Week in Review

Films I've Viewed

Rhoda Fleming, Sally Forrest, and Ida Lupino in While the City Sleeps (1956)

• While the City Sleeps (1956) - Dana Andrews (as Edward Mobley), Ida Lupino (as Mildred Donner), Rhonda Fleming (as Dorothy Kyne), Sally Forrest (as Nancy Liggett), Thomas Mitchell (as Jon Day Griffith), Vincent Price (as Walter Kyne), Howard Duff (as Lt. Burt Kaufman), George Sanders (as Mark Loving), John Barrymore Jr (as Robert Manners).  Great all-star cast picture.  Following the death of his father, Walter Kyne creates a contest in which the heads of his multiple press divisions go head to head to win the job of leader of the company.  What becomes the test is finding out who the "Lipstick Killer", ably played by Barrymore, is.  It was a fun look into how newsrooms used to be: the busy out-scooping dog-eat-dog world of news.  The only person I wasn't a fan of was Sally Forrest as Nancy Liggett.  Everyone around her completely out-acted her.  She stuck out as a sore thumb.  Not intriguing, but supposed to be the girl everyone wants.  Just blah.

Homes of the Stars - Part 3

Homes of the Stars - Part 3

John Gilbert

John Barrymore

Joe E. Brown

Joan Crawford

Jean Harlow

Basil Rathbone's Masquerade leads to Ina Claire's Elopement

I'm sure you all remember our sweet Ina Claire from my last post. Well, I have a few more random bits about her today.



Another reason Ina started seeing our masseuse Madame Sylvia, was because she wanted a more boyish figure for a costume. She planned on attending a masquerade ball given by Basil Rathbone and [illegible in Hollywood Undressed] Bergere. Ina planned on wearing form-fitting pink velvet pants and a boyish blouse. I wish there were pictures!

This party led to one of the juiciest ditches ever a mere 2 Weeks after the masquerade.

Another bit Madame Sylvia talks about is when Ina Claire eloped with Jack Gilbert, becoming his third wife. Yes it is THE John Gilbert, the silent film star famously left at the altar by Greta Garbo. Ina and Jack eloped in Las Vegas (even though Ina was engaged to writer Gene Markey). What a naughty girl!

Ina couldn't even live without Madame Sylvia's skills for even a day, so our Madame Sylvia was on the scene the very next morning. Like any celebrity, Ina wanted Sylvia to bring over the news and wanted to know is the elopement made the papers. It did of course, and Jack joked that his name should appear first in the press (him being a matinee idol and all). This joke did not go over well with Ina and they got into an argument.

But don't you worry about poor Gene Markey. From what I can tell he was one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood. Seen above marrying the lovely Joan Bennett. Gene married such beauties as: Joan Bennett, Hedy Lamarr, and Myrna Loy.

For more info check out:

John Gilbert's Bio: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0318105/bio

Joan Bennett and Gene Markey's Wedding: http://hollywoodheyday.blogspot.com/2009/02/march-16-1932.html