John Garfield with Frances Farmer

John Garfield as John Alexander - aka Johnny Blake - in drama "Flowing Gold" (1940) directed by Alfred E. Green

Frances Farmer & John Garfield in "Flowing Gold" (1940)

John Garfield pulled strings to get Frances Farmer cast as his leading lady in "Flowing Gold" (1940). Both actors would eventually be destroyed by Hollywood's ignorance.

Promotional still of John Garfield in "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946) directed by Tay Garnett

John Garfield and Lana Turner in Laguna Beach, filming "The Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946)

Cecil Kellaway, John Garfield and Lana Turner in "Thd Postman Always Rings Twice" (1946)

"I could never belong to only one man -- I belong to all men," says Lana Turner in 'The Prodigal'.

Lana never lets you (or herself) forget that she is the ultimate sex goddess -- but in 'Postman', at least, she rarely forgets that she's playing a character and not herself. It is perhaps her finest work -- from a body of work that includes very few truly stellar performances.

'Postman', which predates all that, is a stunner -- a cruel and desperate and gritty James Cain vehicle that sorely tests Lana's skills.

But she succeeds marvelously, and from the first glimpse of her standing in the doorway in her white fuck-me pumps, as the camera travels up her tanned legs, she becomes a character so enticingly beautiful and insidiously evil that the audience is riveted. It is a noir tale of lust, betrayal, and murder that, along with 'Mildred Pierce' and 'Double Indemnity', remains one of the few truly important women's roles in film noir.

Turner wears white, head-to-toe, throughout the film -- hot, stark, tawdry white -- and is anything but virginal. But it is a nice counterpoint to the double-crossing and noir feel. Cora is a dame who wants out, but killing her husband (Kellaway) was never really part of her plan. Then along comes Frank (Garfield), a drifter with itchy feet who beats Cora at her own game of seduction and manipulation. 'Postman' is a stunning achievement that will live forever.

Now that their relationship is poisnned with distrust and they are turned against each other, Cora wants to be rid of Frank: "Well, goodbye, Mr. Yellow. I don't know what you're going to do and I don't care. But I'm going in and open up my lunchroom." Cora wants to be respectable and well off, rather than on the road and wandering away with Frank. He is permitted to stay, although the two lovers are very divided:

Frank: Cora, Cora, look. Maybe, maybe you could sell the place and we can go away somewhere and start fresh, where nobody knows us.

Cora: Oh, no! You've been trying to make a tramp out of me ever since you've known me. But you're not going to do it. I stay here.
Frank: All right. I'm gonna stay too.
Cora: Well, let me tell you something. If you do stay, there's gonna be a lot of hard work done around here because I've got ideas for this place.

John Garfield posing on the set of 'Force of Evil' (directed by Abraham Polonsky), on 11th June, 1948 in New York City.

John Garfield and Jennifer Jones in "We Were Strangers" (1949) directed by John Huston
Jennifer Jones declared: "It's such a pleasure to play with John Garfield. He is a powerful actor and one feels his security in a scene".

Jennifer Jones played Emma Bovary in "Madame Bovary" (1949) directed by Vincente Minnelli. The film was a project of the MGM studios and Lana Turner was set to star, but when pregnancy and the Breen office forced her to withdraw, Jennifer Jones stepped into the title role. The story of the adulterous wife who destroys the lives of many presented censorship issues with the Production Code. A plot device which structured the story around author Gustave Flaubert's obscenity trial was developed to placate the censors.

Jennifer Jones joins the rebels for revenge but falls for the terse passion of the mastermind (John Garfield), her house becomes the group's hideout as they dig a tunnel under the Havana Cemetery and towards the dictator. Dynamite is concealed in conga drums, Gilbert Roland ("something of a poet") grabs a pickaxe and delivers the first blow on a rocky side, "this is for the President" .

Huston's overt sympathy for sedition might be a jibe at the McCarthyism just around the corner, and his filmmaking is up to the task -- the stark claustrophobia of the compositions (a bedrock for Le Trou, The Great Escape, Kanal) is continuously goosed by an urgent surrealism out of Buñuel's Mexican period, as in the moment when the heroine, roused by nightmares, descends into the tunnel as if into a tomb and is startled by Garfield's face covered in red dust. Jones with a machine-gun in hand anticipates Mao's ode to female warriors ("Spirited and attractive, with a five feet rifle...")

