Suzy

 Cary Grant

Franchot Tone

Franchot Tone Love Triangles

Franchot Tone was involved in two love triangles in real life, this triangle is a Jean Harlow movie featuring Cary Grant. In this film she falls who falls for Franchot, believing he is a Lord, as he's driving a borrowed Rolls Royce, when she finds out he is not a Lord, she decided to stay with him. 

After he is shot, and she goes to jail, she decides to go to France to find the killer, while there she falls for an airman played by Cary Grant

Another Iconic movie from Jean Harlow

 Riff Raff

Jean Harlow

The Jean Harlow Mystery

The Jean Harlow movie Riff Raff is one of hers I am not expecting to enjoy. Not because of Jean, Spencer Tracy, or Una Merkel. I always enjoy watching them, my issuse is with Mickey Rooney, I have seen him in several films, and never enjoyed the film.

Outside this collection, I have several Jean Harlow films, including her debut in The Public Enemy, a film actress Louise Brooks turned down, but made Jean a star. The Public Enemy is most rememberred for Jimmy Cagney's scene with Mae Clarke, and the grapefruit.

Some people class me as riff raff, as I have no formal qualification, yet I am an award winning writer

Personal Property

 The Jean Harlow Mystery

My Angel

An evening with Svitlana

Several weeksa ago, several mature ladies online tried to claim me, some for friendship, others for sex. The only lady I am interested in is my friend,Svitlana, in Didcot, Oxfordshire. Though some of our chats online can be arousing, this week, I have had serious matters on my mind concerning getting money from the family of a person I knew.

I am concerend about the money, as I feel like a "poor relative" at the moment

Public Enemy

 Labour Lies

My Blonde Bombshell

                                           Is this the end for Labour?

Any person with sense would know the current Labour Party is a public enemy. There has never been a bigger gang of crooks since the days of Tony Blair.

No matter who you are, the Labour Party are the Enemy of the People. They even betrayed the Muslim Brotherhood who Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner "took the knee" for.

Reckless

 Romance in Didcot

The Oxfordshire Romance

I have moved on

I could be classed as reckless, I started a friendship with a lady online, within days of ending another friendship. 

My problem is being an introvert, making contact in person is impossile, mainly because until July, I thought i was unattractive. The two ladies are very different were Svitlana is kind, generous, and caring about us, all Pamela Olsted aka Clara Kent wanted was to scam me.

The truth is I was over Pamela months before I ended the friendship, she had been telling lies for months, once or twice, I can forgive, but for months is beyond forgiveness.

This film with Wiliam Powell, and his wife, Jean Harlow will be only the second film I have seen with Rosalind Russell in.

Another Thin Man

Hollywood Mysteries

William Powell 

Myrna Loy 

The romances of William Powell read like a Thin Man mystery. His first wife was Carole Lombard, but though they loved each other, they were different personalities. He loved her until she died. She went on to marry Clark Gable, and died in a plane crash that haunted both men.

His second wife was Jean Harlow, she died of blood poisoning, probably from the bleach used to keep her blonde hair shining for the camera. Her first husband was Paul Bern, a director who could make a star with one phone call, he died in a way that has never been certified. The official verdict is suicide, in those days, you phoned the studio before the police. Mr. Bern left a cryptic note for his wife of three months, and he also had a wife he'd put in an asylum. Some people think she killed him as a lady like got on a ferry, but didn't get off. Jean died only 5 months after her first husband.

This is another shirt from the Hollywood Mysteries Store.

Bombshell

 All in the family

Jean Harlow

What a choice!

This rom-com has Jean Harlow playing a notorious movie star, who falls in love with a rich man, who has no idea of who she is, or what she does.

Jean puts in a dazzling performance as she tries to hide her family's troubles from her lover. In the cast is also Hattie McDaniel, who played the maid in Gone with the Wind. 

Lee Tracey as her wise-cracking agent is a nuisance as the role has him trying to steal each scene

The Jean Harlow Mystery

 Blonde Bombshell

Jean Harlow DVDs

What a choice

Once I get my finances settled, I am going to treat myself to this Jean Harlow DVD collection.

This selection solves a mystery for me. I was sure I had a copy of her last movie, Saratoga, but couldn't find it. The reason is I had thought of buying this set, which contains Saratago, months ago.

