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Movie Profiles & Premiums Newsletter Vol.4 #2
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Cliff Aliperti
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Feb 15, 2006 22:36 PST
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Movie Profiles & Premiums Volume 4, Number 2. February 15, 2006
Brought to you by http://www.things-and-other-stuff.com
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This is the plain text version of the newsletter. Read this online in
html format and loaded with pictures of movie collectibles at:
http://things-and-other-stuff.com/issues/movie-newsletter-04-02.htm
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Have Movie Profiles & Premiums dropped into your E-mail inbox--just send
a blank e-mail to:
things-and-other-@topica.com
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Hi all, welcome back. If you haven't been over to the site since last
time I did end up redesigning the home page, as I had mentioned as a
possibility. Hope you like it. I'm hoping it loads a little quicker as
I did away with a couple of images. I also returned to a snazzier
looking three column format with the text centered and important links
around the site on both the left and right. I did away with some
advertising and repositioned the ads that remained, and most obviously
completely overhauled the header appearing on each page. I changed it
over about a week or so ago, and have grown accustomed to it, so there
likely won't be any further changes to the actual design for awhile now.
As for content, well this issue adds both a Myrna Loy profile (by Susan
M. Kelly) and 41-image collectible slideshow. I am aware that these
slideshows are not displaying properly in the Firefox browser, in fact,
and this is because I publish the site using Microsoft FrontPage, I
think it only displays properly in Internet Explorer. I've been looking
for a way to work around this, but I've only run into dead ends on the
FrontPage forums I've visited and have not come across any products to
do what I'd like them to do (render the slideshows properly in all
browsers). I apologize for this -- and hope to fix it in the future,
even if it costs me a few bucks.
There isn't a new Photo ID Page this month, mainly because I have not
come across any new collectibles...which is frustrating. Though I have
run mainly magazine auctions recently, I did add some new movie
collectible auctions on eBay Tuesday night. These are items that I've
had and sold before, but though they may appear familiar to you they are
actually being listed for the first time: there are several fan photos
ranging in size from 5x7 up to 7-1/2 x 9-1/2 and featuring stars such as
Mary Pickford, Colleen Moore, Clara Bow, and a Richard Barthelmess pose
that I haven't seen before. Also the same night I listed a few more
1934 Lux 9x12 Premiums, including three that I had listed previously
which had sold: Jean Harlow, Mae West and Kay Francis. Clark Gable and
Joan Crawford are also listed. I'm expecting some Kromo Gravure cards
sometime soon, and will make mention on the blog when they've been
listed for sale. In lieu of any new Photo ID Guides this issue, we can
always revisit the past and try to stay relevant in doing so:
Page 1 of the Fan Photos Photo ID Page:
http://things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/ephemera/fan-photos-1.htm
1934 Lux 9x12 Premium Photos Photo ID Page:
http://things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/ephemera/1934-lux.htm
And if you're interested in bidding on any of these new items, the
auctions will end next Tuesday night: Go here to view all eBay Auctions:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsascsZ1QQsassZthingsQ2dandQ2dotherQ2dstuff
I had mentioned my blog earlier -- every night that I post new auctions
I give them a little write-up as an announcement over there, which
honestly can get a little boring, so I try to spice things up with some
mini-articles/commentaries every so often. Here are a couple that I
wrote recently:
All Hail the eBay Underbidder! Can We Reward Them?
http://blog.things-and-other-stuff.com/?p=137
and
In Between Shoveling I Shopped at GoAntiques.com on Sunday
http://blog.things-and-other-stuff.com/?p=136
These are the kinds of little paragraphs that I used to include a lot of
over here, but I think it'd be kind of cheesy to cut&paste them over
here when they're already over there. Right?
