Mr Potato Head vintage toy anniversary movie tv tie-ins

Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head April 30

Celebrated 60th anniversary in 2013

How will you celebrate Mr. Potato Head Day this year? It's a fun April holiday that you can celebrate with the whole family. There's also National Potato Day August 19th.

"On April 30, 1952, Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised directly to children on television.

"In 1953, Mrs. Potato Head was added and soon after, Brother Spud and Sister Yam completed the Potato Head family." -- Mr. Potato Head Wiki So chip in and get them a gift. Maybe offer to sit for their tots and small fries so they can go out and celebrate? All eyes will be on them....

For 60 years of marriage, a diamond is the traditional anniversary gift. The Barbie Doll, Barbara Millicent Roberts, wouldn't make her debut until 1959, much less meet her dream man Ken, who came along in 1961.

Make a delicious potato salad? Go out for some fries? Dress like the Iconic Toy and Confuse a Crowd? Have Potato & Spoon races? They're very similar, but not quite as dangerous as Egg in the Spoon Races. Definitely Potato Sack races! If you used some old pillow cases no one would say anything.

Be sure to invite Cloris Leachman, Willie Nelson and Johnny Galecki from The Big Bang Theory to your party. All three have birthdays on April 30th. 

Alice B. Toklas was born on April 30th, 1877. 

Will you watch I Love You, Alice B. Toklas, the 1968 movie with Peter Sellers, Jo Van Fleet, Leigh Taylor-Young and David Arkin? 


This 1970s commercial might have the best Mr. Potato Head costume ever?!


For dessert, there's a good excuse for having ice cream cones. The ice cream cone is reputed to have made its debut at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair on April 30th, 1904.

An ice cream seller ran out of bowls and cleverly used rolled up waffles as edible bowls, instead. Do the Tater Tots ever phone and ask how he's doing? Do they ever take him out to dinner?

Need a Shopping List for yummy Potato Salad ingredients? Maybe you've got them in your pantry already?? There are so many recipe variations to be found online and in cookbooks.

Some very basic potato salad ingredients can be found here.
Add and subtract whatever you like.
Small Yukon Gold potatoes
Large hard boiled eggs
Drained capers
Mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
Chopped: Dill Pickle, Red Onion, Celery
Lemon Juice
Kosher Salt, Freshly ground black pepper

I hear Mr. Potato Head can now get a Senior Discount at Super Cuts and Banana Republic! Good for the little 'Tater Tots who depend on him.



Mr. Potato Head Celebrating 50 Years Of One Sweet Potato!
2002 : 50th Anniversary Publication He came to life again in Disney's Toy Story movies decades later, where it was immortalized as a bona fide icon of the childhood toy box. Toy Story Mr. Potato Head the movie, the potato himself. 

The beloved spud gets the royal treatment in this special 50th anniversary kit, containing new and improved 50th anniversary facial parts, potato, and body, plus a wonderfully entertaining full-color book on the history of one of America's favorite playthings.

With enormous nostalgic appeal, this kit appeals to everyone from adults who owned a Mr. Potato Head kit in the 1950s to a new generation of youngsters drawn to a simple toy that encourages fun, imaginative play.
-- excerpt from description 5 Star Rating

Paul McCartney makes Mashed Potatoes - Really

Mashed Potato Time lyrics
excerpt, Dee Dee Sharp–
It’s the latest, it’s the greatest Mashed Potato, ya, ya, ya
A Mashed Potato started long time ago
With a guy named Sloppy Joe You’ll find this dance is so cool to do
Come on baby, gonna teach it to you
Mashed Potato, feel it in your feet now Mashed Potato,
come on get the beat now Baby, come on honey, come on baby
And then they dance it through and through
They look for records they can do it to…

Paul McCartney walks you through the steps of making mashed potatoes




Though some think he was, Paul McCartney was not in the film Cucumber Castle.
That movie featured the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Donovan, Lulu, Marianne Faithful, Pat Coombs, Eleanor Bron, Mick Jagger along with Vincent Price. It would go well with the food/vegetable theme.


When I asked people for their favorite mashed potato movie scenes it was a toss up between a scene in Animal House with John Belushi and one in Close Encounters of the Third Kind with Richard Dreyfus. 

In the movie Frenzy, Alfred Hitchcock used potato sacks to transport something other than potatoes.

