Wonderland Burlesque's Let's Go To The Movies: Face Time - Part IV

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's Go To The Movies: 

Face Time

Part IV

That look, that face...

It's all in the face. It can be read like a book. Or so these films would have us believe. 

And sometimes... that face is the face of danger and suspense!

The silver screen has been home to so many beautiful (and not-so-beautiful) faces, lighting up the dark, showing us the way, sharing celluloid dreams. It seems only fitting that we take them at their word and look a these films one face at a time.

Yes, these faces may belong to a bygone era, but in the movies?

A face lives forever.

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The Face In The Dark

(1918)

Jane Ridgeway, the daughter of retired Secret Service man Charles Ridgeway, has inherited her father's knack for solving crimes and puts her talent to work when her sweetheart, Richard Grant, is accused of robbing a bank. Her father, now a bank examiner, works in collusion with two thieves who are acquainted with a master criminal known only as "the Face in the Dark." When the evidence implicates her father in the robbery, Jane confronts him, and although Richard is released from jail, Ridgeway escapes. The two crooks lead him to the Face in the Dark, but as the two men are shaking hands, the place is raided by Secret Service agents who arrest the mysterious criminal and congratulate Ridgeway for his fine detective work. Jane is happily reunited with her sweetheart and her father.

This American silent mystery was directed by Hobart Henley and stars Mae Marsh, Niles Welch and Alec B. Francis.

This is considered a lost film. 

Mae Marsh

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Another Face

(1935)

AKA: It Happened In Hollywood

On the run from the New York police for a murder charge, gangster Broken Nose Dawson undergoes plastic surgery to change his appearance. After killing the surgeon and nurse who performed the operation, he then goes to Hollywood. Posing as millionaire playboy Spencer Dutro III, he manages to snag a part as a gangster in a movie from Zenith Studios. The studio's ambitious publicity director decides to make a star out of Spencer. Complications arise when the up and coming star learns there was a second nurse present who witnessed the murders!

This crime thriller was directed by Christy Cabanne and stars Wallace Ford, Brian Donlevy and Phyllis Brooks.

Phyllis Brooks

Known as the 'Ipana Toothpaste Girl', due to her work for that product, Phyllis Brooks was a model for two years before progressing to a career in film. She stated, "I started posing for photographers as a lark, and it was a lot of fun." Brooks appeared in over 30 films and was a B-movie leading lady during the 1930s and 1940s, with roles in such films as In Old Chicago (1937), Little Miss Broadway (1938) and The Shanghai Gesture (1941). She was once engaged to Cary Grant, but eventually married John F. Kennedy's Harvard roommate, Torbert MacDonald, who went on to be an 11-term Massachusetts Congressman.

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The Face Behind The Scar

(1937)

AKA: Return Of A Stranger

James Martin and Carol Wall have plans to elope, but a fight with her father's solicitor ends in murder committed by an unknown third-party. Martin is hunted for the crime, though he knows the solicitor was alive when he left him. Carol refuses to speak to him, and he escapes on a ship to South Africa. There, he is the victim of an accident that disfigures his face. He returns to England to clear his name, believing he won't be recognized. But people have long memories...

Rosalyn Boulter

Based on a play by Rudolph Lothar.this British crime drama was directed by Victor Hanbury and stars Griffith Jones, Rosalyn Boulter, Ellis Jeffries and Athole Stewart.

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Stolen Face

(1952)

A plastic surgeon has a brief fling with a concert pianist, then she leaves him to go back to her previous boyfriend. In order to "keep" her, he operates on a patient--a female criminal on the run--and changes her face to duplicate his former lovers. Trouble ensues when the pianist returns to him.

A Hammer Film, this British suspense drama was directed by Terence Fisher and stars Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott and André Morell.

Lizabeth Scott plays two roles, that of pianist Alice Brent and the post-surgery Lily Conover. When playing Lily Conover, Lizabeth Scott's voice is dubbed by Mary Mackenzie, the actress who portrays pre-surgery Lily Conover.

Variety said: "Pacing is laborious though Henreid and Scott provide some substance. Picture’s chances are mild." While Boxoffice wrote: "What started out as an admirably original and highly engrossing idea to background a dual-role performance was virtually ruined through mallet-handed scripting and direction, resulting in over-dramatic delineations and situations."

You can watch this film in its entirety for free on Youtube. 

Lizabeth Scott

Of her 22 films, she was the lead in all but three. The vivacious Lizabeth Scott was "the most beautiful face of film noir during the 1940s and 1950s", rivaling Lauren Bacall and bringing to mind Tallulah Bankhead in her heyday. Her smoky voice and sumptuous pout earned her a place among Hollywood's royalty. She had a bad habit of stealing lead roles away from leading ladies (including Lucille Ball, Jane Geer, etc.), had a torrid affair with Burt Lancaster - who broke with his studio so he no longer had to work with her - and held her own opposite male stars like Lancaster, Charlton Heston, Robert Mitchum and the like. Through it all, she suffered from stage fright so severe it kept her from the public eye. She couldn't even bring herself to attend the openings of her own films. But it all came flying apart when gossip rag Confidential printed an expose' linking Scott to a prostitution ring. She sued, but the damage was done. In the wake of the sensational 1957 trial, Scott was forgotten by the media and her career went dormant.

