I have found the cigarette pen that Ruthie and I had so much fun posing with in her jeep, pretending to be smokers, and also the fabulous cowboy hat ashtray she gave me. So now I really feel my dressing table is complete. When I was walking through the park that is a stone’s throw...
Work colleagues were joking about my potential author’s photo for the book on Friday so it is an ideal opportunity to post this fab pic of Ann again. I really think Ruthie and I should have twin pics like this side by side. Who wouldn’t given half the chance? We’ll need someone ace on the...
“Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.” On a day when the subject of cosmic ordering is foremost in my mind, Ingrid’s quote is rather apt. As the first cosmic order I placed (a lovely flat – nice and cheap) came in a month before I requested delivery, I am...
“I just want to make pictures that are entertaining. I’ll leave the scenery chewing to someone else.“ I wonder if Alan was thinking of someone in particular… Further to yesterday’s post I’m wondering if some of Alan’s Potato Pancakes would be a suitable accompaniment to Veronica’s Spiced Beef. I’m going to try it. In fact,...
“You could put all the talent I had into your left eye and still not suffer from impaired vision.” Said by the woman with the best assymetrical fringe since Phil Oakey of the Human League! Well, she was first of course but you know what I mean… The Daricraft booklet mentioned in the previous post...
“You don’t have to be a Freud to know that the most fascinating person in the world- actors or anybody – is yourself.” ‘ave a banana! Paulette is one of those stars that we REALLY want to feature in the book but hasn’t furnished us with a very inspiring recipe. In fact, the Creamed Sprouts...
“From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it.” My meeting on Thursday was fabulous. I am inspired, enthused and excited about the nebulous entity that will be the book AFTER Silver Screen Suppers. Better get on with this one first...
I love this picture of Janet – she is looking so perky! Very much not how I am feeling but I may try and channel this kind of attitude tomorrow. It’s going to be a big day. The cookie dough is in the fridge doing whatever it does overnight in readiness for my important meeting...
“Don’t kiss and talk about it – men don’t.” OK then Carole, I will keep schtumm. Carole looks so MODERN in this photo, so much so I am going to double check with the lovely Carla over at www.carolelombard.org just to make sure it is really her… Back from a wonderful weekend camping in Epping...
“Time scoots along pretty fast when you grow up.” Another suitcase in another hall… I am back in the Crouch and hopefully for a while this time around. This moving around business is getting a little tiresome. At least nobody here minds me wearing a tiara while I am blogging though… On Friday Louise made...
“I’ll be a boy… and rough and hard!” I’d forgotten all about Katharine posing as a boy in “Sylvia Scarlett”. Maybe it would be a good double bill with Louise Brooks in “Beggars of Life” or even better, Jessie Matthews in “First a Girl” my favourite of all her films… By a weird coincidence, we...
“I do wish I could tell you my age but it’s impossible. It keeps changing all the time.” Dorothy’s feedback on Greer’s Guac did make me laugh. Several times. Firstly there was the response to “Was the recipe easy to follow?” which was, “Yes, but avocados are difficult to peel.” which in my sleep deprived...
“Without security it is difficult for a woman to look or feel beautiful.” There has been a rather subdued atmosphere this Sunday in the shadow of the power station. Partly due to a late night and partly due to a big blue over some slippery gramophones. The dinner will probably be a bit subdued too,...
“Dad was a true Westerner, and I take after him.” Dang the Montana Mule sure looks good in a cowboy hat! I am craving some of Coop’s Buttermilk Griddle Cakes this Sunday morning. I was DJing last night wearing long silk gloves and every time the canape waitress came past I had to take one...
“I got started dancing because I knew it was one way to meet girls” It’s a double whammy today with a tester Stateside (Jeanne) and a tester Thameside (Hedy) both trying out the “Greatest Man Sandwich in the World”. It’s quite a claim isn’t it? And particularly surprising in that it doesn’t contain the one...
“I used to go to Grauman`s Chinese or Pantages and sit there waiting to see my faceless body on the screen. Texas began to look awfully near and awfully good, and “Clara Lou” had a sweet sound to my ears.” I am thinking a lot about Texas today and sending many positive vibes to Ruthie...
“It took me years to figure out that you don’t fall into a tub of butter, you jump for it.” I’m going to the hairdresser tomorrow – I may well take this picture in and get my fringe done like Claudette’s. She is the star I am supposed to look most like – according to...
“Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.” I’m hoping that LOTS of people test Katharine’s Eggplant recipe so I can populate the blog with her wonderful quotes. As I am not a fan of the eggplant (aubergine to us...
