Christmas Countdown

The Blackbird girls love making lists (just like Santa!), and they often result from heated, near-violent (not really) debates about important things, like movies. And with the holiday season well under way, the only movies worth debating are pre-1960 Christmas movies (despite what all of those headlines and Twitter wars are telling you lately). We may still disagree about the exact ranking, but you know how it goes--she who types the blog gets to pick the order! The players, however, were unanimously chosen, which is one of the billion reasons why we get along so well. And if you're expecting It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street to be on this list, you might as well stop reading now. Christmas joy is great and all, and we've both shed a tear for a kind-hearted Santa in our day, but the BEST Christmas movies are made of humor, romance, and fashion. So here are the top five holiday movies from the golden age of film (and you get Judy Garland as a prize for making it all the way to the end!):

1. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)--This is a major moment, because until two days ago, I had never even seen this movie. In fact, after seeing it I had planned to rank it third on this list, but after a bit of soul-searching, I had to bump it up to the top slot. Barbara Stanwyck is witty and gorgeous. Dennis Morgan is fine. The plot is the perfect mixture of hilarious mixups and romance. The house is fantastic. And, it's got S.Z. Sakall, who is without a doubt one of the most adorable character actors in the history of Hollywood. (The man's nickname is Cuddles, for Pete's sake. It does not get cuter than that.) And, you know, the clothes, like the GIANT SPARKLY MONOGRAM:

 

2. White Christmas (1954)--Seriously, it's got Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen, which are four excellent reasons to indulge in some cinnamon cocoa and couch cuddling on a snowy winter night. Plus, the title song is one of the most iconic Christmas songs, and it's guaranteed to make almost everyone feel warm and fuzzy. And, you know, the clothes:

3. Holiday (1938)--Not really a Christmas movie in the traditional sense, but it does take place during the holiday season (with a climactic New Year's Eve engagement party). Cary Grant. Katharine Hepburn. Already, it's a winner. Add to that a wonderful "money can't buy happiness" plot, plus some great witty (and acrobatic!) moments and between two of the greatest actors of all time, and you've got a fabulous movie. Plus, the clothes:

4. Holiday Inn (1942)--It covers all of the major holidays, but it's really a Christmas movie. Bing Crosby wins again, and he's accompanied by Fred Astaire (so you know there's some great dancing!). And, clothes:

 
5. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)--Judy Garland makes Christmas. Enough said. And, that dress:

I will give an honorable mention to It Happened on Fifth Avenue, which I need to see again because it's been a while. Who knows? It may even displace one of the movies in the top five. I just don't remember enough about it. But I do remember the coat and hat (priorities!):

The Skinny: In An Alternate Universe

We love classic movies. TCM is in our top 3 favorite cable channels, and we love to catch Robert Osbourne's introductions. We're addicted to the trivia behind the movies that we adore. So, I started thinking about those big, classic, well-known films on our list, and the actors that made them special. It turns out that a lot of the movies, and their now-iconic leading actors, could have been a lot different.  It all comes down to timing and casting, darling.

For example, it was circulating online the other day that Cleopatra originally had a different female lead. Think about it. Can you really imagine anyone other than Liz Taylor as Cleopatra? But it was originally supposed to be Joan Collins. If she had actually kept this gig, then who knows if the Burton-Taylor saga would have turned out the same way...or happened at all. And would the grand Ms. Collins have ended up on Dynasty? The world may never know.... (Even weirder, Audrey Hepburn and Susan Hayward were also considered for the role, and at one point, Alfred Hitchcock was asked to step in as director. He made The Birds instead.)

Elizabeth Taylor, Cleopatra

So, here are some other switcharoos that made movie history.

On the Waterfront (1954)
We all know Marlon Brando as the face of this movie--

Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront

but originally, his role was offered to this guy:

Frank Sinatra

Planet of the Apes (1968)
Charlton Heston has a few iconic roles on his resume, and this is one of them.

Charlton Heston, Planet of the Apes

But, the film might have happened with someone different in his place (which would have made it much more bearable, in my opinion):

Rod Taylor!

To Have and Have Not (1944)
Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart infamously fell in love while making this movie.

Bogey and Bacall, To Have and Have Not

It turns out that another actress in the film was, shall we say, demoted to a lesser role when Howard Hawks decided that he wanted Lauren Bacall (for more than her acting skills, they say). Dolores Moran's place in the plot shrank, and Bacall's character became the lead. To make it worse, Hawks was actually having an affair with Moran at the time. So, he kind of stabbed his mistress in the back. While they were still working together. So that he could try for another mistress. Who was also working with them. Hmmm.... I wonder if he actually thought that was a good plan.

Dolores Moran

Casablanca (1942)
There are a few changes that happened for this movie. And one definite non-change: Bogey was the only one considered for his role, because it was a perfect union.

Bogey!

But, Ilsa, his lady love...

Ingrid Bergman

could have been this lady:

Hedy Lamarr

AND, although Dooley Wilson's role in the film is very secondary, "Play it again, Sam" is one of the most famous lines of all time--and it never even happened! (It's actually like this: He says: "You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can take it, I can take it--so play it!". Ilsa says "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By"'.) But anyway, people remember Sam from that movie, and Sam was almost...A LADY! To be played by one of these:

Lena Horne

Ella Fitzgerald

The Godfather (1972)
Not one of our favorite films, but it's still on the Top 100 list, so here goes.... Can you really imagine this guy:

Marlon Brando, The Godfather

being played by one of these?

Orson Welles

Edward G. Robinson

Ernest Borgnine

The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Dorothy?

Judy Garland, The Wizard of Oz

Or Dorothy?

