WWAD Wednesday

Romance Central

"I have more sex appeal on the tip of my nose than many women have in their entire bodies. It doesn't stand out a mile, but it is there." -AH

Audrey's dating life was, like her,...both discreet and a heck of a lot of fun. By twenty-four she had already been engaged to (and ended it with) English businessman James Hanson, was on the fence about marrying uber male Mel Ferrer, was madly, madly in love with Hollywood's resident bad boy William Holden, and was going on the occasional date with Senator John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts. (Mary Gallagher, a secretary in his office, remembers that "the whole office was impressed when she walked in. She was as graceful as a swan and carried a long, slim, red umbrella.")

Still, like so much else, Audrey conducted her personal life with a great deal of elan. Did she ever question that the man in her life was not madly in love with her and did not want to marry her...like, yesterday? Did she sit around on Saturday night, waiting for the phone to ring? Did she ever try on an evening dress and ask her significant other, "Does this make me look fat?" Please.

She's Audrey.

For Audrey, love was very important. As she admitted, "I was born with an enormous love of people, of children. I love them when I was little! I used to embarrass my mother by trying to pick babies out of prams at the market." In a later interview with Vogue, she wondered, "What makes two people happy? It's like fingerprints: Each one is different. Personally, I need a lot of loving, being loved and giving love. Real love. After that, the rest takes care of itself."

But on the other hand, given her childhood, she already knew a great deal of loss and death, and the inherent uncertainty of the human experience. After her father left her mother, she knew one hard reality: "Whatever you love most, you fear you might lose."

This was Audrey's dichotomy - the princess who had experienced such heartbreak, such death and fear and loss, and kept going. The smiling graceful young woman with the old soul. The modest girl who seemed to have no sense of her beauty and her talent, who was on the verge of having the world and all its possibilities laid at her feet.

Although first known for her "style," that shorthand phrase that does little to convey the depth of a person, Audrey was a combination of vulnerability and strength of character. Perhaps this, even more than the ballet flats or cropped black pants she is known for, is the source of our lasting intrigue in her. Like many creative people, Audrey had deep reserves of emotional need that she was not afraid to tap into.

As she herself put it, "It always boils down to the same thing - not only receiving love, but wanting desperately to give it, a need to give it!"

And it is, perhaps, the emotional courage that draws us to her still.

But while we might not win an Oscar our first time out of the gate, or date Bill Holden (or who is his modern equivalent - George Clooney? Jamie Foxx?), there are still many lessons that Audrey can teach us in the romance department.

The Pregame Warm-Up

How did Audrey get ready for a date? As a single, twenty-four-year-old young woman about town, she admitted:

"I like to have a good hour [to dress for a party]. I take a slow bath, make up and dress. Then I go to the party and forget about my appearance. Later in the evening I go to the powder room, look in the mirror, and say, 'My God, this is what I've been looking like all evening.' I like parties if I feel like going. Nightclubs occasionally for dancing. It's fun if there's someone you want to spend the time with, I prefer quiet evenings."

**all information comes from the book: What Would Audrey Do by Pamela Keogh

Movie Monday (Tuesday Edition): Pretty Baby

First of all, I know I've been slacking in the movie watching department, sorry! And I did watch a movie yesterday, but I was so upset about my dog destroying my amazing new vintage peeptoes that I didn't have it in me to blog last night. More on that later...

Yesterday I watched Pretty Baby from 1950. This was a sweet little black and white film that I would definately recommend. However, it struck me how the 2 leading men physically treated Patsy Douglas (Betsy Drake). They were always pulling her around by the arms, I didn't like that.

Patsy Douglas (Betsy Drake), a mimeograph operator at the advertising firm owned by Sam Morley (Dennis Morgan) and Barry Holmes (Zachary Scott), can never get a seat on the crowded subway until one day, she volunteers to hold a baby for an over-burdened mother and discovers that people willingly give up their seats.

Later, Patsy, who has a crush on Morley, is offered a temporary job as his secretary. Patsy is a failure as a secretary, but she is in Morley's office long enough to learn that Cyrus Baxter, owner of Baxter's Baby Foods, the company's main account, has rejected their latest campaign. Morley orders the Baxter display dismantled, and that night, as she leaves, Patsy grabs the baby doll that was part of the display. Wrapping the doll in a blanket, she masquerades as a mother with a baby and thus is able to get a seat on the subway.

