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LIZ SMITH: Wednesday Potpourri ...  LIZ SMITH: Stomping Us Senseless ...

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 by Liz Smith "Godzilla" Stomps Us Senseless, And We Love It ... I Thank My "Lucky Stars" ... Charlize and Sean Are Really a Couple. Get Used to It!  “ADVERSITY MAKES men, prosperity makes monsters,” said Victor Hugo. Well, in Hollywood, monsters make prosperity! AS we all know, “Godzilla” decimated the box-office over the weekend, and even pulled in a lot of favorable reviews. Movies like this don’t always depend on reviews, but positive critique is always welcomed. (And most “Godzilla” fanboys seem pleased with director Gareth Edwards' effort.) As an amused admirer of the original 1954 “Godzilla” and some of the other Japanese monster movies of the era — “The H-Man,” “Rodan,” etc. — 2014’s re-tooling is a worthy addition to the genre. There is enough “story” to keep adults alert, and enough chaos and destruction to please children of all ages. (The poor Statue of Liberty is once again battered. That beautiful woman needs to ask for a restraining order!) There wasn’t quite enough of Bryan Cranston to please me, but what he did as an anguished scientist was memorable. And there was even less of the divine Juliette Binoche. But, let’s face it, who were we really sitting in the theater for? The other actors know their lines and don’t bump into the creatures. I saw it in 2-D and it was just fine, Godzilla still seemed to leap out at me. Despite what we sometimes say, movies are still movies and monsters never die! Not enough face time — Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche. SPEAKING of old vs. new, on Sunday on TCM, I caught that patriotic all-star Warner Bros. extravaganza, 1943’s “Thank Your Lucky Stars.” This musical lured every WB star on the lot who could carry a tune (and some who couldn’t!) It is the epic that famously displays Bette Davis croaking out “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old,” and also being tossed around in a frighteningly athletic manner by a WB chorus boy. But even richer are Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino, hamming it up in a ribald vaudeville number ... Errol Flynn hoofing and singing (not bad!) in, appropriately, a pub ... Ann Sheridan, luscious in negligee and a glittery snood, huskily advising a group of startled young maidens that “Love Isn’t Born, It’s Made.” (The subtext of this number seemed to be, “put out, girls, there’s a war on and you’ll be doing your duty!”) ... Alexis Smith dancing and looking like a goddess. (WB really missed the boat building Alexis up properly. As with MGM’s Angela Lansbury, it took Broadway to finally reveal all her talents.) Bette Davis in “Thank Your Lucky Stars.” Olivia de Havilland, George Tobias, and Ida Lupino hamming it up. Errol Flynn hoofing and singing in a pub. Ann Sheridan, luscious in negligee. Alexis Smith looking like a goddess. And, in this movie, there is also the great Oscar-winner Hattie McDaniel, and a troupe of African American singers and dancers performing the controversial “Ice Cold Katie” number. It was controversial then because it had to be cut from prints of the movie shown in the South. It’s controversial today because some find it too stereotypical. But it is the film’s liveliest number. It shows African American men as U.S. soldiers, and the group of women who are berating Ice Cold Katie — ‘cause she won’t marry her Army boyfriend before he ships out — are as finger snapping and “uh-huhing” as any fine-looking no-nonsense ladies today. (“Attitude” is really nothing new!) "Ice Cold Katie" features Hattie MacDaniel and Willie Best. "Katie" is played by Rita Christiani; "The Justice" is played by Jess Lee Brooks. That was all fun. Then, later in the evening, I felt obligated to watch the Billboard Awards. I turned it on just as two young women in cheerleader outfits were running around in front of a frantic screaming crowd. The only fairly discernable lyric sounded like “doodoo.” No, no, no. Later, I saw Katy Perry on top of a giant birthday cake. She looked like she was having a good time. Still, there was too much I didn’t know or couldn’t understand. I gave up and missed the Michael Jackson hologram. And you know what? I didn’t even go to YouTube to see what I’d missed. I knew Michael. Others can acquaint themselves with his hologram. I just “thanked my lucky stars” that I’ve lived as long as I have, can appreciate what was past, a fair amount of what is present and know that I needn’t be ashamed or alarmed I didn’t know who the “doodoo” cheerleaders were. Back in the day, bobby-soxers were Satan's playthings to many of the older generation. And if you don’t know what bobby-soxers are, be modern, like me — Google it! THE LOVE affair of Charlize Theron and Sean Penn continues apace! The goddess and the great actor might seem like an odd couple, but don’t tell them. Don’t tell Sean especially! I was charmed by a recent photograph of the pair at the premiere of Charlize’s new film, “A Million Ways to Die In The West.” There is Charlize, gorgeous in a black lace number, gazing out at the paparazzi. And there is Sean, gazing up at Charlize (she’s a towering girl), looking like a kid who broke into the candy shop and can’t believe his luck. Sweet, really. ENDQUOTE: “So what if it’s ‘Ishtar” in haute couture and a tiara, I can’t wait to see it!” That’s what a friend of mine, a great appreciator of movies so bad they are good, said about the now notorious “Grace of Monaco,” which recently opened the Cannes Film Festival. Oh, it might not be as bad as rumored. And if it is, well — who doesn’t need a good laugh these days?

 

Gayelord Hauser and "Harriet Brown" aka Greta Garbo. Wednesday, May 21, 2014 by Liz Smith Wednesday Potpourri — Garbo ... Jackie ... Betty Hutton ... Peter Dinklage! "THE onLY perfect body I have ever seen was Lana Turner's ... she had it for two weeks in 1947," said famed nutritionist Gayelord Hauser of the MGM star. Lana Turner in "The Postman Always Rings Twice." Greta Garbo and Gayelord Hauser. I AM getting a big kick out of my readers who remember lines and situations and actors from grand movies of the past. (As Jeff Nickora did the above.) And speaking of Gayelord Hauser, we old Sagg Pond dwellers from the Bridgehampton of the past, used to lie in wait on the roof of Lee Bailey's house with our binoculars when we heard that "Harriet Brown" — alias Greta Garbo — was visiting right next door. Carefully concealed, we'd wait and watch silently as Garbo and her health nut friend, Gayelord, walked together by the Pond's edge, en route to the beach and Atlantic Ocean nearby. Her hostess, our neighbor, used to dread Garbo's annual visit because no matter how hot it was, Garbo insisted on no use of air conditioning when she was in residence. RECENT stories about Jackie Kennedy's intimate letters to a priest being auctioned off have shocked those who haven't been keeping up with all things Jackie. There are some “moral” questions, perhaps, attached to a priest being so careless with the correspondence of such a famous person, but the priest himself is dead and the letters are owned by a college. "These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack with Jackie." Click to order. The letters extend from 1950-1963, the year of JFK’s death. (“Effectively an autobiography,” said one party.) Also, if people didn’t have the correspondence of the famous, history would suffer. (Jackie herself burned many of her letters shortly before her death, much to the dismay of some friends and family.) But how much is really “new” in these missives? I wrote last August about abook titled "These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack with Jackie" from Gallery Books, by Christopher Andersen. This is a touching look at how unhappy and then happy the Kennedys were in the White House. We commented then that the book was surprising, touching and full of "gossip," if you will. And it was! The publishers gave it a massive buildup which I feel the book lived up to. So, I don't think there is much "new" that is revealed in Jackie's private letters but they are, of course, germane to history. P.S. Now we hear the sale of the letters might not happen. WE KNOW from recent events around Tina Flaherty's new book "What Jackie Taught Us: Lessons from the Remarkable Life of Jacqueline Kennedy onassis" that people can't get enough Jackie history. Her recent sell out at Barnes & Noble included — in person, her dog named Jackie — barking his approval. And the distinguished Municipal Arts Society is hosting a get together on June 3rd. to celebrate Jackie’s legacy. Meanwhile, at