Boris Karloff sure did appear in a lot of “B” movies. British Intelligence, from January 1940, is an engaging, fast-paced one-hour adaptation of a 1918 play. The story stays in the first world war, but was updated with an obvious anti-Hitler message, two years before America entered the war in Europe. The depiction of the Zeppelins flying over London is very effective.
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The Hold of Holbein
Back in February, The New Yorker had a review of an exhibit at the Morgan Library in New York.
Hans Holbein the Younger’s work is stunning, being vastly superior to his father’s art. The quality and immediate visual appeal of Holbein’s paintings wouldn’t be equaled until Vermeer a hundred years later. While displaying the same level of technical skill as Jan Van Eyck in painting decorative clothing and objects, Holbein’s superb drawing ability was a complete break with long-standing medieval artistic conventions. Offering a level of realism never seen before, Holbein was, in a word, modern. If Holbein’s portraits are secular Realism, Michelangelo’s paintings are religious Mannerism.
I have beheld Holbein’s portraits of Thomas More and his nemesis Cromwell at the Frick Gallery. The painting of More was an obvious labor of love compared to the spare and cold portrayal of Cromwell, making it quite plain which of the two men he favored. Cromwell proved that anyone who believes they can ally themselves politically with a madman, and survive unscathed, is dead wrong. If you have an interest in Holbein, and can spare an hour, this history is very worthwhile viewing. (Two completely different meanings of the word “spare” used in the same paragraph! That’s what I call blogging at its best.)
There’s a woman in the cartoon* above whose pose is strikingly similar to Leonardo Da Vinci’s Lady With An Ermine. The way her hands are placed, she could be holding an ermine herself. Even the head covering and bead necklace echo those worn by Da Vinci’s woman.
Da Vinci probably painted the portrait about five years before Holbein was born. Was Holbein merely fashioning the drawing in the popular manner of the day? Or had he seen Da Vinci’s portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, or a copy of it, and was offering a sly nod to the Italian master? While unknown, it’s believed that Holbein may have visited Italy. Da Vinci died when Holbein the Younger was about twenty.
* “Cartoon” in its original meaning is a preliminary drawing for a painting.
To Whom it May Concern
Ocala… as it was.
Fiddle Dee Dee
Tara, the O’Hara family homestead!
With the plantation decimated by the war, Scarlett vows to never go hungry again!
The plantation’s soil must have been contaminated by Union soldiers during Sherman’s March, because Tara Flour is making people sick!
Consumer Reports’ food safety and policy experts recommend that consumers stop eating products that contain the additive called tara flour.
Never go hungry again? But wasn’t Scarlett refusing to eat to keep her tiny waist?
Over the Rainbow “of Color”
This is as bizarre as it is shocking. Taking uppers to keep her weight down wasn’t the only terrible thing that MGM made Judy Garland do early in her career. A year later, only the gingham dress was the same when she appeared in The Wizard of OZ.
Tony Dow, 1945-2022
The updates on Tony Dow’s condition have been worrisome for a while. So today’s news isn’t unexpected, but that makes it no less sad.
UPDATE: This message was posted on Tony Dow’s Facebook page one hour ago.
This morning Tony’s wife Lauren, who was very distraught, had notified us that Tony had passed and asked that we notify all his fans. As we are sure you can understand, this has been a very trying time for her. We have since received a call from Tony’s daughter-in-law saying that while Tony is not doing well, he has not yet passed. Tony’s son Christopher and his daughter-in-law Melissa have also been by his side comforting him, and we will keep you posted on any future updates.
Update: It’s been confirmed, by way of Jon Provost, that Tony is now gone.