publicized slogan, "Garbo Talks." The movie was a hit and Garbo began her next film in Mata Hari in 1931 and Grand Hotel in 1932.
She left MGM after a contract dispute only to sign a new one in July of 1932, giving her more control over her roles and her private life and she quickly exercised her power by visiting Sweden the same month and replacing Laurence Olivier with John Gilbert in Queen Christina.
Next came Tolstoy's Anna Karenina followed by George Cukor's Camille opposite Robert Taylor (a very sexy gentleman ladies!) and Ninotchka in 1939, strongly considered two of her most magnificent performances. During World War II Greta ceased making movies although she signed a contract for the production of a film in 1947 but never made another film. She posed for a number of captivating photographs by the likes of Cecil Beaton, Ruth Harriet Louise and Edward Steichen to name a few and was offered many roles over the years but turned them down, choosing instead to never film another movie again.
In 1951 she became a United States citizen and as for her private life, it was rumored she was bi-sexual, having a relationship with John Gilbert as well as allegedly having an affair with the following: screen actress Lilyan Tashman, writer and socialite Mercedes de Acosta and dancer, model and screen actress Louise Brooks.
She supposedly had relationships with conductor Leopold Stokowski, writer Gayelord Hauser and George Schlee during the 1960s. But many believe these were merely close friendships. Women are not supposed to be able to have a platonic relationship with a male you know! ;-)
In 1953 Garbo purchased a 7-room apartment in New York City at 450 East 52nd Street where she would reside for the rest of her life. She occasionally traveled the globe with Cecil Beaton and Aristotle Onassis but for the most part remained reclusive.
She was known for taking long walks through New York wearing casual clothing and large sunglasses-always avoiding the media and the paparazzi, remind you of anyone we all knew and loved? (J.K.O.)
During the last years of her life she lived in complete seclusion and had previously survived breast cancer but on April 15th, 1990 at the age 84 Greta passed away from renal failure and pneumonia.
She was cremated and interred at Skogskyrkogarden Cemetery just south of Stockholm.
Having invested wisely in commercial real estate along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Greta was very frugal and left her estate of $20 million to her niece, Gray Reisfield.

An irresistibly alluring beauty, Great Garbo embodied the very essence of the classic Hollywood film star. But most inspiring was her will to control her own destiny and maintain a private lifestyle within that balance, whilst elegantly retaining her strong sense of self.

Sources:
Borg, Sven-Hugo
The Only True Story of
Greta Garbo's Private Life
London, England Amalgamated
Press Ltd. 1933
Paris, Barry Garbo
New York, USA Knopf 1995
Photo Credits:
BooBooGB
no-frills marilyn
d'Xavier
Clyde Bentley

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-06-16T09:44:00.002-05:00

Morsel Monday: One Pricey Vintage

2010-06-14T09:15:00.003-05:00

This is one for those who possess everything: a lovely vintage cognac securely held in a bottle adorned with 6,500 brilliant cut diamonds and dipped in 24-carat gold and sterling platinum.
The ancestors of Claudine Dudognon-Buraud are responsible for creating this grand elixir since 1776 in the Cognac Grande Champagne region of France and are direct descendants of the beloved French King Henri IV.
I was told the cognac itself has been aged for more than 100 years in a special storage structure and is indeed 82 proof and that they also produce a Tequila Ley. 925 as well.
The cognac vessel certainly garners one's attention being that it was crafted by esteemed jeweler Jose Davalos and weighs in at 8 kilograms, gleaming and glistening to the exorbitant tune of $3.4 million dollars.
So if you are in the market for a decent vintage, have roughly $4 million lying about and nothing to spend it on, consider purchasing Henri IV Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne.
You can never go wrong with a vintage and you can always turn the bottle over to a museum or store it in the family vault in case the stock market takes a severe dive.
Bottoms up!

A Beautiful Dwelling Place: Dunnellen Hall

2010-06-10T13:23:00.002-05:00

Good Thursday Morning All,
I felt it was time to mix it up a bit and break the monotony of bios about the lovely screen legends we all adore. And in doing so I turned once more to one of my favorite pastimes..touring majestic mansions, although usually I do it in person versus the web.
So I decided to showcase one of my favorite homes I often refer to as old school architecture, Dunnellen Hall.
Dunnellen Hall is the Jacobean style mansion located in Greenwich, Connecticut that once belonged to hotel magnate Harry B. Helmsley and his infamous wife Leona Helmsley.
You do remember Leona, do you not?
Leona Mindy Roberts Helmsley was the billionaire New York City hotel magnate whose tyrannical behavior earned her the moniker, "Queen of Mean."
Convicted of federal income tax evasion and other crimes in 1989, she was sentenced to 16 years but served only 19 months in prison.
Leona is most remembered for her statement during a conversation in which her maid overheard her saying: "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."
The Helmsley's net worth at the time was considered to be one billion dollars, after Harry's death in 1997 it climbed to a heart fluttering $5.5 billion.
In 1983 the couple purchased Dunnellen Hall at a cost of $11 million and quickly set about remodeling the estate to the tune of $8 million.
The Helmsley's summer home is approximately 23,000 sq.ft. and was originally constructed for New York financier Daniel Grey Reid as a gift for his daughter Rhea Reid Topping and husband Henry, though locals still refer to the mansion as the Topping House.
Rhea named Dunnellen after her mother Ella Dunn.
Currently situated on just over 40 acres, Dunnellen was listed for $75 million but its price was reduced to $60 million due to the sluggish economy.
The sprawling estate offers 14 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 4 palatial half-baths, antique limestone and marble fireplaces, an 86-foot gallery, banquet sized dining hall and a rich, oak paneled library all of which enhance the majestic look and feel of the 28 room interior of the home.
The exterior offers a 75-foot outdoor pool, pool house, tennis court, exquisite gardens and a walled courtyard with reflecting pool and tiered fountain.
Originally built in 1918 by architect William Tubby, the 3-story, 14 building structure is quite possibly the most celebrated Greenwich estate on the market.
The hilltop estate offers sweeping views of Long Island Sound with ample space for lavish parties like the ones enjoyed there long ago.
On August 20, 2007 Leona Helmsley died of congestive heart failure at Dunnellen Hall and left the bulk of her estate to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and a $12 million trust fund to her dog-a Maltese, Trouble.
Of course the sum was later reduced by a judge (thank God) to a paltry $2 million, such a shame.
$15 million went to her brother Alvin, $5 million each to two grandchildren whilst her other two grandchildren received no inheritance whatever.
Helmsley's $12 million trust fund left for her dog reportedly made Fortune's 101 Dumbest Moments in Business-no, surely you jest! I am sorry, but leaving $12 million to a dog borders inherently on an extended stay at the lunatic lodge.
So there you have it, a home once owned by the "Queen of Mean" herself but I would still love to own it someday.
Just imagine it: I envision a rather large Gatsbyesque party on the South lawn, guests dressed in their summer whites clutching a Sapphire Martini while listening to the intoxicating rhythm of The Girl from Ipanema-ahh..the joys of summer amongst the elite.
Now do tell..what is your idea of a perfect summer cottage and why? I am just curious-perhaps someday we may be neighbors.
Cheers my future summer cottage owners of the world!

Sources:
The New York Times,
Helmsley Estate, Does it
Bring Bad Luck?
April 21, 1988, Madden
L. Richard
Photo Credits:
Flick'r

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-06-09T13:03:00.008-05:00

Monday Morsel: The Hope Diamond

2010-06-08T10:30:00.042-05:00

When my family and I visited the Smithsonian Institute in 1999, the ladies of the family were in awe of the jewelry-as they should have been, whilst the gentlemen quickly gravitated toward the rather large pachyderm that smelled pungently of formaldehyde.
As we entered a roped off area we noticed a crowd of like females cooing over something housed in a fairly large clear case. As I politely eased my way into the inner realm of the circle I realized what the hoopla was about. There it was, large and gleaming with brilliant facets-The Hope Diamond.

This 45.52 carat deep blue diamond is and was believed to be cursed. Once acquired by King Louis XIV of France in 1668, it was later turned over to the French government-only to be stolen one year later.

The diamond would later reappear in London in 1812 then pass on to American heiress Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean who added 16 white diamonds and its present chain to the diamond. After the passing of Mrs. McLean, famed jeweler Harry Winston purchased the diamond and donated it to the Smithsonian, via first class mail in a brown paper wrapped bag! I have heard of being inconspicuous but this is on a whole other level.

The Hope Diamond today is one of the most visited objects offered in the museum.

The supposed curse on the diamond is it offers death to all who have worn or even touched the deep blue gem. Reportedly it was stolen from an idol in India by a French jeweler named Jean Baptiste Tavernier who was later torn apart by wild dogs on a trip to Russia and of course we all know the fates of King Louis XIV and Marie Antionette but again, as I say to you always-one never really knows, does one?

As for me, cursed or no-I would happily accept the Hope Diamond and pray just before wearing the rather huge orb. Afterall, diamonds were meant to be worn against the skin and at the steep price tag of $300-$350 million dollars someone should certainly be enjoying it outside its case!

