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HOWARD HAWKS

May 7, 2013 by Vickie Lester

I understand Howard Hawks enjoyed talking to young people: And, mentoring talent: “We discovered Bacall was a little girl who, when she becomes insolent, becomes rather attractive. That was the only way you noticed her, because she could do it with a grin. So I said to Bogey, “We are going to try an interesting thing. You are about the most insolent man on the screen and I’m going to make this girl a little more insolent than you are.” […]

Categories: Art, Blogging, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Film, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Los Angeles, Marriage, Memoir, Movies, Photography, Relationships, Story, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: actor, actress, behind the scenes, Beverly Hills, Bogart, BRINGING UP BABY, celebrities, Classic Movies, Cuba, director, directors, fashion, film, film classics, film history, genius, history, Hollywood, Howard Hawks, humor, Infidelity, Lauren Bacall, Los Angeles, Movie Star, Movie stars, movies, Nancy Gross, Old Hollywood, on set, photography, Slim Keith

Gloria Grahame and Humphrey Bogart in Nicholas Ray's IN A LONELY

IN A LONELY PLACE – OR – WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?

April 19, 2013 by Vickie Lester

This was our first post on March 31st, 2012 – I re-posted it in June of the same year, and for some reason, and I know this speaks to a certain pettiness in my soul – I’m putting it up again. As my friend, the fabulous Heidi of NYC – Heidi Gutman Photography – would say – meeee-ow! Word has it the third wife of a blockbuster star is getting the jitters over having signed a pre-nuptial and several nondisclosure […]

Categories: Art, Blogging, Children, Culture, Design, Entertainment, Fiction, Film, Friendship, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Los Angeles, Marriage, Movies, News, Parenting, Photography, Relationships, Short Stories, Story, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: A Lonely Place, actor, actress, airline, attorney, behind the scenes, Beverly Hills, celebrities, Classic Movies, divorce, filed New York, film, gay, Gloria Grahame, history, Hollywood, humor, Humphrey Bogart, Iceland, Los Angeles, marriage, Movie Star, Movie stars, New York, Nicholas Ray, on set, photography, Santana Productions, Xenu

SPLITSVILLE FOR RITA HAYWORTH AND THE ALY KHAN

March 22, 2013 by Vickie Lester

Rita Hayworth announcing her divorce from the Aly Khan at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1951. I think this image says it all concerning celebrity bust ups. Note the sterile neutral setting, the surround of journalists and photographers, the cornered actress — doing what’s required, but it must have felt like a perp walk… There you have it, divorce in the public eye is brutal no matter the circumstances. The same situation (a little less stage managed) a few years […]

Categories: Architecture, Blogging, Culture, Entertainment, fashion, Film, History, Hollywood, law, Life, Los Angeles, Marriage, Movies, Photography, Relationships, Story, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: 1947, 1951, Aly Khan, Beverly Hills Hotel, celebrities, contentious, custody, divorce, ego, journalists, litigation, media, Movie stars, Orson Wells, photographers, press corps, public, public opinion, Rita Hayworth

SO ALIVE – A STORY BY VICKIE LESTER

March 15, 2013 by Vickie Lester

In 1996 Kier Bloomfield got his first sole screen credit as a writer. Granted it was on a low budget, a very low budget movie, that the producers guaranteed would be seen on oil refineries and tuna boats the world over. But, it was a credit and it was his. Toni Todd, the film legend, to whom he owed his fledgling career, had nothing to do with it; as a matter of fact she crinkled her nose at the whole […]

Categories: Architecture, Art, Books, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, Friendship, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Literature, Los Angeles, Movies, Photography, Relationships, Short Stories, Story, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: agent, alcohol, attraction, auditor, bar, Beachwood Canyon, beguiling, book, CAA, celebrity, celebrity hangouts, charlatan, church, climb, crush, devoted, drunk, ecstasy, Elks, Essa Pekka Salonen, film executive, film legend, friend, gay, gossip, handsome, Hollywood, Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood Gossip, Hollywood Royalty, Hollywood sign, i heard it through the grapevine, inside story, low budget movie, martini, Masons, meter, mogul, movie career, Movie stars, musician, Musso and Frank, Musso's, Old Hollywood, orchestra, photo, piano, pictures, rich, scoop, screen credit, screenwriter, secretive, secrets, sexual attraction, sexual identity, steak, studio, studio head, symphony, talent, testosterone, the skinny, true story, writer, young

