Althouse: "But it's different with girls, don't you think?"

১৭ সেপ্টেম্বর, ২০১৭

"But it's different with girls, don't you think?"

৪৫টি মন্তব্য:

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves বলেছেন...: what the heck is a strudel? a tasty danish? why... that's sweetist!; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:০৯ PM
rcocean বলেছেন...: Ha. Monroe was such a great comic actress.

Its too bad, she wasn't satisfied with that and wanted to be known as a great Dramatic artsiest. She even married "intellectual" Arthur Miller.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৩২ PM
Saint Croix বলেছেন...: Marilyn Monroe was a huge talent, a sex goddess and a comic genius. She's iconic. What fascinates men about Marilyn, I think, is that she manages to combine virgin and whore into one persona. She exudes sex and yet manages to play sweet and dumb at the same time, which gives her an innocent quality. There were dumb blondes before Marilyn, and sex symbols, but she might have been the first to combine the two.

When I think of a whore's persona, I think cynical, hard, edgy, worldly. None of those words describe Marilyn, who is soft, vulnerable, innocent, and naive. Which is preposterous, given her blatant sexuality. Her contradictions fascinate. You want to protect Marilyn and take advantage of her, all at the same time. We're not sure if she's simple and dumb or manipulative and dangerous. And she uses comedy brilliantly to take off any edge to her sexual persona.

I think Monroe is underrated as an actor and a comedian. Just stop and consider that the A list of comedy directors in the 50's--Billy Wilder and Howard Hawks--always wanted to work with her, despite all the hassles that went along with Marilyn. Nobody else could do what she did.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৩৫ PM
Saint Croix বলেছেন...: "Sometimes Mr. Esmond finds it very difficult to say no to me."; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৩৬ PM
Saint Croix বলেছেন...: "You need to get a diamond tiara from him."

"How much does a diamond tiara cost?"

"$15,000 at least."

"That'll take an hour and forty-five minutes."; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৩৭ PM
tcrosse বলেছেন...: I got your sfogliatelle right here.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৩৭ PM
Saint Croix বলেছেন...: Both of those lines are from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, her finest movie I think. Although Some Like It Hot is brilliant, too.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৩৮ PM
rhhardin বলেছেন...: Even the glasses are fake.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৪০ PM
William বলেছেন...: I was struck by the airline seats. They looked wide and comfortable, and they weren't flying first class. Did they even have first class back in those egalitarian days?; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৪৬ PM
rcocean বলেছেন...: @ William. I don't know how much it cost in 1953. In 1941, airline travel was about 10 cents a mile. IOW, a flight to NYC to LA would cost you about $250. In 1941, you could buy a top line automobile for $1,000.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ১:৫৬ PM
The Godfather বলেছেন...: Yes, I do think it's different with girls. Of course, as I've never done it with boys, I'm only guessing.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ২:২২ PM
Michael K বলেছেন...: I flew LA to Chicago and back on DC7s and Constellations. The big difference was that first class was in the rear away from the engines.

The Pan Am clippers that my mother-in-Law flew to Australia had bunks in the tail so first class could sleep.

I don't see engines out the window but, of course, that was a set. The 707s that I flew to England had sardine style seats just like today.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ২:৫২ PM
Rob বলেছেন...: He may say she's quite a strudel, but what he's thinking about is her knish.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৩:০৬ PM
mockturtle বলেছেন...: St. Croix, I think Monroe is also very popular with female fans. She's one of the few 'sex symbol' stars I always enjoyed watching. She has the 'it' factor and steals every scene.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৩:৩১ PM
rhhardin বলেছেন...: The trouble with old movies is that the acting conventions were all wrong; and the special effects, e.g. clouds and sky, were hopelessly artificial.

On glasses, you don't get a flash of reflection from the whole lens at once with real glasses because they're curved; and the outline of the cheek profile through the edge of the lens should form a broken line.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৩:৩৩ PM
Mark বলেছেন...: A lot of MM's sexy is because people have said she's sexy. She is certainly attractive, but I've never found her to be the hottest thing ever. Probably a lot of that is because of the hair style. She did have the skill to be a very good actress, and not just in comedic roles. She was excellent, for example, playing a dramatic role in her last film, The Misfits (where she also looked great with straight hair and more natural make-up).; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৩:৪০ PM
tcrosse বলেছেন...: By the standards of the time, MM was hot stuff. At least such connoisseurs of lady-flesh as Sinatra and JFK thought so (although Tony Curtis said that kissing her was like kissing Hitler).; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৩:৪৯ PM
Etienne বলেছেন...: The Brits call propellers "Screws."; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৩:৫০ PM
tcrosse বলেছেন...: The Brits call propellers "Screws."

