Femmes Fatales

June 25 2020

ROC IN HER SHOES

You think stardom is easy? Try wearing these all day.

British actress Patricia Roc, seen above, is pretty obscure considering her her extensive filmography. That’s mostly because despite appearing in movies such as Circle of Danger and L’inconnue de Montréal, aka Fugitive from Montréal, she made only one Hollywood film—1946’s Canyon Passage. The photo makes her look like she’s regretting having just made that canyon passage on foot, but it’s a cool, unusual shot. If you’re thinking Roc is a pseudonym, you’re right. She was really Felicia Herold. Yes? No? Maybe? Nah—doesn’t do it for us either. Yet another good show business name change.

Britain, Circle of Danger, L'inconnue de Montréal, Fugitive from Montréal, Canyon Passage, Patricia Roc, Felicia Herold

Vintage Pulp

January 29 2015

HOLLYWOOD SWINGING

Everybody who was anybody got inside.

Above and below, scans from the French show-biz and showgirl magazine Paris-Hollywood, issue 26, from 1948. The front cover features Marguerite Chapman, the rear Arlene Dahl, and in between you get Cyd Charisse, Patricia Roc, Martha Vickers, Alexis Smith, Anne Jeffreys, Luce Feyrer, Edwige Feuillère, Marlene Dietrich, and other luminaries. That’s quite a collection of celebs. In upcoming years the magazine would spend more time on cabaret dancers, but its early issues were all about international stars. We picked up a few of these in Paris a while back and we’ll get to some detailed scans of those soon. In the meantime, you can see more from Paris-Hollywood here, here, and here.

France, Paris-Hollywood, Marguerite Chapman, Arlene Dahl, Cyd Charisse, Patricia Roc, Martha Vickers, Alexis Smith, Christiane Ardennes, Claude Carmoin, Edwige Feuillère, Anne Jeffreys, Luce Feyrer, Marlene Dietrich

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

April 19

1927—Mae West Sentenced to Jail

American actress and playwright Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for the content of her play Sex. The trial occurred even though the play had run for a year and had been seen by 325,000 people. However West’s considerable popularity, already based on her risque image, only increased due to the controversy.

April 19

1971—Manson Sentenced to Death

In the U.S, cult leader Charles Manson is sentenced to death for inciting the murders of Sharon Tate and several other people. Three accomplices, who had actually done the killing, were also sentenced to death, but the state of California abolished capital punishment in 1972 and neither they nor Manson were ever actually executed.

April 18

1923—Yankee Stadium Opens

In New York City, Yankee Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, opens with the Yankees beating their eternal rivals the Boston Red Sox 4 to 1. The stadium, which is nicknamed The House that Ruth Built, sees the Yankees become the most successful franchise in baseball history. It is eventually replaced by a new Yankee Stadium and closes in September 2008.

April 17

1961—Bay of Pigs Invasion Is Launched

A group of CIA financed and trained Cuban refugees lands at the Bay of Pigs in southern Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro. However, the invasion fails badly and the result is embarrassment for U.S. president John F. Kennedy and a major boost in popularity for Fidel Castro, and also has the effect of pushing him toward the Soviet Union for protection.

April 16

1943—First LSD Trip Takes Place

Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann, while working at Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, accidentally absorbs lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD, and thus discovers its psychedelic properties. He had first synthesized the substance five years earlier but hadn’t been aware of its effects. He goes on to write scores of articles and books about his creation.