Category Archives: Joan Crawford

By Robert J. Avrech | July 4, 2012

July 4 In Hollywood

Tweet The photos seem to be from another planet, or at least a parrallel universe. It was not so long ago that Hollywood was institutionally patriotic. Studio photos always included an Independence Day shot, frequently an innocent piece of cheesecake. Because what’s more American than igniting fireworks while wearing a bathing suit. L.B. Mayer of [...]

Also posted in Ava Gardner, Hollywood, July 4th, L.B. Mayer, Rita Hayworth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Responses
By Robert J. Avrech | June 29, 2012

Friday Photos: A Star Is Created

Tweet Stars are not born; they are created through a long and tortuous process of trial and error. When conjuring our favorite star we remember an iconic image that captures that personae. When we think of Jean Harlow we see her glowing platinum hair, a fetching body draped in silk, and a come hither look [...]

Also posted in Ava Gardner, Brigitte Bardot, Friday Fotos, Myrna Loy, Rita Hayworth | Tagged , , | 10 Responses
By Robert J. Avrech | January 20, 2012

Friday Fashion: Hollywood Males It In

Tweet The operative word is effortless. In truth, Chaplin’s style was only achieved through the superlative tailoring of the English Savile Row firm, Anderson & Sheppard. As the new book, Anderson & Sheppard: A Style is Born, edited by Graydon Carter and Cullen Murphy, makes clear, the venerable British tailors  shunned actors and other show-biz [...]

Also posted in Books, Clark Gable, Friday Fashion, Hollywood, Men's Fashion, Rudolph Valentino | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Responses
By Robert J. Avrech | June 26, 2011

Haunted Hollywood

Tweet In Seraphic Secret’s move to WordPress last week, this post was, for a while, lost in cyberspace. Due to the kindness and tech know-how of our faithful reader Alter Ben-Zion, we have been able to snatch this blog out of its spectral prison. Alter also sent all the comments and they are included. In [...]

Posted in Joan Crawford | Tagged , , , , | 21 Responses
By Robert J. Avrech | January 14, 2010

Joan Crawford: An Obvious Strumpet

Tweet Joan Crawford, an obvious strumpet, plays Sadie Thompson, another obvious strumpet, in Rain, 1932. In her fascinating but frequently scathing Hollywood memoir, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, screenwriter Frederica Sagor Maas recalls a young starlet’s arrival in Hollywood in 1925. Eddie Goulding [prominent director] called me one morning and asked if I would like to [...]

Posted in Joan Crawford | 7 Responses
By Robert J. Avrech | November 12, 2009

Lost Joan Crawford Not So Lost

Tweet Robert Montgomery and Joan Crawford in the long unseen MGM film “Letty Lynton,” 1932. The white cotton organdy gown with deliriously ruffled shoulders by Adrian, real name Adrian Adolph Greenberg, is one of his most famous and influential designs. A copy of the dress was mass produced to help promote the film and over [...]

Posted in Joan Crawford | 10 Responses
By Robert J. Avrech | July 24, 2008

Joan Crawford: Untouched/Retouched

Tweet Here’s what happens: I snap a picture and she—every she I’ve ever photographed—takes a look at the raw digital image and recoils in horror. No matter how beautiful the woman or girl she always says: “Is that what I really look like?” “I look so old.” “Delete it.” On location, I’ve taken photographs of [...]

Posted in Joan Crawford | 19 Responses