The Cool Hall of Fame #69

Marie Dressler
An Ongoing Series of Cultural and Personal Observations;
by Tom Sutpen, Stephen Cooke, Richard Gibson, Kimberly Lindbergs and Greg Ferrara

Maurice Chevalier
(No. 10 in a series of 50 from Players Navy Cut Cigarettes)
"Maurice Chevalier was born on September 12th, 1889 in Menilmontant. His father died when he was eleven and after becoming carpenter's apprentice, electrician, printer and doll painter, he tried stage work. He won fame at the Folies-Bergere as Mistinguett's dancing partner. During the War he served in the army, and after the aristice made his London debut at the Palace Theatre. After appearing in New York he went to Hollywood and scored sensationally in Innocents of Paris. Among his latest talkies are The Way to Love and The Merry Widow."

The Coon-Sanders' Original Nighthawks Orchestra
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
American Dance Orchestras of the 1920s
This was posted by Richard Gibson
for the series:
Through the Lens of Cyril Arapoff

Captain of Country Fire Brigade (called out to subdue an outbreak in some
local hayricks, to over-zealous comrade) : "Not so fast, Jarge. Let 'um burn
up a bit first, so as 'ow we can see what we're a doin' of!".
This was posted by Richard Gibson
for the series:
From the Sketch Book of Lawson Wood

King Vidor, Eleanor Boardman, Norma Shearer, Irving Thalberg, Greta Garbo
and Victor Sjöström

Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, Lt. Col. Edward H. White II and Lt. Col. Roger B. Chaffee

John Betjeman attempts to hit a ball at Moor Park golf course in Middlesex for his 1973 BBC short film Metro-Land on the subject of the Northwestern London suburbs served by the Metropolitan Railway (now part of London Underground).

Charlie Fernande showing the scoop with which he works.
(Hollow Branch Bog; Wareham, Massachusetts)
(1911)

Today's Adventure: Producer Sergio Leone breathes down Director Tonino Valerii's
neck on the set of Il Mio nome è Nessuno (My Name is Nobody; 1973)

Today's Adventure: Russ Meyer seeks to inspire two bit players on the set of
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail.
"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle -- will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?
"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance--
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.
"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.
"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France--
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"'
-- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
The Greatest Hits of John Tenniel (with The Reverend Dodgson)

Tommy Potter, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane hit the high notes at Birdland circa 1949.

Today's Adventure: On the set of Whoopee, Busby Berkeley breaks ground for the
first (and not the last) time (1930)

The Blackfoot Country (1926)
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
The Native-Americana of Edward S. Curtis

Julie Ege judges the 1972 Knobbly Knees Contest in Honington, near Bury St. Edmunds

The Georgians
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
American Dance Orchestras of the 1920s

Walt Whitman
My Name is Oona
(Gunvor Grundel Nelson; 1969)
Far less critical of gender roles than her other work (that which I've seen at any rate), Gunvor Nelson's My Name is Oona emerged as one of the loveliest works in American cinema of the late 1960s (a time when you could use such terms as 'poetic' and 'cinema' in the same sentence and still maintain a straight face), and remains so to this minute. In writing about this film Amos Vogel judged Nelson 'the true poetess of visual cinema'; and while that may or may not be true . . . Vogel's declaration is too sweeping even for me, much as I incline towards it . . . no film of hers is at once so dazzling in form or effortless in its lyricism. And like all such films, it could not have been made in a time other than its own.

Gov. George C. Wallace (D-AL) engages Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach in a foul piece of Guerilla Theater

Today's Adventure: Willie Pep, Joe Louis, Gus Lesnevitch and Rocky Graziano stand uneasily together (1948)
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
Adventures in the Fight Racket,
When Legends Gather

Feminine Perversity (1887)
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
The World According to George Du Maurier

Twiggy
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
A Who's Who of Swinging London,
B is for Beaton

Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau makes like Douglas Fairbanks
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
Great Canadians of the 20th Century,
Politicians in Action

Even when he's blowing out candles (77), it probably sounds pretty cool.

Chimakum Woman (1912)
This was posted by Tom Sutpen
for the series:
The Native-Americana of Edward S. Curtis

Jack Buchanan
No. 9 in a series of 50 from Player's Navy Cut Cigarettes.
Jack Buchanan, the son of an auctioneer, was born in Scotland on April 2nd, 1891 and educated there. He made his first stage appearance in Glasgow in 1912 and in the autumn of the same year, made his London debut at the Apollo Theatre. Fame first came to him while he was touring in Tonight's the Night and he speedily became a West End musical comedy favourite. He now mixes his stage work with screen work, and his films include Goodnight Vienna, Yes Mr. Brown, That's a Good Girl and Brewster's Millions.

Blaze Starr, Queen of Burlesque and the Two O'Clock Club in Baltimore
(July, 1964)