Vintage 1950s Halloween film: House of Wax

Is Sue taking a nap or awaiting something more sinister?

Professor Jarrod loves his figure of Marie Antoinette.

Gratuitous Can-Can scene!

In this 1953 version of the story, Professor Henry Jarrod (the wonderful Vincent Price)is a talented sculptor in a wax museum who is betrayed and driven mad by a greedy colleague. Vowing to begin his creations anew, but unable to use his hands to do his fine work, he turns to an unorthodox method of making his mannequins.

Carolyn Jones plays the giggly blonde Cathy,who meets with an ill fate, which makes her friend Sue (Phyllis Kirk) suspicious of Prof Jarrod and leads to the revelation of the nasty secrets of the Wax Museum.

I enjoyed the scene of Cathy preparing for an evening out with the help of Sue. Definitely some pretty little underpinnings being displayed. Start at about 22 seconds into the clip above and please excuse the hanging scene that precedes it.

I remember watching this film on a childhood Sunday. When I was a kid there were frequent B movie horror films on TV on weekends. I now have a fondness for Vincent Price and his distinctive voice.

If you haven't seen this one, you really should!

Vintage 1950s Halloween Film: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Life as they know it is just about over, but Becky still wears a bitchin' dress

Becky, Miles and Jack look over Jack's evolving double, with Teddy at a safe distance

I saw the 1978 version of this film with Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright, not too long after it came out, and it had some chilling moments. Granted, I was young and I hadn't seen too many Sci Fi/Horror films at the theater, but I can vividly remember several key scenes. But, until yesterday I had never seen the original.

The 1956 film stars Kevin McCarthy as local doctor Miles Bennell (my husband and I recognized him from The Twilight Zone, Wikipedia identifies that episode as Long Live Walter Jameson), Dana Wynter as his girlfriend Becky, and King Johnson and Carolyn Zones (of The Addams Family TV fame) as their friends Jack and Teddy. Miles is surprised to discover that he is being urgently summoned to treat patients, only to have them calmly brush him off when he sees them. There is also a growing "mass delusion" among the townsfolk that their loved ones are no longer who they used to be. They have all the familiar thoughts and memories, but no displays of emotion. When Jack finds a partially developed, fingerprint less, body in his home, the friends know that something is terribly wrong.

Alien pod people are taking over the town!

But, you already knew that. Although this version didn't make me jump like the 1978 one, the basic premise is still deeply frightening: the one you love has changed into someone unrecognizable and the capper is that you will be losing your self hood and probably your soul to a "human" vegetable.

Vintage 1950s movie: Auntie Mame

Mame and Patrick get acquainted

Fabulous negligee! Love the poofy wrap. Mame and her actress friend face the (cough) morning.

"Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!" You've probably heard that line. Auntie Mame (1958) is silly and fun, and I had a good time watching it.

Mame Dennis (Rosalind Russell) loves the unusual, the flamboyant, the diverse and this is reflected in her lifestyle and person. When her brother dies unexpectedly, she becomes the caretaker of her ten year old nephew, Patrick, who first meets her at one of her many parties. Mame has him keep a list of all the new words that he overhears during the festivities. He has an absorbent mind, and the two soon get along famously.

"Mame: Well, now, uh, read me all the words you don't understand.

Patrick: Libido, inferiority complex, stinko, blotto, free love, bathtub gin, monkey glands, Karl Marx... is he one of the Marx Brothers?"

Mame raises Patrick to embrace new things, and live every day with vigor. Through her, he meets an interesting bunch, including her hard drinking actress friend (Coral Browne), her drab secretary waiting to bust out, Agnes Gooch, and the students of his progressive school, who get naked and imitate fish to learn their natural science. Whether she's creating a party mood during hard times, falling in love with a well to do southern gentleman and standing up to his people, or meeting Patrick's snooty finance, Mame does everything with style.

I am pretty fond of Rosalind Russell (I love her in Gypsy), so I enjoyed this more than Mame, the 1974 musical starring Lucille Ball, but I haven't seen that in years. What's your preference?

Vintage 1950s film: Calamity Jane

"She ain't very good lookin." "That ain't all she ain't."


Calamity defends Katie to the crowd


Adelaid Adams and the girls


Glamorous Calamity And Bill




I had fun watching the musical Calamity Jane, starring Doris Day and Howard Keel and released in 1953. True, brave and resourceful Calamity "pretties up" to catch the attention and affections of her friend Wild Bill Hickok, which is annoying. There is also very negative portrayal of Native Americans, which is troubling. When I watch these old films, I just have to grit my teeth and remind myself that they are product of their times. Barring those considerations,the music in Calamity Jane is catchy, Ms. Day is charming, the showgirl costumes are great and there's queer subtext, which made it a pleasant viewing for me.

