#What Price Hollywood?

[letterboxd-loggd]

What Price Hollywood? (1932) George Cukor

May 14th 2023

[byneddiedingo]

Neil Hamilton and Constance Bennett in What Price Hollywood? (George Cukor, 1932)

Cast: Constance Bennett, Lowell Sherman, Neil Hamilton, Gregory Ratoff, Brooks Benedict, Louise Beavers, Eddie Anderson. Screenplay: Jane Murfin, Ben Markson, Gene Fowler, Rowland Brown, based on a story by Adela Rogers St. John. Cinematography: Charles Rosher. Art direction: Carroll Clark. Film editing: Del Andrews, Jack Kitchin. Music: Max Steiner. 

Bradley Cooper's 2018 film A Star Is Born is often called a remake of the films by that title starring Fredric March and Janet Gaynor in 1937, James Mason and Judy Garland in 1954, and Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand in 1976. But all four of them can trace their origin to What Price Hollywood?, produced by David O. Selznick and directed by George Cukor in 1932. The name is different but the plot's the same: A successful man in the entertainment business discovers a young woman whom he helps become a star, but as her career ascends, his personal problems send him into a tailspin. if there's any doubt about the link with What Price Hollywood? and at least the first A Star Is Born, both were produced by Selznick. RKO, which released What Price Hollywood?, threatened to sue Selznick over the similarities, but decided against it. Selznick also asked Cukor to direct the 1937 film, but Cukor declined, so William A. Wellman took it on. But then Cukor went on to direct the 1954 Star Is Born. I don't think there's any direct connection between What Price Hollywood? and the 1976 version, produced by Streisand and Jon Peters and directed by Frank Pierson, but the lineage by then was obvious. The idea for the original film is a natural in a Hollywood that had become increasingly conscious of its own myth, and many real-life rising-star-falling-mentor analogs can be found in the history of the industry. Selznick commissioned Adela Rogers St. Johns, a former reporter for Photoplay and the Hearst newspapers, to write the story for the film, and various other hands turned it into a screenplay, though St. Johns and Jane Murfin claimed most of the credit when they were nominated for an Oscar for best original story. The film begins with a touch of screwball comedy when Max Carey (Lowell Sherman), an alcoholic director, encounters Mary Evans (Constance Bennett), a waitress at the Brown Derby looking for her chance to break into the movies. After some funny scenes involving Max's drunkenness and Mary's initial ineptness as an actress, the movie unfortunately begins to get serious. Though it's clear Mary really loves Max, when she becomes a big star she marries a society polo player, Lonny Borden (Neil Hamilton), after a somewhat cutesy courtship. But Borden is unhappy being "Mr. Mary Evans," and eventually storms out, though she's pregnant. Meanwhile, Max's decline continues, and after Mary rescues him from the drunk tank and promises to rehabilitate him, he shoots himself, thereby embroiling her in a headline-making scandal. But then Borden returns to apologize and all is well again. What keeps the film alive despite its clichés are the performances. Bennett is quite charming, and Sherman clearly models Max on John Barrymore, whom he knew well: He was married to Helene Costello, whose sister, Dolores, was Barrymore's third wife. The supporting cast includes Gregory Ratoff as the producer of Mary's films, Louise Beavers as (of course) her maid, and Eddie Anderson as Max's chauffeur -- five years before he became famous as Jack Benny's chauffeur, Rochester, on radio.  

[crowdvscritic]

round up // NOVEMBER 22 + DECEMBER 22 + JANUARY 23

Ah, the holidays…the season of almost indiscriminate consumption of holiday treats! In my quest to complete as much 2022 viewing as possible for my St. Louis Film Critics Association ballot, I had to put many other items on my to-do list on pause. (More on that ballot coming in a future post.) I watched 7 of my top 10 of the year in these three months, plus another 7 of my honorable mentions, which means I could’ve just made this entire post a rehash of my Best of 2022.

You will find my Best of 2022 in this Round Up, but you’ll also find a few movies that just missed the cut. You’ll also find a classic sitcom, sketch comedy, a buzzy docuseries, staged musicals, the start of my 2023 viewing, and more. Like I said, it’s the season for almost indiscriminate consumption, and that includes pop culture. These are my faves from this season in roughly in the order I experienced them…

Holiday Crowd-Pleasers

1. Cheers (1982-93)

Add this to my list of uninteresting opinions: Cheers = not overrated! After years of viewing on-and-off a lá Sam and Diane (thank you, ever-changing streaming service libraries!), I finished all 11 seasons. And after laughing through almost 300 episodes with Cliff, NORM!, Carla, Rebecca, Woody, Coach, Frasier, and Lilith, I’m almost certain they know my name, too. 

2. SNL Round Up

You’d think the SNL gang would know my name name by now, too. These are the sketches that made me laugh most in these three months.

