—Elizabeth Taylor on playing Cleopatra. Her comment caused outrage in Egypt.
—Richard Burton
Niagara Falls, 2021
Interior with Stove, no date
oil on canvas: 64 X 53 cm
Private Collection
Photo by Harry Warnecke
—Rex Harrison
Carmel Myers (1899 – 1980), the rabbi’s beautiful daughter achieved her greatest successes in silent films where she frequently played wicked women, a personae which bore no resemblance to her private life. In a Hollywood that encouraged assimilation, she never denied she was Jewish. When offered work by Samuel Goldwyn on condition that she change her name, she responded, “Oh, Mr. Goldfish, if my career depends upon my hiding the fact that I was born a Jew, I’d rather not have one.” Her brother Zion, was a talented screenwriter and producer.
Carmen Dell’Orefice and Butterflies, Vogue, 1946
The bird flower is amazing.
The watch is stylistically quite similar to the black version of the Perpetual SC-03 you’ve featured. Very different price tag though.
On the making of Cleopatra, I remember the headlines even though I was 12. Cost overruns over and over. Drama with the directors. Then I read something a few months ago that without the same year release of The Longest Day , 20th Century Fox would have gone bankrupt.
Love the picture of the London Barber.
That is generally thought to be so, but in addition, it brought Darryl Zanuck back to the executive offices at Fox, and to Dick Zanuck and David Brown’s successful regime a few years later.
Robert, I love Myrna Loy but The Thin Man films are silly. ou mentioned Test Pilot, Gable andLoy are lights out. As for tattoos, hating them is enough, no reason required. Not at all the same thing as combing your hair in a duck’s ass and emulating Tony Curtis. The vaseline washes out. Piercing is at the same level, perhaps worse. On the other hand, in our current era, emulating the primitive and simple-minded is in fashion. Could this, not Climate Change be the end of the world? You bet.
Burton is idiotic and somewhat sanctimonious as usual. A guy who sold out for a lot of money by doing just terrible films. Harrison, brilliant and insightful. I did not know Rex, but I did know Milo O’Shea, who toured with him in the 1980 reboot of My Fair Lady and absolutely detested this guy, and Louis Hayward, who was in an acting class in 1929/1930 with Olivier and Harrison, and had a totally opposite point of view, as everyone loved Larry, or claimed to do so, and detested Rex. Hayward had thought Rex honest and funny. Ran into him at the Farmer’s Market pushing a shopping cart. He grabbed Louis and said, more or less, ‘It’s so wonderful, ever since I did the play (My Fair Lady, of course) they have been throwing money at me. Louis liked Rex’s priorities, although he did say to me, about them, that if you are lucky, you can always make money, but never make up for the time you have lost.
Barry:
As always, your inside input is enlightening. My problem with Rex Harrison how limited he was as an actor. He did one thing quite well, which was being Rex Harrison.
My greatest problem with Rex is… Carole Landis.
He took advantage of a deeply vulnerable woman, then cast her aside like trash, which led to her tragic suicide.
I knew a few Hollywood people who had inside knowledge of their affair and they said he was a cold-blooded predator.
Robert, regarding Carole Landis, of course, that was not in the forefront of my thinking, and it should have been. We, Hayward and I were only thinking of Rex as an entertaining personal. As for his limitations, everyone is, and when you are compensated for excellence, most of think that is enough. Who would want Elsa Lanchester as a glamour girl, or Raymond Burr playing Tarzan.
Milo was my father’s best friend and neighbor, and Milo without the Landis scandal thought Rex monstrous.
Correction….most of us…
Five of my favorite stars in one post! I must have done something right this week.
I wonder if that photo of Rex Harrison was taken during the filming of “My Fair Lady?” I ask because the background is a famous Gustave Dore drawing of a workers’ district in London.
I know many people consider “Cleopatra” to be turgid and overblown, but I’ve always loved it. And I’ve come to appreciate Taylor and Burton much more than I used to, though I still find “Virginia Woolf” to be difficult to sit through.
Carmel Myers was wonderful in “Ben-Hur” (the silent one, of course). The composer Carl Davis wrote a beautiful theme for her when he did the soundtrack for the Thames Television screening of the movie.
I must be one of the very few people who doesn’t care for the “Thin Man” series. I honestly can’t say what it is, but the Powell / Loy pairing doesn’t work for me. I’d rather watch her in “The Mask of Fu Manchu.” But I am an odd duck, after all.
A lovely weekend to you and yours, Robert.
Christopher:
Carl Davis is a wonderful composer. In fact, I asked my producer, Edgar J. Scherick, to hire Davis for a film we did together: “The Secret Life of Ian Fleming” (1990). The film is good. Kristen Scott Thomas is amazing in her co-starring role, and Jason Connery is terrific. The entire cast is beyond excellent.
Last time I screened “Cleopatra”, I fell asleep after an hour. Every once in a while I woke up, glimpsed Elizabeth Taylor’s cleavage and stayed awake for a few minutes.
Richard Burton’s best movie performance was as O’Brien in “1984”. He pulls back from his theater methods, and for once uses his sonorous voice in a more controlled register. The performance is restrained and powerful. Otherwise, I find his film work ghastly.
Regarding “The Thin Man” series. I like watching Myrna Loy in, well, anything. But “Thin Man”, especially the earlier films, rely too heavily on Bill Powell’s alcoholism, which I find just sad.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Carmel Myers was a wonderful actress. She wrote a book “Don’t Think About It” (1952) which I have not read. Not yet.
Have a great weekend.
Regarding your grand-daughter — behind those glasses, you can see a sparkle in her eyes and her smile is delightful.
Egypt was a difficult place to live in the 1960’s. In the first half of the decade they had a Jewish woman playing their Queen in the movies theaters. In the second half, they invade their neighbors and get their butts handed to them on a silver platter.
I first fell in love with Myrna Loy in The Thin Man series.I loved her witty banter with William Powell and I was always mesmerized by her face. But, as this week’s photo reveals, she was not going to win a sweater contests against the likes of Jayne Mansfield or Marilyn Monroe. The 1920’s and 30’s (slinky) fashions seemed to prefer the slim-built woman over the full-figured woman. Somewhere in the ’40’s and ’50’s we see the transition to the bosomy blond.
I’m sure the watch is nice. I’ve always heard about the quality of the brand, but $1.2 million for a watch with no 3, 6, or 9? I feel like I’m being cheated!
I love the Alfa Romeo and the Art Nouveau building — apparently Belgium had a love of the style.
I love Burton’s quote. I’m not sure I entirely understand Rex Harrison’s quote.
Rick’s photo is a beautiful composition, but it is perhaps the gloomiest photo of his that I’ve seen!
I was going to say that Carmel Myers was well before my time, but I do remember seeing Won Ton Ton. . . in the 70’s. Kudos to her for the courage of her convictions.
I’ve seen the Irving Penn photo before and I still don’t get it.
Regarding the whole dog collar fad. Each generation has their own “thing” in fashion and style. I’m just glad I was young before the piercing/tattoo phase became popular. While I can appreciate the artistic talents of the tattoo artists, I can never fully appreciate the results. I am reminded of a temple being defaced by graffiti.
Have a wonderful weekend!
PJ:
Grand daughter Livia also has a great laugh. During Succos she was telling us a funny story, but it was so funny she just giggled uncontrollably. Didn’t hear the story, just the laugh, which was hilarious.
I hate tattoos.
I see them as a sign of the decline of this civilization, where pagan signs and symbols, tattoos and piercings, replace religious rituals.
Have a wonderful weekend.