Character is more impressive than beauty

 Hollywood Glamour

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

My Blonde Bombshell

It may appear I have a "thing" for blonde actresses, that is not true. Two of the ladies I consider most attractive in Hollywood, were not blondes, Jane Russell, and Ava Gardner. Then you have Myrna Loy, who was a bit like Kay Francis, beautiful to look at, and dress, but a lightweight actress, unlike Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich , or Mae West. Other non-blondes I enjoy watching include Gina Lollobigida, Paulette Goddard, Carolyn Jones, and Dame Diana Rigg to name a few.

I didn't mention Marilyn Munroe as I have no opinion either way. She was attractive, but I didn't like her films. I didn't mention Brigette Bardot as I didn't enjoy har films, other than Viva Maria with Jeanne Moreau,  I watched the film for Jeanne, more than than Brigette, For me, BB got more attractive as she aged, and the attention was on her, not her breasts. I didn't mention Sophia Loren, there are few men who don't consider her a beauty, even now.

Some people class Audrey Hepburn and Claudia Cardinale as attractive, as they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  I class both as unattractive, and lightweight in acting. Claudia almost caused a film to be shut down - The red tent - there are othes ladies, my list is endless, and the debate over beauty is NEVER ended.

One blonde I can end on is Mamie van Doren, I can only say I heard her name in passing, without using Google, I cannot name a film she was in.

The Diary of a Lost Girl

Early German Cinema

Silent Movies

Louise Brooks

The Diary of a Lost Girl is the second movie Louise Brooks made after leaving Hollywood for the Weimar Cinema of 1920's Germany. It is regarded as a classic of early German cinema. The story is about a young girl who gets pregnant after being raped, but won't name the father. However, a friend finds her diary, in which she names the father, her father, who dismissed a maid for being pregnant by him, tells her to save face she must marry the child's father, but she says she has no feelings for him.

She is thrown out of the house, and ends up in a reform school. After escaping, she is taken in as "a lady of liesure,"  deciding this is not right she decides to teach dance lessons, Louise was a dancer in earlier times. 

The story ends with her marrying the man she loves, inheriting her father's money, and giving it to her sister. She later becomes a govenor on the board of the reform school she was in.

She was told by the film's director, if she returned to Hollywood, she would be like her role, and for many years she was a "kept lady."

Ms. Brooks was her own worst enemy, when she returned to Hollywood, she turned down the opportunity to be the voice of her character in a William Powell movie. Not long after, she turned down the role which made Jean Harlow a star, in the James Cagney film, Public Enemy, after that she vanished.

Iconic Films

 Nightmare Alley

Movie Nights

Film Noir

This film noir movie is about a fairground fortune teller, and shows a side of us, that we cannot avoid.

The story is about how people are judged by their appearance.

I have both version of the film, the 1947 version with Tyrone Power, and the 2021 remake with Cate Blanchett.

The basic storyline is most fortune tellers have a "mark" in the crowd, a person chosen by the teller for the show.

The film is about not breaking rhe Golden Rule of doing a cold call, making a judgement on someone you met a few minutes ago. How many of us do that?

You see a person approaching, and try to judge them, a soft hand means they don't do manual work, a firm handshake usually means a strong personality. NIce clothes means they are paid well, or have money. 

When I was working for Bristol Museum, I met a man who slept on the doorstep of Blaise Castle Musuem, at first glance he didn't look like a typical down-and-out, it turned out a year earlier he had a well-paid job, a wife, and a family. Then things went from bad to worse.

He lost his job, his car, and the wages. After struggling for months, his wife left him, and he lost the house they had lived in. So, he'd gone from running a business to living on handouts in only a year.

I got to know a young lady who had chosen to live on the "fringe" as she found regular life too stressful. She was attractive, polite, friendly, and loving, she had two dogs which were well-fed. One Boxing Day, I went to give her some food, but she'd gone.

The Blue Dahlia

Alan Ladd

Tonight's Iconic film is going to The Blue Dahlia with Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, and William Bendix. The story is one similar to what many G.I.'s found after returning home from WW2, their wives had been having affairs while they were away. In some ways, you cannot blame the lady, as she didn't know if her husband would return, or how long he'd be away, many men came back and couldn't adjust to civilian life after the war.

Hold your man

Jean Harlow

This Jean Harlow and Clark Gable movie is about a lady sent to reformatory, after her boyfriend kills a man in a robbery that goes wrong.