“Soup” (4805 with Amy Schumer) - I have been Amy Schumer in this scenario too many times

"Jurors” (4805) - “That is not a song from Midnights!”

“Big Dumb Hat” (4805) - I have been cured of keeping these hats in my consideration set

“Monologue” (4808 with Steve Martin and Martin Short)

“A Christmas Carol” (4808)

“Father of the Bride” (4808)

“Blue Christmas” (4809 with Austin Butler)

“NFL on Fox Cold Open” (4810 with Aubrey Plaza)

“Weekend Update: Colin Jost Interviews Rep. George Santos” (4810) - I’ve yet to tire of jokes at the expense of Santos

“Weekend Update: April Ludgate and Leslie Knope on Working for the Government” (4810) - My heart!

3. Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

On my long list for the Best of 2022. This murder mystery sequel is just as charming as the original, and this one helped me realize Daniel Pemberton is one of my favorite modern composers. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Double Feature - Unconventional Holiday Treats: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special + Violent Night (2022)

If you like your holidays with a dash of quirky humor and and a dose of Kevin Bacon, the Guardians of the Galaxy have made the holiday special you’ve been waiting for. And if you like ‘em doused in blood, well, Violent Night is here to drench it on ya. Read my full review for ZekeFilm to see how it compares to its inspirations, Die Hard and Home Alone. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 5.5/10

5. Harry & Meghan (2022)

Not the ninth Harry Potter movie. After gobbling up this six episode Netflix series, I watched with rapt attention a second time because my family wanted to check it out over the holidays. Whatever your feelings on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (my hope is always #TeamFamilyReconciliation), you can’t argue with their ability to tell a story or that the British media makes for a cinematic villain. These articles from The Atlantic and The New York Times helped me process the series, too: 

“What Harry & Meghan Still Doesn’t Say About Race,” NYTimes.com (2022)

“Harry, Meghan, and the Men Who Hate Them,” TheAtlantic.com (2022)

“Why Has America Fallen So Hard for Harry and Meghan?” NYTimes.com (2023)

6. Double Feature - 1997 Volcano Action Flicks: Volcano + Dante’s Peak

Calling this a double feature is debatable since, um, they’re just the same movie. The hero (Tommy Lee Jones or Pierce Brosnan) is supposed to be on vacation but gets roped into managing a volcanic disaster—don’t you hate it when that happens? Jones teams up with scientist Anne Heche and rushes to save his daughter Gaby Hoffman, and Brosnan teams up with small town mayor Linda Hamilton and rushes to save her kids. Both are fun disaster spectacles, and since, um, they’re just the same movie, they’re getting the same scores. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

7. Six National Tour

While I do wonder about the longevity of lyrics like, “You said that I tricked ya 'cause I didn't look like my profile picture,” I can’t get the pop perfection that is the Six soundtrack out of my head. The Broadway sensation about the six wives of King Henry VIII has more songs than story, but their clever lyrics, diva solos, and accompanying over-the-top costumes are some of the most fun I’ve had at the theater in months.

8. Triple Feature - Heist Action feat. Corrupt Cops: Ronin (1998) + Out of Time (2003) + Man on a Ledge (2012)

Pick your setting: Europe, Florida, or Manhattan. Pick your cast: Robert De Niro and Jean Reno; Denzel Washington and Sanaa Lathan; or Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks. Pick your vibe: globetrotting conspiracy, Double Indemnity, or edge-of-your-ledge-seat thriller. Whether you choose Ronin (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10), Out of Time (9/10 // 7/10), or Man on a Ledge (9/10 // 7/10), you’re in for an exciting ride.

9. Shotgun Wedding (2023)

If Jennifer Lopez just made wedding rom-coms the rest of her career, I wouldn’t be mad about it. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6/10

10. Double Feature - Late ‘80s Comedies: Twins (1988) +The ‘Burbs (1989)

In roles they were born to play, Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger are Twins (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10) who reunite as adults to search for their parents. In The ‘Burbs (8.5/10 // 6.5/10), Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, and Corey Feldman suspect their new cul-de-sac residents of murder and they search for evidence in creative ways. With those high concepts, both exceed their low bars of success with jokes and silly set pieces galore.

Holiday Critic Picks

1. The Best of 2022

Recurring themes and plots of the movies of 2022: class warfare, murder mysteries, musical biopics, taking down predators, and meta commentaries on entertainers’ careers. Read my fully redesigned year in review at ZekeFilm as well as my review of my top film of the year. 

2. Hadestown National Tour

Inspired by the Greek myths about Eurydice, Hades, Orpheus, and Persephone, this relatively new Broadway show’s outside-of-time setting evokes A Streetcar Named Desire in its set and costumes. The songs feature some of the beautiful voices and melodies I’ve ever heard and some of most inventive stage lighting I’ve ever seen. 

