List Old Hollywood Stars Married Holidaytime

Vintage Celebrity Holiday Weddings, New Years
Are you having or attending a Christmas wedding?
Celebrate these anniversaries

December 2, 1926
Alfred Hitchcock marries assistant director Alma Reville (They are married until his death in 1980.)

December 3, 1931
Clara Bow and Rex Bell marry


In 1931, Clara Bow made No Limit, costarring Norman Foster and Stuart Erwin

December 5, 1943
George Montgomery marries Dinah Shore

 
December 9, 1953

Milton Berle, Ruth Cosgrove
1953 wedding

Milton Berle marries Ruth Cosgrove;
November 26, 1991 Berle marries Lorna Adams and remains married until his death in 2002

December 12, 1957
Jerry Lee Lewis marries Myra Gale Brown 

December 16, 1950
Shirley Temple marries Charles Black. (will remain married until his death in 2005) 

December 16, 1936
Gail Patrick marries Robert Howard Cobbat 1:00 in the morning



Tiny Tim on the Tonight Show (wedding) Tues 2013 12/17/1969 married Victoria Mae Budinger (aka "Miss Vicki") daughter, Tulip Victoria, was born in 1971. 


December 17, 1936 newspapers announce engagement of Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck. Robert Taylor, they write gave her a diamond ring watch instead of a traditional engagement diamond. He did give her that ring watch but they were wrong about the engagement. (The couple was engaged and then married in 1939)

December 18, 1937
Virginia Bruce and J Walter Ruben

In 1924 Gloria Swanson was a bride in Her Love Story
The Wedding dress, jewels and coronet cost $100,000.00
From what I can tell that would be over $1 million dollars today.

December 20, 1919
Gloria Swanson, Herbert K. Somborn 

December 20, 1949
Clark Gable and Sylvia Ashley 

December 24, 1964 
Janet Gaynor, one of the first Oscar winners married producer Paul Gregory. She had been married to costume designer Adrian until his death in 1959. Gaynor and Gregory will remain married until her death in 1984.

December 24, 1935 
Claudette Colbert, Dr. Joel Pressman (they remained married until his death in

Hollywood Gets Married

1968)

December 24, 1915
Joe E Brown, Kathryn McGraw (they remained married until her death in 1973)

December 25, 1936
Fall 1935 Jean Harlow is wearing a diamond ring on her engagement finger though they told the press that it was from her mom. Christmas 1936 she receives a 152 carat sapphire flanked by diamonds from William Powell. (Miss Harlow died unexpectedly in June 1937 and they were never married.) 


Christmas 1936 Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond announced their engagement. The couple married June 16, 1937 and stay married until her death in 1965. MacDonald's bridesmaids included Ginger Rogers and Fay Wray. Buddy Rogers and Mary Pickford were just two of the guests.

December 24, 1946
An article talks about how actor Aldo Ray proposed to Shirley Green, his wife-to-be, at a midnight mass church service on Christmas eve. "He gave her the biggest and best engagement ring he was able to afford." He was 21 and she was 19. Ray would make his first movie in 1951.


December 25, 1949
Cary Grant and Betsy Drake 

Christmas 1949: Elizabeth Taylor's mother told Modern Screen magazine: "Liz and young Nicky have been going steady ever since Christmas when they met on the Paramount lot. Frank Freeman Jr. son of the Paramount executive introduced them after Nicky told him that he wanted to meet Elizabeth more than any other girl in the world. They're planning to be married in a church wedding with six bridesmaids and matrons." 

Elizabeth Taylor married Conrad Nicholson Nicky Hilton Jr. on May 6, 1950. He would be the Great-uncle of Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton.

December 26, 1920
Double wedding Constance Talmadge and John Pialgolo and Dorothy Gish and James Rennie Greenwich, Connecticut. The story was that Dorothy Gish giggled all through the ceremony.

Dorothy Gish never had an engagement ring for the good reason that she was

Constance Talmadge
Dangerous Business

never engaged. She just got married without five minutes warning. That was James Rennie's way of doing things. 

For a year he had been proposing to her all over New York and most of Westchester, New Jersey and Long Island.

Gish had been answering, "Take care, some day when you spring that little joke some woman will take you up." 

He was a handsome Broadway matinee idol and she believed that proposals had become a habit with him. 

Miss Gish and Rennie were two of the principals in a double elopement five years ago in which the other actors were Constance Talmadge and John Pialoglou. They were on a motor trip through Connecticut the day after Christmas 1920 in Dorothy's car.

