Críticos Retro: Alegría y sensualidad: Douglas Fairbanks juega Zorro

Críticos Retro: Alegría y sensualidad: Douglas Fairbanks juega Zorro--¡Me gusta mucho su comentario de  Douglas Fairbanks y Zorro!

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TCMFF 2013--Jane Withers and Anne Jeffreys at the Vanity Fair Party

The Vanity Fair party, 2013. The big hit of the evening? When Lulu sang "To Sir, With Love." In April of 2011, I was fortunate enough to meet the late Ann Rutherford, Anne Jeffreys, and Jane Withers at the Vanity Fair party after the Gala screening of An American in Paris. Jane Withers and I chatted for quite awhile about our families and our rings, and how much fun we were having.

 This year, I found myself having an extended visit with the gal who started out taunting Shirley Temple in Bright Eyes, and had a featured role in the George Stevens epic Giant. Jane Withers' faith in God and humanity has seen her survive Hollywood, a severe bout with rheumatoid arthritis which led to her featured role as Vashti Snythe in the screen version of the popular Edna Ferber novel, and allowed her good health to attend the Vanity Fair party after the Gala screening of Funny Girl on Thursday, April 25. Withers, supportive of the effort of Turner Classic Movies to continue to broadcast films and original programming without commercial interruption, exclaimed that "I am so thrilled that these people at TCM continue to air classic films, and I want you to tell everybody how grateful I am to them for what they have done and accomplished. They are all so wonderful, and they have been so good to me."

 Miss Withers was also elated about the reissue of several of her films from the 1930s and 1940s on DVD. Her starring role opposite Shirley Temple in Bright Eyes(1934) was secured after Director David Butler had auditioned thirty young girls, but when he heard Jane Withers' imitation of a machine gun, he chose Withers to play nasty Joy Smythe. Jane's last role was as the gargoyle in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and she had to take over the part following actress Mary Wickes' death in 1996, imitating her voice exactly. She reprised the role in 2002 for the sequel. Jane Withers and Anne Jeffreys at the TCMFF 2013 Vanity Fair party, bidding each other adieu as Anne had to leave a little earlier than Jane. (PHOTO ADDED LATER)

 Jeffrey's last role was as Susanna in 2012's Sins Expiation, and she and Jane have known each other for quite a while. Jeffreys, Amanda Croft on Falconcrest , Marion Kerby in the Topper series, Irene Buchannon on Baywatch, and the Duchess of York in 2008's Richard III, has also had a busy and varied career, and has always enjoyed attending the TCMFF Vanity Fair parties. SueSueApplegate PART II.... During her introduction to Giant in The TCL Chinese Theatre with host Ben Mankiewicz, Jane Withers talked a great deal about James Dean and her activities on the set of Giant in Marfa, Texas. Evidently she had a house, and would have parties almost every night with food, cards, Monopoly, and bridge, and "almost everybody" from the crew would come and enjoy the evening. She said that Rock Hudson came most of the time, but Elizabeth Taylor only came once because she liked to go to a country club about sixty miles away. The only night she did drop by, she said how much fun it was, and why didn't she come by more often.


But Withers did seen to form a bond with James Dean. One night after almost everyone else had left, she went into her bedroom, and he was lying down with his hat over his head. "Is that you, Jimmy?" Withers asked. She wanted to know why he hadn't come through the front door, and he said he didn't want to see all those other people, that he came just to see her. Well, Withers claimed she always carried a tool kit with her, and took her hammer, and nailed the window shut while Dean was watching so that the next time he came, he had to come through the front door.