3. Network (1976)

In ep. 131 of SO IT’S A SHOW?, Rory is taking her fashion inspiration from the classic Network. What is its legacy, and what do these inspirations mean for a journalism panel Rory is participating in? Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, Peter Finch, and William Holden make a stellar ensemble for a satirical script prescient of the media-driven world we live in. Pair with A Face in the Crowd for a thrilling, thought-provoking evening. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

4. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

An explosive film noir! (And this year's putting up the tree movie?) After P.I. Ralph Meeker picks up a desperate hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman), his career and his life tailspin into a series of murders and a hunt for a mysterious package. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. MOSS by Maya Hawke (2022)

The best kind of intimate, vulnerable, and sweet indie pop, especially for the clever lyrics on “Backup Plan” and “Sweet Tooth.” 

6. Rocky II - IV (1979-85)

Rocky II (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10) is the plot inverse of Rocky but just as thoughtful. Rocky III and Rocky IV (both 9/10 // 7/10) are exciting adventures with larger-than-life villains in Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, and Dolph Lundgren. Cue ‘em up to pump up for Creed III in March!

7. Hustle (2022)

Speaking of Rocky, this Philadelphia-set dramedy imagines Mickey at the center. Adam Sandler’s latest made my long list for the Best of 2022, and yes, it was partly because of those Rocky-style montages. Basketball isn’t my sport, but when I watch a good movie about it like this one, I always think for about 5 minutes I should really get into the NBA. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

8. What Price Hollywood? (1932)

If Hustle is a spiritual sequel to Rocky, What Price Hollywood? is the spiritual prequel to A Star Is Born.  This romance features a wide-eyed Hollywood hopeful and an alcoholic movie veteran, though the plot details are rearranged from the standard plot structure in the 1937, 1954, 1976, and 2018 versions. Constance Bennett's wardrobe is *chef's kiss*, and this melodrama would pair well with either of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land or Babylon. (Keep reading for more on Babylon.) Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

9. The Last of Sheila (1973)

After so many comparisons to Glass Onion, I had to check it out—and it totally rules! James Coburn, James Mason, Ian McShane, Raquel Welch, and more assemble a year after a mutual friend’s death, and what begins as a pleasure cruise tuns into a crime scene. I have a deeper appreciation now of Glass Onion as both a riff and a twist on this film (though it still works as a standalone movie that just happens to have a Stephen Sondheim cameo), but I would’ve loved this morally gray whodunnit even without the introduction from Benoit Blanc. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10

10. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

And now I’ve finished Wes Anderson’s feature directing oeuvre. (Bring on Asteroid City and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar!) Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson are at their funniest and at their most self-absorbed as they process their father’s unexpected passing on a train ride across India. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

Also this Holiday Season…

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has all the ingredients for a successful sequel—it just gets the measurements wrong. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

I didn’t care for Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, but I’ll never forget it. Read my full review of the uncouth, unending, uneven, unforgettable epic for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 5/10 // Critic: 8/10

Plane is enjoyable, but it’s one of Gerard Butler’s more forgettable action vehicles. Read my review of yet another movie where an everyman Butler saves the day for ZekeFilm.

On SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I investigated Danny Bonaduce’s transition from Partridge Family star to wrestling star, the real Paul Anka, and the forgotten ‘70s sitcom Chico and the Man. 

Photo credits: Six, Hadestown, Maya Hawke. All others IMDb.com.

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff roast marshmallows on a bed of hot coals behind the scenes of The Raven (1962)

[manderley]

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 (𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟐) 𝐭𝐨 𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 (𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖)

ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ʟɪɴᴇ

[semioticapocalypse]

Victor McLaglen and Dolores Del Rio in a vintage promotional advertising movie still from 'What Price Glory'. 1926

I Am Collective Memories   •    Follow me, — says Visual Ratatosk

[mondfahrt]

i am THIS close to going to a travel agency and asking them to book this trip for me. if i knew how much more money it'd cost (versus doing it all by myself), i would've probably already made an appointment.

the lufthansa website only works when i use microsoft edge, otherwise i'm getting an "access denied" error.

condor doesn't actually let me pay for the flights i've chosen, there just isn't a button for check-out.

i was trying to find an airline that doesn't have mostly bad reviews, but i've also given up on that, kinda, because apparently every airline is actually from hell if you want to believe customer reviews.

that being said, condor has the worst reviews, qatar airways has mostly racist reviews, air france has kinda okay reviews but we'd have to go to paris for a non-stop flight, lufthansa is lufthansa (= expensive but the devil i know).

i haven't even started looking into in-land us flights yet. (okay, that's a lie, but why are there direct, non-stop flights from st. louis to toronto, but none between st. louis and san francisco. whatever, changing my travel route, it seems, i don't want to stop in detroit or mexico city or whatever.)

still have to look for hotels. haven't even started on that omg

i might need a credit card first, though, which is the most annoying thing. i might also have to wait for my passport to arrive first, which is equally annoying, but i'm actually not sure yet?

yes, i do realise i could've done this months ago. i'm doing it now, it's not going well.

help?

