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That line comes from the J.D. Salinger, masterwork, "The Catcher In The Rye," which, shocking as it may seem to some, I consider vastly overrated. I much prefer "Franny And Zooey."
However, this line spoke the truth, when it came to Hollywood. If the story of Elizabeth Short did not convince you, girls, if "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?" and "Valley Of The Dolls" did not do the trick, then take my word for it--do not go to Hollywood. You will not make it. Instead, you will become a prostitute. Remember what Dionne Warwick sang about "all the stars who never were, are parking cars and pumping gas?" That is what you will become, darlings, if you go to Hollywood--some sort of prostitute.
Which is why I have never gone. Oh, I had moments when I wanted to, but, then, common sense prevailed. Added to which I had an East Coast sensibility, which made me ideal for New York. If I went to Hollywood, I would be lost. Drive a car? Not get driven? Are you kidding me?
The only non A-lister to make a name for herself in Hollywood was Peg Entwhistle, who might have gone farther, had she not committed the famous suicidal act of jumping off the H of the HOLLYWOOD sign in 1932, after being cut out of the David O.Selznick film, "Thirteen Women," a film I never heard of. That is not the way you want to go down in history, dolls!!!!!!!!
I still say Neely had the best racket!!!!!!!!!! She went back and forth!
Swing from the chandelier, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And remember, tricks aren't for kids! They are for hookers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 comments:
Oh RQ, you've been absorbed in your book reading for far too long: obviously you're neglecting the lesser camp classics of filmdom. I find it especially odd that you've never seen "13 Women," because the plotline and casting is right up your alley.
Myrna Loy plays an extremely intelligent mixed-race girl who is snubbed and mocked by all the "pure" white girls at their Ivy League school. Years later, fiendishly clever Loy exacts her revenge on each girl in the clique by tricking them, one by one, into killing themselves or each other. But one last girl proves highly adept at avoiding this fate, which sends Loy completely over the edge into a sadistic plot of torturing (then poisoning) all the children in the girl's family.
Myrna Loy's performance was so diabolical, and her plans so demonic, that the film had only a very limited release before it was cut to shreds to appease the feeble-minded Hays Code. To this day it remains unrestored, but even in abridged form is a highly entertaining revenge fantasy (I root for Myrna Loy to win every time it pops up on TCM, despite already knowing how it really ends). Loy's early tenure as a calculating, ice-cold queen-bitch villainess didn't last long before she was remade into America's Sweetheart, but in those few films she was evil incarnate and clearly relished playing those roles.
Years later the PC brigade brainwashed her into thinking her early "ethnic villain" roles were terrible stereotypes, and Myrna began parroting that BS party line until she passed away. But the truth of her bitch potential can be glimpsed in "Thirteen Women" and reached its apex in "Mask Of Fu Manchu" (where she played sadistic dominatrix Fah Lo See, employed by Boris Karloff to torture his war captives to death). Loy's obvious sexual glee as her victims writhed in pain, following her child murderer in "13 Women" nearly killed her acting career: she was VERY lucky the studios respected her talent enough to remake her image.
I LOVE this image. How could I have missed "13 Women?"
Is there any way you could dig it up? What a role!
And I have always wanted to see Myrna in "The Mask of Fu Manchu."
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