Pinup Girl of the Month: January: Marilyn Monroe

My pinup girl of the month is Marilyn Monroe. So many have written about her so I decided to tell her story  in the form of photos. Marilyn was beautiful from head to toe and was an amazing model-the camera adored her! I figured how fitting it would be to end my birthday month celebrations by spotlighting my favorite girl~Marilyn Monroe.

Photo from Retro-snap.

Norma Jean Mortenson (later Baker) born on July 1, 1926. She grew up with a mentally instable mother and eventually lived in many foster/family homes before she married at age sixteen. Some believe her desperate need to be loved stemsfrom this childhood experience.

Photo from China Daily.

Norma Jeane first marriage to James Dougherty  from 1942-1946. In was in many ways an arranged marriage since Norma was only sixteen at the time and she had no stable home life. This was an alternative to continuing to live in foster homes.

Photo from Fashion on Rock.

Norma Jeane began her modeling career after being discovered working in a Radioplane Munitions Factory. She decided to pursue acting afterwards and in time changed to name to "Marilyn Monroe". 

Photo from marilynettelounge.

Meeting talent agent Johnny Hyde brought her in the Hollywood limelight. Not only did she get her nose and chin worked on by plastic surgeons because of Hyde but she also landed roles in films such as The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve. Afterwards, Hyde was able to secure a seven year contract with 20th Century Fox before he passed away in 1950.

Photo from supersyl08.

1953 saw Marilyn in her first major film appearance in the film Niagara. She  working with Allan "Whitey" Snyder, a makeup artist. They developed a very close working relationship and would work on her makeup 1946 to 1962-he did her makeup for her funeral. Her signature look fully blossomed during the making of this film.



Photo from I know, right?

It was in the 1950's were Marilyn's star rose in Hollywood. Films like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, and The Seven Year Itch made Monroe a movie star. She was loved and adored by millions but I wonder if she really felt loved. Many people have stated that there wasn't a day that went by that she felt completely loved. Perhaps the old saying, "If you don't love yourself, how can you truly love others" comes to play. And one also has to remember, Norma Jeane was played the role of Marilyn everyday and oozing sensuality and sexuality on a daily basis. That is a tough feat to follow for any woman. I mean, a girl needs down time to just be herself-so I often wonder if she has many chances just to be herself-Norma.

Photo from sfmuseum.

In 1954 Marilyn married baseball hero, Joe DiMaggio, but their marriage ended that same year. It's believed that Joe really could not handle all the attention that was given to her especially all the men who would just view her as a sex object. In 1961, he re-entered her life and they had planned to re-marry. Unfortunately, she passed on in 1962 and instead of planning a wedding he planned her funeral. He did not allow any of the Hollywood elite to come (feeling many just used her and were not a good influence to her), had roses placed at her grave three times a week for twenty years and never remarried. A short lived love story for Marilyn but one that shows that it's all about the quality of time one spends with a person and the the quantity. Unlike so many others, Joe never spoke about their relationship in order to ensure that she would not be exploited anymore. What a guy!!

Photo from With Love, Marilyn Monroe

In 1956, Marilyn married playwright Arthur Miller that was to last five years until 1961. It was also around the mid 1950's where Marilyn attended the Actors Studio to study "Method" acting with Lee and Paula Strasberg. It was during these years that she filmed "Bus Stop", The Prince and the Showgirl, Some Like It Hot, and Let's Make Love.

Photo from All things classic...on the rocks with a twist.

Marilyn's last completed film was in 1962, The Misfits. It was plagued with all sorts of troubles from high temperatures, the failing marriage with Aurthur Miller, the use of alcohol and pills, lateness, and the illnesses of her fellow cast mates. Yet, the film I have to say is her best. I believe its the best because I get to see a glimpse into who Marilyn was-she wasn't just played the part-she poured who she was into it so in a way it wasn't acting but  it was Marilyn herself.

