Riding High!

A quick update on the Horseathon. I've had such an overwhelming response on my Horseathon and I want to thank everyone who has signed on so far. It has even introduced me to new bloggers that I was unaware of before the announcement.  I'll be doing a post shortly with the official list and participants so stay tuned.

In light of the amount of participants I'll be extending the Horseathon to four days so look for new banners with the updated dates.  If you are still trying to decide on a film the official deadline isn't until the first week of May so you have plenty of time.  And please remember that the film doesn't have to be based on one horse but it can be a favorite film of yours that has horses in it, a movie character that rode a horse etc!

For now please enjoy a few of our favorite stars as they share in our love of equines.

Charles Buddy Rogers...HOTNESS!

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard enjoying some quality time with their beloved horses.

Joan Blondell is adorable in her Huckleberry Finn outfit!

Elizabeth Taylor shows her adoration for horses in a rare candid.

Olivia de Havilland wasn't just in films with horses. She's owned several throughout her life and she's invested a lot of time into training them.

Ray Milland looks quite happy here!

Mary Astor enjoys a day of horse riding in the Hollywood hills.

Barbara Stanwyck was another actress who felt very comfortable around horses, spent her down time riding horses.

Greta Garbo enjoys a day of riding.

Alan Ladd takes the time to pose as enjoys some quality time at his horse ranch

Ronald Reagan enjoying a day at his ranch while still a Hollywood actor.

Robert Taylor was another star who enjoyed riding horses, days on his ranch.

Leslie Howard enjoys a day with his horses.

I hope you all love these candid glimpses of our stars as much as I do. Stay tuned for updates and other fun posts. And if you'd like to sign up for my upcoming Horseathon you can get more info and banners HERE.  We would love to have you!

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Milliners Invade Hollywood: Part Eight

Well, I took Shirley's lollipop away but now she's found herself soda pop and a lot of it! This should be another interesting post.  My co-host is off the rails but let's get started on looking at a few fabulous hats anyway.

Anna May Wong is working that turban! Don't you think she looks beautiful here Shirley?  Shirley: "She looks very sad!".."I think those are wadded up kleenex"  Well if those are tissues all I can say is she's very creative when she gets the sads!

Mary Carlisle looks very fashionable in her beret.  Shirley: "She looks like a mannequin posed to sell over priced jewelry!"  

Brenda Marshal is modeling the latest fashion. Shirley: "She looks like a leprechaun that got all tangled up in a yarn factory!" 

Clara Bow looks very cute and innocent here with her dolly's.  Shirley: "She's not fooling anyone! Once you get a reputation of being a "fun" girl you might as well pose with a cactus and a sword!"  Meoowwww!

Fay Wray is so stylish today! Shirley: "If King Kong had seen her in that there wouldn't have been a movie!" 

Gail Patrick is a stunner! Shirley: "I think there was a song about not wearing buttons and bows at the same time."  I don't think that song was about fashion nor did it go like that. Shirley: "Sorry! Her spurs go jingle jangle."  To quote my dad.....Lay off the soda!

Claire Trevor is picture perfect here in her bonnet. Shirley: "This was her audition photos for Gone With the Wind..They told her to go cover up her cleavage and add 10 more layers of ruffles. By the time she came back Atlanta had already burned to the ground!"  Just one less actress Cecille B. had in his way I guess.

Gene Tierney is working those gloves and her stylish hat.  Shirley: "My mother uses that same hat to wash dishes with." It's road kill with a ribbon!"

Leatrice Joy is fancy in feathers! Shirley: "Those feathers are so heavy they're weighing her down...she can't even hold her head upright!" She's going to wind up with a neck strain for an ugly hat."  Well, sometimes fashion is painful.

A very beautiful photo of Norma Shearer. Shirley: "She is very pretty here. I guess she got my note telling her that the bigger the hat the less they'll notice your misguided hairstyle...Did you see her hair in The Women?"

Yes, I certainly did. Tragic!

Well, I think Shirley's offended enough celebrities for today. For the Clara Bow Fan Club, please direct your letters directly to Shirley. 

Have a great and fashionable weekend everyone and let us know which hat was your favorite.

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Spring Fever in Hollywood: Part 3

Jayne Mansfield looks so pretty fully dressed while enjoying the outdoors.

Rita Hayworth out enjoying a bike ride.

I hope Louise Brooks doesn't come down with Hay Fever but she does look beautiful as always.

