*glasses used for comic appeal *glasses to create a "brainy" type
That Touch of Mink starring Doris Day and Cary Grant is about a young working woman Cathy Timberlake (Doris Day) who gets caught up with a rich playboy Phillip Shane (Cary Grant). Cathy on her way to a job interview her clothes were ruined due to Phillip's Rolls Royce splashing into a puddle. She barges into his office demanding him to fix the situation. He does and takes her out on a date to a baseball game, and shopping etc.
This is a silly movie, you can't take it seriously. One clue- Doris Day is in it.
There is one scene in particular I want to discuss. Unfortunately I cannot find a video clip nor a photograph of this only scene.
Phillip Shane has a financial manager (more like a personal assistant) Roger played by Gig Young who is watching this confusing affair from the sidelines.Gig Young provides comic relief through out the movie.
One scene Roger asks his secretary (Jan Burrell), to change. She wears her hair up in a bun, and has glasses. Roger asks her to take her hair down and remove her glasses. Her hair from being up all day, doesn't quite work falling down without styling. Also she gets squinty without her glasses. Roger says "funny it always works in the movies"
This scene makes fun of other movies, the once glasses are removed and hair is down the woman magically becomes a glamour girl. This shows the reality. Hair really doesn't fall down perfectly, and if you really need glasses you are not necessarily wide-eyed glamorous. What is in the movies is a fantasy. Does that mean this secretary is actually supposed to be perceived as unattractive? When she removed her glasses and took her hair down , yet not like the movies; does that mean she cannot and will never fit the ideal? One can interpret it that way. I think because this movie in it's entirety is silly; nothing meant to be taken seriously. I think because Roger already shown as a little nutty (there are scenes of him talking to a therapist) he doesn't quite know reality, and in this scene it is shown to him. I like this scene because it is satirical, it makes fun of other films and how they portray glasses removal.
This stop animation television special by Rankin- Bass shows how Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney) an orphan adopted by elves became Santa Claus. If you don't mind funny moving mouths, fishing wire and plot holes you will find this so delightful. If you are like me you find it rather funny.
The first Character we see wearing glasses is one of the elves.
All the elves have funny names that rhyme with Kringle, I think the one with glasses is named "Dingle". All we know about him is that he is old, an elf, makes toy and helped raised Kris. I guess when you have four dads and one mother, you don't know much about all the dads?
These elves used to be the royal toymakers, they spent a lifetime developing this skill. Yet for unexplained reasons they don't make toys for the royal family anymore. They still waste time and money making toys just to throw them in a pile outside their house. Little Kris pointed out that they could sell the toys to the nearby town. However they are afraid of the Winter Warlock (KeenanWynn), apparently he does not like elves. So when Kris becomes a grown up he ventures out through the Warlock dominated wilderness to the town to sell toys. You think because the Warlock doesn't like elves, Kris would be smart enough to not look like and elf. However he wear a red suit like they do, and gets caught. He gives the warlock a gift and sing a song, and they become friends. It's amazing how a toy train engine can make a villain into a good guy.
When Kris Kringle finnaly gets to the town, Sombertown he is unaware of how bad it is there. The children do chores all the time and all it's people are forced to dress in greyscale. Kris is unaware that their mayor; Burgermeister outlawed toys, due to his slipping on one. The children he meets are overjoyed to see toys, and In comes their teacher;
I cannot find the scene on Youtube nor Vimeo. The Kids introduce her "that's Miss Jessica ourTeacher". She comes in holding her glasses, whenever she has to see Kris Kringle, She tries to explain what he is doing is actually illegal in Sombertown. They way she uses these spectacles, she clearly needs them. Then Kris gives her a doll. She always wanted a doll.
She falls in love with him.
We never see her use her glasses again. She doesn't need them, because she is in love. It's almost like Kirs Kringle is the Freddy Prince Jr. of the Rankin-Bass animation world.
Then she really lets her hair down, BECAUSE she knows Just where she belongs, with Kris Kringle.
Her world is beginning today, even thought she has no plans, and it's out of her hands.