On ships, so do we Yanks. On planes they're called airscrews.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৩:৫৬ PM
Gabriel বলেছেন...: @rcocean, William: don't know how much it cost in 1953. In 1941, airline travel was about 10 cents a mile. IOW, a flight to NYC to LA would cost you about $250.

$4400 in today's money. I would say flying at all would be equivalent of flying first class today, price-wise.

As far as the seats go, people were smaller then. Marilyn Monroe was very small; her waist and hips were smaller than today's size 0.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:১৪ PM
mockturtle বলেছেন...: rhardin asserts: The trouble with old movies is that the acting conventions were all wrong; and the special effects, e.g. clouds and sky, were hopelessly artificial.

But the scripts were better. Much better.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:১৫ PM
mockturtle বলেছেন...: On ships, so do we Yanks. On planes they're called airscrews.

Not just ships but smaller craft, as well. Our cruiser was a 'twin screw'.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:১৭ PM
mockturtle বলেছেন...: although Tony Curtis said that kissing her was like kissing Hitler

When did Curtis kiss Hitler? Was that while in drag? ;-); ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৩৫ PM
rcocean বলেছেন...: "$4400 in today's money. I would say flying at all would be equivalent of flying first class today, price-wise."

Does it cost $4400 to fly one-way from NYC To LA? I think it probably costs more like $1200 ROUND TRIP.

In 1941 it would've cost you $500 round trip or $8800! It was probably less expensive in 1953, but not by much. So Flying was much, much, more for the elite.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৩৮ PM
The Godfather বলেছেন...: Speaking of the cost of air travel, one of Ken Follett's good books (before he got into the huge multivolume racket) is "Night Over Water" (available at Amazon through the Althouse portal and well worth the modest price), about a flight from England to the US at the outbreak of the Second World War. As I recall (but buy the book and check me on this) Follett gives us a sense of what the airfare cost by saying that it was about the same as the cost of a nice but not fancy house.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৩৯ PM
rcocean বলেছেন...: Is the acting much better today in movies?

Yes it is. And that's because most film actors today aren't film stars - they're actors. Most of them have little charisma, don't have distinctive voices, and aren't particularly charming or funny.

I'm sure Hollywood now has 20 leading ladies who could out-act M. Monroe but none of them have the charisma or star power.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৪৩ PM
rcocean বলেছেন...: "When did Curtis kiss Hitler? Was that while in drag? ;-)"

Ha,Ha. When he got older Tony Curtis wanted attention so he started to say outrageous things about the past. Of course, most of the people he talked about were dead - and couldn't say he was full of BS.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৪৫ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit বলেছেন...: In a more closer to home context...

How do you chummy up to coworkers who's free time entertainment include things you sworn off, without putting them off, that you might be holding yourself to be better than.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৪৯ PM
traditionalguy বলেছেন...: Poor Marilyn only acted dumb, but she actually was too intelligent for her own good. She understood a lot about what the Deep State operatives in DC and Hollywood, of her day were up to, and when it became apparent how much she knew, they ordered her silenced for it.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৫২ PM
Josephbleau বলেছেন...: They have screws in prison also, according to the movies.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৫৭ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit বলেছেন...: In an attempt to chummy up, or whatever... I asked a coworker if his girlfriend at work was doing the immigration papers for him. You see I was under a misimpression because of an age difference between her (appreciably older) and him (appreciably younger).

He answered in a disappointing tone... Nooo, that's my lady Lem. The other guys looked at me and smiled.

I quickly surmised that the best thing to do at that point was not to say anything further.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৫৮ PM
tcrosse বলেছেন...: "When did Curtis kiss Hitler? Was that while in drag? ;-)"

No cake for you.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৪:৫৯ PM
Bay Area Guy বলেছেন...: Compare Marilyn here in this clip to, say, Jennifer Lawrence in "mother!"

