Lena and Susan - A Birthday Celebration!

The heavens released two stars of the highest caliber on this day! For the first birth-aversary we have one of my favorite singers, Lena Horne. The woman exuded class with every song that she sang. A minimum of movement was her signature, along with those expressive eyes.



These three photos are from Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall. The episode aired Feb 13, 1964, and featured Lena Horne and Dean Martin. Lena sang the duet, “Every Little Star” with Perry while wearing this outfit.



Even though the quality of this video clip is not stellar, the talent of these three still comes through. Horne eclipses the two males.



The other birth-aversary for today is Susan Hayward, the star of one of my favorite tear-jerking melodramas, “Back Street” (1961). Playing a fashion designer who finds herself as “the other woman,” you can’t help but root for her.



Hayward was able to portray a cool beauty, even with her fiery auburn locks that were perfectly suited for the Technicolor cameras.



“What? It’s my birthday?”  



With a warm, genuine smile, Hayward appealed to both men and women.



They sure don’t make ’em like Lena and Susan anymore!

See more Classic Movie & TV photos at my main website.

Who Gets The Kids?

These two photos are publicity stills from one of my very favorite "weepies," the 1961 version of "Back Street." From the accompanying caption:

SCREEN BROTHER AND SISTER

Tammy Marihugh and Robert Eyer portray the screen youngsters of John Gavin and Vera Miles in "Back Street," the poignant Fannie Hurst story involving a "triangle" between the film's three stars, Susan Hayward, Gavin and Miss Miles. Charles Drake, Virginia Grey, Reginald Gardiner and Miss Marihugh head the strong supporting cast of the Ross Hunter-Carrollton Production filmed in color for release by Universal.

Child actor Robert Eyer was also in "Leave it to Beaver"; he passed away in 2005. Tammy Marihugh is still alive; her other roles included parts in "My Three Sons," "The Twilight Zone," and "Wagon Train." She became an exotic dancer and married bodybuilder Rodney Larson, who she shot in the back after an evening of heavy drinking. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter but given probation as a result of Larson being an abusive husband.



See more Daveland Susan Hayward "Back Street" photos at my main website.

Fashion, Film, and Charleston Garden

Fashion and film have always gone together, especially during the 1950's/1960's. In the glossy 1961 Ross Hunter melodrama, "Back Street," costume designer Jean Louis created a number of sumptuous designs for star Susan Hayward to wear. Her character just happens to be a budding fashion designer. What better excuse to increase the wardrobe budget and have the star wear even MORE amazing dresses? In the first still from the film, Rae Smith (Hayward) is being told by her sister, Janey (Virginia Grey), to move to the big city and let everyone see her talent. Let's zoom in and check out those sketches...do you think she's good enough?



In this scene, Rae shows her assistant how to drape fabric.



The visual highlight of the movie is the fashion show, where Rae gets to show off her new line of clothing, including this bridal ensemble. The woman who buys it turns out to be the alcoholic wife (Vera Miles) of Paul Saxon, the man Rae has been seeing on the side (John Gavin). Saxon also happens to own a number of department stores. Are you following along?



In this publicity shot, John Gavin poses with fashion show models Melissa Weston, Joanne Betsy, Vivianne Porte, & Gertrude Felder. Obviously, Jean Louis had his hands full for this movie.



Here Vera Miles models yet another Jean Louis creation. We don't get to see too much of this gown because she wears it in the scene where she has a car crash. What a waste of a good gown.



How about this fur-trimmed set for Susan Hayward, worn in the scene where Paul Saxon's kids give her the stink-eye at the airport. Those smart little varmints are onto her man-stealing ways!



For "Back Street," Jean Louis received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design in a color film. He was beat out by Irene Sharaff for "West Side Story." Another famous Hollywood designer, Edith Head, was also in the running that year, having been nominated with Walter Plunkett for "Pocketful of Miracles."

In 1955, Edith appeared as herself in yet another fashion show within a film, this time for "Lucy Gallant," starring Jane Wyman as the title character. Naturally, Lucy Gallant is a talented fashion designer. Surprisingly enough, this film received no Oscar nods for its fashion; at least Edith got a nomination that year for another film she did, Hitchcock's "Rear Window." Here's Wyman posing in one of her Edith Head creations for "Lucy Gallant":



Another Head design. That is one large furry purse!



In 1953's "Let's Do It Again," Jean Louis was in charge of outfitting Wyman:



The appeal of putting so much effort into what the female leads wore in these films was because of the appeal it had for women all over America. Just like today, many are influenced by what they see the stars wear. But where would the average American Woman buy her fashion "back in the day"? One option was B. Altman's, a department store that had the foresight to move into the suburbs back in the 1930's. Going to a big city wasn't the only choice anymore for the average housewife. I remember as a little boy accompanying my mother on a few of her trips to the local B. Altman's. Here's a postcard from the New York City store's famous Charleston Garden restaurant and tearoom, which featured a southern plantation façade and murals simulating an outdoor garden...INSIDE the department store. Fashion shows were a staple of the restaurant, allowing women to both eat and shop. What a time-saver!



