NOTICE! PLEASE READ!

Hey, all!
My internet is going to be down for a while, so there will be a break in posting. To make up for this, here's a slew of photos:

 ^This epic supermodel

 ^The Joker....

 ^The crazy-cool dance sequence from Gumnaam

 ^The lovely Nina Hagen

 ^Clara Bow with a bow

 ^Twiggy, bein' amazing

 ^"We're In The Money" from Gold Diggers of 1933

 ^This Tahlullah Bankhead valentine

 ^This gorgeous snippet from The Adventures of Prince Achmed

^Aaaaand, Mammy Two-Shoes from Tom and Jerry~!

Don't worry, I'll be back!

-Electric "I'm Cool Like that" Phonograph

Björk: That Strange Icelandic Girl

Hello, again, folks!
Today, we've got an interesting post, fit for an interesting lady: singer-songwriter Björk.

     Yep. That one.
      That's Björk, doing what she does best: Being herself. And "herself" is pretty strange.

Rawr.

And take a listen to her music and videos:

     Anyway, Björk is a horse of a different color by far. But, you might say,"What possesses someone to make videos with mental patients and wear a swan dress?" 

     Well, that's the joy of Björk. We may never know. But she's wild, crazy, and everything I love in a person. Well, kinda. But you get the point. So, Björk may not be your cup of tea, but give her a listen. To end this post, here are some Björk quotes:

"I'm a fountain of blood in the shape of a girl."

"I am a grateful... grapefruit."

"I always wanted to be a farmer."

"I have a nerd factor in my character."
"People that complete other people's visions are understated."

"I don't like music that's trippy for trippy's sake."

"People are always asking me about eskimos, but the are no eskimos in Iceland."

^Sorry about the white text :)

-Electric "Venus As A Boy" Phonograph

Movie of the Day: The Sheik

Hello again, ladies and gents!
     Or, should I say, "مرحبا مرة أخرى، أيها السيدات والسادة!", because today, we are discussing the 1921 film "The Sheik", starring none other than Rudolph Valentino! (Also, expect spoilers!)

     It wasn't one of my favorite silent films, but its inherent campiness makes it a fun watch. I mean, just look at some of Rudy's facial expressions:

      But, deep down, this movie has character. I see Rudy's character, Ben Ahmed, as having a serious identity crisis. He's an Arabian Sheik, but in reality, he's just an orphaned English man who was educated in Paris. Then there's Diana, (Agnes Ayres) who's the epitome of feminine independence. All throughout the film, she does, says, and acts how she wants, going as far as to steal an Arab dancer's getup to go into a forbidden  casino.
     After Ben Ahmed kidnaps her, he takes away the freedom she treasures: She must wear the clothes he picks, do as he says, and be restricted to wherever he says. And while she struggles at first, eventually, she submits to his demands, because:

She loves him.

      This "awful brute" that kidnapped her falls ill, and only then does she realize how dear he had become to her. They confess their love to each other, and the film ends on a glorious, romantic high. It's truly a beautiful premise, all over-acting and campiness aside.
      And the public loved it. Well, the ladies, at least. Rumours have it that many wealthy women even went to the deserts just to try and get kidnapped by a sheik like Valentino! The men were a different story. They saw Valentino as effeminate, and a defamation of the "American Man". But, despite their hate, the movie made a splash. "Sheik" and "Sheba" entered the public's dictionary, and an equally successful sequel spawned in 1926, "The Son of the Sheik" with Rudy and Agnes reprising their roles.
     Maybe Ben Ahmed is more than a character: Maybe he's a projection of Rudy's identity confusion, and effeminacy. Or, he's just another of his timeless personas. Who knows?
     But, regardless of deeper meanings, "The Sheik" is a film worth watching, if only to see what drove women wild and the men mad. The film is available in it's entirety on Youtube, and the film and sequel are available on Amazon in a DVD pack.

So, whether you travel England, or the Arab sands, happy trails!