Heh; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৫:০৮ PM
Kate বলেছেন...: I love that movie. A bygone era.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৫:১৩ PM
YoungHegelian বলেছেন...: When David Wayne tells Monroe that she is "quite a strudel", I think that postwar America probably thought that it was a clean version of the British "crumpet", used as a slang term for an attractive woman. The scene already cleans up Dorothy Parker's "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses", so maybe they cleaned up "crumpet", too.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৫:৫৬ PM
William বলেছেন...: It wasn't her best movie but her best role was in Bus Stop. She was better suited to William Inge than to Arthur Miller. She would have been good in the Kim Novak role in Picnic........You know you're getting old when the first thing you notice in a Monroe dialogue scene is the comfort of the seating arrangements.......I read the Epstein biography of Dmaggio. She cheated on him during their honeymoon. It was with her acting coach who was a woman, so maybe that's not real cheating. Still, not a good augury on the honeymoon,; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৬:২৭ PM
Mark বলেছেন...: Is the acting much better today in movies?

Today I see an acting style that is much more naturalistic. In the past, by contrast, the style was acting! like the Master Thespian on SNL. The supposed "best actor ever" Laurence Olivier was one of the worst. Bette Davis was bad too.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৬:৪১ PM
Wince বলেছেন...: In this clip from Some Like it Hot, Marilyn "Sugar" Monroe confides in "Josephine" (Tony Curtis) that she has a "theory" about men with glasses, information which he later exploits.

I want mine to wear glasses...

Men who wear glasses are so much more gentle and sweet and helpless. Haven't you ever noticed it?

...They get those weak eyes from reading. Those long, tiny little columns in The Wall Street Journal.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৬:৫১ PM
Wince বলেছেন...: You're very kind. I'll bet you're also gentle and helpless.

l beg your pardon?

You see, l have a theory about men who wear glasses.

What theory?

I'll tell you when l know you better.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৬:৫৯ PM
Michael K বলেছেন...: ".I read the Epstein biography of Dmaggio. She cheated on him during their honeymoon."

We were going through the Tucson Antique Mall today and in one case was an ID card for Korea for "Norma Jean Dimaggio."

I'm sure it was a copy. I meant to go back and look again but forgot until now.

I did find two nice model beer trucks but not the model airplane I was looking for.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৭:১৫ PM
Luke Lea বলেছেন...: One of the great comic actresses. The Prince and the Showgirl is my favorite.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৮:১১ PM
Bad Lieutenant বলেছেন...: How do you chummy up to coworkers who's free time entertainment include things you sworn off

Laugh, tell them how you're on the wagon now, smiling ruefully at all the fun you know you're missing out on, and make a counteroffer of whatever desirable activity you prefer. Say, instead of a Portuguese feast followed by strip club, let's go shoot trap out at Thunder Mountain, followed by an enormous luncheon at the same place. It's very situational and you have to have a certain something to pull it off gracefully.

Hope that is any help whatsoever ;)

Laslo, was it you or betamax or somebody else who had that shtick with Joe DiMaggio, MM, et al, in hell?

On the situationality of strudel versus crumpet, remember that in Saving Private Ryan, a German POW fearing promotion to KIA, conveys his American affinities to the squad by saying among other things "Betty Grable, what a dish!" so the general notion of beautiful women as delicious dainties to consume, not to get all feministing on you, is well-founded before the period of the film.

Now word choice...crumpet I dimly envision something you've attained, rather than something you aspire to, As your synonym for food might it be a nod to Yiddish perhaps? Was she not married to Arthur Miller at this time and had she not converted to Judaism on his behalf? Maybe there was something there.

Or maybe it's the latest thing in NY diners at the time, The Fabulous International Dessert known as the strudel . Haimisch.

Fumbling fishing in the databanks I can't swear to it but I believe I've heard a woman called Asher a strudel before. Mel Brooks maybe.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৮:৩২ PM
mockturtle বলেছেন...: I think my favorite MM movie was Bus Stop.; ১৭/৯/১৭, ৮:৪৬ PM
Yancey Ward বলেছেন...: Big Bang Theory clip:

Penny puts on glasses; ১৮/৯/১৭, ১:৩৫ AM
Jaq বলেছেন...: MM is exibit A for guys who need a dose of the red pill. She just plays herself with embellishments, to be sure, but obvious omissions due to taste.

She was what almost all women would be if they had the sexual power.; ১৮/৯/১৭, ৭:২৪ PM