#mr. and mrs. smith 1941

[of-fear-and-love]

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941), costume design by Irene

[thebarroomortheboy]

David, if you want your freedom, I don't want to be the kind of a wife who clings to her husband when she's not wanted. Darling, I do want to be married to you. I love you. I worship you. I am used to you. How do we always get into these things? If my only hold on you is that you're used to me? Oh, darling, you've got the whole thing wrong. I don't know what I'd do without you. You are my little girl.

MR. & MRS. SMITH (1941) | dir. Alfred Hitchcock

[theersatzcowboy]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

One of the weirdest films of the Classic Hollywood studio era, this surprisingly dark (and refreshingly lurid) take on Robert Louis Stevenson's iconic horror / science fiction novel about a man split between good and evil got a surprising amount of psychosexual imagery past era censors (including a particularly infamous "whipping" scene that must be seen to be believed).

Director: Victor Fleming

Cinematographer: Joseph Ruttenberg

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner, Donald Crisp, C. Aubrey Smith.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@thealmightyemprex @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @scarletblumburtonofeastlondon

12 Favorite Claude Rains Performances

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[toiich]

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941), dir. Alfred Hitchcock

[summertimenoir]

Carole Lombard in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941) - dir. Alfred Hitchcock

[metmuseum]

Cage crinoline. mid-19th century. Credit line: Gift of Mrs. Van S. Merle-Smith, 1941 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/114257

[scotianostra]

On December 1st 1787, the first modern lighthouse in Scotland was lit at Fraserburgh.

Made by Thomas Smith and Robert Stevenson at Kinnaird Head, the lighthouse was built on top of a 16th-century castle, and is now Scotland’s Lighthouse Museum.Kinnaird Head near Fraserburgh, built on an 16th Century castle, was the first lighthouse to be put into operation by the Commissioners of Northern Lights, and sustained the most powerful lamps of their time.

The lamps were 17 whale oil filled burners and were said to be visible from 14 miles away.The lighthouse was constructed by Thomas Smith and his son in law Robert Stevenson, grandfather of author Robert Louis Stevenson, with a lantern set at a 120 feet above the sea on a corner of Kinnaird Head Castle. Each oil-burning lamp was backed by a parabolic reflector and arranged in three horizontal lines to produce a powerful beam for seamen working some of the toughest waters in Europe.

Previously, coal fires had generally been used to guide sailors to safety. Mr James Park, a ship’s master, was appointed “Keeper of the light” at 1/- per night, The appointment was made on condition he had another person with him at the lighthouse every night, who he was to instruct in cleaning the lanterns and lighting the lamps. Whale oil was brought to Kinnaird Head by Smith, a tin smith of Broughty Ferry, which was a major whaling port of the day.

In 1824, a new lighthouse tower was built within the original castle tower with Robert Stevenson building a new lantern and reflector array.

In 1929, another first was recorded for Kinnaird Head when it took possession of a radio beacon. During WWI, enemy bombers struck the lighthouse only once despite repeated, heavy bombardments on the surrounding area due to Fraserburgh’s ammunition works. Records show that on 19 February 1941, two bombs from an aircraft exploded 50 yards from the Lighthouse Buildings. Damage included 41 panes of broken glass.

The Wine Tower at the lighthouse is the only surviving remnant of the old castle, and in fact is the oldest building in all Fraserburgh. Legend tells us that Isobel the daughter of Alexander Fraser, 8th laird of Philorth had fallen in love with a servant piper, and that the laird was not happy about this. So to separate the two the laird had the piper tied-up in the cave under the Wine Tower known as Selches Hole (Seals Hole). The laird then locked-up his daughter in the uppermost floor of the tower and retired to Kinnaird Castle.

Unfortunately for the servant there was an abnormally high tide due to a storm, and the poor man drowned. When Isobel the laird’s daughter was informed of her lover’s fate, she was distraught and committed suicide by jumping from the top of the tower onto the rocks below. The rock that she fell on is still painted red to this day. It is said that Isobel is seen prior to bad weather, and when the weather is bad it is said that you can hear the skirl of the pipes being played by the ghost of the piper for his lost love

The first pic is from 1850 and shows the Lighthouse and Wine Tower are still there,, but the third tower - the Doocot - was demolished soon after the scene was captured.