 

Mr. Potato Head Costumes : T-Shirts Customize

Adult & Child Sizes

Mr. Potato Head Deluxe Toddler Child Costume (Pictured) Includes foam overlay with attached ears, detachable eyes, nose, mustache, mouth, hat, eyes, nose and lips. Does not include pants, shirt, or shoes. This is an officially licensed Mr. Potato Head product.
Mr. Potato Head Classic Toddler Child Costume
 

Mr. Potato Head Adult Costume Includes: Tunic and detachable male eyes, nose, moustache, mouth, female eyes, female nose, female lips and a hat. Does not include pants, shirt or shoes. Another officially licensed Mr. Potato Head costume. 

What's on Special? Check out All Zazzle Sale Items, Coupon Codes Customize! Create Your Own!

Misfit Potato Head T Shirts Do your own thing by paintingmaniac

 

Misfit Potato Head Tshirts Dad and daughter shirts? Family shirts?

 


Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Holding Hands T Shirts by mrpotatohead





Retro Vintage Kitsch Texas Sized Potato Postcard Tshirts by curious_goods



 
More Vintage T-Shirts
Cute French Fries Pendant
Make a personalized photo pendant at Zazzle. Choose size of pendant, style, color...

Mr. Potato Head Commercials, Toys, Nostalgia

A vintage Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head commercial



Mr. Potato Head play sets include his friends like Willy Burger and Mr. Ketchup Head. Are you an aspiring chef ready for Top Chef? On the TV show Perry Mason, District Attorney Hamilton Burger was played by William Talman.

"If you have to have a job... " - Tom Hanks Throw Pillow (customize, chg font style and size, chg line breaks if you'd like...) by gwena2009
More Large Pillows

Nurses in the movies War and Military films

Nurses in War Films, Military Movies

So Proudly We Hail 1943

There seem to be more nurses in military movies about those set at wartime than any others. What are your favorite films, the ones you remember most? 

Those of us who have family members who are veterans and are in the service, people who are in the medical profession will appreciate the movies that much more.

Historical movies, some from famous novels, adaptations. How does a 1930s movie differ from the 1950s version? How often will they make a movie adaptation and why? 

Are there films that made you go into nursing or into medicine in general? These are in no particular order.

1) So Proudly We Hail! (1943) Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake.  A group of nurses returning from the war in the Phillippines recall their experiences in combat and in love.

2) MASH (1970) Sally Kellerman Jo Ann Pflug. Margaret Houlihan Hot Lips
sometimes referred to as Margaret O'Houlihan.  
 

Sally Kellerman Autographed Photo

4077 MASH unit Korean War field hospital. Feel that it's more the Vietnam War? Preceded the M*A*S*H television show with Alan Alda, where the character of Hot Lips is played by Loretta Swit.

Stars of the movie also included Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt and Robert Duvall.



3) A Farewell to Arms (1932) Helen Hayes. Also starred Gary Cooper and Adolphe Menjou. From the Ernest Hemingway novel.

The 1957 film starred  Jennifer Jones, Rock Hudson and Vittorio De Sica.

A tale of the love between ambulance driver Lt. Henry and Nurse Catherine Barkley during World War I. 2014 is the centenary of WW1.

4) The Army Nurse (1945).  Short film with Gary Cooper Details the importance of U.S. Army Nurses and all of the hard work and compassion that they provide on a daily basis. The film also shows the many different conditions they have to deal with in and out of work during wartime.





5) War Nurse (1930) Anita Page, Robert Montgomery. 

6) Pearl Harbor (2001) Kate Beckinsale. Also starring Ben Afflek and Josh Hartnett.

Pearl Harbor - Movie Poster

7) The Nun’s Story (1959) Audrey Hepburn. Also starring Peter Finch, Peggy Ashcroft and Edith Evans. The story based upon the life of Marie Louise Habets, a Belgian nurse who similarly spent time as a nun.



8) Battle Circus (1953) June Allyson costars with Humphrey Bogart.  Set in Korea and made during the war. Love story, an  Army surgeon and a new nurse ready to save the world. The 8666th MASH mobile field hospital. Keenan Wynn also stars.

9) Nurse Edith Cavell (1939) 

There was an earlier Australian silent film called Nurse Cavell. 

10) Miss Evers' Boys (1997) Alfre Woodard. Also stars Laurence Fishburne.  The true story of the US Government's 1932 Tuskeegee Syphilis Experiments, in which a group of black test subjects were allowed to die, despite a cure having been developed. 

Miss Evers' Boys Art Poster Print

Also check out Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet 1940, directed by William Dieterle with Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Gordon, Otto Kruger. Both films should get more attention.

11) Men Must Fight (1933) Diana Wynyard, May Robson. Also starring Lewis Stone and Phillips Holmes.

