𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖁𝖆𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊 🖤🪦🦇

One Dress a Day Challenge

February: Coeli's Monochrome Picks

I'm No Angel / Mae West as Tira

Coeli's comment: "Wowza!"

The pre-code era strikes again, with Travis Banton as the designer. The slinky, low-cut gown with spiderweb wrap in the bottom photo looks positively demure next to the costume she's almost wearing in the other photos. In Tira's defense, she is a circus sideshow performer. However, it's not too hard to see why this movie was cited as one of the factors leading to the implementation of the Hays Code.

Classic lines:

"Oh, Beulah, peel me a grape!"

"Well, it's not the men in your life that counts, it's the life in your men."

"When I'm good I'm very good. But when I'm bad I'm better."

Alice in Wonderland, 1915

#213

Colonies, 1959, (surrealist movie).

In the mid-1950s, during the height of his fame as a teenage heartthrob, Sal Mineo was known for his love of motorcycles. One day, he decided to embark on a spontaneous and adventurous road trip with a close friend.

Sal and his friend set off on their motorcycles, with no fixed destination in mind, but the open road beckoning them. They rode through the winding highways of California, enjoying the freedom and anonymity that the helmets and leather jackets provided.

During their journey, they encountered a small diner in a remote town, and being inquisitive by nature, Sal decided to stop for a meal. Little did he know that this would turn into an unforgettable moment.

Inside the diner, they met a group of local teenagers who were awestruck by Sal Mineo's presence. They couldn't believe their luck in stumbling upon a Hollywood star in their little town. Sal, always down-to-earth and approachable, spent hours chatting with these young fans, sharing stories, signing autographs, and even teaching them how to do some of the iconic dance moves from his movies.

What started as a random pit stop on a motorcycle trip turned into an impromptu meet-and-greet with Sal Mineo, leaving a lasting impression on the local teenagers. To them, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and to Sal, it was just another example of his genuine connection with people, regardless of his celebrity status.

The Great Greta Garbo

Glamorous, compelling, and ever so famous was the iconic movie star, Greta Garbo. She graced Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s with films like “Wild Orchids” and “The Kiss.” Altogether, she starred in thirty-three films and captivated men and women alike.

Greta was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson on September 18, 1905 in Stockholm, Sweden and died April 15, 1990 in New York City at the age of 84 to pneumonia. Her childhood was that of poverty where her family lived in the slums. Her father was an itinerant laborer and didn’t earn much money to give his family the life he wanted for them to have. When Greta was old enough to work, she took various positions to help ease the strain of supporting the family.

One fateful day, film director Erik Petschler saw Greta and was mesmerized with her beauty after seeing her in a commercial advertising women’s clothing and he offered her a small role in his 1922 film “Peter the Tramp.” She was bitten by the acting bug and she started school at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm. She landed a major role in a 1925 Swedish movie “Gösta Berlings Saga” (The Saga of Gösta Berling). The director, Mauritz Stiller changed her birth name to Garbo as he felt it was fitting and becoming for her unique beauty. Seeing her potential, he negotiated with MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Studios in Hollywood and secured her a contract. Louis B. Mayer had doubts about Greta’s screen performance until the release of her first American 1926 film “The Torrent.” Her lustrous glow and the fluidity of how she moved impressed Mayer so much so that he gave her an exclusive contract.

1930’s “Anna Christie” was Greta’s first sound film. The movie was marketed with “Garbo talks!” She would earn three Oscar nominations for best actress for her performances in “Anna Christie,” “Camille,” and for “Ninotchka.” She never did win, but she did receive an Honorary Academy Award in 1955. She won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for best actress for her performance in 1935’s Anna Karenina. Her last film was “Two-Faced Woman” in 1941 and it received bad reviews that greatly humiliated her. Her acting life halted despite offers for other films after the movie flop.

Greta never married nor did she have children. Her first romance was with her often co-Star John Gilbert. In her latter years, she had a relationship with Leopold Stokowski, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. It’s rumored that she had an affair with Russian-born millionaire George Schlee, stealing him from his wife. It’s specualted that Greta was bisexual, some would claim she was predominantly lesbian, but no one could confirm that. Though she appeared in events, she disliked the feeling uncomfortable acting like a socialite because it wasn’t who she was.

Greta would live the remainder of her life in a New York City apartment. She was an honored guest in the White House and She received treatment for breast cancer and would have dialysis treatment at a local hospital where she would later die from pneumonia. She will always be regarded as one of the most beautiful and graceful women that gifted us with her talent.

Until next time, Aloha oe.

Photos: *Getty Images, Posterlounge

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night 🖤🐈‍⬛

One Dress a Day Challenge

February: Coeli's Monochrome Picks

The Bride Wore Red / Joan Crawford as Anni Pavlovitch

A lovely example of a mid-30s silhouette, very sleek and sophisticated. The beads give it a heft and sparkle that shows up nicely in black and white. But I must admit that when I saw the photo of the actual dress, it made me kind of wish the film had been in color!

The earliest surviving Sweeney Todd adaptation.

Here’s Sweeney Todd from 1928.

this silent film is actually the earliest surviving film adaptation of the string of pearls, which is the story that our main man Sweeney Todd originally showed up in (and ultimately led to the creation of the sondheim musical)

Speak Easily - 1932

Alice in Wonderland, 1915

Obligatory not so straight Cary Grant moment

Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

#25