Intl. Notebook

July 31 2024

DAWN OF TIME

These were the days of her life.

It’s been several years since we last shared an issue of the Spanish celebrity publication Colleción Idolos del Cine, but we still have a few sitting around. These magazines, which were miniature in size and only thirty-pages on average, were always devoted to a single star. The above example dates from 1958 and features U.S. actress Dawn Adams, who by that point had featured in such films as The Robe and House of Intrigue. She had also starred on television in such shows as Sherlock Holmes and The Third Man. The next year, 1959, would be big for her. She’d appear in eight films, including the hit Brigitte Bardot vehicle Voulez-vous danser avec moi? Inside Idolos, readers see Adams’ travels around Europe, meet her husband Don Vittorio Emanuele Massimo the Prince of Roccasecca, and learn about her upcoming films. Not bad for the palatable price of three pesetas. We have fourteen scans below. The previous Idolos we’ve posted, with Maria Schell and Pier Angeli, are here and here.

Spain, Colleción Idolos del Cine, The RobeHouse of Intrigue, Sherlock Holmes, The Third Man, Voulez-vous danser avec moi?, Come Dance with Me, Dawn Adams, Bruce Cabot, Don Vittorio Emanuele Massimo, cinema

Hollywoodland

November 27 2016

DIVORCE DE SCAFFA STYLE

Hah hah, I'm free! Drinks for everyone! My ex-husband's paying!

Why is this woman laughing? Because she’s just been granted a divorce. She’s actress Francesca de Scaffa and she was married to actor Bruce Cabot until today in 1951, when the photo memorialized her cheerful unfettering. Why is the man laughing? He’s Hollywood super lawyer Jerry Giesler, and he’s probably thinking about the fees he collected.

Strangely, Wikipedia lists de Scaffa and Cabot as divorcing in 1957, but we found wire photos stating unambiguously that they split in 1951. However, we also found references to the 1957 divorce. We can only guess the two remarried at some point, a supposition that makes sense considering we also found a photo of the two dining in December 1951 captioned in part, “Last night, guess who took [de Scaffa] night-clubbing? Right! Bruce Cabot.” The point of the caption being that divorced couples are not often seen out having a night on the town together.

It lends credence to the idea that they married twice, but don’t quote us on it. We will find out, though, because we’ll probably revisit de Scaffa a bit later—she’s true pulp material. Among her many exploits were acting as an informant for Confidential magazine, a liaison with the Shah of Iran, marrying a Spanish bullfighter, running afoul of Mexican officials who tried to deport her, two suicide attempts, and more. As far as her marriage(s) with Cabot go(es), we’ll put it(them) in the mystery file for now.

Mexico, Iran, Hollywood, Confidential, Francesca de Scaffa, Bruce Cabot, Jerry Giesler

Vintage Pulp

March 2 2010

THE NOBLE APE

You can't go wrong if your poster has Kong.

The original King Kong took cinema by storm with its tale of a fantastic lost world, and its revolutionary visual effects. It also had the most consistently wonderful promo posters of possibly any film in history. All were great, but the best, in our opinion, is the version made for the world premiere at Radio City Music Hall, above. The numerous other versions are below, and all are stunning. King Kong, one of the most enduring movies ever made, opened in New York City today in 1933.

New York City, Radio City Music Hall, King Kong, Bruce Cabot, Fay Wray, poster art, cinema

Hollywoodland

March 14 2009

APPEARANCE OF IMPROPRIETY

Tabloid turns Winston Churchill into King Leer.

March 1957 issue of Uncensored magazine, with James Dean, Xavier Cugat (Cugie), Mrs. Bruce Cabot (Adrienne Ames) and a pretty funny juxtaposition at lower right that makes Winston (Churchill) appear to leer at Ethel Barrymore.

Uncensored, Winston Churchill, Ethel Barrymore, James Dean, Xavier Cugat, Bruce Cabot, Adrienne Ames, tabloid

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

October 7

1959—Dark Side of Moon Revealed

The Soviet space probe Luna 3 transmits the first photographs of the far side of the moon. The photos generate great interest, and scientists are surprised to see mountainous terrain, very different from the near side, and only two seas, which the Soviets name Mare Moscovrae (Sea of Moscow) and Mare Desiderii (Sea of Desire).

October 6

1966—LSD Declared Illegal in U.S.

LSD, which was originally synthesized by a Swiss doctor and was later secretly used by the CIA on military personnel, prostitutes, the mentally ill, and members of the general public in a project code named MKULTRA, is designated a controlled substance in the United States.

October 5

1945—Hollywood Black Friday

A six month strike by Hollywood set decorators becomes a riot at the gates of Warner Brothers Studios when strikers and replacement workers clash. The event helps bring about the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, which, among other things, prohibits unions from contributing to political campaigns and requires union leaders to affirm they are not supporters of the Communist Party.

October 4

1957—Sputnik Circles Earth

The Soviet Union launches the satellite Sputnik I, which becomes the first artificial object to orbit the Earth. It orbits for two months and provides valuable information about the density of the upper atmosphere. It also panics the United States into a space race that eventually culminates in the U.S. moon landing.

October 4

1970—Janis Joplin Overdoses

American blues singer Janis Joplin is found dead on the floor of her motel room in Los Angeles. The cause of death is determined to be an overdose of heroin, possibly combined with the effects of alcohol.