[samsdisneydiary]

Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along! What's This? Hollywood Studios Jollywood Nights 2023

[mortalityplays]

You need more free art.

I quit my job yesterday. Well, actually I quit my job eight weeks ago, but they finally released me yesterday for good behaviour. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do - but I do it for the wrong reasons. Working for major charities, you learn very fast that 'I want to make the world a better place' is a phrase you use to ask people for money, not to give them things. I was an ass-backwards fit for that world.

You need more free art. I need more free art. Everyone has felt the shift in our media landscape over the last ten years, away from access and towards nickel-and-diming the human experience. That lack of access is making life and culture worse for all of us, across the board. Paywalled news sites leave us less informed, attacks on the Internet Archive leave us less capable of research. Algorithmic social feeds and streaming walled gardens trap us inside smaller and smaller demographic bubbles, where we are increasingly only likely to encounter ideas that have been curated for us by marketing departments. Hasty efforts to resist AI commodification have only led to more artists locking their work away and calling for even more onerous systems of copyright law. This is not good for us.

We all need more free art.

So what am I going to do about it?

This is a question I have been asking myself for years. It's easy to sit here feeilng frustrated and thinking 'boy I hope SOMEONE does SOMETHING'. It's harder to take action in a world where I still have rent to pay. But hard doesn't mean impossible. Sometimes hard just means time-consuming, frustrating and slow. And sometimes it's worth doing something time-consuming, frustrating and slow because...I want to make the world a better place.

I'm going to do this:

1. From April 1st, I am relaunching as a freelance writer and editor.

This is the one that will (hopefully) help to pay the bills. I am a very good and experienced editor. I've worked on hollywood movies, I'm a member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders, I have clients who have been coming to me exclusively for more than 10 years.

Alongside bigger contract jobs, I am going to refocus on offering my services to small-press creators at a reduced rate. That means you, graphic novelists. That means you, itch and amazon writers. I want to help you develop your work, the same way I help large organisations. You can learn more about what an editor even does and what kind of pricing you can expect here.

2. I'm also going to start giving shit away. Like, constantly.

Next week I'm going to launch a new free shop. If you're unfamiliar, a free shop, giveaway shop, swap shop, etc. is an anarchist tradition of setting up a storefront where anyone can take what they like for no cost. Offline, this often means second-hand clothes, tools, furniture, food etc. Online, I am going to be giving away digital art. Copyright-free, no strings attached. It will (eventually) feature everything from print-res posters to zines, poems, tattoo flash, t-shirt designs and anything else we come up with.

Yes, I said 'we' - while this is a curated collection, it will feature work from a variety of credited and anonymous artists and activists, all of whom have agreed to give their work away to the public domain. Some of it will be practical, some of it will be political, but a lot of it will be decorative or personal. This is, in part, a response to recent difficulty I had finding somewhere that would print a one-off joke poster for a friend that featured the word 'faggot'. Enough. No middlemen - no explaining ourselves. Just print our shit and enjoy it.

I'm very, very excited about this project. I'll have more to say about it closer to the launch, but you can expect it to go live on March 27th.

2.2 I forgot to mention the ACTUAL LAUNCH GIVEAWAY

To celebrate my launch, I am going to be giving away a ton of physical prints. When I went looking for my old stock to see if it was worth setting a new (paid) storefront up, I realised I had way more old work in storage than I thought. This will be announced in its own right on Monday, but this is why I've been hinting you should go follow my Patreon.

On April 1st, I will pick 8 random patrons (from across all tiers including non-paying followers!) and mail them a bundle of assorted prints and postcards. The prize pool includes A3 and A4 posters, packs of A6 postcards, and printed minicomics that I've previously sold for up to £12 each.

You don't have to be a paying subscriber to enter - this is strictly no-purchase necessary. It is purely and entirely a celebration of the concept of GIVING ART AWAY FOR FREE.

3. PORN, YOU PERVERTS

Because I still have to pay to stay alive, I am going to be subsidising all this free art with the introduction of Fuck You Fridays. Starting from March 29th, I will drop a new 18+ short story on the last Friday of every month, over on itch.io (yes I know my page is desolate right now, don't worry I'll get there).

The first edition, Go Fuck Yourself, is about, well - telling your boss where to stick it. Julia has had it with her millionaire man-child manager, and is just about ready to let him know what she really thinks. It's a short and steamy 5k words, with a gorgeous cover illustration by @taylor-titmouse, and you can pick it up for $3 starting from March 29th.