I have been a long time watcher of Stephen Colbert, I remember him on the Daily Show.
I can never get enough Satire, I started watching the Daily show because I was sick of the news. Itt was time to make fun of it. Colbert took it a step further by playing a character and that character got his own show.
Not everyone got his satire (#Cancel Swift) but those who did loved it. He wore his glasses throughout, only taking them off to put on goggles for motoring, or a hood to become an honorary member of Pussy Riot.
Some may argue since his frames are the drill post kind, they are near invisible thus they don't count. I think most people male and female are pressured not to have glasses, and he kept them.
There are few celebrities that wear their glasses consistently, that we know they wear them.
I can't write about this one fully this year, I would have to watch it.
I can't watch it. You know the marathons of this movie?
My brother would watch those marathons
ALL Day
Every Year
For Four Years
and no one could change the channel
My father thought this movie was funny, so further encouragement to continue watching it.
If I ever found it funny I don't anymore I just need to get away from this movie
seriously need a couple years away from it
SO for now;
The lead character Ralphie Parker wears glasses through out the movie. He only wants one thing for Chirstmas, a BB gun. When he gets his gun he shoots the gun and he accidently knocking his glasses off and then stepping on them, He actually thought he did what his mother said "You'll shoot your eye out"
For a kid the moment of panic, from not seeing and not knowing any better yeah you would think you shot your eye out for a second. Also his mom comforts him and we go "AAAWWW"
Ralphie not tough enough to have a gun. He is just a sweet glasses wearing little boy.
* glasses to create an Other * glasses used to add age I had the pleasure of seeing a print of this film on the big screen at the Colonial Theater with my father. The way this film was shot was brilliant, and at the time was never done before. Often you are looking at characters on television screens and mirrors, also "amateur" hand held camera techniques are used to keep a faster pace of the movie. I don't expect everyone to look at the same details on composition as me, but this film is very funny as well. It has often been compared to the Marx Brothers movies, and since the director hang out with The Beatles before shooting, he got a good feel for everyone's character. Some of the lines in the movie are things The Beatles have said, and their tailor was in the film as well.
But enough of that talk,
There are Glasses in this film. If you have not seen it, it's not what you think. John Lennon did not start wearing glasses till later. There is one particular character that wears glasses throughout. Paul's Grandfather. John McCartney, Paul's (fictitious) Grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell) is traveling along with Paul and his band to get a change of scenery. However he is a "king mixer" as Paul puts it and gets in all kinds of trouble.
Glasses are used as a tool here, they are to age the actor. This grandfather character is from another generation, and another country. He is Irish, he life was not as easy as his grandkid's he faced discrimination. Enough so that makes him kinda kooky around authority. He convinced Ringo to have some adventure, to enjoy himself which leads to him getting arrested, Which is pretty bad due to they have be on tv soon.Take a look at one of my favorite scenes after he gets arrested for causing a disruption in front of the television studio:
go about 5 Minutes in to see his reaction to the police
Ringo doesn't understand, due to being a different generation and living in England. Also these particular policemen are rather polite.
There is another Character who wears glasses through out the film, the TV director's assistant. The director Simon is rather over dramatic, a worry wart, Adrian(Julian Holloway) his assistant does what he is told. He pretty much fallows Simon around writing down anything he says. I can't find the scene on youtube, He takes a drumstick and plays around on Ringo's drum kit. Which gets Ringo a little upset. The only respect Adrian has is for the director.
Alfred Hitchcock seriously had a thing for glasses. Not just for his films either; he insisted that his secretary Carol Stevens wore them. A studio optician designed four or five pairs for her to wear. If she came to set without them Hitch would be furious. He also enjoyed ordering her to remove them.
He used glasses frequently in his films as we discussed before, which is why I write about his films so much on here. Most directors don't even think about glasses, especially not in the same way as Hitchcock.
Author Donald Spoto in his book Spellbound by Beauty says:
For Hitchcock, the removal of eyeglasses disclosed a partially
concealed beauty, but the gesture also rendered the wearer vulnerable
and somewhat isolated, removed from the situation, The glasses, in other
words became Hitchcock's modern version of the Venetian mask-a kind of
prop that both concealed and revealed.
