Hedy's birthday!

Once upon a time, Hedy Lamarr incarnated the wicked temptress in movies such as Samson and Delilah. She debuted very young, making films in her native German tongue, but after a failed marriage and a rather spectacular escape from her fascist husband that included drugging him and fleeing into the night, she ended up in America.





She was a very hard working actress – in the years between 1940 and 1949, she made no less than 18 movies. She also had two children, and together with friend George Antheil she invented something that we still benefit from. See, Hedy wasn’t just a pretty face, she also possessed considerable mathematical talent and she and George Antheil, as their own personal contribution to the allied forces, invented an early version of frequency hopping. It actually used a piano roll to change between 88 frequencies and was intended to make radio-guided torpedoes harder for enemies to detect or jam. It was never used at the time, but it was implemented in the USA in 1962, when it was used by U.S. military ships during a blockade of Cuba.

But time would put Lamarr’s and Antheil’s ideas to better use – today they serve as a basis for modern spread-spectrum communication technology, such as COFDM used in WiFi network connections and CDMA used in some cordless and wireless telephones. Kinda like an example of how to turn swords into ploughshares. Or, considering how much sex related stuff that probably passes through WiFi-connections on a an odrinary Thursday, a practical example of using technical innovations to make love not war.

Either way, Hedy was a pretty remarkable lady and I figured she deserved a shout-out on what would’ve been her 96th birthday.

A star is torn

Once upon a time – say, about eighty years ago – Jeanne Eagels was the brightest shining star on Broadway.

Starting out as the cash girl in a department store, she soon got into acting and at the tender age of 17, she moved to New York to fulfill her dreams and became a Ziegfeld Follies Girl. From there, she went on straight to the top, headlining Broadway show after Broadway show.

Then her tendency for self-medication got the better of her and her career began to decline. She missed performances and was finally banned by the Actors Equity from appearing on stage for 18 months. Though she did make a few movies, there was no denying she was heading for a fall.

At the age of 35, her body had finally had enough. She died suddenly on October 3, 1929, most likely from alcohol or heroin abuse. She was posthumously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Letter, but the Oscar went to Mary Pickford for her role in Coquette.

"She talked fast and gestured with her hands. Few knew or understood her. She was explosive, mercurial, neurotic, loyal, generous, and sweet. She usually ignored all except the humblest members of her company. She hated most managers, interviews, movies, gossip, autograph seekers, night clubs, and Actors Equity. She liked dogs, auction sales, dill pickles, and ice cream with cherries. Her philosophy was Never deny. Never explain. Say nothing and become a legend."

Death of a Flapper

During the late teens of the last century, no girl was more beautiful or more celebrated than Olive Thomas. Painted by Vargas, married to Jack Pickford and the girl who gave the flapper a face, Olive Thomas wasn’t just The Most Beautiful Girl in New York (a title which she won in 1914), she was a rising Hollywood star and the world was her oyster.


Then one night in the early fall of 1920, she and her husband were out doing the rounds of Montparnasse, toasting and, it’s been said, doing more than just a little nose powder. Upon returning to their hotel she, for unknown reasons, managed to imbibe her husband’s syphilis medicine (a mercury bichloride solution) and despite the efforts that were made to save her, she died on Sep 10th, 1920, only 26 years old. Today, hardly anyone remembers her name.

“I think that you die when your time comes and not until then. I feel the same about other things as I do about death. I don’t think you can change anything that is going to happen to you any more than you can change anything that has happened to you. That’s why I never worry, and that is why I don’t think people should get conceited and think themselves better than others.”/ Olive Thomas on death in June 1919

PS. The moral of the story? Stay away from men with syphilis, I guess…

Yeah, yeah, what else is new?

This test brought to you by Blakeney Manor.

Find out:Which Scarlet Pimpernel character are you?



Brave, heroic and very clever. I KNOW! Tell me something new!

Seriously, I love the Scarlet Pimpernel. Growing up I saw this very TV-version so many times I know most of the dialogue by heart. And I'm not alone. If someone in my family says: "That explains it!" three other immediately reply: "The gentleman in my boudoir is not Armand St Just but Louis!"

