arts•memearts•meme
20 January 2012

Jack Cole rocks Rita Hayworth’s world in “Tonight and Every Night” (1945)

Rita Hayworth doing her thing nicely enough until a monster dancer enters her realm — Jack Cole. [...]

15 January 2012

Marie Bryant put a bun in Betty Grable’s oven

The jazz dancer, Marie Bryant, claims to have taught 20th Century Fox’s blonde bombshell, Betty Grable, how to shake her thing. The conduit was Jack Cole, for whom Bryant worked as a rehearsal assistant. [...]

11 January 2012

John Singer Sargent dresses Rita Hayworth for “Put the Blame on Mame”

rita_hayworth_mame_gilda

Iconic? You bet. As “Gilda,” Rita Hayworth is unbelievable in that black slit-up-to-the-thigh number. And who knew from whence the inspiration? [...]

25 December 2011

Jack Cole invites you to a ball

Our Christmas gift to the world, a sparkling Jack Cole waltz sequence from “The Merry Widow” (MGM, 1952). [...]

5 December 2011

Preparing our Letters of Transit for TCM Classic Cruise

Collage with a cruise ship, vintage letters and stamps

Preparing for TCM Classic Cruise means organizing our Letters of Transport! [...]

30 October 2011

Stitching Marilyn Monroe together . . .

marilyn, stitched

Marilyn Monroe, stitched by two less than glamorous costume gals on “Let’s Make Love” (1960). [...]

30 October 2011

Jack Cole danced in Pittsburgh

jack cole nixon theatre 1935-sml

A vintage program from 1935, a performance of an Austrian operetta by Robert Stolz, “Venus in Satin,” and Jack Cole danced in it. [...]

14 September 2011

Headlining at the Rainbow Room: Jack Cole and his Dancers

ad rainbow room

Recreates the atmosphere, and quotes from a review, from Jack Cole’s nightclub days at Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room, 1942. [...]

28 June 2011

George Chakiris remembers West Side Story in advance of 50th anniversary screening @ Hollywood Bowl

George+Chakiris

Prior to next week’s “West Side Story” night at the Hollywood Bowl — a screening of the ten-Oscar-winning, Bernstein-Robbins-Sondheim-Laurent film celebrating its 50th year anniversary — it’s a great pleasure to post L.A. renaissance guy Tom Gregory’s lovely interview with Bernardo, er… the wonderful George Chakiris. [...]

30 April 2011

My favorite brother of seven, Matt Mattox

seven brides

My first night at TCM Fest featured my first viewing of Stanley Donen’s “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” especially fun since Jacques d’Amboise was just in Los Angeles on a book talk and he spoke a lot about making the film. [...]