James Rennie and Gish are still good friends with both Constance and her ex-husband. We don't deserve happiness. There is no reason why we should be happy after an escapade as silly as that one. But the gods were good to us. Which goes to show that there are no rules for marriage. It's a game of catch-as-catch-can, in which the loser is wretched and the winner is-- well darn lucky!

Bessie Love, William Hawks

December 27, 1929
Bessie Love marries William B. Hawks. The groom is the brother of director, Howard Hawks.    

December 29, 1941
Maureen O'Hara and Will Price

December 29, 1957
Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme
Gormé and Lawrence were married in Las Vegas



December 30, 1980 Jack Webb, Opal Wright
January 11, 1955 Jack Webb, Dorothy Towne

Jack Webb and Dorothy Towne 1955
They have an eight-foot high Dragnet-themed wedding cake

December 31, 1935 John Carradine, Ardanelle Cosner
(John Carradine is the father of Chris Carradine, David Carradine, Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine.)
December 31, 1969 Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas
 

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
Another bride of the era wearing blue

December 31, 1947
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (they remained married until her death in 1998)


1928 wedding (doesn't appear to be wintertime)

January 1, 1932 Una Merkel, Ronald Burla

January 5, 1940 William Powell, Diana Lewis (they remained married until his death in 1984)

January 7, 1926 George Burns, Gracie Allen (they remained married until her death in 1964.)

Priscilla Dean
1920, for one of her movies

January 10, 1920
Priscilla Dean and Wheeler Oakman

January 10, 1942
Ava Gardner and Mickey Rooney
Gardner's birthday is Christmas Eve, December 24, so she had a lot to celebrate at the end of the year.

January 23, 1931
Pat O'Brien and Eloise Taylor

January 31, 1933
Bela Lugosi and Lillian Arch



Gracie gives a wedding
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1951)




Related Pages of Interest:

William Powell gives Jean Harlow Sapphires and other jewelry 1930s

Burns and Allen, James Mason, the cats, a chair and a whip  

Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, Watches and Sapphires

Ten songs for successful second marriages; Celebrities who had successful second marriages and more


That occasional disclaimer.... As with a lot of information regarding people and events, celebrities from many years ago, we can find conflicting information. Even going back to media of the day you can find misprints, intentional and unintentional errors, etc. From there we rely on nostalgia and people's memories. All here is correct to my knowledge. I very much appreciate my readers and those who visit links.

Hitchcock Dial M for Murder 1954 2014- 60 years

Dial M for Murder 60th Anniversary 2014

Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder
1954 Lobby Card

The Hitchcock classic Dial M for Murder was released May 29, 1954. In the psychological thriller Tony (Ray Milland) is plotting to kill his beautiful and wealthy wife, Margot (Grace Kelly) who's having an affair with Mark (Robert Cummings).

The world premiere was held May 18, 1954 in Philadelphia, Grace Kelly's hometown. The New York premiere was May 28, 1954. 

As noted about all articles on old movies, this one will have spoilers. Created in the early 1950s, during the height of the 3-D movie craze the studio pushed Hitchcock into making a film in 3-D. He didn't want to do it. Touches in the film proper that you may notice include important scenes with a pair of scissors and a finger that is dialing a phone.

Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder 1954, Lobby Card

Most people saw a flat print (a 2-D version) of the film. Legend has it that in 1954 Philadelphia, they showed the movie in 3-D twice, the premiere showing and one more time. 

Audience response was negative and the theater requested a 2-D print from Warner Brothers. Occasionally theaters show the 3-D version on the big screen. 


In The Analysis of Film, Raymond Bellour talks about what may be essentially

Old phone
rotary dial
galaxy s4, iPhone etc cases
One example of
cell phone case

game play with the title and the letter M in this and other Hitchcock films. Comparing it to Suspicion and its Anagrams game where Joan Fontaine's character spells out MURDER "when she imagines she is the object of a death wish on the part of her husband."  

Dial M for Murder resonates like a pun. Margot begins with an M, as does Melanie (The Birds) and Marion (Psycho). Bellour suggests the director's motivation for these M names may have begun "in a cultural fantasy arising from the ferment of his Catholic upbringing: M as in Mary the Holy Virgin."