John Garfield and Shelley Winters during the filming of a bedroom scene on the set of 'He Ran All the Way' (January 1951) directed by John Berry.

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John Garfield with Frances Farmer

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Black Widow

I've owned this black lace dress for years and years; it was one of those long-standing favorites that I had tucked away in a dress bag and stashed under my bed for safe keeping. Along with my 90's rompers that I turned into mini-dresses, this was one of those things I pulled from the vaults with the intention of reworking it somehow.

The dress is a Betsey Johnson and was originally purchased sometime around 1993. It also came with an opaque black slipdress that goes underneath, which I still use as a slip fairly often. The black lace completely transforms the look of this 50's-style red dress, giving it much more of a goth quality than I'd ever thought possible. I kept the rest of the outfit simple so as not to overdo it; after all, black and red makes quite a statement on its own. I left my legs bare despite the frigid Bay Area temperatures, because I felt that even sheer black hose would look too gloomy.

The dress is obviously meant to be buttoned all the way down, but I wanted to use the stark contrast between the two dresses to create the illusion of an hourglass shape, which I don't actually have. The 'V' shapes that I created by unbuttoning the black dress above and below the elastic belt are accentuated by the saturated red underneath. I think the red hourglass shape also makes me look a little like a black widow. If only I had all those handy extra limbs -- just think how many more tattoos I could get!

Red dress: J. Crew
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Shoes: Steve Madden

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Black Widow

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Built for Comfort

This outfit was all about comfort. I'd been up late and on my feet for many hours the night before, and all I wanted was an unfussy outfit with nothing constricting me anywhere, no periodic tugging or adjusting to be done, and a soft, cozy pair of shoes. Thankfully this one was of the pre-planned outfits hanging in my closet. My workday was one of uncomplicated, maintenance-free bliss with this fun A-line minidress and sneakers.

If I'm not mistaken, this may be the first pair of sneakers ever to make an appearance on this blog. I found this pair during my Seattle trip a couple of weeks ago, and though I'm not much of a sneakers wearer, I couldn't resist the fun colors and feminine look of these. Of course I added some obligatory skulls to offset all the girly cuteness of this outfit.

And what was it that kept me out late and on my feet the night before? Mark and I took a little trip down memory lane at the Duran Duran show at the Fillmore. The last time I saw them was in 1986 at the Oakland Coliseum, and happily, I think we're all still holding up pretty well. As a bonus that evening, I was also recognized by one of my readers, who I ran into outside the show on the way to line up. We didn't properly introduce ourselves, but it was fun to meet you, whoever you are! Thank you for stopping me and saying hello!

Dress: Red Dress Shoppe
Leggings: Kersh
Shoes: Simple
Pin: Devout Dolls
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson

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Corset Top

I hope all my friends in the US had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. If you'd like to see a little of what I was up to, take a peek in the Etsy shop. Some more of Mark's amazing creations will be posted soon; he's been very busy as well, and has crafted some real masterpieces.

I originally bought this top specifically to wear underneath my Dark Garden corset, but since I have yet to wear the corset (which I don't even have a good excuse for), the top has hung in the closet unworn as well. It wasn't until I pulled it out to use for modeling some of Mark's belts for the shop that I was inspired to wear it to work. Putting it over this ecru dress seemed like a perfect way to downplay all the lace and make it more office-appropriate. The skirt added just the right amount of length to the hemline, while I offset all the girlieness of the lace and pink by adding plenty of skulls.

