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vintageblackglamour: Theresa Harris with Barbara Stanwyck in the 1933 pre-code film, “Baby Face.” Ms. Harris (1909-1985) played a series of maids to nearly every major Hollywood star of the time from Bette Davis and Jean Harlow to Ginger Rogers and Esther Williams. In “Baby Face,” Ms. Stanwyck (1907-1990) played Lily Powers, an ambitious golddigger who later questions her ways (A little bit… Hollywood censors did some tweaking…). Ms. Harris played her best friend and “maid” Chico, who is with her every step of the way as she climbs the ladder of success, one man (or two) at a time. Ms. Harris also was the inspiration behind Lynn Nottage’s play, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark.” I never post about Theresa Harris without including the haunting quote from her I found in Donald Bogle’s book, “Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood. Bogle described her as “both outspoken and highly intelligent” and noted that she “didn’t mince words about the plight of colored actresses. She told Fay M. Jackson, of the California Eagle in August 1937: “I never felt the chance to rise above the role of maid in Hollywood movies. My color was against me. The fact that I was not ‘hot’ stamped me as either an uppity ‘Negress’ or relegated me to the eternal role of stooge or servant. I can sing but so can hundreds of other girls. My ambitions are to be an actress. Hollywood had no parts for me.” Ms. Harris would later tell the same reporter that she enjoyed working in race movies “because In the picture I have the chance of wearing clothes.” “Clothes” as a gorgeous wardrobe that Black women usually never had a chance to wear in white movies. Photo: Warner Brothers/Photofest.

vintageblackglamour:

Theresa Harris with Barbara Stanwyck in the 1933 pre-code film, “Baby Face.” Ms. Harris (1909-1985) played a series of maids to nearly every major Hollywood star of the time from Bette Davis and Jean Harlow to Ginger Rogers and Esther Williams. In “Baby Face,” Ms. Stanwyck (1907-1990) played Lily Powers, an ambitious golddigger who later questions her ways (A little bit… Hollywood censors did some tweaking…). Ms. Harris played her best friend and “maid” Chico, who is with her every step of the way as she climbs the ladder of success, one man (or two) at a time. Ms. Harris also was the inspiration behind Lynn Nottage’s play, “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark.” I never post about Theresa Harris without including the haunting quote from her I found in Donald Bogle’s book, “Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood. Bogle described her as “both outspoken and highly intelligent” and noted that she “didn’t mince words about the plight of colored actresses. She told Fay M. Jackson, of the California Eagle in August 1937: “I never felt the chance to rise above the role of maid in Hollywood movies. My color was against me. The fact that I was not ‘hot’ stamped me as either an uppity ‘Negress’ or relegated me to the eternal role of stooge or servant. I can sing but so can hundreds of other girls. My ambitions are to be an actress. Hollywood had no parts for me.” Ms. Harris would later tell the same reporter that she enjoyed working in race movies “because In the picture I have the chance of wearing clothes.” “Clothes” as a gorgeous wardrobe that Black women usually never had a chance to wear in white movies. Photo: Warner Brothers/Photofest.

Filed under lynn nottage play movies theresa harris vera stark pre-code hollywood 1930s barbara stanwyck

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todaysdocument:

Celebrating the 65th Anniversary of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act with “The Pleasure of Your Company”

The Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was enacted 65 years ago on June 12, 1948, enabling women to serve as permanent members of the military (although still within separate units) so it seems the perfect time for another installment of this vintage military training film:

The Navy film How to Succeed with Brunettes teaches male officers how to behave like gentlemen, but what were the military’s expectations for the many female recruits? Once again, staff in NARA’s Motion Picture Preservation Lab and Special Media’s Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Branch were able to find the answer in the large accession of films received from the Defense Visual Information Center (DVIC).

In1970, the Army began using a series of three training films produced for the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). The third film in the Military Etiquette and Grooming series, The Pleasure of Your Company (1970), has several parallels with How to Succeed with Brunettes, including an exploration of dating etiquette. The WACs watching the film would find answers to many pressing questions, including:

  • Can I wear a mini skirt and jewelry when out of uniform?
  • Who opens the door first when not in uniform?
  • If I go out on a dinner date, who orders? (Hint: It’s not the lady!)
  • How should I introduce my date to the Chaplain and his wife? (Hint: Gentlemen are always presented to ladies!
  • Which fork should I use first?!? (Um, you get the picture.)

The Pleasure of Your Company, like How to Succeed with Brunettes, stands as an artifact of an American military and society that were to undergo sweeping changes over the following decade. By the end of the 1970s, the WAC would be integrated into the rest of the Army and society would be on its way to treating women much differently in the workplace. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how far we have come until we take a look back at the films of the past.

via Media Matters: The Women’s Army Corps Requests “The Pleasure of Your Company”

Filed under women armed services act 1948 the pleasure of your company military women's army corps 1970

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Elvis Presley “Aloha from Hawaii” 1973 live concer  as part of a fundraiser; after “Suspicious Minds” and Burning Love” singles.  Elvis is wearing rhinestones and jumpsuits at Liberace’s suggestion.  Elvis never performed outside of the US; rumored to be because his Dutch manager could not get back into the USA if he left.  Elvis clearly did not seem to mind.

Filed under elvis presley hawaii 1973 liberace rhinestones jumpsuits burning love

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Elvis Presley Comeback Special 1968; this is a special 90 minute edit.  Aired on NBC in December 1968 with a mixture of production numbers and live sessions with a small audience.  By this time Elvis was a born again Christian.  New single “A Little Less Conversation”.  His last movie “Change of Habit” came out the following year with Mary Tyler Moore.

Filed under elvis presley 1968 nbc black leather change of habit christian tennessee