 When Withers left California for Marfa, Texas, she knew that she might be gone for over a year, so she brought lots of books to read, as well as her tool kit, and Dean would come over and read books from her makeshift "lending library," and they would read aloud to each other, many times it would be plays. One night she was reading The Bible and quoted Matthew 21:22 to him, and told him that she tried to live by that verse: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. She repeated this verse to me during our conversation, and said that it was one of her favorites. Long before Withers ever signed a contract for Giant, she suffered a debilitating case of rheumatoid arthritis, and had to be hospitalized for a lengthy stay. While she was cared for at the hospital, she became friends with a young orderly, and he invited her to his graduation. Once Withers was well enough, she was able to attend his graduation ceremony, and after the ceremony, a man tapped her on the back, and as she turned around, director George Stevens introduced himself, and said that he had wanted to talk to her about a part in his next movie, Giant. Well, the next week, Stevens called, but Jane was busy fixing lunches for her children to take to school, and said, something like, "right, you are George Stevens. Well, I have to finish fixing these lunches. I can't talk right now." Later the next day, Stevens secretary called and told her that Stevens wanted to take her to lunch to discuss with her a part he had in mind for her. It turned out to be Vashti Snythe, the quintessential no-holds-barred Texas gal from Giant. And she again stated how she knew God had a hand in her career and her life. Part of Jane Withers' interview with Ben Mankiewicz can be viewed here under the heading 4/27: http://filmfestival.tcm.com/about/video-gallery.php

I certainly didn't want to miss the excitement of the first full day of screenings, but it was difficult to "get going' after the late night excitement of the Vanity Fair party, so I wasn't sufficiently "coffee-ed" up enough to make the introduction to The Bad and The Beautiful with Robert Osborne and Cheryl Crane, Lana Turner's only child, and author of a biography of her mother.

The Bad and the Beautiful, Vincent Minelli's excellent Hollywood expose from 1952 with a screenplay scrafted by Charles Schnee who also wrote Red River (both the film and the teleplay), Butterfield 8, They Live by Night, Two Weeks in Another Town, and The Next Voice You Hear, won something like 5 Oscars even though it hadn't been nominated for best picture.

This film showcases Kirk Douglas in one of my favorites of all of his performances, besides George Phipps in A Letter to Three Wives, Spartacus, and Jack in Lonely are the Brave. I made it just in time to see one of my favorite scenes on the big screen when Lana is driving the car in the rain and crying hysterically.

And I always love the ending to this film because even though all the characters have absolutely had it with Jonathan Shields' behavior, at the end Georgia Lorrison, Harry Pebbel, and Fred Amiel are still riveted to the phone listening to Shields lure them in once again. But other passholders who saw the introductory discussion with Osborne and Crane proclaimed Crane's sustained interest in the professionalism of Turner's career, and during a later discussion at Imitation of Life, Robert Osborne would refer to this interview while discussing the filming of Imitation of Life with Juanita Moore, and Susan Kohner.

Then it was on to brunch at the little restaurant that overlooks the inviting pool at the Hollywood Roosevelt. (It's supposedly situated right above the area where Marilyn Monroe had her one and only photo shoot at the hotel.) Folks were swimming in the heated pool and sunning themselves on the lounge chairs while snuggled up in those wonderfully warm super-sized bath towels because it was still a little chilly, especially when you stepped out of that lovely, heated pool.

The breakfast was delicious and the fruit was fresh, eggs were scrambled perfectly fluffy, toast was warm and orange juice tart. But, and now I come to the only complaint portion of my entire visit, except for the fact that the festival was only four short days. It is the small matter of the breakfast potatoes....I think the chef was gearing up for a kind of potatoes galette-kind-of-throw-a few-liquified-capers-in-and-some-garlic- powder-with-dried-parsley-for-a-visual-enticement-like- La Madeleine- kind of culinary experience, but I am sorry. Those breakfast potatoes, and they also serve the same ones if you order room service, were like cold, mushy, greasy, mashed potatoes. It was like The Blob. It acted like it was finally relieved to just sort of ooze on your plate and stare back at you, defying you to attack it with a fork. Eeeeyu! Maybe I've just been viewing too much Gordon Ramsey lately, but there is no way you could pretend they were delicious while you were actually eating them unless you had earned 3 or 4 Oscars. Maybe Meryl Streep could carry it off. I couldn't.