Calamity can shoot, drink (sarsaparilla), tell tale tales and apparently sing with any man in Deadwood City and beyond. When the locals go crazy for cigarette card girl and actress Adelaid Adams (Gale Robbins), the town tavern owner promises an appearance by another talented beauty. Unfortunately, the promised performer Francis(Dick Wesson)is not all that is expected (see above). To make amends, Calamity heads to Chicago to convince the aforementioned Adelaid to perform in the Wild West. Confusion ensues and when she does bring home a glamour girl, she finds that she has also created competition for the man that she believes she loves. But, this is a happy musical, so trouble doesn't last for long. New resident Katie Brown (Allyn Ann McLerie)and Calamity become best friends, and each finds romance.

Might they also find love with each other? Intentional or not, there is gay and lesbian subtext in the movie, which I first heard about when watching The Celluloid Closet. Dick Wesson's cute drag performance aside (what would Hollywood be without drag?), Calamity and Katie seems a mite close ;). (See the video above or commentary at StinkyLulu's blog). All to the better if you ask me.

Finally, I jealously drooled over Adelaid's costumes. The little pink number with the bustle and the gold bust fringe was quite delightful, as was the black one with pink roses!

Vintage 1950s Film: Father of the Bride

When I was a girl, I enjoyed Father of the Bride. I don't think that I am as crazy about it as an adult, but it is fine. Spencer Tracy plays a dad whose only daughter (Elizabeth Taylor) suddenly springs her engagement plans on her family. Three months later, she is married, but not first without lots of drama and fuss.

My main thought when I watched this time was they sure did drink a lot :) . And they got that pretty wedding together pronto. It was fun to hear them complain about the cost of things, with guests costing about $3.50 a head. Billie Burke played the groom's mother, sounding very much as she did as Glinda, the Good Witch of the east, and looking nearly as beautiful. My favorite movie fashion is the hat sported by Joan Bennett ( Moms) above. That is not a good shot, but it's the closest I could find. You may not agree, but I feel that Taylor's film wedding dress is spoiled by the horrible insert with the little collar. I'm also no fan of the veil. I'm sure that thay were period perfect, but...

You probably also know that this film was remade in 1991 with Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and Kimberly Williams, as the bride to be.

Vintage 1950s film: A Streetcar Named Desire

Hubba Hubba

Stanley and Blanche

Stanley and Stella

Jessica Tandy

Natasha Richardson

Rachel Weiscz


Oregon performance




Stuttgart Ballet

What new thing can I say about A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)? You've probably long known the story of animalistic, insensitive Stanley Kowalski,
his passionate marriage with Stella, and how everything falls apart when her fragile southern belle sister, Blanche, comes for an extended visit. We know all about the star turns of Marlon Brando (and seriously, how hot is he in this film?), Vivien Leigh and Kim Hunter. So, I did some internet surfing and branched out a bit. I found that Streetcar originally starred the lovely Jessica Tandy in a stage version that also included Brando and Hunter. Noteable Blanches also include Jessica Lange, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Weisz and Marge Simpson ;). Hot but dangerous Stanleys were Alec Baldwin, John C. Reilly and Ned Flanders (Who knew?). The play seems to have been performed on stages from high schools to Broadway, from ballet to musicals to drag shows and by people of diverse age, race and sex. With the Zombie trend going on these days I wouldn't be surprised to see an undead version!

Vintage 1950s Film: Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

Brick and Big Daddy

Gooper and Sisterwoman

A No-Neck Monster with her hands in the ice cream

Liz works the simple slip!

Is Newman handsome or what?















I have seen this one before, probably for the first time years ago in junior high or high school. I was fascinated by it, as well as A Streetcar Named Desire and especially Suddenly Last Summer, Tennessee Williams' other gems. The fascination still holds, even after all this time and experience. Sex ( in the forms of gorgeous Paul Newman and smokin' Elizabeth Taylor), tantalizing secrets, eccentric characters named Big Daddy, Sisterwoman and Brotherman and children scorned and referred to as No-Neck Monsters interested me then and now.

Beautiful couple Maggie (Taylor) and Brick (Newman) are visiting with Brick's parents due to his father, Big Daddy's (Burl Ives), recent illness, which may be serious or not. Also present are his older brother, called Gooper (Jack Carson), his wife Mae (Madeleine Sherwood), and their many bratty children. It is immediately apparent that attractive or not, Maggie and Brick are a miserable couple, in a family seeped in denial. They are childless, which stands against them in the inheritance game. We learn that this is because Brick can't stand Maggie and refuses to make love to her, for reasons that will unravel later. Big Mama (Judith Anderson)blames Maggie for her son's unhappiness and dependence on alcohol. Big Daddy can't bear his oldest son and his wolf pack of a family, but despairs over Brick's breakdown and his own health. For her part, Maggie wants to get close to her husband again, and get past an unfortunate incident in their past. No matter what. Confrontations ensue.

I never realized before just how handsome Paul Newman was. Wow! Elizabeth Taylor looks amazing in her simple white slip and dress. I guess with such attractive actors and such a dramatic story, the costumes don't have to be elaborate.