Top: Dark Garden
Dress: Lady Language
Skull scarf: Duke et Duchess
Belt: Audra Jean
Skirt: Lemon Twist
Socks: Sock Dreams
Boots: Bata
Skull bracelet: Betsy Johnson

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Corset Top

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Cydwoq Shoes

I'm back from a fantastic weekend in Austin, Texas. Despite the fact that we were wholly unprepared for how hot, and particularly how humid it was, Laura and I had a great time. Austin is a fun city with tons of live music, and unbeknownst to us we also happened to plan our visit the same weekend as a huge biker rally, which was quite a spectacle to behold. We stayed right in the heart of downtown and walked everywhere, and though it was draining because of the heat, my feet were at least well taken care of thanks to this new pair of Cydwoq shoes.
Coincidentally, the awesome Husband Mike did a post recently about Cydwoq shoes over on Sal's blog, and here they are getting featured on my blog as well. You may remember that Sal and Mike came to San Francisco a few months ago, and while they were here they told Mark and I about these fantastic shoes. Mark recently bought this pair, and has gone on about their comfort so many times that I finally resolved to get some for myself.

You might not guess, given the frequency with which I wear heels, that I actually suffer from a lot of problems with my feet (no doubt from wearing all those heels). For years now I've been searching for the perfect pair of super-comfy walking shoes, particularly ones that I can easily take with me when I travel, which is when my foot woes tend to afflict me the most. I wanted flat or low-heeled shoes that could be worn with jeans or skirts. Oh, and I also wanted them to be small and lightweight for easy packing. Miraculously, these Cydwoqs meet all my requirements. After wearing them several times now, I still can't get my head around the fact that I have no foot pain even after hours of walking.

I like how the crackle texture of the shoes accents the snakeskin pattern of the minidress. Though the shoes are quite a casual cut, I think the gold finish gives them just the right amount of dressiness to wear with skirts. Cheap they are most definitely not, but I have a feeling these shoes are going to be well worth the investment.





Hat: Noa Noa
Black drape-neck shirt: Sunhee Moon
Dress: thrifted
Belt: Sunhee Moon
Leggings: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Cydwoq
Jewelery: Betsey Johnson

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Proportions

This little dress is so darn comfy; I just love it. Somehow it manages to achieve that perfect balance between not constricting my waist, and yet still flattering my figure. I really dislike most empire-waist tops and dresses because they make even the skinniest gal look pregnant. And looking pregnant is fine, if, ya know, you're pregnant. But not otherwise. I don't care how comfortable the garment is, hiding your figure underneath a tent is not flattering, ever.

The secret to this dress's success lies in the shaping of its bottom half. The small pleats in the center and the slight flair at the bottom make the dress drape nicely around my curves while still leaving plenty of swingy space for me to feel comfortable and unrestricted in. And then the belt isn't right up under my bust, but down just a smidge towards my natural waist, which, though probably due in part to the fact that I don't have a big bust to fill out the top half, does help to even out the proportions.

I'm spending this weekend in Arizona, where I'll be meeting Mark's family for the first time. Wish me luck, everyone! I'll be back next week to announce the winner of my anniversary contest. I'm so glad I'm not one of the judges, because everybody looks fantastic! Best of luck to all my entrants, and thank you so much for participating. By the way, there's still time to submit entries through the end of the weekend!

Hat: San Diego Hat Company
Dress: Red Dress Shoppe
Shirt: La Redoute
Leggings: American Apparel
Boots: Fly London
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson

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Memento Mori Redux

It was downright HOT in San Francisco today; a rarity indeed. I figured I'd better take advantage of being able to bare my legs, since my fickle city might very well send this lovely spring weather packing in a few days. It was the first time my Memento Mori tattoo has seen the light of day since it was finished a few months ago. You might remember what it looked like without color; here is what it looks like now. It just barely peeks out of a dress like this, but when I sit down and cross my legs it's mostly visible, which is exactly how I intended it to be seen.

I really wanted to wear a belt with this outfit, but I just didn't have the right one. I figured a wide belt would overwhelm the light colors, but I didn't have a thin one in the right color. In the end I decided that no belt was better than the wrong one, and added a little contrast with the layers of bronze necklaces.

Keeping with the skull theme, I also wore my Betsey Johnson necklace and bracelet. One can never have too many skulls, really.

Cardigan: Solemio
Dress, skull jewelry: Betsey Johnson
Bronze layered necklace: H&M
Shoes: Azura

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