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT AND THE FIRST OSCAR SWEEP

February 22, 2013 by Vickie Lester

Yes, a really horrible shot of a bunch of people who made motion picture magic… Elected officers and board of directors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on November 15, 1932. Left to right, seated, Al Cohn, B. P. Schulberg, Benjamin Glazer, new vice president; Conrad Nagel, new president; M. C. Levee, retiring president; Fred Niblo, secretary; Irving G. Thalberg, and Frank Capra. Standing, left to right, Max Ree, Oliver H. P. Garrett, John Cromwell, Sam Hardy, […]

Categories: Architecture, Art, Blogging, Books, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Los Angeles, Movies, Photography, Relationships, Short Stories, Story, Theater, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: 1934, actor, actress, based on short story, behind the scenes, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Classic Movies, Claudette Colbert, comedy, director, fashion, film, Frank Capra, history, Hollywood, humor, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, Los Angeles, Movie Star, Movie stars, movies, Night Bus, Old Hollywood, Oscar, photos, Robert Riskin, Samuel Hopkins Adams, screenplay

SWING TIME AND THE INESTIMABLE: HERMES PAN

February 22, 2013 by Vickie Lester

Hermes Pan choreographed everything from “Swing Time” in 1936 to Elizabeth Taylor’s “Cleopatra” (including the spectacle – dancers, warriors, witch doctor’s, elephants, and zebras – that was Cleopatra’s procession into Rome). Pictured above with Ginger Rogers, he was a soft-spoken gregarious man who was loved by his dancers. Recently a biography was completed by John Franceschina, titled: Hermes Pan: The Man Who Danced with Fred Astaire: John Franceschina: 9780199754298: Amazon.com: Books. A fascinating look at a rare talent.

Categories: Uncategorized, Entertainment, Writing, Movies, History, Culture, Books, Architecture, Design, Choreography, Art, fashion, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Photography, Film, Humor, Music, Travel, Theater, Fiction, Story, Relationships, Friendship, Blogging, Truth & Rumors, Life • Tags: Hollywood, Movie stars, gay, actress, history, fashion, actor, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers, SWING TIME, 1936, George Stevens, RKO, dance, book, Hermes Pan, Catholic, HERMES PAN: THE MAN WHO DANCED WITH FRED ASTAIRE, Los Angeles, comedy, film, art deco, Old Hollywood, photos, Classic Movies, choreography, behind the scenes, Grauman's Chinese Theater

IT HAD TO BE YOU…YOU…OR YOU

February 22, 2013 by Vickie Lester

Player? Serial monogamist? Peter Pan? Lothario? Why label? Some people’s libido does not wane with the years. Let’s just say a charming actor confided to me over lunch he absolutely loves women. I’ll say. After dating a cavalcade of beauties, and entering his fifth decade, his ardor remains fierce. While his female contemporaries turn their attentions to their children, he appears to turn his attentions to their daughters. Metaphorically speaking, of course. The new generation of companions have no complaints, […]

Categories: Uncategorized, Entertainment, Writing, Movies, History, Culture, Books, Art, fashion, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Photography, Film, Humor, Theater, Story, Short Stories, Marriage, Relationships, Blogging, Parenting, Truth & Rumors, Life • Tags: Hollywood, Movie stars, player, lothario, serial monogamist, celebrities, actress, history, fashion, actor, on set, film, George Cukor, Old Hollywood, Classic Movies, behind the scenes, Movie Star, photography, humor, Gene Kelly, "Les Girls", Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall, Taina Elg