“It’s lonely and cold on the top… lonely and cold.” It’s a real family affair this week as fresh in from my sister is a report on Judy’s Vegetable Salad. I absolutely LOVE the fact that my sis made this for the Sudbury Town Twinning BBQ! Ida said it “went down a storm” with the...
“Beautiful? It’s all a question of luck. I was born with good legs. As for the rest… beautiful, no. Amusing, yes.” Since my dad retired he’s been getting a dab hand in the kitchen. This began when he started an evening class called “Cooking for Men” taught by a down to earth Home Economist called...
“To generalize on women is dangerous. To specialize on them is infinitely worse.” Back from the seaside after a week of intense recipe-wrangling. My mind is reeling with all kinds of nonsense – is a frying pan the same as a skillet? What English cheese would be roughly equivalent to Asederos – the Mexican cheese...
“…all my life I’ve been terrible at remembering people’s names. Once I introduced a friend of mine as ‘Martini’. Her name was actually ‘Olive’.” Tallulah’s excuse for calling everyone “dahling” rings a bell with me. I’m getting terrible at remembering names. Which puts me in mind of my dad once saying, “that whatsisname is really...
“I would rather lose a good earring than be caught without make-up.” I know JUST what you mean Lana. And I would rather wear a sparkly hairpiece like this than a shower cap when taking my morning plunge. I may ask my personal milliner Shellac Sister Veronica to rustle me up one of these so...
“If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved.” Shirley (who is 9 years old) was very excited to be at her first hen night on Friday – mine. Well, a hen night of sorts. I’m...
“It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.” Oh what a find! A fabulous picture of Marlene doing what she loved best, off set – cooking. Browsing the site where I found this picture has made me WISH that I lived in Denver. The Denver Public Library is offering a writing...
“I can whistle through my fingers, bulldog a steer, light a fire with two sticks, shoot a pistol with fair accuracy, set type, and teach school . . ” Spoken like a true Texan Ann. Reminds me of the multitasking Ruthie gets up to over there in the Lone Star State… Alfred, the handsome new...
“Being a good host offsets the deprivation and loneliness of my youth.” Aw, come over here Alan and let me give you a cuddle… Our most prolific tester so far, Dale in the TAMI office over in cowboy country threw a “Star Spangled Rhythm” party last week. Dang I wish I’d been there. She selected...
“…no producer ever knocked on my door. There just aren`t that many parts for a black actress” Much debate via emails flying between Cardiff and London about why Dorothy’s Omelet is “Emotional”. Plenty of chopping of onions it is true, but I wonder if it is more that Dorothy would whip one of these up...
“At Mary Ellen’s Hot Pot Party The lads & lasses all were gay and hearty” How wonderful that Una in Charlottesville, Virginia had a go at Gracie’s Lancashire Hot Pot! At the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains a traditional Lancashire recipe got a good going over and the results were rich but very tasty...
“The best thing about switching from being an actor to being a director is that you don’t have to shave or hold your stomach in anymore.” Had a very lazy weekend after an old skool style night on Friday with Sidney and his chums. We didn’t get home until 5am. Outrageous. There has been a...
“Cheetah bit me whenever he could.” I just adore this picture of Maureen – she’s all aquiver – boom boom. Oh what fun to get feedback on the recipes, there sure are some erudite chefs out there. Marion made me laugh with her suggestion that we change Maureen’s recipe to include 12 shop bought cup...
“Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet” the saying goes and it is so lovely that people neither Ruthie nor I have ever met are rustling up Silver Screen Suppers dishes in kitchens all over the world. So a big thankyou goes out to Shirley in Wisconsin for testing and devouring Fred’s Chocolate Cake....
“You ought to see the map for my face in the Makeup Department. It looks like a landscape of the moon.” I’ve been dying to post this amazing picture of La Lombard for ages and now I get my chance. Dorothy over at the British Film Institue made Carole’s Cherry Pie on Sunday for her...
Veronica over in Westbourne Grove had a go at Janet’s Ice Box Cookies this week and sent me an evocative account of her mishaps. Firstly there was a misunderstanding in the late night shop where she went to buy the dates, as the shopkeeper kept thinking she was asking him what the date was…. Reminds...
“Every time your picture is taken, you lose a part of your soul.” All the recipe-wrangling over the last week or so is beginning to bear fruit. Our first feedback form arrived this morning fresh from the floral-bedecked marital home of the new Mr & Mrs Day in West London. As a wedding gift I...
“When I was little, my mother taught me how to use a fork and knife. The trouble is that mother forgot to teach me how to stop using them!” I know what Hattie means, I ate almost ALL of her sweetcorn pudding this evening even though big enough for 2. It is sooooooo delicious. I’ve...