Hitchcock uses different motifs in his movies and relationships with women in his films can be complicated. Paul Gordon has written a book titled Dial "M" for Mother: A Freudian Hitchcock. I'm not sure Grace Kelly actually wore a green outfit in the film. Green costumes tended to be significant in his films, the color green in a shot at all in a Hitchcock movie has been analyzed by some film historians. Sometimes the colors we see in a lobby card doesn't actually match what was on screen.

Grace Kelly gives Alfred Hitchcock a trim
original clipping magazine photo

The movie was adapted from a successful stage play by Frederick Knott. The play is still performed today. It is a single setting in the stage play is the living-room of a flat in London. 

Hitchcock did his best to have most of the action take place within this setting to heighten the tension. 

Grace Kelly's character kills in self-defense. She then finds herself accused of her attacker's murder. I read that Cary Grant wanted to play the husband Tony 
Wendice, a role that went to Ray Milland. Studio execs thought the public wouldn't find him believable as a man plotting to have his wife murdered. 



 

Hitchcock's cameo in Dial M for Murder
In a class reunion photo

It's not unusual to have premieres in stars' hometowns. My Favorite Wife had its general release on May 17, 1940.  Its premiere was held May second in Louisville, KY, the hometown of star Irene Dunne. 

You may recall that Suspicion, the Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman film Hitchcock made in 1941, had its ending changed so that Grant's character was not a wife-killer.

Dial M for Murder Stream instantly, get on DVD, blu-ray.





Kelly wears a beautiful iconic red dress in this color picture. Costume designer Moss Mabry worked with Academy Award winning art director Edward Carrere to make this movie visually stunning. 

Dial M for Murder lobby cards

Mabry was also responsible for the red jacket worn by James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, 1955. Edward Carrere (along with John Truscott and John W. Brown) won the Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Academy Award in 1967 for Camelot. Carrere was nominated for an Oscar for his work on Dial M for Murder.

A Hitchcock film like Lifeboat, where all the action happens to a group of people floating at sea on a lifeboat shows how the environment can add greatly to the tension felt by the characters and in turn by the audience. Some critics and fans note some similarity in plot between this movie and Strangers on a Train.

This was the first time that Alfred Hitchcock worked with Grace Kelly. The next time, she'd be his leading lady with James Stewart in the movie Rear Window, a

Dial M For Murder
promo Photograph HQ

film also featuring Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr. Hitchcock waited until Kelly was available to begin work on the movie.

Kelly also worked with him on To Catch a Thief, co-starring Cary Grant. It was around this time that Grace Kelly met her future husband, Prince Rainier III of Monaco. She would soon marry and leave Hollywood behind to become Princess Grace of Monaco. 

Grace Kelly won an Oscar, Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in The Country Girl, 1954. Ray Milland won the Best Actor in a Leading Role Academy Award for his work in The Lost Weekend, 1945.  

This year Grace of Monaco with Nicole Kidman and Tim Roth is being released. Have you seen it or are you planning to see it? What did you think? Roger Ashton-Griffiths plays Alfred Hitchcock.

In 1998, Dial M for Murder had a modern remake, A Perfect Murder with Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen.

How many Hitchcock movie remakes can you think of? Film Historian Leonard Maltin talked about Dial M for Murder.





Links to Related Pages of Interest:

Grace Kelly brings a new pet to Monaco, a gift from Cary Grant

Alfred Hitchcock Blue Food Dinner parties: the practical joke so nice, he played it twice 

In May it's time to celebrate Vertigo with Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak

Grace Kelly Costume Barbie, Princess Grace Wedding Dress, To Catch a Thief dresses Edith Head

There Really Was a Hollywood (Autobiography) Actress Janet Leigh (Marion Crane in the movie Psycho) has written more than one book. She also wrote Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller and a number of novels. If Steven Spielberg's Jaws made us afraid to go into the water, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho made us afraid to take a shower! As Tallulah Bankhead and William Bendix may have been thinking as they drifted along in Lifeboat, "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

The Analysis of Film, by Raymond Bellour  

Dial "M" for Mother: A Freudian Hitchcock, by Paul Gordon

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Oliver poodle fit for princess new pet

Fit for a Princess: The new pet Grace Kelly brought to Monaco

What do our pets mean to us?  In 1956 Grace Kelly arrived in Monaco for her wedding. As her prince escorted her off the ship she was cradling a black poodle in her arms. The dog was an engagement gift from friend and To Catch A Thief co-star Cary Grant. Loving the pets of the person you love can be wonderful.

Grace Kelly was married on April 19, 1956. Their civil wedding was the day before on April 18th.



You see Grace Kelly holding the poodle. 

