Meet Me In My Dressing Room

Before there was MTV's Cribs, there was Woman's Home Companion's March 1947 issue. The magazine featured a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse at celebrity dressing rooms. Can it be that these meticulously decorated dressing rooms were the standard? Two of my favorite spaces belonged to co-stars Margaret O'Brien and Judy Garland. Margaret O'Brien's area looks more like a dollhouse or a whimsical play area with its carousel motif. Judy's is characteristically stylish. Look at how the bright colors of the sophisticated settee complement her lovely red locks! And does she really have time to page through her library while on the job?





In other news, head over to my other blog for a chance to win $500 worth of handpicked (by me) books from my favorite publisher, Chronicle Books. This year, Chronicle Books has extended their Happy Haul-idays contest to include a charitable element, so not only will one lucky blogger (and one of the blog's lucky readers) win a matching set of books, but Chronicle will donate $500 worth of books to a charity of the winner's choice. If you're interested in seeing the books I chose and entering to win my selection, comment on the linked post. And, if you're a blogger, you may want to enter the competition yourself!

I'm Not Being Rude, But...

Simon Cowell stars in The Miracle of the Bells with Frank Sinatra and Valli (detail of movie poster from March 1948 Woman's Home Companion - coincidentally, Fred MacMurray's character is described in the poster as a 'cynic, dreamer, and maker of stars!')

"There was one great part to your movie - it was the end!"

A Dream Come True

Here's a delightful find over at Cary Grant.net! The May 1941 issue of Screen Life Magazine included a beautifully lifelike paper doll set of Mr. Cary Grant. The costumes are from Gunga Din (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940), The Howards Of Virginia (1940), and Penny Serenade (1941). So, get out your cardstock, and start printing out your Star Doll!

M. Hulot's Holiday / Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953)

M. Hulot's Holiday is the perfect summer movie, the exact embodiment of summer set to celluloid. Like a series of snapshots of family vacations, the film radiates humor and a fond nostalgia for holidays past.

The film's picturesque seaside vignettes are juxtaposed with the laugh-out-loud slapstick of Mr. Hulot and all who fall in his path. Just call it 'Monsieur Haricot à la Plage.' The title character is surely the father of our favorite catastrophe-stricken Brit. Mr. Hulot, played brilliantly by Jacques Tati, is a puzzling character. His animated actions are far louder than his words. Like Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, he barely speaks. The character proves to be comically polite and, even more comically, oblivious.


Many of the vignettes center on universal holiday experiences: things going horribly wrong and general misunderstandings. Whether or not Mr. Hulot's presence is accountable for all these disasters isn't clear. Regardless, chaos ensues wherever he goes. Whether he's on the road (a flat tire mistaken for a cemetery's memorial wreath) or in the sea (his snapped-in-half boat causing screams of 'shark!'), nothing goes too smoothly when he's around. You'll just have to watch it yourself to see its 'explosive' ending.


If you're a fan of the earlier slapstick movies, M. Hulot's Holiday will be a favorite of yours. It's the perfect antidote to the big-budget blockbusters of this year, or any year.

M. Hulot's Holiday (1953)
Directed by: Jacques Tati

For more Tati talk, turn to Tativille [full-screen]