A Little Light Reading....

 Since me and Irene love to read, I thought this would make a nice little post with some
 classic movie stars doing a little light reading...


Clark thinking "since I got the part, maybe I need to find out more about Rhett Butler"


Marilyn even reads sexy...

Vivian Vance having a good time reading the funnies

Olivia is like "Huh? I don't get it"

Jean Harlow smiling and reading

Joan Crawford reading to her little dog..how cute

"That's no good - ladies bruise too easy."

Basing on Vladimir Pozner’s (please, do not mix up with equally named Russian spy!) story, which was released in September and October 1945 in “Good Housekeeping” Nunnally Johnson wrote and produced a film under the same title, which became a box-office hit in 1946 and was directed by Robert Siodmak: THE DARK MIRROR.

In a nutshell:

Dr. Perada was murdered. Several witnesses saw Terry Collins (Olivia de Havilland) at that certain time near the crime scene. An easy case for Lieutenant Stevenson (Thomas Mitchell). But Terry has an alibi – and a sister: Ruth (Olivia de Havilland), a twin sister. Both occasionally switch roles. So, which one is the murderess? Maybe psychiatrist Scott Elliott (Lew Ayres) can be a help. The trouble with him: he’s going to fall for one of the sisters.

Schmooze:

• Lew Ayres stared as DR. KILDARE in 9 films of the film series of the same name. He became famous as an actor when he played the lead in ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930). He was married to Ginger Rogers from 1934 to 1940.
  
  
• The story received a nomination for an Acadamy award.
  
  
• For radio-afficionados: there are some radio productions - with Olivia de Havilland (1950) and with Lew Ayres (1948) and one with both of them in THE HEDDA HOPPER SHOW - THIS IS HOLLYWOOD (1947)...
  
  
• In 1984 there was made a remake for television starring Jane Seymour as the twin sisters.
  
  
• Olivia de Havilland stated years later that the part of the mean twin sister still haunted her.
  
  
• Though in credits only mentioned as technical adviser Eugen Schüfftan – who was a legendary cameraman and special effects specialist - did a great job and mixed several trick shots and added back projection so that Olivia de Havilland often acts in front of a screen on which runs a shot of herself as "her" twin sister.

A nodding acquaintance:

• You may remember Richard Long (here: Rusty, the bellboy) from Orson Welles’ THE STRANGER (1946).
  
  
• Thomas Mitchell might be best-known as uncle Billy in Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946) or Gerald O'Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939). I like him very much as Diz Moore in MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939).
  
  
  

Celebrate the celluloid

Nibble some lemon drops! :”)

Sight-read

The soundtrack was composed by Dimitri Tiomkin, who also wrote "Do not forsake me, oh my darlin" for HIGH NOON (1952) – I bet you know that one!

See the beauty in it

The costumes were designed by Irene Sharaff – and some of them are really marvelous. There is a pair of blouses with ruching which is not quite my style – but Olivia de Havillands wardrobe in this film is heaven for any forties fashion addict.

Quotes Corner

“He’s a very smart guy for a college man.”

This film is awesome because of its technique. You seldom can spot errors. Olivia de Havilland is doing a fabulous job – well, she is always, isn’t she? - Of course the good sister is the one, who is more the type of a modest housewife and the bad one is the self-confident sister. No wonder: The war was over and women should leave the factories and go back to home. (Bye bye to Rosie the Riveter!) I have nothing against women staying at home and caring for husband and kids - but I think everyone/everywoman should be able to decide for herself and not feel guilty because they do not want to marry and/or raise children. -

So I recommend this film to every fan of Olivia de Havilland and everyone who is interested in trick technique and ask every viewer to take the characterization of the “better” sister not as the proof of “good” woman. There's a wide range of awesome women out there.. ;”)

“I never listened to such utterly nonsense in all my live.”

The End? Wait and watch!

Yours (well and) truly,

Frl. Irene Palfy

When there are more sick ones than well ones, the sick ones will lock the well ones up

One of the best novels I've ever read became one of the best movies I ever saw : The Snake Pit by Mary Jane Ward. (1946)

Virginia, a young women, finds herself in an asylum. The knack of the novel is that the main character isn't aware of her condition and sometimes not even knows who the surrounding people are and if they are, who they claim to be. Virginia goes through serveral wards and has to go through miscellaneous treatments.

This story is generaly written in observant view, but changes every now and then into first person. There are leaps in time because the main character has
black outs, too.

The book was written in the 1940ies and the medical care differed a lot from that treatmant you would expect today.

The author Mary Jane Ward herself remained several times in mental health facilities, so that most of the events in this story should be based on her own experiences.

• Side effects while reading the book: You could develope some abnormal behavioural pattern while/after reading - please let me know! (For a while I adopted the "thinking pattern" - I hope you know what I mean: I simply thought the way the main character thought.. somewhat paranoid..)
  
  
  Olivia de Havilland got an Acadamy Award nomination of for playing Virginia in this film. Ginger Rogers was asked to play the lead but turned it down. Just like Gene Tierney.

Miss de Havilland did a lot of research - as usual. She observed some treatments in mental institutions and attended some events for the patients like dances etc..

• When Virginia (Olivia de Haviland) and Robert (Mark Stevens) go to see a movie you can hear the 20th Century Fox fanfare - guess which studio produced "The Snake Pit"! (Yes! Good guess!)
  
  There are some differences between the book and the movie, but it is not THAT bad..
  
  
• Watch out for: Celeste Holm in her 5.Movie, Sterling Holloway (the voice of Winnie the Pooh), Betsy Blair (she played the female lead in "Marty" and was at this time Mrs Gene Kelly) and Ruth Donnelly (she plays Jean Arthurs' roommate Mabel Dawson in "Mr. Deeds goes to town") as inmates.