en-us http://www.intensedebate.com/users/329341 Comments by robertavrech http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546672 Thanks so much for the kind words and the wonderful anecdote. Tue, 5 Oct 2010 22:37:46 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546672 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546548 Thanks so much. Tue, 5 Oct 2010 22:36:45 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546548 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546455 Taras Bulba, another Curtis movie where a man's hand gets chopped off. Tue, 5 Oct 2010 22:35:55 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546455 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546268 I have got to read that book. Sounds, um, wonderful. Tue, 5 Oct 2010 22:34:05 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546268 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546128 Scott: The alleged quote is false. The line never appears in “Son of Ali Baba.” It was a story told by ex wife Janet Leigh to make fun of Curtis. In his autobiography, Curtis is very bitter about this myth. He considered it—I kid you not—anti-Semitic. Tue, 5 Oct 2010 22:32:49 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2010/10/05/bernard-schwartz-aka-tony-curtis-1925-2010/#IDComment102546128 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32123731 Yes, I like "First a Girl" too. But I have to admit that "The Good Companions" is my favorite of her films. It has an internal narrative coherence (forgive the dopey screenwriter jargon) that the others lack. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:10:13 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32123731 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32123591 Thanks so much for the generous words. I'm going to show your comment to my Karen, my wife so I have some back-up for my claim as a reasonably okay husband:-) Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:07:52 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32123591 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32123499 Thaks so much for reminding us about "The Dales." Yes, this hugely popular radio show—over 5,000 15 minute episodes—did bring her back in the public eye, or, um, ear. And she made very good money. But she quickly got bored with the role, missed too many days of work, and yes, she did not get the star treatment she felt was her due, and finally was fired. Welcome to the land of divas. And like most divas she was unaware of her behavior on those around her. You might be very right that the Fred Astaire story was something she concocted to bolster her image. But look, she was supremely talented and I'm sure Astaire did admire her work. He was definitely aware of her career. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:06:17 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32123499 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32123052 I've never seen Forever and a Day. I will probably screen it now. The main problem with British crews was the process. For instance, at RKO the wardrobe people measured Jessie once and told her to come back the next day for the outfit—and it fit perfectly. In Britain, their would be endless fittings, endless do-overs until they got it right. Same for hair and makeup, and only when she got an American cameraman was she properly lit. That's why Hitchcock couldn't wait to get out of Dodge, I mean London. Speaking of Hitch, he directed Jessie in his worst movie ever, "Waltzes From Vienna," 1934. He really didn't like or get Jessie and it shows. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:57:39 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32123052 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32083649 Thanks so much. Yes, Jessie was supposed to be paired with Astaire, but it didn't work out. But hey, Ginger was not too shabby. MGM was dying to sign Jessie to a contract but she was bound to a British studio. Jessie was the biggest British star in the world and the Brits were not about to give her to Hollywood, knowing she would never return. Jessie did appear in one segment (directed by Victor Saville) of an RKO all star charity revue during the war, "Forever and a Day." In her bio, she lavishes praise on Hollywood's make-up, hair and wardrobe people. She was amazed by their resources and excellence, in contrast to the lamo-o British studios. Which is something I still hear from the zillion or so Brits who who work in Hollywood today. Oh, BTW, read "City of Nets" after your post: amazing book, thanks for the tip. Never heard of the book before you brought it to my attention. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:56:26 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32083649 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32080866 I have a thick file titled "Hollywood Abortions." It makes for such painful reading I have not been able to work up the nerve to put together a coherent article. Not one woman celebrates her abortion. Most spend years, if not all theur lives, mourning. Gloria Swanson opens her fine memoir recalling an abortion. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:38:44 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32080866 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32080571 Tons and tons of early stars had impoverished childhoods. As I said in an earlier comment, this had a huge cultural impact on Hollywood and the movies that were produced. Unfortunately, many stars were unprepared to handle the money they earnedmany didn't know how to use a checkbookand scores went broke. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:36:01 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32080571 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32079992 You're very welcome. I love "The Good Companions." And lets not forget to thank the great Robert Osborne for filling our lives with such wonderful movies accompanied by his excellent capsule histories. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:33:35 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32079992 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32079704 Thanks so much. When I was a child growing up in Brooklyn my family had a Shabbos goy who told me, years later, that he looked forward all week to helping us out. The money that he made was totally beside the point for him. I was very moved and appreciative. He was a deeply religious Christian. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:32:05 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32079704 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32079322 Yes, all too human in that there is so much cruelty evident. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:29:49 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32079322 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32079172 I've been making notes for a post about just this subject: the hard scrabble lives of most early Hollywood people. Their modest circumstances and life experiences made a huge difference in the culture of Hollywood, and in the types of movies that were produced. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:29:00 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32079172 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32078895 Sadly, Jessie's story is all to familiar. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:27:06 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32078895 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32078766 And British chorus lines were kind of second rate. Jessie would have been well served in Hollywood, but that's another story. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:26:18 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32078766 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32078569 Thanks so much for the kind words. My wife thinks I dwell too much on the tragic aspect of these lives, but hey, that's what I find when I do my research: dysfunctional lives. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:24:48 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32078569 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32078380 Child actors are victims of child abuse. Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:23:17 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/08/26/jessie-matthews-the-dancing-divinity-does-weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs/#IDComment32078380