The next day, Baxter, who has a violent temper, gets stuck in traffic, and takes out his frustration on his chauffeur, who quits on the spot. Baxter is forced to take the subway and sits next to Patsy, who is carrying the disguised doll. In response to a question from another passenger, Patsy reveals that her "baby" is named Cyrus after the founder of Baxter's Baby Foods. Baxter is thrilled and strikes up a conversation with her, although he does not reveal his identity. When he learns that she works for Morley-Holmes, he is determined to help her out.

Later, Baxter orders Morley and Holmes to make sure that Miss Douglas is happy at work. In the meantime, however, Patsy is fired. Morley and Holmes immediately search for her, then offer her a new job as a copywriter.

Patsy stops by the office one evening to offer her help to Morley, who is working overtime on a new campaign for Baxter. By the end of the evening, Morley has fallen in love with Patsy.

Holmes then suggests that Patsy present the new ideas to Baxter. In so doing, Patsy discovers Baxter's real identity and, realizing that a misunderstanding has been behind her promotion, leaves without showing him the proposal. Patsy tells the truth about the baby to Morley and Holmes, who insist that she keep up the deception until Baxter signs a new contract. She refuses and quits.

Morley encounters Baxter and shows him Holmes's baby picture, claiming it is a photograph of little Cyrus. Baxter soon recognizes that the baby resembles Holmes and, assuming that he is the baby's father, insists that Holmes marry Patsy. Although Holmes agrees to pretend to be engaged to Patsy, she has other ideas, and he then sets out to woo her. Morley becomes jealous, and when the two men argue over her at a nightclub, Patsy decides it is time for her to leave.

Encountering Baxter outside her apartment, Patsy starts to tell him the truth, but when he explains how his life has changed since he met her, she backs down. Instead, she tells Baxter that she is leaving New York for good. Without Patsy, Baxter returns to his contentious behavior.

Later Morley waits for Patsy outside her new job and follows her to the subway. She accepts his proposal, and they leave the subway at the City Hall stop.

What Would Audrey Do Wednesday

Hepburn vs. Hepburn

Although the two Hepburns - Katharine and Audrey - were confused throughout their lives (and still are today), these screen icons could not have been more dissimilar. (When AH signed her first Paramount contract for Roman Holiday, the studio asked her to change her surname. She politely refused.) Kate barreled through life doing exactly as she pleased for ninety-six years. She had zero interest in marriage, Republicans, or wearing sunblock, didn't care for whom she ticked off, and smoked three packs a day for twenty years before giving it up by going cold turkey at the age of forty.

While she trumpeted her originality, Katharine Hepburn is a distinct American archetype. Invariably described as being of New England stock, a Mayflower descendant, and more than a little intimidating (think Queen Elizabeth II, Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce, or Barbara Bush), these are not women who need our help. They're blue-blood tough guys: reserved, unironic, and often married to much handsomer men they terrorize into submission with their intelligence, cojones, fierce backhand, and Mummy's charitable lead trust on their side.

While Audrey was known for her style - Those trousers! Those turtlenecks! Those cheekbones and graceful stride! - these gals are not. Well, they might possess style of a sort (i.e., the Church Lady, or Talbots circa 1973), but this is not the first thing that comes to mind when their names come up. Given to A-line skirts, triple-strand pearls, and sensible shoes, they are emotionally reserved, opinionated, arch - and you can bet they'll let you know exactly how they feel on any given topic, be it the presidential race, what color to paint the sunroom, the best way to fire the help, or how to raise your children.

With her modesty, grace, less satorially tomboyish fashion sense, and - dare we say it? - inherent European sophistication, Audrey is the anti-Kate. Because while people might be in awe of the indomitable Miss Kate, they truly love Audrey.

**all information comes from the book: What Would Audrey Do by Pamela Keogh

Jadite: My Newest Obsession

Jadite was first coined by the Jeannette Glass company and refers to a color of glass, not a company or pattern. It is a milky green, opalescent dinner, restaurant and kitchenware manufactured by several companies .

