TBT: "Va Va Voom" Star of the Day

It's Throwback Thursday so I thought I'd keep on the Van Johnson kick and repost our previous "Va Va Voom" Star of the Day post from 2006, for those of you who missed it.  Enjoy!

Van Johnson
"Va va va Van!" Van Johnson had just started a 7-year contract with MGM in 1942 when he was in a major road accident which left him with a metal plate in his head. Ineligible to serve during WWII, the studio used his all-American boyish looks to become America's war film hero. He was usually opposite June Allyson (I love "The Bride Goes Wild") or Esther Williams (my personal favorite is "Thrill of Romance"), two 'all-American girls' that made movie-goers flock to theaters.

In the 1950s, as middle age and a heavier build set in, he was limited with his roles. MGM also began to crumble, and his film career has been irregular since 1960. His career in the 70's and 80's has consisted mostly of stage work which has kept him under the Hollywood radar.

Although his personal life has been racked with turmoil -- from undergoing treatment for skin cancer to rumors of homosexuality -- Van will always remain timeless and pure on the silver screen. His movies will keep him charming, handsome, and as a great symbol as "the all-American" hero of Hollywood, fighting for our country in World War II.

Update: Van Johnson passed away on December 12, 2008.

The Perfect Day

Well, since today is my $#@!&-th birthday, I thought I'd put together my best day. A day where everything went perfectly, and I got to do whatever I wanted.

First of all, I'd wake up next to Dyno. (Or maybe a young James Garner, if we're really wishing here.) He'd bring me a Starbucks café mocha, nice and hot, and we'd watch television in bed. Perhaps "Snapped" on Oxygen, or "Dog Whisperer" on NatGeo.

Then after a couple hours Dyno and I would finally get up and take my dog on a nice walk along the beach. (The dog wouldn't poop the entire time -- it'd be a miracle.) And it'd be a beautiful, sunny, and clear day, too. Oh yeah, and I'd be tan and weigh about 20 pounds less.

I come home and all the laundry is done, the house is clean, the dishes are out of the dishwasher, and a nice lunch of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and pickles have been made. And a nice Manhattan to go with it all. I turn on the television to relax and eat, and the newest episode of "Survivor" is starting -- yes, even though it's Monday, and not Thursday.

Dean Martin, Joan Crawford, Errol Flynn, and Esther Williams call during the day to wish me a happy birthday and to ask what my plans are. I speak briefly with them, but really I just want to spend the day on the couch with Dyno. I fall asleep and end up napping until it's time for dinner, preempted by a few cocktails.

For dinner, Dyno takes me to the Playboy Club circa 1965, and I'm like Doris Day, wearing a beautiful gown with a matching coat, hat, and gloves. We sit and watch Bob Newhart do a stand-up routine, and then Mel Tormé comes out and croons to us. Dinner is a thick prime rib steak, lobster mashed potatoes, and a bold red wine.

I'm not going to go in to what happens after dinner. But let's just say (as they do in the old movies), the curtains flap in the wind and the camera pans left and then we fade out.

...And that's my perfect day!

Classic Clip: Harry James in "Bathing Beauty"

Harry James kicks off this climactic final scene from the Esther Williams flick Bathing Beauty.

Classic Clip: Harry James in "Bathing Beauty"

The opening musical scene of Esther Williams' premiere movie Bathing Beauty, featuring Harry James and his orchestra. This is what music videos were like in the old days. Harry truly rocks this orchestration of "Trumpet Blues and Cantabile."

Tuesday's This & That

Once again, I'm sick. Why do germs always seem to find me? It's like every month I have a cold. Every time the weather changes, or there's a lot of wind, or someone sneezes, I seem to catch a virus.

