Murder/Suspense Drama Film Review: Dead Ringer (1964)

Happy Halloween everyone!

I'm not doing a whole lot to celebrate this year (pumpkin lights from the dollar section at Target count, right?) so I thought I'd be festive by reviewing an excellent murder/suspense film I watched recently, Dead Ringer (1964) with the incomparable Bette Davis! 

So as you can see, Bette Davis plays twins - rich, newly widowed Margaret de Lorca, and working-class Edith Phillips, owner of Edie's, a struggling cocktail bar. The two estranged sisters are brought together for the funeral of Margaret's husband (who just so happens to be the man Margaret stole from Edith years ago). The women keep up appearances at first, but things soon go steadily downhill.

Speaking of going downhill, one of the opening scenes of the movie we see a bus pull up to the cemetery and Edie step out. Take a look at the area in 1964, and now:

Look at those nicely manicured trees and clean streets with un-cracked pavement. Ugh, depressing. But I digress.

The location used for Margaret's magnificent mansion however, has not gone downhill. 

Maggie's limousine pulling through the stately gates

The same entrance today

The beautiful Greystone Mansion is located in Beverly Hills (of course), and the grounds are open to the public free of charge (the inside can also be rented out, for a fee). Lots more info and pictures on their website. This place is definitely on my list of sights to see!

The sisters have a not so friendly chat over tea and we learn the cause of their estrangement (man stealing Maggie), and whilst being driven home by the chauffeur, Edith learns quite a bit more about her dear sister. 

Edie returns to her bar which she says is on "Figueroa and Temple", so of course I Googled immediately to see if they really filmed there and if was actually a bar. To my surprise, they had and there is (or was)! 

When I first searched the location I saw this, what timing! 

I was able to move around a bit and get a clear shot of the place, it appears it's now the out of business, Vertigos Bar & Grill.

Along Figueroa, then..

and now…

In the film, the driver pulls up along the side of the building, and lets Edie out there, she then enters through the side door. Another little then and now (I ♥ Google Maps, can you tell? ;)

Anyway, after a few more visits tensions mount between the two…

….and you can probably guess what happens next!

However our story does not end there! But this plot summary must, or else I will be giving away all the goods ☺. 

According to TCM's little pre movie blurb, Bette Davis was never particularly happy with the film in general, feeling everyone did the best they could with what they had to work with. I, on the other hand, thought it was just fantastic - suspenseful and dramatic yet pretty believable. You end up feeling for both sisters by the end. Definitely kept my interest, if you have a chance to see this great movie please do!

Till next time darlings!

Retro Clothing Alert at Target!

Keep 'em peeled ladies, because Target - my home away from home - and Merona, my favorite brand, (which happens to be Target's house brand),  have cranked out some really cute retro/classic looking pieces lately. I've adored Merona for years because of this, plus they are affordable-SCORE!

Alright gals, feast your peepers on these beauties :

50's cuteness!

Lovely collared dress - so nice to finally have a "day" dress that is still dressy enough for work! 

Perfect cardi (I've been looking for this style/sleeve length for about 100 years)

This shirt! Something else I have been searching for for AGES, they came tied at the bottom, a perfect 50's staple!

Who doesn't love polka dots!? Oh and I have seen polka dot cardis on other retro clothing sites for around $50- at Target it's $19.99

60's cuteness!

Casual mini (for a later 60's look)     Striped dress - think happening

                                                          beach party!

          Cute pencil skirt!              Early 60's looking ankle pants

These are just a few of my favorites that can be found in store, they have a lot more online. And ya know the best part? The most expensive thing here are the pants at $27.99, not bad eh?

Falsies Review/Quick Tutorial...Revlon Beyond Natural Lashes!

I went out like the above once in public, and it didn't go so well. I got a massive ear-full from the woman who was giving me a facial, she took it upon herself to tell me what men like (she looked like this by the way), and what make up was appropriate for night and for day. I didn't even bother to try and explain to her that I was just testing out my Twiggy make up, that I didn't think I would be going out at all etc, (not to mention the fact that I am a grown woman and it is none of her business whatsoever). I adore Twiggy and the make up look she made popular, I even bought a vintage pair of "Twiggy Lashes" that were sold in 1967:

In this whole ensemble I was not wearing an false lashes however (this may have thrown babushka over the edge). The allure of falsies is such a mythical, magical one, they are so glamorous and finding just the right thickness and length for your eyes can be an art form. I don't wear them daily, but I love having them as an option for a special occasion.