Susan Hayward: From Poverty to Priceless

2010-06-03T00:08:00.114-05:00

Born on June 30th, 1917 the youngest of three children, Edythe Marrener had a smooth milky complexion and a ruby mane that would later become her signature trademark in Hollywood.
Young Edythe grew up in poverty in Brooklyn, New York, born on the same day and in the same city as actress Lena Horne.
Her mother Ellen reportedly doted more on her eldest daughter Florence, creating a division and internal scars within Edythe that would last her lifetime.
Upon her graduation from high school she began modeling in New York City and with her photos now gracing The Saturday Evening Post she decided to try her hand at acting.
In 1939 when a nationwide search for an actress to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind was held, Susan met with producer David O. Selznick in New York City to discuss testing for the role. Susan along with hundreds of others auditioned but were unsuccessful, the role went instead to actress Vivian Leigh.
Susan's screen test however led to a name change and a contract with Warner Bros where she made her first film debut in Girls on Probation.
Things were looking up for next came the film Beau Geste opposite Gary Cooper and Susan became engaged to fellow actor John Carroll, but the relationship ended soon after.
In 1941 she played Millie Perkins in the offbeat thriller Among the Living and a year later starred as John Wayne's leading lady in Reap the Wild Wind.
On July 24th, 1944 she married actor Jess Barker and the couple had twin sons, Timothy and Gregory despite reports of the marriage being in a turbulent state. The couple later divorced on August 18th, 1954.
Reportedly very depressed over the loss of her marriage, she took sleeping pills and phoned her mother stating, "Don't worry, you'll be taken care of." Her mother phoned the police and Susan received emergency treatment and thankfully survived.
With her life now on track, she received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of an alcoholic nightclub singer in Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman and continued acting in such films as Tap Roots, My Foolish Heart, David and Bathsheba and With a Song in my Heart in 1952.
In 1955 billionaire producer Howard Hughes cast Susan to star opposite John Wayne in The Conqueror-which was a critical and commercial failure at the box office. It was widely reported John Wayne would visibly shudder anytime anyone mentioned the film in his presence. It is listed among The Fifty Worst Films Ever Made, which is insanely embarrassing considering Wayne insisted upon being cast in the film. How tragic for one's career.
In December Susan met lawyer and businessman Floyd Eaton Chalkey at a Christmas party and the couple married two years later, enjoying a loving marriage until his death on January 9th, 1966.
In 1995 Hayward won a Cannes Award for her role as the alcoholic actress Lillian Roth in I'll Cry Tomorrow.
Three years later she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of real-life California murderer Barbara Graham in I Want to Live! and in 1967 replaced Judy Garland as Helen Lawson in the 1967 film adaptation of Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls.
During the early 70's Susan continued to act until she was diagnosed with multiple inoperable brain tumors.
Her final role was in the made for TV drama Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole. The drama was meant to be a pilot episode for a weekly television series but due to Hayward's failing health, the series was never produced.
Susan's last appearance in public was at the 1974 Academy Awards where she presented the Best Actress Award, though by this time she had fallen quite ill.
But with the physical help of Charlton Heston and a dose of Dilantin she was able to successfully present the award.
Susan Hayward succumbed to complications from brain cancer on March 14th, 1975, she was just 57 years of age.
There was much speculation regarding the location of the film, The Conqueror in relation to Hayward's and others diagnosis of cancer.
Reportedly the film was shot downwind of the Nevada Test Site where extensive above ground nuclear weapons testing occurred. The cast and crew spent many weeks there on location and at the time little was known about the correlation between radioactive fallout and cancer.
First director Dick Powell was diagnosed with cancer and passed away, then actor Pedro Armendariz was diagnosed with kidney cancer and committed suicide when he found out it was terminal. Next were cast members Hayward and Agnes Moorehead and fellow co-star John Hoyt who died of lung cancer in 1991.
The cast and crew totaled 220 people. By 1981, 91 of them had developed some form of cancer with 46 of them dying from the disease. The cast and crew reportedly knew of the testing but were reassured by the government it caused no harm to the public's health.
I plead the fifth here.

Susan Hayward overcame poverty and inner turmoil to become one of Hollywood's most captivating leading ladies.
The enthusiastic and carefree model turned actress has left her indelible print upon all those who have viewed her body of work. Rest well Susan, you have earned it.

Sources:
Local Village of America,
November 21, 2008
Susan Hayward Remembered
Susan Hayward on TV.com
Photo Credits:
flick'r

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-06-02T10:14:00.003-05:00

Morsel Monday: Most Expensive Set of Wheels

2010-05-31T13:45:00.003-05:00

"The car has become an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad and incomplete."
Marshall McLuhan
I have a very serious love affair with vintage automobiles, I know this comes as no surprise. And while gazing at them this past weekend it brought about a thought-provoking parallel.
I was wondering if most of you will attest to the fact that an exceptional vehicle is like an exceptional woman: extremely reliable, elegant to a fault, quite beautiful and most assuredly high maintenance.
And if I could own only one which one would that be? (I am speaking of the car of course)
The one automobile that fits this mold perfectly is also at the moment the most expensive in the world, the 1936 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic coupe.
With only three ever produced, the elusive art deco vintage beauty was highly praised for its elegance in its heyday-with good reason. It was personally styled by Jean Bugatti, son of founder Ettore Bugatti in the manner of an avant-garde teardrop if you will. The 57SC has a 200 bhp engine and reaches 123 mph at its top speed.
The signature dorsal seams that run the length of the car were retained for style and have led to the car's present fame. The Atlantic was derived from Bugatti's prototype Aerolithe Electron Coupe' that was unveiled at the Paris Auto Salon in 1935.
The Bugatti's hail from a long line of artists in the manner of sculptors, painters, architects and designers, which account for the obvious creativity demonstrated in the lines and creation of this ingenious automobile.
The two remaining Bugatti's belong to the following:
One in the private collection of fashion designer and business executive Ralph Lauren and the other sold by way of Gooding & Co., a Santa Monica auction house after the death of its owner, neurologist and avid vintage car collector Peter Williamson.
The Bugatti reportedly sold for between $30 and $40 million dollars and was the 2003 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance best in show car.
So there you have it, Kimmy's dream automobile-I should point out my birthday is in November but you must not wait until then..you can have it shipped now if you would like, I will not complain.
It will take some bargaining on your part but I know you can acquire it if you try hard enough.
I shall be awaiting its arrival!

Sources:
Supercars.net
Wikipedia,
The National Ledger

Rock Hudson: The Mirror Has 2 Faces

2010-05-27T15:45:00.001-05:00

As I sat with my Mother one evening watching Giant with Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean, my Mother was taken with Dean's portrayal of his character Jett-a poor handyman who discovers oil and becomes wealthier than his employers, yet the whole time my fixation was on the tall, dark drink of icy cool water I came to know as Rock Hudson. His masculinity, extreme handsomeness and movie idol charm immediately thrust me upright in my chair and needless to say the plot of the movie was indeed an afterthought as I became 300% fixated on my new boy crush.
Roy Harold Scherer Jr. was born in Winnetka, Illinois on November 17th, 1925, an only child to parents Roy H. Scherer Sr., an auto mechanic and his wife, telephone operator Katherine Wood. Roy's father deserted the family in 1930 at the height of the Great Depression and his mother remarried shortly thereafter to Wallace Fitzgerald, who adopted young Roy Jr. as his own.
As a teen Roy attended New Trier High School, the same alma mater as actors Charlton Heston and Ann-Margret.
Early on Roy became intrigued by movies and got a job as an usher at a local movie theater where his passion for acting began to take hold. However when he tried out for school plays he was immediately rejected for not being able to remember his lines. (You should have seen my performance in Romeo & Juliet-hideous!)
After high school he served as an aircraft mechanic in the U. S. Navy and later moved to Los Angeles in 1946 in pursuit of an acting career. He applied to the University of Southern California's dramatics program but was disqualified due to his poor grades and then decided to pass out his headshots outside the studio gates for hours on end daily until it finally paid off. Roy caught the eye of powerful Hollywood talent scout Henry Willson, who almost single handedly launched the "beefcake craze" of the 1950's to which Roy would certainly become a huge part of.
He quickly changed Roy's name to Rock Hudson-combining Rock from the Rock of Gibraltar and Hudson from the Hudson River, two very strong symbols which perfectly embodied the strapping 6'5" actor.
For his film debut in 1948's Fighter Squadron Hudson's teeth were capped and he received extensive coaching in acting, singing, dancing, fencing and horseback riding, yet it still took a record 38 takes for Rock to deliver his only line in the movie.
Despite that he was seen as a valuable studio asset and was groomed as a leading man, his face splashed about on numerous film magazine covers and Hudson was quickly propelled into romantic comedies.
1954 brought success to Rock in the form of the romantic film Magnificent Obsession, my mother and father's first date movie :-) with Jane Wyman.
He plays a handyman in love with wealthy widow Jane Wyman and together their love affair becomes the talk of the town amongst the upper crust. The performance earned Hudson a part in director George Steven's Giant with Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean and he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor.
However good things never last forever for in 1955 Confidential Magazine threatened to publish an expose' about Hudson's super secret homosexual lifestyle and shortly thereafter Rock married Henry Hudson's secretary Phyllis Gates. It is reported this was done to squelch the rumors and not topple his career. As I always say, it is Hollywood-one never really knows, does one?
The marriage lasted 3 years with Gates filing for divorce in 1958.
Rock continued acting in a string of movies such as A Farewell to Arms, Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back & Send Me No Flowers with Doris Day and one of Rock's personal favorites 1966's Seconds.
As middle age approached Hudson's celebrated career began slowing down and he reluctantly agreed to do television for NBC in a highly successful series titled McMillian and Wife from 1971-77.
In the 80's his career hit an all time low and his years of heavy drinking and smoking were taking its toll on his health. While filming The Devlin Connection Hudson suffered a massive heart attack and required quintuple heart bypass surgery. His long recuperation proved fatal for his career and over the next 2 years his health continued to deteriorate.
Rumors once again began swirling about the actor's homosexual lifestyle and reportedly having AIDS, a horrid disease that attacks your immune system and for which there is no cure.
On June 5th, 1984 he was officially diagnosed with the AIDS virus. But it was not until July 25th, 1985 while in Paris for treatment did Hudson openly admit he was indeed dying of the progressive disease. It is believed he contracted the tainted blood through blood transfusions given him during his heart bypass operation.
For years Hudson had a relationship with partner Marc Christian who would later sue Hudson's estate for "intentional infliction of emotional distress" claiming Hudson continued having sex with him despite knowing he had the potentially fatal virus. An undisclosed settlement was reached in 1991 with Christian although he tested negative at the time for the disease.
On July 31st Rock flew back to Los Angeles, California from Paris after doctors informed him there was nothing else that could be done for his condition. He entered his home in Beverly Hills called The Castle where he remained until October 2nd, 1985 when Rock Hudson died of complications from the AIDS virus.
As requested he was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea. He was the first high profile Hollywood celebrity to die from AIDS and thanks in part to Hudson and friend Elizabeth Taylor the public's awareness of the disease increased dramatically and therefore has helped others cope while fighting the disease.