Photo from CNN Entertainment

Marilyn was found dead on August 5th, 1962. She was young and beautiful and when you think about it, her career as Marilyn Monroe wasn't a very long one. Many of her fans imagine all the great work she could have created if she were alive today.

My love affair with Marilyn began when I was fifteen. I was of course drawn in by her beauty and then by her talents as an actress. What really captured my heart was how strong and yet how fragile she was as a person. I admired her perseverance. She did have struggles with anxiety, self-worth, tardiness, etc but those things something that showed me that she was a normal girl just like we all are. We all have problems and we all struggle to deal with them.

I will say it out loud. NO, I do not believe Marilyn committed suicide. I believe her life although it needed to be purged of bad habits and bad influences was on a path that was going somewhere beautiful and special. I believe at thirty-six years old she finally blossomed into her womanhood and she knew what she wanted and what made her happy. I really believe she was going to start fresh with Joe and was looking into adoption as well.

I do believe that her involvement with certain shady public figures led to her demise. I believe unfortunately she knew things she probably shouldn't have known. I believe that those who killed her believe her recent problems with pills was a great way to have her eliminated. I also believe that those who did partake in her demise (which I believe is more than one person) did get their karma in the end.

We forget that it is important to remember someone's life rather than the way they died. Is it really important how they died but the fact that they are no longer with us? Marilyn left an incredible and joyful body of work that we can all still "oohhh and ahhhh" over and she also left us with hundreds and hundreds of amazing photos. The camera loved her and so do I.



This post is dedicated to Norma Jeane Baker whose star still shines brightly for all to see.

xox

Celebrating MOM

Dorothy Lamour and her son.

Today is my mother's anniversary. Instead of focusing on the details of her passing and how much I long for my mother, I decided to celebrate her anniversary with some Hollywood flair.

Here are some fantastic photos of Hollywood Starlets from yesteryear and their beautiful babies:

Elizabeth Taylor having her hair brushed by her son.

Rita Hayworth with her daughter, Rebecca Wells.

Natalie Wood and her daughters, Natasha and Courtney.

Jayne Mansfield with two of her children.

Sophia Loren and her two sons.

Audrey Hepburn with her son Sean.

Clara Bow and her son.

Janet Leigh with her daughter, Jamie.

Debbie Reynolds with her daughter, Carrie.

My mother Rosa and I :)

Weren't those photos just beautiful-especially the last one of course hehehe I just love seeing photos of mothers with their children-it's always so endearing.

So today and everyday if your mother is still here with you, tell her you love her a little bit more and give her lots of hugs. If she isn't here, then keep her memory alive as much as possible and hold onto the joys that you had shared together. If your mother wasn't the kind that you deserved to have, try and forgive her.

The people we love are never really gone-they live within us-always.

xox

Weekend Cinema Spotlight: IT

"IT" (1927)

I don't know about you but I haven't sunk my teeth into Silent Films as much. I noticed after writing a few spotlights that I never really gave Silent Films a chance. I decided to change that and started my journey into Silent Films with the movie that made Clara Bow the ultimate "It" Girl.

"Coney Island" scene from "It".

Betty and Mr. Waltham's first date.

It starts with Bow's character of Betty Lou working as a counter girl in a huge department and upon seeing the new owner Cyrus Waltham, Jr. played by Antonio Moreno, she is instantly smitten. Her co-workers laugh her off but she is spunky, motivated, and determined!

Betty is also the roommate to Molly who is played by Priscilla Bonner. Molly is sickly (most liked post-partum depression) and has an infant son. This baby is the CUTEST little munchkin ever! I just wanted to grab him up from the screen and hold him!! So cute! I even tried looking to see who he was because by now he would be eighty-five years old!!!

Throw in Cyrus's friend Monty (William Austin-who was also the original "Alfred" in the Batman serials in the 1940's!!!) and Cryus's socialite friend Adela (Jacqueline Gadsden) who is hoping that he will marry her one day-and boy do you have some missunderstandings, dissapointments, surprises, and many mishaps along the way.

