Saturday Matinee in honor of Elizabeth Taylor: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

photo from IMDb

In honor of Ms. Taylor AND Tennesee Williams because I LOVE LOVE LOVE him, too....oh and Paul Newman isn't so bad, either. "Brick, an alcoholic ex-football player, drinks his days away and resists the affections of his wife, Maggie. His reunion with his father, Big Daddy, who is dying of cancer, jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son." From IMDb

This is another of my favorites.  I know I say that alot but I do love this era of films, costumes, etc.  Cat on a Hot Tin Roof does not disappoint in either.  I am also a HUGE fan of Tennessee Williams.  His work was almost an obsession of mine during college when I studied Theatre.  I was in A Streetcar Named Desire
, more on that when I do a review. I designed costumes for A Streetcar Named Desire
, as well.  I did many scene studies of his work and set design of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
.

Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman do an amazing portrayal of Maggie and Brick.  Burl Ives plays Big Daddy wonderfully while Judith Anderson plays Big Momma in an extremely annoying way, but I think that is the character, not the actress.  "Although the film did not win any Academy Awards, it received several nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Newman), Best Actress (Taylor), and Best Director (Brooks). The film also received nominations for Best Cinematography, Color (William Daniels), and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium" from Wikipedia.  This makes me wonder WHAT won that year....so of course I looked it up on Wikipedia.  Well "Gigi" won best picture and a host of other awards, breaking "Gone With the Wind's" record, but only for one year because a year late Ben Hur winds even more.  Best Actress that year went to Susan Hayward in "I Want to Live", which is a movie I LOVE and have since I was a little girl (why my mom let me watch it at a young age, I do not know...). Anyway....it did not WIN any awards but that does not mean it is not a good movie....

Paul Newman is a hottie....

 There is usually a scene where the female lead wears a slip in Williams plays and Elizabeth Taylor does it very well...

Burl Ives as Big Daddy Pollitt

Even in Black and White here eyes are mesmerising

 If you are a fan of Taylor, Newman, Ives, or Tennessee William's plays....or maybe you just like good mid century movies with stylish costumes...this is a must see movie.

Tiffany

Photos from Yahoo! images.  Video clip from Youtube.

Butterfield 8

One of my most favorite Elizabeth Taylor movies in Butterfield 8.  She plays a disturbed woman who is employed as a model so the costumes are amazing.  Lots of pretty dresses she must wear around town to be photographed in.  Even her "down time" outfits are amazing....and of course she appears in that gorgeous slip and mink coat.  I enjoy the story very much, too, but I do not know what makes me watch this more, the costumes or the story....or Elizabeth Taylor.  Laurence Harvey stars in Butterfield 8, as well, and even though he is very handsome and I enjoy looking at him, his caracter really gets on my ever last nerve.

BUtterfield 8 was named for a list of old Manhattan telephone prefixes that was used to place calls in NYC up until the 1960’s.  Gloria Wonderous, Taylor's character, gave Mr. Ligget a gift of a lighter with BU 8 in-graved into the side so he would always have her number. Gloria would call in to get her messages.  It seems to be like an answering service, as well.  Since I was not alive during the time such prefixes were used, I have no experience with them except for hearing them in movies and older television programs.

The film was based on a 1935 novel, BUtterfield 8 , written by John O’Hara, however there was,  little resemblance of the book in the film.  I read the book after I saw the movie, years later, in fact, and can honestly say that there was not much similarity, although I enjoyed both.

"Gloria Wandrous (Elizabeth Taylor) wakes up in wealthy executive Weston Liggett's (Laurence Harvey) apartment and finds Liggett has left her $250. Insulted, Gloria, whose dress is torn, takes Liggett's wife Emily's mink coat to cover herself and scrawls "No Sale" in lipstick on the mirror. But she orders her telephone exchange, BUtterfield 8, to put Liggett through if he should call.
Gloria visits a childhood friend, pianist Steve Carpenter (Eddie Fisher), in his Greenwich Village apartment. He chastises Gloria for wasting her life on one-night stands, but agrees to ask his girlfriend Norma (Susan Oliver) to lend her a dress. Gloria leaves, whereupon Norma jealously gives Steve an ultimatum: He must choose between her and Gloria.
Liggett takes a train to the countryside where his wife Emily (Dina Merrill) is caring for her mother. A friend, Bingham Smith (Jeffrey Lynn), advises him to end his adulterous relationships and return to Bing's law firm instead of working for the chemical business of Emily's father.
Gloria lies to her doting mother Annie (Mildred Dunnock), claiming to have spent the night at Norma's. A neighbor, Fanny Thurber (Betty Field), insinuates that Gloria spends many nights in less than virtuous circumstances.
Liggett returns home. Finding the lipstick and money, he phones Gloria to explain the money was meant for her dress, which he had torn." from Wikipedia.  This explanation softens Ms. Wonderous, a bit, and she says she MIGHT be in the area where Ligget will be later that night. As usual, I will not spoil the movie and let you watch to see what happens....trust me in saying this is not a movie to be missed if you enjoy mid century fashions or seeing Elizabeth Taylor in prime form.