Rock Hudson lived virtually two lives: Hollywood's version of the sex symbol acquiring beautiful women and living a grand carefree lifestyle and the other Rock Hudson, who was a homosexual who only wanted to live his life as any other human being-without the whispers and gossip attached to it.
I remember Rock Hudson the man, the actor and hidden activist who would have given almost anything to walk in public with his love and not hide his true identity.
I must say, this is indeed a sad way to live one's life-be your true self..regardless of what others may think or say, truly live your life.

Sources:
Bret, David (2006)
Rock Hudson. London: Robson
Hudson, Rock; Davidson, Sara
Rock Hudson: His Story
New York: Morrow (1986)
Photo Credits:
Music2MyEars
diluvi

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-05-26T12:17:00.002-05:00

Morsel Monday: Legend of the Lilly

2010-05-24T09:08:00.054-05:00

As a true Southern woman my Mother reared my sisters and me to love being a lady and everything that embodies from taking care of the family to dressing well and I do not take the honor of being such lightly.
This right of passage also included instilling manners in each of us and I pride myself on having pretty decent table manners and often tease my siblings when they spill something on themselves or commit some other infraction while dining.
So imagine my surprise this weekend whilst tooling around West End when I popped in a local haunt for a bit of frozen yogurt and while gazing at a lovely gentleman I dropped a small dollop on my lap.
I was wearing a Lilly skirt and immediately the bells encased in my cranium began to ring incessantly-Morsel Monday's post is The Legend of the Lilly!
I know, read on and you will make the connection just as I did-only without the frozen yogurt on your lap..or the lovely gentleman! :-)
Lilly Pulitzer, then wife of publishing heir Peter Pulitzer, opened a juice stand with produce from her husband's citrus groves and set up camp just off the very tony Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Florida.
Soon friends stopped by for fresh lemonade and a chat but while making the lemonade Lilly noticed how messy her clothes were becoming. She contacted her seamstress and asked her to design a sleeveless shift dress made of bright cotton to camouflage the juice stains.
She began wearing them and they were an instant hit-so much so she began selling them along with the lemonade at her juice stand.
When her former Chapin School alum First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy donned the shift on the cover of Life Magazine, the Lilly was officially introduced to society.
And thanks to a nod from Lisa Birnbach's bestselling guide, The Official Preppy Handbook in which a "Lilly beach dress" is listed as a must have item, the Lilly has a new generation of faithful preppy followers.
Today Lilly Pulitzer offers items for men, women and children as well as accessories/gifts and stationery-which I drool over the moment it arrives.
Lilly has 75 Lilly Pulitzer Signature Stores and specialty stores throughout the United States.
So this summer whether you are romping around the Hamptons or hanging out on West End, if you are prone to spills (as I now appear to be-the horror!) go here thus saving face and put a little Lilly in your life, cheers!
P.S. As for the gentleman..he smiled and asked for my cell number..will let you know, cheers! :-)

Family Emergency: Do Accept My Apology

2010-05-20T08:48:00.010-05:00

Greetings All,
Due to an unfortunate family emergency I cannot feature my usual Thursday post. However I shall resume on Monday for Morsel Monday as usual.
Thank you for your kind understanding at this time.
Do take care & have a lovely upcoming weekend, cheers.

Photo Credit: mikeway

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-05-19T07:02:00.014-05:00

Morsel Monday: Mansion On A Rock

2010-05-17T09:52:00.012-05:00

Good Morsel Monday All,
Many of you may already be acquainted with this lovely structure but I thought it would be most interesting for a MM pick. This is Spinal Tap!
(Just kidding! :-)
This mansion built on a rock in Narragansett Bay in Jamestown, Rhode Island is called Clingstone Mansion.
Originally built for his distant cousin J.S. Lovering Wharto n (wonder if there is any relation to Edith?) in 1905, Boston architect Henry Wood and his ex-wife Joan, also an architect, purchased the home in 1961 for $3,600.
In 1905 at its completion the home cost Mr. Wharton $36,982.99.
Following the death of Wharton's wife the home was empty for twenty years before the Woods purchased it (missing roof, shattered windows and all) and set about remodeling and caring for the dilapidated mansion.
The shingled home has 3 stories, 23 rooms, 10 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a dining room that seats 14 and 65 picturesque windows throughout.
The home is now maintained regularly by Wood and a kind crew of family, friends and lovers of Clingstone around Memorial Day each year. This is when more than 70+ individuals gather there to do upkeep on the property from washing its windows to replacing a sewage line if needed.
This mansion in the sea can be rented but potential renters beware:
You must be able to understand hurricanes, strong tides, outboards and more importantly...be able to swim!
Clingstone Mansion is truly a gift from an era long forgotten but is also a living testament to the love and commitment one can have for one's family home.

The Prolific Blogger Award: I Am Honored

2010-05-15T16:44:00.006-05:00

I know, it is not a Pulitzer Prize for Journalism, but a girl can dream can she not?
I was quite surprised to learn that Ryan over at Scotlandhereandnow.com has gifted me with The Prolific Blogger Award, how incredibly sweet is he?
So I must follow the rules that accompany this award and pass it along to seven prolific bloggers I think are worthy of this accolade, but there are four items you must do in order to pass the love on to others & hereby accept this award:

Each Prolific Blogger Must:
1. Pass it on to at least 7 other deserving prolific bloggers.
2. Link to the blog from which he/she acquired the award.
3. Link back to this post which explains the origin and motivation for the award.
4. Visit this post and add his/her name in Mr. Linky so we may all get to know the other fellow winners.

My 7 choices are as follows:
1. A Lady's Life A most kind and caring soul and lover of horses.
2. The Red Umbrella Vintage designer offerings you will not find elsewhere.
3. Bonjour Romance A true Parisian treat for the senses!
4. C.C.'s Writings A lovely young published author you'll adore.
5. The French Mouse A new bride with impeccable taste and class!
6. Letsgraph You will fall in love with his graphs & sexy wit!
7. Bumkin on a Swing A lady who loves deeply & cares passionately for the environment/fashion.

I sincerely hope you enjoy each of their blogs as much as I do, cheers all!

Jane Wyman: In A Class All Her Own

2010-05-13T10:15:00.066-05:00

Sarah Jane Mayfield was born on January 5th, 1917 in St. Joseph, Missouri to meal company laborer Manning J. Mayfield and his wife stenographer and office assistant Gladys Hope Christian but neither had any idea one of the classiest ladies to ever grace the silver screen had just been born to them. But their happiness was short lived for in October of 1921 Gladys filed for divorce and one year later Manning died unexpectedly of pneumonia, Sarah's mother then moved them to Cleveland, Ohio where she left Sarah to be reared by foster parents Richard and Emma Fulks.
At age 11 she and her foster mother moved to California, only to return two years later to Missouri where Sarah began a singing career on the radio. When Sarah reached the age of 15 she returned to Hollywood where she took odd jobs as a switchboard operator and manicurist before landing bit parts in 1932's The Kid from Spain, My Man Godfrey and Cain and Mabel in 1936, which was also the beginning of her career with Warner Bros.
In 1937 Jane married dress manufacturer Myron M. Futterman in New Orleans, but when Wyman found out he did not want children the couple separated and divorced on December 5th, 1938. The following year she was cast in a starring role in Torchy Blane..Playing with Dynamite and in January of 1940 married fellow co-star Ronald Reagan who would later be the United State's 40th President. The couple had three children in Maureen Elizabeth, Michael Edward and Christine-who was born prematurely and passed on the following day after her birth.
In 1945 Wyman's star began to rise after appearing in the film The Lost Weekend with Ray Milland. The movie chronicles the life of an alcoholic on a four day bender. The Yearling in 1946 gained her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress but it was her role as a rape victim/deaf mute that would garner her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
But as the saying goes, if your career is up your social life is usually down. Wyman's marriage to Reagan began to dissolve in 1948 and she filed for divorce, it was finalized in 1949.
In 1952 Jane married vocal coach and musician Fred Karger but the two divorced in 1954, only to remarry in 1963 only to divorce again in 1965..I have no idea why, some things should remain a bit of a mystery. In 1955 she guest starred in an episode of General Electric Theatre which led to other roles in Summer Playhouse and Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse amongst others. She also hosted a TV series of her own, Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theater for which she was nominated for an Emmy.
The remainder of the 50's brought a lovely showcase of movies Jane's way in The Glass Menagerie, Let's Do It Again, The Blue Veil, Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows. I must say, if you only have time for two movies featuring Ms. Wyman, you must see Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows. These are two of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, but I am also a hopeless romantic so beware of kissing, hugging and various displays of love throughout these movies, you will get over it eventually!
Also, be prepared to cry as well, I have not cried so much in my life with the exception of Kimora Lee Simmons acquiring Jacqueline Kennedy's Louis Vuitton luggage, true sad low point that was, but I digress..again.
Jane appeared in three more films before her last offering, How to Commit Marriage in 1969.
During the majority of the 1970's Jane was semi-retired but made guest appearances in Charlie's Angels and The Love Boat.
From 1981-1990 she was cast as Angela Channing, wealthy matriarch in the nighttime soap drama Falcon Crest. In the latter years of filming Wyman experienced numerous health issues and in 1986 underwent abdominal surgery but her health continued to deteriorate.
In 1989 Wyman collapsed on the set and was hospitalized due to a liver ailment coupled with diabetes. Her doctors advised her to end her career immediately but she insisted upon returning to film the final season of Falcon Crest.
In 1993's Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Wyman played the mother of Jane Seymour's character and retired permanently thereafter. Jane was rarely seen in public afterwards, only to attend the funerals of her beloved daughter Maureen and close friend Loretta Young.
Wyman purchased a home in Rancho Mirage in 1997 and passed away there on September 10th, 2007 from diabetes and arthritis.
She is interred at Forest lawn Mortuary and Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.

