On "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm"

Today marks the US release date for one of my all time favorite fairy tale movies, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, which came out August 7, 1962. It tells the fictionalized story of Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm and their journey from more serious scholarly work into the world of fairy tales and is delightfully interspersed with three fairy tale segments of "The Dancing Princess" (a pet peeve of mine--the Grimms' story is "The Twelve Dancing Princesses", but I do like the segment), "The Singing Bone" (complete with puppet dragon), and "The Elves and the Shoemaker" and presents everything in true 1960's fairy tale portrayal goodness!

Earlier this year I finally broke down and bought the MGM Records Deluxe Edition album, so I thought today would be a fun day to spotlight it and share some interesting facts about the movie! 

The fun thing about this album is that under the record is an inset with a book about the making of the movie, so that's where the images you'll be seeing come from.

This was one of the first films MGM made using the three camera Cinerama process (the other being How the West Was Won, which they actually devoted a page to in this book).

I absolutely love all the little sketch images!

The legendary George Pal directed the stop motion fairy tale segments, with other segments being directed by the notable Henry Levin, and it is made up of a truly delightful cast including stars such as Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Barbara Eden, Russ Tamblyn, Terry-Thomas, Buddy Hackett, Jim Backus, and Ian Wolfe (the seemingly perpetually old man that appears in a ton of 60's shows usually as a grump and who's career spanned the 30's-90's).  

The movie was filmed in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a Medieval Franconian City in Germany. According to the book, props used in the movie were enthusiastically provided by local museums including a cannon used by Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars, street signs, and books by the Grimms. At one point in the movie, the brothers travel on a steam propelled side-wheeler, which in real life was named the Oskar Huber. This was used for film service "just three days before it was scheduled to retire to a spot of honor in the famous ship museum at Mainz". The film crew also had special permission to "borrow" so to speak a cobblestone road

In terms of award nominations, the movie did fairly well, being nominated in 1963 for Academy Awards for Best Music, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design (It won this one!); and with Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor-Motion Picture Drama (Laurence Harvey) and Best Motion Picture Musical.  

For added fun you can watch the trailer on IMDb here!

♥🏰♥

On Random Movie Related Thoughts

I've been in a rather nit-picky observatory mood this year when it comes to horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and noir movies, and have been recording some of my more amusing thoughts on them. I now subject you to them.

Frankenstein (any and all versions)

-Why does the topic of smell never come up given what the monster is made of especially given the fact that it's basically been fried to bring it to life? There has to be some sort of odor!

Labyrinth (1986)

-In regard to the Bog of Eternal Stench, why doesn't stepping on the rocks make them smell? Those rocks clearly came up from the blog all covered in goo and, therefore, should be just as smelly.

-Why does the dad ask if she's home at the end? Did they expect her to run away because she was so upset? Isn't it night time?

The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)

-If you're not a child in an old movie, you really should avoid milk. Especially if it's glowing. (This builds on thoughts in relation to Hitchcock's Suspicion, in which he intentionally made the milk glow.) 

Earth vs. the Spider (1958)

-If the spider has to break down the wall to get out of the gym/auditorium, how in the world did they get it in there in the first place? 

-Yet another example of a giant bug/insect/arachnid movie in which the creature can miraculously move about stealthily without creating any air current and therefore sneak up on everyone before they can run. 

The Thing That Couldn't Die (1958) (Semi-spoilers in this one, although it's pretty predictable) 

-Soooo many oddities in plot of this B movie. 

-The hundreds of years old talisman is wearable, but the chest has to be guarded from theft? And given that there were only a few people who knew about the chest in the first place, what merited the need for it to be locked up in a room and guarded by not one, but TWO people?

-If you found a head in a chest wouldn't you just close it?

-Given the purpose and value of the talisman, how and why did it end up at the base of the tree? Also, very convenient finding it the same time as the chest after all those years.

