The Lina Lamont Fan Club: Still She Persisted!

                        Greetings from the Lina Lamont Fan Club!

This is my entry in The Classic Movie Muse's Singin' in the Rain Blogathon. Click here for more of that glorious feeling.

Yes, loyal fans, we are still here. No matter how hard her enemies try to destroy her legacy, Lina Lamont's fans will not rest until the truth is known and Lina is awarded her proper place in the history of film.

He could too talk!

Just as John Gilbert's legacy was harmed by those who sought to destroy him, Lina's reputation has suffered. For those not familiar with Mr. Gilbert, he was a huge star whose career was destroyed when his enemies made his perfectly adequate voice seem inadequate when talkies changed movies forever. Once the great lover of Greta Garbo, Gilbert made powerful enemies and - poof! -  bad sound, bad scripts, good-bye. Garbo, on the other hand, had scripts tailor-made to her vocal abilities and the best directors, sets, co-stars and costumes. Funny how that happened.

Lina's story is not unlike that of John Gilbert. From 1923 - 1929, Lina Lamont was Monumental Pictures biggest and brightest star. Women copied her and men longer for her. She especially excelled in historical romances and, once paired with Don Lockwood, was one half of a screen duo that rivaled the aforementioned Garbo and Gilbert. During the height of her popularity, Lina received more fan mail than Swanson and graced the covers of more magazines than Bow and Brooks - put together!

Garbo and Gilbert could not compare to Lockwood and Lamont

Naturally, Lina was Monumental's highest paid star. When talking pictures took over, the "masterminds" (as Norma Desmond called them) saw a way to force Lina to take a giant cut in pay. They did virtually nothing to prepare her for talking pictures, giving her only a few lessons with a half-baked vocal coach. MGM not only gave Garbo time to get up to sound speed, but also waited until they found just the right screenplay for her talkie debut ("Anna Christie"). Poor Lina was forced to transition at the snap of a finger from the silent "The Dueling Cavalier" to "The Dancing Cavalier," which showcased the much lower-paid Lockwood's strengths and set the stage for Kathy Selden, the chippie who was sleeping with the star, to claw her way to the top on Lina's back.

Lina had a perfectly lovely speaking voice that
 was manipulated by Monumental Pictures

Lina was also falsely accused of being a "dumb blonde." Lina was a high school graduate with straight "B"s. Her business savvy was legendary. In fact, Mary Pickford was known to admire Lina's negotiating tactics.  But besides being Monumental's highest paid and most glamorous star, Lina also had a keen, inventive mind. Not many people know this, but Lina Lamont was the real inventor of the internet. 

Lina loved to keep current with the likes of gossip columnist Dora Bailey

Others stole the credit, but those who know Lina's keen interest in electronics and gossip know that she was in the forefront of merging technology with up to the minute information. Even today, the 512 x 512 pixel standard test image is known as a "Lena." Coincidence? We think not.

Fans of fashion know Lina as one of the best dressed stars in Hollywood. Whether it be in a period romance, as in this sumptuous costume from "The Royal Rascal,"

or this chic and modern monkey-fur trimmed jacked, Lina knew how to accessorize and always looked better than any star in the room.

So, here's to you, Lina Lamont. Your fans still love you and will never rest until you have been recognized as the ultimate shimmering, glowing star in the cinema firmament.

Lina and whats-his-name

They have rediscovered Louise Brooks. Now it's time for a Lina Lamont revival!

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)

Since my slavish devotion to Lina Lamont is well known to anyone who might have stumbled by here in the past, I simply had to include Singin’ in the Rain as part of the Hooray for Hollywood series.

I can’t help viewing this film as a musical counterpoint to Sunset Boulevard; sort of the positive to the negative/the sun to the shade. There are those who made the transition to sound (Don Lockwood/Garbo) and those who didn’t (poor Lina/poor Norma Desmond). Filmed 20 years after the last of the silent films hit the theaters, it is an occasionally nasty, sometimes affectionate look at that moment in time when Hollywood was turned on its ear and then turned on its own.