 

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The Spy With My Face

(1965)

Thrush captures Napoleon Solo and replaces him with a look-alike to infiltrate U.N.C.L.E. and an operation called The August Affair. While Solo is being held prisoner, Illya Kuryakin becomes suspicious by the unusual behavior of his friend, and slowly starts to realize what has happened. The real Solo must escape and stop his Thrush double before it's too late. 

Based on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. television series, this American spy-fi spy film was directed by  John Newland with Robert Vaughn and David McCallum reprising their roles as secret agents Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin respectively.

Filming for both the episode and the movie was begun in August 1964. All the scenes were filmed in color, although the television version was broadcast in black-and-white

This film is made up from The Double Affair (11/17/64) and The Four Steps Affair (02/22/65) from the first season of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.  The movie premiered in London in August 1965. It was released in theatres in the US in 1966 on a double bill with the previous The Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie, To Trap A Spy (1964)

The vilains' headquarters is at the Griffith observatory, in Los Angeles.

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.And that's all for now, folks!

Tune in next time...

Same place, same channel.

 

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The Spy With My Face / To Trap A Spy - Movie Trailer

(1965)

Tuesday Titillation: Glasses Are Half Full!

Tuesday Titillation 

Glasses Are Half Full!

Boys all make passes at the man with the badass glasses.

Yes, today the glasses are half full. Hell, let's be optimistic. 

I mean... how much worse can it get?

Be they rose-colored, cat-eye, sun, or bi-focals...

These dudes can more than carry 'em off.

In fact, they could carry me off anywhere they like and do with me what they will.

Remember... it all starts with a look. Just one look.

So, when you pass a man wearing glasses... don't hesitate. Give 'em a wink.

They might wink back!

Nothing screams smarts...

Like a pair of glasses...

On an educated man!

- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

Just One Look - Linda Ronstadt

Just One Look - The Hollies

Acquired Tastes XLIII: Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 221 - Rough Trade, Part 11 of 19

Acquired Tastes XLIII: 

Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 221

Rough Trade

Part 11 of 19

Today, we take another look at the Rough Trade imprint.

Brought to you by the good people at Star Distributors, LTD., the Rough Trade imprint published 224 titles, from 1974-1990. Star Distributors, LTD. operated out of a P.O. Box at the Canal Street Station in New York City.

The imprint's numbering system begins with RT-401, and continues thusly. The book number only appears on the spine of the book.

All the books feature the imprint's distinctive Rough Trade logo in the upper left of the book's cover.  The books cover design consists of an all-caps (typically) title in a banner of orange or baby blue near the top. A frame is created by two white stripes descending from the top banner to a thin banner (orange or baby blue) containing the word 'Illustrated' - for the books are, with drawings throughout. At the center of the cover there is an explicit illustration - some ink/pencil, some woodcut/etching - all by various popular gay artists of the time, including Craig Esposito, Adam, Michael, etc.

Did I mention that there are illustrations throughout each book? Well, yes, there are, by the same artist as the cover art. Something for every chapter - so a daunting task for the illustrator, for sure.

Oddly, the early books in the series do not have a publisher's page. Price point for the books began at 2.25 and increased (by various increments) to $3.95. Typically, you can buy these books today for between $25-45.

The back covers sometimes feature a synopsis of the book to entice readers or advertisement for one of Star Distributors' other imprints. Ads also appear at the front or back of the book - offering books, videos, and sex toys.

Here are the next dozen titles. This week, I came up short twice. 

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Chain Gang Chicken

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1982 

RT-521

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 Boot Camp Recruit

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1982 

RT-522

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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Street Corner Meat

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1982 

RT-523

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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Brute Woodsman

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1982 

RT-524

(Cover not found.)

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Hard Hat’s Little Helper

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1983 

RT-525

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Rodeo Stud

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1983 

RT-526

(Cover not found.)

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Biker Blitz

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1983 

RT-527

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Top Kick

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1983 

RT-528

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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Biker Stud

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1983 

RT-529

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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Sailor Meat

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1983 

RT-530

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Hard Time Men

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1983 

RT-531

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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Raunchy Ranch Hands

 Author: Anonymous 

Rough Trade

 1983 

RT-532

Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.

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And that's all for now.

Next Up: Twelve more tantalizing titles from the Rough Trade imprint.

Until then...

Thanks for reading!

The Ballroom Blitz - Sweet

Wonderland Burlesque's Down The Rabbit Hole: Bosko Part - 2 of 8

Wonderland Burlesque's

Down The Rabbit Hole:

Bosko

Part 2 of 8

Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.