Jane Wyman was the epitome of elegance who dabbled in various modes of creativity in stage, screen, landscape painting, dance and playing the piano to name a few.
Yet I prefer to remember her as a regal wife and mother who chose acting as the creative outlet, or as some would suggest the acting chose her.

Sources:
Bubbeo, Daniel The Women of
Warner Brothers: The Lives and
Careers of 15 Leading Ladies
Edwards, Anne Early Reagan:
The Rise to Power William Morrow
and Co. Nov. 1990

Photo Credits:
Flickr

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-05-12T09:44:00.003-05:00

Morsel Monday: A Pricey Gamp For Your Rainy Days

2010-05-10T10:14:00.002-05:00

Weather is a great metaphor for life-sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. Author Unknown

In 19th century England it was considered vulgar to hold an umbrella under one's arm. Well-bred individuals held their umbrellas in the center with the handle turned toward the ground.
Only green or blue silk umbrellas were considered fashionable by the British upper crust at the time and for the general public, umbrellas were an unaffordable luxury. When it rained your everyday man or woman would hire an umbrella from a local stand, usually at the cost of one and a half pence per hour.

At present, the world's most expensive umbrella is the Billionaire Couture Crocodile Umbrella. Available via Billionaire Couture's flagship store in London, the top-quality rain accessory was revealed in 2008 and will set you back a whopping $50,000.
You will be in good company though, it seems Sir Paul McCartney, David Beckham and Diddy all patronize this luxury brand's items.
You know what I would say about this subject, bring on the rain but spare the croc!

Happy Mother's Day ♥

2010-05-08T18:09:00.013-05:00

The Sweetest Sounds to Mortals Given
Are Heard in Mother, Home and Heaven.
William Goldsmith Brown

Donna Reed: It Was A Wonderful Life

2010-05-06T11:23:00.008-05:00

Donna Belle Mullenger was a 5'7 small town beauty born on a farm in Denison, Iowa who originally set her sights on becoming a teacher but when her parents could not afford a college education for their eldest child of five, she packed up and moved to California on the advice of her aunt and attended secretarial school at Los Angeles City College.
While enrolled Donna got involved in theater but had no intentions of becoming an actress. However, while performing one afternoon she was spotted by an agent with the prestigious Feldman-Blum Agency and later signed to a contract with MGM but not before insisting upon finishing her studies and graduating college, a most intelligent move on her part. She would later be called the "girl next door" for her striking wholesome beauty and kind spirit. One of her signature quotes is still, "When you handle yourself, use your head; when you handle others, use your heart."
Donna's first official foray into acting was in the 1941 film, The Get-Away, a remake of 1935's Public Hero #1. Donna had a minor role in the movie followed by a small part in Babes on Broadway alongside Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney but her next film thriller Shadow of the Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy truly gained her a foothold in show business.
Donna soon graduated to meatier roles but not before MGM changed her name to Donna Reed. The new Miss Reed starred in The Courtship of Andy Hardy, Eyes in the Night and The Human Comedy once again with Micky Rooney.
During this time she married makeup artist William Tuttle but the marriage only lasted two years.
1945 brought about roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray with Angela Landsbury and Peter Lawford and the American war film They Were Expendable with John Wayne. Donna's marriage to producer Tony Owen aided in a special production of their own, their four children: Mary Anne, Timothy, Penny Jane and Anthony. The couple experienced numerous joyous years together but divorced in 1971.
Next up, RKO Pictures secured Reed for the role of Jimmy Stewart's graceful wife Mary Bailey in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. The treasured film is now on the list of the 100 best American films ever made by the American Film Institute and is a perennial Thanksgiving and Christmas favorite.
Upon its completion Reed added Green Dolphin Street, Scandal Sheet and the role that landed her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, that of a dance hall prostitute and mistress to Montgomery Clift's character in From Here to Eternity to her filmography. The film won Best Picture and is highly regarded as a classic.
In 1958 Donna's husband produced her very own television show entitled The Donna Reed Show. Reed played Donna Stone, mother to children Mary & Jeff and wife to pediatrician Alex Stone played by Carl Betz. The situation-comedy lasted eight seasons and earned Reed a Golden Globe along with four Emmy nominations. When the show ended in 1966 Donna took some time away from movie making to form Another Mother For Peace. The advocacy group "opposed war as a means of solving disputes."
Reed was an avid opponent of the Vietnam War and the use of nuclear weapons.
Reed's final Hollywood movie was the 1960 box office flop PePe about a young Mexican attempting to retrieve his horse from a Hollywood star.
Returning to acting in made for TV movies in 1974, Reed starred in Yellow-Headed Summer although the film for whatever reason was never released.
In August of 1975 Reed married U.S. Army Colonel Grover W. Asmus who later founded the Donna Reed Foundation which aids young people desiring a career in the arts with scholarships and as a celebration of the actress's talented career.
In 1984 an ailing Barbara Bel Geddes, matriarch of the wealthy fictional Ewing clan on CBS's nighttime soap opera Dallas, left the show due to illness. Donna was called in as her replacement and signed to a three year contract but when Bel Geddes recovered, Reed was quickly and unceremoniously fired without notice.
Donna reportedly learned of the firing via a reporter while vacationing in Paris. Reed sued the show's production company for breach of contract, winning over a million dollars in the out of court settlement.
In November of 1985 Reed was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away on January 14th, 1986. Reed is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
This month Turner Classic Movies honors the late actress Donna Reed as their Star of the Month with good reason. The talented resilient Iowa farm girl never forgot her roots after becoming a Hollywood darling of the silver screen and her legacy rooted in kindness continues to this day.

Sources:
IMDB, TCM
Donna Reed: A Bio-Bibliography
Royce, Brenda Scott 1990
In Search of Donna Reed, Fultz Jay 1998

Photo Credits:
Greenman2008

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-05-05T09:39:00.002-05:00

Morsel Monday: For The Gents

2010-05-02T22:11:00.051-05:00

Good Morsel Monday Gentlemen,
I am keenly aware of your existence on KimmyStyle and appreciate you wholeheartedly. I wanted to do something special for you and opted to appeal to your innate sense of visual styling, thus showcasing these lovely Italian hand tailored suits by Kiton.
Kiton was founded in 1968 in Naples by Ciro Paone and creates roughly 20,000 suits yearly. They manage to produce these articles of loveliness from the finest fabrics, requiring 25 hours per suit and 45 tailors contributing to each one, in turn creating these signature somewhat mystical masterpieces.
Made to measure suits can range from $20,000 and proceed up to $50,000 for their K-50 line; a line so named for the amount of production hours it takes to produce one suit and the number of units produced each year.
Not to forget the ever present recession, there is a ready-to-wear classic line which retails for $7,000-$8,000 per suit and the CIPA 1960 line, introduced in 2010 beginning at $5,500.
And not to fret ladies, Kiton also offers a woman's collection as well as sportswear, footwear, furnishings and divine fragrances.
So gentlemen, relinquish your black Amex Centurion cards and purchase a suit or two because in the words of the beloved Z.Z. Top:
"..Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man!"

William Holden: Hollywood's Golden Holden

2010-04-29T08:49:00.129-05:00

"No one ever leaves a star. That's what makes one a star."
Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard

William Franklin Beedle Jr. was born in O'Fallon, Illinois the son of wealthy industrial chemist William Franklin Beedle Sr. and his schoolteacher wife Mary Blanche Ball on April 17th, 1918.
The family moved to South Pasadena, California and William attended South Pasadena High School and Pasadena Junior College where he studied chemistry, while attempting to master sports in an effort to prove himself to his demanding father.
William became involved in radio plays locally and began delving into theatre at the Playbox, a privately owned facility belonging to Pasadena Playhouse director Gilmore Brown. Whilst playing the part of Marie Curie's father-in-law, young William was discovered by a talent scout from Paramount Pictures in 1937 and in 1938 completed his first film entitled Prison Farm.
1939 led to Holden's first starring role in Golden Boy, the story of a promising young violinist torn between playing the violin or becoming a boxer.
During filming the producers wanted to cut Holden due to "poor performance" but screen legend Barbara Stanwyck insisted he be given another chance, thus cementing his starring role and he being typecast as the boy next door, which there are worse things to be typecast as...and I must admit he was quite the looker! (Do excuse me, I digressed a bit.)
This set up the moniker given him as Hollywood's Golden Boy.
Stanwyck, who plays his love interest in the movie received flowers each year on the anniversary of the first day of filming as a thank you from Holden for "saving his career."
In 1941 Holden married actress Brenda Marshall and the couple had two sons, Peter and Scott and he adopted Brenda's daughter from a previous marriage Virginia but following several long separations the couple divorced in 1971.
William's next film was Our Town and shortly thereafter Columbia Pictures acquired half his contract with Paramount and he began starring regularly in minor movies for both production companies before joining the Air Force during World War II, where he continued utilizing his acting skills in training films.
Once he returned to Hollywood in 1950, director Billy Wilder cast him as unsuccessful screenwriter Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard alongside glorious Gloria Swanson. The film proved to be some of William's best work as it earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, acquiring three of them and is counted as one of the most noteworthy films of American cinema.
William's next film came in the way of Stalag 17, the story of the plight of American airmen being held in a German World War II prison camp, winning him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1953.
Soon other films followed such as Executive Suite, The Country Girl, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Picnic, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and Bridge on the River Kwai in 1957.
My favorite of Mr. Holden's performances is as Linus Larrabee, Humphrey Bogart's younger brother in Sabrina. I felt the entire production was simply stunning and Audrey Hepburn with Bogart was just breathtaking.
William enjoyed other interests outside of movie making including art collecting, traveling and preserving wildlife conservation while also maintaining a home in Switzerland where he moved for tax purposes, all the while founding the Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki, Kenya in 1959 which became the "it" place for international jetsetters.
Holden spent thirty years more in the Hollywood limelight starring in The Wild Bunch, L'Arbre de Noel, The Towering Inferno, Network, The Earthling with Ricky Schroder, Damien-Omen II and Blake Edwards's S.O.B. in 1981.
A few discrepancies began rearing their ugly heads surrounding William throughout his career. His alleged alcoholism and numerous affairs between he and Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, French actress & model Capucine and a yearly romp with Shelley Winters were all swirling about Hollywood during this time.
Holden's last lady love (if you will) was found in actress Stefanie Powers, who also took a keen interest in Holden's passion for animal welfare becoming the president of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation and director of the Mount Kenya Game Ranch.
In November of 1981 William slipped on a throw rug in his high-rise apartment (Shorecliff Towers) near the seaside cliffs of Santa Monica, California. During the fall he received a laceration on his forehead upon hitting a table and bled to death. William's remains were cremated and his ashes scattered about the Pacific Ocean.
There was much speculation that Holden had been drinking when he took the nasty spill but for as much as we know about Hollywood life, we may never know.