Not to mention how useful the phrase "Those English and their stuuupid sense of fair play!" can be. And Ian McKellen says it so well!

I really need more fencing in my current WIP....

So who are you?

Thursday Thirteen: Movies I Can Quote

If I were to list my top 13 favorite movies, this list might look different. Still, considering these are all movies I know the dialogue of almost by heart, I suppose I must have seen them a lot of times. For some reason.

1. Lord Of The Rings. This would be the whole trilogy as I can't distinguish between them. I'm not ashamed of this one. I've loved Tolkien since I was eight and sneak-read Lord of the Rings when my sister picked them up at the library. Typical quote: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you."

2. Fletch. Wee-eell, I have to blame this one on my ex who forced me to see this about 4,000 zillion times. Not that there aren't good and useful lines in it. Typical quote: "Alan: You'll be wearing rubber gloves. Do you own rubber gloves? Fletch: I rent 'em. I have a lease with an option to buy."

3. Romancing the Stone. Do I need to justify this? The opening sequence is awesome. Plus, it taught me Cartagena is in Colombia. Typical quote: "Now I ain't cheap, but I can be had."

4. The Breakfast Club. Yes, I was a teenager in the 80's. There's just no getting around The Breakfast Club if you were. "You're an idiot anyway. But if you say you get along with your parents, well, you're a liar too."

5. Highlander. OK, OK. This is also because of my ex. Funny thing is, I can hardly recall the plot, but I still know half the dialogue by heart. Typical quote: "I took his head and raped his woman before his blood was even cold."

6. Adam's Rib. This is my favorite movie. The. Favorite. With a capital F. I could go on for hours about its outstanding awesomeness but I won't. I'll just say: SEE IT if you haven't. Typical quote: "Amanda: And after you shot your husband... how did you feel? Mrs. Attinger: Hungry!"

7. Star Wars. Yes, it's the curse and sign of geeks everywhere that they know most of Star Wars by heart. We use it to locate each other in bars. Typical quote: "When I left you, I was but the learner, now I am the master."

8. Grease. My little sister loved this. She watched this every afternoon for two years, I swear. Typical quote: "You know, if we fix up this car, it could be make-out city."

9. Army of Darkness. I'm a dork. What can I say? I love this movie more than words can say and in terms of quotes it's the best. Tyical quote: "Arthur: Are all men from the future loud-mouthed braggarts? Ash: Nope. Just me baby... Just me."

10. Top Gun. I blame this on youthful folly. And the volleyball scene. Yeah, the volleyball scene... *sigh* Anyway, typical quote: "I feel the need... The need for speed!"

11. The Mummy. It's so adorably cheesy. I love this! Plus it features a librarian heroine and contains eons of Egyptian historical inaccuracies, so what's not to love? Typical quote: "You know, nasty little fellows such as yourself always get their comeuppance!"

12. Working Girl. 80's power suits FTW! Typical quote: "I have a head for business and a bod for sin. Is there anything wrong with that?"

13. Constantine. Yeah, I love this. It has Keanu Reeves being really, really good for once; it has demons and angels; it has exorcism and Rachel Weisz - and it has super-fab low key sexual tension between the MC:s. The only thing I don't like is Peter Stormare at the end. Overdoing it by the dozen. Typical quote: "You are going to die young because you smoked 30 cigarettes a day since you were 15 and you're going to go to hell because of the life you took. You're f****d."

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Songs for a soundtrack

I wish someone would make a movie with this soundtrack. I don't know exactly what it'd be about, but I'm pretty sure it would be beautiful and all shades of wonderful.

1. Ca Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrands
2. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure
3. Aphrodisiac - Bow Wow Wow
4. Whatever Happened - The Strokes
5. Is It Wicked No To Care? - Belle & Sebastian
6. Rockers To Swallow - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
7. Good Morning Britain - Aztec Camera
8. There She Goes - The La's
9. Baby, I Don't Care - Transvision Vamp
   
10. I Don't Like Mondays - Tori Amos
11. Weapon Of Choice - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
    
12. Veronica Fever - The Raveonettes
13. Bastards Of Young - The Replacements

Image by angelsk