
—Olivia de Havilland

American painter (b. 1854, Philadelphia, d. 1907, New York City)
Tom’s River
1905
Oil on canvas, 59 x 41 cm
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Football Kick, 1938


New York City, for “Vogue” 1949

Number, 34, 1949
Oil and enamel on white paperboard mounted on Masonite
22 × 30 1/2 in
55.9 × 77.5 cm

Kristin Scott Thomas, Toronto, Sept. 1996

“What do dancers think of Fred Astaire? It’s no secret. We hate him. He gives us a complex because he’s too perfect. His perfection is an absurdity. It’s too hard to face. No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business.”
– Mikhail Baryshnikov

Artillerymen, ca. 1893–95 Les artilleurs, ca. 1893–95
Oil on canvas
31 1/8 x 39 inches (79.1 x 98.9 cm)

Iran, 1964


American painter and lithographer (b. 1856, New Haven, d. 1933, New Haven)
The Slate
c. 1895
Oil on canvas, 31 x 24 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Joan Crawford, 1930s

Blue Poles, 1952
Enamel and aluminium paint with glass on canvas
212.1 cm × 488.9 cm (83.5 in × 192.5 in)
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

—Audrey Hepburn on her experiences shooting ‘War and Peace’ (1956)

Gunsmith, 6 Centre Market Place, Manhattan
February 4, 1937
Gelatin silver print 9 5/8 x 7 9/16″ (24.4 x 19.1 cm)


American painter (b. 1848, Clonakilty, d. 1892, New York)
Old Models
1892
Oil on canvas, 138 x 72 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

New York City, 1952

Written by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, D. M. Marshman, Jr.

One: Number 31, 1950
1950
Oil and enamel paint on canvas
8′ 10″ x 17′ 5 5/8″ (269.5 x 530.8 cm)


Olivia is telling you something — when these stars historically break away from their home studios, Bette Davis, Olivia herself, Bogart, and claim to be looking for better projects, what they are looking for is more, and more, money. nothing wrong with that, but it should not be romanticized since quite obviously, the home studio has significantly aided in their fame and success. We should have heard some thanks along the way. All of these people today are chiefly remembered for the work done under contract.
Astair was also an excellent golfer and loved race horses.
Debbie Reynolds had a similar experience with Gene Kelly in “Singin’ in the Rain.”
BTW that quote from Mikhail Baryshnikov is saying something about Astair
Agreed. That quotation was quite the compliment. Of course, it noticeably ignores the amount of practice & rehearsal he put in to get so blithely perfect. As you recall, Swing Time is my favorite of the Astaire/Rogers movies.
Every time I see that scene from Swing Time I think of Ginger Rogers bloody feet from practicing.
Love the Audrey Hepburn quote.
What’s not to love about your lineup this week? Nothing.
I can’t even complain about the Mets jersey Ariel is wearing because he’s so darned cute — and this is coming from a die-hard Cardinals fan!
Have a wonderful Sabbath everyone.