Sponsored by Mineralava

For Rebecca. 

standing there, gazing,
they all thought him a god -
eighty-eight ladies lined up like the keys
of a freshly tuned baby grand;

he was tired of music
(but too gracious to show it).

seventeen weeks of sweating and smiling
and barely a moment alone with his bride...

that night, at the garden,
he crowned one a queen,
the final note in
a minuet of merchandising.



Rudolph Valentino and the Mineralava Tour

Dedicated to Nate and Peg

Two little girls with the Talmadge name,
They were the furthest from being the same -
Drama was Norma, an elegant touch,
Comedy Constance (her nickname was Dutch).
One the sophisticate, a glamorous queen,
the other loved absurdity up on the screen.
Both girls were inseparable - beautiful, smart,
Supported the other's pursuing their art;
Successful yet grounded, with talent most ample,
It's shameful that others don't heed their example.

Norma Talmadge
Constance "Dutch" Talmadge

Help for Haiti

In light of the horrific devastation in Haiti, I'm forgoing this week's poem, and instead am asking my readers to help in any way they can.  Even if you don't have the money, at least spread the word.  The more people we can get involved, the better the chances for all those in need.

The Red Cross:  http://www.redcross.org/

Doctors Without Borders: http://doctorswithoutborders.org/

Yéle Haiti:  http://www.yele.org/


Whatever your beliefs may be...pray for the people of Haiti.

Doctor Monica (1934)

Kay Francis suffers and looks fantastic doing it in this soapy drama about illicit love and its consequences. Yes, Kay dealt with love and loss in every picture, but there was a reason for that: no one did self-sacrifice as well as she did. You know what’s coming from the opening credits yet you still cling to her every word and expression. The ending was a bit too convenient for my taste – if it’d been me I would’ve liked Warren William to squirm a bit more – but it all makes for a pleasant little programmer.

I give this one:

A Discovery

Thanks to Amy Jeanne of It'll Take the Snap Out of Your Garters! for suggesting Dorothy!


Her name was Dorothy Devore,
I'd never heard of her before.
This gifted physical comedienne

Did two-reel work that raised the bar,
she was a WAMPAS Baby Star
of '23, though hardly its doyenne.

When some let others take the brunt,
she never shrunk back from a stunt
(as befit a darling of Al Christie).

Box-office leader in her day;
though dulled with time, I hear her say:
"I was the female Lloyd! How did you miss me?"

Dorothy Devore

Ladies of Leisure (1930)

This picture has Barbara Stanwyck playing her pre-Code forte: the hard-boiled girl with a heart of gold who gets the leading man (in this case, Ralph Graves) by the end of the last reel. My, but Stanwyck could speak volumes with her eyes. Each gaze holds a plethora of emotions almost too fleeting to list…but first and foremost is defiance, white-hot and fierce. She was nobody’s fool, but on the rare occasion that she was...you could see the tumult inside her, the rage against her own heart. A snappy little soaper that is comforting in its predictability, and livened up in spots by the always-wonderful Marie Prevost. Fun Fact: Early directorial work of Frank Capra.

I give this one:

Downstairs (1932)

Oh, to be able to leap through time and plant a big kiss on Jack Gilbert for this one! He is deliciously deviant in this little gem about a chauffeur who leaves discord wherever he works. It’s a shame and true loss to cinema history that he didn’t make a comeback after this film (though, in all honesty, he probably wouldn’t have been well enough to handle it); he is in fine form, strong and handsome with a voice reminiscent of William Powell’s. You will love to hate him! This picture deserves to be known (and shown!) more than it is – and Gilbert deserves accolades for coming up with the storyline. Highly recommended!

I give this one: