Thank you very much, Rianna!

Rianna of FRANKLY, MY DEAR passed an award on to this blog. It's the 7x7 Link Award.

Thank you so very, very much, Rianna! You know I love your blog - and actually I would love to give you this award, too - but I guess that wouldn't be according to the now following rules:

1. Tell everyone something no one else knows about.

2. Link to one of my posts that I personall think best fits the following categories: Most Beautiful Piece, Most Helpful Piece, Most Popular Piece, Most Controversial Piece, Most Surprisingly Successful Piece, Most Underrated Piece, and Most Pride-worthy Piece.

3.Pass this award on to seven other bloggers. 


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1. Well.. let's see.. Something no one else knows about? I don't think that something like that excists.. Ok - by excluding some persons (e.g. me and my cats): In this very moment my kitchen is a mess - and I am going to wash the dishes as soon as I'll have finished this post.

2. Most Beautiful Piece:

Maybe my Farewell post for Elizabeth Taylor.. 

Most Helpful Piece:

Though I liked the series about the stars who struggled with Breast Cancer - I do no think that this blog is helpful at all - but that might be for my readers to decide. Actually I have regularly the feeling that this blog better should be closed because it's so damn boring and ridiculously dispensable.

Most Popular Piece: 

Due to mentioning (and posting one of) the pictures she did in Playboy magazine my post about Barbara Parkins  is the most popular one here. It has almost 10,500 hits so far.. Thanks to all those lovely guys with one hand in their pants..

Most Controversial Piece:

Frankly, this blog isn't as controversial as I want it to be: I am simply afraid that I could hurt someone's feelings. I dislike many actors and films that are beloved favourites of some of my friends..

Most Surprisingly Successful Piece:

That would be the second favourite of my visitors: The Disney Villainesses..  I guess more people hunting for pictures here..

Most Underrated Piece:

I have wonderful followers who tend to comment on my posts - which is awesome, because it's great to know that people actually read what I post (or at least look at the pictures..). So I was to be frank a bit disappointed when my review of a silent film with the great Anna May Wong -  PICADILLY (1927) - was kind of ignored. But I am almost over that.. So: no problem. It's after all not a that good post, I guess.

Same goes for the review of Ingrid Bergman's only film she did in Germany.. - Well.. Maybe THOSE are controversial posts here..

Most Pride-worthy Piece:

Well.. I think I have three review posts I really, really like:

THE ENFORCER (1951)

A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER (1938)

MARTY (1955)

I'd like to give this award to just five blogs. Blogs which in my opinion are just great - and should be read by many more readers - as I said before I'd love to have Rianna's blog here too - but she already has an award - so here are my five favourites:

Patti of THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THEY USED TO - a great friend writing marvellous reviews. So many and frequently that I am feeling very, very "inferiority complexed" whenever I visit her blog.. We agree on many actors and films - not on all of course. That would be actually quite boring..

DKoren of SIDEWALK CROSSINGS - the moment I visited this blog for the first time and I saw this fabulous header I knew: that's a place to stay. Wonderfully written posts indeed. 

Perfect Number 6 of NO TIME LIKE THE PAST - a cool lady with a heart for all the cool guys and women of the 1960's - and much more.. Her picture posts are just awesome.

Whitney of WE HAVE THE STARS - I love this project of hers: To watch and review the "Oscar-films". Whitney has a wonderfully witty way to write.  I enjoy her posts very, very much.

Sarah of THE WICKER BAR - Sarah had another film blog (CINEMA SPLENDOR) before but decided to move to another (new) blog - where she would discuss also other stuff - and it's great!

Thanks again to Rianna - have a virtual hug, dear! 

Thank you all so very much for listening!

Yours

Irene

“I just get rid of this conceited ass…”

So, let's talk about a film without so much talk: PICCADILLY by E. A. Dupont (1929).

In a nutshell:

Victor Smile (Cyril Ritchard) and Mable Greenfield (Gilda Gray) are the dancing stars of London’s Piccadilly Club. But (after several attempts to flirt with Mable) Victor quits – and Valentine Wilmot (Jameson Thomas) the nightclub’s owner (and Mable’s lover, too) hires Shosho (Anna May Wong) - an ex-dishwasher from the club’s scullery who got fired after a customer (Charles Laughton) had complained about a dirty plate – as Chinese dancer and her friend Jim (King Hou Chang) as musician. Together they cause a sensation. Valentine develops an affection to Shosho – and she is does not mind to be his girlfriend. This causes jealousy – not only Mable is furious but Jim, too. And then Shosho is found dead in her apartment by her friend Bessie (Hannah Jones) ..