[stuffaboutminneapolis]

Black Bomber, a Manx cat belonging to Mrs. Charles Smith, poses in front of a calendar page for Friday the 13th (1941) via @hclib

[kingoftheclaudes]

Claude Rains Character Masterlist!

Here's a handy-dandy guide of all the wonderful characters Claude Rains has portrayed over a nearly seven decade long career. We encourage all to have a gander at all these invisible men, prefects of police, fathers, criminal masterminds, otherworldly beings, and men of history alike! Each link will take you to a picture of that specific character, so even if you're not familiar with them, you can send in propaganda anyhow (such as 'what a lovely wig!', 'astonishing facial hair!', or even 'such a beautiful hat!'). We also realize that two of these characters share a name - John Stevenson (from The Last Outpost and Strange Holiday, respectively), so when submitting propaganda for these characters, please indicate which one! We will try our best to sort through the submissions regardless!

List is in chronological order, however, we are omitting for reasons explained in the pinned post the characters of Clarkis from Build Thy House and The Mayor from The Pied Piper of Hamelin!

(1933) The Invisible Man - Dr. Jack Griffin/The Invisible Man

(1934) Crime Without Passion - Lee Gentry

(1934) The Man Who Reclaimed His Head - Paul Verin

(1935) The Mystery of Edwin Drood - John Jasper

(1935) The Clairvoyant/The Evil Mind - Maximus

(1935) The Last Outpost - John Stevenson

(1936) Hearts Divided - Napoleon Bonaparte

(1936) Anthony Adverse - Marquis Don Luis

(1937) Stolen Holiday - Stefan Orloff

(1937) The Prince and the Pauper - Earl of Hertford/Edward Seymour

(1937) They Won't Forget - D.A. Andrew 'Andy' J. Griffin

(1938) White Banners - Paul Ward

(1938) Gold Is Where You Find It - Colonel Christopher 'Chris' Ferris

(1938) The Adventures of Robin Hood - Prince John

(1938) Four Daughters - Adam Lemp

(1939) They Made Me a Criminal - Detective Monty Phelan

(1939) Juarez - Emperor Louis Napoleon III

(1939) Sons of Liberty - Haym Salomon

(1939) Daughters Courageous - Jim Masters

(1939) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - Senator Joseph Harrison Paine

(1939) Four Wives - Adam Lemp

(1940) Saturday's Children - Henry Halevy

(1940) The Sea Hawk - Don José Álvarez de Córdoba

(1940) Lady with Red Hair - David Belasco

(1941) Four Mothers - Adam Lemp

(1941) Here Comes Mr. Jordan - Mr. Jordan

(1941) The Wolf Man - Sir John Talbot

(1942) Kings Row - Dr. Alexander Tower

(1942) Moontide - Nutsy

(1942) Now, Voyager - Dr. Jaquith

(1942) Casablanca - Captain Louis Renault

(1943) Forever and a Day - Ambrose Pomfret

(1943) Phantom of the Opera - Erique Claudin/The Phantom

(1944) Passage to Marseille - Captain Freycinet

(1944) Mr. Skeffington - Job Skeffington

(1945) Strange Holiday - John Stevenson

(1945) This Love of Ours - Joseph Targel

(1945) Caesar and Cleopatra - Julius Caesar

(1946) Notorious - Alexander Sebastian

(1946) Angel on My Shoulder - Nick

(1946) Deception - Alexander Hollenius

(1947) The Unsuspected - Victor Grandison

(1949) The Passionate Friends - Howard Justin

(1949) Rope of Sand - Arthur 'Fred' Martingale

(1949) Song of Surrender - Elisha Hunt

(1950) The White Tower - Paul DeLambre

(1950) Where Danger Lives - Frederick Lannington

(1951) Sealed Cargo - Captain Skalder

(1952) The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By/The Paris Express - Kees Poppinga