So are you gonna vote today? I guess I should. Women sacrificed a lot to allow us to vote. Not to get too political (because I hate the subject), but I don't like any of the candidates. I just can't agree on anything that one guy is saying over another. It's like one guy will stand for something I like, but another guy will stand for something else I like. Especially living in a state as large as California, I barely feel like my one vote counts. But I guess it's my duty as an American. Maybe if I was feeling better I'd be more pumped about it.

I've been watching a lot of old movies again. I cracked open my Esther Williams collection and showed Dyno the magic of "Bathing Beauty" -- my favorite of Esther's. Dyno liked the comedic parts of Red Skelton. I had to tell him the importance of the swimming scenes; how Esther revolutionized synchronized swimming and was a huge success every time she dove in to a pool.

Oh yeah, and I'm probably moving this summer. I've decided to find some new digs...I'm sick of my manager, the apartment's too small, and they raised my rent. The place never had the right amount of drama as the last place. No character.

Well, off to make some more tea with honey and then pretending to work...

Friday's This & That: The X-Rays Show...

As I get over the chill of this exam table, here's what's going on in the world:

Jose Luis de Vilallonga, author, aristocrat and actor who starred as the dashing Brazilian multimillionaire in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” died Thursday at his home on the island of Mallorca at the age of 87. A colorful character in Spain’s high society, Vilallonga had worked as a journalist and wrote an official biography of Spain’s King Juan Carlos. A high point in Vilallonga’s acting career came when he was in Blake Edwards’ classic 1961 movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's," playing Jose da Silva Pereira, whom Hepburn’s Holly Golightly planned to marry.

Two new DVD sets are out that you should definitely buy! The Esther Williams Collection gives you five films: "Bathing Beauty," "Easy to Wed," "On An Island With You," "Neptune's Daughter" and "Dangerous When Wet" -- all of my favorites! Among the co-stars are Red Skelton, Peter Lawford, Lucille Ball, Van Johnson, Jimmy Durante, and Ricardo Montalban. These movies also contain some fantastic performances from Helen Forrest, Xavier Cugat, and others of the swinging era of the golden age. (We've discussed many of these movies in previous posts of Van Johnson, Peter Lawford, Helen Forrest, and the Mermaid herself.) Waves of extras include outtakes, cartoons and classic shorts. (Warner)

The Elvis Collection stars the King with a bevy of beauties in this four-disc set. Elvis portrays a boxer, riverboat entertainer, and good-ole-boy in "Follow That Dream," "Frankie and Johnny," "Clambake" and "Kid Galahad." (MGM)

Set Your Moxies for Esther Williams!

This Friday, TCM -- the greatest channel of all time -- is having a mega-plex of our favorite bathing beauty Esther Williams!

(all times are PST)

9:30 AM Thrill of a Romance - one of my favorites with Van Johnson

11:30 AM Easy to Wed - also with Van Johnson, and Lucille Ball

1:30 PM Neptune's Daughter - with Ricardo Montalban

3:15 PM Dangerous When Wet - with a cameo by Tom & Jerry!

5:00 PM On An Island With You - with *hubba hubba* Peter Lawford

Enjoy!

Classic Quote of the Day

Esther Williams, on being typecast:

"All they did at MGM was changed my leading men and the water in my swimming pool."

"Va Va Voom" Star of the Day

Peter Lawford
Saturday morning I fell in love. I was watching the Esther Williams' flick On An Island With You, and her leading man was a tall, tan wonderful navy pilot. His soft voice, his big puppy eyes, his thick eyebrows, and his gleaming white smile made my heart melt. And I was completely transfixed by the 1948 version of Peter Lawford. (Don't we look cute together?)

British-born, Peter's parents were un-wed when he was conceived. This caused a scandal that drove the family to the United States, where they travelled constantly. Because of his family's travels, Peter was never formally educated, and his lack of education was a sore subject. It contributed to his feelings of inadequacy later on as a member of the Kennedy family (his brother-in-law was JFK), and throughout his adult life.

