Under the Influence -- The Night We Never Met

We talk a lot about inspiration here at Blackbird, Inc.  Both of us are kind of like sponges, soaking up everything we see and read and experience -- and we tend to hang on to random bits and pieces, tucking them away into our brains to be pulled out and combined with other ideas whenever we need them.  We don't always immediately remember where the inspiration comes from, whether it was a movie we saw once years ago or a book we read a few months ago.  So we've decided to start a new feature on the blog, called Under the Influence, to try to catalog and pinpoint the things that have shaped our uniquely different (yet somehow, strangely coordinating and cooperative) personal aesthetics.

We're going to start with a movie that is not the movie that triggered the idea for these posts.  We'll talk about that one later -- I haven't re-watched the whole thing yet, and I wanted to reacquaint myself with it before I wrote about it.  But that movie got me to thinking about this movie (I can't explain that jump of logic), and I haven't seen this movie since -- oh man, who knows how long!  But I somehow found that it was coming on television and decided to record it.  I'm so glad I did.

I'm sure most people would just think of it as a throwaway romantic comedy.  Especially since it's from 1993, an era that people haven't really started to appreciate again.  But I absolutely love it in the way that I love all 90s-era romantic comedies.  I was 15 when it came out, but I didn't see it until a few years later on VHS.  It has a lovable Matthew Broderick as Sam, a hipster-foodie (way before it was cool to be one), who works at a Manhattan Dean and Deluca as the cheese guy.  He almost doesn't meet, but then does meet and fall in love with Ellen, played by Annabella Sciorra, a dental hygienist in an unhappy marriage.  The story is too complex to get into here, and well, that's not what we're here to talk about anyway.  I love the story, but the apartment and the way the characters live in the apartment are what's important right now.   

Dean and Deluca screenshot

Hipster-foodie Sam

They meet and don't realize who they are!

This apartment is gorgeous.  Tall windows with tons of natural light.  Double front doors with lots of dark wood and heavy moldings.  A vintage style kitchen with glass bottle cabinet doors and an old range and oven.  The basic plot is that they are sharing this rent controlled apartment with another guy, and they each get the place for two nights a week.  Sam and Ellen fall in love without meeting, through their shared love for this apartment and the freedom it gives them to be themselves.  Sam has lots of roommates at his real apartment, and this place is a quiet place he can cook, read, and relax.  Ellen wants somewhere to get away from her loveless marriage and garish apartment in Queens.  She wants to learn to paint, and experience the excitement of the city.

The apartment's stoop

Sam and Ellen both furnish their side of the apartment (the other side is a travesty of black leather and electronic equipment, courtesy of the yuppie frat boy third roommate) with their most precious items -- Sam's grandmother's quilt, Ellen's art supplies, his toolbox with antique tools...and you can tell that they are meant for each other because it all just blends.  Ellen's home is full of bright colors and contemporary furniture, and Sam's apartment is a pigsty.  But when they create their own space in the time-share apartment, you can see an eclectic mix of vintage and worn pieces that have a soothing, subdued color palette.  When they are allowed to be true to themselves, they take joy in the small things -- Sam makes a wooden planter box for Ellen's herbs, prompting her to sew long curtain panels for the windows.  They begin to take pride in the apartment, figuring out who they really are through something as simple as furnishing a space.

I think this is when we really start to see this idea happening of mixing vintage and industrial items in interiors, and especially this renewed love of vintage architecture.  If you put this on a timeline, then you realize that "Friends" started airing in 1994, and I think without a doubt, Monica and Rachel's apartment is a separate character on that show.  And why was that?  Because it made it cool again to have a hodgepodge style with a mix of new, vintage, and found furniture and decor.  It was an old apartment with strange architectural quirks, and every piece was placed exactly where it was for a reason -- it told a story without saying a word.  This movie was kind of on the cusp of that, and I think this interior still stands the test of time.  Whereas the "Friends" apartment was super bright and vibrant, this apartment is all about understated comfort and enjoying the history behind the items.  Even more so when you compare Sam and Ellen's space with the other homes in the film -- Brian's black leather bachelor pad just through the archway, Ellen's bright modern mess in Queens, and Sam's filthy tenement apartment.


Even though the film came out in 1993 (22 years ago!), the pieces they picked are timeless.  I didn't realize until I watched it again how much this affected my design sense at the time.  And although my tastes have grown and changed since I was 17 or 18, this aesthetic is still pretty much at the core of my own personal style.  If I had this apartment, I would pick pretty much the same things.  It's hard to get good screenshots of the movie, so below is a collage I assembled with the movie as inspiration.  Links to all the items used in the collage are on our Pinterest page called Under the Influence, found here.  If you get a chance to watch it, do!  It's available to rent on Amazon.

