Anne, far left: “Well, what do we have here? It appears that George has arrived, dubiously escorting some young strumpet with stars in her eyes. How gauche.”
Bette, near left: “Oh, come now, Anne. If memory serves, you were the strumpet in question a mere two days ago, when I found you practically wetting yourself in the alley behind the theater where I was performing. Just because you got here first doesn’t mean that you have any better chance at ruining my career than the harlot on George’s arm. Let’s hear what the inappropriately-matched couple has to say. George? Pray tell.”
Marilyn, near right: “Before my Uncle Daddy opens his acidic mouth and verbally slaughters both of you, I’d like to point out that, despite the fact that I have better breasts than everyone in this entire building, I have actually read a book or two. And the only time I have been on my back in order to advance my career was the unfortunate time when I lost my footing whilst performing opera at the Teatro de Milagro in Barcelona. It was completely unplanned, of course, but The Pope just happened to be in the audience. And he was so moved by my physical interpretation of Mary Magdalene’s devotion to Jesus that he issued a papal decree that I should be canonized and churches should be built in my virginal honor. Now, what were you saying about the worthiness of me being escorted by my Uncle Daddy?”
Anne: “I’m thinking that I need to learn opera.”
Bette: “And I’m thinking that I now understand why all of the Kennedy brothers will eventually line up to watch you flop on your back again.”
George, far right: “Well, then. With so many people around me eating crow, I just realized that I’m a bit famished. Could you point us in the direction of the tapas bar?”
Previously published, tiny changes made. And yes, this one is oozing trivia and may not resonate with some, but such is life at Bonnywood. By the way, bonus points if you can identify all the actors and the movie before reading the helpful tags at the end. Cheers.
Categories: Past Imperfect
Bonnywood Manor 
Bette’s high arched brow is priceless; but then, so is Marilyn’s highly taped breastwork.
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And they actually complement each other quite well. Great set design by somebody…
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True. I am in particular awe of the flying buttresses. Breathtaking…
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Bette does a look of disdain so perfectly.
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I have been practicing to be her all my life… 😉
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I admit I didn’t recognize Anne. But with Bette in the room, who would?
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Any why would anyone even try to compete? Just let Bette chew away and hope you survive… 😉
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Mary that strumpet sat on a log
Waiting to hear the great Brian’s blog
When it appeared
It burned up her ears
And that strumpet became just a blob.
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This is a lovely bit of wise folklore that will be passed along for generations to come, shared around campfires where vodka-laced S’mores are also being shared… 😉
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I failed, rather miserably, at identifying “Anne” and “George”, but the other two? Immortalized. NOBODY doesn’t recognize them. Bette still proved (to me anyway) that class over-rides breasts any old day of the week. And Marilyn koff koff koff NORMA JEAN koff koff might have gotten her degree from Princeton, Harvard, Oxford or Cambridge (over the pond or stateside), and nobody would have given that the slightest notice because breasts trump (oh dear god I meant to avoid that word. It’s permanently out of my vocabulary. It’s been shamed) education. It’s all in the perspective of the thing, isn’t it? And it’s disconcerting (again to me at least), when some fluffy little star of the firma-ment (who can name THAT actress who said that line sans fluffy?) has more brains than anyone notices. Because they’re usually staring at her hooters or his ass….. (yeah. Sorry Brian. I’m dripping with acid this morning. Mea culpa.)
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I’m completely with you on the unnoticed brains angle, which makes Norma Jean’s life even more tragic. She was very intelligent, and in those few instances where she was given a non-bimbo role, she could really shine. On the flip side, she made a lot of poor choices, usually based on her deep need to just be loved. Which makes things even more sad.
But never apologize for your very mild acid-drippings. I welcome them, with relish. And really, you didn’t say anything that I wouldn’t have said…. 😉
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Bette may be concerned about Marilyn, but she really should be worried about Anne. After all, the movie is all about HER.
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Ah, a sly reference to the movie title. You move in mysterious ways… 😉
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Marilyn’s commitment to wearing white seems to have been carried to her makeup… either she’s wearing horrible white pancake foundation on her face, or the lighting guys need to quit staring at her Holy Breasts and fix that shadow.
No wonder Bette isn’t impressed.
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Good catch. Marilyn does look a bit like she should be performing mime with Shields and Yarnell. (By the way, mimes creep me out a little bit. You?)
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OMG , Shields & Yarnel… blast from the past! Yeah, mimes are just wrong! Physical humor… Buster Keaton Style (or Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon😍) is awesome… the black & white, stuck in a box, pulling the rope… Nope! Go sit in the corner with the clowns… creepers!
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I had no trouble identifying the actors because I love that movie. Actually, anything with George Sanders just so I can hear his voice. No one played a foppish snob as well as he. (Shere Khan was the best part of Jungle Book).
And I think I got most of the trivia… except the opera bit. Not for real?!
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I love me some “All About Eve” as well. In fact, 1950 in general was a great movie year. Sunset Boulevard, The Asphalt Jungle, The Third Man, Harvey, Born Yesterday, Adam’s Rib, Caged, No Way Out. I’m sure I’m forgetting several…
The opera whimsy is just that, whimsy, shamelessly thrown in just to underscore the point that Marilyn had so much to offer but so many people only focused on two things…
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I can only identify the two actresses in the center, but it is such a great movie. I have to watch it again sometime. Or read the script. Yes, thank you for giving Marilyn so many lines, which she richly deserves.
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It really is a good movie, although it comes off a little dated these days. Everyone is so cynical and suspicious now that Anne’s character would be called out in the first five minutes off the movie…
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I am mystified by the connection between Hollywood and religion. How could the two be even within miles of each other is beyond my comprehension. At first I didn’t even notice this. Then one day a starlet on a late night show talks about her experience with Buddhism and holy monks. That really shocked me into realization of my own ignorance.
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Hmm. I’m not sure if I’m following your point with this comment. Are you saying that you didn’t think Hollywood folks could BE religious? I think creative types are actually more prone to explore all types of religions and ideologies rather than just stick with how they were raised. I’m curious to learn more about your thoughts…
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I was surprised to hear the starlet talking about her experience with Buddhism. My notion of Buddhism is about staying away from desire, meaning not looking at things beautiful to your eyes,not listening to good music, not tasting tasty food, not thinking of thoughts that will stir your emotion. Anyway, These completely contradict what Hollywood stands for. If she is not a young starlet on the rise, but an aging actress in decline, I would have understood her, since Buddhism is very good at consoling injured souls and healing wounded pride, through helping people manage or diminish their desires. I tried to figure out how she and Buddhism can stay within a mile of each other, but I couldn’t. It only shows my deficiency in understanding both Buddhism and the way human making connections. Remember sometimes you just can’t understand why two people, so unlike each other, become intimate friends, why this girl and that boy become a couple. Why? How? You want to scream, please explain to me, but to no avail.
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Thanks for the explanation. I do see what you’re saying, but now I’m beginning to wonder how much I might be misunderstanding Buddhism. Sometimes, the more we question, the less we understand…
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