Transportation Temptations: Bicycles

Recently I realized there are some common themes among the photos I collect from the internet. One of the most common subject matters within these photos are of people, famous or not, with gorgeous wheeled transportation. Because I have over 60 photos I would like to share, I decided that it would be better to split them up by vehicle type. So today I am sharing one of my favorite, albeit least frequently used, modes of transit: bicycles. At my school almost everybody rides or at least has a bike around. I do not. I love bikes and bike riding but I value my life far to much to put my self in such a vulnerable position in city traffic, for I am not a biker, I am but a person who can manage to ride a bike without falling every time. Does that make sense? It's the same a swimming, I think. I am not a swimmer, but I know how to swim. So that's my excuse for not riding. Truthfully though I am also kind of lazy and dislike exerting energy in hot weather.

Back to the point; bikes are purty. Especially old styled bikes, so that is what you're gonna get. I hope you enjoy these, too.

Middy, Ana and a mate with either a bike stolen from a child or a very, very early trick bike. If it is the latter than my g-ma was was more badass than I had thought. That also would explain my former desire to do X-Games-esque sports. 

Buster Keaton and some chick in my spot on his bike. 

Artist Feature: John Miehle

I didn't learn John Miehle's name until recently, but I've known many of his images for awhile (and I'm sure lots of you will recognize some of them too). He was a still photographer for a ton of movies in the 30s and 40s, but according to his IMDb page, he was uncredited for almost all of them! I can't figure out why this was - perhaps this has to do with the different style of crediting in older films, and it didn't become standard to mention a film's still photographer until later? Anyway, he did the stills/publicity shots for a lot of really well-known and awesome films - Top Hat, Flying Down to Rio, Kitty Foyle, Stage Door, Swing Time, Follow the Fleet, Bachelor Mother, Vivacious Lady - and to point out a very obvious trend, was apparently attached by the hip to Ginger Rogers, career-wise! Seriously, go take a look at his IMDb page, and you'll see almost every movie Ginger did in the 30s, he was a still photographer for! Was she personally employing him? Anybody who can explain this, or who can say with certainty that it was purely coincidence or that they happened to work well together, let me know! Again the internet is pretty sparse with info on him.

Anyway, he did work on non-Ginger films - Rain, with Joan Crawford (some images from this displayed here), and Rope with Jimmy Stewart, for example. I've only included images of his that I saw were explicitly described as being his own, since I don't know if perhaps more than one still photographer was employed in the aforementioned films. Let me know if I've credited something incorrectly.

And now for his lovely images of beautiful people. Enjoy!

Stunning portrait. I don't normally think Joan Crawford is super beautiful, but this image is something else. 

Ziegfeld Girl (1941)

I haven't got much time to lurk around the blogoverse over the next few days as I've got my final coming up and need to get crackin' on my final project. But, here's a photo-heavy post (seriously... a lot of photos) with some camera-taken captures of Ziegfeld Girl, from 1941.

I watched this movie months ago, and I love it. It's absolutely in my Top 5 Favorite Movies. It has a great, talented, super-beautiful-even-for-Hollywood cast (Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Jimmy Stewart, Hedy Lamarr, to name the most famous faces), and the story is fast paced and busy, following the lives of three women who become Ziegfeld Girls, played by Turner, Garland, and Lamarr. Lana Turner's character gets the most screen time, but Judy's story is also pretty well detailed. During a pep talk before all three girls' debut in a Ziegfeld show, they are told that there are many fates of a Ziegfeld Girl. I can't remember exactly what was said, but the jist was: some will make good and become a huge success; some will find they'd rather sacrifice the theatre and success for love; and some will let their fame go to their head and quickly burn out. As it turns out, each girl plays out one of these three scenarios.

Though it was meant to be set in the 1920s, the costuming was totally inaccurate, but it didn't bother me since it was still full of beautiful styles appropriate to 1941. Click on the images to enlarge... Enjoy!

Jimmy Stewart, my favorite actor, and Lana Turner, looking dramatic. 

I'm a Loafer, Not a Fighter

Howdy,

 I (Gee) am gracing the blog yet again (two in a row, what the netherworld?!) and I would like to put this post up for all of you who wish to wear heels all the time, but know better. I know I would love to wear gorgeous forties and thirties heels and wedges every second of everyday, but sometimes it really just isn't possible or logical.

Now that I am living in true redneck country (the South Carolina low-country is like New York compared to this place) I am treated even more differently for dressing the way I do. My whole family laughed when I came out of the house in a shirtdress and heels to go to a baseball game... they don't seem to understand how casual that is for me.

Anyway, since this occurrence I have done my darnedest to be "casual" more in line with their standards. OK, not really. I just have been wearing my oxfords and loafers more often than my heels, though my grandmother found a way to criticize those as well. Now she is obsessed with buying me new loafers. I haven't found any that don't look like they came from my mom's closet though...
So this one is dedicated to her, in hopes that she comes to accept that I dress the way I do and that I really am not that weird.

Sanchezin'

Gracie here. More family photos that just make me sad and jealous. But mostly sad.

Ana in an adorable hat I really wish she'd kept.

Ana in the 40s.

Ana again.

Euphonic Earworms: Dancing on a Rainbow

Here's my favorite musical number from Stage Mother, 1933. I TiVoed it off of TCM a few months ago solely because I saw Maureen O'Sullivan is in it, not expecting too much since the TV's short "info" description wasn't very good, but I actually really liked it!
I love the intro to this - the choreography is pretty (Maureen's) and eye-catching (the showgirls'), and the ominous storm bit is great.

State Fair (1945)

Gracie here (finally)! I rented State Fair (1945) from Netflix a few weeks ago not expecting a whole lot since I added it to my queue on a whim, but I ended up really enjoying it! Though I could have done without the oddly prolonged hog-love subplot. Here are some shots I got of it with my camera since Macs don't allow screenshots for DVDs.

If you're wondering, she's not punching him in the face. I just liked her top a lot. 

All of the peasant tops in this film just made me love them more.