Shirley Temple

Psycho (1960)
Marion, so classically played by Janet Leigh...

Janet Leigh, Psycho

Could you really imagine Laurey from Oklahoma!  in that infamous shower scene? Really?

Shirley Jones

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Imagine the desert. The sun is hot, the wind is blowing--now look into his eyes....

Peter O'Toole, Lawrence of Arabia

And try to recapture that feeling with one of these fellows:

Marlon Brando

Anthony Perkins

The Graduate (1967)
Dustin Hoffman is so cute.

Dustin Hoffman, The Graduate

And so is this guy, but that movie wouldn't have been quite as wonderful with him as Benjamin.

Robert Redford

Gone With the Wind (1939)
This one is a biggie. Allow me to take a deep breath...

Let us begin with Rhett Butler.

Clark Gable, Gone With the Wind

Who could have been played by:

Gary Cooper

Errol Flynn

(Gossip! Clark Gable only took the part when the studio agreed to a $50,000 raise, which he used to divorce his wife so that he could marry Carole Lombard.)

Now, we move on to Scarlett's sister, Carreen, played by Ann Rutherford.

Ann Rutherford

But the studio really wanted her (she was busy with a wizard somewhere...):

Judy Garland

Scarlett O'Hara, one of the most iconic movie characters of all time:

Vivien Leigh as Scarlett

Came from a long line of casting calls and screen tests with these babes: Lucille Ball, Joan Crawford, Jean Arthur, Claudette Colbert, Bette Davis, Paulette Goddard, Katharine Hepburn, Norma Shearer, and Barbara Stanwyck, among others. That's too many pictures for a blog post, but try to imagine Katharine Hepburn in that movie. Just try.

Who else was originally supposed to be in this movie? These guys:

The KKK!

(We can see why they were written out)

And, last, but certainly not least--possibly the biggest decision made on this set....

It was 1939, after all, and the Hollywood Production Code restricted the use of certain words, so the infamous, iconic, #1 most famous movie line of all time:

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!"

Was originally going to be one of these:
-Frankly, my dear, I don't give a hoot!
-Frankly, my dear, it makes my gorge rise!
-Frankly, my dear, my indifference is boundless!
-Frankly, my dear, nothing could interest me less!

The MPAA passed an amendment to the code, just in the nick of time, so that the line could remain without breaking the rules. Just imagine what the world would be like if people went around shouting "It makes my gorge rise!" Heehee.



*Information from www.imdb.com

The Skinny: Look Like a Movie Star With Max Factor

I've grown up hearing about Cover Girl, Revlon, Maybelline--all of the big names in cosmetics, and I've always taken for granted that makeup is makeup, and women (and men) use it to look different. I never really thought about the historical importance that a particular brand of makeup would have (and, consequently, the man behind the name). But then there is Max Factor.

Vintage Max Factor makeup kit, from thecostumermanifesto.com

Max Faktor started out as a pharmacy apprentice who began experimenting and mixing homemade cosmetics in a little shop in Poland. His first big break came in the late 1800s when a theatrical company wore his products during a performance for the Russian Czar and his family. They were, shall we say...royally impressed, and asked Max Faktor to act as the official makeup advisor to the Imperial Russian Grand Opera.

Vintage Max Factor rouge tin, from rubylane.com

In 1904, he finally decided to stretch his wings (and let's face it--things weren't great in Russia in 1904, so it was probably a really good move on his part), so Faktor brought his brood to America (and became the Factor family at Ellis Island). He set up a stall at the St. Louis World's Fair later that year and started selling his cosmetics. An intelligent man, he observed a prime opportunity for someone with his particular set of skills within the growing film industry. The Factors headed for Hollywood in 1908, and by 1914 Max Factor had developed the first makeup specifically suited for film (called "flexible greasepaint"). He also made high-quality human hair wigs, which the studios begged him to rent out. He obliged, on the condition that his sons be cast as extras, so that they could guard the wigs from kleptomaniac actresses.

He developed custom lipstick shades for Hollywood's leading ladies.

What I had never thought about was how much the chemical composition of the makeup mattered in early films. I have always just assumed that powder was powder, and lipstick was lipstick, and nails were either polished, or not. It turns out that the combination of the film type and the light source (carbon or tungsten), plus the actor's natural skin tone, made quite a challenge for the makeup artist to make the actors look normal on screen. Any transition in Hollywood's technology meant necessary product development within the cosmetics industry so that the film looked good. Max Factor was there every step of the way, for the evolution within the black and white era (some lighting was softer than others, some film types made skin look much darker, some tint was required to make fingernails look normal), and the all-important Technicolor (a completely different ball game), to the improvements in television technology. In fact, Max Factor makeup was the standard for the industry up until the arrival of HDTV.

You, too, could look like Judy Garland with Max Factor!

He also created signature looks for some of the most iconic actors and actresses of all time. Max Factor is responsible for Clara Bow's "cupid's bow" lips, and Joan Crawford's full, dark lips. He developed customized makeups to best enhance the looks of particular actors on screen, including Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert--even Rudolph Valentino had custom Max Factor makeup. He sprinkled gold dust in Marlene Dietrich's hair to make it shimmer onscreen.

Clara Bow's infamous lips.

The next time you watch one of the classics, or gasp over some beautiful actress in a black and white movie still shot, think about the fact that a large part of what you love about it is the essence of Max Factor. The full lips, the shimmery hair, the flawless face--they attract you because of the kitchen experiments of a poor Polish immigrant, a man who helped make screen stars into beauty icons. And if you happen to collect vintage makeup, check out these recent additions to our Etsy shop:

1950s eyeliner, in our Etsy shop

1950s Max Factor mascara tubes, in our Etsy shop