tagged w/ Vintage Photographs
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This posting is meant only for those who have a strong interest in the development of modern filmmaking, and who are capable of maintaining a sustained level of interest (i.e., it's not for snarky-Farkers or dumbed-down Diggers). "Warhol’s Cinema" is a 64-minute 1989 documentary about a number of films made by Andy Warhol in the 1960s. During the five year span of his obsession with films, Warhol made more than 50 films between 1963-1968. He made many of the films in his mid-town studio, known as The Factory, where the young people in his offbeat cortège, alternately beautiful and bizarre, spent most of their time.
The original Factory was thought of as the Silver Factory by the people who came to derive a sense of attachment from being involved in the air of creative excitement that was evolving there. The shimmering silver was made from fractured mirrors and tin foil; it represented the decadence of the scene, as well as the “proto-glam” of the early sixties.
Includes a number of great vintage photographs, the full 64-minute version of the documentary and a stunning Slide Show.This posting is meant only for those who have a strong interest in the development of... more
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In the early 1900s, fat, middle-aged, highly sexed women weren’t supposed to dance, bare their breasts, or take lovers half their age. But Isadora Duncan did all of that and more while she was leading her free-range, tragic, melodramatic life 90 years ago. The sight of Isadora Duncan dancing barefoot and as scantily clad as a woodland nymph, brought large crowds to theaters and concert halls throughout Europe. Duncan’s private life, quite as much as her dancing, kept her name in newspaper headlines owing to her constant disregard of social taboos and sexual escapades.
Strongly held opposing opinions of Isadora ranged from those who adored Duncan and described her work as spectacular, to those who flatly described her as rubbish. During the last years of her life, Isadora Duncan was a somewhat pathetic figure, living precariously with little money on the French Riviera, where she met with a fatal accident: her legendary long scarf became entangled in the rear wheel of the car in which she was riding, and she was strangled.
This article includes a detailed biography, vintage photographs, a short 45-second video (the only known piece of film showing her dancing) and a photo-gallery of the melodramatic Isadora Duncan.In the early 1900s, fat, middle-aged, highly sexed women weren’t supposed to dance,... more
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Before there was this year’s Academy Awards celebrated “Milk,” there was the widely acclaimed “The Times of Harvey Milk,” which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 1984. The documentary chronicles the political career of Harvey Milk, who was San Francisco’s first openly gay elected Board Supervisor.
“The Times of Harvey Milk” documents through assembled historic film clips the tumultuous story of Milk’s grass-roots political organizing and election, through the shocking murders and their repercussions. It takes the film’s viewers along with the eloquent candle-light memorial joined by tens of thousands of San Franciscans on the evening of the assassinations, to the scenes of angry crowds who stormed San Francisco’s City Hall in the aftermath of the lenient sentence that Dan White received at his murder trial.
This Academy Award-winning documentary feature film depicts not only Harvey Milk himself, but also the political and social milieu of the era in which he lived. From this perspective, the film continues to have significant relevance for our nation today, standing as a classic portrait of communities and cultural values in severe conflict. The film was produced subsequent to Harvey Milk’s death using archival footage, so that Milk is credited posthumously as the lead actor. Other politicians, including San Francisco’s then-mayor George Moscone (assassinated with Milk) and Moscone’s successor and now U. S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, also appear in the archival footage. The film’s narration is provided by the acclaimed stage and screen actor Harvey Fierstein, who at that time had just achieved great success with his own Tony Award-winning Broadway play “Torch Song Trilogy.”
This classic portrait of communities in conflict is a stunning reminder of what many of us are still facing today. Our most urgent present-day struggles are reflected in this film’s dramatic account of Harvey Milk’s grass-roots political organizing, election and amazing defeat of California's Proposition 6.
This detailed article presents a number of vintage photos and three videos. In addition, it includes the full-length version of this celebrated documentary, as well as a rare slideshow of vintage photographs of Harvey Milk and San Francisco during the mid-1960’s and 70s.Before there was this year’s Academy Awards celebrated “Milk,” there was the... more
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“Toyland” is the 2009 Academy Awards Winner for the Best Live Action Short Film. Set in 1942 Germany, this absorbing 14-minute short film reflects back to harrowing memories about a prelude to the Holocaust, in particular the 1938 Nazi Kristallnacht (The Night of Shattered Crystal) in Germany. “Toyland” tells the powerful story of a German mother in those early days of WWII whose son is best friends with a Jewish boy living next door. When the mother learns that the neighboring Jewish family is scheduled to be picked up and taken away by the Nazi’s on the very next day, she attempts to placate her own son’s curiosity about their surprise trip by telling him that his friend is merely making a vacation visit to “Toyland” in Switzerland.
What begins as the mother’s seemingly innocent attempt to protect her son from an awareness of the Nazi’s disturbingly evil barbarian brutalities unexpectedly leads him to become obsessed with going to “Toyland” along with the Jewish family and his best friend. The film’s story unfolds in a rare time-sequence series of flashback and flashforward rotations. It is a truly unusual dialectical cinematographic rendering of interactive human memory, which reaches its startling conclusion in an incredibly subtle twist of bittersweet fate.
Unpacking the emotional complexities of “Toyland” unveiled recollections about the uncommonly courageous acts of Janusz Korczak, which are seldom mentioned today. However, this important short film impresses us with an irresistible message about the importance of “remembering to remember” the life of Janusz Korczak. On August 6nd, 1942, reflecting his lifelong compassionate devotion to both children and the rights of children, Korczak adamantly refused offers for his own safety and with defiant dignity he led the orphans under his care in the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto to the trains that ultimately would take them all to death at the Treblinka Death Camp.
This detailed article includes colorful photographs from the short-film “Toyland” and a number of vintage photographs of the Warsaw Ghetto, the Treblinka Death Camp and Auschwitz. In addition, it presents a slideshow of memorable vintage photographs , as well as the widely acclaimed, deeply moving Academy Award Winner, “Toyland.”“Toyland” is the 2009 Academy Awards Winner for the Best Live Action Short Film.... more
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Bikini-clad models and other alluring vamps seem to go hand-in-hand with trade convention exhibitions, but they’ve probably left their most indelible mark on the American mind in the auto-show industry. Models were used to sell cars quite early in the auto world’s history, with the very first auto shows in 1905 (which debuted in either or both Chicago and New York) having a number of glamor girls adorning the motor cars on display.
For many, many years the role of the auto-show model was to serve as a beguiling, alluring bumper-sticker, or as a glittering, glamorous hood ornament...OKA Hooters on Wheels! WTF were we ever thinking??
This piece presents a number of very silly, sexy vintage photographs of the old-timey auto-show gals.Bikini-clad models and other alluring vamps seem to go hand-in-hand with trade... more
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The dime-a-dance, or “taxi-dance” phenomenon, reached its peak during the 1920s and early 30s. Taxi-dancing, which derived its name from the “more time, more money” model of a cab ride, was for many women an alternative to the narrow set of opportunities prescribed them in the first decades of the 20th century. Since dancers customarily earned 40 to 50 percent of each 10-cent dance ticket, energetic young women in the late 1920s could easily take home up to $40 a week.
As soon as the girl received a ticket from the patron, she tore it in half, giving one part to the ticket-collector and the other half she blandly stored with other receipts under the hem of her silk stocking. Before the evening was over, the accumulation of tickets looked like a large and oddly placed tumor. Although sailors and other military personnel accounted for a large portion of the clientele, every so often young men of society would frequent the dime-a-dance halls. On the whole, taxi-dancing in Manhattan’s 238 dance halls (by a 1924 count) was considered a viable profession, however one that lurked outside the bounds of respectability.
This piece includes a number of great vintage photographs of New York's Ballroom taxi-dancers.The dime-a-dance, or “taxi-dance” phenomenon, reached its peak during the 1920s... more
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Oh my…it’s Super Bowl Sunday again! Football, football, football everywhere. What’s a poor soul to do who’s just not into this locker-room Super Bowl football sort of stuff? Do you have to just slink away into the kitchen and try to hide from all the drunken mister macho clamor?
