Seraphic Secret

Robert J. Avrech: Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Movie fanatic. Helplessly and hopelessly in love with my wife since age nine.

Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

by 6 Comments

“Taking joy in living is a woman’s best cosmetic.”
—Rosalind Russell

“Borgund Stave Church [in Norway] was built sometime between 1180 and 1250 AD with later additions and restorations. Its walls are formed by vertical wooden boards, or staves, hence the name “stave church.” The four corner posts are connected to one another by ground sills, resting on a stone foundation. The intervening staves rise from the ground sills; each is tongued and grooved, to interlock with its neighbors and form a sturdy wall.” More here.
Fred Lyon
Novelty Shop, San Francisco, 1947

 

French poster for Little Caesar, 1931

 

“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.“
—Audrey Hepburn

 

William Blake (1757–1827)
Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab
1795
Fresco print, finished with additional watercolor

 

Frédéric Brenner
Beta Israel Ethiopian Jews, Showada, Simens Mountains, Ethiopia 1983

 

The Omega Petrograd 1915 is a modern reissue of a wrist watch sold only in pre Bolshevik Russia. It can be found on the pre-owned market.

 

 

Erich Lessing
Poland, 1956

 

Photo by Evelyn Hofer

 

“If someone’s dumb enough to offer me a million dollars to make a picture, I’m certainly not dumb enough to turn it down.“
—Elizabeth Taylor

 

The 1969 Shelby GT 500 is a work of art in steel, an iconic American muscle car. 
I highly recommend Ford vs. Ferrari. It’s a wonderful film with great performances and an outstanding script. Director James Mangold pulls it all together with a keen eye for the beauty of steel and speed and a nice feel for the a particular American genius which marries anarchic individualism to corporate culture.

 

 

Ann-Margaret and Los Angeles Angels pitcher Bo Belinsky go for a spin in his new Cadillac convertible, May, 1962.

 

Agnolo Bronzino (1503–1572) 
Portrait of Bianca de’ Medici (1536-1542), illegitimate daughter of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, circa 1545
oil on panel: Height: 58 cm (22.8″); Width: 46.5 cm (18.3″)

 

Larry Towell
Young Mennonite Women Fleeing a Cloud of Dust, Durango, Mexico, 1994

 

Page showing a man holding maror (bitter herbs), illustrating the text ‘This maror which we eat…’ in the exquisite Lombard Haggadah (c. 1390–1400), circle of Giovannino de Grassi (Master of the Paris Tacuinum?), Milan

 

Finn (Pinchas Tzvi) wishes all our friends and relatives a lovely and virus-free Shabbat.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. My dental hygienist in California was an Ethiopian Jew who was rescued as a child by Israelis and grew up in Israel. She visits Israel every year with her (white) Jewish husband. We spent considerable time talking about black American racism. She told me she has gotten hate stares from black women when she is out with her husband. They live in Irvine, where the average house is over 1 $ million and still hate stares. We talked about the fact that the medical students I taught from other countries had none of the pathology of American blacks, even though they were in medical school.

    I remember the Reventlow Scarab. Reventlow was only 36 when he was killed in a plane crash.

  3. That is a beautiful watch, but I’m afraid it’s out of my price range!

    And I don’t think Audrey Hepburn was capable of taking a bad picture.

    Speaking of Taylor and a million dollars, here’s a story I once read – after she had signed on to “Cleopatra,” a couple of agents were discussing the contract when Buddy Hackett passed by their table. One of the agents asked, “Hey, Buddy, would you give Liz Taylor a million bucks to make a movie?”

    “Naw,” Hackett replied, “I’d offer ten grand.”

    “Ten grand?” the agent gasped.

    “Sure,” Hackett laughed. “Because she’d tell me to kiss her ass, and that’s all I want, anyway!”

    Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

  4. Wow… several excellent photos today, Robert. Good job!

    I looked at the Rosalind Russell photo and thought something seemed out of place, then I realized she is standing inside the bumper of the car – and I love the bumper. Can anyone identify the car?

    I love the Novelty Shop photo. I am wondering what the banner/signage says above the #35 address to the left side.

    The watch is really cool and for $6-8K not too expensive, although I find the numerals difficult to read.

    The Shelby Mustang is a classic. In the 70’s I had a classmate who owned one of these — black with gold trim.

    The Lessing photo is cute. He is focused on the game and she seems to be focused on him.

    I like the composition of the Hofer shooting gallery photo (does anyone know the location?) and the Elizabeth Taylor photo.

    Have a wonderful Sabbath and stay safe everyone!

    • That Hofer photo makes me think of one of my favorite movies, “Inside Daisy Clover,” and the opening scenes. That movie always seemed to me to be two movies that were combined somehow.

  5. I think Audrey Hepburn‘s dog’s name was Mr. fabulous

    Beautiful pictures as always

    I too love the movie Ford versus Ferrari and it pretty much told the true story.

    Although I saw an appearance of an older man with the name tag Phil and had to quietly laugh.

    Phil Remington was the engineer that made the cobra work and the GT 40 work.

    Carroll Shelby said he could not have been the success he was without him.

    The movie was about the friendship of Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles.

    A bit of trivia: Lance Raventhow (sp) for a time in the 50s had a magnificent race car called the scarab. He decided to get out of the racing business in the early 60s and the building in Venice on Princeton Drive was his scarab factory.

    Carroll Shelby bought the factory and Phil Remington who worked for Lance stayed with Carroll.

    Correction: Audrey’s dog was Mr. famous

Leave a Reply