Saturday, March 26, 2011
Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds Commercial
Jayne Mansfield,The Girl Can't Help It 1956
The original music score, including a title song performed by Little Richard, was by Bobby Troup, with an additional credit to Ray Anthony for the tune "Big Band Boogie". It was shot in DeLuxe Color, filmed in CinemaScope, and runs 99 minutes.
Plot
A slot-machine mobster, Marty "Fats" Murdock (Edmond O'Brien), wants his blonde girlfriend, Jerri Jordan (Jayne Mansfield), to be a singing star, despite her seeming lack of talent. He hires alcoholic press agent Tom Miller (Tom Ewell) to promote Jordan, both because of his past success with the career of singer Julie London (a fiction of the script) and because he never makes sexual advances towards his female clients.Miller sets to work by showing Jordan off around numerous night spots; his machinations arouse interest in Jordan and soon offers of contracts follow. However, Miller realizes that Jordan really just wants to be a homemaker and tries to persuade Murdock not to push Jordan into a show-business career. He thinks he's succeeded when he reveals to Murdock that Jordan's singing is so bad it shatters light bulbs, but Murdock suggests that Jordan would be perfect for the part of a train whistle in a song he (Murdock) composed while in prison. Miller reluctantly records Jordan performing Murdock's song and heads to Chicago to promote it to Wheeler (John Emery), a former mob rival of Murdock who now has a monopoly over the jukebox industry.
Suspicious of Miller's reluctance to promote Jordan and of the obvious attraction between Miller and Jordan, Murdock has his associate Mousie (Henry Jones) wiretap a phone call between the pair. Feeling pity for them, Mousie edits out the romantic portions of their conversations and convinces Murdoch that their relationship is strictly business.
In Chicago, Wheeler is impressed by the song and Jordan's voice and offers to sign both Jordan and the song writer. However, when Miller reveals that the song writer is Murdock, Wheeler throws him out of his office and vows never to play the song. A furious Murdock bullies bar owners into buying jukeboxes from him instead and successfully promotes his and Jordan's song. To prevent Murdock from stealing his business, Wheeler arranges to have Murdoch assassinated at the rock show where Jordan will be making her debut.
On his way to the show, Murdock confesses to Mousie that he doesn't want to marry Jordan. Mousie confesses that he altered the tape of Jordan and Miller's phone call and encourages Murdock to let Jordan marry Miller. Backstage at the show, Jordan confesses her love to Miller and they kiss. Jordan also admits that she is in fact a talented singer, who lied because she did not want a show business career; she goes on stage and performs a song about her love for Miller. When Murdock arrives, Miller declares to him that he and Jordan are in love; the delighted Murdock surprises Miller by shaking his hand and offering to be the best man.
Before Miller and Murdock can tell Jordan the good news, Wheeler's assassins shoot at Murdock. Miller fights them off and shoves Murdock on stage to perform his song, reasoning that the assassins won't shoot Murdock in front of so many witnesses. Wheeler arrives and, impressed by the audience's response to Murdock, calls off the assassination and signs Murdock instead. The film ends with Miller and Jordan kissing on their honeymoon, as Murdock and Mousie perform on a TV show in the background.
