Classic Romantic Comedies Vol. 7: Sabrina

Since, my last post had a bit of an Audrey Hepburn flavour to it and December (and the blog's official Christmas season) looms upon the horizon, I figure now is as good a time as any to put up my final regular Classic Romantic Comedies post (at least in the foreseeable future, and not including certain holiday themed Romantic Comedies).   Many of Audrey Hepburn's films, especially those from her early career can be considered classic romantic comedies.  Audrey Hepburn is the prototypical manic pixie dream girl (if you're not familiar with the term it was originally coined by A.V. Club writer Nathan Rabin, here's a link to an A.V. Club Inventory of top films featuring manic pixie dream girls) and in these films she is pair up against a significantly older male lead and using her waif-ish charms teaches them to love life.  They also always fall in love with her during the process.  I could have picked from more than a couple of films from Ms. Hepburn's filmography, including Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's, however for me there is one Hepburn film that surmounts both of those.  Incidentally, I think it is often overlooked in favour of those former two.  It is 1954's Sabrina, directed by Billy Wilder.

Sabrina, stars Audrey Hepburn, as the titular Sabrina, daughter of the impossibly rich Larrabee family's chauffeur.  Sabrina is in love with the Larrabee's younger playboy son David, played by William Holden,  but he doesn't know that she exists.  She contents herself by watching him from tree tops of the Larrabee estate during Larrabee parties as David romances other girls.  Sabrina's father sends her to Paris to learn to be a great chef, and hopefully get over David.  While in Paris she does learn to be a great cook, she also learns how to embrace life, gains a fashionable Givenchy wardrobe, and a sophisticated new haircut.  When she comes back home to America and the Larrabee estate, something wonderful happens.  David finally notices Sabrina.  In fact he is so taken with her that he invites her to the latest Larrabee party and starts wooing her.  This doesn't sit well with the rest of the Larrabee family, especially older brother Linus, played by Humphrey Bogart, whose latest business deal hinges on the marriage of David to the daughter of an important business associate.  He quickly neutralizes David via champagne glass injury, and sets about winning Sabrina's heart for himself in a cruel plan to trick her into going back to Paris.  What Linus doesn't account for is his own development of feelings for Sabrina.

Sabrina was adapted from the stage play, Sabrina Fair, by Billy Wilder.  Wilder imbues the script with the appropriate amount of cynicism balanced with witty dialogue and an appropriate amount of physical comedy.  It really plays up the upstairs downstairs quality of this story with the Larrabee servants championing Sabrina's relationship with David (with the exception of her father who is a staunch opponent of rising above one's station in life), and David and Linus' status obsessed parents (particularly their father who shares Sabrina's father's opinions).  The scenes between Linus, David, and their father are hilarious, especially when involving David's unfortunate injury and Larrabee senior's disgust with his sons and their entanglement with Sabrina.  Both Bogart and Holden do a fabulous job in their roles, Bogart being a particular surprise as old brother Linus.  While many think he was miscast in this role, I think he is appropriate as a man who has devoted his life and youth to business who is finally shaken out of his funk by this effervescent young woman.

As for the effervescent young woman, this is one film where Hepburn does not fall into twee territory.  She manages to play her girlish enthusiasm with a certain dignity that seemed to elude her in later roles.  She is utterly fascinating to watch and steals practically every scene that she is in.  This is a film that is a complete confection that doesn't leave your hands sticky.  I like to watch it on a dreary November night in anticipation of Christmas...

Here's the trailer...

Retro Ad #5 - Think Pink!

In today's sampling of retro ads, I've found a pair of print advertisements from the late sixties; both for Lustre Creme shampoo and both proclaiming that pink is for girls.  Yup, before it became the international hue of  breast cancer, pink was all about selling lustre creme shampoo.  Personally, I've never been a big fan of pink and the bold statement that pink is for girls would have sent me running to the Breck shampoo section (another vintage brand of shampoo).