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Jadite was manufactured by many companies from the 1930's to 1972, each of which produced a slight variant either lighter or darker of jadite's pretty seafoam -green color.

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Jadite was heavy, durable, inexpensive and, sometimes free! It was often packaged as a giveaway in food and cleaning products. Restaurants served meals on jadite dishes, since they cost pennies to buy and were quite durable.

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Because Jadite is functional, good looking, and easy to find and still fairly cheap to buy, it is an ideal collectible.

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What makes jadite especially fun to collect is the hundreds of different items available. There is everything from basic tableware and kitchenware to unusual, even quirky, things like cigarette boxes, footed bulb bowls, jucie-saver pie plates, door knobs and water dispensers to name a few.

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By far the largest and most well-known producer of jadite was the Anchor Hocking Glass Co. was founded by Isaac J. Collins, in 1905, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to produce pressed-glass dinnerware.

TheBlissfulBungalow

After Hockings merged with the Anchor Cap Co in 1937, the new company, the Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation, started to manufacturer glass ovenware that could endure high oven temperatures. Their wildly successful line of ovenproof glass, called Fire-King, debuted in 1942 and was made for 30 years. Offered in a variety colors, Fire-King named their opaque green color Jade - ite which would become the line's most popular color.

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Take a peek at this darling treasury I put together of amazing vintage jadite items on Etsy!

Date Your Jadite

1942 - 45 FIRE-KING in block letters

1942 - 45 OVEN FIRE-KING GLASS

mid 1940's OVEN FIRE-KING WARE

Mid to late 1940's OVEN Fire-King WARE MADE IN U.S.A. ("Fire-King" is written in script lettering)

1951-1960 ANCHOR HOCKING OVEN Fire-King WARE MADE IN U.S.A. ("Fire-King" is written in script lettering)

1960 - late 1960's ANCHOR HOCKING OVEN Fire-King DINNERWARE MADE IN U.S.A. ("Fire-King" is written in script lettering)

late 1960's- early 1970's ANCHOR HOCKING OVEN Fire-King OVEN-PROOF MADE IN U.S.A. ("Fire-King" is written in script lettering)

Mid To Late 1970's ANCHOR HOCKING OVEN Fire-King Suburbia OVEN-PROOF MADE IN U.S.A. ("Fire-King" is written in script lettering)


**ALL PICTURES SHOWN ARE OF ITEMS FOR SALE ON ETSY

What Would Audrey Do Wednesday

Would Audrey...

Sign autographs? Yes. Within reason. When she shot Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn for PBS in 1990, executive producer Janis Blackschlager remembers her stopping briefly to sign autographs in front of the Plaza Athenee when she stayed there. "There were always people waiting out front, with thirty-year-old pictures," she recalled. "And Audrey got a kick out of seeing them again."

Be extremely low-key? You bet. A friend (granted, a rather clueless friend) was recently seated next to an older gentleman with beautiful blue eyes at a dinner party. "And what do you do?" she asked politely. "Oh, I sell salad dressing," he replied.

A few moments later she realized: Paul Newman.

Although it was practically impossible for her to go unrecognized as Mr. Newman sometimes could, Audrey was the same way.

Care what people said about her on the Internet? No. AH would never have Googled herself. For starters, she would probably be a little freaked out at her extreme popularity (2,110,000 pages in English alone, and counting - and that's not even including Japan or China).

Would the blogs have affected her? Would she have read something like TMZ, gawker, or (god forbid) Perez Hilton on the Internet? No.

Throw her weight around? (such as it was) No. She didn't have to. Because of her inherent grace (or star quality, or upbringing), people tended to listen to Audrey when she spoke. If anything, she was the anti-diva.

There is only one known instance of Audrey even mildly pulling rank, ever, and that was on the set of Two for the Road. Audrey and Albert Finney and Stanley Donen, the director, were ready to roll, and production was being held up for some reason. What was the delay? Audrey wondered. Jacqueline Bisset (in one of her first acting jobs) was having problems with her makeup and was not quite ready.

"Yes, but I'm ready," Audrey said quietly.

And...action.

Answer her own telephone? Absolutely. Social chronicler Dominick Dunne was with her in her hotel suite in the 1980s in New York City and he remembers her picking up her own calls, "Hel-lo" in her melodic voice. Her friends still miss that voice.