Cary and his wife had a poodle named April. Grace had played with their poodle at their Palm Springs home. 


"Of her costars Kelly's relationship with (Cary) Grant was one of the most enduring. He and his wife Betsy gifted Grace with her beloved pet poodle, Oliver shortly before she set sail for her wedding. We'll assume that Grace Kelly named Oliver, but don't know that.

"They were there for key moments in Grace's life: her wedding, the ball held for Princess Caroline's wedding in 1978, Grace and Ranier's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and Grace's funeral."
-- from What Would Grace Do?: How to Live Life in Style Like the Princess of Hollywood (paper or ebook) by Gina McKinnon 


In a 1934 newsreel Hollywood on Parade, Cary Grant goes to meet Virginia Cherrill, who would become his wife. Grant has a dog with him, it's probably Archibald. [They're about 2:20 into the film]

The book, Chaplin's girl: the life and loves of Virginia Cherrill is getting some good reviews.

Archibald was the name Cary Grant chose for his pet sealyham. Grant's real (former) name had been a long-time joke for him and the public. It is said that the dog ran out the door while Grant was carrying Virginia Cherrill over the threshold in 1934. He took large ads in the papers with the dog's name.  A sealyham is a rare Welsh breed of small to medium-sized terrier, usually white, that originated in Wales as a working dog.

In June, 1942, shortly before his marriage to Barbara Hutton, he legally changed his name from Archibald Leach to Cary Grant and became an American citizen.

There are humorous inside-joke type mentions of his birth-name in films Gunga Din and in His Girl Friday, he says, "The last man to say that to me was Archie Leach, just a week before he cut his throat."

Later in his life Mr. Grant and his wife Barbara had cats named Sausage and EQ. The book tells a story of when Quincy Jones came over to the house and laughed when he heard EQ's name. 

This cat had two different colored eyes. Grant told Jones that he didn't even know what the cat's name stood for. Jones told him that in recording music, EQ stands for equalization, but then he laughed and said, "Man, that cat hasn't even got two eyes the same color!"

Jones had composed, orchestrated, and conducted the music for Cary Grant's last film, Walk, Don't Run (1966). He also composed the film score for The Slender Thread (1965) with Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft.

Funny note: On Season four of the Spike TV show Ink Master, there's a contestant, a tattoo artist who goes by the nickname Sausage. His name is Walter Frank. Once in a while I think it may be a good idea to get a cat tattoo from this guy. He's a very good tattoo artist, btw. They had X-Men's Hugh Jackman on this season.

Cary Grant's beautiful daughter, Jennifer is grown up now. In her book, Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant, which is a sort of homage to her dad, she mentions her own dog.  "My dog, Oliver, is named after our mutual nickname, Ollie. In a Cockney accent we could greet each other with,  'ello Ollie! 'ow ya' doin', Ollie? Oliver and baby Cary will look at us sideways, and then my father will never leave again." 

The book is it's fun and refreshing. It's interesting from a fan perspective and it's also well written. A lot of daughters will be able to relate.

Grace Kelly Packing for Wedding to Prince Rainer of Monaco.
Her pet poodle, Oliver looks on....

There are several photo posters of Actress Grace Kelly around the time of her wedding, before and after
photographer, Lisa Larsen :: Buy vintage photo poster

Poster would be a fantastic choice for the wall of a fashionista, clothing/jewelry designer, stylist or photographer....
Different sizes and frame types are available Premium photographic print, an upgrade to the standard photographic print, feature high-gloss premium photographic paper. The result is a unique silver pearlescent finish with visual impact and depth. 


Is a love of animals passed on from generation to generation or are we born with the ability to love and have empathy for other creatures? Either way, encouraging our kids to treat animals with love, kindness and respect is important.

On August 31, 2013, Prince Andrea Casiraghi, second in line to the throne of Monaco, wed Tatiana Santo Domingo. By all accounts there was not a crown in sight. The prince is the grandchild of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco. 

The couple's puppy was a guest and appeared in several of the wedding photos. 

Years earlier, when Grace Kelly went to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco, she received a poodle named Oliver from her friend Cary Grant. The two had recently made the Alfred Hitchcock film, To Catch A Thief. Miss Kelly's pet dogs were among the passengers to accompany her on the ship to Monaco.

Grace Kelly was known to be a dog lover. Oliver the poodle was seen in newsreels and photos. She either did or used to also have at least a Great Dane and a Weimaraner. 