Nursesneeded now,Army Corps recruitment
World War posters,S Savage 1944

Related Pages of Interest:

Nurses in Drama films

Nurses in Comedies and Comedy-Dramas
Includes Operation Petticoat with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis  

WWI Centenary Gardens Chelsea Flower Show-Never Forget

Julia: from Television Moms series Diahann Carroll, Nurse on TV, costumes

Tributes, Alternative Songs for Memorials, Setting up a memorial at a wedding or other event 

Related Books and Movies:

Saving Lives: Why the Media's Portrayal of Nurses Puts Us All at Risk

The Picture of Health: Medical Ethics and the Movies by Henri Colt, Silvia Quadrelli, Friedman Lester 

Precode Hollywood, Pre-Code movies Find out more, whatever your interest. A variety of Books, films, documentaries...

Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood 

Mrs Danvers interview Rebecca novel Hitchcock film

You've heard the story:
A man's diabolical housekeeper accused of trying to kill his new wife!

Mrs. Danvers gives her side of the story: An Exclusive Interview

Last night I dreamed I went to the television studio again. It seemed to me I

Rebecca Judith Anderson
Laurence Olivier
Joan Fontaine Poster

stood by the iron gate leading to the studio and for a while I could not enter, for the entrance was barred to me.

There was a padlock and a chain upon the gate. They called the producer and got permission. And with that, my husband, Maxim and I were allowed inside.

"On today's show we're checking in on a dysfunctional family, a family from the area of Cornwall.... This is Mrs. de Winter. You've asked that we not use your first name and we'll respect that." 

Considering that this references a story and film over 70 years old, it will contain spoilers. There are quotes and paraphrases from the novel, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and some references to the characters as portrayed in the Alfred Hitchcock film. What if the characters; primarily Mrs. Danvers appeared today to tell her story on a daytime self-help chat show?

"Your marriage was nearly torn apart by the memory, we could say the ghost of your husband's first wife, Rebecca, correct? This former wife died at the peak of her beauty, popularity. She died about a year before he married you."

"Yes and Mrs. Danvers said Rebecca still inhabited the house. She was in that room in the west wing, she was in the library, in the morning room, in the gallery above the hall. Even in the little flower room, where her mackintosh still hung."

Rebecca Laurence Olivier Joan Fontaine
vintage classic car Lobby Card

"And just to acquaint our audience, Mrs Danvers is...."

"The housekeeper at Manderley, that's the estate belonging to my husband's family. But you see, Manderley went on as it had always been. I gave no orders. I left everything to Mrs Danvers. 

"The servants obeyed her orders still, the food we ate was the food Rebecca liked. Her favorite flowers filled the rooms. Rebecca was still mistress of Manderley. Rebecca was still Mrs. de Winter. I had no business there at all."
 
"And Mrs Danvers, the housekeeper was unkind to you, viciously unkind.... She seemed to dislike you and undermine you from the beginning?"

"From the moment we met, there was something beside scorn in those eyes of hers, something surely of positive dislike or actual malice. I did not want to let her see how much I feared and mistrusted her. ... She was like a shadow, watching me, appraising me."

 Rebecca Joan Fontaine Judith Anderson Alfred Hitchcock 

"Mrs. de Winter is going backstage and we're going to bring out Mrs. Danvers, the personal maid of Rebecca, the first Mrs. de Winter. Come on out and join us." The 'Applause' light flashed off camera.

When the figure of Mrs. Danvers abruptly appeared at his side, some of the
applause was replaced by shudders of exclamation. There was nervous laughter.

She was tall gaunt dressed in deep black whose prominent cheekbones and great hollow eyes gave her a skull's face parchment white set on a skeleton's frame.

"Welcome, to the show." The host put out a hand to shake hers. Mrs. Danvers set her hand into his as if her hand were some heavy, limp lifeless thing simply attached to her wrist. She was motionless. The host opened his hand, she took her seat and wiped her hand on her black frock.

As they attached her microphone he quietly mentioned that her hands were cold. She glanced at him briefly with those eyes. He welcomed her again. She said nothing but seemed to nod slightly.



"Mrs. Danvers, you were previously personal maid and nanny to the first Mrs. de Winter, Rebecca."
 
She spoke in a peculiar way, as though something lay behind her words… "She was lovely as a picture. Men turning to stare and she not twelve years old. She used to wink at me like the little devil she was. 'I'm going to be a beauty aren't I, Danny.'"
 
"And later you were employed as housekeeper at Manderley."