 

Written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the film is based, in part, on the memories of producer Arthur Freed and costume designer Walter Plunkett, both who lived through those traumatic changes. At the advent of sound and musicals, Freed was a lyricist, working with composer Nacio Herb Brown (their music is used throughout the film) and Walter Plunkett was wrestling with sound in such early sound musicals as Rio Rita and Dixiana. He remembered only too well how the swish of a dress or the random fingering of a string of pearls could record like a thundering herd of buffalo during those early days. Singin’ in the Rain perfectly captures the panic and the joy of the new medium. It was a topsy-turvy world where great stars (John Gilbert/Clara Bow/Lina Lamont) were toppled from their thrones and virtual unknowns were elevated to star status (Kathy Selden/Alice White/Clark Gable). Some survivors thrived (Joan Crawford, Ronald Colman) while some merely or barely survived (Gloria Swanson).

 

Beyond the sorrow of the twilight of the silents lay the joy of those goofy, innocent early musicals. The Dueling Cavalier becomes the Dancing Cavalier. And Don Lockwood can dance! Who knew? Beyond the diction lessons and the technical mishaps was a feeling of joy and creativity. In the depths of the Depression, silly, gleeful musicals lifted the spirits (even if some of those chorus girls could barely lift their thighs). High spirits abounded, at least for a while. Here's the 1929 version of that famous song (from the finale of The Hollywood Revue of 1929). See how many stars you can identify.

 

Singin’ in the Rain is a bow to the Nancy Carrolls, the Buddy Rogers, the Zelma O’Neils and the John Boles - and all those crazy kids who made us feel like singing and dancing in the rain. Zelma who? Nany who? Check out Nancy Carroll and Buddy Rogers and Zelma and Jack from 1930's Follow Thu.

 

And really, what’s not to love? Kelly’s Don Lockwood is a dancing Fairbanks – dashing, masculine and a joy to behold. It is my favorite Kelly performance (and that’s saying a lot).

 

Gene and the Louise Brooks-inspired leg of the delicious Cyd Charisse

 

The great Donald O'Connor really gets a chance to show how talented he was. His signature number of Make “em Laugh is unforgettable.

 

Debbie Reynolds was cute, but probably the most expendable cast member. She was only 19 when this was made. Her tales of Kelly as a tough task-master legendary and her gratitude to him is a testament to her professionalism.

 

And of course, there is Jean Hagen, as Lina Lamont. There are few things in this world that are perfect and her performance here is one of them. Totally, 100% perfect. As a charter member of the Lina Lamont fan club I can only hope that she went on to buy the studio.

 

A lovely look back at themselves by the insiders who were there without the venom and with out the sadness that a parade had indeed passed by, Singin’ in the Rain remains a joy to behold.

 

31 Days of Oscar Blogathon: 2 Oscar Snubs that Really Irk Me

This is my contribution to the massive 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon jointly hosted by Once Upon A Screen, Outspoken and Freckled, and Paula's Cinema Club. Check out the tributes to the big golden man in the 31 days leading up to the big event.

We Wuz Robbed!

The man who was overlooked too many times

Normally, when you are robbed of something valuable you can either call the cops or just go and grab the stolen item back for yourself. If it's a boyfriend you can bitch-slap the thief, but I digress.....

However, when you are robbed of an Oscar you must smile and applaud the thief, thereby proving yet again that your acting talents are truly superior. Criminally overlooked artists include Garbo, O'Toole, Leonardo DiCaprio, Judy Garland (forget that dumb juvenile award), Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant (not counting the special award for the perpetually overlooked).

So, while I have a list gripes and grievances a mile long, Ill just share 2 of the snubbed ones that really, really irk me.

1952: 

Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont in Singin' in the Rain

The utterly elegant Lina and the demon microphone

Okay, I have made my ardor for Ms. Lamont abundantly clear here, but let's be honest: Jean Hagen wuz robbed! Here's the roster for the 1952 nominees for Best Supporting Actress:

Gloria Grahame - The Bad and the Beautiful

Jean Hagen - Singin' in the Rain

Colette Marchand- Moulin Rouge

Terry Moore - Come Back Little Sheba

Thelma Ritter - With a Song in My Heart

Colette who? Terry Moore - really? Yes, we love Thlema Ritter (herself among those who were always snubbed), but, gee, we loved her in so many other things. And yes, Gloria Grahame rocked, but her performance simply did not compare to Jean's.

The lovely and Oscarless Jean Hagen

For Jean Hagen, Lina Lamont was the role of a lifetime. Her filmography is short and she spent much of her career on television. This was the big one for Jean. Her Lina is bigger than life and dumber than dirt. She is a colorful soul sister to Norma Desmond (oh, another snub I weep over) and truly a shimmering glowing star.... oh, well, you know the rest. She shudda won!!!!