Here's what Mary, the sender of the postcard, had to say about her visit to the Charleston Garden:



I remember what a treat it was to eat at the St. David's location near Philadelphia with my mother. It was also my introduction to Pink Lemonade! As the years went by and the demographic of B. Altman's aged along with the store, it garnered the nickname "Menopause Manor," as it fell out of fashion with the younger set, closing down in 1989.

Have you ever been influenced to buy an outfit that you saw worn in a film?

See more classic film and television photos on my main website.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Lana Turner—Imitation of Life

"Imitation Of Life" was one of my favorite films that I studied in my genre film class back in my college days. Like any Douglas Sirk movie, there is much more going on than what you see on the surface in this tale of racial segregation. It is based on Fannie Hurst’s tearjerker novel. Lana Turner made a professional and financial comeback with "Imitation," released in 1959. Instead of taking a huge salary, she negotiated for 50% of the films profits, which ended up earning her over $2 million—well before Elizabeth Taylor's "Cleopatra" fiasco. It is everything you'd expect from a Ross Hunter production: glossy, colorful, and dramatic, with the typical classically-inspired musical score by Frank Skinner. Earl Grant did his best Nat King Cole imitation with the title song crooned over the opening credits while a plethora of jewels effortlessly drops behind the titles. Jean Louis designed the sumptuous wardrobe that Lana Turner models throughout the film.



Lana Turner and John Gavin are the romantic leads. Gavin is best known as Sam Loomis, Janet Leigh's boyfriend in "Psycho." Typically, if Rock Hudson wasn't available, Gavin would be the next one chosen for the role. Extremely handsome, he had a successful Hollywood career playing opposite some of film’s most famous leading ladies. Gavin, whose heritage was Irish and Mexican, was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Mexico by President Ronald Reagan.



Don't be fooled by the happy ending, though; Sirk gives more than enough evidence that smooth sailing is definitely not ahead. And yes, I colorized these photos myself. Had to make that green sash "pop"; however, I left the last one alone for purists!



One of my favorite scenes from the movie features a face-off between Lora Meredith (Lana Turner), the aging actress desperate for a break, and Annette (Sandra Gould), secretary to the lusty theatrical agent Alan Loomis (Robert Alda). Lora pretends that she has an appointment with Loomis, but doubting secretary Annette sees nothing penned in the book. Lora covers her tracks by stating that she has just breezed in from Hollywood and that there must be a slip-up. “I hope YOU didn’t slip up!” threatens Meredith with just enough ice behind the sweetness to cause Annette to buzz her boss immediately. Naturally, Lora gets her appointment AND the big break that she had been hoping for! Sandra Gould is best known as the 2nd Gladys Kravitz on “Bewitched.”



Many of the scenes that showed the mother-daughter conflicts between Lora (Turner) and Suzie (Sandra Dee) hit just a little too close to home for Turner’s actual daughter, Cheryl, who commented that even the fluffy pink bedroom looked an awful lot like the real thing.



For the ultimate in tear-jerking, just watch the death scene between Turner & Juanita Moore, who played Turner’s maid, Annie. Turner's acting style is pure MGM: glossy and highly emotional. On the other hand, Moore plays it with quiet restraint and dignity. Moore anchors the scene and keeps it from being ridiculous (despite the Heavenly choir singing in the background). The two actresses had excellent chemistry, making it believable that they were lifelong friends.



See more Lana Turner photos at my main website.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Susan Hayward—Back Street

When it comes to 1960’s tearjerkers, few are as adept at getting the waterworks going as the 1961 Susan Hayward film, “Back Street.” This glossy Technicolor movie was produced by Ross Hunter, who seemed to have the franchise of weepies under lock and key at Universal. Susan never looked better than in this film where she is outfitted in a number of beautiful gowns by Jean Louis. Not surprisingly, the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Color Costume Design. Naturally, Susan's character (Rae Smith) is a fashion designer which shamelessly allows a few extra outfits to be shown to her adoring fans!

I wonder if these were actually Jean Louis’ sketches shown in Hayward’s little bedroom studio:





John Gavin, who also wooed Lana Turner in Hunter’s “Imitation of Life,” is on board to play the perfectly chiseled romantic lead. Vera Miles really hams it up as the alcoholic villainess. Although having an affair with a married man was unacceptable in 1960, Hayward’s indiscretion is allowable because Vera is a nagging boozy mess of a broad! We learn this through her drunken stumble at a fancy-smancy Italian restaurant that puts Gavin, Miles, and Hayward all together in one serendipitous moment: what are the chances??



Hayward shoots Gavin a glance that tells the audience that she sympathizes with his plight and will continue to be his own personal doormat until he can get rid of the shrew.



Frank Skinner’s lush score, freely borrowing from a number of classical pieces, is guaranteed to wring out a few more tears. One of the most emotional scenes is when Rae Smith makes a tearful phone call back home to the family in Nebraska at Thanksgiving after her honey has stood her up again.



And the ending...if you’re not weeping profusely, you might want to check your pulse!



See more Hollywood Movie and TV photos at my main website.