So the wonderful waiter recognized an unhappy patron from her ghoulish, girlish grimace. He brought me an extra side order of toast. That was sweet. The service staff at this hotel attended to details-they were patient, kind, and thoughtful. Thank you, Hollywood Roosevelt, but call the Waffle House for a lesson on Hashed Browns 101. And I wasn't the only passholder put off by the "breakfast" potatoes...several of us had a potato pity party at Club TCM solely about this one and only culinary disgrace. (And, yes, laughter did ensue.) So my only real complaint during the whole wonderful four days is that I want the management to deal with those nasty potatoes....Eeeyu!

Time to run again and onto the "Conversation Between Peter Bogdanovich and Leonard Maltin"mano a mano at Club TCM, right here in the hotel, on the first floor, across from the spacious lobby bar. Bogdonavich and Maltin were seated face-to-face on the raised dais of the dance floor.(And yes, there was dancing, but more about that later.) And Bogdanovich did not disappoint. He told many Hollywood tales in character as he schmoozed about Orson Welles as Orson Welles, a Bogdonavich house guest during his Cybill Shepherd years. Bogdanovich also does a great impression of Howard Hawks, someone he has researched and written about in some of his
printed exploits, and he also indulged in the industrial name-dropping he is famous for. Both gentlemen received a huge round of applause from the packed room, and Bogdonavich signed autographs as he left the stage. (Yes, he signed one of my books. I was just standing there, watching him leave, and since I am about 9 feet tall, I guess my height startled him, and he started wiggling his pen in my direction, so I shoved a book in his direction. (He was sedate, but gracious.)

After the discussion, I visited with several of my TCM City buddies and new folks I'd met at the festival, and we all chatted about what screening we were going to see next. Everyone was still so excited about our experiences..

But I was running out of tip and t-shirt cash (The souvenirs are wonderful!), so I had to find a local branch bank in the area. The lobby near the registration desk had computers for guestmember use and I looked up a local bank address there, and I went out to the covered portico at the valet and was going to ask for my poor, exhausted rent SUV that had already been all over California, but then one of the service staff asked if I needed a free ride, and I answered, "But, of course!" and he stated that they had a brand new Buick with a tall, good looking chaffeur named Dave, to take me anywhere I wanted to go. And I didn't have to jog my rentvee from its cozy and well-positioned valet space. So Dave drove me to and from the bank, and I arrived in front of Grauman's just in time for the screening of Imitation of Life just as the tall, well-attired chauffer opened the inside curb door for me to step out onto the footprint arena where all the famous Hollywood stars I've admired through the years have left their marks....

Next: The Imitation of Life screening with a post-film discussion engaging Juanita Moore, Robert Osborne, and Susan Kohner...

Day One, Part Six

The excitement of attending the Vanity Fair party is electric. Everyone I encountered who attended seemed to experience it and feel it.

Wearing my full-lenth black satin Chinese formal with the Mandarin collar and clicking my high heels all the way down Hollywood Boulevard, I felt my heart beating faster with each step. I was following Countess De Lave and friends as we drew closer to the entrance of the club, and we all were speaking about how much fun we knew it would be.


As we were entering, the first celeb sighting was Eva Marie Saint and her escort (hubby?). She looked lovely and was very gracious. She was exiting as we were entering and was wearing a lovely creme-coloured outfit and carrying a clutch bag. Folks were genuflecting to her and appreciating the fact that she was able to attend on her way out. (Eva Marie Saint will introduce North By Northwest during the festival with Martin Landau as a co-presenter.)


When we had stepped inside, I found my date, Bruce, clasping a glass of white wine, and chatting with another passholder from the East. The crowd was already huge, and I could hear the buzz of voices all around...the screening was..he looks so..they haven't arrived yet...he's over there..the waiter is coming..care for a snack?..look at that hair..she's ravishing... (I like to imagine they were talking about me!)