(1956) Lisbon - Aristides Mavros

(1959) This Earth is Mine - Phillipe Rambeau

(1960) The Lost World - Professor George Edward Challenger

(1961) Battle of the Worlds - Professor Benson

(1962) Lawrence of Arabia - Mr. Dryden

(1963) Twilight of Honor - Art Harper

(1965) The Greatest Story Ever Told - Herod the Great

[of-fear-and-love]

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)

[awrkive]

so i just saw ur letterboxd top 4 and notice you like old hollywood!!! i've been trying to get into them bcs my dad just subscribed to criterion channel. i wanna get into b&w movies as well but dont really know where to start 🫤 for the record, i loved its a wonderful life but we watched the colored version 😭

ohhhh to be in a country where criterior channel is available im so jealous of u anon 😞 anyway pls pls plswatch its a wonderful life in b&w!!!! the colored version really does not do the original any justice 😭 ive watched both versions and i simply think that it takes the life out of the film. youre really missing out if uve only watched the colored one!

anyways, i'd say its a bit difficult to dip ur toes in the oh pool, bcs there are some details that didnt really age well. but the first one i watched was the philadelphia story (1940) and the humor and story telling was so top tier that i could not help but fall in love with b&w films lol.

imo its easier to get started on the romcoms such as:

the philadelphia story (1940)

you can't take it with you (1938)

bringing up baby (1938)

roman holiday (1953)

the lady eve (1941)

the apartment (1960)

mr. smith goes to washington (1939) (this is barely a romcom tbh 😭)

the shop around the corner (1940)

ball of fire (1941)

and then u can slowly get into the "classics" that are ACTUALLY as good as they say:

12 angry men (1957)

anatomy of a murder (1957)

double indemnity (1944)

citizen kane (1941)

sunset boulevard (1950)

psycho (1960)

casablanca (1942)

the passion of joan of arc (1928)

all about eve (1950)

and there are colored oh films as well!! anything from hitchcock is so freaking good tbh 😭 my top 5 colored oh are: (everythings by hitchcock except #3)

rear window (1954)

rope (1948)

the good, the bad, and the ugly (1966)

dial m for murder (1954)

north by northwest (1959)

[gatutor]

Robert Montgomery-Georgia Carroll "Matrimonio original" (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) 1941, de Alfred Hitchcock.

[dimepicture]

[walkingshcdow]

I’ve been thinking about lately how ill-equipped Percy Blakeney is for a life beyond the French Revolution and how, despite later conflicts under the rise of Napoleon, the French Revolution (certainly The Reign of Terror) is an incredibly short period. The way Orczy writes about the French Revolution through her serial novels, which followed the success of “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” implies a more drawn-out conflict and, therefore, a longer, more drawn-out period of vigilante heroism on Percy’s part. However, historically speaking, that’s not true. When France reverts to a kind of monarchy, what does Percy do? 

I once posited to a friend of mine that the real spirit of The Scarlet Pimpernel is not about aristocracy but instead protecting refugees. I argued that the work of The Scarlet Pimpernel points out the hypocrisy of claiming “liberty, fraternity, and equality” for all men while persecuting some men (and women and children) and that, if alive and operating today, The Scarlet Pimpernel would operate in places where similar atrocities occurred. I remember this conversation as one of the last with that friend, in no small part because she claimed she did not want to politicize literature. I think Leslie Howard, who directed and starred in “Pimpernel Smith” and who played Sir Percy in the 1934 film, would readily agree with me. He reimagined Sir Percy as Horatio Smith, a man who freed inmates from concentration camps, in a film released in 1941. If it is so easy to see where The Scarlet Pimpernel might work his will in the 20th century, the question becomes where would he go as the 18th century faded into the early 19th century? 

I once read the “biography” of Percy Blakeney. I remember that he and Marguerite have two children, and I know little else of what Orczy imagined Percy Blakeney doing after the conclusion of the French Revolution. Knowing that she continued to publish novels until 1940 always makes me think that she understood the melodrama of her work and the popularity of her characters but it also makes me wonder why (and how) she limited herself predominantly to writing about the French Revolution. I know “The First Sir Percy” exists, but he’s not who I’m interested in. I am fascinated as to why Percy Blakeney’s original author never explored the ennui he must have felt when the Revolution ended and how that must have conflicted with his humanitarian nature, which would have been glad to see the war was over. I wonder why she didn’t explore other conflicts for him to take up arms in or why we never learn what his children must have thought of their father’s stories (if he ever told them stories). With the Revolution behind them, could Percy be a devoted husband in the mundane ways life demands a spouse to be, or did he only ever know how to show love through large acts of devotion? I suppose not many people looking at adventure novels want to read about domesticity but would Percy want to be domestic? If he was dissatisfied with it, what would an active character like Percy do to change his lot in life? What about Marguerite? Would she want to be included in the next round of adventures, or would she be happy maintaining the Blakeneys’ home and reputation? 