The Skinny -- Tamara Toumanova

I first want to start with how I discovered this lovely ballerina, Tamara Toumanova.  I found this photo:

 

 

In the way we Blackbird girls do, I thought, geez, that dress is fab.  And she's pretty lovely herself!  Little did I know that this photo would lead me to discover that Tamara Toumanova was a dancer in Invitation to the Dance, a film written and directed by Gene Kelly.  It has three distinct stories, all told through dance, with no dialogue.  He starred in all three parts.  When we watched the movie, we liked all three stories -- but our most favorite part of the entire movie was the super sexy part with a woman in red.  We love us some Gene Kelly.  And that woman in red?  Ballerina Tamara Toumanova.  She and Gene have some chemistry -- major chemistry.  You can watch her in action with Gene below -- start at around 8:30 in the video.

 



 

I could get into a long bio for her, but let me just hit the high points so we can get to the good stuff -- pictures!  Toumanova was born in March 1919.  She was the child of two Russian exiles, who eventually moved to Paris.  She was a child ballet prodigy, making her debut in the children's ballet at the Paris Opera when she was 10 years old. George Balanchine discovered her in 1931 at age 12, and cast her in Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, along with two other young ballerinas -- Irina Baronova and Tatiana Riabouchinska.  The trio was a great success, and very soon became known as the "Baby Ballerinas."

Toumanova was also known as "the Black Pearl of the Russian Ballet."  She was lovely -- with dark hair and eyes, and soft almond skin. She was striking -- and glamorous.  Traits that made her perfect for film as well as the stage.  She had an amazing ballet career, but she also starred in six Hollywood movies.  Her debut was in Days of Glory, a 1944 drama starring Gregory Peck, which was, amazingly, his film debut as well!  In 1953, she made the movie, Tonight We Sing, Deep in My Heart was made in 1954, and Invitation to the Dance was made in 1956. 

 

She was in Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain as the lead ballerina.  We've seen that movie -- we're big Hitchcock fans -- but unfortunately...she's not the memory that sticks out for us from that film.  We're kind of distracted by Paul Newman in his 1966 prime.  Mmmm...Paul Newman...  Anyhoo -- her last film was Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, in 1970.

 

 

She died in May 1996, at age 77, from undisclosed causes.  She was buried beside her mother in Hollywood.

 

 

Toumanova and Danny Kaye, LIFE magazine, 1945

Photo by George Platt Lynes, 1941

 

Here's a video montage of stunning photos of her:

  

 

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 -- Artistic Inspiration

We Blackbird girls are very visual people.  We love art, advertising, magazines, movies, videos...OK, just about everything you can look at and be inspired by.  We have so much artwork that our walls are full, and what's more is that we have stacks stored under our beds, tucked away into corners, and shoved into just about any place we can find, all of it being saved for that day when we miraculously acquire new wall square footage.

I've talked before about how we get inspiration from art -- and that some images seem to stick with us for some reason.  Well, we're also classic movie fanatics.  Robert Osborne is our hero, and TCM, our idea of heaven.  The image above was found on Hoodoo That Voodoo, a great Tumblr site with the most fascinating fashion and female images I've ever seen on one site.  I loved this lady instantly, and had to find out some of the backstory. 

First, it's for a movie called, obviously, Mademoiselle Modiste.  It was a silent film made in 1926, directed by Robert Z. Leonard.  The film was based on the operetta by Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom, first performed in 1905.  It's about a girl named Fifi that longs to be in the opera, but her boss at the hat store where she works discourages her from her dreams.  Fifi is a fantastic hat seller, so why would her boss want to lose the star employee to the opera? Oh, and there's a forbidden romance.  (Of course, there is.)  The operetta was very successful, having an initial run at the Knickerbocker Theater for 202 shows.  It was even revived for the stage in the 1970s and 80s.  The film with Corinne Griffith is, sadly, lost.

Corinne Griffith, known as the "Orchid Lady of the Screen", was a silent actress that was considered the most beautiful of the bunch.  She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in "The Divine Lady" in 1929.  She was wildly successful -- until talking pictures came along.  Alas, her voice was very nasal, and her first talkie was a flop.  She made one more picture, but after that, retired and became a successful author.  She wrote eleven books, had two bestsellers, and one was even made into a movie with Jackie Gleason.  She had four husbands, one of which was the owner of the Redskins football team.  She wrote the lyrics to "Hail the Redskins" -- the team's fight song.  She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street. 

 To see her in action, I found this great clip on YouTube.  Check it out: