A Collection of Classic Oscar Moments

| Joan Fontaine and Alfred Hitchcock at the 1941 Oscars |

This past week, I shared a bunch of vintage Oscar moments over on my Facebook page.  In preparation for this, I combed the Academy's archive and came across several wonderful moments captured on film.  Here are just a few of many, many gems that can be found on their website.

Thoughts on The Grass is Greener (1960)

One of the things I was looking forward to most this year was getting back into the swing of watching old movies again. Classic film is probably one of my earliest if not the earliest passion in my life, but with so much quality television shows on the air right now (Mad Men, Game of Thrones, The Americans, etc) it has been really hard to fit movies into all of that.  What can I say, I am always going to be a Cinema Studies student at heart.  :)

So in January, I accepted the challenge to watch 10 classic I haven't seen before.  So far, I have watched three of the ten films and I can't wait to get through the list.  It has definitely reignited my love for classic film!

Having little expectations for it, I started with The Grass is Greener (Cary Grant was really the only draw for me).  The premise sounded pretty funny and I was immediately even more interested after seeing Christian Dior's name on the credits for supplying Jean Simmon's wardrobe. 
It was a delight to see many of Dior's early 60s designs modeled on the beautiful Simmons and really made the film worth watching, if only for the amazing fashion.  However, I think the best part of the film is during the above scene, when a split screen Grant and Mitchum are both on the phone.  Grant has such great comedic timing and this scene certainly highlights that.

LV Rating: *** See it for the clothes and Cary Grant is always dreamy!

2014 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge

After being a student for nearly my whole life, I finally feel like I have had enough time off from all the crazy deadlines and never ending reading lists to pick back up reading for enjoyment.  So this summer I am taking part in Raquel's Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge and I am pretty excited to get a few titles checked off my list. 


Here's what I'll be reading:

• Confessions of an Ex-Fan Magazine Writer by Jane Wilkie
• Hollywood Hoopla: Creating Stars and Selling Movies in the Golden Age of Hollywood by Robert S. Sennett
• Conversations with Joan Crawford by Roy Newquist
• The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and '40s and Our World Since Then by Marsha Hunt
• Majestic Hollywood: The Greatest Films of 1939 by Mark A. Vieira
• Hollywood Canteen: Where the Greatest Generation Danced with the Most Beautiful Girls in the World by Lisa Mitchell

A few of my selections are for pure enjoyment and a few are for some projects I am working on -- what can I say, it's really hard to fully leave the world of academia.  Now to pour a glass of lemonade and relax on my patio chaise lounge! 

a glimpse into the 1951 academy awards

I just discovered this feature in one of my vintage fan magazines and thought what better and more fitting time than now to share it?

I wish these were better quality, however, most fan magazines were printed on cheap paper and meant to be read once, then tossed. 

I have to admit, I don't really watch the Oscars much anymore, but I do like to check out the red carpet specials.  My pick for best dressed this year goes to Cate Blanchett or Catherine Martin -- loved both of their dresses!

These images are property of livin-vintage.com (Emily Schwartz).  Feel free to pin them or share the link to them.  Please do not repost or redistribute these without permission.

6 favorite looks from best actress oscar winners

Tonight is a big night for Hollywood, and while the past few years red carpets haven't really impressed me, that doesn't mean there weren't some great looks over the past 85 years.  Here are six of my favorite best actress winners looks:

Joan Fontaine, 1942 

| won for Suspicion |

Reese Witherspoon, 2006

| in a 1955 Christian Dior; she won for Walk the Line |

Greer Garson, 1943

| won for Mrs. Miniver |

Bette Davis, 1939

| won for Jezebel |

Olivia de Havilland, 1950

| won for The Heiress |

Jane Wyman, 1949

| won for Johnny Belinda |

Also, if you haven't seen this illustration of all the best actress winner's dresses, I recommend checking it out!  Here's hoping tonight will supply some beautiful looks! 

2014 Classic Film Challenge

One of my goals for 2014 is to watch more classic films again.  It seems that somewhere down the line, I stopped watching mostly classic films and instead, watched a lot more things made after 1980.  For the most part, this was a great move, allowing me to catch up on some of the classics from the later half of the 21st century.  However, I have quite a Sight and Shame List building.  So, when I saw Raquel's post earlier this week, it inspired me to tackle some of that list.

This challenge is simple.  Select 10 classic films you haven't seen and watch them over the course of the year.  In no particular order, here are my selections.

The Grass is Greener (1960)

Johnny Guitar (1954)

Touch of Evil (1958)

White Heat (1949)

The Mark of Zorro (1940)

Humoresque (1946)

That Touch of Mink (1962)

The Third Man (1949)

Crash Dive (1943)

Airport 1975 (1974)

When I was deciding on films, I chose ones from my favorite actors that I haven't gotten around to watching yet and added a few classics that I totally should have seen but haven't.  I haven't seen much of Cary Grant's later career, but have always been interested in it, so I added two to the list.  I have viewed almost all of Dana Andrews' films and these two are some of the last I need to watch.  Same with Joan Crawford -- I started to work on her filmography and never finished.

I think it's really interesting to watch these stars progress though their careers, especially during the Studio System, where many stars were typecast.  I always like to see if they broke out of that once the Studio System fell apart or if they stayed with it; either because it worked for them or because other roles weren't offered to them because of their previous typecasting.

So what makes your list?

Holiday Starlets

One of the things I love about the Golden Age of Hollywood is all the fun staged publicity photos.  Here are some of my favorite Christmas themed shots:

| Ann Rutherford |

| Betty Grable |

| Carole Lombard |

| Bette Davis |

| Gene Tierney |

| Judy Garland |

| Lana Turner |

| Anne Baxter |

| Joan Crawford |

This last one isn't a publicity shot, but I just had to include it!

6 Classic Film Inspired Halloween Costumes

With Halloween right around the corner, I am starting to think about what I can dress up as without losing my vintage appeal.  One of the ways you can stay true to your vintage look, but still look more costume-y than your everyday attire is dressing up like an iconic film character.  Here are my six picks for easy yet retro costumes inspired by films from the 1920s to the 1970s.

1920s: Maria from Metropolis (1927)

For this look, I would wear my favorite 20s frock and alter a headband to look like the contraption above.

1930s: Mamie from The Public Enemy (1931)

Love the 30s and have a glamorous robe?  Why not dress up as Mamie from The Public Enemy.  Just don't forget your grapefruit!

1940s: Phyllis from Double Indemnity (1944)

I have a soft spot for the 40s, and this classic film character would be very easy to replicate with items you probably already have laying around!  Just add a blonde wig and sunglasses and you're set! 

1950s: Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard (1950)

I have tons of 50s party dresses that never seem to get enough wear.  To really make yourself look like Norma, get some face lift tape to have that shocking wide eye look and don't forget to let everyone know you are ready for your close up!

1960s: Rosemary from Rosemary's Baby (1968)

This film gets a lot of attention during Halloween, considering it's erie plot.  What will make this look complete is a butcher knife and a vintage pram (if you have one).  Plus, what would be more comfortable than romping around in a 60s nylon robe all night?

1970s: Annie from Annie Hall (1977)

Probably the most iconic 1970s female film characters!  Borrow one of your beau's ties and sport a menswear look.  This would be an awesome couples costume!

Vintage Lobby Cards

Firstly, I would like to thank all my lovely readers for their kind comments and warm wishes on my post about my Grandma. In the future, I do plan on sharing more of the vintage photos she had given me throughout the years. Also, to answer Coedith's question: the photo I used in that post was of my Grandma's Lutheran Confirmation, so the diploma in the photo is a certificate of her work and welcoming her into the church.

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One of my goals for my month long break from graduate school was to get some long awaited projects done. One of these projects was to get some frames and frame a few of my vintage lobby cards to decorate my office at school with. Graduate students are given offices at my university and we are required to hold office hours as well. This past semester I only came to my office to study, since being a lab instructor meant there were not required office hours. However, since I will be doing lectures this coming semester I will be spending much more time in there and I did not want to be surrounded by grey walls and boring office furniture.

Last week, I headed over to Joann's and picked up the frames that the cards are pictured in above for only a little over $3 each. I ended up getting all that they had in stock, which was six, and next week before Christmas, I am going to decorate with the lobby cards and some swanky swigs to hold my pens. I also have an incomplete vintage desk set of bookends and a letter holder, both in the shape of poodles, which I am also probably going to take in. Once I get it all set up, I'll post some pictures here on the blog.

I have been collecting lobby cards for a few years now and am so glad I finally have a place to display them, rather then just having them sit in an archive box. Hopefully my students will enjoy seeing a piece of film history when they visit my office.

If you work in an office or cubical, have you decked it out vintage style?

Emily