Seraphic Secret

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

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Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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“The boy's got a lot to learn and I've got a lot to teach.” —Barbara Stanwyck when first meeting future husband Robert Taylor.
“The boy’s got a lot to learn and I’ve got a lot to teach.”
—Barbara Stanwyck upon first meeting Robert Taylor.

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Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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“How does it happen that something that makes so much sense in the moonlight doesn't make any sense at all in the sunlight?” —Lana Turner
“How does it happen that something that makes so much sense in the moonlight doesn’t make any sense at all in the sunlight?”
—Lana Turner

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Friday Photos: True Hollywood Confessions

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“I never said 'I want to be alone.' I only said 'I want to be left alone.' There is a world of difference.” —Greta Garbo
“I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said, ‘I want to be left alone.’ There is a world of difference.”
—Greta Garbo

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Friday Photos: Welcome to the New La-La Land

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“Paul Newman, Jim [Garner], and Steve and I went to the races at Riverside. On our way home, the men became annoyed because I had insisted on stopping at the next service station rest room. They had hoped to beat the traffic home. When they did stop I discovered to my dismay that there was a long line of women ahead of me. Unable to stand the delay any longer, I came up with a brilliant idea. I said to the girls standing there, ‘Hey, do you know there’s a car full of movie stars around the bend?’ 'Who?’ they cried in unison, 'Why, there’s Steve McQueen, there’s Paul Newman, and there’s James Garner!’ The girls looked at each other and ran like crazy, leaving me in sole possession of the facilities. I never did tell the fellas how a swarm of females suddenly discovered them!” -Neile Adams (Mrs. Steve McQueen)
“Paul Newman, Jim [Garner], and Steve and I went to the races at Riverside. On our way home, the men became annoyed because I had insisted on stopping at the next service station rest room. They had hoped to beat the traffic home. When they did stop I discovered to my dismay that there was a long line of women ahead of me. Unable to stand the delay any longer, I came up with a brilliant idea. I said to the girls standing there, ‘Hey, do you know there’s a car full of movie stars around the bend?’
‘Who?’ they cried in unison, ‘Why, there’s Steve McQueen, there’s Paul Newman, and there’s James Garner!’ The girls looked at each other and ran like crazy, leaving me in sole possession of the facilities. I never did tell the fellas how a swarm of females suddenly discovered them!”
-Neile Adams (Mrs. Steve McQueen)

Hollywood was once the dream capital of the world. Movies peddled glamour and fantasy. This was La-La Land where outrageous plots and larger than life characters allowed audiences to construct alternate realities — entertainment.

But La-La Land has relocated.

On Wednesday, President Obama delivered the commencement address at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. The mission of the Coast Guard is to protect America’s coasts. But according to this Commander-in-Chief the real threat to America comes not from enemies attacking the homeland, but from so-called global freezing/global warming/climate change — whatever they’re calling the weather this week.

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Friday Photos: Passover, Time to Remember the Future

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The world knows her as Lizabeth Scott, (1922 - 2015) the husky-voiced femme fatale and noir babe. But she was born Emma Matzo of Scranton Pa. Her best film is “Dead Reckoning” ('47).
Movie lovers know her as Lizabeth Scott, (1922 – 2015) the husky-voiced femme fatale and noir babe of the 40s and 50s. But she was born Emma Matzo of Scranton Pa. Her best film is “Dead Reckoning” (’47).

Jewish holidays do not simply recall the past. Jewish holidays are cautionary tales for all time. They remind us that Jewish history repeats itself with terrible constancy.

The Jewish people introduced ethical monotheism to the world — and for this gift the world has never forgiven us.

Thus, we are despised and demonized.

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