This film Strangers on a Train glasses are used in a similar way as Vertigo, they separate the person from the action. They know what is going on, but is not consumed by it like the other characters. However this film is different from the Vertigo theme, glasses became essential to the plot and the removal makes the character more vulnerable than in previous films.
The movie begins with, you guessed it two strangers on a train.
A tennis star, Guy Haines(FarleyGranger) and Dandy boy Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), who ultimately is more than just a run of the mill dandy. ( I do love all his suits and shoes, a tie with a lobster printed on it!) They discuss their lives, get to know you stuff. Bruno suggests that they each commit a murder for the other. Bruno has a controlling father, and as Bruno points out to Guy; Guy had a wife who causes trouble.
Guy who was frustrated with his wife Miriam's (Laura Elliott), he began dating Anne Morton (Ruth Roman), who is a daughter of a senator. Bruno read about this affair in the paper. Guy left the train, feeling that Bruno is a little nutty but can't be serious about murder. Guy hardly knows this man, and why would he kill his wife? He may convince her to get a divorce.
He goes to his wife's workplace to convince her to grant him a divorce.
At first, maybe she is a victim of his affair. She dressed plain, wears glasses and works in a place full of books and files. Maybe she is home alone when he is with his glamour girl girlfriend. Then he mentioned she is pregnant by another man. She takes him into a room where they can talk in private.
Wow, all I can say is wow what a femme fatale.
She been cheating on him for a much longer time than he has on her.
And She is not planning to stop any time soon either.
Also she wants all his money.
Geez Louise!
She needs her glasses. She does not ever remove them, yet she uses them to her advantage. Who would suspect her looking at her appearance doing anybody wrong?
I think Hitch had a thing for bad girls as well.
Guy calls his girlfriend, he is very up set and said things he really didn't mean.
Bruno, without Guy knowing, took the train conversation seriously and decided to do his part.
Miriam is out at the fair with her boyfriends, she sees sharply dressed Bruno. At first she is a little flirty with him, and then well, . . . she is dead.
She is not involved with her husband's life. Miriam does what she wants, which means she is unaware of the crazy dandy Guy met on a train. Miriam thought Bruno was fallowing her because he liked her. She thought wrong. Does she deserve to die? No she does not. During the attack her glasses fall off her face. Her most and only Vulnerable moment. Bruno found Guy that night to tell him what happened to Miriam. Bruno had Miriam's glasses to prove it. The situation is too unreal for Guy to do anything about it.
Then Bruno visits Guy during a tennis match, just to remind Guy has to do his end of the bargain.
In comes Anne Morton's (girlfriend) sister Barbara ( Patti Hitchcock, yes the director's daughter, Ilove Patti). Bruno sees Barbara and is reminded of Miriam, due to that they both wear glasses. Their frames are similar, they both have same hair color and about the same height. The two women are not meant to be identical, the glasses are a reminder.
Bruno can turn on the charm, as you can see. Due to the girlfriend and Barbara not knowing about the train conversation, Bruno gets himself invited to their high society shindig.
At the Shindig Bruno charms some old ladies, and when Barbra enters the room, he becomes haunted again an accidently chokes a little old lady. Anne figures out what is going on and makes Guy tell her everything. "What did Miriam look like?" she asked him, he describes, Anne get flustered "she wore glasses?! she looked like Barbara"
Guy, in deep trouble now; gets two cops to fallow him everywhere. Barbara is very flirty with the one cop.
This is perhaps the most realistic portrayal of glasses I have seen. Neither Miriam, nor Barbra are a nerdy stereotype. They don't sit at home with their books and a multitude of cats and make us feel sorry for them because they don't have a boyfriend. Both are very capable of getting a man's attention. And yes there are some guys who go crazy for a girl who wears glasses (Hitch included), just the media like to tell us otherwise. However neither character is the love interest to the leading man.
