Here are some classic Hollywood New Years images.

Robert J. Avrech: Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Movie fanatic. Helplessly and hopelessly in love with my wife since age nine.
Leaning boards ( also called Slant boards) were invented for Hollywood players to relax between takes. Frequently, the costumes were cut on the bias, and tailored so snugly that the actor could not sit without bursting a ladder of seams. In fact, most of the time, there were no zippers or buttons on the costumes. Actors were stitched into their garments.
When you see Jean Harlow in Dinner at Eight, and marvel at the impeccable fit of the famous white silk gown, be aware that Harlow’s mobility was severely limited. In fact, just breathing was something of a chore.
Remember, classic Hollywood movies were designed to project images of glamour. For the screen, costumes had to be photogenic. Comfort and practicality were of little concern.
These days, leaning boards are still in use, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
[Read more…] about Take #2: The Meaning of Leaning in Hollywood
To read Part I, please click here.
To read Part II, please click here.
Broke, with her second marriage in shambles, and blacklisted by studio boss L.B. Mayer — Esther wouldn’t trade amorous favors for movie roles — Esther Ralston flees to New York in 1939 to rebuild her shattered career.
[Read more…] about Silent Star Esther Ralston: Why Do All My Husbands Want to Kill Me? Part III
This week Seraphic Secret has been preoccupied with, um, stuff. Hence, no time to post about the latest ObamaCare outrage, our government of the pen and by the phone, and of course, John Kerry’s startling and touching discovery of his Jewish ancestry.
Anyhoo.
It is Friday. Time to take a vacation from the weight of history.