Hollywood was rife with actors, directors, writers, and others who had fled Europe when Hitler came to power and who still had relatives living under Hitler's thumb. Those who stayed behind, especially if they were Jewish, were subjected to the same treatment as anyone else, often dying by execution, in prison or in death camps … Continue reading During World War Two: It’s An Expat Thing
Beneath the Beauty
And here's Miss Hedy... When it comes to Hedy Lamarr, it's easy to zero in on her beauty and go no further. However, this woman had plenty more going for her than just a gorgeous face, and we in the twenty-first century wouldn't be where we are today without her. 2017's Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story ably … Continue reading Beneath the Beauty
Three Ziegfeld Girls
While The Great Ziegfeld is a terrific movie, only a small percentage of it focused on the actual making of the Follies. We barely even got to see those famed stairs. Like Broadway, the Follies are a big subject, and in 1941, MGM revisited them in Ziegfeld Girl. Starring James Stewart, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and Hedy Lamarr, … Continue reading Three Ziegfeld Girls
Going Wildcat
Time to pay homage to the King... Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable made three movies together, always playing close friends, or what some today might term "bromance." However, instead of simply being best friends, the dynamic was usually Tracy's character shepherding Gable's, at times sacrificing his own happiness in order to allow Gable to prosper, … Continue reading Going Wildcat
Taking Up Room 