Tatiana, the bride-to-be, celebrated her upcoming wedding on a luxury yacht. She and her bridesmaids wore white and had garlands of flowers in their hair.

"In her classic bohemian style, the bride wore a simple Missoni gown with three-quarter length sleeves and a demure V-neck, raffia- and silk thread-emroidered bodice and a full-length circle skirt with a macrame effect supported by two layers of silk organza. 

"Finishing off her hippy chick look she wore a floral wreath on her head, similar to the one she wore for her hen-do last week."
-- excerpt from Brides Magazine

Video: 50 Years after wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer of Monaco
Beautiful footage -- including Oliver the Poodle
You see Grace Kelly holding the poodle while she is getting off of the ship. Prince Rainier takes the end of Oliver's leash as they get into the car.

1956 Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds
Wedding Dress Photos Original Print Ad Advertising

"The studio presented these stars their wedding dresses:" Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Arlene Dahl.

Lovely ladies and animal stars made several Hollywood hits. 

Notably Elizabeth Taylor with her Lassie movies.

Elizabeth Taylor and Lassie 8x10"

Elizabeth Taylor was in Lassie Come Home (1943) and The Courage of Lassie (1946)

Grace Kelly's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6329 Hollywood Blvd.
Her star is near those of Eve Arden, C. Aubrey Smith, Ann Rutherford, Rosemary Clooney, Desi Arnaz and Gordon MacRae

For equal time
Grace Kelly with a kitten
8X10 Photo

Elizabeth Taylor's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6336 Hollywood Blvd.
Her star is near those of Richard Burton and Darryl Zanuck,
Marjorie Rambeau, Arturo Toscanini, Irene Hervey, Kim Novak, Dorothy Lamour, Lillian Roth

Lassie's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6368 Hollywood Blvd.
Lassie's star is near those of Anne Bancroft and Robert Goulet, Paul Henreid, Chris Farley, Andy Devine, Rodney Dangerfield, Jack Benny and Rich Little

To Catch a Thief - Cary Grant Grace Kelly Movie Poster

2015 marks the 60th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief. Will there be a tribute or celebration in your area?

On the Riviera, in the summer of 2013, approximately $136,000,000 of jewels was stolen from The Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes, France. The hotel was where Hitchcock had filmed scenes for To Catch a Thief where Cary Grant played a cat burglar.


Some information from:

Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best  By Nancy Nelson


The Man From Dream City, by Pauline Kael, New Yorker Magazine, July 1975

Related Pages of Interest:

Grace Kelly Costume Mattel Barbie : To Catch a Prince
Capture those special days in their lives with a beautiful doll in a wedding dress done to the smallest detail and other outfits matched to what she wore including the pearl necklace given to her as an engagement gift from the prince to the Manual of Catholic Devotions prayer book that she carried with her.

Pets in Weddings, Portraits, Dog Ring Bearers, A Cat or Dog Bridesmaid : Dogs in Weddings
Pets in our wedding parties, Cats, dogs other pets walking down the aisle, Making your wedding personal. More people, we read about the celebrities are having our pets if not in the ceremony iteself, in the portraits and photos and at some part of the wedding festivities.

Animals on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Animals on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: Famous Dogs, Character Costumes : Muppets, Godzilla, more.

Oliver a Poodle fit for a Princess-The new pet Grace Kelly brought to Monaco

What do our pets mean to us?  In 1956 Grace Kelly arrived in Monaco for her wedding. As her prince escorted her off the ship she was cradling a black poodle in her arms. The dog was an engagement gift from friend and To Catch A Thief co-star Cary Grant. Loving the pets of the person you love can be a wonderful thing.

Grace Kelly was married on April 19, 1956. Their civil wedding was the day before on April 18th.



You see Grace Kelly holding the poodle. 

Cary and his wife had a poodle named April. Grace had played with their poodle at their Palm Springs home. 


"Of her costars Kelly's relationship with (Cary) Grant was one of the most enduring. He and his wife Betsy gifted Grace with her beloved pet poodle, Oliver shortly before she set sail for her wedding. 

"They were there for key moments in Grace's life: her wedding, the ball held for Princess Caroline's wedding in 1978, Grace and Ranier's twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and Grace's funeral."
-- from What Would Grace Do?: How to Live Life in Style Like the Princess of Hollywood (paper or ebook) by Gina McKinnon 

We'll assume that Grace Kelly named Oliver, but don't know that. Archibald was the name Cary Grant chose for his pet sealyham. His real (former) name had been a long-time joke for him and the public. It is said that the dog ran out the door while Grant was carrying Virginia Cherrill over the threshold in 1934. He took large ads in the papers with the dog's name.  A sealyham is a rare Welsh breed of small to medium-sized terrier that originated in Wales as a working dog.