"I came to Manderley when the first Mrs. de Winter was a bride," she said and there was a spot of color on the gaunt cheekbones.

"The house had been in my charge for more than a year and Mr. de Winter
never complained. It was very different of course when the late Mrs. de Winter
was alive; there was a lot of entertaining then, a lot of parties and though I
managed for her, she liked to supervise things herself. .... Mrs. de Winter was
most particular about her sauces and I always had to refer to her."

"Well, we don't really have to talk about that. You still feel her presence at
Manderley?"

"Sometimes, when I walk along the corridor, I fancy I hear her just behind me.
That quick, light footstep. I could not mistake it anywhere... It's almost as
though I catch the sound of her dress sweeping the stairs as she comes down
to dinner. Do you think she can see us, talking to one another now? Do you
think the dead come back and watch the living?"

"Uh... Rebecca had been dead a year when Mr de Winter married again, isn't that correct? You above all the rest remain in the deepest mourning for her?"

"No one ever got the better of her. Never. Never. She was beaten in the end,
but it wasn't a man. It wasn't a woman. It was the sea. ....  They say drowning is painless don't they?"
 
"Mrs. Danvers, would you like me to set you up some appointments with a grief counselor, maybe arrange for some anger management?"

Clearly the answer was no. 

"We're going to pause here and have a short word from our sponsor...."

Barbie Collector 2008 Black Label - Pop Culture Collection
Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds Barbie Doll

A doll in the green suit worn by Tippi Hedren as Melanie Daniels in The Birds, a famous short story by Daphne du Maurier. The suit was created by designer Edith Head and Mattel works to make details as realistic as possible. For the doll or movie memorabilia collector. The handbag and necklace are similar to those seen in the film. ... Back to the show.

"Is it true that you dislike Mrs. de Winter and if so, why?"
 
"That girl, the second Mrs. de Winter? She tried to take Rebecca's place. She let
him marry her. How do you think I’ve liked it, watching her sit in Rebecca's place, walk in her footsteps, touch the things that were Rebecca's?"

"Now just a minute Mrs. Danvers. You're reminding me of a special series of shows I did on petulant and pungent former mothers in law.... You also remind me of Miss O'Brien Downton Abbey. Maybe if you added some color into your wardrobe??"

"She thought she could be Mrs. de Winter, live in her house, walk in her steps,
take the things that were hers. But Rebecca is too strong. You can't fight her. No one ever got the better of her. Never. Never."

"I always say that we must acknowledge today to advance ahead... Isn't it so that you are also mad at Mister de Winter for taking a second wife. He seemed to forget about Rebecca so quickly?  You don't believe he should have happiness, think he should go on suffering?"

"What do I care for his suffering? He’s never cared about mine. He knows she sees him, he knows she comes by night and watches him."

"The annual fancy dress ball didn't turn out at all well for the present Mrs. de

Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson

Winter, did it Mrs. Danvers?"

A little smile of scorn passed her lips. "I took her to the West Wing... She wanted to see Rebecca's room. It's the loveliest room you have ever seen, it looks out over the sea. 

"I showed her the lovely expensive furs, presents from Mr. de Winter. Showed her Mrs. de Winter's nightdress the one that she wore for the last time before she died. Her underclothes, specially made by nuns of St. Claire."

"I don't think the nuns where I come from did that kind of work -- undershorts and all," the host said, trying to lighten the mood. There was more nervous laughter in the audience. 

Mrs. Danvers didn't seem to notice, continuing where she'd left off. "She was beautiful, her dark hair was like a halo. It came down below her waist when she was first married. Mr. de Winter used to brush it for her then. 

"I'd come into the room time and time again and see him in his shirt sleeves with two brushes in his hand. 'Harder, Max, harder,' she would say, laughing up at him and he would do as she told him." 

A 1979 BBC production with Jeremy Brett as Maxim De Winter, Joanna David as Mrs. De Winter, Anna Massey as Mrs. Danvers. This production is closer to the novel. 

"Back to the costume. You knew that Rebecca wore it previously, and yet you deliberately suggested she wear the same costume worn by Rebecca the year before. A sight sure to bring great distress to Mr. de Winter."
 
"I said that many of the paintings would make wonderful costumes. It isn't my
fault that she took that suggestion, the painting of Lady Caroline de Winter.  To
use that costume. It was Mr. de Winter's favorite painting."

"You were really controlling and intimidating her, the new Mrs. de Winter, bullying her. I mean if you told her to jump did you expect her to ask how high?"

