Film of the Week: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, 1939

Big things were happening in 1939. A couple of little films called The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were putting Technicolor to good use. Meanwhile, Warner Brothers was putting Bette Davis to good use as well. She made four films in 1939: Dark Victory, Juarez, The Old Maid, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. The last film, shot in brilliant Technicolor, was meant to be an epic, historical production that would rival Gone with the Wind. It didn’t exactly rival the Civil War masterpiece, but it stands up as a fine film in its own right.

Michael Curtiz directed the film which was based on the successful Broadway Lunt and Fontanne production by Maxwell Anderson. With glorious costumes by Orry-Kelly, a majestic score by Erich Korngold and a supporting cast which included Olivia de Havilland (as Lady Penelope Gray), Donald Crisp (as Francis Bacon. I’m always tickled that Crisp = Bacon), Vincent Price (as Sir Walter Raleigh), Leo G. Carroll, Alan Hale, Sr., Henry Stephenson, James Stephenson and Nanette Fabray. Davis was looking forward to the role. She enjoyed parts wherein she didn’t have to be glamorous, and relished the opportunity to slather her face with white make-up and really, truly play a character. To prepare for the part, she even shaved her hairline to approximate the documented look of Queen Elizabeth I.

With all that going for it, you’d think Davis would have been thrilled with the experience of shooting this exciting film. There was, however, one little problem with The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. First of all, there was “Essex.” Davis wanted Laurence Olivier to play the dashing Essex. But, Warners thought that he wasn’t big enough box office and since Errol Flynn was at the top of his career, he was cast alongside Bette. Then there was a little scuffle with who would get top billing and a debate about the title of the film. However, despite all of the backstage drama, the result is a gorgeous retelling of the history of the early reign of Elizabeth I of England.

It’s not my favorite Bette Davis film. I personally don’t care much for Flynn and find him to be a little wooden and daffy compared to the other actors in the film. But, it’s an important part of Davis’ filmography and a great example of the quality cinema that came from 1939.

The Belle Époque Today: “A Flash of Light,” The Dance Photography of Chris Nash

Chris Nash

Through August of this year, the Victoria & Albert Museum is featuring an exhibition of photographs by dance photographer Chris Nash. Showcasing over three decades of Nash’s work, we can see the artist’s keen eye for movement and color and can learn from his innate fascination with light and composition.


Here, we’re able to see a visual account of Nash’s long association with the most prominent names in Britain’s contemporary dance world. The photos are a beautiful marriage of motion and color and neatly encompass the ideals of two disparate, yet, similar media.

For more information about this exhibition, visit the Web site of The Victoria & Albert Museum.

Humanitarian of the Week: Bette Midler

“The Divine Miss M.” was named for the legendary Bette Davis, but being as strong an individual as he namesake, chose to pronounce her name was one syllable instead of two. Since early childhood, Midler was outgoing and communicative with a penchant for showmanship and not shy of the spotlight.


In the 1960’s, she left her birthplace of Hawaii for New York City and began what would become a hugely successful career. Off-Broadway productions led to a major record deal, a Tony Award and monumental success on the stages of Broadway. Film offers became plentiful, and Midler reached worldwide audiences with portrayals of women who were strong, yet vulnerable, comical and tragic.

Reaching people has always been at the forefront of Miss Midler’s mind. From her art to her personal life, Midler looks to improve the world at every turn. Loyal to New York City, her second home, Midler began an initiative to revitalize neighborhood parks in neglected or impoverished areas of New York City. The New York Restoration Project, founded in 1995, has worked to improve various parks throughout the city so that people will have a safe place near their homes for recreation and sport. As part of this initiative, Midler’s organization also provides environmental education in low-income schools and neighborhoods.

For the many years of laughter and entertainment she’s brought to us and the many years of health and well-being that she’s brought to the residents of New York, Bette Midler is our “Humanitarian of the Week.”

Her Majesty’s Furniture: A Neoclassical French Secretaire, 1815

Secretaire
Bernard Molitor, 1815
Oak, mahogany, ebony, lacquer,
gilt bronze, and marble.
Purchased by George IV, 1817.
One of a pair.
The Royal Collection

King George IV, like his mother, Queen Charlotte, had very particular tastes and a desire to own the finest possible objects and furnishings. Also like his mother, George IV, had an affinity for the designs of French artists and craftsmen. So, it’s no wonder that these magnificent secretaire by Bernard Molitor appealed to the young Prince Regent who was handling the empire while his father, King George III, was “indisposed” due to—shall we say—mental strain.


Molitor was known throughout France for his unyielding Neoclassical style furniture. His pieces were very highly regarded and his reputation led him to furnish the most important homes in France during a forty year period. This secretaire by Molitor of oak, mahogany, ebony, lacquer, gilt bronze, and marble is actually one of a matching pair which were purchased by the Prince Regent’s Clerk/Comptroller of the Kitchen and all-around chum/personal shopper, Jean-Baptiste Watier. George IV relied on Watier to make many purchases and trusted the man’s taste. These were among the items that George IV sent to his funhouse/palace, the Royal Pavilion at Brighton.

Punch's Cousin, Chapter 219

“Chum, I ‘preciate what you’re sayin’, I do, but we can’t just run off.” Mr. Punch smiled gently.


“Why not?” Robert asked urgently. “Just the two of us and the baby,”

“The three of us an’ the baby,” Mr. Punch tilted his head to one side.

“Of course,” Robert sighed. “Sometimes I forget and count you as one person.”