A vexing issue

 Blonde Bombshell

Jean Harlow

My Blonde Bombshell

This morning, I had a mystery to solve. I was trying to think of the name of the blonde actress I was watching on dvd last night, for an hour her name escaped me.

I thought it was either Carole Lombard, or Lana Turner. It could have been Carole as I have seen, and enjoyed several of her films, I wish to see Lana's films, though I haven't seen any yet. I knew it couldn't be Jayne Mansfield, as I haven't seen, nor wish to see her.

The lady in question is Jean Harlow.

All the ladies died tragically, Jean was poisoned, Jean promoted at the "Blonde Bombshell," was a natural redhead, the chemicals used to dye her hair resulted in kidney failure. Carole died in a plane crash on her way to her husband, Clark Gable, worried he was having an affair with Lana Turner, something both denied. Lana was involved in an infamous murder case, the resolution of which is debated to this day. Jayne died in a car crash being trapped under sheets of glass.

Movie NIghts

 Shanghai Express

                                                Film Noir evenings

I'll end the day with the Film Noir, Murder my Sweet starring Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, and Anne Shirley. The film was later released as The Big Sleep

I didn't see a film last night (16th July), so I will see the fim tonight. The Glass Key featuring Alan Ladd, and Veronica Lake.

After the drama of last night, I think my film for tonight will be Man of the World, with Carole Lombard, and William Powell.

They were married not long after this film came otu, though thier marriage lasted only two years, they remained friends until Carol died in a plane crash, William atteded her funeral, in 1942.

I am ending this evening with the Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, and James Stewart film, Wife versus Secretary.

There is a double link to the last film, at the time of their deaths, Caorle Lombard was married to Clark Gable, and Jean Harlow was married to William Powell. Jean was the original "blonde bombshell.

We're not dressing

I shall be honest, this film would have been almost impossible for me to enjoy. A Bing Crosby musical, is one of my least favourite movies, which is why I didn't enjoy the "Road" series, though I can watch Bob Hope films for hours.

I like the comedy of George Burns, and his wife Gracie Allan is a very good singer, all told, I am not a fan of musicals.

Hands across the table

I shall watch "Hands across the table" with Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and silent icon Marie Provost tonight, this is more like a film I could enjoy. I saw Fred in the classic Film Noir, Double Indemnity, with Barbara Stanwyck a few months ago.

This gun for hire

After the glamour and romance of Myrna Loy, Carole Lombard, and Jean Harlow, tonight's addition is the Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake classic, This gun for hire.

China seas

I am ending the evening by watching the Clark Gable - Jean Harlow film, China seas. The lady in the centre is Rosalind Russell, this is the first film with her in I will  have seen

After the Thin Man

Libeled Lady

William Powell and Myrna Loy 

This evening's films will both feature William Powell and Myrna Loy, they lead cast for After the Thin Man, with a young James Stewart in a minor role. After that, I shall watch Libeled Lady where they appear with Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy.

YouTube Premium

Jean Harlow

Black and White Movies

Marlene Dietrich

The main reason I enjoy Black and White movies is the plots are often netter than colour movies, as they can't rely on vast ammounts of colour to cover a weak plot.

Suspense is better portrayed with a sinister blackness, than hiding it under masses of colour, which distract the viewer.

This month, I will re-instate my YouTube Premium account, now I have got over being the victim of a scam. I don't mind some of the adverts, but many are ridiculous, to put it ploitely. 

There are several films I particuarly wish to watch especially Morroco with Marlene Dietrich, and Hells Angels with Jean Harlow

What a choice!

 Jean Harlow

Myrna Loy

In the movie, Wife versus Secretary, the ravishing Myrna Loy plays a wife who is concerned her husband played by Clark Gable is having an affair with his secretary, played by Jean Harlow.

Myrna Loy is recalled as the wife in The Thin Man series with Jean Harlow's husband, William Powell.

Clark Gable's wife, Carol Lombard, died in a plane crash in 1942, one theory is she flew back, instead of catching the train as she thought Clark was having an affair with Lana Turner.

Miss Lombard, and Mr. Powell appeared together in the film My man Godfrey.                     

A rare Feel Good moment

The Missing box set

Jean Harlow collection

In the clear

In a rare feel good momnet, I saved around £40 a few minutes ago.

Next month, to celebtate the end of a time of stuggle, after being scammed by Pamela Olsted. I was going to by a Jean Harloe movie collection, I don't need to, I found I bought the set several weeks ago 😀😀😀