Her head snapped to the side and she looked him in the eye. Her face was like that of an exulting devil. Her expression was loathsome, triumphant. She remained silent.

Rebecca Laurence Olivier Joan Fontaine fancy dress

"Mrs. de Winter claims that you brought her to the open window...."

"Mrs. de Winter?! I just opened a window for her. She was overwrought. The air would do her good." Mrs. Danvers spoke hypnotically, diabolically...

"I wasn't standing by her. I wasn't going to push her. .... She was unhappy and prepared to jump of her own accord." She clenched her fists. "Why didn't she go? She wasn't afraid. What was the use of her staying at Manderley? 

"Mr. de Winter didn't love her. There wasn't much for her live for.  She wasn't happy.  None of us wanted her. She should be dead, not Mrs. de Winter."
 
Members of the audience gasped. A few in the front rows looked behind them
as if checking for empty seats so they could sit farther away from this person. 

Looking at that diabolical smile on her white skull's face, everyone had to remember that she was a living breathing woman, a person like us all, made of flesh and blood. She wasn't dead, like Rebecca. We could speak to her, but no one could speak to Rebecca.





The host took a deep breath before responding. "Now ma'am, this isn't supposed to be Mean Housekeepers of Beverly Hills. We're not making a circus here, we aren't equipped to do an intervention today. Can you guess how many women have sat in that chair livid because their ex-husbands, former sons-in-law have moved on with their lives?

"Here's a little something to think about, Mrs. Danvers." He smiled warmly at her and then into the television camera. They looked like people from two different planets inhabiting the one small stage. "In his wallet, Mr. Rogers always carried a quote that said, 'There isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love, once you've heard their story.'"

No real response from Mrs. Danvers, though he thought he heard a very low growling sound and perhaps the grinding of her teeth.

"I guess you and Rebecca weren't a fans of Mr. Rogers?" He leaned back in his chair and thought for a minute. "We're almost finished here. We consulted a physician who told us..."

Mrs. Danvers put up her hand to shush him.  "She did what she liked she lived
as she liked ...... 'Come on, Danny, hair-drill,' she would say and I'd stand
behind her by her and brush away." 

The host interrupted. "What a woman she must have been. Makes me wonder how often did this Miss Rebecca have to brush her own hair?" He paused, scratching his head, leaning forward as if they were in private. "Didn't you think she was pregnant? An affair with Mr. Favell..."

Rebecca 1950 Original U.S. Scene Card
Alfred Hitchcock Laurence Olivier

"She was not in love with anyone," said Mrs Danvers with sudden passion. "She despised all men and was above all that. But she had a right to amuse
herself hadn't she? Lovemaking was a game with her, only a game. She told
me so. She did it because it made her laugh. She laughed at him like she did at the rest."

The host continued to talk about Rebecca's health... "Did you know, Mrs. Danvers, that she was really ill? That she went to see this particular doctor?"

"Mrs. de Winter never needed a doctor. Like all strong people she despised them. .... The only thing that ever worried her was the idea of getting old, of illness dying in her bed. She said to me a score of times when I go, Danny I want to go like the snuffing out of a candle that used to be the only thing that consoled me after she died."

Rebecca Judith Anderson Joan Fontaine

"Mrs. de Winter was outwardly a perfectly healthy woman. But, she couldn't have a child. And she had cancer. She was dying. There was nothing that could be done. Did you know she was to see this doctor, she was really ill and it was just a matter of time?"

"I can't understand it. I don't know what it means..... Why would she keep
something from me? She told me everything."
 

"Did she, Mrs. Danvers? Did she? My guess is that she used you as much as
she used everyone else."
 

A sudden fire in her eyes, Mrs. Danvers tore her microphone off and flung it as she ran down the aisle in amongst the audience. People stood, scampering as if she were highly contagious or they expected her to suddenly burst into flames. 

She went through the double doors and out of the building. The young cameraman couldn't keep up with her. Finally she disappeared altogether.

"Well," the host said as he straightened the empty chair and sat back down himself. "I guess that's a wrap, folks. We can't fix what we don't acknowledge." He began to talk about next week's show....

Rebecca 1960 Original U.S. One Sheet Movie Poster
When the film came out some thought
that women would want to be like the beautiful but unseen Rebecca.
"The most glamorous woman of all time."

Dame Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca was first published in 1938. Many film adaptations of the novel have been made and all are at least somewhat different from the original text. There is even a musical version. Its first incarnation was as a stage play in London 1939-40, closing early when a bomb hit the theater. (see below for more info.)