Influence on rock music
The movie’s influence on rock music is significant. The film reached Liverpool, England in the early summer of 1957. It featured cameo performances of early rock ‘n’ roll stars such as Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent and His Bluecaps, fascinated a 16-year-old John Lennon by showing him, for the first time, his "worshipped" American rock ‘n’ roll stars as living humans and thus further inspiring him to pursue his own rock and roll dream. On July 6, 1957, 15-year-old Paul McCartney was introduced to Lennon after the latter had performed at a village church garden party with his skiffle group The Quarrymen. McCartney demonstrated his musical prowess to Lennon by performing "Twenty Flight Rock" in a similar manner to the way he had seen it played by Eddie Cochran in The Girl Can’t Help It. This led to Lennon inviting McCartney to join the group. McCartney talks about the movie in the TV film the Beatles Anthology.Songs performed in the movie
- "The Girl Can't Help It" - Little Richard
- "Tempo's Tempo" - Nino Tempo
- "My Idea of Love" - Johnny Olenn
- "I Ain't Gonna Cry No More" - Johnny Olenn
- "Ready Teddy" - Little Richard
- "She's Got It" - Little Richard
- "Cool It Baby" - Eddie Fontaine
- "Cinnamon Sinner" - Teddy Randazzo and the Three Chuckles
- "Spread the Word" - Abbey Lincoln
- "Cry Me a River" - Julie London
- "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps
- "Twenty Flight Rock" - Eddie Cochran
- "Rock Around the Rockpile" - Ray Anthony Orchestra
- "Rocking Is Our Business" - The Treniers
- "Blue Monday" - Fats Domino
- "You'll Never, Never Know" - The Platters
- "Every Time You Kiss Me" - Unknown, lip-synched by Jayne Mansfield
- "Giddy Up Ding Ding" - Freddy Bell & The Bell-Boys
Cast
- Tom Ewell as Tom Miller
- Jayne Mansfield as Jerri Jordan
- Edmond O'Brien as Fats Murdock
- Little Richard as Himself
- Julie London as Herself
- Ray Anthony as Himself
- Barry Gordon as Barry the paperboy
- Henry Jones as Mousie
- John Emery as Wheeler
- Juanita Moore as Hilda
- Fats Domino as Himself
- Herb Reed as Himself (as The Platters)
- David Lynch as Himself (as The Platters)
- Tony Williams as Himself (as The Platters)
- Paul Robi as Himself (as The Platters)
- Zola Taylor as Herself (as The Platters)
Mamie Van Doren "3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt"
Plot
An out of work Method actor is hired by a stripper, a male model, and a car salesman to listen to their problems and go see a psychiatrist on their behalf; the three "nuts" lack the funds to see the psychiatrist on their own, hence the request. The actor has to pretend that he alone has all the problems of the three who hired him. The psychiatrist is naturally intrigued and begins secretly recording her sessions with him.Cast
- Mamie Van Doren as Saxie Symbol
- Tommy Noonan as Himself
- Ziva Rodann as Dr. Myrna Von
- Paul Gilbert as Joe Lynch
- John Cronin as Bruce Bernard
- Howard Koch as Dr. Otis Salverson
Marilyn Monroe The Red Velvet Calender
One such photo, created in 1949, showed a young actress alluringly posed, totally nude, on a red velvet background. The image, shocking for its time -- an image of raw sex appeal -- was, nevertheless, also an image of tastefulness and sophistication. Photographer Tom Kelley, Sr. couldn't know the photo would become history and help define sexuality for a generation. The actress' name was Marilyn Monroe.
At the end of 1953 a new men's magazine appeared on the newsstands. It was an adult magazine targeted to a sophisticated urban male audience. The magazine advocated a philosophy that was very new to the postwar 50's. It was that sex is a natural, wholesome and healthy human act -- not something to hide or be embarrassed about. Sex was an activity a normal single man might share with the girl next door.
The first issue of Playboy magazine sold over 54,000 copies -- a surprising number for a new magazine with no advance publicity. The profits from this first edition furnished the funding to continue publishing for a few more months. Indeed, Hugh Hefner did not date the magazine because he was uncertain there would be a second issue. He didn't know the magazine would become an icon of America's cultural history.
The startling sales of that first Playboy edition can be attributed to Hefner's good fortune of finding an exceptional centerpiece photo to lure America's males to the newsstand. Kelley's calendar photo of the nude Marilyn Monroe was that image -- the image that launched the magazine that brought sex out of the closet into the glaring light of day.
Compared to the well-worn, trite images of sexuality in U.S. culture today, Kelley's "Red Velvet" photograph remains the pinnacle of erotica. Simple in color and composition, Marilyn's pose has been copied endlessly by countless would-be Kelleys, but never to the effect that Kelley achieved. The fact is that Marilyn has become the archetypal American sex queen and Kelley recorded her at her best. This was a rare moment frozen in time.
Hefner bought one photo from Kelley, published it as his first centerfold, and American culture has not been the same since. Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner showed us that sex is as natural as eating and sleeping -- and maybe even fun and a little frivolous. Sex became more than mere procreation -- a seismic shift in attitude for the dark, repressed 50s.
