Queen of Film Noir ( Claire Trevor )

On July 3, 2014November 28, 2018 By Renee Lou Dallow ( Bourgeoise Bloomers )In old movie magic

Claire Trevor was an actress maybe not so well known as her contempories. Such stars as Sylvia Sydney and Lauren Bacall ,with whom she shared the screen in two very famous films , were the ones with all the glamour. For those that followed her career she was the queen of film noir and co starred with many of the great gangsters of the cinema including Humphrey Bogart and Edward.G. Robinson. Her films include ‘Dead End’ for which she was nominated as best supporting actress and ‘Key Largo’ for which she actually won. Her role in Key Largo was as a washed up alcoholic gangsters moll hiding out with her phsycopath boyfriend and his cronies in a guest house during a hurricane. The scene in which her man, Edward. G., forces her to sing for a drink is indeed heart wrenching. ‘Key Largo’ was not made until 1948, however, and Claire had been a rising star since 1937 when she was nominated for an oscar for ‘Dead End’. In this film she played a prostitute dying of consumption who happened to be the girlfriend of one ‘Baby Face Martin’ played by Humphrey Bogart. A mean character who wasn’t even loved by his own mother. In 1935 she had co starred in ‘Dante’s Inferno’ with Spencer Tracy. Another film dealing with the dark side of life.

In the 1940s she made some pretty memorable film noirs in which she literally smouldred her way through the dialogue and through the twists and turns of devious plot lines. Notably ‘Murder My Sweet’ in 1944 with Dick Powell. Trevor plays a character named Velma Valenta the ex girlfriend of ex con who has since married a wealthy older man and changed her name to Helen. Velma is planning to kill for his money of course. There is definitely something in the name,Velma Valenta, that suggests arch villainy on a grand scale. In 1947 she made ‘Born To Kill’ about a psychopathic couple who really get off on their crimes. Seems to me there have been a few remakes of this one. On a lighter note she made westerns too with John Wayne including ‘Stage Coach’ and ‘Texas’ with Glen Ford and William Holden as well as a couple of romantic comedies including ‘Second Honeymoon’ with Loretta Young and Tyrone Power.

‘Key Largo’ may have been her career highlight with the oscar and all that adulation but it certainly was not the only one. She went on to make ‘Borderline’ in 1950 with Fred Macmurray in which she played an undercover LAPD agent on the trail of a drug cartel in Mexico and a brave passenger aboard a troubled flight in one of the very first Hollywood disaster movies ‘The High And The Mighty’ again with John Wayne which strangely also dealt with a hijack. Seems that even though Claire Trevor was mostly B picture material she certainly worked with the cream of the crop and was well loved and respected within the industry.

The Past Tense Of Youth: Moonlit Portals

On July 1, 2014October 9, 2014 By Renee Lou Dallow ( Bourgeoise Bloomers )In Now and then

The following morning after prayers the concubines gathered in the halls which adjoined their rooms for tutoring. Needle craft, ceramics and painting porcelain pieces delivered from the workshops were among the crafts we could choose to participate in. I delighted in the bowls, vases and plates we were given to decorate with garden scenes and motifs etched in coloured inks. Many of these were modelled on the limited views we had of the grounds and the city outside the palace walls. I remember the banquet room with mother of pearl inlay on the walls and painted landscapes on the ceiling as being one of the most beautiful rooms of the palace which we were sometimes ushered into for art appreciation classes. It was a warm room with a freshness of spirit and the promise of a happy heart which was a thing much longed for amongst the female inhabitants. Though all appeared to be contented submission on the surface there was an underlying feeling that a life of freedom, without the guilded surroundings no matter how beautiful, would be infinitely more pleasurable than the cloistered serenity that had become their everyday existence.

I alone had been privy to the world outside where a woman could travel and marry whomever she pleased. How strange it was to be in this blissful domain of ambience filled with the fragrance of honeysuckle, jasmine and tulip oil. A world so far from my own and yet so familiar. The man I loved and who loved me in my own world was in love with another in this one. That I was playing the role of go between and was perfectly happy to do so seemed natural to me. Even in the knowledge that they had been intimate the night before in the room I now shared with Rana, the other woman, did not seem to faze me. Maybe it was being caught up in the excitement of it all that distanced me from my true self. As Emine I was content with my decision to bring them together. Though this was the first time it would not be the last and together Rana and I planned her deceptions during the hours spent alone in our adjacent rooms.