It was made into a famous film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940. The film was produced by David O. Selznick and starred  Laurence Olivier as widower Maxim de Winter and Joan Fontaine as the second Mrs. de Winter. Judith Anderson, known at the time primarily for her work on the stage, was Mrs. Danvers. 

This was Hitchcock's first film in the United States and it won two Academy awards, Best Picture and Cinematography, out of a total 11 nominations. It would be the only Best Picture award Hitchcock would ever win. 

For producer David O. Selznick, he'd also won Best Picture the previous year, or as it was called in 1939 and 1940, Outstanding Production for Gone With the Wind.

The following year, Fontaine won the Oscar for Best Actress for her work in Hitchcock's film, Suspicion in which she co-starred with Cary Grant. This would be Mr. Hitchcock's only Academy award for acting in all of his films.

Particularly with Daphne du Maurier it's good to enjoy both the book and at least one film version of her work. I believe the author said that of her approximately 20 novels and short stories six or seven had been made into films. Her books are often more exciting and more frightening.

In 1939, du Maurier herself adapted the novel, Rebecca for a stage play version. It opened in 1939 at Queens Theatre London, starring Owen Nares, Celia Johnson as the second Mrs. de Winter and Margaret Rutherford as Mrs. Danvers.

On or about September 24, 1940, the theater was hit by a German Luftwaffe bomb. It destroyed the facade and lobby areas, making the theater unsafe. The show and the theater itself had to close.

It remained closed until a ₤250,000 restoration was completed by Westwood Sons & Partners almost 20 years later. The auditorium retained its Edwardian decor while the lobbies and exterior were rebuilt in a modern style. The reconstructed theatre opened July 8, 1959 with John Gielgud's solo performance in Shakespeare speeches and sonnets, Ages of Man.
(Thanks to the Queens Theatre web site for some information.)

Celia Johnson is well known for her performance in 1945's Brief Encounter alongside Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey. Johnson was nominated for an Academy Award. A scene from this movie was shown in the 1980s film 84 Charing Cross Road with Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench.

Margaret Rutherford is known for portraying Miss Marple in several 1960s films based on Agatha Christie novels. In 1963 she won the best supporting actress Oscar as The Duchess of Brighton in The VIPs. Having a long and varied career she was also in Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and she portrayed the Nurse Carey in the two Miranda mermaid films.

On June 7 & 8, 2014 certain Bow Tie Cinemas in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York are scheduled to show Rebecca. Keep watch for big and small venues in your area where you can catch the film on a big screen.

Newswire Photo: Judith Anderson

Was there a Mr. Danvers? What do you think? 

Have you seen the film Laura? How would you compare the movies Laura and Rebecca? Is it just coincidence that braids are an on trend hairstyle for the summer of 2014?

Appearing in films such as Laura, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, in 1984, Judith Anderson also played the Vulcan High Priestess on Star Trek.

Mrs. Danvers was a prototype for many characters such as Hoffman on Dark Shadows (1966-1971), Miss O'Brien on Downton Abbey and Opal on Devious Maids. 

Whenever I see James Cagney in White Heat (a 1949 film noir gangster prison film). Its ending reminds me of the ending of Rebecca. Similar but a very different movie.


Some books that can accompany Rebecca:

The Wrong House: The Architecture of Alfred Hitchcock by Stephen Jacobs, one of my favorite books on his films. Hitchcock had said that Manderley was like another character in the movie.

Mourning Films: A Critical Study of Loss and Grieving in Cinema by Richard Armstrong

Film Adaptation in the Hollywood Studio Era by Guerric DeBona. Just about anything to discuss the adaptation of a novel or short story into film. During the studio era, the era of the Production Code, there were more boundaries. Do you take into consideration the restrictions the producers and directors had in making the film? Consider what might have been, examine the finished work or a little of both?

Hitchcock and Adaptation: On the Page and Screen by Mark Osteen. A look at one director's adaptations.

Hitchcock's Villains: Murderers, Maniacs and Mother Issues Eric San Juan, Jim McDevitt

Growing Pains: The Shaping of a Writer  by Daphne Du Maurier

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-the Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England by  Daniel Pool. Simon & Shuster. 1994. From this book I learned that the housekeeper can be called Mrs. as a sign of respect even if she was unmarried, was the head of the female staff. She kept the household accounts, was in charge of the linens and carried a large keyring with all the household keys on it.