4. ANOTHER BIG SURPRISE

I'm keeping this one under wraps for now, but April 1st will also play host to one more (FREE) launch. If you've been following me for a long time, you might remember the other significance of this date (no not April Fool's day, though that is certainly thematically relevant to this entire effort). That's all I'll say right now. Watch this space.

tl;dr: I'm sick of paywalls and career ladders. I'm literally putting my money where my mouth is. More free art for everyone and I'm not kidding around!!!

[thefirsthogokage]

Fuck AMPTP and the bullshit going on. I'm tired, might not do this well:

(link to article in above picture) From The Article

Receiving positive feedback from Wall Street since the WGA went on strike May 2, Warner Bros Discovery, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Paramount and others have become determined to “break the WGA,” as one studio exec blatantly put it.

To do so, the studios and the AMPTP believe that by October most writers will be running out of money after five months on the picket lines and no work.

“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive told Deadline. Acknowledging the cold-as-ice approach, several other sources reiterated the statement. One insider called it “a cruel but necessary evil.”

The studios and streamers’ next think financially strapped writers would go to WGA leadership and demand they restart talks before what could be a very cold Christmas. In that context, the studios and streamers feel they would be in a position to dictate most of the terms of any possible deal.

[Image IDs: Twitter thread by David Slack posted July 12th, 2023 that reads in totality:

And right on cue, here’s the inevitable Deadline article claiming that the AMPTP and their CEO bosses are ready to wait us out and let us “go broke.”

They’re not. They can’t. This studio propaganda, and here’s why.

In the increasingly mega-merged and hedgefundified Hollywood, these companies live or die on their quarterly earnings reports. It only takes one bad quarter for their stock price to plunge, putting the company and the CEO’s job in jeopardy.

But their stock prices are holding steady, right? Right. For now. Because our industry is a pipeline that starts with writers. The TV and movies they’re releasing now are shows we started making for them 4-12 quarters ago. But what happens when that pipeline runs dry?

What happens is they run out of product. No new shows in streaming to drive and sustain subscribers. No new shows in broadcast and ad-supported to bring in ad revenue.

No shows, no money.

No money, bad earnings report.

Bad earnings report, bye-bye stock price. Bye-bye CEO.

After 70+ days with no writers to create their product for them, the pipeline is running dry.

Their stock price isn’t tanking yet. But if they don’t make a deal with us, it will.

And they know it.

If they make a deal soon, they might be able to weather it. Stretch out releases. Rush some new stuff through.

But the longer they keep us out, the longer that pipeline runs dry, the more unavoidable a catastrophic dip in new high-quality shows becomes.

And they know it.

So yeah, the studios are planting articles in the trades that make it sound like they’re so determined not to pay us the 0.02% of company revenues we’re asking for that they’re willing to hold out forever.

Bullshit.

I’m sure the AMPTP bosses would love to break our union. But they love their jobs more. They love money more. They can’t make that money without us.

And they know it.

Ignore the trades, walk the line, stand together, and win. #WGAStrong

/End ID]

Bonus: John Rogers' Reaction

[Image ID: A tweet from John Rogers that he posted July 12th, 2023 that reads:

I was trying to be cool and professional about this strike, but this AMPTP “we want to drive them to homelessness” shit means I’m going to be dug in at WB Gate 4 like Hiroo Onada. They’re gonna have to send @ellenstutzman with a bullhorn to order me out of the bushes.

The second image is Ellen Stutzman's Twitter bio that says:

Cheif Negotiator for WGA MBA, Assistant Executive Director, Writers Guild of America, West; Cornell ILR and UCLA Anderson alum. Views are my own.

/End ID]

EDIT: Please see the update on this HERE

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Cary Grant (The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby, Charade)—just the peak of old-school Hollywood sexuality. The glam, the suits, the gentle wit, the acrobatics, those eyes that always looked like they knew exactly what movie they were in and were laughing at the joke...

Vincent Price (Laura, Leave Her to Heaven, House on Haunted Hill, The Masque of the Red Death)—svelte, stylish, horrifying, beautiful, wickedly funny, camp and gorgeous and evil. he was an art connoisseur who advocated passionately indigenous art, he was an actual literal gourmet cook, he was so liberal he got greylisted during the mccarthy era for being too rad, he's my favorite muppets guest of all time

This is round 4 of the bracket. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage man.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Vincent Price propaganda:

Submitted: this fancam

Submitted: this entire Tumblr page

Cary Grant propaganda:

