SHROUDED IN MIST

If this is your idea of a romantic meeting place I don't think things will work out between us.


There isn’t much online about the Japanese drama Kiri aru jyoji and we aren’t going to be able to add much more. Well, except for this incredible promo poster, which we’re sure has never appeared on any website before. So that’s something at least. The movie premiered in 1959, came from Tokyo’s venerable movie studio Shochiku Company Limited, and was directed by Minoru Shibuya. It starred Mariko Okada, a leading figure of the Japanese New Wave and one of the great stars of her era (and this era, actually, as she’s still working steadily). Hopefully one day we’ll track down this movie. For now—only the poster.

Sounds good except for the dying young part.

Above is a rather nice poster for the Japanese comedy Monro no youna onna, aka A Woman Like Monroe, which was released in 1964. It was adapted from Funahashi Seiichi’s novel of the same name, directed by Minoru Shibuya, and starred Akemi Mari, Keiji Sada, and Chishû Ryû. We haven’t seen the film, but we gather it’s about a young woman who decides to become a model and deals with various conflicts related to that, including the pressure of whether to pose nude. Not much info, we know, but that’s all we got. We will say, though, that the movie is yet another indication of Marilyn Monroe’s unparalleled global fame. We often hear how popular she was, and the confirmation is everywhere in the form of her films, interviews, biographies, and thousands upon thousands of photos, yet we’re still capable of being surprised that her name was borrowed for the title of a Japanese novel, and subsequently a movie. And speaking of titles, while poking around online we found a frame of the film’s unusual main title sequence. See below. In the meantime we’ll try to locate a copy of Monro no youna onna and get back to you on it.

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

1933—Prohibition Ends in United States

Utah becomes the 36th U.S. state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution, thus establishing the required 75% of states needed to overturn the 18th Amendment which had made the sale of alcohol illegal. But the criminal gangs that had gained power during Prohibition are now firmly established, and maintain an influence that continues unabated for decades.

1945—Flight 19 Vanishes without a Trace

During an overwater navigation training flight from Fort Lauderdale, five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger torpedo-bombers lose radio contact with their base and vanish. The disappearance takes place in what is popularly known as the Bermuda Triangle.

1918—Wilson Goes to Europe

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails to Europe for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, France, becoming the first U.S. president to travel to Europe while in office.

1921—Arbuckle Manslaughter Trial Ends

In the U.S., a manslaughter trial against actor/director Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle ends with the jury deadlocked as to whether he had killed aspiring actress Virginia Rappe during rape and sodomy. Arbuckle was finally cleared of all wrongdoing after two more trials, but the scandal ruined his career and personal life.

1964—Mass Student Arrests in U.S.

In California, Police arrest over 800 students at the University of California, Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest at the UC Regents’ decision to forbid protests on university property.

1968—U.S. Unemployment Hits Low

Unemployment figures are released revealing that the U.S. unemployment rate has fallen to 3.3 percent, the lowest rate for almost fifteen years. Going forward all the way to the current day, the figure never reaches this low level again.

1954—Joseph McCarthy Disciplined by Senate

In the United States, after standing idly by during years of communist witch hunts in Hollywood and beyond, the U.S. Senate votes 65 to 22 to condemn Joseph McCarthy for conduct bringing the Senate into dishonor and disrepute. The vote ruined McCarthy’s career.

Barye Phillips cover art for Street of No Return by David Goodis.
Assorted paperback covers featuring hot rods and race cars.
A collection of red paperback covers from Dutch publisher De Vrije Pers.

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