“That’s not somethin’ we can forget,” Mr. Punch nodded. “No matter what, I’m still Julian, Duke of Fallbridge, too.”

“I know.” Robert nodded, putting on his shirt.

“Well, then, you see?” Punch said, patting the baby’s stomach. “We can’t just go off. We got responsibilities. It’s already unfair, it is, that me master’s not had a say in none of this. We can’t take him away from what he knows and what he wants without him knowin’ ‘bout it.”

“Isn’t Julian somewhat aware of what’s going on?” Robert asked. “Wherever he is?”

“He’s in here.” Punch tapped on Julian’s chest. “He’s in that little room all our own—inside us—what he sits in and waits. I know he’s got an idea what we’re ‘bout. But, he’s not had no chance to say nothin’ ‘bout it. In fact, he’s been strangely silent. Coo, I hope he’s not unwell in there.”

“Could he possibly be?” Robert’s eyes widened. “Could he be ill? Could something be wrong? Wouldn’t you know?”

“I’d know if his body were sick.” Punch replied thoughtfully. “But, sometimes he thinks things what I know nothin’ ‘bout and I think things he don’t know about. We’re connected only so much.”

“I wish I understood what it must be like for you.” Robert sighed.

“Me, too, Chum. I ‘spect me master is thinkin’. He does that. Maybe too much. Probably all consumed with them memories we saw played out. It’s not over, yet, neither. Lots still left for him to know. I got worries…” He sighed. “Here, now there’s no point in goin’ on ‘bout it. You let me worry ‘bout His Grace.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop worrying about Julian. I know he’s in capable company with you, but still…”

“I understand.” Mr. Punch smiled.

“Do you think Marjani’s on her way? Surely she’s left.” Robert glanced at the window.

“Must have done.” Mr. Punch shrugged. “She’s nothin’ if not reliable.”

“True,” Robert grunted as he put on his boots. He looked affectionately at Punch. “The same applies to you, you know?”

“Coo!” Mr. Punch whooped.

“I’m serious.” Robert replied. “You’re very reliable.”

“Got a lot of folk what rely on me.” Mr. Punch shrugged again. “So, do you.”

“I apologize.” Robert said softly.

“Why’s that?”

“For wanting to run off. I know that we’re doing this so that we can go home and return Colin to what’s rightfully his—and to return Julian to what’s his as well.”

“And what’s yours—don’t forget that.” Mr. Punch said.

“Mine?” Robert tilted his head to one side.

“Sure.” Mr. Punch grinned. “Here, you don’t think I forgot that you’ve got a life what’s important, too. You’re a doctor, you are. You help people. There are folk in England what need you. And, we need you—Colin, me master and me. Toby, too. We all need you. You got to help take care of us.”

“I’ll never stop.” Robert smiled.

“Good to know,” Mr. Punch nodded. He paused and looked at Robert.

“What is it?” Robert asked.

“Well, I been wonderin’ somethin’.”

“What’s that?”

“You been so kind to us. Me and Julian. Now, Colin, and everyone else. You been nothin’ but good even though it’s put you in a terrible spot. I don’t know what we’d do without you. You’re like the other part of us. But, I can’t help but wonder why.”

“Why what?” Robert asked.

“Why you stick by us.”

“I promised that I would.” Robert replied plainly. “Remember, I’m your champion.”

“But, why?” Punch asked.

Robert grinned.

“Well?”

“I thought you knew.” Robert laughed.

Meanwhile, at the house on Royal Street, in her little room, Marjani glared at Marie Laveau. “I’m waitin’, Marie!”

“I see that.” Marie grumbled.

“What you gonna do?”

“Woman, don’t hassle me no more.”

“You come here for to punish me. So, are you gonna do it or not?” Marjani spat.

“I don’t think I care to anymore.” Marie sighed. “You got power. I thought maybe the only one that had power same as me was that roundheeled Iolanthe. But, you got power, too, Woman. You just use it different than we do.”

“I got power like you never saw before.” Marjani answered forcefully.

“Why would I hurt the one thing I need to make me all the more powerful?” Marie half-smiled.



Did you miss Chapters 1-218? If so, you can read them here.

Goal for the Day: Remember Your Privacy

We all have access to a constant stream of information. At any given moment, we can become aware of the activities of everyone we know from what they’re eating to where they are. While an openness to life is always a healthy thing, sometimes, we’re just providing too much information. Is it necessary that the entire world should know that you’ve had too much to drink? Is it really that important to share every excruciating detail of your day?


Think about who could possibly be using that information and for what purposes they might be employing it. It’s important to use discretion about what you share with the world. If you wouldn’t talk about it in front of your grandmother, odds are you shouldn’t share it with the entire world. You never know what can resurface in the future and be cast in a light that you didn’t intend. So, remember your right to privacy and not only will you feel freer, but you’ll also be that much more interesting.

Object of the Day: An Edwardian Diamond Stickpin

With the passing of his mother in 1901, King Edward VII took the throne. After his coronation in August of 1902, he and Queen Alexandra ushered in a new era of style. Fashions moved away from the romantic and complicated styles of the Victorian era and took simpler forms which were equally as elegant, but showed signs of the impending Art Nouveau and Art Deco.


This stickpin with its sculptural white gold setting and bezel-set, European-cut diamond is a great representation of the trends of Edwardian design. It’s a geometric retelling of Victorian ideals with stylized Classical elements. Still graceful, it’s clearly a transitional design with a nod to the upcoming popular styles of the next decade which was ruled by the stark sparkle of platinum and diamonds and the contrast of sapphires and rubies.