MY FAVORITE ACTRESSES

How about Joan Crawford, who was good when she was young (above, topmost) but who morphed into a complete genius in middle age (above). How do you like this combination of a slip, a near-unibrow, and an aesome awning-stripe background?

I sneaked this (above) in after I got comments reminding me that I left out Garbo. I should be flogged for that because I love Garbo. Amazingly, I didn't always feel that way. Before two or three years ago I used to wonder what all the fuss was about. What turned me around was that I finally got hold of a good print of "Grand Hotel." Watch that, "Anna Christie" and "Romance" and you'll see for yourself why she was so special. She's one of the queens of sentimental over-the-top.

And let us not forget Madeline Kahn who was brilliant as Eunice in "What's Up, Doc?"

Imogene Coca (above, spelled right this time), the wonderful partner of Sid Ceasar in the 50s!

Come on, no screen witch matched Margaret Hamilton, though the woman who did the voice of the hag in Disney's "Snow White" wasn't shabby.

Hamilton played a pretty good biddie, too.

What about Edna May Oliver (above) who was so good in "David Copperfield"?

Then there's women like Bette Davis, Margaret Rutherford, and the like. This would be a long list if I wasn't so sleepy.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT

My preferred Christmas present this year (for people who don't have it) is once again this must-read book, "The Essence of Style" by Joan DeJean." It's ostensibly a book about fashion but it's really about politics, in fact it's one of the the very best books on politics I've ever read! Don't ask if it favors the Republicans or the Democrats; that's beside the point. The book says that politics is about aggressively bringing prosperity and jobs to one's own city or country. Let me explain.

According to DeJean, Louis XIV dedicated his reign to making France the pre-eminent economic power in 17th century Europe. One by one he targeted the trades that interested him and gave gifted people the power to make improvements happen. The king took a personal interest in these projects and rewarded people who delivered the goods with knighthood. He demanded results. He said in effect, "Do what you have to do to win. I'll back you up 100%."

The king was not above bribing skilled foreigners to leave their guilds and take up residence in France. He even had one of them kidnapped! Other nations didn't like to lose their skilled workers and would threaten to imprison or even kill these workers if they tried to leave. Undeterred, Louis sent gangs of soldiers dressed as civilians to smuggle these workers out. Once in France they were showered with money and privileges. Some of them were invited to live in the palace and were given titles.

Louis didn't stand idly by while all this happened. He was full of innovative ideas himself. He invented shopping and he lit up Paris with candles and oil lamps at night to prolong shopping hours and stimulate night life in cafes and theaters. When parts of Paris dragged their feet and were slow to rebuild to attract visitors, he set up tent cities where merchants could sell. The guy was a powerhouse of energy!

My favorite story in the book is one where Louis claimed at court that French shoemakers were the best in the world, so good that they could make seamless leather boots. He said he was wearing a pair that very moment. Of course, he was king, and no one had the nerve to ask for proof. All over Europe the foreign shoemakers instantly suffered a lowering of status since none of them knew how to make seamless boots. He'd used the same kind of tricks to promote French agriculture. He even convinced people to pay big prices for champagne, which was formerly considered an inferior wine, plagued with excessive gasification.

If I could afford it, I'd send everyone in Congress a copy of this book.

HARLOW'S "RECKLESS"

The other day I saw Jean Harlow's "Reckless" on Turner. It's not a great film, and I'm not a fan of Harlow, but she, or rather the girl who sang in her place, did a great job on the prelude to the title song. It's a nifty piece of work that deserves to be recognized. Here's the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein:


Harlow: "What'll you ever BE?"

"What'll you ever DO?"

"How will you ever KNOW if you don't take a chance!?"


Girl Chorus: "You have got-to-get-ONE...SWEET...TASTE..."


Harlow: "I'm gonna LIVE long,

LEARN a lot,

I'll light my candle,

and I'll BURN a lot!"


Girl Chorus: "You'll have your BEST shocks,

HARD knocks..."



Harlow: "I'm on my OWN if I bruise!"


Girl Chorus: "And they'll be SMART TEARS,

JUST TEARS!"


Harlow: "And I can take it on the CHIN if I lose,

because I'm RECKLESS!!!"


Girl Chorus: "Because she's reckless..."


Harlow: "RECKLESS!"


Girl Chorus: "Because she's reckless..."


Harlow: "I'm gonna GO PLACES and LOOK LIFE IN THE FACE!!!!"


Astonishing genius! I love the rhetorical structure of the piece, and the contrast between the earthy, almost masculine voice of the singer, and the feminine voices in the choir. Never skimp on the choir. Without them (or a good instrumental or spoken poem) there's no contrast.

It's a pity that so many arrangements don't adequately set up the song. You have to prime a song, just like a pump. The song needs something to bounce off of, and that something has to be major entertainment in its own right, independent of the song. In the case of "Reckless" the primer overshadows the song, and that's OK. I would never cripple a really good primer, whether in music or animation, just to make the mediocre subsequent statement a little less offensive.

I'M NOT DEAD!!!!!!!

I'm not dead, I'm just super busy!!!! Man, Christmas is a bear, isn't it?!!! I'll try to post something later today!

MARIO LANZA

I have a rough deadline to meet tomorrow so I can't do a really first-rate post. How about a really good second-rate post?...second-rate only because I can't take the time to comment on it...Mario Lanza singing "Be My Love." Boy, he really belts this out! If I've posted this before then forgive me, but I doubt many will mind hearing it a second time.





Here's (above) a song that used to be sung at weddings. It starts mild then Mario goes into turbo mode the way Caruso used to do.

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CD

My favorite Christmas CD? That's easy: "The Christmas Album," shown above. One thing that's striking about it: every song is sung with conviction. No irony, no condescension, just the straight dope. I also like the idea that some of the songs come from the mono era, and that artists include off-the-wall choices like The Associated Glee Clubs of America, and the De Paur Infantry Chorus.

While I'm at it, I think I'll put up my list of definitive versions of Christmas songs. Here goes:

First Noel: Mario Lanza (45rpm version only, not the one on his Christmas album).

Jingle Bells: The Chipmunks

Cherry Tree Carol: Beers family

Watts Nativity: Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Mono)

O Holy Night: Mahalia Jackson

Silver Bells: Johnny Mathis

Blue Christmas: Elvis

White Christmas: Bing

Rudolph: Autry

This list leaves out a lot, most notably "Silent Night." That's because those songs are done well in several versions and no one version stands out as the best.

Favorite Christmas albums include ones by King's College (the early ones), Mathis, Jackson, the Chipmunks (only the one with Jingle bells is commendable), Nat King Cole and a bargain audio cassette: "Music Box Christmas." Come to think of it, there's a great CD containing songs and recitations by Hollywood stars of the 40s...I just can't think of the name.

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A NEW CARICATURE!

Boy, you have to have thick skin to be a caricature subject for John! Here I am on a restaurant napkin, sharing the space with a starfish, a screaming girl, and a puppet profile.

If you're curious to see what doodles were on the other side, then here you go!