Friday Photos: ObamaNet Edition

The other day Karen and I were walking along La Brea Boulevard when we came upon this giant sculpture of Lenin outside a building owned by Ace Gallery. “Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the Top of Lenin’s Head” is by the Chinese artist brothers Gao Zhen and Gao Qiang. I have no doubt the brothers will claim that this is an ironic comment on postmodern art and politics — yadda, yadda. As far as Karen and I are concerned, it’s an insult to the millions of victims of Communist genocide that was engineered by Lenin.

The only public sculpture of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in America is at Hillsdale College, a bastion of freedom and genuine education.

Studio photographers frequently used sculptures as props when shooting Hollywood stars. Here is the tragic, almost forgotten Mary Nolan  b. Mary Imogene Robertson (1902 – 1948) a gorgeous Ziegfeld girl who shined brightly in silent films. Her best performances are in “West of Zanzibar” (’28) and “Desert Nights” (’29). Incredibly self-destructive, Nolan crashed and burned through a deadly combination of abusive men and narcotics. More about Mary here.

Joan Crawford ponders her place in the history of Western art.

Marilyn embraces Discobolus.

William Powell with a sculpture of William Powell, 1920s.

What is a Friday Photo essay without Brigitte Bardot? This still is from “Contempt” (’63). Directed by Mao cheerleader Jean-Luc Godard, the film is a ghastly piece of, ahem, art. But Bardot turns in a fine performance.

Silent star Corinne Griffith (1898 – 1979) as the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’, the Rolls Royce ornament seen on the hood of their cars, 1925. Griffith did not make the transition to sound. Her voice was painfully nasal. But she did move smoothly and forcefully into the business world. Griffith built an empire in Los Angeles real estate. The Griffith Building in downtown Los Angeles is one of the most frequently used locations for television and movies. Her best film is probably “The DivineLady” 1929.

Hood ornaments were something of an art form until theft made them impractical. Here’s Errol Flynn driving his Packard.

Hollywood stars earned extra income through product endorsements. Call me crazy, but Hedy Lamarr (1914 – 2000) and beer do not seem like a natural match. Hedy earned and lost fortunes with alarming regularity. Thus, she probably grabbed whatever deal she could in order to maintain her lavish lifestyle. In 1991, the 76-year-old actress was charged with shoplifting $21.48 worth of laxative and eye drops from an Eckerd drugstore in Florida. Lamarr was married a jaw-dropping six times, which at least, shows that she believed in the institution. Her very best performance is in “H.M. Pulham Esquire” (1941) in which she plays the oddly named Marvin Miles, an independent woman in the ad world.

I actually remember when this pic was taken. We were in the Catskills for a few days Summer vacation. The swing made me nauseous. A few seconds after my father snapped this pic with a Kodak Brownie, I vomited. I’ve never been a swinging’ type of guy.

But others are. Here’s “The Swing” by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1767, a masterpiece of the Rococo era. We see a young man in the bushes, watching a woman on a swing. She is being pushed by an elderly man, who is, presumably, unaware of the lover. As the lady swings high, she lets the young man peek under her dress while she provocatively kicks off her shoe towards Cupid. Here’s something I learned in a college art history course: French women of the 18th century did not wear underwear.

Did you doubt that I’d be able to continue the peeping tom theme? The great ballet dancer Tamara Toumanova gives Danny Kaye reason to appreciate high art, 1945. Known as “The Black Pearl of the Russian Ballet,” Toumanova was born on a train while her mother was fleeing Russia in search of her husband. Toumanova performed in several Hollywood musicals. She also has a role as a, what else? ballerina, in Hitchcock’s “Torn Curtain”, (’66). (Photo by Peter Stackpole.)

Anita Ekberg passed away last month at the age of 83. A former Miss Sweden, Ekberg achieved immortality in Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita,” (’60). Ekberg was not a great actress. In fact, she skipped most of the acting lessons provided her by Universal. She was a great physique. This photo of Ekberg from the 1950s reveals a fresh, dewy beauty that, in later years, hardened into a sad expressionless mask.

Speaking of masks, here’s a strange photo of Jean Arthur with a mask of her own face. This photo was, no doubt, taken early in her career, when she was inclined to go along with the demands of the studio photographers. Later, when she became a star, her notoriously oppositional personality (probably bi-polar) made photography sessions increasingly problematic.

The original caption to this photo reads: “Training in marksmanship helps girls at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles develop into responsible women. Part of Victory Corps activities.” 1942. There was a time when America understood the importance of the Second Amendment. There was a time when America was not steeped in moral relativism and suicidal pacifism. There was a time when girls and guns was normal.

George Sisler, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb at the first game of the 1924 World Series at Griffith Stadium, October 4, 1924.

On our walk along La Brea, we spotted this stenciled declaration. Said Karen: “There’s no such word as anyways.”

In a used furniture store we found a wonderful chair with strips of finely textured faded colors that brought to mind modernist painting.

Like this work of art. “Saf,” by Morris Louis, magna on canvas, 98 1/2 by 141 inches, 1959.

Jewish women praying at the Kotel, the Western Wall, 1921. When Jordan was in control, access for Jews was extremely limited. After the Six Day War, when Israel liberated and reunited Jerusalem, the Kotel’s plaza was expanded to accommodate thousands.

Maayan and Livia wish all our friends and relatives a lovely and peaceful Shabbat.