Carmen Miranda, she of the crazy fruity hats , colourful costumes and ridiculously high platform shoes, was a multi talented singer, dancer and actress who created a sensation when she was first discovered in Hollywood.
Before making her first Hollywood film, however, she had been a radio star and was Brazil’s most famous samba singer. Her gramophone records were incredibly popular especially in Rio in the 1930s. Miranda made her Broadway debut in a show called ‘Streets of Paris’ and was an instant success with her audiences. 
Not a conventional beauty she had devised a character with zest. verve and comedic timing who could fit well into any staged scenario. She and the character she devised soon became inseparable and the warm, funny, talented Brazilian Bombshell was born. She had actually started working at only fourteen in a hat shop and it was there that she learned to make those crazy hats for which she would later become so famous.
Always cast in roles where she could shine as a problem solving show stopper there to lend her zany style of wisdom to main characters who got themselves into romantic difficulties. In her very first major film made in 1940,she starred with Betty Grable, Don Ameche and Cesar Romero, three of the most famous stars of the day, and held her own as a loveable ,wise cracking performer who becomes friend and confidante to Betty Grable. This would become the formula for all her future films.
But while extremely popular in the U.S. she was frowned upon in Brazil for her stock portrayal of Latin American women. For this reason she did not return to Brazil for many years and was extremely hurt by the animosity she felt from her own country. In films such as ‘That Night In Rio’ and ‘ The Lady In The Tuitti Fruity Hat’ she continued to play the same type of character and by 1945 was Hollywood’s highest paid actress.
Carmen Miranda married David Sebastian who had been the producer on one of her films. 
It is said that it was not a happy marriage and that he was abusive toward her. Whatever the truth is she was dead by the age of 46 of a heart attack. Carmen Miranda was , in actual fact , a creative genius, a one off who is imitated all over the world. That is something that cannot be said for many of the traditionally ‘Beautiful’ actresses who graced Hollywood in it’s golden age. So all of you girls who are unique take heart and be the very best you can at what it is you do.
I… I … I .. I like you very much…..
© Renee Dallow
( Hybiscus Bloom )
He also loved ships and sailed the South Pacific on fishing trawlers looking for adventure. Errol was the full package. He was indeed the perfect specimin which , ironically, was the title of one of his earlier films . 
Flynn made his first Australian film ‘Mutiny On The Bounty’ having been discovered by film makers while sailing through to New Guinea. 
He followed this up by travelling to England and joining a repertory company where he gained his acting experience. Of course it wasn’t long before Hollywood took notice after a Hollywood producer caught one of his stage performances. It was probably Errol’s well honed physic and chiselled good looks that made first impression rather than his acting talents which were still quite raw. 
Flynn also had incredible charm, a cheeky sense of humour and a keen intellect.He was also a ladies man and usually managed to win over his leading ladies.
Errols first big film for Hollywood was ‘Captain Blood’ with Olivia De-Havilland and this film made him a huge star immediately. He was a sensation. He went on to star in …’They Died With Their Boots On’ ,which was the story of General Custer,
‘The Charge Of The Light Brigade’ and of course the film for which he’s probably most famous, ‘Robin Hood’
Errol was equally adept at Westerns and was wonderful in ‘Dodge City’ and in’San
Antonio’ with Alexis Smith. He had many leading ladies along the way including ‘Anita Louise’ and even Bette Davis in ‘Elisabeth And Essex’
but the one with whom he made the most films was Olivia De-Havilland.They made a total of eight films together.
All down to chemistry. She was soft, calm and demure while he was all energy. They were apparently very attracted to each other but never acted upon it. Probably very wise of Olivia for Errol was not exactly the faithful type. He married three times notably to Lili Damita and Patrice Wymore. Errol died in his 50s and had many different diseases. He drank, he partied and he slept around until the day he died. Yep he certainly lived it up while he had the chance. He was still beautiful in a wasted sort of way when he died. Loved you Errol. There’ll never be another you.
In fact she was responsible for the ‘Aqua Musical’. These were musicals with generally flimsy stories centred around a hotel pool, an idyllic island retreat or on a famous beach.
Even The English sea side resorts were not safe. Hollywood hit the jackpot in 1952 by casting Esther as Annette Kellerman, the first woman to swim the English channel. Not only was she a great swimmer but she was also exceptionally beautiful with a figure that was the envy of every woman in America and probably everywhere her films were shown. 
Her synchronised swimming scenes in films like, ‘Neptune’s Daughter’, ‘Jupiter’s Darling’ and ‘Million Dollar Mermaid’ were stunning but also very dangerous. 
Esther actually broke her neck during one of the dives in ‘Million Dollar Mermaid’ and had to cut off her affair with her co-star,Victor Mature, while recuperating. She had many very famous co stars including Ricardo Montalban, Howard Keel, Van Johnson, Fernando Lamas, just to name a few. All were required to join her in the pool for a romantic swim scene. She even swam with Tom and Jerry.
During the 1940’s ,she was instead, assigned to war work touring hospitals as her film career began to soar while other stars sold war bonds. She married four times and died at 91. Well I guess that’s what comes of being fit and fabulous.
In fact ,Esther, personally made sure that all the nurses in the hospitals she toured in the Pacific were equipped with the right swimming attire. It is also largely due to Esther that synchronised swimming became accepted as an Olympic sport and the world is still looking for another one like her . 
I doubt this will ever happen as she was, pardon the pun, one in a million.
In films of the 1930s romance was in full swing. There were ,however, many of the same pitfalls we face today. There was booze, there was sleeze and there was pre -code.
In precode Hollywood before the code of moral conduct was enforced couples even shared the same double bed sometimes even before marriage.
Admittedly sex was suggested rather than served but these films were very evocative. Films like ‘It Happened One Night’ with Gable and Colbert or ‘Red Dust’ with Gable and Harlow or basically anything with Gable.
Film like ‘Merrily We Go To Hell’ with Sylvia Sidney and Frederich March. In this film a girl marries boy but boy is an alchoholic and a journalist to boot. When he plays around she plays around as this is surely the best way to keep him.
Eventually though he realises the error of his ways, they lose a baby to miscarriage and decide to start again.
Bourgeoise Bloomers 