While I'm dishing out links to relevant material here are the two brand
new Myrna Loy features:
Myrna Loy by Susan M. Kelly:
http://things-and-other-stuff.com/movies/profiles/myrna-loy.htm
(For convenience, I'm also going to place the entire Myrna Loy piece at
the very end of this e-mailed version of the newsletter)
Myrna Loy Movie Collectible Slide Show:
http://things-and-other-stuff.com/collectibles-slide-shows/myrna-loy.htm
Lots of classics released on DVD recently. Some of the ones on my
shopping list include Shadow of a Doubt, Ride the High Country, The Good
Earth, Captains Courageous, and Kitty Foyle. I recently purchased Lust
for Life which came out the same day as the last three mentioned in the
previous sentence. I'll add some comments about it sometime soon on my
Classic DVD List (which has been reworked yet again). An exciting
6-disc collection that's coming soon is The Busby Berkeley Collection to
be released March 21. The collection includes long-awaited DVD releases
of Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933 and 1935, Dames, and 42nd
Street. I'm not even a fan of musicals, but I love pre-code stuff, so
I'm excited to pick up this set when it comes out. It's being issued at
$59.98, though you can pre-order it at Amazon.com for just $41.99 right
now -- usually their pre-order price stays the same until the item has
been released for a week, don't hold me to that though.
Busby Berkeley Collection:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&tag=thingsandothe-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&path=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000E0OE1M%2Fqid%3D1140069392%2Fsr%3D11-1%2Fref%3Dsr_11_1%3Fn%3D130
I just finished reading Book of the Dead by Jamie Russell, which is a
great new (copyright 2005) book about zombie cinema that I'm only
mentioning here because it takes 70 pages before it reaches Night of the
Living Dead. Fans of classic horror will find the first five chapters
interesting as the author traces the invention of the zombie from the
page to Bela Lugosi in White Zombie, through the Poverty Row films of
the 40's and Val Lewton's I Walked With a Zombie. He glosses upon some
50's sci-fi that prominently features the undead and then touches upon
Hammer releases of the 60's before getting to Romero and many of the US
and European releases that followed him. As I said, I only mention it
here because I thought it did a great job featuring the "classics" in a
genre pretty much devoid of generally accepted classics, but if you're
into current horror movies as well then it's a must-buy!
Book of the Dead:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&tag=thingsandothe-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&path=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F1903254337%2Fqid%3D1140070084%2Fsr%3D2-1%2Fref%3Dpd_bbs_b_2_1%3Fs%3Dbooks%26v%3Dglance%26n%3D283155
And that's about it. You can keep in touch with me through the blog or
e-mail until our next issue, scheduled for March 15, which includes an
entry to the Silent Collection by Tammy Stone in my blueprint.
Hopefully a new Photo ID Page as well, but I've got to dig up some new
stuff!
Until then, take care!
--Cliff (PS: the Myrna Loy profile by Susan M. Kelly follows:)
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Myrna Loy by Susan M. Kelly
With auburn hair and striking blue eyes, Myrna Loy looked the part of
the delicate, exquisite beauty, but there was much more to this
extraordinary actress than meets the eye. Overcoming everything from
tremendous typecasting to a difficult transition into the talkies, Myrna
Loy was able to forge one of the longest and most prolific careers in
the annals of Hollywood. Despite her looks, many a producer and
director would come to learn that this was not a woman to be taken
lightly!
Born in Radersburg, Montana on August 2, 1905 to an influential cattle
baron, Myrna Williams learned to overcome hardship at an early age. Her
father died when she just was just 12 years old and Myrna and her family
moved to Los Angeles. It was here, at the Westlake School for Girls,
where young Myrna would first be bitten by the acting bug, appearing in
local stage productions from the age of 15, usually dancing in the
chorus line. During one such production, at the famous Grauman’s
Theater, Myrna was spotted by the wife of Hollywood legend Rudolph
Valentino. Mrs. Valentino was struck by the young girl’s beauty and
talent and managed to pull some strings to get her into motion pictures.