**all information comes from the book: What Would Audrey Do by Pamela Keogh

What Would Audrey Do Wednesday

On the Red Carpet (or Elsewhere)

Kevin Mazur is one of the preeminent photographers today - a celeb favorite (and all-around nice guy), he has shot Bruce Springsteen, Sting, U2, Dylan, JLo, and Marc Anthony, among others. A regular contributor to the pages of Rolling Stone and Us Weekly, he is often the only outsider allowed backstage and on the red carpet at major celebrity events.

Although Audrey never needed any advice about looking great for the camera, here are Kevin's tips for the rest of us.

1. Have fun! If you have fun with the camera and enjoy yourself, it shows!

2. Position yourself sideways to the camera. Don't stand straight on, that makes you look flat and heavy. Twist your hips and shoulders.

3. Try a bunch of different poses - someone like Audrey was always great on the red carpet because she really knew how to pose. She gave photographers a lot to work with - she could look serious, smile, look sexy, all within about five minutes.

4. Before a big event (say, a wedding), study magazines like Us or People and see how your favorite stars pose, and what might work for you. Then try them yourself.

5. You want to raise your chin a little, in case you have a few extra pounds; you don't want any "wattle" under the neck. But don't tilt your head too high, it will look odd. Practice in front of a mirror if you must.

6. Finally, stars are comfortable in front of the camera because it's part of their job...Emulate them - and remember, the camera is you friend. Be like Audrey: Use your eyes and flirt with it a little.

7. Again, Kevin reiterated that the main thing is to have fun with it. Enjoy yourself - that's the main thing. If you do, that will come across in the pictures.

**all information comes from the book: What Would Audrey Do by Pamela Keogh

Artist's Market

Today I spent the day selling the handmade pedestals (for sale in the shop) at the Flying Monkey's Artist's Market. It was my first time to sell there and my first time to attend. I like the artsy crowd, they are a lot more accepting of you, just as you are, than most people.

This weekend was also the Cigar Box Guitar Festival. Having never heard of this, I assumed it was a brand, but no, they were actual instruments made from wooden and cardboard cigar boxes. They were quite extraordinary! There was a small "museum" of cigar box guitars and some dated to the turn of the century, it was pretty cool. I could just see a hobo walking down the street with this nap-sack and one of these instruments.

What Would Audrey Do Wednesday

Dealing With The Press (part 2):

Keep them at arm's distance. If you are a world-famous actress, physical separation is terrific for keeping the press hounds at bay. During her off hours, living in a small village in Switzerland, rather than Bel-Air, and being generally inaccessible was Audrey's way of dealing with the picayune attention that came with having one of the most recognizable faces in the world.

Just say no. The first time AH was supposed to be interviewed by Barbara Walters in 1971, she turned her down because she had not heard of her and did not want to answer personal questions. In the years that followed, Barbara became a bit more well known, and AH was interviewed by her in 1989.

Hold your ground. No matter what the reporter asks, always hold your ground and answer the question that you want to answer. In a rare filmed interview following a 1963 press conference announcing the making of My Fair Lady on the Warner lot, the reporter repeatedly tries to corner Audrey and put words in her mouth. She waits, thinks, sometimes asks him to clarify his question, occasionally gives him a dazzling smile, and answers exactly what she wants. It is quite a performance.

When dealing with the press, the main thing is: Don't be intimidated; hold your ground, and try to have as clear a sense as possible of what you want to say before you go on - that way, you will make sure that you get your point across.

Ask for final edit. If you are on a news program, ask if you can have final edit. Unless you are Bill Clinton, it is very unlikely you will ever get this, but what the heck - it can't hurt to ask. Conversely, find out if the show is live, or live to tape. Although (possibly) more nerve-racking, this is potentially better for you, since the producers cannot edit your comments to make you look silly. Given the kinder media era she grew up in, Audrey never had to worry about any of this.

Don't live in the press. There are some people (you know who you are) who live to be in the media. They could be Madonna, they could be the owner of the local car dealership who never met a reporter he did not like. Remember, if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword, so the best thing to do is either stay out of the press as much as possible or use it to your advantage only when you want to, as AH did.

**all information comes from the book: What Would Audrey Do by Pamela Keogh