The first floor of Kress's was packed with folks swarming around in a sort of circular motion that eventually led them around to the table where Robert Osborne and Diane Baker were holding court. Mr. Osborne was sitting in a seat in the booth most closest to the milling crowd, and Miss Baker was seated next to him. I had already visited with Mr. Osborne earlier, shortly after my fan perspective interview, and I introduced myself to Miss Baker who looked stunning and exhibited a kind of serene patience and wonder at all the excitement, seemingly happy to be a part of it, and happy to visit with her fans. Very approachable and affable.

Right before I introduce myself to someone famous, or someone in a position of authority that I am not acquainted with, I always remember a story my cousin told me about Louis Jourdan. It gives me courage.

My cousin was visiting Hollywood for the first time in the 1980's and was staying at a hotel in Beverly Hills. As he was leaving the valet parking area, Louis Jourdan stepped out to wait for his car. My cousin walks over to him to speak, and he says, "Oh, Mr. Jourdan, you're the first movie star I've met since I've been in Hollywood." Mr. Jourdan looks at him with that droll expression of boredom so common to viewers of Gigi, and says in his French-accented English, "I'm so happy for you," and walks away to his car.

So this incident always reminds me that my comments might not be met with the same enthusiasm I feel at the time. It helps me be prepared for rejection...

But Robert Osborne, who makes everyone he meets seem welcome, always was kind and generous with his time to folks I saw him converse with. The general comments about Mr. Osborne as the festival spokesman and TCM onscreen CEO was overwhelmingly favorable.

And meeting Diane Baker was a joy. She stated that she currently is involved in teaching acting, and I told her that I always enjoyed her performances. In Marnie, I explained that I thought the turquoise kimono she wore was lovely, and I always wanted one like it. My aunt, who was a fabulous seamstress, made me a kimono like the one Miss Baker wore in Marnie without even using a pattern. Miss Baker said that she always enjoyed hearing fan stories, and she indeed remembered wearing that lovely kimono. She was charming.

After my lovely visit with Miss Baker, and a short nod to Mr. Osborne who was busy greeting other passholders, I romped upstairs to where my date, Bruce, and friends Countess De Lave, and others were soon to arrive. We had all agreed to meet on the top floor because there were so many people on the ground floor.

On my way upstairs, I ran into Ed Faulker and his wife. Faulkner is a character actor who has worked on many films with John Wayne and episodic television. He was surprised that I had recognized him because he says most folks don't remember who he is. He and his wife are very charming, and Mr. Faulkner currently works in private business, but also continues acting. He expressed the joy he had at working in so many films with John Wayne. They are very sweet folks..Mr. Faulkner can currently be seen in one of the "Words of Mouth" extras on TCM, and I believe it is the one with director Andrew McGlaglen, son of actor Victor McGlaglen, discussing John Wayne.

As I'm waiting in line to move around to the stairs because of all the partygoers, Alec Baldwin walks by, and I say, "Hi, Alec." And he says, "Hi, how's it going?" and moves along to his next stop to sit down by Robert Osborne, and they have a photo op.

Upstairs, my pals and I found the perfect place to see the whole arena of guests and passholders. It was the corner booth upstairs near the DJ. Waiters kept coming around with drinks, and goodies to snack on. We could see everything happening in the main arena of celeb activity while we were perched in our perfect "catbird seat" booth. Then a photographer from CNN comes and sits with us, takes our photos, and sits down to visit for awhile. He tells us about all the folks he has taken pictures of since the evening began, and others at the festival. Then, after he has a beverage, he has to go downstairs and take more pictures.

As I get up to visit the powder room while we are upstairs, Jaqueline Bisset walks in with her friend from London, and I introduce myself and we talk about London, her visit to LA, how great Jack Cardiff was with his photography of FlPandora and the Flying Dutchman which is being screened at the festival, and how hot and humid it is in Houston where she had filmed a movie. She seems very shy at first, but was happy that I had remembered her working and visiting Houston.

Then off to the powder room where I needed to update my look with one of my favorite lip gloss colors, #300, L'Oreal, tuck in a stray hair or two from my upsweep, and readjust my little red flower...