1982: 

Robert Preston as Toddy in Victor/Victoria

And now to one of my all-time favorite he-mans and actors: Robert Preston. From the intense other man tho the charismatic Professor Harold Hill, Preston always filled the screen 100% with his almost too much personality. From Bs to As to a great career on the stage, Preston had acting power, manly-man power and staying power. Never quite the star until The Music Man, he always delivered and was always the professional. 

Here are the 1982 contenders for Best Supporting Actor:

Lou Gossett, Jr. - An Officer and a Gentleman

Robert Preston - Victor/Victoria

James Mason - The Verdict

John Lithgow - The World According to Garp

Charles Durning - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Toddy saves the day

I say NO CONTEST here. Preston's turn as the outrageously gay queen Toddy was made even more winning because of his ultra masculine aura. He was compassionate, wily and a little sad - and truly the heart of the film. His final scene in drag was absolutely fearless. Sorry other nominees, no disrespect, but I demand a recount! To this day this loss still makes me so mad!

How do you NOT honor this performance?

I am sure that Miss Hagen and Mr. Preston behaved like perfect good sports when their names were not called. What else could they do? So, it is up to us fans to cry foul, stamp our feet and tune in next year to see if the Academy agrees with our superior choices.

Happy viewing on March 2nd. Let's hope the 86th Academy Awards get it right!

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

2014 is the year A Person in the Dark celebrates films about my favorite place - Hollywood!

Singin' in the Rain

When "Singin' in the Rain" was released in 1952, silent films had been a thing of the past for only 24 years or so. Probably more than half of those in the audience remembered them and certainly many of those who made the film were there at that time when silents transitioned to sound. Cinematographer Harold Rosson started with Mary Pickford and producer Arthur Freed, along with composer Nacio Herb Brown, wrote the lyrics to music used in the film; music that was first written for those early days of movie musicals.

Here are Freed and Brown performing one of their songs in "The Hollywood Revue of 1929." Freed was a songwriter before becoming a producer.

Our hero, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), has the image of a devil-may-care cross between swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks and lover John Gilbert. It is an image larger than life and perfectly suited to the silent screen where viewers can flesh out a character with their imagination. George Valentin, the leading character of the recent "The Artist," bore a resemblance to Kelly as Fairbanks/Gilbert.

Don's co-star, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), complimented him perfectly as the elegant screen goddess. Together, they heated up the screen. The fact that they were lovers off screen only added to their appeal.

What their fans didn't know was that Don hated Lina and that Lina was a delusional dodo bird with a voice like nails on a chalkboard. As we know, Don and his loyal friend Cosmo (Donald O'Connor) make the transition to sound (along with ingenue Kathy Selden, played by Debbie Reynolds) and Lina is, presumably, laughed off of the screen.

What a cast! Feast on some best moments:

Aside from the music, the dancing and the great performances by the perfect cast, what makes this movie so endearing is the feeling that the people who put this together had experience in that time and place. The depiction of panic that overtook Hollywood feels real, the bad sound, the bad voices, the outmoded characters, the diction coaches, and Lina's cry that she can't make love to a bush all have the ring of truth and, even while they are being kidded, there is a feeling of affection.

While too much credit cannot be given to Kelly and director Stanley Donen, as well as to Donald O'Connor for his wonderful chance to shine and Cyd Charisse for her elegant channeling of Louise Brooks, my heart really belongs to Jean Hagen's wickedly funny and touching Lina Lamont (I am a charter member of the Lina Lamont fan club - for more, read HERE). Poor Lina - a silent screen goddess who made her studio tons of money deserved a better fate than ridicule - and that is my only complaint about this glorious film. Monumental Studio boss R.F. Simpson, along with Lockwood and Cosmo, are awful adolescent bullies. True, Lina was mean to Kathy, but public ridicule was pretty mean! However, I guess that's the message - Hollywood ain't for sissies! Hopefully, Lina licked her wounds with the help of a fat bank account.

So, can I resist posting the 2 powerhouse numbers? No way!

This post is dedicated to the awesome Lina Lamont - may she never be forgotten!!

A shimmering, glowing star in the cinema firmament!