APPARENTLY VICKIE LESTER IS NOT BUILT FOR SPEED

February 22, 2013 by Vickie Lester

I have two standard replies when presented with a baffling statement. Etiquette and unruffled feathers are very high on my list of social virtues. The responses are “Wow!” and some variation of “Isn’t that true?” For instance, while visiting a friend’s set the other day I was greeted by an actor whom I’ve met several times before. He greeted me with a jocular, “Hiya, Rosie,” (my name is Vickie) and engulfed me in a bear hug. I responded by praising […]

Categories: Art, Blogging, Books, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, Friendship, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Literature, Los Angeles, Movies, Photography, Relationships, Short Stories, Story, Theater, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Uncategorized, Writing • Tags: actor, actress, behind the scenes, bike, celebrities, Classic Movies, fashion, film, history, Hollywood, humor, injury, Los Angeles, Marlon Brando, motor cycle, Movie Star, Movie stars, Old Hollywood, on set, photography, spleen, the other side, virtue, white light

THE INESTIMABLE: BILLY WILDER

February 21, 2013 by Vickie Lester

That’s the director, lurking in the background, with his trademark owl framed spectacles. When I was a tyke my father took me to a retrospective screening at the DGA of SOME LIKE IT HOT – a then elderly Billy Wilder and Tony Curtis presided. The screening was packed and the audience screamed with laughter – including a tiny “yours truly”. Afterward a white haired Mr. Curtis paid a loving tribute to Mr. Wilder and the director himself took questions from […]

Categories: Art, Blogging, Books, Culture, Design, Entertainment, fashion, Fiction, Film, Friendship, History, Hollywood, Humor, Life, Los Angeles, Movies, Parenting, Photography, Relationships, Short Stories, Story, Theater, Travel, Truth & Rumors, Writing • Tags: actor, behind the scenes, Billy Wilder, celebrities, Classic Movies, comedy, design, DGA, director, fashion, father, film, funny, history, Hollywood, humor, Jack Lemmon, Los Angeles, Marilyn Monroe, movie director, Movie Star, Movie stars, Old Hollywood, on set, photography, SOME LIKE IT HOT, Tony Curtis, writer

Orry Kelly, Bernard Newman, Travis Banton, Edith Head, Adrian and Irene

EDITH HEAD – FASHION FOR THE STARS

February 20, 2013 by Vickie Lester

From left to right – Model, Orry Kelly, Bernard Newman, Travis Banton, Edith Head, Adrian, and Irene. With model showing evening gown, 1955: Edith at bat 1957: A fashion show from the “Think Pink” sequence at the premiere of “Funny Face” – model Ginni Adams with Edith Head: Dressing Debbie Reynolds for a benefit, 1960: Hosting a charity event at her home, Casa Ladera, 1967: With Tony Curtis, Anne Baxter and Omar Shariff, 1967: At the Costume Designers Ball with […]

Categories: Uncategorized, Entertainment, Writing, Movies, History, Culture, Books, Design, Art, fashion, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Photography, Film, Travel, Theater, Story, Relationships, Blogging, Baseball, Truth & Rumors, Life • Tags: Hollywood, Movie stars, wardrobe, celebrities, actress, history, fashion, actor, on set, Academy Award, Los Angeles, Costume Designer, Orry-Kelly, studio, charity, Old Hollywood, pictures, photos, Classic Movies, Models, Costume, Adrian, Irene, Bernard Newman, Travis Banton, benefit, tiny, tyrant, arbiter of taste, Edith Head, publicity stills, head of department, FUNNY FACE, behind the scenes

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BEGUILING HOLLYWOOD

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Archives

HOWARD HAWKS

IN A LONELY PLACE – OR – WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?

SPLITSVILLE FOR RITA HAYWORTH AND THE ALY KHAN

SO ALIVE – A STORY BY VICKIE LESTER

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT AND THE FIRST OSCAR SWEEP

SWING TIME AND THE INESTIMABLE: HERMES PAN

IT HAD TO BE YOU…YOU…OR YOU

APPARENTLY VICKIE LESTER IS NOT BUILT FOR SPEED

THE INESTIMABLE: BILLY WILDER

EDITH HEAD – FASHION FOR THE STARS

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