Invisible Ghost (1941)

-How terribly sad to be "Attractive Blonde" in a news article describing one's death rather than to be described by profession or by name.  

Dracula (1931)

-Why are there armadillos!?! Are they just running around the house? Could they not get rats for the scene? Isn't it too cold for them?

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

 -What is boiling in the pot that's in the fireplace? Why isn't anyone concerned about the fact that it keeps bubbling over? Clearly it must have something that either doesn't evaporate or is important enough that keeps getting refilled since it's in multiple scenes.

 ♥ ♥ ♥

On A Spoonful of Sugar!

For the past few months my off and on project has been a 1960's Mary Poppins doll. I was being obsessively nit-picky over details on this and spent a lot of time pouring over the costume details in the movie before working on it.

Background is my mom's childhood Mary Poppins book.

I came across an original 1960's pattern for this on Etsy for about $35 and not being willing to spend that much was extremely happy to find it available as an inexpensive download. 

For such a small doll this was a fairly time consuming project because of all the hand sewing! 

The skirt is one of the only things I followed the instructions on. I'd never done pipping, so that was a new experience and lining a skirt this small was a challenge in itself.

I made a considerable amount of adjustments to the pettiblouse. The pattern called for ruffles down the front, which I skipped since there are no ruffles on the blouse she wears at the beginning of the movie. I also added sleeves because it just seemed wrong for Mary Poppins to go sleeveless! I'm guessing it's because of the gloves they were excluded and while it was a pain to add them, I'm really glad I did.

As you can see, they still need some sort of closure at the wrists, but I haven't decided on how I want to do that.

Lack of tiny buttons in my stash led to the use of French knots that I'm considering a rather satisfactory substitution.

Another change was on the ruffle at the bottom, which is shorter than it should be. I hadn't been able to find eyelet edging that I liked, so I ended up taking some lace, sewing it to a strip of white fabric, and then gathering it to make the ruffle. 

Hook and eye and snap closures.

The pattern said use knit for the stockings. I used muslin. After struggling to get them on, I understand why.

The only thing I would have done differently under normal circumstances with this part of her outfit was to have tried to see if I could find white on white striped fabric for this since in the movie Mary Poppins has yellow stripes on her blouse, however, I don't think the solid white looks too bad.

Moving on, the hair is made out of pearl cotton thread, which might be my new go to for doll hair since it looks so nice. It took a little over three hours to do her hair including having to re-loop the skeins because they were too big to properly loop around for the bun. I'm actually not entirely sure how I got it to look this way, but I can tell you I stitched it together as fast as I possibly could once it was in this position!

The hat took about four hours. Once again I ignored the pattern instructions to do just a few loops of ric-rac around the brim and put it on the entire hat. Overall, despite the amount of time it took I think it was well worth it. I had flowers left over from my Shakespeare hair wreath that were easy enough to turn into daisies with a little bit of yellow felt and some careful trimming of the petals. For the "cherries" I was debating on using beads when I remembered I had these vintage floral pieces that were given to me. Not quite round as the movie embellishments, but good enough!

The boots, like the hat, had to be hand-sewn with each boot taking about two hours. As with the blouse, I used French knots to make the faux buttons.

As is apparent from the pattern picture, there are still a few components to be made, most noticeably the coat. Since I spent so much time trying to figure out the color of the movie coat (a dark purple), I'd rather look at the felt before I buy it. I also need to see the yarn for the scarf before embarking on the adventure of trying to crochet it (one hand makes crochet a challenge). Additionally, I don't like the embroidery pattern for the carpetbag and want to find a fabric to use once stay at home orders lift and I feel comfortable going to the fabric store again. Eventually I'd also like to make an umbrella and a few other accessories not included with the pattern, so there may be part two to this post at some point!

For now, though, I think my Mary Poppins doll is practically perfect in every way!