Injuring his arm in a childhood accident kept Peter from entering World War II, the greatest thing that could happen to his acting career. Hollywood was infatuated with heroic Englishmen and as war movies were being churned out by the dozens. Peter Lawford was just what America was looking for.

Once he signed with MGM, his mother insisted that studio head Louis B. Mayer pay her a salary as Peter's personal assistant. Mayer declined, so Mrs. Lawford responded by claiming her son to be homosexual and that he needed to be "supervised". When Peter learned of his mother's actions their relationship was never the same.

Perhaps to prove to everyone his sexuality, Lawford had a reputation as a ladies' man, even as he was married to Patricia Kennedy. He allegedly had many affairs with famous women, including Ava Gardner, June Allyson, Lana Turner, Janet Leigh, Rita Hayworth, Dorothy Dandridge, Lucille Ball, Judy Holliday, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, Jackie O, Nancy Reagan, and Elizabeth Taylor, to name a few.

These affairs made Peter more of a celebrity than a movie star, especially when he was made member of the "Rat Pack." Later in life, Lawford fell into drug and alcohol abuse. This plus strained relationships and financial difficulties caused a great deal of stress on his increasingly fragile health. Lawford died alone in a hospital in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve 1984 of liver and kidney disease culminating in cardiac arrest at the age of 61.

Interestingly enough, none of the Rat Pack members attended the funeral. This is possibly due to a falling-out between Frank Sinatra and Lawford over Peter's involvement with Ava Gardner.

"Va Va Voom" Star of the Day

Van Johnson
"Va va va Van!" Van Johnson had just started a 7-year contract with MGM in 1942 when he was in a major road accident which left him with a metal plate in his head. Ineligible to serve during WWII, the studio used his all-American boyish looks to become America's war film hero. He was usually opposite June Allyson (I love "The Bride Goes Wild") or Esther Williams (my personal favorite is "Thrill of Romance"), two 'all-American girls' that made movie-goers flock to theaters.

In the 1950s, as middle age and a heavier build set in, he was limited with his roles. MGM also began to crumble, and his film career has been irregular since 1960. His career in the 70's and 80's has consisted mostly of stage work which has kept him under the Hollywood radar.

Although his personal life has been racked with turmoil -- from undergoing treatment for skin cancer to rumors of homosexuality -- Van will always remain timeless and pure on the silver screen. His movies will keep him charming, handsome, and as a great symbol as "the all-American" hero of Hollywood, fighting for our country in World War II.

Classic Movie Quote of the Day

"If you're gonna catch a man, you may have to catch cold, too."

-- Esther Williams in Duchess of Idaho
encouraging her galpal to lower her neckline

Should I Succumb to the Nightmare Fuel?

Ever since Lou's post the other day with the kid slipping through the thrill ride/bungee jumpy thingie, I've been having daydream-type nightmares of having an accident on a rollercoaster. Thanks a lot, Lou!

Because I'm a sick morbid person who likes to be scared $#!tless, now I'm wondering if I should rent Final Destination 3. I mean, the whole point of a horror/thriller movie is to play on our fears and enjoy them, to some extent, right? Right?? But then I found this video on YouTube...it's a scene from the movie.



I think I'll stick with Esther Williams flicks for a while.

Friday's This & That

I still don't believe it. I watched this show on the Food Network last night and the expert says that butter is better for you than margarine. Apparently the chemicals or something in margarine are unhealthy, while the natural fats in butter are good for us. If only they could tell me smoking was good for me...

iTunes rules. I just found that selected songs from the Esther Williams' movie Bathing Beauty are now available to download. Finally -- some Ethel Smith!

Set your Moxies: Easy to Love, another movie starring Esther Williams and the divine Van Johnson will be on TCM on September 17th.

Mee-Yow Thursday

While filming "Take Me Out to The Ball Game" Gene Kelly's perfectionism and constant ribbing began to annoy Esther Williams. Director Busby Berkeley came up with an imaginative swimming number for the duo but Kelly didn't want it in the movie. He continually mocked Williams for making money from swimming films, seeing it as not too difficult a talent.