Joan Fontaine is working on getting her yard in order.

A radiant Lana Turner, enjoying a gorgeous day.

Alexis Smith attempting to climb a tree in the wrong outfit.

Cary Grant enjoys the view.

Betty Grable shows off her perfect legs and her gorgeous backyard.

Ann Francis enjoys a day of fishing in a tiny spring.

Bette Davis cools off with an ice cream cone.

Charles Laughton and wife Elsa Lancaster enjoy a day of relaxation at their home.

Clara Bow finds time for a workout.

Do you have a favorite photo?
See ya next time kiddos!

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Classic Film: Six Degrees of Separation ROUND SEVEN!

Kim over at 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die started Round Seven of Classic Film: Six Degrees of Separation.
She chose Gloria Swanson and Catherine Deneuve to be connected in this round.

Gloria Swanson was in "Sadie Thompson" (1928) with Lionel Barrymore


I'm passing it on to Dave over at Dave's Classic Films

For anyone wanting to sign on you can shoot me an email or leave a comment, otherwise just throw a button up on your blog.

Thanks everyone who's participated so far. Also, I've had a great response on the upcoming Horseathon and I'll be accepting participants up until May 20th. (Click on the banner on the sidebar for more details)  I'll have a list together shortly for those curious on which films have been chosen, who's participating.
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Happy Easter from your favorite stars

Dorothy Sebastian is scaring me a bit here! Her rabbit coat/ears look a bit tired.

Lois Maxwell is lovely among her Easter lilies.

You knew Shirley would make an appearance. It was part of her contract to appear in 30 posts a year. Grrrr! I hope she doesn't try to take over Veteran's Day.

Wendy Barrie laid a giant egg! And I mean that outfit. Polka dots and ruffles should be left for toddlers.

I'm at a loss for words here on Maureen O'Hara's hat. Maybe a yard or two less netting would help it out. She does look very pretty.

Wishing everyone a blessed Easter holiday with family and friends. I plan to eat my weight in honey baked ham. 

See you soon!

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I hope you'll all sign up for a little horsing around. It's another Blogathon!

After the success of the Dogathon recently, which was the clever creation of Rick over at the Classic Film  & TV Cafe, I thought it would be fun to do a Horseathon. There's been so many great films made that are either horse centric or revolve around our favorite western stars and their trusty sidekicks with hooves.

The Horseathon will be from May 25-27 but depending on how many sign on to do the Blogathon we can always extend the time in order to not have everything crammed in over 3 days.  We know from experience how difficult it is to read and comment on posts when there's at least 10 a day to get through.

I'm extending the invitation to anyone with a blog and if you've found yourself without a blog then contact me and perhaps you can guest post your entry here during the event. I'm more than happy to accommodate you so you don't miss out on the fun.

Even though most of the Blogathons center around classic films I won't be putting a specific time period on your choices so if you want to blog about War Horse then that's perfectly fine with me.  Write about anything you want to as long as there's a horse involved. (Yes, if your favorite film had a rocking horse as part of the plot then that's fine too! But if you have a thing for collecting paintings of horses on velvet then have yourself a garage sale then find a great film to write on.  Although we would love to see your collection.)

I hope everyone will find this topic interesting enough to sign up for it. Just shoot me a quick email at silentscreenfan@gmail.com if I'm not familiar with your blog or if you need more info, have any questions. Otherwise you can leave a comment here with the topic or film you would like to write on. (I have had a couple of bloggers claim their favorite film already so don't wait to sign on if you have a favorite.)

Below are the banners I've made up to display on your blogs so please take the one you like.  Even if you aren't participating I hope you'll let your readers know about the event.

If you need some inspiration here's a link to a large list of horse films beginning in 1940. LIST. Also, if you aren't yet sure about what you would like to write about there is no hurry or if you change your mind on a film the deadline isn't until May 10th.

Becky found another site that has a lot of great classic horse films that can be found HERE.

Thanks everyone and Giddy Up!
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Milliners Invade Hollywood: Part Seven

Shirley is back to co-host but she's on a sugar high so I can't be responsible when this post goes off the rails.  Who gave her the lollipop?  This is certain to get out of control...I smell a set up!