♥ ♥ ♥

On "Dark Passage": A Book Review

Title: Dark Passage
Author: David Goodis
Genre: Fiction/ Crime Noir

About the Book...
Vincent Parry was locked up in San Quentin after being falsely accused of his wife's death. It's not long before he hatches a plan to escape, though, and with the help of a woman named Irene Jansen he begins to attempt to integrate himself back into society without being caught. Little does he know that this bring him right back into the web that got him into trouble in the first place and lead him to discover what really happened to his wife. 

This book was made into a movie in 1947 staring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and Agnes Moorehead.

What I Think...
If you've seen the movie and like it, then you won't be disappointed with the book as they did a fairly decent job adapting it for screen. 

Unlike a lot of other crime novels of the time, this one is pretty low key when it comes to content, which was a nice change of pace. I like that in this one how most of the focus is on Parry trying to figure out how to resume his life without being caught rather than trying to seek revenge. There are parts of it that are predictable (though this might just be me having seen the movie three times that makes it more so--it's my favorite Bogart and Bacall film).

One thing that stands out that isn't captured in the movie is Goodis's use of color to define the characters, in particular to the two primary female characters, with Irene always being described in relation to more subtle colors and Madge, whose testimony put him behind bars, being described in more fiery colors. This touch really adds to the novel as a whole, in my opinion, and helps set the scene for certain passages. 

To Sum It All Up...
A great book that will be a pleasure to read for fans of the movie and if you're in the mood for a look at the darker side of humanity. ♥️     

On Another Liebster Award!

In July, Phyl from Phyllis Loves Classic Movies sweetly nominated me for a Liebster award. Here are my answers to her fantastic movie themed questions:

1. If you could pick any film home to live in which one would it be? You can also pick a summer home if you need to ;) 
This is tricky. Narrowing it down to two, either the country house in Christmas in Connecticut or Bunny’s apartment in Desk Set. For a summer house, of which I am capable of picking just one, Gull Cottage from The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

2. Film you've discovered in the past year that you are obsessed with? 
For about a week I was a slightly obsessed with British movie The Island of Terror. Weird attacking creatures that look like a cross between a vacuum and starfish and appear to have noodles coming out of them when they split are incredibly amusing.

3. Name an actor/actress you've recently discovered that you've been "binge-watching", or in other words, watching and reading everything you can on them. 
It’s been a while since I’ve binge watched any particular movie star. I think the last one might have been Vincent Price since they had a mini-marathon of the American International Pictures movies, which then inspired me to watch a few with him that I own.

4. What film do you love all the costumes in? 
High Society!

5. What actor/actress do you wish you looked like? 
While there’s no one I particularly wished I looked like, I do tend to be envious of certain actresses hairstyles.

6. If you could change the ending of a film, which film would it be and how would it end (here's your chance to help somebody live!)? 
Oooh, hard one! Somewhat a silly choice, but I’d change the end of My Fair Lady, so Pickering doesn’t just disappear after going to search for Eliza.

7. What classic movie set do you wish had been preserved (not the house you chose above)? 
The house in The Philadelphia Story complete with the guest house.

8. If you were stranded on an island (with a TV and DVD player that were solar-powered of course), what 10 movies would you want to have with you (any decade)? 
Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House, To Catch a Thief, Desk Set, Wife vs. Secretary, Paris When It Sizzles, Pinocchio, My Fair Lady, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1933), The Time Machine (1960), and The Black Swan (the 1942 pirate movie, not the modern ballerina one). 

Comedies, musicals, a mystery, an animation, a sci-fi, and a swashbuckler, which all together span four decades…if only I could take The Three Musketeers too!

9. What question would you like to ask Robert Osborne? 
 Assuming it didn’t have to be about a movie, if he could pick any other area to be an expert in what would it be?

10. What decade would you have liked to be a movie star in and why? 
The 50’s! The costuming by far!

11. Favorite movie quote. 
I have way too many favorites to come up with just one! To list a couple…

The knights gathering flowers part from Camelot:

Arthur-…this is the season for gathering flowers.
Lancelot-Knights? Gathering FLOWERS?!?
Arthur- Well, SOMEONE has to do it!