I once read a charming fanfiction wherein an older Sir Percy and Lady Blakeney meet the newly married Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in an inn. It’s the only time I’ve been content with something that depicts Percy Blakeney as retired. Whenever I’ve set out to write him, I’ve wanted to explore the restlessness of retirement or else give him a new task. It’s why my Fae verse for Percy began in the first place: reimagining him and the League as Fae vigilantes allowed me to traverse time and space with the same, wild characters I fell in love with, with some added pizazz. 

Returning to writing Percy Blakeney this week has made me remember the questions I asked, which led me to create my original character: Percy Brightstar. Like his namesake and predecessor, Percy Brightstar is an adventurer; unlike Percy Blakeney, however, he is tied to the world not only for adventure’s sake nor only to make large-scale changes. He is a brother and father and friend and lover. He is more practical with a similar set of skills. He is so divorced from Percy Blakeney that I thought I could not return to the latter. I was happily proven wrong. Still, the questions remain: who is Percy Blakeney without the French Revolution?

I don’t know yet. I’ll be delighted to see what comes next in this writing journey. 

[brookston]

Holidays 1.5

Holidays

American Divorce Day

Apple Howling Day

Carnival begins (Old Bohemia)

Carnaval Blancos Negros, Day 2: The Day of the Blacks (Colombia)

Dia de la Toma (Spain)

Eve of Wonder

Fair Deal Day

Fathers' Day (Оци; Serbia)

501st Legion Day (UK)

Flint Day (French Republic)

FM Radio Day

George Washington Carver Day

Get on the Computer Day

International Declutter Day

International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin, China)

Joma Shinji (Kamakura, Japan)

Kappa Alpha Psi Day

Little Cold begins (Chinese Farmer’s Calendar)

Monopoly Game Day

Mr. Ed Day

National Bird Day

National Day of Dialogue

National Don’t Talk Day

National Ellen Day

National Screenwriters Day

National Second-Hand Wardrobe Day

Nellie Ross Day (Wyoming)

Night of the Magic Camel (Southern Syria)

Red Hackle Anniversary Day of the Black Watch

Review Your Wrestling Holds Day

Right of Self Determination Day (Pakistan)

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney; Australia)

Tucindan (Serbia, Montenegro)

Turn Up the Heat Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Can Opener Day

Granny Smith Day

National Keto Day

National Whipped Cream Day

Sausage Day (UK)

Strawberry Day (Ichigo No Hi; Japan)

Take the Cake Day

Whipped Cream Day

1st Friday in January

Gals Night Out [1st Friday]

Thermopolis Day (Wyoming) [1st Friday]

Independence & Related Days

Ajdinland (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Monarchy of Craztonia (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Pitchfork Union (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Seirlandia (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Avian Day (Pagan)

Befana (Ancient Roman Goddess)

Burning of the Evergreen (Pagan)

Charles of Mount Argus (Christian)

The Eve of Epiphany (Christian; Transition Between Christmas & Carnival Season)

Feast of Poseidon (Ancient Greece)

Festival of Kore (Greek Goddess of Good Fortune & Zeal)

Festival of Lares Compitales (Ancient Rome)

Festival of Pyrotechnics

Gerlac of Valkenberg (Christian; Saint)

Hayao Miyazaki (Jayism)

Hoots the Owl (Muppetism)

International Sarcasm Day (Pastafarian)

John Neumann (Catholic Church)

Ludwig II Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lycurgus (Positivist; Saint)

Mungday (aka Hung Mung’s Day; Discordian)

Nicolas de Staël (Artology)

Noche De Reyes (Three Wise Men; Mexico)