William Holden was a man reportedly fraught with insecurities and bouts of alcoholism that stayed with him throughout his life, yet I see him as a gifted actor whose worth and talent will be immortalized in the minds of his cinematic audiences for a many lifetime to come.

Sources:
TCM, IMDB
William Holden Wildlife Foundation

Photo Credits:
Flick'r, rivier50, captnyro
Truus, Bob & Jan too!
actors in slippers and loafers

Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday

2010-04-27T18:57:00.011-05:00

Morsel Monday: The Birkin Bag

2010-04-25T23:12:00.070-05:00

Bonjour all!
As I sit at my desk I am sure most of you are more than likely looking at your monitors thinking, "Is it Thursday again already?" Normally I post full length on Thursdays only and that will not change, but I have decided to create Morsel Monday which will highlight a morsel of information pertaining to elegant goods, an exceptional home or something I think will be of interest to you.
And on Wednesday another new feature entitled Wordless Well Dressed Wednesday. It will feature a photo of a well dressed man, woman or child I think is worthy of your viewing. And I would love to have you send your favorite photo in of yourself, a family member or whomever for me to feature.
It is just a little something extra for you to look forward to (hopefully) throughout your lovely week.

So, without further delay, this is your morsel for today: The Creation of the Birkin Bag

Hermes (French maker of fine luxurious leather goods) created and designed the Birkin Bag for Jane Birkin, an actress & singer in 1984 when she boarded an Air France flight and once seated pulled out her Hermes datebook along with a slew of papers which toppled onto the cabin floor. Complaining to the passenger seated next to her that the book should contain pockets, the gentleman none other than Jean-Louis Dumas, chairman of Hermes designed the Birkin Bag.
Have a most marvelous Monday fellow ♥'s of style & beauty, cheers!

Tippi Hedren: Blonde Ambition

2010-04-22T12:25:00.041-05:00

Born Natalie Kay Hedren on January 19th, 1930 in New Ulm, Minnesota “Tippi” as she was called, is the daughter of general store owner Bernard Carl Hedren and his wife Dorothea Henrietta Hedren.
When Tippi was a teenager she participated in department store fashion shows and at the age of eighteen decided she wanted to become a chic fashion model and headed to New York, landing covers on national magazines such as Life and Time. She also did several ads for products including one for Gleem Toothpaste.
The beauty met and married actor/realtor Peter Griffith with whom she had a daughter in 1957 actress Melanie Griffith, wife of actor Antonio Banderas. Hedren and Griffith soon divorced in 1961.
Next came a fortuitous encounter with Alfred Hitchcock by way of a commercial while he was watching a morning news show called, “Today.” It would be our The Today Show now, with Matt La uer, Meredith Viera and Al Roker.
The English filmmaker and producer quickly put the lovely blonde under contract and cast her in 1963’s The Birds- a suspense/horror film that cost me a lovely pair of lace undergarments as a child, I will not trouble you with those ghastly details.
The film proved to be a huge hit with an invitational showing at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It also garnered an Academy Award nomination in the category of Special Effects but lost out to the film Cleopatra instead.
During the filming of The Birds, Hitchcock tapped Hedren to play a disturbed kleptomaniac with an unnatural fear of men in his then upcoming movie Marnie with co-star Sean Connery. (1964)
Marnie was reportedly Hedren’s favorite of the two Hitchcock movies she completed.
The film was not as successful as The Birds but nonetheless Tippi counted it as an “incredible role,” later stating it was a “once in a lifetime opportunity.” But the relationship with the gifted director was taking its toll. It was reported Hitchcock overly molded the actress in the likeness of Grace Kelly, even down to the upswept hairdo she sported during the movie. Look Magazine’s cover story in 1962 was dubbed, “Hitchcock’s new Grace Kelly” as Hitchcock often compared the two as “ladylike, stylish & intelligent.” True similarities indeed.
But several directors wanted to hire the beauty in various films but Hitchcock would have none of that, instead stating she was “unavailable.”
Tippi felt Hitchcock was too obsessive stating, “He was a very controlling type of person and I guess I‘m not about to be controlled.” Hedren wanted out of her contract but he kept her under bound to it and continued paying her for almost two years to do nothing. He then sold her contract to Universal but her career had waned quite a bit by then.
In 1964 she made her TV acting debut in the anthology series, “Kraft Suspense Theater.” From 1969-72 she had a recurring role on the TV sitcom “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father with former Incredible Hulk star Bill Bixby.
Hedren appeared in numerous movies thereafter such as Inevitable Grace, Pacific Heights, The Birds II: Land’s End, Citizen Ruth, I Heart Huckabees and Her Morbid Desires. She also guest starred in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
In 1981 she produced “Roar,“ the eleven year project filmed with African lions cost an estimated $17 million dollars to make. When filming wrapped she realized the animals would then be put into cages too small for their bodies in which to live and purchased a plot of land thus founding The Shambala Preserve via The Roar Foundation. The Preserve provides a sanctuary for numerous exotic animals such as Bengal and Siberian tigers that would otherwise be mistreated or sold for illegal purposes. Hedren conducts tours of the facility located in Acton, California near the Mojave Desert.
Tippi’s agent /director turned husband, Noel Marshall worked closely with her on the movie and produced a total of four of her films, yet the couple divorced one year after the film’s completion in 1982.
Tippi then married rancher/businessman Luis Barrenchea in 1985 but they too divorced in 1991.
Since 2002 Tippi has been married to prominent veterinarian Martin Dinnes, the couple have three grandchildren together and reside in California.
In 2003 she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Tippi Hedren is a rare breed in that she managed to juggle being a fashion model, wife, producer, activist and humanitarian during a time when there were no set blueprints for such a life. Her elegant look and demeanor was but a catalyst to showcase her true gifts which is why I tip my champagne glass to you, Madame Tippi. Well done!

Sources:
Entertainment.Timesonline.co.uk
IMDB Vanity Fair
Film Reference.com

Photo Credits:
dovima_is_divine
Real Distan's

Sweetbriar: Sweet Song of the South

2010-04-14T16:58:00.217-05:00

It's mansion time once again and we're going country..but for just for a moment..promesse!
Greetings, my most fashionable readers. By now I am sure you are all well aware of how much I adore a well appointed mansion, so I decided to take a trip a` la Gone With the Wind (this home reminds me of Tara) and showcase a mansion close to where I live, it’s called Sweetbriar located in Franklin, Tennessee. Do you know of it?
Sweetbriar is the magnificent sprawling estate of Country music megastar Alan Jackson, his wife Denise and daughters Mattie, Ali & Dani. This home is quite simply a mega production in its own right.

The massive two-story columned estate totaling 26,500 square feet borders the Harpeth River and has a 19,000 square-foot main house, six bedrooms with seven and a half baths, a gymnasium, 20-car garage, 2-bedroom furnished log cabin overlooking the river, a barn with a 2-bedroom apartment and a 10-acre stocked & aerated lake with a boathouse and three ponds.
Surrounded by lush equestrian estates, the Colonial mansion has numerous luxurious living spaces and took twenty-three months to complete and did I mention it could be yours for a mere $38,000,000 million dollars? Do stop frowning, it offers quite a bit more..
It has vaulted gilt ceilings and engineered maple and Travertine stone floors on the first level, a west wing featuring the family room with twenty-two foot ceilings, a formal powder room, a breakfast room and an airy kitchen containing Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking and Bosch appliances located nearby.
The dining room is flanked by a two sided masonry fireplace with access to the rear terrace and butler’s pantry. A VIP suite with his and her baths is also housed on the main level.
Just off the family room is a glass enclosed porch that overlooks the estate’s elegant inground pool. The second level houses the master suite, four additional bedrooms and an exercise room along with nanny quarters. A recreation room complete with a theater, bar area and rooftop deck flank the third floor.
There is a Crestron computerized zoned whole-house music system and Lutron computerized lighting system throughout the home as well.
And if that is not enough to make you feel at home, the estate offers a total of five fireplaces, a spa island with gazebo, sandy beach fronts, golf cart trails with three miles of paved walking, a riding ring, play yard, vineyard, wild berry orchard and four grass landing strips from 1,300 to 2,000 feet.
I am most certainly not into the Georgian or Colonial style of architecture, I am more of a Neo-Classical meets French Chateau kind of woman but I could definitely move into this 135,000 acre compound without a moment’s hesitation.
So, Alan and Denise if you’re reading this..do email me and I will house sit (until your home is sold, of course) for free--KimmyStyle!