She throws this beautiful coat back in the closet and takes the mink instead.

from IMDb

One thing the movie sorta, kinda glosses over is the fact that Gloria was part call girl.  "John O'Hara's 1935 novel BUtterfield 8 was based on the life and death of a real-life call girl named Starr Faithfull." From Turner Classic Movies .  Sure, Ligget leaves her money and Gloria is offended, he later offers her an apartment and allowances to live to be his mistress, she stabs his foot with her stiletto....but in the movie she is just a slut, nympho, and alcoholic.  This was much more proper for the Production Code of 1959 /1960.  The same thing was done with Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Holly Golightly was a high priced (for the time) call girl in the book while in the movie she was a model who met up with men in night clubs.  The men gave her money for the powder room, usually 50 dollars (!!!!), I assume to tip the matron (?) and she pocketed the change.  Maybe I have a weird opinion of this subject but I do not see why being a nympho, slut, loose woman, and alcoholic is so much better than earning a living with what these ladies where going to do anyway?  I could write and write on this subject (and have in other venues) but this blog is not the place for my soap box on this subject.

She brushes her teeth with the scotch in her glass.

 Reminds me of the Kesha song, Tik Tok

Butterfield 8 is highly recommended by me and I will watch it again and again.  To tie this into the Oscars here are the awards it won and was nominated for...
"It won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Elizabeth Taylor) and was nominated for Best Cinematography, Color for 1960. It was also nominated for the Best Actress - Drama Golden Globe Award for the same year's releases." from Wikipedia

from Apartment Therapy (huh? odd where one might find photos)

 Tiffany

Saturday Matinee: Anne of a Thousand Days

Turner Classic Movies is doing a 31 Days of Oscar theme this month in honor of the Academy Awards.  If you have not checked in on thier schedule of film showing, please do so...you will be sure to catch some real gems.

This week TCM had quiet a few movies dealing with the Tudor Dynasty and one I enjoyed was Anne of a Thousand Days.  I am sure part of my enjoyment came from the fact that I enjoy most things dealing with Anne Boleyn.

Most of us know the story from history class or from watching Showtimes "The Tutors" so I will just give a quick plot summery....

"Henry VIII of England discards one wife Katharine of Aragon, who has failed to produce a male heir, in favor of a young and beautiful woman, Anne Boleyn, whose one-thousand-day reign as Queen of England ends with the loss of her head on the block. Henry weds Ann and soon she gives him a child. The girl, Elizabeth, is a bitter disappointment to Henry, who desperately wants an heir. Anne promises Henry a son "next time," but Henry is doubtful. Shortly thereafter, rumors begin that the King's eye has already wandered. One Jane Seymour is at court for a moment. The Queen has her sent away, but, if Anne will bring Jane back to court, the King promises to sign the Act of Succession to insure that Elizabeth will be Queen." from the Internet Movie Database

I enjoyed this movie.  I especially enjoyed Geneviève Bujold's performance of Anne Boleyn.  She portrayed Anne as a spirited, seductive, manipulitive, and beautiful Queen.  This is how I think of Anne Boleyn and enjoyed watching Geneviève Bujold on screen.

One of her last scenes, in the tower, was very dramatic.  She informed King Henry that her blood would rule one day...and she was right as their daughter Elizabeth became Queen of England.

"But Elizabeth is yours. Watch her as she grows; she's yours. She's a Tudor! Get yourself a son off of that sweet, pale girl if you can - and hope that he will live! But Elizabeth shall reign after you! Yes, Elizabeth - child of Anne the Whore and Henry the Blood-Stained Lecher - shall be Queen! And remember this: Elizabeth shall be a greater queen than any king of yours! She shall rule a greater England than you could ever have built! Yes - MY Elizabeth SHALL BE QUEEN! And my blood will have been well spent" from the film Anne of a Thousand Days

Geneviève Bujold is an absolutely beautiful lady.  She was nominated for Best Actress for this film, however she did not win. She did win the Golden Globe that year (which I much prefer watching over the Oscars, even thought I never miss either ceremony) To read more about this lovely actress, please visit Internet Movie Database or Wikipedia.

Of course King Henry was as ruthless and as bullish as he always.  Richard Burton played King Henry and did it well.  He too was nominated for the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actor, but he was passed over that year for both.  The film had a total of 16 award nominations and took home 5 statues between the Academy Awards and Golden Globe, doing better with the Globes.  The Oscar win was for Best Costume which I always enjoy seeing.  The Golden Globe wins were for Best Actress - Drama, Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director, Best Screen Play.  If you are able to catch this on TCM or able to rent it, I highly recommend.

Before I leave you, I want to include some photos from my other favorite Anne Boleyn, Natalie Dormer.

Tiffany