Playboy's rise to prominence in American culture parallels the rise of the sexual revolution. We began looking at our sexual selves in new ways. The Playboy Philosophy -- preached by Hefner in his magazine that eventually reached a circulation over seven million -- championed that cause. And this was a cause that went beyond the surface of sex, delving into deeper issues like population control and disease prevention -- issues with incredible potential for improving the social welfare of every human being.
So Kelley's photo, and the mystique generated by Marilyn's amazing sexual presence, played a key role in shaping 20th century history. The photo led to a redefinition of sexuality in America, and spawned a sexual revolution.
But there's more. When Hefner made the deal with Kelley he only bought one piece of film. There are five more. One of them even has a bonus image, because Kelley double-exposed a sheet of his 8 x10" film in his haste to record the moment.
During my ten years as the photo archivist for Playboy I was occasionally asked to retrieve the 8 x10" Marilyn transparency from the vault to show it to a visiting VIP. I must admit there was something mysterious about holding that sheet of film in my hands. Of course I would speculate on what it was worth. But I would also wonder about its history. Who had touched that film? Where had it been? This was the actual film that "saw" Marilyn Monroe lying naked on that sensuous red velvet. Every time I touched that film it was thrilling.
During a visit to Tom Kelley Jr.'s studio, a few years ago, he showed me the camera that his father used to make the Marilyn photos. Being a photographer, like his father, Kelley Jr. seemed to view the camera as just another tool of his trade. He said "It's just an old Deardorff," but I couldn't see it that way. I wanted to touch that camera too, knowing it had held that film in that room together with Kelley Sr. and Marilyn.
I have only touched duplicate copies of the five transparencies Hefner left behind. Kelley Jr. didn't show them to me. Maybe I should have pressed him on that. I know the images well, but there's something very special about holding the actual original sheet of film in your hand -- the film that was slapped into the back of that Deardorff as Kelley Sr. rushed to capture the nude Marilyn. Maybe someday, if I'm lucky, I will get to touch them too.
I'll bet 10,000 stories have been written about that now famous calendar portrait of Marilyn Monroe in the nude...
" ...and while Marilyn looked helplessly he, too, kicked the tires and looked under the hood. It took only a minute to get to the gas tank. Then he broke the sad news, "You're out of gas miss. We can call the Auto Club and they'll bring you some," he said. He knew right away from the expression on Marilyn's face that it wasn't that simple. "If you don't have any money in your purse, let me give you some - and my card. You can pay it back whenever you're near my studio.
It was several months before Marilyn found herself in a position to pay the $5 back. That is by no means an unusual situation in Hollywood. She drove out to Kelley's studio, knocked on the door, and when Tom opened it, Marilyn stood there holding out the money. All she said was:"Remember me?"
Well, you can fool a landlord, a casting director, a wolf and lots of other people in this town about your finances, but if you are a pretty girl you can't fool a photographer who works with models. Tom knew the fiver was Marilyn's last. He asked her to step inside. He asked her if she had done any modeling. She said she'd done a little, Tom tried to think of something he could use her for right then, but nothing came to mind. So he lied. "Tell you what," he said. "A calendar company wants be to do some nudes. Are you interested?" Marilyn said she was. So Tom hustled her into his studio, set up the lights and camera - and Marilyn reclined on the red velvet drape, which Mrs. Kelley arranged and the most famous photo of our town was snapped. Tom told Marilyn to keep the five, made out a check for $45. To this day Marilyn doesn't know that Tom took the picture so he could pay her $50 - and had no assignment at all for calendars.
More than a year passed and Tom got a request from Western Lithograph for a nude. He dug Marilyn's prints out of the files and sent them downtown. The company bought two for $200 - a small fee for Kelley's work, but better than nothing. The calendars were printed and sold slowly. For almost two years they were shipped out with the other regulars and nobody thought much about it. Then one day an executive of the company came running into the office looking as though he was about to have a stroke. "I went to the movies last night," he stuttered, "and I think that blonde dame on one of our calendars is Marilyn Monroe."