a recent symposium on "What Jackie Taught Us" there was standing room only at the Roosevelt House when Hunter College presented Tina's book. We could have sold 15 times the seats if only we'd had room. Tina holding a copy of "What Jackie Taught Us: Lessons from the Remarkable Life of Jacqueline Kennedy onassis." Click to order. Liz with Malachy McCourt and Tina Flaherty. Photo: Beck Lee. READER David Cuthbert e-mailed to comment on our thoughts about the 1943 musical extravaganza, “Thank Your Lucky Stars.” He wrote that we were correct in thinking Ann Sheridan’s “Love Isn’t Born, It’s Made” was eye-brow raising. “You’re right; Sheridan’s advice to all those sweet young things is pretty audacious, even for war-time.” "Love isn't born, It's made!" Cuthbert also says: “Ice-Cold Katie” is one of the best production numbers in any movie musical. It tells a story, it’s got a crowd of talented performers and the sets and costumes are spectacular. But did you notice the crummy billing Hattie McDaniels gets? And this was after she won her Oscar. Willie Best doesn’t get any billing at all.” (Willie was the soldier pining for the indifferent Katie.) And for fans of this sort of thing, David suggests 1949's “Red, Hot and Blue,” starring Betty Hutton and — of all people — composer Frank Loesser, who wrote Hutton’s songs and also plays a gangster trying to bump her off. Hutton’s over-exuberant style is hard to take for some modern viewers but she was a huge movie star in her day. Bigger even than Judy Garland. (She would actually replace Garland in “Annie Get Your Gun,” but Hutton, like Miss G. had issues. Unlike Judy, after her film career faded, Betty was unable to become the iconic concert performer Judy turned herself into.) ENDQUOTE: “Stabby, stabby stabby sexy sexy sexy!” That’s how “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage summed up the series that has made him a star. He was talking to an interviewer who admitted to the actor that he’s never seen the HBO show. Peter said a bit more, but it can’t be printed. He did keep it brief, however. (After all, how much does a person who’s never seen your work need to know?) There are only three episodes left of this seasons “GOT” and Dinklage will most certainly be up for another Emmy. His trial scene two weeks ago was the clincher. After the “stabby/sexy” ends in three weeks, it’ll be another year before fans find out what’s next for the characters they love or love to hate — if those characters haven’t already been killed off in some gruesome manner. (In Westeros nobody dies peacefully in bed at a ripe old age surrounded by loved ones.) A whole year! Honest, the lords of “GOT” could learn something about torture from the execs at HBO.

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Jan Sterling and Kirk Douglas in “Ace in The Hole.” Thursday, May 15, 2014 by Liz Smith Classic Films ... Classic Mitzi ... Classy Joe Armstrong ... A Slice of Delicious Hamm and an Ageless Marisa Tomei. “WHY DON’T you wash that platinum outta your hair?” That was Kirk Douglas snarling at the underrated, always spectacular Jan Sterling in Billy Wilder’s way-ahead-of-its-time movie “Ace in The Hole.” This tells the grim saga of a man trapped in a mine, in a small town. A fading, arrogant newspaper reporter decides to sensationalize the story, with help from the trapped man’s bored, callous wife (Sterling.) The circus surrounding the agonized, injured miner goes on for days and days. It is perhaps Wilder’s most cynical film — which is quite an accomplishment! — and not a success in its day. Perhaps audiences could not accept the realities of so-called reputable news reporting — getting it in print and on the air and making a name no matter what. (Now we have CNN to remind us every day how unashamed “newsmen” are.) “Ace in The Hole” is out now, newly restored by Criterion Collection DVD, which includes bonus features — interviews with Wilder and Kirk Douglas. The movie was made in 1951, but hasn’t aged a day. SPEAKING of the glut of cable news and way too much information (often about nothing), don’t miss writer Lili Anolik’s article in the new Vanity Fair. Titled “It All Began with O.J.” The piece reminds readers of the events of 1994, when 24-hour cable news was young, and a nation sat transfixed over every aspect of the Nicole Simpson/Ron Goldman murders, the