Aprons and Silver Spoons: the Heartwarming Memoirs of a 1930s Scullery Maid by Mollie Moran

You can stream a vintage live NBC Theater 62 film of Rebecca with James Mason, Joan Hackett and Nina Foch as Mrs. Danvers. It's complete with 1962 commercials, and is offered at no charge if you have Amazon Prime.

Best Movie Villains Top 50 All Time AFI 50 Greatest Film Villains 
Mrs. Danvers is ranked No.31

Vamps Vampires Villains and Flappers: Do you think of Female Vampires of the 1910s-1920s as Villains?

Tour the manor, Life below stairs

8 Famous Maids not a-milking Quiz

Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca on DVD is available with different shipping times and rates

Plan 9 Tor And Paula Table Lamp by TheDreamporium
Browse Plan 9 from outer space Lamp-In-A-Box Lamp

Land's End The most western point Cornwall UK Premium Trinket Box 

Find more Gift Boxes at Zazzle

This article is part of the Great Villain Blogathon

Oliver poodle fit for princess new pet

Fit for a Princess: The new pet Grace Kelly brought to Monaco

What do our pets mean to us?  In 1956 Grace Kelly arrived in Monaco for her wedding. As her prince escorted her off the ship she was cradling a black poodle in her arms. The dog was an engagement gift from friend and To Catch A Thief co-star Cary Grant. Loving the pets of the person you love can be wonderful.

Grace Kelly was married on April 19, 1956. Their civil wedding was the day before on April 18th.



You see Grace Kelly holding the poodle. 

Cary and his wife had a poodle named April. Grace had played with their poodle at their Palm Springs home. 


"Of her costars Kelly's relationship with (Cary) Grant was one of the most enduring. He and his wife Betsy gifted Grace with her beloved pet poodle, Oliver shortly before she set sail for her wedding. We'll assume that Grace Kelly named Oliver, but don't know that.

"They were there for key moments in Grace's life: her wedding, the ball held for Princess Caroline's wedding in 1978, Grace and Ranier's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and Grace's funeral."
-- from What Would Grace Do?: How to Live Life in Style Like the Princess of Hollywood (paper or ebook) by Gina McKinnon 


In a 1934 newsreel Hollywood on Parade, Cary Grant goes to meet Virginia Cherrill, who would become his wife. Grant has a dog with him, it's probably Archibald. [They're about 2:20 into the film]

The book, Chaplin's girl: the life and loves of Virginia Cherrill is getting some good reviews.

Archibald was the name Cary Grant chose for his pet sealyham. Grant's real (former) name had been a long-time joke for him and the public. It is said that the dog ran out the door while Grant was carrying Virginia Cherrill over the threshold in 1934. He took large ads in the papers with the dog's name.  A sealyham is a rare Welsh breed of small to medium-sized terrier, usually white, that originated in Wales as a working dog.

In June, 1942, shortly before his marriage to Barbara Hutton, he legally changed his name from Archibald Leach to Cary Grant and became an American citizen.

There are humorous inside-joke type mentions of his birth-name in films Gunga Din and in His Girl Friday, he says, "The last man to say that to me was Archie Leach, just a week before he cut his throat."

Later in his life Mr. Grant and his wife Barbara had cats named Sausage and EQ. The book tells a story of when Quincy Jones came over to the house and laughed when he heard EQ's name. 

This cat had two different colored eyes. Grant told Jones that he didn't even know what the cat's name stood for. Jones told him that in recording music, EQ stands for equalization, but then he laughed and said, "Man, that cat hasn't even got two eyes the same color!"

Jones had composed, orchestrated, and conducted the music for Cary Grant's last film, Walk, Don't Run (1966). He also composed the film score for The Slender Thread (1965) with Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft.

Funny note: On Season four of the Spike TV show Ink Master, there's a contestant, a tattoo artist who goes by the nickname Sausage. His name is Walter Frank. Once in a while I think it may be a good idea to get a cat tattoo from this guy. He's a very good tattoo artist, btw. They had X-Men's Hugh Jackman on this season.

Cary Grant's beautiful daughter, Jennifer is grown up now. In her book, Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant, which is a sort of homage to her dad, she mentions her own dog.  "My dog, Oliver, is named after our mutual nickname, Ollie. In a Cockney accent we could greet each other with,  'ello Ollie! 'ow ya' doin', Ollie? Oliver and baby Cary will look at us sideways, and then my father will never leave again." 

The book is it's fun and refreshing. It's interesting from a fan perspective and it's also well written. A lot of daughters will be able to relate.

Grace Kelly Packing for Wedding to Prince Rainer of Monaco.
Her pet poodle, Oliver looks on....

