
— Eve Arden
Baltimore. Garland, Texas. Iran. Yemen. ObamaCare. Iraq. Syria. Shia. Sunni. Clinton Cash. IslamoNazis. IRS. Benghazi. Lois Lerner. Thug. Federal Deficit. Islamic State. Hillary. Server. Delete 30,000 emails. War on police. Minimum wage. Mohammed cartoons. Racist. Transgender. Income inequality. BDS. Beheadings. Chemical weapons. Iranian nukes…
How about some pictures to help set aside—at least for a few precious minutes—the age of Obama.


~Mark Rothko

— Jane Russell






— Bette Davis



1952-no.2 1952
oil on canvas

― Marlene Dietrich















Your pictures are always great, Robert. Didn’t know BB had ballet as a background – I know Audrey Hepburn wanted to be a ballet dancer but couldn’t (forget why).
Eve Arden and Marlene Dietrich – savvy women!
Norma Jean – I have to wonder if by the time she died alone in Bel Air – having been used up by the Kennedys – if she wished she’d never pursued fame and just stayed Norma Jean.
Robert, I always look forward to your Friday photos.
I worked as church secretary at Grace Brethren Church of North Long Beach back in the early 80’s. We had a retired woman who would come in and help in the office. I can’t remember her name, but her brother was Jim Dougherty’s sister. She said she remembers the time that she helped Jim and Norma Jeane move into a house they bought. That’s the closest I’ve ever been to Marilyn Monroe. Here’s a paragraph from Wikipedia about them:
On June 19, 1942, Dougherty and Monroe married at the home of his friend Chester Howell in Los Angeles. After they met, she affectionately nicknamed him “Jimmie.”[6] In 1943, Dougherty joined the United States Merchant Marine. Prior to that he had worked with Robert Mitchum in a defense plant. He was ordered to boot camp on Santa Catalina Island, California, where Norma Jeane lived with him. In 1944, he was sent overseas, much to Norma Jeane’s dismay. Norma Jeane started to work for Radioplane Company where she was included in a series of morale-boosting photographs, launching her career as a model and actress.[7] She moved out of her mother-in-law’s home and stopped writing to Dougherty. She filed for divorce in Las Vegas, Nevada, while he was in Shanghai, China; it was finalized on September 13, 1946. In the book To Norma Jeane With Love, Dougherty stated he was so depressed after his breakup with Monroe that he considered taking his own life, but he could not bear the thought of his mother finding his body.
I just read what I wrote and it made no sense — sorry! What I meant to say was that this lady was Jim Dougherty’s sister. Long week, Friday – that’s my excuse!
Eve Arden was great in “Anatomy of a Murder” one of my favorite movies. Joseph N Welch, who played the judge, became friends with the author, a Michigan Supreme Court Justice, and they traveled together with their wives.
Jane Russell was a very smart and savvy lady. She supported her whole family and was a very good real estate investor. My wedding reception was at her house.
Love Eve Arden. Love her quote. Perfect.
That bit about “Each painting is one continuous pearlescent-paint brushstroke” reminds me of Chinese/Japanese calligraphy. At least in the more cursive styles, one of the basic rules is that each character must be executed as a single continuous brush stroke.
I so look forward to your Friday Photos, Robert.
Eve Arden had her head on straight — in an industry without a track record for that sort of thing.
Myrna Loy was cool no matter what she wore! 🙂
Jane Russell is the definition of sultry… especially in this photo!
I love designer kitchen sinks — nicely done!
Awesome granddaughter you and Karen have there. Her eyes are gorgeous and that grin…
Nice loafers, but I prefer the saddle shoes you featured in the past (hint, hint).
As far as the art… I’ve always preferred realism or naturalism.
[I don’t know if I’m using those terms correctly. Formal art education is one of my great weaknesses. I have always gotten by with the “I know what I like” philosophy.]
I like artists to present something my eye can compare to real life. I want him (or her) to create a canvas so “real” and “inviting” that my mind puts my body (no, my senses) into the picture. I’ve immensely enjoyed the Vermeer paintings you have featured and I have an affinity for Seurat.
Yet, each time you present (what I would call “abstract art”) I find I like more and more of it. I like the Rothko, McLaughlin, Clyfford Still and especially the James Nares picture. There is something about the shapes, colors and textures that calls out to my soul, not my senses. Thank you for that…