often lunatic trial of O.J. Simpson and the shocking verdict. (Some were happily shocked. Others not so happily.) This is an important read. It takes us to a time of relative innocence, right into today’s culture of complete vulgarity and vacuous news and “entertainment” programming. O. J. Simpson outside his ex-wife's home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. By Bill Nation/Polaris. JON HAMM is on the cover of this issue of VF, looking impossibly handsome in his white tie and tails. The cover asks, “Is There Life After Don Draper?” (His famous “Mad Men” character.) He’s a wonderful actor, but even if I didn’t know this, of course there’s life after Don — just look at the front of Vanity Fair. Hollywood can’t let a guy like this vaporize. (He has a new movie out any second, “Million Dollar Arm.”) THE 4th estate keeps wondering where the “Mayor” of Michaels has gone? Joe Armstrong’s vase of Texas errata has been missing from his table for weeks. Well, we have a photo of the media maven, who now calls himself “Jerusalem Joe,” with two young friends. He writes: “Working 15 hour days with kids, starting at 6 a.m. and at night, just want to put my feet up. In NYC I do charity work on computer. But here the energetic work is so satisfying, it makes my heart soar. I love what I do, especially at this Christian mission in the old city. Next will be the Paul Newman Camp on the Sea of Galilee where we take sick kids who are Christian, Jews, Muslim. They get along great. These children are having the time of their lives. (It’s their parents who hate each other.) It’s my 3rd year and make that 10 years in Connecticut this August. There I am in a log cabin and it’s 24 hours a day caring for the needy children. Coming back to NYC at the end of June.” Joe and friends. BEFORE we forget — one frivolous note from “The Normal Heart” premiere. Marisa Tomei, one of our favorite actresses and humans was there. In a white blouse and black skirt she looked gorgeous and all of 26. Whatever she is doing, she is doing it right! USUALLY WHEN I mention something I’ve watched on Turner Classic movies, it’s — a classic movie. But the other night I saw a 1974 TV special, “Mitzi: A Tribute to the American HouseWife.” It was part of TCM’s salute to Mitzi Gaynor. First of all, the show is in pristine condition. Then there were Mitzi’s co-stars — Ted Knight, Suzanne Pleshette, Jane Withers and a splendidly young and sexy Jerry Orbach. (People forgot, after all his years on “Law & Order,” that Jerry was an accomplished song and dance man.) Mitzi Gaynor in "Les Girls" (1957) And then, Mitzi. This woman — who still performs — had it all. Looks, a gorgeous body and more talent than you could shake a shapely leg at. Somehow, she never quite made it in films, bigtime. 20th Century Fox, her main studio, didn’t know quite how to package this petite dynamo. (Her choicest chance came in Josh Logan’s screen version of “South Pacific.” But although a hit, Gaynor’s career enjoyed little momentum.) Later, she became a giant attraction in nightclubs around the country and on TV. Mitzi Gaynor in “South Pacific.” Even in 1974, this had to have been something of a hoot (Mitzi’s super “soulful” rendition of “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”) But there is some surprisingly effective and sophisticated material, including Sondheim’s “The Little Things You Do Together” from “Company.” And in the middle of it all, Miss Mitzi, in full variety show regalia. one number, that begins with the star enveloped in a mammoth, floating cape is just jaw-dropping. Now, that was entertainment! ASIDE FROM the great reviews and apt remarks, one of my favorite parts of the magazine “Film Comment” is the last page. It’s called “Graphic Detail” by Adrian Curry. He discusses classic poster art. This month Curry saluted the work of France’s Boris Grinsson. The piece includes three examples of his work, one of them from the famous noir film “The Postman Always Rings Twice.” How it differs from American posters is that Grinsson puts Lana in a two-piece bathing suit, embraced hotly by John Garfield. And while Lana does wear a bathing suit in the movie, U.S. artists stayed away from this image. Too hot. But nothing was ever too hot for the French. (Or any of the Europeans who designed poster art. It was always much more provocative than ours.)