In June, 1942, shortly before his marriage to Barbara Hutton, he legally changed his name from Archibald Leach to Cary Grant and became an American citizen.

There are humorous inside-joke type mentions of his birth-name in films Gunga Din and in His Girl Friday, he says, "The last man to say that to me was Archie Leach, just a week before he cut his throat."

Later in his life Mr. Grant and his wife Barbara had cats named Sausage and EQ. The book tells a story of when Quincy Jones came over to the house and laughed when he heard EQ's name. 

This cat had two different colored eyes. Grant told Jones that he didn't even know what the cat's name stood for. Jones told him that in recording music, EQ stands for equalization, but then he laughed and said, "Man, that cat hasn't even got two eyes the same color!"

Cary Grant's beautiful daughter, Jennifer is grown up now. In her book, Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant, which is a sort of homage to her dad, she mentions her own dog.  "My dog, Oliver, is named after our mutual nickname, Ollie. In a Cockney accent we could greet each other with,  'ello Ollie! 'ow ya' doin', Ollie? Oliver and baby Cary will look at us sideways, and then my father will never leave again." 

The book is it's fun and refreshing. It's interesting from a fan perspective and it's also well written. A lot of daughters will be able to relate.

Grace Kelly Packing for Wedding to Prince Rainer of Monaco.
Her pet poodle, Oliver looks on....

There are several photo posters of Actress Grace Kelly around the time of her wedding, before and after
photographer, Lisa Larsen :: Buy vintage photo poster

Poster would be a fantastic choice for the wall of a fashionista, clothing/jewelry designer, stylist or photographer....
Different sizes and frame types are available Premium photographic print, an upgrade to the standard photographic print, feature high-gloss premium photographic paper. The result is a unique silver pearlescent finish with visual impact and depth. 


Is a love of animals passed on from generation to generation or are we born with the ability to love and have empathy for other creatures? Either way, encouraging our kids to treat animals with love, kindness and respect is important.

On August 31, 2013, Prince Andrea Casiraghi, second in line to the throne of Monaco, wed Tatiana Santo Domingo. By all accounts there was not a crown in sight. The prince is the grandchild of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco. 

The couple's puppy was a guest and appeared in several of the wedding photos. 

Years earlier, when Grace Kelly went to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco, she received a poodle named Oliver from her friend Cary Grant. The two had recently made the Alfred Hitchcock film, To Catch A Thief. Miss Kelly's pet dogs were among the passengers to accompany her on the ship to Monaco.

Grace Kelly was known to be a dog lover. Oliver the poodle was seen in newsreels and photos. She either did or used to also have at least a Great Dane and a Weimaraner. 

Tatiana, the bride-to-be, celebrated her upcoming wedding on a luxury yacht. She and her bridesmaids wore white and had garlands of flowers in their hair.

"In her classic bohemian style, the bride wore a simple Missoni gown with three-quarter length sleeves and a demure V-neck, raffia- and silk thread-emroidered bodice and a full-length circle skirt with a macrame effect supported by two layers of silk organza. 

"Finishing off her hippy chick look she wore a floral wreath on her head, similar to the one she wore for her hen-do last week."
-- excerpt from Brides Magazine

Video: 50 Years after wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer of Monaco
Beautiful footage -- including Oliver the Poodle
You see Grace Kelly holding the poodle while she is getting off of the ship. Prince Rainier takes the end of Oliver's leash as they get into the car.

1956 Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds
Wedding Dress Photos Original Print Ad Advertising

"The studio presented these stars their wedding dresses:" Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Arlene Dahl.

Lovely ladies and animal stars made several Hollywood hits. 

Notably Elizabeth Taylor with her Lassie movies.