Back at the table, we started requesting our favorites from the DJ, and he was happy to comply, and we all started dancing. More drinks...More dancing. Then the CNN photographer comes back upstairs and tells us Cher had put in an appearance. We all ask what she was wearing. "Some white number," he says.

Then I ran into a tall, good looking man on the stairs who said Hugh Hefner had just been there with some blonde babe. And after way too much wine, I think I said something like, "Oohh, big news flash from 50 years ago." He laughed, but then I felt guilty I had said something like that. Ah, Bacchus...

So I missed Hugh and Cher, but luckily others hadn't and said they were gracious to the passholders who were able to chat with them.....Oh, well. Back to more wine, more snacks, and more dancing to our favorites until the wee hours. We laughed and chatted and danced until the DJ started packing up his equipment, and the wine flowed no more, and little waiters with trays of goodies had abandoned us...

Day One, Part Five

After I saw Judy Garland sing "The Man That Got Away" in A Star is Born at Grauman's Chinese Theater, I quietly slipped away in the back of the auditorium so that I could attend the poolside screening of Neptune's Daughter at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and I wasn't the only passholder who did that. I just didn't want to miss this event as well as the premiere.

The evening was cool, and even though I was wearing my coat, I was chilly. As I was making my way through the large crowd, I found my vintage-clad friends, Countess De Lave and her sister, Miss Lilacs. We all sat at a table and ordered something tasty and warm. I had coffee with B&B. All around the pool area by the bar, several
toasty fires were blaring in metal "kivas" to keep everyone warm. The lights made
by the fires and the illumination on the palm trees reflected in the pool water made lovely shadows that sort of twinkled everywhere, depending upon where someone was seated. Up above the pool area, the large column of rooms at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was visible, bathed in a sort of amber light.

The screen was at one end of the pool, by the shallow end, and the synchronized swimmers, the Aqualillies, had just begun to arrive.

Genevieve McGillicuddy, the director of the festival, steps on the stage and welcomes everyone, followed by applause, and then she introduces Ben Mankiewicz, and he then greets Betty Garrett and Esther Williams on stage.

And when Ben sees that Esther Williams is in a wheelchair, he quietly moves an extra chair out of the way. A very considerate act of kindness to accommodate the ladies.

Esther and Betty are smiling and acting very happy to be at the Festival.
Esther claims that "Everything sounds better under water," and Betty, who seems to be having a cold, has a little hoarseness in her speech, and states that she can't hear everything, but if if someone says something bad, she'll find out about it and
"whack you later." Cute. Spunky. I like it.

Even though Esther Williams was in a wheelchair, she seemed in good health and quite perky. She was wearing a red sequined full-length sheath and sparkled when she spoke. Still a feisty gal, Esther still has her bathing suit business because the Aqualillies were sporting her little red swimsuits and she made note of it. The lovely synchornized swimmers had a great show, doing some of the same Esther Aquatics we've known and loved, and they received a large round of applause.


Betty Garrett was so cute, too, and seemed quite energetic. Esther left shortly after the film began, and so did Betty.

But after the movie started, and the double duets of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Esther and Ricardo Montalban, and Betty and Red Skelton came on, Betty stepped back out on her patio from her private cabana and was watching this sequence wistfully. As many of the viewers around the area saw her standing there, they turned and gave her a round of applause, and as she teared up, she smiled sweetly and disappeared again into her suite.

Lots of folks were wearing their coats because, baby, it really was cold outside!
But the Hollywood Roosevelt had several huge fireplaces warming everyone up. I was still in my full-length Chinese dress with the mandarin collar and stretched out
on one of the deck chairs and finished sipping my coffee and brandy while I enjoyed Ricardo, Betty, Esther, and Red up on the silver screen at the end of the pool.
I was able to be with my new friends, Kyle, Countess De Lave, Miss Lilacs and one of my dearest acquaintances, Lynn, for this wonderful close to a great first day at the day.

But I still had one more event to attend: THE VANITY FAIR PARTY at Kress's!