Shy, They Ain't

In Lieu of Great Disapproving Looks

I wanted to give you some more Disapproving Looks, but Disapproving Looks should be accompanied by withering comments. So my dears, you will simply have to wait. Iconista's diary is heaving.

Joan Crawford

Damn fine.
You want words?

Read a book.

Iconista is indisposed.
 

Directors

More cattle herders

Stanley Kubrick

Sam Peckinpah and William Holden

Hitchcock

John Huston, Roberto Rossellini and Jean Negulesco

Directors

The puppet masters for a change.

David Lean

Elia Kazan

Ernst Lubitsch

Federico Fellini and Giulietta Masina

Bedlam: Redressing the Balance

During the 18th century, the Bethlehem Hospital for the Lunatic in London used to charge the public a penny to come in and watch the lunatics. They were allowed, if not openly encouraged, to fling fruit and abuse at them. (I'll let you decide which side flung and which was flung at.) The doctors considered that a little dose of reality might help drive the madness from their charges since cold baths, purges and emetics had sadly failed. It also helped raise a little needed cash for this well-meaning if slightly deranged institution.

This tidbit is incidental but was brought to mind by the current if unwitting competition between the "much-loved" Sheila and the delightfully "scorned and scornful" Parker (The Iconista's "qualifying" adjectives refer to their Comments Section respectively, and she finds she has much more respect for Parker's silent majority than Sheila's noisily sycophantic chorus. I mean, why bother commenting "Terrific, and wonderful choice of movies" or "I totally AGREE"? Life is too short but clearly, for Sheila's darlings, it is not short enough.)

But Iconista digresses. Both Sheil and Parky have highlighted mad women in the movies this week. Bless. And I think they have touched only the tip of the iceberg. Judging by the vast array of film-based data, most women are hanging on to reality by a thread. Thank God for the calm sanity of men.

Or not.

Here's my twopenneth (that's two visits to Bedlam squandered. I hope you're grateful.)

Claudette Colbert

You're damn lucky that Iconista is sharing her coffee with you. Her espresso is going cold in the cup while she posts these. She's not convinced Claudette had any sex appeal whatsoever. She's a stuck-up Myrna Loy. Is Iconista missing something? Do share if you see beyond Colbert's pert nose. Personally Iconista cannot see any date with this icy broad going past tea and cake.

Joan Crawford

Iconista must bow down before the Siren for posting this Hurrell snap of Crawford. It made a change for the Siren to include more picture than words, for which Iconista was doubly grateful.

Jean Harlow

It's Sunday morning. Don't expect words, just enjoy the damn picture.

Greta Garbo in "Romance"- by George Hurrell c.1930

Greta Garbo in "Romance"- by George Hurrell c.1930, originally uploaded by greta_g.

Iconista's breath has been taken

Pick of the Week

You've probably already seen what Parker found on YouTube. What a happy coniscidence. I've been Romy all week on Facebook (well, my profile picture's been Romy, the text is pure Iconista).

Look at her go with that slinky.

Horror and LSD are two things Iconista steers well clear of and she's always been a little worried that others seek them out. So this captured her attention, a very intelligent article about the subtext of horror movies and acid experiences that make them both a little more comprehensible and therefore less frightening to this hanging-on-to-reality-by-a-gin-soaked-thread dame.

Enough wretched soul-searching. Enjoy some more vintage erotica. Damn pretty.

And to counterbalance the erotica, here's a beautiful combination of stupidity and hope. Life magazine's collection of Dumb Inventions.

There, Iconista has handed to you on a plate all that it is to be human: fear, existential doubt, lust and dumb optimism. What more could you want?