Elizabeth Taylor and Lassie 8x10"

Elizabeth Taylor was in Lassie Come Home (1943) and The Courage of Lassie (1946)

Grace Kelly's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6329 Hollywood Blvd.
Her star is near those of Eve Arden, C. Aubrey Smith, Ann Rutherford, Rosemary Clooney, Desi Arnaz and Gordon MacRae

For equal time
Grace Kelly with a kitten
8X10 Photo

Elizabeth Taylor's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6336 Hollywood Blvd.
Her star is near those of Richard Burton and Darryl Zanuck,
Marjorie Rambeau, Arturo Toscanini, Irene Hervey, Kim Novak, Dorothy Lamour, Lillian Roth

Lassie's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6368 Hollywood Blvd.
Lassie's star is near those of Anne Bancroft and Robert Goulet, Paul Henreid, Chris Farley, Andy Devine, Rodney Dangerfield, Jack Benny and Rich Little

To Catch a Thief - Cary Grant Grace Kelly Movie Poster

2015 marks the 60th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief. Will there be a tribute or celebration in your area?

On the Riviera, in the summer of 2013, approximately $136,000,000 of jewels was stolen from The Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes, France. The hotel was where Hitchcock had filmed scenes for To Catch a Thief where Cary Grant played a cat burglar.

Some information from:

Evenings With Cary Grant: Recollections in His Own Words and by Those Who Knew Him Best  By Nancy Nelson


The Man From Dream City, by Pauline Kael, New Yorker Magazine, July 1975

Related Pages of Interest:

Grace Kelly Costume Mattel Barbie : To Catch a Prince
Capture those special days in their lives with a beautiful doll in a wedding dress done to the smallest detail and other outfits matched to what she wore including the pearl necklace given to her as an engagement gift from the prince to the Manual of Catholic Devotions prayer book that she carried with her.

Cary Grant becomes a US Citizen and changes his name from Archie Leach June 1942

Pets in Weddings, Dog Ring Bearers, in Portraits, A Cat or Dog Bridesmaid : Dogs in Weddings
Pets in our wedding parties, Cats, dogs other pets walking down the aisle, Making your wedding personal. More people, we read about the celebrities are having our pets if not in the ceremony itself, in the portraits and photos and at some part of the wedding festivities.

Animals on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Animals on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: Famous Dogs, Character Costumes : Muppets, Godzilla, more.

WWI Centenary Gardens Chelsea Flower Show-Never Forget

WWI Christmas Truce; Centenary Gardens Chelsea Flower Show

Poster World War One Recruitment
Together we win

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London. The show ran May 20 - 24 2014. 

• Christmas Truce documentary below
• John McCutcheon's song, Christmas in the Trenches
• WWI Movie recommendations
• More about the No Man's Land Garden

To commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, gardens will be featured themed on the war in the Great Pavilion.

Life on the front line in World War I will be the focus of a floral exhibit in the Great Pavilion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year.   

Two military charities, teamed with notable designers are exhibiting gardens. ABF the Soldier's Charity will have a garden called No Man’s Land created by award-winning designer Charlotte Rowe.
-- information from their promotional material




 

Louise Glaum ad for I Am Guilty
A famous American actress and producer of the 1920s
One of the vamps or vampires, she also made a film called Sex in 1920,
She set up a fund and organization to help families get letters and gifts to soldiers in WWI

Christmas Time in the Trenches
What we can do to bring the Holiday Spirit to our boys--
1917 article written by Louise Glaum

"This coming Christmas will be the greatest one in the lives of most of us-- greatest because it offers the greatest opportunity to give. Never in the history of the world was there so much suffering and never was there such a need of love of ministration and of giving. ...

"Those who give the most on this next Christmas day are the boys -- our splendid, lovable American boys who have given up their business positions, money, prospects, bodily comforts and the sweetest thing in the world, home. Home at Xmas time! They are out in the tents of dreary training camps, on the bitter cold seas or worse still, in the trenches."

The actress suggests that we send care packages to the soldiers. Cigarettes, tobacco, chocolate. She also sent autographed photos, 'if you wish it,' since she also was facilitating getting gifts to the boys from their families, wives and girlfriends.

"Our families back in England were toasting us that day,
Their brave and glorious lads so far away."
Christmas in the Trenches



Documentary about the Truce of 1914

Musician and singer/songwriter John McCutcheon wrote a lovely and haunting song, Christmas in the Trenches. It's available as an MP3 or on his Winter Solstice CD. Watch to see if McCutcheonis coming to do a show in your town, you'll be glad you saw him live.

He researched the event and the historic accuracy in the lyrics makes the song all the more poignant.

"I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.

"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me
Soon one by one each German voice joined in in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war.

As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht," "Tis 'Silent Night'," says I
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky. ....

Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell. ....
-- excerpt Christmas in the Trenches, John McCutcheon



McCutcheon is touring the US and Canada for the next several months. He sings a variety of songs and plays a variety of instruments. You can hear Mr. McCutcheon talk about being taken to meet Frank Buckles, the last surviving American WWI veteran. Buckles died in 2011 at the age of 110.

