Arthur and Marilyn--destined for disaster?

Well it's that time of year again. I am going to bore my students to death with my excitement over teaching Arthur Miller's The Crucible. They just can't understand why I would possibly be thrilled over a drama about 1600's witches in Salem, Mass. Oh geez! Teenagers!

As many of you know, Arthur Miller was married for a time to my favorite, Marilyn Monroe. So I thought it only fitting I do a post on them both.

Miller was born in Harlem, NY and became a famous playwright fairly quickly. He is known for his works, such as Death of a Salesman, The Misfits (which starred Marilyn), The Crucible, and several others. Miller was accused of being a communist during the McCarthyism era. Senator Joe McCarthy from Wisconsin, accused several writers, directors, and actors in Hollywood of being traders to their country. There was a hearing where the accused were brought before the HUAC or House Committee on UnAmerican Activities. Miller refused to name anyone else as a communist and was therefore held in contempt of court. The conviction was overturned, but still caused problems for his career.

Arthur Miller met in 1955 and were married in 1956. The marriage was tumultuous to say the least. Marilyn was extremely insecure and needed to be constantly stroked by Miller. In spite of her silver screen persona, the most desired woman suffered multiple miscarriages from her marriage to Miller, this made her condition worse since Miller was not around at the time of tragedy. Her mental state was unstable as she was allegedly schizophrenic. At times charming and suddenly aggressive, though she wanted to be liked by all, she would do things to hurt those closest to her.

Miller couldn't take the ups and downs of Marilyn's personality. After a couple of suicide attempts from drug overdose and being rescued each time, it grew clear that she was trying to kill herself. Arthur tried to revive their relationship by writing the script of 'The Misfits' for her. Finally Miller left Monroe, after a relationship of exhaustion and confusion. He went on to link up with Inge Morath, the Magnum photographer he met on the set of The Misfits, just a month later. This truly devastated Marilyn, since it is known by most that Miller was the love of her life.

Here are some photos of Marilyn and Arthur throughout their relationship! Have a great Wednesday! Enjoy!



Source: http://living.oneindia.in/insync/2008/marilyn-monroe-marital-relationships-201108.html

Barbie and Her Story

So I was looking for some fun images for my blog and came across a teacher Barbie doll. I was shocked! I have to have this. I am on the lookout for one. She is adorably vintage looking with glasses and everything! Let me know if you find one! Then, it dawned on me, I don't know the history of Barbie. So here goes:

The Creators:

This story takes place in the 1930’s. It’s a story that starts out sounding like one we’ve all heard before.

A young girl meets a boy and they fall in love. The girl graduates from high school. She has visions of a great career success in the real world and wants to go to college. Her parents are not overly enthusiastic about college since it is more traditional for a girl to get married and raise a family. The girl goes to college anyway and marries the boy too. This married girl and boy are Ruth and Elliot Handler. They raise two children, Barbie and Ken.

In the mid 1940’s, the young ambitious duo Ruth and Elliot Handler, owned a company that made wooden picture frames. Elliot and his partner Harold Mattson built the samples and Ruth was in charge of marketing them. Elliot began to use the scraps of wood from picture frames to make doll furniture. This was the beginning of their toy business. It was in 1945 that Ruth and Elliot Handler joined with their close friend Harold Mattson to form a company that would be known for the most famous and successful doll ever created. This company would be named Mattel, MATT for Mattson, and EL for Elliot. Mattel continued to grow from a very profitable business into a corporate giant.

In the mid 1950’s, while visiting Switzerland, Ruth Handler purchased a German Lilli doll. Lilli was a shapely, pretty fashion doll first made in 1955. She was originally fashioned after a famous cartoon character in the West German Newsletter, Bild. Lilli was made of hard plastic with molded on shoes and earrings. She was available in 11 ½" or 7" in heights. Her hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. There was a large wardrobe available for this doll. Lilli is the doll that would inspire Ruth Handler to design the Barbie doll.

Ruth knew what she wanted Barbie to look like. With the help of her technicians and engineers at Mattel, Barbie was born. Ruth then hired Charlotte Johnson, a fashion designer, to create Barbies wardrobe.

It was in 1958 that the patent for Barbie was obtained. This would be a fashion doll unlike any of her time. She would be long limbed, shapely and beautiful, all of this and only 11 ½" tall.

Paper fashion dolls of the times would give way to a three dimensional beauty with a wardrobe of unsurpassed quality. Ruth and Elliot would name their new fashion doll after their own daughter, Barbie. Barbie dolls’ soon to be boyfriend Ken, would be named after their son Ken.

In March of 1959, Barbie doll would make her way to the New York Toy Show and receive a cool reception from the toy buyers. She would be viewed as risky to buyers since she was not the typical style selling baby doll of the times. Upon seeing Barbie on store shelves, the public decided differently. By 1960, the mood would change and the orders started pouring in to Mattel. It took several years for Mattel to catch up with the demand for Barbie. Within ten years, the public purchased $500 million worth of Barbie products.

Barbie has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles, makeup and clothing. She is a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the toy market. Barbie has a universal appeal and collectors of all ages enjoy time spent and memories made with their dolls.

So now you know! Here are some images of the first Barbie's. Enjoy!

