Tie One On Tuesday

 

 

 

We're mad for hatters.

Girl Talk

Lucille Ball in the I Love Lucy episode "The Moustache" (originally aired March 17, 1952)

"When I worked with Katharine Hepburn, decades ago, I was terrified of her -- that voice, her jaw, the whole package. I'm still scared of her!" - Lucille Ball

Katharine Hepburn in Sylvia Scarlett (1935, RKO)

Off to the Races

Lupe Velez in East is West (1930, Universal)

Myrna Loy in The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932, MGM)

Dorothy Lamour (with John Howard) in Disputed Passage (1939, Paramount)

Ona Munson in The Shanghai Gesture (1941, United Artists)

Katharine Hepburn in Dragon Seed (1944, MGM)

Shirley MacLaine in My Geisha (1962, Paramount)

Eleanor Parker (as Marjorie Lawrence) in Interrupted Melody (1955, MGM)

Who's Counting?

"Katharine Hepburn may have had four Oscars, but Walter Brennan had three. The woman's a purseful of mannerisms and gaudy affectation...She doesn't act. She emotes." - Estelle Winwood

A Connecticut Yankee in King Mayer's Court

If we cared a little more about her, we would have realized that today was Katharine Hepburn's birthday, and held off on our carra rirries post for 24 hours. We realize that this borders on blasphemy, but we always found the Great Kate to be something of a silly bore. We're not particularly fans of her celebrated comedies with Spence; she annoys us in The Philadelphia Story (1940) - although one could argue, that's the entire point of her character; and by the time you get to Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) and The Lion in Winter (1968), the tics and mannerisms just about drive us nuts.


The two exceptions to our patented dislike for the Hepburn touch are Bringing Up Baby (1938), where her manic, chatterbox style is tempered by an uncharacteristic femininity, and offset by the brilliance of Howard Hawks, Cary Grant and Asta; and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), where Hepburn gets to sink her teeth and claws into a delicious gorgon of a role. Everything else - eh.

Just the perfect blendship: HEPBURN, CARY GRANT, MAY ROBSON and ASTA in Bringing Up Baby (1938)

The meanest mother of them all: HEPBURN as Violet Venable in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

Like another overrated icon with great cheekbones (no names, please, but initials "G.G."), we will probably never fully understand the mystique of Katharine Hepburn, but respectfully recognize her importance, her legacy, and commit to re-watching at least Stage Door (1937) in order to better appreciate her talents.

KATHARINE HEPBURN
May 12, 1907 - June 29, 2003

The Pearl Buck Stops Here

"The carra rirries are in broom again..."

Collect Them All

The Occidental Tourists

And Baby Makes Three

In case you're wondering what to get your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/partner/spousal equivalent for Valentine's Day next year, apparently, a threesome is all the rage.


Traveling the cocktail circuit on Friday night, I cut a pretty figure in my dark, inky denim; pale blue shirt; navy blue merino zippered vest; cream colored silk velvet blazer; navy, dark green, and orange deco print pocket hank; and handmade wingtips the color of burnished mahogany. Oh, and baby blue and cream cashmere socks. The devil is in the details. Anyway, my purpose was, of course, to seek solace in the arms of another single soul in the city. In my experience, the day before Valentine's Day (or V-Day itself) finds hordes of singles descending upon the watering holes in a last-ditch attempt to get laid, so my chances were pretty good. What I didn't count on was the high ratio of couples out and about, looking for a third. I got propositioned no less than three times (fittingly) by three different couples.


Now, look. I'm not Little Nell from the country. There isn't much that surprises me, and even less that shocks me. But I was slightly taken aback by the sheer number of propositions from couples that evening. On the other hand, attention from one admirer is flattering; attention by two at a time is more flattering, still. And, with the proper lighting and the right cocktail, I suppose they could start to look like Fredric March and Gary Cooper...


At any rate, now that I'm hip to this new trend, consider me for your Valentine's Day gift next year, won't you? Threesomes aren't my thing (as Mary Haines declaims, "I don't enjoy being part of a group, Stephen, even if I am first!"), but hey, we're in a recession, and everyone should pull their weight. I'm less expensive than jewelry, less fattening than chocolate, and stay fresh much longer than flowers. Fredric March and Gary Cooper ringers step to the head of the line.

The Biggest Bitches in Hollywood

Inspired by the recent Divas & Dames Deathmatch over on Planet Fabulon, as well as Boze Hadleigh's indispensible Hollywood Babble-On.



"I don't hate Bette Davis even though the press wants me to. I resent her -- I don't see how she built a career out of a set of mannerisms instead of real acting ability. Take away the pop eyes, the cigarette, and those funny clipped words and what have you got?" - Joan Crawford



"Joan Crawford -- Hollywood's first case of syphillis!" - Bette Davis



"[Barbara Stanwyck]: My favorite American lesbian!" - Clifton Webb

"At the studio, they called her Katharine of Arrogance. Not without reason, as I could tell you -- but why bother? I really have nothing to say about Miss Hepburn which you can print." - Estelle Winwood



"The most beautiful female star in filmdom is Lassie. She transcends all boundaries; she's a totally sincere actress and at once a bitch and man's best friend. With gorgeous hair, yet." - Patsy Kelly

The Carra Rirries Are in Broom Again

TURHAN BEY & KATHARINE HEPBURN IN DRAGON SEED (1944)