I do like the bright graphics surrounding our lady lovely locks in these two pictures, but the colour of the bottle makes me think that using Lustre Creme would be akin to using Mr. Bubble in your hair (both bottles are the exact same bubble gum pink colour).  Moving away from the colours and to the model featured in both ads- doesn't she bare an uncanny resemblance to Audrey Hepburn?  I've been scouring the Internet to see if that actually is Ms. Hepburn, but have come up empty handed.  I certainly can't see Audrey Hepburn, who would have been in her mid-to-late thirties by this point would agree to sitting in a barrel and using a phone as a loofah.  Mind you, people have done stranger things for money.

Classic Romantic Comedies Vol. 6: Ball of Fire

Nineteen forty-one was a banner year for Ms. Barbara Stanwyck, and today we're exploring her second great comedy of the year.  This would be the film for which she earn her second of four Oscar nominations and her second staring opposite Gary Cooper that year.  Adding to it's pedigree is the that it features the directorial talents of the magnificent Howard Hawks and was co-written by a man who would go on to direct some of the greatest films (both comedies and dramas) of the classic era-the legendary Billy Wilder.  Unless you've completely ignored the title of this post that you've probably already guessed that it is indeed, Ball of Fire. 

Stanwyck stars as nightclub singer and gangster's moll Sugarpuss O'Shea, who finds herself on the run from the cops when they come looking to get her testimony against her man's (played by Dana Andrews) involvement in a murder.  She finds a safe haven in a house inhabited by eight professors who have cloistered themselves off from the world to write a great encyclopedia.  Like a more subversive version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, seven of the professors are cute older gentlemen and the eighth is a nerdy version of prince charming, Bertram "Pottsy" Potts, played by Gary Cooper.   Sugarpuss pushes her way into the eight scientist's lives by promising to teach Potts, the grammar professor, all about slang.  Chaos reigns as the eight professors fall under Sugarpuss' spell.  Before long Pottsy is proposing marriage, but Sugarpuss' gangster beau looms in the background with his own proposal ( a wife can't testify against her husband, after all).  Who will the fair maiden choose?

Ball of Fire has an abundance of charm that comes not only from the leads, but the supporting cast who bring the film many of its great comedic moments.  Nowhere is this more felt than from the seven gentlemen who play the professors, who scuttle about getting into the sort of trouble you would imagine their cartoon Disney counterparts would had they been faced with the mob.  Cooper plays the bland studious Potts appropriately naive and befuddled while Stanwyck turns on her trademark charm and intelligence bringing yet another memorable performance to the screen.

This is an adorable gem that puts a delightfully screwy spin on an old favourite.  Here's a clip...

Classic Romantic Comedies Vol. 5: The Lady Eve

Today's instalment in our series on classic romantic comedies comes to the film that easily wins out over all classic Hollywood films as my absolute favourite of all time.  It features my favorite first lady of Hollywood, Barbara Stanwyck, co-stars her The Mad Miss Manton leading man Henry Fonda, and is directed by a man whose name is right up with Lubitch's as one of the great comedy writer/directors of the golden age of Hollywood, Mr. Preston Sturges.  Preston Sturges directed several comedies in the late thirties and early forties that have been hailed classics by critics and audience members alike, including his Hollywood satire Sullivan's Travels, his political satire The Great McGinty, and his divorce satire Palm Beach Story.  However, the film that is most commonly brought up in a discussion of the great films of Preston Sturges is 1941's The Lady Eve. 

The Lady Eve features Stanwyck as con-artist Jean Harrington, who with her card sharp father and their faithful assistant Gerald roam trans-continental cruise ships relieving wealthy travels of some of their riches.  On this particular cruise their mark is wealthy ale hair, Charles "Hopsy" Pike, an ophiologist who has been up the amazon for a year studying snakes.  Hopsy is as naive as they come and easily falls under Jean's spell.  What Jean doesn't account for, is her own development of feelings for Hopsy.  When he proposes she decides to reform and saves him from being another one of her father's victims.  Unfortunately, he discovers her former occupation and cruelly dumps her, devastating Jean and leaving her wanting revenge.  In a bold act of anger and defiance she takes on a new identity as The Lady Eve Sidwitch and walks right back into Hopsy's life and dares him to call her bluff.  Hijinks ensue.

