Last night I watched Gilda on TCM. Great film, and now I see why all the men back in the day fell in love with Rita Hayworth. They still do. I wonder if my hair dresser will think I'm nuts on Tuesday when I ask her to make me look like her. Ha. I don't think she ever wore jeans, either*. I guess I still haven't brought glamour into my life like I resolved I would this year.
Rita proves that more is more, instead of less is more when it comes to dressing (or not totally undressing) for seduction. I'm not a guy so I don't think like one, but from everything I've read, she kept them up late at night with her fully clothed "striptease" scene where she sang "Put the Blame on Mame" in a black dress and removed only her cape, black satin gloves and necklace. That's all she took off. It's the way she did it. You have to watch it to see what I mean:
There were many great lines:
Gilda: "I think it's good business for a lady to work around ugly women and beautiful men."
*****
Gilda: Ballin was wrong, wasn't he?
Johnny: About what?
Gilda: He said you can shut out excitement by just closing your door. You can't, can you?
******
Gilda: I can never get a zipper to close. Maybe that stands for something, what do you think?
******
Johnny: Pardon me, but your husband is showing.
*****
Johnny: Doesn't it bother you at all that you're married?
Gilda: What I want to know is, does it bother you?
*****
Gilda: If I'd been a ranch, they would have named me "The Bar Nothing."
*****
Gilda: Hate is an exciting emotion...haven't you noticed? Very exciting. I hate you too, Johnny. I hate you so much, I think I'm going to die from it...darling...I think I'm going to die from it.
*****
Ballin: Gilda, are you decent?
Gilda: Me? Sure...I'm decent.
*****
You can buy Gilda
on DVD.*I just read this on a fansite: "When she didn't have to play movie star, Rita felt most at home in a pair of slacks or baggy jeans, a comfortable sweater and penny loafers." So cool.
5 comments:
I love many of the old classic movie stars. Have you ever seen the Thin Man series? If not run to your local video store.
I wish I had broadband. Sigh.
Eileen- I'll look into it!
JV- Seriously. You can build a rocket in your back yard but can't rig broadband. What's wrong with you.
Wow - what a great post!! Thanks for the mini-video too - so great to watch her sashay around like that. What a dame!!
Another wonderful Rita Hayworth performance is in Only Angels Have Wings - with Cary Grant. It was her first big part - and she is just scrumptious in it!
They don't make them like that any more. Hayworth was a dancer, and it shows in her graceful moves.
Post a Comment