-Electric "Son of The Shiek" Phonograph
   

Those Awful Hats: The Head-Toppers of Victorian Ladies

     First of all, let's address the title of this post: "Those Awful Hats". It comes from a 1909 D.W. Griffith short, dealing with a theatre audience who becomes continually annoyed at women's increasingly large hats.
     Strangely enough, this whimsical short, while obviously taking comedic liberties, isn't too far from the truth in some aspects. Take a gander at some of these real Victorian and Edwardian hats:

Now, keep in mind, these hats came in towards the end of the fad, in 1913-15. Let's look at some older hats:

Some wild ones, right?
And notice all of the feathers?
     Well, some women took this to an extreme, and mounted dead birds on their hats! So many were used in hats, in fact, that an act was eventually passed to prevent the slaughtering of the birds for the millinery. Talk about suffering for fashion, and I don't mean the ladies!

     And as for the size, movie theaters often had to show slides stating "Ladies, Please Remove Your Hats" so the theater patrons could see, as evidenced in "Those Awful Hats".
      Eventually hats would reach their peak and then gradually fade out to the gentler styles to come. However, hatmaking still lives on throughout select members of the internet, such as Diane Siverson at Lady Diane Hats. Let's just hope they leave our avian friends out of this.

-Electric "Tip O' The Hat" Phonograph

Movie Of The Day: Gold Diggers of 1933

Let me start off with a tiny introduction:
On every day I have Internet access, I will post a movie review. This is a promise.
And, we are starting out with a strange one, because it isn't silent!
Gasp.
But, it is Pre-Code.
And a musical.
A Busby Berkely musical.
Any guesses?
No?
     Well, the amazing movie I am speaking of is Gold Diggers of 1933, from, 1933 (duh), starring the amiable Ginger Rogers, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, and even Sterling Holloway makes an appearance.
It is a lavish extravaganza, with a really nice storyline that had already been remade 2 times before this from the original play!

     The four musical numbers are what really got me though. The first, my favorite, "We're In the Money" is a shimmering spectacle of glitter and gold with Ginger at the helm. The camera angles take some interesting turns, too, as the tune bounces along. Ginger even shows her skill by singing a verse in Pig Latin! Isn'thay hattay oolcay?

     The next number, "Pettin' In The Park" is nothing too fantastic, but it's cute, I'll admit.It does feature a runaway baby who would have to just be a midget.
      Then comes the most astounding number, "The Shadow Waltz". It starts out as any typical performance of the day, but bounds into a magnificent dance number, full of kaleidoscopic visions, spiraling staircases, dancing girls, and neon violins!It has to be watched to be believed. I was in awe the entire time. I think Florenz Ziegfeld would have been proud.Watch "The Shadow Waltz" on Youtube!
     Finally, comes the most gripping, Carol's torch song, "My Forgotten Man". It is one of the most poignant musical numbers I have ever witnessed. The images of the endlessly marching soldiers behind Joan Blondell as she belts it is haunting, as is the graphically wounded soldiers marching slowly down a neverending pathway. Even though the film ends happily, this final scene/musical number leaves a cold, desolate feeling.
     Overall, it's a delightful film, even if the tiniest bit weak on plot. This is one I will watch and rewatch again! All of the musical numbers are available online, too!

Thanks everyone!
- Electric "Mi'way niway hetay oneymay ownay" Phonograph

~Hola and Welcome to Simply Mahvelous!~

Hello, everyone!
    This blog is a place for me to share my innermost thoughts, and secrets.
     ...
     ...
Not really; just kidding! Because, anyway, who wants to read all that?!

Really, most of the posts on this blog will deal with my eclectic self:
My obsession with silent film, my extreme love of The Mamas and The Papas and cookie dough icecream, and my hippie-dippie outlook on life will be a few things covered here, with much more!

This blog is basically everything MOI! 

So, I hope you all enjoy!
I know you will.
I mean that.
Seriously.
To show how serious I am, here is a picture of Theda Bara.

And, in this establishment, we do not kid about Theda Bara, do we?

Do we?
She's daring you to disagree.
Look at that stare.

So, yeah, I think you'll enjoy it!