"My Golden Age of Hollywood professor, who was very outwardly gay himself, put it this way: Even though Grant's sexuality was kind of an open secret in Hollywood, the public couldn't know in any real way. But anybody could see that there was a queerness about him, so he was casted for roles where he physically embodies his masculinity in a non-explicit but queer way. Bringing Up Baby is famous for the scene where Grant wears a frilly robe (pictured below, but what people don't always realise is that he plays kind of an awkward nerd in that movie. He's a hot awkward scientist in a grand robe!!! Hot!!! In The Philadelphia Story, one of my famous movies of all time, he plays C. K. Dexter Haven, a rich, sarcastic, supposedly abusive guy. And yet, what we see is this laid back, dandy-ish figure, who absolutely does not feel threatened when a woman he supposedly loves (Katharine Hepburn) starts having feelings for, and hooks up with another guy (James Stewart). He lets a drunk Stewart into his office and helps him get his job back! Obviously that is the script and not the actor, but the whole film, and that scene in particular, shows him having this very queer attitude of openness toward Hepburn and Stewart, which is only amplified by the casting of Grant and his portrayal of the character. Anyway, this is not an essay arguing for The Philadelphia Story to be considered a queer film, all I will say is: he's super hot in it."

The link to the above mentioned frilly robe scene from Bringing Up Baby: "I just went gay all of a sudden!"

last minute cary grant propaganda: the last few paragraphs of that new vanity fair article about him and randolph scott that just came out 2 days ago on cary's birthday where he calls it "gravity collapse" and "love at first sight" and says their souls touched and and and i'm actually sharing this mostly because it makes me emotional but also because a vote for archibald is a vote for love. this is my message. apologies for sounding mildly insane.

[genderlessghoul]

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now so here is EVERYTHING I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THE GHOULS' IMPERA COSTUMES.

Buckle up because I have a LOT to say about those, this is gonna be a very long one.

The costumes were designed by B Åkerlund, a Swedish costume designer who's worked with Ghost since at least Meliora (that's as far back as I was willing to scroll on her Instagram page lol). B Åkerlund has also worked for many other musical artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osborne, Blink 182 and Hollywood Undead (information from her own website)

The masks were made by Bob Basset, a visual artists who works a lot with leather. I find his work fascinating, you can look him up on Instagram (nsfw warning, there's a few naked ladies).

Fun fact! The horns are real cow horns. That's the reason some of them have gold tips, to hide the imperfections that come with working with actual horns.

He does have a shop where he sells his items, there's a mask there very similar to the Impera ones. You can also buy Papa's batwings if you happen to have 2500$ lying around!

The jackets are made on the same model as one of Papa's. The back is decorated with a spine-like design made from leather and cording. It's adorned with a few of our classic Impera buttons. Some of the hems were left raw and some deliberate weathering was done to make it look old and worn.

Fun fact! The shoulder pieces are not sewn into the garment, I would assume for easier cleaning. I don't know if they're held by strong magnets or snap buttons.

The vest (my beloved 😩) is made from flocked velvet in a paisley pattern, the front hems embellished with satin piping. It closes in the front with custom metal clasps that are riveted into the garment. The D parts are attached with what seems to me like wide elastic, which would lessen the pression on the clasps when moving around a lot. The back is made from two different types of fabric, I'd have to touch it to be able to tell you what they are. I assume the panels closer to the sides have some mild stretch to them. The top of the shoulders are decorated with Impera grucifix patches.

The shirts were not custom made for the ghouls, altho they were altered. The original shirt in the vintage painter linen shirt from Punk Rave and it is still being sold. Some of the cuffs were altered, removing the ruffles for some of the ghouls, but not all. They were removed for Dew, Mountain and Phantom, Aether's didn't have them either. As far as I can tell, all the ghoulettes still have them.

An unfinished piece of linen serves as an ascot, that piece is decorated with a metal devil skull. The colour of the skull doesn't appear to be consistent between each ghoul, Dew's looks gold almost bronze while Phantom's is a silver-like colour.

Another modification is the buttons, a small portion of them were removed in favor of our Impera buttons. Some of the ghouls have more buttons replaced than others, which is still a mystery to me.

The pants are called Jodhpurs, they were invented in the 1800s as horse riding pants. The wide part at the hips and thighs allowing for better movement. The ones the ghouls wear don't reach all the way to their ankles, they stop a bit past the calf muscle, hidden by the boots. (Yes, the ghouls are effectively wearing capri pants)

The boots are motorcycle riding boots, decorated by a grucifix. Like the shirt, they can still be bought online through the All American Boots website, altho the price tag is... Headache inducing to say the least.

The cape is a piece of costume that was only briefly worn on stage by the ghouls, Aurora being the only one who still wears one. I would assume it gets in the way of playing very easily. The cape itself is made of two fabrics, a light blue satin and a dark grey suede. The two pieces are not sewn together at the bottom, they move freely from each other. The cape is attached on the left shoulder with a harness piece that has one strap across the chest, decorated with a metal buckle, and one under the armpit.

Aight that's it for me, have a nice day byyyyye!!

[certified-bi]

Okay all my thoughts because some people have been saying that not supporting this change is not supporting artist and creators and as an artist fuck that.