Clara Bow-The "It Girl"

I think one of the reasons I had a hard time watching Silent Films is because it reminds me how much time is fleeting. I mean WWII wasn't that long ago right? But it was over seventy years ago! It's also a reminder of how quickly time flies and how much can change within just a small span of years. Silent Films stopped being made towards the end of the 1930's but with films like The Artist out now, it makes me glad to know that the beginnings of cinema are still being celebrated.

The movie "IT" is cute, funny, sassy, witty, romantic, and sweet. I am so happy I sat down and watched it. Actually I watched it with my husband who thankfully loves classic films too! This film will not be my last and if you haven't seen this one or others, try one out. It takes all of a few seconds to adjust to no verbal dialogue and before you  know it you will find yourself enjoying a wonderful film...that happens to be silent!

xox

The TARDIS has landed! In my Dining Room!!!

Today I had my long awaited Doctor Who birthday party! I was able to see my family and some dear friends that I haven't seen in a long time. I didn't expect it to go as well as it did but it was fabulous.

I cut out by hand some famous words that Doctor #9, 10, and 11 say frequently. Doctor #9 says "Fantastic", Doctor #10 says "Allons-y" (means let's go), and the current Doctor # 11 says "Geronimo" quite often. I drew the letters out "free hand" by looking at my copy of "Doctor Who" Magazine and tried to mimic the lettering style used on the cover *smile*. And I added some stars for a special "Out-of-this-world" feel hehehe

A cardboard cut-out of the TARDIS-we made a background

like the night sky with a black table cover and added

some stars as if it was in outer space.

Jammy Dodger made by my SIL-Doctor #11 favorite snacks!

Fish Sticks and Custard (from the UK)-Doctor #11 favorite food.

My TARDIS cake made by my SIL.

Mini sandwich's topped with TARDIS picks from Etsy.

I flew around in my TARDIS with my older brother

and my eldest and youngest munchkins xox

My two friends and I mimicking the "Doctor Who" signature

poses in front of the TARDIS-yes my sonic screwdriver is a spoon LOL

One of my presents from my friend Rosie-

A TARDIS handbag-LOVE!!!

Yes! That is a Hogwarts scarf!! Handmade by

my friend Tatiana and a snood too!

I hope you enjoyed some snapshots of my day. I was happily spoiled and enjoyed the lovely company of everyone who came. I will announce the special gift my amazing husband gave me on a later date. No, I don't want to be a tease but just waiting for the right time hehehe

Fantastic!!!!!   Allons-y!!!!!    Geronimo!!!!!

xox

Doctor Who????

The Doctor 

Okay so why am I posting about Doctor Who on a Vintage Mama Blog??? Well...for a few reasons. The main reason was because I am hosting my birthday party this Saturday and the theme is "Doctor Who" and honestly I wanted you to understand my love for this show and its stories.

Also, the more I thought about it the more it made perfect sense to post a little something about my ultimate favorite show (Downton Abbey is coming in a close second) because The Doctor has traveled throughout time and space. You cannot get any more vintage than that!! LOL And you know what, in the spirit of celebrating my birthday this month I wanted to share something with all of you that I hold close to my heart.

Let me begin by saying that whenever I need to have a smile on my face-"Doctor Who" always delivers. It sounds super corny and yes it is just a TV Show but it to my surprise has become much more to me. I am not one of those crazy fans and I will NOT paint my house blue like the TARDIS anytime soon or ever! But I am passionate about it to a healthy degree. I never thought something on TV could actually be good for you hehehee This show has always managed to bring me joy and now joy to my children who watch it sometimes with me. *smile*

Photo from Mike Lynch Cartoons

I first was introduced to this show by my wonderful PBS channel. I have so many fond memories of watching shows as a little girl from that channel. I will never forget seeing Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor) and his blue box. Just magical. It was until years later and a chance meeting on a Sci-fi channel that I saw Christopher Eccleston as the ninth regenerated version of The Doctor.