This summer, there's to be a First World War garden commemoration at Clandon Park, Surrey. Clandon house was used as a hospital in the First World War. As part of their commemorations images placed around the gardens and grounds. 

Poppy seeds have been scattered in the daffodil meadow and the summer bedding scheme for the parterre will be based on the red, white and blue of the nurses’ uniforms. They are known for their field of daffodils.

Beautiful Red Flowers Decorative Curly Leaves Hanging Lamps 
Customize, Start from scratch to create your own pendant hanging lamp or table Lamp-In-A-Box

Help for Heroes will have a Hope on the Horizon garden in the shape of the Military Cross by designer Matthew Keightley.  Mr. Keightley said that he was inspired by the example of his brother Michael who serves in the RAF regiment. His brother is due for his fifth tour of Afghanistan.

Pennard Plants will also be commemorating the outbreak of the war with two back-to-back gardens will reflect the times before and after 1914. Layouts and drawings of how the gardens will look are available on the RHS Chelsea Garden web site. 

The Soldiers' Charity and other sources promise to have photos up soon as they progress with their preparations. I can put links up here as I find them.

Keightley’s work will be rebuilt at a recovery center run by Help for Heroes in Colchester, Essex. Their efforts will continue to help and inspire long after the show is over.



Both gardens are intended to be reminders of the hardship suffered by soldiers

World War 1 Lord Kitchener Recruitment Poster

100 years ago and in current conflicts. 

Birmingham City Council has joined forces with the Royal British Legion and the charity Thrive for the floral exhibit. 

The display is to feature wartime memorabilia as well as giant poppies and reconstructions of the trenches. It should be a very moving experience to walk through. 

It takes 25 days to set up the five day flower show which is put on by the Royal Horticultural Society. They have other shows and events throughout the year in the UK. Any of us can find resources and information on their web site.

What kind of garden are you interested in? Show, Contemporary Conceptual, Romantic, Formal, Urban, Woodland, Country, Fresh Garden, Children's Garden? 

David Gandy, adventurer Ben Fogle, comedian and actor Rob Brydon, legendary chef Mary Berry. Actress Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) tells us that wildness is wilder and the tameness is tamer this year. What else do we need to know. :)

Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show: A Centenary Celebration is from 2013. That was the year they had the Tolkien Lord of the Rings garden in association with a local library. You never know what amazing things you will find at the flower show.


This show will have something for everyone. Whether you're looking for gardening vegetables, flowers or something avant garde. There will be more than one installment that fit into the category of healing gardens. One, designer Olivia Kirk's Well Child garden, will be for the benefit and comfort of children who are ill. 

Poster World War One Recruitment
Help! The Woman's Land Army of America,
New Jersey Division, State House, Trenton

Ms. Rowe has been traveling to select trees, blocks of limestone and other items that are just right for her No Man's Land garden.

The show promises to be enthralling this year. The new Discovery area in the Great Pavilion will be full of scientific and educational exhibits including a display about the botanical source of paper.

Do you have anything planned, are you attending any commemorative events this year? Attending an event is a good opportunity for education and reflection.

Bette Davis,Marlene Dietrich,Bob Hope, Hollywood Canteen

I've chosen a group of favorite films with World War One themes. 

These run pretty regularly on TV. 

They're probably available at your library. 

You can buy them or stream them.

The Fighting 69th with James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, George Brent

Paths of Glory, Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou, directed by Stanley Kubrick

Hell's Angels; Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon

Steven Spielberg's War Horse adapted from the Broadway play which uses a life-size horse puppet.
Wings; Clara Bow, Richard Arlen [Blu-ray] Winner of the first Best Picture Academy Award.
Joyeux Noel (Widescreen)

Sergeant York (Two-Disc Special Edition); Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan

King & Country; Dirk Bogarde





Links to Related Pages of Interest: 

Tributes to lost heroes and loved ones, Choosing Songs for Memorials and Events

Recycled Instruments - Repurposing a broken piano for the garden

Nurses in War and Military Films 

Bay Area, California Gardening, Urban Farming Camps


Resources, More Information:

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Clandon Park, Clandon House, Surrey

Find out when John McCutcheon will be performing near you

*A  note about links: Please note that links will open in separate windows for your convenience. You can close them and go back to this blog article in its original window.  

Photo-Play Journal Holiday 1917