1. Audiences owe you nothing. You have to convince them to engage with your creation not the other way around. This is something both the nonprofit theatre I work with recognizes and huge companies realize. It's just part of life. There are so many talented people in the world making amazing art, videos, music, writings, and on and on, and there's only so much time in the day. I'm not saying you shouldn't know your worth, just that being flippant about how little you care about those who can't pay isn't a good move. On that note...

2. PR is everything. If you haven't made a visible effort to push patreon, channel memberships or other avenues of making money, don't be suprised that your creation that was previously accessible to those without extra cash and to those who can't support foreign subscriptions due either to conversions or because it simply doesn't work, being made private isn't popular. There's a big leap from "We want to have more artistic control" to "We can't afford to make our content accessible to most of our audience," and people are smart enough to see this. You either have to make budget cuts or give into sponsors. This isn't unique to Watcher, it's part of literally every production from broadway, to Hollywood, to YouTube. Unless you can fund it yourself or get viewers to pay(which given how many are already strapped for cash...) that's life.

Not to mention they simply do not have enough followers to make the switch to a paid only site(dropping the first epsiode only on YouTube isn't going to draw people in, they're just going to say "oh why start if I'm not going to see the rest" and not watch) especially not one that is buggy and a security risk. Even if the switch had been supported its not going to end well. The only reason services like nebula and dropout work is because of the large amount of series and creators and the fact those creators still are partly on YouTube so new people are drawn in.

3. As for the price, 6 dollars a month is a not a good starting price for only their content and that's as someone who pays for nebula. I'd be paying the same amount for a fraction of the access to others work. Actually it'd be twice as much. And before someone says "it's only a coffee-" that's for you. Not everyone has your lifestyle. And with every other patreon and subscription service that says the same thing, it all adds up and I simply don't think 60 dollars for 48 videos a year on a subscription basis where you don't get to keep the videos if your situation changes, some of which don't appeal to every viewer is a good move. If you were able to buy physical copies of your favorite series they've made that'd be different, but that's not what this is.

4. I do believe that the employees deserve a livable wage. I also did not hire them. It is not on the viewers that they hired more people than they could afford to. They can charge that much if they want to to try and balance this out. They also shouldn't be suprised if not many can or will sign up. They also don't have to be based in L.A. L.A has ridiculous costs associated with it, and quite honestly it doesn't really add much to the content. I'm not saying they need to move to the middle of nowhere Kansas. Simply that living and basing your studio in a super expensive city and then being suprised money is tight is just weird.

5. Something that occurs to me is that they might get more views if their playlists were better set up. Only some series are given playlists. It'd be easier to find all of the series and binge them if they didn't just show off their more popular shows. Honestly the only draw the streaming site has to me is that the series are actually labeled well.

Do I think the weird ass energy towards Steven is necessary? No. He's not the only one at the company and they're all adults. I actually liked grocery run and homemade, and like to see them back. The parascoial attachment to Ryan and Shane is annoying in people's criticisms, but that doesn't make them completely wrong. If you're going to brand yourself as the anti capalist underdogs you can't get away with being dismissive of your poorer fans. The dissonance is what is causing this backlash and makes you look like hypocrites. I definitely think Steven is turning into the fall guy which is fucked up, his statement and the fact dish granted is one of those shows that make people uncomfortable about wealth flexs doesn't help matters.

[blarshwritezz]

Yandere ceo × male actor reader. I imagine that the CEO is the owner of one of the biggest Hollywood agencies of all time and is a reference in entertainment, he is the cold type and gets to know you during an event.

The reader is an actor who appears in successful films and he is nice compared to the ceo.

I imagine Ceo would make indecent proposals to you and force you to marry him

Capital idea!

Yandere CEO x Actor Reader

Male yan x male reader

TW - general yandere behavior, slight NSFW abuse of power, manipulation

"What do you say, won't you be my husband? You know what will happen if you don't..." CEO!Yan whispered, his hot breath tickling your ear as his bruising grip on your waist tightened further. Is this really what your life has come to?

You never expected anything like this to happen when you met nearly two years ago. You were at a party hosted by your company to celebrate what a success your latest movie was.

It was your first time in a lead role, and you absolutely crushed it! It was a massive success at the box office, one of the greatest hits ever produced by your agency!

The CEO even showed up, much to everyone's surprise. You've seen him in the news and on interviews, but he was much more attractive in person. But also so much more intimidating, too. You swore just one gaze from him could freeze you over.

The first time you spoke was when he congratulated you on the role. Specifically, on using that role to fill his pockets with more money. He didn't seem genuine, not at all. He even made a few remarks about how, despite the massive success, you still could have done better.