Nope, this one here’s just for you! Now I’m getting educational on you…watch this great little video and learn all about how the Internet came into being and developed. Plus, after watching this, you’ll sound super, super-smart as you dominate the idle chatter at all of this weekend’s After-Super Bowl cocktail parties. Everyone will absolutely marvel at your stunning techno-chic brilliance!!
This piece includes cool vintage photographs and the super little video, “A History of the Internet.”Oh my…it’s Super Bowl Sunday again! Football, football, football everywhere.... more
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Good Mornin’ America, How Are Ya’? Well, that line's from “The City of New Orleans”, a great song written by the late Steve Goodman about the train of that same name. So I've included a number of beautifully rendered b&w vintage photographs of trains and the music video of Arlo Guthrie singing Goodman's “The City of New Orleans.”
In addition, I've presented a wonderful photo-gallery showing even more great vintage train photographs for your riding pleasure.Good Mornin’ America, How Are Ya’? Well, that line's from “The City of New... more
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This is a remembrance to Coney Island as this American Icon nears its last days, one more victim of greedy urban gentrification. This piece includes a number of vintage photographs and two videos. One of the videos is the classic Edison short film, "Coney Island at Night."
This Edison short features the revolutionary night photography of Coney Island around the turn of the century, shot by the Edison Studio filmmaker Edwin S. Porter on June 25th, 1905. His camera caressed the lit-up amusement center with long sweeping movements, producing an eerie beauty. The smooth pans and tilts were a remarkable technical accomplishment at the time, given the fact that night scenes required much longer exposures.This is a remembrance to Coney Island as this American Icon nears its last days, one... more
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Fritz Lang's amazing 1927 film "Metropolis" has recently been described as a contemporary symphony of fear. "Metropolis" is a landmark in the development of film noir. The film's depiction of brutal capitalism and its message calling for the importance of compassion is hugely relevant today, although its crucial message is largely ignored by the rich and powerful.
This detailed article includes a number of stunning vintage photographs and video from Lang's amazing film, "Metropolis."Fritz Lang's amazing 1927 film "Metropolis" has recently been described as a... more
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As a fashion model working for Manhattan's Eileen Ford Agency in the '60s, Nancy Lee Andrews was the subject, among other pieces, of a LIFE magazine centerfold done by Milton Greene, the renowned photographer best known for his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe.
Before long, though, Andrews found herself taking photos of her own, dozens of which, including disarming candids of Bob Dylan and Dolly Parton, are on exhibit through August under the title A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll and a Pinch of Country at the Tennessee State Museum.
"I remember (Greene) looking over my first contact sheet and smiling, giving me praise and telling me, 'You've got an eye.' "
Greene's encouragement was critical to Andrews' evolution as a photographer, a hobby-turned-profession that really took off after she met and began a six-year love affair with Ringo Starr in 1974.
"Nancy Lee's life with Ringo was flamboyant and larger than life," said Lois Riggins-Ezell, executive director of the Tennessee State Museum. "It enabled her to capture a space in time in popular culture that few people were able to capture.
"She didn't make appointments with these people; she was having dinner with them and going to clubs with them," Riggins-Ezell added, referring to rock 'n' roll stars such as George Harrison, Donovan, Eric Clapton and Keith Moon.
Photographs of all four men, along with those of Harry Nilsson, Kim Carnes and a 2-year-old Angelina Jolie, appear in Andrews' exhibit at the museum. They also can be seen in her forthcoming book, A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll, to be published Sept. 1 by Dalton Watson Books.As a fashion model working for Manhattan's Eileen Ford Agency in the '60s, Nancy Lee... more
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Barry Feinstein, the rock 'n' roll photographer, was digging through his archives last year when he found a long-forgotten bundle of pictures, dozens of dark and moody snapshots taken of Hollywood back in the early 1960s. Tucked next to the photographs was a set of prose poems, written around the same time by an old friend: Bob Dylan. At the time that he originally arranged the group of photographs in the 60s, Mr. Feinstein had asked Dylan to come out to Hollywood and write some text to accompany the photographs.