What makes Sturges' style different from Lubitch, is that he embraces pratfalls wholeheartedly.  In some of his other films this is often to the film's detriment; however, in The Lady Eve, Sturges manages to balance the physical comedy with romance.  The biggest asset this film has going for it is the performance of Barbara Stanwyck.  As usual, Stanwyck's character is the smartest person in the room, but in addition to this she manages to imbue this character, who for all intensive purposes is an out-and-out predator, with a remarkable amount of sympathy and heart.  As she starts falling for Hopsy, we see her tough-as-nails/world-weary demeanor melt away and the result is quite touching, making the character of Jean so compelling.  Stanwyck is able to convey her surprise and joy at finding love with Hopsey with an all so subtle change in the cadence of her voice and a look that infects the viewer with warmth; making it easy to get on Jean's revenge bandwagon when Hopsy breaks her heart.  A lesser actress would not be able to handle such heavy lifting.  I also have to give a shout out to Henry Fonda, as the terminally clumsy and naive Hopsy, for falling over (and into) a barrage of pratfalls that would make Charlie Chaplin proud.  The supporting cast including Charles Coburn as Jean's father Colonel Harrington and William Demarest is similarly wonderful.

I honestly cannot say enough positive things about this phenomenal film.  If you only watch one of the films from this series, this one would get my vote.  To further sway you, I give you the scene that has been described by many as being one of the sexiest of all time...

A Tribute to Brainy Bombshell: Natalie Portman

We love Natalie Portman! Her eloquence and charm throughout the ages have left us wanting more of this lady and now, we get to see her again this December in the psychological thriller, Black Swan.

To pay our respects, we used our own makeup artisty and photography handiwork to come up with our own rendition of the Black Swan movie poster. Check it out:

Retro Commercial #2: Respond Hairspray

Here we have it ladies, a window into the mind of a man on a blind date.   Apparently, all men can think about is the texture of our hair - and sticky hair is out.  This commercial leads us to believe that  this was the cause of all single women's woes in the early sixties.  However, the people of Respond have finally found a way to harness the power of protein to make sure that these women have perfect flips.  Enjoy!

A Bombshell for the Ages: Dame Diana Rigg

Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, more famously know as Dame Diana Rigg, rose to fame in the nineteen sixties as the catsuit clad bombshell Emma Peel.  She is consistently mentioned on lists of the all-time sexiest women on television.  However, unlike many of the women who have the label of bombshell branded upon them, Dame Diana has the acting pedigree that has allowed her to excel beyond her days as John Steed's partner in crime fighting.   

Born in Yorkshire in 1938, Diana moved with her family to India during her infancy.  At the age of eight, her family moved back to England and young Diana was sent to boarding school.  Her boarding school days were marked with unhappiness, as Diana felt  like a fish out of water there.  She found solace on the stage, devoting her time to perfecting her craft.  Her efforts payed off, and in 1959 she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, with whom she performed until 1964.  In 1965, she exploded onto television screens everywhere as Mrs. Emma Peel on the British television series The Avengers.

Emma Peel was the second partner to super agent John Steed.  She seemed to be a master of endless occupations, could fight with the best of them, and had an impressive mod wardrobe.  What made Emma Peel such a unique character was her blend of sex appeal, independence, wit, and intelligence.  Dame Diana was somehow able to combine her own regal baring with an irresistible sprightly charm which managed to help ground the show during it's more extraordinary flights from logic.

Diana left The Avengers in 1968 to pursue other acting opportunities.  Some of the other highlights of her long career include a stint as a Bond girl in 1969's In Her Majesty's Secret Service, hosting PBS's Mystery for several years in the late eighties and early nineties, and appearing alongside Kermit, Fozzie, and the rest of the Muppets in The Great Muppet Caper (1981).  Dame Diana has appeared on the stage consistently in the years since leaving The Avengers, culminating in winning a Tony for her titular role in 1994's Medea.  She also earned her title Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1994.