Things escalated while filming a love scene seated on a bench, mostly due to Kelly's insecurities at being an inch shorter. Between takes he kept asking Williams to slouch or sit lower so he would look taller than she. Finally Williams responded, "Why don't you just stick your foot under your ass and shut up?"

If you notice, Kelly took this advice, and during the scenes where they are seated together Kelly is sitting on his leg and foot.

Sweepea's Book Recommendations

(Hey, if Oprah can do it, why can't I?)

The Gallery of Regrettable Foods by James Lileks

Steve McQueen by William Claxton

Retro Housewife: A Salute to the Suburban Superwoman by Kristin Tillotson

My Wicked Wicked Ways: The Autobiography of Errol Flynn by Errol Flynn

Disney War by James B. Stewart

The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography by Esther Williams

Retro Happy Hour : Drinks and Eats with a '50s Beat by Linda Everett

Tuesday's This & That

After a weekend of watching darkness and blood (Matrix, Pulp Fiction, Se7en, Resevoir Dogs...) I've been really in the mood for fluffy and mellow stuff. So that means a strict diet this week of Spongebob Squarepants, Futurama, and Esther Williams' movies. It may make me a little more spacey and peachy-keen, so excuse the puppy dogs and rainbows.

Since not all of you are single out there, I've talked my friend Honey into writing up some of her anecdotes about marriage and motherhood. She'll be the Lounge's roving reporter as she delves into suburbia and moments of housewife desperation. Look soon for her recurring feature, which will be called Honey! I'm Home!

I read yesterday that Catherine Deneuve will be honored at a Bangkok Film Festival, and it reminded me of some reading I did on her last month. My friend Bobby says he has a huge crush on her, and he made me look at some of her younger pictures. Since doing so I've thought that if they were going to do her life as a movie (like Hollywood is doing with everyone now), they better cast Gwenyth Paltrow to play her.

What do you think?

"Va Va Voom" Star of the Day

Helen Forrest
One of the more popular big band singers of the era, Helen Forrest is a performer that some might not consider a jazz vocalist, but she has the exceptional ability to project lyrics. Forrest used several names early in her career, among them The Blue Lady and Bonnie Blue. She began singing in her brother's band in Washington, D.C., then performed with Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Nat King Cole's trio, and Lionel Hampton.

In 1940 she then began to score hits working with the Harry James Orchestra. During the early '40s, she had a string of successes. Later she teamed with Dick Haymes on his radio show and on six duets that were big hits. Forrest cut back her activity in the '50s, then sang with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra led by Sam Donahue in the early '60s. She continued to work on the club circuit in the '70s and '80s, making a new album for Stash in 1983.

I discovered her while watching the Esther Williams/Red Skelton flick "Bathing Beauty," where she is featured singing with Harry James and his Orchestra. Her voice and style is soothing and definitely gives the reminiscence of old time Americana.  Here's the scene (notice both Esther Williams and Helen Forrest gorgeous gowns!).

More info on her career can be found here.

"Va Va Voom" Star of the Day

Esther Williams
At 5'8" she turned the men of Hollywood on their heel with her long legs and unique swimming stroke. In her tell-all autobiography Million-Dollar Mermaid (a must-read) she relates her journey from the Olympics to the silver screen all by way of swimming. Known as "America's Mermaid," she basically invented synchronized swimming and created a whole line of swimsuits. She also has lent her name to a line of swimming pools.

Outspoken, perky, and beautiful, Esther Williams is a joy to watch in film - no matter how formulaic the storyline may be. And I love her because I'm also 5'8", brunette, and an excellent swimmer!

Check our her profile on IMDb...
...And her official website.

If you'd like desktop wallpapers of any "Va Va Voom" Stars, let me know - they're all made up and ready to go!