Today, we learn all about animators Harman and Ising's classic cartoon character, Bosko!

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From Wikipedia:

Bosko is an animated cartoon character created by animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. Bosko was the first recurring character in Leon Schlesinger's cartoon series and was the star of thirty-nine Looney Tunes shorts released by Warner Bros. He was voiced by Carman Maxwell, Bernard B. Brown, Johnny Murray, and Philip Hurlic during the 1920s and 1930s and once by Don Messick during the 1990s.

In 1927, Harman and Ising worked for the Walt Disney Studios on a series of live-action/animated short subjects known as the Alice Comedies. The two animators created Bosko in 1928 to capitalize on the recent success of talkies in the motion picture industry - in particular, The Jazz Singer (1927). They began thinking about making a sound cartoon with Bosko in 1928 even prior to their departure from Walt Disney. The character was registered as a 'Negro boy' under the name of Bosko.

After Disney, they worked for a year at Universal on the second season of their Oswald The Rabbit series, and then, in 1929, released their first independent short, Bosko, The Talk-Ink Kid. The purpose of the first short was to demonstrate the teams' ability to coordinate sound with animation. This was a landmark in animation history for being the first cartoon to predominantly feature synchronized speech, setting them "apart from early Disney sound cartoons because it emphasized not music but dialogue". Marketed to various possible outlets, Leon Schlesinger eventually offered them a contract to produce a series of cartoons for Warner Bros. The original short was not seen by the general public until 70 years later - thanks to Cartoon Network.

In his book, Of Mice and Magic, Leonard Maltin states that this early version of Bosko... "was in fact a cartoon-ized version of a young black boy... he spoke in a Southern Negro dialect... in subsequent films this characterization was eschewed, or perhaps forgotten. This could be called sloppiness on the part of Harman and Ising, but it also indicates the uncertain nature of the character itself."

Bosko became the star vehicle for Warner Bros. new Looney Tunes cartoon series. In the early cartoons, he wore long pants and a derby hat, and was frequently in the company of a girlfriend named Honey, a dog named Bruno, Honey's humanized cat named Wilbur and an antagonistic goat. Whether admiring a dress worn by Honey or eating a sandwich (with exaggerated chewing) Bosko had a stock exclamatory reaction indicating his pleasure "Mmmm! Dat sho' is fine!" which became something of a catch phrase.

For the most part, Harman and Ising never called attention to Bosko's racial status, and stayed clear of negative stereotypes involving dice and watermelon - concentrating instead on positive portrayals with Bosko as a spunky and resourceful boy. Bosko's adventures and behavior were heavily influenced by vaudeville, the most popular entertainment of the time. While today some of Bosko's antics may be considered offensive, such portrayals were commonplace at the time of the cartoon's original release. In the later Looney Tunes shorts in which Bosko appeared, his 'accent' disappeared altogether - consequently, his race became more ambiguous.

Bosko would go on to star in thirty-nine musical films (one of which was not released). These were the early days of sound cartoons, and audiences were enthralled simply to see characters talking and moving in step with the music. The shorts are similar to those Disney was producing at the time. The main difference? Budget - Harman and Ising had a budget of $6K, while Disney typically spent $10K per short. This caused Harman and Ising to reuse footage much more frequently than Disney. However, Warner Bros. provided access to a large musical library with all the popular tunes of the day, lavish orchestras and sound recording equipment and staff free of charge.

In 1933, Harman and Ising broke with Warner Bros. over budget disputes. The pair had been careful to secure all rights to the Bosko character and took him with them at the time of their departure. They landed at MGM, however, Bosko, as the public knew him, only lasted for two cartoons. Reintroduced as a more humanized boy with a wild imagination, this new character was Bosko in name only. The new Bosko was poorly-received and lasted seven cartoons before being permanently retired. MGM then fired Harman and Ising due to cost overruns on the films they produced.

When Warner Bros. began marketing Looney Toons to television, Bosko was part of that package. Bosko cartoons were also shown on Nickelodeon from 1988-1992. The character appeared in a 1990 episode of the television series Tiny Toon Adventures titled Fields of Honey, a portrait in the 1996 film Space Jam, this time in his original form, and, in his original form, in the Animaniacs cartoon The Girl with the Googily Goop, in which he is seen parking his car. Another modern appearance was a Futurama opening in Sinkin' in the Bathtub, where he runs off a cliff from the car with Honey in it.

Warner Bros. held the rights to all Bosko cartoons, including those at MGM. However, subsequently, a number of them are now in the public domain. 

Here are the next six cartoons! 

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#7 - Big Man From The North

(1931)

#8 - Ain't Nature Grand!

(1931)

#9 - Ups 'n Downs

(1931)

#10 - Dumb Patrol

(1931)

#11 - Yodeling Yokels

(1931)

#12 - Bosko's Holiday

(1931)

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(More to come!)