I will confess I have not seen all the episodes of the past but one day I will. "Doctor Who" began in 1963 and in 2013 they will be celebrating 50 years on television! It's Britain's longest running show and if you watch it you will learn why. It just has an amazing blend of action, comedy, sci-fi, horror, romance, intrigue, mystery, suspense, tragedy, and so much more! It's jam packed with fun and intelligent story lines and always has surprises waiting for you around the corner. I mean how I can I resist!!??

I just realized I can literally go on and on about this show so just to give you a very small taste of what it is about...here it goes.....There once was a man from a planet called Gallifrey who is a Time Lord and called literally The Doctor. We do not know much about his past but it's known that he is over 900 years old, he was a father and grandfather, he lost his entire planet in a great-big Time War, and he can regenerate (changed into another man right before he dies-so its still The Doctor but slightly altered).

He is very lonely because he is the last of his kind so he travels with companions. The first was his granddaughter Susan Foreman and the most recent has been Craig Owens.

The Doctor's companions minus about 7-8 of the most recent ones.

While The Doctor is traveling through time and space with his trusty companions, he is also faced with daring adventures and a multitude of adversaries. These adversaries have come in the shape of aliens, monsters, robots, machines, statues, and many more. The most recent adversaries The Doctor has faced has been The Weeping Angels, The Silence, The Cybermen, The Silurians,  Madame Kovorian, and a few others as well. There's never a dull day when you spend it with The Doctor! He is always busy saving humanity and Earth!!

Just a few of The Doctor's adversaries!

Season Six (from the series being renewed in 2005) stars

Matt Smith (The Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond),

Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams), and Alex Kingston (River Song).

I hope from this little (yet long) blurb about "Doctor Who" you can tell why I love it so and why it means so much to me. I always admired "Indiana Jones" and always wanted to be able to travel about in that fashion. Watching "Doctor Who" gives me that gift in an imaginary way. I know it is all pretend but that's another gift "Doctor Who" gives to me, the gift of imagination. It's something we tend to forget as we get older---the incredible world of MAKE BELIEVE.

I look forward to sharing my birthday party with you all tomorrow. Happy Friday everyone!!

xox



The Faux Pearl Necklace Winner Is....

Thank you all for participating in this fantastic giveaway sponsored by The Swanky Fox! Thank you Jess for being so wonderful to me and my readers!!

So the winner is........

It's Miss Ruby RockOla!!!! Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Yeah Miss Ruby! Congrats!!!!! Email me and I will get you in contact with Jess!!!!!

Tune in tomorrow when my final and largest giveaway is announced!!!

xox





Happy Birthday to Me!

Little Bunny inside Mama Bunny hehe

It's here at last...the dreaded...oh I mean happy day that I was born...birthdays. Birthdays growing up were happy times for me. They became sadder after my mother passed on because she passed away six days later. But a happy memory I have and that I hold onto is my last conversation with her-which was on my birthday. She spoke to me about being good and a few others things I cannot seem to remember but what I do recall is her telling me that she loved me.

As I grew into my teenage years I found more of the joy that was lost in celebrating my birthday. And now I find it to be almost therapeutic to celebrate it. As much as I am bewildered by the numbers that keep going up and up and up....I remind myself to be grateful for the age I am simply because of my mother. 

My fourth birthday I think-gotta love the Polaroid photo huh?

Nowadays my children, in particular my daughter, loves the idea of mama having a party to celebrate my birthday. So this coming Saturday I am having a few friends over and celebrating another year gone by and another year to look forward to. I look forward to sharing that with you all.

It makes me happy to see my daughter so excited to celebrate mama's special day and kind of revives my joy in celebrating it. The look of happiness on her face reminds me that its a good thing and as sad as some of the reminders are, right at this moment is what counts.