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Hollywood Forever Cemetery


Cecil B. DeMille


Marion Davies


Bugsy Siegel


Tyrone Power

Where do the stars go for their final rest? They are spread out all over Los Angeles, but many have plots at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Morbid subject? Not really. Many people, including me, are fascinated with both the lives and deaths of Hollywood royalty. The cemetery is actually located on part of the Paramount Studios land, which is fitting, since it is still right in the middle of the "action."

There are many interesting personalities who are buried here. Some of them include: --Rudolph Valentino(1895-1926), Hollywood's original hunk, who was often visited by a mysterious "lady in black" after his death for many years
-- Elmer Berger (1891-1952), who was the inventor of the rear view mirror
--Lana Clarkson (1962-2003), who was allegedly murdered by Phil Spector
--Douglas Glenn Colvin, aka Dee Dee Ramone (1951-2002), bassist for The Ramones
--Marion Davies (1897-1961), famous actress who had a long term relationship with William Randolph Hearst
--Estelle Getty (1923-2008), of Golden Girls fame
--Tyrone Power (1914-1958), actor from one of my favorite movies, "The Witness for the Prosecution"
--Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (1906-1947), gangster
--Mel Blanc (1908-1989), voice over actor, most famous for the line, "That's all folks!"
--Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959), famous Hollywood director/producer
--Griffith J. Griffith (1850-1919), park and observatory donor
--Charles Chaplin, Jr. (1925-1968), son to Charlie Chaplin

There are many others, some stars were cremated there, then ashes spread somewhere else, such as George Harrison of the Beatles. Others were given a memorial there, but are not buried there, such as Jayne Mansfield, and Hattie McDaniel.

The cemetery has old movie showings in the summer, where you can bring your lawn chairs and alcohol of choice to spend a "night with the stars."

If you are interested in visiting the cemetery, the address is 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Hollywood. It is definitely a historical piece of Old Hollywood that you won't want to miss. Here are some pics of the cemetery and those who are laid to rest there. Enjoy!

Jane Russell--more than 38"?

Jane Russell was the daughter of an actress, and was trying to break into Hollywood, when Howard Hughes discovered her in his dentist's office. According to Hughes, he was looking for a woman with an ample "chest" to be cast in his film, "The Outlaw," in 1943. The film caused a storm of controversy due primarily to the amount of cleavage shown by Russell onscreen, and, after brief releases in 1941 and 1943, it was not officially released until 1950. The controversy brought her much publicity, often in the form of off-color, sophomoric jokes. However, she surpassed her mindless "bombshell" image and went on to perform with versatility in a number of films during the subsequent three decades.

"The Outlaw (1943) faced close scrutiny by the Hays Office (and Joseph Breen), due to its exploitation of star Jane Russell's prominently-uncovered 38" chest in her debut film by Hollywood huckster Russell Birdwell. Salacious advertising with lines such as: "What are the two great reasons for Jane Russell's rise to stardom?" added to the lurid sensationalism and kept the film from being widely circulated. In addition, pin-up shots of big-busted Russell rolling around in the hay had the desired effect at the box office (especially among WWII GIs). One of the film's most vulgar stunts, also orchestrated by Birdwell, was to have skywriting planes fly over San Francisco where they spelled the film's title followed by two giant circles -- each dotted in the center."

Jane was usually cast as a "tough broad," or sassy kind of girl from then on. Here are some pics of Jane, including one from the film that caused so much scandal (the pic with her shirt falling off her shoulder). Hope you enjoy! Have a great day!

Boop Boop a Doop...Betty Boop

Happy 1st of November everyone! I can't believe how fast this year is flying by! I was looking through some pics of adorable costumes last night and found one I loved...Betty Boop! It made me wonder about where Betty came from so I decided to find out and do a post about her!

"Betty is best remembered for her red-hot jazz baby persona. With a head like a giant peanut, vast mascara'd eyes, too-kissable lips, baby-doll voice (courtesy of singer Mae Questel), flattened marcelled hair, and mere threads of a dress exposing miles of hot flesh, she was the perfect celluloid sex toy." Betty was popular in a much different time. We have so many regulations about what can be put out there (even cartoons) that it is a wonder she survived in a conservative society. But, we do need to keep in mind that she was popular when gangsters, prohibition, and other illegal activities were prevalent.

"It wasn't just her flesh, though there was plenty of that; Betty practiced what her body preached. We see her frequently undressing and stealing kisses from clowns and cats and other indeterminate creatures, as well as a more humanish Prince Charming. Not that Betty didn't have her standards. When the fat circus master in Boop-Boop-a-Doop (1931) runs his hand up and down her exposed thighs, Betty recoils in disgust and sings a mock-lament to the sympathetic circus audience: "Please don't take my boop-boop-a-doop away." Now, what could she have meant by that? In Poor Cinderella (1934), dressed in her familiar teensy black bra and shredded skirt, she again bemoans the lack of sex — I mean, romance — in her life as she sings, "Always in the way... I can never play."

Betty was created by Max and Dave Fleischer, "arch-enemies of the Disney aesthetic and creators of the big-screen Popeye and Betty Boop." She was and still continues to be a "bad" girl. She is the cartoon version of a sexy pin up girl. No wonder she continues to be so popular! Here are some photos of Miss Boop...enjoy!

Date: Wed, 28