“I don`t think much of most of the films I made, but being a movie star was something I liked very much.” The response to the call for test cooks has been enormous – how very, very exciting. I’m intrigued by the range of choices – are people selecting based on the star or the...
Much excitement in the Silver Screen Silver camp as I’m off to a big dinner party at the home of Gladys tonight. There will be not one, not two but three other celeb chefs there too. EEK. I am taking some Ice Box Cookies all wrapped up in cellophane as party favours… Also this week...
Louise, you rock. My beautiful friend Ava came round for dinner tonight and we discussed the perils and pleasures of letting men into our lives, the horrors of self assessment tax returns and the chances of being struck by lightning if wearing an i-pod. It was a Prosecco fueled chatathon and long overdue. I made...
“I was raised almost entirely on turnips and potatoes, but I think that the turnips had more to do with the effect than the potatoes.” Marlene was not only androgynous, but asymmetrical too! I went to my lock up this morning with heavy heart as it always depresses me to see how much junk I...
There is a mini Vesuvius erupting in my oven. I decided to make Ruth a birthday cake using Anna May Wong’s Tea Cake recipe. I made twice the mixture and instead of making individual muffin type cakes, bunged it all in a cake tin. As Sidney and I waited for the spare ribs to come...
Those little Bouchees sure are a crowd pleaser! Had a lovely evening on the balcony with Ruthie, her new beau, Ava, Sidney and Edmund. My Sister of the Skillet has arrived during Britain’s heatwave. It is amusing her greatly that the Brits are huffing and puffing about the heat when his is actually COLD here...
Love that Tam O’Shanter! I made a big batch of Janet’s cookies for my Cinema Museum lecture and they were wolfed down by the lovely folk who came along. The lecture was lots of fun but I had a few technical problems. When my Greta Garbo clip failed to play I had to do the...
“No one ever expects a great lay to pay all the bills.” A feeling of great joy today after a lovely evening with the E17 posse. They came round armed with gallons of fizzy wine in an attempt to make a dent in the Cassis left in the number 43 cocktail cabinet via the medium...
“Cultivate your curves…” Sure thing Mae, I will! Doesn’t Salada de Tuna sound much more fun than Tuna Salad? I was rustling some up in the kitchen just now when I heard a really, really loud plane fly past. This sometimes gives me the heeby jeebies, being so close to Centre Point – a very...
“They nicknamed me “The Oomph Girl”, and I loathe that nickname! Just being known by a nickname indicates that you`re not thought of as a true actress . . . It’s just crap!” Not sure if that’s a matching headscarf or a hood, either way it is very desirable beach attire. A batch of Ann’s...
“Underwear makes me uncomfortable and besides my parts have to breathe.” Isn’t this just the BEST picture of Jean ever? I think Ruthie and I should pose like this for our author photos, leaning on the heads of two polar bears facing each other. I’m thrilled that the lovely Matthew over at movietone-news.com has done...
“Ducky Wucky” Well I knew as soon as I spotted the pics for Marion that she was a bit of a one. Love the fact that her nickname was The Blonde Menace. I am desperate to see her in Queen of Burlesque which has the tagline “Thrills and Tears of Backstage Queens – to the...
“First I played ingenues and Western heroines; then I played Western heroines and ingenues. That diet of roles became as monotonous as a diet of spinach.” I am up way past my bedtime trying to get some of Jean’s fudge to set. I just can’t see how the chocolate sauce in my pan is going...
“As for those grapefruit and buttermilk diets, I’ll take roast chicken and dumplings.” I do have Hattie’s very own recipe for chicken and dumplings, but tonight it’s sweet corn pudding. It’s in the oven. As per tradition, to mourn the end of a relationship I have scheduled in a private screening of Gone With The...
“If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.” Last night saw extreme Silver Screen Supperage in action. Dinner al fresco which began with Tallulah’s favourite tipple the French 75. Followed by Adolph Menjou’s Spiced Venetian Cheese hors d’oevres, Errol Flynn’s Baked Fish Havanaise and Joan Blondell’s Peach and...
“When I realized they had me pegged as a foreign nobleman type I began to live the part, too. I bought a pair of white spats, an ascot tie and a walking stick.” I’m getting ahead of myself by preparing Adolph’s cheese a couple of days before Gladys and Ava’s visit on Thursday. I have...
“I don`t think much of most of the films I made, but being a movie star was something I liked very much.” I’m feeling rather low this weekend after Sidney & I decided to call it a day. Very sad. Very sad indeed. I feel an extended period of cooking on the way. And lots...
“We need to ditch the idea that there is any value in the strong and silent man being in any way attractive. Being silent isn’t being strong, it’s being a victim.” Well Jane sure was a cutie, both in looks and attitude. Interesting theory she has there, I’m going to mull that one over. The...