Sources:
USA Today, CMT
Christie’s Great Estates
Photo/Video Credits:
Donna Yancey
Creative Exposure
Retronaut
French Christianson
Patterson & Associates

Anne Baxter: Destiny Takes a Hand

2010-04-08T15:48:00.052-05:00

Born on May 7th, 1923 to prominent Seagram’s executive Kenneth Stuart Baxter and his wife Catherine Wright, Anne Baxter came into this world born into privilege. Granddaughter of famed architect and interior designer Frank Lloyd Wright, she was reared in New York and attended the prestigious Brearley School and at the tender age of ten attended a play featuring actress Helen Hayes and was so impressed by it she immediately proclaimed she would become an actress.. destiny takes a hand.
When Anne turned eleven years of age, she began studying under Russian born actress turned teacher Maria Ouspenskaya at Theodora Irvine School of the Theatre from 1934-1936. Maria was directed by Constantin Stanislavski, famed Russian director whose system (by way of Maria) would be taught in America and would become known as the earliest building blocks of “method acting.”
Within two years Anne made her debut in “Seen But Not Heard” and after several theatrical offerings Hollywood came calling.
Her first offering was as a love interest in 1943’s “Twenty Mule Team” with Wallace Beery, during the same year she tested for the lead role of Mrs. DeWinter in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” (one of my personal favorites) but was too young for the role. In 1942 she garnered a breakthrough performance in Orson Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons” based upon the novel by Booth Tarkington.
In 1946’s The Razor’s Edge she co-starred with Gene Tierney and Tyrone Power, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Next came the role that made the others pale in comparison, that of aspiring actress who ingratiates herself upon the life of aging movie star Margo Channing (played extremely well by Bette Davis) in the 1950 classic “All About Eve.”
Baxter held her own against Davis and emerged as a leading actress starring in 1953’s “I Confess” with Montgomery Clift followed by Fritz Lang’s “The Blue Gardenia” where she played a very bad girl accused of murder.
Despite her obvious charm, she was often criticized for having a cool demeanor on screen which prevented her from landing many ‘meaty’ roles, if you will.
But Baxter rebounded as the queen of Egypt Nefretiri in Cecil B. DeMille’s remake of “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton Heston.
From 1946 to 1953 she was married to fellow actor John Hodiak and had a daughter Katrina Vonditter.
She briefly returned to Broadway starring in “The Square Root of Wonderful,” “Suite in Two Keys” and “Light Up the Sky” in 1958. She completed Edward Dmytryk’s “Walk on the Wild Side” and decided to leave Tinseltown with new husband Randolph Galt and relocate to the Australian outback only to move to New Mexico and then to Hawaii before finally settling again in Brentwood, California. The couple had two daughters: Melissa, an Interior Designer in Atlanta, Georgia and Maginel, a Roman Catholic nun in Rome, Italy.
She set about on another journey returning to the small screen, mainly
episodic TV via the ABC series Batman where she played Olga, Queen of the Cossacks. She divorced Gault in 1968 and married investment banker David Klee in 1977. The couple purchased a property in Easton, Connecticut which was reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s ‘Prairie School Architecture’ structures. Baxter remodeled the living room fireplace after the one in her grandfather Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece Fallingwater. Anne was married to Klee until his untimely death in 1978.
She continued in the limelight becoming a frequent guest on The Mike Douglas Show as well as portraying a homicidal movie star on an episode of Columbo. Edith Head, famed costume designer and godmother to Baxter’s daughter Melissa, also made a cameo in the episode.
Baxter’s few remaining appearances were in “Stranger on the Run,” “The Name of the Game,” “The Moneychangers” and “East of Eden.” Anne’s final feature film was “Jane Austen in Manhattan” which also cast her daughter Katrina as well.
In an ironic twist of fate she was tapped to play Margo Channing in the stage musical version of “All About Eve” in “Applause” and was asked to replace an ailing Bette Davis in the “Hotel” series for ABC.
On December 12th, 1985 while walking down Madison Avenue in New York City, Anne Baxter suffered a brain aneurysm and passed away a week later.
She is buried on Frank Lloyd Wright’s estate at Lloyd Jones Cemetery in Spring Green, Wisconsin.
Anne Baxter.. a dedicated, phenomenal talent in her own right who went after her destiny and masterfully acquired it.
As the lady once stated, “See into life, don’t just look at it.”

Sources:
IMDB,
Internet Broadway
Database
Ann Baxter Dies at 62..
Invisible Theatre, Edith Head

Photo Credits:
Flick'r

Dorothy Lamour: Engaging & Ever-Changing

2010-04-01T13:31:00.031-05:00

Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton was born on December 10th, 1914 in New Orleans, Louisiana to John Watson and Carmen Louise Slaton who later divorced a few years after her birth. Dorothy’s mother remarried shortly thereafter to a gentleman named Clarence Lambour and Dorothy received his last name even though this union also ended in divorce when Dorothy was just a teenager.
With her stepfather now gone, the family’s finances were in jeopardy and Dorothy at age 15 forged a document allowing her to drop out of school and obtain employment. An excellent typist, she would later attend secretarial school which at that time did not require a high school diploma.
In 1931 she won the Miss New Orleans beauty contest. Longing to be a singer, she took the last of her winnings from the contest and shortly thereafter she and her mother moved to Chicago where she obtained a job for $17 a week as an elevator operator for Marshall Fields Department Store.
She was persuaded by a friend to try out for a spot as a vocalist for Herbie Key’s band who had a national radio show called “The Yeast Foamers” being that it was sponsored by Fleischmann’s Yeast.
Romance soon blossomed between the two and they were married in 1935. Dorothy left the group and moved to Manhattan where popular singers Rudy Vallee and Eddie Duchin helped her obtain a singing job at El Morocco, a popular nightclub.
Later, she worked at 1 Fifth Avenue, a cabaret where she met MGM head Louis B. Mayer, who arranged for a screen test which led to a contract with Paramount in 1935.
She dropped the “b” in Lambour to create what would become her stage name, “Lamour.”
In 1936 she moved to Hollywood where she appeared in her first film as Ulah in The Jungle Princess. She became a sex symbol after donning a sarong in the movie which became her signature trademark. In 1939 her marriage to Herbie dissolved due to the long distance created via Herbie’s band touring cross-country and she being based mainly on the west coast. She continued filming starring in the “Road to..” series alongside Bob Hope and Bing Crosby which were continually amongst the top grossing films each year.
She carried on filming movies in the way of John Ford’s The Hurricane, Spawn of the North, Disputed Passage, Aloma of the South Seas, Beyond the Blue Horizon and Dixie in 1943.
During World War II Dorothy lent her celebrity to aid the way effort, which earned her the moniker “Bond Bombshell” because she sold more than 300 million in U.S. war bonds. While on tour she met frozen food businessman William Ross Howard III and the two were married in 1943. The pair moved to Towson, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, where the now pregnant Dorothy settled in as a housewife.
Together the couple reared three sons, including one from William’s previous marriage but the theater was calling still and in 1951 she debuted on Broadway in Oh! Captain and returned to films in the Oscar-winning The Greatest Show on Earth. She starred in several movie musicals introducing many classic standards such as “I Remember You,” “It Could Happen to You,” and “But Beautiful.”
Dorothy’s career waned in the 50’s yet she still entertained in nightclubs and occasionally as an actress headlining in plays “DuBarry was a Lady” and “Hello Dolly!” for over a year.
In 1978 her husband of 35 years passed on and Dorothy kept busy appearing in television shows such as Hart to Hart, Murder She Wrote and Crazy Like a Fox. She made various appearances on news programs and TV talk shows and was a “special advisor” for the musical “Swinging on a Star” on Broadway.
One of Lamour’s last appearances was in 1987’s Creepshow 2 with George Kennedy.
On September 22nd, 1996 Dorothy Lamour died at her North Hollywood home at the age of 81 from a heart attack. Following a Catholic funeral service she was interred in Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Dorothy Lamour lived a rich, robust life and captured her dreams of not only singing but acting on Broadway as well as in Hollywood films.
She will remembered for her multiple talents on and off screen but most importantly for capturing life by the tail and exhibiting talent and versatility throughout her life like no other.

Sources:
Dorothy Lamour at Internet Broadway Database
TCM Movie Database
Internet Movie Database

Photo Credits:
Proingenuity

Kim Novak: Vie Triomphante!

2010-03-25T00:35:00.047-05:00

Marilyn Pauline Novak was one of two daughters (along with sister Arlene) born to Czech parents Joseph & Blanche Novak on February 13th, 1933 in Chicago, Illinois. Marilyn began her career as a teenage model for a local department store, later touring the country as “Miss Deepfreeze” for a refrigerator company. The gig landed her in Los An geles where she acquired an unaccredited cameo in RKO’s 1954 feature, The French Line with Jane Russell.
Her feminine, shapely figure and ultra cool demeanor caught the eye of Max Arnow, Columbia’s talent director and he brought her to the attention of studio chief Harry Cohn.
Novak was then signed to a long-term contract where she was molded as a bombshell in the fashion of Marilyn Monroe, whose popularity was beginning to wane, due in part to her chronic health issues and personality conflicts. According to Novak, Cohn informed her in no uncertain terms she was to lose weight and change her name-Kit Marlowe was his suggestion, yet both agreed finally upon the name Kim Novak. She was also told to take acting lessons which she would be required to pay for herself.
Kim captured the attention of critics and audiences alike with her first role, playing a femme fatale in 1953’s Pushover with Fred MacMurray. She rose even higher in popularity in 1954’s Phfft! with Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday. Audiences were enthusiastic about seeing the new star and her reviews were pouring in as quite good.
In 1955’s Pulitzer Prize winning screen adaptation of Picnic, she was cast as a small town innocent and the film earned her a nomination from the BAFTA Film Awards. She also won a Golden Globe Award for most promising newcomer and more films soon followed such as The Man with the Golden Arm, The Eddy Duchin Story, Jeanne Eagels and Pal Joey with Frank Sinatra.
Kim was now on the cover of Time Magazine and making $1,250 per week-which she protested at the time by going on strike. It was also during this time Novak risked her career when she embarked upon an affair with singer/actor Sammy Davis Jr. The interracial affair alarmed studio executives and the duo ended the relationship in January of the following year.
In 1958 Novak was cast in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo playing dual roles as a blonde and brunette who become the obsession of private detective Jimmy Stewart. The result was one of the director’s finest and most enduring efforts as well as the best role of Novak’s film career.
Unfortunately, it would prove to be her last standout role on screen.
Kim starred in several movies thereafter such as Bell, Book and Candle, Strangers When We Meet, The Notorious Landlady and Boy’s Night Out in 1962.
Her last film was Liebestraum, a mystery thriller set in New York in 1991 directed by Mike Figgis.
On March 15th, 1965 she married English actor and former co-star Richard Johnson who appeared in The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders with her but the pair divorced less than one year later.
From March 12th, 1976 to present day, Kim has been married to Dr. Robert Malloy whom she met when he came to treat her ill horse. The pair married in an outdoor ceremony near their home in Big Sur, California. Kim has two step children by Robert.
The couple now reside on a ranch in Oregon where Kim is an accomplished artist via oil paintings, stained glass design, photography and sculpture.