Here's a sampling of the old Peel and Steed magic, for the uninitiated:

Retro Ad #4 - Buy War Bonds - Get a House and Gold Digger

This poster is a bit of an oddity from the days of World War  II, when the easiest way to provide support to the war effort, was buying war bonds.  For those who are unacquainted with the world of war bond, they were documents issued by the government  promising inflated financial returns in the years beyond a country's imminent victory in war, in exchange for money.  This money was used to finance a country's war effort, and the influx of cash was also used as a means to control inflation by taking money out of circulation.  Canada, the United States, and Germany all had war bond programs during the first and second world wars.

While most North American war bond posters usually portrayed various glorious battlefield scenes or scenes from the war effort back at home, this one is just bizarre.  It features characters from Li'l Abner comic strips, who were very popular in the day.  Li'l Abner featured a cast of hillbilly characters, who speak in a barely recognizable form of english and, for the purposes of the world at the time, are on the war bond bandwagon.  However, according to this advertisement, war bonds are more a means to get a hot babe and a house and less about helping the war effort.

The most perplexing thing about this poster is not the message, but the goings on in the background of the illustration.  Why is that old woman with the corncob pipe holding that old man upside down and cutting his toenails?  What does that have to do with war bonds?  I get Daisy Mae in a classic pin-up pose, but was the toenail thing a recurring thing in the comic strip?  I'm also amused by the old woman's high heeled boots.  If not for the boots I would have though she was a man.

Hollywood Canteen - The Club and Film

Since, we're within a few days of Remembrance Day (or Veteran's Day if you're American), I though I'd shed some light on one of Hollywood's bigger contributions to the war effort during the second world war. The Hollywood Canteen was the brainchild of actors Bette Davis and John Garfield, as a club that would provide free food, dancing, and entertainment to the serviceman and women who were on military leave in Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors and actresses would volunteer at the canteen in their down time doing everything from washing dishes, serving food, dancing with servicemen to performing onstage.  No job was too small for these big stars as volunteering at the Hollywood Canteen was seen as an act of patriotism. Looking at the roster of stars who volunteered at the Canteen (you can find it here on the Canteen's Wikipedia Page) shows a veritable who's who of celebrities of the era and the few exceptions are those who were able to make the ultimate sacrifice of going overseas to help fight.   The Canteen was in operation from October 3, 1942 to (American) Thanksgiving 1945.

One of the more interesting artifacts from the history of the Hollywood Canteen is the film, Hollywood Canteen, which was released in 1944.  The story of the film is pretty sparse, a wide-eyed GI on sick leave goes to the canteen, ends up meeting a galaxy of stars, is named the canteen's one millionth customer, and romances starlet Joan Leslie.  Trust me, if you're looking for a deep film you won't find it here.  What does make it a worthwhile watch is the endless number of cameos by many of the great actors, actresses, and other popular performers of the day.  There are a several musical numbers performed by Andrews Sisters, Joe E. Brown, Jane Wyman, Dennis Morgan, and a host of others.  All and all it's a pretty entertaining movie.  Here's my favourite cameo, by my favourite actress...

Click Here to view the Hollywood Canteen Trailer at TCM.com.

Beware of Loose Women! - Classic Anti-VD Propaganda Posters

While searching the internet for inspiration for our modern take on the classic wartime Propaganda poster, I discovered that there were a ridiculous amount of propaganda posters directed towards preventing venereal disease.  So much so that all my google image searches returned 3 anti-VD posters to every anti-Axis, pro military posters.  I'm embarrassed to admit that up until now, I was completely oblivious to this form of propaganda.  But, looking back at all of the books and films that I have seen regarding the war it makes complete sense.  I guess those Gene Kelly-Frank Sinatra musical adventures while on shore-leave films (On The Town and Anchors Aweigh, if you're curious) had a dark side after all.