“Women are not in love with me but with the picture of me on the screen. I am merely the canvas on which women paint their dreams.” It helped that he was the King of the tango… Grrrr. Rudi’s Chicken was a big hit. Secret ingredient? A big mug of sherry. I made it for...
“I’m Anna May Wong. I come from old Hong Kong. But now I’m a Hollywood star.” It’s my first night in the new W1 abode. Night is falling over Centre Point, Big Ben and the London Eye and a batch of tea cakes are in the oven. The Marathon Man from my office requested some...
“Careful grooming may take twenty years off a woman’s age, but you can’t fool a flight of stairs.” Oh how I wish someone would invite me to a fancy dress party so I could go looking like this… It’s true about the stairs too – they were very tricky to navigate after the vast amount...
“They used to photograph Shirley Temple through gauze. They should photograph me through linoleum.” So hard to choose a quote for Talullah – there are so many fabulous ones! What exactly is she doing in this picture I’d like to know? The person who comes up with the best guess will win a batch of...
“Warner Brothers answer to Clara Bow” Well Alice sure was a cutie pie – there are so many fabulous photographs of her it was hard to choose. I may have to make her “Joanie Cake” or “Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast” just so I can put the picture of her in a silver ice-skating outfit...
“We had individuality. We did as we pleased. We stayed up late. We dressed the way we wanted. I used to whiz down Sunset Boulevard in my open Kissel, with several red Chow dogs to match my hair. Today, they`re sensible and end up with better health. But we had more fun. “ I am...
“Women won’t let me stay single and I won’t let me stay married.” Luckily Jack is nothing like Errol – he and Ginger were hitched on Saturday and that one is going to LAST. Those two were made for each other and now it’s official. We knew that after the glorious and loved up wedding...
“Every cent anybody pays in tax is spent to benefit him. There’s no better place to spend it. I enjoy this country and I really think I get my money’s worth.” I’ve had my head in my hands most of this month, worrying about my tax return. I finally completed it yesterday. How refreshing –...
“When you’re dead, you’re dead. That’s it.” I went to the funeral of a very religious friend this weekend and my crazy sister-in-law announced very loudly at the wake to nobody in particular that she didn’t believe in the afterlife. A stony silence fell over the room as everyone momentarily stopped tucking into the delicious...
“Most actors are basically neurotic people. Terribly, terribly unhappy. That’s one of the reasons they become actors.” It’s New Year’s Eve and I have made Hermits for my workmates. It’s like a ghost town here but we had to come in just in case somebody famous popped their clogs overnight and there was a clamour...
“I’ve played three presidents, three saints and two geniuses and that’s probably enough for any man” The mention of Charlton’s dish was not enough to persuade the new boyfriend to come over for dinner. I do admit that it doesn’t sound too appetising but I switched the cauliflower for broccoli and it wasn’t too bad...
“I wanna go home, I miss my cook” I am loving Clara this week. She is keeping me sane during the insanity that is involved in preparing 9 seperate lectures for the upcoming cruise. My brain is ADDLED and I feel like doing a Clara and just sitting down and playing poker with my cook....
“I’m a tough old broad from Brooklyn. I intend to go on acting until I’m ninety and they won’t need to paste my face with make-up.” Well, Barbara didn’t make it to ninety, but she was acting almost to the end of her life in 1990, appearing in Dynasty and its spin off The...
I was so excited to find the Holy Grail of Joanie’s Meatloaf recipe that I invited Charley over to partake. I knew he would appreciate her secret ingredient of hard boiled eggs. My new squeeze is anti eggs and when I told him that Charley LOVED hard boiled eggs he said, “well bully for Charley”...
I’ve been swept off my feet by a man I met at the Cafe de Paris. One minute I was jigging around on the dance floor, next minute I was having my face snogged off round the back of the VIP area. How marvelous. Last night he came round for dinner. I was going to...
Version 3 of Constance’s chicken was the best so far, by far. The secret being having a whole fresh chicken hacked into bits by the crazy Wood Street butcher I think. As Connie put it, “Take 2 fat hens jointed as for frying…” Rosalind came over to borrow a 1930s frock for her Wind in...
Just coming up for air after the madness of the past couple of weeks. Entering into a new period of calm. Watching Judge Judy during the day and looking for a job. The folks came for lunch last week and I had another bash at Carole Lombard’s Cherry Pie. My ma was very impressed that...
I have to say thankyou to Larry Hodges for this pic of Janet Gaynor playing table tennis. He has a whole website dedicated to celebrities playing ping pong. How fab. Just a little report on the meeting with our possible publisher ES. I rustled up some Janet Gaynor cookies on the fly as I only...