There are several photo posters of Actress Grace Kelly around the time of her wedding, before and after
photographer, Lisa Larsen :: Buy vintage photo poster

Poster would be a fantastic choice for the wall of a fashionista, clothing/jewelry designer, stylist or photographer....
Different sizes and frame types are available Premium photographic print, an upgrade to the standard photographic print, feature high-gloss premium photographic paper. The result is a unique silver pearlescent finish with visual impact and depth. 


Is a love of animals passed on from generation to generation or are we born with the ability to love and have empathy for other creatures? Either way, encouraging our kids to treat animals with love, kindness and respect is important.

On August 31, 2013, Prince Andrea Casiraghi, second in line to the throne of Monaco, wed Tatiana Santo Domingo. By all accounts there was not a crown in sight. The prince is the grandchild of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco. 

The couple's puppy was a guest and appeared in several of the wedding photos. 

Years earlier, when Grace Kelly went to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco, she received a poodle named Oliver from her friend Cary Grant. The two had recently made the Alfred Hitchcock film, To Catch A Thief. Miss Kelly's pet dogs were among the passengers to accompany her on the ship to Monaco.

Grace Kelly was known to be a dog lover. Oliver the poodle was seen in newsreels and photos. She either did or used to also have at least a Great Dane and a Weimaraner. 

Tatiana, the bride-to-be, celebrated her upcoming wedding on a luxury yacht. She and her bridesmaids wore white and had garlands of flowers in their hair.

"In her classic bohemian style, the bride wore a simple Missoni gown with three-quarter length sleeves and a demure V-neck, raffia- and silk thread-emroidered bodice and a full-length circle skirt with a macrame effect supported by two layers of silk organza. 

"Finishing off her hippy chick look she wore a floral wreath on her head, similar to the one she wore for her hen-do last week."
-- excerpt from Brides Magazine

Video: 50 Years after wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer of Monaco
Beautiful footage -- including Oliver the Poodle
You see Grace Kelly holding the poodle while she is getting off of the ship. Prince Rainier takes the end of Oliver's leash as they get into the car.

1956 Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds
Wedding Dress Photos Original Print Ad Advertising

"The studio presented these stars their wedding dresses:" Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Arlene Dahl.

Lovely ladies and animal stars made several Hollywood hits. 

Notably Elizabeth Taylor with her Lassie movies.

Elizabeth Taylor and Lassie 8x10"

Elizabeth Taylor was in Lassie Come Home (1943) and The Courage of Lassie (1946)

Grace Kelly's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6329 Hollywood Blvd.
Her star is near those of Eve Arden, C. Aubrey Smith, Ann Rutherford, Rosemary Clooney, Desi Arnaz and Gordon MacRae

For equal time
Grace Kelly with a kitten
8X10 Photo

Elizabeth Taylor's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6336 Hollywood Blvd.
Her star is near those of Richard Burton and Darryl Zanuck,
Marjorie Rambeau, Arturo Toscanini, Irene Hervey, Kim Novak, Dorothy Lamour, Lillian Roth

Lassie's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6368 Hollywood Blvd.
Lassie's star is near those of Anne Bancroft and Robert Goulet, Paul Henreid, Chris Farley, Andy Devine, Rodney Dangerfield, Jack Benny and Rich Little

To Catch a Thief - Cary Grant Grace Kelly Movie Poster

2015 marks the 60th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief. Will there be a tribute or celebration in your area?

On the Riviera, in the summer of 2013, approximately $136,000,000 of jewels was stolen from The Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes, France. The hotel was where Hitchcock had filmed scenes for To Catch a Thief where Cary Grant played a cat burglar.


Some information from:

Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best  By Nancy Nelson


The Man From Dream City, by Pauline Kael, New Yorker Magazine, July 1975

Related Pages of Interest:

Grace Kelly Costume Mattel Barbie : To Catch a Prince
Capture those special days in their lives with a beautiful doll in a wedding dress done to the smallest detail and other outfits matched to what she wore including the pearl necklace given to her as an engagement gift from the prince to the Manual of Catholic Devotions prayer book that she carried with her.

Pets in Weddings, Portraits, Dog Ring Bearers, A Cat or Dog Bridesmaid : Dogs in Weddings
Pets in our wedding parties, Cats, dogs other pets walking down the aisle, Making your wedding personal. More people, we read about the celebrities are having our pets if not in the ceremony iteself, in the portraits and photos and at some part of the wedding festivities.

Animals on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Animals on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: Famous Dogs, Character Costumes : Muppets, Godzilla, more.