Meanwhile in the pavillion of the halberdiers Gurel was planning too. He was, however, planning much more than romantic liasons with his beloved. He was planning a revolution which would free her forever from the clutches of the sultan and from all the sultans to follow. She would be his and his alone and they would return to their mountain haven in the Caucasus.This was what he lived for. One day soon Hamid would find himself surrounded by those loyal to the cause but until that day Gurel would have to bide his time and steal only precious moments with Rana in the hidden corners and passages of the palace where they would not be discovered. I would be the one seeking out hidden crevices for their liasons which I would then impart to Gurel by messenger. This was due to the fact that I was not so closely guarded as Rana and beccause I had gained the sultan’s trust.

I had trained my own special pidgeon to deliver hastily written notes to Gurel and he would then send a message back. I would attend to my aviary daily and visit with the birds as it was my responsibility to feed them. The parakeets were often allowed out of their cages as their wings had been clipped and they could not fly. They were content to perch on my shoulder as I did a turn around the gardens or when I conversed with the others in one of the shaded pavillions whilst taking tea. The pidgeons were in a separate cage as they were considered extremely valuable. Especially the satinettes which were completely white. Until served up to the sultan on a silver plate these birds were cultivated and adored by their handlers. My pidgeon, however , was not one of these. He was an interloper from the world outside and had followed us from Topkapi. Unbeknownst to the sultan I had hidden it in the aviary and dyed it’s feathers white with a dye made from ground white herbs stolen from one of our art workshops. I named it ‘Saffron’ because in reality it was sort of a yellowy brown colour. Saffron was incredibly loyal to our cause and was able to remain undetected when flying from coop to guard house to the window ledge of Rana’s chamber in the saray and back again. Clandestine meetings were arranged in moonlit portals beneath bridges connecting small rivulets and streams or in the resting pavillions near the grove very late at night when all were sleeping.

It did not seem to matter that she had been with Hamid beforehand on some of these occasions. There had been ample time to bathe and prepare herself with the sweet scent of rosewater. Each time they were together my heart would cry silent tears . As days turned into weeks and weeks into months the pain became almost unbearable. I longed for him to recognise me, to speak my name, to caress my skin with his gentle loving hands and to break the hold that she had on us both. Maybe that was it. Once this hold was broken we would be transported once more into the world to which we belonged. I concentrated my thoughts on Greylin castle amidst the green dales of Cumberland. How could I win him back? Why did I feel so compelled to bring them together in spite of my own feelings? It was she who had lured me only to steal my husband. How was it possible to break the spell of a gypsy? I knew that I must find a way. Maybe the coming changes would solve my dilemma. The Young Turks were growing in number and revolution would soon beat down the door.

© Renee Dallow ( Hybiscus Bloom ) 1/7/2014

‘Masculitis’ takes Manhattan!!!?

On June 18, 2014May 19, 2022 By Renee Lou Dallow ( Bourgeoise Bloomers )In Changing the world, comfort zones2 Comments

‘Ever heard of ‘masculitis’ a disease that renders the male species incapable of procreation? Well neither had I until I found out about a movie made in 1933 which covered it in great detail. Apparently there was an outbreak of it in New York and women took over all the top jobs rising to executive levels in a matter of days. They did very well at it too. Board room managers, Lawyers, police chiefs, doctors, surgeons,supreme court judges even. Pity it was only a movie. Imagine if this really happened. During my research on stills from the film I found an article in the Lewiston Journal 1933 which featured an ad for the film. This was fascinating for two reasons. The first being that it starred Gloria Stewart whose character Rose ( the elder) survived the sinking of the Titanic and secondly that right next to it was an article about thorium dioxide used in dye for x rays. In 1933 many children were dying from tuberculosis an it was discovered that thorium dioxide was responsible for led poisoning which in turn made the tuberculosis more active in many patients. What has this to do with masculitis? Absolutely nothing. It does, however, have to do with radioactive materials and can be used as a substitute for uranium. It seems to me that uranium is behind a lot of wars fought by mostly men. Too much more of this and there may indeed be an outbreak of Masculitis when women finally band together and decide enough is enough. Imagine a world ruled by gentle persuasion whispered asides. A war of words perhaps? Seriously though the film itself ‘It’s Great To Be Alive’ starring a gorgeous Valentino type by the name of Raul Roulien was extremely popular in its day. The story runs …. ,’Young aviator dumped by girlfriend flies solo over the Pacific ocean to an uninhabited island to repair his shattered ego’. Back in the real world , ( Only in America ) , a global disease called ‘Masculitis’ wipes out the male race. When the aviator returns everything has changed and all the institutions are being run by women so he creates a new executive role which really can be done only by a man. He and he alone must repopulate the human race as he is the only one with the right tools for the job. Extremely naughty concept and definitely pre -code. A year later there would be laws put in place to prevent films dealing with promiscuity or impropriety but that is another story and will probably appear in my next piece. Wonder how this story would go down these days?