Do you think I care?

 Jean Arthur

Marlene Dietrich

Top Cat

Apparently during the filming of A Foreign Affair, Jean Arthur argued with Marlene Dietrich over scene-stealing.

Let us view the scene, Jean Arthur was a moderately respected actress in the USA, few people can recall her films without Google, even then she is recalled as appearing with somebody. Marlene Dietrich is a name few movie watchers of the 40s - 60s can recall with ease.

In the cinema of the 30s to the 60s, there were few names more known, than Marlene Dietrich

Was she lesbian?

 Was she bi-sexual?

Marlene Dietrich

Is there an age of beauty?

To this day, people have not decided the sexuality of Marlene Dietrich, and the lady never talked about it.

Whatever her sexual preferences were, you cannot deny she was a talented actress, and a beautiful, and alluring lady, even as she got older she could outshine the younger actresses of her era.

A Foreign Affair

 The Marlene Dietrich confusion

My lady friend in Oxfordshire

                                                                        Movie Nights

This Marlene Dietrich movie is about US troops running a black market in Germany,  and fratenizing after WW2. Fratenizing with the "enemy" happens all the time, I knew a man when I was in the Royal Air Force, who married a lady from Ireland, at the time the UK was being terrorised by the IRA.

I knew a sargeant, who married a lady from Malta, and one of my friends in Bristol Museum married a young lady from Korea.

I didn't realise this is the second film I have seen Jean Arthur in, she was also in "The Canary Murder case," with William Powell, and Louise Brooks.

I have had two affairs with foreign ladies, in 2009, I had a relationship with a lady from Canada, she died that year. Two months ago, I began my relationship with my friend, Svitlana, who is from the Ukraine

The Devil is a Woman

Marlene Dietrich

Carole Lombard

Cesar Romero

Tonight's entry in the Iconic Movie collection will be the Marlene Dietrich film, The Devil is a Woman. I hope this is a better film than the other film I saw with Cesar Romeron in, Love before breakfast with Carole Lombard. He many be considered a great Latin lover, but to me, his acting is sickeningly cheesy

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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

Iconic Films

The Hound of the Baskervilles

I doubt there is anyone who hasn't seen, or heard of the Hound of the Baskerville's. It is such an Iconic Film, it has been remixed at least twice in India over the years. I don't know about modern version with the elevated status of movie celebrities, the original was made on Dartmoor.

Dartmoor is also known for the prison which houses the worst criminals in the UK, and yet it is an open prison.

Why is a prison housing the most vicious criminals an "open prison?"

If you recall the film, you need to know the mire to be able to walk across safely; most men are not from the area. One wrong step, and nobody will find you.

The nearest village, Launceston, is 25 miles from the prison; so you could be on the run for hours, and still get nowhere. In all its 220 years, there has only been one successful escape, that was by Frank Mitchell, in the heyday of the Kray Twins. Mitchell known for being a man with a very sort fuse, and his tendency for using an axe was sprung; before he died, Reggie Kray said breaking Mitchell out was his big mistake.

While he was good at his job, his short fuse made Mitchell as much a menace to the gang, as their rivals.

The setting is similar to another iconic film March or Die with Terence Hill, Gene Hackman, and Catherine Deneuve about the French Foreign Legion at the time of the Rif War in Morocco.

Hill's character questions why there are no guards considering most of the men are criminals on the run from the law; to which Gene Hackman's character replies, "There is nothing to stop you. If the desert doesn't get you, the Legion will, if they don't succeed, I will hunt you down."

The Devil is a Woman

Marlene Dietrich

Tonight's movie is The Devil is a Woman starring Marlene Dietrich, also in the cast is the great Latin lover, Cesar Romero. I hope his is as good as he gave in Love before breakfast with Carole Lombard

The Lady Eve

Barbara Stanyck

To end tonight, I saw the Iconic Movie, The Lady Eve, featuring Barbara Stanyck, and Henry Fonda in a comedy romance. My father would turn in his grave if he knew I was watching this, he had a thing against ladies called Barbara.

Md, Stanwyck wasn not only an excellent actress, but a very attractive lady, even towards the end of ehr career

Leni Riefenstahl

 Early German Cinema

Marlene Dietrich

Leni Riefenstahl will be contoversial so long as people live, for her pro-Nazi films. One thing you ccannot take from her, is without her modt modern sports events wouldn't be able to be filmed.

During the Nnuremberg Rally, she developed the idea of a camera on rails, to get seperate viewponts.

While she helped the Nazi cause, lots of others, such as Marlene Dietrich, left  Germany for the USA for various reasons.

The Marlene Dietrich confusion

Hollywood Mysteries

Mae West

Is there an age of beauty?

Last year, I was mystified when one of my orders from Hollywood Mysteries arrived.

The shirt which arrived was a Marlene Dietrich shirt, I was sure I had ordered Mae West. I checked my order, there was no error, the mistake was mine. I had been thinking of buying a set of Mae west dvds, so thought I had ordered a Mae West shirt. I did buy the films later

Marlene Dietrich Selection

 Anna May Wong

Shanghai Express

In my DVD selection, I have a 6-film selection of movies with Marlene Dietrich. I bought the selection as it has Shanghai Express with Anna May Wong, and Destry Rides Again with James Stewart.

Was Maelne, lesbian, or bi-sexual, who knows, but she was beautiful.

Shanghai Express is a story of two women on the run across China, one is running from her political enemies, the other from a failed romance.

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.

Early German Cinema

 Marlene Dietrich

                                                      Weimar Cinema 

Though the Weimar Cinema era didn't last long, it produced some classic movies, not only of its era, but movies that stood the test of time.

One of my favourite horror movies, Nosferatu, was made at the time, though its star, Max Schreck, hated his role as the orignal vampire. Other great films include Fritz Lang's Metropolis, which is scarier with the knowledege that machines are taking over now. Peter Lorre is still scary as the murder in M. It was at this time, a young lady called Marlene Dietrich would rise to fame too.

A not too well-known movie called Pandora's Box starring Louise Brooks also came otu at this time. Ms. Brooks played a role which came to haunt her in life, she was a Hollywood Icon of the "flapper era," at the end of the silent movies, and going into sound. She was told to voice her character in the film, The Canary Murder Case,  with William Powell,but refused, months later her speaking was part was dubbed by another actress. Her refusal caused Paramount to halt her contract, and blacklist her in Hollywood. So she went to Germany, and became an Icon of the Weimar Cinema,

The director of her film told her to change her lifestyle of parties, and long hours of drinking, or she'd end her life like her character Lulu, destitute, and forgotten. Sadly, Louise ignored the warning, and died destitute.

The Diary of a Lost Girl

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."

Pandora's box

Louise Brooks's first silent movie for the Weimar Cinema, could have been written about her. The main character is a lady who has several lovers, even if she only plays with their affections. When the film finished, the director warned her, if she didn't embrace "talkies," she would end up like her character, a "kept woman." 

This warning was ignored as Louise turned roles down, one was being the voice of her character being dubbed to the film of "The Canary Murder case," with William Powell. Another role that damaged her career was the role later played by Jean Harlow in "Public Enemy," a role that made Ms. Harlow a star.