Kim Novak was often chosen for roles based upon her intoxicating sensuality and curvaceous figure. But Kim possessed great skill in bringing numerous characters to life thus cementing her place amongst Hollywood’s elite thespians.

Sources: Army Archerd: Novak Talks of Quitting
July 24th, 1967
The Great Movie Stars:
The International Years, 1989
Spotlight, TCM This Month 7/26/09

Photo Credits:
Lori and The Bell Jar
Cine_fan

Republic: Delectable Dresses for Spring!

2010-03-23T21:40:00.001-05:00

Ahhh..spring, that glorious time of year when the warmth of the sun makes you feel vibrant and alive especially after the dreary doldrums of winter past.
I have certain rituals I perform each year like clockwork in accordance with the upcoming changing of the seasons. I prefer laundering my winter clothing, storing it away and adding new vibrant garments for the warm days of spring and sultry nights of summer.
And what could be more fitting than adding a delicious new dress or two from Republic? Webster defines a dress as: an outer garment (as for a woman or girl) usually consisting of a one-piece bodice and skirt, well Republic offers this and so much more!
They have numerous dresses in varying shades and styles and they even have the nude look, fresh and fabulous for day and date night or dinner gatherings with friends. The lighter hues are uber chic and magically classic this time of year. From strapless to sundresses, to cocktail length to maxis, they feature them all-just waiting for you to purchase your share!
I adore dresses any time of the year, but there is something enchanting gliding about town, bare legs and arms toned-glistening in the latest feminine offering during the spring and summer season.
So if you are yearning for a little fierce fashion to beef up your warm weather wardrobe, strongly consider Republic-where name brands and quality clothing are always in fashion!
To get started just visit their website and enter dresses in the search box.
Happy shopping my lovelies!

Suzy Parker: Vintage Vogue for the Soul

2010-03-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

“It’s easy to be beautiful-just be born that way.” Suzy Parker
"If it were only that simple my dear!" Kimmy
Cecilia Ann Renee Parker was born on October 28th, 1932 in San Antonio, Texas to George and Elizabeth Parker. The soon to be model/actress was the fourth daughter born to the couple who had already seen the births of three daughters in a row: Dorian in 1917, Florian in 1918 and Georgiabell in 1919. Twelve years after the birth of Georgiabell, Elizabeth thought she was experiencing menopause but instead was five months pregnant with Cecilia Ann Renee.
Her father would later give her the name Susie as he did not like the acronym formed by her initials: CARP. She attended school in Highland Park, New Jersey and in 1944 Dorian was working writing advertising copy when a co-worker encouraged her to try modeling. She went to Conover Modeling Agency and had her first assignment for Revlon Cosmetics and soon became one of the world’s first supermodels.
When Susie turned 14, Dorian phoned the Ford Modeling Agency and told Eileen and Jerry Ford she would sign with them if they also took her younger sister-sight unseen and.. they agreed.
When they met Susie at a restaurant they were shocked and exclaimed, “Oh, my God!” as she was 5’9”, big-boned with carrot red hair, pale-green eyes and freckles-the complete opposite of her supermodel sister standing 5’5”, petite, extremely thin with blue-eyes and raven hair. But the younger Parker would later eclipse her older sibling to become one of the most famous faces on the modeling front.
At age 15 she appeared in LIFE Magazine and gained her first magazine advertisement with DeRosa Jewelry. Susie lived in Florida with her parents at the time but stayed with Dorian in New York when she had modeling assignments. Dorian introduced her to some of her fashion-photographer friends such as John Rawlings, Irving Penn, Horst P. Horst and Richard Avedon. Susie would become Richard’s muse and would later state about her years of modeling: “The only joy I ever got out of modeling was working with Dick Avedon.”
Parker soon became the face of the CoCo Chanel brand and Chanel became her close confidante-dispensing advice about everything from men to money as well as creating numerous ensembles for Susie. She became the first model to earn $200 per hour as well as $100,000 per year. Vogue declared her one of the faces of the confident, post-war American woman and a French Vogue photographer changed the spelling of her name to Suzy.
In 1950 she married her high school sweetheart Ronald but it ended in divorce after she met journalist Pierre da la Salle at a Jacques Fath party outside of Paris. She reportedly came back to the United States and asked Ronald for a divorce, which they quickly received in Mexico and she secretly married Pierre around 1957 or 1958 but the pair kept it a secret. Shortly thereafter she and her father were in a car accident with an oncoming train. Her father succumbed to his injuries and Suzy sustained broken bones and embedded glass in her body. Her marriage was also on the rocks and she sought therapy in which to deal with her failing marriage and the death of her father.
After recovering from her injuries Suzy became pregnant and Pierre left. “He didn’t want to be a father. I already hired a nanny…he was gone, history.” She then gave birth to her daughter Georgia Belle Florian CoCo Chanel da la Salle in December of 1959. CoCo Chanel became Georgia’s godmother.
Also during 1957, Richard Avedon suggested Suzy for the movie Funny Face-being that Fred Astaire’s character is based upon the photographer Avedon whose photos appeared in the movie. Audrey Hepburn’s role was inspired by Suzy just as Hepburn’s role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s was supposedly based on Dorian’s promiscuous lifestyle. Suzy appeared in the movie for only a few minutes but also went on to star in other films such as Kiss Them for Me with Cary Grant, The Best of Everything, Ten North Frederick starring Gary Cooper, Circle of Deception with future husband Bradford Dillman and Chamber of Horrors to name a few. Other dramatic roles followed in TV shows such as Burke’s Law and The Twilight Zone as well as the quiz show I’ve Got a Secret.
In 1960 Suzy met actor Bradford Dillman on the set of Circle of Deception. Still married to da la Salle, she divorced him and married Bradford in 1963 on board a ship at sea. She changed her name to Suzy Parker Dillman and she stopped her modeling and acting assignments in lieu of motherhood. She was now stepmother to Dillman’s two children, Pamela and Jeffrey and the couple had three children of their own: Dinah (1965), Charlie (1967) and Christopher in 1969. They later moved to Montecito in the Santa Barbara area of California and reared their family.
During the 1990’s after two car accidents Suzy began developing ulcers. During surgery for them her vital signs disappeared but she was resuscitated in time-only to later develop even more ulcers along with diabetes.
After numerous hip surgeries her kidneys began to fail and she spent the last five years of her life in and out of the hospital. It was then she decided to end her days of dialysis treatments and return home to die peacefully, surrounded by her family in Montecito.
On May 3rd, 2003 Suzy Parker Dillman, mother, wife, actress, model and photographer died at age 70.

Known at the height of her popularity as “The Most Photographed Woman in the World,” Suzy Parker Dillman will forever transcend today’s gold standard of beauty and her allegiance to exquisiteness will forever endure.

Sources:
The Girl Who Had Everything,
Leigh, Dorian and Hobe, Laura 1980
Model by Gross, Michael, 1995
Chanel Girl Suzy Parker Dead,
CBS News, 2006-05-06