The part from Father Goose where Leslie Caron wants to know if her blood is too salty after experiencing a “snake bite” and Cary Grant has to suck out the venom.

And from The Bishop’s Wife:  

Dudley (Cary Grant)- We all come from our own little planets. That’s why we’re all different. That’s what makes life interesting. 

My 11 Facts

1. I get bored and sometimes paint my nails on each foot differently. A few months ago I had a watermelon on one big toe and a bunch of bananas on the other. Currently one foot has green and the other purple.

2. I’ve never sent a text message! 

3. While I adore I Capture the Castle, of the other three books Dodie Smith wrote for adults I’ve read, I only liked one.

4. Eight t-shirts with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass illustrations and two with images from the ’51 Disney movie are in constant rotation in my wardrobe.

5. Despite preferring McCall patterns, I have more Simplicity patterns. This is in part due to the three shoeboxes worth I’ve been given consisting primarily of Simplicity. 

6. Currently, my favorite short film is “Sunny and Steve: Enjoy the Sweets”.
7. I have yet to sew anything pre-1940’s.

8. I have the tendency to want to decorate things. Walls, cakes, tables, trees, chairs…you name it and I’ll find a way to decorate it.

9. While I can usually handle the sound of nails on a chalkboard, it does not bother me as much as the sound (or feel) of nails scraping against corrugated cardboard. 

10. In movies with Ginger Rogers there’s always at least one thing she wears that I wish I could have.

11. Unlike a lot of people, I don’t mind when books or movies have an unhappy ending.

Sticking with the movie theme (and the pre-70’s restriction) here are my questions, which I’m opening to anyone…

1. Given the opportunity to interview one classic Hollywood star, who would it be?

2. You wake up to find you’re stuck in a musical! Which one is it?

3. Which actor’s/actress’s wardrobe would you love to have? (movie or real life)

4. If you could invite any five people-meaning actors, actresses, directors, set designers, costumers, etc.-to a party who would you invite?

5. What is your favorite book to movie adaption? 

6. What classic movie do think should never be remade?

7. Favorite Hitchcock? 

8. What’s the best movie scene involving a train?

9. Favorite holiday movie?

10. Given the opportunity to have a particular prop from a movie, what would it be?

11. Which decade are most of your favorite movies from? 

Thanks again for nominating me, Phyl! ♥

On "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House": A Book Review

Title: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

Author: Eric Hodgins

Genre: Fiction, Comedy

About the book…

Originally written as the article, “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream Castle”, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, published as a full length novel in 1946, is a comical story of everything going as wrong as it possibly can. When Jim and Muriel Blandings discover they can afford to move out of the city their search for houses leads them to the Old Hackett Property, which has all the trimmings of a proper country space. Falling in love with a house that has rustic and historical charm, though, has its down side, in fact, so much so that they’re told they “should ought to tear it down”. Thus, the Blandings embark into the world of house building and all its troubles from well digging to water softeners. 

This book is the basis for the 1948 movie starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, as well as an episode on Lux Radio Theatre in 1949.   

What I think… 

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is one of my most favorite movies and this book is a great favorite of mine as well. 

For those familiar with the movie it is a fairly close match to the book plot wise. A lot more time is spent building up how badly the Blandings want the house, which I think makes all the problems they end up facing even funnier. There is also a charming episode in the book not in the movie where Mr. Blandings becomes enraged with a neighbor for building something that ruins his view. 

Hodgins was supposedly inspired by his own house building troubles when writing the original story and I feel like it really carries over to the book, as it’s quite detailed when it comes to some of the problems they face. 

Accompanying my edition of this book are illustrations by William Steig (of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Shrek! fame). These whimsy little sketches add to Hodgins delightful prose. 

To sum it all up… 

As amusing as can be, this book is at the top of my list when it comes to comedic 40’s fiction!  ♥