So, Happy Birthday to me! I continue to feel incredibly blessed to be able to blow out another set of candles. And grateful for the gift of family and good friends to love and who love me in return.

Thank you mommy for bringing me into this world, for giving me my best present yet....the gift of love. You showered me with love every moment you were with me and taught me how to love myself and others in return. When I blow out my candles I will think of you.

xox

Weekend Cinema Spotlight: Three Wise Fools

"Three Wise Fools" (1946)

For those of you that loved "Three Men and a Baby" (1987), "Three Wise Fools" is what I would consider the original version of the latter film. Three over aged and very wealthy bachelors are given custody of a wee little lass by the name of "Sheila O'Monahan" played by the sweet Margaret O'Brien.

Margaret O'Brien

Years before these three bachelors were all in love with the same girl, but none ever proposed to her. Instead she feel in love with a man who was known as "The O'Monahan" played by Warner Anderson. Sheila was raised by her grandparent after her beloved parents had passed on. She had no family relations so her grandmother remembering those three sweet men from her youth hoped they would take her on and raise her.

Little Sheila and her Three Wise Fools

Sheila travels with her man-servant by the name of " Terence Alaysius O'Davern" played by Thomas Mitchell who also played "Uncle Billy" in "It's a Wonderful Life". He is dedicated to this little girl and hopes that these three wise fools can get their acts together and raise her.

Let me not forget to mention who also stars in this unconventional love story---Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, and Edward Arnold. It is beautiful cast and O'Brien can really hold her own with not just three but four veteran actors!

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any videos that I could share with you all from this film, but trust me that its a delightful and super sweet story. It is one of my favorite films because each actor is just truly superb and believable. You see three crusty old men at the beginning of this film and towards the end you see a little girl who has freed them of their old ways and given them each a reason to be happy. All that and an Irish accent and some "little people" (fairies) and this film is just pure magic!

xox

I did it! I did it! I did it!!!!!!!

That beautiful Lucite "D" brooch was given to me by my friend

Brittany at Va-Voom Vintage as my birthday present!!

A gift I will forever treasure! Thank you again Brittany!

PS: The "D" is for my birth name *wink*

Okay, so I had a whole other post that I was going to write up but then today something magical happened to me and I just had to share it with all of you!!

Yesterday I made a mad dash to Sally Beauty and literally spent 15 minutes shopping (including checking out)! My husband had to get back to work and I had to pick up my daughter from school so I was a woman on a mission!!

For $32 dollars I purchased the following: Lottabody (for setting the hair), Semi-Permanent in Black, a net for when I put my hair in rollers at night, Bobby pins (much cheaper than at my local stores), White eyeliner (told that it makes your eyes look bigger and you look less tired), a table mirror (for 8.99 and the last one left so I can practice my hair/makeup and still watch my kids), a Cricket Hair Brush (recommended to me by Veronica Vintage),  and a hair rat for victory rolls and such.

It felt so good to get some of the supplies that I have needed to take the next step in my vintage life. With the help of a friend I learned how to use the semi-permanent which was only used to cover my white hairs. Its not permanent at all and will wash out soon enough. It didn't cover all the whites but it looks much better than before. Later on in the night I put lottabody in my hair and set it in rollers and kept my fingers crossed!

I tucked in that funny bow I made before I went to sleep.

I had no clue how to put it on but I just did it and that's that hehehee

My children were fascinated with my spongy head! LOL

Today I had to take my children to their cousin's fourth birthday party and although they do not know about my vintage life or my blog and I have no desire to share it, my sister in law does know I love vintage stuff because so does she. I decided to do my hair vintage all the way and dress just like I usually do. I also did my makeup and was so proud of how I looked...okay enough of my babbling....here it is!

Yeah! So there it is! Having the right tools is so important and once  you have them you are making a little investment for yourself. I am so darn proud of myself because I am slowly conquering something that certain people for years have been telling me I would never be good at. Actually those certain people still make fun of me and tease me about it. But its okay--because its simple--they are wrong!

xox