You thanked him kindly and went off to enjoy your night. You wanted to keep that as your only interaction. Keyword, wanted. With other people, you enjoyed lighthearted conversations. You made sure to remind people that seemed to be giving you a little too much credit that it wouldn't have turned out even half as good without the entire team. You enjoyed a few drinks with your team, maybe a few too many.

Having gotten tipsy and way too brave, you approached the CEO once again. You just couldn't stop staring! He was hot, and you deserved some action after all the hard work you did.

You approached him, flirting a bit. Telling him how good he looked on that custom-tailored suit.

"You know, I look much better without it." He put a hand on your waist, sliding it down and giving your ass a good squeeze. "Why don't you come spend the night at my place? I can assure you, you'll get plenty more roles like this."

And the next thing you knew, you were waking up in his bed, your ass sore from the night before. Well, more specifically, you woke up laying on his chest with one of his arms holding you in place.

That definitely made you wake up. You couldn't believe it! Did you really sleep with your boss?! Sure he was hot and, now that it was coming back to you, really good in bed, but that wasn't what was important here! What if you lose your job over this?! And right as you were really starting to get a name for yourself too.

You carefully crawled out of his arms, trying to find your clothes so you could leave. You could only hope that he wouldn't remember the events of last night.

But oh he did. Like promised, you were soon offered a role in an upcoming movie. The lead role. And with it, a little note saying the spot was guaranteed to be yours...if you just stopped by his office. And if not, he'd ruin your career...

So it became something of a routine. You got incredible roles, and all at the price of your body...in interviews and when speaking to fans, you would always be congratulated and complimented. You really were an incredible actor!

But deep down you knew that you were most likely ruining someone else's chances. There were plenty of other talented actors in this industry that were actually putting in the effort to get parts like this.

But at the same time, he'd absolutely ruin your reputation and career if you didn't do what he said. He had the power and influence to absolutely end your social life, even if you left the industry.

Slowly, your encounters became more...intimate. More loving. He'd start taking you out on genuine dates, and on some rare occasions those dates wouldn't end with him pumping you full of his seed like usual.

He'd even visit you on set! The only issue was how touchy and clingy he got. He'd glare at anyone who got too close to you, even if it was for a scene. People definitely noticed, and rumors soon spread that you two were together.

You told him to tell the truth, to let everyone know that you weren't really together. And what did he say? "Why should I deny it? You're mine, and everyone should know."

Everyone definitely knew, and slowly they all resented working with you. They knew the only reason you got so many roles was because of your relationship with him. And they all avoided you like the plague, fearing what he might do if they got too close.

It kept getting worse and worse, leading you down a spiral of self hatred. He was the reason you were getting things you didn't deserve! But he was the only one who made you feel better, holding you tight and whispering sweet nothings in your ear. Telling you how much you did deserve it. How much you impressed him every day.

All that leading to this moment. Him holding you close as if he hadn't just massacred your throat, all while slipping a ring on your finger.

"Remember, if you say no, you won't have me to protect you from all those awful people. You deserve the world, my dear~"

And we got it! I don't know if you really wanted much nsfw or not, but I added some anyway.

[all-purpose-dish-soap]

there’s something really appealing about bruised up men, bloody and ragged, after they fight to defend you or for you, it just ticks on a little mark in my brain idkkk

so true boss. so true. defending you as a teammate or other part of the crew, as a friend, maybe as a lover. but also consider: the 141 protecting you because you are their asset and you don't get to die.

maybe it's a Milena situation. or Stacy Davidson if you wanna be nice. whatever it is, you do not want to be there. it's hard not to feel some kinda way about seeing these big fuckin' dudes breaking bones and bloodying their knuckles to keep you safe, though. if anyone else comes at you, they're getting a warning shot to the leg from Price. if they get any closer than that, they're swallowing a knife, courtesy of Ghost.

you start to feel like maybe you're safe as long as they decide you're still useful. which is good, because you're otherwise out of your goddamn mind with fear, no weapon, hands ziptied, absolutely no way to defend yourself. possibly even gagged, so you can't yell for help. if they die, you die, because there's no way you'd survive their enemies.

but then they somehow just. do not. die. despite how crazy outnumbered they are, plus figuratively and literally carrying you? yeah, you are freaked the fuck out. and strangely grateful. the adrenaline rush and "rescue" of it all (again, you're an asset--basically a hostage, and sure as fuck not being rescued) has you feeling some kind of way. seeing them work together to take down a dozen enemies at a time? seeing them put their hands on the one guy who managed to get close enough to lay his hands on you?  

you're in a vulnerable spot here, okay. you haven't slept in two days. you're in a state. you're trying to adjust to this and it sort of messes up your brain. once everything calms down, you kinda don't want to leave them. you kinda feel safer with them. kinda want to answer their questions after all. kinda want to keep them warm at night.

you can't remember if stockholm syndrome is a hollywood fiction or not but maybe this is what it feels like?