The resulting collection is sometimes dark and dreary, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, and often just plain sardonic. There are vintage snapshots of movie props and roadside stands, topless starlets and headless mannequins. In one photograph a young woman, visible only from the ankles down, crouches on Sophia Loren’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, her hand pressed into Sophia Loren's footprints in the cement. In another photograph, a completely empty parking lot at 20th Century Fox is cynically marked with a large sign asking for "Talent."
The article includes a number of uniquely satirical vintage photographs from this collection, a video, music audio and a very intriguing photo-gallery.
If you've got just a bit of a dark side, have yourself a little look for a good chuckle!!Barry Feinstein, the rock 'n' roll photographer, was digging through his archives last... more
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Certain works of literature begin with a sentence that is so wretched, such a fantastically awful abuse of English writing that it should be taken out and shot. "It was a Dark and Stormy Night" is one of the most famously parodied ones.
The "Dark and Stormy Night" is Illustrated here by a wonderful vintage photograph of 1950s mid-Manhattan. Enjoy!Certain works of literature begin with a sentence that is so wretched, such a... more
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Cooperstown was founded in 1786 by William Cooper, a judge and member of Congress. Several of the stone houses that William Cooper built in Cooperstown still remain standing in the village.
The son of William Cooper, James Fenimore Cooper, became one of the best-loved novelists in the United States with his “Glimmerglass” tales, including his most noted work, “The Last of the Mohicans.”
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was established in Cooperstown in 1939. It cemented Coopertown's place in American history.
A number of vintage photographs and three videos are included (a video of vintage photographs of Cooperstown; vintage film clips of Babe Ruth; and a documentary about the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum).
Have a look at these historic pieces and enjoy yourself!!Cooperstown was founded in 1786 by William Cooper, a judge and member of Congress.... more
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Martha Cooper was a photo-journalist living in New York City when she first began documenting the origins of B-boy (short for break-boys) and hip hop culture. While other New Yorkers at the time saw this movement as a trite, uninspired or even offensive fad, Martha found a new form of expressing art. Through her camera lens we recount the infancy of hip-hop culture, from the alleys and subways of New York to the masses beyond the boroughs.Martha Cooper was a photo-journalist living in New York City when she first began... more
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In 1926, an inventor named Anatol Josepho opened a photo booth in New York City's Times Square, the first Photomaton in the world. Josepho kept his Photomaton open 24 hours a day, and 280,000 customers had entered his booths to take pictures during his first six months of operation.
It was such an instant hit that the photo booth spread from that very spot in Times Square to arcades, amusement parks, state fairs, bus depots and five-and-dimes all around the country. Across eight decades the photo booths have recorded countless youthful frolics, untold numbers of funny antics, romantic kisses and unspeakable inebriated indiscretions.
This article includes wonderful vintage photographs, three videos (one of them is absolutely hilarious) and a great photo-gallery.In 1926, an inventor named Anatol Josepho opened a photo booth in New York City's... more
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"Vintage Photographs: Around the Capital." This piece presents a number of vintage photographs about the Capital in Washington, D.C. In addition, it displays a delightful photo-gallery of the historic photographs. Finally, it includes an animated video, entitled "Washington." I hope that you will enjoy this composition!!"Vintage Photographs: Around the Capital." This piece presents a number of vintage... more
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This article includes a number of classic, vintage photographs of Oscar Wilde. It also presents biographic notes about his life and times, beginning with his dramatic portrayals of the human condition written during the height of the Victorian Era that swept through London in the late 19th century. At a time when all citizens of Britain were finally able to embrace literature that the wealthy and educated could only once afford, Wilde wrote many short stories, plays and poems that continue to inspire millions of people around the world. The biographic notes conclude with an account of his imprisonment for a gay relationship, and of how after his release from prison, he spent most of the last three years of his life impoverished, wandering around Europe, and staying with friends or living in cheap hotels. In addition to the wonderful vintage photographs and biographic notes, the article also includes an animated video entitled "The Life and Times of Oscar Wilde."This article includes a number of classic, vintage photographs of Oscar Wilde. It... more
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