Nones of January (Ancient Rome)

Old Christmas Eve

Simeon Stylites (Latin Church)

Telesphorus, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Trettondagsafton (Epiphany Eve; Sweden)

Tucindan (Old Serbian Pagan Folk Festival)

Twelfth Day of Christmas

Twelfth Night

Twelve Holy Days #11 (Aquarius, the lower limbs; Esoteric Christianity)

Twelvetide, Day #12 (a.k.a. the Twelve Days of Christmas or Christmastide) [until 1.5]

Ullr Festival (Norse)

Umberto Eco (Jayism)

Verbal Abuse Day (Pastafarian)

The Voyage of Hathor to See Her Seven Sisters (Ancient Egypt)

Yves Tanguy (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [4 of 71]

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [4 of 32]

Prime Number Day: 5 [3 of 72]

Very Unlucky Day (Grafton’s Manual of 1565) [4 of 60]

Premieres

All My Children (TV Soap Opera; 1970)

Any Rags? (Betty Boop Cartoon; 1932)

Armed Forces, by Elvis Costello (Album; 1979)

Buddy the Gob (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Cavalcade (Film; 1933)

Chica Chica Boom Chic, by Carmen Miranda (Song; 1941)

Come Dance with Me!, by Frank Sinatra (Album; 1959)

The Dark Eidolon and Other Fantasies, by Clark Ashton Smith (Short Stories; 1935)

Desire, by Bob Dylan (Album; 1976)

Dog, Cat and Canary (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1945)

The Dud Avocado, by Elaine Dundy (Novel; 1958)

Giasone, by Francesco Cavalli (Opera; 1649)

Greetings From Asbury Park, by Bruce Springsteen (Album; 1973)

Happily N’Ever After (Animated Film; 2007)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (UK TV Series; 1981)

In the American Grain, by William Carlos Williams (History Book; 1925)

Lion Down (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

Lyrical Ballads, by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Book of Poetry; 1798)

Maze Craze (Atari 2600 Video Game; 1980)

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (TV Series; 1976)

Nixon (Film; 1996)

The Shannara Chronicles (TV Series; 2016)

Stop! In The Name Of Love, recorded by The Supremes (Song; 1965)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Novel; 1886)

The Swiss Summer, by Stella Gibbons (Novel; 1951)

Three Little Bops (WB LT Cartoon; 1957)

Tiger Trouble (Disney Cartoon; 1945)

The Tortoise and the Hare (Disney SS Cartoon; 1935)

Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett (Play; 1953)

What’s Sweepin’ (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1953)

Who’s Kitten Who? (WB LT Cartoon; 1952)

The Wiz (Broadway Musical; 1975)

Today’s Name Days

Emilia, Johann (Austria)

Emilijana, Gaudencije, Miljenko, Radoslavl (Croatia)

Dalimil (Czech Republic)

Simeon (Denmark)

Lea, Leana, Liia (Estonia)

Lea, Leea (Finland)

Édouard (France)

Emilia, Johann (Germany)

Syglitiki, Theoni, Theopemptos (Greece)

Simon (Hungary)

Amelia (Italy)

Sīmanis, Zintis (Latvia)

Gaudentas, Telesforas, Vytautas, Vytautė (Lithuania)

Hanna, Hanne (Norway)

Edward, Emilian, Emiliusz, Hanna, Symeon, Szymon, Telesfor, Włościbor (Poland)

Sinclitichia, Teona, Teotempt (Romania)

Andrea (Slovakia)

Amelia, Emiliana, Juan, Simeón, Telesforo (Spain)

Hanna, Hannele (Sweden)

Apollinaria, Teon (Ukraine)

Ladarius, Ladd, Laird, Lamont, Lane, Tania, Tanya, Tatiana, Tatyana, Tawni, Tawnya, Tia, Tiana, Tianna, Tonya (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 5 of 2024; 361 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 1 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 11 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 24 (Wu-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 24 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 23 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 5 White; Fryday [5 of 30]

Julian: 23 December 2023

Moon: 35%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 5 Moses (1st Month) [Lycurgus]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz or Eoh (Yew Tree) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 16 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 15 of 31)