Watch out for...

... a certain Welsh actor named Spike Milland who was an extra in the night-club scene. It was his debut film. He later should change his name, receive an Oscar and look like that:

~ yes, it’s Ray Milland! I like him very much – but as I noticed did not talk about him yet. ~

Schmooze:

• Gilda Gray was famous for her dancing of the shimmy. This was her last big role. ~ I could go on and talk about her - but if you like to I am going to do an extra post about her – just leave a comment! If you want me to make post about anyone else do the same.. ~
  
  
• Shosho signs her contract with the characters 黃柳霜, which is actually Anna May Wong's real Chinese name Huáng Liǔshuāng.
  
  
• The German Title is NACHTWELT which means "night-world" and is no actual German word - but it sounds great.. it's full of mystery;")
  
  
  
• Cyril Ritchard is listed as Cyrill Ritchard.
  
  
• Jameson Thomas and Anna May Wong work together again in ELSTREE CALLING (1930).


• The nightclub band is Debroy Somers and His Band.
  
  


• King Hou Chang is listed as "King Ho Chang". He did a total of two films. The other one was SON OF THE GODS (1930).
  

A nodding acquaintance:

• You may know Jameson Thomas as King Westley in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) or as Mr. Semple in MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (1936).
  
  
• In 1960 Cyril Ritchard played Captain Hook/ Mr. Darling in TV film PETER PAN.
  
  
• Hannah Jones worked in several films with Alfred Hitchcock such as in RICH AND STRANGE (1931) and MURDER (1930)
  
  

See the beauty in it:

The lace which Anna May Wong wears in the seduction scene (which is said to be the most sexy scene in silent films) is exquisite. All dresses are made of very beautiful fabrics – and there is a lot glittering in the air.. ;”)

But I got to admit that one of Gilda Gray’s costume looks like she had an accident with Big Bird of SESAME STREET..

Though the US-film poster implies it: Anna May Wong is not doing her dancing topless. Her dancing costume is - well - very minimalistic. ~ I saw bathing costumes made out of more fabrics. ~ And I love her pajamas and the striped sweater she is wearing!

My favourite feature:

The title and credits are set on a bus, which is quite exciting – I like these more than just simple “writing on unicoloured background”.

This is a film for fans of:

• silent dramas
  
  
• Anna May Wong
  
  
• Gilda Gray

• glitter,
  
  
• silk,
  
  
• silent film dancing scenes
  
  
• pearls,
  
  
• stockings with (heavy) runs
  
  
• lace,
  
  
• feathers
  
  
• and 1920ies fashion
  

Quotes corner:

“I wish you wouldn’t behave like that, Victor.”

I really, really like this film. ~ My sister and I are very enthusiastic Anna May Wong fans..~

I love that every inside-shot has an amber colouring and every outside-shot a blue one, while flashbacks are coloured b/w and Anna May Wong’s dance is purple.

Charles Laughton does a quite decadent scene – he reminds me of an roman emperor or something like that.. I like him very much. He was a genius – and married to one of my favourite actresses: Elsa Lanchester.

There is also a scene which shows a black man who is thrown out of a pub just because he danced with a white girl – who (of course) gets into trouble, too– and I love how she is revolting and shouting at the people.

I can not imagine anyone with finger nails like Anna May Wong working in a scullery.. they look dangerous! And yes, there are some scenes which will made you think of Bela Lugosi as DRACULA hiding behind his cape.. ;”) Scenes like that made me think as a child: “Did people really behave like that? The early 20ies century must have been very dramatic!!” ;”)

Actually this is why I love silent films: because of the (sometimes ridiculous) drama of the acting– and I think it is very hard for a real actor not to work with his voice and at the same time to not ham it up and made a comedy of something which is supposed to be a drama. And this is why I think that Jameson Thomas is such a great actor. He is subtle. :”)

“Life goes on.”

The End? Wait and watch!

Yours (very well) and truly,
Frl. Irene