Photo Credits:
dovima is divine

Paul Newman: A Beautiful Mind

2010-03-11T11:06:00.000-06:00

Who amongst us has never gazed upon the blue orbs masterfully positioned upon the harmonious canvas known as the face of Mr. Paul Newman?
He became one of my imaginary husbands after I viewed the movie From the Terrace-my favorite of his many profound performances.
But enough of my musings, let us learn a bit about Mr. Newman, shall we?
This iconic Hollywood figure came into this world as Paul Leonard Newman on January 26th, 1925, the son of an affluent, Jewish father, Arthur Samuel Newman and his wife Theresa Fetzer Newman in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Paul had one sibling, a brother Arthur who would later become a producer and production manager.
The Newman’s owned a very profitable sporting goods store but Paul’s interest was already tuned toward the theatre and at age 7 he made his acting debut as a court jester in a school production of Robin Hood.
In 1943 he graduated from Shaker Heights High School and briefly attended Ohio University where he became a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. The rumor mill states he was expelled-but one never really knows about such things.
During World War II he served in the Navy as a radio gunner and returned to civilian life shortly thereafter-earning a degree from Kenyon College, a liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio where he graduated in 1949. During this same year he married Jacqueline “Jackie” Witte and the couple had three children together: son Scott and two daughters, Stephanie and Susan.
After a brief return to Shaker Heights to run the family store after the death of his father in 1950, Paul realized acting was beckoning for him and he sold his share of the store to his brother, packed up his family and moved to New Haven, Connecticut joining the drama program at Yale University. During school breaks he traveled to New York seeking work, scoring a recurring part in a radio series called The Aldrich Family. In 1953 he made his Broadway debut in William Inge’s Picnic, continued studying acting via the Actor’s Studio with Lee Strasberg and met another up-and-coming actor, Joanne Woodward.
Based on his performance in Picnic he was offered a contract with Warner Bros and a starring role in his first movie, The Silver Chalice in 1955. The film was such a huge disappointment Newman later took out a full page ad apologizing for his participation. In 1956 he garnered praise for his role in Somebody Up There Likes Me about the tenacious life of fighter Rocky Graziano. This led to a string of commercially successful movies that highlighted his range of talent such as The Left-Handed Gun, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Elizabeth Taylor and Long Hot Summer where he became reacquainted with actress Joanne Woodward. The two soon fell in love and Newman divorced Witte and married Woodward in Las Vegas in 1958. The couple had three daughters: Elinor, Melissa & Cliare and soon appeared in several films together such as Rally ‘Round the Flag Boys, From the Terrace, Paris Blues and Mr. and Mrs. Bridge amongst others.
During the 1950’s to the 1970’s his rebellious persona translated well in such hits as The Hustler, Hud, Hombre, Cool Hand Luke, The Towering Inferno, The Verdict and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
In 1969’s film Winning, he trained as a race car driver and became a lifelong racing enthusiast-becoming a frequent competitor in Sports Car Club of America events as well as competing at Daytona and owning a NASCAR Winston Cup car.
In 1982 he teamed with writer A.E. Hotchner and founded a line of food products under the label Newman’s Own, with all proceeds after taxes going to charity. As of 2006, the franchise donated in excess of 280 million dollars. This was only one in numerous acts of philanthropy displayed by the actor.
In 2002 his last movie appearance was as the conflicted mob boss in Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks. He also provided the voice for Doc Hudson, a retired race car in Disney/Pixar’s Cars.
On May 25th, 2007 Paul retired from acting stating he couldn’t continue acting at the level he wanted to. “You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention. So I think that’s pretty much a closed book for me.”
Newman was scheduled to make his professional stage directing debut with the Westport Country Playhouse’s 2008 production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men but stepped down on May 23rd, 2008 citing health issues.
In June of 2008 it was reported Newman, a former chain smoker, had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was receiving treatment at Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York City.
In August, after reportedly finishing chemotherapy, Newman told his family he wished to die at home.
On September 26th, 2008 at age 83, surrounded by family and close friends, Paul Leonard Newman died at his Westport, Connecticut home. His remains were cremated after a private funeral service near his home.
Paul Newman once said, “Acting is like letting your pants down-you’re exposed.” (GQ, Sept. 2002)
Well, I for one, am most glad he decided to expose his vulnerabilities through his craft and share his unyielding star power and commanding presence onscreen for us all to enjoy.

Souces:
Lax, Eric. Paul Newman: A Biography
1999, Turner Publishing
Demers, Jennifer. Paul Newman: The
Dream Has Ended! 2008 Createspace

Photo Credits:
Baracaldo, twm1340
Music2myears,

I Am A Beautiful Blogger Award Winner!

2010-03-07T13:05:00.000-06:00

It's not an Oscar, but I am the proud recipient of the Beautiful Blogger Award bestowed upon me by the lovely and talented Dazediva, author of Sporadic Reflections! I must say, I am indeed humbly honored to be in the company of Nando (the talented writer/gentleman who interviewed Jessica Simpson and other stars) of Nandoism.com and the other creative bloggers who are also recipients.
This award could not have come at a more fitting time considering the fact it’s practically Oscar night and I am the recipient of an award! (I have no speech prepared)

So, without further delay, I shall now dispense the rules that accompany this most prestigious award:

*You must thank the person who nominated you for this award
*Copy the award and place it on your blog
*Link the person who nominated you for this award
*Tell us 7 interesting things about you
*Nominate 7 bloggers and link to their blogs

Seven Interesting Things about Me:
*I have decorated the homes of my family & friends for years BUT I am not an interior designer.
*I have a sixth sense when it comes to fashion: I can style anyone and often have.
*I am the biggest Europhile my family & friends know: but in all honesty my family hails from Cornwall, England so I received this trait via the gene pool.
*I have a serious love affair with the Ferrari Spider and vintage Jaguars.
*The clothing style I love most is that of Christian Dior’s “The New Look."
*I am an incurable romantic: I love walking in the rain, cloudy days with the one you love, carriage rides and movies of love such as Sense & Sensibility and Jane Eyre.
*I have a very keen eye for a preppy guy! There is nothing like the clean-cut look of a prep.

And now, the seven bloggers I chose are as follows:

The African American Book Review: This great group of writers/reviewers review fine works by African American writers/authors without bias, and you receive an honest review of your work.

Nothing profound: He is the most kindest, gentile poet with such simple but profound aphorisms centered around your daily life. I treasure Marty’s mind!

Just A Girl: You will love this well rounded lady! She’s a wife, mother, teacher, furniture refinisher, interior decorator, bargain shopper, writer, cook, photographer-whew!! You will completely lose yourself in her postings--truly a gifted individual!

Confessions of a Poor, Insane, Future Millionaire: LOVE the business acumen of these talented, lovely gentlemen! There is nothing like a man who can take care of business without losing himself in the process-I tip my tiara to my beloved entrepreneurs! Kimmy hearts you!

Life According to Me: Ane is completely hilarious and very girly! She’s funny, feminine and a loving wife and mother. You will enjoy her daily activities-I certainly do! And do tell her she looks lovely in her new glasses! J

Sugar Pie Farmhouse: Aunt Ruthie (as she is called) has a beauty of a blog centered around her family, love of God, life, baking and her ultra sublime farmhouse in the Ozarks. She has a pantry to die for! You will want to phone your Mom after reading her posts, she makes me so homesick!

The Paris Apartment: I read it somewhere in cyberspace that “It is a blog to inspire daydreams.” I can attest to that fact because I have had too many of them to count. Claudia’s view of France and all things feminine make me yearn for France more each day. She has a most beautiful blog showcasing fine Parisian interiors, clothing and the sexy individuals who often don them. Take it from me now, grab a cup of tea or coffee and prepare yourself to be wowed on a most enticing level!

Please visit these inspiring bloggers and absorb all they have to offer. It’s well worth the time and effort to read their works. And do drop them a little link or comment love if you can, cheers my lovelies!

Photo Credits:
Gamespot designmuseum.org
khulsey.com

Kimmy's French Plaything: Chateau de Chambord

2010-03-04T16:00:00.000-06:00

On this especially cold morning I awakened feeling like a bit of a princess for some reason-it could have been the complete eight hours of sleep I garnered throughout the night-I am not entirely sure.
But, I felt in the mood to hear a little Bach and I put on Suite No. 1 in G Major and while listening to this romantic offering I was transported to a temporal dimension in…France.
And it was during my musical transport (if you will) that I realized I could display my own dimension of expression, (nothing like Bach mind you) via a cyber trip to my favorite château, the Chateau de Chambord.
If I could have built such a treasure, this would have definitely been the one to make me relinquish my purse strings.

The Château de Chambord is a French Renaissance chateau that blends traditional medieval forms with classical Italian structures. It is the largest in the Loire Valley, apparently built as a hunting lodge for King Francois I who also maintained his royal residences at Chateau de Blois and Chateau d’ Amboise. It is rumored to have been built for King Francois I to have access to his mistress the Comtesse de Thoury, Claude de Rohan-Gie who resided adjacent to the property.
It was also stated Leonardo da Vinci (who designed a palace for Francois at Romorantin) was a frequent guest of King Francois at Clos Luce’ near Amboise and may have been involved in the planning.
Château de Chambord is the grandest of the Loire Chateaux, as it’s alleged the king commanded the Loire River be diverted to make extra space for its construction. The original design of the chateau was by Domenica da Cortona but was altered considerably during the twenty plus years of its construction from 1519-1547. With the completion well within sight, King Francois flaunted his wealth and power by hosting his old arch-nemesis, Emperor Charles V.
The massive chateau is indeed impressive with four immense towers and the keep forming part of the front wall of a larger compound with two more large towers.
The castle features 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces (literally one for each day of the year!) four rectangular vaulted hallways on each floor which form a cross-shape and 84 staircases. One of the architectural highlights is the dramatic double-helix open s t aircase which is the centerpiece of the castle. The two helices ascend the three floors without ever meeting, allowing people traversing the stairs in opposite directions to never meet one another. (If that could be duplicated for elevators it would be ideal!) It is believed Leonardo da Vinci also designed the staircase but this has yet to be confirmed.
The castle also features 800 sculpted columns and an elaborately decorated roof.
It is surrounded by a 13,000 acre wooded park and game reserve maintained with red deer enclosed by a 20-mile wall.
During King Francois’s reign, the castle was rarely inhabited as the king spent barely 7 weeks there in total, mostly comprised of short hunting visits. Though a bit eccentric, the castle was never meant for long term visits. The massive rooms, high ceilings and open windows meant heating was extremely impractical.
The castle was not surrounded by a village or estate so there was no immediate source of food other than game. This meant all food had to be brought with the group, which typically numbered up to 2,000 at a time. The castle during this period remained unfurnished so all furniture, wall coverings, eating implements and other accouterments were brought specifically for each hunting trip, a logistical nightmare when you think about it.
For more than 80 years after King Francois’s death of a heart attack in 1547, French kings all but abandoned the castle, allowing it to fall into decay.
It passed through many hands including Napoleon Bonaparte before resting in the lap of the Governm ent of France in 1930 where restoration did not begin until a few years after World War II ended in 1945.
Today, the Chateau de Chambord is a major tourist attraction offering horse drawn carriage rides and horseback riding by way of the Marechal de Saxe stables.
So the next time you’re in France set aside some time for a day trip, pack a picnic lunch with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or Muscadet and transport yourself to your own dimension of time and space, KimmyStyle!

Sources:
francethisway, wikipedia
Photo Credits:
saigneurdeguerre, sweska
hamadryades, BIM2000