Alice White had the most beautiful skin....Just flawless!  Shirley: "Turbans are for old people and con artists!" I don't understand where you are getting that from.  Shirley: "Gloria Swanson and The Great Wizzo who took my mother for $40,000 in 1932 over reading fortunes."  I am going to move on and take that lollipop away! We WILL get through this without angry emails. Oh, but I'm curious. Did your mother play the ponies? And who would trust any man wearing a turban named Wizzo? Or is Gloria Swanson in fact the Great Wizzo?  This is all so confusing.

Anita Page was quite the glamour girl. Shirley: "But did she have Oomph, "IT" or anything that stands out?"  She did have the label of The Girl with the Most Beautiful Face in Hollywood!  Shirley: "I thought that was Hedy Lamarr's label?"  Hedy was the most beautiful woman in films. Apples and oranges! Shirley: "I'm confused."  So was Hedy! She was Austrian.

Barbara La Marr and before you ask, she was the girl who was labeled as Too Beautiful. Shirley: "She should have sued Hedy!" Perhaps if narcotics anonymous had been invented in the 1920's she would have been around to do so.   Shirley: "Apples and orange groves." You need to work on your analogies! 

What do you think of Ann Sothern?  Shirley: "Maisie took a day off!" Thank God! I don't care for Maisie. Shirley: "Nobody does!"  I'm starting to like you a lot Shirley.

I adore Bette and she looks so pretty here.  Shirley: "She's a kicker!" What do you mean by that?  Shirley: "She kicks her co-stars then acts like it's an accident." That sounds like a vicious rumor! Shirley: "Perhaps you should Google Celeste Holm and James Stewart's shins pictures!"   I think I'd prefer to not know, keep thinking she just had the Jimmy Leg.  But don't Google Jimmy Leg. You'll have nightmares.

Jeannette MacDonald. Now she had a beautiful face! Shirley: "You warned me not to make any Nelson Eddy jokes so I'll just say that I don't like her shirt. It is making me want to throw up!"  Well, you've eaten your weight in sugar so don't go blaming Jeannette for your misery even though I cringe when she sings.  Shirley: "Is it true that people who love musicals don't like you very much?"  Absolutely!

Joan Blondell is working the feathers here.  Shirley: "When your agent tells you to take chances you shouldn't take it out on roosters. Some stars don't have sex appeal no matter what!" I'm not sure what's more disturbing. That you know what sex appeal is or that you blamed Joan's agent and not that crazy June Allyson for this fiasco. I've never trusted June.  Shirley: "Dick Powell was a shrimp so both of those ladies were hard up!"   Meowwww, Hiss!  Another reason to dislike musicals if you ask me! Way too much drama.

We can all agree that Dolores Del Rio was very beautiful! Shirley: "Did she have a label?"  Not officially. But her nickname was Lolita.  Shirley: "Why, did she date Charlie Chaplin at 15?"  No! And I refuse to disparage Charlie. Although that was a good one Shirley.  

Mary Carlisle. Another talented blonde.  Shirley: "I bet when she sees Mae West she runs the other way."  Who doesn't, men included?  Shirley: "Gold digging body builders from Venus beach."  Awww, that's not fair. Mae was lonely.

Jayne Mansfield looks very sweet all covered up for a change.  Shirley: "When you aren't that talented it is important to not be covered up."  Don't let Mamie Van Doren hear you say that! I don't want to see another 200 publicity stills of her in tight hot pants and a bra.  Shirley: "They can't all be Julie Newmar. She has a following."  I think people are too afraid of her not to adore her.

Ruth Hussey was such a talented actress. Do you like her hat Shirley?  Shirley: "She's much prettier than that Claudette Colbert who got a lot of lead roles."  Yes, I don't consider Claudette a beauty but perhaps it was her hairstyle. She reminds me of my aunt Bertie who had horrible hair and severe eyebrows. Thank God aunt Bertie chose collecting snowbabies instead of a career in Hollywood. That would have been an embarrassment.  Shirley: "Who does she get to dust all of those snowbabies?"   Her nieces and nephews! We all have an aversion to dusting and chotchkies but that's for another time. 

Claudette Colbert is working those wonderful bangs! Shirley: "I feel set up! I'm rooting for Ruth Hussey."  This really isn't a contest Shirley.  "I just ripped Claudette a new one so I think it's best to be quiet going forward."  Well, go home and watch Cleopatra then meet me back here next week. Trust me! You'll have plenty to talk about and my apologies to Claudette in advance.

Well, that's all we have for now. Stay tuned for more fabulous hats and Shirley.  Please leave a comment and let us know which hat was your favorite.  

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