In general, the easy women portrayed in these posters take on the appearance of dangerous dames who would star in the pulp novels of the era, albeit a little more sinister.  The exceptions would be the ladies to the left who look like a bunch of catty bitches talking about a loose acquaintance behind her back.  The girl directly below has her shirt buttoned up to the collar, but who knows she maybe she's hiding a wild side - and a wicked case of gonorrhea.  Here's a sampling of the more entertaining posters, featuring the dreaded V-gals:

This gal looks about 15 - This should say beware of under aged Lolitas

This gal looks more like the illustrations of blow-up dolls in old magazine adds

I've always enjoyed the term Booby Trap

Love the phallic symbolism here.  This girl is so sinister they've compared her to a deadly snake.  She also sucking on a very phallic cigarette.   I also enjoy that the dance club is called Shorty's

Why don't they just paint a giant swastika on this gal?

I don't think they'd mind the cooking of the goose so much.  You also gotta love the slang for prophylactic.

Classic Romantic Comedies Vol 4: Ninotchka

Today we look at a film directed by a man synonymous with the great romantic comedies of yesteryear, Ernst Lubitsch.  Lubitsch brought a worldly sophistication to Hollywood comedies in an era when pratfall laden screwball comedies were the name of the game.  Wit and cynicism replaced a pie in the face  in the universe that exists in Lubitsch's films (although, there's still room for the odd pratfall if the set-up was intelligent enough).  Lubitsch was also known to comment on the state of the world and derive comedy from the politics of the time - in Ninotchka, released in 1939, communism is in his cross hairs.

As the film opens we are greeted by Paris and all the palatial aspects that make it the source of all too many romantic films and songs.  Three envoys from Russia arrive with the hope of selling the royal jewels of Grand Duchess Swanna, who fled Russia during the communist revolution.  Conveniently, the Grand Duchess now lives in Paris and soon learns of her chance to recapture her lost jewels.  She sends Leon (played by Melvyn Douglas), man-about-town (as well as her favourite boy-toy) to help recapture her jewels.  Leon goes to the hotel where the three envoys (who are completely inept and well on their way to being seduced into the life of luxury that the west has to offer) and stalls their efforts to sell the jewels by further luring them away from their communist values.

Time passes and the Russian begin to wonder what the delay is in the sale of the jewels.  They send a fourth envoy, Ninotchka (played by the legendary Greta Garbo) to help move things along in Paris and to retrieve the three failed envoys.  When Leon meets Ninotchka he is immediately fascinated by this cold, humourless Russian woman and starts insinuating himself into her life in Paris.  Though she is a tougher sell than her failed comrades, Ninotchka soon warms to Leon and western life, and her icy veneer starts melting away.  Surprise, surprise she and Leon fall in love, which complicates matters when the Grand Duchess gets wise to what's happening with her pet man, and wants to retrieve her jewels. 

As you would expect the outcome is happy (this is a Hollywood film, after all), however there are real stakes in this romantic comedy in which characters must make choices and sacrifices that aren't always pleasant.  The dialogue is wonderful and the screenwriters (including, the great Billy Wilder) sprinkle in some jabs at Stalin and the realities of life in the Russia for good measure, while never straying too far into the darkness of the nation during that era.  The film also culminates in a very touching spin on the fairy-tale motif of the prince rescuing the beautiful princess.  The outcome is a warm feelgood film that would put a smile on the face of the coldest Russian in the joint.

Here's the trailer if you're still not convinced...

Bombshell Photography Supports Our Troops!

As mentioned in an earlier post, a couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to shot on location up at Edmonton Garrison.  In return for their generosity in time and heavy artillery, we were asked to design a propaganda style poster featuring the tank we used for our shoot.  The result is the image directly above: a blend of World War II style with our modern day Canadian flag and message to support our troops.  In the days leading up to Remembrance Day this message becomes increasingly topical.  We at Bombshell Photography are grateful for all Canada's soldiers, past and present, have done to protect our liberties.

For those curious about some of the other photographs we took on that bone chilling day next to the windswept hill, take a look below.  Our model of the day is one-half Andrews Sister and one-half Marilyn Monroe.  I hope you like it!