Not written on the wind - cheers!

Some people like to have a drink now and then - why not do it in style?

And before you get annoyed: 

I am okay with a few drinks in nice company - getting ratted is disgraceful and disgusting. I am aware that alcoholism is a disease - and I am not advertising drinking heavily.

So after stating that I will go on with this post:

 There is a book which contains not only many great recipes for serveral cocktails but also wonderful pictures from Hollywood classics (of course showing people having or fixing a drink) - and also short summary's of the films and some quotes from it:

HOLLYWOOD COCKTAILS by Tobias Steed and Ben Reed.

 It's a really beautiful book - and though of course the recipes for the most part do: not all the cocktails described in it contain alcohol.

And because some people have trouble to decide at the right point when they had enough to avoid a headache in the morning -

~ Would you still think this is a funny picture when Sean Connery would be of his today's age? ~

-  there is another book I'd like to recommend:

 HOW TO CURE A HANGOVER by Andrew Irving

It contains some really nice recipes and information about alcohol - and also some beautiful (hangover-) pictures from classic films - no summaries of them here - but a few very nice quotes from several persons of diverse "genres".

Anyway:

PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH ALCOHOL.

 Thank you all for listening!

Yours

Irene

Not written on the wind - on Bette Davis

"I'm the nicest goddamn dame that ever lived."

THE GIRL WHO WALKED HOME ALONE (2006) by Charlotte Chandler is the biography of an actress who many people consider the queen of classic Hollywood: Bette Davis.

Actually I have the feeling that you either love her or loathe her – I don’t know any person yet who is completely untouched by her.

To read the book is like listening to a resolute old aunt telling about her life – Charlotte Chandler lets Miss Davis talk a lot by herself – so that there are some “Bette said…” / “Bette told...”bits. Many co-stars and cotemporaries have their say here, too. In the end you’ll get a good picture of this unbelievable energetic, goal-directed and not always diplomatic woman.Charlotte Chandler tries to give an objective view – though the keynote of the book is positive, there are quotes of persons who obviously were no fans of Miss Davis.

Almost every one of her flicks (well – I for one missed THE BRIDE CAME C.O.D with James Cagney..) is combined shortly – and of course there is a filmography in the end. This book is a good one for beginners – I’d like to have learned more about her sister Bobby – well.. who knows.. – maybe there isn’t more to know.. I will go on in my studies.. And of course there are pictures in this book – not so many but a few also including some private photos.

~ Bette with a friend.. ~

While reading this book you will for sure notice Miss Davis absolutely marvelous sense of humor:

“They weren’t the biggest – but they weren’t bad either.”

is no quote about her film parts (as you know: those were the biggest – and even if not she made them the biggest..) but about her breasts…

Honest: I love that woman!!

How couldn't I? A woman saying things like

"I want to die with my high heels on..."

?? ... yay for that!

She was not only an avid animal lover (and all of you who visited this blog before noticed that this is a giant plus in my book) - she was also very (very!) outspoken about her sex life – so after you read this book you’ll know of which English actor she thought while having sex with other men – or “enjoying herself” ... and that she thought Errol Flynn was a bad lover – though she never “tested” that.. (as far as I can tell from reading Errol Flynn’s autobiography: he wasn’t eager to find out her qualities in that relation either..)

~ not in the book - just beautiful.. ~

Oh – and she finally resolves the secret about the famous Bette Davis’ eyes: brown mascara.

But beware! There is at least one risk – while reading the book you could be tempted to do at least one Bette-Davis-film-night. Hm… ….

Thank you for listening,

yours (very well, bookish and) truly

Irene

"Which Esther Williams do you want to hear about?"

Something I got to confess: I like Esther Williams. I like her films - and her amazing smile!! Esther Williams seems to be the personification of optimism.

The movies may not be the best around, but they are really fun to watch - and they brought the money in to make highclass movies. (Don't you ever forget that!!) It is a sort of films that I like to call "Breakfast Movies" because you have not to be all awake to watch them and enjoy them. Just look - don't think about it.

I read her autobiography The Million Dollar Mermaid, which she wrote together with Digby Diehl.

It is great! Miss Williams is really really REALLY outspoken and very honest. She doesn't hide her own faults, which I think is really admirable.

There are 30 pages with pictures in it, some are rare private photos - all black-and-white.

There is a lot juicy stuff to find in this book. Yes, this lady talks about sex - and some great gossip. Read about L. B. Mayer's tantrums, Johnny Weismuller making "advances" to poor Miss Williams and her first acid trip - suggested by Cary Grant! And, yes, you may learn a lot about bathing suits.

• Side effects: You may get the urge to buy an Esther Williams swimsuit - as I did. (I love it!!) and you'll probably will swim a lot more.. :")

I am going to post some reviews about her films. (Not so many but a few.)

And here an Esther Williams quote, to think about:

"We can't all win Olympic medals. Even I never won one."

Well, how about you?