This does remind me how some people can also get distracted when the see glasses. Barbara reminding Bruno of Miriam, due to her glasses. There are people that when they see a person wearing glasses, that is all they see- glasses.
I noticed when I show up somewhere with a couple of my female friends who also wear glasses, people would ask if we are all sisters. I used to be mistaken to a former friend of mine all the time, mostly because we both wore glasses. This would annoy me to no end. I just had vintage Dior cat-eye frames that I got my prescription fitted into($$$$) and she had standard rectangle frames.
Also, she was a good foot and half taller then me. I had to look up to see her face, I could never really tell what her hair looked like other than that she'd bleached it. This girl wore really tiny shiny dresses and all my retro dresses and suites covered the majority of my body.
We didn't look alike at all! Yet people would call me by her name.
When guys notice we were actually two people with two completely different names; they would constantly ask me about her. Her glasses and impossibly short dresses got all the dudes. She attracted kinda like Miriam, and I didn't want to be bothered. Especially not by some drunk dude asking if my 'sister' is 'easy'.
My point is some people are oblivious to detail. When there are glasses, all they see are glasses. Bruno could think Miriam and Barbara look alike due to similar glasses, and ignoring the rest, or he could just be somewhat conflicted by what he did and the image Miriam's glasses on the night haunts his mind.
Wow I had a busy Halloween week, sorry for not writing till now. I was fortunate in being able to see a 35 mm print of 1931 Dracula starring Bela Lugosi thanks to the Philadelphia Film Society.
If you are not familiar with the story of Dracula; This version starts with Renfield(Dwight Frye) traveling to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula. Renfield works in real estate and travels to Transylvania for business reasons. He is to have Count Dracula sign some papers to own a home in England. The castle Dracula lives in Transylvania and the castle his moves to in England look very similar. Renfield falls under the Count's spell and for return of eternal life, aides the Count on his trip to England. Oh by the way, in case you did not know Count Dracula is a vampire.
He also doesn't drink wine. Vampires can not cross water, well not like we people do. Count Dracula has to be emended in dirt from his homeland during the journey. His new buddy Renfield,(who is now crazy and has a crazylaugh) is with Dracula on the boat to make sure no one disturbs The Master. In England Renfield is put into an mental institution. Dracula starts on having some victims. The first lady Lucy, (yes Lady in this he only preys on rich women in fabulous gowns) sad to say she does not make it. Her friend Mina (Helen Chandler) falls under Dracula's spell too. The rich folk don't know what to do. Are they sick? Why are they having strange dreams?
In comes Dr. Van Helsing,(Edward Van Sloan)who is considered the best doctor around. He is older and wears glasses with heavy lenses. Van Helsing was sent from Germany to figure out what disease these ladies have. Yet it is not a disease they have, they are victims of a vampire. Vampire myths belong to other parts of Europe,
they are superstitions,
folk tales;
Old World.
A new, industrialized, modern country such as England do not believe in such things.
Van Helsing even though he studied medicine, believes that there are vampires. He ultimately proves Dracula is a vampire and saves the day. Mina's father eventually trusts Van Helsing, and Van Helsing becomes the hero of this story. Van Helsing, wears glasses through out the film. He portrayed as intelligent, sure of himself, not akward or nerdy at all. At times he removes his glasses when talking to someone seriously face to face. These glasses look heavy, his removal of them when he talking close to someone is understandable. He does not fit in with these English blue bloods, it takes much convincing to make them believe Dracula is a vampire.
What I like most about Dracula (other than vampires, bats and Bela) is the old world versus the new world. Count Dracula who is from the old world, with his accent his flashy cape and he embodies folktales because he is one, a vampire. The rich English folk are of the new world, they don't believe in "silly" things, John Harker (David Manners)who is Mina's fiancée refuses to think a Dracula is out to get her, even when all the evidence is staring right at him. Dr. Van Helsing is of both worlds. He too comes from a modern country, yet he is not so removed from the old world. He see that there may be some truth to the old ways, and he uses that to his advantage. He out smarts Dracula and defeats the vampire.