Here's what we're working with in today's review:

FYI - these lashes do not come with adhesive, so I used Duo, which I had around and have always had good luck with. I got a set of the "Double Wink" lashes (the thickness of two sets, mid 60's style) and they are very soft and nice feeling. So after grabbing the lashes with my tweezers, I applied a thin layer of the adhesive like so:

Wait 30 seconds (for the glue to get sticky), bend them gently between your thumbs to loosen them up, then grab your tweezers again and apply:

(Use the tweezers to help push the lashes into your natural lash line!)

                                                              

With the lashes:                                   Without:                                                    

Now as you can see they are a bit much for a normal day at the office (depending on your place of work!) 

If I were going to wear these out (at night) I would have 

trimmed them to start about there --->

You want them to start where your normal lashes do, but for the purposes of pictures and a review I just left them as is. They have a wide variety of sizes that would also be perfect for day/work wear, as well as sets of smaller lashes to customize to your liking:

All are relatively cheap (about $4 at Target) too, so not much to dislike really, it's definitely something I would buy again. Duo also makes falsies which are not bad either, but I found the Revlon ones to be a bit softer.

Thanks for reading and hope this helps saves ya a bit of time/money, till next time darlings!

Past and Present

Okay so anyone who knows me knows I almost always say I'm starting a diet or on one, etc. And like 95% of the rest of the female population, I start dry heaving at the thought of having "bare it all" (or close to) at the beach this summer.

Now that I've got everyone stressed out , there is an upside to all this. I've been watching loads of old movies recently and aside from having fantastic plots and story lines, another common theme in them are beautiful women. And I realized that these are the women that come to mind when I think of class, glamour, grace, and style.

All of these famous leading ladies, and hardly a stick figure in sight. Not a fair comment to those naturally born thin? Well I'm not talking about them. Lots of thin gorgeous women graced the big screen during the golden days of Hollywood, Katherine and Audrey Hepburn etc, but point being they were natural. As most actresses today are not, all seeming to be in competition with each other as to who can eat the fewest pieces of lettuce.

Whist searching for pictures I came across this quote from Christina Hendricks who really sums up my current position perfectly:


But spending so much time with my nose in the past and these old movies has finally made me feel at least a bit more confident in myself, seeing all these fabulous women in such a flattering light (or maybe it's the black and white quality? ha) . So to prove my point I've done my best to narrow this list of examples down to 10 women. 5 actresses from days that have gone, and for those of you not so much loving the past; 5 that are out there now giving all us curvy girls a good name. Past and Present-enjoy :)

Past

The beautiful Rita Hayworth, who I am just learning about. So beautiful that it was an impossible task to choose just one photo.



How could I not include our dear Marilyn? She was the first woman out there to be an hour-glassed shaped sex bomb. These pictures of her on the beach before she was famous are my favorites. Can you believe she's actually got a normal stomach there, and a roll?! Golly.

And another with more of her signature look. Yes Marilyn gets two pictures because she is that special.


Of course Elizabeth Taylor made the list, another famous hour-glass beauty.


Raquel Welch, who shocked those squares right out of their pressed suits with this movie poster for 'One Million Years B.C.'

I have a feeling the movie may not have accurately depicted "the way it was", and I'm sure the women definitely did not look like that haha. Below, a more candid Raquel.


Another long haired beauty, Sophia Loren. Can't even fathom the thought that a picture of an actress with visible cellulite would be used for publicity, and not tabloids.


Present

Dita Von Teese, a siren who wears the reddest lipstick I've seen in a long time, and magnificent 50's style!


Jennifer Hudson, a fabulous actress and singer.


Charlize Theron, curvy woman-yes, but I'm including her mainly for her ability and willingness to transform herself for her movies, often in an unflattering light.(But I will depict her in a flattering one haha)


The sexy redhead of the bunch, Christina Hendricks, whom I quoted earlier. She's the only "real" woman I can think of on TV today.


And lastly, my favorite "Present" woman, Kate Winslet. Such a talented actress, and never without grace and class.