Now calling herself Myrna Loy, she made her film debut in 1925’s “What
Price Beauty?” Her dark good looks led producers to cast her most
frequently as foreign femme fatales. She worked steadily throughout the
rest of the silent era, with performances in such films as “Ben-Hur”
(1926), “The Girl From Chicago” (1927), “A Girl in Every Port” (1928)
and “Noah’s Ark” (1929) among others. She had a brief, non-speaking,
part in the breakthrough film “The Jazz Singer” (1927), but her
transition to talkies was not easy. Her thin, reedy voice hindered her
progress until, with extraordinary determination, she taught herself how
to project for movie microphones. Soon, she was carving out her niche
in the world of talking films.
She continued to find herself cast in many Oriental and Mexican vamp
roles in such films as “The Black Watch” (1929) and “The Mask of Fu
Manchu” (1932), but she also began to break out into “occidental” roles,
although still often cast as a vamp. She worked tirelessly, making
several films each year and soon her resume included such titles as “A
Connecticut Yankee” (1931), “Love Me Tonight” and “Vanity Fair” (1932),
and “The Prizefighter and the Lady” (1933).
Later in 1933, Loy appeared in the stylish mystery melodrama
“Penthouse”. Her performance convinced the brass at MGM to cast her in
their latest venture, as cultured socialite turned detective Nora
Charles opposite William Powell in “The Thin Man” (1934). She and
Powell had an immediate and impeccable chemistry, bringing a marvelous
spin to Dashiell Hammett’s characters Nick and Nora Charles. The film
was a hit and marked Myrna Loy’s ascension to full blown stardom.
She continued to work almost without stopping, appearing in a succession
of box-office hits including “Manhattan Melodrama” (1934), “The Great
Ziegfeld” (1936), “Double Wedding” (1937), “Too Hot to Handle” (1938)
and “I Love You Again” (1940). She would also appear in five separate
sequels to “The Thin Man”, including “Another Thin Man” (1939) and
“Shadow of the Thin Man” (1941).
With America’s entrance into World War II, Loy finally called a halt to
her busy career, removing herself from film work and devoting herself to
Red Cross activities and war bond fundraising. She returned to the
screen just once during the war years, in 1944’s “The Thin Man Goes
Home”, but she resumed acting full time in 1946 and found her popularity
undimmed. By the 1950’s she found herself more interested in politics
than acting and she worked more sporadically, though she never fully
removed herself from the Hollywood spotlight.
Her post WWII performances include a brilliant turn in William Wyler’s
moving “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946). The film documented the
return of three American servicemen after the war and their struggles to
resume the lives they left behind. Loy was magnificent as the loving
wife helping to ease her husband back into civilian life. She appeared
in the last of the Thin Man series, “Song of the Thin Man”, in 1947 and
in 1948 gave one of her greatest comedic performances as the faithful,
yet somewhat bemused wife in “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House”.
She displayed a wonderful chemistry with co-star Cary Grant and very
nearly stole the film with the classic scene where she chooses paint
colors for her new home.
She continued to work fairly steadily through the 50’s in such films as
“Cheaper By The Dozen” (1950), “Belles On Their Toes” (1952) and
“Lonelyhearts” (1958). The parts became fewer and farther between in
the 60’s and the 70’s found her branching out to TV movies and the
theater, where she made her Broadway debut in a revival of “The Women”
in 1973. She appeared in a few more films, including 1978’s “The End”
as Burt Reynolds’ mother and 1980’s “Just Tell Me What You Want” as Alan
King’s long suffering secretary. Her final screen appearance came in
the TV movie “Summer Solstice” (1981), at the tender age of 75.
Having worked tirelessly for over six decades, Myrna Loy had more than
earned a little rest and relaxation. She published her autobiography
“Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming” in 1987 and lived out the rest of her
days in peaceful retirement. In 1991, she received an honorary Academy
Award for “a lifetime’s worth of indelible performances”. A lifetime
indeed - by the time she died, on December 14, 1993, at age 88, she had
appeared in a staggering 129 motion pictures. While fame may not have
come easily for this cattleman’s daughter, once she got a hold of it
there was no letting go. No doubt, her legions of adoring fans are
grateful for her remarkable talent - and tenacity!
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Susan M. Kelly is a freelance writer who lives and works in Dunellen,
New Jersey.
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